AU765551B2 - A wok - Google Patents

Description

S&FRef: 519326

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

fr 9* a. Name and Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Sunbeam Corporation Limited Wade Street Campsie New South Wales 2194 Australia Nicholas Edmonds Spruson Ferguson St Martins Tower 31 Market Street Sydney NSW 2000 Invention Title: A Wok ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION DETAILS [33] Country [31] Applic. No(s) AU PQ5679 [32] Application Date 16 Feb 2000 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- Docume. ived 0 200 Batch No: A WOK Technical Field The present invention relates to cooking utensils and more particularly but not exclusively to woks.

Background of the Invention A properly heated wok has heat applied to not only the bottom portion of the wok but also a substantial portion of the side wall. Woks which have a stainless steel bowl and are provided with their own electric heating element have a flattened base to which the heating element is secured. These previous woks have the disadvantage that lo heat is not applied to a substantial portion of the side wall of the stainless steel bowl.

Object of the Invention It is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the above disadvantage or at least to provide a useful alternative.

Summary of the Invention is There is disclosed herein a cooking appliance comprising: a stainless steel bowl having an inner surface and an outer surface, said outer surface being at least partly non-planar so as to have a portion which is non-planar including a side portion of said outer surface; and a heating base fixed to said outer surface so as to cover at least part of the non- 20 planar portion of said outer surface, said heating base including a cast body fixed to said outer surface and an electric heating element embedded in said body away from said outer surface which when activated causes said base to heat said non-planar portion.

Preferably, the bowl is arcuate so that the outer surface is arcuate.

Preferably, said bowl has a floor and side wall extending therefrom, with the floor being generally flat.

Preferably, the side wall is generally perpendicular to the floor.

Preferably, the side wall is inclined to the floor.

Preferably, the heating element is secured to the floor.

o 0Preferably, the heating element is secured to the floor and side wall.

S 30 Brief Description of the Drawings Preferred forms of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic section side elevation of a wok; Figure 2 is a schematic bottom plan view of the wok of Figure 1; [R:\LIBLL] 14677speci.doc:keh Figure 3 is a schematic section side elevation of a cooking utensil; and Figure 4 is a further sectioned side elevation of a cooking utensil.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments In Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings, there is schematically depicted s a variety of cooking utensils. More particularly the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 illustrates a wok 10. The wok 10 includes a stainless steel bowl 11 which is arcuate in configuration. The bowl 11 has an inner concave surface 12 providing a chamber 13 within which food is cooked. The curved convex outer surface 14 is non-planar and is fixed to a heating base 15. The heating base 15 includes an aluminium cast body 16 lo within which there is embedded an electric heating element 17 spaced from the outer surface 14 of the bowl 11. The body 16 is preferably cast aluminium, with the aluminium being relatively pure (at least about In this embodiment the base 15 is brazed to the bowl 11. However in that respect it should be appreciated that other means of fixing the base 15 to the bowl 11 may be employed such as threaded fasteners and adhesives.

The element 17 is embedded in the body 16 so as to be spaced from the surface 14.

Accordingly, when the body 16 is heated upon the element 17 being activated, the body 16 heats the stainless steel bowl.

As can be seen from Figure 1, the surface 14 is non-planar, more particularly it is curved. The surfaces 13 and 14 of this embodiment are each preferably a portion of a sphere.

Preferably, the base 15 extends about half the height of the bowl 11 so as to cover at least a portion of the side of the bowl 11.

In the embodiments of Figures 3 and 4, the same reference numerals have been employed as those used in the description of the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2.

However in Figure 3, the bowl 11 is "U-shaped" in a transverse cross-section so as to have a flat floor 18 joined to a side wall 19 by means of a curved portion 20. The wall 19 is generally perpendicular to the floor 18. As can be noted, the body 16 has a side wall portion 21 which extends past the curved portion 20 of the bowl 11.

In the embodiment of Figure 4 again the same reference numerals have been 3 0 employed as those in Figure 3. However in this embodiment, the side wall portion 21 is provided with part of the heating element 17.

[R:\LIBLL I 4677speci.doc: keh

Claims (9)

1. A cooking appliance comprising: a stainless steel bowl having an inner surface and an outer surface, said outer surface being at least partly non-planar so as to have a portion which is non-planar including a side portion of said outer surface; and a heating base fixed to said outer surface so as to cover at least part of the non- planar portion of said outer surface, said heating base including a cast body fixed to said outer surface and an electric heating element embedded in said body away from said outer surface which when activated causes said base to heat said non-planar portion.

2. The cooking appliance of claim 1 wherein said bowl is arcuate so that said outer surface is arcuate.

3. The cooking appliance of claim 1 wherein said bowl has a floor and side wall extending therefrom, with said floor being generally flat.

4. The cooking appliance of claim 3 wherein said side wall is generally perpendicular to said floor.

The cooking appliance of claim 3 wherein said side wall is inclined to said floor.

6. The cooking appliance of claim 3 wherein said heating element is secured to said floor.

7. The cooking appliance of claim 3 wherein said heating element is secured to said floor and side wall.

8. The cooking appliance of claim 3 wherein said side wall is joined to said floor by a curved portion.

9. A cooking appliance, substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings. Dated 30 July 2003 Sunbeam Corporation Limited Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON FERGUSON [R:\LIBLL] I 4677speci.doc:keh