Abstract:
An attachment is designed for removable mounting on various types of conventional cookware containers, such as cooking pots, mixing bowls or frying pans. The attachment includes a spout which serves to assist in pouring food products out from the container. The attachment also includes a cover disposed partially across the top surface of the spout, the cover serving to minimize the splashing of the food product during a pouring operation. The attachment additionally includes inner and outer support members which together retain the attachment in its mounted position on the container. With the attachment mounted on the container, the inner and outer support members conform tightly against and frictionally engage the inner and outer surfaces, respectively, of the sidewall of the container.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to the preparation, mixing and cooking of foods and more particularly to the containers used during the preparation, mixing and cooking of foods. 
   Various types of containers are commonly used to prepare, mix and cook foods. The containers are often constructed out of a conductive material, such as metal. Accordingly, by subjecting the container to heat (e.g., using a stove), the ingredients retained within the container are similarly subjected to heat. It is in this manner that most types of foods are traditionally heated. 
   Containers used to prepare, mix and cook foods often come in a wide variety of different shapes and styles. Examples of different types of containers used in the cooking industry include, inter alia, pots, pans and bowls. 
   Most containers which are used for preparing, mixing and/or cooking food products are shaped to include a substantially flat, substantially circular bottom surface and a single, continuous sidewall which is integrally formed and extends orthogonally away from the outer periphery of the circular bottom surface. Together, the bottom surface and sidewall define a generally cylindrical cavity which is sized and shaped to retain the particular food products. 
   The particular design of the above-described containers inherently presents a notable drawback to the user. Specifically, the free end of the upwardly extending sidewall is typically formed in the shape of a ring. Accordingly, when the container is manipulated (e.g., tilted or pivoted) to pour out the materials contained therein, the materials exit the container as wide stream which is very difficult to control. As a result, these types of containers often make a considerable mess when used for pouring. 
   In response to the above-described shortcoming, some presently available containers that are used to prepare, mix and cook food products are shaped to include a small spout at a location along the free end of its sidewall. Accordingly, when such a container is used to pour out a product retained therein, the spout serves as a funnel for the exiting product, thereby providing the user with greater control and accuracy during the pouring process, which is highly desirable. 
   For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,418 to S. Busbey there is shown a cooking pot with a pour spout. The pot is additionally provided with a lid containing a depending annular flange which fits within the pot against the inside surface of the pot. The flange contains a solid portion which extends for a distance sufficient to cover the spout opening in the pot and also includes one or more areas having various size slots or holes formed therein. In this manner, the lid can be turned on the pot for selectively closing off the drainage spout or disposing one set of slots or holes across the spout to act as a sieve for draining liquid from the pot. 
   Although containers provided with an integrated spout are well-known and widely used in commerce, it has been found that these types of containers suffer from a couple notable shortcomings. 
   As a first shortcoming, containers provided with an integrated spout fail to provide the owners of the more conventional containers (i.e., the containers which do not include an integrated spout) with a retrograde means for modifying their existing containers to allow for greater control during pouring operations. As a result, the owners of containers which do not integrally include a spout are required to replace all of their existing containers, which can be considerably expensive. 
   As a second shortcoming, containers which are provided with an integrated spout require a more complex manufacturing process. As a result, containers which include an integrated spout are often considerably more expensive than containers which do not include an integrated spout. 
   As a third shortcoming, containers which are provided with an integrated spout will not be air-tight when a cover or lide is seated on top of the container. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel attachment for a container designed to retain food products. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel attachment of the type described above which facilitates in the pouring of the food products from the container. 
   It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an attachment of the type described above which is removably mounted on the container. 
   It is yet still another object of the present invention to provide an attachment of the type described above which is designed to mount on a wide variety of different containers that are commonly used to retain food products. 
   It is even still another object of the present invention to provide an attachment of the type described above which includes a limited number of parts, which is easy to use and which is inexpensive to manufacture. 
   Therefore, according to one feature of the present invention, there is provided an attachment for a container, the container comprising a bottom surface and a sidewall, the sidewall having an inner surface and an outer surface, the attachment comprising (a) a spout, and (b) inner and outer support members coupled to the spout, (c) wherein, with the attachment mounted on the container, the inner and outer support members are disposed on opposite sides of the sidewall for the container. 
   Various other features and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration, various embodiments for practicing the invention. The embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description is therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the drawings wherein like reference numerals represent like parts: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an attachment for a container, the attachment being constructed according to the teachings of the present invention, the attachment being shown mounted on a container; 
       FIG. 2  is a side section view of the attachment and container shown in  FIG. 1  taken along lines  2 - 2 , the container being shown with a liquid-based food product retained therein; 
       FIG. 3  is an enlarged perspective view of the attachment shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a fragmentary perspective view of the attachment shown in  FIG. 3  taken along lines  4 - 4 ; 
       FIG. 5  is an enlarged rear perspective view of the attachment shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 6  is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a second embodiment of an attachment for a container, the attachment being constructed according to the teachings of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 7  is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a third embodiment of an attachment according to this invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is shown a first embodiment of an attachment for a container, the attachment being constructed according to the teachings of the present invention and identified generally by reference numeral  11 . Attachment  11  is shown mounted on a container  13 . As will be described further below, attachment  11  is designed to facilitate in the pouring of food products out from container  13 . 
   Container  13  is represented herein as a conventional cooking pot which includes a substantially flat and substantially circular bottom surface  15  and a single, continuous sidewall  17  which is integrally formed and extends orthogonally away from the outer periphery of circular bottom surface  15 . Together, bottom surface  15  and sidewall  17  define a generally cylindrical interior cavity  19  which is sized and shaped to retain a primarily liquid-based food product  20 . 
   However, it is to be understood that container  13  is not limited to a cooking pot. Rather, it is to be understood that container  13  represents any conventional receptacle which is commonly used to either prepare, mix and/or cook food products without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Examples of alternative types of containers with which attachment  11  may be used include, but are not limited to, mixing bowls and frying pans. 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 3-5 , attachment  11  is preferably a unitary device which is constructed out of a durable, flexible and washable material, such as rubber or plastic. However, it is to be understood that, because selected parts of attachment  11  may require varying levels of rigidity, different portions of attachment  11  may be constructed out of different types of materials without departing from the spirit of the present invention. 
   Attachment  11  includes a substantially narrow and concave spout  21  which includes a top surface  23  and a bottom surface  25 . As will be described further in detail below, spout  15  enables food products  20  that are retained within container  13  to be poured out as a narrow, controlled stream, which is a principal object of the present invention. 
   Attachment  11  additionally includes inner and outer support members  27  and  29  which together serve as a means for securely retaining attachment  11  in a mounted position on sidewall  17  of container  13 . 
   Inner support member  27  is preferably constructed as a thin, flexible wing which has a curved contour along its length, inner support member  27  including a fixed end  30  coupled to spout  21 , a free end  31 , an inner surface  33  and an outer surface  35 . It should be noted that, with attachment  11  mounted on container  13 , the curved flexible construction of inner support member  27  causes its outer surface  35  to substantially conform against and frictionally engage the inner surface of sidewall  17 , as seen most clearly in  FIG. 2 . 
   Similarly, outer support member  29  is preferably constructed as a thin, flexible wing which has a curved contour along its length, outer support member  29  including a fixed end  37  coupled to spout  21 , a free end  39 , an inner surface  41  and an outer surface  43 . It should be noted that, with attachment mounted on container  13 , the curved flexible construction of outer support member  29  causes its inner surface  41  to substantially conform against and frictionally engage the outer surface of sidewall  17 , as seen most clearly in  FIG. 2 . 
   Preferably, attachment  11  is constructed such that the majority of outer support member  29  is spaced slightly apart from inner support member  27 . In this manner, a narrow groove  45  is defined between inner and outer support members  27  and  29  which is sized and shaped to receive a portion of sidewall  17  along its open top end. It is to be understood that the flexible nature of inner and outer support members  27  and  29  allows for the dimensions of groove  45  to be modified to allow attachment  11  to mount securely on a wide variety of differently sized, shaped and styled containers  13 . However, it is to be understood that a mechanical device could be incorporated into attachment  11  to draw together the majority of the inner and outer support members  27  and  29  to the extent necessary to adequately secure attachment  11  in its mounted position on container  13 , as will be described further in detail below. 
   Attachment  11  further comprises a cover  47  which extends over a portion of the top surface of spout  21 ; cover  47  including a top surface  49  and a bottom surface  51 . As can be seen most clearly in  FIG. 2 , spout  21 , cover  47  define a product delivery channel  53  which serves as the passageway, or funnel, through which product  20  is conveniently poured out from container  13 . 
   Preferably, top surface  49  of cover  47  is shaped to include a knob-like handle  55 . As can be appreciated, handle  55  is provided to facilitate handling of attachment  11 . 
   In use, attachment  11  may be used in the following manner to facilitate in the pouring of food product  20  out from container  13 . Specifically, utilizing handle  55 , the user slides attachment  11  down over the free end of sidewall  17  such that inner support member  27  and outer support member  29  frictionally engage opposing sides of sidewall  17 . In this manner, it is to be understood that attachment  11  is retained in its mounted position on container  13  (i.e., as represented in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ). 
   In order pour food product  20  in a controlled manner, container  13  is tipped in the direction towards spout  21 . As container  13  is pivoted, food product  20  is directed towards the product delivery channel  53 . It should be noted that, because inner support member  27  conforms tightly against the inner surface of sidewall  17 , none of the food product  20  becomes trapped therebetween, which is highly desirable. It should also be noted that, as container  13  is tipped for pouring, cover  47  serves a blocking device, or guard, for preventing the splashing or otherwise inadvertent spilling of food product  20  out from container  13 , which is highly desirable. 
   Continued tipping of container  13  ultimately directs a flow of food product  20  into the product delivery channel  53  that is defined within attachment  11 . Further tipping of container  13  eventually causes food product  20  to exit through spout  21  as a narrow and highly controllable stream, which is the principal object of the present invention. 
   Once an adequate supply of food product  20  has been dispensed, container  13  is returned to its original, upright orientation. Using handle  55 , attachment  11  is withdrawn from container  13  and is preferably washed in preparation for future use. As can be appreciated, attachment  11  can be reused as needed on a wide variety of differently sized, shaped and styled containers, which is highly desirable. 
   As noted above, the particular design of attachment  11  allows for it to be mounted on a wide variety of differently sized, shaped and styled containers  13 . Although the flexible nature of support members  27  and  29  allows for attachment  11  to be securely mounted on sidewall  17 , it is to be understood that a mechanical device may be integrated into attachment  11  to enhance the strength of the engagement between attachment  11  and container  13 . 
   As a first example, (not shown) one end of a threaded fastener may be fixedly mounted on inner support member  27  with the opposite end of the threaded fastener extending through a complementary threaded bore formed in outer support member  29 . With a manually adjustable knob threadingly mounted on the free end of the fastener, it is to be understood that the rotation of the knob in one direction would serve to draw the majority of outer support member  29  in towards the majority of inner support member  27  and that the rotation of the knob in the opposite direction would serve to urge away the majority of outer support member  29  away from the majority of inner support member  27 . In this manner, inner and outer support members  27  and  29  can be manually adjusted into tight conformity against the inner and outer surfaces, respectively, of sidewall  17 . 
   As another example, a compression spring may be used to resiliently draw the inner and outer support members  27  and  29  together. Specifically, referring now to  FIG. 6 , there is shown a second embodiment of an attachment for a container, the attachment being constructed according to the teachings of the present invention and identified generally as reference numeral  111 . 
   Attachment  111  is identical in all respects with attachment  11  with the one notable distinction being that attachment  111  additionally includes a compression spring  113  which extends between inner and outer support members  27  and  29 , with one end of compression spring  113  being fixedly mounted within inner support member  27  and the opposite end of compression spring  113  being fixedly mounted within the outer support member  29 . 
   Accordingly, it is to be understood that compression spring  113  serves to resiliently draw inner and outer support members  27  and  29  together. In order to mount attachment  111  onto container  13 , inner and outer support members  27  and  29  are manually spaced apart from one another to the degree necessary for attachment  111  to be slidably mounted onto container  13 . Once attachment  111  is mounted on container  13 , the user withdraws the separation force applied onto inner and outer support members  27  and  29 . In turn, compression spring  113  resiliently draws inner and outer support members  27  and  29  in towards one another and into frictional engagement against opposite sides of sidewall  17 , which is highly desirable. 
   Another embodiment of an attachment according to this invention is shown in  FIG. 7  and identified by reference numeral  211 . Attachment  211  includes a unitary structure having spout  213  which includes a top surface  215  and a bottom surface  217 , inner and outer support members  219  and  221 , respectively, and a cover  223  which includes a handle  225 . Attachment  211  also includes a compression spring  227  for drawing support members  219  and  221  together. As can be seen, spout  213  and cover  223  define a product delivery channel  229 . 
   Attachment  211  is identical to attachment  111  with one notable distinction, the one notable distinction being that attachment  211  includes a mesh filter (e.g. a screen)  231  removably mounted in product delivery channel  229  for serving as a strainer during the pouring process (i.e. restricting large particles from exiting out from spout  213  during the pouring process). As can be seen, mesh filter  231  is mounted within a groove  233  on the bottom surface  235  of cover  223  and a groove  237  on the top surface  215  of spout  213 . As can be appreciated, when straining is needed during a pouring process, filter  231  is mounted inside product delivery channel  229  and when straining is not necessary or desired, filter  231  is easily removed from product delivery channel  229 . 
   The embodiments shown in the present invention are intended to be merely exemplary and those skilled in the art shall be able to make numerous variations and modifications to them without departing from the spirit of the present invention. All such variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.