Improvements in Lemon Squeezers.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 21st May, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lemon Squeezers.
I, HARRY JUDSON WILLIAMS, of Meriden, in the County of New Haven,
State of Connecticut, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described & ascertained in and by the following statement :—
This invention has for its object to provide an improved squeezer for lemons
which shall be simple, powerful and cheap and the invention consists in certain
novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts to be
hereinafter described and pointed out particularly in the appended claims.
Referring to the accompanying drawings :
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lemon squeezer constructed in accordance
with my present invention.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same.
Figure 3 is a detail perspective of the rotary reciprocating plunger and gear
wheel.
Figure 4 is a section of a modification.
Like letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.
A indicates the housing or frame for the operating mechanism; B the rotary
reciprocating plunger carrying at the lower end the movable cup C and D indicates
the handle which through suitable gearing to be presently particularly described
imparts the reciprocating movement to the plunger.
The frame A is preferably formed integral with a supporting standard F having
a clamp formed by the wing and set screw f1 adapted to secure the device to a
table, counter or other suitable support, while to the bottom of the standard and
immediately below the plunger and movable cup is securel the stationary cup G
provided with a central core G' of any approved pattern adapted to cooperate
with the movable cup to press the lemon placed between them. The stationary
cup and cone, and the other parts liable to come in contact with the lemon juice
may be made of or covered with aluminium to resist the action of the acid in the
juice.
The stationary cup G is provided with an off set g fitting in a socket in the
lower end of the standard and held by a set screw or other suitable device,
preferably however, by the upper end of the glass support hanger H which is
screw threaded for the purpose. This hanger H has the glass support / adjustably
secured thereto below the stationary cup as shown.
In order to express the juice completely from the lemon it is necessary to
cause a slight rotation of the pressing surfaces with relation to each other and
in the present instance I accomplish this by giving the plunger and cup a slight
rotation as they descend which result can be accomplished by a number of
mechanical expedients but I prefer to form teeth on the plunger of some character
with which a gear wheel or other suitable device may be made to engage to turn
the plunger on its own axis.
As shown in the drawing and as I prefer to construct it, the teeth on the plunger
are inclined or formed into a spiral or worm with which, as shown, both a
stationary pin or projection and a gear wheel having inclined teeth cooperate to
give the desired rotary movement. The top of the plunger is provided with teeth
inclined at a relatively steep angle and the gear wheel I carried by the squared
end d of the handle D and meshing therewith is provided with teeth correspondingly
inclined, the result of which is that when the bandle is moved in one direction or
the other, not only is the plunger raised or lowered as the case may be, but it is

page_text: given a strong tendency to rotate on the principle of the well known"
gear."
"
worm
To prevent the rotation of the plunger while traversing the upper portion of
its stroke, its lower end has a flattened or cut away portion M for cooperation with
a pin N or equivalent projection on the frame, and at the top of the flattened
portion or at the point where it is desired that the rotation shall begin, the body
of the plunger is reduced, such reduced portion preferably taking the form of a
spiral forming teeth at an opposite inclination to those on the upper end of the
plunger.
When the plunger descends the pin or projection first encounters the flattened
portion of the plunger causing the lemon to be squeezed squarely, then just before
the finish of the stroke the pin passes into the reduced portion or spiral and the
plunger rotates one or more times as desired, the rotation in the device shown
being one and one half times causing a complete disintegration of the cellular
structure of the lemon and the expulsion of all the juice.
It is obvious that other well known gearing may be employed to reciprocate
and rotate the plunger, for instance the upper end of the plunger may be a
simple rack and the gear wheel an ordinary gear as shown in Figure 4 with the
inclined teeth at the bottom for giving the rotation, or the inclined teeth of the
gear wheel may be relied on eutirely to cooperate with the inclined teeth of
the plunger to give the desired rotation without departing in the least from the
present invention.
The device as a whole is extremely simple and effective there being no frail
and complicated parts to get out of order or be broken by rough handling and
being adapted for ready application to a counter, table or other support it is
eminently adapted for household use or for use in bar rooms where rapidity and
effectiveness are absolute essentials.
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
claim is:
1. In a lemon squeezer, the combination with the frame, the handle journaled
therein and a toothed wheel moved by the handle having its teeth set at an angle,
of the plunger journaled in the frame with the inclined teeth thereon meshing
with the teeth on the wheel, means substantially as described for automatically
rotating said plunger as it descends, the cup on the plunger and a lemon support
cooperating with the cup; substantially as described.
2. In a lemon squeezer, the combination with the frame, the handle journaled
therein, the toothed wheel moved by the handle, having its teeth arranged at an
angle, of the plunger journaled in the frame and having teeth thereon arranged at
an angle corresponding to that of the teeth on the wheel, the pin or projection
fitting in a recess in the plunger for preventing the rotation of the plunger when
raised and a lemon support; substantially as described.
3. In a lemon squeezer, the combination with the frame of the movable plunger
carrying the cup and having the inclined teeth thereon, the projection on the frame
engaging said teeth to rotate the plunger as it descends and a lemon support;
substantially as described.
4. In a lemon squeezer, the combination with the frame and handle journaled
therein, of the plunger carrying the cup and having the oppositely inclined teeth
and pin groove thereon, the projection on the frame engaging said teeth and groove
to rotate the plunger as it descends a wheel moved by the handle and having a
worm gear meshing with the teeth on the plunger and a lemon support; substantially
as described.
5. In a lemon squeezer, the combination with the frame and handle, of the plunger
having the oppositely inclined spiral teeth thereon, and the cut out portion merging
into the space between the teeth at one end, the pin or projection on the frame
cooperating with said cut out portion and spiral, the toothed wheel moved by the

page_text: handle cooperating with the teeth at the opposite end of the plunger and a lemon
support; substantially as described.
6. In a lemon squeezer, the combination with the stationary cup, the plunger
and means, substantially as described, for reciprocating the plunger, of the spiral
and the projection cooperating therewith to rotate the plunger while being
reciprocated; substantially as described.
7. In a lemon squeezer, the combination with the stationary cup, the plunger
having the teeth extending entirely around the same, and the gear wheel meshing
therewith having the handle for reciprocating the plunger, of the spiral and the
projection cooperating therewith to rotate the plunger while being reciprocated;
substantially as described.
Dated this 19th day of Avril 1892.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.