COOKING APPARATUS WITH CUSHIONED PANEL

Abstract

A cooking apparatus includes a first structure including a heating plate for cooking food; a second structure including a heating plate for cooking food; and a frame on which the second structure rests; and the first structure and the second structure are hingedly connected to one another by at least one hinge between an open position or a closed position or else a cooking position, which is an intermediate position between the open position and the closed position, wherein the cooking apparatus includes a device for cushioning the weight of the first structure when the latter is in the cooking position or in the closed position, and in the cooking position the cushioning device makes it possible to keep the first structure in contact with the one or more food items to be cooked.

Claims

1. A cooking appliance including: a first structure including a heating plate to cook food; and, a second structure including a heating plate to cook food; and, a frame on which rests the second structure, and the first structure and the second structure are articulated together by at least one hinge between an open position or a closed position or a cooking position, which is an intermediate position between the open position and the closed position, and the said hinge includes at least one shaft connected to the frame, a device for cushioning the weight of the first structure when the latter is in the cooking position or in the closed position, wherein the device for cushioning the weight of the first structure consists of at least one elastic device which permits keeping the first structure in contact with the food or foods to be cooked and the said elastic device is placed on the at least one shaft.

2. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein a diameter of the at least one elastic device is greater than a diameter of the at least one shaft in order to prevent friction.

3. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the at least one elastic device includes a first attachment point which is connected to the at least one shaft and a second attachment point which is connected to the frame of the cooking appliance.

4. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the cushioning device consists of at least one torsion spring.

5. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the cushioning device consists of at least one compression spring.

6. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein an effect of the cushioning device is maximal in the closed position and null in an upper position.

7. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the cushioning device offsets between 40% and 80% of the weight of the first structure in the cooking position.

8. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the first structure is mounted on the at least one hinge by at least one side arm that is mobile relative at least to the second structure.

9. The cooking appliance according to claim 8, further including a rocker which is connected to the at least one shaft and which engages with a measuring system that is adapted to measure a pivoting angle of the rocker in order to estimate a thickness of the food.

10. The cooking appliance according to claim 7, wherein the cushioning device offsets 50% of the weight of the first structure in the cooking position.

Description

[0023] Other advantages and features of this invention will appear in the description of the embodiment provided as a non-restrictive example and illustrated by the attached drawings.

[0024] FIG. 1 is a side view of an electrical household appliance conforming to this invention in the open position;

[0025] FIG. 2 is a side view of an electrical household appliance conforming to this invention in the cooking position;

[0026] FIG. 3 is a rear view of an electrical household appliance conforming to this invention;

[0027] FIG. 4 is an exploded rear view of the hinge of the appliance.

[0028] Traditionally, as can be seen in FIG. 1, an electrical household cooking appliance 1 is of the type of the one described in the patent application FR1255600. It includes a first structure 2 and it is anticipated that the electrical household appliance 1 will be equipped with a second structure 4. The first structure 2 is positioned above the second structure 4. The first structure 2 is mobile relative to the second structure 4 to produce a spacing movement in order to be able to place the food to be cooked between these two structures 2, 4.

[0029] Each structure 2, 4 forms a cooking sub-assembly and includes a shell forming the body of the sub-assembly, a heating plate 3 which is supported by the shell and which is adapted to cook a food, and a heating device (an electrical resistor) which is placed between the shell and the heating plate 3 and is adapted to transmit thermal energy to the heating plate 3. Possibly, each structure 2, 4 includes a thermal reflector which is placed between the electrical resistor and the shell in order to reduce the thermal energy transmitted to the latter.

[0030] The two structures 2, 4 are articulated together by a hinge 5 between a closed position, as visible in FIGS. 3 and 4, in which the first structure 2 covers the second structure 4, an open position, as visible in FIG. 1, in which the heating plate 3 of the second structure 4 is accessible in order to be able to place there the food to be cooked and to remove it from there, and a cooking position, as visible in FIG. 2, in which a food is placed between the two structures 2, 4 and the two structures 2, 4 are in contact with the food in this cooking position.

[0031] The second and first structures 4, 2 are adapted to cook against them, by conduction, the food or foods placed between the heating plates 3. More specifically, the food is cooked against the two heating plates 3. The food or foods may be meat, fish, vegetables or others.

[0032] The electrical household appliance 1 includes a frame 8 on which rests the second structure 4. Possibly this frame 8 consists of one or more feet 14 positioned at the front or rear of the electrical household appliance 1, as in the case in the context of the invention, where there are at least two feet 14 positioned at the rear of the electrical household appliance 1 and two feet 14 positioned at the front.

[0033] As visible in FIGS. 3 and 4 which detail the construction of the hinge 5, the hinge 5 is formed of a shaft 6 which crosses the two rear feet 14 of the electrical household appliance 1, in order to form a pivot point. The shaft 6 may pivot according to a rotation axis A. To this shaft 6 are connected two side arms 13. The two side arms 13 support the first structure 2 which is mounted pivoting between the two side arms 13 by means of a pivot point 16.

[0034] In the context of the invention, the shaft 6 connects the two rear feet 14, and in one variant there can also be several independent shafts, notably a shaft 6 situated on each rear foot of the electrical household appliance 1.

[0035] In order to limit crushing of the food, at the hinge 5 there is a system to offset (also called a cushioning device) the weight of the first structure 2 which permits offsetting between 40% and 80% of the weight of the first structure 2, which prevents crushing fragile food when the electrical household appliance 1 is in the cooking position, while ensuring contact with the food.

[0036] As visible in FIG. 3, the device for cushioning the weight consists of two elastic means. The elastic means are placed on the shaft 6 of the hinge 5.

[0037] These elastic means are torsion springs 9 as visible in FIGS. 3 and 4. In this case, the diameter of the torsion springs 9 is greater than the diameter of the shaft 6 of the hinge 5. This permits, among other things, preventing friction. The torsion springs 9 include two attachment points. A first attachment point 11 is connected to the shaft 6 of the hinge 5. A second attachment point 12 is connected to the frame 8 (or to the foot 14) of the electrical household appliance 1.

[0038] It is possible to perform the cushioning with a single torsion spring connected to one of the two feet of the electrical household appliance 1.

[0039] In another variant of the elastic means, the latter consist of compression springs, this time integrated directly in the foot of the electrical household appliance 1.

[0040] In one or the other variant of the elastic means, the effect of the cushioning device is maximal in the closed position, that is, when the two cooking plates are in contact, and null in an upper position, that is, when the first structure (or the side arms 13 holding the latter) and the second structure 2, 4 form an angle greater than 90°.

[0041] In a preferential embodiment, the elastic means are calculated to offset approximately 50% of the weight of the first structure 2. In the event that the first structure 2 weighs approximately 1.3 kg, at least two springs of 650 Newtons each are necessary.

[0042] As visible in FIG. 4, the electrical household appliance 1 also includes a measuring device that permits measuring the thickness of the food placed in the electrical household appliance 1. The latter is described in the patent application FR1255600 and it includes a measuring means 10 connected to a rocker 7 which is able to pivot in the electrical household appliance 1 by means of an extremity 15 connected to the shaft 6.

[0043] The rocker 7 may be rigidly connected to the shaft 6, by being, for example, fitted tightly around it. In this way, during the pivoting or rotation of the shaft 6, the latter also causes the rotation of the rocker 7. It can also be anticipated that the rocker 7 is mounted on the shaft 6 with sufficient play to allow the rocker to rotate or pivot. Unlike the variant with the rocker 7 mounted rigidly, during rotation of the shaft 6, the rocker pivots via other means connected to the shaft 6.

[0044] It will be understood that various modifications and/or improvements obvious to the person skilled in the art may be made to the embodiment of the invention described in this description without departing from the context of the invention defined by the attached claims.