LID HOLDER FOR A SLOW COOKER

FIXATION DE COUVERCLE POUR UNE MIJOTEUSE

English Abstract

A lid holder for use with a slow cooker. The lid holder has a tray supported on a strap from the rim of the slow cooker. The tray has inner and outer walls between which a lid from the cooker may be interposed. The lid is supported in the tray above a well for drips on fins between the inner and outer walls.

French Abstract

Linvention concerne une fixation de couvercle utilisée avec une mijoteuse. La fixation de couvercle possède un plateau supporté sur une courroie depuis le rebord de la mijoteuse. Le plateau possède des parois intérieures et extérieures entre lesquelles un couvercle de la mijoteuse peut être interposé. Le couvercle est supporté dans le plateau au-dessus dun puits pour un égouttement sur des ailettes entre les parois intérieures et extérieures.

Claims

CLAIMS:
1. A lid holder for a slow cooker having a container with a domed lid, the
ontainer has a hollow
interior and a rim with an inner ledge for accessing the interior of the
container and the lid is
sized and shaped to fit within the rim and when seated on the inner ledge
cover the container
with a gap between the lid and the rim, said lid holder comprising:
a tray suspended on a strap;
said tray having an inner and an outer wall between which at least a portion
of the lid is capable of being interposed, said inner and outer walls joined
along a lower edge by a base;
a plurality of spaced apart fins extending between the inner and outer walls
for supporting the lid on the fins; and,
a well formed in the base as a catch reservoir for liquids, said well
positioned below the fins;
said strap having an upper and a lower end, said lower end attached to the
inner wall and said upper end extending upwards, bending at a first angle to
form a leg and
bending at a second angle to form a flange, said flange adapted to be received
in the gap between
the lid and the rim and said leg adapted to span the rim between the inner
ledge and an outer
periphery of the rim, said strap having a length such that the tray is
supported above a surface
upon which the slow cooker is placed with the lid tipped against the rim of
the container.
7

2. The lid holder of claim 1 wherein the inner and outer walls are arcuate in
shape.
3. The lid holder of claim 1 further comprising a cup for a utensil, said cup
having a handle and
said outer wall having an aperture into which the handle of the cup is
latched.
4. A lid holder for a slow cooker having a ceramic or stoneware container with
a domed lid
received in a metal housing, the ceramic or stoneware container has a hollow
interior and a rim
with an inner ledge for accessing the interior of the container and the lid is
sized and shaped to fit
within the rim and when sealed on the inner ledge cover the container with a
gap between the lid
and the rim, said lid holder comprising:
a tray suspended on a strap;
said tray having an inner and an outer wall between which at least a portion
of the lid is
capable of being interposed, said walls being substantially parallel, arcuate
in shape and joined
along a lower edge by a base, said outer wall extending along the inner wall
about half way the
distance between the base and an upper edge of the inner wall so that a handle
of the lid is easily
accessible, said outer wall having a curvature to conform to the dome of the
lid;
a plurality of spaced apart fins extending between the inner and outer walls
and attached
to the inner wall, said fins angled downwardly from the inner wall for
obliquely supporting the
lid on the fins and tipping it towards the rim of the container; and,
a well formed in the base as a catch reservoir for liquids, said well
positioned below the
fins;
said strap having an upper and a lower end, said lower end attached to the
upper edge of
the inner wall and said upper end extending upwards, bending at a first right
angle to form a leg
and bending at a second tight angle to form a flange, said flange bifurcated
into fingers adapted
to be received in the gap between the lid and the rim and said leg adapted to
span the rim
between the inner ledge and an outer periphery of the rim, said strap having a
length such that
8

the tray is supported above a surface upon which the slow cooker is placed
with the lid tipped
against the rim of the container.
5. The lid holder of claim 4 wherein the strap is attached to the inner wall
on centerline of the
tray and wherein the outer wall has a lobe along its upper edge on centerline
of the tray.
9

Description

CA 02746565 2011-07-15
I,ID HOLDER FOR A SLOW COOKER
BACKGROUND OFT111", INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to lid holder for universal use with most slow
cookers.
Brief Description of the Prior Art
Slow cookers are a great cooking tool for families that are always on the go,
potlucks and other social meals.
To access the food in a slow cooker during cooking or for plating the food,
the lid
must be removed. When the lid is removed, it is common practice to put it on
the counter
or table top on which the cooker is placed. This is a problem when counter
space is
limited. Additionally, food splashed on the lid and condensed steam are
deposited on the
surface supporting the cooker. Aside from the problem of cleaning up the food
or
condensation, a hot lid can cause permanent damage to a counter top, table or
other
supporting surface.
Hamilton Beach Brands, Inc. has a slow cooker with a lid rest that supports
the lid
over the cooker in a manner that drips are directed back into the cooker where
they may
water down the food. The lid rest is adapted for use with only that particular
slow cooker.
Another I Iamilton Beach slow cooker is described in U.S. patent No.
7,485,831. In that
instance, the lid is hung on the outside of the cooker with drips falling on
the supporting
surface. The lid rest in the'83I patent is also for use with only that slow
cooker.
1

CA 02746565 2011-07-15
What is needed is a hands free lid holder that can be used with any slow
cooker
and, unlike the Hamilton Beach models, neither directs drips back into the
cooker nor onto
the supporting surface while saving counter space.
13RII F SUMMARY OF'1'i113INVE TION
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a
lid holder
which can be used with most slow cookers. It. is another object to provide a
lid holder that
does not use up counter space and keeps the lid handy, it is also an object to
provide a lid
holder that supports a hot lid in a manner that liquid flowing off the lid
does not drip onto
the support surface or water down the food stuffs. Other objects and features
of the
to invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.
In accordance with the invention, a lid holder for a slow cooker has a tray
supported
on a strap from a rim of a container in the slow cooker. The rim of the
container has an
inner ledge and a lid for the container is sized and shaped to fit within the
rim and when
seated on the inner ledge cover the container with a gap between the lid and
the rim for
escape ol'vapors.
The tray has an inner and all outer wall between which a portion of'the lid is
capable of
being interposed. The inner and outer walls are joined along a lower edge by a
base in
which a well is formed as a catch reservoir for liquids codling off the lid. A
plurality of
fins are provided between the inner and outer walls for supporting the lid
above the well.
The strap is attached to the inner wall at a lower end and is bent at its
Lipper end to
form a leg adapted to span the rim between the [edge and outer periphery of
the rim of the
container. The leg is bent to form a flange adapted to be received in the gap
between the
2

CA 02746565 2011-07-15
lid and the rim. The strap has length such that the tray is support above the
surface upon
which the slow cooker is placed.
The invention summarized above comprises the constructions hereinafter
described,
the scope of the invention being indicated by the subjoined claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF'I'Ill.s SEVERAL VIEWS 0 F Till:; DRAWING
In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possible embodiments of
the invention is illustrated, corresponding reference characters refer to
corresponding parts
throughout the several views of the drawings in which:
Fig. I is a perspective view showing a lid holder in accordance with the
present invention in use on a slow cooker with the lid stowed in the lid
holder;
Fig. 2 is a view like Fig. I but additionally showing a cup for a serving
utensil attached to the lid holder;
Fig. 3 is a view like Fig. I but with the lid reinstalled on a container in
the
slow cooker;
Fig. 4 is an exploded view like Fig. 2;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the lid holder and CLIP stowed in the
slow cooker;
Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the lid holder;
IF ig. 7 is a sectional view taken along the plane of 6-6 in Fig. 6; and,
Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along the plane of 8-8 in Fig. 2.
3

CA 02746565 2011-07-15
DETAILI U Di;SCRJPTION OF-ITIF INVENTION
Referring to the drawings more particularly by reference character, a hands
free lid
holder 10 is shown for use with a slow cooker 12 such as are commonly
available and sold
by various companies. Typically such slow cookers 12 have a ceramic or
stoneware
container 14 with a domed lid 16 received in a metal housing 18. Housing 18
has an
electrically operated control and heating element (not shown) for heating food
stuffs placed
in container 14. 1lousing 18 generally has handles 20 extending therefrom for
easily
picking up and moving slow cooker 12. Container 14 also may have handles 22
for
removing container 14 from housing 18 when the container is removable. While a
circular
shape in plan view is shown in the drawings for container 14, it is within the
spirit and
scope of the present invention that container 14 have a different shape, such
as, but not
limited to oval.
Container 14 has a hollow interior and a rim 24 with an inner ledge 26 (see
Fig. 8)
for accessing the interior of the container. Lid 16 is sized and shaped to fit
within rim 24
and when seated on inner ledge 26 cover container 14 with a gap 28 between lid
16 and rim
24 to permit the release of vapor as foods cooked in a slow cooker typically
have a
significant water content. Lid 16 may be made of glass or of'a diff.'erent,
preferably
transparent or translucent material, such as a polymeric material, for
instance. Lid 16
preferably includes a handle 30 affixed to the lid via a suitable fastener.
Lid holder 10 is for use with slow cookers 12 as described above and includes
a
tray 32 supported on a strap 34. As best seen in Figs. 7 and 8, tray 32 has an
inner 36 and
an outer wall 38 between which at least a portion of lid 16 is capable of
being interposed.
Inner and outer walls 36, 38 are generally parallel and are joined along a
lower edge by a
base 40. Inner and outer walls 36, 38 are generally arcuate in shape (see Fig.
6) and outer
4

CA 02746565 2011-07-15
wall 38 is slightly curved to conform to the dome of'lid 16 (see Fig. 8).
Outer wall 38
extends about half way the distance between base 40 and an upper edge 42 of
inner wall 36
so that handle 30 of lid 16 is easily accessible (see Pig. 8) and includes an
upwardly
extending lobe 44 (Fig. 6) which serves as a backstop to support lid 16.
As shown in Pig. 8, a plurality of fins 46 extend between inner and outer
walls 36,
38. In the form illustrated, fins 46 are right-angle triangles in plan and are
attached to inner
wall 36. Fins 46 are angled downwardly from inner wall 36 for obliquely
supporting lid 16
and tipping lid 16 towards rim 24 of container 14. A well 48 is formed in base
40 as a
catch reservoir for collecting condensation or liquid that runs downwardly off
lid 16 when
lid 16 is positioned on fins 46 above well 48.
Tray 32 is supported by strap 34 as follows: Strap 34 has an upper and a lower
end.
Lower end of'strap 34 is attached to upper edge 42 of inner wall 36 at about
centerline of
tray 32. Strap 34 may include an elongated aperture 50 for appearance or to
conserve on
material. Upper end of'strap 34 is bent at a first right angle to form a leg
52 of sufficient
length to bridge rim 24 between ledge 26 and an outer periphery of rim 24 on
most slow
cookers 12. Leg 52 is bent at a second right angle to form a flange which may
be
bifurcated into fingers 54 as shown for point contact support. Fingers 54 are
adapted to be
received in gap 28 between lid 16 and rim 24. Strap 34 has a length such that
tray 32 is
supported above a surface upon which slow cooker 12 is placed with the inside
of the
domed portion of lid 16 tipped against rim 24 ofcontainer 14.
In addition to providing a hands free support for lid 16, lid holder 10 may
also
include a cup 56 fora utensil for manipulating food stuffs Within container
14. Such
utensils usually include a large serving spoon or ladle, although the utensil
could also be a
fork, spatula or the like. As seen in Figs. 2, 4 and 8, cup 56 includes a
handle 58 which
may be latched into an aperture 60 provided in outer wall 38 of tray 32. Lid
holder 10
5

CA 02746565 2011-07-15
when detached from container 14 may be stored in the slow cooker along with
cup 56 as
shown in Fig. 5.
To use the above described lid holder 10, lid holder 10 is removed from
container
14 if stored in slow cooker 12 and attached to rim 24 as shown in the
drawings. Leg 52
and strap 34 are designed such that lid holder 10 fits the rim of most if not
all existing slow
cookers 12 with tray 32 above the supporting surface. A hot lid 16 of slow
cooker 12 may
be removed from container 14, placed between inner and outer walls 36, 38 of
tray 32 with
any drips from lid 16 caught in well 48, thereby neither dripping upon the
support surface
nor watering down the food stuffs. Lid holder 10 keeps lid 16 nearby and
convenient for
reinstallation on container 14 and does not use up counter space either for
the lid holder or
for the lid. A utensil for stirring or plating food stuffs may be also kept
ready at hand when
stored in cup 56 thus further keeping the support surface clean and
uncluttered.
In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the
invention are
achieved and other advantageous results attained. As various changes could be
made in the
above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is
intended that
all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying
drawings shall
be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
6

Representative Drawing