Overflow Preventing Lid for Cooking Receptacle
The present invention relates to an overflow preventing lid for a cooking receptacle, more particularly to an overflow preventing lid for a cooking receptacle, which is capable of automatically adjusting the amount of steam emission in accordance with a steam pressure in the cooking receptacle.
This application is a continuation of International Application No. WO2007/052889 from PCT/KR2006/003427, filed Aug. 30, 2006, which is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Korean Patent Application No. (KR) 10-2005-0104806 filed Nov. 3, 2005, from prior Korean Patent Application No. (KR) 20-2005-0031177 filed Nov. 3, 2005 and from prior Korean Patent Application No. (KR) 10-2006-0074758 filed Aug. 8, 2006.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention relates to an overflow preventing lid for a cooking receptacle, more particularly to an overflow preventing lid for a cooking receptacle, which is capable of automatically adjusting the amount of steam emission in accordance with a steam pressure inside the cooking receptacle.
BACKGROUND ARTA variety of conventional overflow preventing lids have been disclosed in Korean utility model registrations Nos. 359497, 369011, 366300, 366310, 368226, and 383124. However, such conventional overflow preventing lids are disadvantageous in that constructions of the lids are rather complicated and are hardly feasible if the lids should be made of glass.
Meanwhile, according to Korean utility model registrations Nos. 368218 and 368219 which were filed by the inventor of the present invention, a user should be cautious when operating a lid since steam pressure is manually controlled and steam is directed to be discharged upwardly.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Technical ProblemSince a steam pressure adjusting plate of the conventional lid is configured to move up and down, the steam pressure adjusting plate may vertically vibrate unless the steam being discharged is evenly exerted over the whole plate or if the discharging steam pressure is discontinuous. Such a vertical vibration of the steam pressure adjusting plate often causes an annoying noise.
Moreover, because the steam impacting the steam pressure adjusting plate is directed to pass through a steam discharging hole arranged in a substantially perpendicular fashion, time that steam stays around the steam pressure adjusting plate increases, thereby entailing condensation of the steam into water drops.
Technical SolutionThe present invention aims at solving the aforementioned drawbacks of the conventional overflow preventing lid for a cooking receptacle. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an overflow preventing lid for a cooking receptacle, which is capable of automatically adjusting steam with a simplified structure, and whose steam discharging structure can ensure safety of a user.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an overflow preventing lid for a cooking receptacle, which can be uprightly stored.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an overflow preventing lid for a cooking receptacle, in which vibration of a steam pressure adjusting plate can be suppressed whereby facilitating smooth discharge of steam.
In order to accomplish the foregoing objects, one embodiment of an overflow preventing lid for a cooking receptacle according to the present invention comprises a lid body having a through hole; a hollow member positioned on the through hole; a cap portion coupled to the lid body in conjunction with the hollow member; a steam discharging hole formed on the cap portion; a steam pressure adjusting plate adapted for opening or closing the steam discharging hole and the through hole, the steam pressure adjusting plate being located in a vertically movable manner in space defined within the cap portion; and a handle extending from one end of the cap portion in a radial direction of the lid body.
Another embodiment of an overflow preventing lid for a cooking receptacle according to the present invention comprises a lid body having a through hole; a cap portion coupled to the lid body; a steam discharging hole formed on the cap portion; a steam pressure adjusting plate adapted for opening or closing the steam discharging hole and the through hole, the steam pressure adjusting plate being located in space defined within the cap portion in a vertically movable manner; and a handle extending from one end of the cap portion in a radial direction of the lid body.
According to the embodiments, the lid is capable of automatically adjusting steam with a simplified structure, and whose steam discharging structure can ensure safety of a user. Moreover, the lid can be stored in an upright orientation.
In the embodiments, in order to stably maintain the upright position of the lid, the handle should be elongated to such an extent that a length of the handle is of at least a half of the radius of the lid body.
Further, the steam pressure adjusting plate is provided with a plurality of guide grooves, which engage with guide rails formed on the cap portion, thereby an elevation of the steam pressure adjusting plate can be smoothly performed.
Further, there is provided a fastening means comprising a female screw portion formed on the guide rail, a fastening hole formed on the hollow member, and a bolt designed to be coupled to the female screw portion along with the fastening hole, wherein the guide rail functions to guide the guide groove and serves as an outer wall of the female screw portion.
Preferably, three guide rails and three guide grooves are prepared within 180 degrees, respectively. Specifically, the female screw portions are formed on the oppositely faced guide rails, and the steam discharging holes are formed between each guide rail. The steam discharging holes includes a first steam discharging hole and a second steam discharging hole disposed opposite to each other, and a third steam discharging hole located on an opposite side of the handle, whereby steam emission toward the handle can be prevented.
At least one of the first steam discharging hole and the second discharging hole, which are proximal to the handle, is obtuse-angled with respect to the handle in a plan view, so that steam emission toward the handle can be effectively suppressed.
The space defined within the cap portion is designed in such a manner that the depth of the space gets shallower from a side of the steam discharging hole to the opposite side thereof, so that the steam pressure adjusting plate slants to one side as steam is discharged. Therefore, it enables not only to prevent condensation by establishing a gentle route for steam, but also to restrain the steam pressure adjusting plate from vibrating.
The steam discharging hole is designed to have the same inclination with the steam pressure adjusting plate that is in a slanted position, thereby effectively preventing condensation of steam by significantly enhancing the gentleness of a steam discharging route.
Further, the cap portion may comprise a locking means employed for restricting an elevation of the steam pressure adjusting plate, which is suitable for a cooking that steam emission is not needed.
Advantageous EffectsAs apparent from the foregoing description, an overflow preventing lid for a cooking receptacle according to the present invention has advantageous effects as follows.
First, since the lid is provided with the steam pressure adjusting plate that moves vertically in response to steam pressure inside the cooking receptacle, and steam discharging holes disposed on a lower end of the cap portion, steam is guided to be emitted to the lateral sides of the cap portion, thereby obviating the risk that steam shoots toward a user's face. The handle extending in a radial direction of the lid body presents ease of use to the user, and it functions as a support to stand the lid in an upright position, whereby the lid can be stored in limited space.
Second, by virtue of the plurality of the guide grooves formed on the steam pressure adjusting plate and the plurality of the guide rails associated with the guide grooves, the steam pressure adjusting plate can stably move up and down while maintaining level.
Third, in the fastening means comprising the female screw portion formed on the guide rail, the fastening hole formed on the hollow member, and the bolt designed to be coupled to the female screw portion along with the fastening hole, since the guide rail serves both as a guide of the steam pressure adjusting plate and an outer wall of the female screw portion, room in the cap portion can be allocated as much as possible.
Fourth, three guide rails and three guide grooves are prepared within 180 degrees, respectively, in which the female screw portions are formed on the oppositely faced guide rails, and the steam discharging holes are formed between each guide rail. Since the first steam discharging hole and the second discharging hole are disposed at opposite sides, and the third steam discharging hole is positioned on an opposite side of the handle, it is possible to prevent steam from being emitted toward the handle.
Fifth, since the first steam discharging hole and the second discharging hole proximal to the handle are obtuse-angled with respect to the handle in a plan view, it further obviates the risk that steam is discharged toward the handle.
Sixth, with an arrangement that the space defined in the cap portion is provided with a gradually increasing height toward the steam discharging hole, the steam pressure adjusting plate is configured to slant to one side when steam is discharged, so that it is possible not only to restrain the steam pressure adjusting plate from vibrating even under an irregular steam pressure condition, but also to prevent condensation by establishing a gentle route for steam.
Seventh, since the steam discharging hole is designed to have the same inclination with steam pressure adjusting plate that is in a slanted position, a steam discharging route can be gentler, thereby further reducing the condensation of steam.
Eighth, by virtue of the locking means installed in the cap portion, which restricts an elevation of the steam pressure adjusting plate, steam can be selectively discharged depending on a kind of cuisine.
- 100: lid body 300: handle
- 500, 700: overflow preventing member 510, 710: hollow member
- 511, 711: hollow portion 513, 713: hollow flange
- 514: fitting indention 515, 525, 715: fastening hole
- 520: cover 524: fitting tab
- 530, 730: cap portion 531: inner space
- 532: recess 533, 535, 537, 733: steam discharging hole
- 535a, 537a: slant 541, 543, 545: guide rail
- 541a, 543a: female screw portion 550: fastening means
- 570, 770: steam pressure adjusting plate 571, 573, 575: guide groove
- 731: slanted space 731a: upper surface of slanted space
- 732: protruded rim 790: locking means
- 791: elevation guide part 793: locking piece
- 795: rotating cylinder body 797: operating knob
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Embodiment 1As shown in
The handle (300) is extended from one end of a cap portion (530), which will be described in detail later, in a radial direction of the lid body (100). Preferably, a length of the handle (300) may be a half of a radius of the lid body (100). The extending handle (300) serves as a prop when the lid is stored in an upright position. With such an arrangement, a user can easily deal with and store the lid within restricted space.
The overflow preventing member (500) is furnished with a hollow member (510) defining an outer shape, a cap portion (530), a fastening means (550) for coupling the cap portion (530) and the hollow member (510), and a steam pressure adjusting plate (570). In detail, referring to
Further, the hollow portion (511) is superposed by a cover (520) made of steel. The cover (520) is designed to couple with the hollow portion (511) in such a manner that a fitting tab (524) of the cover (520) is forcibly pressed to be engaged with a fitting indention (514) while the cover (520) encompasses an inner surface, an outer surface, and a bottom surface of the hollow portion (511). Such an arrangement is advantageous in terms of its outer appearance as well as sanitary conditions. The cover (520) may include a band (521) spanning a hollow portion thereof, on which a manufacturer's name or his logo can be disposed. Such a logo or manufacturer's name will last longer than when it is carved in plastic material. The cover (520) is also equipped with a fastening hole (525) corresponding to the fastening hole (515) of the hollow member (510). The band (521) may be implemented in the form of a separate element having fastening holes at both ends thereof and then fabricated with the cover (520) as the bolt (550) is screwed.
Since the band (521) bearing a logo is exhibited when the lid is displayed in an upright position in an exhibit hall or the like, the effect of an advertisement is significantly enhanced.
As depicted in
Further, the inner space (531) is provided with a recess (532) formed at the upper surface (531a) thereof so as to prevent adhesion of the steam pressure adjusting plate (570) to the upper surface (531a). By virtue of the recess (532), the contact area between the steam pressure adjusting plate (570) and the upper surface (531a) of the inner space (531) is relatively small, so that the steam pressure adjusting plate (570) is readily detached from the upper surface (531a) due to its weight and gravity even when the steam pressure adjusting plate (570) adheres to the upper surface (531a). An upper surface of the hollow member (510) functions as a lower limiter for the steam pressure adjusting plate (570).
In the present embodiment, three of steam discharging holes are implemented, one (533) of which is in accord with the direction of the handle (300) and the others (535, 537) are disposed on the right and left sides in a traversing direction. The steam discharging holes (535, 537) disposed on the right and left sides, proximal to the handle (300), are obtuse-angled having slants (535a, 537a) with respect to the handle (300) in a plan view, thereby obviating the risk that steam is discharged toward the handle (300).
As shown in
The fastening means is composed of female screw portions (541a, 543a) formed in the guide rails (541, 543), the aforementioned fastening hole (515), and a bolt (550) coupled to the female screw portions (541a, 543a) along with the fastening hole (515). Thus, the guide rails (541, 543) serve as not only a guide member for the steam pressure adjusting plate (570), but also an outer wall of the female screw portions (541a, 543a), which are formed therein. Such an arrangement is beneficial in saving a room for the inner space (531).
In order to suppress the steam emission toward the handle (300) as much as possible while reliably maintaining an elevation of the steam pressure adjusting plate (570), three of the guide rails (541, 543, 545) and the guide grooves (571, 573, 575) are prepared, respectively, in such a fashion that those are located within a range of 180 degrees, opposed to the handle (300). Specifically, the female screw portions (541a, 543a) are formed on the guide rails (541, 543) which are faced with each other. It is preferable that the steam discharging holes (533, 535, 537) are disposed between each of guide rail (541, 543, 545).
Since the guide rail (545) is an auxiliary element, it is hardly necessary to form a female screw portion thereon. Therefore, it is preferable to reduce the thickness of the guide rail (545) so as to enlarge a size of the steam discharging holes.
Embodiment 2As shown in
The overflow preventing member (700) is furnished with a hollow member (710) defining an outer appearance, a cap portion (730), a fastening means for coupling the cap portion (730) and the hollow member (710), and a steam pressure adjusting plate (770).
The hollow member (710) comprises a hollow portion (711) inserted in a through hole (31) formed on the lid body (100), and a hollow flange (713) extending from a lower end of the hollow portion (711). The hollow portion (711) includes a fastening hole (715). A hollow portion of the hollow member (710) is in communication with an inner side of a cooking receptacle.
The cap portion (730) is provided with a slanted space (731) formed inside thereof, in which the steam pressure adjusting plate (770) is configured to move vertically. At a lower end of the cap portion (730), a steam discharging hole (733) is established. The slanted space (731) is designed to have a ceiling whose height increases toward the steam discharging hole (733). By such an arrangement of the slanted space (731), one side of the steam pressure adjusting plate (770), distal to the handle (300), is configured to ascend with respect to the other side of the steam pressure adjusting plate (770), so that vibration of the steam pressure adjusting plate (770) can be decreased. Moreover, unlike a conventional steam discharging route that is often perpendicularly bent, the steam discharging route according to the embodiment of the present invention has relatively a gentle passage, which is advantageous in shortening the staying time of steam in the route, whereby effectively alleviating the condensation of steam.
The slanted space (731) is furnished with a protruded rim (732) that serves an upper limiter for the steam pressure adjusting plate (770). As shown in
Such an arrangement is advantageous in maintaining precise movement of the steam pressure adjusting plate (770) in that the steam pressure adjusting plate (770) is readily releasable from adhesion to the protruded rim (732) by weight and gravity because the contact area between the protruded rim (732) and the steam pressure adjusting plate (770) is relatively small. An upper surface of the hollow member (710) functions as a lower limiter for the steam pressure adjusting plate (770).
The steam discharging hole (733) is preferably positioned at a lower surface of the cap portion (730), opposed to the handle (300). Referring to
Along the circumference of the steam pressure adjusting plate (770), a plurality of guide grooves (771, 773) are formed. Correspondingly, guide rails (741, 743) adapted for guiding the guide grooves (771, 773) are formed at the cap portion (730). By cooperation of the guide rails (741, 743) and the guide grooves (771, 773), the steam pressure adjusting plate (770) can stably move with inclination. An additional guide rail (745) and guide groove (775) further facilitate reliable movement of the steam pressure adjusting plate (770). At both sides of the guide rail (745), there are provided holding pieces (745a) adapted for preventing elevation of the steam pressure adjusting plate (770).
The fastening means is composed of female screw portions (731a, 743a) formed in the guide rails (741, 743), the aforementioned fastening hole (715), and a bolt (750) coupled to the female screw portions (731a, 743a) along with the fastening hole (715). Thus, the guide rails (741, 743) serve as not only a guide member for the steam pressure adjusting plate (770), but also an outer wall of the female screw portions (731a, 743a), which are formed therein. Such an arrangement is beneficial in saving a room for the slanted space (731).
As described above, since the steam pressure adjusting plate (770) according to the present embodiment is configured to ascend with inclination, vibration caused by an irregular steam pressure condition can be obviated. Moreover, the steam discharging route has relatively a gentle passage compared with perpendicularly angled passage, which is advantageous in shortening the staying time of steam in the route, whereby effectively alleviating the condensation of steam.
As illustrated in
The locking means (790) is composed of an elevation guide part (791), a locking piece (793) slidably engaged within the elevation guide part (791), and an actuating means for the locking piece (793).
As shown in
The elevation guide part (791) is constituted by a vertical guide hole (791a) accommodating the locking piece (793) and a vertical guide slit (791b) accommodating the jut (793a). A lower end (792) of the vertical guide slit (791b) is designed to serve as a lower limiter to prevent escape of the locking piece (793) by catching the jut (793a).
With the aforementioned structure, the rotating cylinder body (795) comes to rotate as the operating knob (797) rotates. Subsequently, the jut (793a) moves vertically along the rotating spiral groove (795a). Referring to
The overflow preventing lid for a cooking receptacle according to present invention is not limited by the aforementioned embodiments and it should be appreciated that various modifications can be made by a person having an ordinary skill in the art without departing from concept or spirit of the present invention. For example, in the Embodiments 1 and 2, the cap portion (530 or 730) can be directly coupled to the lid body (100) without the hollow member (510 or 710). That is, the cap portion (530 or 730) can be fastened to the lid body (100) by the bolt (550 or 750) while disposing the steam pressure adjusting plate (570 or 770) on the upper surface of the through hole (31).
Claims
1. An overflow preventing lid for a cooking receptacle, comprising: a lid body having a through hole; a hollow member positioned on the through hole; a cap portion coupled to the lid body in conjunction with the hollow member; a steam discharging hole formed on the cap portion; a steam pressure adjusting plate adapted for opening or closing the steam discharging hole, the steam pressure adjusting plate being located in a vertically movable manner in space defined within the cap portion; and a handle extending from one end of the cap portion in a radial direction of the lid body.
2. The overflow preventing lid according to claim 1, wherein the handle is elongated to such an extent that a length thereof is at least a half of a radius of the lid body.
3. The overflow preventing lid according to claim 1, wherein the steam pressure adjusting plate is provided with a plurality of guide grooves formed along the circumference thereof; and wherein the cap portion is provided with guide rails for guiding the guide grooves.
4. The overflow preventing lid according to claim 3, further comprising a fastening means for coupling the hollow member and the cap portion, the fastening means including a female screw portion formed on the guide rail, a fastening hole formed on the hollow member, and a bolt designed to be coupled to the female screw portion along with the fastening hole.
5. The overflow preventing lid according to claim 4, wherein three guide rails and three guide grooves are prepared within 180 degrees, respectively, and wherein the female screw portions are formed on the oppositely faced guide rails, and the steam discharging holes are formed between each guide rail, the steam discharging holes including a first steam discharging hole and a second steam discharging hole disposed opposite to each other, and a third steam discharging hole located on an opposite side of the handle.
6. The overflow preventing lid according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the first steam discharging hole and the second discharging hole, which are proximal to the handle, is obtuse-angled with respect to the handle in a plan view.
7. The overflow preventing lid according to claim 1, wherein the space defined within the cap portion is designed in such a manner that depth of the space gets shallower from a side of the steam discharging hole to the opposite side thereof.
8. The overflow preventing lid according to claim 7, wherein the steam discharging hole has the same inclination with the steam pressure adjusting plate that is in a slanted position.
9. The overflow preventing lid according to claim 7, wherein the cap portion further comprises a locking means employed for restricting an elevation of the steam pressure adjusting plate.
10. An overflow preventing lid for a cooking receptacle, comprising: a lid body having a through hole; a cap portion coupled to the lid body; a steam discharging hole formed on the cap portion; a steam pressure adjusting plate adapted for opening or closing the steam discharging hole, the steam pressure adjusting plate being located in a vertically movable manner in space defined within the cap portion; and a handle extending from one end of the cap portion in a radial direction of the lid body.
11. The overflow preventing lid according to claim 2, wherein the steam pressure adjusting plate is provided with a plurality of guide grooves formed along the circumference thereof; and wherein the cap portion is provided with guide rails for guiding the guide grooves.
12. The overflow preventing lid according to claim 8, wherein the cap portion further comprises a locking means employed for restricting an elevation of the steam pressure adjusting plate.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 30, 2006
Publication Date: Apr 30, 2009
Inventor: Hyun Sam Lee (Busan)
Application Number: 12/084,523
International Classification: B65D 51/16 (20060101);