JP2003135269A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fitting structure of a handle of a rice cooker, capable of improving workability of an outer case and simplifying fitting and removal of the outer case. SOLUTION: This rice cooker includes a container body formed of an inner case forming an inner wall, a shoulder member forming an upper end part, a metal-made outer case forming an outer wall and a bottom member forming a bottom, a lid member freely opening and closing the container body, a heating means provided between the inner case and the bottom member, and a handle fitted to the shoulder member through a penetrating hole bored in the outer case for passing a support shaft of the handle. A gap is provided between the outer case and the shoulder member, and the support shaft of the handle is passed from the outside of the outer case through the gap to be locked on the shoulder member.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rice cooker that uses a metal such as stainless steel for an outer case forming an outer wall of a container body, and in particular, the surface area of the metal outer case is increased to improve design effects and the like. The present invention relates to a mounting structure for a handle that facilitates mounting and dismounting of the outer case and processing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recent rice cookers have many convenient functions. For example, the induction heating method that consists of a work coil as a heating means is one of them, and it is possible to perform efficient rice cooking control and accurate heat retention control for a long time after that. It is one.

[0003] On the other hand, for the purchaser, not only the convenience of the function but also the design of the rice cooker is regarded as one furniture, and the purchase is emphasized. For example, a heat-resistant plastic is generally used for the outer case forming the outer shell of the rice cooker body, and among them, a thermoplastic such as PP, which is relatively inexpensive, is commonly used. However, since the plastic material is a brittle material, it has low impact resistance and is easily cracked or cracked. In addition, rice cookers are often installed in kitchens, etc., and when oil that is used for cooking and splashes adheres to the surface of the plastic outer case,
The problem with plastic materials is that it is difficult to wipe off this oil. It has been found that these problems can be solved by using a metal, such that when a metal material is used instead of plastic, impact resistance is increased and cleaning is easily performed against oil stains. Since metal has a luster, it also has an effect on appearance and aesthetics. Therefore, products using stainless steel for the outer case of the rice cooker are widely available to meet the needs of buyers.

An outline of such a product will be described with reference to FIG. 15. The rice cooker has a container body a as shown in the figure.
And a lid member b that can be opened and closed with respect to the container body a. The container body a forms an outer case c that forms an outer wall, an inner case d that forms an inner wall, and an outer case c that forms an upper end.
A shoulder member e integrally connected to the inner case d, and a bottom member f connected to the outer case c to form an outer bottom wall.
An inner pot g for heating and cooking contents such as rice and rice is housed in the inner case d.

A coil stand (not shown) is disposed in the vicinity of the lower side of the inner case d, and the coil stand and the inner case d are provided between the upper surface of the coil stand and the lower surface of the inner case d.
The heating coil i is arranged so as to be sandwiched between and. When cooking, put rice etc. in the inner pan g
When set inside, a center sensor (not shown) is turned on, and the heating coil i can be energized to a high frequency power source.
When a high-frequency power source is energized, a strong magnetic field is generated, and the magnetic field generates an eddy current near the outer surface of the inner pot g made of stainless steel or the like having a large skin resistance, and then Joule heat caused by the eddy current is generated. The inner pot g is heated by the Joule heat, and the contents are cooked.

[0006] The outer case c is made of stainless steel, and its entire circumference has a substantially cylindrical shape that is open in the upper and lower sides and constitutes the outer shell of the rice cooker. The upper and lower end portions of the outer case c are curled inside. c1 and c1 are formed. Also, the shoulder member e
Recesses e1 and f1 are formed at the lower outer peripheral edge and the upper outer peripheral edge of the bottom member f, respectively. And these depressions e
The outer case c, the shoulder member e, and the bottom member f are integrally coupled by forcibly fitting the curl portions c1 and c1 formed at the upper and lower ends of the outer case c into the first and f1. By making the outer case c corresponding to the body of the rice cooker from stainless steel in this way, impact resistance is increased, cleaning is easier against oil stains, and the design of the rice cooker is comparable. Is obtained.

By the way, the rice cooker is provided with a substantially semicircular handle j for carrying the rice cooker. A support shaft j1 is protruded inward from both ends of the handle j so as to face each other.
1 supports the rice cooker. However, since rice, water, etc. are put in the rice cooker for heating and cooking, the handle j must be able to bear the weight including them, and the mounting position thereof is also shoulder as shown in FIG. It is attached to the member e.

However, as shown in FIG. 15, when the handle j is attached to the shoulder member e, the height h of the outer case c is reduced correspondingly, and the advantage of stainless steel is reduced accordingly.

As a solution to such a problem, the one described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-25435 has been proposed. This is shown in FIG. This known one is
Regarding the prevention of deformation of the metal outer case, the attachment of the handle is also clearly shown in the drawing. Since most of this is the same as that of FIG. 15, description thereof will be omitted.

That is, the outer case c is made of stainless steel, its total height H is increased, and its upper portion is extended so as to cover the outer surface of the shoulder member e. To explain, the deformation prevention frame k is provided integrally with the inner case d, and
This deformation prevention frame k is brought into contact with the vicinity of the center inner wall portion of the inner case d, and when an inward force is applied to the outer case c from the outside, the deformation prevention frame k receives the force to prevent the deformation of the outer case c. Prevent deformation. Further, the upper inner wall portion of the outer case c is also brought into contact with the outer surface of the shoulder member e, and has a function of preventing the outer case c from being deformed. In this case, the support shaft j1 of the handle j
Is attached to the shoulder member e as in the conventional case, but the attachment is performed through a through hole formed in the outer case c.

With this structure, the outer case c can be prevented from being deformed by an external force applied to the outer case c, and the outer case c can be compared with that shown in FIG.
Since the height H can be made higher, impact resistance is increased, maintenance is facilitated, and further, aesthetics are improved.

The outer case c is assembled with the rice cooker upside down. That is, the shoulder member e and the inner case d
After the and are assembled, the rice cooker is reversed, and the curl portion c1 of the outer case c is pushed into the recess e1 of the shoulder member e to assemble the outer case c to the shoulder member e. in this case,
In order to ensure that the shoulder member e and the outer case c are fitted tightly, it is necessary to secure a certain height to the inside of the curl portion c1.

However, in the structure shown in FIG. 14, as described above, the upper inner wall portion of the outer case c is brought into contact with the shoulder member e, so that a gap may be provided between both members c and e. Can not. Therefore, the force fitting by forming the curl portion c1 on the inner side of the outer case c is suitable as a fixing means, but as described above, the height protruding to the inner side of the curl portion c1 must be secured to some extent. must not. Therefore, when the outer case c is assembled to the shoulder member e, the outer case c has to be pushed into the shoulder member e, which requires time and labor. Further, when the outer case c is pushed into the shoulder member e, if the locking means formed on the outer case c is the curl portion c1 having a winding shape, the tip end of the curl portion c1 is pushed in while being brought into contact with the outer surface of the shoulder member e. Even if it is done, there is an advantage that the outer surface of the shoulder member e is not easily scratched, but the processing of the curl portion c1 is not easy. Further, if the rice cooker should break down, it will be disassembled and repaired, but it is difficult to remove if the shoulder member e and the outer case c, and the shoulder member e and the bottom member f are attached by force fitting. It had drawbacks.

[0014]

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, and in particular, it improves the workability of the outer case and simplifies the installation and removal thereof. It is to provide a mounting structure for a handle of a container.

[0015]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following configuration.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container body including an inner case forming an inner wall, a shoulder member forming an upper end portion, a metal outer case forming an outer wall, and a bottom member forming a bottom portion, and the container. A lid member that is openable and closable with respect to the main body, heating means provided between the inner case and the bottom member, and a through hole through which a support shaft of a handle is inserted are provided in the outer case, and the through hole is used to provide the above-mentioned structure. In a rice cooker comprising a handle attached to a shoulder member, a gap is provided between the outer case and the shoulder member, and a support shaft of the handle extends from the outside of the outer case to the shoulder member. Locked configuration.

With this structure, the height of the metal outer case can be increased. Moreover, since a gap is provided between the outer case and the shoulder member, the locking means of the outer case provided at the upper and lower ends of the outer case can be changed to a conventional curl portion to form a crank-shaped step portion, The outer case can be easily processed and attached and detached.

In the invention according to claim 2, the support shaft of the handle has a shaft end base portion which comes into contact with the outer surface of the outer case, a middle shaft portion which is located in a gap between the shoulder member and the outer case, and the shoulder member. At least a front end locking portion that locks to the. With this configuration, the support shaft of the handle is locked to the shoulder member while being in contact with the outer surface of the outer case, so that the handle can be smoothly rotated. Further, the support shaft of the handle of the present invention is inevitably long because it is locked to the shoulder member from the outside of the outer case through the gap. Bending stress increases as the support shaft becomes longer, and in order to cover it, it is unavoidable to increase the shaft diameter, but increasing the shaft diameter increases the resin amount of the support shaft, and the handle body and the support shaft. A so-called sink mark, which is a dent caused by solidification shrinkage when the resin is cooled, is generated at the connection portion with and the appearance is deteriorated, and the strength of the support shaft is unavoidably reduced. Therefore, by adopting the structure in which the central portion of the shaft is thinned as described in the claims, the amount of resin in the entire supporting shaft is reduced and the occurrence of sink marks is reduced.

According to a third aspect of the invention, the thinned portion has a cross-shaped cross section. And with such a configuration,
Since it is possible to reduce the resin amount of the entire support shaft while maintaining the strength of the support shaft substantially in the state where the shaft diameter is large, the occurrence of sink marks is reduced as in the case of the second aspect.

In the invention according to claim 4, the shaft end base portion,
The outer diameters of the shaft middle part and the tip locking part are as follows:
The structure is such that the center part of the shaft> the tip locking part. With such a configuration, without lowering the strength of the handle support shaft,
The amount of resin in the entire support shaft can be reduced more effectively,
The occurrence of sink marks is reduced more than the effect of the third aspect.

In the invention according to claim 5, the shoulder member is
At least a triple annular wall structure is provided, and an engaging member on the shoulder member side is provided using the middle annular wall, and the engaging member is
Furthermore, the structure is bridged to the inner ring wall. With this structure, the locking member on the shoulder member side is firmly fixed and its strength is sufficiently increased.

[0022]

1 is a side view of a rice cooker to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 taken from above and below. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rice cooker 1 is roughly divided into a container body 2 capable of accommodating an inner pot 10 therein,
It comprises a lid member 3 capable of opening and closing the upper opening of the container body 2. The lid member 3 is made of resin such as polypropylene and has an upper lid 31, a lower lid 32, a heat dissipation plate 33, and an inner cover 35.
Composed of. A heat insulating material 36 formed as a vacuum heat insulating structure is arranged in the internal space formed between the upper lid 31 and the lower lid 32. A heater 34 is disposed on the upper surface of the heat radiating plate 33, and the heat radiating plate 33 is heated by the heater 34 to heat the contents in the inner pot 10 from above. The vacuum heat insulating structure 36 is made of SiO ₂ , ZrO ₂ ,
A heat insulating material formed by wrapping a particulate porous ceramics powder having low thermal conductivity such as Al ₂ O ₃ with two metal sheets such as aluminum and evacuating the inside, from about −50 ° C. It is possible to improve the heat insulating property in the temperature range of 200 ° C. However, the heat insulating material 36 may not be such a vacuum heat insulating structure, but may be a normal material such as expanded polystyrene.

A pressure regulating lid 37 is provided at the center of the lid member 3.
Is provided, and a valve member 39 is provided inside thereof, and when the internal pressure rises above a predetermined level, the valve member 39 is pushed up and steam inside is formed in the pressure regulating lid 37. Through a steam port (not shown).
Further, a hinge mechanism 40 having a known spring therein is provided on the rear side of the lid member 3, and the lid member 3 is locked or unlocked by a lock member 41 provided on the upper front side of the rice cooker 1. It can be opened and closed freely with respect to the container body 2.

The container body 2 has an outer case 4 forming an outer wall, an inner case 5 in the outer case 4 forming an inner wall, a shoulder member 6 forming the upper ends of the inner and outer cases 4, 5, and rice cooking. Consisting of a bottom member 8 forming the bottom of the vessel 1,
Although they are shown as being formed separately, the inner case 5 and the shoulder member 6 may be integrally formed to reduce the production cost.

The outer case 4 is made of metal such as stainless steel and has a cylindrical shape with upper and lower openings to form the body of the rice cooker 1. The shoulder member 6 is made of resin, for example, polypropylene (PP) or the like, forms the upper end of the container body 2, and has a hinge mechanism 40 on its rear side and outer peripheral side surface.
And the handle 7 are provided respectively. The outer case 4,
Details of the shoulder member 6 and the handle 7 will be described later.

The inner case 5 forming the inside of the container body 2 has a W shape similar to the inner pot 10 like the shoulder member 6, and a ring-shaped heat retaining heater 9 is provided on the outer periphery thereof. Inner pot 10 attached with aluminum sheet and stored inside
Keep it warm from the side. The inner case 5 is firmly connected to the shoulder member 6 by a screw (not shown).

The bottom member 8 that forms the bottom of the rice cooker 1 is made of a resin such as polypropylene as with the inner case 5, and is firmly attached to the inner case 5 with screws (not shown). An intake port 8a is provided on the front side of the bottom member 8, an exhaust port (not shown) is provided on the rear side thereof, and a plurality of leg portions 8b are provided on the bottom surface thereof.

Reference numeral 10 denotes an inner pot housed in the inner case 5, which is made of iron, which is a highly magnetic material in which the eddy current induced inside is large, or magnetic stainless steel, or the whole thereof. It is possible to use aluminum that is lightweight and has a low skin resistance and is formed by pressing magnetic stainless steel having a high skin resistance only on the bottom of the work coil where the magnetic flux hits, or by welding iron.

The whole has a W-shaped cross section similar to the inner case 5, and when the inner pot 10 is housed in the inner case 5, the central bottom surface of the inner pot 10 is formed at the center of the bottom of the inner case 5. The top of the center sensor 12 protruding through the through hole 5a is pressed. Then, the center sensor 12 is pushed down, the control circuit is energized, and the heating control of the rice cooker 1 is enabled. That is, unless the inner pot 10 is stored in the inner case 5, the inner pot 10 and the center sensor 12 function as a safety device of the rice cooker 1 so that the heating control is not performed. The center sensor 12 is a well-known one and includes a reed switch for detecting the set state of the inner pot 10 and a thermistor for detecting the temperature of the inner pot 10. In the inner case 5, the inner pot 10 containing the contents such as rice and rice is stored, and the upper opening is closed by the lid member 3 to start heating.
The sealing material 11 is interposed between the upper end of the inner pot 10 and the inner cover 35, and the inner pot 10 is sealed and then induction heating is performed by a heating coil or the like.

At the bottom and side of the lower surface of the inner case 5,
A bottom coil 45 and a corner coil 46 as heating means are respectively arranged, and the bottom coil 45 and the corner coil 46 are fixed by a coil stand (not shown). The bottom coil 45 and the corner coil 46 are copper wires wound concentrically a required number of times and are arranged in the central portion and the outer peripheral portion, and both coils 45 and 46 are connected in series. Reference numeral 13 indicates a cord winding box.

In the front space 15 of the rice cooker 1, an operation board holding member 16 made of resin is arranged. The operation board holding member 16 includes various switch buttons 19 and a display device 20.
An operation board 17 on which the above components are arranged is attached near the operation panel 18. Further, reference numeral 22 is a power supply substrate holding member, a power supply substrate 23 is attached to the power supply substrate holding member 22 with screws 24, and a power transistor (IGBT) necessary for induction heating is attached to the power supply substrate 23. Various electronic circuit elements such as various drive circuits are attached. Among these various electronic circuit elements, there are elements that generate heat, such as the above-mentioned IGBT. Therefore, the power supply board 23 is provided with a fin 27 as a heat sink for promoting heat dissipation of these heat generating elements and a cooling fan 25 for cooling the fin 27.

Then, the bottom coil 45, the corner coil 46, the heater 34 and the warming heater 9 are controlled by these operating devices and various electronic circuit elements, and optimum rice cooking and warming control are performed. The cooling fan 25
Is for maintaining various electronic circuit elements and the like at an optimum temperature, and sucks air from an intake port 8a provided below the cooling fan 25 in front of the bottom member 8 and pushes cooling air above it. In that case, the cooling air is supplied from the power supply board 23 to the operation board 17 and the power supply board 23 side and the coils 45 and 46.
Shunt to the side.

The outer case 4 of the present invention will be described.
The outer case 4 is made of stainless steel as shown in its half-face in FIG. 1 and its cross section in FIGS. 2 and 3, and its entire circumference is
The rice cooker 1 has an approximately cylindrical shape which is open from above and below and constitutes the outer shell of the rice cooker 1. At its upper and lower ends, inwardly stepped portions are formed. That is, the upper surface thereof has a horizontal surface 4a protruding inward.
And a vertical surface 4b extending upward from the end of the horizontal surface 4a.
Is formed as a stepped portion having a crank shape in cross section, and the lower end portion has substantially the same shape as the stepped portion of the upper end portion having a horizontal surface 4a protruding inward and a vertical surface 4b hanging downward from the end portion of the horizontal surface 4a. The cross-section has a crank-shaped step. A through hole 4c into which a handle support shaft described later is inserted is formed on the left and right side surfaces.

The shoulder member 6 will be described. The shoulder member 6 is
The upper end of the container body 2 is made of resin. FIG. 6 is a bottom view thereof, FIG. 7 is a side view thereof, FIG. 4 is a sectional view thereof, and FIG. 5 is a view taken in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 4, showing a locking member for locking the support shaft of the handle. An enlarged view is shown. As shown in FIG. 6, the shoulder member 6 has an opening 6j for accommodating the inner pot 10 in the center thereof.
And a plurality of screw holes 6k for mounting and fixing the inner case 5 and the bottom member 8 are provided.

On the lower surface of the shoulder member 6, a plurality of annular walls are suspended. An outer wall 6a is provided at the outer peripheral end thereof, a first intermediate wall 6b is provided inside thereof, a second intermediate wall 6c is provided further inside thereof, and an inner wall 6 is provided at the innermost side thereof.
d are annularly provided.

The outer wall 6a forms a part of the outer shell of the rice cooker 1, and the lower surface 6a1 of the outer wall 6a is in contact with the horizontal surface 4a of the outer case 4 after the container body 2 is assembled. The outer wall 6a
A first intermediate wall 6b is provided inside the. The first intermediate wall 6b is provided in a ring shape along the outer wall 6a as shown in FIG. 6, and the height of the wall is higher than that of the outer wall 6a as shown in FIGS. Is hung down for a long time.

Locking members 60 for locking the support shaft of the handle 7, which will be described later, are integrally formed on both side surfaces of the first intermediate wall 6b. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the locking member 60 has a height higher than that of the first intermediate wall 6b and is hung downwardly for a long time. The first intermediate wall 6b is disposed close to the outer wall 6a, and an outer gap 6e, which is a narrow space, is formed between the members 6a and 6b.

A plurality of ribs 6h having the same shape are vertically arranged in the outer gap 6e. As shown in FIG. 4, the rib 6h is formed in a taper shape from its tip to its root, and in FIG. 4, from its lowermost end to its upper side, its upper end 6h1 is horizontal. The taper-shaped rib 6h which spreads outward as it goes upwards, when the vertical surface 4b of the outer case 4 is pushed into the outer gap 6e,
It functions as a guide for the vertical surface 4b. That is, the outer case 4
When inserting the vertical surface 4b of the into the outer gap 6e, the rib 6
If the outer case 4 is put on the lowermost end of the narrowest h, and the outer case 4 is pushed in as it is, the tapered outer surface of the rib 6h guides the inner surface of the outer case 4 and the outer case 4 is smoothly moved into the outer gap 6e. Can be inserted into. After the insertion, the insertion ends when the horizontal surface 4a of the outer case 4 contacts the lower end surface 6a1 of the outer wall 6a of the shoulder member 6.

The locking member 60 for locking the support shaft of the handle 7 formed on both side surfaces of the first intermediate wall 6b will be described. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the locking member 60 has a height higher than that of the first intermediate wall 6b and is hung downward downward. As shown in FIG. 5, the front plate portion has a rectangular shape in plan view. As shown in FIG. 61 and FIG. 6, it has four side plate portions 62, and is integrated with the second intermediate wall 6c via the four side plate portions 62. That is, the locking member 60 is provided by utilizing the first intermediate wall 6b which is the middle annular wall, and is bridged to the second intermediate wall 6c which is the further inner annular wall through the plurality of side plate portions 62. It With such a configuration, the durability of the locking member 60 can be improved.

A bearing portion 63 is formed on the front plate portion 61. The bearing 63 includes a large diameter hole 63a and a small diameter hole 63b.
And a fan-shaped hole 63c. Large diameter hole 63a
Is a hole provided substantially in the center of the front plate portion 61, and as shown in FIG. 4, is drilled from the outside to the inside to a depth of about 1/3 of the thickness of the front plate portion 61. The small diameter hole 63b
Is a hole that is concentric with the large-diameter hole 63a, and is punched out from the outside to the inside with respect to the thickness of the front plate portion 61 as shown in FIG. The large diameter hole 63a and the small diameter hole 63b
And form a step having a step surface 63f (corresponding to the bottom surface of the large diameter hole 63a).

The fan-shaped holes 63c are the large-diameter holes 63a and the small-diameter holes 6.
3b and a part of the stepped surface 63f formed in the small diameter hole 63b.
Similarly to the above, the hole is formed by punching from the outside to the inside with respect to the thickness of the front plate portion 61, and in the one shown in FIG. 5, the step surface 63f on the right side of the small diameter hole 63b is fan-shaped. It is a hollowed out hole, and the through-hole is a small-diameter hole 63 as shown in the figure.
Together with b, it has an octopus-shaped cross section. This fan-shaped hole 63
An inclined surface 6 is provided on both end surfaces (upper and lower end surfaces in FIG. 5) of c.
3d is formed to facilitate the insertion of the fan-shaped protrusion of the handle support shaft described later. Further, in the structure shown in FIG. 5, two vertical protrusions 63e, 63 are provided above the step surface 63f.
When the handle 7 is located at the upper position, the handle 7 makes it difficult for the handle 7 to fall in either the left or right direction even when the hand is released. The fan-shaped protrusions of the handle support shaft are provided on the opposite sides of 180 degrees on the left and right sides, as will be described later.
The cross-sectional octopus shape is left-right opposite, and the protrusions 63e, 63e provided on the side surface on the side opposite to FIG.
It will be provided in the lower part of 3f.

The second intermediate wall 6c is an annular wall having a circular shape similar to the opening 6j and provided in the vicinity of the inner wall 6d.
The height of the wall is almost the same as the height of the first intermediate wall 6b, but on the left and right side surfaces, the side plate portion 62 having a plurality of locking members 60 is provided.
Since the bridge is bridged through, it is higher than the other parts as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7.

The inner wall 6d is a circular annular wall having an opening 6j formed therein, and the inner pot 10 is placed on the upper end thereof. The inner wall 6d and the second intermediate wall 6c are arranged close to each other,
An inner gap 6g is formed between both walls, and the upper end of the inner case 5 is inserted into the inner gap 6g as shown in FIG. In the above example, a quadruple annular wall structure has been described, but any number of annular walls may be used as long as it has at least a triple annular wall structure.

The outer case 4 is assembled to the shoulder member 6 as follows. That is, the shoulder member 6 is turned upside down, and the outer case 4 is put over the shoulder member 6. In that case, the vertical surface 4b of the outer case 4 is inserted into the narrow outer gap 6e, but first, the rib 6h has the narrowest bottom end (the top end when the shoulder member 6 is inverted). Outer case 4
Then, the outer case 4 is pushed in. Then, the vertical surface 4b of the outer case 4 is guided by the tapered outer surface of the rib 6h and smoothly inserted into the outer gap 6e, and the upper surface of the horizontal surface 4a of the outer case 4 becomes the lower end surface 6a1 of the outer wall 6a of the shoulder member 6. The insertion ends when the contact is made.

In this case, the outer surface of the vertical surface 4b of the outer case 4 should be in contact with the inner surface of the outer wall 6a of the shoulder member 6 so that the outer case 4 may be more stable, but the outer surface of the vertical surface 4b is located inside. Is also good. However, as shown in FIG. 3, the inner surface of the vertical surface 4b of the outer case 4 and the outer surface of the locking member 60 of the shoulder member 6 or the outer surface of the first intermediate wall 6b during and after the outer case 4 is assembled to the shoulder member 6. A gap 4d is formed between and. That is, the inner diameter of the vertical surface 4b of the outer case 4 is formed larger than the outer diameter of the first intermediate wall 6b of the shoulder member 6, and when the outer case 4 is inserted into the outer gap 6e, the vertical direction of the outer case 4 is increased. The surface 4b is the locking member 60 of the shoulder member 6 or the first intermediate wall 6
Since it does not hit b, the insertion is performed smoothly.

Next, the handle 7 will be described. 8 is an overall view of the handle, FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 8, FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 8, and FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of circle D, FIG. 12 is a view taken in the direction of arrow E of FIG. 11, and FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line FF of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, the handle 7 has a substantially semicircular shape, and both ends of the handle 7 have support shafts 70 projecting inward.
Is formed. The handle 7 is made of resin and is formed by injection molding or the like. Injection molding is performed by combining a movable mold and a fixed mold and injecting resin into the mold, but the mold is made larger on the movable mold side in order to facilitate the removal of the molding resin from the mold. Therefore, the parting line PL formed between the molds is formed off the center as shown in FIGS. 9 and 13. In addition, both ends of the handle 7 are curved inward (not necessarily clear in FIG. 8) in the state of a single body shown in FIG. 8, and when attached to the container body 2,
It will be installed while pushing the inwardly curved shape by hand. When the handle 7 is not used, the handle 7 is placed in a substantially horizontal state on a table 6m horizontally formed behind the shoulder member 6.

The support shafts 70 provided at both ends of the handle 7 will be described. As shown in an enlarged manner in FIGS. 11 to 13, the support shaft 70 is composed of a cylindrical shaft end base portion 71, a shaft middle portion 72, and a distal end locking portion 73. The shaft end base 71 has the largest diameter, but has the smallest width, and its side portion is a flat shaft end base side surface 71a.

The central shaft portion 72 constitutes a gap 4d formed between the outer case 4 and the shoulder member 6, which is an important element of the present invention. The shaft middle portion 72 has the largest diameter next to the shaft end base portion 71 and has the longest width. In the shaft middle portion 72 shown in FIG. 11, an outer case engaging portion 72d having a circular cross section, in which the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 4c of the outer case 4 faces, is formed at the right outer peripheral end thereof. A large-diameter hole engaging portion 72e having a circular cross section, which is opposed to the large-diameter hole 3a of the locking member 60, is formed at the left outer peripheral end thereof. The space between the outer case engaging portion 72d and the large diameter hole engaging portion 72e is thinned to have a cross-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. Since the other members do not engage with each other in the region having the cruciform cross section, even if the region is thinned, there is no particular problem, and the cruciform cross section does not particularly reduce the strength. Since the amount of resin in the entire support shaft 70 can be reduced by removing the thickness in this manner, sink marks generated at the base of the support shaft 70 of the handle can be reduced. The cross-shaped cross section may have another shape as long as the strength of the support shaft 70 does not decrease.

The side surface 72 of the central shaft portion 72 is located on the side of the central shaft portion 72.
Small projections 72c are formed on f, as shown in FIGS. The small protrusion 72c is formed by the two protrusions 63e, 6 formed on the step surface 63f of the locking member 60 shown in FIG.
3e is attached so as to be able to abut, and these protrusions 63e, 6
When it comes into contact with any of 3e, it functions to prevent the rotation of the handle 7, and holds the handle 7 at that position even if the handle 7 is released. In the present embodiment, this is when the handle 7 is moved upward. However, its position is
It is optional.

The tip locking portion 73 has the smallest diameter, the width thereof is smaller than that of the central shaft portion 72, and the locking member 6 is provided on the outer periphery thereof.
The small diameter hole 63b of 0 is engaged. Also, the tip locking portion 7
As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a fan-shaped protrusion 73 a is integrally formed on a part of the outer circumference of the No. 3. The fan-shaped protrusion 73a
In FIG. 11 (the one on the right side in FIG. 8), the small protrusion 72c provided on the tip side engaging portion 73 and on the shaft middle side surface 72f of the shaft middle portion 72 is It is provided below the fan-shaped protrusion 73a on the opposite side.

However, on the side opposite to that of FIG. 11, that is, on the left side of FIG. 8, a fan-shaped protrusion 73a is formed.
Is a small protrusion 72c provided on the shaft center side surface 72f of the shaft center part 72 while being provided below the tip locking part 73.
It is provided above the fan-shaped protrusion 73a on the opposite side. As described above, in the left and right locking members 60, the fan-shaped protrusions 73a provided on the tip locking portions 73 are different in position by 180 degrees. By forming the handles at different positions by 180 degrees in this way, the handles 7 cannot be easily removed after the handles 7 are once attached to the container body 2. Of course, the locking member 60
Protrusions 63e, 63e formed on the step surface 63f of the
Is 180 degrees left and right. Further, as shown in FIG. 12, an inclined surface 73a1 is formed on the outer peripheral end portion of the fan-shaped protrusion 73a, and in combination with the inclined surface 63d formed at the end portion of the fan-shaped hole 63c of the locking member 60, both of them are formed. Facilitate the relative insertion of.

As described above, the three parts of the shaft end base 71, the shaft middle part 72 and the tip locking part 73 are the shaft end base 71> the shaft middle part 72.
> The relationship of the tip locking portion 73, the shaft end base portion 71,
The total length of the three parts including the shaft middle part 72 and the tip locking part 73 is made longer than the length of the horizontal surface 4a of the outer case 4 and longer than the diameter of the shaft middle part 72.

Assembly of the handle 7 to the locking member 60 is performed as follows. First, the outer case 4, the shoulder member 6 and the bottom member 8 are assembled, and the through hole 4c of the outer case 4 and the shoulder member 6 are assembled.
The bearing portion 63 formed on the locking member 60 is made to have the same axis. Next, the support shaft 70 of the handle 7 is inserted into the through hole 4c of the outer case 4, but the handle 7
Fan-shaped protrusions 7 provided on the front end locking portions 73 of the support shaft 70 of
Since the mounting positions of 3a are different by 180 degrees on the left and right, the mounting position for mounting the handle 7 on the locking member 60 is 1
In this embodiment, the handle 7 is located at the front position. Therefore, the handle 7 is tilted so as to be in front of the shoulder member 6, and after alignment, the tip of the handle 7 is pushed outward to open the left and right support shafts 70 to the left and right locking members 60 of the shoulder member 6. Together, the left and right support shafts 70 are pushed into the left and right locking members 60 one by one, or both together. At the time of pushing, the inclined surfaces 63d formed on both ends of the fan-shaped hole 63c of the bearing portion 63 cooperate with the inclined surface 73a1 formed on the fan-shaped protruding portion 73a of the tip locking portion 73 so that the both are relatively inserted. It makes it easy and makes it hard to come off once it is pushed in.

After being pushed in, the shaft end base portion side surface 71a of the shaft end base portion 71 of the support shaft 70 is outside the outer case 4 and contacts the outer surface of the outer case 4. The through hole 4 formed in the outer case 4 except the shaft end base 71 of the support shaft 70.
The outer case engaging portion 72d having a circular cross section of the shaft middle portion 72 adjacent to the shaft end base portion 71 occupies a position facing the through hole 4c of the outer case 4. Through hole 4
The inner diameter of c is, of course, larger than the outer diameter of the outer case engaging portion 72d, but when the rice cooker 1 is moved while holding the handle 7, both of them strongly abut and the outer case 4 may be deformed. Not set to a size.

The region of the shaft middle portion 72 formed in a cross shape in cross section is located in the outer gap 6e of the shoulder member 6, and this region is necessary for providing the gap 4d between the outer case 4 and the shoulder member 6. It is a region where no other member is present. A large-diameter hole engaging portion 72e having a circular cross section formed on the inner peripheral edge of the shaft middle portion 72 is fitted into the large-diameter hole 63a of the locking member 60 as shown in FIG. That is, the outer diameter and the width of the large-diameter hole engaging portion 72e are, of course, fitted in the large-diameter hole 63a, but after fitting, they have an appropriate length so that there is no play between them. To be After the fitting, the side surface 72c1 of the small protrusion 72c formed on the side surface 72f of the shaft which is the side portion of the large diameter hole engaging portion 72e is brought into contact with the step surface 63f in the large diameter hole 63a. .

The tip locking portion 73 is fitted in the small diameter hole 63b of the locking member 60. When inserting the tip locking portion 73, as described above, the fan-shaped projection 7 provided on the tip outer peripheral portion.
Since the mounting positions of 3a are different from each other on the left and right sides by 180 degrees, the handle 7 is tilted so as to be in front of the shoulder member 6, and after being aligned, it is pushed into the small diameter hole 63b.

By the way, the width of the tip engaging portion 73 is
The length of the portion excluding the width of the fan-shaped protrusion 73 a and the width of the small protrusion 72 c (the length indicated by “s” in FIG. 11) is the small diameter hole 63.
It is slightly larger than the width of b (the length indicated by "t" in FIG. 4). Therefore, the support shaft 70 is attached to the locking member 6
After being pushed in to 0, the fan-shaped protrusion 73a provided on the outer peripheral portion of the tip projects inside the small diameter hole 63b. When the handle 7 is rotated rearward from the front position in this state, the outer surface (the right side surface in FIG. 11) of the fan-shaped protrusion 73a rotates while contacting the inner surface of the locking member 60, It is no longer possible to remove the handle 7 except at the front position where the handle 7 is pushed into the locking member 60.

After the handle 7 is pushed into the locking member 60, the outer side surface of the fan-shaped projection 73a and the inner side surface of the locking member 60 can be brought into contact with each other, and the shaft end base of the support shaft 70 can be made. The side surface 71a and the outer surface of the outer case 4, the shaft center side surface 72f of the large diameter hole engaging portion 72e, and the step surface 6 in the large diameter hole 63a.
3f can be contacted freely. Of course, in this case, the small protrusion 72c formed on the shaft middle side surface 72f of the large diameter hole engaging portion 72e.
The side surface 72c1 of the above is brought into contact with the step surface 63f in the large diameter hole 63a. Then, the side surface 72c1 of the small protrusion 72c formed on the shaft middle side surface 72f of the large diameter hole engaging portion 72e.
Is the protrusion 6 formed on the step surface 63f in the large diameter hole 63a.
When abutting on 3e, the engaging state of both becomes stronger,
Even if the handle 7 is released at that time, the handle 7 does not fall down. Of course, the position is preferably when the handle 7 is above.

The invention of the present application is not limited to the configuration of the above-mentioned embodiment, and it goes without saying that the design can be changed as appropriate without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0061]

In the invention according to claim 1, a gap is provided between the outer case and the shoulder member, and the support shaft of the handle is locked to the shoulder member from the outside of the outer case through the gap. By increasing the height of the metal outer case, the aesthetic feeling can be enhanced. Also, since a gap is provided between the outer case and the shoulder member, the locking means of the outer case provided at the upper and lower ends of the outer case is changed to the conventional curl portion, and the stepped portion is recessed inward for easier molding. Therefore, it is possible to enhance the workability of the outer case that uses a material such as stainless that is difficult to process. Furthermore, since a gap is provided between the outer case and the shoulder member, even if a locking member for the outer case that is formed of a stepped portion inwardly is used, the locking member provided on the shoulder member side has a stepped portion. Since the parts do not come into contact with each other, the outer case can be easily attached to and removed from the shoulder member.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the support shaft of the handle is provided with a shaft end base portion which comes into contact with the outer surface of the outer case, a shaft center portion which is located in a gap between the shoulder member and the outer case, and a tip which is locked to the shoulder member. At least the locking portion is provided, and the support shaft of the handle is locked to the shoulder member while contacting the outer surface of the outer case by thinning the central portion of the shaft, so that the handle is stabilized and its rotation Can be smoothed. Further, the support shaft of the handle of the present invention is inevitably long because it is locked to the shoulder member from the outside of the outer case through the gap. Bending stress increases as the support shaft becomes longer, and in order to cover it, it is unavoidable to increase the shaft diameter, but increasing the shaft diameter increases the resin amount of the support shaft, and the handle body and the support shaft. A sink mark will be generated at the connection part with and the strength of the support shaft will not be reduced, but by reducing the thickness of the middle part of the shaft, the amount of resin in the entire support shaft will be reduced, thus reducing the occurrence of sink marks. You can Therefore, it is possible to improve the appearance of the handle and prevent the strength of the support shaft from decreasing.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the cross-section of the thinned portion allows the bending stress to be received in substantially the same manner as in the case where the cross-section is not thinned. It is possible to prevent the strength from decreasing. Furthermore,
Since the amount of resin of the support shaft can be reduced, the method of claim 2
The effect of sink marks can be suppressed and the appearance of the handle can be improved as in the case of the above.

In the invention according to claim 4, the outer diameter dimensions of the shaft end base portion, the shaft middle portion, and the tip locking portion are set such that the shaft end base portion> the shaft middle portion> the tip locking portion, so that the supporting shaft is It is possible to more effectively reduce the total amount of resin, suppress the occurrence of sink marks more than the effect of claim 3, further improve the appearance of the handle, and prevent the strength of the support shaft from decreasing. You can

In the invention according to claim 5, the shoulder member has at least a triple annular structure, and an engaging member on the shoulder member side is provided by utilizing the middle annular wall. By bridging the wall, the structure of the locking member can be simplified and the manufacturing cost thereof can be reduced. Further, since the locking member and the further annular wall inside are connected by the bridging structure, the strength of the locking member can be further increased.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a rice cooker of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall cross-sectional view of the rice cooker of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an essential part showing the attachment structure of the handle of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a shoulder member of the present invention.

5 is a view on arrow A of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the shoulder member of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the shoulder member of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an overall view of the handle of the present invention.

9 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG.

11 is an enlarged view of circle D in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a view on arrow E of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line FF of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a mounting structure of a handle of a conventional rice cooker.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view showing a mounting structure of another handle of the conventional rice cooker.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Rice cooker 2 ... Container main body 3 ... Lid member 4 ... Outer case 4a ... Horizontal surface 4b ... Vertical surface 4c ... Through hole 4d ... Gap 5 ... Inner case 5a ... Through hole 6 ... Shoulder member 6a ... Outer wall 6a1 ... Lower end surface 6b ... 1st middle wall 6c ... 2nd middle wall 6d ... Inner wall 6e ... Outer gap 6g ... Inner gap 6h ... Rib 6h1 ... Upper end 6j ... Opening 6k ... Screw hole 6m ... Stand 7 ... Handle 8 ... Bottom member 8a ... Intake port 8b ... Leg portion 9 ... Heat retention heater 10 ... Inner pot 11 ... Seal material 12 ... Center sensor 15 ... Front space 16 ... Operation board holding member 17 ... Operation board 18 ... Operation panel 19 ... Switch button 20 ... Display device 22 ... Power board holding member 23 ...
Power board 24 ... Screws 25 ... Cooling fan 27 ... Fins 31 ... Top lid 32 ... Bottom lid 33 ... Radiating plate 34 ... Heater 35 ... Inner cover 36 ... Heat insulating material 37 ... Pressure regulating lid 38 ... Steam passage 39 ... Valve member 40 ... Hinge Mechanism 41 ... Lock member 45 ... Bottom coil 46 ... Corner coil 60 ... Locking member 61 ... Front plate part 62 ... Side plate part 63 ... Bearing part 63a ...
Large-diameter hole 63b ... Small-diameter hole 63c ... Fan-shaped hole 63d ...
Inclined surface 63e ... Projection 63f ... Step surface 70 ... Support shaft 71 ... Shaft end base 71a ... Shaft end base side 72 ... Shaft middle 72c ... Small projection 72c1 ... Side 72d ...
Outer case engaging portion 72e ... Large diameter hole engaging portion 72f ... Shaft middle side surface 73 ... Tip locking portion 73a ... Fan-shaped protrusion 73a1 ... Sloping surface PL ... Parting line

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A container body including an inner case forming an inner wall, a shoulder member forming an upper end portion, a metal outer case forming an outer wall, and a bottom member forming a bottom portion, and a container body which can be opened and closed with respect to the container body. A lid member, a heating means provided between the inner case and the bottom member, and a through hole through which a support shaft of the handle is inserted in the outer case, and a handle attached to the shoulder member through the through hole. In the rice cooker including: a gap is provided between the outer case and the shoulder member, and the support shaft of the handle is locked to the shoulder member from outside the outer case through the gap. Characteristic rice cooker. 2. A support shaft of the handle includes a shaft end base portion that comes into contact with an outer surface of the outer case, a shaft middle portion that is located in a gap between the shoulder member and the outer case, and a tip end engaging with the shoulder member. The rice cooker according to claim 1, further comprising at least a stop portion, wherein the shaft middle portion is meat-removed. 3. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the meat removal portion has a cross-shaped cross section. 4. The outer diameter dimensions of the shaft end base portion, the shaft middle portion, and the distal end locking portion are in the relationship of shaft end base portion> shaft central portion> tip locking portion. Rice cooker according to 3 to 3. 5. The shoulder member has at least a triple annular wall structure, and an engaging member on the side of the shoulder member is provided by utilizing an intermediate annular wall, and the engaging member is an inner annular wall. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is bridged with the rice cooker.