Field of the Invention

This invention relates to an improved vessel. The invention facilitates drainage of fluids trapped in a recess or recesses formed in the vessel when the underside of the vessel is orientated upwards.

Background of the Invention

A wide variety and range of vessels are used to contain various forms of materials. Some vessel designs form a central containment recess bounded by a side wall or walls which are formed by a hollow projection or projections. Washing of such vessels can result in liquids accumulating in either the central containment recess or the interior of a hollow projection used to form a side wall. Liquid can be drained from the central containment recess by orientating the vessel upside down, but this arrangement can result in liquid being retained in the interior hollow projection of a side wall.

It would be of advantage to have improvements to vessels or containers which alleviated the above issue. In particular, it would be of advantage to have a vessel which could be orientated so as to drain liquids from both its central containment recess and also any hollow projections used to form a side wall of this central recess.

Disclosure of the Invention

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a vessel defining an underside and a top side, the top side defining a central containment recess bounded by at least one wall projection which forms a perimeter of the containment recess, said at least one wall projection being defined by a wall recess formed in the underside of the vessel, a wall recess have a first side bounding the central containment recess and a second opposite side defining an exterior wall of the vessel, wherein the apex of said at least one wall projection includes at least one drainage hole forming a channel between the underside and top side of the vessel. According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a vessel substantially as described above wherein said at least one drainage hole is configured to drain fluid contained within the wall recess when the underside of the vessel is orientated upwards.

The present invention is adapted to provide a vessel, being any form of container which defines a central containment recess. This central recess may be formed using a continuous unitary surface which can be used to retain solids or fluids in various applications.

Reference throughout this specification will also be made to a vessel provided by the invention forming a bowl used to contain foodstuffs or beverages. Those skilled in the art will however appreciate that the invention may be used to form other types of vessels and contain other types of materials.

A vessel provided by the invention has or defines a top side and an underside. In use the top side of the vessel can be orientated upwards so that the central recess it defines can retains its contents under the action of gravity. The underside of the vessel will therefore be defined by the opposite face or side of the vessel to the top side.

In a preferred embodiment the entire vessel may be formed by a single continuous unitary piece of material. This single piece of material may be formed with a shape which defines the central containment recess and associated projection or projections required to provide the invention. In a further preferred embodiment a vessel provided by the invention may be moulded or pressed from a single piece of material such as plastic, ceramics or metal. However those skilled in the art will appreciate that other manufacturing techniques may also be utilised in conjunction with the invention, and reference to the above should in no way be seen as limiting.

A vessel provided by the invention includes at least one wall projection which forms a perimeter for the central containment recess. A wall projection is defined by a wall recess formed in the underside of the vessel, where a wall recess has a first side bounding the central containment recess and a second opposite side defining an exterior wall of the vessel. A wall recess is therefore used to form a hollow projection when viewed from the top side of the vessel. Each wall projection also incorporates or defines an apex, being the tallest or highest area of the projection on the top side of the vessel.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a vessel provided by the invention may include a single curved wall projection, or a plurality of wall projections which abut each other end to end to enclose and assist in defining the central containment recess. Reference throughout this specification will also be made to the vessel provided incorporating a single curved wall projection which has a concave appearance when viewed from the underside of the vessel, and a convex appearance when viewed from the top side of the vessel. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other shapes or forms of wall projection are also envisioned and within the scope of the present invention.

A vessel provided by the invention includes at least one drainage hole located on or at the apex of a wall projection. A drainage hole forms a channel between the underside and the top side of the vessel. This drainage hole or holes are configured to drain fluid contained within a wall recess when the underside of vessel is orientated upwards.

In a further preferred embodiment a vessel provided by the invention may incorporate a plurality of drainage holes deployed around the perimeter of the central containment recess. This array of drainage holes can be provided to ensure proper drainage of fluid from the wall recess or recesses incorporated into the vessel. Furthermore an array of drainage holes also allows for proper drainage of fluid when the underside of the vessel is orientated upwards but also arranged at an angle which increases the height of one side of the vessel relative to its opposite side.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the drainage holes provided with the invention may utilise a range of shapes and forms. For example some embodiments circular holes or triangular shaped holes may be utilised, while in other embodiments a drainage hole may be formed by a slot. Furthermore, in additional embodiments a drainage hole may also define one or more lateral recesses which define a ledge or step like interior surface which a user can employ as a form of handle or grip. In such embodiments a user may access this type of lateral recess from the underside of the vessel, and by inserting one or more fingers apply a force to an interior surface of the recess to engage with and lift the vessel.

The present invention may provide potential advantages over the prior art. The invention facilitates relatively easy washing, drainage and drying of the vessel it provides. If the vessel is washed by hand it may be orientated with its underside facing upwards on a drainage surface and the drainage holes allow any trapped washing liquids to drain from the wall recesses it defines. Similarly such a vessel may be placed inside a dishwashing machine and orientated so that the underside faces upwards. Again the drainage holes provided with the invention allow for automatic drainage of any wall recesses incorporated in the vessel. In either situation the provision of an array of drainage holes around the perimeter or circumference of the central containment recess can also ensure effective drainage even if the vessel is orientated on an angle.

Brief description of the drawings

Additional and further aspects of the present invention will be apparent to the reader from the following description of embodiments, given in by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

• Figures la, lb show side cross-section views of a prior art vessel,

• Figures 2a, 2b show side cross-section views of a vessel provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment,

• Figure 3 shows the top sides of an array of vessels provided by the invention in a number of additional embodiments, and

• Figure 4 shows the undersides of the array of vessels illustrated with respect to figure 3.

Further aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which is given by way of example only of particular embodiments. Best modes for carrying out the invention

Figures la, lb show side cross-section views of a prior art vessel. These figures illustrate a vessel 1 formed from a single unitary piece of material which has an underside 2 and a top side 3. Figure la shows the vessel with the top side orientated upwards and figure lb shows the vessel with the underside orientated upwards.

The top side 3 of the vessel defines a central containment recess 4 bounded by a single circular wall projection 5. The wall projection forms a perimeter to the containment recess.

The circular wall projection 5 is formed or defined by a wall recess 6 formed in the underside 2 of the vessel. The first side 7 of this recess defines the boundary for the central containment recess 4, with the second opposite side 8 defining an exterior wall for the vessel.

Figures 2a, 2b show side cross-section views of a vessel 11 provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment. Like the vessel shown with respect to figures la, lb the vessel 11 is also formed from a single unitary piece of material which has an underside 12 and a top side 13, the top side 13 defining a containment recess 14 bounded by a single circular wall projection 15. Again the circular wall projection is defined by a wall recess 16 in the underside of the vessel, a first side 17 of this recess defining the boundary of the central containment recess 14 and the opposite side 18 defining the exterior wall for the vessel.

The apex 19 of the wall projection includes an array of drainage holes 20 which provide a channel between the underside and top side of the vessel.

As can be seen from figure la when the top side are is orientated upwards these drainage holes are located at the highest point of the vessel. As can be seen from figure lb when the underside is orientated upwards these drainage holes are located at the lowest point of the vessel and served to drain fluid trapped within the wall recess out of the vessel.

Figures 3 and 4 shows the top side and underside respectively of an array of vessels provided by the invention in a number of additional embodiments. These figures illustrate how vessels may be formed from a range of material such as ceramics, metals and plastics. Each of the vessels shown as moulded, pressed or otherwise formed from a single unitary piece of material. The apex of the single circular wall projection defined in each vessel includes an array of between four to eight drainage holes. As can be seen in particular from figure 4 this array of holes allows for full drainage of any liquids trapped in the wall recesses when orientated with the underside facing upwards. As can also be seen from figure 4 the array of drainage holes also ensures proper drainage of each vessel even if orientated at an angle.

In the preceding description and the following claims the word "comprise" or equivalent variations thereof is used in an inclusive sense to specify the presence of the stated feature or features. This term does not preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and further and additional embodiments within the spirit and scope of the invention will be apparent to the skilled reader from the examples illustrated with reference to the drawings. In particular, the invention may reside in any combination of features described herein, or may reside in alternative embodiments or combinations of these features with known equivalents to given features. Modifications and variations of the example embodiments of the invention discussed above will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departure of the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.