Patent ID: 8573438

Claim:
A removable handle system for cookware, the handle comprising: a. a removable portion having a longitudinal grasping portion, a proximal end, an upper surface, a lower surface and a distal end; b. a user engagement button extending vertically from the upper surface through a surface defining a void in the upper surface of the removable portion; c. the user engagement button attached to a piston d. the piston having an upper portion with a radially outward surface defining an upper diameter; e. the piston having a lower portion with a radially outward surface defining a lower diameter, where the lower diameter is larger than the upper diameter; f. a compression spring positioned within the grasping portion between the piston and the lower surface of the removable portion, the compression spring configured to bias the user engagement button upwards; g. a surface defining a slot through the proximal end of the removable portion; h. a bracket attached to cookware; i. the bracket comprising a tongue having an outer surface smaller vertically and transversely than the surface defining the slot in the removable portion so as to fit therewithin; and j. the tongue comprising a surface defining a passage wider transversely than the upper diameter of the piston, and narrower transversely than the lower diameter of the piston.