Cookware handles

Abstract

To provide a handle for a cooking implement which makes malfunction less likely to occur and facilitates assembly work. [Solution] A handle 1 for a cookware has a locking member with a pair of left and right elastically deformable pieces connected together, a clamp plate 4 biased forward by a coil spring, sandwiched between an upper member 2 and a lower member 3 so as to be able to move back and forth, and is provided with an operating lever 7 and a pair of left and right operating buttons 8 for performing gripping and partial gripping release operations. When the operating lever 7 is rotated in one direction with the cookware body inserted between the bent tip 4a of the clamp plate 4 and the tip 3a of the lower member 3, the clamp plate 4 retracts, gripping the cookware body and maintaining that state. When removing the handle from the cookware body, the grip cannot be released unless the two-step grip release operation is performed, in which the operating lever 7 is rotated in the opposite direction by a predetermined angle and then the pair of left and right operating buttons 8 are pressed.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a handle for a cookware that can be detachably attached to the cookware body. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of this type of cookware handle is disclosed in Patent Document 1. As shown in Figure 12, this cookware handle 50 comprises an upper member 51, a lower member 52, a stainless steel movable base 54 that is sandwiched between the upper member 51 and the lower member 52 so as to be able to move back and forth and is biased toward its front end by a movable spring 58, an operating lever 53 with a knock pin 53a for performing locking and unlocking operations, and a pair of left and right operating buttons 56. The bent tip 54a of the stainless steel movable base 54 and the tip 52a of the lower member 52 are used to grip the cookware body.

[0003] A long hole 54b is formed in the width direction in the center of the stainless steel movable base 54, into which the knock pin 53a of the operating lever 53 fits, and an arch-shaped hole 51a is formed in the upper member 51, into which the knock pin 53a fits.The arch-shaped hole 51a is an arc-shaped hole with a central angle of 90 degrees, with its outer end facing forward, and overlaps with the long hole 54b formed in the stainless steel movable base 54.

[0004] The knock pin 53a of the operating lever 53 passes through an arch-shaped hole 51a formed in the upper member 51 and is fitted into an elongated hole 54b formed in the stainless steel movable base 54, allowing it to move freely within the arch-shaped hole 51a. By rotating the operating lever 53, the stainless steel movable base 54 can be moved back and forth.

[0005] When the operating lever 53 is rotated to the inner end position of the arch-shaped hole 51a of the upper member 51, the knock pin 53a moves to the inner end position of the elongated hole 54b and is positioned on the extension line of the axis of the movable spring 58, so that the knock pin 53a prevents the stainless steel movable base 54 from moving forward, and the cookware handle 50 is locked.

[0006] A cross-shaped stopper 55, which protrudes in a wedge shape with inclined surfaces on both the left and right sides, is fitted into a cross groove 52b provided in the center of the lower member 52, and a spring 57 is provided between this stopper 55 and the bottom surface of the cross groove 52b, and this spring 57 urges the stopper 55 upward.

[0007] At the rear of the stainless steel movable base 54, a first operating hole 54c and a second operating hole 54d that engage with a stopper 55 are arranged side by side in the front-to-rear direction, and operation buttons 56 are attached to button mounting holes formed on both sides of the center of the upper member 51 and the lower member 52 that are joined to each other.

[0008] The operation buttons 56 on both the left and right sides have protrusions 56a on their inner surfaces that slide against the inclined surfaces on both the left and right sides of the stopper 55, and by pressing the operation buttons 56, the stopper 55 is pushed down against the biasing force of the spring 57.

[0009] When attaching this cookware handle 50 to a cookware body, with the cookware body inserted between the bent tip 54a of the stainless steel movable base 54 and the tip 52a of the lower member 52, turn the operating lever 53 counterclockwise all the way to move the stainless steel movable base 54 backward, so that the cookware body is gripped by the tip 54a of the stainless steel movable base 54 and the tip of the lower member 52. At this time, the knock pin 53a is located at the inner end of the elongated hole 54b of the stainless steel movable base 54, and the axis of the knock pin 53a is aligned with that of the movable spring 58, so that the knock pin 53a prevents the stainless steel movable base 54 from moving forward, maintaining the grip on the cookware body.

[0010] To remove this cookware handle 50 from the cookware body, first, as shown in Figures 13(a) to (c), by rotating the operating lever 53 in the direction of the arrow to a certain angle, the knock pin 53a is displaced from the axis of the movable spring 58, and the restriction on the forward movement of the stainless steel movable base 54 is released, so that the stainless steel movable base 54 moves forward a certain distance until the stopper 55 engages with the first operating hole 54c.

[0011] Next, as shown in Figures 14(a) to (c), by simultaneously pressing a pair of left and right operation buttons 56, the stopper 55 is pushed down against the biasing force of the spring 57, thereby releasing the stopper 55 from engaging with the first operating hole 54c, and the stainless steel movable base 54 moves forward due to the biasing force of the movable spring 58, while the operating lever 53 rotates to a 90-degree position.As a result, the second operating hole 54d of the stainless steel movable base 54 moves to the position of the stopper 55, and the lock is released. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0012] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3169455 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0013] However, with the above-mentioned cookware handle, by rotating the operating lever 53 in the direction of the arrow by a certain angle, the knock pin 53a is displaced from the axis of the movable spring 58, and the stainless steel movable base 54 moves forward a certain distance until the stopper 55 engages with the first operating hole 54c. In other words, the grip on the cookware body is partially released. In order to completely release the grip on the cookware body from this state, the pair of left and right operating buttons 56 are pressed, and the operating buttons 56 move the stopper 55 downward, which is in a direction different from the pushing direction, and release the engagement of the stopper 55 with the first operating hole 54c. However, this requires high accuracy in the combination of the operating buttons 56 and the stoppers 55, and there is a problem that malfunctions are likely to occur.

[0014] Furthermore, in order to engage the stopper 55 with the first operating hole 54c of the stainless steel movable base 54, a spring 57 is required to urge the stopper 55 upward. When assembling the cookware handle, the spring 57 must be set between the stopper 55 and the bottom surface of the cross groove 52b, which makes the assembly process complicated.

[0015] Therefore, the object of this invention is to improve conventional handles for cooking utensils so that malfunctions are less likely to occur and assembly work is easier. [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the device according to claim 1 comprises a handle body having an upper member and a lower member which are connected and fixed to each other; a clamp plate which is sandwiched between the upper member and the lower member of the handle body so as to be movable forward and backward in the front-rear direction and whose front end is bent downward to form a gripping portion which grips the cookware body together with the front end of the lower member; a locking member which is connected to the rear end of the clamping plate and has a pair of left and right elastic deformation pieces which are elastically deformable on the inside; a coil spring which biases the clamp plate and the locking member towards the front end of the handle body; an operating lever which is rotatably supported on the upper member and which performs a switching operation from the gripping release state to the gripping state and from the gripping state to the gripping semi-released state; a pair of left and right stoppers which are provided on the handle body and which hold the clamp plate in the gripping semi-released position when the front ends of the pair of left and right elastic deformation pieces of the locking member abut against each other; and a pair of left and right operating buttons that release the abutment state of the front ends of the pair of left and right elastic deformation pieces against the stopper in the semi-released grip state by pushing the pair of left and right elastic deformation pieces of the material inward, the operating lever having a knock pin that moves in an arcuate orbit as the operating lever is rotated, the clamp plate having an elongated hole formed in the width direction into which the knock pin of the operating lever is fitted, the clamp plate moving forward and backward by rotating the operating lever with the knock pin fitted in the elongated hole, when the knock pin is positioned at the inner end of the elongated hole the clamp plate retracts to the gripping position and the axis of the knock pin is perpendicular to the axis of the coil spring, and when the knock pin is positioned at the outer end of the elongated hole the clamp plate moves forward to the release grip position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] As described above, the cookware handle of the invention according to claim 1 has a locking member having a pair of left and right elastic deformation pieces that can be elastically deformed inward, connected to the rear end of the clamp plate, and by pushing the pair of left and right elastic deformation pieces of the locking member inward using a pair of left and right operating buttons, the abutment state of the front ends of the pair of left and right elastic deformation pieces against the stopper in the semi-released grip state is released. This has the effect of providing a high tolerance for error and making malfunctions less likely to occur, and also eliminating the need to use a separate spring as in conventional cookware handles, making assembly easier. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a handle for a cookware according to the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the handle for the cookware. [Figure 3] 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which an operating lever is attached to an upper member constituting the handle for the cookware, as viewed from below. FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is a perspective view of the handle for the cookware shown in FIG. 10, showing a state in which a clamp plate having a locking member connected to a lower member of the handle is set on the lower member. [Figure 5] 3 is a perspective view showing a clamp plate and a locking member that constitute the handle for the cookware of the same. FIG. [Figure 6] (a) is an oblique view showing the operation button that constitutes the handle for the cookware, (b) is a front view showing the operation button, (c) is a left side view showing the operation button, (d) is a right side view showing the operation button, (e) is a top view showing the operation button, and (f) is a bottom view showing the operation button. [Figure 7] (a) is an oblique view showing the relationship between the operation button and the locking member when the handle for the cookware is in the released state, and (b) is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the operation button and the locking member when the handle for the cookware is in the released state. [Figure 8](a) is a plan view showing the gripping state of the cookware handle of the same, (b) is a side view showing the gripping state of the same, (c) is a perspective view from below of the same cookware handle in the gripping state with the lower part removed, and (d) is an enlarged view showing the relationship between the elastic deformation piece and the stopper in the gripping state of the same cookware handle. [Figure 9] (a) is a plan view showing the half-released state of the cookware handle of the same, (b) is a side view showing the half-released state of the cookware handle of the same, (c) is an oblique view of the cookware handle of the same in the half-released state with the lower member removed, viewed from below, and (d) is an enlarged view showing the relationship between the elastic deformation piece and the stopper of the cookware handle of the same in the half-released state. [Figure 10] (a) is a plan view showing the above-mentioned cookware handle in the released state, (b) is a side view showing the above-mentioned cookware handle in the released state, (c) is an oblique view from below of the above-mentioned cookware handle in the released state with the lower member removed, and (d) is an enlarged view showing the relationship between the elastic deformation piece and the stopper in the released state of the above-mentioned cookware handle. [Figure 11] (a) is a side view showing the state in which the cookware body has been inserted between the tip of the clamp plate of the cookware handle in the released state and the tip of the lower member, and (b) is a side view showing the state in which the cookware handle is gripping the cookware body. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the overall configuration of a conventional handle for a cooking utensil. [Figure 13] 10(a) to 10(c) are explanatory views for explaining the state of each part when the operating lever is slightly turned from the locked state of the handle for the cooking utensil. [Figure 14] 10(a) to 10(c) are explanatory views for explaining the state of each part when the grip of the cookware handle of the cookware is released. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] 1 to 7, a cookware handle 1 according to the present invention includes an upper member 2 and a lower member 3 screwed together at two locations, front and rear, a clamp plate 4 sandwiched between the upper member 2 and the lower member 3 so as to be movable forward and backward, a locking member 5 connected to the rear end of the clamp plate 4 and having a pair of left and right resilient deformation pieces 5a on the inside, a coil spring 6 biasing the clamp plate 4 connected to the locking member 5 toward the front end, an operating lever 7 having a knock pin 7a for performing a gripping operation and a partial gripping release operation, a pair of left and right operating buttons 8 for performing a gripping release operation, an end cap 9 fitted to the rear ends of the joined upper member 2 and lower member 3, and a stainless steel decorative cover 10 attached to the lower member 3 so as to cover both sides and the bottom of the front part of the lower member 3. The cookware body is gripped by the bent tip 4a of the clamp plate 4 and the tip 3a of the lower member 3.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 5, the clamp plate 4 has an elongated hole 4b formed in the center of its width direction and extending in the front-to-rear direction, and an elongated hole 4c formed behind the elongated hole 4b and extending in the left-to-right direction, with its inner end located in the center of the width direction of the clamp plate 4 and its outer end on the left side. Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper member 2 has an arc-shaped elongated hole 2a formed in its front part, with its inner end located in the center of the width direction of the upper member 2 and its outer end located forward on the left side when viewed from above, and with a central angle of 90 degrees. The screw-fastened portions on the front sides of the upper member 2 and lower member 3 are movably fitted into the elongated hole 4b, and a knock pin 7a of the operating lever 7 is movably fitted into the elongated hole 4c and the arc-shaped elongated hole 2a.

[0021] The clamp plate 4 is sandwiched between the upper member 2 and the lower member 3 with its long hole 4c overlapping the arc-shaped long hole 2a of the upper member 2 and with the knock pin 7a of the operating lever 7 fitted into the overlapping portion, and by rotating the operating lever 7, the clamp plate 4 moves back and forth.

[0022] As shown in Figures 8(a) to (c), when the operating lever 7 is rotated so that its tip faces rearward, the knock pin 7a moves to the inner end position of the arc-shaped elongated hole 2a of the upper member 2, and as a result, the knock pin 7a moves the clamp plate 4 back to the gripping position. At the same time, the knock pin 7a moves to the inner end position of the elongated hole 4c of the clamp plate 4 and is positioned on the extension of the axis of the coil spring 6, so that the knock pin 7a prevents the clamp plate 4 from moving forward, and the clamp plate 4 is fixed in the gripping position.

[0023] The upper member 2 has a pair of left and right stoppers 2b that prevent the clamp plate 4 from moving forward when the pair of left and right elastic deformation pieces 5a come into contact with them. As shown in Figures 9(a) to (d), when the operating lever 7 is rotated clockwise to a certain angle from a position where its tip is facing backward, the knock pin 7a shifts position from the axis of the coil spring 6, thereby releasing the restriction on the forward movement of the clamp plate 4. The clamp plate 4 moves forward due to the biasing force of the coil spring 6, and the pair of left and right elastic deformation pieces 5a come into contact with the pair of left and right stoppers 2b, thereby locking the locking member 5 and holding the clamp plate 4 in the semi-released gripping position.

[0024] The operating button 8 is attached to button mounting holes formed on both sides of the middle of the upper member 2 and the lower member 3 joined to each other, and as shown in Figures 6(a) to (f), it has an upper extension piece 8a that extends above the elastic deformation piece 5a, a narrow middle extension piece 8b that extends inward at a position opposite the side of the elastic deformation piece 5a and has a shorter extension length than the upper extension piece 8a, and a lower extension piece 8c that extends inward at a position opposite the side of the elastic deformation piece 5a and has a shorter extension length than the upper extension piece 8a.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 5, the locking member 5 has a protrusion 5b extending in the front-to-rear direction formed on the outer edge of the upper surface of the base end of a pair of left and right elastic deformation pieces 5a, and as shown in FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b), the upper protrusion piece 8a of the operation button 8 has a protrusion 8d at its tip that enters inside the protrusion 5b of the elastic deformation piece 5a and is hooked onto the protrusion 5b when the clamp plate 4 is in the released state, so that when the clamp plate 4 is in the released state, the operation button 8 is pulled slightly inward.

[0026] To attach this cookware handle 1 to a cookware body, as shown in Fig. 11(a), insert the cookware body CB between the bent tip 4a of the clamp plate 4 and the tip 3a of the lower member 3. Then, as shown in Figs. 8(a)-(c), rotate the operating lever 7 counterclockwise so that its tip faces rearward to retract the clamp plate 4. As shown in Fig. 11(b), the cookware body CB is gripped by the tip 4a of the clamp plate 4 and the tip 3a of the lower member 3. At this time, the knock pin 7a is positioned at the inner end of the elongated hole 4c of the clamp plate 4 and is aligned with the axis of the coil spring 6. Therefore, the knock pin 7a prevents the clamp plate 4 from moving forward, thereby maintaining the grip on the cookware body. In this state, the locking member 4 is retracted together with the clamp plate 4, as shown in Fig. 8(d), so the pair of left and right elastic deformation pieces 5a are separated rearward from the pair of left and right stoppers 2b.

[0027] To remove this cookware handle 1 from the cookware body CB, the release operation is performed in the following two steps. In the first step, as shown in Figures 9(a) to 9(c), the operating lever 7 is rotated clockwise by a certain angle to displace the knock pin 7a from the axis of the coil spring 6. This releases the restriction on the forward movement of the clamp plate 4, causing the clamp plate 4 to move forward due to the biasing force of the coil spring 6. As shown in Figure 9(d), the pair of left and right elastic deformation pieces 5a come into contact with the pair of left and right stoppers 2b, holding the clamp plate 4 in the semi-released position.

[0028] In the subsequent second stage, when the pair of left and right operation buttons 8 are pressed simultaneously, the middle protruding piece 8b and the lower protruding piece 8c of the operation button 8 push the pair of left and right elastic deformation pieces 5a of the locking member 5, elastically deforming them inward, releasing the abutment of the elastic deformation pieces 5a against the stopper 2b. As a result, as shown in Figures 10(a) to 10(d), the urging force of the coil spring 6 moves the clamp plate 4 forward to the grip release position, and the operation lever 7 rotates 90 degrees clockwise to a position where the grip of the cooking utensil body is completely released. When the clamp plate 4 moves forward to the grip release position, the ridge 8d of the upper protruding piece 8a of the operation button 8 enters the inside of the ridge 5b of the elastic deformation piece 5a and is engaged with the ridge 5b, so that when the grip of the cooking utensil body is completely released, the operation button 8 is slightly retracted inward.

[0029] This cookware handle 1 can be detached from the cookware body while the cookware is in use, so it does not get hot during heating and is safe. Furthermore, as described above, this cookware handle 1 will not come off the cookware body unless the two-stage release operation is performed, and even if the operating lever 7 is rotated clockwise to a certain angle in the first stage to enter a semi-released state, and then only one of the pair of left and right operating buttons 8 is pressed in the second stage, it will not come off the cookware body, providing a high level of safety.

[0030] Furthermore, this cookware handle 1 has a locking member 5 having a pair of left and right elastic deformation pieces 5a on the inside that are elastically deformable, connected to the rear end of the clamp plate 4, and by pressing the pair of left and right elastic deformation pieces 5a of the locking member 5 inward using a pair of left and right operating buttons 8, the abutment state of the front ends of the pair of left and right elastic deformation pieces 5a against the stopper 2b in the semi-released grip state is released. This has the advantage of providing a high tolerance for error and making malfunctions less likely to occur, and eliminating the need for a separate spring as in conventional cookware handles, making assembly easier.

[0031] In the above-described embodiment, the pair of left and right stoppers 2b are provided on the upper member 2, but this is not limitative and they may also be provided on the lower member 3. [Industrial Applicability]

[0032] This device can be used as a handle for cooking utensils that can be detachably attached to the body of cooking utensils such as pots and frying pans. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1 Cookware Handle 2 Upper member 2a Arc-shaped slot 2b Stopper 3 Lower member 3a Tip 4 Clamp Plate 4a Tip 4b long hole 4c long hole 5 Locking member 5a Elastic deformation piece 5b protrusion 6 Coil springs 7 Operating lever 7a Knock pin 8 Operation buttons 8a Upper overhang piece 8b Medium overhang piece 8c Lower projection 8d protrusion 9 End Cap 10. Cosmetic Cover CB

Claims

[Claim 1] a handle body having an upper member and a lower member that are fixedly connected to each other; a clamp plate sandwiched between the upper member and the lower member of the handle body so as to be movable back and forth in the front-rear direction, the front end of which is bent downward to form a gripping portion that grips the cooking utensil body together with the front end of the lower member; a locking member provided adjacent to the rear end of the clamp plate and having a pair of left and right elastically deformable pieces on the inside thereof; a coil spring that biases the clamp plate and the locking member toward the front end of the handle body; an operating lever rotatably supported on the upper member for switching from a released grip state to a grip state and from the grip state to a semi-released grip state; a pair of left and right stoppers provided on the handle body, the pair of left and right elastic deformation pieces of the locking member coming into contact with front ends of the stoppers to hold the clamp plate in a semi-released grip position; a pair of left and right operation buttons that release the abutment state of the front end portions of the pair of left and right elastic deformation pieces of the locking member supported by the handle body from the stopper in the semi-released grip state by pushing the pair of left and right elastic deformation pieces inward; Equipped with The operating lever has a knock pin that moves along an arcuate path as the operating lever is rotated, The clamp plate has a long hole formed in its width direction, into which the knock pin of the operating lever is fitted, With the knock pin fitted in the elongated hole, the clamp plate moves forward and backward by rotating the operating lever, when the knock pin is positioned at the inner end of the elongated hole, the clamp plate moves back to a gripping position and the axis of the knock pin is perpendicular to the axis of the coil spring, A handle for a cookware, characterized in that when the knock pin is positioned at the outer end of the elongated hole, the clamp plate advances to a grip release position.

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