Mixer/sifter

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a mixer/sifter combination device which performs sifting in a convenient and easy to use manner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a sifter attachment for an electric hand held mixer which likewise performs sifting in a convenient and easy to use manner.
Various other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a mixer/sifter combination is provided that includes a mixer that can receive an element to be rotated (e.
g.
, a beater) and to operatively rotate that element.
The combination further includes a sifter attachment that can be inserted into the mixer and that sifts a substance when the mixer is operated.
As an aspect of the invention, the sifter attachment includes a coupler rod that is inserted into the mixer, and a sifter beater that is operatively connected to the coupler rod.
As a feature of this aspect, the sifter attachment includes a gear mechanism with a first end coupled to the coupler rod and a second end coupled to the sifter beater.
As another feature, the gear mechanism is adapted to rotate the sifter beater at a rate of rotation less than the rate at which the mixer rotates the coupler rod.
As another aspect of the invention, the sifter attachment includes a sifter cup for holding the substance to be sifted, and the sifter beater is disposed within the sifter cup.
As a further aspect of the invention, the mixer includes a bottom surface with an aperture into which a beater can be inserted, and the sifter attachment includes a coupler rod with an end identical to the end of the beater so that the coupler rod can be inserted into the aperture of the mixer.
As an additional aspect, the sifter attachment includes a screen disposed at the bottom of the sifter cup through which the substance passes when it is sifted, and the sifter beater is disposed within and near the bottom of the sifter cup