Description: 
INNER LID OF A PRESSURE VESSEL

RELATED ART

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to a pressure vessel, and more particularly to an inner lid of a pressure vessel.
[0002] Pressure vessels such as pressure cookers are well-known kitchen appliances used to cook food at high temperatures and pressures, which helps in reducing cooking times. The cooking process is typically facilitated by the creation of a sealed environment within the pressure cooker that traps steam and maintains pressure. The pressure cooker generally includes a body portion, an outer or an inner lid, and a sealing mechanism that includes a rubber or a silicone gasket that creates an airtight seal between the lid and body portions. The lid has a safety valve and a locking means that ensure the lid is secured in place while the pressure cooker is in operation.
[0003] Conventionally, certain pressure cookers include an inner lid that is designed to fit within and cover the body portion of the pressure cooker. Such a pressure cooker is generally known as an inner lid pressure cooker. The inner lid pressure cooker is typically lighter in weight, lower cost, more durable, safer, and includes a higher net capacity when compared to outer lid pressure cookers. While using the inner lid pressure cooker, a user needs to carefully hold the inner lid, especially while unlocking and detaching the inner lid from the body portion. Otherwise, the user may end up abruptly dropping the inner lid inside the body portion, especially if the user is distracted. Such accidental and abrupt dropping of the inner lid inside the body of the inner lid pressure cooker may cause food contamination, spilling of the hot food item from inside the body portion, which may create a mess in the kitchen and cause an injury to the user.
[0004] Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved design of a pressure cooker lid that maintains all features and functionalities of a conventional pressure cooker but still effectively addresses the aforementioned issues related to accidental dropping of the inner lid inside the body portion of the pressure cooker.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

[0005] It is an objective of the present disclosure to provide a pressure vessel with an inner lid. The inner lid includes a lid body that is adapted to fit within an opening in a vessel body of the pressure vessel. The inner lid includes a stopper that is coupled to the lid body and is adapted to rest on a rim portion of the vessel body when the inner lid is disposed in a locked state with respect to the vessel body. The stopper is adapted to transfer a weight of the inner lid onto the rim portion of the vessel body, and thereby prevent falling of the inner lid into the vessel body when the inner lid is disposed in an unlocked state with respect to the vessel body.
[0006] Further, the pressure vessel includes a lid handle that is coupled to the lid body and includes a locking loop, and a body handle that is coupled to the vessel body and includes a locking structure. The locking loop is adapted to be locked with the locking structure for locking the inner lid with the vessel body of the pressure vessel.
[0007] Further, the stopper is detachably coupled to the lid body at a position on the lid body that is diametrically opposite to one or more of a distal end of the lid handle and the locking loop.
[0008] Additionally, the stopper includes a first stopper portion detachably coupled to the lid body via a coupling member. The coupling member corresponds to one or more of a rivet, a screw, a bolt, a nut, a bolt, a washer, an anchor, a fastener, metal bonding adhesive, and a weld. Further, the stopper includes a second stopper portion that projects outwards from a periphery of the lid body and is adapted to rest on the rim portion of the vessel body when the inner lid is disposed in the locked state with respect to the vessel body.
[0009] Further, the first stopper portion includes a first aperture disposed on a body portion of the first stopper portion wherein the lid body includes a second aperture disposed at an offset position from a center of the lid body. The coupling member passes through both the first aperture and the second aperture that is aligned below the first aperture to detachably couple the stopper to the lid body.
[0010] Moreover, the second stopper portion includes an associated cross-sectional shape corresponding to one of cylinder, circle, triangle, rectangle, square, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon and octagon.
[0011] Further, the second stopper portion is adapted to slide over the rim portion of the vessel body in a first direction during rotation of the inner lid in the first direction during locking of the inner lid with the vessel body. Additionally, the second stopper portion is adapted to slide over the rim portion of the vessel body in a second direction opposite to the first direction during unlocking and detaching of the inner lid from the vessel body.
[0012] Moreover, the stopper includes a material that corresponds to one or more of aluminum, stainless steel, iron and plastic.
[0013] Further, the pressure vessel corresponds to one of a pressure cooker used in a domestic cooking environment, and a pressure vessel used in one or more of an industrial environment, a laboratory, a medical facility, in transportation, aerospace, storage tanks, and manufacturing.
[0014] Additionally, the stopper is retrofit to the inner lid of the pressure vessel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0015] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the claimed subject matter will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:
[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary isometric view of a pressure vessel with a conventional inner lid disposed in an unlocked state;
[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary isometric view of an embodiment of a pressure vessel with an inner lid including a stopper, the inner lid disposed in a locked state, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;
[0018] FIG. 3A illustrates an exemplary isometric view of the pressure vessel of FIG. 2 with the inner lid disposed in an unlocked state, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;
[0019] FIG. 3B illustrates an exemplary isometric view of the pressure vessel of FIG. 2 with the inner lid disposed in an alternative unlocked state, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;
[0020] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary isometric view of the inner lid of FIG. 2 depicting exemplary components of the stopper for coupling the stopper to the inner lid, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;
[0021] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary isometric view of the inner lid of FIG. 2 depicting the stopper attached to the inner lid using a coupling member, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;
[0022] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary cross-sectional view of the inner lid of FIG. 2 depicting the stopper attached to the inner lid, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;
[0023] FIG. 7 is an exemplary isometric view of the inner lid of FIG. 2, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; and
[0024] FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary isometric view of the pressure vessel of FIG. 2 depicting associated components, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The following description presents a pressure vessel with a custom designed inner lid to prevent fall of the inner lid into a vessel body when the inner lid is unlocked and detached from the vessel body. Particularly, embodiments described herein disclose a simple, lightweight and retrofittable stopper element that is detachably coupled to the inner lid via a coupling member. The stopper element prevents the inner lid from falling into the vessel body when a user attempts to unlock and detach the inner lid from the vessel body.
[0026] As noted previously, a conventional pressure vessel includes an inner lid that needs to be carefully held by a user when the user unlocks and detaches the inner lid from the vessel body. Otherwise, the inner lid may accidently fall into the vessel body resulting in spillage of an item such as hot food item kept inside the vessel body, thereby creating a mess and potentially causing injury to the user. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary isometric view of a conventional pressure vessel (100) such as a pressure cooker for domestic use for cooking food. The pressure vessel (100) includes a vessel body (102) and a conventional inner lid (104). As seen in FIG. 1, unlocking and detaching the inner lid (104) from the vessel body (102) without exerting care causes the conventional inner lid (104) to accidently fall into the vessel body (102) resulting in spillage of food kept inside the vessel body (102).
[0027] To address the aforementioned problems, the present disclosure provides a modified inner lid including a simple and cost-effective stopper that can be easily retrofitted to existing pressure vessels. It may be noted that the stopper may similarly be used with different types of pressure vessels including an inner lid. For example, the stopper may be used to secure the inner lid of a pressure container or pressure vessel used in an industrial environment, a laboratory, a medical facility, in transportation, aerospace, storage tanks, and manufacturing. However, for clarity, an embodiment of the inner lid including a custom designed stopper is illustrated and subsequently described in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 2-8 in the context of a domestic pressure vessel used to cook food items.
[0028] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary isometric view of a pressure vessel (200) having a vessel body (204) and a custom inner lid (202) including a stopper (222), the inner lid (202) disposed in a locked state with the vessel body (204). The pressure vessel (200) depicted in FIG. 2 corresponds to a pressure cooker for domestic use such as cooking food. In one embodiment, the vessel body (204) of the pressure vessel (200) is capable of holding a solid or liquid food item. To that end, the vessel body (204) includes a base (206) and a peripheral wall (208) that surrounds the base (206) and extends upwards from the base (206) to form the vessel body (204). It may be noted that the vessel body (204) may be of a cylindrical, circular, oval or another suitable shape. A top surface (802) of the vessel body (204) includes an opening (804) (depicted in FIG. 8) into which the inner lid (202) is adapted to fit in when a user closes the pressure vessel (200) with the inner lid (202). In one embodiment, the opening (804) provided at the top surface (802) of the vessel body (204) is elliptical in shape, as shown in FIG. 8. Further, a shape of the inner lid (202) is similar to a shape of the opening (804). In certain embodiments, the inner lid (202) includes an elliptical lid body (210) whose diameter is slightly smaller than a diameter of the opening (804) such that the inner lid (202) fits into the opening (804) when the user closes the pressure vessel (200) with the inner lid (202).
[0029] In one embodiment, the vessel body (204) further includes a body handle (212) that allows a user to conveniently hold and lift the pressure vessel (200). A proximal end of the body handle (212) is attached to the vessel body (204), as depicted in FIG. 2. A pivot member (213) is provided at the proximal end of the body handle (212) such that the pivot member (213) protrudes in an upward direction from the body handle (212). A distal end of the body handle (212) is positioned away from the peripheral wall (208) of the vessel body (204). The body handle (212) includes a locking structure (214) provided at the distal end of the body handle (212) such that the locking structure (214) is accordingly positioned away from the peripheral wall (208). In one embodiment, the locking structure (214) is adapted to be engaged with a locking loop (216) disposed on a distal end of a lid handle (218) of the inner lid (202). Specifically, the locking structure (214) and the locking loop (216) are designed in such a fashion that these components allow the user to manually secure the locking loop (216) to the locking structure (214), and thereby lock the inner lid (202) with the vessel body (204) to dispose the pressure vessel (200) in a locked or closed state, as depicted in FIG. 2. Disengaging the locking loop (216) disposed on the lid handle (218) from the locking structure (214) disposed on the body handle (212) ensures that the pressure vessel (200) is in an unlocked or open state. FIGS. 3A and 3B depict exemplary isometric views of the pressure vessel (200) when disposed in two different unlocked states.
[0030] Further, as depicted in FIGS. 2, 3A and 3B, a proximal end of the lid handle (218) of the inner lid (202) extends outwards from a center of the lid body (210) to allow the user to conveniently hold and lift the inner lid (202). During a cooking process using the pressure vessel (200), a user may place the inner lid (202) inside the opening (804) disposed in the vessel body (204). The user can lift the lid body (210) to a position where the lid body (210) abuts a rim portion (215) of the vessel body (204) by pivoting the lid handle (218) against the pivot member (213). Pivoting the lid handle (218) against the pivot member (213) adjusts a position of the inner lid (202) such that the inner lid (202) completely covers the opening (804). Further, the user may subsequently rotate the inner lid (202) in a particular direction until the lid handle (218) of the inner lid (202) aligns exactly above the body handle (212) of the pressure vessel (200). Post alignment of the lid handle (218) exactly above the body handle (212), the user may secure the locking loop (216) with the locking structure (214) to cover the opening (804) with the inner lid (202) and further to lock the inner lid (202) with the vessel body (204), as shown in FIG. 2.
[0031] In certain embodiments, the inner lid (202) includes an annular groove disposed around a circumferential edge of the lid body (210). An annular gasket (219) is removably fitted within the annular groove such that the annular gasket (219) ensures a seal between the vessel body (204) and the inner lid (202) while the pressure vessel (200) is operating in the locked state, as depicted in FIG. 2. Further, a safety valve (706) is integrated into an inner surface (704) of the inner lid (202), as depicted in FIG. 7. The safety valve (706) is adapted to open automatically when pressure inside the pressure vessel (200) exceeds a predefined pressure level, thus minimizing the risk of excessive pressure and enhancing the safety of the pressure vessel (200).
[0032] Further, the inner lid (202) of the pressure vessel (200) includes a pressure regulator (220) disposed over a steam vent provided at a central position on an upper portion of the lid body (210). In one embodiment, the pressure regulator (220) is adapted to generate an audible sound and regulate a pressure level inside the pressure vessel (200) by allowing steam to escape when the pressure level inside the pressure vessel (200) reaches the predefined pressure level.
[0033] In certain embodiments, the user manually disengages the locking loop (216) from the locking structure (214) once the cooking process is over to detach the inner lid (202) from the vessel body (204). In the conventional pressure vessel (100), disengaging of the corresponding locking loop from the locking structure may cause the conventional inner lid (104) to inadvertently fall into the vessel body (102) unless the user continues to carefully hold a lid handle of the conventional pressure vessel (100). Such an inadvertent fall of the inner lid (104) into the vessel body (102) may contaminate the food item stored in the vessel body (102) and may further cause the food item to spill, which may cause an injury to the user and create a mess in the cooking environment.
[0034] In contrast, the lid body (210) of the present disclosure includes the stopper (222) that projects outwards from a periphery of the lid body (210) to prevent inadvertent falling of the inner lid (202) into the vessel body (204). To that end, the stopper (222) is detachably coupled at a position on the lid body (210) that is diametrically opposite to the distal end of the lid handle (218) and the associated locking loop (216). Such positioning of the stopper (222) on the lid body (21) ensures that the stopper (222) is positioned in the minor diameter corresponding to the elliptical opening (804) of the vessel body (204) when the pressure vessel (200) is in the locked state, as depicted in FIG. 2 or the unlocked state depicted in FIG. 3A, where the lid handle (218) is still aligned on top of the body handle (212). Subsequently, rotating the lid body (210) in either direction, for example to remove the lid body (210), positions the inner lid (202), and thereby the stopper (222), towards the major diameter of the opening (804), as depicted in FIG. 3B. The stopper (222), thus positioned, rests on the rim portion (215), thereby preventing the inner lid (202) from falling into the vessel body (204) even in the alternative unlocked state depicted in FIG. 3B, where the lid handle (218) is positioned in perpendicular to the body handle (212). Advantageously, a relative size and shape of the stopper (222) is selected such that positioning the stopper (222) along the major diameter of the opening (804) still allows the lid body (210) to be easily slid out from the opening (804) by a user without creating any obstruction.
[0035] Additionally, a material for the stopper (222) may be chosen based on its ability to withstand heat and temperature and non-interference with the cooking process or alternative operation of the pressure vessel (200). In one embodiment, for example, the stopper (222) is composed of a material that is typically used for manufacturing one or more of the lid body (210) and the vessel body (204). In certain embodiments, the materials suitable for the stopper (222) may include without limiting to, aluminum, stainless steel, iron, plastic, or any other suitable materials.
[0036] FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary isometric view of the inner lid of FIG. 2 depicting exemplary components of the stopper (222) for coupling the stopper (222) to the lid body (210). To that end, in certain embodiments, the stopper (222) includes a first stopper portion (402) that is detachably coupled to the lid body (210) via a coupling member (404). Additionally, the stopper (222) includes a second stopper portion (406) that extends outwards from the first stopper portion (402). Further, the second stopper portion (406) is adapted to rest on a rim portion (215) of the vessel body (204) when the inner lid (202) is disposed in a locked state with respect to the vessel body (204).
[0037] As noted previously, presence of the stopper (222) prevents the inner lid (202) from falling into the vessel body (204) upon disengaging the looking loop (216) from the locking structure (214) even when the user fails to continue to carefully hold the lid handle (218) of the pressure vessel (200). This is because, the second stopper portion (406) resting on the rim portion (215) of the vessel body (204) transfers a weight of the inner lid (202) onto the rim portion (215) of the vessel body (204) even when the user disengages the looking loop (216) from the locking structure (214), and thereby prevents the inner lid (202) from freely falling inside the vessel body (204). Preventing the falling of the inner lid (202) into the vessel body (204) ensures that the food item is not contaminated and further avoids spillage of the food item, which ensures a hygienic cooking environment and eliminates risk of injury to the user.
[0038] In one embodiment, the second stopper portion (406) resting on the rim portion (215) of the vessel body (204) corresponds to a cylindrical shape. A cylindrical shape of the second stopper portion (406) allows a user to freely rotate and lock the inner lid (202) with the vessel body (204), and to freely rotate and detach the inner lid (202) from the vessel body (204) without any obstruction. Specifically, while locking the inner lid (202) with the vessel body (204), the user may first insert the inner lid (202) within the opening (804) of the vessel body (204). Subsequently, in one embodiment, the user may rotate the inner lid (202) in a clockwise direction until the lid handle (218) aligns exactly below the body handle (212). When the user rotates the inner lid (202) in the clockwise direction, the cylindrical cross-section ensures that the second stopper portion (406) slides freely over the rim portion (215) of the vessel body (204) and allows the user to freely align the lid handle (218) exactly below the body handle (212) without any obstruction. Similarly, while detaching the inner lid (202) from the vessel body (204), the user may rotate the inner lid (202) in an anti-clockwise direction. The cylindrical cross-section ensures that the second stopper portion (406) slides freely over the rim portion (215) of the vessel body (204) when the user rotates the inner lid (202) in the anti-clockwise direction, and thereby allows the user to easily detach the inner lid (202) from the vessel body (204) without any obstruction.
[0039] Though the cross-section of the second stopper portion (406) is previously described to be cylindrical in shape, it is to be understood that the cross-section of the second stopper portion (406) can also be of a different shape. For example, the cross-section of the second stopper portion (406) may be round or any polygonal shape including a triangle, rectangle square, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon and an octagon. In one embodiment, the first stopper portion (402) of the stopper (222) may be designed as a quadrilateral shaped component such as a square, rectangle, trapezoid, or parallelogram-shaped component. The quadrilateral shape of the first stopper portion (402) ensures that the stopper (222) can be easily attached to the lid body (210) without much manual effort.
[0040] In certain embodiments, the first stopper portion (402) is attached to the lid body (210) using the coupling member (404) that does not interfere with the safety and performance of the pressure vessel (200) while preserving the quality of the food item being cooked inside the vessel body (204). In one embodiment, the coupling member (404) corresponds to a rivet that includes a head end (502), depicted in FIG. 5, and a tail end (702), depicted in FIG. 7. Additionally, the first stopper portion (402) includes a first aperture (408) disposed on a body portion of the first stopper portion (402). The first stopper portion (402) is placed over the lid body (210) such that the first aperture (408) exactly aligns above a second aperture (410) disposed on the lid body (210). In one embodiment, the second aperture (410) is disposed at an offset position from a center of the lid body (210). The offset position, for example, corresponds to a location on a periphery of the lid body (210), the location being diametrically opposite to the distal end of the lid handle (218) and associated locking loop (216). Subsequently, the coupling member (404) is inserted via the first aperture (408) and the second aperture (410) such that the head end (502) of the coupling member (404) is positioned above the first aperture (408) and the tail end (702) of the coupling member (404) is positioned below the second aperture (410). The shape of the tail end (702) of the rivet (404) is then deformed, for example, to a flattened shape from its original shape to fasten the tail end (702) to the lid body (210), which detachably attaches the stopper (222) to the lid body (210). FIG. 5, for example, illustrates an exemplary isometric view of the inner lid (202) depicting the stopper (222) attached to the lid body (210) via the coupling member (404) that corresponds to a rivet. Additionally, FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary cross sectional view of the inner lid (202) depicting the stopper (222) attached to the lid body (210) via the coupling member (404) corresponding to a rivet.
[0041] Though embodiments depicted and described with reference to FIGS 3A-3B, 4 and 5 correspond to use of a rivet as the coupling member (404), it is to be understood that the coupling member (404) may correspond to different types of coupling means used for attaching the stopper (222) with the lid body (210). For example, the coupling member (404) may use one or more of a screw, a bolt, a nut, a bolt, a washer, an anchor, a fastener, a metal bonding adhesive and a weld instead of the rivet for attaching the stopper (222) with the lid body (210). Further, FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary isometric view of the inner lid (202) depicting the stopper (222) attached to the lid body (210) when the inner lid (202) is disposed in an inverted position. Specifically, FIG. 7 depicts the tail end (702) of the coupling member (404) and the stopper (222) extending out from the lid body (210). Further, FIG. 7 depicts the safety valve (706) that is disposed on the inner lid (202). The safety valve (706) ensures safety against excessive pressure buildup inside the vessel body (204) while the pressure vessel (200) is being used for cooking the food item. The safety valve (706) may include a valve body that is affixed securely to the inner lid (202) and is adapted to withstand high temperatures and pressures typically generated within the pressure vessel (200). The safety valve (706) may further include one or more of a fusible link, a pressure release aperture, and a sealing ring (not shown in FIGS. 1-8) placed between the valve body and the lid body (210) for ensuring safe operation of the pressure vessel (200).
[0042] FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary isometric view of certain exemplary components of the pressure vessel (200) for domestic use. As shown in FIG. 8, the pressure vessel (200) includes the inner lid (202) with the stopper (222) coupled to the lid body (210) via the coupling member (404). To initiate the cooking process, a user may add the food item to be cooked into the vessel body (204) via the opening (804). Once the food item is added into the vessel body (204), the inner lid (202) is inserted partly into the vessel body (204), for example at a slanting angle through the opening (804), and is rotated until the lid handle (218) exactly aligns above the body handle (212). The inner lid (202) is then locked with the vessel body (204) by securing the locking loop (216) with the locking structure (214). Subsequently, the pressure vessel (200) is heated, for example, via a stove or induction cooktop. In one embodiment, the pressure vessel (200) includes a fusible link including a fuse that prevents escape of steam from the pressure vessel (200) under normal pressure range. Additionally, the sealing ring in the safety valve (706) ensures an airtight connection that prevents steam from escaping during normal cooking operation. When the pressure vessel (200) reaches a designated maximum pressure, the fuse melts due to the excessive temperature. The melting of the fuse causes the associated safety valve (706) to open to enable release of the steam from the pressure vessel (200) via the pressure release aperture. In certain embodiments, the pressure release aperture in the safety valve (706) allows a regulated flow of steam to be released in the event of excessive pressure without causing an abrupt discharge of the steam that could lead to damage to the safety valve (706). Simultaneously, the pressure regulator (220) may generate a sound indicating a cooking progress of the food item being cooked. Once the cooking process is completed and the steam inside the vessel body (204) is released outside the vessel body (204), the inner lid (202) is unlocked from the vessel body (204) by a user by disengaging the locking loop (216) from the locking structure (214). Upon unlocking the inner lid (202) from the vessel body (204), the stopper (222) resting on the rim portion (215) of the vessel body (204) ensures that the inner lid (202) does not fall into the vessel body (204).
[0043] The custom inner lid (202) including the stopper (222) described herein, throughout various embodiments of the present disclosure, mitigates limitations of conventional inner lids used in pressure vessels. The present inner lid (202) prevents spillage of the contents of the pressure vessel (200) caused by accidental falling of the inner lid (202) into the vessel body (204) by use of the simple and retrofittable stopper (222). Specifically, the stopper (222) extends from the inner lid (202) and rests on the top surface (802) or rim portion (215) of the vessel body (204), thereby ensuring that the inner lid (202) is held in a mounted position over the rim (215) of the vessel body (204). Addition of the stopper (222) to the inner lid (202) prevents the inner lid (202) from falling into the vessel body (204) when the inner lid (202) is unlocked from the vessel body (204).
[0044] While the present embodiments of the stopper (222) are shown and described herein the context of a pressure vessel adapted to cook food items, it may be noted that the stopper (222) may similarly be used with other pressure containers and vessels including an inner lid. For example, the stopper (222) may be used to secure the inner lid of a pressure container or pressure vessel used in an industrial environment, a laboratory, a medical facility, in transportation, aerospace, storage tanks, and manufacturing.
[0045] Although specific features of various embodiments of the present systems and methods may be shown in and/or described with respect to some drawings and not in others, this is for convenience only. It is to be understood that the described features, structures, and/or characteristics may be combined and/or used interchangeably in any suitable manner in the various embodiments shown in the different figures.
[0046] While only certain features of the present systems and methods have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes.

LIST OF NUMERAL REFERENCES:

100 Conventional Pressure vessel
102 Conventional Vessel body
104 Conventional Inner lid
200 Pressure vessel
202 Inner lid
204 Vessel body
206 Base
208 Peripheral wall
210 Lid body
212 Body handle
213 Pivot member
214 Locking structure
215 Rim portion of vessel body
216 Locking loop
218 Lid handle
219 Annular gasket
220 Pressure regulator
222 Stopper
402 First stopper portion
404 Coupling member
406 Second stopper portion
408 First aperture
410 Second aperture
502 Head end of coupling member
702 Tail end of coupling member
704 Inner surface of inner lid
706 Safety valve
802 Top surface of vessel body
804 Opening

, Claims:We claim:

1. A pressure vessel (200), comprising:
an inner lid (202) that comprises:
a lid body (210) that is adapted to fit within an opening (804) in a vessel body (204) of the pressure vessel (200);
a stopper (222) that is coupled to the lid body (210) and is adapted to rest on a rim portion (215) of the vessel body (204) when the inner lid (202) is disposed in a locked state with respect to the vessel body (204), wherein the stopper (222) is adapted to transfer a weight of the inner lid (202) onto the rim portion (215) of the vessel body (204), and thereby prevent falling of the inner lid (202) into the vessel body (204) when the inner lid (202) is disposed in an unlocked state with respect to the vessel body (204).

2. The pressure vessel (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pressure vessel (200) comprises a lid handle (218) coupled to the lid body (210) and comprising a locking loop (216), a body handle (212) coupled to the vessel body (204) and comprising a locking structure (214), wherein the locking loop (216) is adapted to be locked with the locking structure (214) for locking the inner lid (202) with the vessel body (204) of the pressure vessel (200).

3. The pressure vessel (200) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the stopper (222) is detachably coupled to the lid body (210) at a position on the lid body (210) that is diametrically opposite to one or more of a distal end of the lid handle (218) and the locking loop (216).

4. The pressure vessel (200) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the stopper (222) comprises:
a first stopper portion (402) detachably coupled to the lid body (210) via a coupling member (404), wherein the coupling member (404) corresponds to one or more of a rivet, a screw, a bolt, a nut, a bolt, a washer, an anchor, a fastener, metal bonding adhesive, and a weld; and
a second stopper portion (406) that projects outwards from a periphery of the lid body (210), wherein the second stopper portion (406) is adapted to rest on the rim portion (215) of the vessel body (204) when the inner lid (202) is disposed in the locked state with respect to the vessel body (204).

5. The pressure vessel (200) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first stopper portion (402) comprises a first aperture (408) disposed on a body portion of the first stopper portion (402), wherein the lid body (210) comprises a second aperture (410) disposed at an offset position from a center of the lid body (210), and wherein the coupling member (404) passes through both the first aperture (408) and the second aperture (410) that is aligned below the first aperture (408) to detachably couple the stopper (222) to the lid body (210).

6. The pressure vessel (200) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the second stopper portion (406) comprises an associated cross-sectional shape corresponding to one of cylinder, circle, triangle, rectangle, square, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon and octagon.

7. The pressure vessel (200) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the second stopper portion (406) is adapted to slide over the rim portion (215) of the vessel body (204) in a first direction during rotation of the inner lid (202) in the first direction during locking of the inner lid (202) with the vessel body (204), and wherein the second stopper portion (406) is adapted to slide over the rim portion (215) of the vessel body (204) in a second direction opposite to the first direction during unlocking and detaching of the inner lid (202) from the vessel body (204).

8. The pressure vessel (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stopper (222) comprises a material that corresponds to one or more of aluminum, stainless steel, iron and plastic.

9. The pressure vessel (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pressure vessel (200) corresponds to one of a pressure cooker used in a domestic cooking environment, and a pressure vessel used in one or more of an industrial environment, a laboratory, a medical facility, in transportation, aerospace, storage tanks, and manufacturing.

10. The pressure vessel (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stopper (222) is retrofit to the inner lid (202) of the pressure vessel (200).