Field of the Invention

The invention relates to the field of small household electrical appliances, and in particular relates to a lid and a cooking utensil with such lid.

Background of the Invention

Electric pressure cooker is a popular cooking utensil with consumers as it can provide a high pressure and is safe and efficient. The opening and closing of the lid are achieved by the cooperation between the crenelated flanges respectively provided on the lid and on the pot.

In relevant prior art, an electric pressure cooker can be safely pressurized only when the crenelated flanges are rotated to position to ensure a sufficient engagement between the flanges. In addition, the lid can be opened only when the flanges of the lid and those of the pot are rotated to completely disengage with each other. Therefore, it is important for the flanges to take the right position when rotated to engage and to disengage. A user may open the lid before the flanges of the lid and the pot have been completely rotated to disengage with each other, which may damage the flanges. The user may also start cooking before the flanges of the lid and the pot are rotated to engage completely, which causes a safety problem.

Summary of the Invention

A main objective of the invention is to provide a lid and a cooking utensil with such lid so as to solve the problem of short life and poor safety in use of existing cooking utensils.

In order to achieve the above-described objective, according to one aspect of the invention, a lid for a cooking utensil is provided and comprising: a lid body provided with a rotatable locking structure having a locked position and an unlocked position; a driving member which is drivingly connected with the locking structure and has a first position in which the locking structure is in the locked position, a second position in which the locking structure is in the unlocked structure, and an intermediate position located between the first position and the second position; an elastic member provided on the lid body and provides an elastic returning force for the driving member, the corresponding elastic deformation of the elastic member when the driving member is located in the intermediate position being greater than the corresponding elastic deformation of the elastic member when the driving member is in the second position and in the first position; the driving member being slidably provided on the lid body, the driving member being provided with a cooperating structure, a first end of the elastic member being connected with the cooperating structure, a second end of the elastic member being a fixed end fixed on the lid body, the fixed end being located between two ends of the sliding course of the cooperating structure in the direction of sliding of the driving member.

By applying the technical solutions of the invention, when the lid needs to be opened, a user can move the driving member to the second position, at which position the driving member will drive the locking structure to be unlocked with the pot. When the lid needs to be closed, a user can move the driving member to the first position, at which position the driving member will drive the locking structure to be locked with the pot. Because the corresponding elastic deformation of the elastic member when the driving member is located in the intermediate position is greater than the corresponding elastic deformation of the elastic member when the driving member is in the second position and in the first position, when the driving member is moving from the intermediate position towards the second position or the first position, it is subject to the elastic returning force of the elastic member, thereby making the driving member more susceptible of moving towards the second position or first position under the effect of the elastic returning force. Thus, with the assistance of the elastic member, the driving member can move to position more easily. Such structure can ensure that the driving member moves to position and thus can ensure that the locking structure is unlocked or locked with the pot, thereby avoiding the problem that cooking utensil is easily damaged and have poor safety as mentioned in the Background of the Invention. In addition, the sliding course and the structure of the driving member are both simple, which ensures a smooth movement of the driving member and facilitates the opening and closing of the lid.

Further, when the driving member is in the second position or in the first position, the elastic member is in a return state. Such structure can effectively reduce the necessary additional external force to be provided by a user in order to open or close the lid, thereby ensuring that a user can successfully close the lid.

Further, the first end of the elastic member is pivotably connected with the cooperating structure. Such structure can reduce the torque subjected by the first end of the elastic member when the driving member slides, which ensures the service life of the elastic member and enables the driving member to smoothly slide.

Further, the elastic member is a W-shaped spring. Because the W-shaped spring has a relatively small thickness, it requires little space of the lid, so that the thickness of the lid can be relatively small, thereby achieving a compact design.

Further, the lid body is provided with a slideway in which the cooperating structure partially extends, and the fixed end of the elastic member is located at one side of the slideway in the direction of the width of the sliding groove and is located between the two ends of the slideway in the direction of extension of the slideway. Such structure enables the cooperating structure to not only cooperate with the elastic member to push the driving member to move to position, but also provides a function of position limiting, enabling the driving member to move along a preset direction. With one part fulfilling multiple functions, the number of parts is reduced, and so as the production costs.

Further, the lid body is provided with a position limiting member to which the second end of the elastic member is pivotably connected. Such structure can reduce the torque subjected by the second end of the elastic member when the driving member slides, which ensures the service life of the elastic member and enables the driving member to smoothly slide.

Further, a side wall of the driving member is provided with a bypass opening for the passage of the position limiting member. With such structure, the position limiting member does not interfere with the driving member when the latter moves, thereby ensuring the smooth sliding of the driving member.

Further, the lid body comprises a face lid, a liner lid located below the face lid, and a position limiting frame provided on an upper surface of the liner lid. The position limiting frame has a position limiting groove that is concave downwardly, a groove wall of the position limiting groove cooperating with the driving member in a position limiting way so that the driving member slides along a preset direction, thereby ensuring that the lid is opened and closed smoothly.

Further, the lid also comprises a handle provided on the lid body and configured to be turned so as to drive the driving member to switch between the first position and the second position. With such structure, it is simple and easy to open and close the lid, facilitating a user’s operations and improving the user’s utilization experience. For example, the handle is provided with a crank comprising a shaft which is mounted in an axle seat provided on the driving member. Therefore, when the handle is turned to be upright relative to the lid body, the shaft of the crank drives the driving member to move to the second position while being rotated in the axle seat. In other words, the rotation of the handle is converted into the translation of the driving member by means of the crank. The user only needs to turn the handle upward to open the lid. Such structure makes the opening of the lid more convenient and improves a user’s utilization experience.

Further, the locking structure is a steel lid configured to pivot relative to the lid body and provided with lid flanges, and the lid further comprises a rotary rod pivotably provided on the lid body through which the driving member drives the steel lid to rotate. Such structure can convert the force transmitted by the linear movement of the driving member to a rotational force, thereby driving the steel lid to rotate normally and achieving locking and unlocking. Such structure is simple and easy to realize.

According to another aspect of the invention, a cooking utensil is provided, comprising: a utensil body; a lid provided to cover the utensil body, the lid being the lid described above, the lid being locked with the utensil body when the locking structure of the lid is located in the locked position and unlocked with the utensil body when the locking structure of the lid is located at the unlocked position. Such structure can ensure that the driving member moves to position and thus can ensure that the locking structure can successfully be unlocked or locked with the utensil body, avoiding the problem that cooking utensils are easy to be damaged and have poor safety as mentioned in the Background of the Invention.

Description of the Drawings

The drawings accompanying the specification, which form a part of the application, are provided for further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their description are used to explain the invention and do not constitute undue limitation of the invention. In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 shows a schematic view in perspective of the structure of the lid according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 shows a schematic exploded view of the lid of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 shows a schematic view in perspective of the lid of Figure 1 , with the face lid removed;

Figure 4 shows a schematic top view when the driving member of the lid of Figure 3 is located in the first position;

Figure 5 shows a schematic sectional view along the direction A-A of the lid of Figure 4;

Figure 6 shows an enlarged schematic view of the detail B of the lid of Figure 5;

Figure 7 shows a schematic top view when the driving member of the lid of Figure 3 is located in the second position;

Figure 8 shows a schematic top view of the lid of Figure 4, with the driving member removed; Figure 9 shows a schematic top view of the lid of Figure 7, with the driving member removed;

Figure 10 shows a schematic view in perspective of the structure of the driving member of the lid of Figure 1 ;

Figure 11 shows a schematic view in perspective of the structure of the position limiting frame of the lid of Figure 1 ;

Figure 12 shows a schematic top view of the elastic member of the lid of Figure 1 ; and

Figure 13 shows a schematic view in perspective of an embodiment of the cooking utensil according the invention.

The above-described drawings contain the following references:

10: lid body; 11 : face lid; 12: liner lid; 13: position limiting frame; 131 : position limiting groove; 132: slideway; 20: locking structure; 30: driving member; 31 : cooperating structure; 32: bypass opening; 33: axle seat; 34: mating bump; 40: elastic member; 41 : first end; 42: second end; 50: position limiting member; 60: handle; 61 : crank; 62:shaft; 70: rotary rod; 71 : pin; 72: guide groove; 80: utensil body; 90: lid.

Detailed Description of the Invention

It should be noted that when there is no conflict, the embodiments in the application and the features therein can be combined with each other. The invention will be described below in detail in reference to the accompanying drawings and in connection with embodiments.

As shown in Figures 1 to 9, the lid of this embodiment comprises: a lid body 10, a driving member 30, and an elastic member 40. In this embodiment, the lid body 10 is provided with a rotatable locking structure 20 that can take a locked position and an unlocked position when rotated. The driving member 30 is drivingly connected with the locking structure 20 and has a first position in which the locking structure 20 is locked with the external utensil, a second position in which the locking structure 20 is unlocked with the external utensil, and an intermediate position between the second position and the first position. The elastic member 40 is provided on the lid body 10 and provides an elastic returning force to the driving member 30, the corresponding elastic deformation of the elastic member 40 when the driving member 30 is located in the intermediate position being greater than the corresponding elastic deformation of the elastic member 40 when the driving member 30 is located in the second position and the first position. By applying the technical solutions of this embodiment, when the lid needs to be opened, a user can move the driving member 30 to the second position, at which position the driving member 30 will drive the locking structure 20 to move to the unlocked position so as to be unlocked with the external utensil. When the lid needs to be closed, a user can move the driving member 30 to the first position, at which position the driving member 30 will drive the locking structure 20 to the locked position so as to be locked with the external utensil. Because the corresponding elastic deformation of the elastic member 40 when the driving member 30 is located in the intermediate position is greater than the corresponding elastic deformation of the elastic member 40 when the driving member 30 is in the second position and in the first position, when the driving member 30 is moving from the intermediate position towards the second position or the first position, it is subject to the elastic returning force of the elastic member 40, thereby making the driving member 30 more susceptible of moving towards the second position or the first position under the effect of the elastic returning force. Thus, with the assistance of the elastic member 40, the driving member 30 can move to position more easily. Such structure can ensure that the driving member 30 moves to position and thus can ensure that the locking structure 20 is unlocked or locked with an external utensil, thereby avoiding the problem that cooking utensil is easily damaged and have poor safety as mentioned in the Background of the Invention.

It should be noted that in this embodiment, the course of movement of the driving member 30 actually comprises an unlocking section and a locking section. The end of the unlocking section away from the locking section is the second position, the end of the locking section away from the unlocking section is the first position, and the junction between the unlocking section and the locking section is the position where the elastic deformation of the elastic member 40 is rendered the largest. After the driving member 30 enters the unlocking section, the elastic returning force of the elastic member 40 applies an assisting force to the driving member 30, so that the driving member 30 can move towards the second position. Even if the user fails to drive the driving member 30 until the second position, the elastic member 40 can still drive the driving member 30 to move till the second position. Similarly, once the user has driven the driving member 30 to enter the locking section, the elastic returning force of the elastic member 30 applies an assisting force to the driving member 30, so that the driving member 30 can move towards the first position. Even if the user fails to drive the driving member 30 until the first position, the elastic member 40 can still drive the driving member 30 till the first position. Therefore, Such structure can assist the user in moving the driving member 30 to position and thus can ensure that the locking structure 20 is successfully unlocked or locked with an external utensil.

It should also be noted that in this embodiment, the locking structure 20 is a steel lid arranged to be rotatable relative to the lid body 10 and provided with lid flanges. When the driving member 30 is located in the second position, the lid flanges on the steel lid disengage completely from pot flanges on the utensil body. When the driving member 30 is located in the first position, the lid flanges and the pot flanges engage to the maximum degree. Any position between the second position and the first position is an intermediate position. Such structure is simple and easy to process. Of course, in other embodiments not illustrated, the locking structure can be a sliding snap that engages in a snap-fit manner with a cooperating structure on the utensil body so as to achieve the locking of the lid.

When the lid is opened, a user needs to drive the driving member 30 to undergo sequentially the locking section and the unlocking section, and while the driving member 30 is undergoing the locking section, the user needs to apply an additional force to give the elastic member 40 a certain elastic deformation. Thus, if the compression of the elastic member 40 is already at a high level when the driving member 30 is in the second position and in the first position, then the user needs to provide a relatively large additional force, making it inconvenient for the user to open the lid. In order to solve Such problem, in this embodiment, when the driving member 30 is located in the first position, the elastic member 40 is in a return state. Such structure can effectively reduce the additional force that needs to be provided when a user needs to open the lid and thus ensure the user can successfully open the lid. It should be noted that the process of closing the lid is the reverse of the process of opening the lid and is not described here. In this embodiment, when the driving member 30 is located in the second position, the elastic member 40 is also in the return state. Such structure can effectively reduce the additional force needed from a user to close the lid and thus ensure a successful closure of the lid.

As shown in Figures 4 to 10, in this embodiment, the driving member 30 is slidably provided on the lid body 10 and is provided with a cooperating structure 31 , here in the form of a connector pin. A first end 41 of the elastic member 40 is connected with the cooperating structure 31 , a second end 42 of the elastic member 40 is a fixed end fixed on the lid body 10. The fixed end is located between the two ends of the sliding course of the cooperating structure 31 , which correspond respectively to the first position and the second position of the driving member, in the direction of sliding of the driving member 30. With such structure, during the course of sliding of the driving member 30, first the elastic member 40 is compressed, and then the driving member 30 is pushed to the second position or the first position under the effect of the elastic returning force of the elastic member 40 itself. Such structure is simple and has a simple sliding trajectory, so that the driving member 30 can move smoothly and it is convenient to open and close the lid. Of course, in another embodiment not illustrated, during the course of sliding of the driving member, the elastic member 40 can first be stretched, and then the driving member is pulled to the second position or the first position under the effect of the elastic returning force of the elastic member itself.

As shown in Figures 5, 6, 8, 9, and 12, in this embodiment, the first end 41 of the elastic member 40 is pivotably connected with the cooperating structure 31. Such structure can reduce the torque subjected by the first end 41 of the elastic member 40 when the driving member 30 slides, which on one hand ensures the service life of the elastic member 40, and on the other hand enables the driving member 30 to slide smoothly.

As shown in Figures 2 and 5 to 9, in this embodiment, the lid body 10 is provided with a position limiting member 50 to which the second end 42 of the elastic member 40 is pivotably connected. Such structure can reduce the torque subjected by the second end 42 of the elastic member 40 when the driving member 30 slides, which on one hand ensures the service life of the elastic member 40, and on the other hand enables the driving member 30 to slide smoothly.

As shown in Figures 2, 8, 9, and 12, in this embodiment, the elastic member 40 is a W-shaped spring. As a W-shaped string has a relatively small thickness, it requires little space of the lid so that the lid can be designed to be relatively thin, thereby achieving a compact design. Of course, in other embodiments not illustrated, the elastic member can be a spring of another form such as a tension spring.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the W-shaped spring comprises a spring body and mounting rings provided at the two ends of the spring body, wherein one mounting ring forms the first end 41 of the elastic member 40 and is sleeved onto the cooperating structure 31 and the other mounting ring forms the second end 42 of the elastic member 40 and is sleeved onto the position limiting member 50. Such structure is simple and easy to process and assemble.

As shown in Figures 2, 4, 7 to 9, and 11 , in this embodiment, the lid body 10 comprises a face lid 11 , a liner lid 12 located below the face lid 11 , and a position limiting frame 13 provided on an upper surface of the liner lid 12. The position limiting frame 13 has a position limiting groove 131 that is concave downwardly, a groove wall of the position limiting groove 131 cooperating with the driving member 30 to limit its position. Such structure can ensure that the driving member 30 slides along a preset direction, thereby ensuring that the lid is opened and closed smoothly.

As shown in Figures 8, 9, and 11 , in this embodiment, the position limiting frame 13 is provided with a slideway 132 in which the cooperating structure 31 partially extends, and the fixed end is located at one side of the slideway 132 in the direction of the width and is located between two ends of the slideway 132 in the direction of extension of the slideway 132. Such structure enables the cooperating structure 31 to not only cooperate with the elastic member 40 to push the driving member 30 to move to position, but also provides a function of position limiting, enabling the driving member 30 to move along a preset direction. With one part fulfilling multiple functions, the number of parts is reduced, and so as the production costs.

As shown in Figures 2 and 10, in this embodiment, the position limiting frame 13 is provided with a position limiting member 50, in the form of a nail fixed on the position limiting frame 13, to which the second end 42 of the elastic member 40 is pivotably connected. Besides, a side wall of the driving member 30 is provided with a bypass opening 32 for the passage of the position limiting member 50. With Such structure, the position limiting member 50 does not interfere with the driving member 30 when the latter moves, thereby ensuring the smooth sliding of the driving member 30.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, in this embodiment, the lid further comprises a handle 60 provided on the lid body 10 and configured to be turned to drive the driving member 30 to switch between the first position and the second position. With such structure, it is simple and easy to open and close the lid, facilitating a user’s operations and improving the user’s utilization experience. As illustrated in the figures, in this embodiment, the handle 60 is provided with two cranks 61 , each crank 61 comprising a shaft 62 which is mounted in an axle seat 33 provided on the driving member 30. Therefore, when the handle 60 is turned to be upright relative to the lid body, the shaft 62 of the crank 61 drives the driving member 30 to move to the second position while being rotated in the axle seat 33. In other words, the rotation of the handle 60 is converted into the translation of the driving member 30 by means of the crank 61 . The user only needs to turn the handle 60 upward to open the lid, which makes the opening of the lid more convenient and improves a user’s utilization experience.

As shown in Figures 2 to 4 and 7, in this embodiment, the lid further comprises a rotary rod 70 pivotably provided on the lid body 10 through which the driving member 30 drives the steel lid, i.e. the locking structure 20, to rotate. More specifically, in the present embodiment, the rotary rod 70 comprises a pin 71 inserted in a hole of the steel lid such that the rotary rod 70 is fixed with the locking structure 20 and the movement of the rotary rod 70 results in the rotation of the locking structure 20. Such structure can convert the force transmitted by the linear movement of the driving member 30 into a rotational force, thereby driving the steel lid to rotate and achieving the locking and unlocking. Such structure is simple and easy to realize. Specifically, in this embodiment, a guide groove 72 is provided on the rotary rod 70, and a mating bump 34 is provided on the driving member 30 and inserted in the guide groove 72. When the driving member 30 moves, the mating bump 34 slides in the guide groove 72 so as to drive the rotary rod 70 and therefore rotates the steel lid.

As shown in Figure 13, the invention further provides a cooking utensil. An embodiment of the cooking utensil according to the application comprises: a utensil body 80 and a lid 90. In this embodiment, the lid 90 is provided to cover the utensil body 80, and the lid 90 is the lid described above. The lid 90 is locked with the utensil body 80 when the locking structure 20 of the lid 90 is located in the locked position, and is unlocked with the utensil body 80 when the locking structure 20 of the lid 90 is located in the unlocked position. The above-described structure can ensure that the driving member 30 moves to position and thus can ensure that the locking structure 20 is successfully unlocked or locked with the utensil body 80, avoiding the problem that cooking utensils are easy to be damaged and have poor safety as mentioned in the Background of the Invention.

What has been described are merely preferred embodiments of the invention and not used to limit the invention. To a person skilled in the art, the invention can be subject to various modifications and changes. Any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made within the spirit and principle of the invention shall fall within the scope of protection of the invention.