The present invention relates to the general technical field of cooking appliances having a vessel, or tank, provided to receive a cooking bath. The present invention concerns more particularly appliances of the type mentioned above having a device for emptying the cooking bath contained in the vessel.
The present invention concerns particularly, but not exclusively, fryers. In effect, a cooking bath is not limited to a bath of oil or of melted fat, but can equally consist of any edible material that is sufficiently fluid to flow through an emptying device, and particularly a water-based liquid.
The patent documents U.S. Pat. No. 2,597,695, CH 325786 and FR 2665068 disclose fryers having an emptying conduit. However, none of them provides for a receptacle for collecting cooking liquid. The patent document FR 2773976 describes a fryer having an emptying conduit and a receptacle supported by a drawer mounted in the housing of the appliance. The utilization of such appliances requires careful attention on the part of the user with regard to the emptying of cooking liquid out of the housing.
The U.S. Pat. No. 2,867,164 describes a fryer of the industrial type having a vessel and an emptying receptacle housed in a frame. The vessel has an emptying conduit closed by a gate, or valve. The emptying receptacle is mounted in a removable manner on the inner face of a door of the frame. The transposition of such a form of construction into a household appliance appears to present safety issues.
An object of the present invention is to increase the security of cooking appliances having a vessel provided with an emptying device.
Another object of the invention is to improve the convenience of use of cooking appliances having a vessel provided with an emptying device.
An additional object of the invention is to provide an appliance of the type described above having a simple structure.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an appliance of the above-described type having a compact structure.
These objects are achieved with a cooking appliance comprising: (a) a housing; (b) a vessel provided to be placed in the housing and arranged to receive a cooking bath; (c) an emptying device provided in the vessel for permitting the cooking bath to be drained from the vessel; (d) an emptying receptacle for receiving the cooking bath from the vessel via the emptying device; (e) a first valve associated with the emptying device; (f) a maneuvering button associated with the emptying device; and (g) a control mechanism mounted on the emptying receptacle and interposed between the maneuvering button and the first valve for moving the first valve between open and closed positions in response to movements of the maneuvering button; (h) wherein the emptying receptacle is removable from the housing.
The cooking appliance according to the present invention assures that, in the absence of the emptying receptacle, there is no risk that the user can proceed to empty the appliance. In addition, by the fact that the control mechanism is mounted on the emptying receptacle, the vessel can be removable with respect to the housing, and can thus be placed in a washing machine. The emptying receptacle can be disposed in the housing or can form a base on which the housing rests.
Advantageously, the maneuvering button is mounted on the emptying receptacle. This arrangement permits a structural simplification. Alternatively, the maneuvering button can, for example, be mounted on the housing.
Advantageously, the housing has a lateral opening into which the emptying receptacle can be at least partially inserted. This arrangement permits handling of the emptying receptacle to be facilitated. Alternatively, the housing can for example be made of two parts, an upper part at least partially surrounding the vessel, and a lower part supporting the emptying receptacle, the upper part being able to be withdrawn to permit access to the emptying receptacle.
Advantageously then, the maneuvering button is mounted on an outside lateral face of the emptying receptacle. This arrangement permits a structural simplification. Alternatively, the maneuvering button can, for example, be accessible through a hatch, or door, provided on a face of the housing.
According to one embodiment, the control mechanism has a cam provided to cooperate with the valve. Such a form of construction is simple and reliable.
Advantageously, the cam is carried by a movable control piece mounted on an inlet conduit communicating with the emptying receptacle, the movable control piece having a funnel provided to supply a filling opening of the inlet conduit when the cam opens the valve. Such a form of construction permits the number of parts to be limited.
Advantageously then, the movable control piece is driven in rotation by the maneuvering button. Such a form of construction is particularly simple and reliable.
Also advantageously, the cam is arranged above the funnel. This arrangement permits a particularly compact control mechanism to be created.
Also advantageously, the control mechanism has a bolt, or latch, provided to cooperate with a striking plate belonging to the valve when the valve is brought to its open position. This arrangement permits the emptying receptacle to be bolted, or latched, in order to prevent withdrawal of the receptacle from the housing during an emptying operation.
According to one advantageous form of construction, the bolt is formed by a lateral face of the cam, which permits the structure to be further simplified.
According to a further advantageous form of construction, the striking plate is formed by a longitudinal slot provided at the lower end of a conduit in which is housed a movable blocking piece of the valve, which is displaced by the cam. This arrangement also permits the structure to be simplified.
Also advantageously, the appliance is provided with a movable safety piece that has a first cam provided to be driven by the control mechanism when the maneuvering button is operated to open the valve, a second cam provided to be driven by the control mechanism when the maneuvering button is then moved to close the valve, and a blocking abutment provided to block the control mechanism in order to prevent opening of the valve. This arrangement prevents the occurrence of a renewed emptying of the vessel if the emptying receptacle has first been withdrawn at least partially from the housing, and then put back in place, after a first emptying, or in other words if the emptying receptacle has not been manipulated in such a manner as to indicate that it has been emptied.
Advantageously then, the movable safety piece is pushed back by the emptying receptacle, through the intermediary of a flexible blade, when the receptacle is replaced in the housing, the flexible blade being moved aside when the movable safety piece reaches a stopping abutment. This arrangement assures, in a simple manner, the proper positioning of the safety piece during installation, or reinstallation of the receptacle into the housing.
According to an advantageous form of construction, the emptying device has a thermostatic valve. This permits the safety of the appliance to be further improved and also allows the use of less durable, and thus less costly, materials for the emptying receptacle and/or the control mechanism.
According to another advantageous form of construction, a filter is arranged upstream of the emptying device. This arrangement prevents residues present in the cooking bath from adversely affecting the operation of the emptying device. This arrangement also permits the quality of the cooking bath to be improved when successive batches of food are fried with the same bath.