WO2011131929A1

WO2011131929A1 - Dual purpose board

Info

Publication number: WO2011131929A1
Application number: PCT/GB2011/000601
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andrew John Stokes; Mark Andrew Pilkington
Original assignee: Thesource (Uk) Ltd
Priority date: 2010-04-19
Filing date: 2011-04-18
Publication date: 2011-10-27

Abstract

The invention relates to dual purpose boards for domestic or professional use. Boards can serve a number of purposes in the kitchen or on the dining table, and the object of the invention is to provide a board able to serve the purpose of a chopping board and as a support for hot items. This objection is met by a construction comprising a first surface of a strength and/or character to suit its intended use and there being on a second surface of the board a heat resistant support member, whereby in a first disposition of the board the support member serves to hold the board against movement, and in a second, reversed disposition of the board the support member serves as a support for hot items place on the board.

Description

DUAL PURPOSE BOARD

This invention relates to dual purpose boards for domestic or professional use.

Boards can serve a number of purposes in the kitchen or at a dining table. Thus, the board can be heavy duty, and preferably but not exclusively of wood to serve as a chopping surface for food. It is equally so that boards can have shaped upper surfaces to provide pockets and the like to hold food or condiment items, with the intent that the board is placed on a dining table.

Particularly with chopping boards, and also with support boards, there is an advisability in having non-slip feet on the under surface of the board, to assist in maintaining the board in place during its use.

It is the object of the present invention to take boards of the type defined, and to render them capable of a second and different use.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a board for domestic or professional use has a first surface of a strength and/or character to suit its intended use and there being on a second surface of the board a heat resistant support member, whereby in a first disposition of the board the support member serves to hold the board against movement, and in a second, reversed disposition of the board the support member serves as a support for hot items place on the board. The support member may be a plain sheet of heat resistant material or may be patterned or may be formed with a series of protrusions.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, of independent significance a board for domestic or professional use has a first surface of a strength and/or character to suit its intended use, and there being a second surface of the board having a number of strategically positioned heat resistant support members protruding from the second surface, such that in a first disposition of the board the protruding support members serve as feet and in a second, reversed disposition of the board, the protruding support members serve as support members for items placed on the board. According to a third aspect of the present invention, of independent significance, a board for domestic or professional use has a first surface of a strength and/or character to suit its intended use and there being on a second surface of the board a number of strategically positioned studs of heat resistant material protruding from the second surface, which in a first disposition of the board, serve as feet and in second reversed disposition of the board serve as support members for items placed on the board.

Ideally, the support member or support members is/are formed of heat resistant plastics material with an adequate coefficient of friction to hold the board against movement when the support member(s) are lowermost, and with the board reversed hot cooking and/or serving dishes can be placed on the support(s) with the avoidance of damage to such as working surface in a kitchen or to the surface of a dining table.

With boards formed of wood, there is provided a considerable appeal to the eye, allowing the board to be positioned on a dining table, and shaped to allow the positioning of food and condiment items, and the board can be positioned on a table either for that purpose, or reversed to allow hot items to be placed on the supports. With chopping boards formed of an appropriate wood, the support(s) serve to hold the board in place whilst food is chopped, and when reversed, it also can be placed on a dining table to support hot items.

Whilst a number of heat resistant plastics materials can be used, a silicone based plastics is preferred to provide effective friction to prevent movement of the board and adequate heat resistance and allow effective support for hot items such as cooking dishes and tins, and serving bowls.

The boards of the invention can be of any peripheral shape such as round, square or rectangular, and the support(s) positioned on the base such as to provide effective support for the board, and effective support for hot items when the board is reversed.

Thus a board may have a required peripheral shape e.g. square, rectangular or circular etc, and when the support may be a sheet of heat resistant plastics material of a corresponding shape. The board of its required shape may have two or more elongate support members of heat resistant plastics material.

A circular board may have two or more support members, radially located and equally distanced around the base, and with square or rectangular boards a number of feet/supports may be elongate and disposed in parallel relationship over the base.

Equally, the board of its required shape may have three or more studs strategically positioned on the second surface, and the second surface may be provided with both studs and elongate support members.

Each elongate support may be of triangular cross-section, and located in a dovetail slot in the base of the board, and the studs may be set in and strategically positioned holes on the second surface of the board.

Several embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with respect to accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view from above of a first embodiment of board in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view from below of the board of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 is a side view of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a side view of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a perspective view from below of a second embodiment of board,

Figure 7 is a top plan view of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a side view of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is an underneath plan view of the board of Figures 6-8;

Figure 10 is a perspective view from below of a third embodiment of board,

Figure 11 is a top plan view of Figure 10;

Figure 12 is a side view of Figure 11 ;

Figure 13 is an underneath plan view of the board of Figures 10-12; Figure 14 is a perspective view from below of a fourth embodiment of board;

Figure 15 is a top plan view of Figure 1 ;

Figure 6 is a side view of Figure 5;

Figure 17 is an underneath plan view of the board of Figures 14-16;

Figure 18 is a perspective view from below of a fifth embodiment of board;

Figure 19 is a top plan view of Figure 18;

Figure 20 is a side view of Figure 19;

Figure 21 is an underneath plan view of the board of Figures 18-20;

Figure 22 is a perspective view from above of a sixth embodiment of the invention;

Figure 23 is a perspective view from below of Figure 22;

Figure 24 is a plan view of Figure 22;

Figure 25 is an underneath plan view of Figure 22;

Figure 26 is a side view of Figure 24;

Figure 27 is an end view of Figure 24;

Figure 28 is a perspective view from above of a seventh embodiment of the invention;

Figure 29 is a perspective view from below of Figure 28;

Figure 30 is a plan view of Figure 29;

Figure 31 is an underneath plan view of Figure 26;

Figure 32 is an end view of Figure 31 ; and

Figure 33 is a side view of Figure 31.

In Figures 1 to 5 a dual purpose board 1 is of a material suited to its intended use, i.e. wood when the board is to be a chopping board, with a first flat support surface 2. On the underside of the board, is an array of studs 3 set in a second under surface 4 of the board, the studs being formed from a suitable high friction heat resistant plastics material, such as silicone. This in its position as illustrated in Figure 1 , with the flat surface uppermost, the studs 3 serve as supports or feet and the nature of the plastics material from which they are formed provides a high friction effect to assist in the prevention of movement of the board as e.g. food is chopped. With the board reversed, as is shown in Figure 2, and the studs formed from an appropriate heat resistant plastics material, a hot item, such as a saucepan, tureen or serving bowel can be placed on the studs, this allowing hot items to be placed e.g. on a dining table, without risk of damage to the table surface.

In Figures 6 to 33, like parts are given like reference numerals where possible.

In Figures 6 to 9, a board 1 again with a chopping surface 2, has on its second surface, additional to the studs 3, support strips 5 of a high friction heat resistant plastics material are provided. The strips 5 are of triangular shape and fit in dovetail slots 6 in the second surface 4 of the board.

Figures 10 to 13 show a construction of board 1 again with a flat first surface 2, but which as the second surface has sheets 7 of an appropriate high friction heat resistant material that serves as supports, the board functioning as has been discussed above.

To enhance visual appearance, and as is illustrated in Figures 14 to 17, a board 1 , again with a flat surface 2 has on its second surface 4 a ring-like pattern of strips 8 of an appropriate high friction heat material to serve as a support, set in correspondingly shaped groves in the second surface, and for further stability, studs are provided at the corners of the second surface 4.

In Figures 18 to 21 is illustrated a board 1 of circular configuration, with a flat upper surface 2 and a lower surface 4 provided with an array of studs 3 strategically positioned across the surface 4.

Figures 22 to 27 show a similar circular board 1 , but with strips 5 of a high friction, heat resistant plastics radially disposed on the second surface 4 of the board 1 , and located in dovetail slots 6.

In Figure 28 to 33 a further embodiment of rectangular board 1 is shown, with a flat surface 2 to serve as a chopping board, and a second surface 4 provided with parallel disposed strips 5 of high friction high heat resistant material, extending inwards from opposite sides. It will readily be understood that the provision of a board that can be a chopping board, which can serve equally well as a trivet to support hot items, is highly advantageous to both professional and amateur users.

In the drawings, all boards are shown with a flat surface 2. It will be understood that it can equally be so that the surface 2 can be shaped - hollowed or provided with depressions - to allow products to be held in position, and provide e.g. a display means for food on a dining table, and with the second surface 4 following what is illustrated in Figures 1 to 33, such a board can serve the required second purpose of being a trivet.

Claims

1. A board for domestic or professional use characterised by a first surface (2) of a strength and/or character to suit its intended use and there being on a second surface (4) of the board a heat resistant support member (3, 5, 7), whereby in a first disposition of the board the support member serves to hold the board against movement, and in a second, reversed disposition of the board the support member serves as a support for hot items place on the board.

2. A board for domestic or professional use as in Claim 1 , characterised in that the support member is a plain sheet (7) of heat resistant material.

3. A board for domestic or professional use as in Claim 1 , characterised in that the support member is a sheet (7) of heat resistant material that is patterned or formed with a series of protrusions.

4. A board for domestic or professional use characterised by a first surface (2) of a strength and/or character to suit its intended use, and there being a second surface (4) of the board having a number of strategically positioned heat resistant support members (5) protruding from the second surface (4), such that in a first disposition of the board the protruding support members serve as feet and in a second, reversed disposition of the board, the protruding support members serve as support members for items placed on the board.

5. A board for domestic or professional use characterised by a first surface (2) of a strength and/or character to suit its intended use and there being on a second surface (4) of the board a number of strategically positioned studs (3) of heat resistant material protruding from the second surface, which in a first disposition of the board, serve as feet and in second reversed disposition of the board serve as support members for items placed on the board.

6. A board for domestic or professional use as in any of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the support member or support members (3, 5, 7) is/are formed of heat resistant plastics material with an adequate coefficient of friction to hold the board against movement when the support member(s) (3, 5, 7) are lowermost, and with the board reversed hot cooking and/or serving dishes can be placed on the support(s) (3, 5, 7) with the avoidance of damage to such as working surface in a kitchen or to the surface of a dining table.

7. A board for domestic or professional use as in any of Claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the first surface (2) of the board is formed from wood.

8. A board for domestic or professional use as in any of Claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the support members (3, 5, 7) on the second surface (4) of the board are formed from a silicone based plastics material.

9. A board for domestic or professional use as in Claim 4, characterised in that the board has two or more elongate members (5) of heat resistant plastics material.

10. A board for domestic or professional use as in Claim 5, characterised in that the board has three or more studs (3) on the second surface.

11. A board for domestic or professional use as in Claims 9 and 10, characterised in that the board on its second surface has a combination of elongate support members and studs.