Food cooking apparatus

Abstract

The invention relates to a food cooking apparatus comprising a housing (10), a cooking vessel (20), a tray (30), a heating mechanism (71, 72), a stirring blade (40), a stationary bearing (50) for supporting and guiding the rotation of the stirring blade (40), a drive mechanism (60), the cooking vessel (20) comprising a vessel aperture, characterized in that the stirring blade (40) is arranged to stir food arranged on the tray (30), the tray (30) comprising a tray aperture (31) to pass through the drive mechanism (60) and / or the stirring blade (40), and the cooking apparatus comprising a mechanism for preventing the rotation of the tray (30) around the stationary bearing (50).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a food cooking apparatus, which particularly includes food stirring blades disposed in a cooking space. Background Technology

[0002] Food cooking devices with stirring blades are known in the prior art, for example disclosed in document WO2012 / 123464A1. On the other hand, this system has the disadvantage of being dedicated to a single type of cooking, which limits the possibilities for food preparation. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of the prior art, and in particular to provide a cooking device that can cook or heat food in a variety of ways, thereby enriching the types of recipes that users can prepare using such a device.

[0004] Therefore, a first aspect of the present invention relates to a food cooking apparatus, comprising:

[0005] -Including the shell of the cooking space,

[0006] - Cooking containers arranged in the cooking space

[0007] - A tray arranged in the cooking container

[0008] - A heating mechanism, arranged to heat food placed in the cooking space.

[0009] - Stirring blades, arranged to stir the food to be cooked in the cooking space.

[0010] - Fixed bearings arranged on the cooking container to support and guide the rotation of the stirring blades.

[0011] - A drive mechanism arranged to drive stirring blades through a fixed bearing; the cooking container includes a container hole for the drive mechanism and / or stirring blades to pass through.

[0012] Its features are:

[0013] - The mixing blades are arranged to mix the food placed on the tray.

[0014] - The tray includes tray holes for the passage of a drive mechanism and / or stirring blades.

[0015] - The cooking equipment includes a mechanism to prevent the tray from rotating around a fixed bearing.

[0016] The cooking apparatus according to the above embodiment includes a tray and stirring blades arranged to stir food disposed on the tray. The tray is fixed relative to the housing by means of a rotation stop mechanism. Therefore, free space is provided below the tray, which can be used to store water, thus providing cooking possibilities. Additionally, the blades can be omitted and / or not moved / rotated, which provides further possibilities for stirring or not stirring the food received on the tray. In other words, at least four different cooking modes can be provided: with water and stirring, with water but without stirring, without water but with stirring, and without water and without stirring. It should be noted that the heating mechanism is arranged to heat the food directly (e.g., by radiation) or indirectly (by conduction via the cooking container, or by a medium such as air or steam).

[0017] Advantageously, the cooking device includes a mechanism for preventing the tray from axially translating along the fixed bearing. Advantageously, the mechanism for preventing tray translation is arranged on or integrated with the fixed bearing.

[0018] Advantageously, the fixed bearing is a tube.

[0019] Advantageously, the cooking container and / or tray and / or stirring blade and / or fixed bearing are removable.

[0020] Advantageously, the mechanism for preventing translation includes a shoulder on the fixed bearing and / or a skirt on the stirring blades. In practice, it is conceivable to clamp the tray with a certain gap between the shoulder of the fixed bearing (which is integral and / or embedded relative to the cooking container or housing) and the skirt of the stirring blades (e.g., fixed to and integral with the drive mechanism by means of a spring plunger or pin assembly). Therefore, the tray cannot move along the axis of the fixed bearing or the stirring blades.

[0021] Advantageously, the mechanism for preventing the tray from rotating around the fixed bearing is arranged on the fixed bearing.

[0022] Advantageously, the mechanism for preventing the tray from rotating about the fixed bearing includes an indexer or a non-circular reverse shape that is typically arranged to mate with the tray. In particular, holes with a non-circular cross-section can be provided on the tray, which engage with the indexer or a corresponding convex shape of the fixed bearing.

[0023] Advantageously, the cooking device includes at least one protrusion or projection for providing a stop for food contained on the tray and driven to move by the stirring blades. This protrusion or projection forms "arrêtefrites" and ensures that the food is effectively stirred / turned over, rather than simply pushed by the stirring blades.

[0024] Advantageously, the at least one protrusion or projection is arranged on the tray. Alternatively, the at least one protrusion or projection can be provided on the container, or even detachably formed into the shell.

[0025] Advantageously, the cooking equipment includes a mechanism for securing the fixed bearing to the cooking container and / or housing.

[0026] Advantageously, the fixed bearing includes a first end that is detachably engaged with the cooking container or housing in a connection of, for example, a screw / nut or a quarter-turn type of pin.

[0027] Advantageously, the fixed bearing includes, for example, a second end that engages with the stirring blades, of the type of pivot connection or sliding pivot.

[0028] Advantageously, the heating mechanism is arranged to generate a cooking airflow over the food contained on the tray.

[0029] Advantageously, the heating mechanism includes a first heating mechanism and a second heating mechanism. The first heating mechanism is arranged to generate a cooking airflow over the food contained on the tray, and the second heating mechanism is arranged to heat the cooking container and / or the space between the bottom of the cooking container and the tray by conduction and / or radiation and / or induction. This embodiment allows for particularly efficient food preparation depending on the selected cooking type.

[0030] Advantageously, the first heating mechanism and the second heating mechanism are arranged to operate in different and / or independent ways.

[0031] Advantageously, the cooking equipment includes a mechanism for supporting the tray on the bottom of the cooking container. It is conceivable that the support legs are placed on the bottom of the cooking container.

[0032] Advantageously, the tray includes at least one fluid communication channel located between the space between the bottom of the cooking container and the tray, and between a space disposed opposite the upper part of the tray. This fluid communication channel (or opening) allows, for example, water vapor (generated below the tray) to pass over the tray, and also allows water (present at the height of the tray) to easily drip off. A perforated, perforated, porous tray can be provided, or a large gap can be left between the cooking container and its surroundings.

[0033] Advantageously, the bottom of the cooking container is sealed, and a sealing mechanism, such as an O-ring, is arranged between the fixed bearing and the bottom of the container. Alternatively, a lip seal or a compressible flat seal may be provided. Attached Figure Description

[0034] Other features and advantages of the invention will become clearer from the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention, given by way of non-limiting examples and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0035] Figure 1 An exploded and simplified perspective view of the cooking apparatus according to the present invention is shown.

[0036] Figure 2 The execution sequence is shown. Figure 1 Detailed cross-sectional view of the cooking equipment.

[0037] Figure 3 It shows Figure 1 The tray for the cooking equipment.

[0038] Figure 4 It shows Figure 1 The stirring blades of the cooking equipment. Detailed Implementation

[0039] Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of a food cooking apparatus according to the present invention is shown, comprising:

[0040] -A housing 10 is formed by a lower housing 11 and a pivot cover including two parts 12 and 13, the housing 10 including a cooking space.

[0041] -Cooking containers 20 arranged in the cooking space,

[0042] - Tray 30 arranged in the cooking container

[0043] - A heating mechanism, arranged to heat food placed in the cooking space.

[0044] - Stirring blades 40, which are arranged to stir the food to be cooked in the cooking space.

[0045] - A fixed bearing 50 is arranged on the cooking container to support and guide the rotation of the stirring blades.

[0046] -Drive mechanism 60 (in) Figure 2 (As can be seen in the image), it is arranged to drive the stirring blades 40 that pass through the fixed bearing 50.

[0047] Cooking container 20 includes container hole 21 (in Figure 2 (As can be seen in the image), to pass through the drive mechanism 60 and / or the stirring blade 40, the tray 30 includes a tray hole 31 to pass through the drive mechanism 60 and / or the stirring blade 40.

[0048] As shown above, the stirring blade 40 is configured to rotate and includes a blade arm 42 to stir the food placed on the tray 30 once it is placed in the cooking container 20. The heating mechanism, particularly the first heating mechanism 71 housed in the housing 10, is configured to generate a flow of hot air above the food on the tray 30. Typically, an electric fan can be provided to generate the airflow, and a heating resistor can be placed within this airflow.

[0049] Typically, the tray 30 is positioned at the bottom of the cooking container 20 and remains stationary there. Therefore, the fixed bearing 50 ensures the position of the tray 30 in terms of height, such as... Figure 2 As shown, but most importantly, the fixed bearing 50 is configured to prevent the tray 30 from rotating. Therefore, a rotation stop mechanism is provided on the fixed bearing 50 in the form of a square stop block 51, which is received in a tray hole 31 that is also square, as shown. Figure 3 As shown.

[0050] Figure 1 A threaded retaining nut 55 is shown, which is used to secure the retaining bearing 50 to the cooking container 20. However, other embodiments may be adopted, and alternatively, Figure 2 A quarter-turn type connection between the nut and the skirt of the fixed bearing 50 is shown. Alternatively, the fixed bearing 50 can be fixed to the housing 10 instead of the cooking container 20. Therefore, the fixed bearing 50 is fixed during cooking and effectively stops the tray 30 from rotating. The fixed bearing 50 is driven by multiple drive mechanisms and / or stirring blades 40 passing through its central hole, so the fixed bearing can also be considered as a blade tube.

[0051] The tray 30 includes a protrusion 34 that provides a stop for food placed on the tray 30 and driven or pushed by the rotating agitator blades 40. This stop ensures that the protrusion 34 remains stationary and effectively stops the food, allowing it to be stirred and turned for even cooking. Furthermore, it should be noted that the protrusion 34 may be integrated with the cooking container 20.

[0052] Shoulder 52 is also provided on fixed bearing 50 to provide a mechanism for preventing translation of tray 30 by engaging with skirt 43 of stirring blade 40, which prevents tray 30 from rising in the direction of the axis shown, which is also the axis of rotation of stirring blade 40. Therefore, fixed bearing 50 participates in preventing rotation and translation of tray 30. According to one embodiment, an elastic engagement (clamp, spring plunger) may be provided between tray 30 and fixed bearing 50 to provide complete (six degrees of freedom) but reversible locking of tray 30 on fixed bearing 50.

[0053] Therefore, as Figure 2As shown, an intermediate space EI is provided between the tray 30 and the cooking container 20. Specifically, the tray 30 is locked in the translational direction (and therefore in height) by the shoulder 52 and skirt 43 of the fixed bearing 50, and the tray 30 includes legs 35 that rest on the container bottom 22 of the cooking container 20 to stabilize the tray 30. The cooking container 20 includes a container bottom 22 spaced apart from the tray 30, thus making it possible to place water in the cooking container 20, below the tray 30.

[0054] The cooking apparatus includes a second heating mechanism 72, which is arranged to heat the space between the bottom 22 of the cooking container 20 and the tray 30 via conduction and / or radiation and / or induction. A heating resistor may be disposed below the heating container 20, which directly heats the cooking container 20 and thus the intermediate space EI.

[0055] A sealing mechanism 80 is provided between the shoulder 52 of the cooking container 20 and the fixed bearing 50, at the location of the container hole 21. This sealing mechanism is an O-ring, but any other form of seal may also be provided. These sealing mechanisms allow the drive mechanism 60 (drive shaft head) and the hub 41 of the stirring blade 40 to pass through the fixed bearing and the container hole 21 without the risk of leakage.

[0056] Therefore, water can be placed in the bottom 22 of the container and heated to heat and cook the food placed on the tray 30 using the second heating mechanism. This generates steam and allows the food placed on the tray 30 to be cooked. For this purpose, a connecting channel, such as a connecting hole, can be provided between the tray 30 and the intermediate space EI. The tray 30 can be perforated or openwork, or configured to have a large gap between its edge and the cooking container 20.

[0057] Figure 3 An isometric view of tray 30 is shown, which includes:

[0058] - The bottom of the tray 32 has a tray hole 31 (square in this case) located in the center.

[0059] -Flange 33

[0060] - The protrusion 34 is provided on the flange 33 so as not to interfere with the stirring blade 40 and its blade arm 42.

[0061] - Leg 35, which is formed of a crown (e.g., plastic material) and attached to the pallet body, which is typically formed of stamped sheet.

[0062] Figure 4An isometric view of the stirring blade 40, which includes a blade arm 42 and a skirt 43 that mates with the bottom 32 of the tray, is shown when the cooking device is in cooking configuration. When the stirring blade 40 is attached to the drive mechanism 60 (e.g., held to the drive mechanism 60 by a clamp, spring plunger, or pin), the skirt 43 allows the tray 30 to be held in place. Therefore, the skirt 43 forms part of a mechanism that prevents translation of the tray 30.

[0063] Note that:

[0064] - To control the first heating mechanism 71 and the second heating mechanism 72 in different and independent ways, and

[0065] - Fill the bottom 22 of the container with water or leave it empty.

[0066] - With or without the mixing blades 40, or at least temporarily or continuously interrupting the rotation of the mixing blades, the same cooking appliance can provide a variety of cooking methods and recipes.

[0067] For this purpose, a human-machine interface (e.g., a touch screen) can be provided to allow users to select specific types of food and cooking, so that the computing unit of the cooking device can appropriately and independently control the first heating mechanism 71 and the second heating mechanism 72, as well as the stirring blade 40 to achieve the desired cooking.

[0068] It will be understood that various modifications and / or improvements that are obvious to those skilled in the art can be made to the various embodiments of the invention described herein without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. Food cooking apparatus comprising: - a housing (10) comprising a cooking space, - a cooking vessel (20) arranged in the cooking space, - a tray (30) arranged in the cooking vessel (20), - a heating mechanism (71, 72) arranged to heat food arranged in the cooking space, - a stirring blade (40) arranged to stir food to be cooked arranged in the cooking space, - a fixed bearing (50) arranged on the cooking vessel (20) to support and guide rotation of the stirring blade (40), - a drive mechanism (60) arranged to drive the stirring blade (40) through the fixed bearing (50), the cooking vessel (20) comprising a vessel aperture (21) to pass through the drive mechanism (60) and / or the stirring blade (40), characterized in that: - the stirring blade (40) is arranged to stir food placed on the tray (30), - the tray (30) comprises a tray aperture (31) to pass through the drive mechanism (60) and / or the stirring blade (40), - the cooking apparatus comprises a mechanism to prevent rotation of the tray (30) around the fixed bearing (50).

2. Cooking apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a mechanism to prevent translation of the tray (30) in the direction of the axis of the fixed bearing (50).

3. The cooking apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The mechanism to prevent translation comprises a shoulder (52) on the fixed bearing (50) and / or a skirt (43) on the stirring blade (40).

4. The cooking apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The mechanism to prevent rotation of the tray (30) around the fixed bearing (50) is arranged on the fixed bearing (50).

5. The cooking apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The mechanism to prevent rotation of the tray (30) around the fixed bearing (50) comprises an indexer or a non-circular cross-section aperture.

6. Cooking apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising at least one protrusion (34) or raised portion to provide a stop for food accommodated on the tray (30) and moved by the stirring blade (40).

7. The cooking apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The at least one protrusion (34) or raised portion is arranged on the tray (30).

8. Cooking apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising a securing mechanism to secure the fixed bearing (50) on the cooking vessel (20) and / or the housing (10).

9. The cooking apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The fixed bearing (50) comprises a first end that is detachably engaged with the cooking vessel (20) or the housing (10) in a bayonet type connection.

10. The cooking apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The heating mechanism (71, 72) is arranged to create a cooking air flow above food accommodated on the tray (30).

11. The cooking apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Said heating means (71, 72) comprise first heating means (71) arranged to generate a flow of cooking air above the food contained on said tray (30) and second heating means (72) arranged to heat by conduction and / or radiation and / or induction said cooking vessel (20) and / or the space provided between the bottom of said cooking vessel (20) and said tray (30).

12. The cooking apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, Said first heating means (71) and said second heating means (72) are arranged to operate in a different and / or independent manner.

13. Cooking apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising supporting means for supporting said tray (30) on the bottom of said cooking vessel (20).

14. The cooking apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Said tray (30) comprises at least one fluid communication channel between the space provided between the bottom of said cooking vessel (20) and said tray (30) and the space provided opposite the upper portion of said tray (30).

15. The cooking apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The bottom of said cooking vessel (20) is sealed and a sealing means (80) is arranged between said fixed bearing (50) and the bottom of said vessel.

16. The cooking apparatus of claim 9, wherein, Said connection is of the screw / nut type.

17. The cooking apparatus of claim 9, wherein, Said connection is of the quarter turn type.

18. The cooking apparatus of claim 15, wherein, Said sealing means (80) is an O-ring.

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