Silane coating for cooking utensils

• US 6,509,101 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2000
• Issued: 01/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aeromet Corporation
• Original Assignee: Aeromet Corporation
• Inventors: Fairbourn, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dawson, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): KEEHAN, CHRISTOPHER M
• Application Number:
  US09/736,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20020076565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 428/447, 428/450, 428/448, 427/387, 427/140, 427/142, 427/318, 106/14.14, 106/14.21
• US Class Current: 428/447
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/02 Selection of specific materials, e.g. heavy bottoms with copper inlay or with insulating inlay
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/025 Vessels with non-stick features, e.g. coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 77/00 Macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions forming a linkage containing silicon with or without sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen or carbon in the main chain of the macromolecule
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 77/04 Polysiloxanes
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 4/00 Coating compositions, e.g. paints, varnishes or lacquers, based on organic non-macromolecular compounds having at least one polymerisable carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bond ; Coating compositions, based on monomers of macromolecular compounds of groups C09D183/00 - C09D183/16
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 26/00 Coating not provided for in groups C23C2/00 - C23C24/00
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/00 Coating for obtaining at least two superposed coatings either by methods not provided for in a single one of groups C23C2/00 - C23C26/00 or by combinations of methods provided for in subclasses C23C and C25C or C25D
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 30/00 Coating with metallic material characterised only by the composition of the metallic material, i.e. not characterised by the coating process C23C26/00, C23C28/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31663 As siloxane, silicone or silane
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31678 Of metal

Abstract

A silane coating (32) is provided which affords non-stick properties to a metal surface (20, 22) of a cooking utensil (10) and which can be provided with colorant (42) to impart a stable color appearance, including white, to the utensil (10). An easy repair method is also described.

Claims

1. A metal appliance comprising:

a cooking utensil having a wall with a metal surface, the wall adapted to be exposed to cooking heat in use of the cooking utensil with foodstuffs; and

a non-stick coating on said surface, the coating comprising a trialkoxyalkane silane adapted to prevent sticking of foodstuffs thereon.

2. The cooking utensil of claim 1, wherein said metal surface is selected from group consisting of aluminum and aluminum alloys.

3. The cooking utensil of claim 2, said surface is hard anodized.

4. The cooking utensil of claim 1, the metal surface being comprised of a wrought alloy.

5. The cooking utensil of claim 4, the wrought alloy including aluminum.

6. The cooking utensil of claim 5, said surface being hard anodized.

7. The cooking utensil of claim 1, the coating further including an inert colorant.

8. The cooking utensil of claim 7, the colorant being comprised of inert particles.

9. The cooking utensil of claim 8, the inert particles being selected from the group consisting of TiO₂, Fe₂O₃, and Fe₃O₄.

10. The cooking utensil of claim 8, the colorant being white.

11. A metal appliance comprising:

a cooking utensil having a wall with a metal surface, the wall adapted to be exposed to cooking heat in use of the cooking utensil with foodstuffs; and

a polyorgano silane coating on said surface, the coating being formed from a solution having essentially only one variety of silane and adapted to prevent sticking of foodstuffs thereon.

12. The cooking utensil of claim 11, the metal surface being comprised of aluminum.

13. The cooking utensil of claim 11, said surface being hard anodized.

14. The cooking utensil of claim 11, the metal surface being comprised of wrought alloy.

15. The cooking utensil of claim 14, the wrought alloy including aluminum.

16. The cooking utensil of claim 15, said surface being hard anodized.

17. The cooking utensil of claim 11, the silane being an organofunctional silane.

18. The cooking utensil of claim 11, the coating further including a visibly perceptible colorant.

19. A method of forming a hard coating on a metal surface of a cooking utensil, which metal surface is adapted to be exposed to cooking heat in use of the cooking utensil with foodstuffs, the method comprising:

applying a bifunctional trialkoxyalkane silane solution to the surface of the cooking utensil;

heating the solution to form a hard silane coating on the surface; and

thereafter exposing the coated metal surface to cooking heat while using the cooking utensil with foodstuffs.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the silane solution is a single silane.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising applying the silane solution to the surface and forming the coating without first reacting the solution with a second silane.

22. The method of claim 19 further comprising forming the solution to at least a 5% concentration of silane.

23. The method of claim 19 further comprising forming the solution to at least a 10% concentration of silane.

24. The method of claim 19 further comprising forming the solution to at least a 15% concentration of silane.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein the coating composition comprises BTSE.

26. The method of claim 19 wherein said silane is BTSM.

27. The method of claim 19 further comprising drying the solution on the surface before heating the solution.

28. The method of claim 19 wherein said surface is hard anodized aluminum.

29. The method of claim 19 further comprising providing a colorant in the silane solution whereby the formed coating has a visibly perceptible color corresponding to the colorant.

30. A method of repairing a cooking utensil having a silane coating on a metal surface of the cooking utensil, at least a portion of which is in need of repair due to loss of part of the coating during use of the cooking utensil, the method comprising:

applying a silane solution to at least said portion of the cooking utensil in need of such repair so as to replace the coating lost during use of the cooking utensil; and

heating the solution to form a generally permanent silane coating in at least said portion.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising obtaining a supply of the silane solution.

32. The method of claim 30 further comprising providing a supply of the silane solution.