US465526A - Salt-cellar - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

86 G; W. HEYER.

SALT CELLAR.

No. 465,526. Patented Dec. 22, 1891.

INVENTORS;

7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK HEYER AND GEORGE IV. HEYER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SALT-CELLAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 465,526, dated December 22, 1891..

Application filed November 1'7, 1890. Serial No. 371,626. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK HEYER and GEORGE W. HEYER, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, citizens of the United States, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Salt Containers or Cellars, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of our invention to provide an inexpensive and symmetrical salt-container equipped with an agitator capable of being operated by the rotation of a part of the container itself to occasion the breaking up of the salt, which agitator, moreover, is of such construction as to force the salt through the perforated cap.

Generally stated our invention compre hends the provision, in connection with a saltcellar, of an agitator or breaker of novel form and arrangement, and, further, comprehends the construction of the container in two parts, connected in such manner by a swivel-joint or otherwise as to be rotatable with reference to each other and upon one of which the agitator referred to is connected.

In the drawings we show and herein we describe a preferred form of a convenient embodiment of ourinvention, the particular subject-matter claimed as novel being hereinafter definitely specified.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in perspective of adevice embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the parts of the device detached from each other. Fig. 3 is a central vertical sectional elevation of the device.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings, A is the body of the container, the same being a tube of cylindrical or any other preferred plan, the upper end of which is provided with a screw-thread to receive a correspondingly-screw-threaded cap B of any usual construction.

0 is the agitator, the same being in construction of any preferred form, but preferably of that shown in the drawings, in which it is shown as consisting of a vertical stem provided with a series of cross-bars c c c c, which cross-bars are of proper length to each reach almost to that part of the wall of the container abreast of which theyhappen to be,

. the length of the cross-bars, as will be seen from the drawings, varying to suit the different diameters of the container-body A, and, of course, when containers of shapes other than that shown in the drawings are employed the proportions of the cross-bars will be modified to accommodate such shapes.

In the drawings we show the cross-bars as existing in independence of each other and as in parallelism in the same vertical plane; but it will be understood, of course, that other dispositions and arrangements may be resorted to. The upper cross-bar c is located in close proximity to the under face of the perforated cap, so as in rotation to sweep across the face of said cap, and said cross-bar is preferably, as shown, slightly beveled or inclined to constitute it a partial spiral, and thereby to act with more certainty in expelling the salt.

D is the bottom of the container, the same being a disk of size slightly in excess of the diameter of the container-body and designed to be secured thereto by means which will leave it free to be rotated with reference to the same. This may of course be accomplished by a variety of expedients; but We prefer to resort to the following construction. (1 is an annular vertical flange rising from said bottom D and of such diameter as to snugly encircle the bottom of the container. The upper end c of the agitator-stem projects through an opening in the central portion of the perforated cap, above which it is serew-threadedand provided with a retaining-nut 0 which may conveniently be of an ornamental configuration, such as that shown. The proportions of the respective parts are such that when the nut c is screwed home the bottom D, to which the foot of the agitator is securely fastened, is carried and seated against the bottom of the containerbody and is held in such position by the nut through the medium of the agitator-stem, while at the same time both the agitator and bottom are left free for rotation.

The operation of the device is as follows:

To ordinarily use the device to distribute the contained salt it is simply inverted and shaken in the manner usual with devices of this character. When, however, the salt has solidified orpacked and fails to pass out when shaken, the container is held stationary and the bottom of the container, carrying with it the arm-provided agitator, is rotated back- Ward and forward, whereby the mass of salt is thoroughly broken up, and descending in its broken condition against the perforated cap is caught by the spiral cross-bar and swept across the face of the cap, and thereby caused to pass out. It will be readily under stood that by forming the upper cross-bar into a spiral, as described, it is enabled to ride over, so to speak, or grasp between itself and the perforated cap larger masses of salt than could be operated upon were said cross-bar straight, as the others happen to be shown as being. Of course in this operation when the upper cross-bar is formed as a spiral the-best results are obtained, so far as it is concerned, by a continuous rotation of the bottom in one direction, instead of back and forth, as above described. It is of course obvious that when the perforated cap happens to be constructed of a convex or conical or other form, instead of the flat form shown, the upper cross-bar, whether formed as a spiral or not, may be modified in outline to suit the shape of said top.

Having thus described our invention, we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In combination, a salt-container body provided with a perforatedtop, an independent bottom fitted free for rotation against the lower end of said container-body, and an agitator fixedly connected with said bottom, the upper end of which passes through the perforated top and is provided with means by which it and the bottom are secured in position relatively to the body, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination, a salt-container body provided with a perforated top, an independent bottom fitted free for rotation against the lower end of said body, and an agitator fixedly connected with said bottom, provided with lateral extensions adapted to stir the salt contained in the lower portion of the body, and also provided with an arm or extension which sweeps the inner face of the perforated top, the upper end of which agitator passes through the perforated top and is provided with means by which it and the bottom are secured in position relatively to the body, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we have hereunto signed our names this 10th day of November, A. D. 1890.

FRANK HEYER.

GEORGE W. HEYER.

Witnesses:

A. LINCOLN ACKER, CORNELIUS S. KLEIN.

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