CN108294713B

CN108294713B - Cleaning device for cooking utensil

Info

Publication number: CN108294713B
Application number: CN201710264613.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 冯燊镜; 陈永盛; 罗尚礼; 赵敬强
Original assignee: Hong Kong and China Gas Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hong Kong and China Gas Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-01-11
Filing date: 2017-04-20
Publication date: 2021-06-15
Anticipated expiration: 2037-04-20
Also published as: CN108294713A; CN207613737U; HK1252879A1

Abstract

Cleaning device (100) for cleaning a cooking appliance, such as a pot (10), comprising: a housing (110), a grip (130) for gripping a pot (10), and a first movement mechanism (140) for moving the grip (130) and thereby the pot (10) gripped thereby from a rest position in a rest area P to a cleaning position in a cleaning area Q. Also comprises a cleaning unit (150) for cleaning the pot (10) in the cleaning position and held by the holding member (130), and a drive mechanism (160) for operating the cleaning unit (150). Further, a second moving mechanism (170) is included for moving the pot (10) to a preparation position in the preparation area R after cleaning, and the pot (10) can be stacked with one or more pots (10) in the preparation area R in order to be ready for use.

Description

Cleaning device for cooking utensil

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a cleaning device for use in cleaning a cooking appliance.

Background

Cleaning of cooking utensils is one of the main reasons for hindering the food preparation process, especially in catering establishments. Although cleaning work may be done by a kitchen assistant instead of a cook, the employment of a kitchen assistant is costly and difficult, let alone many other preparation work to be handled.

The present invention seeks to mitigate, or at least alleviate, one or more of the aforementioned problems or disadvantages by providing a new or otherwise improved cleaning device.

Disclosure of Invention

According to the present invention, there is provided a cleaning device for cleaning a cooking appliance, comprising a housing in which a gripping member for gripping the cooking appliance is provided, and a first movement mechanism for moving the gripping member, and hence the cooking appliance gripped thereby, from a rest position in a rest area to a cleaning position in a cleaning area. Also included is a cleaning unit provided in the housing for cleaning the cooking appliance in the cleaning position and held by the holder, and a drive mechanism for operating the cleaning unit. Still further, a second movement mechanism is included for moving the cooking appliance to a ready position in a ready area after cleaning, and the cooking appliance may be stacked with one or more cooking appliances in the ready area in preparation for use.

Preferably, the first movement mechanism is arranged to move the clamp, and hence the cooking appliance it is clamping, between the rest position and the cleaning position.

More preferably, the first movement mechanism is arranged to move the gripping member, and hence the cooking utensil gripped thereby, from the cleaning position back to the rest position after cleaning, and the second movement mechanism is arranged to subsequently move said cooking utensil from the rest position to the ready position.

In a preferred embodiment, the clamp comprises one of an arcuate member and an annular member for surrounding at least a portion of the bottom of the cooking appliance for clamping the cooking appliance.

More preferably, the holder includes an engagement portion for engaging a handle of the cooking appliance, thereby retaining the cooking appliance on the holder.

Preferably, the cleaning unit comprises a washing member arranged to be moved by a drive mechanism to clean said cooking appliance.

More preferably, the washing member includes a plurality of flexible blades or plates for scrubbing the cooking utensil.

Preferably, the cleaning unit comprises a nozzle device for projecting cleaning fluid or water to clean the cooking appliance.

More preferably, the nozzle arrangement comprises a plurality of nozzle outlets.

More preferably, the nozzle arrangement is arranged to be moved relative to said cooking appliance by a drive mechanism.

Preferably, the cleaning unit comprises a rear cover arranged to engage through an opening of the cooking appliance in the cleaning position, thereby closing the interior of the cooking appliance for cleaning of the interior.

Preferably, the drive mechanism comprises an electric motor arranged to rotate the cleaning unit to operate it.

In a preferred embodiment, the clamp is arranged to hold the cooking appliance in a tilted angle or upright in the cleaning position, thereby facilitating emptying of the cooking appliance in the cleaning position.

More preferably, the housing includes a drain below the cleaning position for draining material emptied from the cooking appliance.

More preferably, the cleaning position of the cooking appliance is inclined by 90 ° from the rest position.

Preferably, the clamp is arranged to hold the cooking appliance in the cleaning position with the open side of the cooking appliance facing the rear of the housing.

Preferably, the second movement mechanism is adapted to move the cooking appliance vertically upwards to a ready position after cleaning.

More preferably, the second moving mechanism comprises a lifting clamp.

More preferably, the housing comprises a one-way support in the preparation area for supporting the cooking utensil, wherein the support is adapted to allow the cooking utensil to pass underneath and then support the cooking utensil when released.

More preferably, the unidirectional support comprises a plurality of support members having an operative position to support the cooking appliance and being movable from the operative position, thereby allowing the cooking appliance to pass thereunder and then return to and remain in the operative position to support the cooking appliance when released.

More preferably, the unidirectional support comprises a pair of support members in opposed positions, the support members being pivotable upwardly from the operative position and then downwardly back to the operative position.

In a preferred embodiment, the cleaning area follows immediately after the resting area, and the preparation area is located directly above the resting area.

As an example, the aforementioned cleaning device is adapted to be used in cleaning a pot.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a cleaning device according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal parts and components of the cleaning device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the cleaning device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the cleaning device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the cleaning device of FIG. 2;

figures 6A to 6H are perspective views of the cleaning device in figure 2 showing the movement of the inner parts and components during cleaning of the cookware;

figure 7 is a perspective view of the cleaning device of figure 2 in which two pots are clamped.

Detailed Description

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a cleaning device for practicing the invention for use in cleaning a cooking appliance, which may be, by way of example, but is not necessarily so, particularly a pot 10. The cleaning device 100 has an upright rectangular housing 110 which contains an open-front chamber 111 and a closed base 112. The housing 110 is constructed around a cubic frame structure 120 that defines the general shape of the housing 110 and provides support for the various parts and components of the cleaning device 100. The chamber 111 provides a space, referred to as a resting area P, at its lower end and above the base 112.

The cleaning device 100 comprises a grip 130 provided in the housing 110 for gripping the pot 10 and a first movement mechanism 140 for moving the grip 130 and the pot 10 gripped thereby from a rest position in the rest area P to a cleaning position (fig. 6A-6C) in the cleaning area Q. The cleaning device 100 further comprises a cleaning unit 150 provided in the housing 110 for cleaning the pot 10 held in the cleaning position by the holder 130, and a drive mechanism 160 for operating the cleaning unit 150. Further, a second moving mechanism 170 is included for subsequently moving the pot 10 after cleaning to a preparation position in the preparation area R, ready to be taken away for use.

The resting area P, which is occupied by the holder 130 in order to receive and hold the pot 10 to be cleaned, occupies a volume of space above the base 112 in the horizontal direction. The position of the cleaning zone Q follows immediately after the resting zone P, wherein said zone occupies a further volume of space extending vertically upwards, in order to receive the pot 10 gripped by the grip 130 and moved by the first movement mechanism 140 into the cleaning position, whereby it is cleaned by the cleaning unit 150 in the cleaning zone Q. The preparation area R is located directly above or vertically above the resting area P for receiving the cleaned pot 10, wherein the pot is moved to the preparation area R by the second movement mechanism 170.

In this particular embodiment, the first movement mechanism 140 is arranged to move the grip 130 and the pot 10 gripped thereby from the cleaning position/zone Q back to the rest position/zone P after cleaning (fig. 6C-6E), whereby the second movement mechanism 170 is arranged to subsequently move the cleaned pot 10 from the rest position/zone P to the preparation position/zone R (fig. 6E-6G).

The grip 130 is provided by a ring-shaped member (e.g. a ring-shaped member) or an arc-shaped member (e.g. a split ring-shaped member), or the grip 130 comprises a ring-shaped member or an arc-shaped member, so as to grip the pot 10 360 ° around the edge of the pot 10 or around at least a part of the edge thereof, wherein the pot 10 is located in the grip 130. Said annular/arc-shaped clamp 130 is hinged at its rear side for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis between a lower horizontal position in the resting region P (fig. 6A) and an upper vertical position in the cleaning region Q (fig. 6C).

In the cleaning position, the pot 10 is held by the holder 130 such that its open side is directed towards the rear of the housing chamber 111. The holder 130 comprises an engagement portion in the form of a slot 131 open at both ends for engaging the handle 9 (fig. 6A) of the pot 10, thereby retaining the pot 10 on the holder 130, in particular in the vertical cleaning position/zone Q.

The first movement mechanism 140 is formed by a motor 141 with an output gearbox 142 and a slidable link 143, wherein said slidable link 143 is driven by the motor 141 by means of the gearbox 142 so as to slide along a horizontal rail (fig. 4) and in turn pivot the grip 130 and thereby the pot 10 gripped thereby, up and down between the rest and cleaning positions (fig. 6A/6C or 6C/6E).

The cleaning unit 150 comprises a washing member 151 (which, by definition, comprises brushes or the like), which washing member 151 is arranged to be moved by the drive mechanism 160, in particular rotated by said drive mechanism 160, in order to clean the pot 10 in the cleaning position. The washing member 151 includes a plurality of flexible blades or flexible sheets 152 arranged in a row for washing the inner surface of the pot 10. Additionally (or alternatively), the cleaning unit 150 comprises a nozzle device 153 for cleaning the pot 10 by projecting cleaning fluid or water while the washing member 151 is operated. The nozzle apparatus 153 takes the form of a curved tube with a plurality of nozzle outlets 154 on the outside of the curved tube to cover as much of the pot 10 as possible. The nozzle arrangement 153 extends at right angles to the washer 151 and is further arranged to be moved by the drive mechanism 160 relative to the pot 10, in particular to be rotated relative to the pot 10, in order to be able to simultaneously scrub and wash the pot 10 for a more comprehensive and quick cleaning.

The drive mechanism 160 is implemented by a motor 161 and a gear box 162, the motor 161 and the gear box 162 suitably reduce the speed of and transmit the output drive of the motor 161 to rotate the washer 151 and the nozzle device 153 about a horizontal axis for operation.

The cleaning unit 150 further comprises a rear cover 155 arranged to engage through the open side of the pot 10 in the cleaning position, thereby closing the interior of the pot 10 for cleaning inside. The rear cover 155 is shaped as a short cylinder and is installed directly behind the washing part 151 and the nozzle device 153 in a coaxial manner. The underside of the rear cover 155 is made at least partially open by omitting or shortening the peripheral wall portion, thereby having a downwardly facing opening 156 (fig. 4).

Upon operation of the first movement mechanism 140, the clamp 130 will be pivoted to clamp the pot 10 in the cleaning position at or through an angle of inclination to the upright position (i.e. inclined by substantially 90 ° with respect to the rest position) (fig. 6A-6C). This tilting of the pot 10 under the influence of gravity will facilitate emptying the pot 10 in the cleaning position. This is very useful in cleaning the pot 10, as water from the nozzle arrangement 153 and any unwanted substances in the pot 10, such as residual food and sauce, will flow/fall out through the bottom opening 156 of the rear cover 155.

The housing 110 includes a rectangular basin 113 at the top of the base 112, the basin 113 having a drain 114 directly below the cleaning region Q, whereby unwanted material emptied or poured from the pot 10 during cleaning will enter the basin 113 directly through the bottom opening 156 of the rear cover 155 and will be drained via the drain 114.

Turning now to the second movement mechanism 170, this mechanism 170 is used to move the pot 10 vertically upwards from the resting area P to a preparation position of the preparation area R vertically above the resting area P, after cleaning, in order to be ready for use (fig. 6E to 6G). The second movement mechanism 170 is provided by a scissor-type lift clamp 173, wherein the clamp 173 is driven by a motor 171 having an output gearbox 172. The lifting clamp 173 is mounted inside the base 112 and may extend upward through a rectangular hole 115 in the top of the base 112.

In the preparation area R, the housing 110 comprises a one-way support 116 for supporting the pot 10 that has been cleaned. The one-way support 116 is adapted to allow the pot 10 to pass from below and then support the pot 10 in the preparation area R when released, i.e. when the lifting clamp 173 is retracted. The one-way support 116 may be provided by a plurality of support members 117, wherein the plurality of support members 117 have an operative position for supporting the pot 10 and are movable from the operative position so as to allow the pot 10 to pass thereunder, whereupon the support members 117 will return to remain in the operative position, thereby supporting the pot 10 when released.

In one particular configuration, a pair of support members 117 are arranged in opposite positions, wherein each support member 117 is a horizontal plate hinged on a respective side inside the chamber 111, said support members 117 being pivotable upwards from a horizontal position, i.e. an operating position, and then downwards under the action of a spring or gravity to return to the operating position. In operation, as the pot 10 is lifted by the lifting clamp 173 through the gap between the two support members 117, once the opposing sides of the pot 10 engage, the support members 117 will be urged to pivot upwardly.

The cleaning device 100 is designed to clamp the cleaned pot 10 in the preparation area R while allowing cleaning of the second pot 10 'and then clamping the second pot 10' in the rest area P after cleaning (fig. 7). It is conceivable that the second pot 10' can be lifted by the one-way support 116 to be stacked under the first pot 10 in the preparation area R, thereby releasing the lower clamp 130 for handling the third pot. In this way, more pots can be cleaned and prepared for use.

Generally, the cleaning device 100 is operated under the control of a preset control program in order to clean the pot 10 in the cleaning zone Q by rotating the washing/brush 151 and supplying water via the nozzle device 153. The pot 10 is cleaned for a predetermined period of time, for example 10 to 20 seconds, and then lifted to the preparation area R, thereby leaving room for washing another pot 10'. The second pot 10 'is held in the resting area P after cleaning until the first pot 10 is removed from the preparation area R (for use), and then the lifting clamp 173 automatically lifts the second pot 10' to the preparation area R, thereby freeing up space for washing the next pot.

Different position sensors are mounted in appropriate positions in order to sense or detect different operating positions of the clamp 130 associated with the pot 10, including among others the rest, cleaning and preparation positions/areas P, Q and R. This enables the control program to operate and drive the clamp 130, the cleaning unit 150, and the lifting jig 170 at the proper time. The holder 130 comprises or is associated with a sensor adapted to detect the placement of the pot 10 on the holder 130 at the resting area P and in response it is adapted to automatically trigger the activation of the operation of the cleaning device 100 to clean the pot 10. Another sensor is installed in the preparation area R to indicate space availability by detecting the removal of the pot 10, whereby, for example, if a cleaned pot is detected, the gripper 170 can lift it from the resting area P by automatic operation.

By using the cleaning device of the invention, a clean pot can be always provided. The cleaning device is particularly useful for commercial purposes, such as a restaurant, hotel or, in general, a kitchen of a catering establishment. It is noted that the cleaning device may be used or may be manufactured for different types of cooking appliances, such as a frying pan or a stewpot.

It is to be understood that other modifications and variations as would be apparent to a person skilled in the art of steam engines, manufacture and use are not to be considered beyond the scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A cleaning device for cleaning a cooking appliance, comprising

A housing;

a grip provided in the housing for gripping a cooking appliance; and

a first movement mechanism for moving the clamp and the cooking appliance clamped thereby from a rest position in a rest area to a cleaning position in a cleaning area;

a cleaning unit provided in the housing for cleaning the cooking appliance in the cleaning position and held by the holder;

a drive mechanism for operating the cleaning unit; and

a second movement mechanism for moving the cooking appliance to a ready position in a ready area after cleaning, and in which the cooking appliance may be stacked with one or more cooking appliances in preparation for use.

2. The cleaning apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the first movement mechanism is arranged to move the clamp and hence the cooking utensil it clamps between the rest position and the cleaning position.

3. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first movement mechanism is arranged to move the gripping member, and hence the cooking appliance gripped thereby, from the cleaning position back to the rest position after cleaning, and the second movement mechanism is arranged to subsequently move the cooking appliance from the rest position to the ready position.

4. The cleaning apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the clamp comprises one of an arcuate member and an annular member for surrounding at least a portion of a bottom of the cooking appliance for clamping the cooking appliance.

5. The cleaning apparatus defined in claim 4, wherein the retaining member includes an engagement portion for engaging a handle of the cooking utensil to thereby retain the cooking utensil on the retaining member.

6. A cleaning device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the cleaning unit comprises a washing member arranged to be moved by said drive mechanism to clean said cooking appliance.

7. The cleaning apparatus defined in claim 6, wherein the scrubbing element comprises a plurality of flexible blades or plates for scrubbing the cooking utensil.

8. The cleaning device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cleaning unit comprises nozzle means for projecting cleaning fluid or water to clean the cooking appliance.

9. The cleaning apparatus defined in claim 8, wherein the nozzle means comprises a plurality of nozzle outlets.

10. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the nozzle arrangement is arranged to be moved relative to the cooking appliance by the drive mechanism.

11. Cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the cleaning unit comprises a rear cover arranged to engage through an opening of the cooking appliance in the cleaning position, thereby closing the interior of the cooking appliance for cleaning of the interior.

12. A cleaning device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the drive mechanism comprises an electric motor arranged to rotate the cleaning unit to cause it to operate.

13. A cleaning device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the grip is arranged to hold the cooking appliance at an inclined angle or upright in the cleaning position, thereby facilitating emptying of the cooking appliance in the cleaning position.

14. The cleaning apparatus defined in claim 13, wherein the housing includes a drain member below the cleaning position for draining material emptied from the cooking utensil.

15. The cleaning apparatus defined in claim 13, wherein the cleaning position of the cooking appliance is inclined at 90 ° from the rest position.

16. The cleaning apparatus defined in any one of claims 1-5, wherein the retaining member is arranged to retain the cooking utensil in the cleaning position with the open side of the cooking utensil facing the rear of the housing.

17. The cleaning apparatus defined in any one of claims 1-5, wherein the second movement mechanism is adapted to move the cooking appliance vertically upward to the ready position after cleaning.

18. The cleaning apparatus defined in claim 17, wherein the second movement mechanism comprises a lifting clamp.

19. The cleaning apparatus defined in claim 17, wherein the housing includes a one-way support in the preparation area for supporting the cooking appliance, the one-way support being adapted to allow the cooking appliance to pass thereunder and then support the cooking appliance when released.

20. The cleaning apparatus defined in claim 19, wherein the one-way support comprises a plurality of support members having an operative position for supporting the cooking utensil and which are movable from the operative position, thereby allowing the cooking utensil to pass thereunder and then return to and remain in the operative position to support the cooking utensil when released.

21. The cleaning apparatus defined in claim 20, wherein the one-way support comprises a pair of support members in opposed positions, the support members being pivotable upwardly from the operative position and subsequently pivotable downwardly back to the operative position.

22. The cleaning apparatus defined in any one of claims 1-5, wherein the cleaning zone immediately follows the laydown zone and the preparation zone is located directly above the laydown zone.

23. The cleaning apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that it is adapted for use in cleaning a pot.