It is often desired to apply patterns to cookware products to increase their decorative appeal. Such patterns are often applied by using a silkscreen process. In particular decorative patterns may be applied to the base of a cookware product, eg a pan, to increase the aesthetic appeal of such a product. However, if a pattern is applied to the base only of an item such as a pan, then it can only be seen when the pan is not being used and cannot be seen when the pan is in use. Naturally this decreases the aesthetic benefit to the product given by the pattern.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide a pattern not only to the base of a cookware product, but also on to the sides of the product. Of course, this could easily be achieved by providing patterns to the base and side separately, but this is not desired since it results in a discontinuous pattern with a break between the two parts of the pattern which is not aesthetically pleasing. Previously there have been no cookware products provided with a continuous pattern that extends over the base of a cookware product and also around the corner radius of the product and along at least a part of the side of the product.
A cookware product such as a metal pan is generally formed as a blank that is then deformed into the desired pan shape. Attempting to provide a continuous pattern over the base and around the corner radius of the pan after formation of the pan shape is not practical on an industrial scale because the shape of the pan does not lend itself easily to silkscreen application on a large scale.
Generally when it is desired to apply a silkscreen pattern to the base of a product such as a pan, this is normally done before the blank is deformed. However, where this pattern is intended to extend beyond the base around the corner radius to the side wall of the pan, care needs to be taken when applying the silkscreen pattern to ensure that in the process of deforming the blank the silkscreen pattern in the region of the comer radius does not become cracked and disfigured by the act of deforming the blank.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds