WO2003055367A1

WO2003055367A1 - Cooking container

Info

Publication number: WO2003055367A1
Application number: PCT/KR2002/002464
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dong-Hyun Kim
Original assignee: Dong-Hyun Kim
Priority date: 2001-12-29
Filing date: 2002-12-27
Publication date: 2003-07-10
Also published as: AU2002359054A1; KR200270942Y1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cooking container having a double structure of an inner shell and an outer shell, with a self temperature control function by lifting the inner shell from the outer shell when the container reaches a predetermined temperature thereby avoiding burning food or sticking to the bottom by rapid heating. The cooking container includes an outer shell and an inner shell inserted into the internal space of the outer shell, wherein an outwardly curved flange formed at the upper end of the outer shell and outwardly curved stepped portion corresponding to the flange of the outer shell formed near the upper end of the inner shell; and a plurality of bimetal disposed between the flange of the outer shell and stepped portion of the inner shell and lifting the inner shell from the outer shell a set height due to an increase of temperature.

Description

COOKING CONTAINER

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a cooking container, and more particularly, to a cooking container having a double structure with an inner shell and an outer shell, which can cook food by means of a self temperature control function by avoiding having food contained in the inner shell burned or stuck to the bottom by rapid heating or overheating by lifting the inner shell from the outer shell when the container reaches a predetermined temperature.

Background of the Invention

Generally, a cooking container is a kitchen appliance that boils food contained in the cooking container by heating it after putting in it a certain amount of food to be cooked, such as meat and the like, and placing the cooking container on a heat source. When cooking food using such a cooking container, the strength of the heat source has to be adequately controlled according to the type of food contained and cooked. At this time, the control of the heat strength is initially performed once the cooking container is placed onto the heat source. After a predetermined time, the heat strength has to be lowered according to the state of the food. In this case, a user has to directly control the heat strength after checking the cooking time and the state of the food, which is inconvenient.

That is to say, such control of the heat is performed by lowering the amount of heat transferred to the cooking container. For this, the user must watch the food carefully all the time, or check whether an amount of time has passed. At this time, the strength of heat has to be controlled right after the time needed to cook the food properly. The timing of the control differs according to the kind of food or the taste of the user. In this way, the control of the temperature has to be carried out within a specific time range according to the kind of food. Overlooking this fact, if cooking continues to be heated, the flavor of the food is deteriorated and the food may be burned, thereby making it inedible and causing problems such as the generation of carcinogenic substance.

Additionally, if the cooking container continues to be heated until the food is burnt, this generates smoke and a bad smell. More seriously, a fire can break out causing property damage. To solve the above problems, the cooking container can be made of a double structure of an inner shell and an outer shell. In this way, by having a cooking appliance with a double structure, an inner shell and an outer shell, a constant gap is provided between the inner shell and the outer shell, so that the food contained in the inner shell can be boiled slowly and the time taken until the food is burned by overheating within a short time can be delayed.

However, such a cooking appliance of a double structure cannot solve the above-mentioned problem fundamentally, though it can delay the time taken until the food is overheated or burned in case a user misses the timing of lowering the heat strength because of carelessness.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cooking container which can prevent burning of food by overheating by forming the cooking container in a double structure of the inner shell and the outer shell and lifting the inner shell from the outer shell a predetermined distance when the temperature of the cooking container reaches a predetermined level thereby inhibiting heat from a heat source from being transferred to an inner shell via an outer shell.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a cooking container including an outer shell having an internal space and being placed on a heat source such as a gas range and the like and an inner shell being inserted into an internal space of the outer shell, the cooking container characterized in that: the outer shell has an outwardly curved flange formed at the upper end thereof, and the inner shell has an outwardly curved stepped portion corresponding to the flange of the outer shell formed near the upper end thereof; and a plurality of bimetals are disposed between the flange of the outer shell and the stepped portion of the inner shell for lifting the inner shell from the outer shell a predetermined distance due to an increase of temperature.

Preferably, the bimetal is fixed to the outer surface of the stepped portion of the inner shell at a predetermined interval by a rivet or bolt engaged to the center portion.

Preferably, a first sloping portion is formed below the flange of the outer shell and a second sloping portion is formed below the stepped portion of the inner shell and the angles of the first and second sloping portions are different from each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective partial cutaway view showing a cooking container according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a partially enlarged cross sectional view showing the coupled state of the cooking container of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view showing the lifted state of an inner shell in the cooking container of Fig. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail.

Fig. 1 is a perspective partial cutaway view showing a cooking container according to the present invention. Fig. 2 is a partially enlarged cross sectional view showing the coupled state of the cooking container of Fig. 1. As illustrated therein, the cooking appliance according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention has a double structure of an outer shell 10 being placed on a heat source and an inner shell 20 being contained in the internal space of the outer shell 10 and containing food to be cooked in order to prevent overheating or burning of the food. Additionally, the cooking appliance further includes a lifting means for maximally inhibiting the heat transferred from a heat source via the outer shell 10 from being transferred to the inner shell 20 by lifting the inner shell 20 from the outer shell 10 a predetermined distance when the cooking appliance reaches a predetermined temperature.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, as the lifting means, a bimetal 30 is employed which is self-deformed if a certain temperature is reached.

Moreover, to dispose the bimetal 30, an outwardly curved flange 12 is formed at the upper end of the outer shell 10 and an outwardly curved stepped portion 22 corresponding to the flange 12 of the outer shell 10 is formed near the upper end of the inner shell 20. As the lifting means, the bimetal 30 is disposed between the flange 12 and the stepped portion 22. Here, the bimetal 30 can be attached to any one of the flange 12 of the outer shell 10 and the stepped portion 22 of the inner shell 20. However, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, it is preferable that the bimetal 30 is disposed on an outer surface of the stepped portion 22 of the inner shell 20 in consideration of the durability and heat transfer efficiency of the bimetal.

On the other hand, in case that the bimetal 30 is disposed on the upper surface of the flange 12 of the outer shell 10, the bimetal 30 receives heat directly from the outer shell 10 and thus much heat is transferred to the bimetal 30. This abruptly decreases the durability of the bimetal and the inner shell 20 is lifted early before food is sufficiently heated, whereby there is a risk that the food is not sufficiently heated and there is no advantage from a viewpoint of heat efficiency.

When assembling the cooking container according to the present invention, the inner shell 20 is inserted into the internal space of the outer shell 10 and food is put into the internal space of the inner shell 20. Here, the flange 12 is formed at the upper end of the outer shell 10 and the stepped portion 22 corresponding to the flange 12 is formed near the upper end of the inner shell 20. At this time, in order to provide a predetermined gap between the outer shell 10 and the inner shell 20, a first sloping portion 14 is formed below the flange 12 of the outer shell 10 and a second sloping portion 24 is formed below the stepped portion 22 of the inner shell 20. At this time, to provide a predetermined gap between the outer shell 10 and the inner shell 20, it is preferable that the angle of the first sloping portion 14 of the outer shell 10 and the angle of the second sloping portion 24 be different from each other. That is, as shown in Fig. 2 with a partially enlarged state, the angle of the first sloping portion 14 is larger than that of the second sloping portion 24 of the inner shell 20. Thus, in assembling state, a predetermined gap is provided between the upper portion of the flange 12 of the outer shell 10 and the lower portion of the stepped portion 22 of the inner shell 20 by means of these sloping portions 14 and 24.

Therefore, the bimetal 30 can be disposed through this gap. At the same time, since the inner circumferential surface of the outer shell 10 and the outer circumferential surface of the inner shell 20 remains to in close contact with each other by a contact area of the first sloping portion 14 and the second sloping portion 24, it is possible to prevent a heat energy from being discharged to the outside through the gap.

Also, the bottom of the outer shell 10 and the bottom of the inner shell 20 can be constructed such that they can in close contact with each other depending upon the use of the cooking container. In case a double boiling structure is needed according to the characteristics of a dish, as shown in Fig. 2, a predetermined space portion (S) can be formed between the bottom of the outer shell 10 and the bottom of the inner shell 20.

Preferably, the bimetal 30, which is located between the upper portion of the flange 12 of the outer shell 10 and the lower portion of the stepped portion 22 of the inner shell 20, is fixed on the outer surface of the stepped portion 22 of the inner shell 20 by a rivet or bolt. Instead of the rivet or bolt, the bimetal 30 can be fixed by welding or the like depending upon the material or use of the cooking container.

Referring again to Fig. 1, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bimetal 30 is fixed on the outer surface of the stepped portion 22 of the inner shell 20 by a bolt 40. At this time, it is preferable that a plurality of bimetals 30 be disposed on the outer surface of the stepped portion 22 of the inner shell 20 at predetermined intervals. In other words, in case of a cylindrical type shown in Fig. 1, it is preferable that four bimetals be arranged at an interval of 90 degrees or three bimetals be arranged at an interval of 120 degrees so that the inner shell 20 is lifted from the outer shell 10 while maintaining an approximately horizontal state to avoid food from being spilled out. Of course, in case of a small-sized container with a small capacity, two bimetals can be arranged at an interval of 180 degrees. In case of a large-sized container with a large capacity, 8 bimetals can be arranged at an interval of 45 degrees. Also, in case of manufacturing a cooking container of a rectangular shape or other polygonal shapes, the bimetals 30 are arranged at a proper interval so that the inner shell 20 can be lifted while maintaining a horizontal state.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view showing the lifted state of an inner shell in the cooking container of Fig. 1.

When cooking food using the cooking container of the present invention, firstly, the food is put in the internal space of the inner shell 20 and then the inner shell 20 is inserted into the internal space of the outer shell 10.

Next, when the outer shell 10 is placed on a heating means such as a gas range, a burner or the like and then the heating means is fired, the heat transferred from the heat source via the outer shell 10 is transferred to the inner shell 20 to thus perform cooking while heating the food. At this time, the first and second sloping portions 14 and 24 of the inner and outer shells 10 and 20 are formed at a different angle from each other. Hence, as mentioned in Fig. 2, they remain in contact with each other through a contact area, whereby high temperature air existing on the bottom and side walls between the inside of the outer shell 10 and the inside of the inner shell 20 are not discharged to the outside, thus heating the inner shell 20 by a double boiling type.

In this state, after the passage of a predetermined time (i.e., a time taken until food is boiled to a desired state), the overall temperature of the outer shell 10 increases and thusly the temperature of the flange 12 also increases. Resultantly, there is an increase in the temperature of the plurality of (four in this embodiment) bimetals 30, which are disposed on the outer surface of the stepped portion 22 of the inner shell 20 at a predetermined interval by riveting or bolting their center portion. Thusly opposite ends of the bimetals 30 press the flange 12 as they are upwardly bent at the center portion. At this time, as the inner shell 20 is lifted from the outer shell 10 as shown in Fig. 3, the gap of the space portion (S) between the bottom of the outer shell 10 and the bottom of the inner shell 20 is increased.

In this state, the first and second sloping portions 14 and 24 of the inner and outer shells 10 and 20 are formed at a different angle from each other. Hence, as mentioned above, their contact with the contact area is released, whereby a high temperature air existing on the bottom and side walls between the inside of the outer shell 10 and the inside of the inner shell 20 is discharged to the outside, thus abruptly reducing the heat energy transferred to the inner shell 20.

Therefore, as a large amount of high temperature air at the space portion (S) directly heating the inner shell 20 is discharged, the heat transfer rate to the inner shell 20 is abruptly reduced. Thus, even if the strength of the heat is not lowered, it is possible to prevent the food in the inner shell 20 from being burned or sticking to the bottom surface of the inner shell 20.

Here, since the bimetal 30 is attached to the outer surface of the stepped portion 22 of the inner shell 20, only the opposite ends of the bimetal 30, which is deformed due to an increase of temperature, are contacted with the flange 12 of the outer shell 10. This reduces the direct heat contact area and improves the durability of the bimetal. Also, since the inner shell 20 is lifted after the food is sufficiently heated, the wasted heat can be avoided, and thus there is an advantage from a viewpoint of heat efficiency.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, when the temperature of the outer shell of the cooking container increases to a predetermined temperature, the inner shell is lifted a predetermined distance as a plurality of bimetals arranged on the outer surface of the stepped portion of the inner shells at a predetermined interval is deformed. Thus the heat energy transferred to the inner shell via the outer shell is abruptly decreased and the same effect as the heat strength can be lowered. Resultantly, even if the user cannot control the fire strength to a lower level, it is possible to prevent the phenomenon that the food is burned or sticks by overheating.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A cooking container including an outer shell having an internal space and being placed on a heat source and an inner shell being inserted into an internal space of the outer shell, the cooking container characterized in that: the outer shell has an outwardly curved flange formed at the upper end thereof, and the inner shell has an outwardly curved stepped portion corresponding to the flange of the outer shell formed near the upper end thereof; and a plurality of bimetals are disposed between the flange of the outer shell and the stepped portion of the inner shell for lifting the inner shell from the outer shell by a predetermined distance due to an increase of temperature.

2. The cooking container of claim 1, wherein the bimetal is fixed to the outer surface of the stepped portion of the inner shell at a predetermined interval by a rivet or bolt engaged to the center portion.

3. The cooking container of claim 1, wherein a first sloping portion is formed below the flange of the outer shell and a second sloping portion is formed below the stepped portion of the inner shell and the angles of the first and second sloping portions are different from each other.