Abstract:
A culinary article handle composed of a rigid body connected to the culinary article and at least one deformable cushion, or pad, wherein the cushion includes a silicone or thermoplastic skin designed to be in contact with the hand, the skin defining a receptacle, and a solid core having a Shore A hardness less than the Shore A hardness of the silicone skin, fixed in the receptacle.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a handle for a culinary article such as a pot, a sauce pan, a frying pan, etc. 
         [0002]    The patent document EP0742083 discloses a handle having a rigid structure and inserts overmolded on the structure. These inserts are positioned on the rigid structure in the areas where the fingers are placed. The inserts have a Shore A hardness less than 60, preferably 50. 
         [0003]    A handle construction with an insert of such hardness does not allow actual deformation of the insert needed for adaptation to the shape of the user&#39;s hand when grasping and manipulating the handle. 
         [0004]    For a real deformation of the insert, the Shore A hardness of the insert must be less than 20. However, an insert having such a hardness ages rapidly due to its fragility in the face of impacts with other utensils or due to stresses from cleaning pads or dishwashers. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention overcomes the above drawbacks and provides a handle for a culinary article with greater comfort and optimized ergonomics that allow for adaptation of the shape of the handle to the shape of the user&#39;s hand. 
         [0006]    The invention also provides a handle for a culinary article that is durable over time, is of simple design and is economical to fabricate. 
         [0007]    These goals are achieved with a culinary article handle comprising a rigid body connected to the culinary article and at least one deformable cushion, or pad, wherein the cushion includes a silicone skin designed to be in contact with the hand, the skin defining a receptacle containing a solid core with a Shore A hardness less than the hardness of the skin. 
         [0008]    In other words, there is obtained a handle presenting locally a sandwich structure of a cushion skin, soft core and rigid body. Thus, when gripping the handle, the skin and core deform under the pressure of the hand. This deformation allows an adaptation of the shape of the handle to the hand, or at least the thumb, shape, which improves handling and comfort of the handle. 
         [0009]    Preferably, the silicone skin has a Shore A hardness between 30 and 60, preferably 50. 
         [0010]    This silicone skin has the advantage of having good mechanical strength and providing an agreeable feel and grip. By good strength, is meant a resistance to breakage due to impacts with other utensils or scratching or wear from attacks by cleaning pads. 
         [0011]    Preferably, the core has a Shore A hardness between 3 and 20, preferably 5. 
         [0012]    Preferably, the core has a thickness between 2 and 8 millimeters, preferably 5 mm. 
         [0013]    These provisions allow a real deformation of the core greater than one millimeter to allow adaptation of the shape of the handle to the shape of the hand and thus to obtain a comfortable feeling. 
         [0014]    Preferably, the silicone skin has a thickness of between half a millimeter and two millimeters, preferably one millimeter. 
         [0015]    This will ensure good flexibility of the skin, while ensuring good strength. 
         [0016]    Preferably, the cushion is fixed in a receiving cavity provided on the outer surface of the rigid body. 
         [0017]    This arrangement provides a handle whose outer surface has no protuberance, detrimental to gripping. Moreover, this type of flush mounting of the core and skin in a cavity in the handle ensures a good retention of the cushion. 
         [0018]    Preferably, the cushion is fixed, or attached, in the receiving cavity by bonding, cementing, etc. 
         [0019]    This arrangement provides an intimate connection between the cushion and the handle and thus avoids penetration and retention of water or other contaminants in the attachment area. 
         [0020]    Preferably, the skin of the pad has a substantially flat wall in contact with the hand and a peripheral wall extending transversely to the flat wall. 
         [0021]    This provision allows the skin of the cushion to have the form of a receptacle into which the liquid material of the core may be poured before it hardens. 
         [0022]    Preferably, the silicone skin of the pad is translucent. 
         [0023]    This provision allows the color of the core to be viewed through the skin that serves as protection against possible attacks during the use of the culinary article. Thus, the color of the cushion will be maintained over time. 
         [0024]    Preferably, the cushion has a bottom wall. 
         [0025]    The core and/or skin may be made of a variety of thermoplastic materials, for example of the elastomer or SEBS type, in place of silicone. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0026]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a handle for a culinary article according to a particular embodiment of the invention. 
           [0027]      FIG. 2  shows a cross-section along the line II-II of the handle of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0028]      FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of only the cushion of the handle of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0029]      FIG. 4  shows a cross-section along the line IV-IV of the cushion of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0030]      FIG. 5  illustrates a perspective view of a handle for a culinary article according to another embodiment of the invention. 
           [0031]      FIG. 6  illustrates a cross-section along the line VI-VI of the handle of  FIG. 5 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0032]      FIG. 1  shows a handle for a culinary article such as a pot, or sauce pan, or frying pan. The culinary article and attachment of the handle on the culinary article are made in a manner known per se and are not represented. 
         [0033]    The handle  1  comprises an elongated body  2  of substantially oval cross-section. The body  2  of the handle  1  is molded in a material such as “Bakelite®”. The body  2  comprises an upper front part  4  comprising a cushion  10  facing the support zone for the thumb when the handle is gripped. 
         [0034]    As seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the cushion  10  has an oval form of substantially rectangular cross section. The cushion  10  includes a silicone skin  11  and a core  12 . 
         [0035]    The skin  11  of cushion  10  includes a slightly curved, but substantially planar, wall  13  of oval form, locate to be in contact with the user&#39;s hand, and specifically the user&#39;s thumb, and a peripheral wall  14  slightly recessed, or set back, from the periphery of the oval form of wall  13  and extending transversely to the substantially flat wall  13 . Around the peripheral wall  14 , a lip  15  is provided on the periphery of the substantially flat wall  13 . The silicone skin  11  preferably has a Shore A hardness of 50 and a thickness of about one millimeter. 
         [0036]    The skin  11  of the cushion  10  thus forms a receptacle. To make the cushion  10 , the receptacle is filled with a liquid silicone that will set over time to form the core  12 . The goal is to get a solid core  12  of a Shore A hardness preferably of five and a thickness of about five millimeters, defined by the height of the peripheral wall  14 . 
         [0037]    During drying, the surface formed by the liquid silicone in contact with the air, will not remain flat and a slight depression will be created in its center. According to an embodiment of the core  12 , filling of this depression is made with the same type of liquid silicone to form a flat bottom wall  16  after curing. 
         [0038]    Such a cushion  10  made entirely of silicone provides a temperature resistance up to about 220° C., close to the heat resistance of the handle body  2  of “Bakelite®” which is about 230° C. In use, the cushion will reach a temperature of is less than 70° C., thus ensuring good durability of the handle. 
         [0039]    As seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the body  2  of the handle  1  comprises in its upper front part  4  a cavity  3  located opposite, or facing, the support zone for the user&#39;s thumb. The cushion  10  is fixed in this cavity  3  by cementing, bonding, etc. 
         [0040]    The cavity  3  is dimensioned to receive the external shape of the cushion  10  without leaving a free space that could accommodate liquids or other contaminants. The lip section  15  which tapers towards the outside wall  13  provides a planar junction without irregularities, or unevenness, between the body  2  of the handle and the cushion  10  and reinforces the liquid tightness of the assembly. 
         [0041]    The cavity  3  has a flat bottom that receives without any play the bottom wall  16  of the cushion. Thus, during pressing of the finger on the cushion, the deformation of the skin and the core causes a pleasurable sensation that is not disturbed by other extraneous deformations of the type that might be produced by air bubbles that may have been trapped. 
         [0042]    The flat wall  13  of the pad has a surface area of about 400 square millimeters, which offers an excellent compromise between a real deformation of the cushion for comfort and good grip. This corresponds roughly to the bearing surface of the thumb on the handle during gripping of the culinary article. 
         [0043]    Preferably, the silicone of core  12  is colored and the skin  11  in the silicone pad  10  is translucent. This allows the color of the core  12  to be seen while ensuring its protection. The bottom wall  16  may be colored white, which preserves the visual color appearance of the core  12 . In effect, since the core material is not completely opaque, this white bottom wall  16  prevents the color of the body  2  of the handle from altering the color of the core  12  as perceived by the user. 
         [0044]    To improve gripping of the handle, silicone inserts  8 ,  9  are added to the body  2  of the handle by cementing or overmolding. 
         [0045]    In one embodiment, the inserts  8 ,  9  are replaced by cushions according to the invention. 
         [0046]    In use, the user grasps the handle by placing his or her thumb on the pad  10 . When grasping the handle, the pressure exerted by the thumb on the pad  10  deforms the silicone skin  11  and core  12 , thereby improving the comfort provided by the handle. 
         [0047]      FIGS. 5 and 6  illustrate another embodiment of the invention and relate to a handle  101  for a saucepan or stewpot. This type of culinary article generally includes a container equipped in its upper outer part with two diametrically opposed handles: one right and one left. 
         [0048]    The handle  101  comprises a body  102  having an upper portion including a cushion  110  disposed facing the support zone for the thumb when gripping handle  101 . The cushion  110  has an oval shape of approximately rectangular cross section arranged transversely to the handle. This permits obtaining identical right and left handles, one part of the cushion receiving the right thumb for the right handle and the other part receiving the left thumb for the left handle. 
         [0049]    The cushion  110  has a structure identical to the cushion  10  and includes a skin  111  of silicon and a core  112 . The skin  111  of cushion  110  comprises a slightly curved, but substantially planar, wall  113  in contact with the hand and a peripheral wall  114 . The cushion has a bottom wall  116 . 
         [0050]    The body  102  of the handle  101  comprises in its upper part a cavity  103  facing the support zone for the thumb. The cushion  110  is fixed in the cavity  103  by cementing. 
         [0051]    To improve holding in the hand, a silicone insert  108  is added to the body  102  of the handle by cementing or overmolding. 
         [0052]    This application relates to subject matter disclosed in French Application Number 09 05156, filed on Oct. 27, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0053]    Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiment described and illustrated which has been given as an example. Modifications remain possible, particularly in terms of the constitution of the various elements or by substitution of technical equivalents, without departing from the scope of protection of the invention. 
         [0054]    Thus in one embodiment of the invention, the core can be overmolded into the handle body and the skin in contact with the hand is attached either by another overmolding operation, or by cementing.