An Improvement in or applicable to Colanders.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in or applicable to Colanders.
I, GEORGE MONTAGUE BROWN, of 34, Hamble Street, Fulham, Plumber, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an improvement in or applicable to colanders and
like culinary articles used for straining off the surplus water from vegetables
and the like after having been boiled or cooked, and has for its object to avoid
the present practice of using some inappropriate article, such, for example, as
a plate or a saucer, for compressing the vegetables in the colander to free them
from the surplus water, such means being unsuitable to the purpose as being
seldom of a suitable size so that the vegetables are unevenly compressed and
not properly strained, and on account of the difficulty of removing the same
from the colander when tightly squeezed against the vegetables to be strained
without turning over the whole colander, and on account of the liability of such
means to break under the uneven pressure put thereon and injure the operator's
hand and spoil the vegetables, and on account of the necessary handling of the
plate and the inconvenience to the user consequent on the vegetables being
generally steaming hot at the time of treatment, and to provide a strainer which
is uick, clean and effective for its intended use.
To this end, the improved colander is preferably made cylindrical with its
sides parallel, or approximately of such shape, and is formed or provided at its
sides, at a part or parts thereof which is or are preferably strengthened to pro-
vide against wear by an external or internal strip or strips of metal secured
thereto or otherwise, with a plurality of superposed pairs of holes projections
steps or the like suitable for the purpose of utility hereinafter mentioned.
3
In connection with such a colander, I use a vegetable squeezer consisting of
a plate which may be flat, dished or domed and plain or perforated or corrugated,
made of suitable metal and approximately of the internal diameter of the colan-
der, and which, at one side, is formed or provided with a suitable handle, and,
at the other side, is formed or provided with an extension having projecting
prongs or the like adapted to engage with the said holes projections or steps in
the colander sides, the squeezer device thus constituting a bent lever to which
the said holes projections or steps in the colander act as a fulcrum.
In using the improved device, after inserting the vegetables to be strained
into the colander, the pressing plate is held by its handle, which is preferably
upwardly and rearwardly turned, and its two pronged projections are inserted
into or under one pair of the perforations steps or the like, say, the pair next
above the top level of the vegetables in the colander, whereupon, by pressing
down on the plate handle, the vegetables are caused to be quickly and conven-
iently strained as aforesaid, or, if not sufficiently strained, the projections may
again be inserted into or under a lower pair of holes or steps and the handle
again depressed.
The colander may be provided with looped handles for holding or steadying

page_text: it when in use, or, it may be provided with a straight handle arranged so as to
be under the pressing plate handle when in use so as to enable a gripping action
of the hand effected by holding both of the handles, to be used in straining the
articles.
11 1041 1.
T
1900
An Improvement in or applicable to Colanders.
I, GEORGE MONTAGUE BROWN, formerly of 34, Hamble Street, Fulham, but now
of 8, Mablethorpe Road, Fulham, Plumber, 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 an improvement in or applicable to colanders and
like culinary articles used for straining off the surplus water from vegetables
and the like after having been boiled or cooked, and has for its object to avoid
the use of the prosent inefficient means of attaining such object and to provide
an improved straining device which is quick, clean and effective in its use.
The accompanying drawings represent a colander constructed and adapted in
accordance with the invention; Figure, 1, representing an elevation; Fig. 2,
representing a sectional elevation, showing the device as in use; and Fig. 3,
representing a plan view.
To the end aforesaid, the colander, a, is preferably made with cylindrical or
slightly tapering sides rising from a perforated dished bottom, and is formed or
provided at its sides, at a part or parts which is or may be suitably strengthened
to provide against undue wear, with a number of holes, b, or of projections, steps
or the like of any formation suitable for the purpose of utility hereinafter men-
tioned.
In connection with such colander, I use a vegetable squeezer consisting of a
plate, c, which may be flat, dished or domed, and plain, perforated or corrugated,
made of suitable metal and of appropriate strength and approximately of the
internal diameter of the colander, and which, at one side, is formed or provided
with an extending prong or prongs or the like, d, adapted to engage with the
said holes, projections, steps or the like, b, in or on the colander sides, and,
at the other side, is formed or provided with a suitable handle, e, which is pre-
ferably upwardly and rearwardly turned, the squeezer device thus constituting
a bent lever to which the said holes or the like, b, in the colander act as a
fulcrum.
In using the improved device, after inserting the vegetables into the colander,
the pressing plate, c, is held by its handle, and its prong or prongs, d, is or are
inserted into or under the holes, steps or the like, b, next above the top of the
vegetables in the colander, whereupon, by depressing the plate handle the vege-
tables are caused to be quickly and conveniently strained, as aforesaid, or, if
not sufficiently strained, the pressing plate projections may be shifted to the next
lower holes or projections, 7, of the colander and the handle again depressed.
The colander is or may be provided with a handle, f, arranged so as to be
under the pressing plate handle when in use, so as to enable a gripping action
of the hand effected by holding both of the handles to be used in straining the
articles, or the colander may be provided with looped handles as indicated by

page_text: dotted lines at g, Fig. 1, for holding or steadying it while the pressing plate
handle is being depressed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, .I declare that what
I claim is ―
In combination:-A colander having holes, recesses, projections or equivalent
fulcrum forming parts at different elevations in or on its side or sides, and a
squeezer plate approximately conforming to the shape of the lower part of the
colander and having a projecting part or parts adapted to engage with the ful-
erum forming parts of the colander and a handle by which it can be depressed,
as set forth,
: 10+1 ay of Anton 1800
DAY, DAVIES, & HUNT,
Chartered Patent Agents,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.