BAKING PAN AND METHOD

MOULE DE CUISSON ET PROCEDE ASSOCIE

English Abstract

The present invention relates to a baking pan that includes baking cavities having base and side surfaces shaped to form baked food items of either linear or curved shape making it possible to assemble a number of such shaped baked food items to form letters of the alphabet and/or numerals. The baking pan includes a plurality of baking cavities connected to each other via a connecting portion. Each baking cavity includes a base surface, a side wall that is upstanding from the base surface and that is attached to the connecting portion. The base surface and the side surface of a first one of the baking cavities being shaped to form a baking cavity for forming a substantially linear shaped baked food item. The side surface and the base surface of a second one of the baking cavities being shaped to form a baking cavity for forming a substantially curve shaped baked food item. The present invention also relates to a method of forming baked food items of either linear or curved shape making it possible to assemble a number of such shaped baked food items to form letters of the alphabet and/or numerals.

French Abstract

La présente invention porte sur un moule de cuisson comprenant des cavités de cuisson possédant des surfaces de base et latérale formées de manière à obtenir des produits alimentaires cuits sous une forme soit linéaire, soit incurvée, permettant d'assembler plusieurs de ces produits alimentaires cuits façonnés de manière à obtenir des lettres de l'alphabet et/ou des chiffres. Le moule de cuisson comprend une pluralité de cavités de cuisson reliées les unes aux autres par l'intermédiaire d'une partie de liaison. Chaque cavité de cuisson comprend une surface de base et une paroi latérale se prolongeant à partir de la surface de base et fixée sur la partie de liaison, la surface de base et la surface latérale d'une première cavité de cuisson parmi lesdites cavités de cuisson étant formées de manière à obtenir une cavité de cuisson destinée à mettre un produit alimentaire cuit sous une forme sensiblement linéaire, la surface latérale et la surface de base d'une seconde cavité de cuisson parmi lesdites cavités de cuisson étant formées de manière à obtenir une cavité de cuisson destinée à mettre un produit alimentaire cuit sous une forme sensiblement incurvée. La présente invention porte également sur un procédé de mise de produits alimentaires cuits sous une forme soit linéaire soit incurvée, permettant d'assembler plusieurs de ces produits alimentaires cuits façonnés de manière à obtenir des lettres de l'alphabet et/ou des chiffres.

Claims

8
Claims:
1. A baking pan, including:
.cndot. a plurality of baking cavities connected to each other via a
connecting
portion;
.cndot. each baking cavity including a base surface, a side wall upstanding
from
the base surface and attached to the connecting portion;
the base surface and the side surface of a first one of the baking cavities
being
shaped to form a baking cavity for forming a substantially linear shaped baked
food item and the side surface and the base surface of a second one of the
baking cavities being shaped to form a baking cavity for forming a
substantially
curve shaped baked food item, wherein the baking pan includes a diagram
illustrating the baked food items formed from any one or more of the baking
cavities and the relative positioning of the baked food items to form any one
of
either a letter of the alphabet or numeral.
2. The baking pan of claim 1, wherein the first and second baking cavities
include
a base surface including a first pair of opposite spaced apart edges and a
second pair of opposite spaced apart edges, a first pair of opposed side
surfaces upstanding from each of the first pair of edges and a second pair of
opposed side surfaces upstanding from each of the second pair of edges
wherein each of the first pair of side surfaces is connected along a side edge
to
an adjacent side edge of one of the second pair of side surfaces.
3. The baking pan of claim 2, wherein the first pair of side surfaces of the
first one
of the baking cavities are substantially planar and the first pair of edges of
the
base of the first one of the baking cavities are linear.
4. The baking pan of claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the first pair of side
surfaces of
the second one of the baking cavities are curved and the first pair of edges
of
the base of the second one of the baking cavities are curved.

9
5. The baking pan of claim 4, wherein one of the curved side surfaces has a
greater length than the other one of the curved side surfaces and one of the
curved edges has a greater length than the other one of the curved edges.
6. The baking pan of claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the curved side surfaces have
an arch shape and the curved edges have an arch shape.
7. The baking pan of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the baking pan
further includes instructions for forming letters of the alphabet out of food
items
baked in any one or more of the baking cavities.
8. The baking pan of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the baking pan
further includes instructions for forming numerals from baked food items
formed from any one or more of the baking cavities.
9. A method of forming letters of the alphabet and/or numerals out of baked
food
items, the method including:
.cndot. providing a baking pan including baking cavities for forming a linear
shaped baked food item and a curve shaped baked food item;
.cndot. placing baked food batter within one or more of the baking cavities
and
baking the batter within the cavities to form one or more baked food
items;
.cndot. removing the one or more baked food items from the cavities and
assembling the baked food items according to instructions in a diagram
provided on the baking pan into any one or more of each letter of the
alphabet or numeral.

Description

PCT/AU2010/001572
Received 29 April 2011
1
BAKING PAN AND METHOD
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for forming baked
items
of food in the shape of letters of the alphabet and/or numerals.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is often desirable to be able to form a baked food product such as a cake
in the
shape of a letter of the alphabet or a numeral. In order to achieve this end,
a baked
food item is typically baked in a standard shaped baking tray, such as a
rectangular
baking tray, and is cut into the shape of the desired letter or into portions
which are
then assembled to form the shape of the desired letter or numeral. A problem
with
this apparatus and method for forming a baked item in the shape of a letter or
numeral is that it is time consuming and laborious to firstly bake the food
item and
then subsequently cut the food item into the desired shape. Furthermore, the
outcome may be that the shape of the letter or the numeral is not neat, tidy
or elegant.
Accordingly, the present invention seeks to provide a method and apparatus for
forming baked letters of the alphabet and numerals by means that are less
laborious
and result in a better end product than the existing apparatus and method
outlined
above for forming baked items of food in the shape of letters of the alphabet
and/or
numerals.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a baking pan,
including:
= a plurality of baking cavities connected to each other via a connecting
portion;
= each baking cavity including a base surface, a side wall upstanding from the
base surface and attached to the connecting portion;
the base surface and the side surface of a first one of the baking cavities
being
shaped to form a baking cavity for forming a substantially linear shaped baked
food
item and the side surface and the base surface of a second one of the baking
cavities
being shaped to form a baking cavity for forming a substantially curve shaped
baked
food item, wherein the baking pan includes a diagram illustrating the baked
food items
Amended Sheet
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PCT/AU2010/001572
Received 29 April 2011
2
formed from any one or more of the baking cavities and the relative
positioning of the
baked food items to form any one of either a letter of the alphabet or
numeral.
The baking pan of the invention is advantageous in that by providing baking
cavities
having base and side surfaces shaped to form baked food items of either linear
or
curved shape it is possible to assemble a number of such shaped baked food
items to
form letters of the alphabet and/or numerals.
In one form, the first and second baking cavities include a base surface
including a
first pair of opposite spaced apart edges and a second pair of opposite spaced
apart
edges, a first pair of opposed side surfaces upstanding from each of the first
pair of
edges and a second pair of opposed side surfaces upstanding from each of the
second pair of edges wherein each of the first pair of side surfaces is
connected along
a side edge to an adjacent side edge of one of the second pair of side
surfaces.
In one form, the first pair of side surfaces of the first one of the baking
cavities are
substantially planar and the first pair of edges of the base of the first one
of the baking
cavities are linear.
In another form, the first pair of side surfaces of the second one of the
baking cavities
are curved and the first pair of edges of the base of the second one of the
baking
cavities are curved.
In one form, one of the curved side surfaces has a greater length than the
other one
of the curved side surfaces and one of the curved edges has a greater length
than the
other one of the curved edges.
In another form, the curved side surfaces have an arch shape and the curved
edges
have an arch shape.
In another form, the baking pan further includes instructions for forming
letters of the
alphabet out of food items baked in any one or more of the baking cavities.
Amended Sheet
IPEA/AU

PCT/AU2010/001572
Received 29 April 2011
3
In another form, the baking pan further includes instructions for forming
numerals
from baked food items formed from any one or more of the baking cavities.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a method of forming letters
of the
alphabet and/or numerals out of baked food items, the method including:
= providing a baking pan including baking cavities for forming a linear shaped
baked food item and a curve shaped baked food item;
= placing baked food batter within one or more of the baking cavities and
baking
the batter within the cavities to form one or more baked food items;
= removing the one or more baked food items from the cavities and assembling
the baked food items according to instructions in a diagram provided on the
baking pan into any one or more of each letter of the alphabet or numeral.
Further aspects and concepts will become apparent to persons skilled in the
art after
considering the following description and claims in conjunction with the
accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part
of the
specification, the embodiments of the invention are illustrated, which,
together with a
general description of the invention given above and the detailed description
below,
serve to exemplify embodiments of the invention:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a baking pan in accordance with an
embodiment of
the invention, the baking pan includes a plurality of linear and curved baking
cavities
connected to each other by a connecting portion and a set of instructions for
forming
numerals out of baked goods formed within the baking cavities.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the top of baking pan of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a plan view of the underneath of the baking pan of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a front elevation view of the baking pan of Figure 1.
Amended Sheet
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WO 2011/066598 PCT/AU2010/001572
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Figure 5 illustrates a perspective view of the numerals 1 to 9 and 0 formed by
the
assembly of baked goods formed within the linear and curved baking cavities of
the
baking pan of Figure 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to Figures 1 to 4, there is shown a baking pan 10 in accordance with
an
embodiment of the invention. The baking pan 10 includes a plurality of
generally
linear shaped baking cavities 20 and curved shaped baking cavities 22. The
baking
pan 10 may include any one or more of the linear baking cavities 20 and any
one or
more of the curved baking cavities 22. Furthermore, the baking pan 10 includes
a
connecting portion 15 that connects the linear baking cavities 20 and the
curved
baking cavities 22 together. The connecting portion 15 is in the form of a
generally
planar plate member formed out of any suitable material, such as a metallic
material
or an oven-proof polymer material. Similarly, the linear baking cavities 20
and curved
baking cavities 22 may also be formed out of any suitable materials, including
a
metallic material or oven-proof polymer material.
Referring to Figures 1 to 4, each of the linear baking cavities 20 includes a
base
surface 30 which is a substantially planar and linear surface. The base
surface 30
includes a pair of opposite spaced apart linear longer edges 32a, 32b and a
pair of
opposite spaced apart linear shorter edges 34a, 34b extending between the
opposite
longer edges 32a, 32b. Upstanding from the longer edges 32a, 32b are
respective
planar longer side surfaces 42a, 42b which are rectilinear but may be any
suitable
shape. The longer side surfaces 42a, 42b upstand from the base surface 30
substantially perpendicular therefrom and oppose each other. Upstanding from
the
shorter edges 34a, 34b are planar shorter side surfaces 41 a, 41 b which are
substantially square but may be any suitable shape. The shorter side surfaces
41 a,
41 b upstand from the base surface 30 substantially perpendicularly therefrom
and
oppose each other. Each of the shorter side surfaces 41 a, 41 b is connected
along an
edge upstanding from the base 30 to an edge upstanding from the base of each
of
the longer side surfaces 42a, 42b. Accordingly, the shorter side surfaces 41a,
41b
and the longer side surfaces 42a, 42b define the substantially linear shaped
baking
cavity 20 that is configured to receive a portion of baked food batter there
within which

WO 2011/066598 PCT/AU2010/001572
may then be subsequently baked within an oven to form a linear shaped baked
food
item 70 as illustrated in Figure 5.
Referring to Figures 1 to 4, each of the curved baking cavities 22 includes a
substantially planar and curved base surface 40. In the embodiment illustrated
in
Figures 1 to 4, the base surface 40 is in the shape of an arch. In other
words, the
base surface 40 is substantially C-shaped. The base surface 40 includes a pair
of
opposite spaced apart and linear shorter edges 44a, 44b and a pair of opposite
spaced apart and curved longer edges 46a, 46b. As can be seen in Figure 3,
each of
the longer edges 46a, 46b has a substantially arched shape or C-shape and one
of
the longer edges 46a has a greater length than the other one of the longer
edges 46b.
The shorter edges 44a, 44b extend between and to each of the longer edges 46a,
46b. A planar shorter side surface 45a, 45b upstands from the base surface 40
at
each of the short edges 44a, 44b thereof. A curved longer side surface 48a,
48b
upstands from each of the longer edges 46a, 46b of the base surface 40. One of
the
curved longer side surfaces 48a has a greater length than the other one of the
curved
longer side surfaces 48b. Each of the shorter side surfaces 45a, 45b and the
curved
longer side surfaces 48a, 48b upstands from the base surface 40 substantially
perpendicularly thereto. Each of the shorter side surfaces 45a, 45b and the
curved
longer side surfaces 48a, 48b includes side edges that upstand from the base
surface
40 substantially perpendicularly thereto. The upstanding side edges of the
shorter
side surfaces 45a, 45b are connected to the upstanding side edges of the
curved
longer side surfaces 48a, 48b. Thus, the base surface 40, the shorter side
surfaces
45a, 45b and the curved longer side surfaces 48a, 48b define the substantially
curved
shaped baking cavity 22 having a substantially arched shape or C-shape that is
configured to receive a portion of baked food batter therewithin for
subsequent baking
in an oven to thereby form a curved substantially arch shaped or C-shaped
baked
food item 75 as illustrated in Figure 5.
Uppermost edges of the shorter side surfaces 41 a, 41 b and the longer side
surfaces
42a, 42b of the linear baking cavity 20 are attached, either integrally or by
any other
suitable means, to the connecting portion 15. Similarly, uppermost edges of
the
shorter side surfaces 45a, 45b and the curved longer side surfaces 48a, 48b of
the
curved baking cavity 22 are attached to, either integrally or by any other
suitable

WO 2011/066598 PCT/AU2010/001572
6
means, to the connecting portion 15. Accordingly, as illustrated in Figures 1
to 3, the
connecting portion 15 is adapted to connect and hold together a plurality of
the linear
baking cavities 20 and the curved baking cavities 22 to facilitate baking a
plurality of
linear baked food items 70 and curved baked food items 75 simultaneously to
enable
the formation of the baked food items 70, 75 into one or more of the numerals
1 to 9
and 0 by assembling a plurality of linear baked food items 70 and/or curved
baked
food items 75 relative to each other as illustrated in Figure 5.
The baking pan 10 further includes instructions 80 for a user to indicate the
number
and relative positioning of linear baked food items 70 and/or curved baked
food items
75 to form any one of the numerals 1 to 9 and 0 as illustrated in Figure 4.
The
instructions 80 are in the form of the numerals 1 to 9 and 0 embossed into the
surface
16 of the connecting portion 15. In particular, the instructions 80 include
each of the
numerals 1 to 9 and 0 respectively formed from the shapes of a plurality of
the linear
baked food items 70 and/or the curved baked food items 75 and the relative
positioning thereof to form the respective numerals 1 to 9 and 0.
As mentioned above, the baking pan 10 may be formed out of any suitable
material.
For example, the baking pan 10 may be formed out of a sheet of metal that is
stamped to form the plurality of linear baking cavities 20 and curved baking
cavities
22, the connecting portion 15 and the embossed instructions 80. Furthermore,
the
metal sheet forming the baking pan 10 may be coated with a non-stick material
such
as Teflon or the like.
Although not illustrated in the figures, it is to be appreciated that the
baking pan 10 or
a variation thereof, could be used to form linear baked food items 70 and/or
curved
baked food items 75 for subsequent assembly into any one or more of the
letters of
the alphabet. Accordingly, another embodiment of the baking pan 10, not
illustrated
in the figures, could include instructions 80 in the form of any one or more
of the
letters of the alphabet formed from the shapes of any one or more of a
plurality of the
linear baked food items 70 and/or the curved baked food items 75.
The invention has been described herein with reference to preferred
embodiments.
Modifications and alterations may occur to persons skilled in the art upon
reading and

WO 2011/066598 PCT/AU2010/001572
7
understanding this specification. It is intended to include all such
modifications and
alterations insofar as they fall within the scope of the following claims or
equivalents
thereof.

Representative Drawing