FR2724304A1 - CLOSING SYSTEM FOR A STEAM PRESSURE COOKER - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a steam pressure cooker having a food container (1) with a lid (2) and a sealing ring (3), as well as a closure member (4). The lid (2) can be connected to the food container (1) in a vapor-tight manner by means of a relative rotational movement with respect to the food container (1) and the lid (2) around a common median axis (5). Means (6) are provided which automatically connect the cover (2) in a removable manner to the closure member (4) during the rotation of the closure member (4) from the second to the first position of rotation .

Description

The present invention relates to a steamer comprising a

  food container, a cover and a sealing ring, as well as a closure member by which the cover can be connected to the food container in a vapor-tight manner, by a rotary movement. raarucr recoer.t food court and cover, from a first rotation position to a second rotation position, around a median axis

i common.

  A steamer of this type is known in the state of the art, for example from CH-A-660 450. In this, the closure member is a closure ring which, in order to lock with the container for food, has a lower folded edge which extends over the entire circumference of the closure ring and has, correspondingly to an outer edge of the container for

  food, a non-round shape, without bayonet segment.

  In this steamer, it must be seen as a drawback that the handling is relatively complex compared to conventional pressure cookers without a closing ring. Other similar steam cookers with a closure member are known from CH-A-660 449, DE-A-25 34 709, DE-C-39 33 828, US-A-2 395 602 and FR-A- 1,219,245. Of a pressure cooker in which only one closure member, but not the lid, is turned on the food container upon closing. Compared to conventional steam cookers still common today, such a steam cooker would also have the essential advantage that it could be handled with little effort and that the sealing ring would be less stressed. The sealing effect must moreover, in comparison with these conventional steam cookers, be more reliable. The object of the invention is to create a steam cooker of the type mentioned, which is relatively easy to use.

  and in particular easier to clean.

  The object is achieved with a steam cooker of the above-defined type, by the fact that means are provided which automatically connect the cover in a removable manner to the closing member when the turning member is rotated.

  closing of the second to the first position of rotation.

  In the steam cooker according to the present invention, if, at the end of cooking, the closing member is brought into the first position of rotation in order to lift the cover, then the closing member is automatically connected on the cover. The cover and the closing member thus form a unit which cannot be

  raised from the food container as such.

  When the lid is placed on the food container, and thus when the steamer is closed, the closing member is again connected to the lid, so that these two parts can be placed as unit on the food container. Unlike the state of the art mentioned above, the closing member and the cover must not be placed serememely on the container for food or removed separately from it. As the closure member is detachably connected to the cover, these two parts

  can be separated from each other for cleaning.

  According to a variant of the invention, the closure member is placed in its first position of rotation on the cover and immobilized detachably against rotation. This makes it possible to easily and quickly adjust the first position of rotation of the closure member, in particular when the steam cooker is open. It is guaranteed that, with the cover removed, the closing member will always be exactly in its first position of rotation and thus in the correct starting position for closing the pot. It is further guaranteed that, with the cover removed, the

  closure will not unintentionally release itself from the cover.

  This positioning and this fixing can be carried out in a particularly simple manner by means of a latching member. The handling is particularly simple when, according to another variant of the invention, the cover has packing elements which, the cover being placed, cooperate for its positioning relative to the food container and for its immobilization in at least one direction of rotating with packing elements that are attached to the food container. When closing the steamer, in this alternative embodiment, the unit consisting of the cover and the closing member can be positioned in a particularly simple and rapid manner on the food container. During the rotation of the closure member, the cover is then simultaneously securely fixed on -e r-c-i- enr Etr iieas eme re_- as unroll in

a direction of rotation.

  Other advantageous characteristics result from

  dependent claims, from the following description,

  as well as drawings. An exemplary embodiment of the invention and described in more detail below with the aid of the drawings, which show: Figure 1: an axial and vertical section of a closed steamer according to the present invention; Figure 2: a top view of the steamer according to Figure 1; Figure 3: a partial vertical section along line III-III of Figure 2; Figure 4: a partial vertical section along the line IV-IV of Figure 2; Figure 5: a partial horizontal section of a steam cooker in the open position according to the present invention and along the line V-V of Figure 1; Figure 6: a view of the underside of the cover; Figure 7: a view of the underside of the closure ring; and Figure 8: a top view of the food container. The steam cooker shown in the drawing consists essentially of a food container 1 and a unit 7 comprising a cover 2, a closing ring 4, as well as a sealing ring 3. The container 1 is closed with the unit 7 in a pressure-tight manner, so that an overpressure can be established in the

  container by means of a heating device not shown.

  To display the overpressure, there is provided a conventional valve, not shown, in an opening 20 of the container for food has a bottom 25 and, opposite this, a circular opening 24, at which it is connected at an edge 26 extending perpendicularly to the outside with four identical bayonets 27 arranged symmetrically. Below the edge 26 are placed on the outside, on the food container 1, diametrically opposite handles 19, each with an internal recess 28, as shown in particular in FIG. 8. In the view of FIG. 8, the

  handles are located respectively between two bayonets.

  In each opening 28 of the handles 19 is inserted from the top a handle 18, which can only be pressed laterally slightly into the opening 28. The handles 18 are each suitably fixed to an apron 29 curved projecting downwards. cover 2. The cover 2 is thus, as can be seen, centered on the food container by the insertion of the handles 18 into the openings 28 and immobilized against a rotation around its median axis 5, which is also the median axis of

food container 1.

  As shown in particular in Figure 6, on a circular edge 8 projecting down from the cover 2 are placed four curvatures 23 in the form of turned segments

  inward, which serve to hold - so -

  removable in the cover 2 the sealing ring 3, made of rubbery elastic material. The curvatures 23 can however also be replaced by other suitable holding means, for example nests

tearing.

  On the edge 8 of the cover 2 are added in addition two retaining parts 9 projecting outwards, which if J: - __frne to Jsercesa dales of one another, and which are for example noppes of tearing produced in the edge 8. The holding pieces 9 may however also be curvatures of the edge 8 of the segment type projecting towards the outside. Two tearing nests 13 diametrically opposite and each placed at a distance from a holding part 9 form other zones of the edge 8 projecting outwards. The importance of the holding pieces 9 and the tearing nipples 13 will be explained in more detail below. On the upper face 2a of the cover 2 is made, in the edge area, a circular and peripheral recess 30. In this recess 30 is inserted an edge

  projecting inwardly 31 from the closure member 4.

  The closure member 4 is preferably shaped as a closure ring and has an essentially circular interior opening 12 which, in accordance with FIG. 2, has a semi-circular perforation 21. In the arrangement according to FIG. 2, the perforation 21 is located above a safety pin 22 which, according to FIG. 4, is guided movably in its longitudinal direction in a support 33. The support 33 is fixed in an opening slightly offset towards the bottom 32 of the cover 2. If, in the closed interior space 35 of the steamer, an overpressure is established, then the safety pin 22 moves from the lowered position shown in FIG. 4 outwards, a position in which an outer end 22a protrudes through the perforation 21, and thus rotation of the closure member 4 relative to the cover 2 is effectively prevented. For the return of the safety pin 22 during the dissipation of the

  sureress: ...... se --ressicn 4 can be planned.

  When the pin 22 is retracted, the end 22a is located below the edge 31, so that a rotation is not

not prevented by the pin 22.

  On the circular peripheral edge curved downward 11 of the closure member 4 are placed diametrically opposite handles 17, by which one can grasp

  the closing member 4 for turning and lifting it.

  Four bends 10 in the form of a segment projecting inwards form bayonets which, with the pressure cooker closed, grip the bayonets 27 of the food container 1 from below. If the bends 10 are engaged with the bayonets 27, then the handles 17, 18 and 19 are turned towards each other, as in FIG. 2. This orientation corresponds to a locked position, in which thus the interior space 35 is hermetically closed and o an internal pressure can be established by heating . If an overpressure is present, then the cover 2 is securely held by the closing member 4 on the food container 1, with the joint action of the sealing ring 3. The safety pin 22 exits through the perforation 21 effectively prevents rotation of the closure member 4, and thus rotation of the closure member 4 to a position in which the curvatures 10 are out of engagement with the

  bayonets 27 of the food container 1.

  When no overpressure is present in the interior space 35, the closing member 4 can be grasped by the handles 17 and turned with relatively little effort from the position shown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in the figure. 5. The cover 2 is not rotated here and remains in the rest position, just like the ring _'wt-- xr ie r- - = - iouissu'i! is immobilized in rotation by the handles 18 relative to the food container 1. This rotation of the closure member 4, which is indicated in FIG. 5 by the arrow 36, is limited by a stop of at least one curvature 10 on a tear-off nipple 13. The angle of rotation is comparatively short and is for example 40. During such a rotation, four holding pieces 9 respectively move towards a curvature 10 and thus ultimately rest, in the view of FIG. 5, approximately in the middle position above a curvature 10. At the same time, these curves 10 are brought into a position in which they are placed between the bayonets 27 of the food container 1. In the position shown in FIG. 5, the curves 10 are out of engagement with the bayonets 27 of the food container 1. In this unlocked position, the closing member 4 can be

  lifted from the food container i by its handles 17.

  As the holding pieces 9 rest against the curvatures 10 of the closure member 4, the cover 2 is thus simultaneously lifted from the food container 1. When the steam cooker is opened, the cover 2 and the closure member 4 form a unit 7. For the rest of the immobilization of the first position of rotation, shown in FIG. 5, of the closure member 4, an engagement member 14 with a leaf spring 15 is mounted on each handle 7 on the inner side, the spring being engaged with a curvature 15a which can extend elastically in the radial direction and formed in an opening 16 in the edge 8 of the cover 2. The engagement can be removed by a movement of rotation in the opposite direction of the arrow 36. In the direction of the arrow 36, an additional rotational movement from the position of FIG. 5 is made impossible by the abutment of the curvature 10 against the tearing nipple 13. The uni tee 7 being raised, the cover 2 is thus held on the closing member 4, in a defined position of rotation, by the holding pieces 9, the tear-off nipples 13 and by the two diametrically opposite engagement members 14 Unit 7 can thus be operated

  like a conventional cover made in one piece.

  The cover 2 can however be easily separated from the closure member 4. For this, the unit 7 being raised, the closure member 4 is turned relative to the cover 2 in the direction opposite to the arrow 36, so that the latching of the latching members 14 are released and the holding pieces 9 move away from the bends 10 and are each brought into a gap between neighboring bends 10. This rotational movement is limited by a stop of the springs 15 and a lug 17a of the handle 17 against the holding pieces 9. In this stop position, the closing member 4 can be lifted from the cover 2 without any difficulty. The cover 2 and the closure member 4 can thus be easily separated from one another when the unit 7 is raised, for example for cleaning. After cleaning, the closing member 4 and the cover 2 can be connected again in a unit by a corresponding inversion of the cited movements. During conventional manipulation of the unit 7, the closing member 4 remains fixed on the cover 2 in the rotational position shown on the

figure 5.

  To close the food container 1, the unit 7 is placed on the food container 1, namely in such a way that the handles 1 of the cover 2 each engage in an opening 28 of a handle 19. The unit 7 is here grasped by the handles 17. In another position, the unit 7 cannot be placed correctly, since respective curvatures 10 rest on the bayonets 27. If the handles 18 are correctly positioned in the recesses 28 of the handles 19, then the handles 17, as shown in FIG. 5, seen from above, are not overlapped with the handles 19. For closing, the closing member 4 is turned in the opposite direction of the arrow 36, until

  the handles 17 are overlapped with the handles 19.

  This second predetermined position of rotation is limited by stops of the engagement members 14 or

  springs 15 and pins 17a against the holding pieces 9.

  In this position, the cover 2 is immobilized by the closing member 4 against being lifted from the food container 1. During an overpressure in the interior space 35, as mentioned above, a rearward rotation of the closure 4 to the position shown in Figure 5 is prevented by the pin

  safety 22 projecting outwards.

  Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown, from which we can provide other modes and other embodiments, without departing from the scope of the invention .

Claims (14)

  1. Steam cooker comprising a container for food (1), a cover (2) and a sealing ring (3), as well as a closure member (4), with which the cover (2) can be connected to the food container (1) in a vapor-tight manner, by means of a relative rotational movement with respect to the food container (1) and the cover (2) from a first rotational position to a second rotation, about a common median axis (5), characterized in that means (6) are provided, which automatically connect the cover (2) removably to the closing member (4) during the rotation of the closing member (4) from the second to the first position of rotation.   2. Steam cooker according to claim 1, characterized in that the closing member (4) is positioned on the cover (2) in its first position of rotation and is immobilized detachably against rotation. 3. Steam cooker according to claim 2, characterized in that said means (6) have at least two holding pieces (9) placed at a distance from each other and extending outwards, which are consistent   in particular in tear-off niches or bayonets.   4. Pressure cooker aper according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that said means (6) have at least two curvatures (10), placed at a distance from each other and extending inwards, on the edge (11) of the closure (4).   5. Steam cooker according to claim 4, characterized in that the curvatures (10) simultaneously form bayonets which, in said second position of rotation of the closure member (4), grip from below an outer edge (12) of the food container (1). 6. Steam cooker according to any one of   Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the cover (2)   has a stop (13) cooperating with the closure member   (4) and which determines said first position of rotation.   7. Steam cooker according to any one of   Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that between the   cover (2) and the closure member (4) is placed an engagement member (14), which removably connects the closure member (4) to the cover (2), against   a rotation, in said first position of rotation.   8. Steam cooker according to claim 7, characterized in that the latching member (14) has a latching spring (15), which is placed on the closing member (4) and, in said first closed position, engages in an opening (16) on the edge (8) of the cover (2).   9. Steam cooker according to claim 8, characterized in that the engagement spring (15) is inserted in a handle (17) placed on the closure (4).   10. Steam cooker according to any one of claims i to 9, characterized in that the cover (2) has packing elements (18) which, the cover (2) being placed, cooperate for its positioning relative to the food container (1) and for immobilizing it in at least one direction of rotation with packing elements (19) which are fixed to the food container (1).   11. Steam cooker according to claim 10, characterized in that the trim elements (18, 19) are shaped as handles, the handles (18) on the cover (2) can each engage from the top into an opening or a recess (28) in an element of   gasket (20) on the food container (2).   12. Steam cooker according to claim 11, characterized in that, on the closure member (4), handles (17) projecting outwards are placed which, the pot being closed, are overlapped each with a packing element (18) on the cover (2) and a   packing element (19) on the closing element (4).   13. Steam cooker according to any one of   Claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the element of   closure (4) has a recess or curvature (21) in which / which, only when the pot is closed and under pressure, engages a safety element (22), which is placed in the cover (2) and immobilizes l organ of closure (4).   14. Steam cooker according to any one of   Claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the cover   (2) has on its edge (8) curvatures (23) projecting inwardly or tearing nipples, on which   the sealing ring (3) is maintained.