Electric food preparation appliance

Abstract

To provide an electric food preparation appliance which comprises a control interface including a handle that rotates around a horizontal axis.SOLUTION: An electric preparation appliance comprises at least: a housing (10) with a supporting portion arranged to rest on a workspace and defining a base plane; a lid (20) which may be moved between a closed position where access to the work space is prevented, and an open position where the access to the work space is permitted; lock means for the lid (20) which may be moved between an unlock position where the lid (20) may be moved freely, and a locked position where the lid (20) is locked in the closed position; and a control interface which may be moved between a first control position and a second control position. The control interface comprises a handle (21) which rotates around a handle axis included in a plane parallel to the base plane.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to an electric food cooking appliance operable in a plurality of cooking modes, including at least one pressure cooking mode and at least one hot air cooking mode.

Background Art

[0002] State of the Art Electric food cooking appliances operable in a plurality of cooking modes are common in the prior art. The various modes can be selected by a user on a human-machine interface disposed on a housing, and the lid is locked by switching a front selector switch between three positions about a vertical axis. On the other hand, the selector switch is necessarily moved only by the user's finger and can transmit only a limited force, especially when the switch is switched about a vertical axis. Further, in an environment where the user may handle greasy substances, the front selector switch may be difficult to grasp. Therefore, since the cooking appliance itself is ergonomically limited, there may be a situation where the selection of the front selector switch as a control interface of the food cooking appliance requires the user to use both hands.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] One object of the present invention is to address the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art and, in particular, to provide an electric food cooking appliance having a control interface including a handle that rotates about a horizontal axis.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] Disclosure of the Invention For this purpose, a first aspect of the present invention relates to an electric food cooking appliance designed to operate in a plurality of cooking modes including at least one pressure cooking mode, the electric food cooking appliance comprising at least - A housing designed to rest on a workbench and having a support portion defining a base surface, - A compartment disposed within the housing, - A container defining a work space for holding food for cooking and designed to be received within the compartment in the housing, - A lid movable between a closed position preventing access to the work space and an open position allowing access to the work space, - Locking means for the lid movable between an unlocked position where the lid can be freely moved between the closed and open positions and a locked position where the lid is locked in the closed position to enable at least one pressure cooking mode, - A control interface movable between a first control position where the locking means is in its locked position and a second control position where the locking means is in its unlocked position, the control interface comprising a handle rotatable about a handle axis included in a plane substantially parallel to the base surface. In this case, the rotary handle is grasped with a closed hand and is related to any part of an object designed to be held and, in particular, to a part of an instrument or tool enabling it to be held and / or carried. According to the above embodiment, the rotary handle has a large contact area with the user's hand and transmits the torque required for locking, thus making it easy to grip and move. Such a rotational movement about such an axis of rotation is particularly ergonomic and intuitive. The rotary handle can be a lever.

[0005] The cooking appliance may also have, individually or in combination, one or more of the following features.

[0006] According to one embodiment, the electric food cooking appliance is designed to operate in at least one hot air cooking mode, and thus enables a wide variety of cooking methods and a wide variety of foods that can be cooked by the same appliance. The electric food cooking appliance can be designed to include a human-machine interface, preferably in the form of a push button, a thumb wheel, or a touch screen, for selecting a cooking mode selected by the user. The human-machine interface can be connected to a control unit designed to control a processor or a microprocessor in order to actuate a cooking actuator selected by the user.

[0007] According to one embodiment, the electric food cooking appliance is designed to enable a hot air cooking mode regardless of the position of the locking means. Thus, there is a purely functional aspect of the appliance that will enable the hot air cooking mode regardless of the position of the locking means if the lid is on the housing, but it can also be foreseen that an additional safety configuration will be provided that will prohibit any cooking mode if the locking means is not in the locked position.

[0008] According to one embodiment, the container can be removed from the housing.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the appliance includes internal and / or built-in heating means, typically heating means incorporated into the housing and / or the lid, and forms a "mobile" or "portable" cooking appliance for connection to a power source. There is no need for external heating means (hob, hot plate, stove, gas stove).

[0010] According to one embodiment, the lid comprises cooking means including heating means and / or cooking ventilation means. Combining the cooking means within the lid allows for more space within the housing for the work space. The heating means is at least partially coupled to the cooking ventilation means to enable convective cooking. The heating means can be at least one electric coil. The heating means can be provided within the lid and / or on the underside of the container, particularly within the housing. Thus, in the hot air cooking mode, the heating means is dispersed around the food to be cooked, and the food to be cooked is cooked faster and more evenly. According to one embodiment, the heating means comprises air heating means (e.g., an electric coil disposed in a gap exposed to an air flow or through which an air flow is passed when the cooking ventilation means is operating). According to one embodiment, the heating means comprises container heating means (e.g., an electric coil disposed near the underside of the container and / or near the bottom wall of the container). According to one embodiment, the air heating means is separate from and / or controllable separately from the container heating means. According to one embodiment, the air heating means is designed for use in the convective cooking mode. According to one embodiment, the container heating means is designed for use in the pressure cooking mode.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the appliance comprises an electrical connection or power means. A socket, plug, or power cord can be provided to connect the heating means to a power source.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the control interface is disposed on the lid. Thus, the control interface is easily accessible.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the locking means forms a bayonet lock system. This assembly relies on the use of ramps on the container and the lid, designed to lead to a sliding mutual support after the lid has been rotated, thus ensuring a mechanical holding connection that prevents the separation of the container and the lid under the influence of a pressure increase. The lid ramp is usually created by locally bending the ring-shaped flange edge of the lid inwards, while the container ramp is obtained by bending and trimming the free upper end of the container. The system is particularly lightweight, reliable, and easy to use.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the locking means comprises a toothed locking ring arranged on either the lid or the housing and engaging with a counterform on the other of the lid or the housing. The housing counterform can also be on the container.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the locking means comprises a retractable jaw.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the lid comprises the locking means.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the rotary handle can be moved between - a lowered position relative to the lid, and - a raised position relative to the lid. In other words, the lowered position of the rotary handle corresponds to a first control position of the control interface, and the raised position of the rotary handle corresponds to a second position of the control interface.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the lowered position of the rotary handle is configured to define the locked position of the locking means, and the raised position of the rotary handle is configured to define the unlocked position of the locking means.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the locking means comprises a conversion device designed to convert the rotational movement of the rotary handle into a translational movement and preferably to convert the translational movement into a second rotational movement of the locking means.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the locking means comprises at least one pinion meshing with a rack. The pinion is driven by the rotational movement of a rotary handle.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the rotary handle and / or the rack are arranged at the edge of the lid.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the locking means comprises at least one connecting rod and / or a deformable parallelogram.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the locking means is configured to be moved by a rotary handle and comprises at least one carriage connected to a locking ring, and a conversion device enables movement from rotation around a first axis to rotation of the locking ring along another axis.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the locking means comprises a slide connection between the carriage and the locking ring formed by, for example, a drive pin (or finger) attached to either the carriage or the locking ring and a slit (or groove or female shape) formed in the other of the carriage and the locking ring.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the carriage is arranged in a slide connection with the lid.

[0026] According to one embodiment, rotating the rotary handle drives a first pinion that forms part of a ring and is arranged to function as an intermediate engagement. Rotating the first pinion rotates a second pinion that has a different rotation surface from the first pinion and, if necessary, a different pitch diameter from the first pinion. The second pinion meshes with the rack.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the food cooking appliance comprises a removable inner lid designed to form a sealing means for enabling a pressure cooking mode. In fact, the present invention requires only the addition of additional accessories, such as this inner lid, to the initial device in order to operate in the pressure cooking mode, thus limiting the space required for storing such an appliance. The inner lid is designed in particular to fit into a lid compartment adapted to receive the inner lid and is preferably assembled to the lid by a slide lever arranged to cooperate with the lid's counterform. The lever can alternatively be replaced by a hook, or an elastic tab, or a flexible tab, or a hinge tab.

[0028] According to one embodiment, the locking means comprises retaining means designed to hold the lid against the housing. When the lid is in its closed position, the operations for locking the lid to the housing are - a force in a direction substantially perpendicular to the base surface of either the lid or the housing, directed towards the other of the lid and the housing, and - a torque substantially perpendicular to the base surface, about the axis of direction, to move the teeth of the locking ring facing the counterform of the container or the housing. When the lid is held against the housing by the retaining means, the friction between the teeth of the locking ring and the counterform of the housing or the container is limited. The retaining means can be in the form of at least one latch, and / or at least one bolt, and / or at least one toggle.

[0029] According to one embodiment, the holding means can be moved between a holding position where the lid is held with respect to the housing in the closed position and an access position where the lid can be moved from the closed position to an open position. On the other hand, the control interface can be moved to a third control position where the holding means is in the access position. The second control position is arranged between the third control position and the first control position. In other words, when the control interface is set to the third position, the lid is in the open position and the holding means is in the access position. When the control interface is set to the second position, the lid is in the closed position and the holding means is in the holding position. Rotating the rotary handle around an axis parallel to the base surface of the housing is performed as a natural and intuitive operation by the user. The user opens the work space and moves the lid to the open position by raising the rotary handle. This is similar to the operation used to lift the removable lid of any other cooking container. The user closes the work space by lowering the rotary handle.

[0030] By raising the handle, the user can use the same part and perform similar gestures to unlock the locking means, release the holding means, and place or deploy the lid in the open (accessible) open position (deployed position) of the work space. This ensures quick execution for the user and easy handling of the electric cooking appliance. Finally, splitting the locking operation of the locking means into two different sequences (for example, holding the lid in the closed position by pre-compressing the sealing gasket and then actuating the locking means itself according to the position of the control interface) makes it possible to limit the total force applied by the user in one operation. By first keeping the teeth of the locking ring clamped to the housing, the teeth can then be more easily positioned against the counterform during locking, and the locking operation does not require the user to apply much force to the control interface.

[0031] According to one embodiment, the locking means comprises moving means for pushing the holding means to move to the access position. These can be a cam, a lever, or a connecting rod.

[0032] According to one embodiment, the holding means is formed by at least one latch.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the locking means is controlled by several control interfaces.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the handle shaft is parallel to the rotation axis of the lid that defines the movement of the lid between the open position of the lid and the closed position of the lid. According to one embodiment, the lid is attached or connected to the housing by a pivotal connection. More specifically, the rotation axis of the lid is the rotation axis of the pivotal connection between the housing and the lid, which enables the lid to move from the closed position to the open position and vice versa.

[0035] Other features and advantages of the present invention will be provided as non-limiting examples and will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0036]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0037] Detailed Description of the Embodiment FIG. 1 shows an electric food cooking appliance according to the present invention. The electric food cooking appliance includes a housing 10 designed to hold a container, such as a removable container, in which the food to be cooked is placed, in an internal compartment and to form a working space. A lid 20 is disposed on the housing 10 and, when the lid 20 is in the closed position (shown in FIG. 1), prevents access to or closes the working space. The lid 20 includes a control interface with a rotary handle 21 designed to be lifted and lowered by a user to control the closed or open position of the lid 20. The lid 20 is designed to be connected to the housing 10 by a pivotal connection on a rotation axis A of the lid parallel to the bottom surface of the housing 10. FIG. 1 also shows a human-machine interface 11 on the housing 10, by which a user can select a cooking mode, such as a convection cooking mode or a pressure cooking mode. Heating means are provided within the lid 20 and / or below the container and efficiently heat the air within the working space in the convection cooking mode (in other words, the hot air cooking mode). The heating means can be a coil designed to generate heat by an electric current. The lid 20 includes ventilation means 22 designed to ventilate and exhaust the hot air and / or steam flow within the container generated by the cooking of the food during steam cooking or convection cooking.

[0038] FIG. 2 shows the same food cooking appliance with the lid 20 in the open position.

[0039] Figure 3 shows the food cooking appliance with the lid 20 removed. The ventilation means 22 consists of a fan and a ventilation pipe for removing the flow of steam and hot air. The locking means is in the locked position. The locking means is set to the first position and, at each of its both sides, includes a control interface connected to the slide 211 by a connecting rod 210, a carriage 212 attached to the slide 211, and a drive pin 213 attached to a lock ring (not shown). The teeth of the lock ring are rotated to enable their assembly to the counterform of the container or the housing 10. The lid 20 includes holding means and itself includes a latch 23 and a pin follower 230. The pin follower 230, similar to the drive pin 213, is attached to the lock ring and follows a circular path around the edge of the lid 20. To enable the open position of the lid 20, the pin follower 230 gradually moves up the cam ramp of the latch 23, resulting in the lower end of the latch 23 gradually rotating towards the inside of the lid 20. The toggle 24 can prevent the rotary handle 21 from descending when the lid 20 is in the open position, especially when the lid is in the deployed position.

[0040] Figure 4 shows the food cooking appliance with the lid 20 removed, where the locking means is in the unlocked position and the control interface is in the third position. At this position of the control interface, the carriage 212 and the connecting rod 210 are at the ends of their movements within their respective grooves. The pin follower 230 is at the end of its stop on the cam track of the latch 23, and the latch 23 is in the access position, enabling the lid 20 to move from the open position to the closed position or vice versa.

[0041] Figure 5 shows a part of the lid 20 with a support frame designed to be placed on the container or housing 10 and unlocking means in the unlocked position. The rotary handle 21 is designed to be operated in a pivoting motion about a handle axis parallel to the bottom surface of the housing 10 to drive the connecting rod 210, and the connecting rod 210 is forced to move in the slide groove 211 in the direction imposed by the slide groove 211 on one of the lug-shaped ends. The lug-shaped end of the connecting rod 210 is coupled to a carriage 212 with a long hole drilled therein, and within the long hole, a drive pin 213 attached to the locking ring below the lid 20 moves. The carriage 212 moves linearly and the drive pin 213 moves in an arc around the lid 20. The pin follower 230 is not at the end of its movement and the retaining means is in the retaining position. By connecting the drive pin 213 to the connecting rod 210, a mechanism for reversing the track can be grasped and the pin will slide within the long hole of the carriage 212 attached to the locking ring. The lid 20 is in the second position.

[0042] The carriage 212 includes a tab 212A arranged to be pushed into the toggle hook 24 when the plate 24A of the toggle 24 aligns along a substantially horizontal plane following the movement of the carriage 212. The toggle 24 includes a spring that positions the plate 24A in a default horizontal plane when the lid 20 is not in contact with the housing 10. Thus, the user can lower the rotary handle 21 only when the upward translational movement of the rod 24B of the toggle 24 causes the plate 24A to tilt along a plane sufficiently inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, and the carriage tab 212A can be removed from the toggle hook 24 (see Figure 6). This upward translational movement occurs when the rod base 24B contacts and abuts against the upper surface of the housing 10, and the movement distance of the rod 24B between the moment the rod base 24B contacts the housing 10 and the moment the lid frame contacts the housing 10 is long enough to allow the tab 212A on the toggle 24 to be removed. Finally, when the lid 20 is in the open position and the rod base 24B is not in contact with the housing 10, the rotary handle 21 is prevented from descending.

[0043] FIG. 6 shows the housing hook 10A against which the lower end of the latch 23 abuts when the pin follower 230 is not in contact with the cam track of the latch 23. In practice, when no force is applied to the latch 23, a return means (not shown) pushes the latch 23 towards the housing hook 10A.

[0044] Finally, the series of operations performed to open the lid 20 from its closed position are as follows. - The user moves the control interface from the first control position to the second control position, the lug of the connecting rod 210 slides a first distance within the slide 211, the locking ring rotates around the lid 20 in an arcuate path, disengages from the housing 10 or the container, and the pin follower 230 also moves along the same arcuate path until it reaches the cam track of the latch 23. The lid 20 is in the closed position when the control interface is in the second control position. - The user moves the control interface from the second control position to the third control position, the connecting rod 210 ends its movement within the slide 211, the tab 212A of the carriage 212 is placed on the plate 24A of the toggle 24 after moving over the toggle hook 24 while the rotary handle 21 is being moved, and the pin follower 230 continues its movement along the cam track of the latch 23 which is tilted towards the inside of the lid 20 under the pressing of the pin follower 230, disengaging the cam track of the latch 23 from the housing hook 10A. The locking means is in the unlocked position and the retaining means is in the access position. When the control interface reaches the third control position, the lid 20 (in contact with the housing) can move to the open position. - The user continues to move the rotary handle 21 along the same handle axis to freely open the lid 20, places the lid 20 in the open position, and accesses the work space. When the lid 20 has pivoted sufficiently around the lid rotation axis A, specifically when the rod base 24B no longer contacts the housing 10, the toggle spring 24 relaxes and the toggle hook 24 engages with the carriage tab 212A, locking the control interface in the third position.

[0045] Figure 7 shows the lock interface according to the invention connected to an alternative joe lock means. In this embodiment, the unlocking sequence is as follows. - The user moves the control interface from the first position to the second position. At this time, the control interface pivots around a first axis at one end of the connecting rod 2100. - During this, the connecting rod 2100 pushes an angle bracket 2120 attached by a pivot connection at the other end of the connecting rod 2100. The angle bracket 2120 has two sides perpendicular to each other, and it itself is articulated by two pivot connections on each of its two sides, on one hand by the connecting rod 2100 and on the other hand by the connecting rod 2101. Therefore, the two pivot axes are orthogonal. The angle bracket 2120 moves in a translational motion, indicated by a double arrow pointing to the angle bracket 2120. - The connecting rod 2101 is pivotally connected to the joe 3000 of the lid 20. The translational motion of the angle bracket 2120 forces the joe 3000 to move along a translation axis perpendicular to the translation axis of the angle bracket 2120. - At the lock position of the lock means, the joe 3000 that couples the housing 10 to the lid 20 then moves away, allowing relative movement of the lid 20 with respect to the housing 10.

[0046] Figure 8 shows, on the left side, the joe lock means in the unlocked position with the handle 21 in the raised position, and on the right side, the joe lock means in the locked position with the handle 21 in the lowered position.

Industrial Applicability

[0047] Industrial use The food cooking equipment and its manufacture according to the present invention are suitable for industrial use.

[0048] It will be understood that various changes and / or improvements obvious to those skilled in the art can be made in different embodiments of the present invention described herein without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0049] In particular, it should be noted that the force transmission mechanism that results in converting the rotation along the first axis from the rotary handle to the lock ring or lid hinge into the rotation along a second different axis can vary.

[0050] In particular, it should be noted that the heating means can be a coil, but a radiation element, a halogen heater, or an induction coil can also be used. The heating means can be divided or dispersed throughout the appliance, with one part housed in the lid and another part housed in the housing. The heating means divided or dispersed throughout the appliance can be dedicated, with one part housed in the lid for convection cooking (without pressure) and another part housed in the housing for cooking in the pressure cooking mode.

Explanation of Signs

[0051] 10 ··· Housing 20 ··· Lid 21 ··· Rotary handle 212 ··· Carriage 213 ··· Drive pin 22 ··· Cooking means 23 ··· Latch

Claims

1. 1. An electric food preparation appliance designed to operate in multiple cooking modes including at least one pressure cooking mode, said electric food preparation appliance comprising at least: A housing (10) with a support designed to rest on a workbench and defining a base surface; A compartment disposed within the housing (10); a container defining a working space for holding food for cooking a dish and designed to be received in said compartment within said housing (10); a lid (20) that can be moved between a closed position in which access to the workspace is prevented and an open position in which access to the workspace is permitted; a locking means for the lid (20) that can be moved between an unlocked position, in which the lid (20) can be freely moved between the closed and open positions, and a locked position, in which the lid (20) is locked in the closed position and enables the at least one pressure cooking mode; a control interface which can be moved between a first control position in which the locking means is in its locked position and a second control position in which the locking means is in its unlocked position; The control interface comprises a handle (21) that rotates about a handle axis contained in a plane substantially parallel to a base surface.

2. 10. The electric food cooking appliance of claim 1, designed to operate in at least one hot air cooking mode.

3. 3. An electric food cooking appliance according to claim 2, designed to enable a hot air cooking mode regardless of the position of said locking means.

4. 4. Electric food preparation appliance according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the lid (20) is provided with cooking means including heating means and / or cooking ventilation means (22).

5. 5. An electric food preparation appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control interface is located in a lid (20).

6. 6. An electric food preparation appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking means form a bayonet locking system.

7. 7. An electric food preparation appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking means comprises a locking ring.

8. 6. An electric food preparation appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the locking means comprises retractable jaws.

9. 9. An electric food preparation appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lid (20) is provided with locking means.

10. 10. An electric food preparation appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the rotating handle (21) a lowered position relative to the lid (20), and An electric food preparation appliance, characterized in that it can be moved between elevated positions relative to a lid (20).

11. 11. The electric food preparation appliance of claim 10, wherein the lowered position of the rotatable handle (21) is configured to define the locked position of the locking means and the raised position of the rotatable handle (21) is configured to define the unlocked position of the locking means.

12. 12. An electric food preparation appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking means comprises a converter device designed to convert a rotational movement of the rotatable handle (21) into a translational movement, preferably into a second rotational movement of the locking means.

13. 13. An electric food preparation appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the locking means comprises at least one pinion engaging a rack.

14. 14. The electric food preparation appliance according to claim 13, characterized in that the rotating handle (21) and / or the rack are arranged around the edge of the lid (20).

15. 15. An electric food preparation appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking means comprises at least one connecting rod and / or a deformable parallelogram.

16. 16. An electric food preparation appliance according to claim 7 or any one of claims 8 to 15 dependent on claim 7, characterized in that the locking means comprises at least one carriage (212) designed to be moved by the rotating handle (21) and connected to a locking ring.

17. 17. An electric food preparation appliance according to claim 16, characterized in that the locking means comprises a sliding connection between the carriage (212) and the locking ring, for example formed by a drive pin (213) attached to either the carriage (212) or the locking ring and a slit formed in the other of the carriage (212) and the locking ring.

18. 18. The electric food preparation appliance according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that the carriage (212) is arranged in a sliding connection with the lid (20).

19. 19. An electric food cooking appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a removable inner lid designed to form a sealing means to enable the pressure cooking mode.

20. 20. An electric food preparation appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking means comprises retaining means designed to retain the lid (20) against the housing (10).

21. 21. The electric food preparation appliance of claim 20, wherein the retaining means is movable between a retaining position, in which the lid (20) is retained against the housing (10), and an access position, in which the lid (20) may be freely moved between the closed and open positions; The control interface may be moved to a third control position in which the retaining means is in the access position; The electric food preparation appliance of claim 1, wherein the second control position is located between the third control position and the first control position.

22. 22. An electric food preparation appliance according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the locking means comprises means which can be moved to urge movement of the retaining means.

23. 23. Electric food preparation appliance according to any one of claims 20 to 22, characterized in that the retaining means are formed by at least one latch (23).

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