Food process agitator

In a mixing apparatus including a kettle within which materials are mixed by the action of an agitator, the improvement comprising:

• a rotary shaft disposed within the kettle at an angle to the vertical;
• and,
• blade means carried by the shaft for lifting and displacing the materials to mix materials in portions of the kettle with materials in other portions thereof, the blade means comprising a plurality of blade-like elements which extend radially from the shaft, the elements being disposed at intervals along the shaft, outermost elements at respective ends of the shaft being disposed at an angle of 180.degree. to each other, the element immediately adjacent each of the outermost elements being disposed at an angle of 120.degree. thereto, each pair of elements immediately inwardly of each of said elements adjacent each of the outermost elements being substantially mirror images of the corresponding pair of elements across a plane taken through the longitudinal axis of the shaft and perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the elements adjacent the outermost elements.

In a mixing apparatus including a kettle within which materials are mixed by the action of an agitator, the improvement comprising:

• a rotary shaft disposed within the kettle at an angle to the vertical;
• and,
• blade means carried by the shaft for lifting and displacing the materials to mix materials in portions of the kettle with materials in other portions thereof, the blade means comprising a plurality of blade-like elements which extend radially from the shaft, the elements being disposed at intervals along the shaft, outermost elements at respective ends of the shaft being disposed at an angle of 180.degree. to each other, the element immediately adjacent each of the outermost elements being disposed at an angle of 120.degree. thereto, the two elements immediately inwardly of each of said elements adjacent each of the outermost elements being disposed at respective angles of 60.degree. and 180.degree. to the outermost element located on the same end of the shaft.

In a mixing apparatus including a kettle within which materials are mixed by the action of an agitator, the improvement comprising:

• a rotary shaft disposed within the kettle at an angle to the vertical;
• and,
• blade means carried by the shaft for lifting and displacing the materials to mix material in portions of the kettle with material in other portions thereof, the blade means comprising a plurality of scoop-like elements which extend radially from the shaft, each scoop-like element having surface portions along the full length of the blade means which face in the direction of rotation, the surface portions being formed over the entire length of the blade means into a conformation capable of acting as a scoop to lift and displace the materials, the scoop-like elements being disposed at regular intervals along the shaft, outermost elements at respective ends of the shaft being disposed at an angle of 180.degree. to each other, each element immediately adjacent each of the outermost elements being disposed at an angle of 120.degree. thereto, each pair of elements immediately inwardly of each of said elements adjacent each of the outermost elements being substantially mirror images of the corresponding pair of elements across a plane taken through the longitudinal axis of the shaft and perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the elements adjacent the outermost elements.