Embodiments are generally related to household utensils, silicone rubber, food grade and medical grade silicone rubber, and the processing of elastomers, such as silicone rubber, to produce household items.
Attaching a handle to an item is a truly ancient technology and the reasons for doing so need no elaboration. The truest requirement of a good handle is that a person can hold it securely. A handle that is too wide, too thin, or too slippery is of practically no use. Too complicate the matter, people's hands vary in size, strength and dexterity. There are even variations for a single person who can find a certain handle useful during one time period and almost useless at another. For example, a baby or young child can have trouble gripping and controlling a small handle. As the child matures, that same small handle is preferred. Later in life, however, that same person can once again have trouble gripping that handle. Similarly a person wearing gloves might find a larger handle useful.
In the past, numerous solutions have been applied to this problem. Knife hilts have been wrapped in leather or cordage to increase their circumference. Adaptors have been glued over original handles to produce larger handles. As a temporary solution, people have used rags or thick pieces of cloth to more tightly grip an item. All of these solutions have worked adequately for millennia. The classic solutions suffer various drawbacks such as poor sanitation, poor resistance to heat and chemicals, fragility, to high thermal conductance. Therefore, systems and methods providing improved gripping with fewer drawbacks are needed.
The following summary is provided to facilitate an understanding of some of the innovative features unique to the present invention and is not intended to be a full description. A full appreciation of the various aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein can be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, drawings, and abstract as a whole.
It is therefore an aspect of the embodiments that a rod of rubbery and elastic material is formed into loops so that, when relaxed, the loops form a coil. Relaxed means that the coil is not wrapped around anything or pulled out of shape. The loops have an inner diameter and an outer diameter. Wrapping or winding the coil around a utensil's handle results in an enhanced handle for the utensil such that a person can hold the coil which in turn holds the handle. The enhanced handle, being rubbery, elastic, and larger than the utensil's handle, provides a more comfortable grip that conforms somewhat to a person's handhold. Note that the coil can be formed directly from uncured material, formed by resetting thermoplastic material, or formed by a combination of these and/or other techniques.
It is also an aspect of the embodiments that the loops return to their relaxed state when the coil is unwrapped from the handle. Silicone rubber is a good material for the enhanced grip because it is elastic, rubbery, and compliant. Food grade silicone rubber is an excellent material for the enhanced grip because it is robust, biologically non-reactive, and easily washable. Silicone rubbers can also have excellent thermal characteristics and high melting points such that they do not melt or deform when in contact with hot pans, oven racks, or similar items.
It is an aspect of some embodiments that different grades of silicone rubber are combined. Different grades of silicone rubber can have different firmness, different elasticity, different color, and other different properties. For example, the rod can consist of a firm core surrounded by a more compliant (less firm) material to therefore provide a somewhat rigid coil shape with a soft and compliant surface. The inner and outer surfaces of the coil can also differ in texture, firmness, color, or in other manners.
The accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally-similar elements throughout the separate views and which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, further illustrate the embodiments and, together with the detailed description, serve to explain the embodiments disclosed herein.
The particular values and configurations discussed in these non-limiting examples can be varied and are cited merely to illustrate at least one embodiment and are not intended to limit the scope thereof.
A coil of elastic material can be wrapped around the handle of a utensil to thereby provide an enhanced grip. An ideal material for this application is a food grade or medical grade silicone rubber because this material is relatively inert both chemically and biologically. Other advantageous properties include a wide range of working temperatures and the availability of a variety of grades, colors, and firmness. Material of different grades can be combined to provide rigidity too the coil shape while also providing a compliant surface. Texturing of the inner and/or outer coil surfaces can also provide for better handholds and for a more positive contact between the grip enhancer and the utensil handle.
It will be appreciated that variations of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Also that various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.
This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/476,140 titled “Grip Enhancer” and filed on Apr. 15, 2011 which is herein included by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61476140 | Apr 2011 | US |