Technical field

The present invention relates to cooking vessels or cookware arranged to hold and strain or pour off cooking liquid. Background art

Liquids are often drained from solid foods after cooking, such as the water used to boil vegetables or pasta. This typically involves pouring the food items out of a saucepan and into a colander, or carefully raising the lid a small distance to trap the food items within the saucepan while pouring off excess fluid through the gap. Using a colander has the disadvantage of using an additional kitchen tool which then needs to be washed. The pouring by raising and holding the lid may prove dangerous, such as when a heavy and extremely hot pan is supported by hand while attempting to balance the lid or colander and to pour away the boiling water all at once. It is not uncommon to slip and spill some or all of the food or to suffer burns during such a manoeuvre.

Previous attempts to address these problems have involved providing strainers in saucepan lids. One such straining cover is known from GB 2 531 275 A, which discloses a cooking vessel comprising a body, a lid receivable on the body to close the vessel and rotatable on the body, and an integrated strainer on the lid through which the vessel is drainable. The body and the lid conform with and engage one another in contact along a sinusoidal path, so that axial rotation of the lid on the body is effective to axially displace the lid relative to the body between a closed position in which the cover closes off the vessel and a straining position in which the strainer is exposed between the body and the lid. The straining vessel known from GB 2 531 275 A has the disadvantage that the vessel requires a sinusoidal top surface and the lid a complementary sinusoidal bottom surface, which is complex to manufacture.

Another straining cover is known from DE 20 201 1 106 878 U, which discloses a cooking vessel comprising a cooking pot and a lid which engage each other by means of retaining elements provided on the inside of the pot. The retaining elements are such that when the pot is tilted for pouring off the cooking liquid, the lid is tilted along but raised at one side with respect to the pot, exposing a strainer, so that an opening is created for pouring off the liquid. This straining vessel has the disadvantage that the retaining elements are provided on the inner wall of the cooking pot, which is undesirable because dirt can accumulate on these retaining elements.

Another cooking vessel is known from EP 2 218 380 A1 , which discloses a cooking pot with a slanting top edge and a lid with a complementary slanting bottom edge. The lid can be placed on the pot in a cooking position, in which the pot is closed off, and in a straining position, in which the lid is held a predetermined small distance above the pot and cooking liquid can be poured off through the gap between the slanting edges. To put the lid in the straining position, the pot and lid have cooperating parts on their handles: by placing the lid handles in recesses provided in the handles of the pot, the lid is fixed in the straining position at the predetermined distance above the pot. This straining vessel has the disadvantage that the gap for pouring off liquid is quite narrow, which is essential to avoid that the food is poured off as well, and that the top and bottom edges of the pot and the lid need to have the slanting shape.

Disclosure of the invention

It is an aim of this invention to provide a cooking vessel comprising a cooking recipient and lid combination which does not have the above-mentioned disadvantages.

This aim is achieved with the straining vessel comprising the technical characteristics of the first claim.

It is another aim of this invention to provide an improved construction for a detachable handle of a cooking vessel.

The invention provides, in a first aspect, a cooking vessel suitable for being heated on a cooking furnace. The cooking vessel comprises a cooking recipient and a lid, the cooking recipient having a body defining a cooking space and having a planar top side, the lid having a circumferential rim complementary to the planar top side of the body and a downwardly depending flange with at least a first integrated pouring opening, provided for pouring off cooking liquid from the cooking space. The lid is provided for being positioned on top of the body in a first position, in particular a cooking position, in which the circumferential rim lies flat on the planar top side of the body and, in particular completely, closes off the cooking space. The lid is further provided for being positioned in a second position, in particular a pouring position in which the lid is positioned above the top side of the body and the first pouring opening is exposed, which enables pouring off cooking liquid through the first pouring opening by tilting the cooking vessel. The lid and the cooking recipient together have cooperating retaining elements to position and hold the lid in the pouring position. These cooperating retaining elements are provided on the outside of the body, so outside the cooking space. When the lid is placed in the pouring position, the cooperating retaining elements hold the lid in a tiltable manner above the top side of the body, such that the lid is tiltable with respect to the body along a tilt axis which is parallel to and at a predetermined distance above the top side of the body, to maximize the exposure of the first pouring opening.

As a result, the cooking vessel of the invention provides a safe, convenient, and intuitive draining process by means of a cooking recipient and lid combination which is hygienic, safe, convenient, and intuitive to use. The cooperating retaining elements, which hold the lid in the pouring position, are provided outside the cooking space and outside the cooking recipient, which contributes to hygiene. Because the retaining elements hold the lid above the top side of the body, tiltable along the tilt axis, the lid tilts when the cooking vessel is tilted by the user to pour off cooking liquid, such that the gap between the lid and the cooking recipient is enlarged, exposing a larger part of the pouring opening of the lid than in prior art cooking vessels where the lid was not tiltable, and that the pouring off of cooking liquid can be facilitated or take less time.

The invention can be applied on any cooking vessel comprising a cooking recipient and lid combination, such as for example cooking pots with two handles which are commonly used for e.g. boiling potatoes, vegetables, rice, pasta, etc., frying pans which are commonly lower in height and have one longer handle, and other cooking vessels known to the person skilled in the art.

The invention can also be applied to avoid splatter from a cooking recipient, in particular a frying pan. The lid then acts as a splatter cover while enabling moisture, produced during cooking, in particular during frying, to leave the cooking recipient, in particular the frying pan. In embodiments according to the present invention, the cooperating retaining elements may comprise pin-shaped protrusions on opposite sides of the lid and raised parts provided on the outside of the cooking recipient, the raised parts extending above the top side of the body and comprising circular cavities for receiving the pin-shaped protrusions, such that the protrusions and cavities together define the tilt axis of the lid. The raised parts may advantageously be provided on the handles of the cooking recipient. In this way, a simple construction can be achieved, which can be manufactured at low cost.

In embodiments according to the present invention, at least one of the protrusions and cavities may be provided in a resilient manner on the lid, respectively the cooking recipient, such that the protrusions and cavities together form a snap connection. The resilience can advantageously be achieved by constructing the protrusions and/or the raised parts in which the cavities are provided in a resilient material, such as for example silicone.

In embodiments according to the present invention, the circumferential rim of the lid may comprise a sealing ring, provided to rest on the planar top side of the body when the lid is in the cooking position. This sealing ring can provide a seal between the top side of the cooking recipient and the circumferential rim of the lid, to improve the closure along the edges of the cooking vessel. This sealing ring can prevent that vapour escapes the cooking space along the edge and can as a result minimise energy loss during cooking.

The invention provides, in a second aspect, which may be combined with the other aspects and embodiments described herein, a cooking vessel suitable for being heated on a cooking furnace. The cooking vessel comprises a cooking recipient with at least one sideways extending base element and a detachable handle mounted on the/each base element, for example a single base element with a single detachable handle or two base elements with detachable handles on opposite sides of the cooking recipient. The base element comprises a recess or opening provided for receiving a locking member of the detachable handle. The handle comprises an inner part in a first, resilient material, the inner part comprising a leaf spring part on which the locking member is provided, and an outer part in a second, deformable material, the outer part comprising a grip part fixed to the leaf spring part, such that the user can operate the leaf spring part by means of the grip part to release the handle from the base element. The construction according to the invention has several advantages. Firstly, the detachable handle comprises essentially only two parts, namely the inner part and the outer part, which is a much more simple construction compared to prior art detachable handle systems and which can for example be entirely manufactured from plastic materials. In such a process, the grip part can be fixed to the leaf spring part by bonding as a result of the forming step in the manufacturing process. Secondly, the outer part in the deformable material, which preferably substantially completely covers the inner part, can hide the release mechanism from sight, offering a pleasant appearance, and can prevent that dirt can accumulate around the release mechanism. This is an improvement over prior art release systems which have separate parts to operate the release mechanism inside the handle.

In embodiments according to the present invention, the base element may be a sideways extension of an upper rim of the cooking recipient, preferably a plate-like element which is coplanar with the upper rim. This embodiment may provide a simple construction for the base element.

In embodiments according to the present invention, the recess or opening in the base element may be open towards the top side of the cooking vessel with the locking member being a complementary, downwardly depending protrusion on the detachable handle. This construction has the advantage that the upper part of the handle forms the grip part for the release, which is then in an accessible position for the user. In particular, this construction provides that user can release the handle by pulling the upper part of the handle in upwards direction, whereas the upper part of the handle is easily accessible to the user in nearly all circumstances. In embodiments according to the present invention, the inner part of the handle may be manufactured in nylon, or generally any resilient material which is sufficiently heat resistant.

In embodiments according to the present invention, the inner part of the handle may be manufactured in nylon, or generally any material which is suitable to obtain the leaf spring part as integral part of the inner part and which is sufficiently heat resistant. The inner part preferably forms a heat barrier between the base element and the outer part of the handle.

In embodiments according to the present invention, the outer part of the handle may be manufactured in a silicone or any other rubber-like material, or generally any material which is flexible enough to allow and follow the movement of the leaf spring part of the inner part and which is sufficiently heat resistant.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will be further elucidated by means of the following description and the appended drawings.

Figures 1 and 2 show perspective views of an embodiment of a cooking vessel according to the invention.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the cooking vessel of figure 1 , with the lid in a cooking position.

Figure 4 shows a detail of figure 3.

Figures 5 and 6 show perspective views of the cooking vessel of figure 1 , with the lid in a pouring position, respectively using a first pouring opening and a second pouring opening.

Figure 7 shows a cross section of the cooking vessel of figure 1 .

Figure 8 shows a detail of figure 7.

Figures 9-14 show an alternative embodiment of a handle of the cooking vessel which is removable from the cooking recipient. Modes for carrying out the invention

The present invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn on scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not necessarily correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention.

Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order. The terms are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and the embodiments of the invention can operate in other sequences than described or illustrated herein.

Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. The terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and the embodiments of the invention described herein can operate in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.

The term "comprising", used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It needs to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression "a device comprising means A and B" should not be limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are A and B.

An embodiment of a cooking vessel 1 according to a first aspect of the invention is shown in figures 1 and 2. The cooking vessel 1 comprises a cooking recipient 2 and a lid 3. The cooking recipient has a body 20 defining a cooking space 21 on its inside. The body 20 has a planar top side 22 and the lid 3 has a complementary, planar bottom side formed by a circumferential rim 30. The lid 3 is provided for being positioned on top of the body in a cooking position (shown in figure 3) and in a pouring position (also shown in figure 5 and 6) in which the lid 3 is positioned and held a distance above the top side 22 in a tiltable manner, tiltable along axis T shown in figures 2, 5 and 6. The lid has a downwardly depending flange 31 which extends downwards from the circumferential edge 30 along the entire circumference with a diameter suitable for fitting within the circumference of the top side 22 of the cooking recipient 2. The downwardly depending flange 31 has a first pouring opening 32, in particular an integrated strainer formed by a plurality of holes or slots in the flange 31 , and a second pouring opening 34 (see figs. 6 and 7), which is a wider opening spanning a large part of the circumference of the vessel, e.g. at least 90°. Consequently, the first and second pouring openings have different pouring capacities: the strainer 32 is optimised for pouring off cooking liquid from smaller food products, e.g. rice, pasta, while the wider opening 34 is optimised for pouring off cooking liquid from larger food products, e.g. potatoes. The first and second pouring openings are located on opposite sides of the lid, i.e. 180° rotated with respect to each other, and such that they can be exposed by tilting the lid as described herein. To hold the lid in the pouring position, cooperating retaining elements are provided on the cooking recipient and the lid. In the cooking recipient 2 shown in the drawings, there are no lid retaining elements on the inside wall of the cooking recipient. The retaining elements 23, raised parts on the handles 25, are provided on the outside of the cooking recipient, so outside the cooking space 21 . In this way, it can be avoided that dirt accumulates on the retaining elements.

The retaining elements will now be described with reference to figures 3 and 4, which shows the lid in a cooking position in which the retaining elements are dislocated from each other. On the lid 3, the retaining elements comprise pin- shaped protrusions 33, which extend outwards from the circumference of the lid. There are two such protrusions 33 on opposite sides of the lid. On the cooking recipient 2, the retaining elements comprise raised parts 23, which are advantageously provided on the handles 25 of the cooking recipient, in which cavities 24 are provided on sides facing the lid. The cavities 24 are sized for receiving the pin-shaped protrusions 33. Above the cavities 24, the raised parts 23 comprise each time a bevelled guide part 26, which is provided to guide the respective protrusion 33 to the cavity 24 when the user wants to place the lid in the pouring position.

When the lid is placed with the protrusions 33 located in the cavities 24, the lid is held at a distance above the top side 22 of the cooking recipient 2 and the lid is tiltable around a tilt axis T due to the round shape of the protrusions 33 and cavities 24. So the protrusions 33 and cavities 24 together define the tilt axis T of the lid in the pouring position.

The protrusions 33 and cavities 24 together form a snap connection. In the embodiment shown, this is achieved in that the protrusions 33 are made of a resilient material, such that the protrusions can be slightly compressed when they are moved from the guide parts 26 down into the cavities 24. In fact, in the embodiment shown, the protrusions 33 form part of a ring element 38 which forms the outer rim of the lid 3, the ring element being entirely made of a resilient material, e.g. silicone, and surrounding and holding a central lid element 39, which can for example be made of a transparent material. Of course, the snap connection of the protrusions 33 into and out of the cavities 24 can be executed in many different ways. Figure 3 shows the lid in the cooking position, in which the circumferential edge 30 of the lid lies flat on the top side 22 of the cooking recipient and closes off the cooking space 21 . In this cooking position, the downwardly depending flange 31 is not exposed; it is hidden inwards from the top side 22 of the cooking recipient 2 (see figure 7). Figures 5 and 6 show the lid in the pouring position, in which the lid is held tiltable above the top side 22 of the cooking recipient 2. The lid is tiltable either way: in figure 5 the lid is tilted to expose the first pouring opening 32 (strainer) while in figure 6 the lid is tilted the other way to expose the second pouring opening 34 (wider opening). From these figures, it is apparent that the invention provides a convenient, user-friendly solution: the user can pour off the cooking liquid without having to hold the lid 3 down on the cooking recipient 2 (the lid is held down by the retaining elements 23, 33) and the pouring opening is maximized by the fact that the tilt axis T of the lid is spaced from the top surface 22 of the cooking recipient 2 and the lid is tilted, which increases the gap.

In order to move the lid from the cooking position (figure 3) into the pouring position (figure 5 or 6), the user lifts the lid 3 from the top side 22 of the cooking recipient and rotates the lid to place the protrusions 33 on the guide parts 26. Then, the user pushes the lid down to snap the protrusions into the cavities 24. To remove the lid from the pouring position, the user simply pulls the lid 3 upwards by means of its handle 35 while holding the cooking recipient down.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the retaining elements can also be carried out such that the lid is movable from the cooking position to the pouring position by a rotation without lifting the lid from the cooking recipient. The retaining elements can for example have a bayonet-like construction, wherein protrusions are provided on the lid which are rotated into complementary grooves in the raised parts on the cooking recipient. In order to obtain that the lid is raised from the cooking recipient, such that the tilt axis is spaced from the top surface of the recipient, the grooves can be oriented in a slanting direction with respect to the top surface of the cooking recipient.

The cross-section of figures 7 and 8 show the constructional elements of the cooking recipient 2 and the lid 3. The cooking recipient 2 is composed of the body 20 in a heat-conductive material and the handles 25, preferably in a heat- insulating material, such as a heat-resilient plastic. The handles may be applied onto the body by means of an overmoulding process, in which the handles are moulded over sideways protruding parts of the body 20, or may be manufactured separately and fixed onto the body 20 in conventional ways. The lid 3 is composed of the ring element 38, the central lid element 39 and a handle 35. The ring element 38 comprises the circumferential edge 30, the protrusions 33 and the flange 31 and may be manufactured in silicone or another suitable material. The central lid element 39 may for example be manufactured in a transparent material. The handle 35 is preferably made of a heat-resilient plastic and is fixed to the lid element 39 in a conventional way.

As shown in figure 8, the circumferential edge 30 of the lid 3 may be provided with a sealing ring 37, which may advantageously be integrated on the ring element 38. This sealing ring 37 is provided to rest on the planar top side 22 of the body when the lid is in the cooking position, providing a seal between the top side 22 of the cooking recipient and the circumferential rim 30 of the lid 3. This seal can improve the closure along the edges of the cooking vessel. In this way, this sealing ring 37 can prevent that vapour escapes the cooking space 21 along the edges and can as a result minimise energy loss during cooking. In order to prevent pressure build up in the cooking space, the lid may be provided with conventional venting means, such as for example a small hole 36.

The figures show the invention applied on a cooking recipient of the type for boiling potatoes, rice, pasta, vegetables etc. The invention may also be applied on other cooking vessels, such as for example vessels of the frying pan type with a single, longer handle. In such embodiments, the retaining elements of the pan may be integrated on one side on the single handle and on the other, opposite side on an additional raised part which is applied on the body of the pan especially for this purpose.

It is remarked that the "pouring position" as discussed herein can also be used for cooking, for example for cooking procedures in which it is common to partially cover the cooking recipient while leaving a large opening (e.g. brazing). The "pouring position" of the cooking vessel according to the invention can advantageously be used for such cooking procedures, because the gap between the cooking recipient and the lid is restricted by the downwardly depending flange, i.e. the size of the gap is defined by the pouring opening (strainer or wider gap) that is exposed, which can lead to a better energy efficiency compared to prior art cooking vessels.

Figure 9 shows an alternative embodiment of a handle 45, which is removable from the cooking vessel, according to a second aspect of the invention. This handle likewise comprises the raised portion 43 with the cavity 44 and the bevelled guide part 46 which are substantially the same as on the handle 25 described above and will therefore not be described further herein. A difference is that the handle 45 is removable from the cooking recipient 2. The cooking recipient 2 has sideways extending base elements 27 onto which the handles 45 are mounted. The handle 45 has a resilient middle portion 51 with a grip part 47 which can be lifted by the user to remove a locking member 48 from a recess or opening 49 in the base element. In this way, the locking member 48 can be released from the opening 28 and the handle 45 can be removed from the base element 27, see Figures 10 to 12. As shown in these figures, the handle 45 can be internally composed of different materials to achieve the resilient middle portion.

The detachable handle 45 thus comprises a release mechanism, which is carried out as follows. The base element 27 comprises a recess or opening 28 provided for receiving the locking member 48 of the detachable handle. The handle comprises an inner part 50 in a first, resilient material and an outer part 49 in a second, deformable material. The inner part 50 comprises a leaf spring part 51 on which the locking member 48 is provided. The outer part 49 comprises the grip part 47, which is fixed to the leaf spring part 51 , such that the user can operate the leaf spring part by means of the grip part to release the handle from the base element.

The construction of the handle 45 thus comprises essentially only two parts, namely the inner part 50 and the outer part 49, which is a much more simple construction compared to prior art detachable handle systems. The handle 45 can for example be entirely manufactured from plastic materials, for example in a two-step moulding process in which the inner part is formed in a first moulding step and the outer part is formed around the inner part in a second (over)moulding step. To strengthen the attachment, holes or other anchoring elements may be provided in or on the inner part such that the inner and outer parts are also mechanically anchored to each other. In such a process, the grip part 47 is fixed to the leaf spring part 51 by a chemical bond as a result of the overmoulding step. Alternatively however, the inner and outer parts can first be manufactured as separate parts, following which the inner part is placed and fixed in the outer part, for example using an adhesive.

The construction with the inner and outer parts is preferably such that the outer part 49 in the deformable material substantially completely covers the inner part 50. In this way, the release mechanism is hidden from sight, offering a pleasant appearance, and can prevent that dirt can accumulate around the release mechanism.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 9-14, the base element 27 is a sideways extension of the upper rim 22 of the cooking recipient, in particular a plate-like element which is coplanar with the upper rim. This provides a simple construction for the base element. For example, in case the cooking recipient 2 is a cast aluminium part, the base element 27 may be integrally formed with the body 20 in the same production step. The plate-like element 27 shown comprises three fingers 53, 54, 55. The middle finger 54 is thinned to facilitate insertion into the slot 52 of the handle; the left and right fingers 53, 55 provide stability.

In other cases, e.g. a stainless steel body, the base element 27 can be separately manufactured in aluminium and then fixed to the body in ways known to the person skilled in the art.

The handle 45 comprises a slot 52 in which the plate-like base element 27 is accommodated in the assembled condition. This slot 52 is formed in the inner part 50, which has in cross-section a U-shape as shown on Figs. 10-12, with the top half forming the leaf spring part 51 with the locking member 48 at the end. The base element 27 and the locking member 48 have predetermined shapes, for example a rounded shape as shown, to facilitate insertion of the plate-like base element 27 into the slot 52 while pushing the locking member 48 upwards.

In the embodiment shown, the recess or opening 28 in the base element 27 is open towards the top side of the cooking vessel with the locking member 48 being a complementary, downwardly depending protrusion on the detachable handle. The grip part 47 is, as a result, at the top and thus an accessible position for the user. This construction provides that user can release the handle by pulling the upper part 47 of the handle in upwards direction. In alternative embodiments, similar constructions may however also be contemplated, within the scope of the present disclosure, with a grip part at a side or at the bottom of the handle.

The inner part 50 of the handle may be manufactured in nylon, or generally any resilient material which is sufficiently heat resistant. The inner part 50 preferably forms a heat barrier between the base element 27 and the outer part 49, i.e. keeps the material of the outer part spaced from the base element.

The outer part 49 of the handle may be manufactured in a silicone or any other rubber-like material, or generally any material which is flexible enough to allow and follow the movement of the leaf spring part 51 of the inner part and which is sufficiently heat resistant.

Fig. 13 shows the handle 45 removed from the base element 27. Fig. 14 shows a perspective view of the inner part 50 of the handle, which is in this embodiment provided to create a heat barrier, keeping the material of the outer part 49 spaced from the base element 27.

Although aspects of the present disclosure have been described with respect to specific embodiments, it will be readily appreciated that these aspects may be implemented in other forms.