JP3527849B2 - Small heaters such as coffee cans - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a small warmer that can be called a "personal can warmer" that can easily heat cans such as coffee cans and tea cans.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, demand for beverage cans such as coffee cans, black tea cans, Japanese tea cans, oolong tea cans, soup cans, etc. has increased significantly, but most of these beverage cans are sold at room temperature. It is the current situation that they are sold by being cooled or previously cooled to an appropriate drinking temperature by an automatic vending machine.

[0003] By the way, there is a strong demand that the contents of coffee cans and the like stocked at room temperature be individually heated at home or the like to a proper drinking temperature and enjoyed when desired. When individually heating the contents of cold coffee cans, etc. to the appropriate drinking temperature, conventionally, the cans are heated by immersing them in boiling water, or by opening the cans and opening the contents in a pan etc. to heat them. There is no other way, but these methods are very complicated because they require other tableware and cooking utensils, and the heat exchange efficiency is very low. Had. Further, a method of directly heating the can with a heater is also conceivable, but in this case, there is a problem that the temperature cannot be controlled and an accident such as rupture is likely to occur.

The present invention was devised in view of the present situation, and the purpose thereof is to very easily heat cans such as coffee cans one by one, and yet to heat them. An object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized warmer such as a coffee can that can heat in a short time and has high safety compared to a direct heating system in which a warm time is in contact with a heater and has high safety.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a cylindrical portion having a size for holding a small warmer such as a coffee can in a loosely fit manner. When,
A heating body disposed on the lower portion of the cylindrical portion and having a bottom surface of a can or the like placed thereon, a means for controlling the temperature of the heating body within a range of a required set temperature, and a recess provided on the upper surface of the heating body. It is characterized by having a water reservoir and a power supply.

Further, in the present invention, it is desirable to form irregularities on the surface of the heating body in order to uniformly supply the steam into the cylindrical portion.

In this case, it is desirable that the irregularities are formed by radial grooves or ridges.

Further, according to the present invention, it is desirable that the fall detection switch is arranged at the lower portion of the cylindrical portion so as to automatically prevent overheating.

Further, according to the present invention, the convection efficiency of steam is improved by arranging a lid body in which a hole having a diameter slightly larger than the can diameter is opened on the upper portion of the tubular portion so as to be openable and closable. It may be configured so as to allow it.

Further, the lid may be constituted by a plurality of lids having different hole diameters so that even cans having different diameters can be easily heated.

According to the present invention, the water storage tank is removably attached to the tubular portion, and the water injection dropper body is removably attached to the tubular portion or the handle protruding from the tubular portion. It can be configured by mounting on.

Further, according to the present invention, a constriction portion around which the power cord can be freely wound is formed on the lower portion of the cylindrical portion or the handle so as to improve the endurance. Good.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a small-sized warmer such as a coffee can according to the first embodiment of the present invention is sized to hold a can K such as a coffee can loosely. The temperature of the heating element 3 and the heating element 3 that is disposed inside the seat portion 2 that has a diameter enlarged at the bottom of the heating element 3 and on which the bottom surface of the can K is placed. A thermostat 4 for controlling the temperature within a required set temperature range, a water reservoir 5 recessed in the upper surface of the heating body 3, and a base member 6 disposed inside the seat 2 for supporting the heating body 3. The base member 6 is provided with a fall detection switch 7 and a power cord 8 for supplying power to the heating body 3.

The tubular portion 1 is formed to have a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the can K to be stored, and the height dimension thereof is that of the can K when the can K is placed on the heating element 3. The upper portion is not particularly limited as long as it has a height dimension protruding from the upper end of the tubular portion 1. Of course, the cylindrical portion 1 and the seat portion 2 are formed of a heat insulating material such as a plastic chimney which is easy to mold and has a high heat insulating effect.

A flange 9 projecting outward is formed on the upper end of the tubular portion 1 so as to bulge out. The flange 9 is provided with the water reservoir when the small-sized warmer is accidentally tumbled. The water stored in 5 acts so as not to overflow from the upper end portion of the tubular portion 1. In this case, of course, in order to prevent the water flowing out from the water reservoir 5 from leaking from the seat 2, although not shown, for example, watertightness such as a sealing treatment between the seat 2 and a support member 12 described later is performed. Treatment is desirable. Further, this collar 9 is not limited to the upper end portion of the tubular portion 1, and for example, the body portion of the tubular portion 1 or the like can be filled with water stored in the water reservoir portion 5 when the small warmer falls by mistake. If it is a portion that can act so as not to overflow from the portion 1, it can be formed to bulge in place.

The heating element 3 includes an aluminum die cast 10 and
The aluminum die cast 10 comprises a spiral sheath heater 11 disposed at the bottom thereof, and the thermostat 4 is disposed at the center of the bottom of the aluminum die cast 10. As a matter of course, in the heating body 3 applicable to the present invention, a known electric heater such as a mica heater may be applied instead of the sheath heater 11.

Further, the surface of the aluminum die cast 10 is formed in a concavo-convex shape so that the vapor can pass through substantially uniformly, and its form is, for example, a radial groove or a ridge, or Alternatively, it may be formed of a plurality of irregularities.

The water reservoir 5 for storing the water which is heated and becomes steam is formed to have a size for storing, for example, about 5 to 10 cc. In the present invention, a timer circuit may be connected to the heating element 3 to automatically cut off energization to prevent water from running out and becoming an empty state. Good.

The thermostat 4 controls the heating element 3 so that the temperature does not rise above 100.degree. This is because if the can K is heated to about 140 ° C., it may burst.

The fall detection switch 7 has a main body 7a disposed in a cylindrical support member 12 which connects the aluminum die cast 10 and the base member 6, and a switch portion 7b projects to the rear surface side of the base member 6. The switch die 7b is attached to the rear surface of the base member 6 when the switch die 7b contacts the floor surface or the like and is pressed to energize the aluminum die-cast 10. The above-mentioned energized state is turned off when it protrudes from.

In this embodiment, an AC 10 is used as a power source.
A case has been described as an example where a 0 V household power source is configured to be supplied to the heating element 3 via the power cord 8, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a vehicle battery You may comprise so that it may heat using a power supply, a battery, etc.

Since the small warmer such as a coffee can according to this embodiment is constructed as described above, when trying to heat a desired canned beverage, first, 5-10c is used.
After pouring the water of c into the water reservoir 5 of the heating element 3 and inserting and setting the can K to be heated in the tube portion 1, when the power is turned on, the heating element 3 is heated to the required temperature, The portion in contact with the aluminum die cast 10 is directly heated, and the vapor heated and evaporated in the water reservoir 5 passes through the gap on the surface of the aluminum die caster 10 to clear the clearance between the cylinder 1 and the can K. Since the contents of the can K are heated by heat exchange by flow and steam, even if compared to the method of directly heating, it is possible to rupture to the appropriate drinking temperature efficiently and in a short time by heating and direct heating with this steam. You can safely heat without. That is, in this invention, the temperature rises slowly and the content beverage is heated by steam simultaneously with direct heating, as compared with the direct heating method in which the risk of bursting is high, so the temperature rises quickly and water evaporates. When it does, the thermostat 4 operates and drinks the drink at an appropriate drinking temperature of 100 ° C or lower, that is,
Since it is controlled so as not to raise the temperature to about 50 to 60 ° C. or higher, it is safe without worrying that the can K will burst.

Further, in the small warmer such as the coffee can according to this embodiment, even if the small warmer accidentally falls,
Since the collar 9 supports the tubular portion 1 so as not to be horizontal, the water stored in the water reservoir 5 does not overflow from the tubular portion 1,
It is safe even when the water is heated, and even if the small warmer accidentally falls due to the fall detection switch 7,
Since the energized state is automatically released, the effect of higher safety can be obtained.

FIG. 3 shows a small warmer such as a coffee can according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment,
The tubular portion 1 according to the first embodiment is formed by a thick rectangular tubular body 20 having a rectangular planar shape, and a hole portion 21 for inserting a can is formed in the central portion of the rectangular tubular body 20. 1 on top of body 20
Two or more lids (two lids in the illustrated example) 22 and 23 are arranged so that the hinges can be opened and closed. Further, a grip 24 is provided on the body of the rectangular tubular body 20 so as to project from the grip. Is the same as the first embodiment except that the water dropper 25 is removably attached, and the water storage tank 26 is removably attached to the upper portion of the square tube 20. Since it is the same, the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment are attached to the drawings, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here. A constricted portion 27 is formed in the lower portion of the rectangular tubular body 20, and the constricted portion 27 is configured so that the power cord 8 can be wound around it.

The lids 22 and 23 are provided with holes 28 and 29, which are slightly larger than the different diameters of the cans, corresponding to the commercially available cans having different diameters. In this case, the diameter of the hole portion 21 is configured to have a slightly larger diameter than the largest diameter of commercially available cans, and the lids 22 and 23 also have a large diameter hole. The lid body 22 in which 28 is opened is lower than the lid body 23 in which a hole 29 having a small diameter is opened, that is, both lid bodies 2
When the rectangular tubular body 20 is closed with 2, 23, the lid body 23
It is arranged so as to be located on the lower surface of 2. In the present invention, among the plurality of lids, by forming a closed structure with a simple plate material without opening a hole in the lid located at the top, foods other than cans, for example, The meat man or the like may be steam-heated.

Therefore, in the small warmer such as a coffee can according to this embodiment, in order to heat a desired canned beverage, first, the water injection dropper body 25 is pulled out from the handle 24. After sucking 5 to 10 cc of water from the water storage tank 26, the sucked water is injected into the water reservoir 5 of the heating body 3 by the water injection dropper body 25, and then the can to be heated is placed in the hole 21. After inserting and rotating the lid 22 or the lids 22 and 23 in the closing direction so as to correspond to the diameter of the set can, and turning on the power, the heating element 3 is heated to the required temperature. , The portion in contact with the aluminum die cast (not shown) is directly heated, and the vapor heated and evaporated in the water reservoir 5 passes through the gap on the surface of the aluminum die caster to form the hole 21 and the can. Flows through the clearance and can be exchanged with steam Since the contents are warmed, it is possible to warm to suitable drinking temperature in a short time efficiently by heating and direct heating by steam. Moreover, in this form example,
Since the upper portions of the holes 21 are closed by the lids 22 and 23, the steam convects inside the holes 21, so that the heat exchange efficiency can be further improved.

In this embodiment, the water injection dropper body 2
5 is inserted into and removed from the handle 24, and the water storage tank 26 is inserted into and removed from the rectangular tubular body 20. Therefore, when heating the can, it is not necessary to fetch water one by one. The effect that the simplicity can be further improved is obtained.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rectangular tubular body 20 is used.
Since the constricted portion 27 is formed in the lower part of the and the power cord 8 can be wound around the constricted portion 27,
It is possible to obtain the effect that the finish is very good. Of course, instead of the constricted portion 27, a constricted portion 30 is formed on the handle 24 as shown in FIG.
The power cord may be wound around 0.

The water injection dropper 2 in the above embodiment
5 may be removably attached to the hole 21 instead of the handle 24, and the tubular body may be formed of a cylindrical or polygonal tubular body instead of the rectangular tubular shape.

[0031]

As described above, according to the invention described in claim 1, the cylindrical portion having a size for holding the can and the like in a loosely fit manner and the lower portion of the cylindrical portion are disposed. It has a heating body on which the bottom surface of a can or the like is placed, a means for controlling the temperature of the heating body within a required set temperature range, a water reservoir recessed in the upper surface of the heating body, and a power source. Since it is configured as above, it is very easy to heat cans such as coffee cans one by one, and the heating time is used in addition to the direct heating method with the heater contact and the heating method with steam. As a result, heating can be performed in a short time, power consumption is low, and safety is high.

Next, according to the invention described in claim 2, since irregularities through which steam passes substantially uniformly are formed on the surface of the heating body, heating by direct contact with the heating body and heat exchange by steam are performed. By the action, the content beverage can be quickly heated to the appropriate drinking temperature.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 3, since the irregularities are formed by radial concave grooves or ridges, the aluminum die casting can be manufactured by a simple mold, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Can be kept low.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 4, since the fall detection switch is arranged in the lower portion of the cylindrical portion, it is possible to automatically prevent the overheat due to the fall.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 5, since the lid body in which the hole having a diameter slightly larger than the can diameter is opened is provided on the upper portion of the cylindrical portion so as to be opened and closed, The convection efficiency can be greatly improved.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 6, since the lid is composed of a plurality of lids having different hole diameters, even cans having different diameters can be easily heated. it can.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 7, a water storage tank is removably attached to the cylindrical portion, and a water injection dropper is provided so as to project from the cylindrical portion or the cylindrical portion. Since it is attached to the handle so that it can be inserted and removed freely, when heating the can,
Since it is not necessary to fetch water each time, the can can be heated more easily to an appropriate drinking temperature.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 8, since the power cord can be wound around the lower portion of the cylindrical portion or the handle, the constricted portion can be freely formed. it can.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a half cross-sectional perspective view of a small heater such as a coffee can according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a small-sized warmer such as the coffee can.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a small-sized warmer such as a coffee can according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of a handle in the same compact warmer.

[Explanation of symbols]

K can 1 tube 2 seats 3 heating body 4 Thermostat (Temperature control means) 5 water reservoir 6 Base member 7 Fall detection switch 8 power cord 9 Tsuba 10 Aluminum die cast 12 Support member 20 square tube 21 hole 22,23 lid 24 Handle 25 Water injection dropper 26 Water storage tank 27 Constriction

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Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A tubular portion having a size for loosely holding a can or the like, a heating body disposed below the tubular portion and having a bottom surface of the can or the like placed thereon, and a temperature of the heating body. A small warmer such as a coffee can having a means for controlling the temperature within a required set temperature range, a water reservoir recessed in the upper surface of the heating body, and a power source. 2. The surface of the heating body is provided with irregularities through which vapor passes substantially uniformly.
A small heater such as the coffee can described in. 3. The small warmer for a coffee can or the like according to claim 2, wherein the unevenness is a groove or a ridge formed in a radial pattern. 4. The small-sized warmer for a coffee can or the like according to claim 1, wherein a fall detection switch is arranged at a lower portion of the tubular portion. 5. A lid body having a hole having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the can is provided on the upper portion of the tubular portion so as to be openable and closable. A small heater such as the coffee can described in. 6. The small-sized warmer for a coffee can or the like according to claim 5, wherein the lid is composed of a plurality of lids having different hole diameters. 7. A water storage tank is removably attached to the tubular portion, and a water injection dropper body is removably attached to the tubular portion or a handle protruding from the tubular portion. The small-sized warmer such as the coffee can according to claim 1 according to any one of claims 1 to 6. 8. The constriction part around which a power cord can be freely wound is formed in the lower portion of the tubular part or the handle, according to any one of claims 1 to 7. Small warmers such as coffee cans.