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EP-4739172-A1 - FOOD HEATING APPLIANCE COMPRISING A BOWL HAVING A REDUCED INNER VOLUME

EP4739172A1EP 4739172 A1EP4739172 A1EP 4739172A1EP-4739172-A1

Abstract

The food heating appliance (2) comprises: a base (3) that includes a receiving surface (5) and a lower heating device (6); a bowl (8) that rests on the receiving surface (5) and delimits an inner volume (9) intended to contain food, the inner volume (9) of the bowl (8) being less than 1.3 liters; and a lid (23) that includes an upper heating element (25) and is configured to be placed over the bowl (8).

Inventors

  • BELLANCE, Hanae
  • BLANDIN, Loïc
  • DUJARDIN, Anaïs
  • RENAULT, FABRICE
  • Russier, Fabien
  • DOS SANTOS, Quentin

Assignees

  • SEB S.A.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240702

Claims (16)

  1. 1. Food heating appliance (2) comprising: - a base (3) comprising a main housing (4) provided with a receiving surface (5), and a lower heating device (6), - a bowl (8) which is removable and which is configured to rest on the receiving surface (5) of the base (3), the bowl (8) comprising a bottom (8.1) and a side wall (8.2) which delimit an internal volume (9) intended to contain food, the side wall (8.2) of the bowl (8) comprising an upper peripheral edge (11) delimiting an upper opening (12) through which food can be introduced into the internal volume (9) of the bowl (8), the lower heating device (6) being configured to heat food contained in the bowl (8) when the bowl (8) rests on the receiving surface (5), - a cover (23) supported by the base (3) and configured to surmount the bowl (8) when the bowl (8) rests on the receiving surface (5), the cover (23) comprising an upper heating element (25) configured to heat a food contained in the bowl (8), wherein the internal volume (9) of the bowl (8) is less than 1.3 liters.
  2. 2. A food heating appliance (2) according to claim 1, wherein the base (3) comprises a support structure (37) which extends vertically from the main housing (4) and which is configured to support the lid (23), the support structure (37) being configured to extend only around a portion of the periphery of the bowl (8) when the bowl (8) rests on the receiving surface (5) of the base (3) and to provide an access opening (38) which is configured to allow access to the bowl (8).
  3. 3. A food heating appliance (2) according to claim 2, wherein the access opening (38) is configured to allow access to the bowl (8) resting on the receiving surface (5) from a first lateral side of the food heating appliance (2) and from a second lateral side of the food heating appliance (2).
  4. 4. Food heating appliance (2) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the support structure (37) is curved and extends substantially over an angular sector centered on a central vertical axis of the base (3) and having an angle of between 10 and 180°.
  5. 5. Food heating appliance (2) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the support structure (37) is located in a rear portion of the base (3).
  6. 6. Food heating appliance (2) according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the access opening (38) is configured such that the bowl portion, which is accessible through the access opening (38) when the bowl (8) rests on the receiving surface (5), is exposed over its entire height.
  7. 7. Food heating appliance (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the lower heating device (6) is an induction heating device.
  8. 8. Food heating appliance (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the bowl (8) comprises a bowl body (13) at least partly delimiting the internal volume (9) of the bowl (8) and comprises at least one thermally insulating layer which at least partly envelops the bowl body (13).
  9. 9. A food heating appliance (2) according to claim 8, wherein the bowl body (13) is metallic and is provided with a bottom wall (13.1) and a peripheral wall (13.2) extending from the bottom wall (13.1).
  10. 10. Food heating appliance (2) according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the thermally insulating layer comprises a thermally insulating coating (14) which is made of thermally insulating material and which at least partly covers an outer surface of the bowl body (13).
  11. 11. Food heating appliance (2) according to claim 10, wherein the thermal insulation coating (14) covers an upper end of the peripheral wall (13.2) of the bowl body (13) and at least partly delimits the upper opening (12) of the bowl (8).
  12. 12. Food heating appliance (2) according to claim 11, wherein the thermal insulation coating (14) partly covers an inner surface of the peripheral wall (13.2) of the bowl body (13).
  13. 13. A food heating appliance (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the lid (23) comprises a heat shield portion (28) configured to be disposed inside the bowl (8) when the bowl (8) rests on the receiving surface (5) such that the upper peripheral edge (11) of the bowl (8) is not directly subjected to radiation from the upper heating element (25).
  14. 14. A food heating appliance (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the cover (23) comprises a protective member (27) configured to prevent a user from accessing the upper heating element (25), the protective member (27) being configured to extend below the upper heating element (25) when the food heating appliance (2) is in use.
  15. 15. Food heating appliance (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the cover (23) comprises a steam exhaust chimney (33) configured to exhaust, towards the outside of the food heating appliance (2), the steam generated in the internal volume (9) of the bowl (8).
  16. 16. Food heating appliance (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the cover (23) is movable between a closed position in which the cover (23) is configured to cover the bowl (8) and to prevent access to the internal volume (9) of the bowl (8) when the bowl (8) rests on the receiving surface (5), and an open position in which the cover (23) is configured to allow access to the internal volume (9) of the bowl (8) when the bowl (8) rests on the receiving surface (5).

Description

DESCRIPTION TITLE: Food heating appliance comprising a bowl with a reduced internal volume Technical field The present invention generally relates to an apparatus for heating food products, in particular with a view to cooking them. State of the art As is known, an electric cooking appliance comprises: - a base comprising a main housing provided with a receiving housing open at the top, a cooking tank housed in the receiving housing and delimiting a cooking chamber intended to contain food, and a lower heating device configured to heat food contained in the cooking tank, - a cover mounted to move relative to the main housing between an open position in which the cover allows access to the cooking chamber, and a closed position in which the cover prevents access to the cooking chamber, and - an upper heating device attached to the lid and configured to be located opposite the cooking chamber delimited by the cooking tank when the lid occupies the closed position. Such an electric cooking appliance allows food contained in the cooking chamber to be cooked using different cooking modes. However, when the food contained in the cooking chamber of such an electric cooking appliance is cooked, the user must transfer this food to another container, such as a plate or a dish, in order to eat it, in particular because the shape, size, volume and high temperature of the external surfaces of the cooking tank are not suitable for eating the food directly from the cooking tank. Thus, the use of such an electric cooking appliance requires at least the cleaning of the cooking tank and the container used, which can be tedious for the user. In addition, the cooking tank of an electric cooking appliance of the aforementioned type generally has a large internal volume, which makes cleaning it even more tedious. Therefore, a user may be discouraged from using an electric cooking appliance of the above type for cooking small quantities of food, for example for preparing a meal for one person. Summary of the invention The present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks. The technical problem underlying the invention therefore consists in providing an appliance for heating food products which is of compact and ergonomic structure, while allowing easy and rapid reheating and/or cooking of various foods. For this purpose, the present invention relates to a food heating appliance comprising: - a base comprising a main housing provided with a receiving surface, and a lower heating device, - a bowl which is removable and which is configured to rest on the receiving surface of the base, the bowl comprising a bottom and a side wall which define an internal volume intended to contain food, the side wall of the bowl comprising an upper peripheral edge defining an upper opening through which food can be introduced into the internal volume of the bowl, the lower heating device being configured to heat food contained in the bowl when the bowl rests on the receiving surface, - a cover supported by the base and configured to surmount the bowl when the bowl rests on the receiving surface, the cover comprising an upper heating element configured to heat, for example at least by radiation, a food contained in the bowl. The internal volume of the bowl is less than 1.3 liters, and for example less than 1 liter. Such a configuration of the bowl ensures efficient and rapid cooking of the food contained in the bowl (due to the close proximity between the lower and upper heating devices and the food to be heated and due to the small volume to be heated), gives great compactness to the food heating appliance according to the invention, and encourages a user to use the food heating appliance according to the invention for the preparation of a meal for a single person. In addition, the small volume of the bowl gives better energy efficiency to the appliance equipped with such a bowl, and reduces the environmental impact and costs related to the use of such an appliance. In addition, the small volume of the bowl allows to use a single container to prepare/cook and eat directly in it, which reduces the amount of dishes to clean for a user and also avoids the transfer of food between two different containers. The food heating appliance may further have one or more of the following features, taken alone or in combination. According to one embodiment of the invention, the bowl has a height of less than 12 cm and preferably less than 10 cm. Such a feature has the advantage of making it easier to grip the bowl with one hand by placing the thumb on the upper edge of the bowl and the other fingers of the hand against the lower face of the bowl. Such a feature also makes it easier to heat the food contained in the bowl using the lower heating device and the upper heating element contained in the lid. According to one embodiment of the invention, the bowl has a width of less than 20 cm. According to one embodiment of the invention, the base comprises a support str