초록 ▼

An induction cooking utensil is constructed such that it cooks food within its chamber while maintaining a relatively cool outer surface (e.g., preferably an outer surface that is cool enough to pick up with one's bare hands). The cooking utensil includes an inner wall that is made at least in part

An induction cooking utensil is constructed such that it cooks food within its chamber while maintaining a relatively cool outer surface (e.g., preferably an outer surface that is cool enough to pick up with one's bare hands). The cooking utensil includes an inner wall that is made at least in part of an electrically conductive material and an outer wall that is made at least in part of the electrically non-conductive material. A reflective layer, a vacuum-sealed thermal insulator and/or a gas more resistant to conducting heat than air is disposed between the inner and outer walls to resist the transfer of heat from the inner wall to the outer wall.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A cooking utensil for use with an induction cooktop having an induction coil, the cooking utensil comprising: an inner wall comprising an electrically conductive target layer in which heat is generated by the induction coil;an outer wall within which the inner wall is nested, the outer wall compr

1. A cooking utensil for use with an induction cooktop having an induction coil, the cooking utensil comprising: an inner wall comprising an electrically conductive target layer in which heat is generated by the induction coil;an outer wall within which the inner wall is nested, the outer wall comprising an electrically non-conductive layer, wherein the outer wall cooperates with the inner wall to form a sealed gap between the inner wall and the outer wall and further cooperates with the inner wall to provide the cooking utensil a pan-like shape having a bottom portion wherein at least a portion of the electrically conductive target layer is disposed along a bottom portion of the inner wall; anda vacuum-sealed thermal insulator disposed within the gap within at least a portion of the bottom portion of the cooking utensil, wherein a surface of the vacuum-sealed thermal insulator faces towards and is spaced away from contact with the other surface the inner wall by a portion of the gap, wherein the vacuum-sealed thermal insulator is comprised of a thermally resistant material and a pair of sheets enclosing the thermally resistant material in a vacuum, and wherein the surface of the vacuum-sealed thermal insulator that faces towards the inner wall within at least the bottom portion comprises a sheet of the pair of sheets. 2. The cooking utensil of claim 1, wherein the outer wall further comprises a reflective layer disposed on a surface of the outer wall that defines a portion of the gap and faces the inner wall. 3. The cooking utensil of claim 2, wherein the reflective layer is segmented such that the reflective layer is non-contiguous to interrupt a flow of a current induced in the reflective layer by the induction coil. 4. The cooking utensil of claim 1, wherein the outer wall further comprises an impermeable material to aid in reducing the permeation of an atmospheric gas through the outer wall and into the gap. 5. The cooking utensil of claim 1, wherein the outer wall provides a passage opening into the gap to enable the gap to be filled with argon gas. 6. The cooking utensil of claim 1, wherein the inner wall further comprises a heat spreader layer and a cooking layer. 7. The cooking utensil of claim 6, wherein: the inner wall has a pan-like shape having a flat bottom portion, having an inner surface defining a cooking chamber, and having an outer surface that defines a portion of the gap and faces the outer wall;the cooking layer provides all of the inner surface;the target layer provides the outer surface within the bottom portion of the inner wall; andthe heat spreader layer conducts heat generated in the target layer to at least the cooking layer. 8. The cooking utensil of claim 1, wherein the gap is filled with argon gas, and the argon gas is maintained at a pressure less than atmospheric pressure at sea level. 9. The cooking utensil of claim 1, further comprising a piece of getter material disposed within the gap to remove a gas other than the argon gas. 10. A cooking utensil for use with an induction cooktop having an induction coil, the cooking utensil comprising: an inner wall comprising an electrically conductive target layer in which heat is generated by the induction coil;an outer wall comprising an electrically non-conductive layer that cooperates with the inner wall to form a sealed gap between the inner wall and the outer wall; anda vacuum-sealed thermal insulator disposed within the gap, wherein a surface of the vacuum-sealed thermal insulator faces towards and is spaced away from contact with the outer surface the inner wall comprising the electrically conductive target layer, wherein the vacuum-sealed thermal insulator is comprised of a thermally resistant material and a pair of sheets enclosing the thermally resistant material in a vacuum, and wherein the surface that faces towards the outer surface the inner wall comprising the electrically conductive target layer comprises a sheet of the pair of sheets. 11. The cooking utensil of claim 10, wherein the outer wall further comprises an impermeable material to aid in reducing the permeation of an atmospheric gas through the outer wall and into the gap. 12. The cooking utensil of claim 10, wherein the inner wall further comprises a heat spreader layer and a cooking layer. 13. The cooking utensil of claim 12, wherein the inner wall has a pan-like shape having a flat bottom portion, having an inner surface defining a cooking chamber, and having an outer surface that defines a portion of the gap and faces the outer wall, wherein: the cooking layer provides all of the inner surface;the electrically conductive target layer provides the outer surface of the bottom portion of the inner wall; andthe heat spreader layer conducts heat generated in the electrically conductive target layer to at least the cooking layer. 14. The cooking utensil of claim 10, wherein the thermally resistant material of the vacuum-sealed thermal insulator comprises an aerogel. 15. The cooking utensil of claim 10, wherein at least one sheet of the pair of sheets of the vacuum-sealed thermal insulator comprises silicon-dioxide. 16. The cooking utensil of claim 10, wherein at least one sheet of the pair of sheets of the vacuum-sealed thermal insulator comprises a metalized polymer. 17. The cooking utensil of claim 10, wherein the vacuum-sealed thermal insulator is affixed to an inner surface of the outer wall. 18. The cooking utensil of claim 11, wherein: the inner wall and the outer wall cooperate to provide the cooking utensil a pan-like shape having a bottom portion and a side wall portion, and wherein the inner wall is nested within the outer wall; andthe vacuum-sealed thermal insulator is disposed within a portion of the gap within the bottom portion of the cooking utensil. 19. The cooking utensil of claim 18, further comprising a reflective layer disposed on a surface of the outer wall that faces the inner wall. 20. The cooking utensil of claim 18, further comprising a thermal mat disposed within a portion of the gap within the side wall portion, wherein the thermal mat comprises a fibrous material and an aerogel, and wherein the thermal mat is affixed to a surface of the outer wall that defines a portion of the gap. 21. The cooking utensil of claim 18, wherein the electrically conductive target layer is disposed along the bottom portion of the cooking utensil, and wherein the vacuum-sealed thermal insulator extends further across the bottom portion of the cooking utensil than does the electrically conductive target layer. 22. The cooking utensil of claim 10, further comprising argon gas filling the gap. 23. A method of making a cooking utensil, the method comprising: joining an outer wall comprising an electrically non-conductive layer to an inner wall comprising an electrically conductive target layer in which heat is able to be generated by an induction coil of an induction cooktop to define a gap between the inner wall and the outer wall such that the inner wall is nested within the outer wall and such that the inner wall and the outer wall cooperate to provide the cooking utensil with a pan-like shape having a bottom portion wherein at least a portion of the electrically conductive target layer is disposed along a bottom portion of the outer surface the inner wall; anddisposing within the gap, with a surface that faces and is spaced away from contact with the inner wall within at least a portion of the bottom portion of the cooking utensil a vacuum-sealed insulator comprising a thermally resistant material and a pair of sheets enclosing the thermally resistant material in a vacuum, wherein the surface that faces the inner wall within at least a portion of the bottom portion of the cooking utensil comprises a sheet of the pair of sheets. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the joining of the outer wall and the inner wall is performed in an argon gas environment. 25. The method of claim 23, further comprising: forming a passage through a portion of the outer wall;filling the gap with argon gas through the passage; andsealing the passage. 26. The method of claim 23, further comprising: disposing a piece of getter material within the gap; andactivating the getter material subsequent to joining the outer wall to the inner wall to remove a gas other than argon from within the gap. 27. The method of claim 26, further comprising selecting a quantity and a type of the getter material to remove a selected quantity and composition of gases from within the gap to achieve a gaseous environment within the gap comprised of argon gas at a pressure less than atmospheric pressure at sea level.