GB2430138A

GB2430138A - Cordless domestic water vessels

Info

Publication number: GB2430138A
Application number: GB0519027A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christina Goodrick-Meech; Darren Mullen; Darren Prosser
Original assignee: Kenwood Ltd; Kenwood Marks Ltd
Current assignee: Kenwood Ltd
Priority date: 2005-09-17
Filing date: 2005-09-17
Publication date: 2007-03-21
Anticipated expiration: 2025-09-17
Also published as: GB2430138B; GB0519027D0; WO2007031763A1

Abstract

A domestic water vessel has a body 20, forming a receptacle 22 for water and carrying an electrically powered device capable of heating and/or cooling the water, and a separate base 30 connectable to a source of electricity. The body and the base carry co-operative parts 34 of an electrical connector which permits the body to rotate freely relative to, and be removable from, the base; and a control arrangement which enables the vessel to operate differently with the body rotated to different positions relative to the base. The control arrangement permits a user of the vessel to select, by rotation of the body to pre-determined positions relative to the base, one or more operational functions such as: constant internal lighting of the receptacle; lighting of the receptacle which changes in dependence upon the operational state of the vessel from time to time; lighting of the receptacle in dependence upon water temperature; activation of an ultra-violet emitter for treatment of the water; and an extended boil facility. In some preferred embodiments, the body carries a spout filter (40, Figure 2) provided with a mounting support (42) extending away from the spout and adapted to be supported on the opposite side of the body from the spout.

Description

DOMESTIC WATER VESSELS

This invention relates to domestic water vessels, and it relates more especially to such vessels in which water can be heated and/or cooled.

Electric kettles probably represent one of the most ubiquitous domestic appliances. They are available at a tremendous range of prices, and with a wide range of functionalities, and these days some of them also exhibit overt design features, such as illumination of the water during and/or after boiling, or illumination of the water and/or a water gauge with different colours at differing stages of the boiling process.

Jug-like electrically powered water coolers, employing devices such as Peltier cells, are becoming increasingly popular and, with increased awareness of the merits of consumption of relatively copious quantities of water, both kettles and coolers have recently been designed to incorporate water filter cartridges.

All of the foregoing devices are included within the scope of the invention.

Kenwood's UK Patent No. GB 2328143 B describes and claims an invention capable of providing domestic appliances such as electric kettles with significant additional functionality and flexibility in operation, by associating the appliance with a powered base, on which the appliance can rotate, and providing additional means whereby certain functionalities for the appliance can be implemented when the appliance is oriented at certain pre-selected angular positions with reference to the base.

Objects of this invention are to further enhance the functionality and selectivity of domestic water vessels such as electrically operated kettles and/or coolers (with or without water filtration capabilities), and to give users an increased degree of choice of, and control over, the operation and appearance of such vessels.

Further objects include the provision of a vessel with a body of which at least a majority is made of transparent or translucent material, and to match certain selectable functions or operations of the vessel to the aforesaid transparency or translucency, thereby to enhance the appearance of, and/or the user experience associated with, the vessel.

A further object is to provide a mount for a mesh filter, associated with the spout of such a vessel, which is particularly adapted for use with a transparent-bodied, or translucent-bodied, appliance. It will be appreciated that special considerations apply to the mounting of spoutfilters in such circumstances, since it is undesirable to have unsightly internal mount features visible through the body of the vessel, especially if some form of internal illumination is rendered available in at least some operational configurations of the vessel.

According to the invention from one aspect, there is provided an domestic water vessel comprising a body part forming a receptacle for water and electrically powered heating and/or cooling means associated with the receptacle and capable of heating and/or cooling the water therein, and a base part connectable to a source of electricity; the body part and the base part carrying respective co-operative parts of an electrical connector for conveying power from the base part to the heating and/or cooling means whilst permitting the body part to rotate relative to and be freely removable from the base part; and control means for causing the vessel to operate differently with the body part rotated to at least one position relative to the base part as compared with its operation when the body part is rotated to at least one other position relative to the base part; wherein said control means comprises means permitting a user of the vessel to select, by rotation of the body part to pre-determined positions relative to the base part, one or more functions selected from: constant internal lighting of the receptacle when the vessel is operating; lighting of the receptacle which changes in dependence upon the operational state of the vessel from time to time; lighting of the receptacle in dependence upon a temperature of the water; activation of an ultra-violet emitter for treatment of the water; and/or operation of an extended boil facility.

Various other features of the invention will become clear from the following description of preferred embodiments and will be set out with particularity in the subsidiary claims hereof.

In particular, however, another feature of the invention, considered inventive in its own right, provides the body part with a mesh filter, adjacent a spout thereof, for trapping unwanted solids that otherwise would remain entrained in the water when poured from the vessel; the mesh filter being provided with mounting support means extending away from the spout and adapted to be supported, at least in part, by means disposed within the receptacle and located on the opposite side of said body part to said spout.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, certain embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figures 1(a) to 1(d) show a vessel in accordance with one example of the invention, comprising a kettle, in respective orientations; Figure 1(e) shows a base for the kettle of Figures 1(a) to 1(d); and Figures 2(a) and 2(b) show a mesh filter mounting arrangement which can be used with the kettle of Figures 1(a) to 1(b).

Referring now to Figures 1(a) through 1(e) of the drawings, a kettle 10 (see Figures 1(a) to 1(d)) comprises a body part 20, comprising a receptacle 22 for water to be heated, a handle 24, a lid 26 and an on-off switch 28. The body part also contains a heater (not shown) associated with the receptacle 22 for heating the water therein. The heater may be of any convenient kind, although it is preferred to form the receptacle 22 with a metallic floor, and to utilise a heating element mounted under the floor to give the receptacle a clean internal surface.

The kettle 10 also comprises a power base 30 (see Figure 1(e)), which is connectable by way of a power cord 32 to the mains electricity supply.

The power base 30 also contains an upstanding element 34 which cooperates with a matching element (not shown) protruding downwardly from the body part to form a coaxial connection of known kind which supplies power from the base 30 to the body part 20, in particular to drive the heater when the switch 28 is turned on.

As is well known, the nature of the coaxial connection from the base to the body part permits the body part to be removed from the base merely by lifting it, so that the body part of the kettle can be removed from the base for filling or for pouring; thereby providing what is known as cordless operation of the kettle. In addition, it will be appreciated that the body part 20 can be freely rotated relative to the base, or placed thereon in any angular position without affecting the ability of the kettle to operate.

As disclosed and claimed in the aforementioned UK Patent No. GB 2328143 B, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, significant adaptability and flexibility in operation of kettles of the kind described hereinbefore is achievable by switching certain functions into or out of operation, in dependence upon the angular relationship between the body part 20 and the base part 30.

In accordance with examples of this invention, one or more of the following functions may be selected; it being assumed that the receptacle 22, or at least a major part of it, is formed of transparent or translucent material: 1. Internal illumination of the water in the receptacle for as long as the power switch 28 is turned on. In this respect, it will be appreciated that, once the water in the receptacle has boiled, a steam-actuated switch (so-called "steam-stat") will, in known fashion, trip the switch 28 to its OFF position. The illumination may be provided in any chosen colour, and by any convenient means, such as neons, LEDs or other lamps, mounted in any convenient manner to illuminate the water in the receptacle 22; 2. The heater may be operated in a keep-warm mode, active post- boiling to maintain water in the receptacle at a predetermined temperature, and/or to cut off before boiling at a predetermined maximum temperature, and/or to provide an extended boiling period for use where water of suspect purity is available. These functions are all known of themselves and are readily implementable by those skilled in the art. For example, with regard to a keep-warm function, it is known to provide two elements of relatively high and relatively low wattage respectively, and to run both elements whilst the water is being heated, but to have the steam-stat switch out only the higher wattage element when boiling occurs, so that the lower wattage element continues to run.

Imposition of a maximum temperature is readily achieved, for example by means of a thermostat control, and likewise the extended boil facility is readily implemented by the interposition of a delay into the operation of the steam-stat.

3. The receptacle 22 may be internally illuminated with differing colours at differing stages of the heating and/or a subsequent keep-warm or extended-boiling process. Thus, the illumination may be of a cool colour, such as blue or green, at switch-on, gradually changing through yellow and orange to red at boiling; possibly changing to a pulsed mode if a keep-warm facility is used. Alternatively, mixtures of colours, or even random colour sequences may be used if desired.

4. An ultra-violet (UV) source may be activated to provide a degree of water treatment; such source being of any convenient kind and further provided, in some embodiments, with optical beam-shaping means, such as dispersive or facetted devices, to spread the UV energy out so as to ensure, so far as possible, coverage of the entire water content of the receptacle. The UV source may be independently operated, or it may be associated with one or more other functions, such as a keep-warm function and/or an illumination function.

In order that the improved functionality of the invention may be provided without compromising the inherent convenience of the cordless operation, it is preferred that the kettle 10 operates entirely normally unless a function selector switch 36 on the base part 30 is pressed by the user, and moreover that any selected functionality is automatically cancelled when the body part 20 is lifted off of the base part 30. By this means, the user can elect to utilise the kettle 10 in an entirely conventional way; the normal, or default condition of the kettle 10 being set up to permit this.

If the user wishes to utilise any of the additional functionalities provided by means of the invention, however, the selector switch 36 is operated to energise a selector function in the base part 30. The selector function may, for example, incorporate a function trigger such as an electromagnetic coil, or the sender of an optical or inductive system, or a radio frequency identification (RFID) device, or indeed any other robust and cost-effective means that can communicate reliably between the base part 30 and the body part 20.

In this embodiment, any of the four functions described above is selectable; each being associated with a respective quadrant of the underside of the body part 20. Depending from the body part is a peripheral skirt 21 which is transparent or translucent and is dimensioned to overlie part at least of the depth of the base part 30. Each quadrant is, in this example, marked with a legend indicative of a selectable function for the kettle and a particular control quadrant 38 of the base part 30 is either coloured or illuminated to show through the skirt 21, thereby to enable the user to readily align the quadrant of the body part bearing the desired legend with the control quadrant 38. If desired, the visual alignment of a function quadrant on skirt 21 with the control quadrant 38 can be reinforced by a tactile means, such as pairs of resilient buffers at the extremities of each quadrant, one buffer of each pair being carried by the skirt and facing inwardly towards the base part and the other buffer of each pair facing outwardly from the base; the buffers being designed to abut into resistance fit when the body part and the base part are aligned.

Other means may be used to provide the tactile assurance, or none may be provided.

In any event, when the desired quadrant of the skirt 21, and thus the body part 20, is correctly aligned with the control quadrant 38 of the base part 30, the arrangement is such that the kettle 10 will perform with the selected functionality. In this respect, it will be appreciated that the function trigger (i.e. the electromagnet or other device) may not of itself be housed within the control quadrant of the base part 30; all that is required is to ensure that, when the control quadrant 38 is aligned with a selected legend on the skirt 21, the function trigger is correctly disposed to actuate a function switch in the body part 20 which is associated with the selected function. Actuation of the function switch is effective to activate circuitry which implements the selected function.

It will be appreciated that graphics may be provided on the skirt 21 instead of legends if preferred, and also that the function trigger may be located in the body part 20, with the function switch being then located in the base part 30. In this latter situation, the circuitry associated with the function switch can be incorporated into either the body part 20 or the base part 30.

Thus, if it is assumed for example that a UV water treatment function is required, the user presses the function selector switch 36, and rotates the body part 20 until the quadrant of the skirt 21 bearing the legend "UV CLEAN" is aligned with the control quadrant 38 of the base part 30.

Under these circumstances, when the kettle 10 is switched on, the function trigger in the base 30 actuates the UV function switch in the body part 20; thereby activating the UV driver circuitry in accordance with a predetermined timing procedure, which may involve, for example, energising the UV source for a predetermined time during the initial heating-up process, and then re-energising it for a short time after boiling. Alternatively, the UV source could merely be energised throughout the boiling process; i.e. for as long as the switch 28 is ON. In any event, once the body part 20 has been lifted from the base 30, the entire system is re-set to the normal operating condition, so that the kettle can be operated entirely normally on its next usage.

Any of the other functions outlined above may be operated in a similar manner to that just described; the detailed operation of the kettle in any given function mode being predetermined by parameters built into the actuating circuitry.

When a body part 20 is substantially transparent or translucent, problems arise in accommodating spout-mounting mesh filters of the kind commonly used to skim particles from the heated water which, if not removed, tend to form unpalatable, scum-like layers on water poured from the kettle. Such filters are usually removably-mounted, in close proximity to the spout, by means including detents and slides or the like.

In a transparent, or translucent kettle body, such mounting arrangements tend to be regarded as unsightly, particularly when their visibility becomes further emphasised by the adherence of residues and deposits after a period of use. It is therefore necessary to devise a different mounting arrangement.

In accordance with a feature of this invention, therefore, and as shown in Figures 2(a) and 2(b), a filter 40 is supported in the body part 20 by means of a "Y"-shaped yoke member 42 which extends across the kettle from front to back and is supported on a shelf-like member 44 outstanding from a moulding 46 located at the handle side of the kettle, which moulding forms part of the mounting assembly for the lid 26 and, in this particular example, houses the steam conduit for the steam-stat (not shown). The end 48 of the yoke member 42 remote from the spout sits snugly on the pedestal 44 and is further secured by the underside of the lid 26 when the latter is closed. The spout-facing end 49 of the filter is shaped to snugly fit the contour of the body part 20 just below the spout, so that no significant amount of water can leak between the body and the filter 40.

In a preferred embodiment, as shown in Figure 2(a), the shelf-like support member 44 is formed with an upturned lip 45 which engages with a groove (not shown) formed in the underside of the yoke member 42 in order to provide enhanced security of the connection between the members 42 and 44 whilst still permitting ready removal and replacement of the filter.

In the event that a vessel in accordance with the invention is configured as, or to include, an electrically powered cooler, such as a Peltier device, the additional functionality would, of course, be tailored towards synergy with the cooling function. In particular, the UV water treatment can be arranged to operate in several modes, depending upon the user's particular choice. For example, one mode comprises a UV illumination period linked to a closure of the spout so that water cannot be poured from the vessel until the UV lamps have been illuminated for a predetermined time unless the electrical cooler has been operated. A lidmounted and battery-operated timer may provide an input to the electrical control system in the event that the vessel has been left out of use for a prescribed period.

In another mode, an electrically operated thermometer device is provided to monitor the temperature of the water and visual lighting means, internal or external of the cooling vessel, is activated or deactivated in dependence on whether or not the water has reached a predetermined temperature. The predetermined temperature is, in some embodiments, rendered user-selectable.

As mentioned above, any kettle or cooler in accordance with the invention may incorporate a water-treatment cartridge, in which case data concerning the state of use and projected lifetime of the cartridge can be stored in a battery-operated device and input to the electrical control system such that displays and/or warnings can be provided where appropriate to indicate a need for cartridge replacement, for example.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A domestic water vessel comprising a body part forming a

receptacle for water and electrically powered heating and/or cooling means associated with the receptacle and capable of heating andlor cooling the water therein, and a base part connectable to a source of electricity; the body part and the base part carrying respective co- operative parts of an electrical connector for conveying power from the base part to the heating and/or cooling means whilst permitting the body part to rotate relative to and be freely removable from the base part; and control means for causing the vessel to operate differently with the body part rotated to at least one position relative to the base part as compared with its operation when the body part is rotated to at least one other position relative to the base part; wherein said control means comprises means permitting a user of the vessel to select, by rotation of the body part to pre-determined positions relative to the base part, one or more functions selected from: constant internal lighting of the receptacle when the vessel is operating; lighting of the receptacle which changes in dependence upon the operational state of the vessel from time to time; lighting of the receptacle in dependence upon a temperature of the water; activation of an ultra-violet emitter for treatment of the water; and/or operation of an extended boil facility.
2. A vessel according to claim 1, wherein the body part carries a filter, adjacent a spout thereof, for trapping unwanted solids that otherwise would remain entrained in the heated water when poured from the kettle; the filter being provided with mounting support means extending away from the spout and adapted to be supported, at least in part, by means disposed within the receptacle and located on the opposite side of said body part to said spout.
3. A vessel according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the heater comprises a heating element mounted under a metallic floor of said receptacle.
4. A vessel according to any preceding claim, wherein a said selected function comprises illuminating water in the receptacle throughout a boiling process.
5. A vessel according to claim 4, further comprising a steam-actuated switch for disconnecting electrical power from the heater once the water in the receptacle has boiled.
6. A vessel according to any preceding claim, wherein a said selected function comprises causing the heater to continue operating after the water has boiled for a predetermined extended period.
7. A vessel according to any preceding claim, wherein a said selected function comprises illuminating water in the receptacle with differing colours at differing stages of the heating and/or cooling and/or a subsequent keep-warm or extended-boiling process.
8. A vessel according to any preceding claim, wherein a said selected function comprises activating an ultra-violet (UV) source to provide a degree of water treatment.
9. A vessel according to claim 8, further comprising optical beam- shaping means, such as dispersive or facetted devices, to spread the UV energy out so as to ensure, so far as possible, coverage of the entire water content of the receptacle.
10. A vessel according to any preceding claim, wherein means are provided to cause normal operation of the vessel to occur unless a function selector switch is pressed by the user.
11. A vessel according to claim 10, further comprising means for automatically cancelling any selected functionality is automatically cancelled when the body part is lifted off of the base part.
12. A vessel according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein said function selector switch is connected to a function trigger selected from the group comprising: an electromagnetic coil; the sender of an optical or inductive system; or a radio frequency identification (RFID) device.
13. A vessel according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each said selected function is associated with a respective sector of the underside of the body part.
14. A vessel according to claim 13, wherein a transparent or translucent skirt is provided, depending from the body part and dimensioned to overlie part at least of the depth of the base part.
15. A vessel according to claim 14, wherein each sector of the skirt bears marking indicative of a selectable function for the kettle, and wherein a control sector of the base part is configured to show through the skirt, thereby to enable the user to readily align the sector of the body part bearing the desired marking with the control sector.
16. A vessel according to claim 14 or claim 15, wherein visual alignment of a function sector on the said skirt with the control sector is reinforced by a tactile means.
17. A vessel according to claim 16, wherein said tactile means comprises pairs of resilient buffers at the extremities of each sector, one buffer of each pair being canied by the skirt and facing inwardly towards the base part and the other buffer of each pair facing outwardly from the base; the buffers being designed to abut into resistance fit when the body part and the base part are aligned.
18. A domestic water vessel comprising a body part forming a receptacle for water, a lid disposed to selectively cover an opening of the receptacle, and electrically powered heating and/or cooling means associated with the receptacle and capable of heating and/or cooling the water therein, and a base part connectable to a source of electricity; the body part and the base part carrying respective co-operative parts of an electrical connector for conveying power from the base part to the heating and/or cooling means whilst permitting the body part to be removable from the base part; and wherein the body part carries a filter, adjacent a spout thereof, for trapping unwanted solids that otherwise would remain entrained in the heated water when poured from the kettle; the filter being provided with mounting support means extending away from the spout and adapted to be supported, at least in part, by means disposed within the receptacle and located on the opposite side of said body part to said spout.
19. A vessel according to claim 18, wherein said mounting support means includes a "Y"-shaped yoke member which extends across the vessel and is supported on a shelf-like member outstanding from a moulding located at said opposite side of said body part to said spout.
20. A vessel according to claim 19, wherein said moulding forms part of a mounting assembly for the lid.
21. A vessel according to claim 19 or claim 20, wherein said moulding houses a steam conduit comprising part of a steam-actuated cut-off switch for interrupting the supply of power to the vessel.
22. A vessel according to any of claims 19 to 21, wherein an end of the yoke member remote from the spout sits snugly on said shelf member and is further secured by the underside of the lid when the latter is closed.
23. A vessel according to any of claims 19 to 22, wherein the spoutfacing end of the filter is shaped to snugly fit the contour of the body part just below the spout, so that no significant amount of water can leak between the body and the filter.
24. A vessel according to any of claims 19 to 23, wherein the shelf- like support member is formed with an upturned lip which engages with a groove formed in the underside of the yoke member.
25. A domestic water vessel substantially as herein described with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.