Patent Publication Number: US-10765261-B1

Title: Electric skewers and cooking apparatuses

Description:
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     A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 37 CFR 1.71(d). 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention(s). It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art, or material, to the presently described or claimed inventions, or that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art. 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of skewers and cooking apparatuses and the combination and use thereof to heat and cook food from the inside out and the outside in simultaneously. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Skewers and cooking apparatuses in the past have consisted mainly of wooden or metallic rods adapted to either hold food in place or rotate food within a heating apparatus. Examples include shish kebobs and rotisserie chickens or roasts. The main problem of these previous apparatuses is that the inside of the food doesn&#39;t cook as fast as the outside if at all, therefore either an outer portion becomes burned by the time the inside reaches an appropriate temperature, or the inside never reaches the appropriate temperature when the outer portion has reached the appropriate temperature for a desired amount of time. 
     In the food industry, including private barbeques, the inside of food being cooked via a skewer must reach a certain temperature for a certain amount of time to properly kill germs and bacteria, and the like, that can sicken an individual after consumption. In reality, most people only cook skewered food until the outside looks cooked or appears burned. However, in many cases the inside of the food is not cooked properly when the outside looks cooked or appears burned, thereby possibly resulting in sickness and even death after consumption. 
     Therefore, it is extremely important to invent a way to avoid this problem. However, very few attempts have even been made. The closest attempt found, though not necessarily to kill germs and bacteria, is disclosed in a 1931 U.S. Pat. No. 1,890,907 to J. E. Hoover. This particular configuration incorporates a metallic skewer that is attached at an end portion thereof to a metal pan that is heated and (inactively) conducts heat therethrough. However, the main problem with this type of configuration is that the skewer does not heat up very much and does not become heated evenly throughout its length. As a result, the upper portion of the skewer furthest away from the heated pan (and heat source) hardly heats up if at all. In fact, it&#39;s impossible to heat its pan up enough to transfer enough energy to its skewer, throughout its length, to cook the inside of the food/roast being cooked without severely burning a portion of the food that is touching the pan. Further, since the temperature of the skewer is reduced along its length away from the pan, the food/roast would be heated unevenly. Therefore, this configuration is too inefficient and too ineffective to properly heat and cook the inside of the food/roast to kill all the germs and bacteria therein, let alone the food/roast will be cooked unevenly, which is undesirable. The instant invention overcomes all these deficiencies. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in known skewers and cooking apparatuses, the present invention provides a novel electric skewer and cooking apparatus. The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail is to provide an electrically heated skewer used to cook food from the inside out, and which can be used in combination with a cooking apparatus used to cook food from the outside in, to thereby cook material from the outside in and the inside out simultaneously. 
     In brief, the instant invention includes an electric skewer comprising an elongated heating rod; an elongated heating element; a handle; and an electrical power source, wherein the electric skewer is adapted to be pushed into food to be heated and heat the food from its inside outward while the food is being heated by a separate heat source from its outside inward, to thereby more efficiently heat the food throughout the food and to make sure that all portions of the food is heated to a desired temperature. Furthermore, the electric skewer can be used in combination with a cooking apparatus comprising a cooking platform; an electric heating element; an electrical power source; and at least one skewer power outlet, such that a plurality of electric skewers can be used at the same time and are adapted to be used to heat a plurality of foods at the same time within the interior volume of the main body of the cooking apparatus. 
     For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and method(s) of use for the electric skewer and cooking apparatus, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1A  shows a perspective view illustrating an electric skewer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1B  shows cross sectional view  1 B- 1 B of the electric skewer according to the embodiment of  FIG. 1A . 
         FIG. 2A  shows a perspective view illustrating an electric skewer according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2B  shows cross sectional view  2 B- 2 B of the electric skewer according to the embodiment of  FIG. 2A . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating a combination of a plurality of electric skewers of the present invention in combination with an electric cooking apparatus. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating a cover for at least one electric skewer of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As discussed above, embodiments of the present invention relate to electrically heated skewers used to heat material from the inside out, and which can be used in combination with a cooking apparatus used to heat material from the outside in, to thereby heat material from the outside in and the inside out simultaneously. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1A , the present invention is includes an electric skewer  100  comprising an elongated heating rod  110  having an elongated hollow body  112  with a proximal end  115  including an aperture  116  therethrough and a distal end  117  including a tip portion  118  formed having a pointed (or sharpened) shape and having an inner apex surface  121  and an outer apex surface  123 , an interior wall  125  including an interior surface forming a hollow interior volume  127  between the proximal end and the inner apex surface of the tip portion of the distal end, an exterior wall  130  defining an exterior shape between the proximal end and the outer apex surface of the tip portion of the distal end, and forming an external heating surface  135  upon the entire exterior wall, a first length L 1  along the interior wall between the proximal end and the inner apex surface of the tip portion of the distal end, a second length L 2  between the proximal end and the outer apex surface of the tip portion of the distal end along the exterior wall; an elongated heating element  150  including an elongated conductor  151  located within the hollow interior volume of the elongated hollow body and contacts the interior wall of the elongated hollow body along the first length to thereby conduct heat evenly to the entire external heating surface of the exterior wall, wherein the elongated heating rod is adapted to be heated evenly along the second length L 2 , and wherein the elongated heating rod is adapted to be pushed into and pulled out from material to be heated; a handle  160  connected to the proximal end of the elongated hollow body of the elongated heating rod and is adapted to allow a person to hold the elongated heating rod while being pushed into and pulled out from the material to be heated, and wherein the handle is formed from a material adapted to resist heat from the elongated heating rod from transferring therethrough; and an electrical power source  165  electrically connected to and supplies electric power to the elongated conductor of the elongated heating element, wherein the heated skewer is adapted to be pushed into the material to be heated and heat the material from its inside outward while said material is being heated by a separate heat source from its outside inward, to thereby more efficiently heat the material throughout the material and to make sure that all portions of the material is heated to a desired temperature. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the elongated conductor  151  may be formed as an electrical wire  181  extending along and contacting a first portion  184  of the interior surface of the interior wall along the first length between the proximal end and the inner apex surface of the tip portion of the distal end, and then continuing and extending along and contacting a second portion  185  of the interior surface of the interior wall spaced from the first portion and along the first length between the inner apex surface of the tip portion of the distal end and the proximal end, wherein the electrical wire  181  has a proximal end  186 , a distal end  187 , and a length therebetween and is adapted to heat up evenly along the entire length, and wherein the electrical wire  181  is adapted to conduct heat evenly to and along the entire second length L 2  of the elongated hollow body and thereby the external heating surface of the exterior wall of the elongated heating rod. The electrical wire  181  can be formed from copper, aluminum, gold, platinum, silver, zinc, nickel, iron, steel, bronze, brass, and alloys and combinations thereof. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2A , a second embodiment of the electric skewer  100  comprises an elongated heating rod  110  having an elongated hollow body  112  with a proximal end  115  including an aperture  116  therethrough and a distal end  117  includes tip portion  118  having a rounded (or curved) shape and having an inner apex surface  121  and an outer apex surface  123 , an interior wall  125  including an interior surface forming a hollow interior volume  127  between the proximal end and the inner apex surface of the tip portion of the distal end, an exterior wall  130  defining an exterior shape between the proximal end and the outer apex surface of the tip portion of the distal end, and forming an external heating surface  135  upon the entire exterior wall, a first length L 1  along the interior wall between the proximal end and the inner apex surface of the tip portion of the distal end, a second length L 2  between the proximal end and the outer apex surface of the tip portion of the distal end along the exterior wall; an elongated heating element  150  including an elongated conductor located within the hollow interior volume of the elongated hollow body and contacts the interior wall of the elongated hollow body along the first length to thereby conduct heat evenly to the entire external heating surface of the exterior wall, wherein the elongated heating rod is adapted to be heated evenly along the second length L 2 , and wherein the elongated heating rod is adapted to be pushed into and pulled out from material to be heated; a handle  160  connected to the proximal end of the elongated hollow body of the elongated heating rod and is adapted to allow a person to hold the elongated heating rod while being pushed into and pulled out from the material to be heated, and wherein the handle is formed from a material adapted to resist heat from the elongated heating rod from transferring therethrough; and an electrical power source  165  electrically connected to and supplies electric power to the elongated conductor of the elongated heating element, wherein the heated skewer is adapted to be pushed into the material to be heated and heat the material from its inside outward while said material is being heated by a separate heat source from its outside inward, to thereby more efficiently heat the material throughout the material and to make sure that all portions of the material is heated to a desired temperature. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2A and 2B , the elongated conductor of the elongated heating element  150  may be formed as an electrical conducting tube  182  located within the hollow interior volume of the elongated hollow body and contact the entire interior surface of the interior wall and be adapted to conduct heat evenly to the entire external heating surface of said exterior wall. The electrical conducting tube  180  can be formed from copper, aluminum, gold, platinum, silver, zinc, nickel, iron, steel, bronze, brass, and alloys and combinations thereof. The electrical conducting tube  180  may also be formed to include a mesh material adapted to transfer and distribute heat throughout its volume more evenly and efficiently. As such, the conducting tube and the mesh material may be formed from different materials depending on the characteristics required of the electrical skewer. 
     The elongated hollow body  112  may be formed from metal or ceramic or other like conducting materials, such as copper, aluminum, gold, platinum, silver, zinc, nickel, iron, steel, bronze, brass, and alloys and combinations thereof depending on the characteristics required of the electrical skewer. The tip portion  118  of the distal end may be formed having a cone-shape or a curved cross-section adapted to pierce the material to be heated. 
     The power source  165  may include an elongated electric cord  168  adapted to releasably plug into an external power source. The electrical power source  165  may also include a rechargeable battery member  166 . 
     The handle  160  can be formed having an aperture  167  therethrough adapted to allow the electric cord to pass therethrough and between the external power source and the elongated conductor of the elongated heating element. The handle  160  can be formed from an insulating material adapted to resist the transfer of heat from the elongated heating rod to the handle. The handle  160  may further include a power controller  171  and an on/off switch  172  attached thereto and electrically connected between the power source and the elongated conductor and adapted to control the amount of power delivered to the elongated conductor and thereby the temperature of the elongated conductor. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the electric skewer  100  described above can also be used in combination with a cooking apparatus  200  comprising a main body  210  including a bottom wall  212 , at least one side wall  214  attached to and extends from the bottom wall and defines an interior volume; a cooking platform  216 , that may be formed as a grating, releasably connected to the at least one side wall within the interior volume and is adapted to hold material thereon to be heated by the cooking apparatus. Cooking apparatus  200  can include skewer holding members  217  and  218  and rotating skewer holder  219  incorporating motor member  220  and rotating skewer holder  221 ; an electric heating element  230  located within the interior volume and between the bottom wall and the cooking platform and may include electric heating coils, wherein the electric heating element  230  is adapted to heat the material placed upon the cooking platform  216  and the material on any one of the electric skewers  100 ; an electrical power source  250  electrically connected to and supplies electric power to the electric heating element  230  electrically connected to an on/off switch  253 ; and at least one skewer power outlet  260  connected to the at least one side wall of the main body, is electrically connected to the electrical power source, and is adapted to supply power to at least one electric skewer. The cooking apparatus  200  may further include a cover member  202  adapted to releasably cover the main body and releasably enclose the interior volume of the main body when heating the material. 
     When the electric skewer  100  is used in combination with a cooking apparatus  200 , the electric skewer may include the electrical power cord  168  adapted to releasably connect with and transfer electric power from the at least one skewer power outlet  260  of the cooking apparatus and supply electric power to the elongated conductor of the elongated heating element. As such, the electric skewer is adapted to be pushed into material, such as food, to be heated and heat the material from its inside outward while the material is being heated by the cooking apparatus from its outside inward, to thereby more efficiently heat the material throughout the material and to make sure that all portions of the material is heated to a desired temperature. The combination of the electric skewer  100  and the cooking apparatus  200  can be formed wherein the cooking apparatus includes a plurality of skewer power outlets  260  spaced from one another and connected to the at least one side wall of the main body, are respectively electrically connected to the electrical power source  250 , and are adapted to supply power to a plurality of electric skewers  100 ; and wherein there are a plurality of electric skewers  100  each adapted to releasably connect with a respective one of the plurality of skewer power outlets  260 , such that the plurality of electric skewers can be used at the same time and are adapted to be used to heat a plurality of materials, such as foods, at the same time within the interior volume of the main body of the cooking apparatus. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a protective cover  300  can also be included with each electric skewer, or adapted to hold a plurality of electric skewers therein, and be formed from an insulating material adapted to resist the transfer of heat from the electric skewer through the protective cover to thereby protect a person when handling the electric skewer after use and/or for protecting the skewer when in storage. 
     The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.