GB2255002A

GB2255002A - Deep fryers

Info

Publication number: GB2255002A
Application number: GB9210727A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael John Lapham; Edward Charles William Barnett; Paul Jean Henri Ghislai Robben
Original assignee: NOVA ELECTRO INT; Kenwood Marks Ltd
Current assignee: NOVA ELECTRO INT; Kenwood Marks Ltd
Priority date: 1990-01-29
Filing date: 1992-05-20
Publication date: 1992-10-28
Anticipated expiration: 2012-05-20
Also published as: GB9210727D0; GB2255002B

Abstract

A deep fryer comprises an outer housing (4) closable by a lid (6), a container (2) located in the housing (4), and a basket (8) removably placed in the container (2). The basket (8) has a movable handle (10) which pivots from the vertical position as shown to a horizontal position for handling of the basket (8). The container (2) and housing (4) are separable from each other in order to facilitate cleaning of the component pans. The container (2) and housing (4) may be separated by releasable interconnecting means, such as a clamping screw (5), and may also have a thermostatic control (40) detachably connected, via a cavity (44) in the housing (4) to electrical contacts of a heating element sealed within a watertight casing. <IMAGE>

Description

DEEP FRYERS This invention relates to deep fryers particularly for domestic use, such as for frying chips or other types of food.

Fryers of this type conventionally comprise an electrically heated pan for containing oil having a removable wire basket which fits inside the pan for holding the food to be cooked in the heated oil, and a lid including a filter for covering the contents during cooking or heating of the oil.

When the lid is removed to access or view the contents during use, very hot steam or vapour tends to be released. The problem with most existing fryers is that the lid must be opened manually, so that the user's hand can come into contact with the hot steam.

Deep fryers are usually heated by an electrical element within a housing, having a thermostatic control and a connection to a power supply. Thus, as is the case for other electrical appliances, they cannot generally be immersed in water for cleaning purposes. Frying often produces an oily residue which provides a particularly good site for dirt to collect and thus the cleaning of deep fryers is of particular importance.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a deep fryer which is capable of alleviating one or both of the above-mentioned problems associated with conventional deep fryers.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a deep fryer comprising an outer housing closable by a lid, a container located in the housing, and a basket removably placed in the container and having a handle movable relative thereto, at least part of the handle being located outside of the housing below the level of the lid, wherein the fryer is arranged such that the lid is displaceable from its closed position by movement of the handle.

Thus, a user's hand moving the handle is remote from any steam which is released from the interior of the container when he lid is displaced, particularly since the steam will tend to rise upwards. Such displacement may be just sufficient to allow any steam to escape, so that the lid may then be fully opened by hand without danger.

Preferably, the handle is pivotably connected to the basket so that it is positioned adjacent or against an external side of the housing during non-handling of the basket with the lid in its closed position, and is pivoted away from the housing side into a generally horizontal position to enable the basket to be handled.

The handle and the external side of the housing may have interconnecting parts so as to inhibit movement, except the pivotal movement, of the handle relative to the housing, when the handle is positioned adjacent or against the external side.

In a preferred embodiment, the lid has a peripheral flange which extends over the pivotal end of the handle.

Manual pivoting of the handle into the horizontal position thus forces the flange of the lid upwards, lifting the lid off the housing.

The lid flange may terminate in a latching member which is arranged upon closing of the lid to engage with a pro trusion provided on the handle.

In another embodiment, the handle may be pulled outwardly away from the housing before being pivoted up to the horizontal position. This pulling action causes an actuating member under the lid to push the lid up, thus releasing any vapour or steam.

The lid may be pivotably connected to the housing at a point remote from the handle, or it may be entirely removable from the housing.

In a further embodiment, the flange of the lid is shaped with, for example, an indentation in its lower edge to direct steam, which is released from the housing when the handle is pivoted, away from the handle. Thus any released steam is directed away from the user's hand. The lid may be provided with a grip portion to allow manual lifting of the lid after the initial displacement, the grip being shaped so as to protect the users hand from escaping steam or vapour.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a deep fryer comprising an outer housing closable by a lid, a container located in the housing, and a basket removably placed in the container, wherein the housing and the container are separable in order to facilitate cleaning of component parts of the fryer.

Preferably, the fryer includes means for releasably interconnecting the housing and the container, such as a clamping screw which may be located in the base of the fryer.

The fryer also preferably includes a heating element sealed within a water-tight casing and located in thermal contact with the container, the heating element having electrical contacts which extend out of the casing in a water-tight manner, and an electrical plug detachably connected to the electrical contacts via a cavity formed in the outer housing. Advantageously, the electrical plug comprises a thermostatic control.

Thus, by removing the electrical plug, as well as the releasable interconnecting means if provided, the fryer can be separated into several parts which can be placed in a dishwasher, or otherwise cleaned more easily than conventional deep fryers.

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying schematic drawings in which: Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a deep fryer, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention,with the basket installed and the lid closed; Figure 2 shows the deep fryer of Figure 1 with the basket handle in the horizontal position; Figures 3 and 4 are more detailed side views of an embodiment of the basket handle assembly, showing it in its vertical and horizontal positions respectively; Figure 5 is a more detailed top view of the handle shown in Figs. 3 and 4; Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the basket handle assembly; Figure 7 is a view along arrow VII-VII of Figure 6; Figure 8 is perspective view of an embodiment of the lid;; Figure 9 is a perspective view of a part of an alternative embodiment of the lid; and Figures 10 and 11 are side views of a deep fryer according to another embodiment of the invention.

Referring firstly to Figs. 1 and 2, the deep - fryer 1 is rectangular in plan and comprises a container 2 accom moated within an outer housing 4 to form an airgap be tween~the container and housing, the housing having a lid 6. A heating element (not shown) sealed within a casing 9 is mounted on the underside of the container 2 such that the encased heating element 9 is in thermal contact with the container 2. A thermal barrier 3 made of high temperature plastic insulates the housing 4 from the container 2, at their upper peripheries, since the container becomes very hot during use. A clamping screw 5 holds the container 2, the housing 4 and the thermal barrier 3 in their relative positions.

A wire basket 8 fits within the container 2 and has a pivotal handle 10 which is located outside the housing 4, and which may pivot down to a position abutting a side wall 12 of the housing 4 with a projection 13 on the side of the housing engaging in a slot 15 in the handle 10. This makes the fryer safer during use and easier to store. The lid 6 has a peripheral downwardly extending flange 14 which extends over the side of the housing 4 and which covers the pivotal end of the handle 10 when the lid is closed. The lid 6 is pivotally connected to the housing 4 by a hinge 11 at the side remote from the handle 10.

In Figs. 3 to 5, there is shown a more detailed embodiment of the handle assembly, in which the handle 10 is a one piece moulding of a plastics material which pivots on a formed bar shaped so as to form two arms 20. The bar arms 20 extend through apertures (not shown)formed at the intersection of two vertical slots (not shown) in the basket support 24, with a horizontal slot (also not shown) in a moulding 28, allowing the arms 20 to be guided in and out horizontally relative to the housing.

During cooking, or when the fryer is not in use, the handle 10 is pivoted into a generally vertical position as shown in Figure 3, and is pushed in the direction of arrow Y until it meets the vertical face of the moulding 28.

When required for lifting the basket 8, the handle 10 is pivoted through 900 to a horizontal position shown in Figure 4. To do this, the user presses sides 30 of the handle 10 inwardly towards each other. This action causes a slot 32 formed in the handle 10 to be reduced in width, so that the arms 20 of the bar are clear of the main body of the handle 10. Thus the handle 10 may pivot, the cam action of the end of the handle 10 against the moulding 28 moving the arms 20 outwardly. When the handle 10 reaches the horizontal position the user releases the pressure on the handle and the arms snap into slots 34 as the handle 10 returns to its original dimensions due to its resilient nature. The handle 10 may be pivoted down to its vertical position again by a reverse operation.

Thus, when the handle 10 is pivoted upwards and away from the housing wall 12, the lid flange 14 is forced upwardly by a cam action, opening the lid 6 slightly to release any steam or vapour.

Figs. 6 and 7 show another embodiment of the basket handle assembly. The basket handle comprises a substantially hollow moulding 21 having a hub portion 22 at the pivotal end. Two arms 23 of the basket wire extend around the hub 22 and a bar 29 extends between the arms 23 at their ends. A catch member 25 is mounted within the handle moulding 21 by means of a coiled spring 26, and extends between the wire arms 23 in a recess formed in the hub portion 22. The catch member 25 has a sloping end surface 27 and may be retracted against the biassing action of the spring 26 by means of an operating member 41 which extends from a recess formed in the handle moulding 21.

An opening 31 is formed in the underneath face of the -handle moulding 21, to receive a pin 33 extending from the outer housing 35 of the fryer when the handle lies against the housing 35 and the lid 36 is closed. This prevents the basket assembly from moving vertically relative to the body of the fryer. To further prevent such movement, the flange of the lid 36, which covers the pivotal end of the handle 21 when the lid is closed, terminates in a latch 37 which engages a protrusion 39 on the handle 21.

Pivoting of the handle 21 to the horizontal position (indicated by broken lines in Fig.6) causes it to disengage the pin 33 and to disengage the lid latch 37 whilst lifting the lid slightly to vent steam.

During this action, the bar 29 makes contact with the sloping end surface 27 of the catch member 25 causing it to retract against the biassing action of the spring 26 before clicking back beneath the bar 29, and thus securing the handle 21 in the horizontal positiOn.

Retraction of the catch member 25 by means of the operating member 41 allows it to pass beneath the bar 29, thus releasing the handle 21 and allowing it to be pivoted back to a vertical position.

Referring now also to Figs. 8 and 9,the lid 6 may be provided on its top surface with a grip portion 18 for manually fully opening the lid 6 by hand following its initial release. The grip portion 18 is attached to the lid 6 in such a way that the user's hand when inserted into an opening formed in the end 19, is shielded from any further steam which may emerge.

The lid 6 may also have a window 17 to allow viewing of the contents of the fryer during use, and vents 21 for allowing the release of steam through a filter. As can be clearly seen from Fig. 8, the lid 6 is generally rectangular in shape so as to fit on the housing and is formed with a protruding part 16 which is shaped to extend over and fit closely with the pivotal end of the handle 10. The peripheral flange 14 extends around the periphery of the protruding part and of the main rectangular lid portion. As shown in Fig. 9, the lid flange 14 at opposite sides of the fryer may be formed with notches or indentations 38, through which steam is vented on initial release of the lid 6, thus reducing the risk of the users hand, which is operating the handle 6, contacting the hot steam.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the deep fryer also includes a detachable electrical plug 40 comprising a thermostatic control having a temperature detecting probe 42 which may be inserted into a cavity or recess 44 provided in the housing 4. The plug 40 also services to connect a power supply (not shown) between electrical contacts or pins of the heating element sealed within the water-tight casing 9. When the plug 40 is removed, all other parts of the fryer may be immersed in water for washing, for example in a dishwasher. For this purpose, the clamping screw 5 is disconnected, which separates the container 2, with the sealed heating element mounted thereon, from the housing 4.

The thermal barrier 3 and lid 6 may also be separated, and each part may be fully immersed in water. Either permanent or replaceable filters may be used, the latter being removed before washing.

An alternative embodiment of the first aspect of the invention is shown in Figures 10 and 11. In this embodiment, the handle 60 may be pivoted between horizontal and vertical positions as before, and the lid 62 is similarly hinged, but extends only as far as to the side wall 64 of the housing and not over the handle 60. To release the lid 62, the handle 60 is pulled outwardly, away from the housing 64. This causes a bar 66 to slide along a ramp (not shown) which causes the lid 62 to be pushed upwardly.

Although the invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, various modification will be envisaged without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in addition or as an alternative to the container 2 and housing 4 being releasably interconnected by the clamping screw 5, other means may be provided. In one arrangement, the insertion of the thermostatic probe may lock the container in place. Alternatively, the thermostatic control may not use a probe, or other means of making the power connections to the element may be provided.

Claims

1. A deep fryer comprising an outer housing closable by a lid, a container located in the housing, and a basket removably placed in the container, wherein the housing and the container are separable from each other in order to facilitate cleaning of component parts of the fryer.

2. A deep fryer as claimed in claim 1, including means for releasably interconnecting the housing and the container.

3. A deep fryer as claimed in claim 1 or 2, including a heating element sealed within a water-tight casing and located in thermal contact with the container, the heating element having electrical contacts which extend out of the casing in a water-tight manner, and an electrical plug detachably connected to the electrical contacts via a cavity formed in the housing.

4. A deep fryer as claimed in claim 3, wherein the electrical plug comprises a thermostatic control.

5. A deep fryer as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, including a handle movable relative to the basket, at least part of the handle being located outside of the housing below the level of the lid, wherein the fryer is arranged such that the lid is displaceable from its closed position by movement of the handle.

6. A deep fryer comprising an outer housing closable by a lid, a container located in the housing, and a basket removably placed in the container and having a handle movable relative thereto, at least part of the handle being located outside of the housing below the level of the lid, wherein the fryer is arranged such that the lid is displaceable from its closed position by movement of the handle.

7. A deep fryer as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein the handle is pivotably connected to the basket so that the handle can be positioned adjacent or against an external side of the housing during non-handling of the basket, and can be pivoted away from the housing side into a generally horizontal position to enable the basket to be handled.

8. A deep fryer as claimed in claim 7, wherein the handle and the external side of the housing have interconnecting parts so as to inhibit movement, except for the pivotal movement, of the handle relative to the housing when the handle is positioned adjacent or against the external side.

9. A deep fryer as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein the lid has a peripheral flange which extends over the pivotal end of the handle, such that pivoting of the handle into the horizontal position forces the flange upwards, thereby lifting the lid off of the housing.

10. A deep fryer as claimed in claim 9, wherein the lid flange and the handle are provided with co-operable latching members arranged to interengage when the lid is closed.

11. A deep fryer as claimed in claim 5,6,7 or 8, wherein the handle is arranged to be pulled outwardly away from the housing in order to cause an actuating member to push the lid upwardly away from the housing.

12. A deep fryer as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein the periphery of the lid is shaped so as to direct steam, which is released from the housing when the lid is displaced from its closed position, away from the handle.

13. A deep fryer as claimed in claim 6, wherein the lid is provided with a grip portion to allow manual lifting of the lid after its initial displacement, the grip portion being shaped so as to protect the user's hand from escaping steam or vapour.

14. A deep fryer as claimed in claim 6, wherein the housing and the container are separable from each other in order to facilitate cleaning of component parts of the fryer.

15. A deep fryer substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or 1 and 2 in combination with Figures 3,4 and 5, or 6 and 7 or 8 and 9 or 10 and 11 of the accompanying drawings.