WO2021022815A1

WO2021022815A1 - A drink preparer

Info

Publication number: WO2021022815A1
Application number: PCT/CN2020/080446
Authority: WO
Inventors: Guodong Wang; Jian Li; Tingfei SHI
Original assignee: Zhejiang Shaoxing Supor Domestic Electrical Appliance Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2019-08-08
Filing date: 2020-03-20
Publication date: 2021-02-11
Also published as: JP7466626B2; EP4009838A4; KR20220044545A; JP2022543866A; EP4009838A1

Abstract

A drink preparer comprising a container body (1) and a container cover (2) covering an opening of the container body (1), and further comprising: a filtering cup (3); a buoyant force producing means provided on the filtering cup (3) and slidably connected to the container cover (2); wherein the buoyant force producing means is configured to enable the filtering cup (3) to move between a first position in which the filtering cup (3) is immersed in a liquid contained inside the container body (1) and a second position in which the filtering cup (3) is located above a surface of the liquid.

Description

A Drink Preparer

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to the technical field of electrical home appliances, and relates in particular to a drink preparer.

Background of the Invention

As the society advances and science and technology develop, electrical home products have become an indispensable tool in life. In particular, drink preparers such as electrical kettles and health kettles are widely used in people’s life, and improve people’s quality of life while being able to facilitate people’s life. Using a health kettle as an example, a filtering cup, as a device to facilitate the separation of tea leaves from tea when cooking or brewing tea so that people can enjoy and drink tea, is an important component of the health kettle.

While the filtering cup of an existing health kettle can conveniently separate tea leaves from tea, existing health kettles cannot adjust the strength of the tea brewed based on personal taste preferences. Even if the filtering cup can be taken out at a preset time to control the strength of the tea brewed, as the temperature of the cup body of the filtering cup is relatively high, it is inconvenient to manipulate. At the same time, water drops on the filtering cup that has been taken out can easily stain a supporting platform such as a countertop. Problems of inappropriate design and poor practicality exist.

Summary of the Invention

An objective of the invention is to provide a drink preparer to solve the technical problem that a drink preparer in the prior art cannot conveniently and sanitarily adjust the strength of a drink when cooking or brewing the drink.

Embodiments of the invention provide a drink preparer, comprising a container body and a container cover covering an opening of the container body, characterized in that, it further comprises:

a filtering cup;

a buoyant force producing means provided on the filtering cup;

a connecting member connected with the filtering cup and slidably connected to the container cover;

wherein the buoyant force producing means is configured to enable the filtering cup to move between a first position in which the filtering cup is immersed in a liquid contained inside the container body and a second position in which the filtering cup is located above a surface of the liquid.

In the above-described drink preparer, as the filtering cup is provided with the buoyant force producing means enabling the filter cup to move between the first position and the second position, the filtering cup containing drink preparing substances (such as tea leaves, Poria, wolfberries, Chinese bellflowers, etc. ) can be immersed in a liquid contained in the container where the filtering cup is or float above the surface of the liquid when desired, so as to control, based on needs, the duration of immersion of the drink preparing substances in the liquid, thus achieving the objective of conveniently adjusting the strength of a drink. In addition, liquid carried by the filtering cup will drop back into the container body, thus preventing liquid on the filtering cup, if taken out, from staining a countertop and affecting cleanliness.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the buoyant force producing means is a floating member of a rigid structure. In the present application, a “floating member of a rigid structure” means an object that is capable of floating on the surface of a liquid (generally water) by itself and has a fixed volume, such as a solid or hollow plastic member or foam member having the shape of a cuboid, cube, semi-sphere, sphere, etc.

In the case where the buoyant force producing means is a floating member of a rigid structure, the drink preparer advantageously further comprises: a locking assembly provided in a manner corresponding to the connecting member and movably connected to the container cover; the locking assembly being configured such that when in a first state it cooperates in a position limiting manner with the connecting member so that the filtering cup overcomes the buoyant force of the floating member to be maintained in the first positon, and when in a second state it is disengaged from the position limiting cooperation with the connecting member so that the filtering cup is in the second position under the effect of the buoyant force of the floating member.

According to some embodiments, the locking assembly comprisesa locking member slidably connected inside the container cover;

wherein in the first state, the locking member cooperates in a position limiting manner with the connecting member; and

wherein in the second state, the locking member is disengaged from the position limiting cooperation with the connecting member.

Advantageously, the locking member is provided with a hollowed-out slot; wherein the connecting member passes through the hollowed-out slot to be slidably connected with the container cover and is provided with a connecting part;

wherein in the first state, a slot wall of the hollowed-out slot cooperates in a position limiting manner with the connecting part; and

wherein in the second state, the connecting part is disengaged from the corresponding cooperating slot wall so as to get rid of the position limiting cooperation, so that the connecting member is capable of moving relative to the hollowed-out slot.

Advantageously, the locking assembly further comprises:

a first elastic returning member;

a first fixing arm connected with the locking member; and

a second fixing arm provided inside in the container cover,

wherein the first elastic returning member is provided between the first fixing arm and the second fixing arm.

According to some embodiments, the drink preparer further comprises:

a driving member provided on the container cover of the drink preparer and configured to drive the locking assembly to switch from the first state to the second state.

According to some embodiments, the driving member comprises:

a pressing part exposed outside the container cover; and

a driving part slidably connected to the container cover and connected with the pressing part;

wherein the locking member has an oblique face provided in such a manner that it faces away from the connecting member, and wherein when the driving part moves to a position in which it abuts against the oblique face, the driving part drives the locking member to switch from the first state to the second state.

According to some embodiments, the drink preparer further comprises a driving member provided inside a holding handle of the drink preparer and configured to drive the locking assembly to switch from the first state to the second state.

Advantageously, the floating member is provided at a bottom of the filtering cup and is of an arc-shaped structure.

According to some embodiments, the buoyant force producing means is an inflatable airbag. In the present application, “an inflatable airbag” means a flexible object that can be filled with air and whose volume changes with the quantity of the air filled.

In the case where the buoyant force producing means is an inflatable airbag, the drink preparer provided by embodiments of the invention advantageously further comprises:

an air-filling assembly connected with the airbag and capable of filling the airbag with air;

wherein the airbag is configured to be filled with air in a first state so that the filtering cup is in the second position under the effect of the buoyant force of the airbag, and to discharge at least part of the air in a second state so that the filtering cup is in the first position under the effect of its own gravity.

According to some embodiments, the air-filling assembly comprises:

an air-filling member provided on the container cover;

an air delivery pipe through which the air-filling member is connected with the airbag.

According to some embodiments, the air-filling member is an air-filling pump provided inside the container cover.

According to some embodiments, the air-filling member is an air-filling balloon that is in communication with the airbag through the air delivery pipe.

Advantageously, the airbag is provided at a bottom of the filtering cup, and the airbag, after being filled with air, is of an arc-shaped structure.

Advantageously, the drink preparer further comprises: a sealing member provided on the container cover and sealing a gap between the connecting member and the container cover.

Advantageously, the filtering cup comprises:

a cup body; and

a top cover covering the cup body and connected with the connecting member.

Description of the Drawings

To describe the technical solutions in the speicifc modes of realization of the invention or the prior art more clearly, the accompanying drawings that need to be used in describing the specific modes of realization or the prior art are described briefly below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are merely some modes of realization of the invention. An ordinary person skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on those accompanying drawings without making creative labor.

Figure 1 is a schematic structural view of a tea brewing container provided by an embodiment of the invention when its filtering cup is immersed in water;

Figure 2 is a schematic structural view when the filtering cup in Figure 1 is floating on the surface of water;

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the detail I in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a schematic structural view of a locking member provided by an embodiment of the invention when it locks a connecting member;

Figure 5 is a schematic structural view of a locking member provided by an embodiment of the invention when it is unlocked;

Figure 6 is a schematic structural view of another tea brewing container provided by another embodiment of the invention;

Figure 7 is a schematic structural view of a tea brewing container provided by another embodiment of the invention when its filtering cup is immersed in water;

Figure 8 is a schematic structural view when the filtering cup in Figure 7 is floating on the surface of water;

Figure 9 is a schematic structural view provided by an embodiment of the invention when an air delivery pipe is located outside a connecting member;

Figure 10 is a schematic structural view of another tea brewing container provided by another embodiment of the invention;

Figure 11 is an enlarged view of the detail I in Figure 10.

References numerals:

1-container body;

2-container cover;

21-second fixing arm;

21A-ring-shaped protrusion

3-filtering cup;

31-cup body;

32-top cover;

4-connecting member;

41-connecting part;

5-locking assembly;

51-locking member;

511-hollowed-out slot;

5111-position limiting area;

5112-movement area;

512-oblique face;

52-first elastic returning member;

53-first fixing arm;

5A-air-filling assembly;

51A-air-filling member;

52A-air delivery pipe

6-floating member;

6A-airbag

7-driving member

71-pressing part;

72-driving part;

8-sealing member;

9-lifting handle;

91-ring-shaped slot;

11-holding handle.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The technical solutions of the invention will be described clearly and completely below in reference to the accompanying drawings. Of course, the embodiments described are some but not all of the embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments obtained by an ordinary person skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without making creative labor fall within the scope of protection of the invention.

In the description of the invention, it should be understood that the terms indicating a positional or directional relation such as “inner” and “outer” refer to positional or directional relations based on what is shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used merely to describe the invention and simplify the description, not to indicate or imply the device or element involved must have a specific position/direction or be constructed and operated according to a specific position/direction. Therefore, they should not be understood as limiting the invention.

In the description of the invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly defined and provided, the terms such as “mounted to, ” “connected with, ” and “connected to”should be understood generally. For example, it can be a fixed connection, or a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or a connection through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication between two elements. To an ordinary person skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above-described terms in the invention can be understood based on the context.

Figure 1 to Figure 11 show a drink preparer according to some embodiments of the invention. In those embodiments, the drink preparer is a tea brewing container. A tea brewing container can be an article, such as a health kettle, an electrical kettle, or an ordinary tea brewing kettle, that can realize liquid heating and tea brewing or cooking. This specification does not specifically limit the tea brewing container, so long as it can realize tea brewing or cooking. In addition, it should be understood that, a tea brewing container can also be used to prepare other drinks, such as drinks prepared by immersing Poria, wolfberries, Chinese bellflowers, etc.

In the embodiments shown in Figure 1 to Figure 11, the tea brewing container comprises a container body 1 and a container cover 2 covering an opening of the container body 1. Further, the tea brewing container further comprises a filtering cup 3, a buoyant force producing means provided on the filtering cup 3, and a connecting member 4 connected with the filtering cup 3 and slidably connected to the container cover 2. The buoyant force producing means is configured to enable the filtering cup 3 to move between a first position in which the filtering cup 3 is immersed in a liquid contained in the container body 1 and a second position in which the filtering cup 3 is located above the surface of the liquid.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 to Figure 6, the buoyant force producing means is a floating member 6 of a rigid structure, and the tea brewing container further comprises a locking assembly 5 that is provided in a manner corresponding to the connecting member 4 and movably connected to the container cover 2. Specifically, the locking assembly 5 is provided to cooperate in a position limiting manner with the connecting member 4 in a first state, so that the filtering cup 3 overcomes the buoyant force of the floating member 6 and is immersed in a liquid, and to be disengaged from the position limiting cooperation with the connecting member 4 in a second state, so that the filtering cup 3 is located above the surface of the liquid under the effect of the buoyant force of the floating member 6. During tea brewing or cooking, the filter cup 3 containing tea leaves is placed inside the container body 1 and the locking assembly 5 is adjusted to the first state, so that the locking assembly 5 and the connecting member 4 cooperate with each other in a position limiting manner. In other words, the connecting member 4 is unable to move relative to the container cover 2 under the restriction of the locking assembly 5. At this moment, the filtering cup 3 overcomes the buoyant force of the floating member 6 and is immersed in the liquid. When a preset duration of tea brewing or cooking is reached, the locking assembly 5 is adjusted to the second state. The locking assembly 5, when in the second state, is disengaged from the connecting member 4 so as to be disengaged from the position limiting cooperation. In other words, the connecting member 4 is disengaged from the restriction of the locking assembly 5 and can move relative to the container cover 2. At this moment, the filtering cup 3 moves towards the container cover 2 under the effect of the buoyant force produced by the floating member 6, and finally is above the surface of the liquid, thus preventing tea leaves in the filtering cup 3 from contacting the liquid inside the container body 1 and therefore achieving the objective of adjusting the strength of brewed or cooked tea. In this embodiment, when the water temperature in the container body 1 has not reached a preset temperature of tea brewing or cooking, the locking assembly 5 can also be first set in the second state, with the filtering cup 3 floating on the surface of the liquid under the buoyant force produced by the floating member 6. When the water temperature in the container body 1 reaches the preset temperature of tea brewing or cooking, the filtering cup 3 is immersed in the liquid. Then the locking assembly 5 is adjusted to the first state. The connecting member 4 cannot move relative to the container cover 2 under the restriction of the locking assembly 5, so that the filtering cup 3 overcomes the buoyant force of the floating member 6 and remains immersed in the liquid, so as to ensure best timing of tea brewing or cooking and improve tea brewing or cooking quality. In addition, as the filtering cup 3, after it has floated up, is still inside the container body 1 and need not be taken out, the liquid carried by the filtering cup 3 will drop back into the container body 1, thus preventing liquid on the filtering cup 3 from staining a countertop and affecting cleanliness.

It should be noted here that, “the first state” designates a state in which the locking assembly 5 is in a state of locking the connecting member 4. In this state, the connecting member 4 cannot move relative to the container cover 2. “The second state” designates a state in which the locking assembly 5 unlocks the connecting member 4. In this state, the connecting member 4 can move relative to container cover 2.

In this embodiment, the floating member 6 is an object that has a fixed volume and is capable of floating on the surface of a liquid (generally water) by itself, such as a solid or hollow plastic member or foam member that has the shape of a cuboid, cube, semi-sphere, sphere, etc., and can be connected to the filtering cup 3 by various means such as gluing, welding, or fixing via a bolt. The specification does not specifically limit the means of connection between the floating member 6 and the filtering cup 3, so long as the fixing of the floating member 6 to the filtering cup 3 is achieved.

To be able to ensure that the floating member 6 produces sufficient buoyant force to make the filtering cup 3 containing tea leaves float up to the surface of a liquid, in the embodiment shown in Figure 1 to Figure 6, the floating member 6 is of an arc-shaped structure that can achieve a maximum displacement. At the same time, in order to not affect tea filtering and displacement effect of the filtering cup 3, the floating member 6 is provided at a bottom of the filtering cup 3. It should be understood that, the floating member 6 can also have another form and configuration, and can be provided in any position of the filtering cup 3. For example, it can be of a structure having a rectangular cavity and provided on a side wall of the filtering cup 3.

To facilitate the opening of the container cover 2 so as to add water into the container body 1, in the embodiment as shown in Figure 1 to Figure 6, the tea brewing container further comprises a lifting handle 9 covering an outer end face of the container cover 2 and connected with the connecting member 4, wherein, when the locking assembly 5 is in the first state in which the connecting member 4 is locked, a user can conveniently open the container cover 2 by means of the lifting handle 9 because the lifting handle 9 is connected to the connecting member 4 and the connecting member 4 cannot move relative to the container cover 2. In addition, as the lifting handle 9 directly covers the outer end face of the container cover 2, i.e., no fixing member or connecting medium (such as fixing glue) is provided between the lifting handle 9 and the container cover 2, when the locking assembly 5 is in the second state in which the restriction on the connecting member 4 is lifted, the connecting member 4 can move smoothly relatively to the container cover 2.

The locking assembly 5 comprises a locking member 51 that can be rotably or hingedly connected to the container cover 2. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 to Figure 6, the locking member 51 is slidably connected inside the container cover 2. Further, in the first state, the locking member 51 cooperates in a position limiting manner with the connecting member 4, so that the filtering cup 3 overcomes the buoyant force of the floating member 6 to be located below the surface of the liquid. In the second state, the locking member 51 is disengaged from the position limiting cooperation with the connecting member 4, so that the filtering cup 3 is located above the surface of the liquid under the effect of the buoyant force of the floating member 6.

As shown in Figure 6, the locking member 51 can be provided with a part exposed outside the container cover 2 and used for performing an unlocking operation. The part slidably cooperates with the container cover 2. A user, by pushing the part, switches the locking member 51 from the first state to the second state. To simplify design procedures, to avoid designing a sliding track on the container cover 2, and to facilitate production and manufacturing, the tea brewing container further comprises a driving member 7. In the embodiment shown in Figure 6, the driving member 7 is provided inside a holding handle 11 of the tea brewing container, and is configured to drive the locking assembly 5 to switch from the first state to the second state. Separately designed driving member 7 and locking assembly 51 are easier to produce and there is no need to consider designing a sliding track.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 to Figure 3, the driving member 7 is provided on the container cover 2. Such a design has the same advantages as the design according to which the driving member 7 is provided on the holding handle 11, which advantages will not be repeated here.

As shown in Figure 3, the driving member 7 can be manually operated by a user. Specifically, the driving member 7 comprises a pressing part 71 exposed outside the container cover 2 and a driving part 72 slidably connected to the container cover 2 and connected with the pressing part 71. The locking member 51 has an oblique face 512 provided in such a manner that it faces away from the connecting member 4, wherein, when the driving part 72 moves to a position in which it abuts against the oblique face 512, the locking member 51 can be driven to switch from the first state to the second state. When performing an unlocking operation of the locking member 51, a user can cause the driving part 72 to move towards the locking member 51 by means of the pressing part 71. When the driving part 72 moves to a position where it abuts against the oblique face 512 of the locking member 51, the driving part 72 can drive the locking member 51 to switch from the first state to the second state, so as to lift the restriction on the connecting member 4.

Further, after achieving the unlocking of the locking member 51 by manually pressing the driving member 7, in order to further facilitate a subsequent operation and to facilitate the position restoring of the driving member 7, a second elastic returning member can be provided between the outer end face of the container cover 2 and the pressing part 71, wherein the second elastic returning member can optionally be a cylindrical spring.

As shown in Figure 6, in this embodiment, another design structure of the driving member 7 is also provided. Specifically, the driving member 7 is a micro-cylinder an output end of which is provided in a manner corresponding to the locking member 51 and can enter into contact with the locking member 51 and drive the locking member 51 to switch from the first state to the second state. By using the micro-cylinder to achieve the movement of the locking member 51 and thus lifting the restriction on the connecting member 4, it is more convenient and labor-saving.

As shown in Figure 1 to Figure 6, the locking member 51 can be manually returned to its initial position, so as to facilitate the next operation. To this end, the locking assembly 5 can further comprise a first elastic returning member 52 and a first fixing arm 53 connected with the locking member 51, wherein a second fixing arm 21 is provided inside the container cover 2, the first elastic returning member 52 is provided between the first fixing arm 53 and the second fixing arm 21. When the locking member 51 switches from the first locking state to the second unlocking state, the first elastic returning member 52 is deformed and produces an elastic force. When the filtering cup 3 is located above the surface of a liquid under the effect of the buoyant force of the floating member 6, the driving member 7 is released, and the locking member 51 returns to its initial position under the effect of the elastic force produced by the first elastic returning member 52.

The first fixing arm 53 can be connected with the locking member 51 by various means such as gluing, snap-fitting, and screws. To facilitate production and manufacturing and simplify assembly procedures, as shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5, the first fixing arm 53 can be integrally formed with the locking member 51.

The first elastic returning member 52 can optionally be a part having good elastic performance such as a torsion spring or cowhide elastic band. To facilitate the mounting while making sure the first elastic returning member 52 has elasticity, preferably, the first elastic returning member 52 is a cylindrical spring.

The locking member 51 can be of a protruding structure. The connecting member 4 is provided with a fixing slot that cooperates with the protruding structure in a position limiting manner. Alternatively, the locking member 51 is a magnetic member, and the connecting member 4 is an iron part. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5, another design structure of the locking member 51 is provided. Specifically, the locking member 51 is provided with a hollowed-out slot 511 through which the connecting member 4 passes to be slidably connected with the container cover 2, and the connecting member 4 is provided with a connecting part 41. In the first state, a wall of the hollowed-out slot 511 cooperates with the connecting part 41 in a position limiting manner. In the second state, the connecting part 41 is disengaged from the wall so as to get rid of the position limiting cooperation, and the connecting member 4 moves relative to the hollowed-out slot 511. This design structure, by using the position limiting cooperation between the wall of the hollowed-out slot 511 and the connecting part 41, can increase the area of cooperation with the connecting part 41 and improve the stability of the connecting member 4 after the locking while avoiding the drawback that a magnetic member is susceptible to losing magnetism under high temperature conditions.

As shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5, the hollowed-out slot 511 comprises a position limiting area 5111 and a movement area 5112. When projected in the direction of movement of the filtering cup 3, the projection areas of the connecting member 4 and the position limiting area 5111 are both smaller than that of the movement area 5112. In the first state, a wall of the position limiting area 5111 is snap-fitted with the connecting part 41. In the second state, the wall of the position limiting area 5111 is disengaged from the connecting part 41 so as to get rid of the position limiting cooperation, and the connecting member 4 is located inside the movement area 5112. In this embodiment, the design according to which the projection area of the area gradually decreases is used to achieve the position limiting cooperation with the connecting part 41, such a structural design is appropriate and smart.

The position limiting area 5111 can be of a protruding structure, and the connecting part 41 can be of a through slot structure which cooperates with the protruding structure in a position limiting manner. To increase the area of contact between the position limiting area 5111 and the connecting part 41 and ensure the stability when the locking member 51 locks the connecting member 4, in the embodiment as shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5, the connecting part 41 is a ring-shaped slot structure formed by a circumferential recess of the surface of the connecting member 4, and the slot wall of the position limiting area 5111 is of an arc-shaped structure.

Further, the arc length of the slot wall of the position limiting area 5111 is 1/2 to 3/4 of the perimeter of the connecting part 41. Optionally, the arc length of the slot wall of the position limiting area 5111 can be 1/2 of the perimeter of the connecting part 41. The arc length of the slot wall of the position limiting area 5111 can also be 3/5 of the perimeter of the connecting part 41. Preferably, to ensure the stability when the locking member 51 locks the connecting member 4, the arc length of the slot wall of the position limiting area 5111 is 3/4 of the perimeter of the connecting part 41.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 7 to Figure 11, the buoyant force producing means is an inflatable airbag 6A and the tea brewing container further comprises an air-filling assembly 5A that can fill the airbag 6A with air. The air-filling assembly 5A comprises an air-filling member 51A and an air delivery pipe 52A. The air-filling member 51A is connected with the airbag 6A through the air delivery pipe 52A. By means of the air delivery pipe 52, the air-filling member 51 can more conveniently fill the airbag 6 with air. To facilitate the assembly of the air-filling member 51A, preferably, the air-filling member 51A is provided on the container cover 2. But it should be understood that, the air-filling member 51A can also be provided at any other appropriate location, such as provided at the holding handle.

When using the above-described tea brewing container to cook or brew tea, the filtering cup 3, containing tea leaves, is placed inside the container body 1, and it is ensured that the airbag 6A is in the second state, i.e., a state in which the air in the airbag 6A is fully discharged. At this moment, the filtering cup 3 is immersed in a liquid under its own gravity. When a preset tea cooking or brewing time has been reached, the airbag 6A is filled with air through the air-filling member 51A, so that the airbag 6A comes to the first state. At this moment, the filtering cup 3 moves towards the container cover 2 under the effect of the buoyant force produced by the airbag 6A, and is finally located above the surface of the liquid, thus preventing tea leaves inside the filtering cup 3 from remaining in contact with the liquid inside the container body 1, so as to achieve the objective of adjusting the strength of the cooked or brewed tea. When the water temperature inside the container body 1 has not reached a preset tea brewing or cooking temperature, the airbag 6A can also be filled with air by means of the air-filling assembly 5 in advance, so that the airbag 6A comes to the first state to make the filtering cup 3 float above the surface of the liquid under the effect of the buoyant force produced by the airbag 6A. When the water temperature inside the container body 1 has reached the preset tea cooking or brewing temperature, the airbag 6A is adjusted to the second state, so that the filtering cup 3 is immersed under the surface of the liquid under its own gravity, thus ensuring best tea cooking or brewing timing and improving tea cooking or brewing quality. In addition, as the filtering cup 3, after it has floated up, is still located inside the container body 1 and need not be taken out, the liquid carried by the filtering cup 3 will drop back into the container body 1, thus preventing the liquid on the filtering cup 3, if taken out, from staining a countertop and affecting cleanliness.

Here, it should be noted that, “the first state” means a state in which the airbag 6A is filled with air, i.e., the airbag 6A is filled with air by means of the air-filling member 51A, so that the buoyant force produced by the airbag 6A is sufficient to make the filtering cup 3 float above the surface of a liquid; “the second state” means a state in which the airbag 6A discharges at least part of the air so as to reduce or even eliminate the buoyant force, so that the filtering cup 3 can be immersed into the liquid under its own gravity. To ensure that the filtering 3 can rapidly float above the surface of the liquid or be immersed in the liquid, preferably, in the first state, the airbag 6A is fully filled with air, and in the second state, air is fully discharged from the inside of the airbag 6A.

Here the airbag 6A is a flexible object that can be filled with air and whose volume changes with the quantity of the air filled. It can be connected to the filtering cup 3 by means such as gluing or fastening with fasteners. The specification does not specifically limit the means through which the airbag 6A is connected to the cup body 31, so long as a fixed connection between the two can be realized.

In order to ensure that the airbag 6A produces a sufficient buoyant force so that the filtering cup 3 containing tea leavings floats above the surface of a liquid, in the embodiments as shown in Figure 7 to Figure 11, the airbag 6A, after being filled with air, is of an arc-shaped structure capable of achieving maximum displacement. At the same time, in order to not affect the tea filtering and displacement effect of the filtering cup 3, the airbag 6A is provided at a bottom of the filtering cup 3. It should be understood that, the airbag 6A, after being filled with air, can be of another shape and configuration, and can be provided at any position of the filtering cup 3. For example, it can be of a structure with a rectangular cavity and be provided on a side wall of the filtering cup 3.

As shown in Figure 7 to Figure 10, the container cover 2 covers an opening of the container body 1. In this embodiment, the lifting handle 9 directly covers an outer end face of the container body 1 and is connected with the connecting member 4, i.e., there does not exist any fixing relationship such as fixed connection or snap-fit connection between the lifting handle 9 and the container cover 2. In other words, the lifting handle 9 is directly placed at the outer end face of the container cover 2. When cooking tea, in the event that the tea inside the container body 1 is boiling and spilling out, a user can lift up the filtering cup 3 by means of the lifting handle 9 so as to locate the cup 3 above the surface of the liquid, thus preventing the boiling tea from spoiling and staining a countertop, which, when serious, may even burn the user.

The lifting handle 9 can directly cover an outer end face of the container body 1. As shown in Figure 11, the outer end face of the container cover 2 is provided with a ring-shaped protrusion 21A, and the lifting handle 9 is provided with a ring-shaped slot 91. When projected in the direction of movement of the connecting member 4, the projection of the ring-shaped protrusion 21A is located within the projection of the ring-shaped slot 91. By using the ring-shaped protrusion 21A and the ring-shaped slot 91 that cooperate with each other, swaying of the lifting handle 9 can be prevented, ensuring stability of the lifting handle 9 after being assembled. At the same time, under this approach, the lifting handle 9 and the container cover 2 together look like an integral structure, improving esthetics of the liquid heating container.

Here, it should be noted that, even if the lifting handle 9 directly covers the container cover 2 at the ring-shaped protrusion 21A such that an inner surface of the ring-shaped slot 91 cooperates with an outer surface of the ring-shaped protrusion 21A, forming a restraining force that restricts an upward movement of the lifting handle 9, the restraining force should be smaller than the buoyant force of the airbag 6A so as to ensure normal floating of the filtering cup 3.

As shown in Figure 7 to Figure 9, the air-filling member 51A can perform air filling automatically. For example, the air-filling member 51A can be an air-filling pump. In this embodiment, the air-filling pump is provided inside the container cover 2. To facilitate the disposition of the air delivery pipe 52A while preventing tea from affecting esthetics by impregnating an outer wall of the air delivery pipe 52A, the air delivery pipe 52A passes through the connecting member 4 in the direction of movement of the connecting member 4, and the air-filling pump is connected with the airbag 6A through the air delivery pipe 52A. With the air delivery pipe 52A passing through the inside of the connecting member 4 before being connected with the airbag 6A, the air delivery pipe 52A can be prevented from entering into contact with tea, and at the same time, the cleanliness of the tea can also be ensured.

In this embodiment, to ensure the normal functioning of the air-filling pump, the air-filling pump ca be powered by a power storage means, or can be powered directly by a power source socket. In the event that the air-filling pump is powered by a power storage means, the power storage means can be provided inside the container cover 2 or the holding handle. In the event that the air-filling pump is directly powered by a power source socket, coupling can be achieved at the container cover 2 or the holding handle.

As shown in Figure 10, the air-filling member 51A can also perform air filling manually. For example, the air-filling member 51A is an air-filling balloon provided on the container cover 2. To ensure the esthetics of the entire tea brewing container while facilitating the fixation of the air-filling balloon, the air-filling balloon is provided on the lifting handle 9. Similarly, to facilitate the disposition of the air delivery pipe 52A and preventing tea from affecting esthetics by impregnating an outer wall of the air delivery pipe 52A, the air delivery pipe 52A passes through the connecting member 4 and the lifting handle 9 in the direction of movement of the connecting member 4, and the air-filling balloon is in communication with the airbag 6A through the air delivery pipe 52A. This can prevent the air delivery pipe 52A from entering into contact with tea, and at the same time, also ensure the cleanliness of the tea.

To prevent foreign objects such as exterior dust and particles from entering the container body 1, in the embodiments as shown in Figure 1 to Figure 11, the tea brewing container further comprises a sealing member 8 provided on the container cover 2 and sealing a gap between the connecting member 4 and the container cover 2. The sealing member 8 can be made of a material such as silicone, rubber, and polyurethane. To ensure that the sealing member 8 has good plastic deformation properties and sealing capability, preferably, the sealing member 8 is made of a rubber material.

To ensure tea brewing or cooking results, in the embodiments as shown in Figure 1 to Figure 11, the filtering cup 3 comprises a cup body 31 and a top cover 32 covering the cup body 31 and connected with the connecting member 4. With this design structure, the filtering cup 3 can be completely immersed into a liquid, preventing tea leaves inside the filtering cup 3 from floating out of the cup body 31 to affect tea filtering results when it is immersed into the liquid.

It should be understood that, in the above-described embodiments, besides tea leaves, herbs and food materials such as Poria, wolfberries, and Chinese bellflowers can also be contained in the filtering cup 3, which are not listed exhaustively here.

Finally, it should be noted that: the various embodiments above are merely used to describe the technical solutions of the invention, and not to limit the invention; even though the invention is described in detail in reference to the various above-described embodiments, an ordinary person skilled in the art should understand: he or she can still modify the technical solutions stated in the various above-described embodiments, or make equivalent replacements of some or all of the technical features in them. However, those modifications or equivalent replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions depart from the scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the invention.

Claims

A drink preparer comprising a container body (1) and a container cover (2) covering an opening of the container body (1) , characterized in that, it further comprises:

a filtering cup (3) ;

a buoyant force producing means provided on the filtering cup (3) ;

a connecting member (4) connected with the filtering cup (3) and slidably connected to the container cover (2) ;

wherein the buoyant force producing means is configured to enable the filtering cup (3) to move between a first position in which the filtering cup (3) is immersed in a liquid contained inside the container body (1) and a second position in which the filtering cup (3) is located above a surface of the liquid.
The drink preparer of claim 1, wherein the buoyant force producing means is a floating member (6) of a rigid structure.
The drink preparer of claim 2 further comprising a locking assembly (5) provided in a manner corresponding to the connecting member (4) and movably connected to the container cover (2) ; wherein the locking assembly (5) is configured such that when in a first state it cooperates in a position limiting manner with the connecting member (4) so that the filtering cup (3) overcomes a buoyant force of the floating member (6) to be maintained in the first positon, and when in a second state it is disengaged from the position limiting cooperation with the connecting member (4) so that the filtering cup (3) is in the second position under the effect of the buoyant force of the floating member (6) .
The drink preparer of claim 3, wherein the locking assembly (5) comprises a locking member (51) slidably connected inside the container cover (2) ;

wherein in the first state, the locking member (51) cooperates in a position limiting manner with the connecting member (4) ; and

wherein in the second state, the locking member (51) is disengaged from the position limiting cooperation with the connecting member (4) .
The drink preparer of claim 4, wherein the locking member (51) is provided with a hollowed-out slot (511) ;

wherein the connecting member (4) passes through the hollowed-out slot (511) to be slidably connected with the container cover (2) and is provided with a connecting part (41) ;

wherein in the first state, a slot wall of the hollowed-out slot (511) cooperates in a position limiting manner with the connecting part (41) ; and

wherein in the second state, the connecting part (41) is disengaged from the corresponding cooperating slot wall so as to get rid of the position limiting cooperation, so that the connecting member (4) is capable of moving relative to the hollowed-out slot (511) .
The drink preparer of any one of claims 4 to 5, wherein the locking assembly (5) further comprises:

a first elastic returning member (52) ;

a first fixing arm (53) connected with the locking member (51) ; and

a second fixing arm (21) provided inside the container cover (2)

wherein the first elastic returning member (52) is provided between the first fixing arm (53) and the second fixing arm (21) .
The drink preparer of any one of claims 3 to 6, further comprising:

a driving member (7) provided on the container cover (2) and configured to drive the locking assembly (5) to switch from the first state to the second state.
The drink preparer of claim 7, wherein the driving member (7) comprises:

a pressing part (71) exposed outside the container cover (2) ; and

a driving part (72) slidably connected to the container cover (2) and connected with the pressing part (71) ;

wherein the locking member (51) has an oblique face (512) provided in such a manner that it faces away from the connecting member (4) , and wherein when the driving part (72) moves to a position in which it abuts against the oblique face (512) , the driving part (72) drives the locking member (51) to switch from the first state to the second state.
The drink preparer of any one of claims 3 to 6, further comprising a driving member (7) provided inside a holding handle (11) of the drink preparer and configured to drive the locking assembly (5) to switch from the first state to the second state.
The drink prepare of any one of claims 2 to 9, wherein the floating member (6) is provided at a bottom of the filtering cup (3) and is of an arc-shaped structure.
The drink preparer of claim 1, wherein, the buoyant force producing means is an inflatable airbag (6A) .
The drink preparer of claim 11, further comprising:

an air-filling assembly (5A) connected with the airbag (6A) and capable of filling the airbag with air;

wherein the airbag (6A) is configured to be filled with air in a first state so that the filtering cup (3) is in the second position under the effect of a buoyant force of the airbag (6A) , and to discharge at least part of the air in a second state so that the filtering cup (3) is in the first position under the effect of its own gravity.
The drink preparer of claim 2, wherein the air-filling assembly (5A) comprises:

an air-filling member (51A) provided on the container cover (2) ;

an air delivery pipe (52A) through which the air-filling member (51A) is connected with the airbag (6A) .
The drink preparer of claim 13, wherein the air-filling member (51A) is an air-filling pump provided inside the container cover (2) .
The drink preparer of claim 13, wherein the air-filling member (51A) is an air-filling balloon that is in communication with the airbag (6A) through the air delivery pipe (52) .
The drink preparer of any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the airbag (6A) is provided at a bottom of the filtering cup (3) , and the airbag (6A) , after being filled with air, is of an arc-shaped structure.
The drink preparer of any one of claims 1 to 16, further comprising:

a sealing member (8) provided on the container cover (2) and sealing a gap between the connecting member (4) and the container cover (2) .
The drink preparer of any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the filtering cup (3) comprises:

a cup body (31) ; and

a top cover (32) covering the cup body (31) and connected with the connecting member (4) .