An Improved Mashing or Crushing Apparatus for Treating Potatoes or other like Substances or Articles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Jan., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 29th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 9th Jan., 1897
[Communicated from abroad by FRANZ WIELAND, of 37 Oranienstrasse, Berlin,
Merchant.]
An Improved Mashing or Crushing Apparatus for Treating Potatoes
or other like Substances or Articles.
I, HUGH DONALD FITZPATRICK, of 70 Wellington Street, Glasgow,
Registered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for mashing or crushing potatoes or other
like articles or substances and it has for its object to improve the construction of
such apparatus.
In carrying out my invention the potatoes or other like substances to be treated
may be boiled by means of steam in a suitable basin or vessel having a removable
perforated bottom. This basin may be fitted to an ordinary kitchen pot containing
boiling water, the steam therefrom, passing through the perforated bottom of the
basin, cooks the potatoes or other like substances. To the cover of the basin is
fitted the mashing or crushing apparatus which consists of an upper part forming
the handle, and a lower part, of spherical shape, forming the masher or crusher.
These two parts are connected together by means of a ball and socket joint. By
connecting the two parts together in this manner the upper part can be readily
disjointed from the lower part for cleaning purposes and the lower part can be
given a separate motion which motion facilitates the mashing or crushing and forces
the potatoes or other like substances through the perforated bottom of the basin
into a suitable receptacle.
The ball and socket joint is constructed in such a way as to be readily taken
apart for cleaning purposes. The socket is fitted into the lower part of the
apparatus by means of a plate which has or may have projections or depressions
on it. Into these projections or depressions another plate fits which is carried on
the ball portion of the joint and has corresponding projections or depressions.
The ball portion of the joint is fitted to the upper part of the apparatus. By
making the ball and socket joint in this way the upper and lower parts of the
apparatus are kept in position and the proper motion can be given to the lower
part of the apparatus which forms the masher or crusher.
The handle of the apparatus may simply project out through a hole in the cover
of the basiu or a special form of joint may be used. This joint, when used, would
COLsist of two balls of metal one on the inside, and one on the outside of the cover
of the basin and connected together by means of a short tube. The handle of the
apparatus would pass down through the tube. The hole in the cover of the basin
would be sufficiently large to allow of a free movement of the joint in any desired
direction.
Dated this 28th day of January 1896.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70 Wellington Street, Glasgow.

page_text: An Improved Mashing or Crushing Apparatus for Treating Potatoes
or other like Substances or Articles.
I, HUGH DONALD FITZPATRICK of 70 Wellington Street, Glasgow,
Registered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to apparatus for mashing or crushing potatoes or other
like articles or substances and it has for its object to improve the construction of
such apparatus..
In this invention a novel form of mashing or crushing apparatus is used consisting
of an upper part forming the handle and a lower part, of spherical shape, forming
the masher or crusher. The two parts are connected together by means of a ball
and socket joint so made that the upper part can be readily disjointed from the
lower part for cleaning purposes and the lower part can be given a separate
motion which facilitates the mashing or crushing operation.
The separation of the two parts is of great importance as the filling up of the
joint cannot be avoided. The separation is effected in an easy manner without the
aid of tools of any kind.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I have hereunto
appended an explanatory sheet of drawings, whereon,
Fig. 1 is a part section of the masher.
Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same.
Fig. 3 shows an enlarged plan and section of one part of the joint.
Fig. 4 shows in plan and side elevation another part of the joint to an enlarged
scale.
Fig. 5 shows the apparatus in a pot or vessel.
Fig. 6 is a detail view.
The apparatus A consists of a handle a and a ball d which is connected to the
handle by means of a ball and socket joint consisting of a ball e, secured to the
lower end of the handle a, which works in a socket secured to the ball d.
The socket is connected to the ball d by means of a plate ¹ which is screwed to
the ball. Lugs on the plate 71 enter slots in the socket plate f. By slightly
turning the socket plate f so that the top edges of the lugs i project over the ends
of the slots the two plates are locked together.
The connection may also be made by providing the lugs with hooked pro-
jections at their upper ends and pivotting them to the plate f. In this case when
fitting the two plates together the pivotted lugs are turned with their heads or
projections in the line of the slots a so that when the platef is fitted in place the lugs
project through the slots. To unite the plates the heads or projections of the
lugs are turned round at right angles to the line of the slots i.
It is evident with this construction of joint that the parts can be readily taken
asunder and the joint cleaned.
The improved masher may be handled in the usual manner when squashing or
forcing material through a sieve, or it may be used in conjunction with a particular
cooking apparatus as shown at Fig. 5.
The apparatus consists of a kitchen pot C, filled with water, and a basin B which
is provided with a removable perforated bottom F. The material to be mashed is
introduced into the basin B.
1f, for instance, potatces are put into the basin they will be boiled by the steam
generated in the pot C. When the water has been poured out of the pot the

page_text: masher A is inserted in the basin and the cover D or a simple cross piece is fitted
on the top of the basin. The masher which is provided with a bearing in the
cover is now moved back and forward and the material mashed and forced through
the sieve F.
The bearing in the cover, for the masher, may be a simple hole through which
the handle a is passed or it may be a bearing such as shown at Fig. 6. This
bearing consists of two balls g connected together by means of a tube k through
which latter the handle a (in this case a simple round rod) is passed. A knob is
thereafter screwed to the top of the handle. The balls g are fitted in the hole in
the cover D in the manner shown at Fig. 6. With this arrangement free lateral
movement is given to the masher whilst the tube k permits it to be raised or
lowered as desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
consider novel and desire to claim is :-.
1. A masher or crusher having its handle a connected with a ball d by means of
an easily detachable ball and socket joint consisting of the ball e, socket plate f',
and cover platef said plates being capable of being locked together by means of
lugs and slots substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings
annexed.
2. The combination with the masher or crusher claimed in Claim 1 of the
basin B having a perforated bottom and a cover or cross piece D said cover or
cross piece having or not ball bearings g for the handle of the masher substantially
as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings annexed.
Dated this 28th day of October 1896.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70 Wellington Street, Glasgow.