Cooking oil container and applicator

The disclosed combination includes an oil container, an applicator assembly, and a removable cap. The applicator assembly includes a tube through the top of the container, a drain receptacle surrounding the tube above the container, and a porous applicator tip on the drain receptacle and over the end of the tube. Oil flows through the tube, to and from the applicator tip. One applicator tip includes ridges with a channel or groove between them. Another has a periphery with convex and concave portions. These tip configurations facilitate oiling of various surfaces. The device is effective to provide oil to the tip for application of a film of oil on a desired surface, and to drain excess oil from the tip back into the container.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The subject of this invention is a container and applicator for oil. More 
specifically, the invention is a combination container and applicator for 
applying a film of cooking oil to a cooking surface. 
BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
Cooking surfaces such as frying pans are usually greased with cooking oil 
or with a solid such as butter or margarine to provide a non-stick cooking 
surface. The solids are applied with a knife or spatula. Oil is usually 
poured from a bottle, or sprayed from a pressurized spray can. Oil poured 
from a bottle is not directed at a precise area, but instead flows over 
the entire cooking surface. Spray cans are wasteful, potentially dangerous 
when used near flame, environmentally harmful because of the necessary 
propellant, and a disposal problem. Barbeque grills are still another 
problem. They are often used without lubrication, so food often sticks to 
the grill rods. This is wasteful and troublesome. 
It is an object of this invention to provide a combination container and 
applicator for applying a film of oil to a cooking surface to provide a 
non-stick cooking surface, and for applying the film selectively to a 
precise area without overcoating or wasteful spraying. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In summary, the present invention is a combination oil container and 
applicator assembly. The applicator assembly includes a tube through the 
top of the container, a drain receptacle surrounding the tube above the 
container, and a porous applicator tip on the drain receptacle and over 
the end of the tube. Oil flows through the tube, to and from the 
applicator tip. One applicator tip includes ridges with a channel or 
groove between them. Another has a periphery with convex and concave 
portions. These tip configurations facilitate oiling of various surfaces. 
The device is effective to provide oil to the tip for application of a 
film of oil on a desired surface, and to drain excess oil from the tip 
back into the container.

DESCRIPTION 
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the combination oil container and 
applicator of this invention includes a container or reservoir portion 10, 
an applicator assembly 20, and a screw cap 50. The container 10 is 
preferably of clear plastic with a ridged sidewall 12 for convenient 
gripping. The container 10 includes a stopper or top wall 14. The stopper 
14 might be a separate piece tightly fit within the top of the container 
10, or it might be of the same molding as the container. The stopper 14 
includes a central aperture 16. The container 10 also includes threads 18 
for engagement with mating internal threads in the cap 50. The cap 50 is 
preferably of clear plastic, but might also be of metal. 
The applicator assembly 20 includes a vertical tube 22, a horizontal drain 
receptacle 24 surrounding the tube 22 at a mid location between its ends, 
and an applicator tip 30 on the upper end of the tube 22. The tube 22 is 
open at its bottom end, and includes a number of orifices 26 through its 
upper wall, starting immediately above the drain receptacle 24. The tube 
22 may be open or closed at its upper end. The horizontal drain receptacle 
24 is saucer shaped, concave upward, and fits tightly over the tube 22. 
The vertical tube 22 in turn fits tightly within and through the aperture 
16 in the stopper 14, and into the container 10. The drain receptacle 24 
is external of the container 10. 
The applicator tip 30 is mounted on the drain receptacle 24 and on the end 
of the tube 22. It is preferably fixed to the tube by an adhesive or glue, 
but may be held there simply by friction. The tip 30 is of a porous or 
sponge material to absorb and convey oil to and from the tube orifices 26 
by wicking. The working end of the applicator tip 30 includes parallel 
ridges 32 and 34 and a transverse channel or groove 36 between them. The 
upper portion of the tube 22 is the "backbone" of the applicator tip 30, 
giving it support against lateral deformation while in use. 
FIGS. 3 and 4 show another form of the applicator assembly, similar to that 
shown in FIG. 1 except for the configuration of its applicator tip 40. The 
top surface 42 of the tip is flat. As seen in FIG. 4, its periphery is 
shaped to provide a convex side 44 and a concave side 46. The flat surface 
42 and the convex side 44 are used to apply oil on extended surfaces. The 
concave side or groove 46 is for application of oil to grill rods and the 
like. 
In operation, the user tilts or inverts the container 10 to allow oil to 
flow by gravity from the container through the tube 22 and its orifices 26 
into the porous applicator tip. A film of oil from the tip is then applied 
to an extended cooking surface by moving the tip across the surface to 
cover the desired surface area with the desired film. If the cooking 
surface is a grill instead of an extended flat surface, the desired oil 
film is applied to individual grill rods by placing the channel or groove 
portion of the applicator tip over each rod and moving it along the rod as 
required. When the application of oil is complete and the container stood 
upright, oil remaining in the applicator tip drains from the tip onto the 
concave drain receptacle 24, through the tube orifices 26, and back into 
the container 10. The drain receptacle 24 collects and returns this oil to 
the tube 22 to prevent dripping from the device after its use. 
A modified form of the applicator assembly 20 is shown in FIG. 5. In this 
form, the drain receptacle 24 is at the upper end of the tube 22, instead 
of at an intermediate location, and the applicator tip 30 is mounted on 
the receptacle alone. The oil flows to and from the applicator tip 30 
straight through the end of the tube 22. This arrangement operates in the 
same way as described above. It is not the preferred form of the 
invention, however, because the applicator tip does not get the structural 
support or "backbone" which the upper portion of the tube 22 gives to the 
applicator tip in the arrangement of FIG. 1. 
The combination container and applicator of this invention provides a safe, 
economical, and neat application of oil directly onto a cooking surface. 
The oil is easily applied on flat surfaces. It is also applied easily and 
without waste on broiler pans (which are apertured), and on barbeque 
grills (which are more aperture than surface). It is applied without 
wasteful spraying. The method is safe and environmentally acceptable. The 
container and applicator is also widely useful beyond the kitchen and for 
uses other than cooking. The application of a thin protective film of oil 
on tools and other metal surfaces is an especially appropriate use. 
The applicator assembly 20 might be removable from the container 10 for 
refilling and reuse, or the assembly might be permanently fixed and sealed 
to the container to prevent reuse. The connections of the various pieces 
are intended to be liquid tight. 
As an example of size, the container 10 might be one inch in diameter and 
four inches high, with a capacity of 2.5 to 3 ounces of oil. The working 
surface of the applicator tip might be one inch in length. 
Terms such as "vertical", "horizontal", "upward", and the like are used 
herein with reference to the applicator device in its standing or rest 
position. They are terms of convenience to indicate relative attitudes of 
the structural elements. 
The invention has been described with particular reference to its use for 
applying cooking oil to cooking surfaces. This is only for convenience. 
The environment and field of use of the invention are not limited by such 
description. The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment is 
intended as illustrative. The concept and scope of the invention are 
limited only by the following claims and equivalents thereof.