Skimmer Ladle

Abstract

A ladle, for filtering a mixture containing debris, includes an outer bowl with outer holes and an upper edge, an inner bowl disposed within the outer bowl forming a gap therebetween and having ether inner holes or protrusions separated by grooves, disposed below the upper edge and above the outer holes. The inner bowl can be provided with pins fixed to the protrusions, while the outer bowl can be provided with L-shape notches each matching the corresponding pin. Alternatively, the inner bowl can be provided with pins fixed in an upper region thereof, and the outer bowl can be provided with L-shape notches each matching the corresponding pin. In any case, the L-shape notches serve as guides for the pins during assembling the ladle. The inner bowl and outer bowl are provided with an inner and outer outlet spout respectively, to ease pouring out the filtered mixture from the ladle.

Claims

1. A ladle for filtering a mixture with undesirable components, and obtaining an essentially filtered mixture by separating the undesirable components, substantially remaining in the mixture, while the filtered mixture is substantially collected in the ladle, said ladle comprising: an outer bowl including a number of outer holes provided in a bottom region and/or in a middle region thereof, said outer bowl defines an outer upper region and an outer upper edge; a handle attached to the outer bowl; an inner bowl capable of being disposed within the outer bowl so that a predetermined gap is provided therebetween, said inner bowl defines an inner upper region and an inner upper edge; said inner bowl includes a plurality of protrusions respectively separated by a plurality of grooves circumferentially arranged in the upper region of the inner bowl, said plurality of grooves is disposed below the outer upper edge and above the outer holes; wherein: a number of selected protrusions, chosen from said plurality of protrusions, are provided with a corresponding number of pins respectively attached to the selected protrusions; and said outer upper region of the outer bowl is provided with a number of L-shape notches equal to said corresponding number of pins, each said L-shape notch is positioned in such a way that serves as a guide for the pin corresponding to the L-shape notch, when the inner bowl is inserted in the outer bowl during assembling of said ladle.

2. The ladle according to claim 1, wherein the inner bowl is provided with an inner outlet spout conjugated with one of the grooves and the outer bowl is provided with an outer outlet spout disposed in the outer upper region coaxially with the inner outlet spout, to ease pouring out the filtered mixture from the ladle.

3. A ladle for filtering a mixture with undesirable components, and obtaining an essentially filtered mixture by separating the undesirable components, substantially remaining in the mixture, while the filtered mixture is substantially collected in the ladle, said ladle comprising: an outer bowl including a number of outer holes provided in a bottom region and/or in a middle region thereof, said outer bowl defines an outer upper region and an outer upper edge; a handle attached to the outer bowl; an inner bowl capable of being disposed within the outer bowl so that a predetermined gap is provided therebetween, said inner bowl defines an inner upper region and an inner upper edge, said inner bowl includes a number of inner holes provided in the inner upper region, disposed below the outer upper edge and above the outer holes; wherein: said outer bowl is provided with a number of pins circumferentially arranged in the upper region of the outer bowl; said inner bowl is provided with a number of L-shape notches circumferentially arranged in the upper region of the inner bowl; wherein the number of L-shape notches are equal to said number of pins; and wherein each said L-shape notch is positioned in such a way that serves as a guide for the pin corresponding to the L-shape notch, when the inner bowl is inserted in the outer bowl during assembling of said ladle.

4. The ladle according to claim 3, wherein the inner bowl is provided with an inner outlet spout and the outer bowl is provided with an outer outlet spout disposed in the outer upper region coaxially with the inner outlet spout, to ease pouring out the filtered mixture from the ladle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0023] FIG. 1a illustrates a sectional view of a first embodiment of the inventive ladle submerged into a mixture.

[0024] FIG. 1B illustrates a sectional view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1a, wherein the ladle is pulled out of the mixture.

[0025] FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded (isometric) view of the first embodiment shown on FIGS. 1a and 1b.

[0026] FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded (isometric) view of a second embodiment of the inventive ladle.

[0027] FIG. 3a illustrates a plan projection view of the second embodiment of the inventive ladle.

[0028] FIG. 3b illustrates an exploded (isometric) view of another design option of the second embodiment of the inventive ladle.

[0029] FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded (isometric) view of another design option of the first embodiment of the inventive ladle.

[0030] FIG. 5 illustrates a lateral sectional view and a plan view of a third embodiment of the inventive ladle.

[0031] FIG. 5a illustrates an exploded (isometric) view of the inner bowl and the outer bowl of the third embodiment of the inventive ladle.

[0032] FIG. 5b illustrates an exploded (isometric) view of the inner bowl of the third embodiment of the inventive ladle for a first position during assembling of the ladle.

[0033] FIG. 5c illustrates an exploded (isometric) view of the inner bowl of the third embodiment of the inventive ladle for a second position during assembling of the ladle.

[0034] FIG. 6 illustrates a lateral sectional view and a plan view of a fourth embodiment of the inventive ladle.

[0035] FIG. 6a illustrates an exploded (isometric) view of the inner bowl and the outer bowl of the fourth embodiment of the inventive ladle.

[0036] FIG. 6b illustrates an exploded (isometric) view of the inner bowl of the fourth embodiment of the inventive ladle for a first position during assembling of the ladle.

[0037] FIG. 6c illustrates an exploded (isometric) view of the inner bowl of the fourth embodiment of the inventive ladle for a second position during assembling of the ladle.

DESIGN OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0038] While the invention may be susceptible to embodiment in different forms, there is shown in the drawings, and will be described in detail herein, specific embodiments of the present invention, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to that as illustrated and described herein.

[0039] The first preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated on FIGS. 1a, 1b, 2, and 4. According to the first embodiment, the inventive ladle comprises: an outer bowl 1 with a number of outer holes 2 provided in the bottom region thereof (bottom holes 2b shown in FIG. 4), and/or in the middle region thereof (sidewall holes 2s shown in FIG. 4); a handle 3 for holding the outer bowl 1 by the user and submerging the outer bowl 1 into a mixture 8; the handle 3 is attached to the outer bowl 1; an inner bowl 5 disposed within the outer bowl 1 so that a predetermined gap 4 is provided therebetween. In its upper region, the inner bowl 5 is provided with a plurality of inner holes 6 disposed predeterminedly below the upper edge of the outer bowl 1 and predeterminedly above the outer holes 2.

[0040] The ladle is supplied with a number of holders 9 (preferably having a shape of U-loop) disposed in such a way that joining the upper region of the outer bowl 1 and the upper region of the inner bowl 5, thereby allowing the outer bowl 1 to support the inner bowl 5 therein during operation. The inner bowl 5 is provided with an inner outlet spout 10b and the outer bowl 1 is provided with an outer outlet spout 10a disposed coaxially with the inner outlet spout 10b (as shown in FIG. 3a), to ease the pouring out of the filtered mixture from the ladle.

[0041] The inventive ladle can have a circular shape, an oval shape, or another convenient shape at a designer's choice. The size and shape of the holes 2 (2b, 2s) may be chosen considering most efficient filtering of any undesirable components, so that the undesirable components remain outside of the outer bowl 1 when it's submerged into the mixture 8. In certain design options, an additional cover (not shown) may be placed over an external surface of the outer bowl, which cover may be made of suitable filtering materials. It is possible to use a number of interchangeable outer bowls 1 with different shapes and sizes of the holes 2 in combination with, for example, one inner bowl 5, and vice-versa.

[0042] The second preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated on FIGS. 3, 3a and 3b. According to the second embodiment, the inventive ladle comprises: an outer bowl 1 with a number of holes 2 provided in the bottom region thereof (bottom holes 2b shown in FIG. 4), and/or in the middle region thereof (sidewall holes 2s shown in FIG. 4); a handle 3 attached to the outer bowl 1 for holding the outer bowl by the user; an inner bowl 5 disposed within the outer bowl 1 so that a predetermined gap 4 is provided therebetween. In its upper region, the inner bowl 5 has a plurality of protrusions 7 respectively separated by a plurality of grooves 6g. At least some of the protrusions 7 each is supplied with a holder 9 preferably having a U-loop shape, and joining the outer bowl 1 with the inner bowl 5 in the upper regions thereof, thereby allowing the outer bowl 1 to support the inner bowl 5 therein during operation.

[0043] The lower edges of the grooves 6g are disposed predeterminedly below the upper edge of the outer bowl 1, but predeterminedly above the holes 2 of the outer bowl 1. The inner bowl 5 is provided with an inner outlet spout 10b (shown in FIG. 3a) conjugated with one of the grooves 6g, and the outer bowl 1 is provided with an outer outlet spout 10a (shown in FIG. 3a), coaxially disposed with the inner outlet spout 10b, to ease the pouring out the filtered mixture from the inner bowl 5.

[0044] In other design options of the second embodiment, the inner bowl 5 may be fixedly attached to the outer bowl, for example by a number of rivets 11 or screws joining the outer bowl 1 with the inner bowl 5 in the upper regions of the inner and upper bowls.

[0045] According to the third embodiment (illustrated on FIGS. 5, 5a, 5b and 5c), the inventive ladle comprises: an outer bowl 1 with a number (preferably a plurality) of holes 2 of predetermined sizes and shapes provided preferably in the bottom region thereof (bottom holes), and/or in the middle region thereof (sidewall holes); at least one handle attached (similar to the handle 3 of the second embodiment, FIG. 1a) to the outer bowl for holding the outer bowl by the user; an inner bowl 5 is disposed within the outer bowl 2 so that a predetermined gap 4 is provided therebetween.

[0046] The inner bowl 5 is removably attached to the outer bowl 1, using special attachment means described below, which facilitate the cleaning of the inner and outer bowls. Additionally to the second embodiment, the third embodiment also provides for an easier way for assembling and dissembling the inventive ladle that increases its consumer quality and makes it user friendly (comparatively to the second embodiment), and thus more attractive for prospective users. Therefore the third embodiment should be considered more effective.

[0047] According to the third embodiment, the inner bowl 5 has a plurality of protrusions 7 respectfully separated by a plurality of grooves 6g circumferentially arranged in the upper region of the inner bowl 5. At least some of protrusions each is provided with a pin (projection) 12 fixedly attached (for instance, welded) to the inner bowl 5 (FIG. 5a, view A). An upper region of the outer bowl 1 is provided with a number of L-shape notches 14 equal to the number of the pins 12 of the inner bowl 5, wherein each L-shape notch 14 is positioned correspondingly and serves as a guide for the respective pin 12. The L-shape notch 14 each consists of a vertical portion and a horizontal portion extending at the right angle to the vertical portion (FIG. 5a, view B).

[0048] The L-shape notches 14 are arranged in such a way that, when the operator inserts the inner bowl 5 into the outer bowl 1, each of the pins 12 is inserted in the vertical portion of the corresponding L-shape notch 14 (FIG. 5b, view C); the pins 12 then slide down (position 12(i) of the pin) until meet bottoms of the vertical portions being beginnings of the horizontal portions of the corresponding L-shape notches 14 (FIG. 5c, view D). Thereafter, operator turns the inner bowl 5 in relation to the outer bowl 1 until the pins 12 sliding within the horizontal portions of the corresponding L-shape notches 14 reach ends of the horizontal portions (position 12(ii) of the pin). In the position 12ii, the outer bowl 1 fixes and supports the inner bowl 5 therein during operation. When the operator finishes using the ladle, she/he turns the inner bowl 5 in the opposite direction until the pins 12 reach the beginnings of the horizontal portions being the bottoms of the vertical portions (position 12(i) of the pin), and then pulls the inner bowl 5 up until the pins 12 are extracted from the L-shape notches 14 and thereby the inner bowl 5 is separated from the outer bowl 1.

[0049] According to the third embodiment, the lower edges of the grooves 6g of the inner bowl 5 are disposed predeterminedly below (at a level h6 shown in FIG. 5) the upper edge (at a level h1 shown in FIG. 5) of the outer bowl 1 and predeterminedly above (at a level h2 shown in FIG. 5) the holes 2 of the outer bowl 1. This provides for better filtering of the undesirable components from the mixture (e.g. soup in a pot).

[0050] According to the fourth embodiment (illustrated on FIGS. 6, 6a, 6b and 6c), the inventive ladle comprises: an outer bowl 1 with a number (preferably a plurality) of outer holes 2 of predetermined sizes and shapes provided preferably in the bottom region thereof (bottom holes), and/or in the middle region thereof (sidewall holes); a handle (similar to the handle 3 of the second embodiment, FIG. 1a) for holding the outer bowl 1 by the user attached to the outer bowl 1; an inner bowl 5 disposed within the outer bowl 1 so that a predetermined gap (similar to the gap 4 of the first embodiment, FIG. 1a) is provided therebetween. In its upper region, the inner bowl 5 is provided with a number (preferably a plurality) of inner holes 6.

[0051] The inner bowl 5 is removably attached to the outer bowl 1, using special attachment means described below, which facilitate the cleaning of the inner and outer bowls. Additionally to the first embodiment, the fourth embodiment also provides for an easier way for assembling and dissembling the inventive ladle that increases its consumer quality, makes it user friendly (comparatively to the first embodiment), and thus more attractive for prospective users. Therefore the fourth embodiment should be considered more effective.

[0052] According to the fourth embodiment, the inner bowl 5 is provided with a number of pins (projections) 12 fixedly attached (for instance, welded) to the inner bowl 5 (FIG. 6a, view A). An upper region of the outer bowl 1 is provided with a number of L-shape notches 14 equal to the number of the pins 12 of the inner bowl 5, wherein each L-shape notch 14 is positioned correspondingly and serves as a guide for the respective pin 12. The L-shape notch 14 each consists of a vertical portion and a horizontal portion extending at the right angle to the vertical portion (FIG. 6a, view B).

[0053] The L-shape notches 14 are arranged in such a way that, when the operator inserts the inner bowl 5 into the outer bowl 1, each of the pins 12 is inserted in the vertical portion of the corresponding L-shape notch 14 (FIG. 6b, view C); the pins 12 then slide down (position 12(i) of the pin) until meet bottoms of the vertical portions being beginnings of the horizontal portions of the corresponding L-shape notches 14 (FIG. 6c, view D). Thereafter, the operator turns the inner bowl 5 in relation to the outer bowl 1 until the pins 12 sliding within the horizontal portions of the corresponding L-shape notches 14 reach ends of the horizontal portions (position 12(ii) of the pin). In the position 12(ii), the outer bowl 1 fixes and supports the inner bowl 5 therein during operation. When the operator finishes using the ladle, she/he turns the inner bowl 5 in the opposite direction until the pins 12 reach the beginnings of the horizontal portions being the bottoms of the vertical portions (position 12(i) of the pin) of the L-shape notches 14, and then pulls the inner bowl 5 up until the pins 12 are extracted from the L-shape notches 14 and thereby the inner bowl 5 is separated from the outer bowl 1.

[0054] According to the fourth embodiment, the inner holes are disposed (at a level h6 shown in FIG. 6) predeterminedly below the upper edge (at a level h1 shown in FIG. 6) of the outer bowl 1 and predeterminedly above (at a level h2 shown in FIG. 6) the outer holes 2 of the outer bowl 1. This provides for better filtering of the undesirable components from the mixture (e.g. soup in a pot).

Exemplary Operation of an Embodiment of the Invention

[0055] An example of operation of the second embodiment depicted on FIGS. 3 and 3a follows. The ladle is submerged into a pot with mixture 8 containing undesirable components (e.g., fat, debris, sediments), so that the lower edges of grooves 6g are positioned below the surface level of mixture 8. The mixture 8 flows through the outer holes 2 of the bowl 1 into the gap 4, elevates to the level of the lower edges of grooves 6g, and through the grooves 6g flows into the inner bowl 5, until fills it up to the surface level of mixture 8 in the pot. While flowing through the holes 2, the undesirable components are caught by the outer holes 2, which undesirable components are filtered out and remain outside of the outer bowl 1, whereas the substantially filtered mixture is collected inside the inner bowl 5. Thusly, the user pours the filtered mixture out by a natural hand movement, for example into a plate. The user may scoop as many bowls of broth as he/she wants, and does not need to clean the bowls after each scoop from the undesirable components, saving time.

[0056] The structural principle disclosed above may also be applied to other devices, for example, intended to get more or less purified water from various sources, or to get a filtered fraction of other liquids containing certain kinds of impurities. External filter covers may be placed over the outer bowl and fixedly or removably attached thereto. Such filter covers may provide a predetermined purity of the filtered mixture.

[0057] Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.