Foldable stovetop cookware and method of production
OwnerDuncan C. Funginventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A foldable or collapsible stovetop container that maintains a rigid shape while in use and can be folded into a smaller size for storage. The stovetop container includes rigid top and bottom portions separated by a flexible middle portion. The flexible middle portion includes thin wall sections that form predetermined bend areas. Pressure applied to the top portion causes the flexible middle portion to collapse in an orderly manner toward the bottom portion, with the middle portion folding at each of the predetermined bend areas to create one or more folds or pleats in the middle portion in the collapsed configuration. The foldable stovetop container may be used on residential stovetops for the heating and cooking of food.
Claims19
A foldable stovetop container comprising:
- a rigid bottom portion;
- a flexible middle portion extending from said bottom portion;
- a rigid top portion extending from said middle portion;
- at least one thin wall section in said middle portion defining a bend area thereon,
- whereby said foldable stovetop container is capable of being folded at said bend area to convert said container from an expanded profile to a reduced profile.
A method of forming a foldable stovetop container including the steps of:
- providing a rigid bottom portion including a top edge;
- providing a rigid top portion including a bottom edge;
- coating said bottom edge of said top portion and said top edge of said bottom portion with a non-toxic silicone primer;
- providing a precision mold including an inner surface with an inner periphery for accepting said bottom portion, said top portion, and a space between said bottom portion and top portion;
- providing teeth extending around said inner periphery of said inner surface of said mold;
- closing said mold thereby shutting off the location and creating a substantially cylindrical-shaped cavity between said top portion and said bottom portion;
- injecting an uncured liquid or gel silicone rubber composition into said precision mold;
- applying pressure and high temperature to said precision mold and maintaining said pressure and high temperature for a period of time thereby curing said uncured silicone rubber in said mold and forming said foldable container including a cured flexible middle container portion bonded to said rigid top portion and said rigid bottom portion;
- and
- removing said foldable container from said mold, said middle portion of said foldable container including thin wall sections formed by said teeth of said mold, said thin wall sections forming bend areas around which said middle portion of said foldable container can be folded.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.