electric cooking appliance

Abstract

This invention provides an electric cooker that allows for phased adjustment of the hinge shaft's vertical position based on the thickness of the heat exchanger, using a simple structure. The electric cooker comprises: a base with an electric heater; a cover rotatably supported on the base by the hinge shaft and also equipped with the electric heater; and a hinge shaft height adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the vertical position of the hinge shaft. The hinge shaft height adjustment mechanism includes: a support portion disposed on the base; an adjustment guide hole disposed on the support portion, with alternating wide and narrow portions arranged vertically; a hinge shaft, with a locking shaft portion at its end that is rotatably and vertically movable into the adjustment guide hole; and an operating lever capable of rotating integrally with the hinge shaft. The locking shaft portion rotates by a predetermined angle based on the rotation of the operating lever, thereby allowing movement from either the upper or lower wide portion through the narrow portion to the other wide portion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an electric heating cooker for baking bread, snacks, pastries, and other baked foods. Background Technology

[0002] Typically, an electric cooker has the following structure: a base with a lower template mounted on its upper surface and a cover with an upper template mounted on its lower surface. The rear of the cover is pivotally supported on the base in a rotatable manner via a hinge shaft. A blank is filled in the space formed between the opposing surfaces of the lower and upper templates. The upper and lower templates are heated from their respective back sides by an electric heater, thereby baking food.

[0003] Patent document 1 discloses the following invention: In order to adapt to a variety of baked foods, the upper and lower templates can be changed according to the baked food, and the thickness of the upper and lower templates used is corresponding to avoid deviation in the degree of baking of the baked food. A hinge shaft height adjustment mechanism is provided in the rotating part of the cover body relative to the base body, so that the position of the rotation center of the cover body, i.e. the hinge shaft, can be adjusted in the vertical direction, thereby making the opposing surfaces of the upper and lower templates fit together evenly.

[0004] Existing technical documents

[0005] Patent documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 5662624 Summary of the Invention

[0007] (a) Technical problems to be solved

[0008] However, regarding the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, although it is possible to replace various upper and lower templates with different thicknesses according to the type of food being baked, and to adjust the hinge shaft to an appropriate position through the hinge shaft height adjustment mechanism, thereby enabling the opposing surfaces of the upper and lower templates to fit together evenly, on the other hand, the complex structure of the hinge shaft height adjustment mechanism may lead to an increase in manufacturing costs.

[0009] The present invention addresses the aforementioned issues and aims to provide an electric cooker that can adjust the vertical position of the hinge shaft in stages according to the thickness of the template used, with a simple structure and low cost.

[0010] (II) Technical Solution

[0011] According to the present invention, the above-mentioned problem is solved in the following manner.

[0012] The electric cooking appliance of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a base on which an electric heater is provided; a lower template detachably mounted on the upper surface of the base; a cover supported by a hinge axis in a left-right direction, which is rotatable relative to the base and is also provided with an electric heater; an upper template detachably mounted on the lower surface of the cover, wherein the lower surface of the upper template coincides with the upper surface of the lower template; and a hinge axis height adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the vertical position of the hinge axis, the hinge axis height adjustment mechanism having A support portion is disposed on the base; an adjustment guide hole is disposed on the support portion, and a wide portion and a narrow portion are alternately disposed in the vertical direction; a hinge shaft, the engagement shaft portion of which is disposed at the end and is fitted into the adjustment guide hole in a manner that allows it to move vertically and rotate; and an operating rod, which is rotatable integrally with the hinge shaft, the engagement shaft portion rotating by a predetermined angle based on the rotation operation of the operating rod, thereby allowing movement from either the upper or lower wide portion through the narrow portion to the other wide portion.

[0013] Preferably, the hinge shaft height adjustment mechanism has a pair of support portions, each of the pair of support portions being provided with the adjustment guide hole, and each of the two ends of the hinge shaft being provided with the engaging shaft portion, the two engaging shaft portions being respectively fitted into the two adjustment guide holes.

[0014] Preferably, the operating lever is fixed to the end of the hinge shaft. More preferably, the operating lever is fixed to both ends of the hinge shaft.

[0015] Preferably, the cross-section of the engaging shaft portion of the hinge shaft is shaped such that it has a major axis larger than the opening width of the narrow portion of the adjustment guide hole and a minor axis smaller than the opening width of the narrow portion of the adjustment guide hole.

[0016] Preferably, the operating lever is rotatable from a locked position where the engaging portion of the hinge shaft cannot pass through the narrow portion to a released position where it can pass through the narrow portion, and is also rotatable in the reverse direction.

[0017] Preferably, the operating lever has a first stop portion that stops the operating lever in the locked position by abutting against the support portion.

[0018] Preferably, the operating lever has a second stop that, when in the locked position, stops the cover in the fully open position by abutting against a portion of the cover in the rotational direction.

[0019] (III) Beneficial Effects

[0020] According to the present invention, the position of the hinge axis can be adjusted in stages along the vertical direction according to the thickness of the template used, with a simple structure, thereby providing an electric cooker that allows multiple templates of different thicknesses to be installed and used in an appropriate state in one electric cooker, and at low cost. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a front view of the electric heating cooker of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a right-side view of the electric cooker.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a top view of the electric cooker.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a 3D view of the electric cooker with the lid open.

[0025] Figure 5 This is a 3D view of the electric cooker with the upper and lower molds removed and the lid fully open.

[0026] Figure 6 It is an exploded perspective view of the main parts, including the hinge axis height adjustment mechanism.

[0027] Figure 7 This is a summary enlarged view of the main part of the hinge axis in the lower position.

[0028] Figure 8 This is a summary enlarged view of the main part of the hinge axis in the upper position.

[0029] Figure 9 This is a summary enlarged view of the main parts of the control stick's state when it is operated.

[0030] Figure 10 yes Figure 3 The longitudinal section view along line XX. Detailed Implementation

[0031] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below, but also includes embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art through appropriate modifications within the obvious scope based on the following embodiment.

[0032] like Figures 1-5As shown, the electric cooking appliance of the present invention comprises: a box-shaped base 1, which is rectangular in plan view; a support bracket 2, which is fixed to the rear of the upper surface of the base 1 and is U-shaped when viewed from the front; a hinge shaft 4, which is movable in the up-down direction and rotatably supported about an axis in the left-right direction in a height adjustment guide hole 3, wherein the height adjustment guide hole 3 is provided on a pair of upward support portions 2a, 2a on the left and right sides of the support bracket 2 and faces the up-down direction; a cover 5, which is generally square in plan view and whose rear end is pivotally supported on the hinge shaft 4 for relative rotation; a lower template 6, which is detachably mounted on the upper surface of the base 1; an upper template 7, which is detachably mounted on the lower surface of the cover 5; and an operating lever 8, which is operated when adjusting the up-down position of the hinge shaft 4.

[0033] Furthermore, in the following description, the orientation of the cover 5 and the elements mounted on it is as follows: Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown by the solid line, the state in which the lid 5 is in the closed position and the lower template 6 overlaps with the upper template 7 is set as the baseline. Furthermore, the basic shape of the electric cooker of this embodiment is symmetrical, except for a portion thereof; therefore, the following description will use the structure on the right side as an example. Thus, the left-side structure is in the opposite left-right orientation to the structure described on the right side.

[0034] Regarding the electric cooking appliance of this embodiment, in order to accommodate various lower templates 6 and upper templates 7 with different thicknesses, the operating rod 8, which constitutes part of the hinge shaft height adjustment mechanism described later, is rotated, thereby enabling the vertical position of the hinge shaft 4 supported on the adjustment guide hole 3 to be adjusted in stages.

[0035] The hinge shaft height adjustment mechanism of the present invention comprises: left and right support portions 2a of a support bracket 2 that forms part of a base 1; adjustment guide holes 3 formed in the left and right support portions 2a respectively; a hinge shaft 4 that is fitted into the left and right adjustment guide holes 3 in a rotatable manner and capable of adjusting the position in the up and down direction in stages; and left and right operating levers 8 that are capable of rotating integrally with the hinge shaft 4.

[0036] A control box 9 is installed at the rear of the base 1. The control box 9 has a power switch 9a, a heater temperature adjustment knob 9b and an indicator light 9c on its upper surface, and houses the control board (not shown).

[0037] On the front side of the control box 9 on the base 1, a base 2b of a support bracket 2 facing the left and right directions is fixed by multiple screws. The left and right support portions 2a of the support bracket 2 have the aforementioned vertical adjustment guide holes 3, which guide the engaging shaft portions 4a located at the left and right ends of the hinge shaft 4 in a rotatable manner and are movable in the vertical direction.

[0038] Especially Figures 7-9 As shown, the adjustment guide hole 3 has alternating wide portions 3a and narrow portions 3b along the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the wide portions 3a are provided at both the upper and lower positions, and a narrow portion 3b is provided between the upper and lower wide portions 3a, thereby creating a structure that allows for two-stage position adjustment of the hinge shaft 4 along the vertical direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it can also be configured to provide three or more wide portions 3a along the vertical direction, thereby enabling three or more stages of position adjustment of the hinge shaft 4 along the vertical direction.

[0039] The hinge shaft 4 is formed of a solid round bar. At both ends of the hinge shaft 4 are engaging shaft portions 4a that can move vertically and rotatably engage with the adjustment guide hole 3. In particular, as shown... Figure 9 As shown, the engaging shaft portion 4a is formed by cutting its two sides into a generally elliptical cross-section with a major axis along the x-direction and a minor axis along the y-direction. The dimension a of the major axis in the x-direction of the engaging shaft portion 4a is set to a dimension that allows it to rotatably fit into the wide portion 3a of the adjustment guide hole 3, and is larger than the opening width w of the narrow portion 3b. The dimension b of the minor axis in the y-direction of the engaging shaft portion 4a is set to be smaller than dimension a, and smaller than the opening width w of the narrow portion 3b.

[0040] As described above, by setting the size of the engaging shaft portion 4a of the hinge shaft 4, it is possible to position the engaging shaft portion 4a so that the major axis direction y is oriented towards the front-rear direction. Figure 9 The locking position, indicated by the double-dotted line, for example, when engaged with the lower wide portion 3a of the adjustment guide hole 3, keeps the hinge shaft 4 rotatable by the lower wide portion 3a. Furthermore, with the locking shaft portion 4a engaged with the lower wide portion 3a, rotating the operating lever 8 upwards by approximately 90 degrees... Figure 9 As shown by the solid line, the engaging shaft portion 4a is positioned in a disengaged position with its major axis x pointing vertically and its minor axis y pointing horizontally. This allows the engaging shaft portion 4a to pass through the narrow portion 3b, enabling the hinge shaft 4 to move from the lower wide portion 3a to the upper wide portion 3a, and allowing the rear end of the cover 5 to move upwards. Furthermore, when the engaging shaft portion 4a is engaged with the upper wide portion 3a, rotating the operating lever 8 approximately 90 degrees so that the major axis x points vertically from the horizontal direction allows the engaging shaft portion 4a to move from the upper wide portion 3a to the lower wide portion 3a, allowing the hinge shaft 4 to move downwards.

[0041] The rear end of the handle 10, which is fixed to the cover 5 and will be described later, is pivotally supported by the hinge axis 4, allowing it to rotate relative to the cover. Thus, the cover 5 is supported by the base 1 so that it can rotate about the hinge axis 4.

[0042] The operating lever 8 is fixed to both ends of the hinge shaft 4 in a manner that allows it to rotate integrally with the hinge shaft 4, and has an operating part 8a extending rearward. When the hinge shaft 4 is located... Figure 9 In the locked position indicated by the double-dotted line, the operating lever 8 and the hinge shaft 4 are located together in the locked position with the operating part 8a facing rearward, and the operating lever 8 is rotated approximately 90 degrees upward from the locked position to bring the hinge shaft 4 into position. Figure 9 The solid line in the figure indicates the release position, and it is in the release position together with the hinge axis 4.

[0043] A cylindrical first stop 8b protruding outward is fixed to the outer side of the operating lever 8. For example... Figure 7 , Figure 8 As shown, the first stop 8b abuts against the rear end edge of the support portion 2a of the support bracket 2, i.e., the abutment portion 2c, thereby limiting the rotation of the operating lever 8 and holding the operating lever 8 in the locked position. A cylindrical second stop 8c protruding inward is fixed to the inner side of the operating lever 8. When the operating lever 8 is held in the locked position, as... Figure 7 , Figure 8 As shown, the second stop 8c abuts against the claw-shaped abutment 10c (described later) provided at the rear end of the handle 10 fixed to the cover 5, thereby limiting the amount of rotation of the cover 5 and stopping the cover 5 in the fully open position.

[0044] like Figure 5 As shown, an electric heater 11 is provided on the upper surface of the substrate 1. This electric heater 11 is used to heat the lower template 6 from below. The electric heater 11 is electrically connected to a power supply device (not shown) provided in the control box 9.

[0045] like Figure 4 As shown, the lower template 6 is formed of a planar shape that is approximately square, made of aluminum alloy or the like with excellent thermal conductivity, and is detachably mounted on the upper side of the electric heater 11 of the base 1. A recess 6a is formed in the lower template 6, which is used to fill the dough for baking food.

[0046] The lower template 6 is mounted on the upper side of the electric heater 11 of the base 1, thereby engaging with the pin 12 (see reference) provided on the front part of the upper surface of the base 1, which is movable in the front-back direction. Figure 5 The pin 12 is locked in place and fixed in the installation state. Additionally, the pin 12 is compressed by the coil spring 13, which applies force forward to engage with the inside of the lower template 6. To remove the lower template 6 from the base 1, the engagement of the pin 12 with the lower template 6 is released by inserting a screwdriver or a rod-shaped special tool into the circular through hole 14 provided on the front surface of the base 1 and pushing in the pin 12.

[0047] Left and right side plates 10a of a U-shaped handle 10, which is oriented backwards when viewed from above, are fixed to both sides of the cover 5. The handle 10 has a gripping part 10b for holding when opening and closing the cover 5. The rear ends of the left and right side plates 10a of the handle 10 are pivotally supported by a hinge shaft 4, which allows relative rotation. Claw-shaped abutment parts 10c are provided at the rear ends of the left and right side plates 10a of the handle 10. When the cover 5 is opened, the abutment parts 10c abut against the second stop part 8c provided on the operating lever 8, thereby limiting the amount of rotation of the cover 5 and stopping the cover 5 in the fully open position. Figure 2 (The position indicated by the double-dotted line). Thus, the cover 5 can be positioned together with the handle 10, centered on the hinge axis 4, from a generally horizontal closed position (e.g., ...). Figure 2 Rotate upwards slightly beyond 90 degrees to the fully open position (as shown by the solid line). Figure 2 (The position shown by the double-dotted line) and can be rotated in the opposite direction, supported by the base 1 via the support bracket 2 to be rotatable.

[0048] In this embodiment, by providing a second stop 8c for stopping the lid 5 in the fully open position to the operating lever 8 that moves up and down with the hinge shaft 4 as the position of the hinge shaft 4 is adjusted, the fully open angle of the lid 5 can always be kept constant, regardless of whether the hinge shaft 4 is held in the upper or lower position of the adjustment guide hole 3. This improves the operability of the electric cooker.

[0049] like Figure 5 As shown, an electric heater 15 is provided on the lower surface of the cover 5. This electric heater 15 is used to heat the upper template 7 from the back side. The electric heater 15 is electrically connected to a power supply device provided in the control box 9. In addition, sometimes either the upper or lower electric heater 11 or 15 is omitted depending on the type of food being baked.

[0050] The upper template 7 and the lower template 6 are similarly formed from aluminum alloy or the like, and are roughly square when viewed from above. Multiple downward-facing recesses 7a are formed in the upper template 7, and these recesses 7a are opposite to the recesses 6a in the lower template 6.

[0051] The upper template 7 is installed on the lower side of the electric heater 15 of the cover 5, thereby engaging with the latch 16 (see reference) located on the front of the lower surface of the cover 5, which is movable in the front-rear direction. Figure 5 The latch 16 is locked in place and fixed in the installed state. Additionally, the compressed helical spring 17 applies force forward to the latch 16, thereby engaging with the inside of the upper template 7. To remove the upper template 7 from the cover 5, the latch 16 is released from engagement with the upper template 7 by inserting a screwdriver or a rod-shaped special tool into the circular through hole 18 provided on the front surface of the cover 5 and pushing in the latch 16.

[0052] In order to use the electric heating cooker of this embodiment to bake bread, snacks, pastries, and other baked goods, such as... Figure 2 (double-dotted line) and Figure 4 Open the cover 5 as shown. At this time, for example, if the engagement shaft portion 4a of the hinge shaft 4 is held in the lower part of the wide portion 3a of the adjustment guide hole 3, and the cover 5 is opened, then as shown... Figure 7 As shown by the double-dotted line, in the fully open position of the cover 5, the abutment portion 10c of the handle 10 abuts against the second stop portion 8c. This stops the cover 5 in the fully open position. With the cover 5 in the fully open position, oil is applied to the recess 6a of the lower template 6 as needed, and then the pre-prepared dough blank is filled into the recess 6a.

[0053] Next, as Figure 2 As shown by the solid lines, the cover 5 is rotated from the fully open position to the closed position around the hinge axis 4, so that the lower surface of the upper template 7 is in close contact with the upper surface of the lower template 6. Then, the upper and lower electric heaters 11 and 15 are energized for a certain period of time to heat the lower template 6 and the upper template 7. As a result, the dough is heated and expanded in the recesses 6a and 7a of the lower template 6 and the upper template 7, thereby baking the food.

[0054] When replacing the lower template 6 and the upper template 7 according to the type of food to be baked, release the pin 12 on the base 1 side and the pin 16 on the cover 5 side respectively, remove the lower template 6 from the base 1 and the upper template 7 from the cover 5 respectively, and then install the lower template 6 and the upper template 7 corresponding to the food to be baked respectively.

[0055] At this time, if the thickness of the replaced lower template 6 and upper template 7 is greater than the thickness of the original lower template 6 and upper template 7, the hinge shaft 4 will move to the upper position.

[0056] To move the hinge axis 4 to the upper position, the operator grips the operating part 8a to move the operating lever 8 from... Figure 9 The locked position, indicated by the double-dotted line, is rotated approximately 90 degrees upwards (in the direction of the arrow) to the released position, indicated by the solid line. Consequently, the hinge shaft 4 also rotates from the locked position to the released position. When the hinge shaft 4 rotates to the released position, the major axis x of the engaging shaft portion 4a of the hinge shaft 4 faces vertically, allowing the engaging shaft portion 4a to pass through the narrow portion 3b of the adjustment guide hole 3. In this state, the engaging shaft portion 4a of the hinge shaft 4 is moved from the lower wide portion 3a to the upper wide portion 3a. After moving the engaging shaft portion 4a to the upper wide portion 3a, the operating lever 8 is returned from the released position to the locked position. Thus, the hinge shaft 4 is also in the locked position with the major axis x of the engaging shaft portion 4a facing forward / backward, preventing the engaging shaft portion 4a from passing through the narrow portion of the height adjustment guide hole 3. As a result, the hinge shaft 4 remains in the upper wide portion 3a.

[0057] Furthermore, when the engaging shaft portion 4a of the hinge shaft 4 is held in the upper wide portion 3a, the hinge shaft 4 and the operating lever 8 are rotated together from the locked position to the released position by rotating the operating lever 8. This allows the engaging shaft portion 4a of the hinge shaft 4 to move from the upper wide portion 3a to the lower narrow portion 3b.

[0058] As described above, by simply rotating the operating lever 8, the position of the hinge shaft 4 and the rear end of the cover 5 can be adjusted in stages along the vertical direction according to the thickness of the lower template 6 and the upper template 7. Therefore, even if the lower template 6 and the upper template 7 are replaced with lower template 6 and upper template 7 of different thicknesses, the opposing surfaces of the lower template 6 and the upper template 7 can be kept in close contact to achieve a suitable working state. In addition, by making the hinge shaft height adjustment mechanism a very simple structure, the cost can be reduced, and an inexpensive electric cooker can be provided.

[0059] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications and alterations can be implemented without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0060] (1) Make the width portion 3a of the adjustment guide hole 3 three or more.

[0061] (2) Instead of the structure that pivotally supports the rear end of the handle 10 fixed to the cover 5 to the hinge axis 4, a part of the cover 5 and the part other than the handle 10 is pivotally supported to the hinge axis 4.

[0062] (3) The support part 2a is integrally formed on the base 1.

[0063] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0064] 1-Base; 2-Support bracket; 2a-Support part; 2b-Base; 2c-Abutting part; 3-Adjustment guide hole; 3a-Wide part; 3b-Narrow part; 4-Hinge shaft; 4a-Clamping shaft part; 5-Cover; 6-Lower template; 6a-Recess; 7-Upper template; 7a-Recess; 8-Operating lever; 8a-Operating part; 8b-First stop part; 8c-Second stop part; 9-Control box; 9a-Power switch; 9b-Heater temperature adjustment knob; 9c-Indicator light; 10-Handle; 10a-Side plate; 10b-Holding part; 10c-Abutting part; 11-Electric heater; 12-Pin; 13-Compression coil spring; 14-Through hole; 15-Electric heater; 16-Pin; 17-Compression coil spring; 18-Through hole.

Claims

1. An electric cooking appliance, characterized in that, have: The substrate is equipped with an electric heater; The lower template is detachably mounted on the upper surface of the substrate; The cover, which is supported by a hinge axis in the left-right direction so as to be able to rotate relative to the base, is provided with an electric heater. An upper template, detachably mounted on the lower surface of the cover, wherein the lower surface of the upper template coincides with the upper surface of the lower template; and The hinge shaft height adjustment mechanism is capable of adjusting the vertical position of the hinge shaft. The hinge shaft height adjustment mechanism has the following features: A support portion is disposed on the substrate; An adjustment guide hole is provided on the support part, and a wide part and a narrow part are alternately provided in the vertical direction; The hinge shaft, with its engaging shaft portion at the end, is fitted into the adjustment guide hole in a manner that allows it to move up and down and rotate. as well as The operating lever is capable of rotating integrally with the hinge axis. The engaging shaft rotates by a predetermined angle based on the rotation operation of the operating lever, thereby enabling it to move from either the upper or lower wide section through the narrow section to another wide section.

2. The electric cooking appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cross-section of the engaging shaft portion of the hinge shaft is shaped such that it has a major axis larger than the opening width of the narrow portion of the adjustment guide hole and a minor axis smaller than the opening width of the narrow portion of the adjustment guide hole.

3. The electric cooking appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that, The operating lever is capable of rotating from a locked position where the engagement portion of the hinge shaft cannot pass through the narrow portion to a released position where it can pass through the narrow portion, and can also rotate in the opposite direction.

4. The electric cooking appliance according to claim 2, characterized in that, The operating lever is capable of rotating from a locked position where the engagement portion of the hinge shaft cannot pass through the narrow portion to a released position where it can pass through the narrow portion, and can also rotate in the opposite direction.

5. The electric cooking appliance according to claim 3, characterized in that, The operating lever has a first stop portion that stops the operating lever in the locked position by abutting against the support portion.

6. The electric cooking appliance according to claim 4, characterized in that, The operating lever has a first stop portion that stops the operating lever in the locked position by abutting against the support portion.

7. The electric cooking appliance according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that, The operating lever has a second stop that, when in the locked position, stops the cover in the fully open position by abutting against a portion of the cover in the rotational direction.

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