Apparatus for detecting a cooker lid status

An electric cooking appliance comprising:

• a cooker lid comprising a block mounted near a periphery rim of the cooker lid;
• and
• a cooker body comprising a pole disposed about an upper rim of the cooker body and being movable relative to the cooker body,
• wherein a cooking process is determined based on a detected cooker lid status and a current cooking mode,
• wherein the pole is detected to be at a first location relative to the cooker body when the cooker lid is separated from the cooker body, wherein the pole engages the block at a second location relative to the cooker body when the cooker lid is placed on the upper rim of the cooker body and is out of position for a first predetermined cooking mode, wherein the pole engages the block at a third location relative to the cooker body when the cooker lid is placed on the upper rim of the cooker body and is in position for the first predetermined cooking mode,
• wherein when the cooking appliance is in the first predetermined cooking mode, a first predetermined cooking process is permitted only when the pole engages the block at the third location, and
• wherein when the cooking appliance is in a second predetermined cooking mode, a second predetermined cooking process is permitted when the pole is detected to be at the first location or the second location.

A method of controlling cooking operations of an electric cooking appliance, comprising the steps of:

• (1) detecting a status of a cooker lid relative to a cooker body by way of engaging a block mounted near a periphery rim of the cooker lid with a pole disposed about an upper rim of the cooker body and being movable relative to the cooker body, wherein the pole is detected to be at a first location relative to the cooker body when the cooker lid is separated from the cooker body, wherein the pole engages the block at a second location relative to the cooker body when the cooker lid is placed on the upper rim of the cooker body and is out of position for a first predetermined cooking mode, wherein the pole engages the block at a third location relative to the cooker body when the cooker lid is placed on the upper rim of the cooker body and is in position for the first predetermined cooking mode;
• (2) inputting the detected lid status to a cooking controller;
• (3) detecting a current cooking mode of the cooking appliance;
• (4) when the cooking appliance is in the first predetermined cooking mode, controlling the cooking controller to supply power for the first predetermined cooking mode only when the pole engages the block at the third location relative to the cooker body;
• and
• (5) when the cooking appliance is in a second predetermined cooking mode, controlling the cooking controller to supply power for the second predetermined cooking mode when the pole is detected to be at the first location or the second location relative to the cooker body.