Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to cookware and, more specifically, to a cooking immersion device for holding food under a liquid within cookware during a cooking session. 
     Description of the Prior Art 
     There are other devices which provide for submerging food articles during cooking. While these devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they where designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described. 
     It is thus desirable to provide a cooking aid selectively positionable within cookware having a handle for extending/retracting blade-like elements from a stored position to an extended cookware engaging position thereby holding one or more food article(s) submerged in a cookware fluid during a cooking session, when finished the blades are retracted to their stored position and the device is removed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     A primary object of the present invention is to provide a cookware immersion device that will submerge and hold articles of food below a liquid level within said cookware. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide an immersion device for submerging an article in a container below the surface of a liquid medium within said container. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an immersion device that will keep food submerged in a cooking fluid during a cooking session. 
     Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide an immersion device having a base plate with a plurality of vertically depending base-plate posts fixedly attached to the base plate with the posts fixedly arrayed about and attached to a post collar with said base plate, posts and collar forming static structure for selectively extending a plurality of expansion plates until engaging the interior wall of a container, such as cookware. 
     An additional object of the present invention is to provide an immersion device having a drive plate post with a handle on the top end and a drive plate fastened to the bottom end with the drive plate post passing through said post collar and rotatable therein. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide an immersion device wherein said drive plate has a plurality of drive plate linkages pivotally attached to the drive plate on one end and fixedly attached to a corresponding number of extension plates whereby rotation of the drive plate post via said post handle drives said expansion plates, during use, between a stored positioned to a deployed position to a stored position as desired. 
     Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide an immersion device having a plurality of guide pins fixedly attached to the base plate then extending into a respective plate-linkage longitudinal slot defining a path for extending and retracting the plurality of expansion plates via the drive plate post handle. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide an immersion device having an immersion device handle manufactured from a heat dissipating material fixedly attached to one or more of the plurality of base-plate posts for ease of use. 
     A yet further object of the present invention is to provide an immersion device further providing a latching mechanism comprising a gear fixedly fastened to one or more drive plate post(s) and a leaf-spring like band extending from a base-post into arcuate engagement with said gear so that when extending the expansion plates the leaf-spring slips from one gear tooth to another during clockwise rotation while preventing counterclockwise rotation (returning the expansion plates to a stored position) until the spring is depressed allowing counter clockwise rotation. 
     A still yet further object of the present invention is to provide an immersion device further providing alignment nubs fixedly positioned approximate the leading edge of a respective expansion plate providing means for frictionally engaging the cookware interior wall in concert with said latching mechanism and aiding in extending all plates in a preferably horizontal position. 
     Additional objects of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds. 
     The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a cookware immersion device having an immersion device and extendable/retractable blade-like elements that frictionally engage the interior wall of the cookware while holding one or more food article submerged in a fluid during a cooking session. 
     The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description reference is made to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In the accompanying drawing, like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views. 
     The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       In order that the invention may be more fully understood, it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an illustrative view of the cookware immersion device. 
         FIG. 2A  is an illustrative view of the cookware immersion device positioned for use. 
         FIG. 2B  is another illustrative view of the cookware immersion device positioned for use. 
         FIG. 2C  is another illustrative view of the cookware immersion device in use. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the cookware immersion device in the closed position. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the cookware immersion device in the open position. 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the cookware immersion device in the closed position. 
         FIG. 6  is a front view of the cookware immersion device. 
         FIG. 7  is a bottom view of the cookware immersion device in the open position. 
         FIG. 8  is a bottom view of the cookware immersion device having four deployable expansion plates. 
         FIG. 9  is a bottom view of the cookware immersion device having four expansion plates deployed. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCED NUMERALS 
     Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views, the figures illustrate a cookware immersion device of the present invention. With regard to the reference numerals used, the following numbering is used throughout the various drawing figures.
           10  cookware immersion device     12  food item     14  liquid     16  cooking pot     18  expansion plate of device  10       20  handle of device  10       22  inner wall of cooking pot  16       24  drive plate linkage of device  10       26  fastener of device  10       28  user     30  drive plate post of device  10       32  drive plate of device  10       34  guide pin of device  10       35  base plate of device  10       36  longitudinal slot in linkage  24       38  alignment nub of device  10       40  leaf spring of latching mechanism  41       41  latch mechanism of device  10       42  fastened end of leaf spring  40       44  free end of leaf spring  40       46  gear of device  10       50  base post of device  10       52  bearing of device  10       54  aperture in base plate  35       56  hand grip of device  10         

     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The following discussion describes in detail one embodiment of the invention (and several variations of that embodiment). This discussion should not be construed, however, as limiting the invention to those particular embodiments, practitioners skilled in the art will recognize numerous other embodiments as well. For definition of the complete scope of the invention, the reader is directed to appended claims. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , shown is an illustrative view of the cookware immersion device. The present invention is a cookware immersion device  10  used to submerge food items  12  within a liquid  14  in a cooking pot  16 . The device  10  comprises a plurality of expansion plates  18 , so that when positioned within the cooking pot  16  the plates  18  can be extended by turning a provided handle  20  until the plates  18  frictionally engage an inner wall  22  of the cooking pot  16 , thereby keeping the food items  12  submerged within the cooking fluid  14 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2A , shown is an illustrative view of the cookware immersion device positioned for use. For clarity of operation a number of expansion plates  18 , drive plate linkages  24  and associated fasteners  26  have been removed. In operation, the device  10  is positioned over the pot  16  where a user  28  desires to keep the food items  12  immersed in the liquid  14 , whether for marinating or cooking. The immersion device  10  has a plurality of overlapping petal-like expansion plates  18  that are driven outwardly through rotation of the drive plate post handle  20 . A drive plate post  30  is fixedly attached to a drive plate  32  that has a corresponding number of drive plate linkages  24  and expansion plates  18 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2B , shown is another illustrative view of the cookware immersion device positioned for use. As aforementioned, the device  10  is positioned over the pot  16  where the user  28  desires to keep the food items  12  immersed in the liquid  14  whether for marinating or cooking. Clockwise rotation of the drive plate post handle  20  rotates the drive plate  32  and drive plate linkages  24  fastened thereto that are each fixedly attached to a respective expansion plate  18 . The vectored path of each respective linkage  24  is determined by a guide pin  34  fixedly attached to a base plate  35  then extending through a provided longitudinal slot  36  in the linkage  24 . As illustrated, the expansion plates  18  are partially extended to cover the food items  12  to be immersed, then inserted to keep the food items  12  below the top level of the liquid  14 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2C , shown is another illustrative view of the cookware immersion device in use. Once the immersion device  10  has the required food items  12  submerged within the liquid  14  being either water, oil, broth, or stock for marinating or cooking. The drive plate post handle  20  is rotated until alignment nubs  38  of the expansion plates  18  engage the inner wall  22  of the cooking pot  16 . A leaf spring  40  of a latching mechanism  41  has a first fastened end  42  and a second free end  44  that slides over teeth of a gear  46  in clockwise rotation of the handle  20  with the second free end  44  of the leaf spring  40  because of its arcuate shape portion prevents counter clockwise rotation until pressure is placed on the arcuate shape portion that will dislodge the leaf spring  40  from the gear  46 , whereby counter clockwise rotation of the handle  20  will move the expansion plates  18  and drive plate linkages  24  by virtue of the guide pins  34  back to their stored position. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , shown is a perspective view of the cookware immersion device in the closed position. The immersion device  10  comprises the base plate  35  having base posts  50  and a bearing  52  supporting the drive plate post  30  having the handle  20  on one distal end of the drive plate  32  and a drive plate  32 , on the other end having linkage  24  for extending and retracting the expansion plates  18  through the handle  20 . The base plate  35  has a plurality of apertures  54  for liquid  14  to pass through while keeping the food items  12  submerged within the liquid  14 . One of the base posts  50  also has a hand grip  56  to help guide the device  10  into the cooking pot  16 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , shown is a perspective view of the cookware immersion device in the open position. The immersion device  10  comprises the base plate  35  having base posts  50  and bearing  52  supporting the drive plate post  30  having the handle  20  on one distal end and a drive plate  32  on the other end with linkage  24  for extending and retracting the expansion plates  18  through rotation of the handle  20 . The latching mechanism  41  keeps the plates  18  in the desired extended position. To retract the plates  18  pressure is applied to the latching mechanism  41  which will disengage from the gear  46  allowing the handle  20  to be used to retract the plates  18 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , shown is a bottom view of the cookware immersion device in the closed position. The drive plate post  30  is fastened to the drive plate  32  having a plurality of drive plate linkages  24  having one end pivotally attached to the drive plate  32  and fixedly attached on the other end to a respective expansion plate  18 , so that when the drive plate post  30  is rotated by the post handle  20 , the drive plate  32  rotates extending the expansion plates  18  outwardly. Each of the drive plate linkages  24  has a longitudinal slot  36  with a guide pin  34  therein, that is fixedly attached to the base plate  35  constraining the expansion plate  18  in an outward extension. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , shown is a front view of the cookware immersion device. The device  10  comprises a plurality of expansion plates  18  linked to a drive plate  32  fixedly attached to the drive plate post  30  terminating in the handle  20  for rotating the drive plate  32 . Also shown is the drive plate post  30  having the gear  46  and latching mechanism  41  fastened to a base post  50  extending from the base plate  35  having guide pins  34  extending through a respective drive plate linkage  24  that is pivotally attached to the drive plate  32  on one end and fixedly attached to a respective expansion plate  18 , so that rotation of the drive plate post  30  drives the expansion plate  18  outwardly along the linkage guide pin slot  36 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , shown is a bottom view of the cookware immersion device in the open position. The drive plate post  30  fastened to the drive plate  32  drives a plurality of drive plate linkages  24  having one end pivotally attached to the drive plate  32  and the other fixedly attached to a respective expansion plate  18 , so that when the drive plate post  30  is rotated by the post handle  20 , the drive plate  32  rotates extending the expansion plates  18  outwardly. Each of the drive plate linkages  24  has a longitudinal slot  36  with a guide pin  34  therein that is fixedly attached to the base plate  35  constraining the expansion plate  18  in an outward extension. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , shown is a bottom view of the cookware immersion device having four deployable expansion plates. The drive plate post  30  is fastened to the drive plate  32  having a plurality of drive plate linkages  24  having one end pivotally attached to the drive plate  32  and fixedly attached on the other end to a respective expansion plate  18 , so that when the drive plate post  30  is rotated by the post handle  20 , the drive plate  32  rotates extending the expansion plates  18  outwardly. Each of the drive plate linkages  24  has a longitudinal slot  36  with a guide pin  34  therein that is fixedly attached to the base plate  35  constraining the expansion plate  18  in an outward extension. 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , shown is a bottom view of the cookware immersion device having four expansion plates deployed. The drive plate post  30  fastened to the drive plate  32  drives a plurality of drive plate linkages  34  having one end pivotally attached to the drive plate  32  and the other end fixedly attached to a respective expansion plate  18  so that when the drive plate post  30  is rotated by the post handle  20 , the drive plate  32  rotates extending the expansion plates  18  outwardly. Each of the drive plate linkages  24  has a longitudinal slot  36  with a guide pin  34  therein that is fixedly attached to the base plate  34  constraining the expansion plate  18  in an outward extension. 
     It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above. 
     While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. 
     Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.

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