JP7516296B2 - Microwave cookware and microwave ovens - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a microwave cooking appliance and a microwave oven.

Patent document 1 discloses that a container containing food to be cooked is placed in the heating chamber of a microwave oven so that it is suspended above the bottom of the heating chamber.

JP 2007-139226 A

However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 leaves room for improvement in terms of appropriately controlling the heating of food in a microwave oven depending on the food.

The objective of the present invention is to appropriately control the heating of food in a microwave oven depending on the food.

In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the term microwave oven includes those that function as an oven (oven range) and those that function as a grill.

One aspect of the present invention provides a cooking device for a microwave oven, comprising a plate removably supported within a heating chamber of a microwave oven, a support mechanism provided on the underside of the plate, and a container removably supported by the support mechanism so as to be positioned at a distance from the bottom of the heating chamber, the container having a bottomed cylindrical container body made of a microwave-transmitting body, and an attachment member made of a material having a lower specific gravity than the container body, attached to the container body and attached to the support mechanism.

By designing the plate, support mechanism, and container, the distance between the bottom of the heating chamber and the bottom of the container can be set, so that the heating of the food in the microwave oven can be appropriately controlled according to the food. The container is equipped with an attachment member made of a material with a lighter specific gravity than the container body, so the weight of the container can be reduced by providing a structure (attachment member) for attaching it to the support mechanism.

The container body is made of glass or ceramic.

Compared to plastic containers, glass or ceramic container bodies have advantages in terms of scratch resistance, odor retention, and durability. This improves user convenience.

The bottom surface of the heating chamber extends in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction, the support mechanism has a pair of support parts that extend in the first direction facing the bottom surface and are spaced apart in the second direction, the container body has a flange part that has an outer shape smaller than the distance between the opposing inner ends of the pair of support parts when viewed from the first direction, and the mounting member is placed on the pair of support parts and has a resin holding member that is positioned below the flange part and holds the flange part, and a resin cover that is positioned above the flange part and connected to the holding member.

The container body is smaller than the distance between the inner ends of the pair of support parts, and the mounting members each have a resin retaining member and cover, making it possible to reduce the weight of the container compared to a container made entirely from glass or ceramic. The resin mounting members can be molded using a mold, ensuring dimensional accuracy for the container body and support mechanism.

The holding member and the cover are connected by a connecting member.

The holding member and the cover are connected by the connecting member, so the mounting member can be firmly attached to the container body. This improves the ease of handling of the container.

The retaining member and the cover are separably connected by a locking hole provided in one of the retaining member and the cover, and a locking piece provided in the other of the retaining member and the cover that locks onto the edge of the locking hole.

The retaining member and cover are connected by the engagement of the locking piece with the edge of the locking hole, so no separate connecting member is required. This reduces the number of parts and simplifies the installation process of the mounting member to the container body. In addition, the retaining member and cover can be removed from the container body by operating the locking piece to release the engagement with the retaining member. This improves the cleanability of the container body and the mounting member.

The bottom surface of the heating chamber extends in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction, the support mechanism has a pair of support parts that extend in the first direction opposite the bottom surface and are spaced apart in the second direction, the container body has a flange part that protrudes from the outer periphery of the container body by a uniform dimension and has an outer shape larger than the distance between the opposing inner ends of the pair of support parts when viewed from the first direction, and the mounting member is a rubber cover that covers the flange part from the bottom surface to the top surface.

Since the flange portion of the container body protrudes from the outer periphery at a uniform size, the portion of the container body required to attach the container to the support mechanism can be minimized. In other words, the weight of the container can be reduced compared to when a rectangular flange portion is formed on the container body so as to fit along the support portion. Since the flange portion is covered with a rubber cover, damage to the container body caused by attachment and detachment to the support mechanism can be prevented. Moreover, since the rubber cover can be easily attached and detached from the flange portion, the cleaning ability of the flange portion and cover can be improved.

The plate is made of a microwave reflector.

The heating chamber of the microwave oven is divided into two spaces by a plate made of a microwave reflector. Of these spaces, the one where the microwave source of the microwave oven is located is the space that is heated by microwaves (heated space), and the one where the microwave source is not located is the space that is not heated by microwaves (non-heated space). As microwaves are only used for heating in the heating space, the food being cooked can be heated efficiently.

The support mechanism and the mounting member are both made of microwave-transmissive materials.

In both cases, microwaves pass through the support mechanism and mounting member, which are made of a microwave-transparent material, and flow around to the top of the container, allowing the food to be heated from all sides.

The microwave cooking appliance of the present invention allows the heating of food in a microwave oven to be appropriately controlled according to the food.

1 is a perspective view of a microwave cooking appliance and a microwave oven according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a front view of a microwave cooking appliance and a microwave oven according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is an exploded perspective view of a microwave cooking appliance and a microwave oven according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 1 . FIG. FIG. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the container of FIG. 4 . FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of portion VII of FIG. 4 . FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of a microwave cooking appliance according to a second embodiment of the present invention, similar to that of FIG. 7 . FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of a microwave cooking appliance and a microwave oven according to a third embodiment of the present invention, similar to that of FIG. 4 . FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion X in FIG. 9 . FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the container of FIG.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment
1 to 4 show a microwave cooking appliance 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as cooking appliance 10) according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and a microwave oven 1 in which the cooking appliance 10 is used.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4, microwave oven 1 comprises microwave oven body 2 having heating chamber 3, which is a rectangular parallelepiped space with an opening at the front side in Fig. 1, and door 4 that opensably covers the opening of heating chamber 3. A pair of roughly linear guide rails (first support mechanism) 5 extending horizontally in the front-to-rear direction are provided on the left and right side walls of heating chamber 3. Microwave oven body 2 is provided with magnetron 6 on the bottom wall of heating chamber 3.

The cooking device 10 comprises a plate 11 that is removably supported within the heating chamber 3, and a container 21 that is removably supported on the plate 11.

Referring to Figures 5A and 5B, the plate 11 comprises a plate body 12 that is rectangular in plan view, and a dome-shaped portion 13 that bulges upward in Figure 5A from the center of the plate body 12. The plate 11 also comprises a pair of generally linear suspension rails (second support mechanisms) 14 that are spaced apart in the width direction on the underside of the plate body 12 in Figure 5A.

Each suspension rail 14 includes a base portion 14a joined to the plate 11, a hanging portion 14b extending downward from the base portion 14a in FIG. 5A, and a support portion 14c protruding from the lower end of the hanging portion 14b toward the inside in the width direction of the heating chamber 3. In this embodiment, the suspension rail 14 is made of a microwave-transmitting material (e.g., resin).

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the container 21 comprises a bottomed, cylindrical container body 22 in which the food to be cooked is contained, and an attachment member 23 that extends from the upper end of the container body 22.

The container 21, in which the food to be cooked is contained in the container body 22, is detachably supported on the hanging rail 14 by inserting both sides of the mounting member 23 into the hanging rail 14 of the plate 11. Specifically, the mounting member 23 of the container 21 is supported on the hanging rail 14 by being placed on the support portion 14c of the hanging rail 14. When the container 21 is supported on the plate 11, the upper portion of the container body 22 faces the dome-shaped portion 13 of the plate 11. The plate 11 and the container 21 supported by it are accommodated in the heating chamber 3 through the opening of the heating chamber 3. The plate 11 is supported in the heating chamber 3 by placing both sides of the plate body 12 on the guide rails 5.

In this embodiment, the entire plate 11, including the plate body 12 and the dome-shaped portion 13, is made of a microwave reflector. For example, the plate body 12 and the dome-shaped portion 13 can be made of metal to serve as microwave reflectors. Also, in this embodiment, the entire container 21 is made of a microwave-transmitting body. For example, the container body 22 can be made of glass or ceramic, and the mounting member 23 can be made of resin, to serve as a microwave-transmitting body for the entire container 21.

The height position of the guide rail 5 in the heating chamber 3, the shape of the plate 11, the length of the hanging portion 14b of the hanging rail 14, and the height of the container 21 are set so that there is a gap between the bottom surface of the heating chamber 3 and the bottom surface of the container body 22.

When the food is heated by the micro-irradiation from the magnetron 6, a gap is provided between the bottom of the heating chamber 3 in which the magnetron 6 is arranged and the bottom of the container body 22, so that the food can be prevented from being locally heated at the bottom of the container body 22. Even when the same container 21 is used, the gap between the bottom of the heating chamber 3 and the bottom of the container body 22 can be adjusted by changing the design of the hanging rail 14, more specifically, the length of the hanging part 14b of the hanging rail 14, so that the heating of the food by the microwave oven 1 can be appropriately controlled according to the food. The gap between the bottom of the heating chamber 3 and the bottom of the container body 22 can also be adjusted by the design of the guide rail 5 (e.g., the installation height of the guide rail 5 in the heating chamber 3) or the design of the plate 11 (e.g., the distance from the guide rail 5 to the bottom of the plate 11).

The heating chamber 3 of the microwave oven 1 is divided into two spaces in the vertical direction by a plate 11 which is a microwave reflector in its entirety. Of these spaces, the lower space where the magnetron 6 is located is the space to be heated by microwaves (heated space A), and the upper space where the magnetron 6 is not located is the space that is not to be heated by microwaves (non-heated space B). Since microwaves are used for heating only in heating space A, the food to be cooked can be heated more efficiently.

By preparing multiple plates 11 with different shapes, dimensions, etc. and selecting one of them for use, appropriate heating can be performed according to the food being cooked.

Since the hanging rail 14 and the mounting member 23 are both made of microwave-transmitting materials, microwaves irradiated from the magnetron 6 arranged on the bottom surface of the heating chamber 3 can pass through the hanging rail 14 and the mounting member 23 and reach the upper side of the container 21. This allows the microwaves to be efficiently incident on the top surface of the food to be cooked, effectively heating the top surface of the food contained in the container body 22. In other words, by making the hanging rail 14 and the mounting member 23 microwave-transmitting materials, the food can be heated from the entirety.

Next, we will explain the container body 22 and the mounting member 23 in more detail.

First, referring to Figures 1 to 4, the bottom surface 3a of the heating chamber 3 extends in the front-rear direction (first direction) X and the width direction (second direction) Y.

Referring to Figures 4, 5A and 5B, as described above, the hanging rails 14 are provided in a pair with a gap in the width direction Y on the plate 11, and each includes a base portion 14a, a hanging portion 14b and a support portion 14c. Of these, the support portion 14c extends along the XY plane so as to face the bottom surface 3a of the heating chamber 3, and is strip-shaped with its short side in the width direction Y and its long side in the front-rear direction X. The inner ends 14d of the pair of support portions 14c facing each other in the width direction Y are positioned with a gap D1 between them.

Referring to Figures 4 and 6, the container body 22 of the container 21 is made of glass or ceramic, has an open top, and is a bottomed cylinder that is generally circular in plan view. The container body 22 has a flange portion 22b whose outer diameter R is smaller than the distance D1 between the inner ends 14d of the pair of support portions 14c.

However, the container body 22 may be, for example, rectangular in plan view. In this case, the flange portion 22b is configured to uniformly protrude from the outer periphery 22a of the container body 22 along the XY plane, and the outer shape of the flange portion 22b may be smaller than the distance D1 between the inner ends 14d of the pair of support portions 14c when viewed from the front-rear direction X. In other words, the outer shape of the flange portion 22b may be, for example, larger in the diagonal dimension than the distance D1 between the inner ends 14d, as long as the portion corresponding to the distance between the inner ends 14d of the pair of support portions 14c is smaller than the distance D1 when attached to the suspension rail 14.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the mounting member 23 provided on the container 21 is separate from the container body 22, is made of a material with a lighter specific gravity than the container body 22, and is attached to the flange portion 22b of the container body 22 and attached to the hanging rail 14. Referring to Figures 6 and 7, the mounting member 23 includes a resin retaining member 24 arranged below the flange portion 22b, and a resin cover 25 arranged above the flange portion 22b.

Continuing to refer to Figures 6 and 7, the holding member 24 is a plate body that is generally rectangular when viewed from above in the height direction Z, holds the flange portion 22b, and is placed on the pair of support portions 14c. In the width direction Y, the horizontal width W of the holding member 24 is larger than the distance D1 between the pair of support portions 14c and smaller than the distance D2 between the pair of hanging portions 14b, which is the maximum dimension of the pair of support portions 14c.

The holding member 24 has an attachment hole 24a with a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the outer periphery 22a of the container body 22 and smaller than the outer diameter R of the flange portion 22b. The outer periphery of the holding member 24 has a rib 24b that protrudes downward. The tip of the rib 24b, which has a semicircular cross section, is placed on the support portion 14c. The rear corner of the holding member 24, which is the tip in the insertion direction, has a chamfered portion 24c with a predetermined curvature. The front part of the holding member 24, which is the rear end in the insertion direction, has a handle 24d that protrudes in the height direction Z.

Continuing to refer to Figures 6 and 7, the cover 25 comprises an annular upper surface portion 25a covering the upper surface of the flange portion 22b, an outer cylinder portion 25b protruding downward from the outer end of the upper surface portion 25a, and an inner cylinder portion 25c protruding downward from the inner end of the upper surface portion 25a. The inner diameter of the upper surface portion 25a is smaller than the inner diameter of the flange portion 22b, and the outer diameter of the upper surface portion 25a is larger than the outer diameter of the flange portion 22b. The outer cylinder portion 25b is located radially outwardly of the flange portion 22b with a gap therebetween, and its lower end abuts the upper surface of the holding member 24. The inner cylinder portion 25c is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the container body 22.

The holding member 24 and the cover 25 are connected by screws 26 and nuts 27 that constitute a connecting member. The screws 26 and nuts 27 are arranged at multiple locations (four locations in this embodiment) at intervals in the circumferential direction of the holding member 24 and the cover 25. The screws 26 and nuts 27 may be made of metal, but are preferably made of resin, which is microwave-transparent.

The container body 22 is inserted into the mounting hole 24a from above, the flange portion 22b is placed on the holding member 24, and then the cover 25 is placed on the upper side of the flange portion 22b. After that, the screw 26 is inserted from above through the through-holes of the holding member 24 and the cover 25, and the screw 26 is tightened into the nut 27 placed on the lower side of the holding member 24. This causes the holding member 24 and the cover 25 to be attached together to the container body 22.

The cooking utensil 10 configured in this manner has the following features:

The container 21 is provided with an attachment member 23 made of a material with a lower specific gravity than the container body 22, so that the weight of the container 21 can be reduced by providing a structure (attachment member 23) for attachment to the hanging rail 14.

The glass or ceramic container body 22 is superior to the resin container 21 in terms of scratch resistance, odor retention, and durability. This improves user convenience.

The container body 22 is smaller than the distance between the inner ends 14d of the pair of support parts 14c, and the mounting members 23 each have a resin retaining member 24 and a cover 25, so the weight of the container 21 can be reduced compared to when the entire container 21 is made of glass or ceramic. The resin mounting member 23 can be molded using a mold, so dimensional accuracy can be ensured for the container body 22 and the hanging rail 14.

The retaining member 24 and the cover 25 are connected by the connecting members, the screw 26 and the nut 27, so that the mounting member 23 can be firmly attached to the container body 22. This improves the ease of handling of the container 21.

Other embodiments will be described below, but in these descriptions, points that are not specifically mentioned are similar to the first embodiment. In the drawings referred to below, elements that are the same as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals.

Second Embodiment
8 shows a part of the cooking utensil 10 of the second embodiment. The cooking utensil 10 of the second embodiment includes a container body 22 and an attachment member 23. The attachment member 23 has a holding member 24 and a cover 25, which are connected to each other by engaging a locking piece 31 with the edge of a locking hole 30, which is different from the first embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 8, the locking holes 30 are rectangular in plan view, and multiple locking holes 30 are provided at intervals in the holding member 24. The locking pieces 31 have elastically deformable arm portions 31a and claw portions 31b that lock onto the edge of the locking holes 30, and protrude downward from the upper surface portion 25a of the cover 25 so as to correspond to the locking holes 30. However, the locking holes 30 may be provided in the cover 25, and the locking pieces 31 may be provided in the holding member 24.

The container body 22 is inserted into the mounting hole 24a from above, the flange portion 22b is placed on the holding member 24, and then the cover 25 is placed on the top of the flange portion 22b. The cover 25 is then pressed against the holding member 24, causing the locking piece 31 to pass through the locking hole 30, and the claw portion 31b to lock onto the edge of the locking hole 30. This causes the holding member 24 and the cover 25 to be attached integrally to the container body 22.

The cooking utensil 10 of the second embodiment can achieve the same action and effect as the first embodiment. Moreover, since the retaining member 24 and the cover 25 are connected by the engagement of the retaining piece 31 with the edge of the retaining hole 30, a separate connecting member (screw 26 and nut 27 shown in FIG. 7) is not required. This reduces the number of parts and simplifies the installation work of the mounting member 23 to the container body 22. In addition, the retaining member 24 and the cover 25 can be removed from the container body 22 by operating the retaining piece 31 to release the engagement with the retaining member 24. This improves the cleanability of the container body 22 and the mounting member 23.

Third Embodiment
9 and 10 show a microwave oven 1 using a cooking utensil 10 of the third embodiment. The cooking utensil 10 of the third embodiment includes a container body 22 and a mounting member 23. The mounting member 23 differs from the first embodiment in that it is configured by a cover 34 made of silicone rubber, which is a microwave-transmissive body.

9 and 10, the pair of suspension rails 14 each have a support portion 14c extending along the XY plane, as in the first embodiment. The distance between the pair of support portions 14c is D1, and the maximum dimension of the pair of support portions 14c, i.e., the distance between the pair of hanging portions 14b, is D2.

10 and 11, the container body 22 has a flange portion 22b that protrudes from the outer periphery 22a by a uniform dimension (e.g., 20 mm). The outer diameter R of the flange portion 22b is larger than the distance D1 between the inner ends 14d of the pair of support portions 14c and smaller than the distance D2 between the pair of hanging portions 14b. However, the container body 22 may be, for example, rectangular in plan view, as in the first embodiment, and in this case, the outer shape of the flange portion 22b may be larger than the distance D1 between the inner ends 14d of the pair of support portions 14c when viewed from the front-rear direction X when attached to the suspension rail 14.

The cover 34 is made of a rubber sheet with a thickness of about 1.5 mm to 2.0 mm, and covers the flange portion from the bottom to the top. Specifically, the cover 34 includes a lower covering portion 34a that covers the bottom surface of the flange portion 22b, an outer covering portion 34b that covers the outer surface of the flange portion 22b, an upper covering portion 34c that covers the top surface of the flange portion 22b, and an inner covering portion 34d that covers the inner peripheral surface of the container body 22. The cover 34 is attached to the flange portion 22b by covering the flange portion 22b from the outside in the radial direction, for example, in the order of the lower covering portion 34a, the outer covering portion 34b, the upper covering portion 34c, and the inner covering portion 34d.

The cooking utensil 10 of the third embodiment can achieve the same effects and advantages as the first embodiment. Moreover, because the flange portion 22b of the container body 22 protrudes from the outer periphery 22a at a uniform distance, the portion of the container body 22 required to mount the container 21 on the hanging rail 14 can be minimized. In other words, the weight of the container 21 can be reduced compared to when a rectangular flange portion is formed on the container body 22 so as to fit along the support portion 14c.

The flange portion 22b is covered with a rubber cover 34, which prevents the container body 22 from being damaged when it is attached to or detached from the hanging rail 14. Furthermore, the rubber cover 34 can be easily attached to or detached from the flange portion 22b, which improves the cleanability of the flange portion 22b and the cover 34.

The microwave cooking appliance 10 of the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Microwave oven 2 Microwave oven body 3 Heating chamber 3a Bottom surface 4 Door 5 Guide rail 6 Magnetron 10 Microwave oven cooking appliance 11 Plate 12 Plate body 13 Dome-shaped portion 14 Suspension rail (support mechanism)
14a Pedestal portion 14b Hanging portion 14c Support portion 14d Inner end 21 Container 22 Container body 22a Outer periphery 22b Flange portion 23 Mounting member 24 Holding member 24a Mounting hole 24b Rib 24c Chamfered portion 24d Handle 25 Cover 25a Top surface portion 25b Outer cylinder portion 25c Inner cylinder portion 26 Screw (connecting member)
27 Nut (connecting member)
30: locking hole 31: locking piece 31a: arm portion 31b: claw portion 34: cover 34a: lower covering portion 34b: outer covering portion 34c: upper covering portion 34d: inner covering portion

Claims (9)

a plate removably supported within a heating chamber of the microwave oven;
A support mechanism provided on a lower surface of the plate;
a container that is detachably supported by the support mechanism so as to be spaced apart from a bottom surface of the heating chamber;
The container comprises:
A bottomed cylindrical container body made of a microwave-transmitting body;
and a mounting member made of a material having a lower specific gravity than said container body, said mounting member being attached to said container body and mounted to said support mechanism. The microwave cooker of claim 1, wherein the container body is made of glass or ceramic. The bottom surface of the heating chamber extends in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction,
the support mechanism has a pair of support parts extending in the first direction opposite the bottom surface and spaced apart in the second direction,
the container body has a flange portion having an outer shape smaller than a distance between opposing inner ends of the pair of support portions when viewed from the first direction,
The mounting member is
a holding member made of resin that is placed on the pair of support portions and is disposed below the flange portion to hold the flange portion;
3. The microwave oven cooking appliance according to claim 1, further comprising: a resin cover disposed above said flange portion and connected to said holding member. The microwave cooking appliance of claim 3, wherein the retaining member and the cover are connected by a connecting member. The microwave oven cooking appliance according to claim 3, wherein the holding member and the cover are separably connected by a locking hole provided in one of the holding member and the cover, and a locking piece provided in the other of the holding member and the cover that locks onto the edge of the locking hole. The bottom surface of the heating chamber extends in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction,
the support mechanism has a pair of support parts extending in the first direction opposite the bottom surface and spaced apart in the second direction,
the container body has a flange portion that protrudes from an outer periphery of the container body by a uniform dimension and has an outer shape larger than a distance between the opposing inner ends of the pair of support portions when viewed from the first direction;
3. The microwave oven cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein said mounting member is a rubber cover that covers the flange portion from its lower surface to its upper surface. The microwave cooking appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the plate is made of a microwave reflector. The microwave cooking appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the support mechanism and the mounting member are both made of microwave-transparent materials. The microwave oven body,
A microwave oven comprising a microwave cooking appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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