Receptacles – Container attachment or adjunct – Handle – handle component – or handle adjunct
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-21
2001-06-26
Castellano, Stephen (Department: 3727)
Receptacles
Container attachment or adjunct
Handle, handle component, or handle adjunct
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250493
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention is related to detachable handles for pots, pans, and other vessels or utensils.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Vessels with detachable handles are advantageous for a variety of reasons. Detachable handles allow users to use one handle on several vessels, are easy and efficient to store, eliminate wasted storage space by making it unnecessary to provide space to accommodate the projection of the handle, and allow for easier stacking of pots and pans. The detachable handles themselves are, of course, easy and convenient to store.
A variety of vessels with detachable handles are shown in the prior art. Most detachable handles have rather complicated attachment mechanisms, require similarly complicated matching mounts on the utensils, and are difficult and expensive to make. Many detachable handles require mechanical manipulation of levers or tabs and/or rather precise engagement or manipulation to assure a tight, locked engagement with the utensil. Many of the attachment means also block the user's view of the locking mechanism so that one cannot see if the proper engagement or lock has been achieved. Still other detachable handles are difficult to detach or remove from the utensil, making their use less appealing and, as a practical matter, making it difficult, if not impossible, to switch handles on utensils while they contain and/or are being used to cook food. Most also do not provide positive feedback, such as a sound or other visual signal, that the handle is securely locked in place. Many such attachment mechanisms also allow some movement or “play” in the handle once it is attached, making the attachment somewhat unstable or loose when attached to the utensil.
There is a need for utensils with detachable handles that (a) are simple in structure and relatively easy and inexpensive to make; (b) easily engage the utensil and quickly and automatically lock in place without manipulation of levers or tabs; (c) do not require precise engagement or manipulation in order to achieve a secure engagement or lock with the utensil; (d) allow the user to see or visualize whether the a proper engagement or lock has been achieved when the handle is attached to the utensil; (e) provide positive visual or auditory confirmation or feedback when the handle is engaged and locked in place; and (f) eliminate or substantially reduce the movement or “play” of the handle when it is attached and locked in place.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
In the present invention, a handle assembly having a latching assembly and handle grip is detachably engaged and locked onto a mounting plate on a vessel. The mounting plate has an upper and lower surface and a slot extending therethrough to facilitate engagement of the latching assembly to the mounting plate. The latching assembly comprises a base plate, a mounting plate engaging tip, a cam latch and a spring. The mounting plate engaging tip includes a leg, extending transverse to the base plate at an outer end thereof and a foot extending forward of the leg in parallel spaced relation to the base plate. The cam latch is slidably mounted relative to the base plate rearward of the mounting plate engaging tip. The spring biases the cam latch toward the mounting plate engaging tip.
The handle latch assembly is securable to the mounting plate by advancing the mounting plate engaging tip foot through the slot in the mounting plate at an angle and rotating the handle to advance the foot into abutment with bottom surface of the mounting plate. Rotation of the handle advances a cam sufrace of the cam latch into engagement with the distal end of the mounting plate driving the latch rearward against the biasing force of the spring until the front end of the latch passes across the distal end of the mounting plate. The spring then biases the cam latch forward below and into abutment with the lower surface of the mounting plate positioning the distal end of the mounting plate between the cam latch and the base plate. Engagement of the mounting plate by the mounting plate engaging tip and the cam latch secures the handle assembly to the mounting plate and the vessel.
The handle assembly is released from the mounting plate by drawing the cam latch rearward against the biasing force of the spring until the cam surface is advanced past the distal end of the mounting plate. The handle is then rotated to rotate the cam latch past the distal end of the mounting plate and to rotate foot of the mounting plate engaging tip out of engagement with the lower surface of the mounting plate. The handle is then pulled away from the mounting plate to withdraw the mounting plate engaging tip from the slot in the mounting plate.
A button connected to the cam latch, by a post, is utilized to draw the cam latch rearward against the biasing force of the spring. The spring is positioned in a cavity formed between a cover plate and base plate of the latching assembly. The post extends through aligned slots in the cover plate and the base plate and through the cavity with the button extending above the cover plate and the cam latch extending below the base plate. One end of the spring abuts against an end of the handle grip and the opposite end of the spring abuts against the post to which the cam latch is secured. The spring thereby biases the cam latch forward away from the end of the handle grip.
The invention provides a vessel with a detachable handle that (a) is simple in structure and relatively easy and inexpensive to make, because it has only a few parts that are easy to fabricate; (b) is easy to engage with the vessel and quickly and automatically locks in place via the latching mechanism, without the need to without manipulate of levers or tabs; (c) does not require precise engagement or manipulation in order to achieve a secure engagement or lock with the vessel, because the user need only insert the foot of the mounting plate engaging tip into the slot in the mounting plate on the vessel and allow the handle to rotate downward; (d) allows the user to see or visualize whether the a proper engagement or lock has been achieved when the handle is attached to the vessel; (e) provides positive visual feedback of engagement and locking as noted immediately above, and also provides auditory confirmation of engagement and locking when the latch snaps forward under the mounting plate; and (f) eliminates or substantially reduces the movement or “play” of the handle when it is attached and locked in place, as is more fully described below. The invention has other advantages as will be noted from the drawings and detailed description, and the statement above is not intended to be limiting.
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patent: 5887751 (1999-03-01), Kroscher
Castellano Stephen
Kinetic Group L.L.C.
Shughart Thomson & Kilroy P.C.
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