Improvements in Lemon Squeezers.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lemon Squeezers.
I, JOHN WALKER NEAL, of Kealia, Kauai, Hawaiian Islands, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a lemon squeezer formed of two lever handles hinged
together and provided the one with a convex presser or follower and the other
with a bowl having a knife mounted therein, the follower being divided so as
to straddle the knife so that when the lemon is forced into the bowl the knife
cuts the lemon simultaneously with the squeezing thereof. Between the presser
and bowl is an ejector cup for the rind, said cup fitting in the bowl and being
slotted to straddle the knife. It is carried by an arm hinged on the hinge pin
of the lever handles and pressed upwards by a spring to an extent limited by
the engagement of the hooked end of the spring with a pin fixed across the
grooved under surface of the arm carrying the ejector. Normally the ejector
is raised out of the bowl but when the lemon is placed in the ejector and the
presser brought down upon it, the ejector enters the bowl at either side of the
knife by which the lemon is cut, after which the lemon is squeezed between the
presser and the ejector lying in the bowl. When the pressure is relaxed the
ejector rises and so removes the rind from the bowl. The knife is of approxi-
mately A-shaped section with concave sides meeting in a sharp cutting edge
and inwardly flanged bases fixed to the bottom of the bowl, the cutting edge
being in the plane of the lever handles. The walls of the knife have orifices at
bottom leading to orifices in the bottom of the bowl for the escape of the juice.
The bowl is removably seated in a rubber packing within a cup-shaped socket
in the lower handle and is retained by a covering ring.
Datad this 214 11
1040
I, JOHN WALKER NEAL, of Kealia, Kauai, Hawaiian Islands, Civil Engineer,
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:―

page_text: sections hinged together and provided the one with a convex presser or follower
and the other with a bowl having a knife mounted therein the follower being
divided so as to straddle the knife so that when the lemon is forced into the
bowl by the movement of the sections towards each other the knife cuts the
lemon simultaneously with the squeezing thereof. Between the presser and
bowl is an ejector cup for the rind, said cup which fits in the bowl and is slotted
to straddle the knife being carried by an arm hinged on the hinge pin of the
lever handles and pressed upwards by a spring.
This specification is the disclosure of one form of my invention, while the
claims define the actual scope of the invention.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
specification, in which. similar characters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invention with parts in section;
Figure 2 is a cross section of the invention on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and
Figure 3 is a similar section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.
The two sections A and B of the lemon squeezer are pivotally joined to each
other by a pin 4. The section B has a handle 5 with an annular socket 6; in
which is fitted a porcelain bowl 7 of semi-circular form, which is held removably
in place by a curved plate 8 screwed to the section B; and a packing 9 of rubber
or like yielding material is interposed between the bowl 7 and socket 6.
The section A has a handle 10 matching with the handle 5, as indicated by
the dotted lines in Figure 1. Inward from the handle 10 the section--is
formed with a flat portion 11 to which a convex follower 12 is rigidly secured,
the follower being-adapted-to-extend-into-the-bowl-7-and, as-shown in Figure 2,
being formed with a tapering groove 14 extending entirely through it longitu-
dinally with the section A, so as to make room for the knife which will be
hereinafter described.
Mounted to swing on the pin 4 is the shank 15 of an ejector cup 16, which is
provided with a slot 17 registering with the slot 14 and serving the same purpose,
such slot extending nearly through the cup 16 and being disposed longitudinally
with the sections A and B. The under side of the shank 15 is formed with a
groove 18 therein, in which bears the hooked free end of a spring 19 secured
by a screw 20 to the section B directly adjacent to the pivoted end thereof: The
shank 15 is provided with a rigid pin 20 extending across the groove 18 thereof
and adapted to engage with the hooked free end of the spring 19 when the
spring throws upward the shank 15 and ejector cup 16. By these means the
upward movement of the ejector is limited. The normal position of the ejector
is that shown in Figure 1, in which position it is held by the spring 19.
When
the section A is thrown down over the section B, as indicated by dotted lines in
Figure 1, the follower 12 moving against the ejector cup throws the same down-
ward to the position shown by dotted lines in Figure 1, and by full lines in
Figures 2 and 3, whereupon the ejector cup enters the bowl 7 and the spring 19
is flattened out on top of the section B and its hooked end projected into a cavity 21
forming a continuation of the groove 18.
The knife is removably secured in the bowl by screws or other fastening
devices 22, and comprises two concave walls 23 running upwardly and meeting
each other to form a cutting edge 24 which is convex in shape, as may be seen
in Figure. 3. Each wall 23 has an inwardly projected flange 25, which flanges
are led into the inner face of the bowl and engaged by the screws 22 before
mentioned. The walls 23 are provided at their lower portions with openings 26,
through which the juice from the lemon may pass, first between the walls 23,
and then out through the bottom of the bowl 7 by way of openings 27 in the
bowl.
In using the device the lemon is placed in the ejector cup 16, as indicated by
the dotted lines in Figure 1. The section A is now thrown down upon the
section B, whereupon the follower 12 engages the lemon and pushes the same

page_text: down with the ejector cup, causing the lemon to be divided on the cutting edge 24
of the knife and simultaneously squeezed between the follower 12 and the ejector
cup 16. When this operation has been effected the section A may be raised back
to position shown in Figure 1, whereupon the spring 19 will throw the ejector
cup upward and dislodge the lemon rind. The several parts may be readily dis-
placed for cleaning or repairing, owing to the removable manner in which they
are assembled, and to that construction which permits the parts to be so connected.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the saine is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The combination of two hingedly connected sections, an ejector mounted
to swing between the sections, a pin attached to the ejector, and a spring, the
free end of which engages the ejector and is provided with a hook capable of
connection with the pin.
2. In a lemon squeezer, the combination of two pivotally connected sections,
a bowl carried on one section, a follower carried on the other section and adapted
to enter the bowl, a knife rigidly mounted in the bowl, the follower having a
slot receiving the knife, and an ejector having a shank swinging on the pivot of
the two sections, the ejector being capable of fitting snugly within the bowl and
having a slot to receive the knife.
3. A lemon squeezer having two pivotally connected sections between which
the lemon is squeezed, and an ejector for throwing out the lemon rind, the
ejector being mounted to swing on the pivot that connects the two sections.
Dated this 9th day of November 1899.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.