Hot-air cooking appliance comprising a cooking container having integrated handles

Abstract

The invention relates to an electric cooking appliance (1) configured to cook food, comprising a housing (2) comprising a receiving cavity (3), a cooking container (4) configured to receive food to be cooked and a facade (6) comprising an outer facade surface (7) and two lateral gripping handles (8). The electric cooking appliance (1) further comprises a hot-air heating system configured to heat and cook food in at least one hot-air cooking mode. The facade (6) comprises two lateral recesses each defining the two lateral gripping handles (8), and each of the lateral recesses comprises a base surface which is recessed with respect to the outer facade surface (7).

Description

Hot air cooking appliance including a cooking container with integrated handles

[0001] The present invention relates generally to an electric cooking appliance for cooking food according to at least one hot air cooking method. State of the art

[0002] It is known from the prior art to use an electric cooking appliance configured for cooking food, and comprising: a housing including a receiving compartment; a cooking vessel including a cooking chamber configured for receiving food to be cooked and a front panel including an external front surface and two side handles, the cooking vessel being configured to occupy an insertion position in which the cooking vessel is disposed at least partially in the receiving compartment and in which the cooking chamber delimits, together with the housing, a cooking chamber, and a withdrawal position in which the cooking vessel is at least partially withdrawn from the receiving compartment and in which the cooking chamber is accessible to a user,a hot air heating system provided in an upper portion of the housing and configured to heat and cook the food inside the receiving compartment according to at least one hot air cooking method, the hot air heating system comprising: a fan disposed in the upper portion of the housing and configured to generate an airflow in the cooking chamber; a drive unit configured to rotate the fan around an axis of rotation; and a heating device disposed in the upper portion.

[0003] This type of electric cooking appliance is efficient because it allows a user to cook food placed in the cooking chamber, particularly using a hot air cooking method.

[0004] However, a drawback of such an electric cooking appliance lies in the overall size of the cooking vessel, and particularly its lateral bulk due to the presence of the side handles. Furthermore, the combined mass of the cooking vessel and the food inside necessitates the use of handles of sufficient size to ensure a comfortable grip for the user, which further contributes to the overall size of the electric cooking appliance.

[0005] The technical problem underlying the invention is therefore to provide an electric cooking appliance designed for cooking food using at least one hot air cooking method, which is of simple, compact and economical structure, while limiting the overall size of a cooking container equipping the electric cooking appliance and promoting a good grip on the cooking container.

[0006] For this purpose, the present invention relates to an electric cooking appliance configured to cook food, and comprising: a housing including a receiving compartment;a cooking vessel comprising a cooking chamber configured to receive food to be cooked and a front comprising an external front surface and two gripping handles, the cooking vessel being configured to occupy an insertion position in which the cooking vessel is disposed at least partially in the receiving housing and in which the cooking chamber and the housing delimit a cooking chamber, and a withdrawal position in which the cooking vessel is at least partially withdrawn from the receiving housing and in which the cooking chamber is accessible to a user, a hot air heating system provided at least partially in an upper portion of the housing and configured to heat and cook the food present inside the receiving housing according to at least one hot air cooking mode;

[0007] the facade comprising two lateral recesses defining respectively at least in part the two lateral gripping handles, each of the lateral recesses comprising a bottom surface which is located inset from the external surface of the facade.

[0008] Such a configuration of the invention allows the user to easily grasp and manipulate the cooking vessel while maintaining its compact shape despite the presence of the side handles. Indeed, the integration of the side handles within the overall dimensions of the cooking vessel, resulting from the presence of the lateral recesses, ensures that the overall size of the cooking vessel, and by extension, of the electric cooking appliance, is not affected.

[0009] The electric cooking appliance may also have one or more of the following characteristics, which may be taken alone or in combination.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the invention, the electric cooking appliance has an overall lateral footprint that is not defined by the two lateral gripping handles.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the invention, the electric cooking appliance includes a control unit configured to control the operation of the electric cooking appliance according to at least one hot air cooking mode.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the invention, the control unit is configured to activate the hot air heating system when the electric cooking appliance is in hot air cooking mode.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the invention, the facade comprises a front part of the facade extending over a front face of the cooking tank, and two lateral parts of the facade extending respectively at least in part over lateral walls of the cooking tank, the two lateral recesses being arranged respectively on the two lateral parts of the facade.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the invention, the housing comprises an external housing surface, and the external front surface is substantially flush with the external housing surface when the cooking container is in the insertion position.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the invention, each side gripping handle is static relative to the cooking container.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the invention, each side gripping handle comprises a manipulation part which is located opposite and at a distance from the bottom surface of the respective lateral recess, the two lateral recesses and the manipulation parts defining two insertion housings each configured to receive at least part of the fingers of a respective hand of the user.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the invention, each manipulation part is configured to be recessed from or flush with the external facade surface.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the invention, each handling part includes a rear edge which is configured to extend substantially vertically when the housing rests on a horizontal surface and the cooking container occupies the insertion position.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the invention, the cooking container is configured to occupy a plurality of intermediate positions provided between the insertion position and the withdrawal position.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the invention, the cooking container is removable from the housing.

[0021] According to one embodiment of the invention, the cooking tank delimits an internal volume greater than 6 liters, advantageously greater than 8 liters, and for example greater than 10 liters.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the invention, the electric cooking appliance is configured such that a movement of the cooking container from the insertion position to the withdrawal position includes at least one translational movement which is substantially horizontal when the housing rests on a horizontal surface.

[0023] According to one embodiment of the invention, the movement of the cooking container from the withdrawal position to the insertion position includes at least one translational movement which is substantially horizontal when the housing rests on a horizontal surface.

[0024] According to one embodiment of the invention, the hot air heating system comprises:

[0025] - a fan located in the upper portion of the casing and configured to generate an airflow into the cooking chamber;

[0026] - a drive unit configured to rotate the fan around an axis of rotation; and

[0027] - a heating device located in the upper portion of the case and configured to heat the airflow generated by the fan.

[0028] According to one embodiment, the external surface of the front panel includes a first support surface located near the first recess and a second support surface located near the second recess, the first and second support surfaces forming a continuous surface with an external surface of the housing when the cooking container is in its insertion position. Brief description of the figures

[0029] The present invention will be better understood with the aid of the following description with reference to the accompanying figures, in which identical reference signs correspond to structurally and / or functionally identical or similar elements.

[0030] is a perspective view of an electric cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0031] is a side perspective view of a cooking container belonging to the electric cooking appliance of the;

[0032] is a front perspective view of the cooking vessel during handling by a user. Detailed description

[0033] In this document, the terms "front", "upper" and "lateral" are defined with respect to normal use of the electric cooking appliance during which the housing rests on a horizontal surface.

[0034] Unless otherwise stipulated, the term "substantially" means, in this document, "exactly or to within 10% or to within 10°".

[0035] Figures 1 to 3 represent an electric cooking appliance 1, such as a hot air cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0036] The electric cooking appliance 1 is configured for cooking food, such as meat, fish, vegetables or other foods, and includes a control unit UC configured to control the operation of the electric cooking appliance 1 according to at least one hot air cooking mode, the operation of which will be detailed below.

[0037] The electric cooking appliance 1 includes a housing 2 comprising a receiving compartment 3, and a cooking container 4 configured to be placed removably in the receiving compartment 3 and to receive food to be cooked.

[0038] More specifically, the cooking vessel 4 comprises a cooking chamber 5 configured to receive the food to be cooked and defining an internal volume that may exceed 10 liters. The cooking vessel 4 is configured to occupy an insertion position in which the cooking vessel 4 is at least partially placed within the receiving chamber 3 and in which the cooking chamber 5 and the housing 2 define a cooking chamber, and a withdrawal position in which the cooking vessel 4 is at least partially withdrawn from the receiving chamber 3 and in which the cooking chamber 5 is accessible to a user. Advantageously, the electric cooking appliance 1 is configured such that a movement of the cooking vessel 4 from the insertion position to the withdrawal position includes at least one translational movement that is substantially horizontal when the housing 2 rests on a horizontal surface.The cooking container 4 can be configured to occupy a plurality of intermediate positions provided between the insertion position and the removal position.

[0039] The cooking vessel 4 has a front 6 comprising an external front surface 7 and two side gripping handles 8. The front 6 more particularly comprises a front part 9 extending over a front face of the cooking vessel 5, and two side parts 10 extending respectively at least in part over two side walls of the cooking vessel 5, the two side gripping handles 8 being arranged respectively on the two side parts 10.

[0040] According to the embodiment of the invention shown in the figures, the housing 2 has an external housing surface 11, and the external front surface 7 is substantially flush with the external housing surface 11 when the cooking container 4 is in the insertion position.

[0041] Each of the side gripping handles 8 has a handling part 12 which is static relative to the cooking container 4, and which is, for example, directly provided on the front 6. Advantageously, each handling part 12 is configured to be recessed or flush with the external front surface 7.

[0042] According to the embodiment of the invention shown in the figures, each handling part 12 comprises a rear edge 13 that is substantially straight and configured to extend substantially vertically when the housing 2 rests on a horizontal surface and the cooking container 4 is in the insertion position. However, according to another embodiment of the invention, the rear edges 13 of the two handling parts 12 could extend substantially horizontally when the housing 2 rests on a horizontal surface and the cooking container 4 is in the insertion position.

[0043] As shown more specifically in Figures 2 and 3, the front panel 6 has two lateral recesses 14 provided respectively on the two lateral parts of the front panel 10. Advantageously, each manipulation part 12 is located opposite and at a distance from a bottom surface 15 of the respective lateral recess 14. Thus, the lateral recesses 14 and the manipulation parts 12 define two insertion slots 16, each configured to receive at least part of the fingers of one of the user's respective hands.

[0044] The handling parts 12 have a lateral footprint that is less than or equal to the overall lateral footprint of the cooking container 4. This configuration of the invention allows a user to easily grasp and manipulate the cooking container 4 of the electric cooking appliance 1 while maintaining a compact configuration of the cooking container 4 despite the presence of the side gripping handles 8. Indeed, the integration of the side gripping handles 8, and in particular the handling parts 12, within the overall footprint of the cooking container 4 makes it possible not to impact the overall footprint of the cooking container 4, and by extension, of the electric cooking appliance 1.

[0045] As illustrated in Figure 1, the external surface of the front panel includes a first support surface located near the first recess and a second support surface located near the second recess. These support surfaces allow the user to position their thumb to brace against the front panel and hold the cooking container 4 horizontally when it is removed from the housing 2 outside the receiving compartment 3.

[0046] In addition, the first and second bearing surfaces form a continuous surface with an external surface of the housing when the cooking container 4 is in its insertion position.

[0047] The electric cooking appliance 1 further includes a hot air heating system 17 provided in an upper portion of the housing 2 and configured to heat and cook the food inside the receiving compartment 3. Advantageously, the control unit UC is configured to activate the hot air heating system 17 when the electric cooking appliance 1 is in hot air cooking mode.

[0048] The hot air heating system 17 includes a fan 17.1 disposed in the upper portion of the housing 2 and configured to generate an airflow in the cooking chamber, a drive unit 17.2, such as a drive motor, configured to rotate the fan 17.1 around an axis of rotation (which may, for example, be substantially vertical when the housing 2 rests on a horizontal surface), and a heating device 17.3, such as an electric heating element, disposed in the upper portion of the housing 2 and configured to heat the airflow generated by the fan 17.1. Advantageously, the heating device 17.3 is configured to be located opposite an upper opening of the cooking vessel 5 when the cooking container 4 is in the insertion position.

[0049] Of course, the present invention is in no way limited to the embodiment described and illustrated, which has been given only by way of example. Modifications remain possible, particularly with regard to the composition of the various elements or by substitution of technical equivalents, without departing from the scope of protection of the invention.

Claims

An electric cooking appliance (1) configured for cooking food, comprising: a housing (2) including a receiving compartment (3); a cooking vessel (4) including a cooking chamber (5) configured for receiving food to be cooked and a front panel (6) including an external front panel surface (7) and two side gripping handles (8), the cooking vessel (4) being configured to occupy an insertion position in which the cooking vessel (4) is disposed at least partially in the receiving compartment (3) and in which the cooking chamber (5) and the housing (2) define a cooking chamber, and a withdrawal position in which the cooking vessel (4) is at least partially withdrawn from the receiving compartment (3) and in which the cooking chamber (5) is accessible to a user,and a hot air heating system (17) provided at least in part in an upper portion of the housing (2) and configured to heat and cook the food inside the receiving compartment (3) according to at least one hot air cooking method, characterized in that the front (6) has two lateral recesses (14) defining at least in part the two lateral gripping handles (8), each of the lateral recesses (14) comprising a bottom surface (15) which is set back from the external front surface (7). Electric cooking appliance (1) according to claim 1, in which the front (6) comprises a front part of the front (9) extending over a front face of the cooking tank (5), and two lateral parts of the front (10) extending respectively at least in part over lateral walls of the cooking tank (5), the two lateral recesses (14) being arranged respectively on the two lateral parts of the front (10). Electric cooking appliance (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the housing (2) has an external housing surface (11), and the external front surface (7) is substantially flush with the external housing surface (11) when the cooking container (4) is in the insertion position. Electric cooking appliance (1) According to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each side gripping handle (8) is static relative to the cooking container (4). Electric cooking appliance (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each side gripping handle (8) has a handling part (12) which is located opposite and at a distance from the bottom surface (15) of the respective side recess (14), the two side recesses (14) and the handling parts (12) defining two insertion slots (16) each configured to receive at least part of the fingers of a respective hand of the user. Electric cooking appliance (1) according to claim 5, wherein each handling part (12) is configured to be recessed from or flush with the external front surface (7). Electric cooking appliance (1) according to claim 5 or 6, wherein each handling part (12) includes a rear edge (13) which is configured to extend substantially vertically when the housing (2) rests on a horizontal surface and the cooking container (4) occupies the insertion position. Electric cooking appliance (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, in which the cooking chamber (5) delimits an internal volume greater than 6 liters, advantageously greater than 8 liters, and for example greater than 10 liters. Electric cooking appliance (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which is configured such that a movement of the cooking container (4) from the insertion position to the withdrawal position includes at least one translational movement which is substantially horizontal when the housing (2) rests on a horizontal surface. Electric cooking appliance (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the hot air heating system (17) comprises: - a fan (17.1) disposed in the upper portion of the housing (2) and configured to generate an airflow in the cooking chamber; - a drive unit (17.2) configured to drive the fan (17.1) in rotation around an axis of rotation; and - a heating device (17.3) disposed in the upper portion of the housing (2) and configured to heat the airflow generated by the fan (17.1).

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