Patent ID: 7320277

Claim:
Cooking utensil suitable for heating on both thermal and induction heat sources, comprising a container having a container bottom to which a base is connected, the base comprising a peripheral wall and a bottom side and having a layered structure, the bottom side of the base being located opposite the container bottom and being provided to contact the heat source, wherein the container bottom comprises a peripheral region at the peripheral wall and a central region inwardly from the peripheral region, wherein the layered structure of the base comprises an upper conductive layer connected to the container bottom, an inductive layer connected to the upper conductive layer, a lower conductive layer connected to the inductive layer and a protective layer connected to the lower conductive layer, wherein the upper and lower conductive layers contact each other only at the peripheral wall and are separated from each other by the inductive layer inwardly from the peripheral wall, the upper and lower conductive layers having a higher thermal conductivity than the inductive layer, wherein the bottom side of the base comprises an outer region delimited by the peripheral wall and an inner region inwardly from the outer region, the outer region being formed by at least part of the protective layer and the inner region being at least partly constructed of a material of higher thermal conductivity than the material of the protective layer such that an average thermal conductivity of the layered structure between the inner region of the bottom side of the base and the peripheral region of the container bottom is higher than an average thermal conductivity of the layered structure between the inner region of the bottom side of the base and the central region of the container bottom.