Kitchen utensil and method of making

Abstract

A kitchen utensil and method of making the head portion of the utensil coated with a nonstick coating extending onto an adjacent handle area. A curved groove is formed into each face of the handle portion and the coating extends into the groove, creating a well defined and regularly shaped line of demarcation between the coated and uncoated areas of the utensil. The coating does not fill the grooves, creating the appearance of a mechanical joint so that the head and handle portions look as though they are separate pieces. The grooves are also used to guide trimming masking tape applied prior to dipping the utensil into coating material.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of provisional application No. 60/196,623, filed on Apr. 12, 2000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention concerns kitchen utensils such as serving spoons, skimmers, ladles, cooking forks, tongs, and the like.

[0003] Nonstick coatings have been widely used in cookware to prevent food from sticking to the surfaces to enable easier cleaning. Nonstick coatings have also been applied to the food contacting surfaces of kitchen utensils for the same purpose. Such utensils have been constructed in two different ways. In a first method, separate head and handle portions are separately made, the head constructed of metal and having a shank portion inserted into the separate handle. In a second method, the utensil is constructed in one piece, with integral unitary head and handle portions. Nonstick coatings have heretofore been applied to utensils of two piece construction, by coating the separate head and shank.

[0004] In the case of one piece utensils, there is usually no visually distinct line of demarcation between the head and the handle portion, such that there would be no neat border between the coated and uncoated areas. Since nonstick coatings have a dark contrasting appearance, one piece utensils having a coating only on the head portion would have an unattractive appearance. Also, even when using masking tape, the process of dipping of the head into the coating material creates a somewhat irregular edge of coating border and/or piece-to-piece variations in the location of the edge, since the application of the masking tape is done manually.

[0005] Also, when the tool is buffed after the coating is cured, the buffing process sometimes mars the edge of the coating.

[0006] It is the object of the present invention to provide a one piece kitchen utensil having a coated head portion only which has an attractive appearance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The above object and others which will be understood upon a reading of the following specification and claims are achieved by applying a dark colored nonstick coating onto the head portion of a one piece kitchen utensil terminating in a coating border edge extending across the adjacent area of a handle portion. A crisp, regularly shaped border edge of the coating extends across faces of the adjacent areas of the handle portion, preferably comprising a curved line.

[0008] The coating border edge is established by stamping or otherwise forming a groove into the utensil extending across each face or side of the utensil where the border coating edge is to be established. Masking tape is wrapped over the stamped grooves, and trimmed using the stamped groove as a guide, prior to dripping the utensil into the coating material.

[0009] The coating will thus extend into the groove but not fill the groove. This creates a well defined contour along the coating edge which gives the appearance of a seam having some depth along the divide between the uncoated exposed metal areas and the coated areas of the utensil. The makes the handle and head portions look like two separate pieces mechanically joined together, which is aesthically a substantial improvement over the irregular edge appearance of the coating border produced by simply dipping the item in the coating even when using manually trimmed masking tape.

[0010] The presence of the groove effectively conceals any slight irregularity in the edge produced by the manual trimming and also makes it easier to avoid buffing into the edge of the coating to mar the same. The machine formed grooves insure uniformity in the location of the coating edges.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pair of pasta tongs having a dark colored nonstick coating applied thereto in the manner according to the present invention.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a front view of the pasta tongs shown in FIG. 1.

[0013] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a skimmer having a dark colored nonstick coating applied thereto in the manner according to the invention.

[0014] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the skimmer shown in FIG. 2.

[0015] FIG. 5 is a front view of the pasta tongs shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 prior to applying the nonstick coating.

[0016] FIG. 6 is a side view of one handle of the uncoated tongs shown in FIG. 5, depicting the application and trimming of masking tape over the grooves formed therein.

[0017] FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a tong handle shown in FIG. 6 showing the grooves formed therein prior to applying the nonstick coating.

[0018] FIG. 7A is a view of a fragmentary portion of the tong handle shown in FIG. 6, after the nonstick coating is applied.

[0019] FIG. 8 is an enlarged photo showing the appearance of the coating border edge.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In the following detailed description, certain specific terminology will be employed for the sake of clarity and a particular embodiment described in accordance with the requirements of 35 USC 112, but it is to be understood that the same is not intended to be limiting and should not be so construed inasmuch as the invention is capable of taking many forms and variations within the scope of the appended claims.

[0021] Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a pair of kitchen pasta tongs 10 of one piece unitary construction, utilizing a suitable metal such as stainless steel having handle portions 12A, 12B and integral head portions 14A, 14B. Areas of decorative texturing 13A, 13B can be provided.

[0022] A dark colored nonstick coating 16 is applied over the head portions 14A, 14B, extending across the adjacent handle portions contiguous thereto so that the edge of the coating border to form crisp lines of demarcation 18A, 18B on the front and rear surface of each handle portion 12A, 12B. The lines of demarcation are preferably curving lines of a constant radius.

[0023] The dark colored nonstick coating 16 creates a visual contrast with the bright metal of the remaining handle portions. This contrast and the crisp, regularly shaped lines of demarcation create an attractive appearance and provide an illusion of a separate piece when combined with the visual effect of grooves used to create the coating border edge, described below.

[0024] FIGS. 3 and 4 show a one piece skimmer 20 of a similar construction, having a handle portion 22 and a slotted head portion 24. A dark colored nonstick coating 26 covers the head portion 24 and extends across the contiguous area of the handle portion 22.

[0025] Crisp, regularly shaped lines of demarcation 28 and 30 establish the border edge of the coated area on the front and rear faces 32, 34 respectively of the handle portion 22.

[0026] FIGS. 5 and 6 show the pair of tongs 10, prior to being coated, showing that a pair of grooves 38, 39 (FIG. 7) are formed extending across the inner and outer face 42, 44A, B in the region of the border 40A, 40B of the casting to be applied. The grooves 38, 39 may be formed by stamping when the utensil is formed into each a respective side faces 42A, B, 44A, B of the handle portions 12A, 12B at an area adjacent and contiguous to the utensil heads 14A, 14B. The handle outer faces 40A, 40B are dished convexly to the respective grooves 38 and the handle inner faces 44A, 44B a concave to the respective grooves 39, such only the end of groove 39 is seen in FIG. 7. The grooves 38, 39 are preferable curved at a constant radius and the ends of each groove are aligned with the groove on the opposite face.

[0027] A loop of masking tape 46 is wrapped over the sets of grooves 38, 39 and cut along the grooves 38, 39 with the lower segment 46A peeled away to expose the lower handle area next to the heads 14A, 14B, and the grooves 38, 39. The coating does not fill the grooves 38, 39, and an upper edge 38A of the grooves 38, 39 typically remains exposed to create a visually pronounced seam of some depth. This creates the distinct appearance of a mechanical joint between separate head and handle pieces as seen in FIG. 8.

[0028] After the tape segment 46A is peeled off, the utensil 10B dipped into a nonstick coating, such as SILVERSTONE™, available from Dupont slightly over the depth of the remaining tape loop 46. The tape 46A is thereafter removed and the coating cured in an oven in a known way to be hardened.

[0029] The exposed metal of the utensil is buffed to polish the same and remove any discoloration from the curing heat.

[0030] The areas of texture patterns 13A, 13B, such as done by glass bead blasting can also optionally be done as desired.

[0031] The presence of the grooves 38, 39 conceals any irregularity of the coating edge since the exposed upper edge of the stamped groove visually defines this edge. Further, the presence of the grooves minimizes the chances of buffing into the coating to mar the edge when finishing the exposed metal areas.

[0032] The utensil thus treated also creates what appears to be a mechanical joint, giving the illusion of a separate piece joined to the handle portion, which is highly distinctive and attractive. That is, the coating extending into the grooves creates a well defined regularly shaped contour along the grooves which gives the distinct appearance of a seam between the head and handle, which is further emphasized by the border edge of the coating. This has been found to provide a significant aesthetic enhancement of the finished utensil over prior techniques.

Claims

1. A kitchen utensil of one piece construction including a unitary head portion and handle portion; a darkly colored nonstick coating applied over the head portion and a contiguous adjacent area of the handle portion, said nonstick coating having a crisp well defined border edge extending across said adjacent handle portion comprising a corresponding groove in said handle portion extending along said coating border edge, said coating extending into said groove to create a well defined regularly shaped border having the appearance of separate head and handle pieces for the regions of exposed metal and nonstick coating of said utensil.

2. The kitchen utensil according to

claim 1 wherein said handle portion has opposite faces, both faces having a coating border edge and a groove extending thereacross defining a curving coating border edge on each face of said handle portion.

3. The kitchen utensil according to

claim 2 wherein said grooves on said opposite faces of said handle portion each are curved with a constant radius.

4. A method of providing a nonstick coating on the head portion of a kitchen utensil having a working head portion and a handle portion, comprising the steps of:

forming said kitchen utensil head and handle portion of a single piece of metal;

forming a groove extending across said handle portion at a location adjacent said head portion;

coating said head portion with a contrasting nonstick coating extending across said adjacent handle portion and into said groove, whereby a seam having some depth produced is separating said coated and uncoated areas of said utensil.

5. The method according to

claim 4 wherein said groove is stamped into said handle portion in said step of forming kitchen utensil.

6. The method according to

claim 4 further including the step of wrapping said handle portion with masking tape covering said groove prior to coating said head portion, and trimming said tape by cutting along said groove to allow removal of a portion of said tape and the head portion side of said groove, and dipping said head portion with said trimmed tape thereon into coating material to coat over head portion and adjacent handle portion up to said uncovered side of said groove.

7. The method according to

claim 4 wherein said kitchen utensil handle portion is formed with opposite faces and wherein grooves are formed across each face of said handle portion.

8. The method according to

claim 7 wherein said grooves are each formed as an arc of constant radius extending across a respective face of said handle portion.