Rice cooker

Abstract

To improve operability so as to lighten an operation load to depress an operation button at the time when a user opens an outer lid in a state where pressure is not applied while securing safety so that the outer lid is not opened when the user tries to open the outer lid in a state where the pressure is applied.SOLUTION: A rice cooker includes: a freely rotatable hook lever 15 provided on an outer lid; a hook receiver provided on an upper frame of a body, which engages with one end of the hook lever; an operation button 10 provided on an upper face of the outer lid, which releases an engagement state between the hook lever and the hook receiver by depressing the other end of the hook lever; a frame body shaped button lever 14 provided on the outer periphery of the operation button, which is operated in a direction to depress the hook lever when the operation button is depressed; and a connection spring 13 positioned on a lower face of the operation button between opposed frame bodies of the button lever, which transmits the push-in force of the operation button to the button lever while being deformed in response to the depression force of the operation button. The connection spring is fixed to the button lever in a state of being deflected in advance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rice cooker, and more particularly to the structure of an operating part for opening and closing the outer lid of a pressure rice cooker. [Background technology]

[0002] In conventional rice cookers, when the outer lid is opened while pressure is applied inside the inner pot during cooking, the outer lid opens forcefully due to the internal pressure, and in order to prevent a dangerous situation in which hot water and rice inside the inner pot splash out of the inner pot, a structure is provided in which the tip of the hook receiving part is inclined downward and the tip locking part of the hook lever is inclined upward, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1. With this structure, when the inside of the inner pot is pressurized, the outer lid is pushed upward, and the downward tip of the hook receiving part is on the rotation trajectory of the hook tip, preventing the hook from rotating and making it impossible for the outer lid to open.

[0003] However, when cooking is stopped or the pressure inside the inner pot is released during cooking, the pressure is released suddenly at first, and then it takes a short time for the pressure inside the inner pot to return to the same level as atmospheric pressure. During this time, the force lifting the outer lid upward is low, and if you try to open the outer lid with a lot of force at this time, the outer lid may open. Since the pressure inside the inner pot is lower than when cooking, there is no danger, but the outer lid opens and closes with more force than usual, which can make the user feel uneasy.

[0004] For this reason, as shown in Patent Document 2, a structure has been proposed in which a frame-shaped button lever that operates in a direction to push down the hook lever when the operation button for opening and closing the outer lid is provided on the outer periphery of the operation button for opening and closing the outer lid, and a connecting spring made of a wire that is arranged on the underside of the operation button and deforms according to the pressing force of the operation button while transmitting the pressing force of the operation button to the button lever is provided between the frames facing the button lever. With this structure, when the operation button is pressed down to open the outer lid, if the frictional force that engages the hook lever with the hook receiving part is stronger than the restoring force of the deformed shape of the connecting spring to return to its original shape, the pressing force of the operation button is absorbed by the deformation of the connecting spring, and the operation button enters the frame of the button lever and the outer lid does not open. In other words, in Patent Document 2, even if an operation to open the outer lid is performed with excessive force before the pressure inside the inner pot returns to atmospheric pressure, such as when cooking rice is stopped during cooking, the pressing force is absorbed by the deformation of the newly provided connecting spring, improving safety so that the outer lid does not open. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-316 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2010-284290 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the structure shown in Patent Document 2, when opening the lid without any pressure inside the inner pot, the connecting spring is bent while the operating button is pressed, so the restoring force against the deformation of the connecting spring increases the operating load during operation.

[0007] To improve operability by reducing the operating load for pressing an operating button when opening the outer lid when no pressure is applied inside the inner pot, while ensuring safety by preventing the outer lid from opening when an attempt is made to open the outer lid when pressure is applied inside the inner pot. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the rice cooker of the present invention is configured as described in the claims. Specifically, the rice cooker of the present invention includes, for example, an inner pot detachably stored in a main body, an outer lid covering an upper part of the inner pot, a steam passage provided in the outer lid, a pressure regulating valve provided in the steam passage for adjusting the pressure in the inner pot, pressure regulation control means for controlling the opening and closing of the steam passage by operating the pressure regulating valve, a hinge portion for holding the outer lid to the main body so as to be able to be opened and closed, a rotatable hook lever provided on the outer lid on the side opposite to the hinge portion, a hook receiving portion provided on an upper frame of the main body and engaging with one end of the hook lever, and a hook lever provided on an upper surface of the outer lid. The rice cooker is equipped with an operation button that pushes down the other end of the lever to release the engaged state between the hook lever and the hook receiving portion, a frame-shaped button lever that is provided on the outer periphery of the operation button and operates in a direction to push down the hook lever when the operation button is pressed down, and a connecting spring that is located on the underside of the operation button between the opposing frames of the button lever and transmits the pressing force of the operation button to the button lever while deforming in response to the pressing force of the operation button, and the connecting spring is fixed to the button lever in a pre-deflected state. Preferably, the connecting spring is deformed so as not to push down the button lever when the operation button is pressed while pressure is applied inside the inner kettle, and is fixed in a bent state to the button lever so as not to deform when the operation button is pressed while no pressure is applied inside the inner kettle. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, safety is ensured so that the outer lid will not open when an attempt is made to open it when pressure is applied inside the inner pot, while the operating load required to press the operating button when opening the outer lid when no pressure is applied inside the inner pot is reduced, improving the operability of the outer lid opening operation. Problems, configurations and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is an explanatory internal view of the rice cooker in FIG. 1 with the lid outer surface member cover removed. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of the outer lid of the rice cooker in FIG. 1 (part A in FIG. 1). [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control of the rice cooker in FIG. [Diagram 5] 2 is a perspective view illustrating an opening and closing mechanism of an outer lid of the rice cooker in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 2 is a perspective view of the outer lid opening and closing mechanism of the rice cooker in FIG. 1 when a connecting spring is deformed. FIG. [Figure 7] 1A is a diagram showing a fixed state of a connecting spring used in an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a fixed state of a conventional connecting spring. [Figure 8] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating a state of a connecting spring when normally fixed and when an operation button is pressed in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is an external view of a rice cooker according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram illustrating the inside of the rice cooker in FIG. 9 with the lid outer surface member cover removed. FIG. [Figure 11] 11 is a diagram for explaining a method of attaching a connecting spring to the button lever 14 in FIG. 10 by bending it. [Figure 12] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating a connecting spring in a normally fixed state and a state when an operation button is pressed in another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] First, an example of the structure of a rice cooker to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. Note that a similar rice cooker structure is also described in Patent Document 2, and the structure of the rice cooker is not limited to the following configuration. In FIG. 1, a main body 1 of a rice cooker is provided with a protective frame 12 on the inside with an open top, and an inner pot 2 is housed within the protective frame 12 so as to be freely detachable. The inner pot 2 is a cylindrical shape with an open top and a closed bottom, and its upper end is bent outward approximately horizontally so as to facilitate attachment and detachment from the main body 1, and is placed on the top surface of the main body 1. A heating means 4 for induction heating the bottom surface of the inner kettle 2 is provided on the outer bottom of the protective frame 12, and a control unit 5 is disposed in the front space between the protective frame 12 and the main body 1, and the heating means 4 is controlled by the function of the control unit 5. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the outer lid 3 is composed of a lid inner surface member 3a, a lid outer surface member 3b, and a lid outer surface member cover 3c. An inner lid 6 that covers the upper opening of the inner kettle 2 in Fig. 1 is detachably attached to the lid inner surface member 3a. A seal packing 7 attached to the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the inner lid 6 abuts against the entire upper end circumference of the inner kettle 2 to keep the space formed by the inner kettle 2 and the inner lid 6 in a sealed state. A pressure adjusting valve 8 communicating with the inner kettle 2 is provided in the approximate center of the inner lid 6. When the pressure adjusting valve 8 is closed, the pressure inside the inner kettle 2 is adjusted to a predetermined pressure (1.3 atm in this embodiment), and steam is guided through a steam passage 9 provided in the outer lid 3 to a steam port cap 18 detachably attached to the outer lid 3, and is exhausted to the outside of the main body 1 through an exhaust port 18a. When the pressure adjusting valve 8 is opened, the inside of the inner kettle 2 communicates with the outside air through the exhaust port 18a, and no pressure is applied inside the inner kettle 2. As shown in FIG. 1, a rotating shaft 22 (hinge portion) that supports the outer lid 3 so as to be able to open and close is provided on one side (the right side of the drawing) of the outer lid 3 (the inner lid member 3a), and as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a hook lever 15 having an approximately U-shaped cross section that engages with a hook receiving portion 17 provided on the main body 1 to prevent the outer lid 3 from opening is provided on the side opposite the rotating shaft 22 of the outer lid 3 (the left side of the drawing), and the hook lever 15 is supported so as to be able to rotate freely with the hook shaft 16 as a fulcrum. As shown in Figures 3, 5 and 6, the hook lever 15 has a hook-shaped portion 15a at one end and a push-down portion 15b at the other end, sandwiching the hook shaft 16. When the hook-shaped portion 15a engages with the hook receiving portion 17, the outer lid 3 will not open unless the push-down portion 15b is pushed. As shown in Patent Document 1, the tip of the hook receiving portion 17 is inclined downward, and the hook-shaped portion 15a of the hook lever 15 is inclined upward. When the inside of the inner pot is pressurized, the outer lid is pushed upward, and the downward tip of the hook receiving portion 17 is on the rotation trajectory of the hook-shaped portion 15a, making it impossible for the hook lever 15 to rotate and making it impossible for the outer lid 3 to open. The lid outer surface member 3b of the outer lid 3 has a substantially rectangular cutout at a portion located approximately on the upper surface of the push-down portion 15b of the hook lever 15, and the operation button 10 and a frame-shaped (approximately rectangular) button lever 14 formed to surround the operation button 10 are arranged in the cutout portion 3b-1. The operation button 10 and the button lever 14 are rotatably supported on the edge of the notch 3b-1 of the lid outer surface member 3b by the button shaft 10a and the button lever shaft 14a which is coaxial with the button shaft 10a on the side opposite the push-down portion 15b of the hook lever 15, and the push-down portion 15b side of the button lever 14 is located on the upper surface of the push-down portion 15b. At this time, the operation button 10 is supported on the button shaft 10a so as to protrude upward from the lid outer surface member cover 3c.

[0013] Between the frames on the side of the button lever 14 not facing the button shaft 10a (in the direction perpendicular to the button shaft 10a), a connecting spring 13 made of an elastic wire such as a stainless steel wire is provided, which is located on the underside of the operation button 10 and on which the underside rests. Both ends of the connecting spring 13 are hooked onto the frames of the button lever 14, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

[0014] In this embodiment, the connecting spring 13 is bent and fixed to the frame of the button lever 14. FIG. 7 shows the state of the connecting spring 13 when fixed to the button lever 14. (a) shows the fixed state of the connecting spring 13 in this embodiment, and (b) shows the fixed state of the conventional connecting spring 13 for comparison. In this embodiment, both ends of the connecting spring 13 are fixed to the frame of the button lever 14 so that the connecting spring 13 is bent. By intentionally bending and fixing the connecting spring 13 in advance, the connecting spring 13 becomes a rigid body state in which it is not deformed by a small pushing force from above the operation button 10. In other words, the restoring force of the connecting spring 13 when fixed is held down by the frame, and the connecting spring 13 will not deform unless a pushing force in the opposite direction that is greater than the restoring force of the connecting spring 13 held down by the frame acts on the connecting spring 13. Therefore, in this embodiment, the rigid body state means a state in which the connecting spring 13 is not deformed by a pushing force that is about the same as the magnitude of the restoring force of the connecting spring 13 held down by the frame. When the outer lid is opened without any pressure inside the inner pot, the connecting spring 13 becomes rigid, so that when the operation button 10 is pressed, the pressing force is transmitted to the button lever 14 without the restoring force of the connecting spring 13. The method of fixing the connecting spring 13 to the button lever 14 will be described later.

[0015] When the operation button 10 is pressed from above, the button lever 14 rotates around the button lever shaft 14a and presses down the press-down portion 15b of the hook lever 15, and the pressed-down hook lever 15 rotates around the hook shaft 16, causing the hook-shaped portion 15a of the hook lever 15 to disengage from the hook receiving portion 17, and the outer lid 3 is opened. A steam temperature sensor 19 is provided in the steam passage 9 between the steam port cap 18 and the pressure regulating valve 8 so as to be located in the vicinity of the pressure regulating valve 8 . As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 5 is connected to a steam temperature sensor 19, a pot bottom temperature sensor 20 that detects the temperature at the bottom of the inner pot 2, the heating means 4, and a pressure adjustment control means 11 that controls the pressure adjustment operation of the pressure regulating valve 8. Based on information from the steam temperature sensor 19 and the pot bottom temperature sensor 20, the control unit 5 controls the heating means 4 and the pressure adjustment operation to close the pressure regulating valve 8 and a state in which the pressure regulating valve 8 is open and no pressure is applied inside the inner pot 2. The steam vent cap 18 is detachably attached to the top of the outer lid 3 so as to be connected to the steam passage 9. A long air passage is provided inside the steam vent cap 18 to guide the steam that has flowed in from the steam passage 9 to the exhaust port 18a so as to lower the temperature of the steam discharged from the steam passage 9.

[0016] When a user puts an appropriate amount of rice and water into the inner pot 2, inserts the inner pot 2 into the protective frame 12, and closes the outer lid 3, the outer lid 3 rotates about the rotating shaft 22 as a fulcrum, and the hook lever 15 rotates about the hook shaft 16 as a fulcrum, causing the hook-shaped portion 15a of the hook lever 15 to climb over the hook receiving portion 17 and engage with the hook receiving portion 17, thereby closing the outer lid 3.

[0017] When the outer lid 3 is opened in this state, the space formed by the inner pot 2 and the inner lid 6 is in communication with the outside air through the steam passage, so there is no pressure and there is no force pushing the outer lid 3 upward due to pressure. Therefore, the locking force between the hook-shaped part 15a of the hook lever 15 and the hook receiving part 17 is weak, and as shown in Figures 5 and 8(a), when a user lightly presses the operation button 10 downward to open the outer lid 3, the connecting spring 13 is bent and fixed in a rigid state against the force of the downward movement of the operation button 10, and is not deformed by the pressing force of the operation button. Therefore, in a state where no restoring force due to deformation is applied, the force applied to the operation button 10 is transmitted to the button lever 14, and the button lever 14 presses the pressing part 15b of the hook lever 15 downward. As a result, the hook lever 15 rotates around the hook shaft 16, and the hook-shaped part 15a of the hook lever 15 is released from the locking with the hook receiving part 17, and the outer lid 3 is opened. For comparison, Fig. 8(b) shows the state of the conventional connecting spring 13. When the conventional connecting spring 13 is in a fixed state, the connecting spring 13 is not bent, so when a user presses the operation button 10 downward to open the outer lid 3 when there is no pressure inside the inner kettle, the operating button 10 is pressed down while bending the connecting spring 13, so the restoring force of the connecting spring 13 against the deformation increases the operating load during operation.

[0018] When the user closes the outer lid 3 again and operates a rice cooking start button (not shown) on the operation unit to cook rice, the control unit 5 starts cooking rice. According to a predetermined rice cooking operation, first, a soaking process is carried out to promote water absorption into the rice. The heating means 4 heats the inner pot 2 (400W in this embodiment) according to the predetermined temperature (60°C in this embodiment) of the pot bottom temperature sensor 20, and the water temperature inside the inner pot 2 is maintained at 55 to 60°C to promote water absorption into the rice. After a predetermined time (15 minutes in this embodiment) has elapsed, the control unit 5 increases the amount of heat from the heating means 4 (to 1000 W in this embodiment), and the pressure adjustment control means 11 operates to adjust the pressure inside the inner kettle 2 using the pressure adjustment valve 8. As the water temperature inside the inner kettle 2 rises, steam is generated, increasing the pressure inside the inner kettle 2. When the pressure reaches 1.3 atmospheres, which is the operating pressure of the pressure regulating valve 8, boiling begins at the boiling point of 107°C corresponding to the 1.3 atmospheres, and the steam released by the operation of the pressure regulating valve 8 is released into the steam passage 9. A steam temperature sensor 19 is provided in the steam passage 9 near the pressure regulating valve 8, so that the inflow of steam is detected by the temperature rise of the steam temperature sensor 19 heated by steam, and the control unit 5 recognizes boiling when the temperature reaches or exceeds a certain level. The control unit 5 reduces the amount of heat from the heating means 4 (to 500 W in this embodiment), but this amount of heat maintains the operating pressure of the pressure regulating valve 8 at 1.3 atmospheres, and continues or intermittently continues boiling at 107°C, which is the boiling point at this atmosphere. During this time, when pressure is applied to the inner kettle 2, the outer lid 3 is pushed upward with a force of about 100 kg, and as a result, the hook-shaped portion 15a of the hook lever 15 and the hook receiving portion 17 are firmly engaged and will not easily come off due to the frictional force caused by the load.

[0019] In this state, if a user mistakenly operates the operation button 10 to open the outer lid 3, the hook lever 15 is not in a state in which it can be easily rotated by a small force, so the button lever 14 cannot move downward. Therefore, when the operation button 10 is strongly pressed, a pressing force in the opposite direction, which is greater than the restoring force of the connecting spring 13 held down by the frame body, acts on the connecting spring 13, and the connecting spring 13 deforms and absorbs the operating force of the operation button 10. As shown in FIG. 6, when the operation button 10 is strongly pressed, the connecting spring 13 deforms downward in proportion to the pressing force, and the operation button 10 penetrates deeply inside the frame body of the button lever 14. At this time, a restoring force acts on the connecting spring 13 to return it to its original shape that was previously bent and deformed, and the connecting spring is set to deform beyond this restoring force, so that even if the pressing force of the operation button 10 acts on the button lever 14 via the connecting spring 13, the button lever 14 will not move downward. As a result, even if a user presses the operation button 10, the outer lid 3 will not open, ensuring safety.

[0020] On the other hand, when the power is turned off to stop cooking in the middle of the rice cooking, the control unit 5 stops the supply of electricity to the heating means 4 to stop heating, stops the operation of the pressure adjustment control means 11, and opens the pressure adjustment valve 8. As a result, when the pressure regulating valve 8 is opened, the steam inside the inner kettle 2 passes through the steam passage 9 and the air passage inside the steam vent cap 18 and is released from the exhaust port 18a. However, because the path the steam has to travel before it is released is long, resistance to the path occurs, and the pressure inside the inner kettle 2 does not instantly become the same as the outside air pressure. Instead, a weak pressure remains inside the inner kettle 2 for a short time, and the pressure returns to the same as atmospheric pressure over time.

[0021] When the outer lid 3 is opened while this weak pressure remains in the inner pot 2, the restoring force with which the connecting spring 13 deforms and returns to its original shape is set to be smaller than the frictional force that engages the hook-shaped portion 15a of the hook lever 15 with the hook receiving portion 17 while the weak pressure remains in the inner pot 2, so that the connecting spring 13 deforms and absorbs the operating force of the operating button 10, and the hook-shaped portion 15a of the hook lever 15 does not come off the hook receiving portion 17. Note that, in order to make the connecting spring 13 rigid, if the spring force of the connecting spring 13 is simply increased and the connecting spring 13 is fixed to the frame without bending as in the conventional case shown in Fig. 7(b), the restoring force cannot be reduced, but in this embodiment, it is possible to achieve both a rigid body state and a small restoring force, improving both the safety of the outer lid opening operation and the operability of the operating button.

[0022] As described above, according to this embodiment, when the pressure inside the inner pot has not yet returned to atmospheric pressure, for example when cooking rice is stopped during cooking, the outer lid cannot be opened even if excessive force is used to open the outer lid, so that the user does not feel uneasy, and a rice cooker can be provided in which the outer lid can be opened easily even when there is no pressure inside the inner pot.

[0023] Even if the operation button 10 is pressed hard while pressure is applied to the inner pot 2, the pressing movement of the operation button 10 is performed within the frame of the button lever 14, so there is no need to increase the height of the outer lid 3, and a compact rice cooker can be provided.

[0024] In the above-described embodiment, the operation button 10 is pivotally supported by the button shaft 10a, but the operation button 10 does not have to be pivotally supported by the button shaft 10a as long as the operation button 10 and the button lever 14 are capable of moving relatively via the connecting spring 13. Below, an embodiment in which the operation button 10 is not pivotally supported by the button shaft 10a and a method of attaching the connecting spring 13 to the button lever 14 will be described with reference to Figs. 9 to 12.

[0025] FIG. 9 shows the appearance of the rice cooker of this embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the inside of the rice cooker with the lid outer surface member cover of the outer lid 3 of FIG. 9 removed. In this embodiment, a plurality of holes are formed in the button lever 14, and a plurality of claws 10-2 provided on the operation button 10 are inserted into some of the holes to prevent the operation button 10 from coming off, while allowing the operation button 10 to move relative to the button lever 14. In addition, a rib 10-1 that contacts the connecting spring 13 is provided at the lower center of the operation button 10. The rib 10-1 of the operation button 10 penetrates a rib through hole 14-1 (see FIG. 11) formed in the button lever 14 to contact the connecting spring 13. The connecting spring 13 is attached to the button lever 14 in a deflected state. The button lever shaft 14a of the button lever 14 is located on the opposite side to the above-mentioned embodiment (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 6), but the button lever shaft 14a may be located in the same position as the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0026] FIG. 11 shows a method of attaching the connecting spring 13 to the button lever 14 in a bent state. Two long holes 14-2 are formed in the button lever 14, and a rib through hole 14-1 through which the rib 10-1 of the operation button 10 passes is formed between the two long holes 14-2. As shown in FIG. 11(a) and (b), one end of the connecting spring 13 is inserted into one of the long holes 14-2, passed through the lower part of the rib through hole 14-1, and one end of the connecting spring 13 is taken out from the other long hole 14-2 (c). In this state, the connecting spring 13 is rotated so that both ends of the connecting spring 13 are engaged with the frame of the button lever 14. As a result, the connecting spring 13 is bent and fixed as shown in FIG. 7(a).

[0027] Figure 12 shows the state of the connecting spring 13 in this embodiment when it is normally fixed and when the operation button is pressed. In this embodiment, as in the above embodiment, when the outer lid 3 is opened when no pressure is applied to the inner pot 2, if the user lightly presses the operation button 10 downward to open the outer lid 3, the connecting spring 13 is bent and fixed in a rigid state against the force of the downward movement of the operation button 10, and is not deformed by the pressing force of the operation button. Therefore, in a state where no restoring force due to deformation is applied, the force applied to the operation button 10 is transmitted to the button lever 14, and the button lever 14 presses the pressing part 15b of the hook lever 15 downward. As a result, the hook lever 15 rotates around the hook shaft 16, and the hook-shaped part 15a of the hook lever 15 is released from the hook receiving part 17, and the outer lid 3 is opened. In this embodiment as well, safety is ensured so that the outer lid will not open when an attempt is made to open it while pressure is applied inside the inner pot, while operability is improved by reducing the operating load required to press the operating button when opening the outer lid when there is no pressure applied inside the inner pot.

[0028] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes various modified examples. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail to easily explain the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to those including all of the configurations described. It is also possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. It is also possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration.

[0029] For example, in the above embodiment, the connecting spring 13 is provided between the frame bodies on the side of the button lever 14 that does not face the button shaft 10a, but it may also be provided between the frame bodies on the side facing the button shaft 10a. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 1 Main unit 2 Inner pot 3 Outer lid 4 Heating means 5. Control section 6 Inner lid 8 Pressure Regulating Valve 10 Operation buttons 13 Connecting spring 14 Button Lever 15 Hook Lever

Claims

1. a hook receiving portion provided on an upper frame of the main body and engaging with one end of the hook lever; an operation button provided on an upper surface of the outer lid and pressing down the other end of the hook lever to release the engagement between the hook lever and the hook receiving portion; a frame-shaped button lever provided on the outer periphery of the operation button and operating in a direction to press down the hook lever when the operation button is pressed; and a connecting spring located on an underside of the operation button between the opposing frames of the button lever, the connecting spring transmitting a pressing force of the operation button to the button lever while deforming in response to a pressing force of the operation button, The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the connecting spring is fixed to the button lever in a pre-deflated state.

2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, The connecting spring is When the operation button is pressed down while pressure is applied inside the inner pot, the button lever is deformed so that it cannot be pressed down, The rice cooker is characterized in that when the operation button is pressed down with no pressure being applied inside the inner pot, the button lever is fixed in a bent state so as not to be deformed.

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