Abstract:
A pizza pan is disclosed including guidelines configured to aid in precisely cutting a pizza into slices with desired shapes. The pizza pan includes a flat base, vertical walls surrounding the flat base, a plurality of guidelines formed upon the flat base, and for each of the guidelines, a visible guideline locator situated upon one of the walls proximate to the guideline. The guidelines are configured to receive and guide a sharpened edge of a round pizza cutting tool as the tool cuts the pizza.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    This disclosure is related to a pan for cooking pizza, particularly to a pizza pan with guidelines facilitating precise cutting of the pizza. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure. Accordingly, such statements are not intended to constitute an admission of prior art. 
         [0003]    Pizza is cooked by placing rolled out pizza dough into a pan, applying toppings, and cooking the pizza in an oven. Once cooked, one uses a rolling pizza cutter to cut through the toppings and the dough. Precisely cutting a pizza can be difficult for an untrained worker. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    A pizza pan is disclosed including guidelines configured to aid in precisely cutting a pizza into slices with desired shapes. The pizza pan includes a flat base, vertical walls surrounding the flat base, a plurality of guidelines formed upon the flat base, and for each of the guidelines, a visible guideline locator situated upon one of the walls proximate to the guideline. The guidelines are configured to receive and guide a sharpened edge of a round pizza cutting tool as the tool cuts the pizza. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    One or more embodiments will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary pizza pan including guidelines formed in a flat base of the pan and visible guideline locators on walls of the pan, the guidelines including through slots in the flat base, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  illustrates the pizza pan of  FIG. 1  in close up, illustrating a guideline joining center located at a center of the flat base, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  illustrates an alternative exemplary pizza pan including guidelines formed in a flat base of the pan and visible guideline locators on walls of the pan, the guidelines including indented slots formed in the flat base, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  illustrates the pizza pan of  FIG. 3  in close up, illustrating an indented slot junction, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  illustrates an alternative exemplary pizza pan including guidelines formed in a flat base of the pan and visible guideline locators on walls of the pan, the guidelines including through slots in the flat base and a reinforced slot junction in a center of the pan, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  illustrates the pizza pan of  FIG. 5  in close up, illustrating the reinforced slot junction in detail, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  illustrates the pizza pan of  FIG. 1  including an exemplary visible guideline locator on a wall of the pan, the visible guideline locator including a cut out notch, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
           [0013]      FIG. 8  illustrates the pizza pan of  FIG. 1  including an exemplary visible guideline locator on a wall of the pan, the visible guideline locator including a V-shaped indentation, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
           [0014]      FIG. 9  illustrates the pizza pan of  FIG. 1  including an exemplary visible guideline locator on a wall of the pan, the visible guideline locator including a slot extending down a majority of the wall, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
           [0015]      FIG. 10  illustrates the pizza pan of  FIG. 1  including an exemplary visible guideline locator on a wall of the pan, the visible guideline locator including an indentation extending down a majority of the wall, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
           [0016]      FIG. 11  illustrates an exemplary alternative pizza pan including guidelines formed in a flat base of the pan and visible guideline locators on walls of the pan, the guidelines including through slots in the flat base where the guidelines extend up the walls and the ends of the slots extend high enough to form the visible guideline locators, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
           [0017]      FIG. 12  illustrates the pizza pan of  FIG. 11 , illustrating in close up detail the slots extending up the wall of the pan, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
           [0018]      FIGS. 13-17  illustrate exemplary pizza pans similar to the pizza pan of  FIG. 1 , with different pan profiles each including guidelines formed in a flat base of the pan and visible guideline locators on walls of the pan, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
           [0019]      FIG. 13  illustrates a pan in the form of a decagon; 
           [0020]      FIG. 14  illustrates a pan in the form of a circle; 
           [0021]      FIG. 15  illustrates a pan with a rectangular portion and a half of a decagon portion; 
           [0022]      FIG. 16  illustrates a pan with a rectangular portion and a hemispherical portion; 
           [0023]      FIG. 17  illustrates a pan with a square profile; 
           [0024]      FIGS. 18-21  illustrate exemplary profiles for guidelines, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
           [0025]      FIG. 18  illustrates the guideline of  FIG. 1  in profile; 
           [0026]      FIG. 19  illustrates the guideline of  FIG. 3  in profile; 
           [0027]      FIG. 20  illustrates an exemplary alternative guideline in profile including a machined V-shaped guideline; 
           [0028]      FIG. 21  illustrates an exemplary additional alternative guideline in profile including a pressed rounded guideline; 
           [0029]      FIG. 22  illustrates an exemplary pizza pan including a rectangular portion and a half of an octagon portion, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
           [0030]      FIG. 23  illustrates an exemplary pizza pan including a rectangular portion and a half of a decagon portion, in accordance with the present disclosure; and 
           [0031]      FIG. 24  illustrates an exemplary pizza pan including a rectangular portion and a half of a dodecagon portion, in accordance with the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0032]    A pizza pan configuration is disclosed including guidelines configured to aid in guiding a pizza cutter to precisely cut a pizza. Visible guideline locators are provided upon the pan, providing a user with an ability to easily locate a pizza cutter to guidelines located under the pizza. 
         [0033]    Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating certain exemplary embodiments only and not for the purpose of limiting the same,  FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary pizza pan including guidelines formed in a flat base of the pan and visible guideline locators on walls of the pan, the guidelines including through slots in the flat base. Pizza pan  10  is illustrated including a flat base  12  and raised walls  14  around a perimeter of the pan. Guidelines  20  are illustrated extending outwardly radially from a center of the pan. In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , guidelines  20  are through slots cut into, stamped from, or otherwise formed in flat base  12 . In the center of the pan, the slots of guidelines  20  stop at a set radius from the center of the pan. If the slots were cut all the way through the center of the pan, the pan would be weakened, and triangular shaped panels of the pan not joined at the center of the pan would quickly bend and deform. By ceasing the slots of guidelines at a set radius from the center of pan  10 , joining center  30  is formed, stabilizing pan  10  and joining the triangular portions of flat base  12 . Visible guideline locators  22  are illustrated, one atop wall  14  above each end of a guideline  20 . A user can use the guideline locators  22  to put a rolling pizza cutter into each of the guideline locators  22  and cut through the pizza. By doing so, the pizza cutter will be easily lined up to the guidelines  20  under the pizza. As the pizza cutter engages with the guidelines  20  and cuts through the pizza toward the center of the pan, the guidelines  20  keep the pizza cutter in precise alignment, forming pizza slices in the shapes of the guidelines formed upon pan  10 . 
         [0034]    In an alternative embodiment, visible guideline locators can be a mark upon the wall providing a visible indication of where the guideline is located without physically guiding a pizza cutter to the guideline. 
         [0035]    According to the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , a polygonal pizza pan can include guidelines extending from each of the angular wall junctions of the pan to a central guideline junction. 
         [0036]      FIG. 2  illustrates the pizza pan of  FIG. 1  in close up, illustrating a guideline joining center located at a center of the flat base. Guidelines  20  embodied as through slots end at a set distance from a center  32  of the pan. Joining center  30  is formed, wherein no slots are cut in the pan material, and the pan material is joined at the center. Joining center  30  is small enough that a pizza cutter rolling out of the slots would only create insignificant differences in pizza slice geometries at the center of the pizza. Joining center  30  can have any diameter. Non-limiting exemplary diameters run from 2 inches to 0.75 inches in diameter. 
         [0037]    The slots should be wide enough to accept a sharpened edge of a pizza cutter. Any exemplary width would be ⅛ of an inch. 
         [0038]      FIG. 3  illustrates an alternative exemplary pizza pan including guidelines formed in a flat base of the pan and visible guideline locators on walls of the pan, the guidelines including indented slots formed in the flat base. Pizza pan  110  is illustrated including a flat base  112  and raised walls  114  around a perimeter of the pan. Guidelines  120  are illustrated extending outwardly radially from a center of the pan. In the embodiment of  FIG. 3 , guidelines  120  are indentations or slots not going entirely through the flat base  112 . Guidelines  120  can be cut into, pressed into, or otherwise formed in flat base  112 . In the center of the pan, the slots of guidelines  120  run through and overlap at a center of the pan, forming an indented slot junction  130 . Visible guideline locators  122  are illustrated, one atop wall  114  above each end of a guideline  120 . A user can use the guideline locators  122  to put a rolling pizza cutter into each of the guideline locators  122  and cut through the pizza. By doing so, the pizza cutter will be easily lined up to the guidelines  120  under the pizza. As the pizza cutter engages with the guidelines  120  and cuts through the pizza toward the center of the pan, the guidelines  120  keep the pizza cutter in precise alignment, forming pizza slices in the shapes of the guidelines formed upon pan  110 . 
         [0039]      FIG. 4  illustrates the pizza pan of  FIG. 3  in close up, illustrating an indented slot junction. Guidelines  120  embodied as indentations pressed or cut into pan  110 . Indented slot junction  130  is formed, wherein the indented slots forming guidelines  120  overlap. 
         [0040]    The indented slots should be wide enough to accept a sharpened edge of a pizza cutter. Any exemplary width would be  1 / 8  of an inch. 
         [0041]      FIG. 5  illustrates an alternative exemplary pizza pan including guidelines formed in a flat base of the pan and visible guideline locators on walls of the pan, the guidelines including through slots in the flat base and a reinforced slot junction in a center of the pan. Pizza pan  210  is illustrated including a flat base  212  and raised walls  214  around a perimeter of the pan. Guidelines  220  are illustrated extending outwardly radially from a center of the pan. In the embodiment of  FIG. 5 , guidelines  220  are through slots cut into, stamped from, or otherwise formed in flat base  212 . In the center of the pan, the slots of guidelines  220  overlap through a center of the pan. Reinforced slot junction  230  is illustrated including the slots of the guidelines  220  overlapping and with additional material added or formed upon an underside of the pan joining the triangular sections of the pan together. 
         [0042]      FIG. 6  illustrates the pizza pan of  FIG. 5  in close up, illustrating the reinforced slot junction in detail. Guidelines  220  embodied as through slots cut or formed into pan  210 . Reinforced slot junction  230  is formed, wherein the indented slots forming guidelines  220  overlap. 
         [0043]      FIG. 7  illustrates the pizza pan of  FIG. 1  including an exemplary visible guideline locator on a wall of the pan, the visible guideline locator including a cut out notch. Wall  14  is illustrated including bend  324  forming an angle in the perimeter of the pan. Notch  322  is illustrated, configured to accept a sharpened edge of a pizza cutter, aligning the pizza cutter with a guideline  20  formed in the pan just below notch  322 . 
         [0044]      FIG. 8  illustrates the pizza pan of  FIG. 1  including an exemplary visible guideline locator on a wall of the pan, the visible guideline locator including a V-shaped indentation. Wall  14  is illustrated including bend  424  forming an angle in the perimeter of the pan. V-shaped indentation  422  is illustrated, configured to accept a sharpened edge of a pizza cutter, aligning the pizza cutter with a guideline  20  formed in the pan just below indentation  422 . 
         [0045]      FIG. 9  illustrates the pizza pan of  FIG. 1  including an exemplary visible guideline locator on a wall of the pan, the visible guideline locator including a slot extending down a majority of the wall. Wall  14  is illustrated including bend  524  forming an angle in the perimeter of the pan. Slot  522  is illustrated, configured to accept a sharpened edge of a pizza cutter, aligning the pizza cutter with a guideline  20  formed in the pan just below slot  522 . Slot  522 , in extending down a majority of the wall, enables one to cut through a significant portion of the side crust of the pizza, with the pizza cutter unable to cut only a small portion of the pizza crust between slot  522  and guideline  20 . 
         [0046]      FIG. 10  illustrates the pizza pan of  FIG. 1  including an exemplary visible guideline locator on a wall of the pan, the visible guideline locator including an indentation extending down a majority of the wall. Wall  14  is illustrated including bend  624  forming an angle in the perimeter of the pan. Indentation  623  is illustrated, configured to accept a sharpened edge of a pizza cutter, aligning the pizza cutter with a guideline  20  formed in the pan just below indentation  623 . Indentation  623  includes a V-shaped notch  622  formed in a top of wall  14 . 
         [0047]      FIG. 11  illustrates an exemplary alternative pizza pan including guidelines formed in a flat base of the pan and visible guideline locators on walls of the pan, the guidelines including through slots in the flat base where the guidelines extend up the walls and the ends of the slots extend high enough to form the visible guideline locators. Pizza pan  710  is illustrated including a flat base  712  and walls  714 . Guidelines  720  are illustrated a through slots cut into flat base  712 . Guidelines  720  extend up walls  714 , including rounded section  721  and vertical section  722 . An end of vertical section  722  can be high enough on the wall to be visible to the user, thereby serving as the visible guideline locator for the pan. In one embodiment, no other visible notch or indentation is formed on wall  714 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 11 , additional notches  724  are located atop wall  714  above guidelines  720  to further aid the user in correctly locating the pizza cutter to the pan. 
         [0048]      FIG. 12  illustrates the pizza pan of  FIG. 11 , illustrating in close up detail the slots extending up the wall of the pan. Wall  714  is illustrated including a rounded wall base  713 , transitioning wall  174  with a flat base. In another embodiment wall  174  can include a substantially right angle transition with a flat base, and a slot could similarly be cut across the transition, extending from the flat base up the wall. In  FIG. 12 , rounded section  721  and vertical section  722  of the guideline extending up wall  714  are illustrated. 
         [0049]    A number of different guideline configurations are disclosed herein. A number of different visible guideline locators are disclosed herein. It will be appreciated that various different guidelines and visible guideline locators can be interchangeably used upon a pizza pan in accordance with the pizza pan of the disclosure, and the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the particular combinations illustrated in the figures. 
         [0050]      FIGS. 13-17  illustrate exemplary pizza pans similar to the pizza pan of  FIG. 1 , with different pan profiles each including guidelines formed in a flat base of the pan and visible guideline locators on walls of the pan. Any combination of guideline and visible guideline locator features disclosed or contemplated herein can be used upon the pans of  FIGS. 13-17 . 
         [0051]      FIG. 13  illustrates a pan in the form of a decagon. Pizza pan  810  is illustrated, including guidelines  812  and visible guideline locators  814 . Any polygon, including five, six, ten or twelve sides can be used to form a pizza pan in accordance with the present disclosure, and the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the particular configurations illustrated in the figures. 
         [0052]      FIG. 14  illustrates a pan in the form of a circle. Pizza pan  820  is illustrated including guidelines  822  and visible guideline locators  824 . 
         [0053]      FIG. 15  illustrates a pan with a rectangular portion and a half of a decagon portion. Pizza pan  830  is illustrated including half decagon portion  833 , rectangular portion  831 , guidelines  832 , and visible guideline locators  834 . Instead of having one center of the pan at which the guidelines converge, the rectangular portion includes a number of regions at which the guidelines converge and the pan material is connected to maintain stability of the pan. Portion  833  can be replaced by a portion of any polygon, for example, including half of a square cut diagonally, half of a pentagon, hexagon, hendecagon (having eleven sides), or dodecagon (having twelve sides.) Likewise, rectangular portion  831  can be replaced by any polygon, for example, including a hemispherical half circle. 
         [0054]      FIG. 16  illustrates a pan with a rectangular portion and a hemispherical portion. Pizza pan  840  is illustrated including hemispherical portion  843 , rectangular portion  841 , guidelines  842 , and visible guideline locators  844 . Instead of having one center of the pan at which the guidelines converge, the rectangular portion includes a number of regions at which the guidelines converge and the pan material is connected to maintain stability of the pan. 
         [0055]      FIG. 17  illustrates a pan with a square profile. Pizza pan  850  is illustrated including guidelines  852  and visible guideline locators  854 . Instead of having one center of the pan at which the guidelines converge, the rectangular pan includes a number of regions at which the guidelines converge and the pan material is connected to maintain stability of the pan. According to the embodiment of  FIG. 17 , a polygonal pizza pan can include guidelines extending from midpoints of walls of the pan to a plurality of guideline junctions. 
         [0056]      FIG. 18  illustrates the guideline of  FIG. 1  in profile. Flat base  12  is illustrated showing guideline  20  embodied as a through slot  20 . A through slot includes any slot providing an opening in the material of the pan. In this embodiment, the flat base material could be machined or punched away. 
         [0057]      FIG. 19  illustrates the guideline of  FIG. 3  in profile. Flat base  112  is illustrated showing guideline  120  as a slot not going entirely through flat base  112 . In this example, the material of flat base  112  can be machined away to create the slot. 
         [0058]      FIG. 20  illustrates an exemplary alternative guideline in profile including a machined V-shaped guideline. Flat base  912  is illustrated showing guideline  914  including a V-shaped profile. Such a profile can be advantageous for providing a sharpened pizza cutter with a precise shape in which to seat, the sharpened edge of the cutter mating with the narrow end of the V-shaped slot. Lines  916  and  918  are illustrated showing different exemplary angles that can be used to create guideline  914 . 
         [0059]      FIG. 21  illustrates an exemplary additional alternative guideline in profile including a pressed rounded guideline. Flat base  922  is illustrated including rounded guideline  924  pressed into the material of flat base  922 . Material  926  of flat base  922  is displaced / protrudes from a bottom surface of flat base  922 . Guideline  924  can, for example, be created in a single step with the pan being pressed into shape from a flat piece of metal. 
         [0060]      FIG. 22  illustrates an exemplary pizza pan including a rectangular portion and a half of an octagon portion. Even without guidelines provided with other embodiments of the disclosure, a pan with the outline of the pan of  FIG. 22  can aid in precisely cutting a pizza. The exemplary pan  1000  of  FIG. 22  enables one to cut a plurality of rectangular pizza slices within the rectangular portion  1004  of the pan and a plurality of wedge shaped slices within half octagon portion  1002  of the pan. In one embodiment of the disclosure, a thickened wall section or thermally resistive plate can be inserted or provide between portion  1002  and the pizza crust, such that a thinner crust can be cooked in portion  1002  and a thicker crust can be cooked in portion  1004 , with the increased thermal resistivity of portion  1002  allowing the thinner crust to cook relatively more slowly. 
         [0061]      FIG. 23  illustrates an exemplary pizza pan including a rectangular portion and a half of a decagon portion. The exemplary pan  1010  of  FIG. 23  enables one to cut a plurality of rectangular pizza slices within the rectangular portion  1014  of the pan and a plurality of wedge shaped slices within half decagon portion  1012  of the pan. 
         [0062]      FIG. 24  illustrates an exemplary pizza pan including a rectangular portion and a half of a dodecagon portion. The exemplary pan  1020  of  FIG. 24  enables one to cut a plurality of rectangular pizza slices within the rectangular portion  1024  of the pan and a plurality of wedge shaped slices within half decagon portion  1022  of the pan.  FIGS. 22-24  are intended as exemplary, with any of a number of other half and half shapes being envisioned in the pizza pan.F 
         [0063]    The disclosure has described certain preferred embodiments and modifications of those embodiments. Further modifications and alterations may occur to others upon reading and understanding the specification. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this disclosure, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.