Cooking utensil

Abstract

The present application provides a cooker capable of reliably preventing a case where cooking is started directly without installing a detachable component. The cooker includes: a housing portion that houses a pan; a cover that covers an opening portion of the pan housed in the housing portion; a gasket that is detachably attached to the cover to seal between the cover and the pan; a locking mechanism that locks the cover and the housing portion in a state where the cover and the pan are sealed by the gasket by relatively rotating the cover and the housing portion in a direction parallel to an overlapping surface of the cover and the housing portion in a state where the cover and the housing portion overlap; and a blocking mechanism that restricts the rotation of the cover to block the locking between the cover and the housing portion by the locking mechanism in a first state where at least either of a state where the pan is not housed in the housing portion or a state where the gasket is not attached to the cover.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a cooking utensil. Background Technology

[0002] For cooking appliances such as pressure cookers and rice cookers, there is a structure in which the lid is placed on the main body containing the inner pot, and the lid is rotated in a direction parallel to the overlapping surface of the main body and the lid, thereby closing the lid (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-51530 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem the invention aims to solve

[0007] For this type of cookware, in order to make cleaning easier, the inner pot is often made of a detachable material such as a liner for the lid.

[0008] In this case, it is necessary to reliably prevent situations where the liner is forgotten or the inner pot is forgotten before starting to cook.

[0009] Solution for solving the problem

[0010] According to a technical solution of the present invention, a cooker is provided, characterized in that the cooker comprises: a receiving portion for receiving an inner pot; a lid covering the opening of the inner pot received in the receiving portion; a gasket that is freely attachable to the lid for sealing between the lid and the inner pot; a locking mechanism that locks the lid and the receiving portion in a state where the lid and the receiving portion overlap by rotating relative to each other in a direction parallel to the overlapping surface, thereby locking the lid and the receiving portion in a state where the lid and the inner pot are sealed by the gasket; and a blocking mechanism that restricts the rotation of the lid in at least one of the states where the inner pot is not received in the receiving portion and the state where the gasket is not attached to the lid, i.e., a first state, thereby preventing the locking between the lid and the receiving portion by the locking mechanism.

[0011] The effects of the invention

[0012] According to the present invention, a cooker is provided that can reliably prevent cooking from starting directly without installing detachable parts. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 It is a 3D view of the cookware.

[0014] Figure 2 It is an exploded 3D diagram of a cooking utensil.

[0015] Figure 3 This is an exploded perspective view of part B of the cover.

[0016] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the structure of the cover and the structure of the blocking mechanism.

[0017] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing the structure of the upper part of the main body shell.

[0018] Figure 6 It is a diagram illustrating the operation of the drive mechanism.

[0019] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0020] A. Main body; B. Lid; C. Inner pot; D. Locking mechanism; E. Stopping mechanism; F. Drive mechanism; P. Liner; 10. Reception section; 100. Cooking utensils. Detailed Implementation

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the following embodiments are not intended to limit the invention as claimed, and the combinations of features described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention. Two or more features from the plurality of features described in the embodiments may be combined arbitrarily. Additionally, the same or identical structures are labeled with the same reference numerals in the accompanying drawings, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing the appearance of the cookware 100 in the embodiment. Figure 2 This is an exploded perspective view of cooker 100. Cooker 100 can be a heating cooker such as an electric pressure cooker or a rice cooker. Cooker 100 includes: a main body A, which controls the heating of the inner pot C according to a predetermined heating program; and a lid B, which can be detached from the upper part of the main body A.

[0023] The main body A may include a housing 10 for housing the inner pot C, a main body outer shell L, and a human-machine interface 13. The housing 10, also called the outer pot, is made of metal or the like to transfer heat to the inner pot C. A heating element (heater, not shown) is disposed below the housing 10, which heats the inner pot C through the housing 10. The heating element may include an induction heating coil for induction heating of the inner pot C housed in the housing 10. Additionally, the main body A may also include a control unit for controlling the heating element. It is preferable that the housing 10 is fixed to the main body outer shell L. The human-machine interface 13 may include: an operation unit such as buttons or knobs for making cooking-related settings; and a display unit for displaying settings and a clock. Alternatively, the human-machine interface 13 may also include a reporting unit that uses sound to report cooking instructions, settings, warnings, etc.

[0024] The lid B may include a lid shell K (outer lid), an inner lid 22, a handle 23, and a pressure switching valve 24. The inner lid 22 is a lid that covers the opening of the inner pot C housed within the housing 10. The inner lid 22 is preferably fixed to the lid shell K, but it can also be configured to be detachable. The handle 23 is a part for the user to hold when opening and closing the lid B. The pressure switching valve 24 is a valve used to switch the pressure mode within the inner pot C during cooking. Additionally, a gasket P is installed on the inner lid 22 in a freely detachable manner to seal between the inner lid 22 and the inner pot C (the periphery of the opening). The structure for installing the gasket P will be discussed later. In this embodiment, the main body shell L and the lid shell K are cylindrical in shape, appearing as a disc when viewed from above, but are not limited to this. For example, the main body shell L and the lid shell K may also have a prismatic shape.

[0025] The cookware 100 includes a locking mechanism D that engages the inner lid 22 and the receiving portion 10 to close the lid B relative to the main body A. The locking mechanism D rotates the lid B (inner lid 22) and the main body A (receiving portion 10) relative to each other in a direction parallel to their overlapping surfaces when the lid B (inner lid 22) and the main body A (receiving portion 10) are overlapping, thereby locking the inner lid 22 and the receiving portion 10 in a sealed state between the inner lid 22 and the inner pot C by a gasket P. A specific example of the structure of the locking mechanism D will be described below.

[0026] The receiving portion 10 of the main body A has a flange 12 extending outward from the outer periphery of the upper opening for the inner pot C to enter and exit. The receiving portion 10 is held by the main body housing L while the flange 12 is suspended from the upper end 11 of the main body housing L. On the other hand, a hook 25 (engaging portion) is formed on the outer periphery of the inner cover 22 to engage with the flange 12. Notches 12a, which serve as passage portions for the hooks 25, are formed at equal angular intervals on the flange 12. The hooks 25 are formed at angular intervals corresponding to these notches 12a. Figure 3 An exploded perspective view of the cover B, viewed from below, is shown. Here, the inner cover 22 is pre-attached to the lower surface of the outer cover K. According to... Figure 3 It can be seen that hooks 25 are formed at equal angular intervals, extending inward from the inner periphery of the inner cover 22. The locking mechanism D may include the flange 12 and notch 12a formed in the receiving portion 10, as described above, and the hooks 25 formed in the inner cover 22.

[0027] To close the cover B relative to the main body A, the cover B (inner cover 22) is first placed on the main body A (receiving part 10) at a predetermined position where the hook 25 can pass through the notch 12a from top to bottom. This results in the cover B (inner cover 22) overlapping the main body A (receiving part 10). Alternatively, markings can be made on the main body A and cover B to clearly indicate to the user the predetermined position where the hook 25 can pass through the notch 12a in the vertical direction. In this state, the user operates the handle 23 to rotate the cover B by a predetermined angle (e.g., 15°) in a direction parallel to the overlapping surface of the main body A (hereinafter also referred to as the circumferential direction). This causes the flange 12 to engage with the hook 25, thereby completing the closing action of the main body A and the cover B. Figure 1 This indicates that the cover B is closed. Alternatively, a stop can be provided to limit rotation above a predetermined angle, so that rotation is completed at the position where the flange 12 and hook 25 are reliably engaged.

[0028] As described above, a gasket P is installed on the inner cover 22 in a manner that allows for easy removal and installation, for sealing between the inner cover 22 and the opening periphery of the inner pot C. (Refer to...) Figure 3 and Figure 4 To illustrate the structure used for mounting gasket P. Figure 3 This is an exploded perspective view of the cover portion B from below, where the inner cover 22 is engaged with the lower surface of the outer cover K. The gasket P is an annular cover gasket along the inner circumference of the inner cover 22. The gasket P can be made of silicone rubber, fluororubber, neoprene rubber, etc. The gasket retainer H that holds the gasket P includes a metal ring member 31 with a shape adapted to the shape of the gasket P, and engaging members 30 are provided at, for example, three locations on the ring member 31. The gasket retainer H is engaged concentrically with the lower surface of the inner cover 22 using the engaging members 30. Figure 4 This indicates that the liner retainer H is engaged with the inner cover 22 by the engaging member 30.

[0029] A groove 32 is formed on the inner circumference of the gasket P. The gasket P is installed on the inner cover 22 by inserting the ring member 31 of the gasket retainer H into the groove 32 of the gasket P throughout the circumference. With the inner pot C housed in the housing 10 and the gasket P installed on the inner cover 22, the aforementioned closing action of the cover B can be performed.

[0030] The user can easily install and remove the gasket P. The user can remove the gasket P and clean the gasket P unit. When cooking, the user installs the gasket P onto the inner lid 22 and houses the inner pot C in the housing 10. Here, if the user forgets to install the gasket P onto the inner lid 22 and starts cooking directly, the inner lid 22 and the inner pot C will not be sealed, therefore, it is impossible to pressurize the inner pot C and cook normally. Even if cooking is started directly, steam or moisture from the boiling cooking ingredients in the inner pot C will overflow from between the inner pot C and the inner lid 22. In this case, there is a possibility that the overflowing moisture will enter the main body and cause the cooker 100 to malfunction. In addition, if the user forgets to house the inner pot C in the housing 10, cooking is impossible. If power is supplied to the heating element without the inner pot C when cooking is started directly, it is a so-called dry-burning state, therefore, there is a possibility that the cooker 100 will malfunction.

[0031] Based on the above, it is necessary to reliably prevent situations where the gasket P is forgotten to be installed on the inner cover 22, or the inner pot C is forgotten to be housed in the housing section 10 before starting cooking.

[0032] Therefore, the cookware 100 in this embodiment includes a blocking mechanism E. In at least one of the states (first state) where the inner pot C is not housed in the housing portion 10 and the gasket P is not installed on the inner lid 22, this blocking mechanism E restricts the rotation of the lid B (inner lid 22) used to close the lid, thereby preventing the inner lid 22 from locking with the housing portion 10 by the locking mechanism D. (See reference...) Figures 4-6 The explanation will focus on the blocking agency E.

[0033] exist Figure 5 An enlarged view of the upper end 11 of the main body shell L, which is suspended by the flange 12 of the receiving section 10, is shown. Figure 5 As shown, a locking hole 52 with a downwardly recessed shape is formed at the upper end 11 of the main body shell L. The locking hole 52 is formed by a peripheral wall 52a extending in a direction intersecting the circumferential direction of the main body shell L. The locking hole 52 may also be a step, groove, or recess formed by the peripheral wall 52a.

[0034] exist Figure 4 The image shows the cover portion B where the gasket retainer H engages with the inner cover 22. However, the gasket P has been removed here. Figure 4In the case of the lid shell K, a locking pin hole 60 is formed at the lower end (the portion overlapping the upper end 11 of the main body shell L when the lid B is closed). The blocking mechanism E may include a locking pin 61 that can pass through the locking pin hole 60 and move. The blocking mechanism E has a drive mechanism F that moves the locking pin 61. In at least one of the states (first state) where the inner pot C is not housed in the housing portion 10 and the gasket P is not installed on the inner lid 22, the drive mechanism F moves the locking pin 61 so that the tip of the locking pin 61 engages with the locking hole 52, thereby restricting the rotation of the lid B. In addition, in the state where the inner pot C is housed in the housing portion 10 and the gasket P is installed on the inner lid 22 (second state), the drive mechanism F moves the locking pin 61 so that the tip of the locking pin 61 disengages from the locking hole 52, thereby releasing the restriction on the rotation of the lid B. See reference. Figure 6 The details of the drive mechanism F are then discussed.

[0035] exist Figure 4 With the gasket P removed as shown, the locking pin 61 protrudes from the lower end of the cover housing K under the action of the drive mechanism F. In this state, in order to close the cover B relative to the main body A, when the cover B is placed on the main body A at a predetermined position where the hook 25 can pass through the notch 12a from top to bottom, the tip of the locking pin 61 enters the locking hole 52 formed in the upper end 11 of the main body housing L. Therefore, even if the user wants to rotate the cover B in a direction parallel to the overlapping surface that overlaps with the main body A, the cover B cannot be rotated because the locking pin 61 abuts against the peripheral wall 52a of the locking hole 52.

[0036] On the other hand, when the gasket P is mounted on the inner cover 22 using the gasket retainer H and the inner pot C is housed in the receiving part 10, under the action of the drive mechanism F, the top end of the locking pin 61 moves out of the locking hole 52, and the locking pin 61 passes through the locking pin hole 60 and is inserted into the cover housing K. As a result, the restriction on the rotation of the cover part B in the direction parallel to the overlapping surface that overlaps with the main body part A is released, thereby enabling the closing action of the cover part B.

[0037] exist Figure 6 A detailed structural example of the drive mechanism F is shown in the figure. Figure 6 In this case, the locking pin 61 is disposed inside the cover housing K and can pass through the locking pin hole 60 formed at the lower end of the cover housing K and move there. Additionally, as... Figure 4 As shown, a pin hole 40 is formed in the portion of the inner cover 22 that overlaps with the gasket P mounted to the inner cover 22 when viewed from above. The drive mechanism F may also include an abutment pin 62 that can pass through the pin hole 40 and move to abut against the gasket P mounted to the inner cover 22. Figure 4 In this state without the gasket P installed, the abutment pin 62 protrudes from the pin hole 40.

[0038] like Figure 6 As shown, the drive mechanism F also has a connecting member 63 that connects the abutment pin 62 and the locking pin 61. The abutment pin 62 and the locking pin 61 are linked by this connecting member 63. The drive mechanism F also has a helical spring S, which acts as a force-applying member that applies force to the locking pin 61 in the direction that the locking pin 61 protrudes from the locking pin hole 60. A rod 66 is provided on the upper part of the inner wall 64 of the cover housing K. The rod 66 passes through a clearance fit hole (not shown) formed by the connecting member 63 and is connected to the lower surface of the top plate of the cover housing K. The helical spring S is arranged to surround the rod 66. The rod 66 functions as a guide member that guides the movement of the connecting member 63 in a direction parallel to the axis of the locking pin 61. Furthermore, a limiting member 67 that restricts the lateral movement of the locking pin 61 can also be provided inside the cover housing K.

[0039] Figure 6 (a) indicates the following state: with the inner pot C housed in the housing section 10 and the gasket P installed on the inner cover 22 (second state), in order to close the cover B relative to the main body A, the cover B is placed on the main body A at a predetermined position where the hook 25 can pass through the notch 12a from top to bottom. In this case, the gasket P, pushed up by the inner pot C, abuts against the abutment pin 62, overcoming the force of the coil spring S and pushing the abutment pin 62 upward. The locking pin 61 is linked to the abutment pin 62 by means of the connecting member 63, and the top end of the locking pin 61 disengages from the locking hole 52. This is a state in which the restriction on the rotation of the cover B in the direction parallel to the overlapping surface that overlaps with the main body A is released, and the closing action of the cover B can be performed.

[0040] Figure 6 (b) indicates the following state: with the gasket P installed on the inner cover 22 but the inner pot C not housed in the receiving part 10, the cover B is placed on the main body A at a predetermined position where the hook 25 can pass through the notch 12a from top to bottom in order to close the cover B relative to the main body A. In this case, since there is no inner pot C, the gasket P cannot push the abutment pin 62 upward, and the top of the locking pin 61 remains engaged with the locking hole 52 under the action of the coil spring S. This restricts the rotation of the cover B in the direction parallel to the overlapping surface with the main body A, preventing the cover B from closing. Thus, when the gasket P is installed on the inner cover 22, although the abutment pin 62 abuts against the gasket P, as long as the inner pot C is not housed in the receiving part 10, the locking pin 61 will not overcome the action of the coil spring S to move in such a way that the top of the locking pin 61 disengages from the locking hole 52.

[0041] Figure 6(c) indicates the following state: with the gasket P not installed on the inner cover 22, in order to close the cover B relative to the main body A, the cover B is placed on the main body A at a predetermined position where the hook 25 can pass through the notch 12a from top to bottom. In this case, since the gasket P is not installed on the inner cover 22, even if the inner pot C is received into the receiving part 10, the inner pot C does not touch the abutment pin 62. Therefore, the abutment pin 62 is not pushed up, and under the action of the coil spring S, the top part of the locking pin 61 remains engaged with the locking hole 52. Therefore, this state restricts the rotation of the cover B in the direction parallel to the overlapping surface that overlaps with the main body A, preventing the closing action of the cover B.

[0042] According to the embodiments described above, it is possible to reliably prevent cooking from starting directly without installing the detachable components (gasket P, inner pot C).

[0043] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and alterations can be made within the scope of the invention's intent.

Claims

1. A cooking utensil, characterized in that, This cooking appliance has the following features: The containment section is used to house the inner pot; A lid that covers the opening of the inner pot housed within the receiving section; A gasket, which is detachably mounted to the lid, is used to seal between the lid and the inner pot; A cover shell, which is used to hold the cover; The main outer casing houses the aforementioned receiving section; The locking mechanism locks the lid and the receiving portion in place by rotating them relative to each other in a direction parallel to the overlapping surface while the lid and the receiving portion are overlapping. as well as A blocking mechanism that restricts the rotation of the lid in at least one of the states where the inner pot is not received in the receiving portion and the gasket is not installed on the lid, i.e., the first state, thereby preventing the lid from locking with the receiving portion by the locking mechanism. The locking mechanism includes: A flange that extends outward from the outer periphery of the upper opening of the receiving portion; and The engaging portion is formed on the outer periphery of the cover. The locking mechanism is configured such that if the cover and the receiving portion are rotated relative to each other in a direction parallel to the overlapping surface while the cover and the receiving portion are overlapping, the flange engages with the locking portion, thereby locking the cover and the receiving portion in place. The main housing has an upper end portion for suspending the flange of the receiving portion, and a locking hole is formed at the upper end portion. The blocking mechanism includes: A locking pin, disposed within the cover housing, is movable through a locking pin hole formed at the lower end of the cover housing; and A drive mechanism that moves the locking pin. The drive mechanism includes: A force-applying component that applies force to the locking pin in the direction in which the locking pin protrudes from the locking pin hole; An abutment pin, which can pass through a pin hole formed in the portion of the cover that overlaps with the gasket mounted to the cover when viewed from above, and move to abut against the gasket mounted to the cover. A connecting structural member that connects the abutment pin and the locking pin, such that the locking pin moves in conjunction with the movement of the abutment pin; and A guiding member that guides the movement of the connecting member in a direction parallel to the axis of the locking pin. The drive mechanism is configured such that, in the first state, it moves the locking pin so that the tip of the locking pin engages with the locking hole under the force of the force-applying member, thereby restricting the rotation. In the second state, where the inner pot is housed in the receiving portion and the gasket is installed on the lid, the inner pot and the gasket overcome the force exerted by the force-applying member. The driving mechanism moves the locking pin, causing the top end to disengage from the locking hole, thereby releasing the restriction on rotation. One end of the guide member is connected to the lower surface of the top plate of the cover shell. The force-applying component is a helical spring, which is configured to surround the portion of the guide member located between the top plate of the cover shell and the connecting member.

2. The cookware according to claim 1, characterized in that, With the gasket installed on the cover and the abutting pin abutting against the gasket, when the inner pot is not housed in the receiving portion, the top end of the locking pin protrudes from the locking pin hole and engages with the locking hole.

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