Foods and beverages: apparatus – Cooking – Convertible
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-04
2003-05-27
Alexander, Reginald L. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Cooking
Convertible
C099S413000, C099S403000, C210S464000, C210S465000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06568314
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of cooking systems, and particularly, to a cooking devices with a reversible multi-function top.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many kinds of cooking pots are used to boil food. For example, the deep pots, are commonly used to cook pasta, vegetables, and long noodles such as spaghetti. Usually, when food is boiled, a strainer or colander is required to drain liquid/water. In the absence of a strainer or colander, resort is sometimes made to using a additional dish or some other means, to hold food inside the pot while draining liquid, but that food can easily be dropped from the pot, and steam burns are a common occurrence.
Also, for instance, pasta cooking inserts have become popular. Pasta cooking inserts with perforations are two pots with one into another used to cook food, as well as drain it. The food is placed into the insert which is then placed into the pot, and, after the water is boiled and the food cooked, the insert is removed, allowing water to drain through the perforations. While pasta cooking inserts are used to drain water, they tend to be expensive and bulky. Mostly, they usually cannot be used as a strainer, i.e., to simply drain water from the pot and leave the food inside.
A vegetable steamer insert, for example, which fits inside a larger pot, has perforations to allow steam to enter from the pot. A lid is provided that covers the pot and insert to trap the steam inside. Sometimes, because they have perforations, steamer inserts are used as colanders. For example, a user may transfer food from the pot to the insert to drain the water. When the insert is used in this manner the same problems can exist, i.e., food can easily be dropped from the pot, and steam burns are the occurrences. Mostly, some kinds of food like pasta cooking inserts or steamer inserts cannot be used as strainers.
In order to obtain all of the advantages and functions described above, users have to own the separate strainers, colanders and steamers, along with a cooking pot, which is inconvenient and costly. The known cooking system by U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,038 provides comprises three pieces: a pot, a top and a lid). The pot functions by itself as a conventional cooking pot. The top functions by itself right-side-up as a colander. The pot and top with a lid functions as a steamer. And, the top, when positioned up-side-down on top of the pot, functions as a strainer. When used as a strainer, the top and pot have engaging handles that allow the top and pot to be held together with one hand, to help avoid dropping food and steam burns.
More subjectively, the mentioned prior art includes a pot with a special configuration handle (a position of the handle has to be specifically oriented) and a multi-function reversible top with the handle, which can be positioned either right-side-up or up-side-down on the pot. For use as a strainer, both the pot and top have engaging handles that are configured and oriented such that they can be brought together and mated with one another. The pot's handle and the top's handle are presented by either “male-female” or “female-male” combination.
The pot has a rim into which the top is fitted, either right-side-up or up-side-down.
The top piece has a dish or bowl shaped body and a handle extending from its side. The top's rim has an outside diameter that is less than the inside diameter of the pot's rim to allow the top's rim to be inserted inside the pot's rim when the top is positioned up-side-down on top of the pot, i.e., for use as a strainer.
The handles on the top and pot are configured and oriented so that they engage and/or otherwise mate with one another when the top is positioned up-side-down on top of the pot, i.e., used as a strainer. This enables the two handles to be grasped as a single combination handle during straining to make the present invention easy to use.
In order to be a single combination, one of the handles has one or more male portions, and the other handle has one or more associated female portions, to enable the handles to be brought together, engaged and held securely with one hand.
According to the mentioned patent, the described cooking system requires the special configuration of the top and pot handles (male-female) to form a single combination handle, that does not provide the universality of the top, which could be used with the other pots, having the different configuration of the handle. Also the top, having the diameter of the top specially adjusted to be inserted into a priori specified pot providing a smallest gap between the pot's side wall and the inserted top's rim, does not provide the possibility to use the same top with the other pots, having the larger pot's rim diameter or having the different pot's side wallconfigurations (for example, not straight pot's side wall).
Thus, there is a great need, therefore, for a cooking device that provides the functions and advantages of conventional pots, strainers, colanders and steamers, in one, providing the compatibility of the top in use with the other conventional pots. Such universality decreases the cost of the cooking sets and the total quantity of the needed cooking device pieces.
OBJECT AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the present invention are to provide tile functions and advantages of conventional pots, strainers, colanders and steamers.
It is another object of the invention to provide the compatibility of the top in use with the other conventional pots.
It is still another object of the invention to decreases the cost of tile cooking sets.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1589486 (1926-06-01), Sharpneck
patent: 1623397 (1927-04-01), Dunlap
patent: D347964 (1994-06-01), Davis
patent: 5771792 (1998-06-01), Chen
patent: 5957038 (1999-09-01), Shimazaki
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