Cooking utensil for cooking food under pressure that has an improved control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9526367-B2
Application number	US-201313942046-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2013
Priority date	Jul 16, 2012
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

Provided is a utensil for cooking food under pressure including: a vessel and a lid; at least one locking member mounted to move on the lid between a locking position and an unlocking position; a control device for controlling the movement of the locking member, including an operating member suitable for being actuated by a user in such a manner as to cause the locking member to move; wherein the locking member is mounted on the lid in such a manner as to be urged by positioning resilient return means towards its locking position; and the operating member is mounted to be drivingly linked to the locking member in a manner such that the action by the user on the operating member causes the locking member to move towards its unlocking position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A utensil for cooking food under pressure including at least:
a vessel and a lid that is designed to be mounted on said vessel to define a sealed cooking enclosure;
at least one locking member mounted to move on the lid between a locking position in which the lid is locked on the vessel and an unlocking position in which the lid can be taken off the vessel;
a control device for controlling the movement of said at least one locking member, which the control device includes an operating member suitable for being actuated by a user in such a manner as to cause said at least one locking member to move, said operating member being mounted in such a manner as to able to be moved; wherein
said at least one locking member is mounted on the lid in such a manner as to be urged by positioning resilient return means towards the locking position so that the locking position corresponds to a rest position of the locking member;
the operating member is mounted to be drivingly linked to said at least one locking member in a manner such that the operating member takes up a stable rest position corresponding to said locking position and that action by the user on the operating member against action from the resilient return means causes the locking member to move towards the unlocking position, which position is unstable;
the cooking utensil is provided with at least one locking valve mounted on the lid and suitable, under the effect of the pressure prevailing inside the utensil, for taking up a sealing high position and a leakage low position, said locking valve being mounted so that, when said at least one locking member is in the locking position, said locking valve is free to take up its high position, thereby locking said at least one locking member in the locking position.

2. The utensil according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one locking member is mounted to move in radial translation on the lid.

3. The utensil according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one locking member is mounted to move in rotation on the lid.

4. The utensil according to claim 1 , wherein said operating member is mounted in such a manner as to able to be moved in radial translation on the lid.

5. The utensil according to claim 1 , wherein said operating member is mounted in such a manner as to be able to be moved in an axial or inclined direction on the lid.

6. The utensil according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one locking member is formed by a jaw.

7. The utensil according to claim 6 , wherein the cooking utensil includes at least two jaws mounted diametrically opposite each other on the lid, each of the jaws being secured to a drive arm extending radially towards a center of the lid from the jaw, said resilient return means being interposed between the two drive arms.

8. The utensil according to claim 1 , wherein the resilient return means is a traction spring.

9. The utensil according to claim 1 , wherein the operating member is a push-button making it possible to cause said at least one locking member to move in an inward radial direction and in an outward radial direction.

10. The utensil according to claim 7 , wherein the control device includes a deck on which the operating member is mounted to move in radial translation and cooperates with the drive arms to cause them to move.

11. The utensil according to claim 10 , wherein said at least one locking valve is mounted on the lid in such a manner as to prevent the operating member from moving in radial translation when it is in its high position.

12. The utensil according to claim 7 , wherein the control device also has a raised central zone for making it easier to take hold of the lid in the hand, in which the zone is in the shape of a knob, in register with and below the operating member.

13. The utensil according to claim 12 , wherein the utensil includes a piece of trim covering the drive arms and a deck, and incorporating the raised central zone.

Assignees

• Seb Sa

Inventors

• Anota Daniel Jean Marie
• Chameroy Eric
• Blanc Herve Eugene Rene

Classifications

• F16J13/24

  with safety devices, e.g. to prevent opening prior to pressure release · CPC title

• A47J27/0804 Primary

  Locking devices · CPC title

• A47J36/06

  Lids or covers for cooking-vessels (specially adapted for pressure-cookers A47J27/08) · CPC title

• A47J27/0813 Primary

  using a clamping ring or clamping segments · CPC title

• A47J36/20

  Perforated bases or perforated containers to be placed inside a cooking utensil {; Draining baskets, inserts with separation wall} · CPC title