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Title: Disposable food thermometer
Claims: What is claimed is: 1. A disposable thermometer for use in a foodstuff to indicate the degree of cooking to which said foodstuff has been subjected comprising a reservoir having a volumetric capacity of predetermined value at ambient temperatures, a fluid filling said reservoir, capillary means, and indicator means, said capillary tube means communicating at one end with said reservoir and at the other end with said indicator means, said reservoir being characterized by being of a material having the property of undergoing shrinkage when heated from an ambient temperature to temperatures associated with the cooking of foodstuffs whereby the volumetric capacity of said reservoir is caused to reduce from said predetermined value to a lesser volumetric capacity, reduction of the volumetric capacity of said reservoir being effective to expel fluid from said reservoir thru said capillary tube and onto said indicator means. 2. The thermometer of claim 1 in which said reservoir is made of polytetraflouroethylene. 3. The thermometer of claim 2 in which said reservoir is a tubular member. 4. The thermometer of claim 1 in which said indicator means is a layer of microcrystalline cellulose. 5. The thermometer of claim 4 in which said indicator means layer is elongated, there being indicia associated with said layer denoting degrees of cooking of said foodstuff. 6. The thermometer of claim 5 in which said indicia comprises graduations corresponding to degrees of temperature. 7. The thermometer of claim 5 in which said indicia comprises successively longitudinaly arranged zones of marking on said layer in correspondence to successively increasing degrees of cooking of said foodstuff. 8. The thermometer of claim 1 in which said fluid is selected from one of glycerol, propylene glycol, glycerol diolete and glycerol distearate. 9. The thermometer of claim 1 in which a dyestuff is embodied in said fluid. 10. The thermometer of claim 1 further comprising an elongated relatively flat support, said reservoir, capillary tube and indicator means being disposed longitudinaly of said support. 11. The thermometer of claim 10 in which said support is provided with an elongated longitudinaly directed slotted recess at one face thereof, said reservoir, capillary tube and indicator means being received in said recess. 12. The thermometer of claim 11 in which said support is made of a resilient material. 13. The thermometer of claim 12 in which said material is Nylon. 14. The thermometer of claim 11 further comprising a film of a polymeric material overlaying said one face of said support and being fixedly secured thereto. Other info: Inventors: Witonsky, Robert J. (Princeton, NJ, US) Larsson, Raymond P. (Danville, NJ, US) Application Number: 522222 Filing Date: 1974-11-08 Publication_date: 1976-04-27 Assignee: Bio-Medical Sciences, Inc. (Fairfield, NJ) Primary Class(es): 374/190 116/216, 264/230 Other Classes: US Patent Ref:
Other Refs: Primary Examiner: Queisser, Richard C. Assistant Examiner: Shoon, Frederick Attorney: Lagani, Jr.; Anthony |
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