AU669569B2

AU669569B2 - Electric kettle

Info

Publication number: AU669569B2
Application number: AU50211/93A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Bernard Marcel Bois; Guy Collas
Original assignee: Moulinex SA
Current assignee: Moulinex SA
Priority date: 1992-10-26
Filing date: 1993-10-22
Publication date: 1996-06-13
Anticipated expiration: 2013-10-22
Also published as: DE69308463D1; FR2697147B1; CA2108509A1; DE69308463T2; EP0595085A1; FR2697147A1; EP0595085B1; ES2101188T3; AU5021193A

Description

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 MOULINEX S.A.

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ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT lt Pt t t

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Invention Title: "Electric kettle" 2'i The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to us:- The invention relates to an electric kettle including a tank to contain water to be brought to boiling point by operation of an electric heating resistor, and a hollow handle comprising a hand grip part as well as a shoulder adjacent an outer wall off the tank, the resistor being electrically controlled by a heat-sensitive switch disposed outside the tank in a lower region of the kettle and which is sensitive to the temperature of steam directed through a conduit extending in the shoulder downwards, from an upper region of the kettle to the switch.

Electric kettles of the known type which are equipped with a heatsensitive switch generally comprise a seam conduit supplying the stream above the said switch in order to trigger it, Then the steam is propagated in the handle and in the low part of the kettle, This steam causes the formation of condensation and water droplets inside the kettle.

According to the invention the handle also comprises a steam outlet channel in vapour communication with the conduit, extending upwards from an inlet above the switch to an outlet which opens through steam outlet holes in the upper part of the handle to draw steam from the conduit past the switch, An advantage of at least some embodiments of the invention is to remedy the above drawbacks by using, in the electric kettle, an evacuation I means for the steam acting on the heat-sensitive switch, 4 t1~e Thanks to the design of the electric kettle according to the invention, teform-ation of condensation and water droplets is prevented inside the 4 4 telectric kettle.

I.4,4 44 44 tL~ 2 Furthermore, the provision of a steam outlet channel in the handle of the electric kettle releases space inside the handle for the possible Installation of electric components.

in fact, by avoiding an anarchic propagation of the steam in the entire handle, the malfunctioning of the electric components because of water vapour- is ptevented.

The characteristics and advantages of the invention will moreover become apparent from the following description of an embodiment, taken merely as a non-restrictive example, illustrated in the attached drawings representing diagrammatically a vertical section of an electric kettle according to the invention.

is According to the Figure, the electric kettle comprises a housing 1 closed by a lid 2. The housing 1 provides a tank 3 which is intended to contain water which is able to be brought to boiling point by an electric heating resist1or 4 and comprises a hollow handle 5 which comprises a grip part 6 and also a shoulder 7 integral with the outer wall 8 of the tank 3. The resistor 4 is electrically controlled by a heat-sensitive switch 9 which is disposed outside the tank :3 in the lower region of the housing 1. The switch 9-is sensitive to the temperature of the steam supplied through 25 a conduit 10 which extends parallel to the outer wall of the tank 3 from the upper region of the housing I to the switch 9, and the outlet 21 of which comprises a bent guide 22.

so The cover 2 of the electric Kettle comprises a seal in the form of a rib 11 which comes to rest on tlie guide 22 and which thus prevents the steam escaping thlrough the upper part of the elect::ic kettle.

The electric kettle comprises an electricity power unit 12 comprising a control mechanism 13 which can be moved between an "on" position and an "off" position thanks to the manual opera~tion of a press button 1.4 and disposed so as to be 3 brought into its "off", position when the steam directed into conduit 10 heats the heat-sensitive switch 9 in order to activate it. The press button 14 is disposed in an aperture provided in the lower part of the grip part 6.

According to the invention, the handle 5 of the kettle com'prises a steam outlet channel 16, for example provided between an inner wall I of the shoulder 7 and the cuter wall a of the tank 3. The said channel 16 is preferably adjacent to the steam conduit 10 so that this channel 16 is at the same temperature as the conduit 10 to avoid any possible condensation. The inlet 17 of the channel 16 extends above the heat-sensitive switch 9 and the outlet 18 of said channel 16, made in the guide 22', opens into the upper part 15 of the ha~ndle 5 and towards the outside through steam outlet holes 19.

The steam outlet holes are, for example, made in the lid 2 of the electric kettle outside the seal 11 and opposite the outlet 18 of channel 16. The steam leaving the outlet 18 of the channel 16 opens into a chamber 20 disposed between the 9499 inner part of the lid 2, the seal 11 and the upper-part of 9 the handle 5, the steam then escaping through the holes 19 to outside the kettle.

4 The said steam outlet holes may be disposed differently in other embodiments. in fact the steam outlet holes may be .:made, f or example, in a zone A of the upper part of the grip part 6 of the handle 5. in this case, a conduit (not shown) is provided to circulate the steam in chamber 20 towards zone A During use, the tank -3 is f illed with a certain quantity of water covering at least the electric resistor 4 and the electricity power unit 12 is connected to an electricity power source (not shown The electric resistor 4 is controlled by means of the pressure on a zone B of the press 4 button 14, which causes the movement of the control mechanism 13 into the "on" position. The,'water situated in the tank 3 is heated, and when the water starts to boil, steam is produced iu:* the space situated above the water level. one part of the steam produced is directed by the bent g-uide 22 into the conduit 10 through aperture 21 and follows the path shown by arrows F on the Figure. The steam descends into the conduit 10 and is directed onto the heatsensitive switch 9. This switch 9 is activated by the temperature of the steam and moves the control 7nechanism 13 by bringing it into its "stop" position, which automatically cuts off the energy supply to the resistor 4. Then the said steam is collected and rises again in the channel 16, it then passes through outlet 18 of channel 16, opens into the a a 15 chamber 20 and is evacuated th'rough holes 19, to the outside '4 of the electric kettle. Thus the channel 16 draws in the steam escaping from conduit 10 and thus avoids the formation of condensation and water droplets in the handle 5 of the electric kettle.

Thanks to this upward escape of steam, it will be understood 4 2 that firstly a special and expensive seal need not be provided at the level of the electricity power unit 12, and secondly electrical components such as operating telltales 425 23 or electronic components 24 for monitoring the control of the electricity supply to the resistor 4 can be incorporated in the hollow zone of the grip part 6 of the handle S.

Claims

2. An electric kettle according to claim 1, wherein the channel is provided in the shoulder.
3. An electric kettle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the channel is adjacent to the steam conduit.
4. An electric kettle according to claim 1, wherein the hand grip part contains electrical or electronic components, An electric kettle substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 19th day of March 1996 MOULINEX SA Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: F.B. RICE CO. F.B, RICE CO. *i44 t t t i e _i A B S T-R A CT r trrr r I i (l(il r I t 1 i I r I I I i t I II The invention relates to an electric kettle comprising a tank containing water capable of being brought to boiling point by an electric heating resistor and a hollow handle The electric kettle comprises a steam conduit (10) supplying the steam from tank to above a heat-sensitive switch placed on the outside of the tank. According to the invention, the handle comprises a steam outlet channel the inlet (17) of which extends above the switch and the outlet (18) of which opens into the o 1 upper part of the handle through steam outlet holes (19). Application to any type of kettle. II 4. Single Figure. ~r