OVEN MITT WITH SCRAPER EDGE

Abstract

The oven mitt discussed herein has a blade connected to or co-molded to an end of a finger sheath portion. The blade has a tapered or sharpened end. This allows a user to slide the mitt under a pan or scrape hot food products off of a heated baking sheet. The mitt also has a thumb sheath portion, so that the user can grip objects between the finger and thumb sheath portions. The mitt can be made of materials that are suitable for use in heated environments, such as silicone for the sheath portions, and nylon for the blade.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/771,772, filed on Mar. 1, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

1. Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to mitts or similar implements that can be used to handle hot items, such as from an oven. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a mitt having a narrowed and hardened front edge, which assists with scraping and lifting hot items.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

There is a continuing need for kitchen tools that provide safety for the user when handling hot items (such as plates or cooked foods), yet are convenient easy to use. Currently, when cooking food products in an oven, such as cookies or breads, a user will need to use a mitt to handle the hot cooking plate, and a separate implement such as a spatula to remove or cut the food products being cooked. The present disclosure addresses these concerns.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The mitt of the present disclosure is provides both a strong, heat-resistant body for the user to wear, and a narrowed, hardened front edge. This front edge provides high versatility for the user, as it can slip under baking pans on oven racks, or scrape food product off a sheet. The mitt can have a common sheath for the user's four fingers and a separate one for the thumb. Between the finger and thumb sheaths, the mitt can have a ridged or toothed section, which provides greater gripping power.

Thus, in one embodiment, the present disclosure provides an oven mitt. The mitt comprises a first sheath portion and a second sheath portion. The first sheath portion and the second sheath portion have a gripping area between them, for gripping an object, and are each made of a first material. The mitt further comprises a blade at a first end of the first sheath portion. The blade comprises a second material that is more rigid than the first material, and wherein the blade has a tapered edge.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a top, perspective view of the mitt of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the mitt of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a side cross-sectional view of the mitt of FIG. 1, along line A-A of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of the mitt of FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 5a and 5b show how the mitt of the present disclosure can be use to pick up baking sheets and scrape food product off the same.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Referring to FIGS. 1-5b, mitt 1 of the present disclosure is shown. Mitt 1 has main finger sheath 12, thumb sheath 14, and front blade 16 at a front end of finger sheath 12. To use mitt 1, the user places their hand in opening 13. Advantageously, blade 16 is made of a material that is harder than that of sheaths 12 or 14. It is also narrowed or tapered to an edge 17 at an end thereof. Thus, blade 16 and edge 17 allow a user to manipulate mitt 1 to slide under a pan or other object for easier lifting (FIG. 5a). It also allows the user to scrape objects off of the top of a baking pan or sheet. These are all highly advantageous features over currently available mitts, which are often cloth-based. Current mitts do not have the gripping ability that blade 16 provides, and certainly do not have the structural stability needed to scrape or remove cooked food products from baking sheets.

Main finger sheath 12 and thumb sheath 14 can be made from any material suitable for use in hot oven environments. Such materials include silicone, which is particularly advantageous since it does not char or decay after contacting very hot surfaces. Other materials such as plastics or reinforced or padded cloth could be used. Blade 16 may be made of a harder material, as compared to the material of sheaths 12 and 14. The material for blade 16 is suitable for use in hot oven environments, but is moldable into the desired rigid blade 16. A particularly suitable material for these purposes is nylon. Other plastic or metals may be used. In the shown embodiment, sheaths 12 and 14 are made of silicone, and blade 16 is made of nylon.

Blade 16 can be integrally formed or co-molded with sheath 12, and may be removably or permanently connected to sheath 12. As shown, blade 16 has edge portions 18 that wraps around the sides of sheath 12. This provides for greater stiffness and stability for mitt 1 when in use.

Mitt 1 also has gripping teeth 19 on an interior portion between finger sheath 12 and thumb sheath 14, which provide greater gripping ability for the user when they are picking up an object. They may also act as a partial heat sink, to insulate the user's hand from heat. Teeth 19 can be formed of the same material as that of sheaths 12 and 14. Gripping teeth 19 can be molded at the same time as sheaths 12 and 14, and thus made of the same material.

In the shown embodiments, mitt 1 has separate sheaths for the fingers and thumb of a user, but the present disclosure also contemplates one large sheath that would fit the fingers and thumb of a user's hand, and the resulting mitt could be used as a scraper. In addition, while in the shown embodiment finger sheath 12 covers all four of a user's fingers, the present disclosure contemplates an embodiment with two or more finger sheaths 12. For example, two finger sheaths 12 could cover two fingers each, or each finger could have its own sheath 12. Thumb sheath 14 could also have a blade edge, similar to blade 16 described above.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference to one or more particular embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope thereof. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this disclosure.

Claims

1. An oven mitt, comprising:

a first sheath portion;

a second sheath portion, wherein said first sheath portion and said second sheath portion have a gripping area between them, for gripping an object, and are each made of a first material; and

a blade at a first end of said first sheath portion, wherein said blade comprises a second material that is more rigid than said first material, and wherein said blade has a tapered edge.

2. The oven mitt of claim 1, wherein said blade is permanently connected to said first end of said first sheath portion.

3. The oven mitt of claim 2, wherein said blade is co-molded with said first sheath portion.

4. The oven mitt of claim 1, wherein said blade further wraps around side edges of said first sheath portion.

5. The oven mitt of claim 1, wherein said gripping portion further comprises a plurality of raised edges on a surface thereof.

6. The oven mitt of claim 1, wherein said first sheath portion and said second sheath portion are made of silicone.

7. The oven mitt of claim 1, wherein said blade is made of nylon.

8. The oven mitt of claim 1, further comprising an opening at an end thereof for receiving the hand of a user.