CN201312720Y - Collapsible furnace top container - Google Patents

Abstract

A collapsible stove top container which remains rigid when in use and is collapsible when not in use. The collapsible stove top container comprises a rigid top section and a rigid bottom section separated by a flexible intermediate section. The flexible intermediate portion includes a thick-walled region and a thin-walled region. The flexible intermediate portion is folded sequentially toward the bottom by applying pressure to the top, and the intermediate portion is folded at each of the thin wall sections to form a plurality of pleated folds. The collapsible top container may be used on a residential stove for heating or cooking food.

Description

Collapsible Stove Top Containers

technical field

The utility model relates to a cooking container, in particular to a stove-top container or cooking utensil with an elastic part. The elastic part enables the stove-top container or cooking utensil to be folded when not in use, making it convenient for storage.

Background technique

US patent application (application number: 11/590,574, filing date: October 31, 2006) discloses a collapsible stove top container. The patent application describes a collapsible ovenware that remains rigid when in use and collapses for easy storage when not in use. The collapsible ovenware has a rigid top and a rigid bottom separated by a flexible middle section. The flexible intermediate portion includes a thick-walled region and a thin-walled region. By applying pressure to the top, the flexible middle part can be folded toward the bottom in sequence, and the middle part is folded in each thin-walled area to form a folded structure of multiple folds.

While the above application provides an ovenware that reduces the storage space required, there is also a need to reduce the space required for stove top cookers for residential use. Typical residential cookers include a multitude of stove top cooking vessels, such as pots and pans of various sizes and shapes. Due to their rigid construction, traditional stove top cookers take up a lot of space in the kitchen. All dwellings have limited space and it would be beneficial if the cooker took up less space when not in use.

Therefore, there is a need for a stove top container that remains rigid when in use, yet collapses when not in use to save storage space.

Utility model content

The purpose of the utility model is to provide a furnace top container, the container remains rigid when in use, and can be folded when not in use, so as to save storage space.

In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution of the utility model is: a furnace top container, comprising a rigid top part and a rigid bottom part, and the rigid top part and rigid bottom part are separated by a flexible middle part. The flexible intermediate portion includes a thick-walled region and a thin-walled region. By applying pressure to the top, the flexible middle part can be folded toward the bottom in sequence, and the middle part is folded in each thin-walled area to form a folded structure of multiple folds.

The beneficial effects of the furnace top container of the present utility model are as follows:

1) The foldable furnace top container of the utility model can be folded to a very small size, thereby reducing the required storage space;

2) The foldable furnace top container of the present utility model can maintain its shape when it is stretched into an unfolded state;

3) In the stretched state, the foldable stove top container of the present invention can support unstable food such as liquid or batter, and will not be folded due to bumping or pushed by the user;

4) Different from the soft stove top container, the foldable stove top container of the present invention does not need another pan or other rigid objects to support when moving;

5) The foldable furnace top container of the present utility model can be used in all high-temperature furnaces, including electric, gas, electromagnetic, and open flame high-temperature furnaces.

Below in conjunction with specific embodiment and accompanying drawing, the utility model is further described.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of a collapsible furnace top container according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the collapsible furnace top container in Fig. 1 after being folded;

Figure 3 is a top view of the collapsible stove top container of Figure 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along line 4-4 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the foldable furnace top container in Fig. 4 after being folded;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a wall portion formed with a toothed portion forming the bend line of the collapsible furnace roof container, and the curved wall portion after bending;

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of a wall portion with a thin wall region forming the bend line of the collapsible furnace roof container, and the curved wall portion after bending;

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a wall portion with an arcuate indentation forming the bend line of the collapsible furnace top container, and the curved wall portion after bending;

Figure 9 is an exploded schematic diagram of the top, middle and bottom, simulating the various parts combined in the mold;

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a foldable furnace roof container according to the present invention;

Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the foldable furnace top container of Fig. 10 after being folded;

Fig. 12 is a sectional view of a third embodiment of a collapsible furnace roof container according to the present invention; Fig. 13 is a partial sectional view of the middle part of the collapsible furnace roof container along line 13-13 in Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the left part of the foldable furnace roof container in Fig. 12 in a folded state.

reference sign

70 Collapsible Stove Top Container, Preferred Embodiment

72 Bottom

74 side

76 top edge

78 handle

80 Bottom part

82 middle part

84 top section

86 Middle outer surface

88 bendable area

88A top bendable area

88B Bottom bendable area

90 handle neck

92 Insulation part of the handle

94 Inner surface of middle

96 Edge protrusions

98 zigzag cut

100 thin-walled areas

102 wall

104 Top bendable area fold

105 Bottom bendable area fold

106 arc cut

108 top binding area

110 Bottom binding area

112 top lower edge

114 bottom upper edge

120 Collapsible stove top container, second embodiment

122 bottom vertical side

124 Top Vertical Sides

130 Collapsible stove top container, third embodiment

132 middle side wall

134 slots

136 ribs

D1 The distance that the bottom part extends from the bottom surface

D2 inner diameter of the top part

D3 External diameter of the bottom part

T3 Wall thickness of the middle part

θ1 The oblique angle of the side surface relative to the bottom surface

Detailed ways

Fig. 1 is the first (preferred) embodiment, the utility model is a collapsible furnace top container 70 and its manufacturing method. The stove top cooker or container 70 includes a bottom surface 72 , sides 74 , a top edge 76 , and a handle 78 . The side portion 74 includes a bottom portion 80 , a middle portion 82 , and a top portion 84 . The middle portion 82 of the collapsible furnace top container 70 includes an outer surface 86 and includes one or more bendable regions 88 extending linearly along the middle portion 82 parallel to the top edge 76 and the bottom surface. 72. The collapsible furnace top container 70 shown in FIG. 1 can be folded and occupies less space, as shown in FIG. 2 .

Referring to FIG. 3 , the bottom surface 72 and the side 74 of the foldable furnace top container 70 are preferably circular, and the furnace top container 70 can also be in other shapes, such as oval and hexagonal, which are all within the scope of the present invention. A circular container 70 is preferred because conventional ovens (not shown) that are commonly used to cook or heat food are circular. Generally, the handle 78 includes a neck 90 connected to the top portion 84 and an insulating portion 92 . The sides 74 of the middle portion 82 of the collapsible furnace roof container 72 include an inner surface 94 that also includes a bendable region 88 .

Referring to the preferred embodiment of the collapsible furnace roof container 70 of FIG. 4, the bottom portion 80 and the top portion 84 are preferably rigid, while the middle portion 82 is flexible. The handle 78 extends from the rigid top portion 84 and is secured by conventional means such as fasteners, rivets or welding (not shown). Although, in the preferred embodiment, the handle 78 extends from the top portion 84, it could also be connected to the bottom portion 80 if desired. For stability and ease of operation, the handle 78 is secured to the top portion 84 of the collapsible stove top container 70 as shown in FIG. 4 . Additionally, the collapsible stove top container 70 may include multiple handles or include an integral edge protrusion 96 extending from the top edge 76 to facilitate handling of the stove top container 70, if desired. The insulated portion 92 of the handle 78 facilitates movement and safe handling when the container 70 is hot.

The bottom portion 80 and the top portion 84 of the collapsible furnace roof container 70 have a rigid structure. Preferably, bottom portion 80 and top portion 84 are made of metal, ceramic, or glass. Furthermore, the bottom portion 80 which is in direct contact with the furnace must also be constructed of a non-combustible material. Metals suitable for the bottom and top portions include aluminum, stainless steel, copper, and ferromagnetic metals such as iron and iron alloys, which are chosen for the top portion 84 and bottom portion 80 of the furnace top vessel 70 because of their good thermal conductivity properties. Although both the top portion 84 and the bottom portion 80 of the collapsible furnace roof container 70 in the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 4 are made of aluminum, the bottom portion 80 and the top portion 84 could be made of different materials. For example, the bottom portion 80 may be made of copper because of the good thermal conductivity; while the top portion 84 may be made of steel because thermal conductivity is less important for the top portion 84 than for the bottom portion 80 and copper is much more expensive than steel so is preferred. The top portion 84 is made of steel.

The middle portion 82 is preferably made of a flexible material, such as an elastomer, and is heat resistant. A preferred material for the middle portion 82 is silicone rubber. Because the middle portion 82 of the stove top container 70 will be in contact with food, the silicone rubber used to make the middle portion 82 is preferably food grade silicone rubber. As shown in FIG. 4 , the middle portion 82 includes a top bendable region 88A and a bottom bendable region 88B. Top bendable region 88A includes one or more zigzag cuts 98 in inner surface 94 of intermediate portion 82 to form one or more thin walls on side wall 74 of container 70 . Similarly, the bottom bendable region 88B includes one or more cutouts or indentations 98 in the side portions 74 , but the cutouts 98 are formed on the outer surface 86 of the middle portion 82 . These cutouts 98 and thin-walled regions 100 are specifically shown in FIG. 6 .

Referring to Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, since the material of the middle part 82 is a flexible material and contains predetermined bendable regions 88A and 88B, the foldable furnace top container 70 can be folded from the extended state shown in Fig. 4 to the state shown in Fig. 5 folded state. A typical kitchen includes a variety of stove top cookers, and the present invention provides a cooker container 70 that is collapsible to reduce required storage space. The cooker container 70 of the present invention is folded simply by pressing down from the top edge 76 of the container. A cutout 98 is formed in the interior surface 94 of the flexible middle portion 82 so that the furnace top container 70 can be folded inwardly at the top bendable region 88A such that the cutout 98 of the top bendable region 88A is inside the bend or fold 104, Figure 5. Conversely, the furnace top container 70 is folded outwardly at the bottom bendable region 88B by forming a cutout 98 in the outer surface 86 of the intermediate portion 82 at the bottom bendable region 88B. As shown in FIG. 5 , the cutout 98 of the bottom bendable region 88B is inside the fold 105 . Thus, the direction of folding of the collapsible furnace top container 70 can be controlled by selecting the cutout 98 on the inner surface 94 or the outer surface 86 . Thus, by providing cutouts 98 or the like on the inner surface 94 or the outer surface 86, the collapsible furnace roof container 70 of the present invention can be folded sequentially or repeatedly. In addition, since the sides are made of flexible heat-resistant silicone rubber, the stove top container 70 of the present invention can be folded and stretched multiple times without affecting the cooking performance of the container.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, a thin-walled region 100 can be formed on the wall 102 of the flexible middle part 82, such as forming opposite V-shaped cutouts 98 (see Figure 7) on both sides of the wall 102, or on the wall 102. Opposite arc-shaped cutouts 106 are formed on both sides. The folding direction can be controlled by the size of the cutout and the oblique angle θ1 formed by the side surface 74 and the bottom surface 72 (as shown in FIG. 4 ). Preferably, the oblique angle θ1 is 89° or less.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the collapsible furnace top container 70 includes a top junction 108 of the top portion 84 and the middle portion 82 , and a bottom junction 110 of the bottom portion 80 and the middle portion 82 . For safety reasons, it is preferred that the bottom portion 80 extends at least 1 inch from the bottom surface 72 . Conventional furnaces generally heat up to temperatures above 250°C. If the temperature reaches or exceeds 250°C, the silicone rubber will age and become brittle. Therefore, to prevent heat aging failure of the bottom joint 110 of the collapsible stove top container 70, it is preferred that the bottom portion 80 extends at least 1 inch from the bottom surface 72 to maintain the integrity of the collapsible container 70 during cooking. By setting the minimum distance D1 as shown in Figure 4, the collapsible cooking vessel 70 can maintain its integrity even during cooking when the conventional oven is set at the highest temperature.

Referring to Fig. 9, the collapsible container 70 of the present invention is made by forming the top portion 84 and the bottom portion 80 in a conventional manner. The top portion 84 and bottom portion 80 in FIG. 9 are made of aluminum, but may also be made of other metals, ceramics, or glass. For collapsible stove top containers for use with induction hobs, the bottom portion 80 is made of magnetic metal. In order to ensure good bonding between the silicone rubber middle part 82 and the metal top part 84 and bottom part 80 during the molding process, the lower edge 112 of the top part 84 and the upper edge 114 of the bottom part 80 are coated with a silicone surface treatment agent (in the figure not shown), such as Primer-No. 24T from Shin-Etsu Silicones, Akron, Ohio, USA. This Primer-No. 24T is an organopolysiloxane mixture emulsion. If materials other than metal are used for top portion 84 and bottom portion 80, such as ceramic or glass, other silicone surface treatments may be required depending on the material, although no surface treatment is required for bonding silicone rubber to many ceramic or glass materials. Any surface treatments must be non-toxic and food grade. The inner surface of the mold may include serrations or semicircular protrusions. The purpose of these protrusions is to form thin-walled areas in the collapsible container. The top portion 84 and bottom portion 80 are then placed in precision mold cavities (not shown in the figures) before the mold is closed. The closure is such that the parts, including the top portion 84 and bottom portion 80, remain securely within the mold, with metal portions 80 and 84 sides 74 having no room for silicone rubber to seep. As shown in FIG. 9 , the mold forms a frusto-conical middle portion 82 . Liquid or gel-like silicone rubber is injected into the precision mold and fills the mold cavity between the top section 84 and the bottom section 80 . After being filled with silicone rubber, pressure and heat are applied to the precision mold to cure the silicone rubber, bonding the top section 84 and bottom section 80 with the silicone rubber middle section 82 . The inner surface of a precision mold (not shown) forms the bendable regions 88, cutouts 98, and thin-walled regions 100 at desired locations. The curing process preferably includes a curing time of 4 to 13 minutes under a pressure of 120 to 180 kgf/cm2, and a curing temperature of 140 to 200°C. The parameters of the curing process vary according to the size of the container, the grade of uncured silicone rubber entering the mold, the thickness of the container, the type and amount of additives within the uncured silicone rubber, and various other factors. After curing is complete, the combined bottom portion 80, middle portion 82, and top portion 84 are removed from the mold, and handles (not shown) are secured to the top portion 84 by conventional fastening means to form the foldable oven of the present invention Top container 70 . If the top portion 84 and the bottom portion 80 are made of glass, the glass is preferably high temperature tempered glass or borosilicate glass.

Silicone rubber can be made in various hardness grades, which is achieved by controlling the amount of filler added before the silicone rubber is introduced into the mold. Alternatively, various silicone rubbers can be prepared by the manufacturer and filled with fillers to achieve a predetermined hardness, and these are commercially available. Preferably, the middle portion 82 has a Shore A hardness (Shore A) of 30-75, so as to ensure the flexibility of the middle portion 82 and maintain its shape and integrity when unfolded, and folded at the predetermined bendable area 88 . The thickness of the middle portion 82 is not limited relative to the top portion 84 and the bottom portion 80 because the middle portion 82 having a higher Shore A hardness and a smaller wall thickness is different from the middle portion 82 having a lower Shore A hardness and a larger wall thickness. Portion 82 may equally maintain its integrity. The foldable furnace top container of the utility model can be used in conventional furnaces, including direct fire, electric, gas or induction cookers. If used in an induction cooker, the bottom portion 80 must be made of ferromagnetic material so that the container absorbs the magnetic energy released by the electromagnetic heating element.

As shown in Figure 2, the collapsible stove top container or cooker 70 is generally in a collapsed state. In the collapsed state, the cooker 70 takes up little space, thus allowing the user to store more cooker. In use, the chef simply pulls up on the handle 78 or the top edge 76, and the stove top container 70 is stretched into the unfolded state, as shown in FIG. 1 . Because the silicone rubber middle portion 82 is flexible and very resilient, the furnace top container 70 can be repeatedly folded and unfolded without failing at the bendable region 88 .

Referring to FIG. 10 , the second embodiment of the foldable furnace roof container 120 according to the present invention is in an unfolded state. The roof vessel 120 includes a rigid top portion 84, a rigid bottom portion 80, and a flexible middle portion 82 similar to the first embodiment. Unlike the first embodiment in which the sides slope outward from the bottom to the top, in the second embodiment the collapsible furnace top container 120 includes vertical sides 122 on the bottom portion 80 and vertical sides 122 on the top portion 84. Side 124. The angle θ1 between the side surface 122 of the bottom portion 80 and the bottom surface 72 of the container is 90°C. The flexible middle portion 82 slopes outwardly and includes bendable regions 88A and 88B provided with cutouts 98 and thin walled regions 100 so that the container 120 can be folded along the bendable regions 88A and 88B. Preferably, in the second embodiment, the inner diameter D2 of the top portion 84 is equal to or greater than the sum of the outer diameter D3 of the bottom portion 80 and the wall thickness T1 of the middle portion 82, so that the top portion 84 can be folded toward the bottom portion 80 with sufficient clearance The middle section 82 fits between the top section 84 and the bottom section 80 in a folded condition. The folded state of the second embodiment of the foldable furnace top container 120 is shown in FIG. 11 .

As shown in FIG. 12 , it is the unfolded state of the third embodiment of the foldable furnace top container 120 . As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 , the side walls 132 of the flexible intermediate portion 82 include thin walled regions or grooves 134 and thick walled regions or ribs 136 . The provision of ribs 136 and grooves 134, as shown in Figure 12, increases the vertical strength of the flexible midsection 82 and allows the midsection 82 to be made of softer silicone rubber. FIG. 14 is a folded view of the left part of the foldable furnace roof container 130 shown in FIG. 12 .

Claims (7)

1. foldable stove top container comprises:

The rigid bottom part;

It is characterized in that: from the extended flexible intermediate portion branch of described rigid bottom part;

From the extended rigid top part of described mid portion;

Described mid portion is provided with at least one tenuity;

Described foldable stove top container can be folding in described pliable region.

2. foldable stove top container according to claim 1 is characterized in that: described mid portion comprises the sidewall that has inner surface and outer surface; Described tenuity be included on the described inner surface and described outer surface on otch; On the described inner surface and described outer surface on described otch be in alignment with each other.

3. foldable stove top container according to claim 1 is characterized in that: described mid portion comprises the sidewall with inner surface and outer surface; Described tenuity is included in the jag on one of described at least inner surface and described outer surface; Described jag is V-arrangement or arc; The described mid portion of furnace roof container has Shore A hardness 30～75.

4. foldable stove top container according to claim 1 is characterized in that: described top section, described mid portion and described base section combine in mould under high temperature and pressure; Described pressure is 120～180 kilogram/square centimeters; Described high temperature is 140～200 ℃.

5. foldable stove top container according to claim 1 is characterized in that: described base section is made of incombustible material, and described top section and described base section are metal, pottery or glass; Top section and described base section are made of metal, and described metal is aluminium, steel, copper or feeromagnetic metal.

6. foldable stove top container according to claim 1 is characterized in that: described top section is fixed with handle, and base section comprises bottom surface and side; Described base section extends upward at least 1 inch from described bottom surface.

7. foldable stove top container according to claim 1 is characterized in that: described mid portion is made of heat-resistant elastomer, and heat-resistant elastomer is a silicon rubber, and silicon rubber is nontoxic food-grade silicon rubber.

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