Circulator cooker

• US 10,455,967 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2018
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Anova Applied Electronics, Inc. (AB Electrolux)
• Original Assignee: Anova Applied Electronics, Inc. (AB Electrolux)
• Inventors: Wu, Jeff
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thien S
• Application Number:
  US15/890,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20180160841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 99343, 99348, 99537, 426231
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 27/10 Cooking-vessels with water-bath arrangements for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/80 Portable immersion heaters

Abstract

A sous-vide circulator cooker is disclosed. A sous-vide circulator cooker can include a controller located in a sealed housing. The controller configured to be communicatively coupled to an electronic input device, such as a smart phone or server, and be capable of receiving control instructions from the electronic input device. The sous-vide circulator cooker can also include a submersible pump connected to the sealed controller, an adjustable electrode to detect water level, a clamp enabling the device to be adjustably secured to a container such as a water chamber. The cooker can be used to cook food placed in water within the chamber by heating the water.

Claims

1. A sous-vide circulator cooker comprising:

a head portion comprising a display;

a middle portion extending along a longitudinal axis from the head portion and having a pump motor therein; and

a lower portion extending along the longitudinal axis from the middle portion, with the middle portion between the head portion and the lower portion, the lower portion comprising;

a skirt having a proximal end attached to the middle portion and a distal end located remotely along the longitudinal axis from the middle portion, the skirt having one or more liquid intake openings passing therethrough,

a heating element located within the skirt,

a pump housing attached at the distal end of the skirt with the heating element between the pump housing and the middle portion, the pump housing having an outlet opening passing therethrough, wherein the outlet opening is oriented away from the longitudinal axis, and the pump housing is rotatable about the longitudinal axis to a plurality of different positions relative to one or more other portions of the sous-vide circulator cooker, and

a pump impeller rotatably mounted within the pump housing and operatively connected to the pump motor, the pump impeller being configured to selectively generate a flow of liquid from the one or more liquid intake openings, past the heating element, into the pump housing, and out through the outlet opening, when the pump housing is in the plurality of different positions.

2. The sous-vide circulator of claim 1, wherein the skirt comprises stainless steel.

3. The sous-vide circulator of claim 1, wherein the lower portion is removable from middle portion.

4. The sous-vide circulator of claim 1, wherein the pump housing is removable from the skirt.

5. The sous-vide circulator of claim 1, wherein the outlet opening extends through a side of the pump housing and is oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

6. The sous-vide circulator of claim 1, wherein the pump housing is rotatable about the longitudinal axis relative to the middle portion to position the outlet opening at different orientations relative to the middle portion.

7. The sous-vide circulator of claim 1, wherein the skirt is rotatable about the longitudinal axis relative to the middle portion to position the outlet opening at different orientations relative to the middle portion.

8. The sous-vide circulator of claim 1, wherein the outlet opening extends through an end of the pump housing along the longitudinal axis.

9. The sous-vide circulator of claim 1, wherein the pump impeller is operatively connected to the pump motor by a pump motor shaft.

10. The sous-vide circulator of claim 9, wherein the heating element comprises a coil and the pump motor shaft passes through the coil.

11. The sous-vide circulator of claim 1, wherein the heating element comprises a coil located within the skirt, and the one or more liquid intake openings surround the coil.

12. The sous-vide circulator of claim 11, wherein the coil and the one or more liquid intake openings are adjacent the distal end of the skirt.

13. The sous-vide circulator of claim 1, further comprising a clamp extending laterally from the middle portion and configured to secure the sous-vide circulator to a container.

14. The sous-vide circulator of claim 1, wherein the head portion is rotatable relative to the clamp.

15. The sous-vide circulator of claim 1, further comprising a steam evacuation fan located in the middle portion.

16. The sous-vide circulator of claim 1, wherein the middle portion comprises one or more ventilation openings.

17. The sous-vide circulator of claim 16, wherein the one or more ventilation openings surround the pump motor.

18. The sous-vide circulator of claim 1, wherein the display is configured to indicate a temperature of a fluid in which the sous-vide circulator is at least partially immersed.

19. The sous-vide circulator of claim 1, wherein the head portion comprises an input device configured to receive user input.

20. The sous-vide circulator of claim 1, wherein the head portion extends from a relatively narrow cylindrical neck portion to a relatively wide flared upper end, the display being located on the flared upper end.

21. The sous-vide circulator of claim 20, further comprising a scroll wheel input, the scroll wheel input being located on the cylindrical neck portion and oriented to rotate about an axis that is perpendicular to the cylindrical neck portion.

22. The sous-vide circulator of claim 13, wherein the pump housing is rotatable about the longitudinal axis relative to the clamp to position the outlet opening at different orientations relative to the clamp.

23. The sous-vide circulator of claim 1, wherein the pump housing is rotatable about the longitudinal axis through an infinite range of positions relative to one or more other portions of the sous-vide circulator cooker.

24. The sous-vide circulator of claim 1, wherein the pump housing is rotatable about the longitudinal axis through full circle of movement relative to one or more other portions of the sous-vide circulator cooker.