# US 11,998,133 B2 · Cooking device having a cooking vessel and a ceramic heater

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- Number: US 11,998,133 B2
- Document ID: US11998133B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/139,658
- Filed: 2023-04-26
- Published: 2023-08-17
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2019-02-08
- Assignees: Lexmark International, Inc.
- Applicants: Lexmark International, Inc.
- Inventors: Jerry Wayne Smith
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11998133B2

## CPC

- A47J 27/004: {with integral electrical heating means (drinking cups with integral heating means A47J36/2466)}
- A47J 27/02: with enlarged heating surfaces
- A47J 36/04: the materials being non-metallic
- F24C 15/005: {Coatings for ovens}
- F24C 15/32: Arrangements of ducts for hot gases, e.g. in or around baking ovens
- F28D 15/0233: {the conduits having a particular shape, e.g. non-circular cross-section, annular (F28D15/0241, F28D15/0266 take precedence)}
- F28D 15/0275: {Arrangements for coupling heat-pipes together or with other structures, e.g. with base blocks; Heat pipe cores}
- F28D 15/046: {characterised by the material or the construction of the capillary structure}
- H05B 1/0261: {of food}
- H05B 3/141: {Conductive ceramics, e.g. metal oxides, metal carbides, barium titanate, ferrites, zirconia, vitrous compounds}
- H05B 3/265: {the insulating base being an inorganic material, e.g. ceramic (H05B3/262 takes precedence)}
- A47J 2202/00: Devices having temperature indicating means
- F24C 7/067: {on ranges}
- H05B 1/0202: {Switches}
- H05B 3/76: Plates with spirally-wound heating tubes
- H05B 2203/013: Heaters using resistive films or coatings
- H05B 2213/07: Heating plates with temperature control means
- A47J: KITCHEN EQUIPMENT; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES
- F24C: DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES (exclusively for solid fuels F24B); DETAILS OF DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
- F28D: HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT (fluid heaters having heat generating means and heat transferring means F24H; furnaces F27; details of heat-exchange apparatus of general)
- H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL

## Abstract

A cooking vessel according to one example embodiment includes a food receptacle for holding food during cooking. The cooking vessel includes an inner shell and an outer shell. An outside surface of the inner shell forms the food receptacle. A portion of an inside surface of the inner shell is spaced from a portion of an inside surface of the outer shell forming a sealed volume between the inner shell and the outer shell. A heat pipe is positioned within the sealed volume between the inner shell and the outer shell for distributing heat through the sealed volume between the inner shell and the outer shell. Embodiments include those wherein each of the inner shell and the outer shell includes a respective bottom wall and a respective side wall.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A cooking vessel, comprising:
a food receptacle for holding food during cooking;
an inner shell and an outer shell, an outside surface of the inner shell forms the food receptacle, a portion of an inside surface of the inner shell is spaced from a portion of an inside surface of the outer shell forming a sealed volume between the inner shell and the outer shell; and
a heat pipe positioned within the sealed volume between the inner shell and the outer shell for distributing heat through the sealed volume between the inner shell and the outer shell, wherein the heat pipe includes a working fluid configured to change from a liquid state to a vapor state upon absorbing heat within an evaporation zone positioned within the sealed volume between the inner shell and the outer shell and to release heat upon changing from the vapor state to the liquid state within a condensation zone positioned within the sealed volume between the inner shell and the outer shell.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The cooking vessel of claim 1, wherein each of the inner shell and the outer shell includes a respective bottom wall and a respective side wall, a portion of the bottom wall of the inner shell is spaced from a portion of the bottom wall of the outer shell and a portion of the side wall of the inner shell is spaced from a portion of the side wall of the outer shell such that the sealed volume extends between the bottom walls of the inner shell and the outer shell and between the side walls of the inner shell and the outer shell.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The cooking vessel of claim 2, wherein the side wall of the inner shell is integrally joined with the side wall of the outer shell along an upper rim of the cooking vessel sealing the sealed volume between the inner shell and the outer shell.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The cooking vessel of claim 2, wherein the heat pipe is positioned in a gap between the bottom walls of the inner shell and the outer shell and in a gap between the side walls of the inner shell and the outer shell for transferring heat received at an outside surface of the bottom wall of the outer shell from the gap between the bottom walls of the inner shell and the outer shell to the gap between the side walls of the inner shell and the outer shell.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The cooking vessel of claim 1, wherein the heat pipe includes a wick structure positioned on at least one of the inside surface of the inner shell and the inside surface of the outer shell.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The cooking vessel of claim 5, wherein the wick structure includes a sintered metal on at least one of the inside surface of the inner shell and the inside surface of the outer shell.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The cooking vessel of claim 5, wherein the wick structure includes an arc sprayed metal on at least one of the inside surface of the inner shell and the inside surface of the outer shell.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The cooking vessel of claim 5, wherein the wick structure includes a mesh positioned on at least one of the inside surface of the inner shell and the inside surface of the outer shell.

### Claim 9 (depends on 5)

The cooking vessel of claim 5, wherein the wick structure includes grooves formed along at least one of the inside surface of the inner shell and the inside surface of the outer shell.