Abstract:
A lid holder for a slow cooker appliance is described wherein the lid holder is mounted on the upper end of the heated housing of the appliance, with the lid holder having lid supports thereon to support the lid of the appliance when it is removed from the slow cooker.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates to a lid holder for a slow cooker appliance and more particularly to a lid holder which is attached to the slow cooker appliance for supporting the lid thereof when the lid is removed from the slow cooker. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Slow cookers, such as those marked by Sunbeam Products under the registered trademark Crock Pot® comprise a heated housing, a cooking container removably positioned in the heated housing, and a lid which is selectively removably mounted on the upper end of the cooking container. As the foodstuffs in the cooking container are cooked, it is frequently necessary to remove the lid to add further ingredients thereto or to stir the cooking foodstuffs. A problem associated with all the slow cookers of which the applicant is aware is where to place the lid when it is removed from the cooker. This problem is further complicated by the fact that the underside of the lid has condensation or moisture thereon which may drain onto a stovetop, a counter top, or the like if the lid is placed thereon. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key aspects or essential aspects of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, this Summary is not intended for use as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
         [0006]    A lid holder for a slow cooker appliance is described. The lid holder of this invention is selectively removably secured to a prior art slow cooker. The prior art slow cooker normally comprises a heated housing, a cooking container removably positioned in the heated housing, and a lid which is selectively removably mounted on the upper end of the cooking container. The lid holder of this invention includes an upper end, a lower end, and opposite sides. A support member is provided at the upper end of the holder and extends upwardly therefrom. A pair of horizontally spaced-apart support members are provided at the lower end of the lid holder and have an inverted U-shaped clip positioned therebetween at the upper ends thereto. A pair of U-shaped lid supports are provided on the lid holder on the opposite sides of the lower end of the upper support member. 
         [0007]    In use, before the cooking container is placed in the heated housing, the lid holder is secured to the upper end of the heated housing by extending the inverted U-shaped clip downwardly over the upper rim of the heated housing. The cooking container is then placed in the heated housing with the cooking container resting upon the inverted U-shaped clip. During the cooking of foodstuffs within the cooking container, the lid is positioned on the upper end thereof. When it is desired to remove the lid from the cooking container, the lid is placed on the lid holder with the spaced-apart lid support receiving and supporting the peripheral edge of the lid. Should condensation or moisture drain from the underside of the lid while it is supported by the lid holder, the moisture will drain back into the interior of the cooking container. 
         [0008]    It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide a lid holder for a slow cooker appliance. 
         [0009]    A further object of the invention is to provide a lid holder for a slow cooker appliance wherein any condensation or moisture draining from the underside of the lid while it is being supported by the lid holder will drain back into the interior of the cooking container of the cooking appliance. 
         [0010]    A further object of the invention is to provide a lid holder for a slow cooker appliance which is convenient and safe to use. 
         [0011]    A further object of the invention is to provide a lid holder for a slow cooker which may be placed in the interior of the slow cooker when not being used. 
         [0012]    These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified. 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the lid holder of this invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating the lid holder mounted on a slow cooker appliance; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating the lid holder of this invention supporting a lid which has been removed from a slow cooker; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a partial sectional view illustrating the manner in which the lid holder is mounted on the slow cooker and manner in which the lid holder supports the lid; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view illustrating the lid holder of this invention placed within the slow cooker when it is not being used. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0019]    Embodiments are described more fully below with reference to the accompanying figures, which form a part hereof and show, by way of illustration, specific exemplary embodiments. These embodiments are disclosed in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. However, embodiments may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense in that the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims. 
         [0020]    The numeral  10  refers to a conventional slow cooker such as marketed by Sunbeam Products. Slow cooker  10  includes a housing  12  having a base or bottom  14  and a side wall  16  extending upwardly therefrom. Side wall  16  normally includes an outer side wall  18  and an inner side wall  20 . A heating element is usually enclosed in the base  14  as well as between the side walls  18  and  20 . Base  14  and side wall  16  define a heating cavity  22 . Side wall  16  includes an upper rim  24  having an annular recess  26  formed therein. 
         [0021]    The numeral  28  refers to a conventional cooking container having a bottom and a side wall  32  extending upwardly therefrom. Side wall  32  includes an upper rim  34  with an outwardly projecting lip  36 , a lid receiving recess  38 , and handles  40  and  42 . Container  28  is sized and shaped so as to be received within the heating cavity  22 . Housing  12  and container  28  may be cylindrical or oval in shape. 
         [0022]    The numeral  44  refers to a lid or cover having a peripheral edge  46  and a handle or knob  48 . Lid  44  is adapted to be received within the lid receiving recess  38  in conventional fashion. For purposes of description, lid  44  will be described as having an inner surface and an outer surface. 
         [0023]    The numeral  50  refers to the lid holder of this invention. Lid holder  50  is preferably comprised of a heat resistant plastic material such as polyethylene or the like but which may also be formed from a metal material such as steel or aluminum. Preferably, lid holder  50  is of single-piece construction. Lid holder  50  includes an upper support member  52  and lower support members  54  and  56 . Lid holder  50  also includes an inverted, generally U-shaped clip  58  positioned between lower support members  54  and  56  as seen in the drawings. As seen in  FIG. 1 , lid holder  50  also includes a pair of generally U-shaped lid supports  60  and  62  which extend outwardly and slightly upwardly from opposite sides of the lower portion of upper support member  52 . 
         [0024]    The lid holder  50  is used as follows: Prior to positioning the cooking container  28  in the heating cavity  22  of housing  12 , the lid holder  50  is secured to the upper rim  24  of side wall  16  by positioning the clip  58  over the upper rim  24  with the lower support members  54  and  56  being positioned outwardly of the exterior surface of side wall  16  and being in engagement therewith. Cooking container  28  is then positioned in heating cavity  22  so that the underside of lip  36  rests upon the upper rim  24  of housing and on the upper portion of clip  58 . The placement of the cooking container  28  on clip  58  serves to stabilize the lid holder to maintain it in position. 
         [0025]    The ingredients to be cooked will then be placed in the cooking container  28  if not already positioned therein. Lid  44  is then placed over the cooking container  28  so that the peripheral edge  46  of lid  44  is received by the lid receiving recess  38 . The slow cooker is then used in conventional fashion to cook the foodstuffs in cooking container  28 . When the cook wishes to stir the contents in container  28 , the cook grasps the handle or knob  48  of lid  44  and places the lid  44  on the lid holder  50 . The lid  44  is supported by the lid holder  50  by placing the peripheral edge  46  of the lid  44  into the lid supports  66  and  68  so that the interior surface of lid  44  is facing the slow cooker. In such a position, the lid  44  is also supported by the engagement thereof with the upper support member  52 . In its held position, the lower interior end of the lid  44  will be positioned slightly above the lid receiving recess  38  so that any condensation draining from the lid  44  will drain back into the interior of the cooking container  28 , as seen in  FIG. 4 . The lid holder provides a convenient and safe means for holding the lid  44  during the times when the lid  44  is removed from the cooking container. 
         [0026]    Although the invention has been described in language that is specific to certain structures and methodological steps, it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific structures and/or steps described. Rather, the specific aspects and steps are described as forms of implementing the claimed invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be practiced without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.