Patent Application
20130042855
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cookware, more specifically to a device for capture of liquid overflow from cookware.
2. Description of the Related Art
During the cooking process, liquids are frequently added to foodstuff and brought to a simmer or boil. At or near those temperatures, the liquid composition becomes turbulent causing the liquid to overflow or splash from the cookware. Water, grease, sauces, or other liquids can splash or overflow from the cookware during the stove top, oven, or microwave cooking processes. Moreover, liquids may splash or overflow in moving the cookware, causing a safety concern. The liquid overflow can be a concern, requiring active monitoring during cooking or other concerns. A person can monitor the cookware for liquid overflow and address the overflow. However, this extra attention may be impractical or undesirable, especially in larger scale food preparation environments.
Failure to monitor the cookware during cooking leads to other concerns. The liquid overflow can travel down the outer sidewall of the cookware and contact the heat source, affecting the heat output. In the preparation of a single batch, the liquid overflow can lead to uneven heating of the foodstuff, thus lowering the food quality, producing unwanted odors, or requiring more attention during the cooking process. In the medium term, the liquid overflow can lead to the requirement for more frequent cleaning of the cooking surface, heat source, and related elements. In the long term, the liquid overflow can damage the heat source, leading to a shortened life cycle for parts such as heating elements.
Lids have been used to attempt to address the problem but fail to do so. First, lids restrict access to the foodstuff being cooked. Moreover, the lids without a seal fail because they still permit liquid overflow to some extent.
For the above reasons, there is a need for a device for use during cooking which is readily engaged to cookware, allows reasonable access to the foodstuff, and captures liquid splash and overflow.
The present invention is directed to a device for capturing liquid splash and overflow during the cooking process. The splash gutter comprises a seal region, a reservoir region, and a deflector region. The seal region defines a perimeter of an aperture dimensioned for receipt of cookware. The seal region is operable to conform to the outer surface of a sidewall of cookware. The reservoir region is joined to the seal region, with the reservoir region having a first end downwardly depending from the seal region to a bottom and rising to a second end, defining a reservoir therein. The deflector region is joined to the reservoir region, the deflector region depending upwardly from the second end of the reservoir region.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the invention will become better understood with reference to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings.
Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure, or manner.
The current invention includes cookware 08 with a splash gutter 10 to capture liquid splash or overflow during the cooking and preparation process. Referring to
The splash gutter 10 is configured to be removably mated to the cookware 08, preferably at the rim presented by the sidewall 09 of the cookware 08. The splash gutter 10 can be dimensioned for cookware 08 of a particular geometry and dimension. A single splash gutter 10 can be configured to mate with cookware 08 of slightly different dimensions due to characteristics such as elasticity. Accordingly, the splash gutter 10 geometry corresponds to the cookware 08 with which it is mated. The illustrated splash gutter 10 of
The outer bound of the inner periphery 18 of the splash gutter 10 is dimensioned to encompass the sidewall 09 of the cookware 08. The seal region 12 defines the perimeter of the inner periphery 18 and is dimensioned for slideable engagement to the outer surface of the sidewall 09. At least a portion of the seal 12 abuts the sidewall 09, conforming to the outer surface of the sidewall 09, presenting a barrier to liquid traveling from the open end of the cookware 08 along the outer surface of the sidewall 09. The seal region 12 downwardly depends from the sidewall 09. Optionally, a portion of the seal region 12 can be flexible and a portion of the seal 12 can depend angularly and outwardly relative to the sidewall 09 in order to alter liquid overflow properties or enable a single splash gutter 10 to mate with cookware 08 of varying dimensions. The seal region 12 is preferably semi-elastic, but can be composed of more rigid materials.
Joined to the seal region 12 is a reservoir region 14. From a first end, the reservoir region 14 extends downwardly from the seal region 12 to a bottom and then rises upwardly to a second end. The interior formed presents a reservoir operative to contain liquid therein. The cross-sectional profile of the reservoir region 14 can take the curvilinear configuration of
The deflector region 16 is operative to direct splashed liquid to the reservoir region 14. The deflector region 16 depends upwardly from the second end of the reservoir region 14. The deflector region 16 can be dimensioned such that its terminal point is lower, higher, or at the same height as the peak height of the seal region 12. Additionally, the deflector region's 16 angular orientation relative to the cookware is configurable. The deflector region 16 is preferably oriented at about 90 degrees from the plane 05 defined by the surface of a liquid 06 contained in the cookware 08. In alternate configurations, the deflector region 16 is oriented at an obtuse angle relative to the plane 05 defined by the surface of a liquid contained in the cookware 08, providing a larger capture zone.
The splash gutter 10 presents a capture zone for capturing liquid splash or overflow from the cookware 08 at varying distances and manner. The innermost area of the capture zone is seal region 12, which captures liquid overflow traveling from the open end of the cookware 08 along the outer surface of the sidewall 09. The central area of the capture zone is the reservoir region 14, which captures liquid ejected from the open end of the cookware 08. The outermost area of the capture zone is the deflector region 16, which captures liquid ejected yet further from the open end of the cookware 08. Where the overflow or ejected liquid is captured at the seal region 12 or the deflector region 16, it flows into the reservoir region 14.
As shown in
Both the cookware 08 and splash gutter 10 may be composed of material suitable for cooking and the disclosed functionality. Suitable materials include, but are not limited to, aluminum, copper, steel, iron, ceramics, glass, composites, or other materials known in the art for stove top, oven, microwave, or other cooking means. Preferably, the splash gutter 10 is composed of silicone.
Referring to
Insofar as the description above and the accompanying drawing disclose any additional subject matter that is not within the scope of the claims below, the inventions are not dedicated to the public and the right to file one or more applications to claim such additional inventions is reserved.
