Container body

Abstract

To provide a container body which can reduce a risk of unnecessarily keeping a discharge passage in an open state as much as possible.SOLUTION: A container body 100 according to the invention includes: a body 300; a lid body 500 attached to an upper part of the body; a discharge port 301 which is formed on the lid body for discharging contents in the body to the outside; a discharge passage DP which is formed inside the lid body and may guide the contents to the discharge port; and a switching part 530 which can switch the discharge passage between an open state and a closed state by a first operation. When the discharge passage is in the open state, the discharge passage becomes in the closed state by a second operation which is an operation other than the first operation and is not an operation for the switching part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a container body, particularly a container body including a container main body and a lid body.

Background Art

[0002] In the past, "a liquid heating container characterized by comprising a main body portion having a water storage portion and a heater arranged to heat a liquid in the water storage portion, a handle fixed to an outer shell of the main body portion, a spout portion formed at an upper end portion on a radially opposite side of the handle in the main body portion, and a lid body for opening and closing an opening of the main body portion, and a hot water supply path for guiding the liquid in the water storage portion to the spout portion and a steam path for discharging steam in the water storage portion to the outside are formed in the lid body, and when the main body portion is overturned with the handle downward, a pressure relief hole for spatially connecting the water storage portion and the spout portion in a state where both the hot water supply path and the steam path are blocked at a portion higher than the highest water level position of a movable closing member that opens and closes the hot water supply path in conjunction with a hot water supply switch is formed." has been proposed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-137285, etc.).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the liquid heating container (container body) as described above, when the hot water supply switch is locked in the pushed-down state, the hot water supply path (discharge path) becomes open, and the liquid in the water storage space can be poured from the spout. Also, in the liquid heating container as described above, the hot water supply path becomes closed only when the pushed-down hot water supply switch is operated and raised by the user. Therefore, the user may forget to operate the hot water supply switch to raise it and close the hot water supply path after pouring the hot water. If the hot water supply path remains open, there is a risk that the remaining liquid in the water storage space will flow out when the liquid heating container is accidentally tilted.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a container body that can reduce as much as possible the risk of the open state of the discharge path being unnecessarily maintained.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention The first aspect relates to a container body that comprises a main body, a lid attached to the upper part of the main body, a discharge port formed in the lid for discharging the contents inside the main body to the outside, a discharge path formed inside the lid and capable of guiding the contents to the discharge port, Spit and a switching part that can switch between the open state and the closed state of the discharge path by being operated for the first time. When the discharge path is in the open state, when a second operation is performed, the discharge path becomes closed. An operation of removing the lid from the main body According to the above configuration, even if the user forgets to perform the first operation to close the open state of the discharge path, the discharge path can be closed by performing the second operation. Therefore, in this container body, the risk of the open state of the discharge path being unnecessarily maintained can be reduced as much as possible.

[0007] Also, according to the above configuration, even if the discharge path is in an open state, the user can close the discharge path when removing the lid from the main body, for example, to replenish the liquid in the main body.

[0008] The present invention The container body according to the second aspectis A main body, A lid attached to the upper part of the main body, A discharge port formed in the lid for discharging the contents in the main body to the outside, A discharge path formed inside the lid and capable of guiding the contents to the discharge port, A switching portion that can switch between an open state and a closed state of the discharge path by being operated for the first time, and When the discharge path is in an open state, pressing at least a part of the lid body toward the central axis side of the lid body Third operation When this is performed, the discharge path becomes a closed state .

[0009] According to the above configuration, even if the discharge path is in an open state, for example, when the container body is tilted and an impact is applied to the container body, the discharge path can be closed.

[0010] The present invention The container body according to the third aspect is A main body, A lid attached to the upper part of the main body, A discharge port formed in the lid for discharging the contents in the main body to the outside, A discharge path formed inside the lid and capable of guiding the contents to the discharge port, A switching portion that can switch between an open state and a closed state of the discharge path by being operated for the first time, a gripping portion disposed on the lid body, a biasing portion that biases the switching portion toward the side (hereinafter referred to as the "detaching side") for detaching the lid body from the main body, And provided with Obtained, When the discharge path is in an open state, the switching portion moves to the side opposite to the detaching side against the biasing force of the biasing portion, When the discharge path is in an open state, the gripping portion And moves toward the detaching side The fourth operated Operation is When this is done, the switching portion is moved to the detaching side by the biasing portion in conjunction with the movement of the gripping portion, and the discharge path is closed Performed.

[0011] According to the above configuration, even if the discharge path is in an open state, the user can close the discharge path when moving the grip portion toward the detaching side. When the grip portion moves toward the detaching side, it is preferable that the lid body is removed from the main body because the state where the lid body is attached to the main body and locked to the main body is released.

[0012] The present invention The container body according to the fourth aspect is A main body, A lid attached to the upper part of the main body, A discharge port formed in the lid for discharging the contents in the main body to the outside, A discharge path formed inside the lid and capable of guiding the contents to the discharge port, A switching portion that can switch between an open state and a closed state of the discharge path by being operated for the first time, a locking portion disposed on the lid body and capable of locking the lid body to the main body, a second biasing portion that biases the switching portion toward the side (hereinafter referred to as the "detaching side") for detaching the lid body from the main body, And provided with Obtained, When the discharge path is in an open state, the switching portion moves to the side opposite to the detaching side against the biasing force of the second biasing portion. When the discharge path is in an open state, The locking portion And moves toward the central axis side of the lid body Causing to to release the state where the lid body is locked to the main body And When To performed, in conjunction with the movement of the locking portion, the switching portion is moved to the detaching side by the second biasing portion, and the discharge path is closed. Fifth operation Operation is is Performed.

[0013] According to the above configuration, even if the discharge path is in an open state, the user can close the discharge path when moving the locking portion toward the central axis side of the lid body.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] -First Embodiment- <Configuration of the electric kettle according to the first embodiment of the present invention> As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the electric kettle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention mainly includes a kettle body 200, a power base 600, and the like. Hereinafter, these components will be described in detail respectively.

[0016] 1. Kettle Body The kettle body 200 is detachably placed on the power base 600. A user of the electric kettle 100 can place the kettle body 200 on the power base 600 when wanting to boil water and remove the kettle body 200 from the power base 600 to pour the hot water into a container such as a cup or a soup bowl. And as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, this kettle body 200 mainly includes a main body unit 300, a handle unit 400, and a lid unit 500. Hereinafter, these components will be described in detail respectively. Note that as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a liquid spout (discharge port) 301 for hot water and the like is formed in the front upper part of the kettle body 200.

[0017] (1) Main Body Unit As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the main body unit 300 mainly includes a side wall member 310, a liquid container 320, a bottom member 330, a heater unit 340, a discharge port forming portion 350, and the like. These components will be described in detail below.

[0018] (1-1) Side Wall Member The side wall member 310 is a member formed of a metal such as resin or stainless steel. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, it has a substantially cylindrical shape and forms the outer peripheral surface of the main body unit 300. And as shown in FIG. 3, this side wall member 310 houses the liquid container 320, the discharge port forming portion 350, and the like. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, this side wall member 310, together with the bottom member 330, houses the heater unit 340. Here, the upper end portion of the side wall member 310 supports the upper end portion of the discharge port forming portion 350 as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4. Further, a notch is formed at the upper end portion of the rear part of the side wall member 310, and as shown in FIG. 3, the main body connection portion 402 of the handle unit 400 is fitted into this notch. Also, a front protruding portion 311 that inclines toward the front is formed at the upper part of the front portion of the side wall member 310.

[0019] (1-2) Liquid Container The liquid container 320 is a member capable of storing liquid therein and is housed inside the side wall member 310 as described above. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the liquid container 320 is formed from an inner wall member 321 and a heater plate 322. The inner wall member 321 is a member formed of a metal such as resin or stainless steel, has a substantially cylindrical shape, and constitutes the side wall of the liquid container 320 as shown in FIG. 3. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the lower end portion of the discharge port forming portion 350 is attached to the upper end portion of the inner wall member 321. Note that a corrosion-resistant resin such as fluororesin (not shown) may be coated on the inner peripheral surface of the inner wall member 321. The heater plate 322 is a metal plate material and covers the lower opening of the inner wall member 321 so as to close it as shown in FIG. 3. That is, the heater plate 322 constitutes the bottom of the liquid container 320. Also, a printed heater 341, which is a component of the heater unit 340, is disposed on the lower surface of the heater plate 322.

[0020] (1-3) Bottom member As shown in FIG. 3, the bottom member 330 constitutes the bottom of the main body unit 300, is attached to the lower side of the side wall member 310, and covers the liquid container 320, the heater unit 340, etc. from below. Note that an opening for exposing the lower end of the power supply terminal 342 is formed in the bottom member 330.

[0021] (1-4) Heater unit As shown in FIG. 3, the heater unit 340 is attached to the heater plate 322 and mainly includes a printed heater 341 and a power supply terminal 342. The printed heater 341 serves to heat the liquid in the liquid container 320. When the power supply terminal 342 is electrically connected to the connection terminal 602 provided on the power supply stand 600, power is supplied from the connection terminal 602 to the printed heater 341. Note that as this heater unit 340, a heater unit of a conventionally known electric kettle can be applied.

[0022] (1-5) Discharge port forming portion The discharge port forming portion 350 is a member having a substantially cylindrical shape and is attached to the main body unit 300 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. As described above, the upper end portion of the discharge port forming portion 350 is supported by the upper end portion of the side wall member 310, and the lower end portion of the discharge port forming portion 350 is attached to the upper end portion of the inner side wall member 321 of the liquid container 320. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a front protruding portion 351 that slopes upward as it goes forward is formed on the upper portion of the front portion of the discharge port forming portion 350. The front protruding portion 351 is supported by the front protruding portion 311 of the side wall member 310 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Thus, in the electric kettle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the spout 301 is formed by a part of the discharge port forming portion 350 (that is, the front protruding portion 351). Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a claw receiving portion 352 that is recessed outward is formed in the middle portion between the left and right portions of the discharge port forming portion 350. The claw portion RL2 of the locking lever RL of the locking mechanism LM of the lid unit 500 is locked to the claw receiving portion 352 (see FIG. 4). Further, as shown in FIG. 4, an inclined portion 353 that slopes outward is formed above the claw receiving portion 352. The inclined portion 353 abuts against the claw portion RL2 of the locking lever RL of the locking mechanism LM of the lid unit 500 when the lid unit 500 is attached to the main body unit 300 or when the lid unit 500 is removed from the main body unit 300.

[0023] (2) Handle unit The handle unit 400 mainly includes a grip portion 401, a main body connection portion 402, a dial mechanism 403, etc. as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. Hereinafter, these components will be described in detail respectively.

[0024] (2-1) Grip portion The grip portion 401 is a member formed of resin or the like and serves as a handle when the user carries the kettle body 200. The grip portion 401 extends downward from the rear portion of the main body connection portion 402 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0025] (2-2) Main body connection portion The body connection part 402 is for connecting the handle unit 400 to the body unit 300. As described above, the body connection part 402 is fitted into the notch at the upper end of the rear part of the side wall member 310.

[0026] (2-3) Dial mechanism The dial mechanism 403 is for adjusting the temperature of the printed heater 341 of the heater unit 340 (i.e., the water temperature of the liquid in the liquid container 320), and is connected to the heater unit 340. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the dial mechanism 403 is disposed at the rear part of the body connection part 402.

[0027] (3) Lid unit The lid unit 500 is a detachable substantially cylindrical lid that covers the upper part of the body unit 300 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. The user can remove the lid unit 500 from the body unit 300 by operating the lock mechanism 550 (described later) via the operation lever 560 provided on the lid unit 500. Thereby, after the user removes the lid unit 500 from the body unit 300, the user can put liquid into the liquid container 320. And when the user heats the liquid put into the liquid container 320, the user attaches the lid unit 500 to the body unit 300 to make the inside of the liquid container 320 a closed space. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the lid unit 500 mainly includes a bottom plate member 520, a valve opening and closing mechanism 530, a lower ring LR, an opening and closing valve 540, a lock mechanism 550, a locking mechanism LM, an operation lever 560, a lock release prevention structure RP, and a seal member 590, etc. Each of these components will be described in detail below.

[0028] (3-1) Bottom plate member As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the bottom plate member 520 mainly constitutes the lower part of the lid unit 500 and is formed by a side wall portion 521 and a bottom wall portion 522. The side wall portion 521 has a substantially cylindrical shape. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, an upper surface member 510 (described later) is placed on the upper side of the side wall portion 521. Thereby, a steam flow space SP1 surrounded by the upper surface member 510 and the bottom plate member 520 is formed (see FIG. 3). The steam flow space SP1 serves to form a flow path for the steam generated in the liquid container 320. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, a flow path forming portion 523 is formed at the front portion of the side wall portion 521. The flow path forming portion 523 is a portion that opens toward the pouring port 301 of the kettle body 200. The flow path forming portion 523 forms a discharge path DP that guides the liquid in the liquid container 320 to the pouring port 301. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, openings 521a are formed on the lower sides of the left and right portions of the side wall portion 521, and the claw portion RL2 of the locking lever RL of the locking mechanism LM can protrude from the openings 521a. The bottom wall portion 522 has a substantially annular shape in plan view and forms a stepped structure in a longitudinal sectional view as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, an opening and closing valve 540 is disposed below the bottom wall portion 522. Here, the bottom wall portion 522 abuts against the packing 543 of the opening and closing valve 540 when the opening and closing valve 540 is in the closed state. And the bottom wall portion 522 does not abut against the packing 543 of the opening and closing valve 540 when the opening and closing valve 540 is in the open state. Thereby, when the opening and closing valve 540 is in the open state, the liquid in the liquid container 320 can be guided to the discharge path DP. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a central opening is formed in the central portion of the bottom wall portion 522, and the shaft portion 542 of the opening and closing valve 540 is fitted into this central opening. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, a rear communication hole 522a is formed in the rear portion (that is, the rear side of the central opening) of the bottom wall portion 522. The rear communication hole 522a is in a closed state in contact with the packing 543 of the opening and closing valve 540 when the opening and closing valve 540 is in the closed state, and is in an open state when the opening and closing valve 540 is in the open state to communicate the internal space of the liquid container 320 and the steam flow space SP1.Also, as shown in FIG. 3, a front communication hole 522b is formed in the front portion of the bottom wall portion 522 (that is, on the front side of the central opening and on the rear side of the flow path forming portion 523). As shown in FIG. 3, the front communication hole 522b communicates the steam flow space SP1 and the discharge path DP.

[0029] (3-2) Valve opening / closing mechanism The valve opening / closing mechanism 530 is for switching between the open state and the closed state of the on-off valve 540. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 and FIG. 14, the valve opening / closing mechanism 530 mainly includes an opening / closing button BT, a rotating body RO, and the like. These components will be described in detail below.

[0030] (3-2-1) Opening / closing button The opening / closing button BT is a part that is pressed by the user when switching between the open state and the closed state of the opening / closing valve 540. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, it is fitted into the opening at the center of the upper surface member 510. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the opening / closing button BT is biased upward together with the rotating body RO by a coil spring CS1 arranged so as to surround the shaft portion 542 of the opening / closing valve 540. When the user presses the opening / closing button BT downward against the biasing force of the coil spring CS1, the opening / closing valve 540 moves downward in conjunction with the pressing operation. Thereby, the opening / closing valve 540 is in an open state. The opening / closing button BT is formed of a side wall portion BT1, a top wall portion BT2, and a protrusion portion BT3, as shown in FIG. 14. The side wall portion BT1 has a substantially cylindrical shape, as shown in FIG. 14. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, a moving ball mounting member BP of the locking mechanism 550 is arranged outside the side wall portion BT1. Further, the lower end portion of the side wall portion BT1 has a triangular wave shape, as shown in FIG. 14. The lower surface of the triangular wave portion of the side wall portion BT1 is in contact with the surface on the axis side of the lid unit 500 among the upper surfaces RO4a of the protrusions RO4 of the rotating body RO. The top wall portion BT2 has a substantially disc shape, as shown in FIG. 14, and covers the upper opening of the side wall portion BT1. The protrusion portion BT3 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, as shown in FIG. 14, and extends outward from eight positions near the upper end of the side wall portion BT1. Further, the protrusion portion BT3 is always fitted into the groove portion between the convex portions BP6b of the upper ring BP6 of the moving ball mounting member BP. However, the protrusion portion BT3 is vertically movable in the groove portion so as not to come out of the fitted groove portion.

[0031] (3-2-2) Rotating Body The rotating body RO is connected to the opening / closing button BT and is biased upward together with the opening / closing button BT by the coil spring CS1. Also, when the opening / closing button BT is pressed downward against the biasing force of the coil spring CS1, the rotating body RO moves downward while rotating around the axis of the lid unit 500. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the rotating body RO is formed by a side wall portion RO1, a top wall portion RO2, a flange portion RO3, and a protrusion portion RO4. The side wall portion RO1 has a substantially cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. 14. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the side wall portion BT1 of the opening / closing button BT is disposed outside the side wall portion RO1. The top wall portion RO2 has a substantially disk shape as shown in FIG. 14 and extends inward from a position below the upper end of the side wall portion RO1. Note that, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 14, an opening RO2a is formed in the central portion of the top wall portion RO2. As shown in FIG. 4, the shaft portion 542 of the on-off valve 540 is fitted into this opening RO2a, and the upper side of the opening RO2a is closed by the plug portion 544 of the on-off valve 540. In this way, the rotating body RO and the on-off valve 540 are connected. The flange portion RO3 extends outward from the lower end of the side wall portion RO1 as shown in FIG. 14. Eight protrusion portions RO4 are formed on the flange portion RO3 at regular intervals as shown in FIG. 14. Further, the protrusion portion RO4 is fitted into the groove portion between the convex portions BP6b of the upper ring BP6 of the moving ball mounting member BP in the closed state of the on-off valve 540 (see FIG. 5). Then, when the opening / closing button BT is pressed downward to switch the on-off valve 540 from the closed state to the open state, the protrusion portion RO4 comes out of the currently fitted groove portion and is positioned below the convex portions BP6b of the upper ring BP6 of the moving ball mounting member BP (see FIG. 15). Also, as described above, the surface on the axis side of the lid unit 500 of the upper surface RO4a of the protrusion portion RO4 is in contact with the lower surface of the triangular wave portion of the opening / closing button BT. And the surface on the opposite side of the axis of the lid unit 500 of the upper surface RO4a of the protrusion portion RO4 is in contact with the lower surface of the sawtooth wave portion of the convex portions BP6b of the upper ring BP6 of the moving ball mounting member BP when the on-off valve 540 is in the open state.

[0032] Here, the upper surface RO4a of the protrusion RO4 will be described. Here, as shown in FIG. 14, the four points on the upper surface RO4a are respectively designated as point P1, point P2, point P3, and point P4. Assuming the case of viewing one protrusion RO4 from the front, point P1 and point P2 will be approximately at the same height, but point P1 will be located slightly to the right of point P2. And point P3 and point P4 will be approximately at the same height below point P1 and point P2, but point P3 will be located slightly to the left of point P4. Due to the scattered distribution of points P1 to P4 in this way, the upper surface RO4a will have an inclination as shown in FIG. 14.

[0033] (3-3) Lower Ring The lower ring LR has its height position defined within the lid unit 500 and does not rotate along with the rotational movement of the rotating body RO. The lower ring LR is formed of a side wall portion LR1, a convex portion LR2, a wing portion LR3, and a protrusion LR4, as shown in FIG. 14. The side wall portion LR1 presents a substantially cylindrical shape, as shown in FIG. 14. The convex portion LR2 extends upward from eight positions at the upper end of the side wall portion LR1, as shown in FIG. 14. Note that this convex portion LR2 can be fitted with the concave portion BP2a (see FIG. 7) of the moving ball mounting member BP. The wing portion LR3 extends outward from the front and rear portions of the side wall portion LR1, as shown in FIG. 14. Note that this wing portion LR3 can be fitted with the notch portion BP1a (see FIGS. 6 and 7) of the moving ball mounting member BP. The protrusion LR4 extends inward from the inner surfaces of the eight convex portions LR2, as shown in FIG. 14. Note that the protrusion LR4 is a hexahedron in which the axial side surface of the lid unit 500 and the surface on the opposite side of this surface present a substantially parallelogram shape, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 14. That is, the upper and lower surfaces of the protrusion LR4 will have an inclination as shown in FIGS. 5 and 14, and the right and left surfaces of the protrusion LR4 will be substantially parallel to the axis of the lid unit 500, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 14.

[0034] (3-4) On-Off Valve As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the on-off valve 540 mainly includes a valve body portion 541, a shaft portion 542, a packing 543, and a plug portion 544. The valve body portion 541 has a substantially disk shape and is disposed below the bottom plate member 520 of the lid unit 500 as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. The shaft portion 542 is a rod-shaped member that extends upward from the rear portion of the upper surface of the valve body portion 541 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. As described above, the shaft portion 542 is fitted into the central opening of the bottom wall portion 522 of the bottom plate member 520, and the tip (upper end) of the shaft portion 542 is fitted into the opening RO2a of the rotating body RO of the valve opening / closing mechanism 530. Note that, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a cavity is formed at the tip of the shaft portion 542. The packing 543 has a substantially annular shape and is attached to the outer edge portion of the valve body portion 541 as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. The plug portion 544 is formed of a rod-shaped portion that extends in the vertical direction and a flange portion that extends outward from the tip (upper end) of the rod-shaped portion as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Then, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rod-shaped portion of the plug portion 544 is fitted into the cavity at the tip of the shaft portion 542, and the flange portion of the plug portion 544 closes the upper side of the opening RO2a of the rotating body RO of the valve opening / closing mechanism 530. The on-off valve 540 is configured in this way and is connected to the on-off button BT via the rotating body RO. Therefore, the on-off valve 540 can move up and down in conjunction with the up and down movement of the on-off button BT.

[0035] (3-5) Lock mechanism The lock mechanism 550 is for locking the lid unit 500 to the main body unit 300 when the lid unit 500 is attached to the main body unit 300 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the lock mechanism 550 mainly includes a moving ball mounting member BP and a lever stopper LS. These components will be described in detail below.

[0036] (3-5-1) Moving ball mounting member As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the moving ball placement member BP is placed on the upper side of the reverse stopper LS, connected to the reverse stopper LS, and also connected to the operation lever 560. As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, 6, and 7, this moving ball placement member BP is mainly formed by a base portion BP1, a cylindrical wall portion BP2, a pedestal portion BP3, a first spring installation portion BP4, a second spring installation portion BP5, and an upper ring BP6. Among these parts, the parts that contribute to the locking mechanism 550 are the base portion BP1, the cylindrical wall portion BP2, the first spring installation portion BP4, and the second spring installation portion BP5. The base portion BP1 is a substantially rectangular plate-like portion as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, an opening is formed in the central portion of the base portion BP1. Also, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, notch portions BP1a are formed in the front and rear portions of the base portion BP1. As described above, the wing portion LR3 of the lower ring LR is fitted into this notch portion BP1a. The cylindrical wall portion BP2 has a substantially cylindrical shape as shown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7, and extends upward from the edge of the opening of the base portion BP1. As shown in FIG. 7, recessed portions BP2a that are recessed upward are formed at eight positions at the lower end of this cylindrical wall portion BP2. As described above, the convex portion LR2 of the lower ring LR is fitted into this recessed portion BP2a. Also, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cylindrical wall portion BP2 is sandwiched between the opening / closing button BT and the operation lever 560 and is connected to the operation lever 560. The pedestal portion BP3 is formed on the left and right portions of the upper surface of the base portion BP1 as shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 6, and has a substantially cylindrical shape with the upper portion recessed downward (in other words, the upper portion is notched in a substantially inverted conical shape). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a moving ball 570 is movably placed on the pedestal portion BP3. Also, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, a convex guide portion BP3a that extends radially from the center of the pedestal portion BP3 in a plan view is formed on the pedestal portion BP3. The pair of left and right first spring installation portions BP4 are formed outside the pedestal portion BP3 on the upper surface of the base portion BP1 as shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 6.As shown in FIG. 4, one end of a coil spring CS2 that biases the moving ball mounting member BP and the lever stopper LS downward is fitted into the first spring installation portion BP4. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the second spring installation portion BP5 is formed on the left and right portions of the central portion of the lower surface of the base portion BP1 and extends outward in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 4, one end of a coil spring CS3 that biases the lever stopper LS, the locking lever RL, and the bearing portion 580 outward in the left and right directions is fitted into the second spring installation portion BP5. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the upper ring BP6 is disposed inside the cylindrical wall portion BP2 and is formed of an annular portion BP6a and a convex portion BP6b. As shown in FIG. 6, the annular portion BP6a has a substantially annular shape. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the convex portion BP6b extends downward from a position spaced apart from the annular portion BP6a at a certain interval. Note that the lower end portion of the convex portion BP6b has a sawtooth wave shape as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7. As described above, the lower surface of the sawtooth wave portion of the convex portion BP6b contacts the surface on the opposite side of the axis of the lid unit 500 of the upper surface RO4a of the protrusion RO4 of the rotating body RO when the on-off valve 540 is in the open state.

[0037] (3-5-2) Lever stopper As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the reverse stopper LS is a pair of left and right members that are connected to the moving ball placement member BP and are also connected to the operation lever 560 via the moving ball placement member BP. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, this reverse stopper LS is mainly formed of a base portion LS1, an upper vertical wall portion LS2, a lower vertical wall portion LS3, a spring installation portion LS4, and a convex fitting portion LS5. In FIGS. 8 and 9, only one of the pair of left and right reverse stoppers LS is drawn. As shown in FIG. 8, the base portion LS1 is a substantially rectangular plate member having a recess LS1a formed on the axial side of the lid unit 500. The moving ball placement member BP is placed on the upper side of the base portion LS1, and the reverse stopper LS is slidably fitted to the moving ball placement member BP. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the upper vertical wall portion LS2 extends upward from the front portion and the rear portion of the base portion LS1, respectively. This upper vertical wall portion LS2 is fitted into a groove portion formed on the lower side of the base portion BP1 of the moving ball placement member BP when the moving ball placement member BP is placed on the upper side of the base portion LS1. As shown in FIGS. 4, 8, and 9, the lower vertical wall portion LS3 extends downward from the inner edge portion of the recess LS1a of the base portion LS1. The spring installation portion LS4 is formed on the inner side surface of the lower vertical wall portion LS3 (that is, the surface on the axial side of the lid unit 500). As shown in FIG. 4, one end of the coil spring CS3 is fitted into the spring installation portion LS4. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the convex fitting portion LS5 extends downward from the front portion and the rear portion of the outer end portion of the base portion LS1, respectively. As will be described later, the convex fitting portion LS5 can be fitted with the concave fitting portion RL1a of the locking lever RL.

[0038] (3-6) Locking mechanism As shown in FIGS. 4 and 13, the locking mechanism LM is mainly composed of a locking lever RL, a bearing portion 580, and a torsion spring TS. These components will be described in detail below.

[0039] (3-6-1) Locking lever The locking lever RL is a pair of left and right members as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and can be connected to the lever stopper LS. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 13, this locking lever RL is mainly formed of a base portion RL1, a claw portion RL2, an outer wing portion RL3, and an inner wing portion RL4. In FIGS. 10 and 13, only one of the pair of left and right locking levers RL is drawn. The base portion RL1 has a substantially cylindrical shape as shown in FIGS. 10 and 13. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 13, a concave fitting portion RL1a that recesses from the upper side to the lower side is formed at each of the front end portion and the rear end portion of the base portion RL1, a bearing hole RL1b that extends from the front end portion to the rear end portion is formed, and a space RL1c is formed at the central portion in the front-rear direction. The concave fitting portion RL1a is engaged with the convex fitting portion LS5 of the lever stopper LS when the claw portion RL2 is biased by the torsion spring TS (see FIGS. 10 and 11) in a direction in which the claw portion RL2 is locked to the claw receiving portion 352 of the discharge port forming portion 350 of the main body unit 300 (that is, the upper surface of the claw portion RL2 is substantially parallel to the surface orthogonal to the axis of the lid unit 500). Then, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 13, a shaft AX is inserted into the bearing hole RL1b. Since the shaft AX is fixed within the lid unit 500, the locking lever RL can rotate about the shaft AX (see FIG. 16). Then, as shown in FIGS. 4, 10, and 13, the torsion spring TS, the cylindrical portion 582 and the cylindrical portion 583 of the bearing portion 580 are arranged in the space RL1c. The claw portion RL2 extends outward from the outer end portion of the upper portion of the base portion RL1 as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 10, and 13 and can be locked to the claw receiving portion 352 of the discharge port forming portion 350 of the main body unit 300. In such a case, the upper surface of the claw portion RL2 abuts against the claw receiving portion 352 of the discharge port forming portion 350 (see FIG. 4). The outer wing portion RL3 extends inward from each of the front end portion and the rear end portion of the base portion RL1 as shown in FIGS. 4, 10, and 13. The inner wing portion RL4 extends inward from the front end portion and the rear end portion of the portion where the space RL1c of the base portion RL1 is formed as shown in FIGS. 10 and 13, respectively.

[0040] (3-6-2) Bearing portionAs shown in Fig. 4, the bearing portion 580 is a pair of left and right members that define the height position of the axis AX within the lid unit 500. As shown in Figs. 11 to 13, the bearing portion 580 is formed from a base portion 581, a cylindrical portion 582, a cylindrical column portion 583, wing portions 584, and a bottom plate portion 585. In Figs. 11 to 13, only one of the pair of left and right bearing portions 580 is drawn. The base portion 581 is a substantially rectangular plate-shaped part as shown in Fig. 11. The cylindrical portion 582 has a substantially cylindrical shape as shown in Figs. 11 to 13 and is formed on the front side of the base portion 581. The cylindrical column portion 583 has a substantially cylindrical column shape as shown in Fig. 11 and is formed within the internal space of the cylindrical portion 582. As shown in Fig. 11, a bearing hole 583a that extends from the front end portion to the rear end portion is formed in the cylindrical column portion 583, and the axis AX is inserted through the bearing hole 583a. Also, as shown in Fig. 11, a torsion spring TS is disposed in the space surrounded by the cylindrical portion 582 and the cylindrical column portion 583. And as described above, the cylindrical portion 582 and the cylindrical column portion 583 (and the torsion spring TS) are disposed in the space RL1c of the locking lever RL. The wing portions 584 are a pair of parts that extend inward from the front end portion and the rear end portion of the base portion 581 as shown in Figs. 11 to 13. The bottom plate portion 585 is a plate-shaped part formed below the wing portions 584 as shown in Figs. 11 to 13. Here, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, the length of the bottom plate portion 585 in the front-rear direction is greater than the length between the pair of wing portions 584, and the length of the bottom plate portion 585 in the left-right direction is smaller than the length of the wing portions 584 in the left-right direction. And as shown in Fig. 12, a lower side wall portion insertion opening 586 surrounded by the base portion 581, the wing portions 584, and the bottom plate portion 585 is formed in the bearing portion 580. When the lid unit 500 is locked to the main body unit 300, the lower side wall portion LS3 of the lever stopper LS is inserted through this lower side wall portion insertion opening 586. Also, the inner surface of the base portion 581 of the bearing portion 580 is in contact with at least a part of the outer surface of the lower side wall portion LS3 of the lever stopper LS regardless of whether the lid unit 500 is locked to the main body unit 300 or not.Therefore, not only the reverse stopper LS but also the bearing portion 580 (and the locking lever RL via the bearing portion 580) will be biased outward to the left and right by the coil spring CS3.

[0041] (3-6-3) Torsion Spring As described above, the torsion spring TS biases in the direction of locking the claw portion RL2 of the locking lever RL to the claw receiving portion 352 of the discharge port forming portion 350 of the main body unit 300 (that is, biases the claw portion RL2 of the locking lever RL so that the upper surface of the claw portion RL2 of the locking lever RL is substantially parallel to the plane orthogonal to the axis of the lid unit 500). Further, the torsion spring TS is disposed on the outer periphery of the shaft AX and is disposed in the space surrounded by the cylindrical portion 582 and the cylindrical portion 583 of the bearing portion 580 (see FIG. 11). And the torsion spring TS is disposed in the space RL1c of the locking lever RL together with the cylindrical portion 582 and the cylindrical portion 583 of the bearing portion 580 (see FIG. 13).

[0042] (3-7) Operating Lever The operating lever 560 is operated by the user when releasing the lock mechanism 550. As described above, it is connected to the moving ball mounting member BP of the lock mechanism 550 and is connected to the reverse stopper LS of the lock mechanism 550 via the moving ball mounting member BP of the lock mechanism 550. The operating lever 560 is formed from a base portion 561 and a flange portion 562 as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. The base portion 561 has a substantially cylindrical shape and is fitted into the opening of the upper surface member 510 as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. The flange portion 562 is a substantially disk-shaped portion for the user to support the operating lever 560 with a finger, and extends outward from the upper end portion of the base portion 561 as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an opening is formed in the central portion of the flange portion 562, and the opening and closing button BT is exposed through this opening. Further, a groove portion is formed on the lower surface of the flange portion 562. This groove portion functions as a slip prevention for the user's finger.

[0043] (3-8) Lock Release Prevention Structure The unlocking prevention structure RP is for preventing an operation to release the state in which the lid unit 500 is locked to the main body unit 300 when the kettle body 200 is tilted. As shown in FIG. 4, the unlocking prevention structure RP mainly includes a moving ball placement member BP, an upper surface member 510, a moving ball 570, and the like.

[0044] (3-8-1) Moving ball placement member The moving ball placement member BP constitutes a part of the above-described locking mechanism 550 and also constitutes a part of the unlocking prevention structure RP. As described above, the moving ball placement member BP is mainly formed from a base part BP1, a cylindrical wall part BP2, a pedestal part BP3, a first spring installation part BP4, and a second spring installation part BP5. However, among these parts, the part that contributes to the unlocking prevention structure RP is only the pedestal part BP3. Since the details of the moving ball placement member BP have been described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0045] (3-8-2) Upper surface member As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper member 510 is a member having a substantially annular shape and constitutes the upper surface of the lid unit 500. That is, an opening is formed at the center of the upper member 510. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the opening of the upper member 510 is fitted with the opening and closing button BT and the rotating body RO of the valve opening and closing mechanism 530, the cylindrical wall portion BP2 and the upper ring BP6 of the moving ball mounting member BP of the locking mechanism 550, the base portion 561 of the operation lever 560, and the like. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, moving ball receiving portions 511 are formed on the left and right portions of the lower surface of the upper member 510. The moving ball receiving portion 511 is a portion for receiving the moving ball 570 placed on the moving ball mounting member BP of the locking mechanism 550 when the moving ball mounting member BP of the locking mechanism 550 moves upward (that is, for sandwiching the moving ball 570 in cooperation with the moving ball mounting member BP of the locking mechanism 550), and is formed of a central portion 511a and a peripheral portion 511b as shown in FIG. 4. The central portion 511a is a substantially hemispherical concave portion and is located above the peripheral portion 511b in a longitudinal sectional view as shown in FIG. 4. When the operation lever 560 moves upward when the kettle body 200 is upright, the moving ball 570 is pushed into the central portion 511a. The peripheral portion 511b is a substantially annular concave portion (having a substantially semicircular shape in a longitudinal sectional view), is formed around the central portion 511a as shown in FIG. 4, and is located slightly below the central portion 511a in a longitudinal sectional view. When the operation lever 560 moves upward (in the direction opposite to the biasing direction of the coil spring CS2) when the kettle body 200 is tilted, the moving ball 570 is pushed into the peripheral portion 511b. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a spring installation portion 512 is formed outside the moving ball receiving portion 511 on the lower surface of the upper member 510. As shown in FIG. 4, one end of the coil spring CS2 that biases the moving ball mounting member BP of the locking mechanism 550 and the lever stopper LS of the locking mechanism 550 downward is fitted into the spring installation portion 512.

[0046] (3-8-3) Moving ball The moving ball 570 is spherical and is movably placed on the pedestal portion BP3 of the moving ball placement member BP as described above. The moving ball 570 moves between adjacent guide portions BP3a in the tilting direction. Further, when the moving ball placement member BP of the locking mechanism 550 moves upward, the moving ball 570 is fitted into the moving ball receiving portion 511 of the upper surface member 510.

[0047] (3-9) Sealing member The sealing member 590 is an annular member formed of an elastic material such as rubber or elastomer, and is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the lower surface of the bottom wall portion 522 of the bottom plate member 520 as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. And as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, when the lid unit 500 is attached to the main body unit 300, the sealing member 590 serves to close the gap between the liquid container 320 and the bottom plate member 520 (in other words, keep the liquid container 320 and the bottom plate member 520 in close contact).

[0048] 2. Power supply base The power supply base 600 serves as a power supply unit that supplies electricity to the electric kettle 100 and also serves as a pedestal for the electric kettle 100. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the power supply base 600 mainly includes a power switch (not shown), a power cord 601, a power plug (not shown), and a connection terminal 602 that is electrically connected to the heater unit 340. The power switch is a switch for switching the connection state between the power supply terminal 342 of the heater unit 340 and the connection terminal 602. When the power switch is turned ON, the heater unit 340 is energized with the power supply base 600. Thereby, electricity is supplied to the heater unit 340, and the liquid in the liquid container 320 is heated. Note that, for the power supply base 600, a configuration similar to that of the power supply base of a conventionally known electric kettle can be applied.

[0049] <Regarding the open / closed state of the on-off valve in the electric kettle according to the first embodiment of the present invention> In the electric kettle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the user can operate the open / close button BT of the valve opening / closing mechanism 530 to switch between the open state and the closed state of the on-off valve 540. In the closed state of the on-off valve 540 (i.e., the state where the open / close button BT is not pressed downward), the packing 543 of the on-off valve 540 is in close contact with the lower surface of the bottom plate member 520 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). Therefore, the discharge path DP that guides the liquid in the liquid container 320 to the spout 301 is closed. That is, the inside of the liquid container 320 is generally a closed space. For this reason, even if the kettle body 200 is tilted, it is possible to suppress a large amount of liquid from leaking out of the spout 301. And in the open state of the on-off valve 540 (i.e., the state where the open / close button BT is pressed downward), since the packing 543 of the on-off valve 540 is separated from the lower surface of the bottom plate member 520, the discharge path DP is in an open state. For this reason, the user can pour the liquid in the liquid container 320 from the spout 301 into a container such as a cup or a teacup.

[0050] First, the closed state of the on-off valve 540 of the electric kettle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5. In the closed state of the on-off valve 540, the open / close button BT is not pressed downward, and the rotating body RO connected to the open / close button BT has not moved downward either. In other words, the open / close button BT and the rotating body RO are biased upward by the coil spring CS1. At this time, the protrusion RO4 of the rotating body RO is fitted into the groove between the convex portions BP6b of the upper ring BP6 of the moving ball mounting member BP, similar to the protrusion BT3 of the open / close button BT. Further, the protrusion RO4 of the rotating body RO is located above the protrusion LR4 of the lower ring LR without contacting the protrusion LR4 of the lower ring LR. In the closed state of the on-off valve 540, the convex portion LR2 of the lower ring LR is fitted into the concave portion BP2a of the moving ball mounting member BP, and the wing portion LR3 of the lower ring LR is fitted into the notch BP1a of the moving ball mounting member BP.

[0051] Next, the transition of the on-off valve 540 of the electric kettle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention from the closed state to the open state will be described in detail. When the on-off valve 540 is in the closed state, the user can open the on-off valve 540 by pressing the on-off button BT downward against the biasing force of the coil spring CS1. When the on-off button BT is pressed downward, a downward force is also applied to the rotating body RO via the protrusion RO4 of the rotating body RO by the triangular wave portion of the side wall portion BT1 of the on-off button BT. Therefore, the rotating body RO also moves downward against the biasing force of the coil spring CS1. At this time, since the protrusion BT3 of the on-off button BT is always fitted into the groove between the convex portions BP6b of the upper ring BP6 of the moving ball mounting member BP, the on-off button BT is restricted by the groove and does not rotate around the axis of the lid unit 500. However, when the protrusion RO4 of the rotating body RO moves downward, it comes out of the currently fitted groove and moves to the lower side of the convex portion BP6b of the upper ring BP6 of the moving ball mounting member BP, so it is no longer restricted by the groove. Therefore, due to the shape of the triangular wave portion of the side wall portion BT1 of the on-off button BT and the shape of the protrusion RO4 of the rotating body RO, a force around the axis of the lid unit 500 is applied to the rotating body RO, and the rotating body RO moves downward while rotating around the axis of the lid unit 500. Then, when the user presses the on-off button BT (and the rotating body RO) to the lowest height position and releases the finger from the on-off button BT, the on-off button BT and the rotating body RO move slightly upward by the biasing force of the coil spring CS1 and enter the state shown in FIG. 15. In FIG. 15, the surface of the upper surface RO4a of the protrusion RO4 of the rotating body RO on the opposite side of the axis side of the lid unit 500 is in contact with the sawtooth portion of the convex portion BP6b of the upper ring BP6 of the moving ball mounting member BP. Also, the left surface of the protrusion RO4 of the rotating body RO is in contact with the right surface of the protrusion LR4 of the lower ring LR. Therefore, after the on-off button BT and the rotating body RO move slightly upward by the biasing force of the coil spring CS1, the on-off button BT and the rotating body RO are prevented from moving further upward by the biasing force of the coil spring CS1, and the rotating body RO is prevented from rotating around the axis of the lid unit 500.In this way, the state where the opening / closing button BT is pressed, that is, the state where the on-off valve 540 is opened and the discharge path DP is opened, is maintained. In this state, the user can pour the liquid in the liquid container 320 into a container such as a cup or a teacup by tilting the kettle body 200 toward the spout 301 side.

[0052] Next, the transition of the on-off valve 540 of the electric kettle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention from the open state to the closed state will be described in detail. First, when the open state of the on-off valve 540 is maintained (see FIG. 15), the user presses the opening / closing button BT (and the rotating body RO) to the lowest height position against the biasing force of the coil spring CS1. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 15 to 18, since the rotating body RO moves downward and rotates around the axis of the lid unit 500, the protrusion RO4 of the rotating body RO passes under the protrusion LR4 of the lower ring LR and moves to the left side of the protrusion LR4 of the lower ring LR. Then, when the user releases the finger from the opening / closing button BT, the opening / closing button BT moves upward by the biasing force of the coil spring CS1, and the rotating body RO moves upward while rotating around the axis of the lid unit 500 (see FIGS. 18 to 5). Note that the protrusion RO4 of the rotating body RO is finally fitted into the groove between the convex portions BP6b of the upper ring BP6 of the moving ball mounting member BP (see FIGS. 18 to 5). In this way, the opening / closing button BT transitions from the pressed state to the non-pressed state, and the on-off valve 540 transitions from the open state to the closed state. That is, the discharge path DP is again closed by the on-off valve 540.

[0053] <Regarding the case of closing the open state of the on-off valve by a method other than the operation on the opening / closing button in the electric kettle according to the first embodiment of the present invention> Normally, the on-off valve 540 is in the open state. After the liquid in the liquid container 320 is poured into a container such as a cup or a teacup by the user, it is preferable that the on-off valve 540 be closed as soon as possible. This is because if the on-off valve 540 remains in the open state, there is a risk that the liquid in the liquid container 320 will flow out when the kettle body 200 is accidentally tilted. As described above, the transition of the on-off valve 540 from the open state to the closed state can be achieved by operating the on-off button BT. However, some users may forget to operate the on-off button BT after opening the on-off valve 540. Therefore, in the electric kettle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, it is also possible to transition the on-off valve 540 from the open state to the closed state by a method other than operating the on-off button BT. Hereinafter, a method for enabling the transition of the on-off valve 540 from the open state to the closed state will be described.

[0054] In the electric kettle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the lock mechanism 550 of the lid unit 500 can lock the lid unit 500 to the main body unit 300 when the lid unit 500 is attached to the main body unit 300. Then, the user can release the state in which the lid unit 500 is locked to the main body unit 300 (hereinafter referred to as the "locked state") by operating the lock mechanism 550 via the operation lever 560 (hereinafter, this operation is referred to as the "lock release operation"). In the electric kettle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when this lock release operation is performed while the on-off valve 540 is in the open state, the on-off valve 540 transitions from the open state to the closed state.

[0055] First, the locked state will be described with reference to FIG. 4. In the locked state, the claw portion RL2 of the locking lever RL of the locking mechanism LM is locked to the claw receiving portion 352 of the discharge port forming portion 350. At this time, the torsion spring TS biases the claw portion RL2 of the locking lever RL of the locking mechanism LM in the direction of locking the claw portion RL2 to the claw receiving portion 352 of the discharge port forming portion 350. Further, the coil spring CS3 biases the lever stopper LS of the locking mechanism 550, the locking lever RL of the locking mechanism LM, and the bearing portion 580 toward the left and right outer sides. Also, the coil spring CS2 biases the moving ball mounting member BP of the locking mechanism 550 and the lever stopper LS of the locking mechanism 550 downward. At this time, the convex fitting portion LS5 of the lever stopper LS of the locking mechanism 550 is fitted with the concave fitting portion RL1a of the locking lever RL of the locking mechanism LM. As a result, the locking lever RL of the locking mechanism LM is made non-rotatable about the axis AX (i.e., in the locked state). Also, in the locked state, the height positions of the operation lever 560 and the on-off button BT are substantially the same.

[0056] Next, the unlocking operation will be described with reference to FIG. 16. The user hooks a finger of one hand on the flange portion 562 of the operation lever 560, and while holding the main body unit 300 with the other hand, lifts the operation lever 560 upward against the biasing force of the coil spring CS2. At this time, in conjunction with the movement of the operation lever 560, the movement ball mounting member BP of the lock mechanism 550 and the lever stopper LS of the lock mechanism 550 are also lifted upward against the biasing force of the coil spring CS2. As a result, the movement ball 570 placed at the center of the pedestal portion BP3 of the movement ball mounting member BP of the lock mechanism 550 in a plan view is pushed into the center portion 511a of the movement ball receiving portion 511 of the upper surface member 510, and the user can no longer lift the operation lever 560, the movement ball mounting member BP of the lock mechanism 550, and the lever stopper LS of the lock mechanism 550 upward any further. Also, by this operation, the convex fitting portion LS5 of the lever stopper LS of the lock mechanism 550 comes out of the concave fitting portion RL1a of the locking lever RL of the locking mechanism LM. As a result, the fitting state between the convex fitting portion LS5 of the lever stopper LS of the lock mechanism 550 and the concave fitting portion RL1a of the locking lever RL of the locking mechanism LM is completely released, the locking lever RL of the locking mechanism LM becomes rotatable about the axis AX, and the locked state is released. Also, when the unlocking operation is performed, even if the user lifts the operation lever 560 upward without holding the main body unit 300 with the other hand, the main body unit 300 cannot be lifted upward. This is because the biasing force of the coil spring CS2 is adjusted so that the force required for the unlocking operation, that is, the force required to lift the movement ball mounting member BP of the lock mechanism 550 and the lever stopper LS of the lock mechanism 550 upward against the biasing force of the coil spring CS2, is smaller than the force required to lift the main body unit 300. When the liquid container 320 contains liquid, its weight becomes even heavier, resulting in the same outcome. Also, when the unlocking operation is performed, the height position of the operation lever 560 becomes higher than the height position of the opening / closing button BT.

[0057] As shown in FIGS. 15 to 16, when the unlocking operation is performed while the on-off valve 540 is in the open state, the moving ball mounting member BP moves upward, creating a space between the protrusion RO4 of the rotating body RO and the convex portion BP6b of the upper ring BP6 of the moving ball mounting member BP. Therefore, the rotating body RO and the on-off button BT can move upward by the biasing force of the coil spring CS1. More specifically, the rotating body RO moves upward until the left surface of the protrusion RO4 of the rotating body RO no longer contacts the right surface of the protrusion LR4 of the lower ring LR, and then moves upward while rotating around the axis of the lid unit 500. In this way, the on-off button BT transitions from the pressed state to the non-pressed state, and the on-off valve 540 transitions from the open state to the closed state. Then, the discharge path DP is closed by the on-off valve 540.

[0058] Further, in the electric kettle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the kettle body 200 is tilted while in the locked state and the on-off valve 540 is in the open state, the on-off valve 540 can transition from the open state to the closed state. Usually, when the kettle body 200 is tilted from the locked state, the open state of the on-off valve 540, and the upright state of the kettle body 200, the upper end portion of the side wall member 310 of the main body unit 300 collides with a surface such as a table or the floor, and an impact is applied to a part of the upper end portion of the side wall member 310 of the main body unit 300. This impact is a force that presses a part of the upper end portion of the side wall member 310 of the main body unit 300 toward the axis side of the lid unit 500. And this impact is also applied to a part of the discharge port forming portion 350 of the main body unit 300, a part of the upper surface member 510 of the lid unit 500, a part of the bottom plate member 520, and a part of the operation lever 560 through the side wall member 310 of the main body unit 300, and these members are also pressed toward the axis side of the lid unit 500. For this reason, a part of the upper surface member 510 of the lid unit 500, a part of the bottom plate member 520, and a part of the operation lever 560 are compressed toward the axis side of the lid unit 500 by this impact. Due to the force that compresses these members toward the axis side of the lid unit 500, the operation lever 560 moves upward against the biasing force of the coil spring CS2 even if not lifted by the user, as shown in FIG. 17. This is because the operation lever 560 in the locked state is biased downward by the coil spring CS2 (see FIGS. 4 and 5), and only upward movement is allowed. As shown in FIGS. 15→18, when the operation lever 560 moves upward, a space is created between the protrusion RO4 of the rotating body RO and the convex portion BP6b of the upper ring BP6 of the moving ball mounting member BP. For this reason, the rotating body RO and the on-off button BT can move upward by the biasing force of the coil spring CS1. More specifically, the rotating body RO moves upward until the left surface of the protrusion RO4 of the rotating body RO no longer contacts the right surface of the protrusion LR4 of the lower ring LR, and then moves upward while rotating around the axis of the lid unit 500. In this way, the on-off button BT transitions from the pressed state to the non-pressed state, and the on-off valve 540 transitions from the open state to the closed state. And the discharge path DP is closed by the on-off valve 540.Note that the height position of the operation lever 560 (see FIG. 17) that has moved upward due to the tilting of the kettle body 200 is lower than the height position of the operation lever 560 when the user lifts the operation lever 560 upward (see FIG. 16). For this reason, in FIG. 17, the fitting state between the convex fitting portion LS5 of the lever stopper LS of the lock mechanism 550 and the concave fitting portion RL1a of the locking lever RL of the locking mechanism LM is not released. That is, since the concave fitting portion RL1a of the locking lever RL of the locking mechanism LM is fitted into the convex fitting portion LS5 of the lever stopper LS of the lock mechanism 550, the locking lever RL of the locking mechanism LM is prevented from rotating about the axis AX.

[0059] <Features of the electric kettle according to the first embodiment of the present invention> (1) In the electric kettle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the operation lever 560 is lifted upward against the biasing force of the coil spring CS2, the locked state in which the lid unit 500 is locked to the main body unit 300 is released. Then, when the unlocking operation is performed in the locked state and the open state of the on-off valve 540, the on-off valve 540 transitions from the open state to the closed state in conjunction with the unlocking operation. For this reason, in this electric kettle 100, it is possible to reduce as much as possible the possibility that the open state of the discharge path DP is unnecessarily maintained.

[0060] (2) In the electric kettle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the kettle body 200 tilts from the locked state, the open state of the on-off valve 540, and the upright state of the kettle body 200, the upper end of the side wall member 310 of the main body unit 300 collides with a surface such as a table or the floor. Through the side wall member 310 of the main body unit 300, an impact is also applied to a part of the discharge port forming portion 350 of the main body unit 300, a part of the upper surface member 510 of the lid unit 500, a part of the bottom plate member 520, and a part of the operation lever 560. Then, due to the impact, a part of the upper surface member 510 of the lid unit 500, a part of the bottom plate member 520, and a part of the operation lever 560 are compressed toward the axis side of the lid unit 500, and the operation lever 560 moves upward against the biasing force of the coil spring CS2 even if not lifted by the user. Then, the on-off valve 540 transitions from the open state to the closed state. Therefore, in this electric kettle 100, it is possible to reduce as much as possible the risk that the open state of the discharge path DP is unnecessarily maintained, and to reduce as much as possible the risk that the liquid remaining in the liquid container 320 flows out.

[0061] <Modification> (A) In the electric kettle 100 according to the previous embodiment, when the unlocking operation was performed in the locked state and the open state of the on-off valve 540, the on-off valve 540 transitioned from the open state to the closed state in conjunction with the unlocking operation. Also, when the kettle body 200 tilted from the locked state, the open state of the on-off valve 540, and the upright state of the kettle body 200, a part of the upper surface member 510 of the lid unit 500, a part of the bottom plate member 520, and a part of the operation lever 560 were compressed toward the axis side of the lid unit 500, and the on-off valve 540 transitioned from the open state to the closed state. However, the electric kettle 100 according to the previous embodiment may also include operations and methods for transitioning the on-off valve 540 from the open state to the closed state in other cases.

[0062] (B) In the electric kettle 100 according to the previous embodiment, when the valve opening / closing mechanism 530 is pushed down against the biasing force of the coil spring CS1, when the operation lever 560 moves upward, a structure is adopted in which the valve opening / closing mechanism 530 also moves upward in conjunction with the operation lever 560. However, other structures may be adopted.

[0063] -Second Embodiment- <Configuration of the Electric Kettle According to the Second Embodiment of the Present Invention> As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the electric kettle 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention mainly includes a kettle body 200, a power base 600, and the like. As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the kettle body 200 mainly includes a main body unit 300, a handle unit 400, and a lid unit 700. That is, the electric kettle 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is different from the electric kettle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention in that it includes a lid unit 700 instead of the lid unit 500 of the electric kettle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Further, between the electric kettle 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention and the electric kettle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the types and shapes of the components in the main body unit 300, the handle unit 400, and the power base 600 are partially different. Hereinafter, these differences will be described in detail.

[0064] First, as shown in FIG. 19, in the side wall member 310 of the electric kettle 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, a front protrusion 311 is not formed at the upper part of the front portion. Instead, as shown in FIG. 19, a notch is formed at the upper part of the front portion of the side wall member 310, and the front protrusion 351 of the discharge port forming portion 350 is fitted into this notch.

[0065] Also, as shown in FIG. 19, the bottom member 330 of the electric kettle 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention has a shape that can be visually recognized when the kettle body 200 is placed on the power base 600.

[0066] Further, as shown in FIG. 21, in the discharge port forming portion 350 of the electric kettle 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the claw receiving portion 352 recessed outward is formed not at the middle portion of the left and right portions of the discharge port forming portion 350 but at the upper end portions of the left and right portions of the discharge port forming portion 350.

[0067] Further, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, in the handle unit 400 of the electric kettle 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, a dial mechanism 403 is not provided, and instead, a power switch 404 is provided. The power switch 404 is a switch for switching the connection state between the power supply terminal 342 of the heater unit 340 and the connection terminal 602. When the power switch 404 is turned on, the heater unit 340 is energized with the power supply base 600. Thereby, electricity is supplied to the heater unit 340, and the liquid in the liquid container 320 is heated. Since the power switch 404 is provided in the handle unit 400, the power supply base 600 of the electric kettle 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is not provided with a power switch. And a dial mechanism (not shown) for adjusting the temperature of the printed heater 341 of the heater unit 340 (that is, the water temperature of the liquid in the liquid container 320) is provided in the power supply base 600 of the electric kettle 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0068] Next, the lid unit 700 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 19 to 22, the lid unit 700 is a detachable substantially cylindrical lid body that covers the upper part of the main body unit 300. The user can remove the lid unit 700 from the main body unit 300 by operating the locking lever rl (described later) of the lid unit 700. And when the user heats the liquid put in the liquid container 320, the lid unit 700 is attached to the main body unit 300 to make the inside of the liquid container 320 a closed space. As shown in FIGS. 19 to 22, the lid unit 700 mainly includes an upper surface member 710, a bottom plate member 720, a valve opening / closing mechanism 730, a lower ring lr, an upper ring ur, an opening / closing valve 740, a locking lever rl, a seal member 790, and the like. Hereinafter, these components will be described in detail respectively.

[0069] As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the upper member 710 is a substantially annular member forming a stepped structure in a longitudinal sectional view, and constitutes the upper surface of the lid unit 700. As shown in FIGS. 19 to 22, an opening is formed in the central portion of the upper member 710, and an opening / closing button bt is fitted into this opening. Also, as shown in FIGS. 19 to 22, openings are also formed in the left and right portions outside the central portion of the upper member 710, and a locking lever rl is fitted into this opening.

[0070] As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the bottom plate member 720 mainly constitutes the lower part of the lid unit 700 and is formed by a side wall portion 721 and a bottom wall portion 722. The side wall portion 721 has a substantially cylindrical shape. As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, an upper surface member 710 is placed on the upper side of the side wall portion 721. Thereby, a steam flow space surrounded by the upper surface member 710 and the bottom plate member 720 is formed. The steam flow space serves to form a flow path for the steam generated in the liquid container 320. And a flow path forming portion (not shown) is formed at the front end portion of the side wall portion 721. The flow path forming portion is a portion that opens toward the pouring port 301 of the kettle body 200, and a discharge path for guiding the liquid in the liquid container 320 to the pouring port 301 is formed by the flow path forming portion. Also, as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, openings 721a are formed on the upper sides of the left and right portions of the side wall portion 721, and the claw portion rl2 of the locking lever rl can protrude from the openings 721a. The bottom wall portion 722 has a substantially annular shape in plan view, and forms a stepped structure in a longitudinal sectional view as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22. As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, an opening and closing valve 740 is disposed below the bottom wall portion 722. Here, as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the bottom wall portion 722 abuts against the packing 743 of the opening and closing valve 740 when the opening and closing valve 740 is in the closed state. And the bottom wall portion 722 does not abut against the packing 743 of the opening and closing valve 740 when the opening and closing valve 740 is in the open state. Thereby, when the opening and closing valve 740 is in the open state, the liquid in the liquid container 320 can be guided to the discharge path. Also, a central opening is formed at the central portion of the bottom wall portion 722, and the shaft portion 742 of the opening and closing valve 740 is fitted into this central opening (see FIGS. 21 and 22).

[0071] The valve opening and closing mechanism 730 is for switching between the open state and the closed state of the opening and closing valve 740. As shown in FIGS. 21 to 24, the valve opening and closing mechanism 730 is mainly composed of an opening and closing button bt, a rotating body ro, and the like. Hereinafter, these components will be described in detail.

[0072] The opening / closing button bt is a part that is pressed by the user when switching between the open state and the closed state of the opening / closing valve 740, and is fitted into the opening at the center of the upper surface member 710 as shown in FIGS. 19 to 22. Further, as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the opening / closing button bt is biased upward together with the rotating body ro by a coil spring CS5 arranged so as to surround the shaft portion 742 of the opening / closing valve 740. When the opening / closing button bt is pressed downward by the user against the biasing force of the coil spring CS5, the opening / closing valve 740 moves downward in conjunction with the pressing operation. Thereby, the opening / closing valve 740 is in an open state. The opening / closing button bt is formed from a side wall portion bt1, a top wall portion bt2, and a protrusion portion bt3 as shown in FIGS. 21 to 24. The side wall portion bt1 has a substantially cylindrical shape as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24. As shown in FIGS. 21 to 24, an upper ring ur is arranged outside the side wall portion bt1. Further, the lower end portion of the side wall portion bt1 has a triangular wave shape as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24. The lower surface of the triangular wave portion of the side wall portion bt1 is in contact with the surface on the axis side of the lid unit 700 among the upper surfaces of the protrusion portions ro4 of the rotating body ro. The top wall portion bt2 has a substantially disk shape as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24 and covers the upper opening of the side wall portion bt1. The protrusion portion bt3 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24 and extends outward from eight positions in the middle portion of the side wall portion bt1. Note that the protrusion portion bt3 is fitted into the groove portion between the convex portions ur3 of the upper ring ur and is movable up and down, and does not position below the lower end of the convex portion ur3 of the upper ring ur.

[0073] The rotating body ro is connected to the opening / closing button bt and is biased upward together with the opening / closing button bt by the coil spring CS5. Further, when the opening / closing button bt is pressed downward against the biasing force of the coil spring CS5, the rotating body ro moves downward while rotating around the axis of the lid unit 700. Further, as shown in FIGS. 21 to 24, the rotating body ro is formed of a side wall portion ro1, a top wall portion ro2, a flange portion ro3, and a protrusion portion ro4. Note that these components are the same as the side wall portion RO1, the top wall portion RO2, the flange portion RO3, and the protrusion portion RO4 of the rotating body RO of the electric kettle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, respectively. For this reason, the description of the rotating body ro is omitted here.

[0074] As shown in FIGS. 21 to 24, the lower ring lr is formed of a side wall portion lr1, a first wing portion lr2, a spring installation portion lr3, a second wing portion lr4, and a protrusion portion lr5. The side wall portion lr1 has a substantially cylindrical shape as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24. The first wing portion lr2 extends outward from the front and rear portions of the side wall portion LR1 as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24. The spring installation portion lr3 is formed on the lower surface of the first wing portion lr2 as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24. One end of a lower ring coil spring (not shown) that biases the lower ring lr upward is fitted into the spring installation portion lr3. The second wing portion lr4 extends outward from the right and left portions of the side wall portion lr1 as shown in FIGS. 21 to 24, and two are formed on the right portion of the side wall portion lr1 and two are formed on the left portion of the side wall portion ur1. Further, as shown in FIGS. 21 to 24, the outer end portion of the second wing portion lr4 is inclined downward as it extends outward. Further, as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the second wing portion lr4 is disposed in the internal space of the base portion rl1 of the locking lever rl. Then, as shown in FIGS. 22, 25, and 26, the inclined portion of the second wing portion lr4 is in contact with the inclined wall portion rl5 of the locking lever rl. The protrusion portion lr5 extends inward from eight positions on the upper portion of the side wall portion lr1 as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24. As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the upper surface of the protrusion portion lr5 is inclined more than the lower surface of the protrusion portion lr5, and the right and left surfaces of the protrusion portion lr5 are substantially parallel to the axis of the lid unit 500 as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24.

[0075] As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the upper ring ur is mainly formed by a side wall portion ur1, an annular portion ur2, a convex portion ur3, and an attachment portion ur4. As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the side wall portion ur1 has a substantially cylindrical shape. As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the annular portion ur2 has a substantially annular shape and is disposed at the upper end inside the side wall portion ur1. As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the convex portion ur3 extends downward from a position at a certain interval of the annular portion ur2. Note that the lower end portion of the convex portion ur3 has a sawtooth shape as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24. As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the attachment portions ur4 are respectively formed at the left and right portions of the front portion and the left and right portions of the rear portion of the side wall portion ur1 (that is, four are formed), and have a substantially cylindrical shape. Insertion holes are respectively formed in these four attachment portions ur4 (see FIGS. 23 and 24), and four rod portions (not shown) extending downward from the lower surface of the upper surface member 710 are respectively inserted into these insertion holes. Then, the upper ring ur is attached to the lower side of the upper surface member 710. Thereby, the height position of the upper ring ur is defined within the lid unit 700.

[0076] As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the on-off valve 740 is mainly composed of a valve body portion 741, a shaft portion 742, a packing 743, and a plug portion 744. Note that each of these components is the same as the valve body portion 541, the shaft portion 542, the packing 543, and the plug portion 544 of the on-off valve 540 of the electric kettle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. For this reason, the description of the on-off valve 740 is omitted here.

[0077] The locking lever rl is a pair of left and right members as shown in FIGS. 19 to 22. As shown in FIGS. 21 to 24, this locking lever rl is mainly formed of a base portion rl1, a claw portion rl2, a convex portion rl3, a spring installation portion rl4, and an inclined wall portion rl5. In FIGS. 23 and 24, only one of the pair of left and right locking levers rl is drawn. As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the base portion rl1 forms a two-stage structure in a longitudinal sectional view. As described above, the second wing portion lr4 of the lower ring lr is disposed in the internal space of the base portion rl1. The claw portion rl2 extends outward from the lower side of the lower stage portion of the base portion rl1 as shown in FIGS. 21 to 24. As shown in FIG. 21, when the locking lever rl is biased outward in the left and right directions by a coil spring CS4 (described later), the claw portion rl2 can be locked to the claw receiving portion 352 of the discharge port forming portion 350 of the main body unit 300. The convex portion rl3 extends upward (bulges) from the outer edge portion of the upper stage portion of the base portion rl1 as shown in FIGS. 21 to 24. As shown in FIG. 25, when the locking lever rl slides inward against the biasing force of the coil spring CS4, the convex portion rl3 contacts the edge of the opening in the upper surface member 710 into which the locking lever rl is fitted. Thus, the convex portion rl3 prevents the locking lever rl from sliding inward beyond this contact position. The spring installation portion rl4 is formed in the portion of the claw portion rl2 on the axial side of the lid unit 700 as shown in FIGS. 21 and 24. One end of a coil spring CS4 that biases the locking lever rl outward in the left and right directions is fitted into the spring installation portion rl4 (see FIG. 21). The inclined wall portion rl5 extends from the intermediate portion of the base portion rl1 so as to incline downward as it goes inward as shown in FIGS. 22 to 24. As described above, this inclined wall portion rl5 is in contact with the inclined portion of the second wing portion lr4 of the lower ring lr.

[0078] The seal member 790 is the same as the seal member 590 of the electric kettle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the description of the seal member 790 is omitted here.

[0079] <Regarding the open / closed state of the on-off valve in the electric kettle according to the second embodiment of the present invention> In the electric kettle 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the user can operate the open / close button bt of the valve opening / closing mechanism 730 to switch between the open state and the closed state of the on-off valve 740. In the closed state of the on-off valve 740 (that is, the state where the open / close button bt is not pressed downward), the packing 743 of the on-off valve 740 is in close contact with the lower surface of the bottom plate member 720 (see FIGS. 21 and 22), so the discharge path for guiding the liquid in the liquid container 320 to the spout 301 is in a closed state. And in the open state of the on-off valve 740 (that is, the state where the open / close button bt is pressed downward), the packing 743 of the on-off valve 740 is separated from the lower surface of the bottom plate member 720, so the discharge path is in an open state.

[0080] First, the closed state of the on-off valve 740 of the electric kettle 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 22. In the closed state of the on-off valve 740, the open / close button bt is not pressed downward, and the rotating body ro connected to the open / close button bt has not moved downward either. In other words, the open / close button bt and the rotating body ro are biased upward by the coil spring CS5. At this time, the protrusion bt3 of the open / close button bt and the protrusion ro4 of the rotating body ro are fitted into the groove between the convex portions ur3 of the upper ring ur. Also, the protrusion ro4 of the rotating body ro is located above the protrusion lr5 of the lower ring lr without contacting the protrusion lr5 of the lower ring lr.

[0081] Next, the transition of the on-off valve 740 of the electric kettle 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention from the closed state to the open state will be described in detail. When the on-off valve 740 is in the closed state, the user can open the on-off valve 740 by pressing the on-off button bt downward against the biasing force of the coil spring CS5. When the on-off button bt is pressed downward, a downward force is also applied to the rotating body ro via the protrusion ro4 of the rotating body ro by the triangular wave portion of the side wall portion bt1 of the on-off button bt. Therefore, the rotating body ro also moves downward against the biasing force of the coil spring CS5. At this time, since the protrusion t3 of the on-off button bt is fitted into the groove between the convex portions ur3 of the upper ring ur, the on-off button bt is restricted by the groove and does not rotate around the axis of the lid unit 700. However, when the protrusion ro4 of the rotating body ro moves downward, it comes out of the groove in which it is currently fitted and moves to the lower side of the convex portion ur3 of the upper ring ur, so it is no longer restricted by the groove. Therefore, due to the shape of the triangular wave portion of the side wall portion bt1 of the on-off button bt and the shape of the protrusion ro4 of the rotating body ro, a force around the axis of the lid unit 700 is applied to the rotating body ro, and the rotating body ro moves downward while rotating around the axis of the lid unit 700. Then, when the user presses the on-off button bt (and the rotating body ro) to the lowest height position and releases the finger from the on-off button bt, the on-off button bt and the rotating body ro move slightly upward by the biasing force of the coil spring CS5. Although not shown, in this state, the protrusion ro4 of the rotating body ro is in contact with the sawtooth portion of the convex portion ur3 of the upper ring ur and is also in contact with the protrusion lr5 of the lower ring lr. Therefore, after the on-off button bt and the rotating body ro move slightly upward by the biasing force of the coil spring CS5, the on-off button bt and the rotating body ro are prevented from moving further upward by the biasing force of the coil spring CS5, and the rotating body ro is prevented from rotating around the axis of the lid unit 700. In this way, the state where the on-off button bt is pressed, that is, the open state of the on-off valve 740 is maintained.

[0082] Next, the transition of the on-off valve 740 of the electric kettle 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention from the open state to the closed state will be described in detail. First, when the open state of the on-off valve 740 is maintained, the user presses the on-off button bt (and the rotating body ro) to the lowest height position against the biasing force of the coil spring CS5 (see FIG. 26). At this time, the state where the protrusion ro4 of the rotating body ro is in contact with the sawtooth portion of the convex portion ur3 of the upper ring ur and the protrusion lr5 of the lower ring lr is released. Then, when the user releases the finger from the on-off button bt, the on-off button bt moves upward by the biasing force of the coil spring CS5, and the rotating body ro moves upward while rotating around the axis of the lid unit 700 (see FIGS. 26→22). Note that the protrusion ro4 of the rotating body ro is finally fitted into the groove between the convex portions ur3 of the upper ring ur. In this way, the on-off button bt transitions from the pressed state to the non-pressed state, and the on-off valve 740 transitions from the open state to the closed state.

[0083] <Regarding the case of changing the open state of the on-off valve to the closed state by a method other than operating the on-off button in the electric kettle according to the second embodiment of the present invention> In the electric kettle 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the lid unit 700 can be locked to the main body unit 300 when the lid unit 700 is attached to the main body unit 300 by the locking lever rl of the lid unit 700. Then, the user can release the state where the lid unit 700 is locked to the main body unit 300 (hereinafter referred to as the "locked state") by operating the locking lever rl (hereinafter, this operation is referred to as the "lock release operation"). In the electric kettle 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, when this lock release operation is performed when the on-off valve 740 is in the open state, the on-off valve 740 transitions from the open state to the closed state.

[0084] First, the locked state will be described with reference to FIG. 21. In the locked state, the claw portion rl2 of the locking lever rl is locked to the claw receiving portion 352 of the discharge port forming portion 350. At this time, the coil spring CS4 biases the claw portion rl2 of the locking lever rl outward.

[0085] Next, the unlocking operation will be described with reference to FIG. 25. The user hooks a finger on the base portion rl1 of the pair of locking levers rl (for example, hooks the index finger on one base portion rl1 and the thumb on the other base portion rl1), and moves the locking lever rl inward against the biasing force of the coil spring CS4. As a result, the state in which the claw portion rl2 of the locking lever rl is locked to the claw receiving portion 352 of the discharge port forming portion 350 is released. When the locking lever rl moves inward, a downward force is applied to the inclined portion of the second wing portion lr4 of the lower ring lr that contacts the inclined wall portion rl5 of the locking lever rl, and the lower ring lr moves downward against the biasing force of the coil spring for the lower ring lr (see FIG. 25). When the unlocking operation is performed and the lower ring lr moves downward while the on-off valve 740 is in the open state, the state in which the protrusion ro4 of the rotating body ro and the protrusion lr5 of the lower ring lr are in contact is released. For this reason, due to the biasing force of the coil spring CS5, the on-off button bt moves upward, and the rotating body ro moves upward while rotating around the axis of the lid unit 700 in a state where the protrusion ro4 of the rotating body ro is in contact with the sawtooth wave portion of the convex portion ur3 of the upper ring ur. Then, the protrusion ro4 of the rotating body ro is fitted into the groove portion between the convex portions ur3 of the upper ring ur, the on-off button bt transitions from the pressed state to the non-pressed state, and the on-off valve 740 transitions from the open state to the closed state. When the user releases the finger from the base portion rl1 of the locking lever rl, the locking lever rl moves outward due to the biasing force of the coil spring CS4, and the lower ring lr moves upward due to the biasing force of the coil spring for the lower ring lr.

[0086] <Features of the electric kettle according to the second embodiment of the present invention> In the electric kettle 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, when the locking lever rl moves inward against the biasing force of the coil spring CS4, the locked state in which the lid unit 700 is locked to the main body unit 300 is released. Then, when the unlocking operation is performed in the locked state and the open state of the on-off valve 740, the on-off valve 740 transitions from the open state to the closed state in conjunction with the unlocking operation. Therefore, in this electric kettle 101, it is possible to reduce as much as possible the risk that the open state of the discharge path is unnecessarily maintained.

[0087] <Modification example> (A) In the electric kettle 101 according to the previous embodiment, when the unlocking operation was performed in the locked state and the open state of the on-off valve 740, the on-off valve 740 transitioned from the open state to the closed state in conjunction with the unlocking operation. However, the electric kettle 101 according to the previous embodiment may also include an operation or method for transitioning the on-off valve 740 from the open state to the closed state in other cases.

[0088] (B) In the electric kettle 101 according to the previous embodiment, when the locking lever rl was moved inward against the biasing force of the coil spring CS4 while the valve opening / closing mechanism 730 was being pushed down against the biasing force of the coil spring CS5, a structure was adopted in which the valve opening / closing mechanism 730 moved upward. However, other structures may be adopted.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0089] 100 Electric kettle (container body) 300 Main body unit (main body) 301 Pouring spout (discharge port) 500 Lid unit (lid body) 530 Valve opening / closing mechanism (switching part) 560 Operation lever (grip part) 700 Lid unit (lid body) 730 Valve opening / closing mechanism (switching part) CS1 Coil spring (biasing part) CS5 Coil spring (second biasing part) DP discharge path rl locking lever (locking part)

Claims

1. A main body, A lid attached to the upper part of the main body, A discharge port formed in the lid for discharging the contents in the main body to the outside, A discharge path formed inside the lid for guiding the contents to the discharge port, A switching part that can switch between an open state and a closed state of the discharge path by being operated for the first time, and comprising, When the discharge path is in an open state, if a second operation, which is an operation of removing the lid from the main body, is performed, the discharge path becomes a closed state A container body.

2. A main body, A lid attached to the upper part of the main body, A discharge port formed in the lid for discharging the contents in the main body to the outside, A discharge path formed inside the lid for guiding the contents to the discharge port, A switching part that can switch between an open state and a closed state of the discharge path by being operated for the first time, and comprising, When the discharge path is in an open state, if a third operation, which is an operation of pressing at least a part of the lid toward the central axis side of the lid, is performed, the discharge path becomes a closed state A container body.

3. A main body, A lid attached to the upper part of the main body, A discharge port formed in the lid for discharging the contents in the main body to the outside, A discharge path formed inside the lid for guiding the contents to the discharge port, A switching part that can switch between an open state and a closed state of the discharge path by being operated for the first time, A gripping part disposed on the lid, A biasing part that biases the switching part toward the side (hereinafter referred to as the "detaching side") where the lid is detached from the main body, and comprising, When the discharge path is in the open state, the switching part moves to the side opposite to the detaching side against the biasing force of the biasing part. When the discharge path is in the open state and a fourth operation is performed to move the gripping part toward the detaching side, the switching part is moved to the detaching side by the biasing part in conjunction with the movement of the gripping part, so that the discharge path becomes closed. Container body.

4. A main body, A lid attached to the upper part of the main body, A discharge port formed in the lid for discharging the contents inside the main body to the outside, A discharge path formed inside the lid and capable of guiding the contents to the discharge port, A switching part that can switch between the open state and the closed state of the discharge path when a first operation is performed, A locking part disposed on the lid and capable of locking the lid to the main body, A second biasing part that biases the switching part toward the side for detaching the lid from the main body (hereinafter referred to as the "detaching side"), and is provided. When the discharge path is in the open state, the switching part moves to the side opposite to the detaching side against the biasing force of the second biasing part. When the discharge path is in the open state and a fifth operation is performed to release the locked state of the lid with respect to the main body by moving the locking part toward the central axis side of the lid, the switching part is moved to the detaching side by the second biasing part in conjunction with the movement of the locking part, so that the discharge path becomes closed. Container body.

Images