Electric rice cooker

• US 4,315,138 A
• Filed: 04/23/1980
• Issued: 02/09/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Miwa, Yoshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Mayewsky, Volodymyr Y.
• Application Number:
  US06/143,122
• Time in Patent Office: 657 Days
• Field of Search: 219/429, 219/430, 219/433, 219/438, 219/439, 219/441, 219/442, 219/492, 219/493, 219/494, 219/509, 219/510, 99/332, 99/333
• US Class Current: 219/441
• 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 27/62 by devices for automatically controlling the heat supply by switching off heaters or for automatically lifting the cooking-vessels
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1902 characterised by the use of a variable reference value
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/26 the sensing element having a permeability varying with temperature

Abstract

An electric rice cooker comprising a heater for heating a kettle and contents thereof, an electric timer which controls the energization and deenergization of the heater in response to the temperature of the kettle and a heat isolator for securing the timer and for preventing heat from being transferred from the heater to the timer.

Claims

1. An electric rice cooker comprising:

a cooking kettle for containing water and rice to be cooked;

a removable lid covering the top of said kettle;

electrical heater means mounted adjacent the outside surface of said kettle for heating said kettle and the contents thereof;

thermally insulating frame means for supporting and enclosing said kettle and heater means;

a face cover for covering at least a front portion of said frame means, said frame means and face cover forming a case;

circuit means for connecting and disconnecting said heater means from a source of electrical energy to carry out a plurality of cooking steps in a predetermined period including a thermoswitch for detecting the temperature of said kettle and having a first position connecting said source to said heater for heating said kettle and contents and a second position disconnecting said heater means in response to detection of a predetermined temperature;

electric timer means having controlled switches for controlling connection of said source to said heater means; and

heat isolating means mounted on said case and disposed between said timer means and heater means for preventing heat from said heater means from being transferred to said timer means.

2. The electric rice cooker as in claim 1, wherein said heat isolating means includes water isolating means which surrounds said timer means.

3. The electric rice cooker as in claim 1 or 2, wherein said heat isolating means is integrally molded with said face cover.

4. The electric rice cooker as in claim 1 or 2, wherein said heat isolating means and water isolating means form a recess for mounting said timer means.

5. The electric rice cooker as in claim 4, wherein said case has inner and outer portions, said heater means is between said inner portion and said kettle and said outer portion forms said recess with said heat isolating means between said inner and outer portions.

6. The electric rice cooker as in claim 1, wherein said frame means is formed to provide a receptacle for receiving said heat isolating means and water isolating means.

7. The electric rice cooker as in claim 6, wherein said receptacle has a perforation for draining water.

8. The electric rice cooker as in claim 7, wherein said perforation is formed underneath said water isolating means and at the corner of said receptacle.

9. A cooker as in claim 1, wherein said frame means includes an inner portion and an outer portion and thermal insulation between said cases.

10. A cooker as in claim 1, wherein said timer means is mounted between said inner and outer portions.