The present disclosure relates to a cookware system. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an improved combination cookware system having two components that can be used individually or together.
Conventional cookware systems typically include two or more separate and discrete pieces, each having a dedicated cooking function (e.g., skillet for sautéing, a sauce pan for boiling, etc.). However, because conventional cookware systems include multiple pieces, significant space is required to store all of the pieces of the cookware system. Additionally, each piece in a cookware system is typically made of the same material, though this may not be optimal for the cooking function associated with each piece.
To overcome the issues of conventional cookware systems, combination cookware systems have been developed. Combination cookware systems typically include a skillet and a sauté pan, which together may create a dutch oven. However, since each piece in the combination cookware system is typically made of the same material, the combination cookware system is as limited in function as a conventional cookware system having individual dedicated pieces. Further, ergonomics are not considered in the design of typical combination cookware systems, as two hands are typically necessary to lift the skillet (“lid”) from the sauté pan in order to check the progress of the food cooking inside a dutch oven so formed.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved combination cookware system.
Generally, the disclosure is directed to versatile combination cookware systems having two components that can be used individually or coupled together so as to be used jointly. The components may be coupled together by a pivoting joint or the like to assist in the handling and use of the cookware.
In one aspect, the disclosure relates to a combination cookware system. The system includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion has a cooking surface, a raised edge extending downwardly from and about a perimeter of the cooking surface, a gripping handle engaged with and extending outwardly from the raised edge, and a pivot handle engaged with and extending outwardly from the raised edge opposite to the gripping handle, wherein a bottom surface of the pivot handle defines a bearing stud. The second portion is configured to engage with the first portion and includes a cooking surface, a raised edge extending upwardly from and about a perimeter of the cooking surface, a gripping handle engaged with and extending outwardly from the raised edge, and a pivot handle engaged with and extending outwardly from the raised edge opposite to the gripping handle, wherein a top surface of the pivot handle defines a bearing socket configured to engage the bearing stud of the first portion pivot handle to form a pivoting joint. The pivot handles of the first and second portions are arranged to pivotably engage each other such that movement of the gripping handle of the first portion relative to the gripping handle of the second portion transitions the cookware system between a closed configuration and an open configuration.
In another aspect, the disclosure relates to an apparatus for cooking. The apparatus includes a cooking surface, a raised edge extending upwardly from and about a perimeter of the cooking surface, a gripping handle engaged with and extending outwardly from the raised edge, and a pivot handle engaged with and extending outwardly from the raised edge opposite to the gripping handle, where a top surface of the pivot handle comprises a bearing socket configured to pivotably engage a bearing stud to form a pivoting joint. The apparatus may be referred to as a pan or a hybrid pot.
In still another aspect, the disclosure relates to another apparatus for cooking. The apparatus includes a cooking surface, a raised edge extending upwardly from and about a perimeter of the cooking surface, a gripping handle engaged with and extending outwardly from the mised edge, and a pivot handle engaged with and extending outwardly from the mised edge opposite to the gripping handle, where a bottom surface of the pivot handle comprises a bearing stud configured to pivotably engage a bearing socket to form a pivoting joint.
In various embodiments of the foregoing aspects, the gripping handles of the first and second portions may be configured to nest with each other to form a unified gripping handle. For example, in certain embodiments, the gripping handle of the second portion has a longitudinal recess extending along at least a portion of a top surface of the gripping handle, and the gripping handle of the first portion has a longitudinal protuberance extending along at least a portion of a bottom surface of the gripping handle. The protuberance may be configured to engage with the recess in the gripping handle of the second portion. In some embodiments, the gripping handle of the first portion engages with the gripping handle of the second portion via a snap-fit. Also, the gripping handle of the first portion may have a length greater than a length of the gripping handle of the second portion. In various embodiments, the pivot handles of the first and second portions may pivotably engage via at least one of a ball and socket joint, a saddle joint, a hinge joint, a gliding joint, or a condyloid joint.
In additional embodiments, the raised edge of the first portion engages the raised edge of the second portion in a closed configuration. For example, engagement of the first portion with the second portion may form a dutch oven in the closed configuration. In various embodiments, the first portion may be a skillet and the second portion may be a pan. Additionally, the first and second portions may include corresponding circular shapes, corresponding polygonal shapes, or some combination of circular and polygonal as long as the shapes are corresponding, such that the raised edges of each portion generally align when in a closed configuration. The cookware system may also include a lid configured to engage at least one of the raised edge of the first portion opposite to the cooking surface, the raised edge of the second portion opposite to the cooking surface, or both simultaneously.
In further embodiments, the first portion comprises a first material and the second portion comprises a second material. The first material may include at least one of carbon steel, cast iron, multi-ply stainless steel with an aluminum core, a ferrous metal with stainless steel cladding, or combinations thereof. The second material may include at least one of carbon steel, cast iron, multi-ply stainless steel with an aluminum core, a ferrous metal with stainless steel cladding, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the first and second materials are different materials. For example, in one embodiment, the first material may include carbon steel, while the second material may include a multi-ply stainless steel, with or without an aluminum core. In some embodiments, both portions are made of the same material.
The present disclosure thus includes, without limitation, the following example embodiments: Example Embodiment 1: A combination cookware system comprising: a first portion comprising: a cooking surface; a raised edge extending downwardly from and about a perimeter of the cooking surface; a gripping handle engaged with and extending outwardly from the raised edge; and a pivot handle engaged with and extending outwardly from the raised edge opposite to the gripping handle, wherein a bottom surface of the pivot handle comprises a bearing stud; a second portion configured to engage with the first portion and comprising: a cooking surface; a raised edge extending upwardly from and about a perimeter of the cooking surface; a gripping handle engaged with and extending outwardly from the raised edge; a pivot handle engaged with and extending outwardly from the raised edge opposite to the gripping handle, wherein a top surface of the pivot handle comprises a bearing socket configured to engage the bearing stud of the first portion pivot handle to form a pivoting joint; wherein the pivot handles of the first and second portions are arranged to pivotably engage each other such that movement of the gripping handle of the first portion relative to the gripping handle of the second portion transitions the cookware system between a closed configuration and an open configuration.
Example Embodiment 2: An apparatus for cooking comprising: a cooking surface; a raised edge extending upwardly from and about a perimeter of the cooking surface; a gripping handle engaged with and extending outwardly from the raised edge; and a pivot handle engaged with and extending outwardly from the raised edge opposite to the gripping handle, wherein a top surface of the pivot handle comprises a bearing socket configured to pivotably engage a bearing stud to form a pivoting joint. The apparatus can serve as the first or second portion of example embodiment 1.
Example Embodiment 3: An apparatus for cooking comprising: a cooking surface; a raised edge extending upwardly from and about a perimeter of the cooking surface; a gripping handle engaged with and extending outwardly from the raised edge; and a pivot handle engaged with and extending outwardly from the raised edge opposite to the gripping handle, wherein a bottom surface of the pivot handle comprises a bearing stud configured to pivotably engage a bearing socket to form a pivoting joint. The apparatus can serve as the first or second portion of example embodiment 1.
Example Embodiment 4: The apparatus or system of any preceding example embodiment, or combinations thereof, wherein the gripping handles of the first and second portions are configured to nest with each other to form a unified gripping handle Example Embodiment 5: The apparatus or system of any preceding example embodiment, or combinations thereof, wherein the raised edge of the first portion engages the raised edge of the second portion in a closed configuration.
Example Embodiment 6: The apparatus or system of any preceding example embodiment, or combinations thereof, wherein the first portion is a skillet.
Example Embodiment 7: The apparatus or system of any preceding example embodiment, or combinations thereof, wherein the second portion is a pan. In some embodiments, the pan may also be referred to as a pot or “hybrid pot.”
Example Embodiment 8: The apparatus or system of any preceding example embodiment, or combinations thereof, wherein engagement of the first portion and the second portion forms a dutch oven in the closed configuration.
Example Embodiment 9: The apparatus or system of any preceding example embodiment, or combinations thereof, wherein the pivot handles of the first and second portions pivotably engage via at least one of a ball and socket joint, a saddle joint, a hinge joint, a gliding joint, or a condyloid joint.
Example Embodiment 10: The apparatus or system of any preceding example embodiment, or combinations thereof, wherein the gripping handle of the second portion comprises a longitudinal recess extending along at least a portion of a top surface of the gripping handle Example Embodiment 11: The apparatus or system of any preceding example embodiment, or combinations thereof, wherein the gripping handle of the first portion comprises a longitudinal protuberance extending along at least a portion of a bottom surface of the gripping handle, the protuberance configured to engage with the recess in the gripping handle of the second portion.
Example Embodiment 12: The apparatus or system of any preceding example embodiment, or combinations thereof, wherein the gripping handle of the first portion engages with the gripping handle of the second portion via a snap-fit.
Example Embodiment 13: The apparatus or system of any preceding example embodiment, or combinations thereof, wherein the gripping handle of the first portion has a length greater than a length of the gripping handle of the second portion.
Example Embodiment 14: The apparatus or system of any preceding example embodiment, or combinations thereof, comprising a lid configured to engage at least one of the raised edge of the first portion opposite to the cooking surface, the raised edge of the second portion opposite to the cooking surface, or both simultaneously.
Example Embodiment 15: The apparatus or system of any preceding example embodiment, or combinations thereof, wherein the first portion comprises a first material and the second portion comprises a second material.
Example Embodiment 16: The apparatus or system of any preceding example embodiment, or combinations thereof, wherein the first material comprises at least one of carbon steel, cast iron, multi-ply stainless steel with an aluminum core, a ferrous metal with stainless steel cladding, or combinations thereof and the second material comprises at least one of carbon steel, cast iron, multi-ply stainless steel with an aluminum core, a ferrous metal with stainless steel cladding, or combinations thereof.
Example Embodiment 17: The apparatus or system of any preceding example embodiment, or combinations thereof, wherein the first and second materials are different materials.
Example Embodiment 18: The apparatus or system of any preceding example embodiment, or combinations thereof, wherein the first material comprises carbon steel and the second material comprises a multi-ply stainless steel.
Example Embodiment 19: The apparatus or system of any preceding example embodiment, or combinations thereof, wherein the first and second portions comprise corresponding circular shapes.
Example Embodiment 20: The apparatus or system of any preceding example embodiment, or combinations thereof, wherein the first and second portions comprise corresponding polygonal shapes.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description together with the accompanying drawings, which are briefly described below. The present disclosure includes any combination of two, three, four, or more features or elements set forth in this disclosure, regardless of whether such features or elements are expressly combined or otherwise recited in a specific embodiment description herein. This disclosure is intended to be read holistically such that any separable features or elements of the disclosure, in any of its aspects and embodiments, should be viewed as intended, namely to be combinable, unless the context of the disclosure clearly dictates otherwise.
It will be appreciated that the summary herein is provided merely for purposes of summarizing some example aspects so as to provide a basic understanding of the disclosure. As such, it will be appreciated that the above described example aspects are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the disclosure in any way. It will be appreciated that the scope of the disclosure encompasses many potential aspects, some of which will be further described below, in addition to those herein summarized. Further, other aspects and advantages of such aspects disclosed herein will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the described aspects.
In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the same parts throughout the different views. Also, the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the disclosure and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the disclosure. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In the following description, various embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to the following drawings, in which:
Various implementations of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures, in which some, but not all implementations of the disclosure are shown. Indeed, various implementations of the disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein; rather, these example implementations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
Unless specified otherwise or clear from context, references to first, second or the like should not be construed to imply a particular order. A feature described as being above another feature (unless specified otherwise or clear from context) may instead be below, and vice versa; and similarly, features described as being to the left of another feature else may instead be to the right, and vice versa. Also, while reference may be made herein to quantitative measures, values, geometric relationships or the like, unless otherwise stated, any one or more if not all of these may be absolute or approximate to account for acceptable variations that may occur, such as those due to engineering tolerances or the like.
As used herein, unless specified otherwise or clear from context, the “or” of a set of operands is the “inclusive or” and thereby true if and only if one or more of the operands is true, as opposed to the “exclusive or” which is false when all of the operands are true. Thus, for example, “[A] or [B]” is true if [A] is true, or if [B] is true, or if both [A] and [B] are true. Further, the articles “a”, “an”, and “the” mean “one or more,” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form.
The first and second portions 110, 120 each include a gripping handle 116, 126 engaged with and extending outwardly from their respective raised edges 114, 124. The gripping handles 116, 126 may include flanges 150a, 150b for coupling to their respective portions via, for example, rivets, screws, or welding. In addition, the first and second portions 110, 120 each include a pivot handle 118, 128 engaged with and extending outwardly from their respective raised edges 114, 124. The pivot handles 118, 128 are typically located opposite of (i.e., diametrically opposed to) the gripping handles 116, 126; however, their positioning may vary to suit a particular application. The pivot handles 118, 128 may also include flanges 152a, 152b for coupling to their respective portions via, for example, rivets, screws, or welding.
The first portion 110 and the second portion 120 are engageable with one another to form the combination cookware system 100, which in some embodiments acts as a dutch oven. In some embodiments, the first portion 110 and the second portion 120 are engageable such that the raised edges 114, 124 of the first and second portions are in at least partial contact with one another or are close enough together that there is essential little to no gap between the two edges 114, 124. In some embodiments, a slight gap may be present to allow for, for example, venting from the closed cookware system 100. Additionally, the raised edges 114, 124 may include substantially flat top surfaces 140, 142 however, in some embodiments, the top surfaces 140, 142 may include mating structure (e.g., a trough on one top surfaces and a rib on the other top surface that is sized and shaped to interface with the trough) to, for example, assist with engagement and alignment between the two portions 110, 120.
In this closed configuration, the gripping handles 116, 126 of the first and second portions 110, 120 are configured and arranged to nest with each other to form a unified and ergonomic gripping handle Nesting of the gripping handle 116 of the first portion 110 in the gripping handle 126 of the second portion 120 facilitates registration between the two portions and allows for the unified gripping handle to be gripped by one hand of the user. In some embodiments, the gripping handle 126 of the second portion 120 defines a recess 146 or similar structure on a top surface thereof (see also 246 in
Also in the closed configuration, the pivot handles 118, 128 of the first and second portions 110, 120 are configured and arranged to engage with one another to form a type of pivot joint or engagement portion 130. The pivot joint 130 allows for the gripping handle 116 of the first portion 110 to be moved away from the gripping handle 126 of the second portion 120 into an open configuration, while maintaining registration between the two pivot handles 118, 128. The structure and registration between the two pivot handles are shown and described in greater detail with respect to
The combination cookware system 400 of
In some embodiments, the first portion 110, 210 comprises a first material and the second portion 120, 220 comprises a second material, where the first and second materials may be the same material or different materials. In various embodiments, the first and/or second materials may be selected from carbon steel, cast iron, multi-ply stainless steel (e.g., 24 gauge, series 305, 316, or 410) with an aluminum (e.g., a 6061 or 1060 aluminum alloy) core, a ferrous metal with stainless steel cladding, copper, titanium and/or the like, with or without a non-stick coating.
In certain embodiments, for example where the first material is carbon steel and the second material is a multi-ply stainless, the portion comprising the carbon steel material acts as an energy source for the other portion comprising the multi-ply stainless steel material due to the conductive nature of the aluminum layer of multi-ply stainless steel and the heat retentive properties of carbon steel, cast iron, and/or other ferrous metals. The use of different materials between the first and second portions, promotes optimal cooking, for example, slow cooking, keeping food warm, etc., as needed and/or as appropriate.
The first and second portions, their handles, and other components thereof may be manufactured via any conventionally known manufacturing process, such as casting, forging, stamping, and machining, with or without a coating or a mechanical finishing treatment (e.g., polishing).
The size of the portions will vary to suit a particular application and may range from about 6 inches (in.) in diameter (D) to about 20 in. in diameter (D) (or equivalent area for non-circular cookware), including, for example, 8 in., 10, in., 12 in., and 14 in. The height (X1) of the raised edge 114 of the first portion may range from about 1.0 in to about 2.5 in., while the height (X2) of the raised edge 124 of the second portion may range from about 2.0 in. to about 4.0 in.
Having now described some illustrative embodiments of the disclosure, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the foregoing is merely illustrative and not limiting, having been presented by way of example only. Numerous modifications and other embodiments are within the scope of one of ordinary skill in the art and are contemplated as falling within the scope of the disclosure. In particular, although many of the examples presented herein involve specific combinations of system elements, it should be understood that those elements may be combined in other ways to accomplish the same objectives.
Furthermore, those skilled in the art should appreciate that the parameters and configurations described herein are exemplary and that actual parameters and/or configurations will depend on the specific application in which the systems and techniques of the disclosure are used. Those skilled in the art should also recognize or be able to ascertain, using no more than routine experimentation, equivalents to the specific embodiments of the disclosure. It is, therefore, to be understood that the embodiments described herein are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of any appended claims and equivalents thereto; the disclosure may be practiced other than as specifically described.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/IB2020/057777 | 8/18/2020 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62888859 | Aug 2019 | US |