Granted Patent B2

US 12,507,827 · App. 17/139,574 · Granted Dec 30, 2025

Inventors: Rupert Elliston (London, GB); Roger Neil Jackson (Cornwall, GB); Steven Carter (Needham, MA); Benjamin Sharp (Cumbria, GB); Thomas Guerin (Boston, MA); Christopher T. Martin (Concord, MA); Christopher Smith (Newton, MA); Joshua D. Anthony (North Billerica, MA); Michaela Dubeau (Uxbridge, MA); Joyce Chien Tu (Melrose, MA)

Assignee: SharkNinja Operating LLC

A47J37/0641A47J27/004A47J27/0802A47J27/0804A47J27/0806A47J27/086A47J27/09A47J36/32A47J37/0664A47J37/0754A47J2202/00

Abstract

Claims (45)

1 . A cooking system comprising:

a housing defining a hollow chamber configured to receive food, said housing having an upper portion defining an opening to said hollow chamber;

a lid movable relative to said housing between an open position and a closed position;

an elongate slot disposed on an exterior surface of said lid;

a mode selector slidably disposed in said elongate slot, the mode selector being actuatable between a first position associated with a first cooking mode, a second position associated with a second cooking mode, and a third position associated with a third cooking mode, the third position being between the first position and the second position;

a lid lock coupled to said mode selector and associated with said lid, said lid being configurable between a lid locked condition with said housing, a lid unlocked condition with said housing, and an intermediate locked position with said housing, via said lid lock, wherein moving said mode selector relative to said lid from the first position to the second position transforms said lid from said lid locked condition to said lid unlocked condition, and moving said mode selector relative to said lid from the first position to the third position transforms said lid from said lid locked condition to said intermediate locked condition; and

at least one vent disposed in said lid, wherein said at least one vent comprises an inlet vent and an outlet vent, both of which are configurable between an open vent condition and a closed vent condition via actuation of said mode selector,

wherein, when said lid is in said intermediate locked condition, said inlet vent is in said open vent condition and said outlet vent is in said closed vent condition.

2 . The cooking system of claim 1 , wherein said lid lock is rotatable about an axis relative to said lid to transform said lid between said lid unlocked condition, said intermediate locked condition, and said lid locked condition.

3 . The cooking system of claim 1 , wherein the second cooking mode comprises a non-pressurized cooking mode wherein said at least one vent is in said open vent condition and the first cooking mode comprises a pressurized cooking mode wherein said at least one vent is in said closed vent condition.

4 . The cooking system of claim 3 , wherein the non-pressurized cooking mode includes a convection cooking mode and the pressurized cooking mode includes a conductive cooking mode.

5 . The cooking system of claim 1 , wherein both said inlet vent and said outlet vent are in said open vent condition when said lid is in said lid unlocked condition and both said inlet vent and said outlet vent are in said closed vent condition when said lid is in said lid locked position.

6 . The cooking system of claim 5 , wherein said third cooking mode comprises a combination cooking mode including at least two separate cooking modes.

7 . The cooking system of claim 1 , wherein said lid lock further comprises a first portion of an engagement mechanism and said housing further comprises a second portion of said engagement mechanism, and when said lid is in said lid locked condition said first portion and said second portion of said engagement mechanism are coupled.

8 . The cooking system of claim 7 , wherein said engagement mechanism is a bayonet locking system.

9 . The cooking system of claim 1 , wherein the cooking system further comprises a user interface including a plurality of inputs, and a functionality of said user interface is determined in response to a position of said lid lock.

10 . The cooking system of claim 9 , wherein said user interface includes a first portion and a second portion, said first portion is energized when said lid is in said lid unlocked condition and said second portion is energized when said lid is in said lid locked condition.

11 . The cooking system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one heating element disposed in at least one of said lid and said housing.

12 . The cooking system of claim 1 , further comprising a first heating element mounted within the lid and a second heating element disposed within the housing.

13 . The cooking system of claim 12 , wherein said first position of the mode selector allows for activation of the first heating element in the first cooking mode, and said second position of the mode selector allows for activation of the second heating element in the second cooking mode.

14 . The cooking system of claim 1 , wherein said mode selector is configured to move independently of said elongate slot.

15 . A cooking system comprising:

a housing defining a hollow portion configured to receive food;

a lid coupled to the housing and movable between an open position and a closed position;

an elongate slot disposed on an exterior surface of said lid;

a lock ring concentrically disposed in the lid, the lock ring configured to rotate between first, second, and third positions, wherein in the first position the lock ring locks the lid relative to the housing, and wherein in the second position the lock ring releases the lid such that the lid is unlocked relative to the housing, and wherein in the third position the lid is in an intermediate locked position;

at least one vent disposed within the lid, the at least one vent having a closed vent state when the lock ring is in the first position, the at least one vent being moved by the lock ring to a fully open vent state when the lock ring is in the second position, and the at least one vent being moved by the lock ring to a partially open vent state when the lock ring is in the third position; and

a mode selector knob slidably disposed in said elongate slot, wherein said mode selector knob is coupled to the lock ring and configured to move the lock ring between the first position associated with a first cooking mode, the second position associated with a second cooking mode, and the third position associated with a third cooking mode,

wherein said at least one vent comprises an inlet vent and an outlet vent, both of which are configurable between the fully open vent state, the partially open vent state, and the closed vent state via actuation of said mode selector knob, and

wherein, when the lid is in the intermediate locked condition, the inlet vent is in the fully open vent state or the partially open vent state and the outlet vent is in the closed vent state.

16 . The cooking system of claim 15 , wherein the at least one vent is moved to the open position by the lock ring via a plunger system.

17 . The cooking system of claim 15 , wherein the lock ring includes a bayonet mechanism for locking the lid relative to the housing.

18 . The cooking system of claim 15 , further comprising a fan disposed on the lid, the fan configured to create a fluid flow direction, wherein the inlet vent extends with the fluid flow direction and the outlet vent extends against the fluid flow direction.

19 . A cooking system comprising:

a housing defining a hollow food chamber;

a lid coupled to the housing and lid movable between an open position and a closed position;

an elongate slot disposed on an exterior surface of said lid;

a mode selector knob slidably disposed in said elongate slot and movable between a first position associated with a first cooking mode, a second position associated with a second cooking mode, and a third position associated with a third cooking mode, the third position being between the first position and the second position;

a lock ring disposed within and adjacent to an outer perimeter of the lid, the lock ring being coupled to the mode selector knob such that movement of the mode selector knob from the first position to the second position causes the lock ring to rotatably move from an engaged position in which the lock ring engages the housing to lock the lid relative to the housing to a disengaged position in which the lock ring is disengaged from the housing;

an inlet vent formed in the lid and configured to be moved between a closed vent condition and an open vent condition in response to movement of the mode selector knob from the first position to the second position and/or the third position; and

an outlet vent formed in the lid and configured to move between a closed vent condition and an open vent condition in response to movement of the mode selector knob from the first position and/or the third position to the second position,

wherein, in the third cooking mode, the inlet vent is in the open vent condition and the outlet vent is in the closed vent condition.

20 . The cooking system of claim 19 , wherein the lock ring includes a bayonet mechanism for locking the lid relative to the housing.

21 . The cooking system of claim 19 , wherein the lock ring is configured to move the inlet vent to the open vent condition when the lock ring is in the disengaged position.

22 . The cooking system of claim 19 , further comprising a fan disposed on the lid, the fan configured to create a fluid flow direction, wherein the inlet vent extends with the fluid flow direction and the outlet vent extends against the fluid flow direction.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (400)