Electric heating – Microwave heating – Cookware
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-31
2001-07-03
Leung, Philip H. (Department: 3742)
Electric heating
Microwave heating
Cookware
C219S725000, C219S763000, C099SDIG014, C099S448000, C220S573500, C220S912000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06255637
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART
Microwave ovens have exploded in popularity for quickly heating food. Uncovered food in a microwave has a tendency to dry out over when being cooked. Plastic sheaths such as Saran® wrap have been used to cover single microwave plates. A microwaveable cooking hood has been used that completely covers about a single plate. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,754 to Chiba. However, none of the known prior art allows for having plural plates of food to be microwaved at one time. Often it important in both commercial use(i.e. restaurants) and residential home use to be able to simultaneously heat up plural food plates. Multiple plates cannot be adequately stacked on top of plastic sheath covered plates.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,461 to Gilmore describes a “stackable plate arrangement for microwave dishes”, title. However, the Gilmore patent interconnects plural discs with vertical pole supports. The Gilmore device would require the user to build the structure as plates are being mounted on each level and then the entire structure with plural plates is inserted into a microwave oven. Besides the inherent difficulty of having to move the entire multi-level structure at one time, there are no covers for each of the multi-levels. One still has to use plastic sheathing and/or hood covers on each level.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,642,165 to Von der Osten describes a “stackable table service”, title. However, this patent is directed toward creating a unique and uniform place settings of modifying existing plates to be somewhat bowl shaped with side extending rims, and separating insert plates therebetween. The elaborate Von der Osten device cannot be used with everyday type planar shaped plates that most people use to be microwaved. Von der Osten further does not allow for a cover for the top plate, and does not describe any use for being microwaved.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,793,298 to Alaj describes a “combination dish and cover”, that appears in FIG. 2 to be stackable. However, the Alaj devices are basically flat-topped hood covers made from “metallic” type materials, that cannot be used in microwave ovens. Furthermore, each of the hoods requires covering lids with smooth sides that slope outward with thickened rim bases. The smooth sides do not allow users to be able to grip the hoods by their sides.
Covering food plates substantially with plastic sheaths and covers does not allow food to be evenly cooked and causes pressure to buildup under the closed covers. Furthermore sealing off the plates does causes all the different food on a plate to be contaminated and overpowered by other food so that the food taste becomes mixed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The first objective of the present invention is to provide microwaveable rings and cover arrangement that allow multiple plates to be microwaved simultaneously in a stack arrangement.
The second object of this invention is to provide a rings and cover arrangement that allows plural plates of food to be separated from one another in a refrigerator or a microwave oven.
The third object of this invention is to provide microwaveable rings and cover arrangement that can be used with everyday microwaveable plates.
The fourth object of this invention is to provide microwaveable rings and a cover having slot-holes and grooves for allowing stacks of food filled plates to be evenly cooked.
The fifth object of this invention is to provide microwaveable rings and a cover having slot-holes and grooves for allowing heat emitted from stacks of food filled plates to be evenly dispersed and to eliminate internal pressure from building up.
The sixth object of this invention is to provide microwaveable rings and a cover having slot-holes and grooves to allow for air circulation about the food so that one food taste does not contaminate other foods on the same plate.
The seventh object of this invention is to provide for stacking multiple levels of food filled plates for storage in a refrigerator/freezer.
The eighth object of this invention is to provide a system for stacking plates of food and beverages to be simultaneously cooked in a microwave.
A preferred embodiment of the stacking arrangement combination includes a first plate, with a first hollow plastic ring being thereon, and through-hole slots in the ring for allowing air to circulate inside the first ring. A second plate can be positioned over the first hollow ring, and a plastic cover having a substantially closed lid portion having a handle with adjacent through-hole can substantially covers the upper surface of the second plate. The ring and cover allows the first plate and the second plate to be stacked on top of one another when placed in a microwave oven.
The first hollow ring further includes a raised rim edge about a base of the first hollow ring, wherein the upper edge of the ring has a larger diameter than the lower edge of the ring. The cover lid also has an upper edge with a larger diameter than the lower edge. The through-hole slots in the ring can include upper rectangular through-holes about an upper edge of the first hollow ring, and side oval through-holes in the first hollow ring.
All the novel rings can be stacked within one another and inserted within the lid cover so that the combined rings and cover can be easily stored for later use.
A second embodiment has indentations in the cover lid for supporting and holding beverage containers such as cups and mugs, so that the beverage containers can be cooked with food stacked underneath the cover lid. The cover lid can include a larger indentation for allowing a separate plate to be positioned on top of the lid so that uncovered food can be cooked while other food covered beneath the lid is being cooked. The indentations can include perforations therethrough in order to allow heat and air to circulate therethrough.
A third embodiment of the invention can include internally facing protrusions within the bottom edges of the lid cover and the rings for allowing the rings to be held in place within the lid cover.
Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment which is illustrated schematically in the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 106457 (1870-08-01), Berry
patent: D. 355735 (1995-02-01), Shaffer
patent: 797660 (1905-08-01), Brooks
patent: 1453378 (1923-05-01), Clifford
patent: 1793298 (1931-02-01), Alaj
patent: 1948778 (1934-02-01), Zoia
patent: 3642165 (1972-02-01), Vonderosten
patent: 4166208 (1979-08-01), Martel et al.
patent: 4797521 (1989-01-01), Liwski
patent: 4847461 (1989-07-01), Gilmore
patent: 4883935 (1989-11-01), Fairchild et al.
patent: 4941401 (1990-07-01), Sarnoff
patent: 4978022 (1990-12-01), Weick
patent: 5028754 (1991-07-01), Chiba
patent: 5069198 (1991-12-01), Henderson
patent: 5216947 (1993-06-01), Cheng
patent: 5239153 (1993-08-01), Beckett
patent: 5558798 (1996-09-01), Tsai
patent: 5866885 (1999-02-01), Collett
patent: 50-119049 (1975-09-01), None
Law Offices of Brian S. Steinberger
Leung Philip H.
Steinberger Brian S.
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