The present invention relates to a cooking vessel assembly, and more particularly, to a lid for a cooking vessel assembly adapted to engage a sidewall of the cooking vessel to allow a user to inspect the contents of the cooking vessel while funneling condensation into the vessel.
When cooking food it is common to use a cooking vessel, such as a pot or a pan, on a stovetop in order to cook or heat the food. Such a cooking vessel may be used for a variety of cooking methods such as boiling, frying, braising, simmering, steaming, and other known stovetop cooking methods. A lid is often utilized when the cooking vessel is utilized with a stovetop to form a cooking vessel assembly, such as to help retain heat within the cooking vessel, increase the pressure within the cooking vessel, or to prevent materials from entering or exiting the cooking vessel. However, a user often needs to be able to access the food within the cooking vessel, such as to stir the contents, or to check the progress of the cooking, and thus needs to be able to remove the lid. Sometimes the user may desire to not have to hold the lid while attending to the contents of the cooking vessel. In traditional cooking vessel assemblies, a user would place the lid on a surface, such as a countertop. In many such instances, condensation has built up on the inner surface of the lid. Thus, there is a need to assure that such condensation flows back into the vessel. However, this may damage the countertop if the lid is sufficiently hot, or make the counter top dirty if contents from the cooking vessel are on the lid. Further, often times water is used in a heating process with a stovetop cooking vessel, and this water must be drained from the food. Many times a user positions the lid on the cooking vessel such that water may leave the cooking vessel, but the contents of the cooking vessel are retained. However, this can result in food spilling out during the draining process if the lid is not maintained in a proper relationship with the cooking vessel.
Thus, a need exists for a lid for a cooking vessel assembly with a removable lid that is capable of being supported by the cooking vessel such that a user may access the contents of the vessel without needing to set the lid on another surface. Further, a need exists for a cooking vessel assembly with a lid that may be held to the cooking vessel in a manner to allow water to pass between the lid and the cooking vessel, while maintaining the food within the cooking vessel.
The present invention is provided to solve the problems discussed above and other problems, and to provide advantages and aspects not previously provided. A full discussion of the features and advantages of the present invention is deferred to the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.
According to one embodiment, a cooking vessel assembly comprises a cooking vessel and a removable lid. The cooking vessel has a base and a continuous sidewall. The sidewall connects to the base and projects upwardly from the base and terminates at a peripheral edge. The removable lid has a covering portion and a handle. The handle has a gripping portion, a connecting section, and a supporting section. The connecting section connects the handle to the lid covering portion. The gripping section extends from the connecting section. The supporting section extends from the connecting section in a direction generally opposite of the gripping section. The supporting section has a cooking vessel retaining portion. A gap is formed between the connecting section and the supporting section. The cooking vessel retaining portion receives the peripheral edge of the cooking vessel to secure the lid to the cooking vessel in an open position to allow access to the base of the cooking vessel.
According to another embodiment, a lid for a cooking vessel comprises a covering portion, a handle, a first narrowing portion, and a second narrowing portion. The covering portion has a periphery. The handle has a gripping portion, a connecting section, and a supporting section. The connecting section connects the handle to the lid covering portion. The gripping section extends from the connecting section. The supporting section extends from the connecting section in a direction generally opposite of the gripping section. The supporting section has a cooking vessel retaining portion. A gap forms between the connecting section and the supporting section. The first narrowing portion is positioned along the periphery of the covering portion. The second narrowing portion is positioned along the periphery of the covering portion.
According to a further embodiment, a lid for a cooking vessel comprises a covering portion and a handle. The covering portion has a periphery. The handle has a gripping portion, a connecting section, and a supporting section. The connecting section connects the handle to the lid covering portion. The gripping section extends from the connecting section. The supporting section extends from the connecting section in a direction generally opposite of the gripping section. A gap is disposed between the connecting section and the supporting section. The supporting section further comprises a channel to additionally position and support the lid relative to a cooking vessel when the lid is in an open position.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the following drawings.
To understand the present invention, it will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
a depicts an isometric pictorial view of the cooking vessel assembly of
b is a top view of the cooking vessel assembly of
c is a front view of the cooking vessel assembly of
a is an isometric pictorial view of a cooking vessel assembly according to another embodiment;
b is a top view of the cooking vessel assembly of
c is a front view of the cooking vessel assembly of
a is a cross sectional view of the lid of
b is a cross sectional view of the lid of
a is a cross sectional view of the lid of
b is a cross sectional view of the lid of
The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present invention.
While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.
According to one embodiment shown in
The cooking vessel 12 additionally has a first handle 24a and a second handle 24b to allow a user to more easily lift the cooking vessel 12. Each of the handles 24a, 24b has a respective lid retaining portion 26a, 26b adapted to interact with the lid portion 14, as explained more fully below.
The lid portion 14 has covering portion 14a, a handle 28 with a gripping section 30, a lid connecting section 32, and a cooking vessel retaining portion 34. The gripping section 30 of the handle 28 is allows a user to easily grasp the handle 28 to manipulate and remove the lid portion 14 from the cooking vessel 12. The handle 28 additionally has a connecting section 32 that connects the handle 28 to the lid portion 14. The connecting section 32 may be connected to the lid portion 14 in a variety of manners, such as via rivets, bolts, other mechanical fasteners, or adhesives.
In addition to the gripping section 30 and the connecting section 32, the handle 28 further has a supporting section 34. As best viewed in
As best shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Turning now to
In addition to the gripping section 130 and the connecting section 132, the handle 128 further has a supporting section 134. The supporting section 134 and the connecting section 132 form a space that allows the lid portion 114 to be supported by the peripheral edge 22 of the cooking vessel 12, such as shown in the first embodiment depicted in
As best shown in
Turning now to
As shown in
The connecting section 232 shown in
In addition to the gripping section 230 and the connecting section 232, the handle 228 further has a supporting section 234. The supporting section 234 and the connecting section 232 form a space 250 that allows the lid portion 214 to be supported by a peripheral edge of a cooking vessel, such as shown in the first embodiment depicted in
Turning now to
As shown in
The connecting section 332 shown in
In addition to the gripping section 330 and the connecting section 332, the handle 328 further has a supporting section 334. The supporting section 334 and the connecting section 332 form a space 350 that allows the lid portion 314 to be supported by a peripheral edge of a cooking vessel, such as shown in the first embodiment depicted in
Referring next to
The cooking vessel 412 additionally has a first handle 424a and may optionally have a second handle (not shown) to allow a user to more easily lift the cooking vessel 412. The cooking vessel 412 has a first lid retaining portion 426a and a second lid retaining portion 426b adapted to interact with the lid portion 414, as explained more fully below. As shown in
The lid portion 414 has a covering portion 414a, a handle 428 with a gripping section 430, a lid connecting section 432, and a cooking vessel retaining portion 434. The gripping section 430 of the handle 428 is adapted to allow a user to easily grasp the handle 428 to remove the lid portion 414 from the cooking vessel 412. The handle 428 additionally has a connecting section 432 that connects the handle 428 to the lid portion 414. The connecting section 432 may be connected to the lid portion 414 in a variety of manners, including, but not limited to, rivets, bolts, other mechanical fasteners, adhesives, welding, or brazing.
In addition to the gripping section 430 and the connecting section 432, the handle 428 further has a supporting section 434. The supporting section 434 and the connecting section 432 form a space that allows the lid portion 414 to be supported by the peripheral edge 422 of the cooking vessel 412. Supporting the lid portion 414 on the peripheral edge 422 of the cooking vessel 412 eliminates the need for the user to set the lid 414 onto a surface, such as a counter, or to hold the lid 414 within their hand while checking the contents of the cooking vessel 412. The lid 414 is positioned such that any fluids on the lid 414 will flow into the cooking vessel 412 as the lid 414 is positioned within the peripheral edge 422 of the cooking vessel 412.
The lid 414 has a peripheral edge 436 that has a first narrowed portion 438a and a second narrowed portion (not shown). The peripheral edge 436 of the lid 414 is adapted to be constrained by the lid retaining portions 426a, 426b of the cooking vessel 412 when the lid 414 is in a closed position. In order to remove the lid 414 from the cooking vessel 412, the lid is rotated until the first narrowed portion 438a and the second narrowed portion align with the lid retaining portions 426a, 426b. Once this lid 414 and cooking vessel 412 orientation is obtained, the lid 414 may be removed, as the narrowed portions are dimensioned to be positioned inside of the lid retaining portions 426a, 246b, facilitating removal of the lid 414.
The lid 414 depicted in
The lid connecting section 532 connects the handle 528 to the lid portion 514. The connecting section 532 may be attached to the lid 514 in a variety of manners, such as via a mechanical fastener, an adhesive, or other known fastening methods.
In addition to the gripping section 530 and the connecting section 532, the handle 528 further has a supporting section 534. The supporting section 534 and the connecting section 532 form a space 550 that allows the lid portion 514 to be supported by a peripheral edge of a cooking vessel, such as shown in the first embodiment depicted in
The lid 514 may be manufactured from a variety of materials, including, but not limited to, glass, aluminum, stainless steel, and combinations thereof
It is contemplated that narrowed portions may be provided along the periphery 536 of the lid 514 in order to secure the lid 514 to a container while in use.
While the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the invention, and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying Claims.
The present application is a continuation of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/345,755 filed on Oct. 22, 2009, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 29345755 | Oct 2009 | US |
Child | 12792486 | US |