STOVE COVER
It is disclosed a foldable surface of a first flat expanse. The surface includes four identical pockets for receiving four flat rigid inserts, and borders between the pockets. The borders allow folding of the surface a much smaller second flat expanse. A shape of the flat rigid insert may be a rectangle, a square, half a circle, a quarter of a circle, or an equilateral right-angle triangle. The foldable surface includes textile, fire-retardant treated textile or a textile withstanding a temperature of 1000° F. The filled pockets are covered with sheaths. Margins of the pockets and margins of the sheaths include mating straps. The foldable surface further includes a skirt disposed downward from the perimeter of the first flat expanse. The skirt may have height of at least 5 inches, and may include holes for its anchoring to underneath objects.
The invention is in the field of kitchen appliances, especially articles for covering cooking means when that are not in their usual use, such that their area may be used for other purposes.
BACKGROUNDStove covers provide two needs of a kitchen owner. The first need is to protect cooktop surfaces from accumulation of dust, debris, cat hair, or other impurities from falling inside the cooking grates, thus reducing fire safety hazards and harsh odors.
The second need is to provide additional working surface, especially in small and densely packed kitchens where working surfaces are in shortage. A stove cover may provide such an excess surface whenever the stove is not in use and has already cooled down. Furthermore, a stove cover which stands high temperatures made be used right after using the stove. Thus, the object of the current invention is to provide such a stove cover to allow using of the space for placing a chopping block, dropping groceries off, or preparing a healthy lunch.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is disclosed a foldable surface of a first flat expanse. The surface includes pockets for receiving respective rigid flat inserts to get filled pockets, and borders between the pockets. The borders allow folding of the foldable surface to a second flat expanse, much smaller than the first flat expanse.
In some embodiments, the foldable surface includes four identical pockets for respective four identical inserts.
In some embodiments, the foldable surface includes a certain number of pockets, and the second expanse is less than (the first flat expanse)*1.2 /(the certain number of pockets).
In some embodiments, a shape of a flat rigid insert is a rectangle, a square, half a circle, a quarter of a circle, and an equilateral right-angle triangle.
In some embodiments, the foldable surface includes the flat rigid inserts.
In some embodiments, the foldable surface includes textile.
In some embodiments, the foldable surface includes sheaths for closing the filled pockets. Preferably, margins of the pockets and margins of the sheaths include mating straps for closing of the filled pockets by the sheaths. Preferably, the sheaths include textile.
The above-mentioned textile is fire-retardant treated textile or a textile withstanding a temperature of 1000° F.
In some embodiments, the foldable surface further includes a skirt disposed downward from the perimeter of the first flat expanse. Preferably, the skirt has height of at least 5 inches. Preferably, the skirt includes holes for its anchoring to underneath objects.
It is disclosed a method for using a foldable surface of a first flat expanse. The method includes inserting flat rigid inserts into pockets of the foldable surface to get filled pockets, closing the filled pockets by sheaths, and folding the foldable surface along borders between the filled pockets to occupy a second flat expanse, much smaller than the first flat expanse.
In some embodiments, the method further includes a step of unfolding the surface, and a step of covering a stove by the spread-out surface.
In some embodiments, the foldable surface further includes a skirt, and the method includes a step of disposing the skirt downward from a perimeter of the first flat expanse.
In some embodiments, the method includes a step of sticking mating straps at margins of the pockets and at margins of the sheaths.
In some embodiments, the method further includes a step of anchoring the skirt to an underneath object.
It is disclosed a method for producing a foldable surface of a first flat expanse. The method comprising preparing a textile surface of a first substantially flat expanse, creating pockets on the textile surface, and connecting borders between the pockets, and inserting flat rigid inserts into the pockets. The borders allow folding of the foldable surface after being filled with rigid inserts.
The method further includes connecting first mating straps to the borders, and closing the filled pockets by sheaths having margins with a second mating strap for mating with the one first mating strap on the border.
The invention may best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read with the accompanied drawings in which:
The present invention will now be described in terms of specific example embodiments. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the example embodiments disclosed. It should also be understood that not every feature of the methods and systems handling the described game is necessary to implement the invention as claimed in any particular one of the appended claims. Various elements and features of the invented article are described to fully enable the invention. It should also be understood that throughout this disclosure, where a method is shown or described, the steps of the method may be performed in any order or simultaneously, unless it is clear from the context that one step depends on another being performed first.
Before explaining several embodiments of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The systems, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.
In the description and claims of the present application, each of the verbs “comprise”, “include” and “have”, and conjugates thereof, are used to indicate that the object or objects of the verb are not necessarily a complete listing of members, components, elements or parts of the subject or subjects of the verb.
A foldable surface 2 is used to cover a gas stove 4 as shown in
In the next sections, a description of the structure of the foldable surface 2 is followed by a description of its method of use and a description of its method of production.
A Foldable Surface for Covering a Stove (
The foldable surface or cover 2 has a flat expanse 8 as shown the back view of
A side cross-section of the cover 2 is shown in
In an example, mating straps 18 are Velcro hook strap while mating strap 22 are Velcro loop straps. Thus, upon placing of the sheaths on the pockets 10, the straps 18 stick to the straps 22, and keep the rigid inserts 12 within the pockets 10.
The combination of borders 16, straps 18 and straps 22 allow folding of the foldable surface to a flat expanse 24 of
The foldable surface 2 may further include a skirt 26 disposed downward from the perimeter of the flat expanse 8. The skirt may have a height of at least 5 inches, and it hides the lower part of the stove and thus affects aesthetic appearance.
As shown in
The foldable surface 2 and the sheaths 14 may be made from a textile. The textile may be fire-retardant treated textile, a textile withstanding a temperature of 1000° F. or even 2000° F. Additionally, or alternatively, the textile may be waterproof material, and\or heavy-duty, easy-to-maintain durable textile.
The rigid inserts 12 may include wood, high density polymer, ceramic, glass, metals, and mixtures thereof.
The stability of the foldable surface needed for supporting the fruit plates 6 is provided by two features of the stove and of the foldable surface. First, as shown in
Rather than having four pockets 10 for four rigid inserts 12, a foldable surface may include only two pockets 10 for two rigid inserts 12, or more than four pockets 10. Also, the shape of the pockets 10 and rigid inserts 12 may be one of the examples of
A Method for Using a Foldable Surface (
A method 100 for using a foldable surface 2 of a flat expanse 8 is presented in the flowchart of
The method 100 further includes a step 125 of unfolding the surface 2, and a step 130 of covering a stove 4 by the spread-out surface 2.
The foldable surface 2 may further include a skirt 26, and the method 100 includes a step 135 of disposing the skirt 26 downward from a perimeter of the flat expanse 8, and a step 140 of anchoring the skirt 26 to an underneath object 30.
A Method for Creating a Foldable Surface (
A method 200 for producing a foldable surface 2 of a flat expanse 8 is depicted in the flowchart of
The method further includes a step 230 of connecting mating straps 18 to the borders 16, and a method 235 of closing the filled pockets 10 by sheaths 14 having margins with mating straps 22 for mating with the mating strap 18 on the border.
Claims
1. A foldable surface of a first substantially flat expanse, the surface comprising:
- a. at least two pockets for receiving respective at least two rigid substantially flat inserts to get at least two filled pockets; and
- b. at least one border between said at least two pockets, said at least one border being configured to allow folding of said foldable surface to occupy a second substantially flat expanse, said second substantially flat expanse being much smaller than said first substantially flat expanse.
2. The foldable surface of claim 1 comprising four substantially identical pockets for respective four substantially identical inserts.
3. The foldable surface of claim 1 wherein the foldable surface includes a certain number of pockets, and said second expanse is less than (said first substantially flat expanse)*1.2/(said certain number of pockets).
4. The foldable surface of claim 1 wherein a shape of a substantially flat rigid insert is selected from a list of geometric shapes consisting a rectangle, a square, half a circle, a quarter of a circle, and an equilateral right-angle triangle.
5. The foldable surface of claim 1 further including said at least two substantially flat rigid inserts.
6. The foldable surface of claim 1 wherein the foldable surface includes textile.
7. The foldable surface of claim 1 further including at least two sheaths for closing said at least two filled pockets.
8. The foldable surface of claim 7 wherein margins of said at least two pockets and margins of said at least two sheaths include mating straps enabling closing of said at least two pockets by said at least two sheaths.
9. The foldable surface of claim 7 wherein said at least two sheaths include textile.
10. The foldable surface of claim 6 or 9 wherein the textile is fire-retardant treated textile or a textile withstanding a temperature of 1000° F.
11. The foldable surface of claim 1 further including a skirt configured to be disposed downward from most of the length of the perimeter of said first substantially flat expanse.
12. The foldable surface of claim 11 wherein at least part of said skirt has height of at least 5 inches.
13. The foldable surface of claim 11 wherein said skirt includes at least one hole for anchoring said skirt to at least one object residing below the skirt.
14. A method for using a foldable surface of a first substantially flat expanse, the method comprising:
- a. inserting at least two substantially flat rigid inserts into at least two pockets of the foldable surface to get at least two filled pockets;
- b. closing said at least two filled pockets by at least two sheaths; and
- c. folding said foldable surface along at least one border between said at least two filled pockets to occupy a second substantially flat expanse, said second substantially flat expanse being much smaller than said first substantially flat expanse.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein the method further includes a step of unfolding a folded foldable surface, and a step of covering a stove by the spread-out foldable surface.
16. The method of claim 14 wherein the foldable surface further includes a skirt, and the method includes a step of disposing said skirt downward from at least part of a perimeter of said first substantially flat expanse.
17. The method of claim 14 wherein the method includes a step of sticking mating straps at margins of said at least two pockets and at margins of said at least two sheaths.
18. The method of claim 16 wherein the method further includes a step of anchoring said skirt to a one or more objects.
19. A method for producing a foldable surface of a first substantially flat expanse, the method comprising:
- a. preparing a textile surface of a first substantially flat expanse;
- b. connecting a skirt to most of the perimeter of said first expanse.
- c creating at least two pockets on said textile surface,
- d. connecting at least one border to said textile surface between pockets, said at least one border being configured to allow folding of said foldable surface after being filled with at least two rigid inserts; and
- e. inserting at least two substantially flat rigid inserts into said at least two pockets to get at least two filled pockets.
20. The method of claim 19 further including connecting at least one first mating strap to said at least one border, and closing said at least two filled pockets by at least two sheaths having margins with a second mating strap configured for mating said at least one first mating strap.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 24, 2021
Publication Date: Dec 2, 2021
Inventor: Leon Kaplun (OR AKIVA)
Application Number: 17/210,650