Patent Publication Number: US-2021186264-A1

Title: Integrated pan and spatula system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     The present application is related to and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/949,632 filed Dec. 18, 2019, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of cooking utensils of existing art and more specifically relates to a unique cooking utensil and pan combination. 
     RELATED ART 
     Cooking utensils or tools, such as spoons, spatulas, dippers, meat forks and the like, are very useful in cooking to stir, mix and manipulate food within a pot or pan during the cooking process. In the process of utilizing such utensils, it is common to place the respective cooking utensil in an adjacent plate or drip dish when not being used. Often in transferring the particular utensil from the pot or pan to the drip dish, food and drippings drip from the utensil onto the stove and the surrounding cabinet area. Obviously, this is undesirable because the food and drippings on the stove and the surrounding area must be removed and the area cleaned. In addition, it is troublesome and inconvenient to transfer the cooking utensil being used to and from a drip dish between uses. Furthermore, it is common to store various cooking utensils such as stirring spoons and spatulas in a utensil drawer. Often it is awkward and inconvenient to gain access to a particular cooking utensil in a utensil drawer. A suitable solution is desired. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,128 to Donald E. James relates to a cooking utensil with integrally formed pot attaching means. The described cooking utensil with integrally formed pot attaching means includes a cooking utensil or tool basically characterized as having a handle end, a working end, and an intermediate shank portion extending between said handle and working ends. Attaching means is formed about the intermediate shank portion of the cooking tool that enables the cooking tool to be secured or rested in a firm and stationary position about the upper edge of practically all cooking pots and pans known. In addition, an associated wall hanger assembly is provided for supporting a plurality of said cooking utensils in side-by-side relationship when not in use. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known cooking utensil art, the present disclosure provides a novel integrated pan and spatula system. The general purpose of the present disclosure, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide an efficient and effective integrated pan and spatula system. 
     An integrated pan and spatula system is disclosed herein. The integrated pan and spatula system includes an integrated pan and spatula assembly including a cooking utensil such as a spatula and a cooking vessel such as but not limited to a pan. The cooking utensil comprises a handle, a cooking-utensil-head, and a cooking-utensil-locking-assembly. The cooking vessel comprises an inner cooking surface encompassed by a sidewall, a bottom plane including a slot configured to receive the cooking-utensil-head through an open-end of the slot, and a pan-locking-assembly. The pan-locking-assembly and the cooking-utensil-locking-assembly comprise mating portions and are configured to removably interlock and secure the cooking-utensil-head within the slot of the cooking vessel. 
     Speaking more specifically, the pan-locking-assembly includes a first-tab and a second-tab extending from an exterior portion of the sidewall of the cooking vessel. The cooking-utensil-locking-assembly includes a wedge indentation in alignment to, and for contact with, the first-tab and the second-tab. The pan-locking-assembly further includes a first-arc-tab and a second-arc tab positioned directly below the first-tab and the second-tab. The first-arc-tab and the second-arc tab function as a latch and include a receiving indentation positioned therebetween. The cooking-utensil-locking-assembly further includes a securing knob having a first-projecting-tab and a second-projecting-tab configured to rotate and engage with the first-arc-tab and the second-arc tab of the pan-locking-assembly. The securing knob is configured to rotate alternately between a locked condition and an unlocked condition. Additionally, the cooking-utensil-locking-assembly comprises a projection member for engaging with the receiving indentation. The projection member and the receiving indentation comprise mating shaped profiles. 
     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 methods of use for the present disclosure, an integrated pan and spatula system, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of the integrated pan and spatula system of  FIG. 1 , showing an integrated pan and spatula assembly including a cooking utensil and a cooking vessel during an ‘engaged-condition’ according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the integrated pan and spatula system during an ‘in-use’ condition, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the integrated pan and spatula system of  FIG. 1 , including the cooking utensil having a cooking-utensil-locking-assembly and the cooking vessel having a pan-locking-assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the integrated pan and spatula system of  FIG. 1 , including the cooking vessel having a slot for removably receiving the cooking utensil according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5A  is a front view of the integrated pan and spatula system of  FIG. 1 , showing a securing knob during a ‘locked condition’ according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5B  is a front view of the integrated pan and spatula system of  FIG. 1 , showing the securing knob during an ‘unlocked condition’ according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the integrated pan and spatula system of  FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  is a bottom perspective view of the integrated pan and spatula system of  FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the integrated pan and spatula system of  FIG. 1 , including the cooking vessel having a gripping nodule according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     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 disclosure relate to a cooking utensil and pan combination and more particularly to an integrated pan and spatula system as used to maintain cleanliness and improve the use of cooking utensils and cooking vessels by providing a combination unit. 
     Generally, the integrated pan and spatula system includes a pan, and a removable handle that securely attaches to, and can be easily removed from, said pan. The handle features a spatula blade at one (1) end, and the blade fits within a slot located on a bottom plane of the aforementioned cooking vessel. The handle securely attaches to, and can be easily removed from, the pan or other cooking vessel. The cooking vessel and interior of the slot is preferably coated with ceramic. The slot of the integrated pan and spatula system can gather and collect any food particles that may cling to the spatula. The integrated pan and spatula system allows for two needed and often-used cookware necessities, a frying pan and spatula, to be obtained with a single unit. 
     More specifically, the pan of the integrated pan and spatula system features two tabs that project in alignment from an exterior portion of the sidewall. The spatula handle of the integrated pan and spatula system features a wedge indentation in alignment to, and for contact with, these two projecting tabs. The cooking pan of the integrated pan and spatula system also features two projecting arc tabs that function as a latch, directly below the previously mentioned tabs. The spatula handle of the integrated pan and spatula system features a securing knob aligned with, and for rotating frictional attachment to the latch. The integrated pan and spatula system includes a projecting cylinder with indentation between its latch tabs. The spatula handle of the integrated pan and spatula system includes a projection of the same shape as the indentation in the projecting cylinder, and which enters said indentation upon connection of the handle to the pan. 
     In one embodiment, the integrated pan and spatula system is a ten-inch (10″) frying pan, made of anodized aluminum, with a rectangular-shaped nodule projecting from the top edge of the sidewall. The nodule is coated in a heat-resistant silicone. On the bottom plane of the pan is an extending slot, open at one (1) end, and ends at the center point of this bottom plane. The slot measures approximately four and one-quarter inches in length by three and one-quarter inches in width by one-quarter of one inch in height (4¼×3¼×¼″). This slot features an internal ceramic coating. 
     Featured on the bottom plane of the cooking pan are radial patterns of a quarter-inch (¼″) height. On the exterior sidewall of this pan are two (2) projecting tabs. Directly below the tabs are two (2) projecting arcs for function as a latch. Directly between the latch-forming projecting arcs is a projecting cylinder. Directly in the center facing of this cylinder is an asterisk-shaped indentation in preferred embodiments. The handle of the integrated pan and spatula system is formed from stainless steel and features a silicon sleeve over the gripping area. The spatula blade is of an approximate four-inch length by three-inch width by one-eighth of an inch depth (4″×3″×⅛″). In the arced neck of the handle, between the gripping area and the spatula blade, is a wedge, positioned for contact with the projecting tabs of the pan. Directly below that wedge is a securing knob, positioned for contact with and placement between the projecting arcs of the cooking pan. Projecting from the back plane of the securing knob&#39;s support wall is an asterisk-shaped projection for application within the indentation of similar shape on the pan-hosted cylinder. 
     The integrated pan and spatula system can be made in various frying pan sizes and shapes. The integrated pan and spatula system can be made in many varieties of cooking vessels, including but not limited to pots, pans, skillets, woks, broilers and other cookware forms. The integrated pan and spatula system may feature various other cooking utensils instead of a spatula blade, such as but not limited to a spoon, slotted spoon, stirrer, fork, and other utensils. The integrated pan and spatula system may also be made in variations in which the utensil heads are removable and attachable, and in which various types of heads. 
     A method of using the integrated pan and spatula system is as follows: A user may attach the handle to the cooking pan by sliding the spatula into its hosting chamber on the bottom plane of the cooking pan. After aligning the wedge of the handle with the projecting tabs of the cooking pan, the user may ensure the asterisk-shaped projection fully inserts into its host, and then turn the securing knob to firmly attach the handle. The integrated pan and spatula system may then be used like any ordinary frying pan. When the spatula is needed, and before the pan gets hot, the user may turn the securing knob to unsecure the handle, then withdraw it from the pan. The handle can then be used as a spatula as needed. When the spatula is not in active need it can be hosted within the slot on the bottom of the pan without securing the knob upon the latch. After spatula use, the handle may be reattached and re-secured to the cooking pan. When cooking is complete and after cleaning the integrated pan and spatula system, if needed, the handle may rest within the cooking pan for storage in reduced space. 
     Referring now more specifically to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown in  FIGS. 1-8 , various views of an integrated pan and spatula system  100 .  FIG. 1  shows an integrated pan and spatula system during an ‘in-use’ condition  150 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the integrated pan and spatula system  100  may include an integrated pan and spatula assembly  110  including a cooking utensil  120  and a cooking vessel  140 . 
       FIG. 2  is a top perspective view of the integrated pan and spatula system  100  of  FIG. 1 , showing the integrated pan and spatula assembly  110  including the cooking utensil  120  and the cooking vessel  140  during an ‘engaged-condition’ according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The cooking utensil  120  comprises a handle  122 , a cooking-utensil-head  124 , and a cooking-utensil-locking-assembly  126 . The cooking-utensil-head  124  may be solid, slotted and/or perforated. The cooking vessel  140  comprises an inner cooking surface  128  encompassed by a sidewall  130 , a bottom plane  132  including a slot  134  configured to receive the cooking-utensil-head  124  through an open-end of the slot  134 , and a pan-locking-assembly  142 . The inner cooking surface  128  hosts food items during heated preparation. The pan-locking-assembly  142  and the cooking-utensil-locking-assembly  126  comprise mating portions and are configured to removably interlock and secure the cooking-utensil-head within the slot of the cooking vessel  140 . 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the integrated pan and spatula system  100  of  FIG. 1 , including the cooking utensil  120  having a cooking-utensil-locking-assembly  126  and the cooking vessel  140  having a pan-locking-assembly  126  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the pan-locking-assembly  126  includes a first-tab  143  and a second-tab  144  extending from an exterior portion of the sidewall  130  of the cooking vessel  140 . The cooking-utensil-locking-assembly  126  includes a wedge indentation  136  in alignment to, and for contact with, the first-tab  143  and the second-tab  144 . The pan-locking-assembly  126  further includes a first-arc-tab  145  and a second-arc tab  146  positioned directly below the first-tab  143  and the second-tab  144 . The first-arc-tab  143  and the second-arc tab  144  function as a latch and include a receiving indentation  137  positioned therebetween. 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the integrated pan and spatula system  100  of  FIG. 1 , including the cooking vessel  140  comprising the slot  134  for removably receiving the cooking utensil  120  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The cooking vessel  140  preferably includes a ceramic coating and may be made of various materials, such as but not limited to anodized aluminum, carbon steel, stainless steel, copper and any blend of these and other materials. The slot  134  located on the bottom plane  132  of the cooking vessel  140  is sized, arranged and configured to removably receive the cooking-utensil-head  124 . The slot  134  on the bottom plane  132  of the cooking vessel  140  may host a ceramic sleeve or the slot  134  may be ceramic coated and/or it may be fully ceramic. Additionally, the slot  134  may not include ceramic of any form, and in such variations may or may not include a non-stick coating within the slot  134 . In certain embodiments, the integrated pan and spatula assembly  110  may be provided with a lid. 
     The cooking-utensil-locking-assembly  126  further includes a securing knob  138  having a first-projecting-tab  154  and a second-projecting-tab  156  configured to rotate and engage with the first-arc-tab  145  and the second-arc tab  146  of the pan-locking-assembly  142 . The securing knob  138  is configured to rotate alternately between a locked condition and an unlocked condition.  FIG. 5A  is a front view of the integrated pan and spatula system  100  of  FIG. 1 , showing the securing knob  138  during a ‘locked condition’ according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 5B  is a front view of the integrated pan and spatula system  100  of  FIG. 1 , showing the securing knob  138  during an ‘unlocked condition’ according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the integrated pan and spatula system  100  of  FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in  FIG. 6 , the cooking-utensil-locking-assembly  126  is further comprised of a projection member  148  for engaging with the receiving indentation  137  of the cooking vessel  140 . The projection member  148  and the receiving indentation  137  comprise mating shaped profiles. The receiving indentation  137  and the projection member  148  may comprise an asterisk-shaped profile or other suitable profile. 
       FIG. 7  is a bottom perspective view of the integrated pan and spatula system  100  of  FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the bottom plane  132  of the cooking vessel  140  includes an extruded grid system  160 . The extruded grid system  160  on the bottom plane  132  of the cooking vessel  140  directs heat around the cooking utensil  120  and to the inner cooking surface  128  of the cooking vessel  140 . Additionally, the extruded grid system  160  ensures the cooking vessel  140  sits flush on cooking and serving surfaces. In a preferred embodiment, the cooking vessel  140  comprises a diameter of approximately  10  inches however, various sizes may be provided. The cooking-utensil  120  may include a spatula, a spoon, a slotted spoon, a stirrer, a fork, and/or other cooking utensils or tools. Additionally, the cooking vessel  140  may be provided as a pot, a pan, a skillet, a wok, a broiler, or other cooking vessel  140 . 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the integrated pan and spatula system  100  of  FIG. 1 , including the cooking vessel  140  having a gripping nodule  162  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The gripping nodule  162  preferably comprises a rectangular-shaped projection extending from the sidewall  130  of the cooking vessel  140  opposite of the pan-locking-assembly. The gripping nodule  162  is preferably coated with a heat resistant silicone material. The gripping nodule  162  of the integrated pan and spatula system  100  further enhances the ease of removing and inserting the cooking utensil  120  within the slot  134  of the cooking vessel  140 . Additionally, the gripping nodule  162  may be utilized to maintain the cooking vessel  140  in a steady position while preparing food. The gripping nodule  162  of the integrated pan and spatula system  100  further enhances the ease of removing and inserting the cooking utensil  120  within the slot  134 . 
     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.