U.S. patent application number 09/947705 was filed with the patent office on 2002-03-07 for valve opening/closing device of a fryer.
This patent application is currently assigned to PALOMA INDUSTRIES, LIMITED. Invention is credited to Chikazawa, Hideo, Hayakawa, Tsuneyasu, Kijimoto, Hideki.
Application Number | 20020026875 09/947705 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 18757911 |
Filed Date | 2002-03-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020026875 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chikazawa, Hideo ; et
al. |
March 7, 2002 |
Valve opening/closing device of a fryer
Abstract
The invention provides a valve opening/closing device for a
fryer, in which the operation of opening/closing the oil discharge
valve is easy, and with which it is possible to recognize with one
glance whether it is in an open state or a closed state. In the
valve opening/closing device 40, by opening and closing an oil
discharge valve 35 placed in an oil discharge pipe 33, which
extends from the bottom of an oil vat containing cooking oil, the
oil discharge pipe opens and closes. The valve opening/closing
device is provided with a long bar-shaped fixed link portion 41,
which is fixed at one end to the oil discharge valve and which
extends substantially perpendicular to the rotating shaft of the
oil discharge valve; a first short bar-shaped rotating link portion
42 fixed at one end to the rotating shaft; a second rotating link
portion 43 that is of a similar length to the first rotating link
portion and disposed parallel thereto, and that is rotatably
attached at one end to the other end of the fixed link portion; a
long bar-shaped coupling link portion 44 rotatably fixed at both
ends to the other ends of the first and second rotating link
portions; and a rotating lever 45 fixed to the other end of the
second link portion and extending therefrom.
Inventors: |
Chikazawa, Hideo; (
Nagoya-shi, JP) ; Hayakawa, Tsuneyasu; (Nagoya-shi,
JP) ; Kijimoto, Hideki; (Nagoya-shi, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PEARSON & PEARSON
10 GEORGE STREET
LOWELL
MA
01852
US
|
Assignee: |
PALOMA INDUSTRIES, LIMITED
|
Family ID: |
18757911 |
Appl. No.: |
09/947705 |
Filed: |
September 6, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
99/403 ; 99/330;
99/407; 99/408 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47J 37/1285
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
99/403 ; 99/407;
99/408; 99/330 |
International
Class: |
A23L 001/00; A47J
037/12 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 7, 2000 |
JP |
2000-271660 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A valve opening/closing device of a fryer, wherein an oil
discharge valve of a ball valve type is disposed in an oil
discharge pipe that extends from a bottom of an oil vat for
containing cooking oil and that discharges cooking oil from a
discharge opening at its end into a tank, and wherein a pipe
pathway through the oil discharge pipe opens and closes by opening
and closing of the oil discharge valve, the valve opening/closing
device comprising: a long bar-shaped fixed link portion fixed at
one end to the perimeter of a protruding position on a rotating
shaft of the oil discharge valve, and extending at substantially
right angles to the rotating shaft; a first short bar-shaped
rotating link portion fixed at one end to the rotating shaft of the
oil discharge valve; a second rotating link portion that is of a
similar length to the first rotating link portion and disposed
parallel thereto, and that is rotatably attached at one end to the
other end of the fixed link portion; a long bar-shaped coupling
link portion rotatably fixed at both ends to the other ends of the
first and second rotating link portions; and a rotating lever fixed
to the other end of the second link portion and extending
therefrom.
2. The valve opening/closing device according to claim 1, wherein
the fixed link portion and the coupling link portion are in a bent
shape, in which the portions are slightly bent at an intermediate
portion in a longitudinal direction while maintaining a parallel
state with one another, or the portions are in the shape of the
letter z, wherein they are slightly bent and bent back.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a valve opening/closing
device of a fryer for opening and closing an oil discharge valve of
a ball valve type that is placed in an oil discharge pipe of a
fryer for heating cooking oil that has been filled into an oil vat
and cooking foods, and that opens and closes that pipe.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] As shown in FIG. 7, conventional fryers of this type are
provided with an oil discharge pipe 2 that extends from the bottom
of an oil vat 1, which is a box-shaped container opened on the top,
and with an oil discharge valve 4 near an oil discharge collection
portion 3 at the end of the oil discharge pipe 2, the valve 4 being
of a ball valve type that opens and closes the pipe pathway. As
shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the oil discharge valve 4 is provided
with the valve opening/closing device 5 being of a simple
configuration made up of a rotating link portion 6 of a short
length that is fixed to a rotating shaft 4a of the oil discharge
valve 4 and that extends in a direction perpendicular to the axis
thereof, and an operation link portion 7 that is rotatably attached
at one end to the distal end of the rotating link portion 6, that
extends toward the front of the fryer and that is guided by a guide
portion 8 provided on the housing of the fryer so as to be shifted
substantially back and forth (in the direction of the arrow shown
in the drawing). The valve opening/closing device 5 can put the oil
discharge valve 4 into a closed state by pushing the operation link
portion 7 rearward so that the rotating link portion 6 can be put
into a position tilted 45.degree. rearward with respect to a
sideways orientation, and can put the oil discharge valve 4 into an
open state by pulling the operation link portion 7 forward so that
the rotating link portion 6 can be put into a position tilted
45.degree. forward with respect to the sideways orientation. It is
necessary that the valve opening/closing device 5 is of a simple
configuration because many other parts are concentrated on the
front side of the fryer.
[0005] When cleaning the inside of the oil vat 1, or when the
liquid rises to a higher level along with an expansion in volume
when solid lard oil, for example, has been given into the oil vat 1
and melted into a liquid state from its original solid state, the
oil discharge valve 4 of the above-described valve opening/closing
device 5 is opened by operating the operation link portion 7 and
the cooking oil in the oil vat 1 is passed through the oil
discharge pipe 2 to discharge the oil and is collected within a
tank 9 below the fryer.
[0006] Structurally, however, in an oil discharge valve of a ball
valve type the torque becomes extremely large when starting to open
the valve or when the finishing the closing of the valve. That is
to say, when opening the valve, the ball is caused to rotate in a
state in which air, for example, has been closed in by the through
hole piercing the ball, and thus the air acts as a spring, so that
it acts as a force that opposes the rotation. Also, when closing
the valve, air, for example, is trapped within the through hole and
the ball is rotated, and thus in a similar way the air, for
example, acts as a spring and as a force in opposition to the
rotation of the ball. Thus, with a configuration like that of
conventional valve opening/closing devices in which the control
link portion is pushed and pulled forward and backward, an
extremely large force is required when opening and closing the
valve, and for persons with little strength, such as women or
elderly people, the opening operation is not easy, nor is it easy
when closing the valve to completely close up the oil discharge
valve. For that reason, there is the risk that the liquid level
within the oil vat decreased due to oil leaking from the oil vat
before the operator is aware of it, resulting in poorly cooked
foods or accidents such as fire due to overheating the cooking oil.
Additionally, because conventional valve opening/closing devices
are of the configuration of pushing and pulling the control link
portion forward and backward, there is also the problem that it is
difficult to clearly judge whether the oil discharge valve is in an
open state or a closed state by only looking at the control link
portion.
[0007] The present invention solves the aforementioned problems,
and an object of the present invention is to provide a valve
opening/closing device of a fryer, in which it is easy to open and
close the oil discharge valve, and in which it is possible to
confirm with one glance whether the oil discharge valve is in an
open state or a closed state.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] To achieve the above-mentioned object, in accordance with a
first aspect of the present invention, a valve opening/closing
device of a fryer, wherein an oil discharge valve of a ball valve
type is disposed in an oil discharge pipe that extends from a
bottom of an oil vat for containing cooking oil and that discharges
cooking oil from a discharge opening at its end into a tank, and
wherein a pipe pathway through the oil discharge pipe opens and
closes by opening and closing of the oil discharge valve, includes
a long bar-shaped fixed link portion fixed at one end to the
perimeter of a protruding position on a rotating shaft of the oil
discharge valve, and extending at substantially right angles to the
rotating shaft;
[0009] a first short bar-shaped rotating link portion fixed at one
end to the rotating shaft of the oil discharge valve;
[0010] a second rotating link portion that is of a similar length
to the first rotating link portion and disposed parallel thereto,
and that is rotatably attached at one end to the other end of the
fixed link portion;
[0011] a long bar-shaped coupling link portion rotatably fixed at
both ends to the other ends of the first and second rotating link
portions; and
[0012] a rotating lever fixed to the other end of the second link
portion and extending therefrom.
[0013] With this configuration according to the first aspect of the
invention, when the oil discharge valve is opened for discharging
cooking oil from the oil vats, for example to clean the inside of
the oil vats, by grabbing the rotating lever and rotating it around
the other end of the fixed link portion it is possible to take
advantage of the torque corresponding to the length of the second
rotating link portion and the rotating lever, thus achieving a
large rotating force with little effort. Also, by rotating the
first rotating link portion via the coupling link portion coupled
to the second rotating link portion, the rotating shaft of the oil
discharge valve is rotated, making it possible to easily shift the
oil discharge valve into an open state. In the same way it is also
possible to easily shift the oil discharge valve into a closed
state. Moreover, by looking at the position of the rotating lever
corresponding to the open and closed states of the oil discharge
valve, for example, by arranging the rotating lever such that it
faces sideways or forward, it is possible to confirm with one look
whether the oil discharge valve is in an open state or a closed
state.
[0014] According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a
fryer according to the first aspect, the fixed link portion and the
coupling link portion are in a bent shape, in which the portions
are slightly bent at an intermediate portion in a longitudinal
direction while maintaining a parallel state with one another, or
the portions are in z-shape, wherein they are slightly bent and
bent back. Thus, it is possible to dispose the link portions such
that they do not come into contact with the oil discharge
collection portion or the oil discharge valve on the oil discharge
pipe, or with members at the periphery of the fryer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a lateral view showing the schematic configuration
of one embodiment of the fryer of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the schematic configuration
of the fryer in FIG. 1.
[0017] FIG. 3 is a lateral view showing the oil supply and
discharge mechanism, which is a primary element of the fryer in
FIG. 1.
[0018] FIG. 4 is a lateral view showing the valve opening/closing
device.
[0019] FIG. 5 is a planar view of the valve opening/closing device
in FIG. 4.
[0020] FIG. 6 is a lateral view showing a modification example of
the valve opening/closing device.
[0021] FIG. 7 is a lateral view showing an oil supply and discharge
mechanism of a fryer in a conventional example.
[0022] FIG. 8 is a lateral view showing a valve opening/closing
device in a conventional example.
[0023] FIG. 9 is a planar view showing a valve opening/closing
device in a conventional example.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] An embodiment of the present invention is described below
with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a lateral
view (excluding the right side plate) and a front view (excluding
the front side plate) of a schematic configuration of a fryer for
commercial use according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 shows a lateral
view of the supply and discharge mechanism for the cooking oil,
which is an essential part of the fryer.
[0025] The fryer is provided with a box-shaped housing 10, stands
on a floor surface F, supported by casters 12 provided at the four
corners of a bottom panel portion 11a of the box-shaped housing 10.
The upper portion of the inside of the housing 10 is provided with
a pair of left and right oil vats 13 and 14 to hold the cooking
oil, with the oil vat 13 on the left side being a split vat divided
into two vats, and the oil vat 14 on the right side being a single
full vat. The full vat has one of each of an oil supply pipe and an
oil discharge pipe, and the split vat has two of each of an oil
supply pipe and an oil discharge pipe.
[0026] Apron portions 13a and 14a that are frame-shaped and have a
front portion that projects forward are integrally attached to the
upper edge of the oil vats 13 and 14. A rising panel 15 extending
upward is provided on the rear wall side of the apron portions 13a
and 14a. A pair of air chambers 16 are attached to the front of the
oil vats 13 and 14. Burners 17 (only the one corresponding to the
oil vat 14 is shown) for heating the cooking oil within the oil
vats is disposed on a side portion of the oil vats 13 and 14. The
burner 17 is furnished with a pipe 17b disposed in a looping
fashion within the oil vat 14 with one end fixed to the exit of the
oil heating chamber 17a and the other end passing through a
sidewall of the air chamber 16, and serving as a conduit to the
outside. The pipe 17b is in communication with an extension pipe
17c fixed to a sidewall of the air chamber 16.
[0027] Each air chamber 16 is connected to a gas supply pipe 21
provided with an electromagnetic valve 22, and also connected, via
an air supply pipe 25, with an electrically driven fan 23 and an
air supply muffler 24. Additionally, the burners 17 are each
provided with a silencing device 26. The silencing devices 26 are
provided with a lower exhaust muffler 27 disposed on the lower side
of a rear portion of the oil vats 13 and 14, and an upper exhaust
muffler 28 disposed on the upper side of a rear portion of the oil
vats 13 and 14. The exhaust mufflers are connected in series, and a
release pipe 29 that releases exhaust into the air is attached to
the upper end of the upper exhaust muffler 28. An oil tank 31 is
placed on the bottom panel portion 11a in the housing 10, and an
oil pump 32 is provided at the rear portion of the oil tank 31.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 3, the discharge and supply mechanism is
provided with oil discharge pipes 33 leading out from the oil vats
13 and 14, and an oil discharge collection portion 34 is attached
to the end of the oil discharge pipes 33, such that oil is
discharged from a discharge opening 34a in the oil discharge
collection portion 34 into the oil tank 31 underneath. An oil
discharge valve 35 of a ball valve type, for opening and closing a
pipe by the rotating position of the ball, is attached adjacent to
the oil discharge collection portion 34 of the oil discharge pipe
33. A valve opening/closing device 40 is disposed on the oil
discharge valve 35. The following is an explanation of the valve
opening/closing device 40 corresponding to the oil vat 14.
[0029] As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the valve opening/closing
device 40 is made of a long bar-shaped fixed link portion 41,
wherein one end is fixed to a protruding portion 36 of the valve at
the protruding position of a rotating shaft 37 of the oil discharge
valve 35, and wherein the fixed link portion 41 is substantially
perpendicular with respect to the rotating shaft 37 and extends in
the direction of the oil discharge collection portion 34; a first
short bar-shaped rotating link portion 42 fixed at one end to the
rotating shaft 37; a second short bar-shaped rotating link portion
43 of a length substantially equal to that of the first rotating
link portion 42, and which at one end is rotatably attached to the
other end of the fixed link portion 41; a long bar-shaped coupling
link portion 44 of substantially equal length as the fixed link
portion 41, wherein both ends are rotatably fixed to the other ends
of the first and second rotating link portions 42 and 43; and a
rotating lever portion 45 solidly fixed to the other end of the
second rotating link portion 43, wherein the rotating lever 45 is
disposed on the same surface as the second rotating link portion 43
and extends obliquely at substantially 30.degree. forward with
respect to the second rotating link portion 43. When the oil
discharge valve 35 is closed, the first and second rotating link
portions 42 and 43 are tilted at a 30.degree. angle to the rear
with respect to a sideways orientation, and when the oil discharge
valve 35 is open, the first and second rotating link portions 42
and 43 are tilted 60.degree. forward with respect to a sideways
orientation.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 3, an oil supply pipe 38 leads out from the
bottom portion of the oil tank 31, and is connected to the oil vats
13 and 14 via the oil pump 32. A ball-valve type oil supply valve
39 is provided in the oil supply pipe 38, downstream from the oil
pump 32. The oil supply valve 39 is provided with a valve
opening/closing mechanism 50. The valve opening/closing mechanism
50 is provided with a short bar-shaped rotating link portion 51
extending downward and fixed at one end to a rotating shaft 39a of
the oil supply valve 39, a long bar-shaped coupling link portion 52
rotatably attached to the other end of the rotating link portion
51, and bent in a plurality of locations and extending out
substantially horizontally to the front surface side of the housing
10, and a lever portion 53 in the shape of a V, whose intersection
portion is rotatably supported by the housing and wherein one end
is rotatably attached to the front end portion of a coupling link
portion 52. The oil supply valve 39 can be easily opened and closed
by controlling the rotation of the lever portion 53.
[0031] In the embodiment with this configuration, when it becomes
necessary to open the oil discharge valve 35, for example to clean
the inside of the oil vats 13 and 14, the rotating lever 45
extending in a horizontal orientation as seen from the front wall
of the housing 10 is gripped and rotated 90.degree. to the front of
the fryer on the other end of the fixed link portion 41. This makes
it possible to use the torque corresponding to the length of the
second rotating link portion 43 and the rotating lever 45, thus
achieving a large rotating force with little effort, and makes it
easy to put the oil discharge valve 35 in an open state by rotating
the first rotating link 42 via the coupling link portion 44 coupled
to the second rotating link portion 43 to rotate the rotating shaft
37 of the oil discharge valve 35. Additionally, to close the oil
discharge valve 35, the oil discharge valve 35 can be easily put in
a closed state in the same way by rotating the rotating lever 45
for 90.degree. in the opposite direction.
[0032] The result is that the opening and closing operation of the
oil discharge valve 35 can be easily performed even by women or
elderly people with little strength. Moreover, the position of the
rotating lever 45 corresponding to the open state and closed state
of the oil discharge valve 35 is regulated such that they are
orientated sideways or frontward when viewed from the front
surface, so that by looking at the position of the rotating lever
45 it is possible to tell with one glance whether the oil discharge
valve 35 is in an open state or a closed state, and thus is
extremely convenient. Consequently, it is possible to prevent oil
leaks from the oil vats 13 and 14 caused by leaving the oil
discharge valve 35 in a state of incomplete closure. Additionally,
it is possible to prevent poor quality of cooked foods resulting
from a lowered liquid level when the oil vats are heated, and
further prevent accidents such as fires that result from
over-heating the cooking oil.
[0033] An example of a modification of the valve opening/closing
device is described next. As shown in FIG. 6, in this modified
example, when an oil discharge collection portion 62 of a
rectangular box-shape is attached in horizontal orientation to an
oil discharge pipe 61 extending outward from the oil vat in a
tilted direction, a fixed link portion 66 and a coupling link
portion 67, both of a valve opening/closing device 65 provided on
an oil discharge valve 63, are slightly bent into horizontal
orientation at an intermediate portion in a longitudinal direction
while maintaining the link portions parallel to one another, and
furthermore they are slightly bent back at another intermediate
portion in a longitudinal direction, thus attaining a the shape of
the letter z. In this way, by modifying the position of the oil
discharge valve 63 and the oil discharge collection portion 62 with
respect to the oil discharge pipe 61, the fixed link portion 66 and
the coupling link portion 67 can be disposed without coming into
contact with the oil discharge valve 63 and the oil discharge
collection portion 62, making it possible to easily open and close
the oil discharge valve 63 with the smooth operation of the link
portions.
[0034] The fryer and valve opening/closing devices disclosed in the
above-mentioned embodiments are only examples, and it is possible
to perform a variety of embodiments within a scope that does not
deviate from the essential points of the present invention.
[0035] According to the first aspect of the invention, when opening
or closing the oil discharge valve, by grabbing and rotating the
rotating lever of a valve opening/closing device, which is provided
with a link mechanism made of a fixed link portion, a first
rotating link portion, a second rotating link portion, and a
coupling link portion, it is possible to achieve a powerful
rotating force with little effort, thus making it possible to
easily put the oil discharge valve into the open or closed state.
As a result, even persons with little strength, such as women, can
easily operate the opening and closing controls. Additionally, by
looking at the position of the rotating lever, it is possible to
recognize with one glance whether the oil discharge valve is in an
open state or a closed state, making it possible to prevent oil
leaks from the oil vats that result from leaving the oil discharge
valve in an incomplete state of closure. Moreover, it is possible
to prevent foods from being cooked poorly resulting from a lowered
liquid level during heating of the oil vats, and further prevent
accidents that result from overheating of the cooking oil, for
example fires.
[0036] Additionally, with the fixed link portion and the coupling
link portion being formed in a bent shape slightly bent at
intermediate portions in a longitudinal direction while maintaining
the link portions parallel to one another, it is possible to
smoothly carry out the opening and closing operation without having
the link portions come into contact with peripheral members, for
example when it is necessary to bend and position the oil discharge
pipe within a small housing (effect of the second aspect of the
invention).
[0037] The invention may be embodied in other specific forms
without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics
thereof. The embodiments disclosed in this application are to be
considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the
scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims
rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come
within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are
intended to be embraced therein.
* * * * *