Abstract:
A cooking device comprising a first interior chamber, a second interior chamber being fluidly connected with the first interior chamber via a drain and comprising a first water reservoir, the drain and the first water reservoir forming a first air trap, and a device outlet downstream of the second interior chamber, whereby said air trap is adapted to be opened or closed by lowering or lifting the first water reservoir between the first interior chamber and the second interior chamber.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Disclosure 
         [0002]    The disclosure relates to a cooking device. 
         [0003]    2. Discussion of the Background Art 
         [0004]    Such a cooking device is known from DE 10110 112 C1. 
         [0005]    Another cooking device is known from DE 102009 009 013 A 1 describing the provision of an air trap between a first interior chamber in the form of a cooking chamber and a drain of the cooking device. 
         [0006]    Moreover, another cooking device is known from EP 1 717 518 B 1 comprising an air trap which is arranged downstream of a cooking chamber outlet. The device outlet is arranged downstream of the air trap and a water reservoir that is connected to the cooking chamber is provided in the air trap. 
         [0007]    It is an object underlying the present disclosure to provide a cooking device that is easy to handle and makes it possible to simplify the overall construction for the purpose of a dehumidification and an easy cleaning of the cooking chamber. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    In detail, for the purpose of a dehumidification of the first interior chamber, a throttle valve can be opened and the water level of a first water reservoir can be lowered. Due to a resulting suction effect adjacent to a fan of the first chamber dry air will be sucked into said first chamber from the environment. A vapour air mixture is supplied out of the first chamber through a drain, at least the second chamber and into an air vent. 
         [0009]    For the purpose of cleaning the first interior chamber it is preferable to provide a dosing pump, a dip tube, a filling tube as well as a nozzle. A liquid cleansing agent can automatically be supplied to the second water reservoir by means of the dosing pump. Alternatively, the cleansing agent (dry or liquid) can manually be fed to the second water reservoir by filling it into a filling tube. 
         [0010]    A nozzle can be disposed on the top of the first interior chamber and can be used for a pre-cleansing step spraying clear water into the first interior chamber. Moreover, the positioning of a temperature sensor in a third water reservoir of a third interior chamber saves cooling water as said cooling water is only fed into said third interior chamber if the third water reservoir adjacent to the drain is too hot. Further advantages, features and details of the present disclosure can be learned from the accompanying figures showing: 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  a schematically simplified depiction of a first embodiment of the cooking device according to present disclosure; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  a depiction corresponding to the simplified depiction of  FIG. 1  showing a second embodiment; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  a depiction of the disclosure corresponding to the depiction of  FIG. 1  showing a third embodiment; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  a depiction corresponding to  FIG. 1  showing fourth embodiment; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  a depiction corresponding to  FIG. 1  showing a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0016]      FIG. 1  shows a first embodiment of a cooking device  1  having a first interior chamber  2  being located in a housing  2 ′. In this case the first interior chamber  2  constitutes a cooking chamber. 
         [0017]    At the bottom of the housing  2 ′ there is a drain  4  of the first chamber  2  that leads into a second chamber  3  being located in a container  15 . The chamber  3  includes a first water level WS 1  and a second water level WS 2  that is lower than the first water level WS 1 . Consequently, a wall  32  determining the first water level WS 1  and disposed in said container  15  is higher than a wall  33  determining the second water level WS 2 . 
         [0018]    Thus, the container  15  includes a first water reservoir  5  and a second water reservoir  12 . The first water reservoir  5  and the drain  4  constitute an air trap  6  that can be opened or closed by lowering or lifting the first water reservoir  5  and its first water level WS 1 , respectively. For this purpose, a drain pump is connected with the first water reservoir  5  and, via a conduit  9 , with a drain (device outlet)  7  of the cooking device  1  so that, for lowering the first water level WS 1 , the drain pump  8  supplies water out of the water reservoir  5  to the drain  7 . 
         [0019]    The second interior chamber  3  is connected to a third interior chamber  10  via a connecting conduit  11 . The third interior chamber  10  is located in a container  16  that can be made from plastics in order to lower the production costs of the cooking device  1 . The first container  15  of the second interior chamber  3  is preferably made from sheet metal in order to withstand the influence from e.g. chemicals that can be introduced into the second interior chamber  3  for the purpose of cleaning the first interior chamber  2 . 
         [0020]    For this purpose the second water reservoir  12  is connected to a recirculating pump  13  for feeding cleansing water to chamber  2 . The recirculating pump  13  is located in a recirculating line  14  via which the cleansing water can be fed to the first interior chamber  2 . 
         [0021]    The third container  16  of the third interior chamber  10  includes a water reservoir  31  with an associated third water level WS 3 . This water reservoir  31  constitutes an air trap  25  adjacent to connecting conduit  11  as well as an air trap  17  adjacent to an emergency overflow  24  as can be seen in detail from  FIG. 1 . 
         [0022]    These two air traps  17  and  25  are always closed. 
         [0023]    Moreover, as can be seen from  FIG. 1 , the container  16  is equipped with a temperature sensor  26 . The positioning of this temperature sensor  26  in the third water reservoir  31  of the third interior chamber  10  saves cooling water as said cooling water is only fed into said third interior chamber  10  if the third water reservoir  31  adjacent to the drain  7  is too hot. This is an improvement over known dispositions of such temperature sensors in the second interior chamber  3  that may be influenced by hot water steams coming from the first interior chamber  2  resulting in a false determination of the influencing water temperature for determining a sufficient water supply of cool water through a fresh water inlet  18  disposed in an air vent  19  being connected to the second interior chamber  3 . 
         [0024]    Moreover, the cooking device  1  according to the present disclosure comprises a fan  20  driven by a motor  21 . Housing  2 ′ moreover includes a fresh air inlet  22  comprising a dehumidification valve  23 . 
         [0025]    For the purpose of a dehumidification of the first interior chamber  2  the dehumidification valve (throttle valve)  23  can be opened and the water level of WS 1  of the first water reservoir  5  can be lowered. Due to a resulting suction effect adjacent to fan  20  dry air will be sucked into the first chamber  2  from the environment U and a vapour air mixture will be supplied out of the first chamber  2  through the drain  4  into the second chamber  3  and, thereafter, into the air vent  19 . For the purpose of cleaning the first interior chamber  2  a liquid or solid cleansing agent can be supplied to the second water reservoir  12  of the second interior chamber  3 , and can be circulated by means of the circulating pump  13  and the circulating line  14  leading into the first chamber  2 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 2  shows a second embodiment of the cooking device  1  that differs from the first embodiment according to  FIG. 1  only in that conduit  9  leads to container  16  rather than to drain  7  as with the first embodiment. 
         [0027]    So, for the remaining components and function of the cooking device  1  of the embodiment of  FIG. 2 , reference can be made to the foregoing description of  FIG. 1 . Consequently, all components and features of the embodiment of  FIG. 2  are identified by the same reference numerals as in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 3  discloses a third embodiment of the cooking device  1  that differs from the embodiment of  FIG. 1  only in that there is no connecting conduit  11 . So, there is only the second interior chamber  3  in the second container  15  whilst all other components and the respective functions correspond to the first embodiment according to  FIG. 1  so that reference can be made to the description of  FIG. 1 . Consequently, the reference signs corresponding to same of  FIG. 1  are identical with the embodiment of  FIG. 3 . 
         [0029]    The fourth embodiment of  FIG. 4  corresponds to the embodiment of  FIG. 1  but, moreover, comprises a dip tube  27  being equipped with a dosing or metering pump  28 . Moreover, the dip tube  27  can be provided with an additional filling tube  29 . The remaining components correspond to the embodiment of  FIG. 1  so that, again, a reference can be made to the respective description thereof. 
         [0030]    With this embodiment, for the purpose of cleaning the first interior chamber  2 , the dosing pump  28 , the dip tube  27  and the filling tube  29  as well as a nozzle (sprinkler nozzle)  30  can be used. A liquid or solid cleansing agent can automatically be supplied to the second water reservoir  12  by means of the dosing pump  28 . Alternatively, the cleansing agent can manually be fed to the second water reservoir  12  by filling it into filling tube  29  that can be opened or closed by means of a movable cover  34 . 
         [0031]    The fifth embodiment of  FIG. 5  corresponds to the fourth embodiment with the exception that wall  32  is lower than wall  33  of container  15  of the second interior chamber  3 . Consequently, the interior chamber  3  is filled with the water level WS 2  as has been indicated by the respective solid line WS 2 . If pump  8  is activated the water level in chamber  3  is lowered from water level WS 2  to water level WS 1  that has been represented in  FIG. 5  with the dashed line. If, thereafter, pump  8  is still supplying water out of the first water reservoir  5  the water level WS 1  in this first reservoir  5  can be lowered further whilst the water reservoir  12  in chamber  3  remains at water level WS 1 . As another difference it is to be noted that the fresh water inlet  18  is incorporated in the air vent  19  so that e.g. a solid or liquid cleansing agent can also be filled into said air vent  19  and can be flushed into chamber  3  by means of said fresh water inlet  18 . 
         [0032]    Moreover, the cleaning of the first chamber  2  can be performed in a first step by introducing only clear water into said first chamber  2 , and, thereafter, by adding a cleansing agent and by multiply circulating said water/cleansing agent mixture. 
         [0033]    All other components and functions correspond to the embodiment of  FIG. 4  so that reference can be made to the description of  FIG. 4 . 
         [0034]    In addition to the written disclosure of the disclosure reference is explicitly made to the disclosure of the disclosure according to the depictions of  FIGS. 1 to 5 . 
       LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS 
       [0035]      1  cooking device 
         [0036]      2  first interior chamber (cooking chamber) 
         [0037]      2 ′ housing 
         [0038]      3  second interior chamber 
         [0039]      4  drain of first chamber  2   
         [0040]      5  first water reservoir 
         [0041]      6  air trap 
         [0042]      7  drain of cooking device  1   
         [0043]      8  drain pump 
         [0044]      9  conduit 
         [0045]      10  third interior chamber 
         [0046]      11  connecting conduit 
         [0047]      12  second water reservoir 
         [0048]      13  recirculating pump [for feeding cleansing water to chamber  2 ] 
         [0049]      14  recirculating line [for feeding cleansing water to chamber  2 ] 
         [0050]      15  container 
         [0051]      16  container 
         [0052]      17  air trap 
         [0053]      18  fresh water inlet 
         [0054]      19  air vent 
         [0055]      20  fan 
         [0056]      21  motor of fan  20   
         [0057]      22  fresh air inlet 
         [0058]      23  dehumidification valve 
         [0059]      24  emergency overflow 
         [0060]      25  air trap (odor trap) 
         [0061]      26  temperature sensor 
         [0062]      27  dip tube 
         [0063]      28  dosing (metering) pump 
         [0064]      29  filling tube 
         [0065]      30  nozzle (sprinkler nozzle) 
         [0066]      31  third water reservoir 
         [0067]      33 ,  33  walls cover/lid 
         [0068]      34  WS 1  first water level 
         [0069]    WS 2  second water level 
         [0070]    WS 3  third water level 
         [0071]    U Environment