GB2466014A - A cooking support unit for a microwave oven - Google Patents

Abstract

A freestanding meal stacking unit which can be placed in a microwave oven 8 for multiple simultaneous microwave oven cooking, includes vertically stacked horizontal surfaces 1,6 which can be two or more on which the meals to be cooked are placed. The base component 6 has a thickened central section 7 which rests within the microwave oven rotating plate 9 which causes the entire unit to rotate. Alternatively the unit can be used for cooking in microwave ovens without rotating plates. The multi-microwave oven unit can be manufactured as a single unit or as different connectable components with legs 5 which may be foldable inwardly for storage about hinges 2. The height between surfaces can be adjustable 4.

Description

Multi-microwave oven unit This invention relates to an external unit whichis able to simultaneously carry more than one separate dish, plate container of any kind for a single microwave oven cooking.

Microwave oven cooking is a household cooking approach used because of its speed, and as there are households with families andlor friends where a single oven could be required at a particular time, the multi-microwave oven unit will make it possible for more than one meal to be cooked at the same time and will ultimately help to reduce energy consumption.

However, the use of the conventional microwave oven with a single cooking chamber can present some difficulties. When there are is the need to cook more than one meal at a time and the chamber size compared to that of the meal to be cooked will have ample space and the microwave oven under utilized; the multi-microwave oven unit which has an adjustable vertical unit is used to stack the meals in two or more levels as long as sufficient space exist between the top of the uppermost meal and the roof of the cooking chamber, the multi-microwave oven unit is placed on the rotating plate of the microwave oven causing the unit which carries the meals to rotate during cooking.

The multi-microwave oven unit may consist of separate detachable components that are coupled before use or can be manufactured as a single monolithic or foldable unit and the number of levels can be two or more.

The invention which will be described by two or more levels, of detachable, foldable or fixed units, is exemplified but not limited to the two plate detachable unit with reference to the drawing in which: Figure 1 shows the 3D view of the detachable multi-,nicrowave oven unit standing freely, Figure 2 shows the 3D view of the fixed multi-microwave oven unit standing freely, Figure 3 shows the plan view of the upper level component of the multi-microwave oven unit, Figure 4 shows the plan view of the lower level component (base component) of the multi-microwave oven unit, Figure 5 shows the e'evation view of the multi-microwave oven unit, Figure 6 shows how the multi-microwave oven unit accommodates a large plate with a heaped meal and fits into a relatively small microwave oven.

In figure 1, the multi-microwave oven unit includes a vertical component 5 which supports the upper component 1 and transfers the weight to the lower component 6.

The upper component 1 and lower component 6 in this example are connected to the respective vertical components 5 using a hinge joint system 2 which enables the vertical components 5 to fold inwards for easy storage of the multi-microwave oven unit. The centre circular plate 7 for the lower component 6 has a diameter larger than that of the upper component 3, and also has a larger depth/thickness which helps the multi-microwave oven unit seat well in the rimmed rotating microwave oven plate 9.

For this particular detachable example, the vertical component 5 for the upper I and lower components 6 meets at the joint 4 and allows for height adjustments. The whole unit is made with microwavable material.

In figure 2, is an alternative design but has similar function to figure 1, where there are no joints but a single fixed unit where the upper 1 and lower level 6 components are rigidly connected to each other.

In figure 3 the upper level component 1 is relatively flat designed to support the meal or container to be cooked in the microwave oven, and can be of any shape other than the circular example in figure 3 and figure 4, In figure 4 the lower level component 6 serves similar function as figure 3 but in addition it has a thicker base unit 7 which provides contact with the microwave rotating plate 9 causing the entire multi-microwave oven unit and its content to rotate during the cooking process.

In figure 5, figure 1 is represented in elevation.

In figure 6, the multi-microwave oven unit is dimensioned to accommodate the large category of dinner set within the smallest microwave cooking oven chamber 8. As long as there is sufficient space between the top of the food being cooked and the microwave oven ceiling, larger microwave oven cooking chambers can allow more levels hence more plates other than the exemplified two level multi-microwave oven unit.

Claims (5)

1. Claims 1. A freestanding unit with horizontal flat surfaces stacked vertically having two or more levels to supports two or more meals for simultaneous multiple microwave oven cooking, the base component being made to rest on the microwave oven rotating plate hence causing the whole unit to rotate during cooking.
2. 2. The freestanding unit according to claim I can either come as a single fixed unit or separate dismantled units which is coupled to a single unit before use.
3. 3. The spaces between each stacked horizontal flat surfaces according to claim 1 can be adjustable in relation to each other.
4. 4. The freestanding unit according to claim 1 can also be used when cooking in microwave ovens without rotating plates.
5. 5. The freestanding unit according to claim 1 is made of any rigid or flexible material that can safely be used for microwave oven cooking.