Rice washing machine

Abstract

To provide a rice washing device that eliminates the effort required to wash rice and allows for efficient rice washing. [Solution] The rice washing device 1 is provided with a container 2 into which rice is placed through a roughly elliptical opening 21 that opens upward, and a lid 3 that closes the opening 21 of the container 2. The container 2 has a roughly hemispherical bottom 22 and legs 23 that make contact with a flat surface, and the peripheral wall 20 is formed to narrow slightly in diameter as it approaches the bottom 22 from the opening 21 and converge toward the bottom 22. The lid 3 has a water inlet 31 located slightly outward on one side from its center, and has a number of slits 23 that allow water to be discharged while preventing the discharge of rice. The bottom 22 of the container 2 is provided with a pair of rib pieces that extend from a position slightly outward on one side from its center to a position slightly outward on the other side, and that guide tap water injected from the inlet 31 to create a water flow.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a rice hulling device used when hulling rice.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a basket-shaped container capable of storing rice is arranged in a bowl-shaped container, and after pouring tap water into the bowl-shaped container, the rice poured into the basket-shaped container is hulled using a stirring rod in the shape of a foaming device (see Patent Document 1). At this time, the tap water poured into the bowl-shaped container is discharged through a drain hole opening in the side wall portion of the bowl-shaped container.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the conventional device, it is necessary to use a stirring rod to hull the rice in a state where the rice in the basket-shaped container is immersed in the tap water poured into the bowl-shaped container. Therefore, a separate stirring rod is required to hull the rice, and labor is required when hulling the rice with the stirring rod, and a countermeasure has been eagerly desired.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such points, and the object is to provide a rice hulling device that can efficiently hull rice by eliminating the need for a stirring rod and the labor required for hulling rice.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the present invention is based on a rice washing device used when washing rice, and comprises a container into which rice is placed through a substantially circular opening that opens upward, and a lid that closes the opening of the container. The container has a substantially hemispherical bottom and legs that allow the bottom to be placed on a flat surface, and is formed to converge towards the bottom, with the diameter slightly decreasing as it approaches the substantially circular opening. On the other hand, the lid is provided with an inlet that allows tap water to be injected from a position located radially outward from its center, and is characterized by having a number of slits that allow water to be discharged while preventing the discharge of the rice.

[0007] Furthermore, the bottom of the container may be provided with rib pieces that extend from a position radially outward from the center to a position radially outward from the other side, and which guide the tap water injected from the inlet to create a water flow.

[0008] Alternatively, two of the rib pieces may be arranged side by side to sandwich the tap water injected from the inlet from both sides and guide it from one radial side to the other radial side.

[0009] Furthermore, the numerous slits may be provided in a one-sided region that occupies approximately half of the radial side of the lid, including the inlet, while the other-sided region, which occupies approximately half of the radial side of the lid, may be curved spherically such that the center near the boundary with the one-sided region is the highest point.

[0010] Furthermore, the container may be provided with a handle on its peripheral wall, which is located radially away from its center. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] In short, the container, which is formed by a roughly circular opening closed by a lid and then converges towards a roughly hemispherical base with a slightly reduced diameter, is supported by legs that make contact with a flat surface even at the hemispherical base. In this state, tap water is poured into the container from a water inlet located radially outward from the center of the lid.

[0012] In this case, the tap water poured into the container is smoothly guided from one side to the other along the roughly hemispherical bottom. As a result, the flow of tap water guided from one side to the other at the bottom thoroughly agitates the rice placed in the container, allowing the rice to be washed efficiently without requiring much effort.

[0013] Furthermore, rib pieces extending from a position radially outward from the center of the container's bottom to a position radially outward from the center of the bottom guide the tap water injected from the inlet, creating a water flow. As a result, the tap water injected into the container is guided from one side of the bottom by the rib pieces, actively creating a water flow to the other side of the bottom. This allows the water flow of tap water guided by the rib pieces to vigorously and thoroughly agitate the rice placed in the container, enabling efficient rice washing without requiring much effort.

[0014] Furthermore, by providing two rib pieces that sandwich the tap water injected from the inlet and guide it radially from one side to the other, a clearer water flow is created. This water flow allows the rice placed in the container to be stirred more vigorously, making it possible to wash the rice more efficiently without requiring much effort.

[0015] Furthermore, numerous slits are provided in one side of the lid, including the inlet, while the other side of the lid is curved spherically so that the center near the boundary with the other side is the highest point. This allows the water flow of tap water guided by the rib pieces to be vigorously and effectively agitated with the rice inside the container by utilizing the spherical curvature of the other side of the lid, making it possible to wash rice more efficiently without requiring much effort.

[0016] Furthermore, by providing a handle on the peripheral wall located radially away from the center of the container, it becomes possible to agitate the rice using the water flow of tap water injected from the inlet even when the container is not in contact with a flat surface and the user is holding the handle, and it also becomes possible to agitate the rice while the container is tilted using the water flow of tap water. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] Perspective view of the rice polisher according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Exploded perspective view showing the state in which the rice polisher of FIG. 1 is disassembled. [Figure 3] Right side view of the rice polisher of FIG. 1 as seen from the right side. [Figure 4] Front view of the rice polisher of FIG. 1 as seen from the front side on one side. [Figure 5] Rear view of the rice polisher of FIG. 1 as seen from the rear side on the other side. [Figure 6] Plan view of the rice polisher of FIG. 1 as seen from above. [Figure 7] Bottom view of the rice polisher of FIG. 1 as seen from below. [Figure 8] Cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 6. [Figure 9] Cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 6. [Figure 10] Cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of FIG. 6.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the rice polisher according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the state in which the rice polisher of FIG. 1 is disassembled, and FIG. 3 is a right side view of the rice polisher of FIG. 1 as seen from the right side. Further, FIG. 4 is a front view of the rice polisher of FIG. 1 as seen from the front side on one side, and FIG. 5 is a rear view of the rice polisher of FIG. 1 as seen from the rear side on the other side. Furthermore, FIG. 6 is a plan view of the rice polisher of FIG. 1 as seen from above, and FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the rice polisher of FIG. 1 as seen from below.

[0020] As shown in Figures 1 to 7, 1 is a rice washing device used when washing rice. This rice washing device 1 comprises a container 2 into which rice is placed through an opening 21 that opens above a surrounding wall 20, and a lid 3 that closes the opening 21 of the container 2. The opening 21 of the container 2 is formed in a substantially elliptical shape, with one side (left side in Figures 3 and 6) and the other side (right side in Figures 3 and 6) being its major axes.

[0021] The lower part of the peripheral wall 20 of the container 2 is provided with a roughly hemispherical bottom 22, which is like a roughly ellipsoid that has been cut in half along its major axis, with one side and the other side being its major axis. The container 2 also has legs 23 that allow the bottom 22 to make contact with a flat surface such as the bottom of a sink. The legs 23 are integrally formed with the bottom 22 and have a roughly elliptical frame shape with one side and the other side being its major axis, and make contact with the flat surface with the lower end of the bottom 22 floating above it.

[0022] The peripheral wall 20 of container 2 is tapered, tapering slightly in diameter as it approaches the bottom 22, from the roughly elliptical opening 21, where the major axis is in the direction of one side and the other side, to the bottom 22. The upper edge of the peripheral wall 20 of container 2, i.e., the opening edge 24, has a tapered widened portion 29 that slightly widens outward at the upper end of its outer surface, and an annular flange piece 25 that protrudes outward slightly below it. In this case, the lowest edge 35 (described later) when the lid 3 is closed abuts against the flange piece 25 of container 2.

[0023] Furthermore, a handle 26 is provided at the other end of the peripheral wall 20. This handle 26 is integrally attached so as to span from the lower end of the flange piece 25 to the bottom 22. The handle 26 is provided with first to fourth recesses 271 to 274 corresponding to the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger to make it easier to grip, and protrusions 281 to 283 are provided between the recesses 271 to 274 to isolate each finger. In addition, a recess 270 corresponding to the thumb is provided at the upper end of the handle 26 to make it easier to press the thumb against, and the first to fourth recesses 271 to 274 and the first to third protrusions 281 to 283 work together to make it easy to grip while isolating the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger, making it easy for women and elderly people to firmly grasp the rice washing machine 1.

[0024] The lid 3 is provided with a roughly circular inlet 31 that allows tap water to be injected from a position slightly to one side, radially outward from its center. In addition, a region X on one side of the lid 3, including the inlet 31, which occupies nearly half of the area, is provided with numerous slits 32, 32, ... that allow water to be discharged while preventing rice from being discharged. Each slit 32 is formed in an elongated shape in both the one-sided and the other-sided directions. In this case, the inlet 31 is edged in a roughly circular shape to facilitate the injection of tap water from a faucet, and numerous slits 32, 32, ... are also provided here.

[0025] On the other side of the lid 3, the other side region Y, which occupies nearly half of the lid, has a spherically curved bulge 33 that is highest in the center near the boundary with the one-side region X. Near the boundary of this bulge 33 with the one-side region X, there is an inclined portion 34 that slopes gently toward the one-side region X, and this inclined portion 34 also has a number of slits 32, 32, ... similar to those in the one-side region X. In this case, the lid 3 closes its opening 21 such that the pouring port 31 is located closer to the one side, opposite to the handle 26 at the other end of the peripheral wall 20 of the container 2.

[0026] Furthermore, the lid 3 is provided with an annular edge 35 that extends downward so as to slide against the opening edge 24 (bulging portion 33) of the container 2 from the outside, and an annular projection 36 that protrudes downward so as to slide against the inner circumferential surface of the opening edge 24 of the container 2 on the inside of this edge 35. The lid 3 is fitted to the opening edge 24 of the container 2 in a state where it slides against the opening edge 24 of the container 2 from both the inside and outside by the edge 35 and the projection 36, thereby securely closing the opening 21 of the container 2. In addition, a gripping piece 37 is provided on the other side of the edge 35 of the lid 3, and by gripping this gripping piece 37 and pulling up the lid 3, the lid 3 can be easily opened.

[0027] Figure 8 shows a cross-sectional view of line AA cut along line AA in Figure 6, Figure 9 shows a cross-sectional view of line BB cut along line BB in Figure 6, and Figure 10 shows a cross-sectional view of line CC cut along line CC in Figure 6.

[0028] As shown in Figures 8 to 10, the bottom 22 of the container 2 is provided with a pair of rib pieces 38, 38 that extend approximately parallel to each other, between a position located radially outward on one side, i.e., one end of the bottom 22, and a position located radially outward on the other side, i.e., the other end of the bottom 22. Each rib piece 38 is set to gradually rise at the one and other end positions of the bottom 22, with the highest rise occurring near the center of the bottom 22. Each rib piece 38 grips the tap water injected from the inlet 31 from both sides, actively guiding it from one radial side to the other radial side of the bottom 22 to create a water flow.

[0029] Therefore, in this embodiment, the container 2, which approaches the bottom 22 while slightly decreasing in diameter from the roughly elliptical opening 21 closed by the lid 3, is made contact with a flat surface such as the bottom of a sink by the legs 23, even though the bottom 22 is roughly hemispherical in shape. In this state, tap water is poured into the container 2 from the water inlet 31 located radially outward from the center of the lid 3.

[0030] In this case, the tap water injected into the container 2 is guided from one end of the bottom 22 by a pair of rib pieces 38, 38 that extend substantially parallel to each other along the hemispherical bottom 22, between one end of the bottom 22 and the other end of the bottom 22, actively generating a water flow towards the other end of the bottom 22. As a result, the water flow of tap water guided by the pair of rib pieces 38, 38 can vigorously and thoroughly agitate the rice placed in the container 2, allowing the rice to be washed efficiently without requiring much effort.

[0031] Furthermore, while numerous slits 32, 32, ... are provided in one side region X of the lid 3, including the inlet 31, a spherically curved bulge 33 is provided in the other side region Y of the lid 3, with the center near the boundary with the one side region X being the highest point. This allows the water flow of tap water guided by both rib pieces 38 to be vigorously and effectively agitated together with the rice in the container 2 using the spherical bulge 33 in the other side region Y of the lid 3, thereby enabling more efficient rice washing.

[0032] Furthermore, since a handle 26 is provided on the other end of the peripheral wall 20 of the container 2, it becomes easier for women and elderly people to firmly grasp the rice washing device 1, and it becomes possible to hold the rice washing device 1 with one hand. As a result, even if the container 2 is not placed on a flat surface such as the bottom of a sink and the handle 26 is held, the rice can be stirred using the water flow of tap water injected from the inlet 31, and the rice can also be stirred while the container is tilted using the water flow of tap water.

[0033] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and encompasses various other modifications. For example, in the above embodiment, a pair of rib pieces 38, 38 are provided that extend substantially parallel to each other between one end of the bottom 22 of the container 2 and the other end of the bottom 22. However, one or more rib pieces may be provided that extend between one end of the bottom of the container and the other end of the bottom. Furthermore, the bottom of the container may not have any rib pieces at all. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 1. Rice washing machine 2 containers 21 Opening 22 Bottom 23 Legs 26 Handle 3 Lid 31 Inlet 32 slits 38 Rib pieces X One side area Y Other side area

Claims

1. A rice washing device used when washing rice, It comprises a container into which rice is placed through a roughly circular opening that opens upwards, and a lid that closes the opening of this container. The container has a substantially hemispherical bottom and legs that allow this bottom to make contact with a flat surface, and is formed so that it gradually decreases in diameter as it approaches the bottom from the substantially circular opening, while converging toward the bottom, The lid has an inlet that allows tap water to be injected from a position located radially outward from its center, and also has a number of slits that allow water to be discharged while preventing the discharge of the rice.

2. The rice washing device according to claim 1, wherein the bottom of the container is provided with a rib piece that extends from a position radially outward from the center to a position radially outward from the other side, and which guides the tap water injected from the inlet to generate a water flow.

3. The rice washing device according to claim 2, wherein two rib pieces are arranged side by side to grip the tap water injected from the inlet from both sides and guide it from one radial side to the other radial side.

4. The aforementioned numerous slits are provided in a one-sided region that occupies nearly half of the radial side of the lid, including the inlet, The rice washing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the other side region, which occupies nearly half of the radial side of the lid, is curved spherically such that the center near the boundary with the one side region is the highest point.

5. The rice washing device according to claim 4, wherein the container has a handle on its peripheral wall located radially away from its center.

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