Patent ID: 8308343

Claim:
A beater for a mixer, the beater comprising: a shaft including a mixer attachment portion, the shaft defining a rotational axis of the beater; a first stabilizing arm extending outwardly from the shaft; a second stabilizing arm extending outwardly from the shaft and spaced circumferentially from the first stabilizing arm; a first blade having an upper end connected to the first stabilizing arm at a location spaced from the shaft, a lower end located proximate the rotational axis of the beater and a leading face that transitions from a substantially vertical orientation at the lower end to a downwardly angled orientation at the upper end; and a second blade having an upper end connected to the second stabilizing arm at a location spaced from the shaft, a lower end located proximate the rotational axis of the beater and a leading face that transitions from a substantially vertical orientation at the lower end to a downwardly angled orientation at the upper end; a third blade having an upper end connected to the first stabilizing arm at a location spaced from the shaft and inward of the upper end of the first blade, the third blade including a lower end proximate the rotational axis and spaced upward from the lower end of the first blade, the third blade including a leading face that transitions from a substantially vertical orientation at the lower end to a downwardly angled orientation at the upper end; and a fourth blade having an upper end connected to the second stabilizing arm at a location spaced from the shaft and inward of the upper end of the second blade, the fourth blade including a lower end proximate the rotational axis and spaced upward from the lower end of the second blade, the fourth blade including a leading face that transitions from a substantially vertical orientation at the lower end to a downwardly angled orientation at the upper end; the first and second stabilizing arms extend parallel to a plane in which the rotational axis lies; the first and third blades extend away from the plane to a first side of the plane; and the second and fourth blades extend away from the plane to a second side of the plane.