Title of Invention

A LID WITH KNOB

Abstract

A lid (1) comprises a holding knob (10) and coupling means (11, 21) comprising a lug (11) and a notch (21) having an entry portion (21a) through which the lug (11) enters the notch (21) and a retaining portion (21b) for retaining the lug (11) in the notch (21), wherein the lid (1) has a recessed part (24) and a shoulder (25) between the part (24) and the remainder of the lid (1); the knob (10) has a portion (14) complementary to the part (24) and a plane annular part (15) around said portion (14); said coupling means (11, 21) are attached to the plane annular part (15) and the shoulder (25); said knob (10) is adapted to be moved over the part (24), such that when the knob (10) is removed nothing projects from the lid (1).

Full Text

This application is divided out of Indian Patent Application No. 2196 CAL 96 since accepted under number 192212. The present invention concerns a lid with its knob, such as a lid for cooking vessels. There exist at present lids with a knob, some of which include a steam vent orifice, attached to the lid by a screw. The knobs have the drawback of increasing the overall size of the lids and making it difficult to stack them up. Furthermore, the knob is generally retained by a screw at the centre of the knob, the steam vent orifice being at the edge. It is then necessary to index the knob rotationally so that when it is screwed onto the lid the orifice in the knob and the steam vent hole in the lid line up. An aim of the present invention is to eliminate the constraints referred to above and to propose a lid and its knob that are very much simpler to fit and to use. The lid to which the invention is directed includes a knob, coupling means being adapted to fix the knob to the lid. The present invention provides a lid comprising a holding knob, coupling means for fixing the knob to the lid, said coupling means having a lug and a notch, said notch having an entry portion through which the lug enters the notch and a retaining portion for retaining the lug in the notch, the lug moving between the entry portion and the retaining portion of the notch when the knob and the lid are moved relative to each other, wherein the lid has a recessed part and a shoulder between the recessed part and the remainder of the lid; the holding knob has a portion of substantially complementary shape to said recessed part and a plane annular part around said complementary shape portion; said coupling means are attached to the plane annular part and the shoulder; said holding knob is adapted to be moved over the recessed part between the entry portion and the retaining portion of the notch, such that when the holding knob is removed nothing projects from the lid. In accordance with the invention, the coupling means comprise at least one lug and one notch having a portion through which the lug enters the notch and a portion for holding the lug engaged in a notch, the lug being mobile between the entry portion and the holding portion when the lid and the knob are displaced relative to each other. Accordingly, simply by relative displacement of the knob and the lid, the combination may be assembled or demounted. There is obtained in this way a removable knob having many advantages: it simplifies cleaning of the lid and it saves space for storage or transport, in particular by allowing stacking up of the lids after removing the knob. The lid and the knob also form a modular assembly, and a single knob can be used for different lids, regardless of the material or the shape of the lid. In one preferred version of the invention, the lid has a recessed part, the knob having a portion of substantially complementary shape to the recessed part and being adapted to be moved over the recessed part between the entry portion and the holding portion of the notch. The complementary shapes of the lid and the knob guide the knob when it is fitted to the lid. This facilitates the insertion of the lug into the notch and its locking in the notch. The lug is preferably mobile between the entry portion and the holding portion of the notch when the knob is rotated about a central axis of the knob. This mounting of the knob on the lid by rotation, bayonet fashion, provides a fixing that, although easily demountable, is very secure when the user manipulates the lid by means of the knob. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a lid knob is characterised in that it includes at least one lug adapted to be engaged in a notch in the lid. Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge further from the following description. In the accompanying drawings, which are provided by way of non-limiting example: - Figure 1A is a sectional view of a lid with knob constituting a first embodiment of the invention ; - Figure 1B is a bottom view of the knob from Figure 1A ; - Figure 1C is a top view of the lid from Figure 1A ; - Figure 2A is a partly sectional and partly elevational view of a lid with knob constituting a second embodiment of the invention; - figure 2B is a bottom view of the knob from figure 2A; - figure 2C is a bottom view of the lid from figure 2A; and - figure 3 is a perspective view of a component illustrating a variant of the figure 2A embodiment. A first embodiment of the invention will first be described with reference to figures 1A, 1B and 1C. In accordance with the invention, a lid 1 includes a knob 10 removably fixed by coupling means comprising at least one lug 11 and one notch 21 in which the lug is engaged. As shown in figure 1C, the notch 21 has an entry portion 21a through which the lug 11 can pass and a holding portion 21b for holding the lug 11 engaged in the notch 21. The lug 11 has an enlarged end portion 11a that can pass through the orifice 21a of the notch and a body l1b of smaller cross-section than the end portion lla that can be moved into the holding portion 21b of the notch, the enlarged end portion lla of the lug not being capable of passing through the holding portion 21b of the notch, so fixing the knob to the lid. In this example, the fixing means comprise two identical lugs 11 and two corresponding notches 21. Fixing is achieved by rotating the knob 10 relative to the lid 1, the notches 21 being on a common circle concentric with the lid 1. Accordingly, when the knob 10 is rotated about its central axis 10a the lugs 11 are engaged with the notches 21 and the knob is thus located at the centre of the lid, which provides a better distribution of the weight of the lid. The lid 1 includes a recessed part 24, the knob 10 having a portion 14 of substantially complementary shape to this recessed part 24 and being adapted to be moved over this recessed part 24 between the entry portion 21a and the holding portion 21b of the notch 21. The recessed part 24 is pressed into the top surface of the lid 1 and is frustoconical in shape, the knob 10 having a frustoconical projection 14 of complementary shape to the recessed part 24. The lid 1 further includes a shoulder 25 between the frustoconical recessed part 24 and the remainder of the lid 1, and the knob 10 includes a plane part 15 around the complementary frustoconical shape portion 14, the coupling means 11, 21 being attached to the plane annular portion 15 and the shoulder 25. The complementary frustoconical shapes of the knob 10 and the lid 1 guide rotation of the knob when fitted to the lid. The lugs are fastened to the knob 10 and are disposed on the plane annular part 15. The notches are formed in the lid, in the shoulder 25, so that when the knob 10 is removed there are no projecting parts of the lid 1. The knob 10 preferably further includes a steam vent orifice 12 at the centre and the lid 1 preferably includes a corresponding central opening 22 for venting cooking steam. In the second embodiment shown in figures 2A, 2B and 2C the coupling means are at the centre of the knob 10 and the lid 1. Components identical to those of the first embodiment, identified by the same reference numbers in these figures, are not described again hereinafter. The knob 10 incorporates lugs 11 extending radially from its central vertical axis 10a. The two lugs 11 therefore form projections at. the end 16 of the knob 10, preferably opposite each other. The lid 1 includes an opening forming substantially circular notch, each entry portion 21a adapted to allow the insertion of a lug 11 on the knob 10 being in the form of an angular sector and each holding portion 21 b being in the form of another angular sector having a smaller radius than the entry portion 21a. Each lug 11 extends from the axis 10a of the knob 10 by a distance substantially equal to the radius of the angular sector formed by an entry portion 21a and greater than the radius of the angular sector formed by a holding portion 21b. In this embodiment, the notch has two opposite entry portions 21a adjacent two opposite holding portions 21b. When the knob 10 is fixed to the lid the lugs 11 pass through the entry portions 21a and are then turned under the lid 1, under the holding portions 21 b of the notch 21. In this embodiment, the knob 10 can also be fitted to the bottom of the lid 1, by inserting the lugs 11 into the entry portions 21a and turning the lugs 11 on top of the lid 1, on top of the holding portions 21b of the notch 21. The centre of the notch 21 in the lid includes an opening 22 for venting cooking steam and corresponding to a passage 12 in the knob 10 opening under the lid at its end 16 and having a steam vent orifice 17 on top of the lid. As shown in figure 3, the notch 21 may be formed in an insert 30 that is fixed in to an opening 22 into the lid and has a thickness greater than the thickness of the lid 1. The circular insert 30 may be clipped to the edges of the central opening 12 in the lid by means of elastic lugs 33, or glued or mechanically crimped in place. It avoids the sharp edge that: would be present if the notch 21 were formed directly in the lid and eliminates the constraint of the thickness of the lid. The insert has two notches 21 as described previously for fixing the knob. It may be made of metal or of a plastics material . The insert 3 0 may also incorporate two other notches 34 similar to the notches 21 and enabling the knob to be fixed to the bottom of the lid 1, in particular during storage of the latter. Each notch 34 can have an entry portion common to an entry portion 21a of the notches 21 and a holding portion disposed symmetrically to the holding portion 21b relative to the entry portion 21a. These holding portions of the notches 21 and 34 are inverted relative to each other within the thickness of the insert 30, i.e. the holding portion 21b of the notch 21 is in the bottom part of the insert 30 and the holding portion of the notch 34 is in the top part of the insert 30 when the latter is fixed to the lid 1. When the knob 10 is fixed to the lid 1 the lug 11 passes through the entry portion 21a of the top part towards the bottom part of the insert 30, and is then turned under the holding part 21b. Conversely, when the knob 10 is fixed to the bottom of the lid the lug 11 passes through the entry portion 21a of the bottom part towards the top part of the insert 30, and is then turned on top of the holding portion of the notch 34. Of course, many modifications may be made to the above examples without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the knob may be fixed to the lid by movement of the knob across the lid in translation by virtue of straight notches. Moreover, by adding a non-return member to a lug of the knob, the knob may be fixed once and for all when it is locked to the lid for the first time, after passing a predetermined angular threshold. The knob 10 could be a different shape, for example a handle or a loop. We claim : 1. A lid (1) comprising a holding knob (10) , coupling means (11, 21) for fixing the knob (10) to the lid (1) , said coupling means (11, 21) having a lug (11) and a notch (21), said notch (21) having an entry portion (21a) through which the lug (11) enters the notch (21) and a retaining portion (21b) for retaining the lug (11) in the notch (21) , the lug (11) moving between the entry portion (21a) and the retaining portion (21b) of the notch (21) when the knob (10) and the lid (1) are moved relative to each other, wherein the lid (1) has a recessed part (24) and a shoulder (25) between the recessed part (24) and the remainder of the lid (1) ; the holding knob (10) has a portion (14) of substantially complementary shape to said recessed part (24) and a plane annular part (15) around said complementary shape portion (14) ; said coupling means (11, 21) are attached to the plane annular part (15) and the shoulder (25); said holding knob (10) is adapted to be moved over the recessed part (24) between the entry portion (21a) and the retaining portion (21b) of the notch (21), such that when the holding knob (10) is removed nothing projects from the lid (1). 2. The lid as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recessed part (24) is pressed into a top surface of the lid (1). 3. The lid as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the lug (11) is mobile between the entry portion (21a) and the retaining portion (21b) of the notch (21) when the holding knob (10) rotates about a central axis (10a) of said knob (10). 4. The lid as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the recessed part (24) is frustoconical and the knob (10) has a frustoconical projection (14) of complementary shape to said recessed part (24). 5. The lid as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lug (11) is on the holding knob (10) and the notch (21) is on the lid (1). 6. A lid as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said knob (10) is provided with at least one lug (11) adapted to be engaged in a corresponding notch (21) of the lid (1). 7. A lid e.g. for cooking vessels, substantially as herein described, particularly with reference to the accompanying drawings. A lid (1) comprises a holding knob (10) and coupling means (11, 21) comprising a lug (11) and a notch (21) having an entry portion (21a) through which the lug (11) enters the notch (21) and a retaining portion (21b) for retaining the lug (11) in the notch (21), wherein the lid (1) has a recessed part (24) and a shoulder (25) between the part (24) and the remainder of the lid (1); the knob (10) has a portion (14) complementary to the part (24) and a plane annular part (15) around said portion (14); said coupling means (11, 21) are attached to the plane annular part (15) and the shoulder (25); said knob (10) is adapted to be moved over the part (24), such that when the knob (10) is removed nothing projects from the lid (1).

Documents:

223-kol-2003-granted-abstract.pdf

223-kol-2003-granted-assignment.pdf

223-kol-2003-granted-claims.pdf

223-kol-2003-granted-correspondence.pdf

223-kol-2003-granted-description (complete).pdf

223-kol-2003-granted-drawings.pdf

223-kol-2003-granted-examination report.pdf

223-kol-2003-granted-form 1.pdf

223-kol-2003-granted-form 18.pdf

223-kol-2003-granted-form 2.pdf

223-kol-2003-granted-form 3.pdf

223-kol-2003-granted-gpa.pdf

223-kol-2003-granted-reply to examination report.pdf

223-kol-2003-granted-specification.pdf