Modular cooking system and a method relating to said system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9962029-B2
Application number	US-201514590777-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 6, 2015
Priority date	Jan 7, 2014
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

The invention provides a cooking system that includes a pressure cooker provided with a regulator valve designed to maintain the pressure at a setpoint value, a telecommunications module, and a timer module, the pressure cooker, the telecommunications module, and the timer module being provided with complementary fastener means making it possible to fasten the telecommunications module and the timer module to the pressure cooker as alternatives and in a removable manner.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A household food-cooking system comprising:
a pressure cooker provided with a pressure regulator valve designed to maintain the pressure prevailing in the pressure cooker at a setpoint value and a connection port;
a telecommunications module having a transmitter and a first connector; and
a timer module having a timer and a second connector,
wherein the telecommunications module, the timer module, and the pressure cooker are physically separate from each other;
wherein the connection port of the pressure cooker is designed to interchangeably connect with the first connector of the telecommunications module, and the second connector of the timer module, and wherein the connection port of the pressure cooker is designed to enable the telecommunications module and the timer module to be fastened to the pressure cooker as alternatives and in a removable manner,
the telecommunications module being capable, when fastened to the pressure cooker, of transmitting via the transmitter at least one signal relating to operation of the pressure cooker to an independent computer terminal, and
the timer module being capable, when fastened to the pressure cooker, of counting down via the timer a predetermined time, wherein the predetermined time is counted from the instant at which the pressure prevailing in the pressure cooker reaches the setpoint value for the first time.

2. The system according to claim 1 , the connection port being designed to couple the connection port mechanically and functionally respectively to the first connector and to the second connector.

3. The system according to claim 2 , wherein the pressure cooker comprises a vessel and a lid that serves to be associated with the vessel to form a cooking enclosure inside which the pressure can reach the setpoint value, the connection port being incorporated in the lid.

4. The system according to claim 3 wherein the connection port is in the form of a recess provided in the surface of the lid, the telecommunication module and the timer module each having a shape-complementary to the shape of the recess, so that the recess can receive, in turn, the telecommunications module and the timer module.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the pressure cooker includes a steam escape duct, via which the regulator valve allows steam to escape whenever the pressure prevailing in the pressure cooker exceeds the setpoint value.

6. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the telecommunications module includes a first detector that, when the telecommunications module is fastened to the pressure cooker, is capable of producing a first signal that is representative of the pressure or of the temperature prevailing in the pressure cooker, the first signal forming, being included in, or making possible to obtain the at least one signal relating to operation of the pressure cooker.

7. The system according to claim 6 , wherein the first detector comprises a first temperature sensor designed to be disposed in or in the vicinity of the steam escape duct when the telecommunications module is fastened to the pressure cooker, in order to enable the first temperature sensor to sense the increase in temperature resulting from the steam escaping through the duct.

8. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the timer module includes a second detector that, when the timer module is fastened to the pressure cooker, is capable of producing a second signal representative of the pressure or of the temperature prevailing in the pressure cooker, and on the basis of which the timer module is designed to determine the instant at which the pressure prevailing in the pressure cooker-reaches the setpoint value for the first time.

9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the second detector comprises a second temperature sensor designed to be disposed in or in the vicinity of the steam escape duct when the timer module is fastened to the pressure cooker, in order to enable the second temperature sensor to sense the increase in temperature resulting from the steam escaping through the duct.

10. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the pressure cooker is provided with at least one manual control member that is mounted to move between a plurality of positions corresponding respectively to a plurality of operating states of the pressure cooker.

11. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the telecommunications module includes a third detector that, when the telecommunications module is fastened to the pressure cooker, is capable of producing a third signal representative of the position taken up by the manual control member, the third signal forming, being included in, making it possible to obtain the at least one signal relating to operation of the pressure cooker.

12. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the third detector includes a first plurality of magneto-resistive sensors, while the manual control member incorporates a first magnetic activator designed to excite one or more of the magneto-resistive sensors selectively and remotely as a function of the position of the manual control member, in such a manner as thereby to code the position of the manual control member.

13. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the timer module includes a display screen displaying at least the counting-down of the predetermined time.

14. The system according to claim 13 , wherein the timer module includes a fourth detector that, when the timer module is fastened to the pressure cooker, is capable of producing a fourth signal that is representative of the position of the manual control member, on the basis of which signal the timer module displays, on the display screen, information representative of the position taken up by the manual control member.

15. The system according to claim 14 , wherein the fourth detector includes a second plurality of magneto-resistive sensors, while the manual control member incorporates a second magnetic activator designed to excite one or more of the magneto-resistive sensors selectively and remotely as a function of the position of the manual control member, in such a manner as thereby to code the position.

16. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitter of the telecommunications module is able to communicate with the independent computer terminal via a wireless link.

17. A household food-cooking system comprising:
a pressure cooker having a pressure regulator valve designed to maintain a pressure prevailing in the pressure cooker at a setpoint value and a connection port disposed on the pressure cooker;
a timer module independent from the pressure cooker, the timer module having a connector and a timer, wherein the connector is complementary to the connection port of the pressure cooker and used to fasten the timer module removably to the pressure cooker, and, wherein the timer module, when fastened to the pressure cooker, is capable of counting down via the timer a predetermined time starting from the instant at which the pressure prevailing in the pressure cooker reaches the setpoint value for the first time; and
a telecommunications module independent from the timer module and the pressure cooker, wherein the telecommunications module, the timer module, and the pressure cooker are physically separate from each other, the telecommunications module having a transmitter and a first connector, wherein the first connector is complementary to the connection port of the pressure cooker and used to fasten the telecommunications module removably to the pressure cooker in place of the timer mod

Assignees

• Seb Sa

Inventors

• Baraille Laurent Eric
• Decroze Nicolas

Classifications

• A47J27/0802 Primary

  Control mechanisms for pressure-cookers · CPC title

• A47J36/321

  the electronic control being performed over a network, e.g. by means of a handheld device · CPC title