Patent Description:
A conventional heating cooker uses a gasket between a door and a front of a heating chamber to seal in steam and oil smoke during heating for the purpose of preventing leakage from the door (refer to, for example, PTL <NUM>). The gasket disclosed in PTL <NUM> is a tubular member attached to an inner side of the door and is continuously hollow along its length. <CIT> relates to a door gasket of a household apparatus.

In recent years, gaskets are required to exhibit desired cushioning functionalities. Since the hollow space of the gasket described in PTL <NUM> is always closed, the hollow space could have increased internal pressure in response to temperature increase. This is when the gasket has excessively strong repelling force. There is still room for improvement in enabling the gaskets including the one disclosed in PTL <NUM> to exhibit the desired cushioning functionalities.

An object of the present disclosure is, therefore, to solve the above problem by providing a heating cooker that includes a gasket capable of exhibiting desired cushioning functionalities.

A heating cooker according to the invention includes: a housing including a heating chamber for accommodating a heating target; a heating unit that heats the heating target; a door for opening and closing the heating chamber; and a gasket that is attached to the door and is made of an elastic material to provide sealing between the door in a closed state and a front face of the housing that faces the door. The gasket includes a fitting part fitted to an inner side of the door, and a first rising part and a second rising part that rise in a direction away from the door respectively from a first position and a second position of the fitting part that are spaced from each other. The second rising part includes a first slope part sloping toward the first rising part and a second slope part slantingly extending from the first slope part in a direction away from the first rising part. When the door closes, the second rising part is pressed by the front face of the housing to contact the first rising part, and when the door is open, the second rising part does not contact the first rising part.

The gasket of the heating cooker according to the present disclosure is capable of exhibiting desired cushioning functionalities.

A heating cooker according to a first aspect includes: a housing including a heating chamber for accommodating a heating target; a heating unit that heats the heating target; a door for opening and closing the heating chamber; and a gasket that is attached to the door and is made of an elastic material to provide sealing between the door in a closed state and a front face of the housing that faces the door. The gasket includes a fitting part fitted to an inner side of the door, and a first rising part and a second rising part that rise in a direction away from the door respectively from a first position and a second position of the fitting part that are spaced from each other. The second rising part includes a first slope part sloping toward the first rising part and a second slope part slantingly extending from the first slope part in a direction away from the first rising part. When the door of the heating cooker closes, the second rising part is pressed by the front face of the housing to contact the first rising part.

With this structure, the second rising part does not contact the first rising part when the door is open and contacts the first rising part to exhibit stepwise cushioning functionalities when the door closes. The gasket is thus capable of exhibiting the desired cushioning functionalities.

A heating cooker according to a second aspect is based on the first aspect and is as follows. The inner side of the door includes a counterpart wall curved to be disposed inside the door and facing the first rising part. The first rising part includes a first extending part extending along the counterpart wall of the door in spaced relation to the counterpart wall and a second extending part slantingly extending from the first extending part and touching the counterpart wall of the door.

This structure has a space that allows the first extending part of the first rising part to move toward the counterpart wall when the second rising part comes to abut against the first rising part. Therefore, the first rising part is capable of absorbing compressive force that is caused when the second rising part is pressed by the front face of the housing. The gasket is thus capable of exhibiting the desired cushioning functionalities.

A heating cooker according to a third aspect is based on the first or second aspect and is such that the first rising part and the second rising part overlap each other when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the door in an open state.

With this structure, the second rising part more reliably comes to abut against the first rising part when the door closes.

A heating cooker according to a fourth aspect is based on any one of the first through third aspects and is such that the second rising part also includes a connective part that connects with the first slope part and rises, in a direction away from the door, from the fitting part with the door opened.

The connective part in this structure enables absorption of compressive force that is caused when the second rising part is pressed by the front face of the housing. The gasket is thus capable of exhibiting the desired cushioning functionalities.

A heating cooker according to a fifth aspect is based on any one of the first through fourth aspects and is such that the second rising part also includes an inward bend extending from a leading end of the second slope part.

Provided with the bend, the second rising part in this structure is prevented from rising excessively in the direction away from the door.

A heating cooker according to a sixth aspect is based on any one of the first through fifth aspects and is as follows. The door includes a door body including a choke structure that prevents microwave leakage and a choke cover that is attached to the door body and covers the choke structure. The gasket is disposed in a groove between the door body and the choke cover.

In this structure, the choke structure prevents the microwave leakage, while the gasket disposed in the groove between the choke cover and the door body provides sealing.

With reference to the drawings, a detailed description is hereinafter provided of an exemplary embodiment according to the present disclosure.

<FIG> schematically illustrate structure of heating cooker <NUM> according to the exemplary embodiment. <FIG> and <FIG> are perspective views of heating cooker <NUM> as seen from different angles. <FIG> is a schematic sectional view of heating chamber <NUM> as seen from in front.

Heating cooker <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG> is an appliance that uses heat to cook a heating target, that is to say, food (not illustrated). Heating cooker <NUM> according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a heating unit that heats the heating target. The heating unit includes a magnetron, a heater, and a steam generator (none of these is illustrated). The magnetron generates microwaves and supplies the microwaves to heating chamber <NUM> via an antenna (microwave radiation unit) provided in power supply chamber <NUM> (described later). The heater performs radiation heating on the heating target in heating chamber <NUM>. The steam generator supplies steam to heating chamber <NUM>. Since heating cooker <NUM> according to the present exemplary embodiment has the function of using the microwaves to cook the heating target, heating cooker <NUM> is referred to as a microwave oven.

As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, heating cooker <NUM> includes housing <NUM>, door <NUM>, and operation part <NUM>. Housing <NUM> includes heating chamber <NUM>.

Heating chamber <NUM> is a space where the heating target is placed. As <FIG> and <FIG> illustrate, heating chamber <NUM> is formed by a plurality of inner wall surfaces of housing <NUM>. Specifically, as illustrated in <FIG>, a pair of left and right side walls 12A and 12B, upper wall <NUM>, lower wall <NUM>, and back wall <NUM> form heating chamber <NUM>, which is roughly of rectangular-parallelepiped shape. Side walls 12A and 12B may be referred to as "left and right side walls" or "sides". Upper wall <NUM> may be referred to as "top side" or "upper side". Lower wall <NUM> may be referred to as "bottom side" or "lower side". Back wall <NUM> may be referred to as "back side".

As illustrated in <FIG>, support wall <NUM> is provided as a member that supports side walls 12A and 12B and lower wall <NUM>. Support wall <NUM> supports lower wall <NUM> from below while forming power supply chamber <NUM> (refer to <FIG>) with lower wall <NUM>. Adhesive parts 21A and 21B are provided as members joining lower wall <NUM> and support wall <NUM> together. Descriptions of adhesive parts 21A and 21B and support wall <NUM> are provided later.

A return is made to <FIG> and <FIG>. Door <NUM> is a member for opening and closing heating chamber <NUM>. Door <NUM> is rotatably fixed to front face <NUM> of housing <NUM>. In the present exemplary embodiment, door <NUM> is a "drop-down" door that swings up and down on a horizontally extending pivot.

Operation part <NUM> is a member that a user operates when selecting cooking menu items. In the present exemplary embodiment, front face <NUM> of housing <NUM> is provided with operation part <NUM> in a position not facing door <NUM>. In the present exemplary embodiment, operation part <NUM> includes a liquid-crystal display, buttons, and a dial, among others.

As <FIG> illustrates, heating cooker <NUM> according to the present exemplary embodiment is provided with a plurality of displays <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> on lower wall <NUM> of heating chamber <NUM>. With reference to <FIG>, a description is provided of these displays.

<FIG> is a plan view of lower wall <NUM> for heating chamber <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, first display <NUM>, second display <NUM>, and third display <NUM> are provided in order in a direction from back Y1 to front Y2 of heating chamber <NUM>.

First display <NUM> is a guide display showing where the heating target should be placed. Second display <NUM> is a caution display showing cautions and warnings about use of heating cooker <NUM>. Third display <NUM> is a menu display showing cooking menus.

Putting third display <NUM> in particular on lower wall <NUM> of heating chamber <NUM> enables the user to see the cooking menus with door <NUM> open. Since above-mentioned operation part <NUM> (<FIG> and <FIG>) is provided in the position not facing door <NUM>, the user can select a cooking menu item by operating operation part <NUM> while looking at the cooking menus of third display <NUM> with door <NUM> open.

As illustrated in <FIG>, third display <NUM> is located near front Y2 of heating chamber <NUM> compared with first display <NUM>, which is located in a center of lower wall <NUM> of heating chamber <NUM>. This particular third display <NUM> is closer to front Y2 of heating chamber <NUM> than the other displays, namely, first and second displays <NUM> and <NUM> are. With this arrangement, the menu display is more conspicuous, enabling improved user convenience.

In the present exemplary embodiment, an oven light (not illustrated) is also provided to illuminate heating chamber <NUM>. The oven light of the present exemplary embodiment is slantingly provided at side wall 12A or 12B to illuminate lower wall <NUM> of heating chamber <NUM>. The oven light of the present exemplary embodiment is controlled by a controller (not illustrated) to automatically turn on as door <NUM> is opened. Since the oven light in this configuration automatically turns on as door <NUM> is opened, third display <NUM> becomes easily seen, facilitating the menu item selection even in the dark.

Next, <FIG> illustrates an enlarged part of third display <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, third display <NUM> includes menu item names <NUM> and marks <NUM>. Menu item names <NUM> are names of cooking menu items. Marks <NUM> correspond to the cooking menu items, respectively. In the present exemplary embodiment, marks <NUM> corresponding respectively to the cooking menu items are numbers. Menu item names <NUM> and marks <NUM> are shown together in third display <NUM>. This enables the user to readily select the cooking menu items.

Next, <FIG> illustrates front side <NUM> of door <NUM>. <FIG> is a front view of door <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, front side <NUM> of door <NUM> includes transparent part <NUM> and non-transparent part <NUM>. Transparent part <NUM> is made of a transparent material, while non-transparent part <NUM> has a coating of non-transparent material. Transparent part <NUM> enables the user to see an interior of heating chamber <NUM>. Non-transparent part <NUM> defines a border of front side <NUM> of door <NUM>.

As <FIG> illustrates, transparent part <NUM> does not have any displays such as characters and symbols. Some conventional heating cookers have transparent parts <NUM> with printed menu displays. However, since heating cooker <NUM> according to the present exemplary embodiment has third display <NUM> on lower wall <NUM> of heating chamber <NUM>, transparent part <NUM> has no menu display. Transparent part <NUM> thus has an increased view area, making the interior of heating chamber <NUM> more visible through transparent part <NUM>. Moreover, door design improvements are possible.

As described above, heating cooker <NUM> according to the exemplary embodiment includes housing <NUM>, which includes heating chamber <NUM> that accommodates a heating target, door <NUM> for opening and closing heating chamber <NUM>, and operation part <NUM> provided in the position of front face <NUM> of housing <NUM> that does not face door <NUM>. In this configuration, lower wall <NUM>, which is the bottom side of heating chamber <NUM>, has third display <NUM>, which is the menu display.

Providing the menu display on the bottom side of heating chamber <NUM> enables the user to select the cooking menu item by operating operation part <NUM> while looking at the menu display with door <NUM> open. This enables the improved user convenience. Since front side <NUM> of door <NUM>, unlike conventional ones, does not need to have a printed menu display, the interior of heating chamber <NUM> is more visible through door <NUM>, and the door design improvements are also possible.

A return is made to <FIG>. Back side <NUM> of door <NUM> is provided with gasket <NUM>. With reference to <FIG>, a description is provided of gasket <NUM> used in heating cooker <NUM> according to the present exemplary embodiment.

<FIG> is a rear view of door <NUM>, illustrating back side <NUM> of door <NUM>. Gasket <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> is a seal member attached to back side <NUM> of door <NUM> and provides sealing between door <NUM> and housing <NUM>. With heating chamber <NUM> closed with door <NUM>, that is to say, with door <NUM> closed, a gap where back side <NUM> of door <NUM> and front face <NUM> of housing <NUM> face each other is sealed with gasket <NUM>. In this way, steam and others that are produced in heating chamber <NUM> are prevented from leaking out of heating cooker <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, gasket <NUM> according to the present exemplary embodiment is a loop-shaped member extending without breaks along the border of door <NUM>.

<FIG> is a sectional view taken along A-A of <FIG>. <FIG> illustrates opened door <NUM>, that is to say, door <NUM> in an open state. A bottom-to-top direction in <FIG> refers to a front-to-back direction of door <NUM>. Front side <NUM> of door <NUM> is illustrated as a lower side in <FIG>, while back side <NUM> of door <NUM> is illustrated as an upper side in <FIG>. Front side <NUM> corresponds to an outer side of door <NUM>, while back side <NUM> corresponds to an inner side of door <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, back side <NUM> of door <NUM> includes door body <NUM> and choke cover <NUM>.

Door body <NUM> is a main body of door <NUM> and is made of metal. Door body <NUM> includes, along its outer peripheral edge, a loop-shaped groove and choke structure <NUM>. Choke structure <NUM> prevents the microwaves from leaking out and includes a plurality of metal plates arranged like comb teeth.

Choke structure <NUM> is loop-shaped and is covered by choke cover <NUM> serving as a cover member. Choke cover <NUM> is attached in position to door body <NUM>, covering choke structure <NUM>.

Groove <NUM> is formed between door body <NUM> and choke cover <NUM>. Gasket <NUM> is fitted in groove <NUM>. Gasket <NUM> fitted in groove <NUM> provides sealing between door body <NUM> and choke cover <NUM>. Gasket <NUM> projects in direction C away from door <NUM> and thus is capable of contacting front face <NUM> of housing <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, a detailed description is provided of structure of gasket <NUM>. <FIG> are sectional views illustrating different states of gasket <NUM>. <FIG> corresponds to door <NUM> in the open state, and <FIG> and <FIG> correspond to closing door <NUM> and closed door <NUM>, respectively. <FIG> illustrates door <NUM> in the process of closing, while <FIG> illustrates door <NUM> in a closed state.

As illustrated in <FIG>, gasket <NUM> includes fitting part <NUM>, first rising part <NUM>, and second rising part <NUM>.

Fitting part <NUM> is where gasket <NUM> is fitted to door <NUM>. In the present exemplary embodiment, fitting part <NUM> is fitted over a leading end of choke cover <NUM>.

First rising part <NUM> and second rising part <NUM> both rise from fitting part <NUM>. First rising part <NUM> and second rising part <NUM> rise in direction C away from door <NUM>.

First rising part <NUM> rises from first position P1 of fitting part <NUM>. First rising part <NUM> faces counterpart wall <NUM> of door body <NUM>. Counterpart wall <NUM> is a curved part formed at the end part of door body <NUM> so as to be disposed inside door <NUM>.

First rising part <NUM> includes first extending part 50A and second extending part 50B. First extending part 50A extends from fitting part <NUM>, and second extending part 50B slantingly extends from first extending part 50A.

First extending part 50A extends along counterpart wall <NUM> in spaced relation to counterpart wall <NUM>. In other words, first extending part 50A does not touch counterpart wall <NUM>. Second extending part 50B slantingly extends from first extending part 50A toward counterpart wall <NUM> and has its leading end in contact with counterpart wall <NUM>. In this structure, space S1 is formed between first rising part <NUM> and counterpart wall <NUM>.

Fitting part <NUM> includes, on a part facing counterpart wall <NUM>, a plurality of projections <NUM>. Projections <NUM> touch counterpart wall <NUM>, but otherwise fitting part <NUM> does not touch counterpart wall <NUM>. As with above-described first rising part <NUM>, fitting part <NUM> forms space S2 with counterpart wall <NUM>.

Second rising part <NUM> rises from second position P2 of fitting part <NUM> that is different from first position P1. Second rising part <NUM> includes connective part 52A, first slope part 52B, second slope part 52C, and bend 52D.

Connective part 52A rises from fitting part <NUM>. In the present exemplary embodiment, connective part 52A rises vertically from fitting part <NUM>. Connective part 52A connects with first slope part 52B.

First slope part 52B slantingly extends from connective part 52A. First slope part 52B slopes in direction D1, that is to say, toward above-described first rising part <NUM>. In the present exemplary embodiment, direction D1 is a direction toward a center of back side <NUM> of door <NUM>.

Second slope part 52C slantingly extends from first slope part 52B. Second slope part 52C slopes in an opposite direction from first slope part 52B, that is to say, in direction D2 away from first rising part <NUM>. In the present exemplary embodiment, direction D2 is opposite to direction D1.

Having first slope part 52B and second slope part 52C, second rising part <NUM> is of dogleg shape. A point where first slope part 52B connects with second slope part 52C is referred to as bending point <NUM>. When door <NUM> is open as illustrated in <FIG>, neither first slope part 52B nor second slope part 52C is in contact with first rising part <NUM>. Space S3 is formed between first rising part <NUM> and second rising part <NUM>. Space S3 is a bag-shaped space that is not closed but exposed to the outside in the open state of door <NUM>.

As dotted lines indicate in <FIG>, first rising part <NUM> and second rising part <NUM> overlap each other when viewed in a direction perpendicular to door <NUM>.

Bend 52D is an inward bend extending from second slope part 52C. Provided with this bend 52D, second rising part <NUM> is prevented from rising excessively in direction C away from door <NUM>.

As door <NUM> is closed toward housing <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG>, second rising part <NUM> of gasket <NUM> comes into contact with front face <NUM> of housing <NUM>. Second rising part <NUM> is compressed by being pressed by front face <NUM> of housing <NUM> and bends. Since second rising part <NUM> is of dogleg shape as described above, the bending is such that first slope part 52B and second slope part 52C approach each other, while bending point <NUM> approaches first rising part <NUM>. Accordingly, first slope part 52B contacts first rising part <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG> and closes space S3.

As described above, second rising part <NUM> does not contact first rising part <NUM> when door <NUM> is open. When door <NUM> closes, second rising part <NUM> comes into contact with first rising part <NUM> and closes space S3. Before second rising part <NUM> contacts first rising part <NUM>, repelling force of gasket <NUM> is weak. In stages after the contact, the repelling force grows stronger. Gasket <NUM> is thus capable of exhibiting stepwise cushioning functionalities.

Although space S3 is closed, space S3 is not tightly closed because first rising part <NUM> and second rising part <NUM> are not an integral member. Therefore, the repelling force of gasket <NUM> does not become excessively strong even after the contact between first rising part <NUM> and second rising part <NUM>. Thus the cushioning functionality that gasket <NUM> exhibits is the desired one.

Integrally forming first rising part <NUM> and second rising part <NUM> to have space S3 as an always closed hollow space is a conceivable comparative example here. However, since the hollow space is always closed in this comparative example, the hollow space could have increased internal pressure due to temperature increase, thus causing gasket <NUM> to exhibit excessively strong repelling force. Moreover, a method of manufacturing gasket <NUM> with the hollow space is limited to extrusion molding, so that other manufacturing methods cannot be used. By contrast, gasket <NUM> according to the present exemplary embodiment has space S3 that is not always closed, so that the repelling force of gasket <NUM> is prevented from becoming excessively strong. Moreover, since no hollow space needs to be formed in gasket <NUM>, methods of manufacturing gaskets <NUM> can include not only extrusion molding but also other methods such as press working and injection molding.

Since first rising part <NUM> and second rising part <NUM> have overlapping areas when viewed in a direction perpendicular to door <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG>, second rising part <NUM> more reliably comes into contact with first rising part <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG>.

As gasket <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> is compressed further, first rising part <NUM> is pressed by second rising part <NUM> and moves in direction D1 toward counterpart wall <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG>. As described earlier, first rising part <NUM> forms space S1 with counterpart wall <NUM>. Space S1 becomes smaller as first rising part <NUM> moves. Such space S1 enables first rising part <NUM> to absorb compressive force caused by housing <NUM> pressing second rising part <NUM>. In this way, gasket <NUM> is capable of gradually increasing its repelling force to exhibit the desired cushioning functionality.

In the present exemplary embodiment, connective part 52A of second rising part <NUM> promotes the absorption of the compressive force caused by housing <NUM> pressing second rising part <NUM>.

In the state illustrated in <FIG>, gasket <NUM> provides sealing between housing <NUM> and door <NUM> and prevents steam and others from leaking out of heating chamber <NUM>.

As described above, heating cooker <NUM> according to the exemplary embodiment includes housing <NUM>, which includes heating chamber <NUM> that accommodates a heating target, door <NUM> for opening and closing heating chamber <NUM>, and gasket <NUM>. Gasket <NUM> is an elastic member that is attached to door <NUM> to provide sealing between closed door <NUM> and front face <NUM> of housing <NUM> that faces door <NUM>. Gasket <NUM> includes fitting part <NUM> fitted to back face <NUM>, which is the inner side of door <NUM>, first rising part <NUM>, and second rising part <NUM>. First rising part <NUM> and second rising part <NUM> rise in direction C away from door <NUM> respectively from first position P1 and second position P2 of fitting part <NUM> that are spaced from each other. Second rising part <NUM> includes first slope part 52B and second slope part 52C. First slope part 52B slopes in direction D1 toward first rising part <NUM>, while second slope part 52C slantingly extends from first rising part 52B in direction D2 away from first rising part <NUM>. When door <NUM> closes, second rising part <NUM> is pressed by front face <NUM> of housing <NUM> and contacts first rising part <NUM>.

With this structure, second rising part <NUM> does not contact first rising part <NUM> when door <NUM> is open and contacts first rising part <NUM> when door <NUM> closes. Thus gasket <NUM> is capable of exhibiting the desired cushioning functionalities.

Door <NUM> of heating cooker <NUM> according to the exemplary embodiment includes door body <NUM> and choke cover <NUM>. Door body <NUM> includes choke structure <NUM> that prevents the microwave leakage. Choke cover <NUM> is attached to door body <NUM>, covering choke structure <NUM>. Gasket <NUM> is disposed in groove <NUM> between door body <NUM> and choke cover <NUM>. In this structure, choke structure <NUM> prevents the microwave leakage, while gasket <NUM> disposed in groove <NUM> between choke cover <NUM> and door body <NUM> provides sealing.

In the above description, each of first slope part 52B and second slope part 52C of second rising part <NUM> is of linear cross-section; however, this case is not limiting. For example, as <FIG> and <FIG> illustrate, second slope part <NUM> of curved cross-section may be used. As illustrated in <FIG>, curved bend <NUM> may be used.

With reference to <FIG>, the descriptions are provided next of adhesive parts 21A and 21B and support wall <NUM> that are illustrated in <FIG>.

<FIG> illustrates a section including side walls 12A and 12B, lower wall <NUM>, and support wall <NUM>. <FIG> is a plan view illustrating support wall <NUM> with lower wall <NUM> placed on support wall <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, support wall <NUM> includes first wall parts <NUM>, second wall part <NUM>, and bottom wall <NUM>.

First wall parts <NUM> are a left and a right end of support wall <NUM>. First wall parts <NUM> support side walls 12A and 12B from below. Positioned on an inner side between first wall parts <NUM>, second wall part <NUM> is a downwardly recessed part relative to first wall parts <NUM>. Second wall part <NUM> supports lower wall <NUM> from below. Bottom wall <NUM> is an even more downwardly recessed part on an inner side of second wall part <NUM>. Bottom wall <NUM> forms power supply chamber <NUM> with lower wall <NUM>.

Power supply chamber <NUM> is a space housing those including the antenna (not illustrated), which stirs the microwaves in radiation toward heating chamber <NUM>. Lower wall <NUM> is a partition vertically separating heating chamber <NUM> and power supply chamber <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, each of left and right side walls 12A and 12B in the present exemplary embodiment is spaced distance X1 from lower wall <NUM> in a side to side direction that line X indicates. Adhesive part 21A is provided between side wall 12A and lower wall <NUM>. Adhesive part 21B is provided between side wall 12B and lower wall <NUM>.

Adhesive parts 21A and 21B are the members joining lower wall <NUM> and support wall <NUM> together. A silicone rubber adhesive, for example, is used to form adhesive parts 21A and 21B.

With reference to <FIG>, a description is provided of an application method for forming adhesive parts 21A and 21B. <FIG> illustrate enlarged sections of a left portion around adhesive part 21A as seen from in front of heating chamber <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, lower wall <NUM> is placed on support wall <NUM> first. Specifically, lower wall <NUM> is placed on second wall part <NUM> of support wall <NUM>.

Next, application is performed to form adhesive part 21A. Specifically, the application is performed so that adhesive part 21A fills a gap between peripheral border <NUM> of lower wall <NUM> and support wall <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG> corresponds to <FIG>.

Here the application is performed so that one edge <NUM> of adhesive part 21A is positioned on an upper surface of lower wall <NUM>. At the same time, another edge <NUM> of adhesive part 21A reaches a predetermined position of first wall part <NUM> of support wall <NUM> in the application. Two guide lines 68A and 68B have been drawn on a surface of first wall part <NUM>, showing where edge <NUM> of adhesive part 21A should be. When the application is performed to form adhesive part 21A on first wall part <NUM>, an application amount is controlled so that edge <NUM> of adhesive part 21A will be between two guide lines 68A and 68B. This enables adhesive part 21A to reach the predetermined position in the application.

As <FIG> illustrates, adhesive part 21A has width or side-to-side dimension W1.

Next, side wall 12A is joined to support wall <NUM>. Specifically, side wall 12A is placed on first wall part <NUM> of support wall <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG> and is joined. In the present exemplary embodiment, side wall 12A is mechanically joined to support wall <NUM>, using protruding flange holes <NUM>. Specifically, screwing is performed, inserting screws in protruding flange holes <NUM>. The screwing is not limiting, and any other joining method such as riveting or welding may be adopted.

As <FIG> illustrates, gap <NUM> is formed between side wall 12A and first wall part <NUM>. Respective positions of above-mentioned guide lines 68A and 68B have been predetermined in order that adhesive part 21A reaches gap <NUM> between side wall 12A and first wall part <NUM>. Therefore, gap <NUM> is sealed up with adhesive part 21A as illustrated in <FIG>.

Sealing up gap <NUM> with adhesive part 21A strengthens the joining between side wall 12A and first wall part <NUM>. Moreover, steam and others that are produced in heating chamber <NUM> of heating cooker <NUM> in operation are prevented from leaking out of heating chamber <NUM> through gap <NUM>. Internal components (not illustrated) that are disposed below support wall <NUM>, such as a motor and a control circuit, may fail if droplets of steam contact the internal components. Sealing up gap <NUM>, therefore, prevents the droplets from contacting the internal components through gap <NUM>. Consequently, such failures of the internal components of heating cooker <NUM> are preventable, and heating cooker <NUM> has improved reliability.

<FIG> have been used to describe adhesive part 21A and side wall 12A in the left portion seen from in front of heating chamber <NUM>; however, the same application method is used for forming adhesive part 21B in a right portion. Specifically, the application is performed so that adhesive part 21B joins peripheral border <NUM> of lower wall <NUM> and support wall <NUM> together while reaching a position where adhesive part 21B fills up gap <NUM> between side wall 12B and first wall part <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG>. In this way, joining between side wall 12B and support wall <NUM> that uses screws inserted in protruding flange holes <NUM> is strengthened, and leakage of steam and others through gap <NUM> is prevented. Consequently, the failures of the internal components of heating cooker <NUM> are preventable, and heating cooker <NUM> has the improved reliability.

As <FIG> illustrates, adhesive part 21B has width or side-to-side dimension W2.

Above-described adhesive part 21A of heating cooker <NUM> according to the present exemplary embodiment covers a first (left) area extending from peripheral border <NUM> of lower wall <NUM> to gap <NUM> between left side wall 12A and first wall part <NUM>, while above-described adhesive part 21B covers a second (right) area extending from peripheral border <NUM> of lower wall <NUM> to gap <NUM> between right side wall 12B and first wall part <NUM>. Therefore, the failures of the internal components of heating cooker <NUM> are preventable, and heating cooker <NUM> has the improved reliability.

A return is made to <FIG>. Support wall <NUM> includes fourth wall part <NUM> along its front (that is to say, on a front side in the drawing). Fourth wall part <NUM> is closest to door <NUM> and continuously extends from above-described first wall parts <NUM>. As with first wall parts <NUM>, fourth wall part <NUM> is joined to lower wall <NUM> by adhesive part <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an enlarged section of a portion around adhesive part <NUM> joining fourth wall part <NUM> and lower wall <NUM> together. As illustrated in <FIG>, adhesive part <NUM> joins peripheral border <NUM> of lower wall <NUM> and support wall <NUM> together and has width or side-to-side dimension W3.

Above-described adhesive parts 21A and 21B correspond respectively to the first area and the second area, while adhesive part <NUM> corresponds to a third area that extends in a side to side direction, connecting the first area and the second area. In the present exemplary embodiment, width W1 of the first area and width W2 of the second area are equally set greater than width W3 of the third area. Securing the sufficient side-to-side dimensions for adhesive parts 21A and 21B enables more reliable sealing of gap <NUM> between side wall 12A and first wall part <NUM> and more reliable sealing of gap <NUM> between side wall 12B and first wall part <NUM>.

The present disclosure has been described with reference to the above exemplary embodiment; however, the above exemplary embodiment is not restrictive of the present disclosure.

Claim 1:
A heating cooker (<NUM>) comprising:
a housing (<NUM>) including a heating chamber (<NUM>) configured to accommodate a heating target;
a heating unit configured to heats the heating target;
a door (<NUM>) configured to open and close the heating chamber (<NUM>); and
a gasket (<NUM>) attached to the door (<NUM>), the gasket including an elastic material to provide sealing between the door (<NUM>) in a closed state and a front face of the housing (<NUM>) that faces the door (<NUM>), wherein
the gasket (<NUM>) includes:
a fitting part (<NUM>) fitted to an inner side of the door (<NUM>); and
a first rising part (<NUM>) and a second rising part (<NUM>) rising in a direction away from the door (<NUM>) from a first position (P1) and a second position (P2) of the fitting part (<NUM>), respectively, the first position (P1) and the second position (P2) being spaced from each other,
the second rising part (<NUM>) includes:
a first slope part (52B) sloping toward the first rising part (<NUM>); and
a second slope part (52C) slantingly extending from the first slope part (52B) in a direction away from the first rising part (<NUM>),
characterised in that
when the door (<NUM>) closes, the second rising part (<NUM>) is pressed by the front face of the housing (<NUM>) to contact the first rising part (<NUM>), and
when the door (<NUM>) is open, the second rising part (<NUM>) does not contact the first rising part (<NUM>).