GB2462126A

GB2462126A - Stackable saucepan set.

Info

Publication number: GB2462126A
Application number: GB0813699A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gavin Thomson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-07-26
Filing date: 2008-07-26
Publication date: 2010-01-27
Also published as: GB0813699D0

Abstract

The invention provides a set of stackable saucepans comprising two or more saucepans of progressively decreasing diameter. At least one of the saucepans I not being the smallest saucepan of the set has a lid 4 defining a platform area for supporting a base of the next smaller saucepan 2 in the set in a stable and level manner when the saucepans are stacked one on top of the other. The platform area is recessed below the height of the top of the lid 4, the platform area being surrounded by a peripheral annular retention portion 8 sized and shaped to engage and locate the outer periphery of the base of the said next smaller saucepan 2 in the set when that next smaller saucepan 2 is stacked thereon. The smallest saucepan may have a similarly shaped lid and all of the lids may have a lifting handle recessed below the top of the lid and may have a cover portion and peripheral rim portion. The cover portion may be concave and the peripheral rim portion may extend downwardly as a skirt and preferably has drainage holes. The cover portion may be made of glass or metal.

Description

TITLE

Stackable Saucepan Set

DESCRIPTION

The Field of the Invention

The invention relates to domestic saucepans which can be stacked together for storage purposes.

Background Art

Nesting domestic saucepans are known, in which a set of saucepans of progressively decreasing size can be stacked one within the other for storage purposes. Generally, if the saucepans have lids, then those lids have to be removed and stacked separately in a cupboard or draw in order to permit each saucepan to be stacked inside the next larger saucepan of the set. That creates storage problems in the modern kitchen, because saucepan lids typically do not fit easily into the restricted drawer space or cupboard space available and can become bent or damaged during storage. Also the stack of inter-fitting saucepans typically have to be removed in its entirety from a cupboard in order to use any particular saucepan of the set, and then the remaining saucepans have to be returned to their storage area, again in a stacked or nested condition.

Saucepans are known in which the lids are substantially level, to cover the top of the saucepans with a central lifting handle being recessed below the top of the lid so that the top of the handle is level with the remainder of the lid. Such saucepans can be stacked with the lids in place, with each saucepan in the set being balanced on the lid of the next larger saucepan of the set below. Any such stack of saucepans more than two pans high is, however, somewhat precarious, with a high risk of the other pan or pans in the stack sliding off the lids of the pans below, with concomitant potential damage to the saucepans as the stack collapses.

It is an object of the invention to provide a set of stackable saucepans which can be stacked in a vertical array without the attendant risk of collapse of the stack.

The Invention The invention provides a set of stackable saucepans as defined in claim 1 herein.

Each upper pan of the stack therefore inter-fits with the lid of the pan below, so as to lock together the successive tiers of the stack to prevent the upper pan or pans from sliding off their supporting lids in use, causing collapse of the stack. The lid of every pan except the smallest in the set preferably has such a peripheral annular retention portion around its platform area, sized and shaped to engage and locate the outer periphery of the base of the next smaller saucepan in the set when that next smaller saucepan is stacked thereon. Even the smallest saucepan in the set may have a similarly shaped lid, although the shape of that lid would not be functional but would simply match the others in the set.

Preferably the outer edge of the base of each saucepan is curved or tapered inwardly, and the peripheral annular retention portions of the associated pan lids are formed with a co-operating curve or taper, so that engagement and location of each pan on the platform area of the lid of the next larger pan is facilitated.

Drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a stack of three saucepans according to the invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the saucepans of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the saucepans of Figure 1, with the lid shown suspended vertically above the saucepan; Figure 4 is an axial section through the three stacked saucepans of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a lid of the saucepan set of Figure 1, viewed from slightly above; Figure 6 is a perspective view of the lid of Figure 5, viewed from slightly below; Figure 7 is a side view of the lid of Figure 5; Figure 8 is a section taken on line A-A of Figure 7; and Figure 8A is a section similar to that of Figure 8 but through the left hand side of a pan lid with a slightly modified peripheral rim portion 8.

The saucepan set of Figure 1 comprises three pans 1, 2 and 3, of which I is the largest and pan 3 is the smallest. The pans as illustrated have ergonometric handles, but the handle shape and handle construction forms no part of this invention and any suitable handle could be chosen. The largest pan I has a lid 4. The middle sized pan 2 has a lid 5. The smallest pan 3 has a lid 6. The construction of the three lids is identical, and will be described later. The outer periphery of the base of each pan is tapered inwardly as can most clearly be seen in relation to the shapes of the bottom pan 1 in Figures 2 and 4.

The construction of the lids 4, 5 and 6 can be seen in section in Figure 4, and is described by reference to lid 4 as illustrated in Figures 5 to 8. The construction of all three lids is identical. Only their size varies.

Referring to Figure 5, the lid 4 comprises a central cover portion 7 which in use covers the top of the associated saucepan, and a peripheral rim portion 8 which surrounds the outer edge of the cover portion 7. The cover portion 7 has a central aperture 9 for receiving a retention screw 10 which holds in position a lifting handle 11. A rubber or plastic moulding 12 fills the gap between the retention screw 10 and the aperture 9 and provides some heat insulation for the lifting handle II, and a rubber or plastic washer 13 between the lifting handle 11 and the cover portion 7 augments that heat insulation.

The lifting handle 11 is shown as a rigid flat-topped handle in the drawings. Other rigid handle shapes may be used, provided that the handle does not protrude above the level of the platform area on which the next smaller pan in the set is to be stacked. If it is desired to have a handle that protrudes above the level of that platform area for ease of gripping during lifting of the lid, then the handle should be hinged or otherwise pivotally mounted so that it can be elevated to above the platform area when the pan is in use, and depressed to or below the level of the platform area when the next smaller pan in the set is stacked over that larger pan and lid for storage purposes. Preferably such a hinged or pivoted handle is spring biased so that when the weight of the upper pan or pans in the stack is removed, it pops up automatically for ease of handling.

The cover portion 7 is concave, with the central aperture 9 being formed at its lowest point, and may be made of toughened glass or of metal. In Figure 8 it is shown of a thickness indicating that it is made of toughened glass. The peripheral rim portion 8, on the other hand, may be made of relatively thin formed metal and comprises, as shown in Figure 8, a skirt portion 8a, a top portion 8b and an irmer frustro conical portion 8c. The skirt portion 8a extends downwardly below the top portion 8b, around the cover portion 7 of the lid to a depth at least level with the bottom of the concave cover portion 7 and the retention screw 10. This skirt portion 8a enables the lid to be placed flat on a tabletop surface without rocking around the concave cover portion 7. Alternatively the skirt portion 8a may be omitted, in which case rocking of the lid on a flat tabletop surface may be eliminated or reduced by suitably shaping the underside of the cover portion 7 and retention screw 10.

The space immediately beneath the top portion of the peripheral rim portion 8, between the top portion 8b and the glass or metal of the cover portion 7, may be a void space or may be filled with a metal, plastic or rubber insert. The top surface of the top portion 8b may be flat of shaped, for example concave, convex or undulating in the peripheral direction around the rim portion 8. It is this top surface 8b which provides the most appropriate location for surface decoration of the lid.

The skirt portion 8a may be formed integrally with the remainder of the peripheral portion 8 or may be formed as a separately formed component held in place by wrapping the peripheral rim portion 8 around both the outer periphery of the cover portion 7 and beneath a retention flange portion of the skirt portion 8a as shown in Figure 8A.

The frustro conical portion 8c of the peripheral rim portion of the lid 4 is sized and shaped to engage and locate the outer periphery of the base of the next smaller saucepan in the set. The frustro conical shape of the portion 8c and the frustro conical shape of the outer periphery of each saucepan as seen in Figure 4 are complimentary, so that the next smaller saucepan in the set can readily be engaged with the peripheral rim portion 8c when the saucepans are stacked one on top of the other.

Although not essential to the intention, Figures 5, 6 and 7 show strainer perforations in the depending skirt portion 8a, comprising relatively large apertures 14 on one side of the pan lid and relatively smaller perforations 15 on the diametrically opposite side of the pan lid. In use, these permit single-handed straining of vegetables that have been cooked in the saucepan, simply by rotating one or other sets of perforations 14, until it is opposite a pouring lip (not shown) of the saucepan, and then draining the water from the saucepan through the perforations 14 or 15 and over that associated pouring lip.

The inter-engagement between the inwardly tapered bottom periphery of each pan and the conical portion 8c of the peripheral rim portion of the lid of the next larger pan in the set enables the saucepans to be easily and securely stored in a stack as viewed in Figures 1, 2 and 4. Each saucepan other than the largest is able to stand in a level condition on the platform area of the lid below, that platform area being recessed below the height of the top of the lid and surrounded by the peripheral annular retention portion 8 which prevents the saucepan from moving relative to that platform area and from sliding off the lid on which it is located.

The saucepans in the saucepan set of the invention have another very valuable and totally unpredictable advantage. It will be seen that each lid has a cover portion 7 which, because of its concave shape, causes any water condensing on the underside of the lid in use to drain towards the centre. This is in complete contrast with the conventional domed shape of a pan lid, which causes condensed water to drain to the outside. It has been found that this lid shape has surprising advantages. In the first place when the lid is removed there is less tendency for the condensed water on the underside of the lid to spill out to the side of the saucepan, so that the pans according to the invention involve less risk of scalding the user. Preferably the underside of the lid is coated with a non-stick coating which encourages condensed water to run to the centre of the lid. Secondly, it is believed that the lid shape promotes a more efficient heating of the contents of the saucepan. If, as in conventional saucepans, the water that condenses on the underside of the lid were to run to the outside of the pan, it would run down the metal sides of the pan before being returned to the cooking liquid in the saucepan. This acts to cool the outer wall of the saucepan above the level of the cooking liquid, and that in turn tends to cool slightly the remainder of the pan outer wall, giving less efficient heating of the pan contents than if there were no such outer wall cooling. According to the invention, the condensed liquid is returned to the centre of the saucepan, so that the above cooling of the pan outer wall does not take place.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A set of stackable saucepans comprising two or more saucepans of progressively decreasing diameter, wherein at least one of the saucepans has a lid defining a platform area for supporting a base of the next smaller saucepan in the set in a stable and level maimer when the saucepans are stacked one on top of the other, characterised in that the platform area is recessed below the height of the top of the lid, the platform area being surrounded by a peripheral annular retention portion sized and shaped to engage and locate the outer periphery of the base of the said next smaller saucepan in the set when that next smaller saucepan in the set is stacked thereon.
2. A set of stackable saucepans according to claim 1, wherein all but the smallest saucepan in the set have lids with peripheral annular retention portions around the platform areas sized and shaped to engage and locate the outer periphery of the base of the said next smaller saucepan in the set when that next smaller saucepan in the set is stacked thereon.
3. A set of stackable saucepans according to claim 2, wherein the smallest saucepan in the set has a similarly shaped lid.
4. A set of stackable saucepans according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each lid incorporates a lifting handle which is recessed below the top of the lid to a depth such that at least when a smaller pan in the set is stacked thereon the top of the handle is level with the bottom of the surrounding peripheral annular retention portion of that lid.
5. A set of stackable saucepans according to claim 4, wherein the or each lid comprises a cover portion for covering the top of the associated pan, and a peripheral rim portion around the outer edge of the cover portion for locating the lid over the top of its associated pan.
6. A set of stackable saucepans according to claim 5, wherein the cover portion of the or each lid is concave, the concavity of which creates the recess for the associated lifting handle.
7. A set of stackable saucepans according to claim 6, wherein the peripheral rim of the or each lid extends downwardly as a skirt around the cover portion of the lid to a depth level with or lower than the bottom of the concave cover portion.
8. A set of stackable saucepans according to claim 7, wherein the peripheral rim of the or each is perforated to create drainage holes for contents of the pan in use.
9. A set of stackable saucepans according to any of claims 5 to 8, wherein the cover portion of the or each lid is made of glass.
10. A set of stackable saucepans according to any of claims 5 to 8, wherein the cover portion of the or each lid is made of metal.