Abstract:
A manually operated, two lever arm type garlic press is provided which a detachably associated cleaning plate that is stored at the front end of the one of the lever arms (preferably, the first lever arm). The cleaning plate is provided with projections on its inner surface which are adopted to engage with apertures in the floor plate of the press chamber so as to clean debris from the apertures after usage of the garlic press. During storage, the projections extend forwardly from the associated lever arm. The cleaning plate is provided with opposing side clips and with top and bottom stabilizing legs that coact together and cooperate with side portions of the associated lever arm adjacent to the front end to hold the cleaning plate relative to that lever arm. Preferably, the top stabilizing leg also functions as a lock to retain the lever arms in a closed configuration during garlic press storage.

Description:
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/144,844 filed Aug. 31, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,170, issued Aug. 29, 2000. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to manually operated, lever-type garlic presses that are equipped with a press plate cleaner. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Although manually operated garlic presses are useful and effective, they are generally difficult to clean, which particularly involves the removal of the compressed clove from the apertures in the floor plate of the press chamber. In routine use, these apertures tend to become filled with the material from a garlic clove as it is squeezed in the press chamber between the floor plate and an anvil. The anvil compressively descends in the chamber towards the floor plate as the press levers are manually squeezed together by the user so that fluid and paste from the compressed clove can drain out through the floor plate apertures. 
     Attempts to flush out any remaining material from the apertures using tap water pressure are usually ineffective. Moreover, surface brushing of the floor plate usually does not clear all of the material from the apertures. 
     Prior art garlic presses have proposed using a cleaning plate with a plurality of spaced, upstanding or projecting pins or projections. The plurality of pins or projections would remove the remaining material or debris from the press floor plate apertures. Various adaptations of this concept have been proposed. However, so far as is known, these adaptations suffer from various drawbacks in that the resulting garlic press, particularly in association with some form of cleaning plate, tends to be cumbersome and unwieldy, and awkward to use, clean, and/or store. 
     The present invention provides an improved combination of a manually operated lever-type garlic press, associated cleaning plate and mutual interconnection means which reduces or overcomes these drawbacks. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     More particularly, the invention relates to a new and useful combination of manually operated garlic press and cleaning plate. The press has upper and lower levers. The levers are pivotably associated at their front end regions. The lower lever also includes a cooperating cleaning plate at its front end region. 
     The combination provides a compact garlic press that is easily used, easily cleaned, and readily stored. 
     The inventive combination of lever type garlic press with cleaning plate provides an improvement over prior art combinations of lever-type garlic press with cleaning plate, and the inventive combination overcomes or minimizes the drawbacks of the prior art combinations. 
     In the inventive combination, the lower lever includes side walls and an apertured floor portion of a press chamber in its forward portion. The forward portion is provided with a lateral, continuously extending and preferably flattened exterior front end portion. Against this front end portion, the smooth outer, preferably matingly engagable, surface of a cleaning plate rests when the cleaning plate is in its storage position. The cleaning plate is held in this position by connector members. In this storage position, the aperture cleaning pins (or projections) that are provided on the opposed inner surface of the cleaning plate extend outwardly. 
     Although various connector members can be used, it is preferred the cleaning plate be provided with opposed side clips that removably engage the side portions of the lower lever adjacent to the front end portion. In addition, preferably the cleaning plate is provided with top and bottom stabilizer legs that are adapted to lie against adjacent front end portions of the lower lever when the cleaning plate is engaged with the lower lever front end. 
     When the cleaning plate is disengaged from the lower lever front end, it is turned around for positioning over the exterior press chamber floor portion. Preferably a locating flange is provided that is adjacent to the top side of the cleaning plate. This flange serves to locate and position the hooks over a matingly engagable forwardmost edge of the floor portion along the bottom of the front end portion of the lower lever. Preferably alignment lugs are also provided that engage locating grooves. When the cleaning plate inner surface is pivotally advanced against the outer surface of the floor plate, the pins of the cleaning plate are aligned with the apertures. The pins enter the apertures of the floor plate so that debris therein is pushed back into the press chamber for later disposition. 
     In the preferred embodiment the upper lever is associated with an anvil, in a pivotable manner. The anvil is adapted to reciprocatingly move in the press chamber after the anvil enters the open top of the press chamber, as the upper lever reciprocates and advances towards or retreats from the lower lever. 
     Preferably, the top leg of the cleaning plate, alone or with the anvil and press chamber, acts as a lock when the cleaning plate engages the lower leg front portion and/or the anvil engages the press chamber. Such engagement generally tends to prevent the upper lever from separating and pivotably moving away from the lower lever. This locking manner is desirable for keeping the garlic press in a closed configuration in a kitchen drawer or the like during storage of the garlic press. 
     Various other objects, aims, purposes, features, advantages, embodiments, variations and the like will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the teachings of the present specification taken with the associated drawings and the appended claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the drawings: 
     FIG. 1 is an perspective view of one embodiment of the inventive garlic press; 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the garlic press of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a left side elevational view (relative to FIG. 1) of the garlic press of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a right side elevational view (relative to FIG. 1) of the garlic press of FIG. 1 with the press cleaner in association with the garlic press front end; 
     FIG. 5 is a front end elevational view (relative to FIG. 1) of the garlic press of FIG. 1 depicting press cleaner in association therewith; 
     FIG. 6 is a front end elevational view similar to FIG. 5 with the press cleaner removed; 
     FIG. 7 is a back end elevational view (relative to FIG. 1) of the garlic press of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of the garlic press of FIG. 1 showing the press cleaner in association with the garlic press front end; 
     FIG. 9 is a right side view similar to FIG. 4 with the press cleaner engaging the apertures in the press plate with portions of the garlic press being shown in phantom; 
     FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view through the garlic press hopper with the press cleaner engaging the press plate as shown in FIG. 9, some parts thereof being broken away; 
     FIG. 11 is a fragmentary partial longitudinal sectional view of the front end region of the garlic press as shown in FIG. 4 depicting the locking feature for the press cleaner; 
     FIG. 12 is a bottom plan view of the press cleaner; and 
     FIG. 13 is a top plan view of the press cleaner. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention discloses a combination of a manually operated garlic press and cleaning plate that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. The present garlic presser is capable of easily and readily compressing garlic cloves while the cleaning plate readily cleans and clears the apertures. Additionally, the cleaning plate includes an alignment means to ensure proper alignment of the pins with the apertures. Moreover, the present garlic press includes a lock to provide effective storage. Each component has further functional and aesthetic features which permit it to accomplish its several goals and objects. 
     While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, this specification and the accompanying drawings disclose only some specific forms as examples of the invention. The invention is not limited to the embodiments described however. The scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims. 
     Referring to FIGS. 1-13, there is seen a preferred embodiment of the inventive combination  20  of a garlic press, generally designated  21 , with a press plate cleaner (or cleaner plate), generally designated  22 . The garlic press  21  includes a first or lower lever arm  23  and a second or upper lever arm  24 . First lever arm  23  has a proximal end  26  and a distal end  27 , while the second lever arm  24  has a proximal end  28  and a distal end  29 . The proximal end  28  of second lever arm  24  includes a forwardly extending central leaf  31  that extends between a pair of laterally spaced, forwardly extending edge leaves  32  that are provided at the upper proximal end  26  of second lever arm  24 . Leaf  31  is pivotably connected between the pair of forwardly extending edge leaves  32  by a laterally extending pivot pin  33  that extends through a continuous channel in leaves  32  and  31 . 
     A hand grip portion  34  and  36  is provided on each lever arm  23  and  24 , adjacent to each of the distal ends  27  and  29 . The first and second lever arms  23  and  24  are each conveniently comprised of molded metal (preferred) or molded plastic. In one embodiment, first and second lever arms  23  and  24  are comprised of stainless steel. As an alternative to the stainless steel, any known material typically used in the manufacture of cutlery, such as, for instance, aluminum, aluminum alloys, steel alloys, or other metals or alloys, may be used. Moreover, the concavely curved interior regions of each lever arm  23  and  24  are preferably provided with reinforcing ribs  25 . 
     The first lever arm  23  has an upwardly opening press chamber  37  defined therein adjacent the proximal end  26  thereof (best seen in FIGS.  3  &amp;  9 ). The press chamber  37  has a floor portion  38  that preferably has flat, spaced, parallel inner and outer surfaces. A plurality of apertures  39  are defined through the floor portion  38  in a patterned array (best seen in FIG.  8 ). 
     The first lever arm  23  has a continuously extending front facial portion  41  (best seen in FIG. 4) defined at the proximal end  26  below the leaves  32 . In the depicted embodiment the front facial portion  41  is flat although various surface configurations could be employed if desired. The top region of front facial portion  41  is forward of the lower region thereof (that is the front facial portion is forwardly inclined). 
     Turning now to FIG. 2, the second lever arm  24  is shown having a downwardly depending anvil member  42  extending from an underside region thereof that is adjacent to, but here spaced longitudinally from, proximal end  28 . Various connection means can be used to connect the anvil member  42  with second lever arm  24 . Alternatively the anvil member  42  can be unitarily formed with the second lever arm  24 , as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate. 
     Preferably, anvil member  42  is solid, separately molded component comprised of metal, such as for instance, stainless steel, aluminum, aluminum alloy, steel alloy, or other metals or alloys, and has a bell-shaped configuration when viewed from the side. The upper end of anvil member  42  is pivotably connected to the lower side of second lever arm  24  by means of a laterally extending pivot pin  43 . 
     From FIG. 3 it can be seen that pin  43  extends through both an ear  44  that is centrally located and integrally formed with the second lever arm  24  on the inside thereof and through a pair of ears  45  on the upper end of the anvil member  42  that are located on each side of the ear  44 . The anvil member  42  is adapted to reciprocatingly move up and down in the press chamber  37  when the lever arms  23  and  24  are articulated relative to one another about the pivot pin  33 . The anvil member  42 , owing to its pivotal adjustability about pivot pin  43  relative to second lever arm  24 , is, in effect self-adjusting in orientation relative to press chamber  37 . 
     In operation, a garlic clove (not shown) in the press chamber  37  is squeezed between the head (or bottom) face of anvil member  42  and the inside face of the floor portion  38  when the arms  23  and  24  are manually brought together. Fluid is extruded from the clove which exits through the apertures  39 . 
     Cleaner plate  22  is best understood be reviewing FIGS. 12 &amp; 13. The cleaner plate  22  has generally opposed inner and outer faces  46  and  47 , respectively, that are preferably flat. Plate  22  has opposed side portions  48  and  49 , and opposed top end and bottom end portions  51  and  52  respectively. 
     Inner face  46  is preferably adapted for interfacial contacting engagement with the outside surface of the floor portion  38 . The inner face  46  is provided with a plurality of upstanding or projecting pins or projections  53  that are ordered correspondingly to the  5  array of apertures  39 . In this manner each of the projections  53  can be inserted into and engage a different one of the apertures  39  when the inner face  46  engages the outside surface of the floor portion  38 . Thus, debris in the apertures  39  is displaced inwardly towards the press chamber  37  for subsequent disposition. 
     The outer face  47  is preferably configured for interfacial engaging the regions of the front facial portion  41 . While it is preferred that outer face  47  is flat, other configurations are contemplated. The perimeter of the cleaner plate  22  is provided with a preferably integrally formed clip member  54  and  56 , respectively along each of the opposed sides  48  and  49 . Each clip member  54  and  56  has a lateral arcuate configuration and upstands or projects from each face  46  and  47 . 
     Grasping and clamping the projecting portions of each clip member  54  and  56  adjacent to the inner face  46  causes these projecting portions to yieldingly spread apart. Spreading the projecting portions of each clip member  54  and  56  apart makes possible the convenient and easy engagement of these portions with respective adjacent side portions of the second lever arm  24  that are adjacent to the front facial portion  41 . Various connector means for releasably connecting the press plate cleaner  22  to the front facial portion  41  can be employed, and various clip configurations and arrangements can be employed, as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate. 
     FIGS. 9 &amp; 10 reveal a stabilizing leg  57  at, and preferably integral with, the top end  51 , and a stabilizing leg  58  at, and preferably integral with, the bottom end  52 . Stabilizing legs  57  and  58  of press plate cleaner  22  coact with the clip members  54  and  56  and aid in stabilizing the connection between plate cleaner  22  and front facial portion  41 . As depicted, the stabilizing leg  58  is relatively narrow and elongated and is configured to engage and extend across a mid-portion of the outer face of the floor portion  38 . 
     The stabilizing leg  57  is shorter here than leg  58  and is provided with a fixed medial bend or knee  59  defining an upper or thigh portion  67  and a lower leg portion  68 . The thigh portion  67  has an upper region engaging a lower side portion of the second lever arm  24  that is adjacent to the proximal end  28  thereof (best seen in FIG.  4 ). The outer heel or foot region of leg portion  68  rests against an upper interior side portion of the first lever arm  23  in spaced, adjacent relationship to the proximal end  26  thereof. 
     An adjacent upwardly projecting (reactive to leg  57 ) portion of plate cleaner  22  is here preferably adapted to make contacting engagement on one face thereof with the proximal end  28  of second lever arm  24 . The result is that the plate  22  and the leg  56  function to lock the arms  23  and  24  when plate  22  is associated with front facial portion  41 , and to restrain pivotal movements thereof. 
     The press plate cleaner  22  is additionally provided with a locating flange  61  positioned along the top end  51  of plate cleaner  22  and which upstand or projects here perpendicularly from inner face  46 . Flange  61  thus projects oppositely from the clips  54  and  56  and the legs  57  and  58 . In second lever arm  24 , the outer face of the floor portion  38  and the front facial portion  41  preferably adjoin and define a generally straight corner edge  62 . When the inner face  46  of the cleaning plate  22  engages the outside surface of the floor portion  38  after separation of the cleaning plate  22  from the front facial portion  41 , the locating flange  61  is positionable along the corner edge  62  and orients and positions the cleaning plate relative to the floor portion  38 . 
     To improve the locating and seating of the press plate cleaner  22  against the outside face of the floor portion  38 , the front facial portion  41  is preferably provided with a pair laterally spaced, traversely elongated grooves  63  and  64  that are located adjacent to the corner edge  62 . The inner face  46  adjacent to flange  61  is provided with a pair of detents or lugs  66 . Each lug  66  is configured to matingly engage a different one of the grooves  63  and  64 . The engaged combination of grooves  63  and  64 , detents  66 , flange  61  and corner edge  62  cooperate to provide flange means that aligns the pins  53  with the apertures  39 . 
     If desired, portions of the garlic press  21 , such as the arms  23  and  24 , and even the press plate cleaner  22 , can be coated. Non-adhering coating such as polytetrafluoroethylene or the like are contemplated, using coating procedures known in the art. 
     Use of the Garlic Press and the Press Plate Cleaner 
     It will be appreciated that in using the garlic press  21 , the press plate cleaner  22  should be separated therefrom. Grasping and clamping the projecting portions of each clip member  54  and  56  adjacent to the outer face  47  causes these projecting portions to spread apart. Spreading the projecting portions apart makes possible the convenient and easy disengagement of these portions with the second lever arm  24 . 
     In pressing operation, a garlic clove (not shown) is placed in the press chamber  37 . The garlic clove is squeezed between the head (or bottom) face of anvil member  42  and the inside face of the floor portion  38  when the arms  23  and  24  are manually brought together. Fluid is extruded from the clove which exits through the apertures  39 . 
     In cleaning operation, grasping and clamping the projecting portions of each clip member  54  and  56  adjacent to the inner face  46  causes the projecting portions to spread apart. Spreading the projecting portions apart makes possible the convenient and easy engagement of these portions with the second lever arm  24 . 
     Inner face  46  engages the outside surface of the floor portion  38  so that the plurality of upstanding pins or projections  53  are ordered correspondingly to the array of apertures  39 . In this manner each of the projections  53  can be inserted into and engage a different one of the apertures  39 . Further, the engaged combination of grooves  63  and  64 , detents  66 , flange  61  and corner edge  62  cooperate to provide flange means that aligns the pins  53  with the apertures  39 . Thus, debris in the apertures  39  is displaced inwardly towards the press chamber  37  for subsequent disposition. 
     By virtue of the present invention, the described objectives are met. The present invention discloses a combination  20  garlic press  21  and press plate cleaner  22  that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. The combination provides a compact garlic press  21  that is easily used, easily cleaned, and readily stored. 
     The foregoing illustrates the general principles of this invention. However, since numerous modifications and changes will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art based on this description, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. Accordingly, the scope of this invention includes other modifications and equivalents that fall within the scope of the foregoing description and the following claims.