Steam Cooker and Steam Generator

• US 20080229936A1
• Filed: 02/23/2005
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Yoshikazu, Nakatani, Masato, Kaneko, Fuminori
• Granted Patent: US 8,109,204 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 99/357
• CPC Class Codes: A21B 3/04 Air-treatment devices for ovens, e.g. regulating humidity
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 27/04 for cooking food in steam; Devices for extracting fruit juice by means of steam ; Vacuum cooking vessels steam-heated vessels for hotels, restaurants or canteens A47J27/16
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/38 for withdrawing or condensing cooking vapors from cooking utensils
• CPC Class Codes: F22B 1/284 with water in reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: F22B 37/78 Adaptations or mounting of level indicators level indicators per se G01F

Abstract

A steam cooker includes a steam generator for generating steam, a steam temperature-raising device for raising a temperature of steam coming from the steam generator, and a heating chamber in which an object to be cooked is heated by steam supplied from the steam temperature-raising device. The steam generator has a pot (41) to which water is supplied, a heater (42) placed in the pot (41), a water level sensor (43) and a temperature sensor (48) placed in the pot (41). The water level sensor (43) and the temperature sensor (48) are placed at opposed side surfaces in the pot (41) that correspond to the short sides of an elongated roughly rectangular planar shape of the pot (41). An exposed state of the heater (42) from the water in the pot (41) is judged by the water level sensor (43) and the temperature sensor (48).

Claims

1. A steam cooker, comprising:

a steam generator for generating steam;

a steam temperature-raising device for raising a temperature of steam coming from the steam generator; and

a heating chamber in which an object to be cooked is heated by steam supplied from the steam temperature-raising device,

said steam generator including;

a pot to which water is supplied;

a heater placed in the pot; and

a plurality of state judging devices placed in the pot and judging an exposed state of the heater from the water in the pot.

2. The steam cooker according to claim 1, wherein

the pot of the steam generator has a planar shape of generally an elongated rectangle, and

the plurality of state judging devices are placed at opposed side surfaces in the pot.

3. The steam cooker according to claim 2, wherein

the opposed side surfaces in the pot at which the plurality of state judging devices are placed correspond to short sides of the elongated rectangle of the pot.

4. The steam cooker according to claim 1, wherein

at least one of the plurality of state judging devices is a water level sensor.

5. The steam cooker according to claim 4, wherein

the water level sensor is a self-heating thermistor.

6. A steam generator, comprising:

a pot to which water is supplied;

a heater placed in the pot; and

a plurality of state judging devices placed in the pot and judging an exposed state of the heater from the water in the pot.

7. The steam generator according to claim 6, wherein

the pot has a planar shape of generally an elongated rectangle, and

the plurality of state judging devices are placed at opposed side surfaces in the pot.

8. The steam generator according to claim 7, wherein

the opposed side surfaces in the pot at which the plurality of state judging devices are placed correspond to short sides of the elongated rectangle of the pot.

9. The steam generator according to claim 6, wherein

at least one of the plurality of state judging devices is a water level sensor.

10. The steam generator according to claim 9, wherein

the water level sensor is a self-heating thermistor.