Patent Application
20180338644
The present invention relates to a cooking appliance such as a pot, pan, skillet, griddle, grill or other cooking vessel and, more specifically, to a cooking appliance having a measurement device associated therewith to indicate when the cooking appliance has reach a desired temperature, the measurement device providing both an audio and visual alert system to notify the user of their attained temperature setting.
An issue with cooking appliances such as pots, pans, skillets, griddles, grills and the like is knowing when the cooking vessel is heated properly to begin cooking food. The reason why this is important is because if you place a food product into a pan or other cooking vessel before it is properly heated, the food product could stick to the surface of the vessel making it very difficult to move the food product around in the pan or vessel without damaging the food product. For example, chicken often sticks to the pan and if you try to turn the chicken over in the pan to cook the other side, the surface of the chicken adjacent to the pan often sticks to the pan and often times will peel away portions of the chicken as you rotate the chicken to its opposite side. This issue can also occur in pans or other vessels coated with Non-Stick coatings, though, in non-stick coated pans, once the pan has reached around 250° F., the Non-Stick coating begins to aid in releasing food surfaces that were previously sticking to the pan.
Another issue centers on when a chilled or cold food product is placed in a pan or other cooking vessel that is not preheated. When this occurs, it takes longer for the pan or vessel to heat and ingredients associated with the food product may release some of their moisture as they heat up, resulting in a dry cooked food product such as certain meats and vegetables. For example, steel expands as it heats and then contracts when it comes into contact with the relatively cooler meat product placed in the pan which, essentially at the surface microscopic level of the metal, will “bite” into the tissue of the meat product and cause sticking to occur. It is also taught in the culinary arts profession that raw proteins form molecular bonds with metal when an improperly heated pan comes into contact with that food product. Culinary professionals point out that the goal is to get the meat product to sear before it even comes into contact with the metal of the pan by heating oil hot enough so that it can sear the meat product in the time that it takes for it to pass from the air, through the film of oil, and into the pan. With a hot enough pan and the right material, just the heat of the air and the radiant heat of the pan itself may be enough to sear the meat product and avoid sticking.
Culinary professionals also point out that sticking most often happens with foods that have a lower fat content, such as skinless chicken and fish. One technique used by culinary professionals to prevent sticking and to optimize browning of your meat is to develop a nice “fond” on the pan. Fond is French for “base” or “foundation” and refers to the residue or particles of food remaining after meat and/or vegetables have been browned or cooked and is used to provide sauces and bases that will be added to other foods being made in order to enhance the taste with a deeper and richer flavor which also prevents the sticking of the food product.
Traditionally, users have used various techniques to indicate when the surface of the pan or other cooking vessel is thought to have achieved the appropriate temperature for beginning the cooking of a food product. Everything from carefully hovering one's hand over the pan's cooking surface to subjectively judge the surface temperature of the pan as it is heating up to placing butter or cooking oil or a few drops of water in the pan and observing the particular release agents' reaction as it is heating up to again estimate the surface temperature of the pan have been and currently are being used. The water droplet technique is one of the most often used and the observation of the water droplet reaction as it hits the pan falls into one of these three signals.
This technique for estimating the temperature of the pan is also based on research that came to be known as the “Leidenfrost Effect.” The Leidenfrost Effect is when a liquid in near contact with a mass significantly hotter than the liquid's boiling point, the liquid produces an insulating vapor layer keeping that liquid from boiling rapidly. This means that the liquid droplet will hover over the surface rather than making physical contact with it (Wikipedia.org-Leidenfrost Effect). At the proper temperature, a similar effect happens with the food product you place in the pan, preventing the food product from sticking. The Leidenfrost temperature point varies, around 193° C. (379° F.), but the Leidenfrost Effect is not necessarily ideal for food products that require lower cooking temperatures like eggs (250° F. to 300° F.), pancakes (320° F.) or French toast & vegetables (300° F.) because the higher temperature can burn or cook the specific food product in manners not desired for the final culinary result (i.e. for preparation of eggs—scrambled eggs, “sunny side-up” eggs, or “over-easy” eggs, and burning or browning the exterior surface may not be the desired intent for presentation and taste/texture consistency).
Thus, there is a need and it is therefore desirable to have a cooking appliance with electronics and a measurement device associated therewith wherein a user can select a desired cooking temperature and the measuring device will monitor the pre-heating of the cooking appliance and alert the user that the pre-selected cooking temperature has been achieved before the user actually places a food product in the cooking appliance. It is also desirable that the measurement device associated with the cooking appliance provide both an audio and a visual alert system to notify the user that the attained temperature setting has been achieved and that the electronics associated with the cooking appliance can be removed from the cooking vessel so that the appliance can be used in an oven and can be placed in a dishwasher for cleaning without damaging the electronics associated therewith. As a result, the present invention is directed to a cooking appliance with a temperature sensor indicator which overcomes one or more of the problems set forth above and represents an improvement over known cooking appliances.
Disclosed herein is a cooking appliance with a temperature sensor indicator designed to indicate to a user when the cooking appliance has reached a pre-selected temperature. Non-inclusive examples of the cooking appliance may include pots, skillets, pans, griddles, grills, and the like. The cooking appliance may comprise a handle, an electronic module receivable within the handle, a temperature probe coupled to the electronic module, and a cooking vessel. The handle preferably includes a handle attachment member, a heat dissipating member, a handle end portion, and a handle tube. The handle attachment member is a bracket sized and shaped to mate with a side portion of the cooking vessel as will be explained in more detail later. The handle attachment member is adjacent and attached to the heat dissipating member. The heat dissipating member is a hollow V-shape member located and positioned in between the handle attachment member and the handle end portion and is specifically designed to dissipate heat generated by the cooking vessel so that the grip area of the handle is comfortable to the touch. The handle end portion is preferably a hollow elongated substantially cylindrical member which may be contoured for comfort and to better fit a person's hand when gripping the handle end portion and which is also configured to receive the electrical connections coupling the electronic module to the temperature probe as will be hereinafter explained in more detail. The handle tube is a hollow cylindrical member adjacent to and insertable within the handle end portion for receiving the electronic module. The handle attachment member, heat dissipating member, handle end portion, and handle tube may all be integrally formed to create the handle member. Alternatively, only part or none of the handle components may be integrally formed.
The electric module of the cooking appliance is selectively engageable with the handle tube. The module preferably includes two grooves of differing widths on an outer surface, while the handle tube preferably includes two pin members of differing sizes, each pin member sized to fit within a respective groove. The pin members are located within the interior portion of the handle tube so that the module may be inserted into the handle tube. Once inserted, the pin members of the handle tube are aligned with their corresponding grooves and the module is rotated to selectively secure the pin members within a corresponding keyed slot located at the end of each groove. This secures the module within the cooking appliance. The module may be removed from the handle by rotating the module in an opposite direction to disengage the pin members from within the respective slots.
In one embodiment, the module includes a printed circuit board, at least one battery, electronics for selecting a particular temperature appropriate for cooking a specific type of food product, electrical connections to supply power to the temperature measuring device, and at least one signaling device to show when the appropriate selected temperature has been reached. In one embodiment, the electronic module may provide both an audio and a visual alert system to notify the user when the attained temperature setting has been achieved. The electrical connections connect the at least one battery to the temperature measuring device located and positioned in the cooking vessel. The electrical connections extend from the temperature probe into and through at least one arm of the V-shaped heat dissipating member, through the handle end portion and the handle tube, before connecting to the electronics within the module thereby allowing the temperature measuring device to receive power and measure the temperature of the cooking vessel.
The cooking vessel may be any shape and size as long as it is able to hold and cook a food product. In one embodiment, the cooking vessel includes a three layer construction, namely, an induction plate, a temperature sleeve plate, and a vessel member. The three layers have a mating relationship that will be later described in more detail. The three layers are preferably secured together through conventional means such as through brazing, thereby preventing relative movement between the layers during assembly and use of the cooking appliance. The exterior face of the induction plate engages the burner or the stovetop, while the interior face of the induction plate has a mating relationship with the temperature sleeve plate. The temperature sleeve plate has a temperature sleeve cutout associated therewith extending from an edge of the temperature sleeve plate towards its center. The temperature sleeve cutout is sized and shaped to receive a temperature sleeve which is inserted into the temperature sleeve cutout, and preferably is an elongated hollow rectangular member configured to receive the temperature probe therewithin. The temperature sleeve plate is located and positioned in between the induction plate and the vessel member and has a mating relationship to the bottom of the vessel.
The cooking vessel includes appropriate attachment means for attaching the handle attachment member to the cooking vessel.
These and other aspects and advantages of the present cooking appliance will become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings.
For a better understanding of the various embodiments of the present invention, reference may be made to the following accompanying drawings.
While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, a specific embodiment thereof is shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description presented herein are not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular embodiment disclosed, but to the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
The present invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. For purposes of clarity in illustrating the characteristics of the present invention, proportional relationships of the elements have not necessarily been maintained in the drawing figures.
As illustrated in
The handle 10, in one embodiment, includes a handle attachment member 25, a heat dissipating member 30, a handle end portion 35, and a handle tube 40 as seen in
The handle attachment member 25 is likewise adjacent and attached to the heat dissipating member 30 which, in one embodiment, is a hollow V-shaped member. The V-shaped configuration of the heat dissipating member 30 allows the heat from the cooking vessel to more rapidly dissipate so that the actual grip area of the handle 10 is comfortable to the touch. The heat dissipating member 30 may also have a cover plate 32 preferably located and positioned on the underside of one or both of the arms of the V-shaped dissipating member, and may be any shape and size as long as it allows the user to access the hollow interior of the heat dissipating member 30, thereby providing access to the electrical connections 90 from a temperature measuring device 93 (e.g. a temperature probe) located in the cooking vessel 20. The electrical connections 90 extend from the temperature probe 93, through the heat dissipating member 30 and into the handle end portion 35. In this regard, the handle end portion 35 is also preferably a hollow elongated substantially cylindrical member which may be contoured ergonomically to be more comfortable for a user to grip handle end portion 35. Handle end portion 35 also receives electrical connections 90 from the temperature probe 93 which connections extend through handle end portion 35 to the module 15 which will be explained in more detail hereinafter. The handle tube 40 is a hollow substantially cylindrical member that may be inserted into the handle end portion 35 for making the connection with the module 15 as will be hereinafter further explained.
The handle attachment member 25, the heat dissipating member 30, the handle end portion 35, and the handle tube 40 are all preferably attached to each other, either mechanically using screws, press-fit fastening, or other mechanical means, by welding metal components together and, in alternative embodiments, the handle components may all be integrally formed together, or only some of the handle components may be integrally formed. Other methods of connecting the handle components known in the art are envisioned and foreseeable. The handle 10 could also be a two-piece assembly with a plastic molded insert for holding and electronically connecting different variations of the module 15. The handle 10 may also be polished to a “mirror-like” finish, or the finish could be modified to include a variety of other finishes (e.g. brushed, sandblasted, or plated) to create other colors and textures as desired.
As illustrated in
As best illustrated in
The electrical connections 153 and 155 are coupled to the at least one battery 80 for providing power to the temperature probe 93 within the cooking vessel 20. In this regard, electrical connections 90 extend from the temperature probe 93 into and through at least one arm of the V-shaped heat dissipating member 30, and through the handle end portion 35 and handle tube 40 before connecting to a snap ring assembly 150 which couples to the handle tube 40 as best shown in
The module 15 also includes a rotary dial assembly 85 which is coupled to a shaft 99 associated with a potentiometer assembly 101 for selecting a pre-determined temperature as indicated on dial 85. When a user rotates dial 85, a dial actuator 98, which is coupled to both dial 85 and shaft 99, rotates shaft 99 and adjusts the potentiometer 101 to the selected temperature. This allows the signaling device 95 to know the desired selected temperature. Printed circuit board 75 which includes the controller then communicates the selected temperature to the temperature probe 93.
Once the module 15 has been turned on and the desired temperature selected, the module 15 will notify the user of the rate of the increase in temperature and when the desired temperature has been reached, or exceeded through at least one signaling device 95. The module 15 will also notify the user when an over heat condition exists at any selected temperature as will be hereinafter further explained. In one embodiment, the signaling device 95 of the module 15 may be visual indicators in the form of a series of LED lights 102 that preferably shows the heating progression as the temperature rises to the selected temperature and will indicate to the user when the selected temperature is reached. In one embodiment, the LED lights 102 may pulse or flash and then turn solid starting from the LED light closest to the user or closest to dial 85 and the LED lights will then progress to the top or to the furthest LED light showing the progression of the temperature to the selected temperature and, once the selected temperature has been reached, the top LED light may turn green notifying the user that the selected temperature has been reached. The series of LED lights 102 are visible through a window 104 (
When the selectively engageable module 15 engages with the handle 10, the electrical connections 90 extend from the temperature measuring device or probe 93 through the handle 10 as previously explained to the snap ring connector assembly 150 located within the handle 10. The snap ring connector assembly 150 includes electrical connections 152 that mate with the module electrical connections 153 and 155 located within the module 15 to provide power to the temperature measuring device 93 within the cooking vessel 20. This mating of electrical connections 152, 153 and 155 allows the temperature measuring device 93 to receive power from the at least one battery 80 and measure the temperature of the cooking vessel 20. This also allows the module 15 and the controller associated therewith to receive signals from the temperature measuring device indicative of the temperature of the cooking vessel 20 as the vessel 20 heats up to the selected pre-determined temperature. The handle attachment member 20 covers the temperature measurement device 93 transition into the cooking vessel 20.
The module 15 further includes a pair of gasket 170 substantially encasing the components of the module 15 to minimize liquid infiltration. The gaskets 170 may be created through overmolding, although other methods are envisioned and foreseeable. The module 15 may further include a door 180 located and positioned over the at least one battery 80 thereby allowing a user to remove and change the at least one battery 80 when necessary. The door 180 may be any shape and size as long as it allows the user to remove and replace the at least one battery 80, and may be attached to the module 15 through a screw, although other methods are envisioned and foreseeable. The module may also include an escutcheon 185, which may be a substantially flat transparent plastic cover or shield located and positioned over the LED lights 102 to prevent the LED lights 102 from becoming damaged.
The cooking vessel 20 may be any shape and size as long as it is able to hold and cook food products and, in one embodiment, includes a three layer construction, namely, an induction plate 200, a temperature sleeve plate 205, and a vessel member 210. The three layers are preferably secured together through conventional means such as through brazing thereby preventing relative movement between the layers during assembly and use of the cooking appliance. The exterior face 50 of the induction plate 200 engages the burner or the stovetop, while the interior face 220 of the induction plate has a mating relationship with the temperature sleeve plate 205 as best illustrated in
The vessel member 210 includes at least one vessel aperture 235 located and positioned on the vessel side wall 45 and the handle attachment member 25 also includes at least one handle aperture 240 (
At step 268, the controller will continue to monitor and measure the temperature of the cooking vessel as compared to the selected temperature until the selected temperature is reached. For example, if the user selects a temperature for poaching at 160° F., white LED lights 102 will pulse and turn solid from the LED light closest to the user to the top LED light which will then turn green and play an audible alert when the selected temperature is reached. At this point in time, if the user does nothing such as adjust the heat of the burner, or set a new temperature at step 274, the cooking vessel may go to an overheat condition and the module 15 will detect the overheat condition and the green LED light which indicated that the selected temperature was reached would now turn red and an audible alert would again sound to indicate an overheat condition at step 276. If the user does nothing at this point, after a pre-determined period of time, such as two minutes, the unit will proceed to step 278 and since the on/off switch 96 has not been pressed for 1 second, the controller will proceed to step 284 and will time out and power itself off at step 286 after performing another battery test at step 282.
If, on the other hand, at step 274, the user turns down the heat source of the burner and the selected temperature stays within the selected target range, the LED light 102 will remain green at step 276 indicating that the selected temperature is being maintained. The module 15 will continue to monitor the temperature at step 268 and if an overheat condition develops, even after the user has turned down the heat source, the module 15 will again detect this overheat condition and the top LED light 102 will turn red at step 276. After a pre-selected period of time, such as two minutes, the unit will again power itself down as indicated above.
Still further, if, at step 274, the user selects a new temperature setting with dial 85, the sequence of pre-heating the cooking vessel 20 will start over at step 266, the new temperature target parameters will be updated at step 272 and the white LED lights 120 will again begin to pulse from the LED light closest to the user to the top LED light which will again turn solid green when the new selected temperature has been reached. Here again, if the user turns down the heat source and the temperature stays within the selected temperature range, the unit will again shut itself down after a pre-determined period of time as previously explained. If, on the other hand, as previously explained, if the user does nothing to adjust the temperature, or if after adjusting the heat source, an overheat condition still develops, the unit will indicate an overheat condition at step 276 and will again power itself off through steps 278, 284, 282 and 286 as previously explained.
Once the selected temperature has been reached and the proper audio and visual alert has been given to the user at step 276, the user may select to manually turn off the unit by again pressing the on/off switch 96 at step 278. If this happens, the controller will again check to see if the on/off switch has been pressed for at least one second at step 278 and if this is confirmed, the controller will go through the shutdown procedure at step 280 which may include an audible and visual alert notification to the user that the module 15 is shutting down. Once the shutdown procedure has been activated at step 280, the controller will again test the battery at step 282 as explained above at steps 258 and 260 of the startup procedure 250, and the controller will then shut down the cooking appliance 5 at step 286.
If, on the other hand, at step 278, the on/off switch 96 was not pressed for at least one second or some other pre-determined time, and the user has done nothing to adjust the temperature as previously explained by either adjusting the heat source or setting a new temperature or manually shutting down the system as at step 278 and 280, the cooking appliance will, after a predetermined period of time as explained above, timeout at step 284 and will proceed to again test the battery at step 282 and shut down the unit at step 286. If a new temperature has been selected as previously explained, the controller, at step 284 will return to flowchart A and step 266 and will again update the temperature target and tolerances at steps 272 and will again proceed to step 268 as previously explained.
Flowcharts 250 and 265 illustrated in
From the foregoing, it will be seen that the various embodiments of the present invention are well adapted to attain all the objectives and advantages hereinabove set forth together with still other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the present structures. It will be understood that certain features and sub-combinations of the present embodiments are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. Since many possible embodiments of the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, it is also to be understood that all disclosures herein set forth or illustrated in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. The various constructions described above and illustrated in the drawings are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the concepts, principles and scope of the present invention.
As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. The terms “having” and “including” and similar terms as used in the foregoing specification are used in the sense of “optional” or “may include” and not as “required.”
Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the present constructions will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/509,811, filed May 23, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62509811 | May 2017 | US |
