MXPA99003681A - Electric cooking appliance comprising a device for condensing cooking vapours - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a cooking appliance comprising an external housing (3) in which are incorporated a vessel (12), means (14) for electrically heating the vessel, and a box (23) housing a removable device (25) for condensing vapours urged to be connected on operating means (27) communicating with the vessel. The appliance comprises sensing means (65) for sensing the presence of the condensing device (25) in the box (23) and actuated by the said condensing device (25) when it is present in the box (23), and a switch (68) whose control capable of closing the power circuit supplying the heating means is dependent on the actuating of the sensing means (65).

Description

ELECTRICAL COOKING APPARATUS CONTAINING A COOKING VAPOR CONDENSATION DEVICE The present invention relates to electric cooking appliances, such as, for example, household fryers, which contain an external compartment into which a cooking vessel is incorporated, the electric heating means in thermal relation to the container, and a strainer containing a removable device for condensing the cooking vapors which are intended to be connected to the conducting means communicating with the container and permitting the evacuation of the cooking vapors. We know that for such cooking appliances, the use of a condensing device is particularly effective for eliminating the vapors which contain the unpleasant odorous substances emitted in the course of cooking. In a known cooking appliance of this kind, it has already been proposed to use a strainer, for example removable, made in the form of a drawer into which the condensing device is removably mounted, of the type of heat exchange , and that comes to be inserted inside a homemade compartment in a support that forms an integral part of the compartment of the appliance. When using the appliance, it is proved that the user can correctly place the strainer in the compartment holder without the condensation device having been mounted inside the strainer, the cooking operation is caused. Since then, in the course of cooking, the unpleasant odorous substances of the vapors are no longer eliminated, so that the appliance loses its usefulness remarkably. In another, the vapors that are released are evacuated in the strainer with the risk of creating an abnormal suppression that is, in fact, particularly dangerous. The object of the invention is particularly to remedy these drawbacks and to produce an electric cooking appliance, of the type set forth above, which is equipped with a safety device enabling operation of the appliance only as long as the condensation device is placed in the strainer. According to the invention, the apparatus has detection means apt to detect the presence of the condensation device in the strainer and capable of being operated by said condensation device when the latter is present in the strainer, and a safety switch provided in the electric power circuit of the heating means and whose operation, which allows closing said power supply circuit, is subordinated to the actuation of said detection means. Likewise, we understand that in order to obtain a safe operation of the cooking appliance, the presence of the condensation device in the colander is necessary to feed the electric heating means, also allowing the realization of an apparatus that offers an optimal guarantee of safety to the user. In a particular embodiment of the movable condensation device, of the type comprising at least two small hermetic refrigerant boxes mounted movable in the strainer and each having an inlet leading thereto the vapors to be condensed intended to be bonded on an opening corresponding to the exit of the conduction means, and an exit uncovering the small box and by which the condensation water produced by the passage of the vapors in said small box is poured, and according to another characteristic of the invention, the detection means are adapted for command the safety switch, with a view to closing the supply circuit of the heating means, only when all the small boxes of the condensing device are present in the strainer. The features and advantages of the invention will be highlighted with the help of the following description, by way of example and without limitation, with reference to the appended designs in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic view in vertical section of a electric cooking appliance, such as a fryer, comprising a removable strainer containing a condensing device with small hermetic refrigerant boxes and correctly located in the apparatus; Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of the removable strainer of the apparatus of Figure 1, in which the condensation device comprising the two small refrigerant boxes is mounted; - Figures 3 and 4 are partial schematic views in section, according to the different vertical planes, respectively showing a safety device according to the invention (figure 3) and the strainer placed in the apparatus (figure 4), when none of the Small boxes is present in the colander. - Figures 5 and 6 are views similar to Figures 3 and 4, respectively, when the two small boxes are present in the colander; and - Figures 7 and 8 are views similar to Figures 3 and 4, respectively, when one of the two small boxes is present in the colander. The electric cooking appliance 1 represented schematically in Figure 1 is a domestic electric fryer comprising an external compartment 3, generally substantially parallelepiped, formed of an open receptacle 5, a support 7 that forms an integral part of the receptacle 5, in the base of the latter, and a cover 9 intended to close, during frying, the receptacle 5 is hingedly mounted on an upper edge 11 of the receptacle thanks to a removable articulation means (not shown). The assembly formed by the receptacle 5 and the support 7, on the one hand, and the cover 9, on the other part, are emptied into a plastic material such as, for example, polypropylene, which is particularly economical and easy to store. When observing Figure 1, a metal container 12 is placed in the receptacle , in thermal relation to the electric heating means, such as an armored resistor 14, and contain a frying bath 15. The cover 9 has on its inner face an assembly 17 shaped so as to cause stagnation between the container 12 and the cover 9, when the latter is closed, as shown in figure 1. In the embodiment illustrated in figure 1, in the support 7 of the compartment 3 there is a section 19 that opens on the front side 21 of the support and in which a strainer 23 is placed, which is best seen in Figure 2, which, in this example, is removable, and has a removable steam condensation device, designed for the overall reference 25 on Figures 1 and 2 and that is intended, when the support 23 is correctly placed in the section 19 of the support, to be linked over the conduit or link means 27 communicating with the container 12 and allowing the evacuation of the vapors d e cooking. In this embodiment, figures 1 and 2, the removable strainer 23 is formed by a parallelepiped-shaped drawer, open in its rear region and in its upper region, and is horizontally placed in the section 19 of the support 7 by two longitudinal rails 29, of which only one is visible on figure 2, hooking on the two corresponding slides (not shown) presented respectively on the two side walls of section 19. On figures 1 and 2, we represent at 31 a long cut practiced on the front face 32 of the strainer 23 forming a grasping member intended to remove the strainer. In this example, figures 1 and 2, the removable condensation device 25 has at least two identical small hermetic refrigerant boxes 35, here two are parallelepiped, which are placed removably in the strainer 23 and extend in the same direction longitudinally, substantially over the entire length of the strainer 23, and parallel to one another. Each of the two small boxes 35 is preferably made of a transparent plastic material, contains a cooling agent 37 constituted by frozen water, optionally colored by a non-toxic dye, and houses an internal duct 39 making use of the condenser channel. This conduit 39, FIG. 2, is formed by a coil having, on the one hand, an inlet 41 for attracting the vapors which will condense and accumulate axially on the front face 42 of the small box 35, and which is intended, when the support 23 is correctly located in the section 19 of the support 7, to be joined directly and in a stagnant manner in a corresponding opening 44 made in the outlet of the driving means 27 (see figure 1), and on the other hand, a outlet 45 in which they also accumulate axially on the front face 42 of the small box and for which the accumulation of the condensation water produced by passing the vapors through the duct 39 cooled by the ice is intended. As illustrated in Figure 2, one of the two small boxes 35 is placed changing side to the other small box so that they are placed side by side of the two entrances that attract the steam 41, this with the object of restricting the obstruction at the level of the two openings 44 made on the driving means 27 and on those intended to directly connect these two entries 41 of the small boxes, respectively. The two small refrigerant boxes 35 of internal conduction 39 rest on the crosspieces 47 (Figure 1) overlaying the bottom wall 49 of the strainer 23 so as to create a lower zone 51 intended to collect the condensate evacuating through the outlet 45 of each conduit 39. Preferably, the two small boxes 35 are slightly inclined, respectively, towards the two longitudinal sides of the strainer 23, as we observe in figure 6, so that the condensate evacuation is facilitated by the outlet of each internal conduit 39. .

In the illustrated embodiment of Figure 1, the means 27 for driving the cooking vapors between the container 12 and each of the small boxes 35 placed in the strainer 23, the latter being correctly placed in place in the housing 19 of the support 7, have a first conduit 53 that is integrated in the cover 9 of the compartment 3 and whose end 53a uncovered in the upper volume of the container 12, and a second conduit 55 that extends vertically inside a transversal opening 57 practiced in the receptacle 5, starting from the upper edge 11 of its front face 58; the conduit 55 has a seal 59 designed to ensure stagnation at the level of the opening 57. The conduit 55 has an L-section whose vertical section 55a passes through the opening 57 and is connected to the other end 53b of the conduit 53, and whose section horizontal 55b uncovers, by the two openings 44 located side by side (see figures 3, 5 and 7), on the back of the housing 19. Each of the two openings 44 of the duct 55 have a sealing gasket 60 (see figures 3, 5, and 7) on which it is directly connected to the inlet 41 of the internal duct 39 of each of the two small refrigerant boxes 35, such an entrance 41 of the duct 39 preferably also has a sleeve forming a stagnation joint. According to the invention, in relation to figures 3, 5 and 7, the fryer also has the detection means, designed by the global reference 65, able to detect the presence of the condensation device 25, actually constituted by the two small boxes removable refrigerants 35 in the internal conduit 39, inside the removable support 23 when the latter is correctly located in the compartment 3, in the assumption inside the housing 19 of the support 7 (see figures 4, 6 and 8), and which are susceptible to to be driven by the condensing device 25 when the latter is present in the strainer 23, and a safety switch 68 arranged in the electric supply circuit of the heating resistor 14 (figure 1) and whose command, which allows closing the circuit of electrical power, is subordinated to the activation of the detection means 65. Also, thanks to this construction, we obtain a safety device for for the operation of the fryer since the switch 68 can only be operated by the detection means 65, whose actuation is the same is subordinated to the presence of the condensing device 25 in the strainer 23. For the mode of execution described above in relation to the condensing device 25, which comprises, purely by way of illustration but not limitation, two small refrigerant boxes 35 in the internal conduit 39, the detection means 65 being adapted to operate the safety switch 68, with the object of closing the electrical supply circuit of the heating resistance 14, only when the two small boxes 35 are present inside the removable strainer 23, the latter being in a correct position in the section 19 of the support 7 of the fryer. In this frame of the condensing device 25 with two small refrigerant boxes 35, the detection means 65 have two identical drive members, each designed on 70 of FIGS. 3, 5 and 7, each of which is operated by one of the small boxes when this is present in the strainer 23, and which allow the control of the switch 68 to close the electric supply circuit of the heating resistor 14 only when both are actuated. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 3, 5 and 7, the safety switch 68 is of the normally open type in the idle state insofar as it electrically reconnects the supply circuit of the heating resistor via the connection terminals 72, and is fixed on the outer wall of the vertical section 55a of the duct 55, near the base thereof. The switch 68 has control knob 74 and a flexible metal foil 76 which is fixed, at one of its ends, on the body of the switch, and which cools with the button 74.

In this example, FIGS. 3, 5 and 7, each of the two actuating members 70 has a tilting lever 78 with an articulation axis 79 placed in a fixed support part 81 (FIG. 3) integral with the external wall of FIG. the vertical section 55a of the conductor 55, and comprising a terminal portion bent at the right angle towards the front of the strainer and having a driving finger 83 directed towards the base and intended to be brought into contact with the upper face 86 (FIGS. , 6, 7 and 8) of the corresponding small box 35 when it is placed in the strainer 23. At its opposite end to the actuating finger 83, the lever 78 has as a square a leg 88 directed upwards and intended, as we shall see forward, to be associated or disassociated to the blade 76 of the switch 68. The lever 78 is locked to a helical compression spring and to the assembly 90 which is interposed between a supporting surface 92 protected in the receptacle 5 of the fryer compartment and the upper surface of the lever 78, at the level of its actuation finger 83. Preferably, the assembly formed by the lever 78, the hinge axis 79, the actuation finger 83 and leg 88, is emptied in a single piece in plastic material. As shown in FIGS. 4, 6 and 8, the free end 83a of each of the two actuating fingers 83, in one part, protrudes in the housing 19 of the support 7 passing through a hole 94 made in the upper wall 95 of the support 7 and in which a sealing gasket 97 is placed, and in the other part, it is bevelled so as to favor the tilting of the lever 78 when the finger 83 is actuated by the corresponding small box. When seeing the figures 3 and 4, the two levers 78 occupy a position of rest when neither of the two small boxes are present in the strainer 23, and in that, under the action of the assembly spring 90, the leg 88 of each lever 78 is in abutment on the blade 76 of the switch now under pressure, in order to hold down the button 74 of the switch 68, as shown in Fig. 3. This pressing of the button 74 places the switch 68 in its resting state in the that it is normally open, and the open switch 68 thus causes the opening of the electrical supply circuit of the heating resistor 14, thus calling into question the operation of the fryer. From its rest position shown in figure 3, the two levers 78 are apt to come to occupy by tilting a working position, illustrated in figures 5 and 6, when the two small boxes 35 are present in the removable strainer 23. So, then by putting in the right place the strainer 23 containing the two small boxes 35 of the housing 19 in the support 7, the inlet 41 of the internal conduit 39 of each of the two small boxes come to be directly connected and in a stagnant manner in the corresponding opening 44 of the duct 55 (FIG. 5) and, almost simultaneously, the bevelled end 83a of the actuating finger 83 of each of the two levers 78, is actuated by the upper face 86 of the corresponding small box 35 (FIG. 6). This actuation of the two fingers 83 brings about a tilting of the two levers 78 in the opposite direction to each other, against the assembly force of their specific spring 90, so that the two legs 88 of the levers disengage from each other. the sheet 76 that is thus released and causes the button 74 of the switch 68 to relax, as shown in figure 5. This relaxation of the button 74 causes the switch 68 to close, which then causes the closing of the power supply circuit of heating resistance 14, thus authorizing the operation of the fryer. Since then, during the course of the frying, the evacuation and the elimination of the vapors present in the fryer are carried out as follows, with reference to figures 1 and 2. The vapors (symbolized by the arrows) that are released and that contain the unwelcome odorous substances, are released through the conduit 53, filter towards the lower part of the duct 55 and penetrate through each of the two intake openings 44, in the corresponding inlet 41 of the duct in the coil 39 of each of the two small refrigerant boxes 35. They then circulate in each duct 39 and condense in the latter which is returned to cool by frozen water 37; the condensation water containing the unwelcome odors is filtered through the outlet 45 of each conduit 39 and falls into the collecting zone 51 of the strainer 23. Referring now to figures 7 and 8, we will describe the operation of the safety device in the in which case only one of the two small boxes 35, for example that to the right of figure 8, is present in the removable strainer 23. When placing in the correct place the strainer containing the small single box 35, in the housing 19 of the support 7, the inlet 41 of the inner conduit 39 of the small box 35 comes to directly and stably fit into the corresponding opening 44 of the duct 55 (figure 7), and almost simultaneously, the bevelled end 83a of the finger 83 of the corresponding lever 78 is actuated by the upper face 86 of the small box 35 (FIG. 8). This actuation of the finger 83 causes a tilting in an anti-clockwise direction of the lever 78, against the assembly force of its spring 90, which thus comes to occupy an active position in which its leg 88 is dissociated or released from the blade 76 of the switch 68, see figure 7. On the contrary, the other lever 78 whose finger 83 is not actuated by the fact of the absence of the other small box, retains its resting position in that, under the action of its assembly spring 90, its leg 88 pressurizes the sheet 76, in which it holds down the button 74 of the switch 68, as we can see in figure 7. This pressing of the button 74 keeps the switch 68 in its state at rest, in which it is normally open, the open switch thus causes the opening of the electric power supply circuit of the heating resistor 14, thus putting the operation of the fryer in between. Of course, the invention is not limited to the mode of operation that has just been described. It also applies equally to any other type of condensing device which is removably placed in the strainer, the strainer can also be fixedly placed in the compartment of the cooking appliance.

Claims (7)

1. Electric cooking appliance, such as for example a fryer, containing an external compartment (3) in which a cooking vessel (12), electric heating means (14) in thermal relation to the container, and strainer (23) housing a removable device (25) for condensation of the cooking vapors which is intended to be connected to the conduit means (27) communicating with the container and allowing the evacuation of the cooking vapors, characterized in that it contains detection means (65) apt to detect the presence of the condensation device (25) in the strainer (23) and capable of being operated by said condensation device (25) when the latter is present in the strainer (23) , and a safety switch (68) disposed in the electrical power supply circuit of the heating means (14) and whose control that allows closing said power supply circuit is subordinated to the actuation of said detection means. (65). The electric cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the movable condensation device (25) comprises at least two small hermetic refrigerant boxes (35) placed removably in the strainer (23) and each having an inlet (41). ) attracting vapors that are condensed, which is intended to be spliced over a corresponding opening (44) made in the outlet of the driving means (27), and an outlet (45) uncovering the small box (35) and through which the condensation water produced by the passage of the vapors in said small box, characterized in that in order to close the circuit power supply of the heating means (14), the detection means (65) are adapted to operate the safety switch (68) only when all the small boxes (35) of the condensing device are present in the strainer (23) . The electric cooking appliance according to claim 2, characterized in that the detection means (65) have at least two actuating elements (70) that are each actuated by one of the two small boxes (35) when the latter is present in the strainer (23), said actuating members (70) allow the control of the switch (68) to close the electric supply circuit of the heating means only when they are all actuated. The electric cooking appliance according to claim 3, wherein the small refrigerant boxes (35) are two and the conducting means (27) have at least one conductor (55) which terminates at the two openings (44) on which are intended to be connected, respectively, the two inputs (41) of the small refrigerant boxes, characterized in that the safety switch (68) is fixed on said conductor (55) and has a control button (74) and a flexible sheet (76) fixed, at one of its ends, on said switch and in cooperation with said button (74), and the two actuating members (70) respectively have two tilting levers (78), each one placed on top of the other. articulated way in a fixed support part (81) integral with the conduit (55) and associated with an assembly spring (90), and comprises, on one of its extremities, an actuating finger (83) intended to be put in contact with the corresponding small box and, in s or another extremity, a leg (88) associated with said blade (76) of the switch, these two levers (78), on the one hand, occupy a rest position when neither of the two small boxes (35) are present in the strainer (23), and in which, under the action of its respective assembly spring, its respective leg (88) maintains said blade (76) in pressure to keep the button (74) of the switch depressed so that the circuit is opened of electrical power of the heating means, and on the other hand, being out of place against the assembly force of its respective assembly spring, both being when the two small boxes (35) are present in the strainer (23), towards a working position in which their respective actuation finger (83) is driven by the corresponding small box (35) and its respective leg (88), releases said sheet (76) to relax the button (74) of the switch so that the electrical supply circuit of the heating means is closed, and only one of the two small boxes (35) is present in the strainer (23), the misplaced lever (78) comes to occupy an active position in which its actuating finger (83) is actuated by the small box (35) and its leg (88) is dissociated from said blade (76), while the other lever (78) remains in its rest position, in which its leg (88) holds said blade (76) pressed to keep the button (74) of the switch depressed, so that The electric power circuit of the heating means is open. The electric cooking appliance according to claim 4, wherein the strainer (23) is removable and placed horizontally in a housing (19) made in the support (7) making it an integral part of the compartment, and the conductor (55) is extends vertically in the compartment and uncovered by its two openings (44), in the rear part of said housing (19), characterized in that the free end (83a) of the actuating finger (83) of each lever (78) makes a it protrudes in said housing (19) by passing through a hole (94) made in the upper wall (95) of the support (7) and in which a stagnation seal (97) is placed. Electric cooking appliance according to claim 5, characterized in that the free end (83a) of the actuating finger (83) of each lever 878) is beveled in such a way that it favors the tilting of the lever when said finger (83) is activated by the corresponding small box (35), the strainer (23) that is correctly placed in the compartment. Electric cooking appliance according to one of the claims 4 to 6, characterized in that each assembly formed by the lever (78), the actuating finger (83) and the leg (88), is emptied into a single piece of plastic material.