WO2007091782A1

WO2007091782A1 - Cooker for kitchen

Info

Publication number: WO2007091782A1
Application number: PCT/KR2007/000117
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sang Hyun Kim; Lee Kyun An
Original assignee: World N & C Co., Ltd.; Moto International Design Consulting Inc.
Priority date: 2006-02-10
Filing date: 2007-01-08
Publication date: 2007-08-16
Also published as: KR200414351Y1

Abstract

Provided is a cooker for kitchen including a cooker main body formed of aluminum (Al) manufactured in a predetermined shape, an aluminum coating layer having a plurality of pores and formed on at least one surface of the cooker main body by predetermined anodizing, and an oil and fat layer sealed in a state of permeating in the pores.

Description

COOKER FOR KITCHEN

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a cooker for kitchen, and more particularly, to a cooker for kitchen formed of aluminum which prevents food from getting scorched, is nontoxic to a human body, and has a surface that is sanitarily processed. Background Art

[2] In general, cookers for kitchen are products manufactured for the purpose of food cooking and include frying pans, rice cookers, pots. Since these cookers for kitchen contact water and fire, corrosion resistance and heat conductivity are regarded important so that metal is used as a main material for the cookers. As the main metal material, aluminum and stainless steel are used and new materials such as titanium is recently used.

[3] Stainless steel is a relatively sanitary material because it has high stiffness, is less deformable, and is hardly corroded. Although the stainless steel has many merits as a material for the cookers for kitchen, the stainless steel is heavy to handle and easily changes the taste of food during cooking because high temperature is directly transferred to the food.

[4] Titanium is highlighted as a next generation material for cookers for kitchen because it has high stiffness, is light, and has superior corrosion resistance. However, the titanium is relatively expensive so that it is used limitedly for high priced cookers for kitchen.

[5] Aluminum (Al) is light metals that most exist in nature next to oxygen (O) and silicon (Si). The aluminum is cheap, has superior corrosion resistance and heat resistance, and is known as an environment-friendly material due to its nontoxic characteristic. Also, since the aluminum is easy to deform its shape according to the purpose of a product or to reuse by melting an existing product, it is widely used as a material for cookers for kitchen. However, since the aluminum material has inferior anti-abrasion by scratches or friction and lower stiffness that is a resistive force to an external force than other metal, aluminum products can be easily damaged or deformed.

[6] In particular, in the aluminum cooker for kitchen, when food is scorched and the scorched food is removed, or other auxiliary cooking utensils such as spoons, scoops, or rice scoops are used for cooking, the surface of the cooker is easily abraded or damaged due to friction. Thus, by making an aluminum alloy by adding other elements to the aluminum material or performing a surface process such as plating, coating, and oxide film processing to the aluminum surface, food is not scorched and the characteristics such as anti-abrasion and stiffness can be compensated for.

[7] The plating is to protect metal to be processed by coating the surface of the processed metal with a different metal film. It is a typical surface processing method to improve the anti-abrasion characteristic and aesthetic outer appearance that an aluminum material is coated with coating materials such as enamel or Teflon.

[8] The Teflon coating is the most widely sued surface processing method. The Teflon coating has a merit of preventing food from scorching and aesthetic outer appearance so that the method is widely used for cookers for kitchen such as frying pans.

[9] However, Teflon that is a sort of plastic is disputable for its noxiousness because noxious substance can be melted from Teflon when reacting to heat and it is more critical when cooking is done using a frying pan with Teflon coating being peeled off. Recently, there has been an action to stop the production of Teflon in the U.S.

[10] As described above, the plating is easy to peel off and the enamel and Teflon coatings are disputable for their noxiousness with respect to a human body. Thus, the conventional cookers for kitchen failed to satisfy the requirements for sanitary and safe cookers for kitchen. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[11] To solve the above and/or other problems, the present invention provides a cooker for kitchen which can be manufactured in a simple method, prevent food from scorching, and is safe and sanitary for a human body. Technical Solution

[12] According to an aspect of the present invention, a cooker for kitchen comprises a cooker main body formed of aluminum (Al) manufactured in a predetermined shape, an aluminum coating layer having a plurality of pores and formed on at least one surface of the cooker main body by predetermined anodizing, and an oil and fat layer sealed in a state of permeating in the pores.

[13] The oil and fat layer is edible oil.

[14] The cooker main body is dipped in the edible oil having a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time so that the edible oil permeates in the pores.

[15] The predetermined temperature is 50-60⁰C and the predetermined time is 3-7 minutes.

[16] The oil and fat layer is sealed using heat.

[17] The one surface of the cooker main body is a surface where food is cooked.

[18] The cooker for kitchen is a frying pan.

Advantageous Effects [19] As described above, according to the present invention, the cooker for kitchen that is safe and sanitary for a human body and prevents food from scorching can be manufactured in a simple method. Brief Description of the Drawings

[20] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a frying pan according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[21] FIG. 2 is a partially cut-away perspective view of the frying pan of FIG. 1 ;

[22] FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 2;

[23] FIG. 4 illustrates the concept of anodizing;

[24] FIG. 5 illustrates an aluminum material after anodizing;

[25] FIG. 6 illustrates the aluminum material of FIG. 5 into which edible oil permeates; and

[26] FIG. 7 illustrates that the aluminum material of FIG. 6 is sealed.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[27] The attached drawings for illustrating preferred embodiments of the present invention are referred to in order to gain a sufficient understanding of the present invention, the merits thereof, and the objectives accomplished by the implementation of the present invention. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by explaining preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote like elements.

[28] The present invention can be applies to various cookers for kitchen made of aluminum purposing food cooking such as a frying pan, a rice cooker, and a pot. The present invention focuses on the frying pan for the convenience of explanation.

[29] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a frying pan according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially cut-away perspective view of the frying pan of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 2. Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, a cooker for kitchen according to an embodiment of the present invention is a frying pan 1 which includes a cooker main body 10 made of aluminum 12 having a predetermined shape, an alumina coating layer 13 formed by a predetermined anodizing on at least one surface of the cooker main body 10 and having a plurality of pores 14a, an oil and fat layer 16 permeating into the pores 14a and sealed therein, and a handle 20 connected to the cooker main body 10.

[30] The frying pan 1 is a pan that is wide and has a low profile for heating and frying various foods by adding oil. Thus, the surface of the frying pan 1 needs to prevent food from scorching. Since auxiliary cookers like a spatula (not shown) frequently makes friction with the surface of the frying pan 1, the frying pan 1 particularly requires corrosion resistance and stiffness. [31] The handle 20 is provided at one side of the cooker main body 10 and generally manufactured using a material different from that of the cooker main body 10. The handle 20 is a portion held by a hand when carrying the frying pan 1 or cooking food and needs to be easy to hold and prevent transfer of heat from the cooker main body 10. In the present embodiment, although a plastic material is used for the handle 20, other materials can be used for the handle 20 of the frying pan 1.

[32] The cooker main body 10 is manufactured to have a predetermined shape. In the present embodiment, the cooker main body 10 has a flat and concave shape to facilitate heating and frying food, as shown in FIG. 1. The cooker main body 10 is a portion that directly contacts fire for cooking food. Accordingly, the cooker main body 10 needs to be manufactured considering a material characteristic such as heat resistance and anti- abrasion characteristics and a functional characteristic which is nontoxic to a human body and prevents food from scorching.

[33] Thus, manufacturing the cooker main body 10 using an aluminum member 11 has the above-mentioned advantages. Also, the aluminum member 11 needs to be surface processed to compensate for the material and functional characteristics. In the present embodiment, the surface is anodized. Although the overall area of the cooker main body 10 can be surface processed, in the present embodiment, it is economical to anodize mainly a surface where food is actually cooked.

[34] FIG. 4 illustrates the concept of anodizing. FIG. 5 illustrates an aluminum material after anodizing. FIG. 6 illustrates the aluminum material of FIG. 5 into which edible oil permeates. FIG. 7 illustrates that the aluminum material of FIG. 6 is sealed.

[35] The anodizing is referred to as an anode oxide coating process and uses an electrolysis principle in which oxidation is generated at the anode (+) and deox- idization is generated at the cathode (-) during electrolysis. As shown in FIG. 4, oxygen (O) is intentionally coupled to the aluminum member 11 installed at the anode (+) of a DC generator 38. As shown in FIG. 5, the surface of the aluminum member 11 is coated with an oxide coating film of an alumina (Al O ) coating layer 13. The detailed process of the anodizing surface process will be described later.

[36] The cooker main body 10 whose surface is anodized has the alumina coating layer

13 having a plurality of pores 14a, as shown in FIG. 5. In the present embodiment, the alumina coating layer 13 includes an oxide coating layer that is intentionally added to a natural oxide coating layer formed on the aluminum 12, itself.

[37] Since the aluminum 12 is very active metal, when exposed to air, the metal surface is instantly oxidized so that the natural oxide coating layer of the aluminum 12 is formed by itself. The natural oxide coating layer makes the aluminum 12 to have unique gloss and corrosion resistance. In contrast, the natural oxide coating layer makes plating or coating of other metal difficult. Since the thickness of the natural oxide coating layer is thin, the anti-abrasion characteristic of the natural oxide coating layer is inferior so that the value of an industrial use is low.

[38] Thus, in the frying pan 1 according to the present embodiment, the alumina coating layer 13 that is an artificial oxide coating layer is formed using the anodizing method on the aluminum member 11 where the natural oxide coating layer is formed so that food is not scorched and appropriate anti-abrasion and stiffness are obtained.

[39] The alumina coating layer 13, as shown in FIG. 5, has a dual structure of a barrier layer 15 that is an inner thin layer and a porous layer 14 where a plurality of pores 14a that are very fine holes are formed. The thickness of the barrier layer 15 is thin and the porous layer 14 takes most thickness of the alumina coating layer 13.

[40] The pores 14a are a plurality of fine holes each having a diameter of about 0.1 mm and formed in the porous layer 14. As shown in FIG. 4, the pores 14a are formed in the alumina coating layer 13 as oxygen (O) ions permeate into the aluminum member 11 and aluminum (Al) ions come out during the anodizing process. As the process continues, the alumina coating layer 13 grows and becomes thicker.

[41] However, when the pores 14a are left without plugging the holes, gas in the air is sucked therein and easily contaminated. Thus, for a stable oxide coating process, the pores 14a are sealed and in the present embodiment the oil and fat layer 16 that seals the pores 14a by filling the holes is provided.

[42] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the oil and fat layer 16 refers to a layer formed of oil and fat and is an object to be sealed filling the pores 14a. The oil and fat layer 16 includes both of oil that is liquid and fat that is solid or semi-solid. In the present embodiment, edible oil 16 that is edible is used as oil and fat so that the surface process is nontoxic and sanitary to a human body. In order for the edible oil to permeate into the pores 14a, thus forming the oil and fat layer 16, in the present embodiment, the edible oil is in a weak state at temperatures of 50-60⁰C and the cooker main body 10 is dipped in a tub (not shown) containing the edible oil, for about 3-7 minutes. As a result, the oil and fat layer 16 are formed in the pores 14a through the above processes. After the cooker main body 10 is taken out of the tub, a sealing process is performed using heat so that the surface process is completed as shown in FIG. 7.

[43] As described above, since the frying pan 1 includes the cooker main body 10 formed of the aluminum 12, the alumina coating layer 13 having a plurality of pores 14a formed at least one surface of the cooker main body 10 in an anodizing method, and the oil and fat layer 16 permeating into the pores 14a and sealed, food is not scorched and the surface thereof can be processed to be nontoxic and sanitary to a human body compared to the conventional technology.

[44] In a method of processing the surface of the cooker for kitchen according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, the anodizing method is performed by adding sulfuric hydroxide as an electrolyte 34 in an electrolytic cell 30 and an arbitrary number of the aluminum members 11 are fixed to a rack 35. Although the cooker main body 10 manufactured to have a predetermined shape may be fixed to the rack 35 and anodized, in the present embodiment, the aluminum member 11 before manufactured to have the predetermined shape is described.

[45] Contrary to the plating method, the anode (+) of the DC machine 38 is connected to the rack 35 where the aluminum member 11 that is subject to the process and the cathode (-) of the DC machine 38 is connected to the electrolyte 34.

[46] When anodizing begins in the above state, oxidation is generated at the anode (+) of the aluminum member 11 by the oxygen (O) provided from the electrolyte 34. The DC machine 38 applies a strong electric field to the surface of the aluminum 12 to pull aluminum ions so as to be coupled to the oxygen. Accordingly, as the speed of the oxidation increases, an intentional oxidation coating layer is formed on the surface of the aluminum 12. The oxidation coating layer is an amorphous crystallization referred to as alumina (Al 0 ) 13 which has high electric resistance, high stiffness, and superior corrosion resistance, and can be dyed so that the outer appearance can be decorated in various colors.

[47] Also, the alumina coating layer 13 can be formed to control the thickness and stiffness according to the current density, the state of the electrolyte, and the purity of the aluminum 12 and have an aesthetic surface and gloss. In contrast, careful attention is needed to obtain the alumina coating layer 13 of a superior quality.

[48] For example, when the concentration of electrolyte is strong, the resolution of the oxidation coating layer is facilitated so that the alumina coating layer 13 having a high stiffness is difficult to obtain. When the electrolyte is too weak, the electric conductivity of the inside of the electrolyte is lowered so that current concentrates locally. Accordingly, the alumina coating layer 13 can be easily formed to be irregular.

[49] The alumina coating layer 13 has a dual structure of the barrier layer 15 that is an inner thin layer and the porous layer 14 where the pores 14a that are very fine holes are formed, as shown in FIGS. 5 through 7. The thickness of the barrier layer 15 is thin and the porous layer 14 takes most of the thickness of the alumina coating layer 13.

[50] The pores 14a are a plurality of fine holes each having a diameter of about 0.1 mm and formed in the porous layer 14 of the alumina coating layer 13. The pores 14a are formed in the alumina coating layer 13 as oxygen (O) ions permeate into the aluminum member 11 and aluminum (Al) ions come out. As the process continues, the alumina coating layer 13 gradually grows and becomes thicker.

[51] When the alumina coating layer 13 is initially formed, about three hundred million pores 14a per square meters are formed. As a stronger electric field is applied using the DC machine 38, the alumina coating layer 13 becomes thicker. Forming the alumina coating layer 13 to have a thicknesses of about 30-50 mm is suitable for the aluminum member 11 having appropriate anti-abrasion and stiffness.

[52] As shown in FIG. 5, in the aluminum member 11 that is anodized, a plurality of pores 14a are formed in the porous layer 14 and react with an air layer to be a state before the contamination (being inactive). When the pores 14a are sealed in a variety of methods, anti-abrasion and stiffness are compensated to be suitable for the cooker for kitchen 1 and coloring in a variety of colors is possible.

[53] In the present embodiment, the aluminum member 11 that is anodized is sufficiently dipped into a tub containing the edible oil 16 so that the edible oil 16 permeates into the pores 14a of the aluminum member 11. Preferably, the temperature of the edible oil 16 is set to be in a weak state at a temperature between 50-60⁰C so that the edible oil 16 can more easily permeate into the pores 14a. After about 3-7 minutes, the edible oil 16 sufficiently permeates into the pores 14a.

[54] In this process, as shown in FIG. 6, the pores 14a of the aluminum member 11 exposed to the outside air layer is filled with the edible oil 16 that is edible to form the oil and fat layer 16. Next, the oil and fat layer 16 is sealed using heat and, as shown in FIG. 7, the end portion of the oil and fat layer 16 filled with the oil and fat is covered by the alumina coating layer 13 so that the surface process of the aluminum member 11 is completed. The aluminum member 11 can be washed by water or rinsing liquid, which is obvious for those skilled in the art.

[55] As the surface of the cooker for kitchen is processed in the above structure and method, anti-abrasion and stiffness are improved so that food is hardly scorched and, even when food is scorched, the food can be easily removed and the surface is processed safely. In particular, since the oil and fat layer 16 sealed in the pores 14a of the alumina coating layer 13 is edible, other fat that is nontoxic to a human body can be used for sealing.

[56] Also, in the present embodiment, the oil and fat 16 is formed by dipping the cooker for kitchen 10 in a tub containing the oil and fat. However, the oil and fat 16 can be formed by injecting the oil and fat to the alumina coating layer 13 on the surface of the cooker main body 10 or coating the oil and fat and giving friction using a roller.

[57] While this invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments 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. Industrial Applicability

[58] According to the present invention, a cooker for kitchen which can be manufactured in a simple method, prevent food from scorching, and is safe and sanitary for a human body.

Claims

[ 1 ] A cooker for kitchen comprising: a cooker main body formed of aluminum (Al) manufactured in a predetermined shape; an aluminum coating layer having a plurality of pores and formed on at least one surface of the cooker main body by predetermined anodizing; and an oil and fat layer sealed in a state of permeating in the pores.

[2] The cooker for kitchen of claim 1, wherein the oil and fat layer is edible oil.

[3] The cooker for kitchen of claim 2, wherein the cooker main body is dipped in the edible oil having a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time so that the edible oil permeates in the pores. [4] The cooker for kitchen of claim 3, wherein the predetermined temperature is

50-60⁰C and the predetermined time is 3-7 minutes. [5] The cooker for kitchen of claim 1, wherein the oil and fat layer is sealed using heat. [6] The cooker for kitchen of claim 1, wherein the one surface of the cooker main body is a surface where food is cooked. [7] The cooker for kitchen of claim 1, being a frying pan.