Electric pressure cooker

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9872582-B2
Application number	US-201414764848-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2014
Priority date	Jul 26, 2013
Publication date	Jan 23, 2018
Grant date	Jan 23, 2018

Abstract

An electric pressure cooker is provided, including a cooker body ( 1 ); a cooker cover ( 2 ) having a closing state and an opening state, wherein the cooker cover ( 2 ) is rotatable with respect to the cooker body ( 1 ) between a sealing position and an unsealing position in the closing state; a micro-switch assembly ( 3 ) disposed on the cooker body ( 1 ) and adapted to switch between an OFF state in which the micro-switch assembly ( 3 ) electrically disconnects the electric pressure cooker from an external power source and an ON state in which the micro-switch assembly ( 3 ) electrically connects the electric pressure cooker with the external power source, wherein the micro-switch assembly ( 3 ) is in the ON state when the cooker cover ( 2 ) is in the opening state or at the sealing position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electric pressure cooker, comprising:
a cooker body, wherein the cooker body comprises:
a housing;
an outer container disposed in the housing such that a cavity is defined between the outer container and the housing; and
a cap fitted over upper portions of the outer container and the housing and closing the cavity;

a cooker cover having a closing state in which the cooker body is covered by the cooker cover and an opening state in which the cooker cover is removed from the cooker body, wherein the cooker cover is rotatable with respect to the cooker body between a sealing position and an unsealing position in the closing state; and
a micro-switch assembly disposed on the cooker body and adapted to switch between an OFF state in which the micro-switch assembly controls the electric pressure cooker not to cook and an ON state in which the micro-switch assembly controls the electric pressure cooker to cook, wherein when the cooker cover is in the closing state and at the unsealing position, the cooker cover actuates the micro-switch assembly to switch to the OFF state, and wherein the micro-switch assembly is in the ON state when the cooker cover is in the opening state or at the sealing position;
wherein the micro-switch assembly comprises:
a push rod movable in an up-down direction between a first position at which the micro-switch assembly is in the ON state and a second position at which the micro-switch assembly is in the OFF state, wherein the cooker cover actuates the push rod to the second position when the cooker cover is in the closing state and at the unsealing position;
a front housing having a second mounting hole within which the push rod is movably disposed in the up-down direction;
a rear housing coupled with the front housing;
a fixed support disposed on the front housing; and
a movable support movably coupled with the fixed support in the up-down direction;

wherein the micro-switch assembly is disposed in the cavity and the push rod extends upwardly out of the cap.

2. The electric pressure cooker according to claim 1 , wherein a boss is disposed on a bottom surface of the cooker cover and is adapted to actuate the push rod to move.

3. The electric pressure cooker according to claim 1 , wherein the micro-switch assembly has a first mounting hole, and the cap has a threaded stud disposed on a bottom surface of the cap and extended downwardly through the first mounting hole, wherein the micro-switch assembly is secured to the threaded stud via a fastener fitted with the threaded stud.

4. The electric pressure cooker according to claim 1 , wherein the micro-switch assembly further comprises:
a fixed piece disposed on the front housing and has a first contactor;
a movable piece defining a first end and a second end, the first end being connected with the movable support so that the movable piece is movable between a contacting position and a separating position in the up-down direction along with the movable support, and the second end being extended through the fixed support to a position bellow the fixed piece and has a second contactor, wherein the first contactor is contacted with the second contactor in the contacting position, and the first contactor is separated from the second contactor in the separating position; and
an elastic member disposed between the push rod and the movable support and configured to apply an upward force on the push rod when the push rod moves downwardly.

5. The electric pressure cooker according to claim 1 , wherein the push rod is configured as a column and has a water blocking flange disposed on a peripheral surface of the push rod, an orthogonal projection area of the water blocking flange on the front housing is larger than a cross-sectional area of the second mounting hole.

6. The electric pressure cooker according to claim 5 , wherein the water blocking flange is configured as a square plate.

7. The electric pressure cooker according to claim 5 , wherein the micro-switch assembly further comprises: a silicone sleeve fitted over the push rod and located between the water blocking flange and the second mounting hole, and the silicone sleeve has a lower end pressed against an upper surface of the front housing.

8. The electric pressure cooker according to claim 7 , wherein the push rod is non-straight.

9. The electric pressure cooker according to claim 8 , wherein the push rod comprises:
a pushing part fitted within the second mounting hole;
a water guiding part;
a connecting part defining a first end connected with the pushing part and a second end connected with the water guiding part, and an upper surface of the connecting part is extended horizontally or extended obliquely and upwardly in a direction from the second end of the connecting part to the first end of the connecting part.

10. The electric pressure cooker according to claim 9 , wherein the connecting part is straight and is substantially perpendicular to the pushing part and the water guiding part respectively.

11. The electric pressure cooker according to claim 9 , wherein the second end of the connecting part is connected with a lower end of the water guiding part and the first end of the connecting part is connected with an upper end of the pushing part.

12. The electric pressure cooker according to claim 8 , wherein the push rod comprises:
a pushing part fitted within the second mounting hole;
a water guiding part;
a connecting part defining a first end connected with the pushing part and a second end connected with the water guiding part,
wherein the connecting part comprises an arc segment and a straight segment, and the pushing part has a L-shape, the arc segment is connected with the water guiding part and the straight segment is connected with the pushing part.

13. The electric pressure cooker according to claim 12 , wherein an upper end of the water guiding part is higher than the upper end of the pushing part, and the lower end of the water guiding part is flush with a lower end of the pushing part.

14. The electric pressure cooker according to claim 12 , wherein the first end of the connecting part is higher than the second end of the connecting part.

15. The electric pressure member according to claim 14 , wherein the pushing part, the connecting part and the water guiding part are integrally formed.

Assignees

• Midea Group Co Ltd
• Guangdong Midea Consumer Electric Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Song Yanping
• Chen Ruide
• Zhang Xiaolin

Classifications

• A47J36/06

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

• A47J27/0802 Primary

  Control mechanisms for pressure-cookers · CPC title

• A47J27/086

  with built-in heating means (adaptations of automatic switches for the heating means A47J27/62) · CPC title

• A47J27/08

  Pressure-cookers; Lids or locking devices specially adapted therefor · CPC title