Abstract: An apparatus and method for preparing with one hand meat or meatless burgers or patties for cooking. The apparatus has a handle, base plate, and retainer ring. The handle allows the user to hold the apparatus while preparing a patty and placing the patty directly on a cooking surface. The base plate provides a surface for holding the patty during shaping and before placing the patty on the cooking surface. The retainer ring determines the shape of the patty. In use, meat or meat substitute is placed on the base plate and pressed against the sides of the retainer ring. The apparatus holding the formed patty is then placed over a cooking surface and flipped over so that the patty falls out onto a cooking surface for cooking.

Abstract: A device for roasting food of fire, the device designed to mimic a fishing pole and having a rod, a wire, and a flipping mechanism. The wire is attached to an end of the rod and extends a fixed length culminating in a bifurcation at its end. The bifurcation includes apertures to receive a shaft of the flipping mechanism. The flipping mechanism includes a pair of rails and skewers located at the ends of the shaft and a weight centrally located on the shaft between the bifurcation, wherein the weight acts as a counter balance to flip the flipping mechanism when the rod is moved up and down or tilted.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for a handheld, pistol-grip type rotatable spatula having a pair of reciprocating spatulas on the front end which captures a food item, holding it in place between the pair of spatulas, and then rotating the food item approximately 180 degrees so that it will allow the user to easily turn a food item over, which item might be for example, on a cooking grill. The apparatus allows the user to turn or flip the food item over and gently lay the food item down without having to twist the wrist of the user. The apparatus allows a simple motion of the rear pistol grip type handle to be squeezed and compressed in the hand of a user so that the pair of spatulas holding the food come together holding the food therein which then allows the food to be rotated.

Abstract: A cooking utensil has a first member connected to a second member in a generally transverse configuration. The first member has a first end and a second end. The first end of the first member has a turner element used for turning food products. The second member has a first end and a second end. The first end of the second member has a fork element thereon. The second end of the second member has a brush assembly thereon used for applying sauces and condiments to food products. A cooperative structure is associated with the first member and the second member to connect the members in the generally transverse configuration.

Abstract: Grip and flip barbeque utensil with a handle housing, a pair of concentrically arranged elongated tubes, a spatula member, a food gripping member, a pivot shaft, a food gripping tip, a yoke portion, gripping ball chain, flipping ball chain, grip trigger and a flip trigger. The gripping member is attached to the yoke portion straddling the end of the inner tube. The gripping ball chain is attached to the pivoting gripping member and extends through the inner tube to the gripping trigger. The gripping member is caused to rotate downward toward the spatula member when the gripping trigger is pulled. When the flipping trigger is pulled, the gripping member and the spatula member are caused to rotate one hundred and eighty degrees thereby creating a flipping action. A preferred embodiment includes a temperature sensor and associated sensing electronics and temperature display located within the handle housing.

Abstract: The pancake mold includes a scissor assembly with a first arm connected to a second arm by a pivot pin. Both arms have a handle end and a tool end. A mold cavity former is attached to the tool end of the first arm. A spatula is attached to the tool end of the second arm. Moving the handle on the second arm toward the handle on the first arm moves the spatula under the mold cavity former and a partially cooked pancake in the mold cavity former. The scissor assembly is inverted to discharge a partially cooked pancake from the cavity and onto a grill for continued cooking.

Abstract: Robot arm end effectors rapidly transfer semiconductor wafers between a wafer cassette and a processing station. Preferred embodiments of the end effectors include proximal and distal rest pads, the latter having pad and backstop portions that support and grip the wafer at its peripheral edge or within an annular exclusion zone that extends inward from the peripheral edge of the wafer. Preferred embodiments of the end effectors also include fiber optic light transmission sensors for determining various wafer surface, edge, thickness, tilt, and location parameters. The sensors provide robot arm extension and elevation positioning data supporting methods of rapidly and accurately placing and retrieving a wafer from among a stack of closely spaced wafers stored in the wafer cassette.

Abstract: A cooking utensil is provided which can be stood invertedly upright and stored temporarily in a hygienic manner, without taking up space. The cooking utensil includes a shank portion, a head portion, a supporting member, and a liquid receiving member. The supporting member is formed at an end section of the shank portion and supports the cooking utensil in an inverted upright state with the head portion in an upward position. And the liquid receiving member is formed on the shank portion and/or head portion for receiving liquid adhering to the head portion when the cooking utensil is invertably stood.

Abstract: A pizza peel includes an elongate handle having a handle proximal end and a scooping blade distal end; a pie scooping blade rotatably mounted at the scooping blade distal end; a blade rotation assembly at the scooping blade distal end; and a blade advancement mechanism at the handle proximal end operationally connected to the blade rotation assembly.

Abstract: A pizza peel includes an elongate handle having a handle proximal end and a scooping blade distal end; a pie scooping blade rotatably mounted at the scooping blade distal end; a blade rotation assembly at the scooping blade distal end; and a blade advancement mechanism at the handle proximal end operationally connected to the blade rotation assembly.

Abstract: Robot arm (16) end effectors (10, 110) of this invention rapidly and cleanly transfer between a wafer cassette (14) and a processing station semiconductor wafers (12) having diameters greater than 150 mm. The end effectors include proximal and distal rest pads (24, 26, 124,126) having pad and backstop portions (32, 34, 132, 134) that support and grip the wafer within an annular exclusion zone (30) that extends inward from a peripheral edge (30) of the wafer. An active contact point (50, 150) is movable by a vacuum actuated piston (52, 152) between a retracted wafer-loading position and an extended position that urges the wafer against the distal rest pads to grip the wafer within the exclusion zone. The end effector further includes fiber optic light transmission sensors (90, 102, 202) for locating the wafer periphery and bottom surface (100, 200).

Abstract: Disclosed is a Barbeque Turner with a plate, an armature and a handle. Food, which is engaged by the plate, is turned by the pull of a trigger which actuates gears within the handle which, in turn, rotate that armature and the plate which is attached thereto.

Abstract: A cooking utensil is comprised of a substantially flat blade, having elongated side edges, an elongated central axis and relatively narrow ends; and a handle connected to the blade near or at one of the ends of the blade, and near or on the central axis of the blade, the handle being disposed either vertical to the plane of the blade, or at an acute angle relative to the plane of the blade and oriented toward one of the side edges of the blade. The cooking utensil can include a shield to protect the handle from heat and splashed or splattered liquid arising from the cooking surface or food item.

Abstract: A rotatable spatula that includes a squeezable handle portion and a spatula portion. The spatula portion is rotatively mounted to the squeezable handle portion. When the squeezable handle portion is squeezed the spatula portion rotates and turns over food disposed thereon. The spatula portion has a thin flat substantially rectangular-shaped body with a tapered leading edge and a rounded corner trailing edge.

Abstract: A device for lifting and turning food articles while cooking in an oven, such as pizzas, which includes a flat plate for holding the food article, an elongated handle, a drive shaft in the handle, a gear to rotate the plate, and a motor for rotating the drive shaft and gear to rotate the plate and food article.

Abstract: Tongs for handling food items upon a grill in which the food gripping plates of the tongs are displaced laterally as well as apart when open to enable the user of the tongs to see the food item as it is being gripped by the tongs. The tongs plates each include a pair of serrated teeth defining slots. The teeth formed by the slots engage the food item as the plates are positioned in a food-gripping orientation relative to one another to restrict movement of the food item relative to the tongs.

Abstract: This invention relates to an improvement on the conventional baker's peel. The device is equipped with an elongated handle and lever actuated clamping means which enables the user to remove a hot baking pan from an oven while the baked goods thereon can remain in the oven for browning. The peel also functions in a conventional manner to enable the removal of the hot baked goods from the oven after sufficient browning.

Abstract: A meat manipulating tool, particularly adapted for barbecuing, which includes a shaft provided with a handle at one end and a half circle skewer hook extending laterally from the extended end of the shaft for penetrating a steak or the like to overturn the steak or to lift the steak from the barbecue; the shaft being further provided at its extended end portion with an essentially rectangular turner plate extending in the opposite direction from the skewer hook, the turner being laterally movable by the shaft to slip under a steak or a hamburger for removal, or rotated to overturn the article being cooked.

Abstract: A rotating cooking spatula for use in the cooking and turning of items of food such as eggs, hamburgers, and the like. When cooking and/or frying foods, the rotating spatula device of this invention would be used to pick up the food item. The user then by operating appropriate control mechanism rotates in turn the especially configured spatula receptacle with cover top approximately 180.degree. in order to turn the food item over. The item of food then can be slid out of the spatula tray back on to the frying surface. However, the spatula tray itself may be used to retain the food item and also to effect the cooking thereof. One embodiment uses a rotatable knob together with a 180.degree. limit stop structure. Another embodiment employs a slide and helical thread structure to effect the 180.degree. turning of the spatula tray structure. The third embodiment employs a slide knob together with rack and pinion structure connected to the slide knob by a flexible cable in order to effect the turning function.

Abstract: A culinary article for turning over foods such as eggs, without flipping them, has a spatula section to pick up the food, a curved surface over which the food next slides to partially turn it over, an opposing, coacting curved surface which receives the food and completes the reversal action as the food slides therealong, and a delivery surface.

Abstract: Tongs for handling food items upon a grill in which the food gripping parts of the tongs are displaced laterally as well as apart when opened to enable the user of the tongs to see the food item as it is being gripped by the tongs.