A HAND MIXER

Field of the Invention This invention relates to the field of mixing or blending liquid mixtures, such as foods or pharmaceuticals, omelet mixes, protein shakes, chocolate milk, powdered medicines dissolved in aqueous solutions, etc.

Background of the Invention

Traditionally, mixing or blending such substances involved either the use of a utensil, such as a mixing stick, beater or spoon, to manually stir the mixture of elements until it is properly mixed, or an appliance such as a blender or food processor to accomplish the same. However stirring takes time and effort, and can lead to an uneven mixture. For example, when mixing a protein shake, clumps of protein powder may avoid the mixing utensil, and thereby not properly dissolve into the liquid with which it is being mixed. Similarly, appliances can produce a more consistent mixture, but require electricity or batteries to work and must generally be disassembled in order to clean.

Screw or hinge-top containers allow the mixing of such substances by handshaking the entire container. However, such containers do not have any interior structure to disrupt the flow of liquid through them, and the mixture obtained through such manual shaking may therefore be prone to inconsistency. More recently, as described in U.S. Patent No. 6,379,032, companies have tried introducing independent structures as agitators to disrupt the flow of liquid while mixing in order to improve the consistency of the mixture. However such products are disadvantageous in that they require a separate structure to work, which increases costs, and places a burden on the consumer to not lose the separate structure. Summary of the Invention

An objective of the present invention is to overcome the limitations of the prior art by introducing structure to disrupt flow of liquid through the bottle.

Another objective of the present invention is to prevent the liquid inside the container from leaking between cap and the container.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a container that does not tilt over easily.

Detailed Description of the Invention

A system realized to fulfill the objective of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying figures, in which:

Figure 1 Shows a side view of the hand mixer.

Figure 2 Shows a side view of the cap.

Figure 3 Shows a cross-sectional view of the cap.

Figure 4 Shows a side view of the container.

Figure 5 Shows a cross-sectional view of the container.

Figure 6 Shows a cross-sectional view of the hand mixer.

Figure 7 Shows a cross-sectional view of the hand mixer having two caps.

Figure 8 Shows a cross-sectional view of the hand mixer having two caps one which has a straight surface

Figure 9 Shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the hand mixer, with the cap of the container removed.

Figure 10 Shows a bottom view of an embodiment of the cap.

Figures 11a, lib, 11c, lid Show bottom and perspective views of different types of the protrusions. Figures 12a and 12b show side views of different types of protrusions having helical ridge.

The components illustrated in the figures are individually numbered where the numbers refer to the following:

1. Hand mixer

2. Container

21. Opening

3. Cap

31. Protrusion

32. Tapering point

33. Ridge

34. Barrier

A hand mixer (1), which homogenously mixes the liquid- liquid and/or liquid-solid mixtures such as foods, pharmaceuticals, omelet mixtures, protein shakes, powdered medicines dissolved in aqueous solutions etc. fundamentally comprises, at least one container (2),

- at least one opening (21), through which the substances to be mixed can be placed into the container (2),

at least one cap (3) having an inner surface adapted to fit over the opening (21) of the container (2) to form a seal,

at least one protrusion (31), affixed to the interior surface of the cap (3) and extends into the container (2),

at least one barrier (34), extending from the interior surface of the cap (3) into the container (2) and having an outer surface engaging at least a part of the inner surface of the opening (21) and/or interior surface of the container (2) to protect the mixture from leaking between the cap (3) and the container (2). The container (2) can be rigid or flexible, and can be made of plastic, glass, metal, wood, clay, rubber, or any other material or combination of materials known in the art. The container (2) is preferably made of a transparent material and has a scale showing the amount of the mixture inside the container (2). The container (2) has an opening (21), through which the substances to be mixed can be placed into the container (2).

The invention further includes a cap (3), or lid, which covers the opening (21) of the container (2), such that the substances being mixed remain inside the container during mixing, and does not spill out. The cap (3), or lid, may be made of plastic, glass, metal, wood, clay, rubber or any other material or combination of materials know in the art. Optionally, rubber O-rings, or any similar structures known in the art may also be used to help seal the connection between the cap (3) and the container (2). The cap (3) may attach to the container by screwing on (such as a screw and thread mechanism), by using a cam mechanism (such as an over-center cam mechanism), clipping on, form fitting attachment mechanism (such as a detent and groove mechanism), or any other form of attachment known in the art.

The invention further comprises at least one, and preferably more than one protrusion(s) (31). The protrusion(s) (31) are affixed to the interior surface of the cap (3), or lid, such that the protrusion(s) (31) extend into the container (2) when the cap (3), or lid, is attached. The protrusions (31) can be made of plastic, glass, metal, wood, clay, rubber, or any other suitable material or combinations of materials known in the art. In such preferred embodiments, the protrusion(s) (31) may be separate structures that are attached to the lid through mechanical fasteners or through adhesion form-fitting connections, or other attachment methods known in the art. Where the protrusions (31) are separate structures, in certain embodiments, the protrusions (31) may be detachable (for example, for cleaning or so that the container can be used without the protrusions in the cap), such that they can be attached or removed as desired, and when they are connected they remain secured to the interior surface of the cap (3). In such embodiments the protrusions (31) may be secured to the cap by any means known in the art, including without limitation, clipping onto a retaining structure, sliding them into place, slide and lock mechanisms, detent and groove mechanisms, form fitting connections (e.g. dove tails), etc. The protrusions (31) may be attached/detached from the interior surface of the cap (3) individually, in groups, or all together as one piece. Alternatively the protrusion(s) (31) may be an integral part of the structure of the cap (3), or lid. For example, a mold for a molded plastic cap (3) may include the protrusion(s) (31) such that the cap (3) and the protrusion(s) (31) are formed of a single piece.

The protrusion(s) (31) may be arranged in any manner desired. For example, in embodiments with a single protrusion (31) on the cap (3), or lid, the protrusion

(31) may be centered on the cap (3), or lid, or may be off-center. In embodiments with multiple protrusions (31), the protrusions (31) may be arranged in symmetric or asymmetric patterns. As shown in Fig. 10, the protrusions (31) may be arranged in staggered rows, or they may be arranged in a grid pattern (not shown).

Similarly, the protrusions may have any desired shape. Examples of possible shapes are shown in Figs. 11a, l ib and 11c. In Fig. 11a a cylindrical protrusion (31) is shown wherein the protrusion (31) is cylindrical from its base to a taper point (32), after which the cylindrical protrusion tapers in the shape of a cone. In Fig. l ib, the protrusion (31) is fluted, and likewise tapers after a tapering point

(32) . In Fig. 11c, the protrusion 4 is cross-shaped and tapered after a tapering point (32). Fig. l id shows an alternative type of cross-shaped protrusion (31) wherein the cross is formed by rectangular structures with alternating orientations. Optionally, cylindrical, fluted or cross-shaped protrusions (31) that do not taper may be used. Alternatively, protrusions (31) having other polygonal shapes, or other star-type shapes may be used. These examples are meant to be illustrative rather than limiting, as one of skill in the art will recognize that such protrusions (31) can take on a variety of shapes and sizes. As shown in Figs 12a and 12b, the protrusions (31) may optionally have a helical ridge (33), which extends around the sides of the protrusion (31), giving it a shape similar to that of a screw. The helical ridge (33) may extend along the entire length of the protrusion (31) (Fig. 12a). Alternatively, the helical ridge (33) may only extend along a part of the protrusion (31) (Fig. 12b). The shape of the protrusions (31) need not be consistent along its length (Fig. 12b). The protrusion (31) shown in Fig. 12b is cylindrical with a helical ridge (33) at the bottom, and is cross-shaped without a helical ridge (33) at the top. In an alternative embodiment, rings or discs may be used in place of the illustrated helical structure. Such structures assist in the mixing process by creating swirls and eddies, and by presenting irregular surfaces to a mixture being agitated, thereby enhancing the integration of substances being mixed.

The invention preferably comprises a barrier (34) affixed to the interior surface of the cap (3). The barrier (34) has a shape similar to the interior surface of the opening (21) and the barrier (34) extends into the container (2). Outer surface of the barrier (34) tightly or closely fits to the interior surface of the opening (21) and/or at least a part of the interior surface of the container (2) when the cap (3) is attached to the container (2) to prevent the mixture inside the container (2) from leaking between the cap (3) and the container (2) (Figures 6, 7, 8).

The invention can be practiced with many sorts of containers. For example the container (2) may have a handle, grips, depressions for fingers, or may otherwise be shaped in any manner known in the art such that it is easier to hold while it is being shaked. In some embodiments, the container (2) may also have one or more additional openings (21), each having a corresponding cap (3), such that it is not necessary to remove the cap (3) having the protrusions (31) from the container (2) in order to extract the mixture within the container (2). Alternatively, in multiple- cap embodiments each cap (3) may have protrusions (31). In a preferred embodiment, the base of the container (2) has an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of upper part of the container (2) (Figs. 1, 4, 5, 6). This protects the hand mixer (1) from tilting over easily. Additionally, the container (2) may have a larger inner diameter at the opening (21) than the outer diameter of the barrier (34) (Figs. 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8). In this embodiment the inner diameter of container (2) at the opening (21) decreases continuously up to tightly fit to the outer surface of the barrier (34) while going down. This makes placing the cap (3) to the opening (21) easy.

Within the scope of these basic concepts, it is possible to develop a wide variety of embodiments of the inventive "hand mixer" (1). The invention cannot be limited to the examples described herein; it is essentially according to the claims.