BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the pan assembly when closed during the cooking process;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the open pan assembly with the middle pan shown mounted in a lower elevation on the bottom pan;
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the pan assembly shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the middle pan mounted in the bottom pan at the middle pan's lowest position in the bottom pan;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the middle pan mounted in the bottom pan at the middle pan's highest position in the bottom pan;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the top pan and bottom pan in open position showing the handle of the bottom pan with the slide height adjustment member in exploded view;
FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the top pan and the bottom pan of the pan assembly in a closed position;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the middle pan of the pan assembly;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of a handle of the bottom pan;
FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the top pan body with hinges and handle removed;
FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the bottom pan body with hinges and handle removed;
FIG. 12 is a top perspective view of the bottom handle slide adjustment member;
FIG. 13 is a bottom perspective view of the bottom pan slide shown in FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a front elevational view of the bottom pan slide shown in FIG. 12;
FIG. 15 is a bottom plan view of the bottom pan slide shown in FIG. 12;
FIG. 16 is a rear elevational view of the bottom pan slide shown in FIG. 12;
FIG. 17 is a cross section of FIG. 15 taken along lines 17′-17′;
FIG. 18 is a top plan view of the bottom pan slide shown in FIG. 12; and
FIG. 19 is a side elevational view of the bottom pan slide shown in FIG. 12.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The preferred embodiment and best mode of the invention is shown in FIGS. 1 through 19. While the invention is described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, it is not intended that the present invention be so limited. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalent arrangements as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
The present invention refers to a cooking pan assembly used for cooking food which is initially is in a liquid or semi liquid-form which solidifies and conforms to the shape of the pan when cooked with the resultant cooked food product having a central depression or cavity into which another food component or filling such as whipped cream, sauces, fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese, nuts or the like can be placed. When using the middle pan to make a thinner cooked food, wrapped dishes such as crepes, burritos, and tamales can be made.
Referring now to the drawings and in particular FIGS. 2 and 3, the present invention is shown as a cooking pan assembly 20 that has a flat top pan 30 which is pivotally mounted to a bottom pan 50 and a middle pan 70 which is removably mounted to the bottom pan 50. The top pan 30 has a circular flat body 32, an integral handle mount support member 34 secured to the body which extends outward from the body 32 and an ergonomically shaped handle 36 which is riveted to handle mount member 34. The handle mount member 34 defines a plurality of rivet holes 35 allowing the shaped handle 36 to be mounted thereon. The opposite side of the circular flat body 32 has hinge mounts 38 upon which hinge pivot members 40 are mounted by rivets or other suitable fastening means. The hinge pivot member 40 defines a throughgoing bore (not shown) which is adapted to receive a cylindrical connector rod 82 upon which the hinge pivot member rotates.
A bottom pan 50 is pivotally mounted to the top pan 30. The bottom pan 50 as seen in FIGS. 3-7 and 11 has a pan body 52 with a circular flat bottom 54 and a curved sidewall 56. A handle mount support member 58 defining a plurality of throughgoing holes 59 is secured to one portion of the sidewall 56 and an angled elevation member 62 is secured to the sidewall 56 opposite the handle support 58. The handle support 58 is riveted or fastened with other fastening means to an ergonomically shaped handle 60 which will be described in more detail later on in the description of the invention. The elevation member 62 as most clearly shown in FIGS. 6 and 11 is constructed of an angled member having an upwardly extending portion 64 which defines two parallel slots 66 and 68. Slot 66 is longer than slot 68 and is adapted to receive the stepped end portion 108 of the middle pan support member 102 so that the step stop 109 abuts against the inner surface area of portion 64. This relationship is seen in cross section in FIG. 4. The smaller slot 68 is adapted to receive step portion 106 of support member 102 so that stop 107 abuts against the inner surface area of elevation member portion 64. This relationship is seen in cross section in FIG. 5. Hinge support members 70 are secured to the sidewall 56 and extend outward from the sidewall, one on each side of the elevation member 62. The hinge support members 70 are flat and define holes 72 which receive fasteners such as rivets or pins 74 to hold pivot member 76 in position. The proximal end 77 of each pivot member 76 is preferably planar and wider than the distal end 78 which is rounded and defines a throughgoing bore 80 which holds a cylindrical pivot rod 82. The pivot rod 82 also holds the top pan hinge pivot members 40 which are positioned adjacent the bottom pan hinge pivot members 76.
The middle pan 90 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 8 has a pan body 92 having a flat circular planar bottom 94 and a curved side wall 96 which extends upward from the bottom 94. A flat handle 98 is secured to one portion of sidewall 96. The flat handle 98 is covered with an insulating coating 100 which allows gripping by the user for removal of the same from the pan assembly. A pan elevation support member 102 is secured to sidewall 96 opposite the handle 98. The pan support member 102 is provided with a stepped cut end surface 104 which fits in the respective slots 66 and 68 of the bottom pan elevation member 62. Thus, stepped portion 106 fits in upper slot 68 of the elevation member 62 and stepped portion 108 fits in the lower slot 66 of the elevation member 62. The bottom portion 107 and 109 of each respective step 106 and 108 forms a stop which abuts against the outer wall at the end of the respective slots 68 and 66 of the elevation member 62.
The shaped handles 36 and 60 of the top pan and the bottom pan (the bottom pan handle being shown in FIG. 9) respectively are formed with a proximal mount section 110 defining a shaped recess or cutout 112 which can receive handle mount support 34/58. The floor of the recess defines a plurality of throughgoing holes 114. The recess 112 is designed to be shaped so that it fits over the respective handle mount support members of the top and lower pans with the holes 114 being aligned with the mounting holes 35 and 59 of handle mounts support members of the top pan and lower pan respectively so that the same can be riveted together or fastened with other fasteners. Extending from the proximal section 110 of the handle is an intermediate curved portion 116 defining a channel 118 having vertical sidewalls 120 and an inclined or curved bottom surface 122. In the bottom pan handle 60, a slider adjustment hole 124 is located in the bottom surface and extends through the handle body opening into channel 118. The distal end 126 of the handle has a rounded solid end 128. A slide member 140 as shown in FIGS. 12-19 is mounted in channel 118 and can be raised by a camming action when slid along the bottom of channel 118 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 so that the middle pan 90 is placed in a spaced context depending on whether the upper or lower slots 68 and 68 of the elevation member 62 are being used.
The slide member 140 is shown in FIGS. 12-19. The slide member 140 has a planar surface portion 142 which defines a slot 144 and a rear portion 143 cut at a lesser angle than that of planar surface 142. Angled sidewalls 146 extend upward from the planar surface portion 142 forming a central cavity 148. The slide height adjustment member 140 is slid along the channel 118 with a guide pin 150 mounted in the slot 144 which raises the elevation of the slide member 140 and the handle 98 of the middle pan. At the lower elevation as shown in FIG. 4 the slide height adjustment member will be located in a lower position in the channel 118 of the handle. The slide member 140 is inverted as shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 13 and is slid along guide pin 150 which has a friction fit with slot 144 so that it has a corresponding elevation with slot 68 and 66.
The pan surfaces of the top, bottom and middle pans as well the handles and bottom surface of the middle pan are preferably coated with one or more nonstick coatings, such as for example TEFLON® (i.e., fluorocarbon polymers), (e.g., tetrafluroethlene and fluorinated ethylene propylene). The respective pans can be constructed of sheet steel, stainless steel, copper, aluminum, cast iron, Pyrex®, glass, porcelain, ceramic or any type of microwaveable material at a uniform desired thickness commonly used for baking pans and containers.
In operation, the liquid of the pancake batter or the eggs is placed in the bottom cooking pan 50. The middle pan support member 102 is inserted in a selected slot 66 or 68 of the elevation member 62 with the handle elevation slide member 140 being accordingly adjusted so that the height of the middle pan and conversely the depth that the middle pan extends into the cavity of the bottom pan a desired distance. The middle pan handle 98 is then laid against the upper surface of bottom pan handle 60 (FIG. 4) or against the top of the slide member 140 (FIG. 5) depending upon the elevational relationship desired with the bottom flat surface 94 of the middle pan body 92 extending into the concave pan section of the bottom pan 50 and engaging the cooking liquid in the bottom pan 50. The top pan 30, middle pan 90 and bottom pan 50 together cook the batter or liquid mixture so that a depression or reservoir is formed in the cooked product. This depression or reservoir will have the same general dimensions and shape as the middle pan sidewall 96 and circular planar bottom 94. When the food product is fully cooked, the cooking pan assembly 20 is opened on its hinges and the middle pan 90 removed with the cooked food positioned on the back surface of the bottom surface 94, it being noted that the bottom surface 94 is now the supporting structure. The cooked food is then removed to a serving tray or plate leaving a cooked product with a depression or reservoir into which a filling material can be later added.
The principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the present invention have been described in the foregoing specification. However, the invention should not be construed as limited to the particular embodiments which have been described above. Instead, the embodiments described here should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Variations and changes may be made by others without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims:
Patent Application
20070261567
