Patent Application
20070091718
The present invention relates to a splatter guard and more particularly a splatter guard for use on a mixing bowl.
The invention relates to a splatter guard for use on mixing bowls of varying size. Mixing bowls are used in the culinary field for combining ingredients or for changing the form of a particular ingredient, for example in the case of beating an egg or whipping cream. The mixing action or processing of these ingredients may be manual or automatic, e.g. electric hand mixer or stationary mixer, and may be undertaken at a variety of speeds.
The mixing or processing action, in particular when at faster speeds, can often lead to the ingredients being thrown from the bowl. For example, when using an electric hand whisk for whipping cream often the cream will be flung from the electric beaters if not completely submerged in the cream.
Some mixers do include a splatter guard to prevent excessive loss of ingredients, however, generally these splatter guards are product specific and are not adaptable for use with other mixing bowls. Others provide a small aperture that is specific for the mixing utensil provided with the mixer and therefore are not adaptable for use in, for example, a manual mixing setting.
In one aspect the present invention provides a splatter guard for use on mixing bowls of varying size. The splatter guard of the present invention includes a sizing ring having an adjustable position to provide a secure fit between the splatter guard and the mixing bowl with which it is to be used.
The present invention provides a splatter guard for a mixing bowl comprising a cover portion having a wall depending from a bottom surface and at least one elastic sizing ring positioned between the wall and an inner surface of the mixing bowl.
In a further aspect the present invention provides a sizing ring for use with a splatter guard on a mixing bowl, wherein the sizing ring is flexible and has a first surface adapted for engagement with the splatter guard and a second surface adapted for engagement with an internal surface of a mixing bowl.
In a another aspect the present invention provides a method of using an adaptable splatter guard with containers of varying sizes, the splatter guard having a cover portion, a depending wall extending from the cover portion and a sizing ring. The method comprises the steps of (i) identifying the diameter of the container opening; (ii) identifying a position on the wall of the splatter guard that corresponds to the diameter of the container; (iii) placing the sizing ring at the position identified in step (ii); and (iv) placing the splatter guard on the container so that the sizing ring engages with at least a portion of the internal surface of the container.
In a further aspect the present invention provides a sizing ring for use with a splatter guard on a mixing bowl, wherein the sizing ring is flexible and has a first surface adapted for engagement with an external surface of the splatter guard and a second surface adapted for engagement with an internal surface of a mixing bowl
The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
The present invention provides a splatter guard for use on mixing bowls of varying size. The splatter guard includes an elastic sizing ring the position of which can be adjusted to provide a frictional fit between the splatter guard and the bowl with which it is to be used.
The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings in which the splatter guard is indicated generally at numeral 10. The use of the splatter guard 10 will be described below with reference to an example of a mixing bowl 40 with which it may be used.
Referring now to
As can be seen more clearly in
The thickness of the wall 20 decreases as the wall extends away from the lower surface of the cover portion 12. The decreasing thickness of the wall 20 is achieved by varying the topography of the external surface 22 while maintaining the location of the internal surface 23. As can be seen in
In general containers/mixing bowls are available in many different sizes and vary in volume and diameter, the splatter guard of the present invention can be adapted to fit on such containers/bowls. When the splatter guard is used on bowls with small internal diameters, the splatter guard may only extend a short distance into the bowl and therefore the sizing ring may be placed around the lowest portion of the wall 20 so that it will engage with the internal surface of the bowl. For bowls having larger diameters, the splatter guard will extend further into the bowl. Therefore the sizing ring will be placed around the portion of the wall 20 closest to the cover portion 12 so that it engages with the inner surface of the bowl.
As can be seen in
In the embodiment shown in the Figures, and as can be seen clearly in
It will be understood by a person skilled in the art that the external surface 22 is not limited to a series of steps and can take any shape or form that provides a decreasing outer circumferential length as the wall 20 extends away from the cover portion 12. For example, the external surface 22 could be sloped inwardly and include projections or ledges along the surface between which the sizing ring 24 may be held in place.
The sizing ring 24 is clearly shown in
The sizing ring 24 is made from an elastic material so that it can stretch and contract to attach around the circumferential edge at varying positions along the external surface 22 of the wall 20. Examples of elastic material that may be use include, but are not limited to, thermoplastic elastomer, santoprene and thermoplastic resin. Preferably the sizing ring 24 is made from silicone. The elastic material from which the sizing ring 24 is made allows the sizing ring 24 to stretch around the wider portion 19 of the wall 20, i.e. closer to the cover portion 12 as shown in
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the splatter guard 10 may include more than one sizing ring 24. Each sizing ring 24 may be sized to fit around a particular portion of the external surface 22 of the wall 20. For example, in the embodiment described above in which the external surface 22 includes a series of steps, each sizing ring 24 may be sized to fit around one particular step. Additionally, each sizing ring 24 may be a different colour so that a user can easily differentiate between rings and identify the one to use.
In one embodiment of the splatter guard 10 of the present invention the outer rigid portion 14 and the inner flexible portion 16 are independently formed and then attached to each other during manufacturing of the splatter guard 10. The joining of the two pieces may be made using techniques known by a person skilled in the art, including but not limited to, adhesive attachment. Alternatively, the two portions may be releasably attached to each other, for example, the inner flexible portion 16 may be received in a slot located in the outer rigid portion 14 or they may be connected by way of a snap fit. Alternatively they may be attached by over moulding the outer rigid portion 14 on the inner flexible portion 16. In an alternative embodiment the outer rigid portion 14 and the inner flexible portion 16 are integrally formed. Other methods of attaching the portions will be known by a person skilled in the art.
Turning to
Prior to placing the splatter guard 10 on the bowl 40 with which it is to be used, the user may assess the bowl size and position the sizing ring 24 accordingly. For example, if the bowl is small the sizing ring 24 may be placed around the lowest part/step of the external surface 22, as shown in
While this invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments and examples, the description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Thus, various modifications of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to this description. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments. Further, all of the claims are hereby incorporated by reference into the description of the preferred embodiments.
All publications, patents and patent applications referred to herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference in its entirety.
