Patent Publication Number: US-2019174946-A1

Title: Marination Container for Hard-Boiled Eggs

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Applications 62/597,393 filed Dec. 11, 2017. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Background of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to cooking utensils and in particular an efficientcontainer for preparing marinated hard-boiled eggs and producing a decorative pattern during the marinating process. 
     Hard-boiled eggs, removed from the shell, are often marinated in a seasoning such as soy sauce which imparts an attractive color and flavor to the egg. Most simply this can be done by filling a small container with a liquid marinade  44  and immersing the eggs within that container. Substantial marinade  44  is normally required to fully cover the eggs and to fill the spaces between them when multiple eggs are being prepared at one time. After the marination is complete, this extra marinade  44  must normally be discarded producing substantial waste. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a conforming container that allows marination of a hard-boiled egg with a reduced volume of marinade  44 . The walls of the container may be spaced from the outer surface of the egg (allowing the flow of marinade  44 ) by means of inwardly extending bosses arranged to produce a decorative pattern on the outer surface of the egg. 
     These particular objects and advantages may apply to only some embodiments falling within the claims and thus do not define the scope of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the container of the present invention positioned beneath a hard-boiled egg with the shell removed prior to insertion of the egg into the container; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1  with the egg fully received within the container and showing in inset bosses which space the elastic conforming container walls away from the egg surface permitting flow of marinade  44 ; 
         FIGS. 3-5  are elevational views of eggs after treatment with marinade  44  with various patterns of bosses including tessellated diamonds, spirals, and hearts; 
         FIG. 6  is a figure of an alternative embodiment in partial cross-section for providing marination of multiple eggs at one time. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Marination Container for Hard-Boiled Eggs 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a marination container  10  per the present invention may provide for a base end  12  having a lower surface for stably supporting the container  10  in an upright position on a horizontal surface. 
     Positioned vertically above the base end  12  is a cavity region  14  which communicates with an open end  16  positioned immediately thereabove such that the open end  16  is centered above the base end  12  along a vertical axis  18 . During use, a hard-boiled egg  20  with the shell removed and having an axis of symmetry aligned with the vertical axis  18  may be inserted through the open end  16  into the cavity region  14  to be supported in that orientation by the container  10  stabilized by the base end  12 . 
     In one embodiment, the base end  12  cavity region  14  and open end  16  are molded as an integral unit from silicone rubber and elastomeric polymer. 
     Referring now also to  FIG. 2 , a lower surface  22  of the base end  12  as supported against a table top  24  or the like may have a vertical thickness  26  along the vertical axis  18  of five millimeters or more of solid silicone rubber to provide additional weight and stability. The lower surface  22  may be upwardly, slightly concave to provide a suction cup effect helping to stabilize the container on a smooth surface or the like. 
     An upper surface of the base end  12  forms a lower inner wall of an ovoid cavity  28  of the cavity region  14 , the lower inner wall sized to conform to a blunt end  30  of the egg  20  as distinguished from a pointed end  32  of the egg  20 . Sidewalls of the ovoid cavity  28  proceed upward from the base end  12  to a neck region  34  at a neck height  36 . A thickness of these walls may be less than three millimeters. In a relaxed state, the ovoid cavity  28  of the cavity region  14  may closely conform to at least 80 percent of the surface of the egg such that an inner cavity wall is within four millimeters of the surface of a grade large egg per USDA standards. 
     At the neck region  34 , at the neck height  36 , the walls of the container may diverge from the outer surface of the received egg  20  and a diameter of the container may expand to provide a funnel  40  to assist in receiving the egg  20  into the ovoid cavity  28  and to assist in receiving a liquid marinade  44  such as soy sauce. The egg  20  may be inserted through this neck region  34  by a slight elastic expansion of the material of the container  10 . 
     A stopper  42 , for example, a light weight spherical polymer ball or specially molded plug/cover (not shown) may be provided to set in the funnel  40  to seal the marinade  44  against evaporative action of a marinade  44  within the container  10  and to be supported by the walls of the funnel  40  above the received egg  20 . When a special plug is used, a lower surface of the plug may contact the egg  20  and may provide a boss for imprinting the egg as will be discussed below. 
     Referring still to  FIG. 2 , an inner surface of the cavity walls  46  may provide for inwardly extending bosses  48  that elastically press against the outer surface of the received egg  20  to support an inner surface of remaining portions of the cavity walls  46  away from the egg surface to allow marinade  44  to flow therein. In one embodiment, bosses  48  may have an inward extension of more than one millimeter or less than five millimeters. Spaces between the bosses  48  preferably provide continuous channels  51  communicating with the neck region  34  and funnel  40  to receive marinade  44  therethrough; however, disconnected channels  51  may also work through a massaging of walls of the container  10  (possible because of its flexible nature) once the received egg  20  is in place in the ovoid cavity  28 . 
     In one embodiment, the channels  51  may be completely filled with less than one tablespoon of marinade  44  when the received egg  20  is in place within the cavity and the marinade  44  fully covers the pointed end  32  of the egg. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3, 4, 5 , the bosses  48  may provide for regions  50  of marinade  44  exclusion forming lines or patterns on the eggs  20  after the eggs  20  have marinated and have been removed from the container  10 . Portions of the egg  20  between the regions  50  of the marinade  44  will be dyed by the marinade  44 , and the regions  50  will be lighter having been excluded from the marinade making contact with the egg  20 . Various patterns are possible including, for example, tessellated or tiled shapes such as diamonds  52 , as well as lines or spirals  54  or isolated polka dot patterns  56 , for example, of hearts or the like. Ideally pattern exclusion regions  50  occupy less than 15 percent of the surface of the egg after marination to provide for sufficient seasoning of the egg. 
     The container  10  may be easily inverted (turned inside out) so that its inner surface is exposed outwardly for ready cleaning and the like. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , in an alternative embodiment, multiple hard-boiled eggs  20  with their shells removed may be treated at one time using a two-part container  59  having an interengaging lower tray  58  and upper tray portion  70 . The lower tray  58  provides a set of lower pockets  60  sized to cradle and closely conform to the blunt end  30  of corresponding eggs  20 . These pockets  60  are arrayed along a lower planar surface  62  of the lower tray  58 . The lower planar surface  62  of the lower tray  58  is in turn surrounded by upstanding peripheral sidewalls  64  having a height greater then the height of the eggs  20  when received in the pocket  60 . 
     The upper tray  70  also provides upstanding sidewalls  72  size to be received within the sidewalls  65  and to slide with their outer surfaces closely along the inner surfaces of the sidewalls  64  of the lower tray  58 . When the upper tray  70  is fully installed within lower tray  58 , it may be releasably held in place in the lower tray  58  by a tooth catch element  74  extending inward from the upper edge of the sidewalls  64 . This tooth element  74  elastically captures the upper edge of sidewalls  72  preventing removal of the upper tray  70  without disengaging of the tooth element by flexing outward of the outer sidewalls  64 . 
     Spanning the lower edge of sidewalls  72  is a planar bottom surface  76  having upwardly extending pockets  78  that can cradle and closely conform to the pointed end  32  of the eggs  20  when the planar wall  76  abuts the sidewall  72  with the upper tray  70  fully installed in the lower tray  58 . Together, the pockets  78  and corresponding pockets  60  form multiple ovoid cavities  28  operating as described in the previous embodiment. In this regard, the inner surfaces of the pockets  78  and  60  provide inwardly extending bosses  48  that serve to exclude marinade from the surface of the eggs  20  to create the patterns described with respect to  FIGS. 3-5  when marinade flows around the bosses  48 . 
     The upper ends of the pocket  78  may provide for filling ports  80  that may receive the marinade into the cavities  28  and each of the pocket  78  may have laterally extending channels  82  (meeting with corresponding channels in the upper surface of the planar surface  62  not visible in  FIG. 6 ) leading to other pocket  78  to allow equalization of marinade in between the cavities  28 . The filling ports  80  may be flared to provide a funnel shape for receiving soy sauce or the like or may fit with a separate funnel element not shown. 
     The lower tray  58  and upper tray  70  need not seal against leakage of the marinade because they provide therebetween only a small space volume outside of the cavities  28  which may be filled with a small volume of marinade up to the height of the cavities  28 . 
     The material of the lower tray  58  and upper tray  70  may be any flexible thermoplastic material such as polyethylene or the like or may be selected from materials as described above with respect to the first embodiment providing elasticity for better conforming to the eggs  20 . It will be appreciated that this general design showing space for four eggs can be increased or decreased to any arbitrary number. Caps may be provided (not shown) that fit over the filling ports  80  when not in use. 
     Single-Strand Hair Dying System 
     A second present invention relates to hair dying and in to particular an apparatus for applying hair dye to human hair. 
     Hair color changes naturally as people age, eventually turning gray or white. This process is not uniform, however, with some hairs turning white more than a decade before adjacent hairs. 
     Dealing with occasional white hairs is difficult. While a wide variety of hair dyes and applicators exist, the process of hair dying is cumbersome and costly especially for a single hair. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a hair dye applicator adapted for dying a single hair. By limiting the dye application to a single hair, the dying process can be quick with little mess. The applicator can be reused many times over an extended period and easily carried with an individual for occasional use. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an individual holding the applicator of the present invention for drawing the applicator along a single hair to be dyed; 
       FIG. 8  is an exploded fragmentary perspective view of the applicator including a felt tip style dye dispenser coupled to a guide probe for capturing and guiding a single hair through the applicator; 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 8  showing a cover fitting over the guide probes to permit reuse of the applicator at a later time; and 
       FIG. 10  is an exploded detail view of  FIG. 8  showing a barbed slot system used for retaining a hair within the applicator in contact with a dye tip. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , a single-hair, dye applicator  110  of the present invention may provide for a pen type cylindrical handle  112  extending along axis  115  easily grasped by a user&#39;s hand  114  in the manner of a paintbrush or the like. A distal end of the handle  112  supports a guide probe assembly  116  having flexible fingers  118  extending distally therefrom and separated by a gap  120  to allow capture and retention of a single human hair  124  therebetween. Once the hair is captured, the hair dye applicator  110  may be moved toward the root of the hair  124  and then drawn down along the hair  124  to dye the hair  124  as will be described below. 
     Referring now also to  FIG. 8 , the handle  112  may provide an internal reservoir  128  holding a hair dye material (either permanent or semi permanent) conducted by capillary action to a distally extending fibrous tip  130  in the manner of conventional ink markers (often called felt tip markers). The fiberous tip  130  may be generally cylindrical about axis  115  terminating distally at a conical section  132  leading to a distal apex. A V-shaped slot  134  having its widest portion toward the distal apex may be cut in the tip  130  to receive a hair along axis  115  therein allowing the tip  130  to conduct ink on multiple sides of the hair simultaneously as the hair is pulled through the V-slot  134 . Desirably the V-shaped slot  134  has an angle of less than 120 degrees and desirably less than 10 degrees or five degrees. 
     A cylindrical collar  136  being an extension of the handle  112  but of smaller diameter is aligned with axis  115  to coaxially surround the tip  130  at its proximal end providing support for the tip  130 . This collar  136  may receive by press fit a sleeve  140  of the guide probe assembly  116  having a like sized internal bore  142 . The sleeve  140  may be attached to the collar  136  by press fit, adhesive, ultrasonic welding or the like. The bore  142  provides a space for receiving not only the collar  136  but also the tip  130  which may extend distally into a neck region  144  of the guide probe assembly  116 . The neck region  144  may have a through bore  146  perpendicular to axis  115  and exposing the proximal end of the V-slot  134  therethrough. In this way a hair  124  may pass through the bore  146  to be received within the slot  134  and drawn perpendicularly to axis  115  for dying. The bore  142  may be, for example, of small diameter less than three millimeters so that the tip  130  is otherwise is surrounded by protective material of the neck region  144  preventing direct contact between the tip  130  and a planar surface such as the skin. 
     Referring also to  FIG. 10 , an upper periphery of the bore  146  is broken by guide slot  148  parting about a plane parallel to the axis  115  and extending perpendicularly thereto. The guide slot  148 , for example, may have a narrow distally opening V-shape and a width of one millimeter or less. Opposed inner surfaces of the guide slot  148  may provide for inwardly extending and opposed barbs or stepped regions  149  that can operate to retain a hair  124  within the guide slot  148  against removal from the guide slot  148  upward along the axis  115 . A hair  124  may pass along this guide slot  138  into the bore  146  to be received by the tip  130  when the guide probe assembly  116  is in place on the handle  112 . 
     Extending on either side of the guide slot  138  are long, flexible, distally extending fingers  118 , for example, having a length along axis  115  of two centimeters or more or at least one centimeter. The guide fingers  118  leave the neck region  144  at an angle of less than 30 degrees and more than 15 degrees therebetween and then curve back toward the axis  115  at their distal tips. In this way, the guide fingers  118  can be used to hook and guide an individual hair  124  into the slot  148  while providing for natural flexure to bow predictably if they are inadvertently jammed against the individual skin or the like. For similar reasons, the distal tips of the fingers  118  may be rounded or may include protective balls  119  or the like. 
     The fingers  118  generally narrow from their distal to their proximal ends and at their distal tips may have a width of one millimeter or less to assist in their use to separate an individual hair from other closely proximate hairs and to provide substantial flexibility. 
     Referring also to  FIG. 9 , desirably the fingers  118  may be elastically flexed, for example, so that their widest separation in a relaxed state of greater than one centimeter and desirably greater than 1.5 centimeters or the like may be reduced 150 percent without fracture and with only light finger pressure. In this way an airtight cylindrical cover  150 , for example, having an internal diameter equal to the diameter of the handle  112  below the collar  136  can be placed over the handle  112  by flexing inward of the fingers  118  to provide an airtight seal against the outer surface of the handle  112  preventing evaporation of the dye  131  material from the tip  130  during prolonged storage. 
     The material of the guide probe assembly  116  and the handle  112  is desirably a polymer material, for example, polypropylene or polyethylene. The dye  131  may be of any hair color or other color and may be scented. Ideally the dye is fast drying, for example, using a volatile solvent or the like. 
     Certain terminology is used herein for purposes of reference only, and thus is not intended to be limiting. For example, terms such as “upper”, “lower”, “above”, and “below” refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. Terms such as “front”, “back”, “rear”, “bottom” and “side”, describe the orientation of portions of the component within a consistent but arbitrary frame of reference, which is made clear by reference to the text and the associated drawings describing the component under discussion. Such terminology may include the words specifically mentioned above, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import. Similarly, the terms “first”, “second” and other such numerical terms referring to structures do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. 
     When introducing elements or features of the present disclosure and the exemplary embodiments, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of such elements or features. The terms “comprising”, “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements or features other than those specifically noted. It is further to be understood that the method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed. 
     It is specifically intended that the present invention not be limited to the embodiments and illustrations contained herein and the claims should be understood to include modified forms of those embodiments including portions of the embodiments and combinations of elements of different embodiments as come within the scope of the following claims. All of the publications described herein, including patents and non-patent publications, are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.