Patent Application
20160255993
The present invention relates to a cooking utensil, and more particularly to a cooking vessel with a protective rim.
Known in the art are pans and pots or baking dishes which have a non-stick coating to prevent food from sticking to the pan, pot or dish while the food is heated.
Traditionally, the rim of the pan or pot is considered a weak area of the pan. During use, cooking utensils can scrape the edge and disintegrates or chip the coating on this surface. Moreover, the top portion of the sidewall of the frying pan contains sharp angles and is submitted to high thermal stress. Those combined factors can make the frying pan subject to warping.
Known to the Applicant are U.S. Pat. No. 3,143,241 (HOWELL); U.S. Pat. No. 3,909,591 (ULAM); U.S. Pat. No. 3,919,763 (ULAM); U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,024 (FAUVEL); U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,411 (WOOLF); U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,134 (FERLANTI); U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,696 (COUDURIER et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,426 (DOYLE et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 7,378,623 B2 (TARENGA); U.S. Pat. No. 8,851,319 B2 (BERRUX et al.); and U.S. Pat. No. 8,939,313 B2 (CHENG), United States patent applications Nos. US 2006/0289486 A1 (CHENG); US 2007/0000915 A1 (CHENG); US 2010/0108690 A1 (GROLL); US 2011/0073602 A1 (MUSIL et al.); US 2013/0161334 A1 (LIU); US 2014/0305948 A1 (GANTILLON et al.); US 2014/0326734 A1 (LE BRIS et al.); US 2014/0361020 A1 (CHENG); and US 2015/0001226 A1 (GROLL), French patent application No. FR 2739998 (SHIBATA et al.), and International applications Nos. WO 99/56950 (GROLL) and WO 03/045208 A1 (FRAISSE et al.).
Hence, in light of the aforementioned, there is a need for an improved system which, by virtue of its design and components, would be able to overcome some of the above-discussed prior art concerns.
The object of the present invention is to provide a device which, by virtue of its design and components, satisfies some of the above-mentioned needs and is thus an improvement over other related cooking vessels known in the prior art.
In accordance with the present invention, the above mentioned object is achieved, as will be easily understood, by a cooking vessel such as the one briefly described herein and such as the one exemplified in the accompanying drawings.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cooking vessel comprising: a container portion having an interior side and an edge delimiting the container portion, said interior side comprising a non-stick cooking surface; and a protective rim component mounted along the edge of the container portion, in order to shield the edge of the container portion.
According to another aspect, there is provided a method of manufacturing a cooking vessel comprising: providing a container portion having an interior side and an edge delimiting the container portion; treating said interior side for producing a non-stick cooking surface; and mounting a protective rim component along the edge of the container portion, in order to shield the edge of the container portion.
The objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of preferred embodiments thereof, given for the purpose of exemplification only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the following description, the same numerical references refer to similar elements. The embodiments, geometrical configurations, materials mentioned and/or dimensions shown in the figures or described in the present description are preferred embodiments only, given for exemplification purposes only.
In the context of the present invention, the expressions “cooking vessel”, “pot”, “pan”, “frying pan”, and any other equivalent expression and/or compound words thereof known in the art will be used interchangeably.
Moreover, although the preferred embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings comprises components such as a handle, a non-stick surface, etc., and although the preferred embodiment of the cooking vessel and corresponding parts thereof consists of certain geometrical configurations and are made of particular materials as explained and illustrated herein, not all of these components, geometries and materials are essential to the invention and thus should not be taken in their restrictive sense, i.e. should not be taken as to limit the scope of the present invention. It is to be understood, as also apparent to a person skilled in the art, that other suitable components and cooperations thereinbetween, as well as other suitable geometrical configurations may be used for the cooking vessel according to the present invention, as will be briefly explained herein and as can be easily inferred herefrom, by a person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention.
Broadly described, the cooking vessel according to the present invention, as exemplified in the accompanying drawings, is a cooking vessel having a non-stick interior surface with a protective rim component mounted along an edge of the cooking vessel in order to protect the non-stick interior surface along the edge.
Referring to
According to an embodiment, the container portion 12 of the pan 11 is made primarily out of aluminium. The aluminium has been surface treated with a metal pellet treatment where metal pellets are shot at high speed against the surface to form dimples across the treated surface which provides a durable non-stick surface. The pan is further coated with a non-stick coating. The non-stick interior cooking surface extends substantially along the interior side 14 of the container portion 12. The rim component 20 surrounding the pan edge 16 is made out of stainless steel. The protective rim component 20 thus has a composition of greater resistance or hardness than a composition of the container portion 12. In addition, the protective rim component 20 has a composition of greater resistance than the non-stick coating.
The protective rim component 20 advantageously prevents both the disintegration of the non-stick property of the cooking surface and the warping of the pan, thus leading to a more durable and better performing pan. Indeed, the protective rim component 20 shields the edge 16 of the container portion 12 from scratching of the non-stick surface and/or deformation at the edge during use, for example due to impacting the edge 16 with utensils or the like.
In accordance with alternative embodiments, the container portion may be made of cast iron, aluminum alloy, stainless steel-aluminum, stainless steel, copper, other suitable composite materials, and/or the like.
In addition, the protective rim component may be made of steel, cast iron, aluminum, aluminum alloy, stainless steel-aluminum, copper, and/or any other material to suitably shield the edge of the container portion from scratching of the non-stick surface and/or deformation at the edge. The protective rim component may further comprise chrome plating, nickel plating and/or any other suitable plating, depending on embodiments of the invention.
The cooking vessel 10 typically has a diameter ranging from 12 cm to 60 cm, with a height of about 25 cm or less. A stainless steel handle 22 extends from the container portion 12. The container portion further comprises an undersurface 40 (see
As can be seen in
Reference back to
As better illustrated in
Depending on particular embodiments, the main portion 28 and/or the rim portion 26 of the wall 24 may have a thickness ranging between about 0.5 mm and about 10 mm (preferably between about 1.5 mm and about 3 mm).
It is to be understood also, that in accordance with alternate embodiments, the rim portion substantially prolongs the main portion of the wall of the container portion, such that the rim portion has a substantially similar thickness as the main portion of the wall. Alternatively, the wall may gradually increase in thickness toward the edge of the container portion. Various other alternative embodiments may be considered. Indeed and for example, the wall may have varying thicknesses at different areas of the wall.
Referring back to the drawings, namely
Depending on particular embodiments, the protective rim component 20 may have a thickness ranging between about 0.1 mm and about 3 mm. The sheet material may extend along the interior side of the container portion by a length ranging up to about 5 cm (preferably between about 1 mm and about 1.5 cm) depending on the particular embodiment. The sheet material may extend along the exterior side of the container portion by a length ranging up to about 5 cm (preferably between about 1 mm and about 1.5 cm) depending on the particular embodiment.
As previously mentioned, the container portion 12 according to the embodiment described with reference to the figures, comprises aluminum while the protective rim component 20 comprises stainless steel. The container portion 12 is made as an integral component, and the protective rim component 20 is made as a distinct integral component.
The non-stick surface 18 of the interior side 14 of the container portion 12 has been surface treated with a metal pellet treatment where metal pellets are shot at high speed against the surface to form dimples across the treated surface, in order to produce said non-stick interior cooking surface 18. The non-stick surface 18 of the interior side 14 further comprises a non-stick coating. The exterior side 15 of the container portion 12 also comprises a non-stick surface 19. Similarly to the interior non-stick surface 18, the exterior side 15 has been surface treated with a metal pellet treatment where metal pellets are shot at high speed against the surface to form dimples across the treated surface, in order to produce said non-stick surface 19 which further comprises a non-stick coating. As can be seen in the drawings, the non-stick surface 18, 19 extends across the entire surface on the interior side 14 and across the exterior side 15 of the wall 24.
The metal pellet treatment involves subjecting the cooking vessel to high strength alloy steel balls (having about 2 mm in diameter) to impact the surface densely (about 200 particles/cm3) and uniformly at high speed (with a final velocity of 21 m/sec, providing an impact load of 0.92 N or 1.3 PSI) and kinetic energy to produce a homogeneous passivation layer having depressions shaped substantially semi-spherically, resembling meteorite craters. The depressions are distributed substantially homogeneously and densely across the treated surface of the blank forming a concavely and convexed grooved (or “dimpled”) surface.
The depressions on the dimpled surface have an average depth of 0.2 to 0.3 mm and an average diameter ranging between 1 to 1.5 mm. The dimpled surface is then sand-blasted using 40# to 65# high quality corundum to produce a microcosmic level rough surface of 2 to 4 μm in depth, on the dimpled surface. This roughened surface ensures a better adhesion of the non-stick coating applied thereafter.
It is to be understood that in accordance with alternate embodiments, any of the non-stick surfaces may be obtained from or in combination with any other suitable method for producing a non-stick surface. Indeed, any suitable process for producing a textured surface enhancing non-stick properties may be considered, in accordance with alternative embodiments. In addition, the non-stick surface may or may not include a non-stick coating.
After the container portion has been made with said non-stick surface, the protective rim component is mounted thereon.
The above-mentioned cooking vessel may be provided in a variety of embodiments. For example, the protective rim component may be shaped and configured to abut, at least partially, against an upper edge of the container portion. In such an embodiment, the protective rim component may have a thickness greater than the thickness of the edge of the container portion. As another example, the cooking vessel may have any suitable shape of container portion, and corresponding protective rim component.
Although the embodiment described herein refer to a pan, it will be appreciated that embodiments of the present invention may also be adapted for a baking dish, a plate and/or the like, as can also be easily understood by a person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the present invention.
The above-described embodiments are considered in all respect only as illustrative and not restrictive, and the present application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations thereof, as apparent to a person skilled in the art. Of course, numerous modifications could be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention, as apparent to a person skilled in the art.
