Adjustable food press

摘要

An adjustable food press for making a wide variety of hot and cold sandwiches and other foods that are compressed during preparation. The food press has a dome and a handle assembly, attached to a pressing plate inside the dome, that adjusts the position of the pressing plate to the desired sandwich thickness. Once positioned, the handle assembly is locked in position, holding the pressing plate in place until the sandwich is ready. When the pressing plate is released, the dome is left in place to keep the food warm, or removed and used on the same or a different sandwich style. The food press functions with a variety of flat-surfaced cooking equipment used to prepare hot and cold food. The dome prevents spatter of grease and food particles on surrounding surfaces. The pressing plate is removable for cleaning or for interchanging with a different style of pressing plate.

主权项

1. An adjustable food press, for preparing a compressed sandwich on a flat cooking surface, comprising:
a dome with an inside, an outside and a center aperture, the dome having a rim for creating a seal with the flat cooking surface; a weighted pressing plate inside the dome, the weighted pressing plate having a center opening, the weighted pressing plate movable to a lowered position to selectively engage the sandwich on the flat cooking surface; and an adjustable handle assembly, having a bottom inside the dome attached to the weighted pressing plate, a top outside the dome, a handle attached to the top, the handle allowing the user to selectively lower the weighted pressing plate against the sandwich, the handle assembly selectively maintaining said lowered position when the handle is released; a vertical rod assembly between the top and the bottom of the adjustable handle assembly, the rod assembly having a top end and a bottom end, the rod assembly positioned inside the center aperture of the dome, extending inside the dome and outside the dome, moving vertically upwardly and downwardly, the center opening of the weighted pressing plate attaching onto the bottom end of the rod assembly, the rod assembly having a shaft, the shaft substantially extending to the top end and the bottom end of the rod assembly; a vertical channel in the shaft between the top end and the bottom end of the rod assembly, the vertical channel having a plurality of slots inside the channel, the adjustable handle assembly; and a locking assembly, the locking assembly surrounding the rod assembly outside the dome and selectively engaging the rod assembly to prevent vertical movement of the rod assembly, the locking assembly further comprising: a collet, the collet having a top, a bottom, the top and the bottom each having a center opening for inserting the shaft, a side with a window and a first groove opposite the window; a lock housing with a top, a bottom, a front side, a back side with a second groove aligned with the first groove on the collet, a pair of long sides, an ovoid cavity between the top and the bottom, parallel to the pair of long sides and toward the back side, the lock housing inserted into the window of the collet and the shaft inserted into the ovoid cavity; a spring lodged inside the first groove on the side of the collet and the second groove on the back side of the lock housing, the spring pressing against the back side of the lock housing, forcing the lock housing forward and out through the window of the collet, thereby selectively locking the handle assembly, preventing the handle assembly moving vertically upward or downward; and a catch inside the cavity inside the lock housing, the catch selectively engaging a slot on the shaft when the spring forces the lock housing forward to prevent vertical movement of the handle assembly and selectively disengaging a slot on the shaft but engaging the channel of the shaft when the lock housing is pushed back into the collet unlocking the handle assembly, selectively allowing vertical movement of the handle assembly but preventing rotational movement of the shaft.