AU601372B2

AU601372B2 - Heated cooking cover

Info

Publication number: AU601372B2
Application number: AU61457/86A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Horst Schultz
Original assignee: Alfa Institut fuer Hauswirtschaftliche Produkt und Verfahrens Entwicklung
Current assignee: AMC International Alfa Metalcraft Corp AG
Priority date: 1985-08-09
Filing date: 1986-07-29
Publication date: 1990-09-13
Anticipated expiration: 2006-07-29
Also published as: FI880522A0; EP0271488A1; PT83162B; SG69691G; PT83162A; FI880522L; CN86105476A; DD251496A5; CN1007874B; WO1987000742A1; CA1262930A; IL79600A0; NZ217142A; YU139686A; GR862092B; EP0271488B1; IE862144L; AR241068A2; MX170451B; DE3671157D1

Description

P TWELTO RGAN ISATION FOR GITGSEGNU (51) Internationale Patentklassifikation 4 (11) Internationale Veroffentlichungsnummer: WO 87/ 00742 (21) Internationales Aktenzeichen: PCT/DE86/00307 (81) Bestiniwungsstaaten: AT (europaisches Patent), AU, BE (europdisches Patent), BR, CR (europdisches Pa- (22) Internationales Anmneldedatumn: 29. Juli 1986 (29.07.86) tent), DE (europiiisches Patent), DK, Fl, FR (europdisches Patent), GB (europaisches Patent), IT (europd.isches Patent), JP, KP, KR, LU (europaisches Pa- (31) Priorit~itsaktenzeichen: P 35 28 610.5 tent), NL (europaisches Patent), NO, SE (europaiisches Patent), US.

(32) Prioritaitsdatum: 9. August 1985 (09.08.85) (33) PrioritAtsland: DE Vcroffentlicht Mit internationalem Reclzerchenbericht.

(71) Anmeld~r (fur alle Bestimmungssm'aten ausser US): AL- FA INSTITUT FUR HAFJSWIRTSCHAFTLICHE 'This d10cuIncllnt c ntain the PRODUKT- UND VEKFAHRENS-ENTWICK- am11- iit maIe un LUNG GMBH [DE/DE]; Albrechtstrasse 4, D-6228 Sec-o' 4 a d cec for Eltville am Rhein 2 Secon49nd~iccnitt14g.-' (72) Effinder; und ErfinderfAnmelder (nur Jirh US) SCHULTZ, Horst [DE/DE]; Am Dornbusch 23, D-6203 Massenheim

FI

D-6000 Frankfurt am Main I (DE).

(54) Title: COOKING VESSEL (54) Bezeichnung: GARGEFXSS (57) Abstract The cooking vessel described is provided with a recel-acle on which is placed a cover, in the inner space of which is located a source of electric heat. The cover is, moreover, so designed as to be usable also as a cooking plate.

(57) Zusammenfassung Emn Gargef~ss mit ei~em Beh~ilter und einemn auf diesen aufzusetzenden Deckel. In dem Innenraum des Deckels ist eine elektrischo Heizquelle angeordnet und der Deckel irn ibrigen so ausgebildet, dass er auch als Kochplatte verwendbar ist.

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a cooking vessel in accordance with the preamble of Claim 1.

A cooking vessel is known from GB-A-394980 that consists of a pot-like container for containing the food to be prepared, and of a cover to be placed on said container and closing its top opening. Lamps generating heat radiation are installed in the interior of the cover which is covered with a glass plate. The housing of the cover projects radially beyond the glass plate and rests on a flat top edge of the double-walled container. The container is provided with a peripheral stand. Use of the heating cover as a hotplate is not intonced and is not possible.

The cooking vessel according to US-A-2538567 has a heating cover which after turning it over can also be used as a hotplate. In the latter case the container stands directly on a spiral-shaped heater element installed in the interior of the cover, which is undesirable. A bayonet lock serves for sealing cover and container.

Also the cooking vessel according to FR-A-2120637 has a heating cover which, however, cannot be used as hotplate.

i" In the heating cover for a cooking vessel according to CH-A-260048, the hous ng of the cover is covered by a metallic radiating surface. The housing of the cover does not project beyond the radiating surface, such that only an unsatisfactory seal is achieved between cooking vessel and cover when the latter is used to cover the container. The container is not laterally secured if the cover is used as hotplate.

The heating cover known from FR-A-563645 is provided with a peripheral internal chamfer for holding the container when the cover is used as hotplate.

No cover plate is provided for covering the heat source in the interior of the cover, such that the container is not securely standing on the cover used as hotplate. Furthermore, the edge of the cover grips the upper edge of the container from the outside, when the cover is used as such, such that only unsatisfactory sealing can be achieved against the escape of steam during cooking.

-1 I r 3 The object of the present invention s to provide a novel and versatile heating method for a cooking vessel of the generic type, with good sealing of the interior of the container being ensured when the cover is used as sL and secure standing of the container when the cover is used as a hotplate.

This object is essentially achieved by tne present invention, by the characteristics defined in the characterizing part of Claim 1.

The heater is intended to largely radiate its energy in direction into the interior of the cooking vessel. Accordingly, the food contained in the container of the cooking vessel is heated from above and cooked by the heat source installed in the cover if the latter is placed on top oi the container. The cover can be turned over for being used as a hotplate on which the container or any other container can be placed for heating from below and cooking the food contained in the container. Glass-ceramic plates of the type being proposed are known in themselves for use in the cooking areas of electric stoves. If the cover according to the present invention is used as such, the heat resistant glass-ceramic plate protects the electric heat source, installed behind the plate, against the ingress of rising steam or vapours. If the cover is used as a hotplate, it serves, in a manner known in itself, as support for the container containing the food to be prepared, and is capable of supporting heavy containers because of its strength.

The peripheral edge of the cover projects beyond the outside of the glass- 25 ceramic plate and fits into a peripheral groove provided in the edge of the container, which ensures that the cover sits concentrically and, therefore, with a good seal, on the edge of the container. If the cover is used as hotplate, the raised edge of the cover serves for securing the position of the container placed on the hotplate, such that it is less easy to inadvertently shift the container sideways. The top opening of the container remains entirely unobstructed since the peripheral groove in the edge of the container is located radially outside the wall of the container. Since the edge of the cover fits the diameter of the groove in the edge of the container, a further characteristic of the present invention can be easily realized, according to which the internal diameter of the recessed area 35 defined by the circular peripheral edge of the cover is sightly larger than the external diameter of the bottom region of the container, such that the container supported on the glass-ceramic plate fits accurately into the recessed area defined by the edge of the cover, when the cover is used as a hotplate.

,V

0 L_ i The cover is preferably provided with two foot-like projections with flat bottom surfaces and being arranged diametrically opposite each other. This permits using the cover as a hotplate without damaging the working area on which it is placed, even when the cover becomes hot, in particular if the projections are made of a low heat conducting material such as a plastic. Each foot-like projection forms part of a handle which, for example, may be manufactured in one piece of a low heat conducting material such as a plastic.

The bottom surfaces of the projections are preferably at a distance from the outer surface of the cover, such that the top of the cover that becomes hot is maintained at a certain distance from the working area on which the cover has been placpd when being used as a hotplate.

According to a further development of the concept of the present invention a device for controlling thej temperature of the heat source is installed in one of the handles of the cover.

This terip-'rature control device comprises, for example, an adjusting wheel whose setting can be read from above as well as from below, such that the user can easily read the preset degree of cooking, irrespectively of whether the cover is used as such or as a hotplate.

25 In order to simplify the assembly of the cover according to the present invention, provision has been made for the heat source to be clamped by means of a spring between the bottom of a housing installed in the interior of the cover and the glass-ceramic plate that is secured in the opening in the other side of the housing, opposite its bottom. This makes it necessay for the glass-ceramic plate to be securely joined, by its edge, with the housing, in the vicinity of the opening of the housing, for example by being cemented-in. The space between the housing and the wall of the cover may be filled with a heat insulating t material.

35 The preferred method of securing the housing in the cover is to provide for the edge of the housing that defines its opening to be folded around the lower edge of the cover, and thus forming the peripheral edge of the cover and, in addition, go* strengthening it.

o* In an alternative embodiment of the present invention provision may be made for the edge of the glass-ceramic plate of the cover, when this is used as such i.e.

when the glass-ceramic plate points downward, to be bent downward, and to be capable of being placed by its flat face on a flat surface of the edge of the container that is bent outward from the container wall. This permits achieving a particularly effective seal of the interior of the cover against the ingress of moisture. Here, too, it is preferably arranged that the unobstrulcted inner diameter of the turned down outer edge of the glass-ceramic plate is slightly greater than the outside diameter of the container as measured at its base, so that the container can be set in the area that is defined by the turned down edge area of the glass-ceramic plate when the cover is used as a hotplate.

In a further configuration of the invention the glass-ceramic plate has a centre area that forms a flat resting surface as well as an area that surrounds this and which is angled downwards and to the outside, the outer edge of which is accommodated in an edge groove in the container edge. In place of this downward-angled arrangement, the glass-ceramic plate can be suitably curved.

In such a configuration the glass-ceramic plate thus overarches the inner space I of the container to some extent. In this case, the container tapers inwards I :.towards its base, preferably such that its base area once again matches the flat resting surface of the glass-ceramic plate and can be centred precisely above I the heater of the cover when this is used as a hotplate.

I J Further objectives, features, advantages and application possibilities of the i: present invention result from the subsequent description of exemplary versions that are described in greater detail below on the basis of the drawings. In this connection, all the features that are described and/or shown in the drawings ii 30 form the object of the present invention either in and of themselves or in any expedient combination regardless of whether they are so combined in the claims. These drawings are as follows: Figure 1: a cooking vessel according to the present invention, this being *35 shown schematically in vertical cross section in the area of the cover; Figure 2: a view of the cover from below, as indicated by the direction A in figure 1; Figure 3: a further embodiment of the cover according to the present invention, in its edge area, this being shown in enlarged detail relative to figure 1; Figure 4: a schematic vertical cross section of another version of the cooking vessel according to the present invention.

The cooking vessel that is shown in figure 1 consists of a pot-, bowl- or pan-like container 1 that is used to hold the food that is to be prepared and a cover 2 that is set upon this and which closes the opening of the container 1. In the case that is shown herein, the cover 2 is provided with two handles 3 that are of ther -,ally insulating material, namely plastic. Witl:in the internal space 4 that curves above the wall of the cover there is an electric heater 5 that can consist, for example, of a radiant heat unit or other heat source, and which radi'ates sufficient energy by thermal radiation onto the material that is to be cooked that is contained within the container 1. A grill element can also form a component part of the electrical source of heat 5. Using the cover 2 that is set on the container 1 in the manner shown in figure 1, the food that is contained in the container 1 can be heated, cooked and/or grilled from above. The interior space 4 of the cover 2 is covered over by means of a glass-ceramic plate 6 or any other sort of plate that permits the passage of the thermal radiation from the heater 5 such that the heater 5 is S protected against the ingress of moisture from the container 1 during the cooking 25 process or when being cleaned. In the case that is shown, the glass-ceramic S plate 6 is held in the opening 14 of a housing 13 that is accommodated in the interior space 4 of the cover 2. To this end, the housing 2 has in the area of its lower opening 14 a peripheral step 28, on which the edge area of the glassceramic plate 6 rests. The peripheral surface of the glass-ceramic plate 6 is sealed and cemented to the edge section of the housing 13 that is curved down still further and which adjoins the step 28. The edge area of the housing 13 that J is turned down further and which defines the opening 14 of the cover 2 is oo beaded around the edge 22 of the cover 2 that projects downwards beyond the outer surface 16 of the glass-ceramic plate 6 so as to form the cover edge 17.

The cover edge 17 is of such a diameter that it fits into an edge channel 18 of the container flange 19 that is curved towards the outside. The unobstructed inner diameter of the opening 14 that is defined by the cover edge 17 is somewhat o* 0° 'j n;r^rjnj~~hllll;l;;i;~: greater than the outside diameter of the container 1 as measured at its base, so that if the cover 2 is reversed the container 1 can be set upon the outer surface 16 of the glass-ceramic plat'- 6, so that the cover 2 can then function as a hotplate, in which case the food contained in the container 1 will be heated from below.

The handles 3 are secured diametrically opposed to each other on the outer surface of the cover wall. In addition to the actual handle portion these incorporate foot-like projections 7, the standing surfaces 8 of which lie at a distance above the upper side 9 of the cover 2. If the cover 2 is reversed and set upon a working surface, in order that it can be used as a hotplate, the foot-like projections 7 keep the heated upper surface 9 of the cover 2 at the necessary distance from the working surface. Within one handle 3 there is a device 10 to control the temperature of the heater 5. The control device 10 is operated by hand by means of an adjuster wheel 11! that protrudes from the upper side and from the under side of the handle 3 and is provided with a cooking indicator, such that the cooking stage or the cooking temperature can be read off it both from above, when the cover 2 is used as such, and from below, when the cover 2 is used as a hotplate.

The he.ter 5 is held, so as to provide for simple and reliable installation, S between the base 12 of the housing 13 and the glass-ceramic plate 6 that is set 25 in the opening 14 that is opposite the base 12 of the housing 13 by means of a leaf spring *:ee Whereas as is shown in figure 1 the cover 2 lies with its cover edgc 17 that is formed of the edge 22 and the beaded housing edge 21 in an edge groove 18 of the container edge 19 that lies radially outside the container wall 20, in the version that is shown in figure 3 the container edge 19 of the container wall 20 is curved outwards from the container wall 20 so as to form a flat contact area. The outer edge 23 of the giass-ceramic plate 6, is in this case, bent essentially vertically downwards and forms a flat face surface 23 with which the cover 2 can 35 rest on the flat surface of the container edge 19. Here, too, the housing 13 forms a step 28, on which the glass-ceramic plate 6 rests. In tie same way, the lower housing edge 21 is bent down around the lower edge 22 of the cover 2 to form a S S ;13- IL rur~-~ 8 cover edge 17. The gap between the outer edge 23 of the glass-ceramic plate 6, which is oent downwards, and which is to be sealed with cement, and the area of the ho)using edge 21 that is proxime'e to ihis is correspondingly longer than in the version that is shown in figure 1, so as to provide a more reliable sealing effect.

Figure 4 shows a further embodiment of the present invention, that differs, essentially, from the preceding embodiments in that the glass-ceramic plate 6 hIs a central area 26 with a flat surface 25 for when the cover 2 is used as a hotplate, this being surrounded by an area 27 that is inclined obliquely downwards and outwards. This means that the glass-ceramic plate 6 overarches the interior space of the container 1 and lies r its outer edge in the correspondingly oblique edge groove 18 of the container edge 19 that is curved towards the outside. In this case, the housing edge 21 and thus the cover edge 17 run practically over the whole outer contact surface of the oblique area 27 of the glass-ceramic plate 6 and can be placed there so as to form a seal. As in the embodiment according to figure 3 the sealing gap between the glass-ceramic plate 6 and the housing 13 or the edge 22 of the cover 2 lies outside the area exposed to the steam during the cooking process. In the embodiment shown in figure 4 the container wall 20 extends downwards conically towards the base 29 of the container, so that the outer diameter of the container 1 at the base is slightly smaller than the diameter of the surface 25 formed by the glass-ceramic 25 plate 6 on its outer surface 16, so that the container 1 can be placed directly on *sees: the surface 25 when the cover 2 is used as a hotplate.

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Claims

1. Cooking vessel comprising a pot-like, bowl-lik-e- or pan-like container (1) intended for containing the food to be prepared, and a cover covering the opening of said container and being provided with at least one handle with an electric heat source such as, for example, a lamp or a grilling element, being installed in the interior space of said cover and with said interior of cover being covered on its side facing the interior of the container, with a plate being transparent to the radiation emitted by the heat source characterize'J by the cover being provided with a peripheral edge (17) projecting beyon,' the outside of plate being a glass-ceramic plate which edge (17) fits into a peripheral groove (18) in the edge (19) of the container by said peripheral edge groove (18) being located radially outside of the wall (20) of the container and by the internal diameter of the recessed space defined by the circular peripheral edge (17) of the cover being slightly larger than ihe external diameter of the container in its bottom region.

2. Cooking vessel according to Claim i, characterized by the cover being provided with two foot-like projections with a flat supporting surface and being arranged diametrically opposite each other, with each projection being part of a handle of the cover 25

3. Cooking vessel according to Claim 2, characterized by the supporting surfaces of the projections being located radially outside and at a certain jj °distance from the top side of the cover

4. Cooking vessel according to one of the Claims 1 to 3, characterized by a control device (10) for controling the temperature of the heat source being installed in one of the handles of the cover

5. Cooking vessel according to Claim 4, characterized by the control device being provided with a setting wheel with its setting being legible from 35 above as well as from below. 0 ~i L -Y-

6. Cooking vessel according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized by a housing (13) in the interior space of the cover said housing (13) having an opening the heat source being clamped by a spring (15) between the housing (13) and the glass-ceramic plate which is securely set in the i opening (14) of the housing (13).

7. CooKing vessel according to one of the Claims 1 to 6, characterized by the edge (21) of the housing that defines the opening (14) of the latter, baing folded around the lower bottom edge (22) of the cover thus forming the Speripheral edge (17) of the cover i

8. Cooking vessel according to one of the Claims 1 to 7, characterized by the outer edge of the glass-ceramic plate being bent downward and sitting by its flat face (24) on the flat region of the container edge (19) that is bent outward from the container wall

9. Cooking vessel according to Claim 8, characterized by the internal diameter of the recess formed by the bent-down outer edge (23) of the glass- ceramic plate being slightly larger than the outer diameter of the vessel in its bottom region. 2

10. Cooking vessel according to one of the Claims 1 to 9, characterized by the j 25 glass-ceramic plate having a central region (25) forming a flat supporting surface (25) and a region (27) surrounding the latter and being bent downward Srelative to the latter, and being capable of being placed with its outer edge into a i groove (18) provided in the container edge (19). DATED this 9th day of May 1990. ALFA INSTITUT FUR HAUSWIRTSCHAFTLICHE PRODUKT-UND VERFAHRENS-ENTWICKLUNG GmbH j 35 By their Patent Attorneys COLLISON CO,