Hot air fryer type cooking equipment

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hot air fryer type cooking device, which comprises a hot air blowing system, a tank (2) and a basket (1). The basket comprises an operating handle (18) provided with lugs (19), and the tank comprises an upper edge (3) and a receiving area (10) for the operating handle. When the basket is placed in the tank, the lugs rest on the upper edge, and the operating handle is received in the receiving area. The basket comprises at least one first assembly part (30) on its outer wall, and the tank comprises at least one second assembly part provided on its inner wall. These assembly parts cooperate and ensure lateral guidance of the basket when the basket is placed in the tank until the operating handle (18) is placed in its receiving area (10) and the basket reaches the central support position of the tank, the central support position enabling the bottom of the basket to be held at a certain distance from the bottom of the tank and enabling the basket to be laterally wedged into the tank so as to place the basket (1) in a functional cooking position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a hot air fryer type cooking device, and more particularly to a support system for a hot air fryer for supporting a basket in a tank. Background Art

[0002] Hot air fryer type cooking devices are known to those skilled in the art. These devices allow for a significant reduction or even complete elimination of the amount of fat during the cooking of food that may be of plant or animal origin, such as French fries or fish. In fact, cooking is carried out with hot air circulating in the tank, with little or no oil, which allows for the production of more nutritious food that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Given the reduction or elimination of the oil used for cooking, these devices emit less odor and grease; their cleaning is further simplified.

[0003] Hot air fryer type cooking devices generally include a removable tank that is configured to receive a basket in which the food to be cooked is placed. Once the basket is placed in the tank, the assembly is inserted into a chamber, and hot air is delivered into the chamber by means of a hot air blowing system installed in the device. The delivered hot air circulates in the chamber and in the tank, which contains the basket with the food, thus ensuring the cooking of the food.

[0004] To ensure uniform cooking of the food, the bottom of the basket should be maintained at a certain distance from the bottom of the tank, and the circulation of the hot air should be appropriate in the tank.

[0005] German Utility Model with publication number DE202017103259U is known, which describes a hot air fryer in which the bottom of the tank has a raised shape, and the basket includes an operating handle equipped with a first lug on its front upper part, which is supported on the upper edge of the tank, and two second lugs on its lower rear part, which are point-supported on two protruding parts of the raised bottom of the tank. Although this embodiment promotes the uniform distribution of hot air in the tank and around the basket and ensures the stability of the basket placed in the tank, this embodiment has several drawbacks. In fact, when placing the basket in the tank, the user should pay attention to engaging the operating handle of the basket with the edge of the tank while properly placing the second lugs on the protruding parts of the bottom of the tank; the existing gap in the engagement area where the operating handle engages with the tank can cause the two second lugs to be poorly positioned on the two protruding parts of the bottom of the tank. Additionally, the friction of the second lugs on the bottom of the tank can cause degradation of the bottom. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention implements a hot air fryer type cooking device, which enables hot air to be evenly distributed in the tank to properly cook all the food placed in the basket, while ensuring that the basket is accurately, intuitively and stably placed in the tank without the risk of degrading the bottom of the tank.

[0007] To this end, the present invention relates to a hot air fryer type cooking device, which includes a hot air blowing system, a tank and a basket. The cooking device also includes other features conventionally found in such devices, namely a chamber capable of accommodating the tank and the basket placed therein. The hot air blowing system itself enables hot air to be delivered into the chamber and the tank.

[0008] According to the present invention, the basket includes a front side portion, an operating handle equipped with lugs is arranged on the front side portion, and the tank includes an upper edge and a front side portion, and the receiving area of the operating handle is arranged on the front side portion. When the basket is placed in the tank, the lugs are supported on the upper edge, and the operating handle is received in the receiving area.

[0009] The front side portion is defined by the position of the operating handle. Once the tank and the basket are placed in the chamber of the device, the operating handle is arranged on the facade of the cooking device, and by actuating the operating handle, the insertion is carried out from front to back and the removal is carried out from back to front.

[0010] It is worth noting that according to the present invention, the basket includes an outer wall equipped with at least one first assembly component, and the tank includes an inner wall equipped with at least one second assembly component. The at least one first assembly component and the at least one second assembly component are configured such that when the basket is placed in the tank, they cooperate and ensure lateral guidance of the basket until the operating handle is placed in its receiving area, and the basket reaches the central support position of the tank. The central support position enables the bottom of the basket to be maintained at a certain distance from the bottom of the tank and enables the basket to be laterally wedged into the tank so as to place the basket in a functional cooking position.

[0011] According to a first design of the cooking device, a single first assembly component and a single second assembly component are implemented. The basket includes a rear side portion, and the rear side portion is equipped with the first assembly component on its outer surface, and the tank includes a rear side portion, and the rear side portion is equipped with the second assembly component on its inner surface. The first assembly component and the second assembly component are configured to cooperate and ensure lateral guidance of the basket during the placement of the basket in the tank until the basket reaches the central support position in the tank. The central support position enables the bottom of the basket to be maintained at a certain distance from the bottom of the tank and enables the basket to be laterally wedged into the tank.

[0012] According to a second design of the cooking device, two first assembly parts and two second assembly parts are implemented. The basket includes two lateral sides, each of which is provided with a first assembly part on its outer surface, and the trough includes two lateral sides, each of which is provided with a second assembly part on its inner surface. The two first assembly parts and the two second assembly parts are configured to cooperate and ensure the lateral guidance of the basket during the placement of the basket in the trough until the basket reaches a central support position in the trough, the central support position enabling the bottom of the basket to be held at a certain distance from the bottom of the trough and enabling the basket to be laterally wedged into the trough.

[0013] Other design variants of the cooking appliance can be envisaged, in which the number of the first assembly parts and the second assembly parts is variable and the positions of the first assembly parts and the second assembly parts depend on, for example, the shape of the outer wall of the basket and the shape of the inner wall of the trough.

[0014] During the operation of the handle in the storage area, the guidance and the centering ensure the intuitive placement of the basket in the trough until the basket reaches the support position wedged into the trough. This wedging allows a constant spacing to be maintained between the basket and the trough and over their entire perimeter, which ensures a uniform hot air flow over the entire profile of the basket. The respective positions of the at least one first assembly part and the at least one second assembly part on the outer wall and the inner wall ensure the holding of the basket in the trough without having to be supported on the bottom of the trough, thus avoiding any scratching on the bottom of the trough during the operation of the basket.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment of the cooking device, each first assembly part includes two guiding branches that extend upward by approaching each other until a top is formed. Additionally, each second assembly part includes a protruding element that, when the basket is placed in the trough, is received between the two branches. In other words, the two branches form a substantially inverted V shape, and the expanded part of the V facilitates the insertion of the protruding element between the two branches; then, the contraction of the inverted V allows the branches to guide the basket relative to the protruding element so that the basket is centered in the trough until it reaches the tip of the inverted V, at which point the branches are wedged and abutted against the protruding element.

[0016] A design opposite to the aforementioned preferred embodiment can be envisaged. In fact, the first assembly part on the basket can include a protruding element, and the second assembly part on the trough can include two branches, in which case the two branches extend downward instead of upward and approach each other until a small groove is formed, and when the basket is placed in the trough, the protruding element is received between the two branches until it abuts in the small groove.

[0017] According to this preferred embodiment, and in order to implement the cooking device according to the aforementioned first design, the lower end of the guiding branch is extended towards the front of the device, i.e., in the direction of the operating handle, by two deflectors which are arranged at right angles with respect to the branch and which extend below the bottom of the basket. During cooking, these deflectors enable hot air to circulate in a certain direction in the trough. Thus, the hot air circulates in a controlled manner in the trough and the basket to achieve optimal food cooking. The two deflectors form a tip towards the front of the trough. Preferably, the branch and the deflectors are formed by the same part. Preferably, the branch and the deflectors are made of plastic material. The deflectors are configured to keep a distance from the bottom of the trough when the basket is received in the trough, i.e., when the top between the two branches is wedged into the protruding element, so as to avoid any risk of scratching on the bottom of the trough.

[0018] According to this preferred embodiment of the cooking device implemented according to the first design or according to the second design, or even according to any other design variant, each protruding element is formed by a raised portion on the inner wall of the trough. In a variant, each protruding element can be formed by a part attached to the inner wall of the trough.

[0019] In the cooking device according to the subject matter of the present invention, a locking system is arranged between the operating handle and the storage area so as to keep the basket and the trough assembled together. The locking system can be deactivated by a control button in order to separate the basket from the trough. These features are known in deep fryer type cooking devices. Description of the Drawings

[0020] The following description of a non - limiting embodiment of a hot air fryer type cooking device highlights the features and advantages of the present invention. This description is based on the drawings, in which:

[0021] Figure 1 A basket received in a trough, with the basket and the trough assembled together with each other;

[0022] Figure 2 Shows Figure 1 A side cross - sectional view of

[0023] Figure 3 The trough alone is shown in a three - dimensional top view;

[0024] Figure 4 And Figure 5 The basket alone is shown in three - dimensions according to two different perspectives, with the bottom of the basket not shown in Figure 5 ;

[0025] Figure 6 A preferred single - piece embodiment of the first assembly part and the deflector is shown in a three - dimensional view. Detailed implementation mode

[0026] Figures 1 to 6 The hot air fryer type cooking device is not shown in its entirety, but only the features of the present invention related to the trough and the basket are shown. Other features of such a device (hot air blowing system, chamber into which the trough and the basket are inserted...) are known and will not be described in detail hereinafter. Those skilled in the art can refer to the hot air fryers already existing on the market.

[0027] Figure 1 and Figure 2 The basket 1 is shown, which is placed in and assembled with the trough 2. As Figures 1 to 3 shown, the trough 2 includes an upper edge 3, a bottom 4, a front side 5, a rear side 6, two lateral sides 7, 8 and a facade 9, which facade 9 is arranged on the front side 5. A storage area 10 is arranged on the facade 9. The upper edge 3 includes a small notch 11, which small notch 11 is arranged opposite to the storage area 10. The storage area 10 includes an opening 12 in its lower part 10a. As Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 shown, the basket 1 includes a front side 13, a rear side 14, two lateral sides 15, 16, a bottom 17 and an operating handle 18, which operating handle 18 is fixed to the front side 13 by means of lugs 19 having a curved shape. The operating handle 18 includes a body 20, the size of which body 20 is adapted to the storage area 10 and a handle 21 for gripping. Control buttons 22 are arranged on the upper part of the handle 21 to actuate a transmission mechanism 23, which transmission mechanism 23 acts on a latch 24 to unlock the basket 1 relative to the trough 2. When the basket 1 is placed in the trough 2, the lugs 19 are positioned in the small notches 11, the body 20 is positioned in the storage area 10, and the latch 24 extends into the opening 12 and is locked below the rear edge 25 of the opening 12 to ensure the locking of the basket 1 on the trough 2. Actuation of the button 22 enables the latch 24 to disengage from the rear edge 25 of the opening 12 to unlock the basket 1 and remove it from the trough 2. Two fingers 26, 27 are arranged on the lateral sides 20a, 20b of the body 20 and are positioned in guiding notches 28, 29, which guiding notches 28, 29 are arranged on the lateral sides 10b, 10c of the storage area 10; when the fingers 26, 27 are received in the notches 28, 29, the basket 1 is wedged in a translational manner from front to back relative to the trough 2, and the front side 13 of the basket 1 is wedged in a lateral translational manner relative to the front side 5 of the trough 2.

[0028] Therefore, the transmission mechanism 23, the latch 24 and the rear edge 25 form a locking system, which locking system is arranged between the operating handle 18 and the storage area 10 so as to keep the basket 1 and the trough 2 assembled in a functional cooking position, and the locking system can be deactivated by the control button 22 so as to separate the basket from the trough.

[0029] As Figures 4 to 6 shown, the basket 1 includes a first assembled component 30, which is preferably made of a plastic material such as polyphenylene sulfide (PPS). The component 30 is attached to the outer surface 31 of the rear side portion 14 and the lower surface 32 of the bottom 17 by means of three assembly points 33, 34, 35, and the assembly is achieved by screwing onto the contour 17a of the bottom and the rear side portion 14. The component 30 includes two guiding branches 36, 37, the lower ends 36a, 37a of which are unfolded and the upper ends 36b, 37b of which converge at the top 38. The two branches 36, 37 are arranged against the outer surface 31 of the rear side portion 14. The component 30 further includes two deflectors 39, 40, which are arranged below the lower surface 32 of the bottom 17 at a right angle with respect to the branches 36, 37. The rear ends 39a, 40a of the deflectors 39, 40 extend the lower ends 36a, 37a of the branches 36, 37, and the front ends 39b, 40b of the deflectors 39, 40 converge to form a tip 41. The branches 36, 37 are arranged symmetrically with respect to each other with respect to the middle plane of the basket 1, and the top 38 is located in this middle plane. Similarly, the deflectors 39, 40 are arranged symmetrically with respect to each other with respect to the middle plane of the basket 1.

[0030] As Figure 3 shown, the inner surface 42 of the rear side portion 6 of the groove 2 includes a second assembled component, which includes a protruding element 43, which is implemented by forming a raised portion on the rear side portion 6. However, a stud (not shown) can be attached to the inner surface 42 by screwing in order to implement the protruding element 43. The protruding element 43 is arranged in the middle plane of the groove 2.

[0031] As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, when the basket 1 is placed in the groove 2, the lower ends 36a, 37a of the branches 36, 37 are each positioned on one side of the protruding element 43, and the unfolded shape of the branches 36, 37 facilitates the introduction of the protruding element 43 between the lower ends 36a, 37a. During the pressing of the basket 1 into the groove 2, the contraction of the spacing between the branches 36, 37 enables the top 38 to be re-centered with respect to the protruding element 43 until the top 38 abuts against the protruding element 43. During Figure 1 and Figure 2At the abutment position shown, the bottom 17 of the basket 1 is remote from the bottom 4 of the trough 2 and is in the functional cooking position. Similarly, the deflectors 39, 40 do not contact the bottom 4 of the trough 2. Additionally, the protruding element 43 is wedged between the upper ends 36b, 37b of the branches 36, 37, which prevents the rear side 14 of the basket 1 from translating laterally relative to the rear side 6 of the trough 2. As previously mentioned, once the body 20 of the operating handle 18 is inserted into the receiving area, the fingers 26, 27 of the body 20 are wedged from front to back into the notches 28, 29 on the receiving area, which prevents any translation between the basket 1 and the trough 2 from front to back (and vice versa, i.e., from back to front), and thus ensures that the top 38 remains abutted against the protruding element 43. In other words, the protruding element 43 cannot disengage from the two branches 36, 37. The lateral translation wedging of the front side 13 and the rear side 14 of the basket 1 relative to the front side 5 and the rear side 6 of the trough 2, and the translation wedging of the basket 1 relative to the trough 2 from front to back (and vice versa, i.e., from back to front) enable the basket 1 to remain centered relative to the trough 2, and thus maintain a constant space 44 between the perimeter of the basket 1 and the perimeter of the trough 2.

[0032] Accordingly, the precise placement of the basket 1 in the trough 2 is visually facilitated by the branches 36, 37 and the protruding element 43, which guide the insertion of the basket 1 into the trough 2. The constant space 44 between the perimeter of the basket 1 and the perimeter of the trough 2 ensures the uniform distribution of hot air in the trough 2 around the basket 1. Keeping the bottom 17 of the basket 1 at a distance from the bottom 4 of the trough 2 also ensures that hot air circulates uniformly under the basket 1. The presence of the deflectors 39, 40 under the basket 1 enables the hot air flow to be directed in a certain direction and enables the hot air flow to circulate properly in the trough 2 and the basket 1.

[0033] Features can be envisaged without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0034] As Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5 shown, the bottom 17 of the basket 1 is removable to facilitate its cleaning and even to change the bottom 17 according to the type of food to be cooked. To this end, the bottom 17 rests on the profile 17a and is held in place by the elastic sheets 45, 46.

[0035] The operating handle 18 is removable from the basket 1 to facilitate the cleaning of the basket 1. To this end, as Figure 2 and Figure 5As shown, the body 20 of the operating handle 18 includes two triggers 47, 48 on its lateral sides 20a, 20b. The two triggers 47, 48 can be actuated to move the locking tongue 49 on the body 20 and disengage the locking tongue 49 from the locking hook 50 arranged on the lug 19, so as to unlock the lug 19 relative to the body 20 and enable the operating handle 18 to be disengaged downward relative to the lug 19.

[0036] Design variants of the present invention can be envisaged.

[0037] For example, a protruding element similar to the protruding element 43 can be arranged on the outer surface 31 of the rear side portion 14 of the basket 1, and two branches can be arranged on the inner surface 42 of the rear side portion 6 of the slot 2. The design of the two branches is similar to that of the branches 36, 37, but their directions are opposite, so that the top 38 is located at the bottom and forms a small groove. When the basket 1 is placed in the slot 2, the protruding element of the basket 1 is received in the small groove. In this case, the deflectors 39, 40 are implemented by means of independent components at positions similar to the Figure 4 positions shown.

[0038] A plurality of protruding elements similar to the protruding element 43 can also be provided and arranged on the inner wall 51 of the slot 2, and the same number of branches similar to the two branches 36, 37 can be provided and arranged on the outer wall 52 of the basket 1 corresponding to the protruding elements. For example, two protruding elements are arranged on the inner surfaces 53, 54 of the lateral side portions 7, 8 of the slot 2, and two sets of two branches are arranged on the outer surfaces 55, 56 of the lateral side portions 15, 16 of the basket 1. In this case, the deflectors 39, 40 are implemented by means of independent components at positions similar to the Figure 4 positions shown. As described above, the positions of the protruding elements and branches on the inner wall 51 and the outer wall 52 can also be reversed.

Claims

1. A hot air fryer type cooking device, which comprises a hot air blowing system, a trough (2) and a basket (1), the basket (1) includes a front side portion (13), an operating handle (18) equipped with lugs (19) is arranged on the front side portion (13) of the basket (1), and the trough includes an upper edge (3) and a front side portion (5), a receiving area (10) of the operating handle is arranged on the front side portion (5) of the trough (2), when the basket is placed in the trough, the lugs are supported on the upper edge, and the operating handle is received in the receiving area, characterized in that, The basket (1) includes an outer wall (52) equipped with at least one first assembly component (30), and the slot (2) includes an inner wall (51) equipped with at least one second assembly component. The at least one first assembly component and the at least one second assembly component are configured such that when the basket (1) is placed in the slot (2), they cooperate and ensure lateral guidance of the basket until the operating handle (18) is placed in its receiving area and the basket reaches the central support position of the slot. The central support position enables the bottom (17) of the basket to be held at a certain distance from the bottom (4) of the slot and enables the basket to be laterally wedged into the slot so as to place the basket (1) in a functional cooking position. Each first assembly component includes two guiding branches (36, 37) that extend upward by approaching each other until they form a top (38), and each second assembly component includes a protruding element (43) that is received between the two guiding branches (36, 37) when the basket (1) is placed in the slot (2). The lower ends (36a, 37a) of the guiding branches (36, 37) are extended by two deflectors (39, 40) that are arranged at a right angle to the guiding branches (36, 37) and extend below the bottom (17) of the basket (1). The deflectors enable hot air to circulate in a certain direction in the slot (2).

2. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein, The basket (1) includes a rear side portion (14) that is equipped with a first assembly component (30) on its outer surface (31), and the slot (2) includes a rear side portion (6) that is equipped with a second assembly component on its inner surface (42). The first assembly component and the second assembly component are configured such that during placement of the basket in the slot, they cooperate and ensure lateral guidance of the basket until the basket reaches the central support position in the slot. The central support position enables the bottom (17) of the basket to be held at a certain distance from the bottom (4) of the slot and enables the basket to be laterally wedged into the slot.

3. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein, The basket (1) includes two lateral side portions (15, 16), and each of the two lateral side portions (15, 16) of the basket (1) is equipped with a first assembly component on its outer surface (55, 56). The slot (2) includes two lateral side portions (7, 8), and each of the two lateral side portions (7, 8) of the slot (2) is equipped with a second assembly component on its inner surface (53, 54). The two first assembly components and the two second assembly components are configured such that during placement of the basket in the slot, they cooperate and ensure lateral guidance of the basket until the basket reaches the central support position in the slot. The central support position enables the bottom (17) of the basket to be held at a certain distance from the bottom (4) of the slot and enables the basket to be laterally wedged into the slot.

4. The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The two deflectors (39, 40) form a tip (41) facing the front part of the trough (2).

5. The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The guide branches (36, 37) and the deflectors (39, 40) are formed by the same single component (30).

6. The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The guide branches (36, 37) and the deflectors (39, 40) are made of plastic material.

7. The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The deflectors (39, 40) are configured to maintain a distance from the bottom (4) of the trough (2) when the basket (1) is received in the trough.

8. The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, Each protruding element (43) is formed by a raised portion on the inner wall (51) of the trough (2).

9. The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, Each protruding element (43) is formed by a component attached to the inner wall (51) of the trough (2).

10. The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, A locking system (23, 24, 25) is arranged between the operating handle (18) and the storage area (10) so as to keep the basket (1) and the trough (2) assembled together, and the locking system can be deactivated by a control button (22) in order to separate the basket from the trough.

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