Waffle maker

A waffle maker includes a first grill member and a second grill member openably coupled to the first grill member. The first grill member has a grill body and a cross-shaped rib mounted in a receiving space of the grill body. The cross-shaped rib has first rib portions, second rib portions under the first rib portions when the first grill member is at an upright state, and a cross-shaped notch. The cross-shaped notch has first notch portions extending respectively along the first rib portions, and second notch portions extending respectively along the second rib portions and communicating with the first notch portions. Each of the first notch portions has a length larger than that of each of the second notch portions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Chinese Application No. 201510043872.0, filed on Jan. 28, 2015.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a waffle maker, and more particularly to a waffle maker including a grill member that is rotatable to an upright state.

BACKGROUND

A conventional upright-type waffle maker includes two grill members that are openably coupled to each other and that cooperates with each other to define a baking space. Each of the grill members has a grill body and a cross-shaped rib. The grill body has an internal receiving space that forms a part of the baking space, and a batter inlet that is formed in a top end thereof and that communicates with the internal receiving space and with the external environment. The cross-shaped rib is mounted in the internal receiving space.

The cross-shaped ribs of the grill members project toward each other without contact, thereby forming a gap therebetween within the baking space and roughly dividing the baking space into four compartments. After the conventional upright-type waffle maker made a waffle the waffle may have a thinner cross-shaped portion formed by the cross-shaped ribs of the grill members which makes the waffle to be conveniently divided or sliced.

In order to make the waffle, batter is poured into the baking space through the batter inlets of the grill members, and passes through the gap between the cross-shaped ribs of the grill members to gradually fill the four compartments of the baking space, while air in the baking space is expelled by the batter through the gap between the cross-shaped ribs of the grill members and the batter inlet. However, in actual use, during pouring the batter into the baking space, since the batter is viscous and relatively heavy, the air may not be effectively and completely expelled from the baking space, such that the baking space may not be evenly filled with the batter. As a result, the finished waffle may have ununiformed waffle thickness and edge defects.

SUMMARY

Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a waffle maker that can alleviate the drawback of the prior art.

According to the disclosure, the waffle maker includes a first grill member and a second grill member openably coupled to the first grill member. The first grill member has a grill body and a cross-shaped rib.

The grill body defines an internal receiving space therein, and has a batter inlet formed in a periphery thereof and communicating with the internal receiving space and with the external environment.

The cross-shaped rib is mounted in the internal receiving space and has a center, two adjacent first rib portions, two adjacent second rib portions and a cross-shaped notch.

The first rib portions project from the center and respectively toward two regions of the periphery of the grill body which are respectively adjacent to two opposite ends of the batter inlet.

The second rib portions project from the center and away from the batter inlet.

The cross-shaped notch has two first notch portions that extend from the center and respectively along the first rib portions, and two second notch portions that extend from the center and respectively along the second rib portions, and that communicate with the first notch portions. Each of the first notch portions has a length along a respective one of the first rib portions larger than a length of each of the second notch portions along a respective one of the second rib portions. The first grill member is rotatable about an axis to an upright state for pouring of batter, where the batter inlet is at top of the grill body, where the cross-shaped rib is disposed under the batter inlet, and where the first and second rib portions are inclined relative to the axis.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the present disclosure is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.

Referring toFIGS. 1 to 3, a first embodiment of a waffle maker according to the disclosure is illustrated. The waffle maker includes a base10, first and second grill members11,12that are rotatably connected to the base10, and a handle13that is mounted to the second grill member12.

In this embodiment, the base10is adapted to be placed on a reference surface, and the first and second grill members11,12are rotatable relative to the base10about an axis to an upright state (seeFIG. 2) for pouring of batter to make a waffle8. Since the feature of the waffle maker according the disclosure does not reside in the configuration of the base10, details of the same are omitted herein for the sake of brevity. In addition, the base10can even be omitted from the waffle maker. For example, a user can grasp the handle13to maintain the first and second grill members11,12at the upright state.

As shown inFIG. 1, the second grill member12is openably coupled to the first grill member11and cooperates with the first grill member11to define a baking space14that can receive the batter to make the waffle8. The handle13is configured that, when the second grill member12is coupled to the first grill member11, the handle13can secure the second grill member12to the first grill member11in a tight manner. Since the feature of the waffle maker according the disclosure does not reside in the configuration of the handle13and the connection structure among the handle13and the first and second grill members11,12, details of the same are omitted herein for the sake of brevity. Alternatively, the handle13can be mounted to the first grill member11.

In this embodiment, the second grill member12has a structure identical to that of the first grill member11, so that only the first grill member11is illustrated hereinafter. In other embodiments of this disclosure, the structures of the first and second grill members11,12may be partially or entirely different from each other as long as the first and second grill member11,12can be coupled together and cooperatively define the baking space14.

In this embodiment, the first grill member11has a grill body2, a cross-shaped rib3and a heating unit (not shown) disposed in the grill body2. As shown inFIG. 3, in order to differentiate from the grill body2, the cross-shaped rib3is illustrated with dots. In addition, the grill body2defines an internal receiving space20therein which forms a half portion of the baking space14, and has a batter inlet220formed in a periphery thereof and communicating with the internal receiving space20and with the external environment. The cross-shaped rib3is mounted in the internal receiving space20. The heating unit is disposed for heating the grill body2and the cross-shaped rib3. Since the feature of the waffle maker according the disclosure does not reside in the configuration of the heat unit, details of the same are omitted herein for the sake of brevity.

Referring toFIGS. 2 and 3, the grill body2further has a plate portion21, a surrounding portion22and a funnel portion23. The surrounding portion22extends from a periphery of the plate portion21, cooperates with the plate portion21to define the internal receiving space20, and is formed with the batter inlet220. The funnel portion23extends outwardly from the surrounding portion22adjacent to the batter inlet220. In addition, the plate portion21has a plurality of spaced-apart protrusions projecting into the internal receiving space20, thereby increasing a heating area that contact the batter and facilitating heat distribution. In addition, the funnel portions23of the first and second grill members11,12cooperatively define a funnel-shaped passage4that is in spatial communication with and that converges toward the batter inlets220of the first and second grill members11,12. The internal receiving space20of the grill body2of the second grill member12forms a half portion of the baking space14(i.e., the baking space14has the internal spaces20of the first and second grill members11,12).

The cross-shaped rib3is disposed on the plate portion21and is directly connected to the surrounding portion22. In this embodiment, the cross-shaped rib3has a center31, two adjacent first rib portions32, two adjacent second rib portions33, a cross-shaped notch34and a plurality of ventilation notches35. The two adjacent first rib portions32project from the center31and respectively toward two regions of the periphery of the grill body2which are respectively adjacent to two opposite ends of the batter inlet220. The two adjacent second rib portions33project from the center31and away from said batter inlet220. The first and second rib portions32,33are equiangularly disposed about the center31.

The cross-shaped notch34has two first notch portions341and two second notch portions342. The first notch portions341extend from the center31and respectively along the first rib portions32. The second notch portions342extend from the center31and respectively along the second rib portions33, and communicate at the center31with the first notch portions341. Each of the first notch portions341having a length (D1) along a respective one of the first rib portions32larger than a length (D2) of each of the second notch portions342along a respective one of the second rib portions33. When the first grill member11is rotated about the axis to the upright state, the batter inlet220is at top of the grill body2, the cross-shaped rib3is disposed under the batter inlet220, and the first and second rib portions32,33are inclined relative to the axis.

The ventilation notches35are respectively recessed in the first rib portions32, and are disposed distal from the center31of the cross-shaped rib3and adjacent to the surrounding portion22.

In use, when the first and second grill members11,12are rotated to the upright state, the batter is poured through the funnel-shaped passage4and the batter inlets220of the first and second grill members11,12into the baking space14. Since the cross-shaped notch34is disposed under the batter inlet220and since the length (D1) of each of the first notch portions341is greater than the length (D2) of each of the second notch portions342, a part of the batter can directly fall down into and uniformly fill a compartment of the baking space14that is divided between the second rib portions33of the cross-shaped ribs3of the first and second grill members11,12while the rest of the batter uniformly fill compartments of the baking space14that are divided between each of the first rib portions32and an adjacent one of the second rib portions33of the cross-shaped ribs3of the first and second grill members11,12. Consequently, the finished waffle8from the waffle maker of the disclosure has uniform waffle thickness without edge defects.

It should be noted that, if the length (D1) of each of the first notch portions341is designed to be smaller than the length (D2) of each of the second notch portions342, the first rib portions32will impede the batter filling into the compartments of the baking space14that are divided between each of the first rib portions32and an adjacent one of the second rib portions33of the cross-shaped ribs3of the first and second grill members11,12.

In actual implementation, the length (D1) of each of the first notch portions341ranges between 15 millimeters and 45 millimeters, and the length (D2) of each of the second notch portions342ranges between 10 millimeters and 35 millimeters.

When the length (D1) of each of the first notch portions341is smaller than 15 millimeters or when the length (D2) of each of the second notch portions342is smaller than 10 millimeters, the cross-shaped notch34of each of the first and second grill members11,12is insufficient for the batter to smoothly flow through and fill the receiving spaces20of the first and second grill members11. When the length (D1) of each of the first notch portions341is greater than 45 millimeters or when the length (D2) of each of the second notch portions342is greater than 35 millimeters, though the batter can easily fill the receiving spaces20of the first and second grill members11, parts of the finished waffle8which correspond to the first or second rib portions32,33will be unduly thick, so that the finished waffle8is inconvenient to be cut.

Since the ventilation notches35are respectively recessed in the first rib portions32, when the batter is poured into the baking space14, air in the receiving space20is sufficiently and effectively expelled out from the batter inlet220through the ventilation notches35, thereby facilitating complete filling of the batter within the receiving space20. In actual implementation, each of the ventilation notches35has a length (D5) along a respective one of the first rib portions32ranging between 2 millimeters and 15 millimeters.

If the length (D5) of each of the ventilation notches35is smaller than 2 millimeters, what is reduced is the effect of expelling the air in the receiving space20. If the length (D5) of each of the ventilation notches35is larger than 15 millimeters, though it is quite excellent to expel the air in the receiving space20, parts of the finished waffle8which correspond to the first rib portions32will be unduly thick.

Since the funnel-shaped passage4converges toward the batter inlets220of the first and second grill members11,12, it is convenient for the user to pour the batter therein. In addition, since the batter filled in the receiving space20grow in size when being heated to become the waffle8, the funnel-shaped passage4can receive the expanded portion of the batter and prevent overflow of the batter from the first and second grill member11,12.

FIG. 4illustrates a second embodiment of a waffle maker according to the disclosure, which has a configuration similar to that of the first embodiment. However, in the second embodiment, the first grill member11further has a plurality of viewing units5that are mounted in the grill body2. As shown inFIG. 4, the number of the viewing unit5is 2. In other embodiments of this disclosure, the grill body2of the second grill member12may also be formed with at least one of the viewing units5.

In this embodiment, each of the viewing units5has a through hole51and a light transmissive component52. The through hole51is located in an upper half of the grill body2when the first grill member11is at the upright state, extends through the grill body2and is in spatial communication with the backing space14. The light transmissive component52is inserted into the through hole51for observing pouring operation of the batter in the baking space14(seeFIG. 1).

In actual implementation, for each of the viewing units5, the light transmissive component52has a top edge521and a bottom edge522opposite to the top edge521. When the first and second grill members11,12are at the upright state, the bottom edge522represents a minimum level for pouring the batter into the baking space14. If the top end of the poured batter is below the bottom edge522, i.e., the poured batter is unseen from the light transmissive component52, the batter is insufficiently poured into the baking space14. As a result, the finished waffle8may have defect edges. In addition, the top edge521represents a maximum level for pouring the batter into the baking space14. When the top end of the poured batter is above the top edge521of the light transmissive component52, the batter is excessive for filling the baking space14and may overflow from the funnel-shaped passage4during making the waffle8.

FIG. 5illustrates a third embodiment of a waffle maker according to the disclosure, which has a configuration similar to that of the second embodiment. However, in the third embodiment, the first grill member11has only one viewing unit5that is structurally different from that of the second embodiment.

In this embodiment, the through hole51extends from upper to lower halves of the grill body2when the first grill member11is at the upright state. The light transmissive component52has two identification marks523, as shown inFIG. 4. Accordingly, the user can observe the identification marks523to determine volume of the batter poured into the baking space14.

In actual implementation, the identification marks523can be permanently etched or printed on a surface of the light transmissive component52. Alternatively, the identification marks523can be, but is not limited, in the form of a sticker that are removably adhered to the surface of the light transmissive component52.