Lifter for removing portions / pieces from dishes prepared in a circular, walled dish, such as tarts, cakes, and quiches.

Abstract

Lifter for lifting (cakes / quiches / pie) pieces from circular (baking / casserole) molds with walls, characterized in that a substantially flat and substantially triangular base (1) is connected at a point (4) near one of the corners to a handle (3) via a handle extension (2) directed substantially perpendicular to the base (1) and substantially straight.

Description

[0001] The invention to be protected by this utility model relates to a lifter for removing portions / pieces from dishes such as cakes, tarts and quiches prepared in a circular form with a wall. State of the art

[0002] Classical (or previously disclosed) lifters are designed to be pushed under a workpiece to be lifted by an essentially linear translational movement, such that the workpiece lies on the lifting surface with an essentially optimal weight distribution and is ready to be lifted from the mold. Examples of such lifters are shown in drawings [o] and [p].

[0003] This technique is very well suited for molds without sides, allowing pieces to be lifted out while minimizing damage. However, this technique does not work for molds with sides. The problem

[0004] The problem of lifting pieces out of a mold with a wall (with as little damage as possible) can be divided into two sub-problems: the problem of lifting the first piece out of the mold and the problem of lifting all subsequent pieces.

[0005] The problem that the invention to be protected here promises to solve is the problem of lifting all subsequent pieces from circular shapes with walls, in any order except for the first piece, in such a way that... (Firstly) damage to the actively lifted pieces and all pieces yet to be lifted should be as minimal as possible, (secondly) there is always an essentially optimal weight distribution on the lifting surface when the piece is actively lifted, and (thirdly) (apart from the form) only the lifter comes into contact with the actively lifted and all pieces yet to be lifted.

[0006] Classical (or already revealed) lifters fail at this problem, as will be discussed below.

[0007] First, the requirement for optimal weight distribution of a piece on the lifting surface and the circularity of the shape necessitates that the base of the lever be essentially triangular and that the connection between the handle (or handle extension) and the lifting surface be located at the edge of the lifting surface. In classic (or previously disclosed) levers, this connection area on the lifting surface is located essentially in the middle of one side of the base. One reason for this choice of connection points is to achieve the most balanced distribution of the friction surface: Imagine a straight line starting at a point on the connection area and extending endlessly in the direction of the desired translational movement. To facilitate a linear translational movement, one would want the area of ​​the lifting surface to the left of the line to be essentially equal to the area to the right of the line.For every shape of lifting surface (and selected point on the connection area), there is therefore a preferred direction for a translational movement to be carried out, and in order to communicate this direction implicitly to the person skilled in the art, centrally chosen connection points are advantageous, since the preferred translational movements then run essentially in the direction of the side normals (i.e. perpendicular to the sides).

[0008] Let's assume the joining area is located opposite the corner that would be directly under the tip of an optimally positioned piece on the lifter. Assuming a piece has already been removed from the mold, the mold is circular, and the three aforementioned requirements are met, the lifter must be moved under the piece to be lifted using a rotational motion (with the center of rotation at the center of the mold). This involves moving the handle extension along the mold wall. With a wavy mold wall, for example, this requires some effort, as the handle extension must be maneuvered between the edge of the piece and the mold wall to minimize damage to the piece.

[0009] If, however, the joining area is located (essentially in the middle) on one of the other sides, we cannot lift the pieces out of the mold in just any order. For example, if the lifter is designed as shown in drawing [p], the second piece should not be located to the left of the free space (viewed from above). Solution

[0010] The problem to be solved is addressed by the features listed in claim (1) by placing the lifter in a free space such that the connection between the lifting surface (1) and the handle extension (2) is located approximately above the center of the mold. The lifter is then pushed under the desired piece and lifted solely by the force of the hand holding the handle. The axis of rotation is aligned with the center of the mold and perpendicular to the lifting surface (1). The hand makes only a relatively small and, above all, smooth / uniform movement, as no waves or corners in the mold wall need to be taken into account. Furthermore, damage is minimized because the handle extension occupies virtually the same space during rotation.Finally, it should be noted that a connection between the lifting surface (1) and the handle extension (2) at one of the corners is more advantageous for stability reasons than a connection at one of the sides, since the center of gravity of the overall structure lies deeper within the stable center of gravity area; this applies to both the geometric and the mass center of gravity. Drawings [a] and [b] illustrate the form and functionality of the lifter described in main claim (1).

[0011] Claim (2) specifies preferred dimensions of the angles of the triangular base (1) and of the handle extension (2).

[0012] Claim (3) specifies a preferred stability property which states that the lifter does not tip over (even under small force applications) when it is placed on a horizontal tabletop in such a way that the base is completely on the tabletop.

[0013] Claims (4) and (5) describe variations that enable a more stable rotational movement by (first) reducing the friction between the mold base and the base surface, and (second) reducing unwanted translational movements. The latter reduction is further enhanced by a handle as described in claim (6). The combination of claim (6) and claim (4) or claim (5) results in a variation where the rotational movement can be carried out with particular precision and stability.

[0014] The advertised reduction in friction between the mold base and the base surface is achieved by a bulge beneath the base surface. As described in claim (4), the bulge can be a fixed component of the base surface. However, as described in claim (5), it can also be manually attached and detached. Particularly when attachment is achieved using magnets, it is advantageous to enclose the bulge in a recess beneath the base surface to prevent it from slipping. Alternatively, the bulge can be screwed through the base surface and into the handle extension using a screw or a helical end. Drawings [f] and [g] illustrate the described variations of the bulge.

[0015] The purpose behind claim (6) for more targeted rotational movements is achieved by applying a force – ideally by a finger of the hand gripping the handle – at a point on the handle “above” the contact point (4), which increases the friction between the mold base and the base surface near the contact point (4) (relative to the friction of the other areas below the base surface). Here, “above” is to be understood as meaning that the orthogonal projection of the grip point onto the imaginary plane spanned by the base surface lies close to the contact point (4). Furthermore, the lifter can be tilted by applying force to the handle, so that essentially all the friction between the mold base and the base surface is located in the area near the contact point (4). Drawings [c], [d] and [e] illustrate claim (6).

[0016] Claim (7) explicitly lists a variation in which the connections between the base (1), handle extension (2), and handle (3) may also be designed to be attachable and detachable. This has the advantage that the lifter can be disassembled into several parts and thus transported and cleaned more easily. Screw connections are explicitly preferred for this purpose. Drawings [f], [g], [h], [i], and [j] illustrate this aspect.

[0017] Claim (8) explicitly extends the protection to slightly curved, slightly wavy, and perforated base surfaces. This can be advantageous if one wishes to reduce friction between the lifting surface and the workpiece, or to keep the sides of the lifting surface low when the slight bulge described in claim (4) or claim (5) is present. Drawings [k], [l], [m], and [n] illustrate this aspect.

[0018] Finally, preferred materials for the base (1), handle extension (2) and handle (3) are listed in claim (9). In the case of a recess according to claim (5), which is provided for a magnetic connection with a plate as described in claim (5), an area of ​​the base (1) (as shown in drawing [g] by a darker shading) should be magnetic. Explanations of the drawings Drawings [a] and [b] show a lifter according to main claim (1). Drawings [c], [d] and [e] show variations of the handle according to claim (6). Drawings [f], [g], [h], [i] and [j] show variations with connections according to claim (7) and bulges or indentations according to claims (4) and (5). The dark areas above (6) and (7) in drawing [g] represent mutually magnetically attracting regions. The drawings [k], [l], [m] and [n] show variations of the base area according to claims (1), (2), (8). The drawings [o] and [p] show classic lifting devices according to the state of the art. Reference symbol list 1 Base area / Lifting area 2 Handle extensions 3 handles 4 Contact point (between base surface (1) and handle extension (2)) 5 Contact point (between handle extension (2) and handle (3)) 6. Bulge / Raising 7 Cooling / Deepening

Claims

[1] Lifter for lifting (cakes / quiches / pie) pieces from circular (baking / casserole) dishes with walls, characterized by , that a substantially flat and substantially triangular base (1) is connected at a point (4) near one of the corners to a handle (3) via a handle extension (2) directed substantially perpendicular to the base (1) and substantially straight. [2] Cake server according to claim (1), characterized by , that the angle of the corner near point (4) is preferably between 16 and 112 of a full angle and the handle extension (2) preferably has a cylindrical shape with a height between 3 cm and 15 cm and a cross-sectional diameter of less than 1 cm. [3] Cake server according to any of the preceding claims characterized by, that the orthogonal projection of the center of mass of the entire construction onto the plane spanned by the base (1) lies within the convex hull of the base (1). [4] Cake server according to any of the preceding claims characterized by , that there is a raised area / bulge (6) below the base (1) at point (4). [5] Cake server according to one of claims (1), (2) and (3), characterized by , that below the point (4) under the base (1) there is a depression / indentation (7) to which a plate with a lens-shaped side can be attached magnetically or by a screw connection, so that the lens-shaped side faces outwards and the other side of the plate essentially has the negative shape of the indentation (7), that is, fits into the indentation (7) as if cast on. [6] Cake server according to any of the preceding claims characterized by, that the handle (3) is designed such that the hand can grasp the handle in such a way that the orthogonal projection of the contact surface (of hand and handle) onto the plane spanned by the base (1) contains the point (4), in particular when the handle (3) is connected to the base (1) via the point (4) by means of a T-shaped connection, wherein the horizontal line of the ‘T’ represents the handle (3) and the vertical line of the ‘T’ represents the handle extension (2) oriented perpendicular to the base (1), and wherein the contact point (5) of the handle extension (2) and the handle (3) is placed at one of the ends of the handle (3) or arbitrarily in between. [7] Cake server according to any of the preceding claims characterized by , that the connections between base (1) and handle extension (2), or between handle extension (2) and handle (3) (preferably via screw connections) are attachable and detachable. [8] Cake server according to any of the preceding claims characterized by , that the base (1) may also be slightly curved, slightly wavy, perforated or any combination of these properties. [9] Cake server according to any of the preceding claims characterized by , that the base (1), the handle extension (2) and the handle (3) are preferably made of materials such as plastic, metal, precious metal, alloy, wood, ceramic, porcelain or any combination of these materials.

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