Abstract:
A thermometer for detecting and displaying a temperature of food (or the like) is provided. The thermometer has a housing with an upper surface having a temperature display region thereon. The housing has an opposing lower surface. A probe has one end that extends from the lower surface. The probe is pivotal relative to the lower surface. The lower surface defines a rotational member housing and a corresponding rotational member disposed in the rotational member housing. The rotational member housing is configured to rotate within its housing. The probe, or an associated boss or connecting member, extends from the rotational member. Therefore, rotational movement of the rotational member causes the probe to pivot relative to the housing. The probe can pivot between a first position in which the probe is generally parallel with a length of the housing, and a second position generally perpendicular to the housing.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/303,712 filed Mar. 4, 2016, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference herein. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to a thermometer having a housing and a pivotable probe configured to pivot with respect to the housing. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Food thermometers are known in the art. Many of these thermometers include an elongated probe for insertion into meat and a housing including a display for displaying a temperature calculated based on the amount of heat sensed by the probe. Many food thermometers have a probe fixed relative to the housing. When these thermometers are placed in food items at certain angles or locations, the user is unable to read the display. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    In one embodiment, a thermometer includes a main housing that has a length extending along a first axis. The main housing includes a temperature display on an upper surface thereof. An opposing lower surface of the main housing includes a pivot member housing at a central region of the lower surface. The pivot member housing contains a pivot member which is capable of rotating within the pivot member housing and pivoting with respect to the main housing. A probe extends from the pivot member, such that the probe is capable of pivoting with respect to the main housing between a first position in which the probe is generally parallel with the first axis, and a second position in which the probe is generally perpendicular with the first axis. A sleeve is configured to fit over and protect the probe. The lower surface of the main housing defines a recess extending along the first axis that is sized to receive the sleeve when the probe is oriented in the first position. 
         [0005]    In another embodiment, a thermometer includes a housing having a length, a width, an upper surface defining a temperature display region, and an opposing lower surface defining a rotational member housing. A rotational member is configured to rotate within the rotational member housing. A temperature probe is fixed relative to the rotational member such that rotation of the rotational member causes pivoting of the probe relative to the lower surface. The temperature probe is configured to pivot relative to the lower surface between a first position in which the probe extends along the length of the housing and a second position in which the probe extends away from the housing and generally perpendicular with the length of the housing. 
         [0006]    In another embodiment, a food thermometer housing having a length and width is provided. The food thermometer housing has an upper surface defining a temperature display region and an opposing lower surface having a rotational member housing extending from a central region of the lower surface. The rotational member housing defines an edge surface defining a central void for allowing pivoting of a temperature probe therein. The lower surface defines a first recess extending from the central region along the length, and a second recess extending from the first recess along the length and to an end of the lower surface. The second recess is wider than the first recess. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  illustrates a top perspective view of a thermometer having a temperature display housing and a probe positioned in a first position in which the probe is oriented generally parallel to the housing, according to one embodiment. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  illustrates a top perspective view of the thermometer of  FIG. 1  with a sleeve attached to the probe, according to one embodiment. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3A  illustrates another perspective view of the thermometer of  FIG. 1  with the probe in the first position, and  FIG. 3B  shows the probe positioned in a second position in which the probe is pivoted to be generally perpendicular to the housing, according to one embodiment. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4A  illustrates another perspective view of the thermometer with the probe and attached sleeve in the first position, and  FIG. 4B  shows the thermometer with the probe and attached sleeve in the second position, according to one embodiment. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5A  illustrates a bottom perspective view of the thermometer with the probe in the second position, and  FIG. 5B  illustrates a bottom perspective view of the thermometer with the probe in the first position, according to one embodiment. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6A  illustrates a bottom perspective view of the thermometer with the probe and attached sleeve in the second position, and  FIG. 6B  illustrates a bottom perspective view of the thermometer with the probe and attached sleeve in the first position, according to one embodiment. 
           [0013]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  illustrate a side view and an end view, respectively, of the thermometer with the probe and attached sleeve in the second position, according to one embodiment. 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  illustrates an end view of the thermometer with the probe in the second position, similar to  FIG. 7B , except without the sleeve attached, according to one embodiment. 
           [0015]      FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C  illustrate a top view, a bottom view, and a side view, respectively, of the thermometer with the probe and attached sleeve in the first position, according to one embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. It is to be understood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples and other embodiments can take various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features could be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the embodiments. As those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, various features illustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures can be combined with features illustrated in one or more other figures to produce embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated or described. The combinations of features illustrated provide representative embodiments for typical applications. Various combinations and modifications of the features consistent with the teachings of this disclosure, however, could be desired for particular applications or implementations. 
         [0017]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a perspective view is provided that illustrates a thermometer  10  configured to measure the temperature of food (e.g., beef, poultry, fish), for example. The thermometer  10  has a housing  12  that contains hardware that includes one or more microprocessors configured to output a digital temperature reading on a digital display  14 . The digital display  14  and the hardware within the housing  12  are coupled to a probe  16 . The probe  16  is a thermometer probe that is configured to be inserted into food so that a temperature sensor  18  at the end of the probe  16  can sense the temperature of the food. As will be described below, the probe  16  is pivotable with respect to the housing  12 . 
         [0018]      FIG. 2  illustrates the thermometer  10  with a sleeve  20  attached thereto. The sleeve  20  has an interior surface (not shown) that is sized to receive the probe  16 . The sleeve  20  protects the probe  16  when the probe is not in use. For example, the sleeve  20  may have a closed end  22  that covers the temperature sensor  18  for protection from moisture, impact, and other external and environmental conditions. 
         [0019]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate the rotation of the probe  16  with respect to the housing  12 . In  FIG. 3A , the thermometer  10  is oriented in a first position in which the temperature probe  16  extends generally parallel with a length of the housing  12 . In this position, the thermometer  10  is configured to display temperature readings when the thermometer  10  is inserted sideways into a side of the food item. For example, the first position is beneficial for measuring the temperature of a filet in which the tip of the probe  16  is inserted sideways into the side of the filet through the meat while the digital display  14  faces the user. This eliminates the need for the user to bend over and look sideways at the end of the filet in order to get a temperature reading. Instead, the digital display faces upward while the probe extends horizontally and linearly into the filet, allowing the user to obtain a temperature reading while looking at the top of the filet. 
         [0020]    In  FIG. 3B , the thermometer is oriented in a second position in which the temperature probe  16  extends generally perpendicular to the length of the housing  12 . In this position, the thermometer  10  is configured to display the temperature readings in which the thermometer  10  is inserted downward into the food item. For example, the second position is beneficial for measuring the temperature of a roast in which the tip of the probe  16  is inserted into the top of the roast and downward through the meat while the digital display  14  faces the user. 
         [0021]      FIGS. 4A and 4B  illustrate the thermometer  10  in the first and second positions, with the sleeve  20  attached about the probe  16 . Additional detail regarding the sleeve  20  is provided below. The probe  16  is configured to pivot at any orientation between the first and second positions, e.g., 20, 40, 60 and 80 degrees, and lock into place relative to the housing  12  at any of these positions. In one embodiment, the locking into place may be accomplished by a strong resistance force provided against the probe which holds the probe in any position between 0 and 90 degrees of rotation. 
         [0022]      FIGS. 5A-5B  illustrate the bottom side of the housing  12  to which the probe  16  is pivotally coupled.  FIGS. 6A-6B  illustrate the same view, except with the sleeve  20  attached to the thermometer about the probe  16 . The bottom side of the housing  12  can include a battery access panel  40  to provide access to a battery that powers the digital display  14 . The probe  16  is pivotally attached to the bottom side of the housing  12 . The probe  16  is fixedly connected to and extends from a boss  24 , which as a diameter that exceeds the diameter of the probe  16 . The boss  24  extends from a pivot member  25  (also referred to as a rotational member) having a length and axis of rotation that is transverse to the length of the probe  16 . The pivot member  25  is rotatably housed within the pivot member housing  26 , which is fixed to or formed into the bottom side of the housing  12  in a central region of the bottom side of the housing. The pivot member  25  is generally cylindrical and is pivotable with respect to the housing  12  about a central axis of the pivot member  25 . Rotating of the pivot member  25  about its central axis within the pivot member housing  26  enables pivoting of the attached probe  16  with respect to the housing  12 . 
         [0023]    First and second recesses  42 ,  44  are formed in the bottom side of the housing  12 . The first recess  42  is generally cylindrical (or semi-cylindrical) in shape such that it is configured to receive the boss  24  when the probe  16  is pivoted into the first position (shown in  FIG. 8B ). The housing  12  can be made of plastic which enables the first recess  42  to be able to resiliently deform when the boss  24  is pressed into the recess  42 , thereby securing the boss  24  within the first recess  42 . The second recess  44  is slightly larger in width and length than the first recess  42 , and is also wider than the diameter of the probe  16 . The second recess  44  is sized and configured to receive the sleeve  20  when the probe  16  and sleeve  20  are in the first position. The second recess  44  can also resiliently deform to secure the sleeve  20  to the housing  12  when in the first position. 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIG. 6B , the pivot member housing  26  has an opening or other void of material to allow the boss  24  to pivot with respect to the pivot member housing  26 . The opening in the pivot member housing  26  is defined by an edge surface  46 . The edge surface  46  may be positioned such that it touches the boss  24  when the probe  16  is oriented in the second position. The edge surface  46  acts as a stopper in this manner, as it prevents further rotation of the probe  16 . Thus, the probe  16  can be confined to pivot only 90 degrees between the first and second positions. 
         [0025]    Referring to  FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 8 , the thermometer  10  is shown in the second position with the probe  16  and attached sleeve  20  extending generally perpendicular to the length “L” of the housing  12 . The length “L” of the housing is longer than a width “W” of the housing. The sleeve  20  has an open end  21  defining an opening (not shown) that is sized to receive the probe  16 . The open end  21  of the sleeve  20  can be pressed up toward the housing  12  until the sleeve reaches the boss  24 , which has a diameter that exceeds the diameter of the opening in the open end  21 . The size of the boss  24  with respect to the opening of the open end  21  prevents further movement of the sleeve  20  toward the housing  12 . A snap fit can be provided when the sleeve  20  reaches the boss  24 . The boss  24  is connected to a cylindrical pivot member  25  (not shown) which is housed within a pivot member housing  26 . The pivot member  25  may be rotatably housed within the pivot member housing  26  which is fixedly connected to the underside of the housing  12 . This enables the attached probe  16  to pivot between the first and second positions with respect to the housing  12 . 
         [0026]    The sleeve  20  can also have an aperture  28  extending entirely therethrough. The aperture  28  is aligned with the temperature sensor  18  at the tip of the probe  16  when the sleeve  20  is pressed into position to cover the probe  16 . 
         [0027]      FIGS. 9A-9C  illustrate the relative location and position of the probe and attached sleeve  20  when oriented in the first position. The housing  12  has a housing length “L H ” that extends in a direction along an axis  32 . The sleeve  20  has a sleeve length “Ls” that, when oriented in the first position and attached to the probe, extends in a direction along the axis  32 . As shown in  FIG. 7C , the housing length L H  extends in a direction along axis  34 , and the sleeve length Ls extends in a direction along axis  36  which is parallel to axis  34 . The probe and sleeve  20  extend generally parallel with the length of the housing  12  when in this orientation. Since the digital display  14  is read from left-to-right along the length of the housing  12 , this provides an orientation that allows the probe  16  to be inserted into the end of the meat with the digital display facing the user in an orientation that allows for easy left-to-right reading of the temperature. In other words, the direction of reading of the temperature is aligned with the direction of the probe when in the first position. When the probe  16  and sleeve  20  are pivoted with respect to the housing  12  to be oriented in the second position, axis  36  can become perpendicular with axis  34 . 
         [0028]    It should be understood that the terms “perpendicular” and “parallel” as used herein are terms of general relative alignment and are not intended to be necessarily limited to exactly perpendicular or exactly parallel. These terms are intended to include orientation that is not exactly perpendicular or parallel, but within some tolerance that an ordinary observer would understand as being “generally perpendicular” or “generally parallel.” In one example, “generally perpendicular” and “generally parallel” can include a 10-degree tolerance from being exactly perpendicular or example parallel. 
         [0029]    Furthermore, the words “sideways,” “top,” “bottom” and “end” as used herein designate direction in the figures to which reference is made. These and other directional terminologies are used in the description for convenience only and refer to the orientation shown in the figures. The terms are not intended to be limited. 
         [0030]    The words “pivot” as used herein with respect to the probe is not intended mean that the end of the probe is absolutely fixed while the remainder of the probe rotates about the fixed end. There may be some give or slight movement at the end of the probe that is connected to the housing. Also, the pivot point of any pivoting action need not be at the absolute end of the probe. Rather, the pivot point may be slightly offset from the absolute end of the probe such that regions of the probe on either side of the pivot point rotate about the pivot point as the probe pivots. 
         [0031]    While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms encompassed by the claims. The words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. As previously described, the features of various embodiments can be combined to form further embodiments of the invention that may not be explicitly described or illustrated. While various embodiments could have been described as providing advantages or being preferred over other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more desired characteristics, those of ordinary skill in the art recognize that one or more features or characteristics can be compromised to achieve desired overall system attributes, which depend on the specific application and implementation. These attributes can include, but are not limited to cost, strength, durability, life cycle cost, marketability, appearance, packaging, size, serviceability, weight, manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc. As such, to the extent any embodiments are described as less desirable than other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more characteristics, these embodiments are not outside the scope of the disclosure and can be desirable for particular applications.