GB2422896A

GB2422896A - Protecting surfaces of cookers

Info

Publication number: GB2422896A
Application number: GB0502283A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ian Leonard Potts
Original assignee: ILP DIRECT Ltd
Current assignee: ILP DIRECT Ltd
Priority date: 2005-02-04
Filing date: 2005-02-04
Publication date: 2006-08-09
Also published as: GB0502283D0

Abstract

The invention provides methods and apparatus for protecting various surfaces of cookers and in particular cookers of the kitchen range type. In one aspect, the invention provides a method of protecting an upper surface of a hot plate lid, which method comprises removably securing to the lid by adhesion or magnetic attraction a protective cover (2) formed from a heat-resistant flexible material. The protective cover (2) may comprise lower and upper layers (4, 6) laminated together. The lower layer (4) may be formed from a flexible bonded magnetic sheet material, comprising fine magnetic powder eg barium or strontium ferrite, loaded into a flexible thermoplastic or rubber binder. The upper layer may be a vinyl polymer, or may be formed from a woven glass fibre fabric coated with PTFE. Adhesion may be provided by means of a peelable thermostable adhesive. A protective sheet may be positioned to prevent the splashing of food materials on the underside of a hot plate lid. A protective cover may be positioned on top of a cooker, and have cut-outs through which the hot plates may protrude.

Description

I

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING SURFACES

This invention relates to methods and apparatus for protecting the surfaces of cookers and in particular cookers of the "range" type such as the Aga and Raybum cookers.

Back2round of the Invention Cookers of the kitchen range type have been known for many decades and such cookers are typically formed from cast iron, protected on the outer surfaces thereof with a vitreous enamel finish. Such cookers usually have one or more ovens and, on the upper surface of the cooker, one or more hotplates. Examples of cookers of this type are cookers sold under the trade names Aga and Rayburn . Such cookers are characterised by the fact that they are kept continuously heated, as distinct from other types of cooker in which gas or electric power is turned on or off as and when : *** the cooker is needed. In order to protect the users of the cooker, and to prevent or :* :1. minimise loss of heat when the cooker is not being used, the hotplates on kitchen ranges may be provided with a hotplate lid. S. SI * . S

:: Cookers of the Aga type provide a very efficient means of cooking, but one problem is that the upper surfaces of the cooker and the hotplate lid are unprotected S..

*. and can easily be scratched or otherwise damaged by placing objects such as * :* saucepans and other cooking vessels and implements on the unprotected vitreous enamel or metal surface.

Various attempts have been made to overcome such problems. Thus, for example, UK patent GB2369 181 (Offtree Limited) describes a cover for a hotplate lid. The cover is manufactured from a heat resistant thermally insulating fabric, and is designed to be loosely placed on top of a hotplate lid. No means are provided for securing the cover to the lid.

Various protective covers have also been disclosed for preventing splashes and spillages from drying on and sticking to the enamelled surface of a cooker, and examples include the various covers disclosed in DE 3427453, GB 2339898, DE 19902551, DE 19748559, FR 2767908 and FR 2678849.

In addition to the possibility of damage (e.g. by scratching) to the upper surface of a cooker or a hotplate lid, a further problem is that when the hotplate lid is in the raised position during use, there is a tendency for food particles or liquid to splash onto the exposed under- surface of the lid. Unless removed very quickly, the particles of food will burn on the surface of the lid and will become difficult to remove.

An object of the present invention is to provide a means of overcoming each of the aforesaid problems.

Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, in a first aspect, the invention provides a method of protecting an upper surface of a hotplate lid, which method comprises removably securing to the lid by adhesion or magnetic attraction a protective cover formed from a heat- :.: resistant flexible material.

* SI S * S *0I* In one embodiment of the invention, the protective cover is removably secured to * 15 the upper surface of the hotplate lid by magnetic attraction. The protective cover * may therefore be formed from a flexible magnetic sheet material which can contain, for example, a dispersion of magnetic particles within a polymeric matrix. The polymeric matrix can be, for example, a rubber material and the magnetic particles * may be ferrite particles, for example barium or strontium ferrite.

The magnetic sheet may be anisotropic or isotropic. In one embodiment, the magnetic sheet is an anisotropic material. When the sheet is anisotropic, the magnetic polarity extends across the sheet from one surface to the other with the consequence that the sheets can be stacked.

The protective cover is preferably of a laminar construction and comprises a lower layer containing the dispersion of magnetic particles within the polymeric matrix and an upper layer formed from a non-magnetic material. One or more further layers may be disposed between the lower layer and the upper layer. The protective cover may optionally contain a thermally insulating material to reduce heat loss through the cover. Alternatively, the cover may have substantially no heat insulating properties and may function solely to provide physical protection to the upper surface of the hotplate lid.

In one preferred embodiment, the upper layer is formed from a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coated glass fibre fabric such as Tygaflor available from Saint-Gobajn Performance Plastics.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, the protective cover consists of a lower layer formed from a flexible magnetic sheet material containing a dispersion of magnetic ferrite particles within a rubber matrix, and an upper layer bonded to the lower layer, the upper layer being formed from a PTFE-coated glass fibre fabric.

The protective cover preferably has a smooth wipe-clean upper surface.

Instead of, or in addition to, magnetic attraction, the protective cover may be * ** secured to the upper surface of the hotplate lid by means of adhesion. The adhesion can be created by a thermally stable peelable adhesive, or it can be provided by * surface attraction. a. *

* 15 In a further aspect, the invention provides a protective cover per Se, the protective

S

cover being as hereinbefore defined.

*::::: The invention also provides a protective cover as hereinbefore defined, when used a a in placement on an upper surface of a hotplate lid.

In a further aspect, the invention provides a method of protecting an under-surface of a hotplate lid against splashes when the hotplate lid is in an open position and the hotplate is in use, which method comprises suspending from the lid or a handle portion thereof a protective sheet formed from a heat resistant material.

The heat resistant material is typically shaped so as to conform substantially to the shape of the hotplate lid and may be, for example, of circular shape.

The protective sheet is preferably provided with means enabling it to be secured to or about a handle portion of the hotplate lid. For example, the protective sheet may be provided with an opening or hole through which the handle portion may protrude to hold the protective sheet in place.

In one preferred embodiment, the protective sheet is formed from woven glass cloth, and more particularly, woven glass cloth coated with PTFE.

The invention also provides a protective sheet for protecting an under surface of a hotplate lid, the protective sheet being as hereinbefore defined.

The invention further provides a protective sheet as hereinbefore defined when suspended from a hotplate lid.

In a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a protective cover for covering an upper surface of a cooker, wherein the cooker has at least one hotplate on an upper surface thereof, the protective cover being formed from a sheet of a PTFE * coated woven glass cloth having one or more holes therein through which the or each hotplate may protrude. *

The invention will now be illustrated, but not limited, by reference to the particular embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

* Brief Description of the Drawin2s

Figure 1 is a plan view of a protective cover for a hotplate lid, according to one embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the protective cover of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a schematic view from the side, showing a hotplate and hotplate lid.

Figure 4 is a view from direction D of the hotplate lid shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a protective sheet for securing to the hotplate lid of Figures 3 and 4.

Figure 6 illustrates the protective sheet of Figure 5 secured to the hotplate lid.

Figure 7 is a plan view of a protective cover for the surface of a cooker, having one or more hotplates on the upper surface thereof.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Referring now to the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a protective cover for the upper surface of the lid of a hotplate. In the drawings, the cover is shown as being of circular shape, and in this embodiment is intended to be removably secured to the top of a circular hotplate lid. Where the hotplate lid is of a non circular shape, for example a rectangular shape, the protective cover can be shaped accordingly.

As shown in Figure 2, the protective cover 2 comprises lower 4 and upper 6 layers, laminated together. The lower layer 4 is formed from a flexible magnetic sheet material. An example of such a sheet material is a flexible bonded magnetic sheet, comprising fine magnetic powder, e.g. barium or strontium ferrite, loaded into a : ** , flexible thermoplastic or rubber binder. Such a material can be obtained from Shaw :: : Magnets of Sheffield, UK, or Qualita Magnetics Limited of Hong Kong, China. I,..

:* 15 The upper layer 6 may be formed from a heat resistant thermoplastic polymer such as a vinyl polymer. Alternatively and more preferably, the upper layer may be formed from a woven glass fibre fabric coated with PTFE. One such material is *: ::. Tygaflor 21 6GP which has a silicone pressure-sensitive adhesive on one side that is used to bond the upper layer to the lower layer.

The upper layer 6 has a smooth upper surface to allow it to be wiped clean.

In use, the cover is placed on top of a hotplate lid with the magnetic layer 4 facing downwards so that the cover is held by magnetic attraction to the upper surface of the hotplate lid. The cover thus remains in place even when the lid is lifted for use.

When in place and when the lid is down, objects such as saucepans, other cooking vessels and cooking implements and utensils can be placed on top of the lid without scratching the surface.

The protective cover can be simply and easily removed from the hotplate lid by peeling off.

The protective cover shown in Figures 1 and 2 is intended for use with cookers having a hotplate lid formed from a material that will attract magnets. Where the hotplate lid is formed from a material that does not aifract magnets, the protective cover can be secured to the upper surface of the hotplate lid by means of adhesion.

Adhesion may be provided either by means of a peelable thermostable adhesive, or may rely upon the surface properties of the under-surface of the protected cover to adhere the cover to the lid by means of surface attraction.

An advantage of the protective cover of the present invention, compared to the protective cover described in GB 2369181, is that it is held securely in place and hence will not slide off unexpectedly. The upper surface of the protective cover, which is typically formed from a wipe- clean material, may be constructed so as to provide a degree of grip, thereby preventing saucepans and other vessels placed on * : the cover from slipping off. This is particularly beneficial where, as is often the * S's. case, the hotplate lid is domed. S...

.* 15 Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6 illustrate a protective sheet intended to address another *:. problem encountered with cookers having a hotplate lid.

Figure 3 is a side view of part of the upper surface of a cooker showing hotplate 32 * :* and a hotplate lid 34 in a raised position. The hotplate lid 34 has a handle 36 extending from the side opposite to that of the hinge 38.

When in the raised position, during use, the underside 40 of the lid is frequently splashed with food particles or liquid from food cooking on the hotplate. Unless removed straight away, the food residues will burn and form an intractable deposit on the surface that can be difficult or impossible to remove.

Figure 5 illustrates a protective sheet for preventing the splashing of food materials on to the underside of the hotplate lid. The sheet 42 corresponds in shape to the hotplate lid and hence is of generally circular form. The sheet 42 is provided with a loop 44 enclosing a cutout 46. As shown in Figure 6, the loop 44 is placed over the handle 36, thereby holding the protective sheet in place so that it hangs in front of the hotplate. Once the hotplate has been finished with, the protective sheet can simply be removed and stored, or thrown away.

The protective cover is typically formed from a flexible heat resistant film or fabric, for example a woven glass cloth coated with PTFE and available from Saint Gobain under the trade name "Tygaflor ".

Figure 7 illustrates another aspect of the invention, namely a cover for protecting the upper surface of a cooker from spills and splashes, and from physical damage by saucepans and other cooking vessels and implements. The cover 102 is shown in place on top of a cooker having a pair of hotplates 104. The cover, denoted by the shaded area, has cutouts through which the hotplates 104 protrude. The cover is formed from a woven glass cloth coated with PTFE, for example a woven glass * : :* cloth of the "Tygaflor " type described above. ****

* The cover in Figure 6 is shown as being shaped to accommodate a cooker having a * :* pair of circular hotplates. In alternative embodiments of the invention, the cover * 15 can be provided with rectangular or other shaped holes to accommodate hotplates of *** a different shape. **. * * S...

EQuivalents It will readily be apparent that numerous modifications and alterations may be made to the specific embodiments of the invention described above without departing from the principles underlying the invention. All such modifications and alterations are intended to be embraced by this application.

Claims

1. A method of protecting an upper surface of a hot plate lid, which method comprises removably securing to the lid by adhesion or magnetic attraction a protective cover formed from a heat-resistant flexible material.

2. A method according to claim I wherein the protective cover is removably secured to the upper surface of the hot plate lid by magnetic attraction.

3. A method according to claim I wherein the protective cover is removably secured to the upper surface of the hot plate lid by adhesion.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the adhesion is created by means of a peelable adhesive.

5. A method according to claim 3 wherein the adhesion is created by surface *..S attraction.

6. A method according to claim 2 wherein the protective cover contains a * dispersion of magnetic particles within a polymeric matrix. **

* . .. 15

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein the protective cover is of a laminar ** construction and comprises a lower layer containing the dispersion of magnetic particles within a polymeric matrix, and an upper layer formed from a non-magnetic material.

8. A method according to claim 7 wherein the upper layer of the protective cover is formed from a heat-stable thermoplastic material or a woven glass fibre fabric.

9. A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the protective cover has a smooth wipe-clean upper surface.

10. A protective cover as defined in any one of the preceding claims.

11. A protective cover according to claim 10 when used in placement on an upper surface of a hotplate lid.

12. A protective cover for a hotplate lid substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings Figures 1 and 2.

13. A method of protecting an under surface of a hotplate lid against splashes when the hotplate lid is in an open position and the hotplate is in use, which method comprises suspending from the lid or a handle portion thereof a protective sheet formed from a heat resistant material.

14. A method according to claim 13 wherein the protective sheet is suspended from a handle portion of the hotplate lid.

15. A method according to claim 14 wherein the protective sheet is provided with an opening or hole through which the handle portion may protrude to hold the protective sheet in place. * ** * S *

16. A method according to any one of claims 13 to 15 wherein the protective S...

sheet is shaped to conform to the shape of the hotplate lid. *S ** * . S

* .

17. A method according to claim 16 wherein the protective sheet is substantially S..

circular. *SS * .

18. A method according to any one of claims 13 to 17 wherein the protective sheet is formed from woven glass cloth.

19. A method according to claim 18 wherein the woven glass cloth is coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

20. A protective sheet for protecting an under surface of a hotplate lid against splashes when the hotplate lid is in an open position and the hotplate is in use, the protective sheet being as defined in any one of claims 13 to 19.

21. A protective sheet according to claim 20 when suspended from a hotplate lid

22. A protective sheet for protecting an under surface of a hotplate lid against splashes when the hotplate lid is in an open position and the hotplate is in use, the protective sheet being substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings Figures 5 and 6.

23. A protective cover for covering an upper surface of a cooker, wherein the cooker has at least one hot plate on an upper surface thereof, the protective cover being formed from a sheet of a PTFE coated woven glass cloth having one or more holes or openings therein through which the or each hotplate may protrude.

24. A protective cover substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing Figure 7. * ** * * S *SS S S... * S S... S. *S * S * * S

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S S.. * S 55*S S. * * S *