Microwave popcorn making machine with heating insert

Abstract

The invention relates to a microwave popcorn making machine with a heating insert. The popcorn maker comprises a body in the form of a silicone cup. A removable plastic cover can close the top end of the open cup. A heating insert is located within the body adjacent the base. The heating insert is formed of a material that absorbs microwave energy so as to heat faster than the material of the body. During heating in microwaves, the corn kernels for bursting will rest on a heating insert, and increased heat absorption will result in improved performance of bursting.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application is related to co-pending attorney reference number 132153-D 200, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

[0004] not applicable. Background Art

[0005] The present invention relates generally to devices for making popcorn at home, and in particular to such devices for use in microwave ovens.

[0006] Households often include a microwave oven for heating or preparing food. Popcorn is one such food. For many years, it has been known to provide a disposable pre-packaged package containing popcorn for preparation in a microwave oven. Recently, it has become popular to provide a reusable device for making popcorn in a microwave. These devices eliminate the waste of disposable packaging and are considered to be more environmentally friendly. These devices also allow users to determine their own ingredients, such as organic popcorn kernels, which allows users to have more choices in health, local origin, flavor, etc.

[0007] These reusable devices take one of two forms. The first form is a glass container that is generally spherical, but has a flat bottom for stability and an open top with a removable lid. The second form is a silicone receptacle in the general form of a cup, also with a removable lid. In both forms, the user inserts the kernels into the device and then heats them in a microwave to pop the popcorn. Summary of the invention

[0008] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a microwave popcorn making machine.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a popcorn maker having improved performance.

[0010] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a popcorn maker including a heating insert for improved heating.

[0011] These and other objects are achieved by a microwave popcorn maker having a heating insert. The popcorn maker includes a body in the form of a silicone cup. A removable plastic cover can close the open top end of the cup. The heating insert is located within the body adjacent to the base. The heating insert is formed of a material that absorbs microwave energy so as to heat faster than the material of the body. During heating in the microwave, the corn kernels for popping will rest on the heating insert, and the increased heat absorption will result in improved popping performance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The above-mentioned objects and features of the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like elements, and in which:

[0013] Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a popcorn making machine in working state according to the present invention;

[0014] Figure 2 It is the rear view of the popcorn maker;

[0015] Figure 3 It is its exploded top-down stereogram;

[0016] Figure 4 is a top view with the cover removed to show the interior details;

[0017] Figure 5 It is a bottom view;

[0018] Figure 6 is along Figure 4 A side cross-sectional view of line 6-6;

[0019] Figure 7 is along Figure 4 A side cross-sectional view of line 7-7;

[0020] Figure 8 This is a bottom view of the lid;

[0021] Fig. 9 is a modified upward-looking stereogram; and

[0022] Fig.10 It is along Figure 4 A side cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of the embodiment of the present invention, showing the popcorn making machine in a collapsed state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Reference Figure 1 , generally indicated by reference numeral 10, a popcorn making machine according to the present invention.

[0024] like Figure 3 As best shown in FIG. 1 , the popcorn maker 10 generally includes a body 12, a cover 14, and a heating insert 16. These will be described more fully below.

[0025] The body 12 takes the general form of a cup with a base 18 having an outer perimeter, and one or more side walls 20 extending upwardly from the base 18 to an upper rim 22. In the preferred embodiment shown, the base is circular with a single side wall, but the base 18 may take other geometric shapes with three or more sides, with a corresponding or similar number of side walls. These shapes may also be combined: In the embodiment shown, the base 18 is circular, while the rim 22 is a rounded square. It is also preferred that the side walls slope outwardly from the base, so that the rim 22 is longer than the base 18. This increases the volume of the body (and therefore the amount of food it can hold), and also makes the body 12 easier to hold and carry manually.

[0026] The upper edge 22 may include a radially extending flange 24 for added structural strength. The upper edge 22 may further include a pair of circumferentially opposed gripping handles 24 extending radially outwardly from the flange 24, for example. It can be seen that these gripping handles 24 also make it easier to carry the body 12 manually, but for the purpose described below.

[0027] Preferably, the upper edge 22 includes a recess that is sized and shaped to receive the peripheral edge of the cover 16 .

[0028] Preferably, body 12 is formed of one or more resilient materials. In a preferred form, it is a one-piece silicone body. This is similar to prior art devices and provides high heat resistance, impermeability to water (from condensing steam), grease, oil and the like. Silicone is also easy to clean and is relatively thermally insulating. The flexibility of silicone requires sufficient thickness to ensure structural stability (self-supporting structure even when hot). However, the flexibility of silicone allows the body to be easily removed from the Figures 1 to 7 The operational structure and Fig.10 The folded configuration shown folds vertically. As is known in the prior art, the folded configuration will allow for easier storage. The side wall 20 may include one or more flexible strips 28 extending along the perimeter, each of which has a reduced thickness (and therefore reduced structural strength and increased flexibility) to allow and guide the body 12 to move into and out of the folded configuration. Although for clarity, a relatively steep transition step for the flexible strips 28 of reduced thickness is shown, in practice, it is preferred to have a smoother transition with a placement step on the exterior of the side wall 20 for easier cleaning.

[0029] like Figure 3 As shown, the cover 14 can be mounted on the body 12 by resting the cover 14 on the upper edge 22. When mounted to the body 12, the cover 14 will close the opening in the body 12 formed by the upper edge 22 and help form an inner cavity for containing food (such as unpopped corn kernels or popped corn). Figure 3As shown, the cover 14 can be manually removed to access the inner cavity. The cover can be formed from a variety of materials, but is preferably a thermoplastic such as polypropylene.

[0030] It is intended that during the heating of the popcorn maker 10, the cover 14 is in place to prevent the popped corn from leaving the body 12. During this popping process, steam will be generated. In order to allow this steam to escape, it is preferred that one of the body 12 or the cover 14 includes one or more holes 30. Each of the upper edge 22 and the cover 14 may also include a recessed portion that, once aligned, combines to form the hole 30. In a preferred embodiment, the hole 30 is located in the body 12 just below the upper edge 22. When the steam leaves the hole, it is important to place the hole 30 between the gripping handles 26 to avoid the steam from contacting the user's hands.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, it is preferred to allow these holes 30 to be selectively closed. As noted, the holes 30 should be open during heating to allow steam to escape. However, after heating and removal from the microwave, the food is usually further processed in the inner cavity of the body 12. For example, for popcorn, melted butter and salt are usually added immediately after popping. Adding various other flavorings (e.g., sweet cinnamon) or ingredients (e.g., chocolate) to the popcorn after popping is also becoming more and more popular. In most of these cases, it is desirable to distribute the flavorings and / or ingredients throughout the food in the inner cavity. This is most naturally accomplished by manually shaking the entire popcorn making machine 10.

[0032] The holes 30 are preferably formed with a sufficiently small size or diameter so that when the corn kernels are forcefully popped during the heating process, the popped corn will not freely exit the body 12 through the holes 30. During this shaking process, the holes 30 will again prevent the popcorn from flowing out. However, the size or form of the added ingredients (e.g., powder or liquid) may be such that the holes 30 allow undesirable flow during shaking.

[0033] To allow this to be prevented, the cover 14 is formed with a partial skirt 32 extending downwardly from the lower surface of the cover 14, the partial skirt 32 being closely adjacent (or contacting) the inner surface of the side wall 20 at a radial position, and having a vertical length sufficient to extend below and thereby block the hole 30 when the cover 14 rests on the edge 22. In this way, the cover 14 can be placed to rest on the upper edge 22, with the partial skirt 32 blocking the hole 30. Figure 8 and 9As best shown in FIG. 1 , the partial skirt 32 is not continuous around the entire perimeter of the cap 14. Instead, the partial skirt 32 includes a cutout 34 formed by a segment of reduced vertical height, a segment of reduced radial position, or both. In the preferred embodiment, both are employed, and it can be seen that the cutout 34 is radially inwardly spaced relative to the remainder of the partial skirt 32 and has a reduced length compared to the remainder of the partial skirt 32.

[0034] The cutout 34 has a length corresponding to the hole 30 so that when the cutout 34 covers the hole 30, the hole 30 is not occluded. In this way, the cutout 34 can be selectively enabled or disabled by appropriately timing the placement of the cover 14 on the body 12. This selective timing can be achieved in a variety of ways, such as markings on the cover to indicate the position of the cutout 34; the geometry of the upper edge and the partial skirt 32 only forces two cover timing positions, etc. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper edge 22 has a square shape, and in order to achieve the desired tight fit, the partial skirt 32 has a similar square shape. This will force the timing to one of four directions. However, it is preferred that the cover 14 includes two opposing and radially extending cover handles 36, intended to cover the gripping handle 26. When used accordingly, this will limit the timing directions of the cover 14 to two: a closed hole; and an open hole.

[0035] Figure 3 and 7 The opening position of the cover 14 is shown. The cover 14 includes the above-mentioned mark 38 to show the position of the cutout 34. Therefore, when preparing to heat, the user will position the mark 38 to cover the hole 30. In the normal process, after heating, the user will remove the cover after heating. If seasoning or additional ingredients are added to the food in the inner cavity, the user will put the cover 14 back on the upper edge 22. However, at this time, the cover will be oriented with the mark 38 opposite (not covering) the hole 30. This will ensure that the partial skirt 32 occludes the hole 30 during shaking.

[0036] This arrangement of the holes 30 and the skirt 32 can be further improved. It is known in the prior art that not all corn kernels will pop during heating. Unpopped corn kernels are undesirable because they are unpalatable, but sometimes they are eaten because they are present with the popped popcorn. This can be solved or alleviated by forming the holes 30 of a sufficiently small size to prevent the typical popped popcorn from flowing out, but its size is large enough to allow the unpopped corn kernels to flow out. It has been found that a single hole diameter of about 10 mm is acceptable. In this way, during heating, the lid 14 can be placed in the open hole position to allow steam to pass through. Then after heating, the entire popcorn maker 10 can be immediately inverted and manually shaken. In this process, the covering position of the grip handle 26 and the lid handle 36 allows the lid to be easily kept in place. By this inverted shaking, the unpopped corn kernels will fall toward the holes 30 and then pass through the holes 30. Then the popcorn maker 10 will no longer be inverted.

[0037] Once the required shaking for removal or corn kernels (if used) is completed, the cover 14 can be manually removed and set aside, allowing the user to access the inner cavity. The seasoned food can then be manually removed and set aside again. The body 12 can then be inverted to transfer the popped corn to a bowl for consumption. However, it is preferred that the body 12 itself can be used as a serving bowl.

[0038] To allow the use of the body 12 as a meal bowl, the main concern is residual heat, since such a bowl is typically held directly on the user's lap. To reduce heat transfer (and provide additional stability and mechanical strength), the base 18 preferably includes a base skirt 40 that is used to space the base 18 from any support on which the base skirt 40 rests (including the user's body). As shown, the base skirt 40 may include one or more notches 42 at its free end. These notches 42 allow air to enter and thus prevent any reduced pressure from forming below the base 18 and within the base skirt 40 (which may occur when the popcorn maker 10 cools after being heated in a microwave). One or more holes (not shown) extending through the base skirt 42 will also be used to equalize pressure.

[0039] By comparison Figure 5 and Figure 6 As best seen, the base 18 may further include one or more base ribs extending downwardly from the base 18 and radially outwardly to the base skirt 42. These ribs work with the base skirt 42 to prevent direct contact between the base 18 and the user.

[0040] Another aspect of the present invention is its most important aspect. This improvement is the addition of a heating insert 16. Although cup-shaped silicone containers with plastic lids are known in the prior art, the addition of a heating insert is considered to be a significant improvement.

[0041] The heating insert 16 is housed within the body 12 adjacent the base 18 to define an interior cavity with the sidewalls 20 and the lid 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the heating insert 16 rests directly on the base 18. This may be accomplished by full contact, or the base 18 may include one or more ventilation channels 44 ( Figure 4 ) to allow steam to pass from underneath the heating insert 16. Although not particularly required, it is preferred that the heating insert 16 cover the inner surface of the base 18 so that the perimeter of the heating insert 16 coincides with the beginning of the sidewall 20. For the preferred embodiment shown, this results in the heating insert 16 having a circular perimeter. As can be expected, because the heating insert 16 covers the base 18, during heating, the corn kernels to be heated will initially rest on the heating insert 16 by gravity.

[0042] Compared with the material forming the body 12, the heating insert 16 is formed of a substance that provides greater microwave heat absorption. The heating insert 16 can take a variety of forms. One option is a microwave-safe ceramic that can be coated with enamel or other similar materials. Another option for the heating insert 16 is a block containing a susceptor powder similar to that shown in US10,244,586B2 of Barea (with an appropriate food contact safety coating). However, the preferred material is glass, and in particular borosilicate glass. The heating insert 16 is passive, but absorbs microwave energy during heating, thereby being used to heat the corn kernels placed on it. This is believed to increase the speed of popping, the percentage of popped corn kernels, and the repeatability of popping. "Repeatability of popping" refers to the specific time and power settings found by individual users that can provide the best results for their specific microwave ovens. The popping process can be quite specific: 4 minutes and 20 seconds can get excellent results, while 4 minutes and 30 seconds lead to a burnt taste. In particular, compared with the material of the body 12, the heating insert 16 absorbs more microwave energy and heats faster and hotter. Thus, the present invention with the addition of heating insert 16 will heat faster, hotter and therefore pop faster, with a greater percentage of popped kernels, and with greater popping repeatability than prior art devices having kernels resting directly on a silicone base.

[0043] The presence of the heating insert 16 alone can improve performance; the shape of the heating insert 16 can further improve performance. Although the heating insert 16 can be flat, it is preferred that it have a shape such as Figure 6 and Figure 7The disk shape shown. The disk shape (concave upward) is believed to operate in several ways. The disk shape forces the kernels toward the center of the heating element 16 and away from the side walls 20; thus, more of the kernels are in contact with the heating insert 16 relative to the side walls 20. The disk shape also focuses radiant heat inward (toward the collected kernels) more effectively than a flat shape.

[0044] As previously mentioned, the popcorn maker is typically shaken and / or inverted during use. Obviously, simply resting the heating insert 16 within the body 12 poses a risk of the heating insert 16 falling out. To this end, it is preferred that the popcorn maker 10 include a device for securing the heating insert 16 to the base 18. This can take a variety of forms. The upper surface of the base 18 can have a suction cup (not shown) integrally and monolithically formed thereon to engage the lower surface of the heating insert 16. The heating insert 16 can be bonded (not shown) to the base 18. In the preferred form shown, the side wall 18 includes one or more locking ribs 46 that extend radially inwardly to cover the outer peripheral edge of the heating insert 16. As shown Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, when the body 12 is formed as a unitary silicone unit, the locking rib 46 may also be formed as an integral unit. Although multiple discrete fingers may be used, the illustrated embodiment uses a single locking rib 46 that extends around and covers the entire perimeter of the insert 16. It is envisioned that the locking rib 46 will serve to resiliently hold the heating insert 16 in place on the base 18. However, the resiliency of the silicone will allow the user to remove the heating insert 16 for cleaning and replace it thereafter.

[0045] From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and purposes hereinbefore set forth together with other advantages inherent in its structure.

[0046] It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.

[0047] As many possible embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Claims

1. A popcorn making machine, comprising: a body having a base and at least one side wall extending upwardly from a periphery of the base, the at least one side wall extending upwardly to an upper edge, the body being formed of a polymeric material; a cover sized to rest on the upper edge and to be selectively removable therefrom; as well as A heating insert is mounted within the body adjacent the base, the heating insert, the at least one side wall, and the cover defining an interior cavity for heating food, wherein the heating insert is formed of a material that absorbs microwave energy and thereby heats faster than the polymeric material.

2. The popcorn making machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The polymeric material is silicone and the heating insert is formed from borosilicate glass.

3. The popcorn making machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The popcorn maker further includes means for securing the heating insert to the base.

Images