WO2002051210A1

WO2002051210A1 - Microwave oven food-stirrer

Info

Publication number: WO2002051210A1
Application number: PCT/GB2001/005553
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Mark Greenstreet
Original assignee: David Mark Greenstreet
Priority date: 2000-12-21
Filing date: 2001-12-13
Publication date: 2002-06-27
Also published as: EP1348317B1; GB0031231D0; GB2370240A; AU2002222227A1; DE60118610D1; US20040025706A1; EP1348317A1; GB2370240B; US7022956B2; ATE322804T1

Abstract

A devise which makes use of the relative motion of a rotary plate inside a microwave oven for stirring food stuffs in a microwave oven so that an even heat distribution throughout the food is facilitated. The device consists of a Roof-Rail, a Roof-Fitting, and Stirring Implements and where necessary may employ a food receptacle securing method. The device is shown at Figure 7 of the attached drawings.

Description

POTT!?-. 01/05553

A CLASSIFICATION OF SUBJECT MATTER

IPC 7 H05B6/80

According to International Patent Classification (IPC) or to both national classification and IPC

B FIELDS SEARCHED

Minimum documentation searched (classification system followed by classification symbols)

IPC 7 H05B

Documentation searched other than minimum documentation to the extent that such documents are included in the fields searched

Electronic data base consulted during the international search (name of data base and here practical search terms used)

EPO-Internal , PI Data, PAJ

C DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED TO BE RELEVANT

Category " Citation of document with indication where appropnate of the relevant passages Relevant to claim No

EP 0312 373 A (RAYTHEON CO) 1-5

19 April 1989 (1989-04-19) col umn 4 , l ine 40 -col umn 6 , l i ne 56; figure 6

WO 93 10648 A (JANNAWAY JOHN ;WOODMAN 1,2 DAVID GUY (GB)) 27 May 1993 (1993-05-27) page 2 , l i ne 24 -page 3, l i ne 12; fi gures 1 ,2, 5

GB 2 159 027 A (THORN EMI DOMESTIC 1-4 APPLICANCES) 20 November 1985 (1985-11-20) page 1 , l i ne 62 -page 2, l i ne 35 ; figures 1 ,2

Further documents are listed in the continuation of box C Patent family members are listed in annex

' Special categories of cited documents

"T" later document published after the international filing date or pnonty date and not in conflict with the application but

"A" document defining the general state of the art which is not cited to understand the principle or theory underlying the considered to be of particular relevance invention

Ε^* earlier document but published on or after the international "X" document of particular relevance the claimed invention filing date cannot be considered novel or cannot be considered to

'L' document which may throw doubts on pnoπty claimfs) or involve an inventive step when the document is taken alone which is cited to establish the publication date of another "Y" document of particular relevance the claimed invention citation or other special reason (as specified) cannot be considered to involve an inventive step when the

O" document referring to an oral disclosure use exhibition or document is combined with one or more other such docuother means ments such combination being obvious to a person skilled

"P" document published prior to the international filing date but in the art laterthan the priority date claimed "&" document member of the same patent family

Date of the actual completion of the international search Date of mailing of the international search report

5 March 2002 18/03/2002

Name and mailing address of the ISA Authorized officer

European Patent Office P B 5818 Patentlaan 2 NL - 2280 HV Rijswijk Tel (+31-7'0) 3 0-20₄0 Tx 31 651 epo nl Fax (+31-70) 3*10-3016 Fritsch, K

Form POT/ISA/210 (second -heat) (July 1S92) PCT/SB 01/05553

C.(Continuation) DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED TO BE RELEVANT

Category ° Citation of document, with indication.where appropriate, of the relevant passages Relevant to claim No.

GB 2 300 095 A (YINN HAUR CO LTD) 1,2

23 October 1996 (1996-10-23) page 3, line 6 -page 4, line 24; figures

2,3

GB 2 322 271 A (JONES RONALD MARTIN) 19 August 1998 (1998-08-19) figures 1,2

Form PCT/ISA 210 (coπtinualion of second sheet) (July 1992) PCT/ B 01/05553

Patent document Publication Patent family Publication cited in search report date member(s) date

EP 0312373 19-04-1989 CA 1286659 Al 23-07-1991 EP 0312373 Al 19-04-1989 JP 1131823 A 24-05-1989 US 4904834 A 27-02-1990

WO 9310648 A 27-05-1993 AU 2928692 A 15-06-1993 EP 0612462 Al 31-08-1994 WO 9310648 Al 27-05-1993

GB 2159027 A 20-11-1985 NONE

GB 2300095 A 23-10-1996 NONE

GB 2322271 A 19-08-1998 NONE

Form PCT/ISA 210 (patent family annax) (July 1992)

Claims

1

MICROWAVE OVEN FOOD-STIRRER

DESCRIPTION

1. This invention relates to a food-stirring device for use with microwave ovens (hereafter referred to as a Microwave Oven Food-Stirrer).

BACKGROUND

2. It has been known for some time that the distribution of energy within a microwave oven is not uniform. There have been several developments in microwave technology to try to overcome the inconveniences this causes with microwave cooking (a rotary plate being one of them). However, it is still a fact today that when heating or cooking a dish that requires an even distribution of heat, the cooking period must be interrupted regularly in order to disperse the energy by manual means (ie dishes need a good stir every now and then!).

3. The idea of a Microwave Oven Food-Stirrer was born from the fact that while cooking or re-heating any of several food types in a microwave oven, there is a need to return to the oven periodically to stir the food in order to ensure that it is cooked/re-heated evenly. A microwave oven capable of stirring the food itself would give a far more even distribution of energy throughout the food during the cooking/re-heating period, reduce the cooking time required and allow the cooking period to be continuos (a procedure recommended for best results in most dishes). Other benefits of the incorporation of such a device may include the energy saving realized by the uninterrupted microwave function, the saving on the ware of microwave components realized by the same and the reduced tendency to destroy health-giving nutrients within food stuffs through over cooking.

4. A Microwave Oven Food-Stirrer is one method to facilitate this function. While this invention would be easy to incorporate into the design of a new oven, to be included during manufacture, it is designed primarily as an accessory (a separate stand-alone enhancement) to any existing microwave oven which incorporates a rotary plate.

PURPOSES

5. Primary. The primary purpose of this invention is to enhance the distribution of heat through food which being cooked or heated in a microwave oven.

6. Secondary. A secondary purpose is to provide a stirring or whisking capability during the process of microwave cooking.

METHOD

7. The method by which the purposes of this invention are met is through use of the internal rotary plate (Item 6) of a microwave oven to provide rotation of the food/beverage, while a stationary stirring implement placed into the food/beverage creates a relative stirring/mixing action through it. 2

DETAILS

8. Specific details of the invention are as follows: a. All constituent parts of the invention would need to be manufactured in a microwave-proof material. b. The main constituent parts of the invention are:

(1) Roof-Rail.

(2) Roof-Fittings.

(3) Stirring Implement. (4). Adhesive.

9. Roof-Rail (Figure 1, Item 1 . The Roof-Rail is an T sectioned strip which is secured to the roof (Item 14) of the microwave oven on a radial from its centre using adhesive. Ideally Roof Rails would be positioned on the roof along the radial running perpendicular to the back wall of die oven, from the back wall to just beyond the centre. Along the Roof-Rail would slide a Roof-Fitting (Figure 1, Item 2). While the Roof-Rail could be fitted retrospectively to any microwave oven using suitable adhesive, ideally, it would be incorporated into the microwave oven design during manufacture. (The Roof-Rail and Roof-Fitting are shown in clear detail at Figure 2).

10. Roof-Fitting (Figure 1. Item 2). Roof-Fittings are designed to ride snugly along the Roof-Rail (Item 1) and incorporate a female 'bayonet' type fitting to receive Stirring Implements (Item 3). The bayonet fitting would be position to be facing the front of the oven for ease of insertion of Stirring Implements. Roof fittings would vary in length to cater for different sized ovens and to vary the depth of a Stirring Implement within the food/receptacle (Item 4). The varied positioning of a Roof-Fitting along the Roof-Rail would allow the Microwave Oven Food-Stirrer to be located in a position to provide an optimum stirring capabihty within different sized receptacles. (The Roof-Rail and Roof-Fitting are shown in clear detail at Figure 2).

12. Stirring Implement (Figure 1. Item 3 (Figures 4. & 5 Items 6. 7. 8. 9. 10 & 111 Stirring Implements have a male 'bayonet' type fitting incorporated into their design for attachment to Roof Fittings. Male bayonet fittings would be positioned so that on connection to the female, the Stirring Implement is angled within the food/receptacle for optimum stirring capabihty. Stirring Implements are designed for different mixing/stirring functions and different sized receptacles/bowls. Generally, they are contoured to the walls of different receptacle types in order to provide optimum stirring capabihty and bring the hotter food toward the centre - see Figure 3. Of the numerous Stirring Implement design options, some are a 'Whisk- type' (Figure 4, Item 6), 'Fork-type' (Figure 4, Item 7), 'Wave-type' (Figure 4, Item 8), and 'Concave-type' implements (Figure 4, Item 9). More complex 'aerodynamic' type designs, such as those shown in Figure 5, Items 10 and 11, are other options for achieving a more even distribution of heat through the food/beverage.

13. Optional Constituent Parts/Design Features. To further enhance the effectiveness of the Mcrowave Oven Food-Stirrer, a niunber of optional constituent parts/design features may be considered as additions to its fundamental design. These are: a. Rotary Plate Non-Slip Mat (not shown . To ensure that the food receptacle maintains its rotation with the rotary plate while using the Microwave Oven Food Stirrer, a Non-Slip Mat may be placed between the food receptacle and rotary plate. b. Secure Bowl and Rotary Plate (Figure 6. Items 12 and 13). To further ensure that the food receptacle maintains its rotation with the rotary plate while using the Microwave Oven Food Stirrer, a rotary plate and bowl with inter-locking troughs and studs (tines) as shown at Figure 7 may be used. c. Variable-Speed Rotary Plate. Designing the rotary plate so that it could rotate at various speeds would permit varying speeds of stirring action. Different speeds may be optimised for different food/beverage types. (For a fast rotation, it would be necessary to incorporate a receptacle securing method such as either of those described in paragraphs 13a and 13b above). d. Secondary Rotation. To enhance the stirring/whisking effect, the Microwave Oven Food Stirrer, as an integral part of a microwave oven, could be designed to rotate through its 'point of contact' with the oven roof. (In this case, the Roof-Rail would not feature as part of the item).

14. The complete assembly is shown at Figure 7.

1. A device for stirring food in a Microwave Oven comprising Roof-Rails, Roof-Fittings, Stirring Implements, adhesive and as an additional consideration, a non-shp mat or secure bowl to rotary plate assembly.

2. A device for stirring food in a microwave oven as claimed in Claim 1 for which the method of stirring is provided by the relative motion of the device in relation to the food/beverage which is rotated in a receptacle by use of an oven's internal rotary plate.

3. A device for stirring food in a microwave oven as claimed in Claim 1 and 2 for which the effectiveness may be increased by varying the speed of the rotary plate of a microwave oven so as to vary the speed of the relative motion of the device through the food/beverage in which it is placed.

4. A device for stirring food in a microwave oven as claimed in Claim 1, 2 and 3 for which the purposes are to enhance the distribution of heat througli food which is being cooked or heated and/or to provide a stirring or whisking capability during the process of microwave cooking.

5. A device for stirring food in a microwave oven as described herein with reference to Figures 1 - 7 of the accompanying drawing.