GB2561850A

GB2561850A - Feature for an oven tray

Info

Publication number: GB2561850A
Application number: GB1706492.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Alexander Mathew; James Brown Morgan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2017-04-24
Filing date: 2017-04-24
Publication date: 2018-10-31
Also published as: GB201706492D0

Abstract

An oven tray may be used to grill elongate food items such as sausages. The tray has flat perimeter flange 01 with at least one trough having a V profile or depression 02 to receive a cylindrical item of food 04 therein. The trough has end walls 03 and may also be U shape in profile Fig 4, 07. In use a gap Fig 4, 06 may exist under the item of food allowing liquid to run off and may be interconnected with passages Fig 6, 8 that may link a plurality troughs together. A flat surface 9 may have a series of ridges 10 crossing it on which foodstuffs may be placed. An insulated handle 12, 13 may engage with a handle slot 11. A transparent or clear lid 14, having a handle 16 and a series of ventilation slots or holes 15 may be placed over the tray.

Description

(54) Title of the Invention: Feature for an oven tray

Abstract Title: Oven tray for cooking elongated food items (57) An oven tray may be used to grill elongate food items such as sausages. The tray has flat perimeter flange 01 with at least one trough having a V profile or depression 02 to receive a cylindrical item of food 04 therein. The trough has end walls 03 and may also be U shape in profile Fig 4, 07. In use a gap Fig 4, 06 may exist under the item of food allowing liquid to run off and may be interconnected with passages Fig 6, 8 that may link a plurality troughs together. A flat surface 9 may have a series of ridges 10 crossing it on which foodstuffs may be placed. An insulated handle 12, 13 may engage with a handle slot 11. A transparent or clear lid 14, having a handle 16 and a series of ventilation slots or holes 15 may be placed over the tray.

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Feature for an oven tray

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to oven trays more specifically, this invention relates to oven trays for cooking elongated food items such as sausages.

BACKGROUND

Conventional methods of cooking elongated foods in an oven may be to use a flat oven tray, where some foods may undesirably rotate or move around when trying to manually position them in order to achieve an even cook. Due to the difficulty in rotating elongated foods during cooking, foods could be incorrectly cooked, cooked on one side but undercooked on the other, cooked on one side but overcooked on the other or give the appearance of being cooked incorrectly. Some elongated food items may also start off straight before cooking, however, warping or curvature may occur during the cooking process further compounding the difficulty in achieving an even cook. Though a stable position for the food item may be achieved by resting other elongated food items together, the tray may distort under heat and the elongated food items can then roll, move or rotate undesirably, without the user being made aware. One possibility to get around the problem may be to mould metal foil into a shape that will create a feature to prevent undesired movement or rotation. This method is wasteful as the metal foil would usually be thrown away after one use. Another method would be to use an apparatus made up of at least two components. The components that make the apparatus may be; a flat oven tray with walls at the edges; and a separate rack formed from a plurality of metallic rods or wires arranged parallel to each other that are attached to a frame which locates inside or on the flat oven tray. This apparatus provides a feature that can prevent movement and rotation of the food item when arranged parallel to the rods or wires, however this apparatus does not cater well to ease of cleaning and has great complexity, which is due to the material and manufacturing processes required to produce, predominantly driven by the requirement of this apparatus having more than one component.

It is also known to provide an oven tray with shallow indentations that allow air flow between the food and the tray. These indentations have flat surfaces at their base such that when a food item falls in, it is not held from rolling around in the tray.

It is also known to provide a cooking pan with ridges, in this, these ridges are provided to char lines across one item of food and are not alignment features. Similarly to other oven trays, these ridges have a flat bottom that does not provide a means to prevent food items from moving undesirably.

It is also known to provide an insert for a standard flat baking tray, where the said insert may be made from silicon. The insert has a large flat rectangular base with a plurality of small pyramids that allow a gap for air and liquids to reside during cooking of food items when food items are placed on top of the insert. The pyramid features of the insert may provide limited support to prevent rolling or movement of elongated food items but does not provide a feature that would contain liquids. Liquids may be contained when the insert and a standard tray are used together however this means two components are required meaning more cleaning and material is needed.

The present invention relates to an oven tray that at least mitigates one or more of the problems of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Provided herein, an oven tray for cooking food items, said tray being formed with at least one feature for securing a food item, said feature being elongate and having a predominantly uniform V shaped cross-section. The V shaped cross-section provides a first face and a second face for contacting the food item and an intersection corner between the first and second faces. The V shaped cross section has a surface at each end that forms at least one trough.

In particular, the primary function of the trough feature is to provide bidirectional location of food items placed in the feature in the horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the direction of the food item that is elongate. This describes that bidirectional location of the food item is only achieved in one degree of freedom when considering that one of the axis is assigned to the elongate direction of the food item. A degree of freedom relates to the linear motion parallel to either of the three axis described by the Cartesian coordinate system in three dimensions, or rotation about either of these axes where the origin can be described as any point of the said invention. Bidirectional location relates to the inability of movement in either the positive or negative directions in linear motion or in rotation. Unidirectional location would relate to the inability of movement in a direction, wherein the opposite direction would be free for the object to move in. Unidirectional location of food items on the tray is achieved in the axis the gravity acts in and hereon in will be referred to as the vertical axis. The plane that contains both the axis perpendicular to the vertical axis form a plane that will be referred to hereon in as the horizontal plane. Bidirectional freedom relates to the ability to move in both the positive and negative directions of a degree of freedom. Bidirectional freedom is substantially present in the direction of the food item that is elongate.

Further, the trough allows for liquids involved in cooking to be contained within the tray to help the oven from becoming dirty. The V shaped cross section allows for liquids to be directed into the trough. One benefit this provides is that oil or fat is less likely to build up around the food items thereby allowing for easier separation of the food item from the oven tray when the food item has been suitably cooked. It is desired that in use a void exists below the food item this void being suitable to drain any liquid that may come from the food item during cooking, for example, oil from sausages. In some cases, this is preferable due to some health benefits that exist from not cooking food in liquids such as fat or oil that may be involved in cooking or that may be expelled from food items such as sausages.

It is envisaged that the first and second surfaces that form the V shape cross section could also form a U shape cross section of which forms a U shaped trough feature. The U shaped surfaces may be formed of multiple curves using more than one magnitude of radius or be a single uniform curve of a single magnitude of radius, the radius of which being smaller than the radius of the food item to be cooked so that a void will exist between the food item and the tray.

It is also desired that in use the uppermost of the food item is not below the highest vertical point of the trough. Further, it is desired that a vertical mid-point in the height of the food item is not within the trough. The need for the food item to project above the tray is so that it can be held in place by the trough but still be accessed by tongs used to turn the food items when needed. This also allows for the food item to be inspected without having to remove it from the oven tray to determine if it has been adequately cooked.

Further, the said invention is reduced in complexity as it can be formed of one part. The oven tray may be created using a press using one or more stages to realise a flat section of sheet metal into the described invention. The tray may be formed using a casting process. Alternatively, the oven tray may be produced with silicone rubber through a moulding process. A further alternative is that the invention may be made of a low thermal expansion glass wherein the described invention may be blown, rolled or pressed into shape under heat. An alternative manufacturing process to realise this invention would be through fabrication but this is not preferred.

The geometry of the oven tray also typically lends itself to having a handle from which the tray can be lifted from. This handle may simply be an extension of the of the flange surface, it may be in the form of a tube that is attached to the oven tray can be gripped or it may be in the form of a detachable handle so that it will not reach elevated temperatures whilst cooking the food items. The handle may be formed of one or more materials that that have thermally insulative properties in order to prevent burns to a user or an insulative material may be wrapped around a handle where it will act as a shield between the user and any thermally conductive materials. There may also being more than one handle that can be attached to the oven tray for greater user control particularly in cases in industry where large trays may be required. This might mean there are two handles on one side of the tray, one or more handles on each opposing side, one or more handles on one side and one or more handles on a neighbouring side, handles on three sides or handles on each side of a polygon. Non-stick coatings may also be used to further aid the ability to separate the food item from the oven tray and aid cleaning. Additionally, the trough feature can provide increased geometric stiffness of the tray, so that it is less likely to bend or warp under heating or when handled or stored. Food items such as sausages can benefit from this feature by remaining straight at the end of cooking when positioned in the feature, which can be advantageous for maintaining a high quality presentation of food. The oven tray may comprise of a plurality of troughs where each trough may be capable of locating more than one food item so that it is suitable for large batches of food items to be cooked at once for industrial purposes. The oven tray may form part of a mass production oven that attaches to a conveyor belt and may also connect to other oven trays of the same design using hooks, pins or tabs. The oven tray may also be designed to fit the shelf slots on the internal sides of a conventional home or industrial oven.

Further, in an embodiment where a plurality of troughs are present in the oven tray, passages may be used that link two or more troughs to provide a feature that can help alleviate the height of the liquids in the said troughs through utilisation of a neighbouring trough. These passages may also aid the ability to grip food items using tongs which may also allow the food item to be lower in the oven tray trough.

It is envisaged that the oven tray may also have a lid to prevent liquids involved in cooking spitting from the tray to a user or the inside of an oven. The could prevent injuries to people and cleaning of the inside of an oven. The lid may also have vents to prevent a build-up of gas pressure. The lid may be transparent or translucent so that food items can be inspected during cooking. The lid would typically have a handle which would be attached to the lid. The lid handle may be detachable and it may also have a thermally insulative grip to prevent burns to the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1. Illustrates a schematic perspective view of an

	oven tray with a V shaped trough according to a first embodiment of the present invention,
FIGURE 2.	Illustrates a cross section view of the oven tray with a V shaped trough according to the first embodiment of the present invention,
FIGURE 3.	Illustrates a schematic perspective view of the oven tray with a U shaped trough according to a second embodiment of the present invention,
FIGURE 4.	Illustrates a cross section view of the oven tray with a U shaped trough according to the second embodiment of the present invention,
FIGURE 5.	Illustrates a schematic perspective view of the oven tray with a plurality of V shaped troughs according to a third embodiment of the present invention,
FIGURE 6.	Illustrates a schematic perspective view of the oven tray with a plurality of V shaped troughs

with passages according to a forth embodiment

FIGURE 7.

of the present invention, Illustrates a schematic perspective view of the oven tray with a V shaped trough and a large

flat surface according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIGURE 8. Illustrates a schematic perspective view of the oven tray with a V shaped trough and a large flat surface with ridges according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIGURE 9. Illustrates a schematic perspective view of the oven tray with a V shaped trough, a large flat surface with ridges according and a handle to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIGURE 10. Illustrates a schematic perspective view of the oven tray with a V shaped trough, a large flat surface with ridges according, a handle and a lid to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention, where there is a trough with a V shaped cross section (02) in the elongated direction. At each end of the V shaped cross section is a trough end wall (03). At the top most edges of the trough are outward facing flange surfaces (01) .

Figure 2 shows the first embodiment as a cross section view. An elongated food item (04) placed in part or in full below the upper most height of the tray in the V shaped cross section (02) will contact the oven tray such that no contact area between the oven tray and the food item is parallel to the horizontal plane. Bidirectional location is achieved as neither of the resultant reaction forces exerted onto the food item (04) from either of the faces of the V shaped cross section (02) are parallel to the direction that the elongated object's weight acts in. The resultant reaction force relates to the force that resists the applied force that a food item (04) placed in the trough exerts onto the tray for a single contact due to the contact between the food item and the oven tray, wherein the resultant reaction force may be formed as a vector from a combination of component forces in the three main axis described by the Cartesian coordinate system. A V shaped cross section is expected to have at least two contacts and each will have a resultant reaction force. The V shaped trough allows for liquids involved in cooking to be directed to the gap (06) to be collected such that the liquids do not remain in contact with the food item (04). Fillet radii (05) transition between the V shaped cross section (02), the flange surfaces (01), and the trough end walls (03) to alleviate handling and manufacture issues. This embodiment is preferably manufactured as a single entity for reduced complexity by means of a metal pressing in one or more stages. This manufacturing method is preferred over fabrication methods as it negates the need to ensure that liquids will not leak from the trough when the oven tray is orientated horizontally.

Figure 3 is a further embodiment that is according to the embodiment described with Figure 1 and 2 but is characterised in that the trough has a U shaped cross section (07) in the elongated direction. At each end of the U shaped cross section (07) are trough end walls (03) . At the top most edges of the trough are outward facing flange surfaces (01).

Figure 4 shows the embodiment of figure 3 as a cross section view. Similarly to the first embodiment, an elongated food item (04) placed in part or in full below the upper most height of the tray in the U shaped cross section (07) will contact the oven tray such that no contact area between the oven tray and the food item is parallel to the horizontal plane. Bidirectional location is achieved as neither of the resultant reaction forces exerted onto the food item (04) from either of the faces of the U shaped cross section (07) are parallel to the direction that the elongated object's weight acts in. The U shaped trough allows for liquids involved in cooking to be directed to the gap (06) to be collected such that the liquids do not remain in contact with the food item (04) . Fillet radii (05) are used to transition between the U shaped cross section (07), the trough end walls (03) and the flange surface (01) .

Figure 5 is another further embodiment of the present invention, where there is a plurality of troughs that each provide the functions described within other embodiments.

Figure 6 is yet another further embodiment of the present invention, where there are a plurality of troughs characterised in that there are one or more passages (08) that connect two or more of the troughs. The passages allow flow of liquids involved in cooking such that the height of the liquids can be equalised to prevent a food item (04) in one trough being partially submerged in the liquids.

Figure 7 is yet another further embodiment of the present invention, where there is a trough characterised in that there is also a large flat surface (09) forming a conventional oven tray that can be used to cook other food items .

Figure 8 is yet another further embodiment of the present invention, where the embodiment has the same features and functions as described in the embodiment of figure 7 but also has a large flat surface (09) having one or more ridges (10). The ridges can burn lines into food items for aesthetic purposes.

Figure 9 is yet another further embodiment of the present invention, where the embodiment has the same features and functions of any of the previously stated embodiments but also comprises; a handle slot (11), a handle (12) & a thermally insulative grip (13). The handle assembly (12 & 13) is detachable from the flange surface (01) to prevent the handle from heating up to elevated temperatures. The detachable handle also allows for the tray to be used in smaller ovens. The handle (12) may attach to the flange surface (01) by being fed though the handle slot (11) where the tray can then be lifted by means of the handle. The handle slot may be formed as part of the flange surface and there may also be more than one handle slot for more than one handle assembly to be attached to. The handle assembly has thermally insulative grip (13) for the user to grasp without being burnt where the thermally insulative grip may be formed from more than one thermally insulative material. An example material that the thermally insulative grip is made from is plastic or rubber.

Figure 10 is yet another further embodiment of the present invention, where the embodiment has the same features and functions of any of the previously stated embodiments but also comprises a lid (14). The lid encloses the oven tray such that food items (04) are contained whilst cooking. This can prevent liquids such as oil from spitting out from the tray which could cause injuries to users and also make the inside of ovens unclean. The lid may be clear so that food items can be inspected during cooking. The lid may have a location feature such that it does not fall off the tray when the tray is lifted or moved. The lid may have vents (15) to prevent a build-up of pressure. The lid may also have a handle (16) from which the lid can be lifted. The lid handle is likely attached to the lid but could be detachable .

List of reference numerals

Flange surface

V Shaped cross section

Trough end walls

Food item

Fillet radii

6 Gap

U Shaped cross section

Passage (s)

Large flat surface

Ridge (s)

Handle slot

Handle

Thermally insulative grip

Lid

Vents

Lid handle

Claims

1. A surface for cooking food on that has a feature of V or U shaped cross section (02, 07) in its elongated direction where each end of the cross section there are end walls (03) that form a trough, characterised in that an elongated food item (04) placed in the V or U shaped cross section (02, 07) will contact the oven tray such that no contact area between the oven tray and the food item is parallel to the horizontal plane.

2. A surface for cooking food on according to claim 1 wherein a portion of the food item (04) is above the highest point of the oven tray.

3. A surface for cooking food on according to claim 1 or 2 Wherein there is a gap (06) between the oven tray and the food item (04).

4. A surface for cooking food on according to any of the preceding claims wherein the said invention may include a plurality of troughs .

5. A surface for cooking food on according to claim 4 wherein a plurality of troughs are connected with a passage .

6. A surface for cooking food on according to claim 4 wherein a plurality of troughs are connected with a plurality of passages.

7. A surface for cooking food on according to any of the preceding claims wherein the said invention may contain one or more large flat horizontal cooking surfaces with walls (09) .

8. A surface for cooking food on according to claim 7 wherein the said invention may contain one or more large flat horizontal surfaces with walls (09), wherein the said flat horizontal surfaces have one or more ridges (10) .

9. A surface for cooking food on according to any of the preceding claims wherein the said invention may contain a handle.

10. A surface for cooking food on according to claim 1 to 9 wherein the said invention may contain more than one handle .

11. A surface for cooking food on according to claim 9 or 10 wherein the said invention may contain a handle that has a thermally insulative grip.

12. A surface for cooking food on according to claim 9 to 11 wherein the said invention may contain a handle that is detachable from the oven tray.

13. A surface for cooking food on according to any of the preceding claims wherein the said invention has a lid.

14. A surface for cooking food on according to claim 13 wherein the said invention has a lid that is transparent.

5

15. A surface for cooking food on according to claim 14 wherein the said invention has a lid that is translucent.

16. A surface for cooking food on according to claim 13 to

10 wherein the said invention has a lid with vents.

17. A surface for cooking food on according to claim 13 to wherein the said invention has a lid with a handle.

18. A surface for cooking food on according to claim 17 wherein the said invention has a lid with a handle where the handle has a thermally insulative grip.

Intellectual

Property

Office

Application Νo: GB 1706492.4