Patent Application
20220061576
The present invention relates to a pressure cooking appliance.
Certain cooking appliances, for instance a pressure cooking appliance, may be equipped with a lid, which usually includes an upper lid portion and a lower lid portion, wherein the lower lid portion is made for lockingly covering the body of the pressure cooker to form a cooking chamber and is generally made of materials of relatively high strength, such as stainless steel. The upper lid portion is generally made of plastic or similar materials for substantially entirely covering an upper side of the lower lid portion and forming an insulation chamber between the upper lid portion and the lower lid portion, so as to prevent a user from being scalded through accidental contact with the lower lid portion. As far as the pressure cooker is concerned, the lid may include a pressure-limiting device for controlling the cooking pressure, wherein the pressure-limiting device can be operable to discharge air from the cooking chamber to reduce the pressure and temperature of the cooking chamber, so that the lid can be opened safely after the cooking is completed. However, relying only on such pressure-limiting device and natural cooling will result in slow cooling speed, which is unsatisfactory to consumers' need for rapid cooking.
Therefore, there is a need for improvements to the current cooking appliances.
The present invention provides a pressure cooking appliance and a lid thereof capable of facilitating the rapid cooling of the temperature of the cooking chamber of the pressure cooking appliance.
In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a lid for a pressure cooking appliance, the lid comprising an upper lid portion and a lower lid portion, the lower lid portion being constructed and arranged for lockingly covering a cooker body of the pressure cooking appliance to form a cooking chamber therebetween for pressurized cooking, the upper lid portion being disposed above the lower lid portion and substantially covers the lower lid portion, the upper lid portion comprising a main lid body and a removable cover, the main lid body comprising an opening portion formed substantially at a central portion of the main lid body for exposing the lower lid portion or at least a portion thereof, the removable cover being removably attachable to the opening portion and operable to expose at least a portion of the lower lid portion for accelerating the cooling of the cooking chamber, thereby speeding up a wait time for safely opening the lid.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the removable cover of the upper lid portion comprises a substantially planar main body and a handle portion disposed at a front side rim of the removable cover, wherein the handle portion is oriented upward angularly relative to the substantially planar main body for allowing access by hand to an underside of the handle portion and manual lifting of the handle portion.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, a front side portion of the handle portion of the removable cover and a rim portion of the opening portion form a gap for accommodating access by hand to an underside of the handle portion.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the removable cover of the upper lid portion comprises a grid structure having a plurality of through-grooves for reducing the material cost of the removable cover.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the removable cover comprises at least one pin disposed near a rear end of a peripheral sidewall of the removable cover, and a fastener disposed near a front end of the peripheral sidewall of the removable cover; wherein an inner sidewall of the main lid body defining the opening portion comprises at least one corresponding slot for receiving the at least one pin, and a socket for receiving the fastener, so as to secure the removable cover substantially within the opening portion of the main lid body.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the area of the removable cover is at least ⅕ of the total area of the upper lid portion.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the lid comprises an arch shaped lid handle, wherein the removable cover is located under the lid handle.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the lower lid portion comprises a downward receiving recess disposed thereon and positioned to substantially correspond with the removable cover, for providing an increased space for receiving a cooling pack, cooling towel, or coolant.
In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a pressure cooking appliance comprising a cooker body and a lid for a pressure cooking appliance as described above, wherein the lid is constructed and arranged for covering the cooker body.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the cooker body comprises two latch slots disposed on a rear side thereof, the upper lid portion comprises two latch bars disposed near a rear periphery thereof, wherein each of the latch slots is configured for receiving one of the latch bars therein so that the lid is supported near the rear side of the cooker body in an outwardly inclined upright orientation.
Using the cooking appliance in accordance with the present disclosure, upon completion of the cooking process, the removable cover of the upper lid portion can be detached therefrom to expose the lower lid portion, thereby facilitating the cooling of the cooking chamber. In addition, cooling towel or cooling pack can be placed at the opening portion of the main lid body to help with cooling and allow the cooked food to be enjoyed sooner.
It is to be understood that, the aforementioned general description and the detailed description that follows are exemplary and explanatory, and are not limiting or exhaustive as to the embodiments of the present invention.
Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present invention. Instead, they are merely examples of devices, systems, equipment and methods consistent with some aspects of the present disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.
Referring to
The lid 1 and cooker body 2 of the cooking appliance in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure are constructed and arranged to have a separable configuration, wherein the lid 1 can be completely removed or detached from the cooker body 2. With reference to
A sliding seat 240 is disposed near a top portion of a rear sidewall of the intermediate plate 24, wherein a sliding groove 241 is disposed on the sliding seat 240. A mounting seat 110 is disposed at a rear side of the upper lid portion 11, wherein a sliding member 111 is disposed at a lower portion of the mounting seat 110 and extends downwardly therefrom beyond a bottom rim of the lid 1, and wherein the sliding member 111 is constructed and arranged for insertion into the sliding groove 241 and gliding movement therein. The sliding groove 241 is substantially arc shaped, and has stopper walls disposed at two ends of the sliding groove 241 for preventing the sliding member 111 from moving outside of the sliding groove 241. By way of the mutual engagement between the sliding member 111 and the sliding groove 241, the lid 1 can rotate relative to the cooker body 2 between a lid open position and a lid lock position. When the lid is at the lid open location, a user can grasp a lid handle 13 disposed on top of the lid 1 and lift the lid 1.
When the lid is at the lid lock location, the lid 1 and the cooker body 2 are mutually latched. Referring to
Now referring to
The removable cover 113 can be fastened or secured to the opening portion 114. In some embodiments, at least one pin (not numbered) is disposed near a rear end of a peripheral sidewall of the removable cover 113, and a fastener (not numbered) is disposed near a front end of the peripheral sidewall of the removable cover; wherein an inner side wall of the main lid body defining the opening portion 114 comprises at least one corresponding slot and a socket (not numbered) for receiving the at least one pin and the fastener, respectively, wherein the removable cover 113 can be secured within the confine of the opening portion 114 by firstly inserting the at least one pin into the corresponding slot, followed by downwardly pressing the removable cover 113 so that the fastener thereon is secured to the corresponding socket.
When the cooking process is completed, the removable cover 113 can be detached to expose the lower lid portion 12 thereunder, which is a top wall of the cooking chamber, thereby facilitating the cooling of the cooking chamber. Alternatively, cold towels or ice bags can be placed at the opening portion 114 to help with the rapid cooling of the cooking chamber so as to allow the cooked food to be enjoyed sooner.
In some embodiments, a handle portion 115 is formed at a front side rim of the removable cover 113, wherein the removable cover 113 is substantially planar, wherein the handle portion 115 is oriented upward angularly relative to a main plane of the removable cover 113 for allowing a user to access an underside of the handle portion 115 and manually move the handle portion 115 upward, thereby lifting the removable cover 113. The removable cover 113 is shaped to substantially conform to the shape of the opening portion 114, for securing the removable cover 113 to the opening portion 114. With reference to
Preferably, the removable cover 113 comprises a grid structure having a plurality of through-grooves for reducing the quantity and cost of the materials required. The upper lid portion 11 may further comprise an installation cover 15, wherein the installation cover 15 is disposed on top of the mounting seat 110 of the upper lid portion 11.
In some embodiments, the area of the removable cover 113 is at least ⅕ of the area of the entire upper lid portion 11, since a smaller area would be less effective in cooling.
With reference to
In some embodiments, the lid 1 further comprises certain safety devices disposed thereon, for example an opening-stop mechanism 16 (see
In some embodiments, the sliding seat 240 of the intermediate plate 24 further comprises at least one latch slot 242, wherein the at least one latch slot 242 extends in a vertical direction. The upper lid portion 11 comprises one or more latch bars 117 disposed near a rear periphery thereof, the latch bars 117 extend outwardly and horizontally from a periphery of a horizontally placed upper lid portion 11, whereas when the lid 1 is oriented vertically, the latch bars 117 can be inserted downwardly into the at least one latch slot 242, so that the lid 1 is supported near a rear side of the pot body, thereby avoiding muddling the countertop with the lid 1 while affording users the convenience of accessing the food. In some embodiments, two latch slots 242 are disposed on the intermediate plate 24 and symmetrically positioned at both ends of the sliding groove 241, respectively. Each of the latch bars 117 can be inserted into a corresponding latch slot 242 so that the lid 1 is supported near a rear side of the cooker body 2 in an outwardly inclined upright orientation. Advantageously, the latch slot 242 on the right side will facilitate right-handed insertion operation, whereas the latch slot 242 on the left side will facilitate left-handed insertion operation. Further, placing the lid 1 in an outwardly inclined orientation helps a user avoid scalds caused by accidental contact with the lid 1.
Referring to
The terms used in the present application are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the present application. As used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be understood that, as used herein, the term “and/or” refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
The foregoing is only preferred embodiments of the present application only, and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., which are made within the spirit and principles of the present application should be included within the scope of protection of the present application.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201811247107.0 | Oct 2018 | CN | national |
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/661,004, filed on Oct. 23, 2019, pending, which claims priority to China Patent Application 201811247107.0, filed on Oct. 24, 2018, and is entitled “A Pressure Cooking Appliance with Lid”, the entireties of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16661004 | Oct 2019 | US |
| Child | 17522138 | US |
