Water supply tank unit

• US 20040076412A1
• Filed: 09/02/2003
• Published: 04/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nifco Incorporated, Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nifco Incorporated, Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hayakawa, Yuji, Kanzaki, Kouji, Sugimoto, Takashi, Inoue, Yasuhiko, Kamiya, Toshifumi, Niizuma, Yukikazu
• Granted Patent: US 6,843,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 392/441
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/003 moisturising of air
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/6414 Aspects relating to the door of the microwave heating apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/6479 using steam
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 261/65 Vaporizers

Abstract

A water supply tank unit, attached to a heating apparatus having a moistening function, comprising an open/close member biased in a direction of departing from a unit body attached to the heating apparatus, and a water supply tank held in the open/close member so as to be attachable/detachable, wherein the water supply tank and the open/close member have protrusions respectively so that the protrusions climb over each other and are locked to each other in a process of attaching/detaching the water supply tank.

Claims

1. A water supply tank unit attached to a heating apparatus having a moistening function comprising:

a unit body attached to said heating apparatus;

an open/close member including a support portion for supporting said open/close member to said unit body on one side so as to make said open/close member opened/closed freely, and a lock portion for locking said open/close member on said unit body on the other side, said open/close member biased in a direction of departing from said unit body;

an operation member including an engagement portion engaged with said lock portion to keep said open/close member locked on said unit body, and a push button for unlocking said open/close member by a pushing-down operation of said push button; and

a water supply tank held in said open/close member so as to be attachable/detachable, wherein said water supply tank and said open/close member have protrusions respectively so that said protrusions climb over each other and are locked to each other in a process of attaching/detaching said water supply tank.

2. A water supply tank unit according to claim 1, wherein said open/close member has at least one guide wall provided along a direction of attaching said water supply tank and abuts on said water supply tank to be attached in order to guide an attaching/detaching operation of said water supply tank.

3. A water supply tank unit according to claim 1, wherein said water supply tank has at least one rib provided along a direction of attaching said water supply tank and abuts on said open/close member in order to guide said water supply tank to a water supply tank retention position in said open/close member.

4. A water supply tank unit according to claim 1,

wherein said open/close member has at least one guide wall provided along a direction of attaching said water supply tank and abuts on said water supply tank to be attached in order to guide an attaching/detaching operation of said water supply tank;

said water supply tank has at least one rib provided along a direction of attaching said water supply tank and abuts on said open/close member in order to guide said water supply tank to a water supply tank retention position in said open/close member; and

said guide wall of said open/close member and said rib of said water supply tank are slid while engaged with each other when said water supply tank is attached/detached.

5. A water supply tank unit according to claims 1, wherein open/close member further has a water supply tank detection unit for detecting attachment/detachment of said water supply tank.

6. A water supply tank unit according to claim 5, wherein said water supply tank detection unit includes:

a driven member provided in said open/close member so as to be biased in a direction reverse to the direction of attaching said water supply tank and slid together with said water supply tank when pressed by part of said water supply tank inserted; and

a switch for changing a state reversibly according to the sliding of said driven member,

said water supply tank detection unit detects a state in which said water supply tank is attached into said open/close member and a state in which said water supply tank is detached from said open/close member;

7. A water supply tank unit according to claim 1, wherein said water supply tank has a pawl portion provided at a rear end in the direction of attaching said water supply tank into said open/close member so that a length of protrusion of said pawl portion backward in said attaching direction increases backward in a direction of pushing said open/close member into said unit body side.