DESC:TITLE:
PRESSURE COOKER WHISTLE COUNTER
FIELD OF INVENTION:
The invention relates to a pressure cooker with pressure detection system in the form of whistles in combination with manual braille hand tally counter is a fully functional model that enables the user to count the number of times a pressure cooker has released steam while cooking so as to continue / stop the cooking process which is helpful in domestic household, hotels/catering businesses in cooking and the said mechanism is also expressly helpful for the benefit of hearing impaired community.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION:
Pressure cooker is a household or kitchen appliance or device used for cooking worldwide. Pressure cooking is the process of cooking food, using water or other cooking liquid, in a sealed vessel chamber(known as a pressure cooker) to cook food faster than conventional cooking methods, as it saves energy and time. In India and most of the domestic households uses pressure cooker in every household for cooking.
The pressure cookers have preference over the conventional cooking utensils due to the advantage of retaining the nutritive value and flavor of the cooked food and less time required for cooking and thus effecting considerable savings in time and fuel.
The mechanism involves the pressure which is created by boiling a liquid, such as water or broth. In general an ordinary non pressurized cooking vessel boiling point of water reaches to a maximum temperature of 100 °C (212 °F) at standard pressure, where excess heat causes boiling water to vaporize into steam. In a sealed pressure cooker, the boiling point of water increases as the pressure rises, resulting in superheated water. At a pressure of 1 bar or ~15 psi (pounds per square inch) above the existing atmospheric pressure, water in a pressure cooker can reach a temperature of up to 121 °C (250 °F), depending on altitude.The trapped steam inside the closed vessel increases the internal pressure and allows the temperature to rise and on when the pressure within the pressure cooker increases beyond a certain limit, steam is let out using the steam regulator.
However, pressure cookers also have their drawbacks. The main concern raised by pressure cooking is related to safety. One major safety concern is that users may be injured by the hot and pressurized steam if the users open the lid of the pressure cooker when the pressure is high. The hot and pressurized gas may be vigorously ejected from the cooker when the lid is opened and pressure builds up inside such cookers may not withstand the high pressure can cause severe injury if the lid is blown off when the internal pressure exceeds the tolerance of the lid.
A conventional pressure regulator for a pressure cooker includes a nozzle attached to an exhaust port formed in a lid portion of a pressure cooker and a base for opening and closing a valve seat portion formed at the upper end of the nozzle. The pressure regulator discharges steam from the steam discharge port when the inside of the pressure cooker exceeds a predetermined pressure to regulate the pressure in the pressure cooker which produces a whistling sound. The whistling sound produced in a pressure cooker indicates the status of the food being cooked. After use, the pressure is slowly released so that the vessel can be safely opened.
A major defect associated with conventional pressure cooker is that one has to keep an account of thenumber of whistles generated by the pressure regulator. Otherwise, the food turns out undercooked orOver-cooked with degrade quality and even leads to wastage of fuel. The problem becomes particularly acute for thehearing impaired.It can be cumbersome to keep tabs on the number of whistles produced during the cooking process and the situation becomes particularly troubling for the hearing impaired.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
In case of pressure cookers, the counting mechanism with number of times the pressure or steam released during cooking is still challenging with no known practical / functional solutionin accomplishing the efficient utility model for counting the same.
In this connection, already known mechanisms for counting the number of whistles to detect the internal pressure of a cooker on release of steam are reviewed herewith based on the availability of the data on patentability and search report,
1. Patent application no. 293/DEL/2014 with title“WHISTLE COUNTING DEVICE FOR PRESSURE”(WCDPC) provides a moving base and counter where the numbers are printed on base part of whistle to indicate the number of whistles of pressure cooker based on the number of rotation of whistle from base/starting point or position.
But there are certain limitations to count the number of whistles in single digits and also the change of base of the whistle to a moving one which isin ambiguity of a standard stable base.
2. Patent application no. 2047/CHE/2012 with title“NOVEL COUNTING DEVICE FOR DOMESTIC PRESSURE COOKERS SUITABLE FOR HEARING IMPAIRED” (CONEPEC) is a device that displays number of times the cooker whistled (weight lifted) is achieved by the control circuit, where theproximity sensor is located at the bottom of the Sensing and Display Assembly, where the Holder Assembly is made up of hard plastic material with a socket to hold the Display Assembly support.
The limitations are subjected to the need for a low battery powered counter which is subject to being damaged from the heat / vapor of the cooking process.
3. PCT application no. WO/2012/062657 with title “PRESSURE DETECTION SYSTEM FOR A PRESSURE COOKER” is a pressure detection system with a sensor for detecting aninternal pressure by means of measured values by a computer unit connected to the sensor and a display, the computer unit being adapted to evaluate the measured values delivered by the sensor.
The limitations are subjected to the computer printing screen system where it display digitally and sensors may get damaged due to high heat and steam evaporations of the pressure cooker.
4. SanyamSaxena from VIT, Chennai published an article in August 2014 with International Journal of Modern Engineering Research (IJMER-ISSN 2249-6645) [Vol 4 Iss.8 Aug. 2014 91-94] by title “Novel mechanical Whistle Counter Device for Pressure Cooker” is a mechanical device involves in counting the number of whistles produced by the cooker with slider crank mechanism, the pressure in the cooker increases the force imparted at the regulator end istransmitted along the different links in the assembly and the displacement is magnified as it reached the crank and the translational input is converted to rotary motion. The number of rotations so produced is computed using a mechanical counter.
The limitations are subjected to the design of the device where it attaches to the lid of the pressure cooker which is complicated and the rotary base position of the steam regulator is not stable as a standard stable base.
While the methods adopted by different inventors is varied, the underlying concept is the same – to provide users a functional and practical method of counting the number of times a pressure cooker has ‘whistled’ or rather released steam. Acknowledging that the concept of whistle counter is not a novel one, this disclosed invention seeks to project the advantage of the invention by having a different apparatus, proposed over former applications from a functional, practical usage, ease of implementation, cost and replacement point of view in the existing pressure cookers.
The present invention eliminates the problem of counting the number of whistles produced by the pressure regulator with a different approach in improvements of whistle where it converts the pressure into counts by setting aside the traditional method to count it manually. This invention can also benefit the hearing impaired community toknow the status of the cooking food.
The present invention possesses numerous benefits and advantages over known electrical connectors. In particular:
a. The invention has the utility that uses the power of built up pressure or steam to set / change the count for itself without manual intervention.
b. Practical cooking application of most users of pressure cooker is to count the number of the times the cooker as ‘whistled’ and with a reliable counter being available, the user can cook stress free and concentrate on cooking / other activities better than to physically wait and count the number of whistles.
c. Users are known to manually lift the whistle to release pressure, assuming it will help expedite the cooking process, which is a myth and actually a very unsafe act. Usage of this invention will prevent users from such practice and enable automation of checking number of whistles.
d. Practically most users go by the count of no. of whistles and compare it with time taken for the cooking. This will further assist such process and help users make a judgment about quality of pressure cooker or its accessories or the effectiveness of the burner / hot plate in heating the cooker and make suitable changes / adjustments which will go a long way in improving cooking process and also energy saving.
e. The counter provides users flexibility to count from 01 to 99 with minimal change to weight of the new whistle with counter and reset it back to zero (00) as and when required.
f. This is very useful even for those who are challenged of hearing, as they only need to see the number on the counter and understand the number of times the pressure is released. Even for those who are visually challenged and have to cook their own food, the counter can be modified in a manner to include braille codes on the same to touch and know the number.
g. This invention can be used in industries where steam and air / gas pressure is used. Safety / economy is decided based on the effective and timely release of such high pressures.
In addition to the foregoing attributes, the pressure cooker whistle with counter is an accessory that can be modified based on the model or size of the cooker and can be used easily by anyone who can count and read numbers. It surpasses the challenges of language and ability to read, which is a challenge for a vast section of the population globally, who use pressure cookers. It does not need anyone to change the whole pressure cooker and instead change the whistle with a compatible one (including counter) at a minimal cost.
The mechanical features of the erstwhile pressure cooker whistle and current newly invented pressure cooker whistle with counter are practically the same with the use of pressure to rise and release steam, only that the latter is enabled with a feature to count the number of times the steam is released and reset the counter to zero as and when required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention pertains to a combination of the traditional pressure cooker whistle and a manual hand tally counter to enable counting the number of times a pressure cooker has released steam, or in common language, the number of times a pressure cooker has ‘whistled’. It will bear a slightly enhanced design of the traditional pressure cooker whistle, now topped with a counter that can count from 01 (number One) to 99 (number Ninety Nine) and be reset to 00 (zero) as required.

As in traditional cooking, while the pressure cooker has built enough pressure which ranges from 6 psi to 15 psi globally (there being no international pressure cooker organization that sets a global standard), it releases steam, in most cases from the top of the vessel which is fastened or covered by an accessory named as a “whistle”. The whistle is pushed upward with the steam as the cooker releases the steam. The invention claims to use such power / pressure of steam to enable the whistle push up a counter that will serve the purpose of knowing the number of times the cooker has released steam. With the help of the present invention users of pressure cooker can choose to:
1. Hasten the cooking process by increasing cooking heat / flame power
2. Slow the cooking process by reducing heat / flame power
3. Stop the cooking process basis a judgment from practical experience / knowledge sharing,
and thereby save themselves from the stress of under / over cooking their food; save energy and time used in the cooking.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows an example of a normal pressure cooker whistles (PRIOR ART)
FIG. 2 is an example of a hand tally counter, with its parts described (PRIOR ART)
FIG. 3 is a frontal view / drawing of the invention which shows a combination of the pressure cooker whistle and a counter mounted on its top.
FIG. 4 describes side and cross-sectional view of the pressure cooker whistle with counter of FIG 3, including a blown up view of the various parts.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
As shown in Fig 1, the base is fixed on the pressure cooker and the whistle rests on it during the cooking process. At the top of this base is a hole from where steam is released from the cooker while cooking. This is an example of general or standard pressure cooker whistles.
As shown in Fig 2 the invention describes about the hand tally counter with parts,
i. Lever that is normally pressed in the hand tally counter to increase the count by one. Pressure used for this minimal and can be managed to be generated/modified for cooking steam pressure, including by reducing weight of counter parts
ii. Valve to reset the counter to zero, by simply rotating till it becomes zero, normally designed to combine counting when common digits are achieved at units and tens followed by hundreds and thousands.
iii. Display window of the hand tally counter showing the number of times the count has been made by pressing the top lever

As shown in Fig 3, the invention describes the frontal view showing the combination of the pressure cooker whistle and a tally counter including,
i. Pressure cooker Whistle
ii. Valve that will push the counter to increase number of count when the steam is released and the whistle is pushed upward
iii. Counter
iv. Counter Display
v. Counter reset button (to be rolled to reset)
As shown in Fig 4, the present invention describes the pressure cooker whistle with counter in different views such as side, cross-sectional and blown up.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference to the drawings and, in particular, with reference to Fig 3 and 4, the visual of the invention is being described. As may be understood, the traditional pressure cooker whistle is undergoing a complete innovation with practical usage for its count at minimal change to the weight and practicality of replacement from old to the newly invented model.
The base of the whistle from where the steam is released (as described in Fig 1) may also need to change depending on the implementation of this design while making the prototype. This will only enable usage of one / two simple models across the hundreds of pressure cooker designs used across the globe, across different brands, sizes and models.
The construction of the present invention includes a (1) pressure cooker whistle, (2) value that will push the counter to increase no. of count when the steam is released and the whistle is pushed upward, (3) counter, (4) counter display and (5) counter reset button.
When the whole assembly is placed on the cooker while cooking, due to the increase of the pressure in the cooker, the air lifts the pressure cooker whistle, thereby the value will push the counter to increase no. of count when the steam is released and the whistle is pushed upwards there by the display counter will change the number displayed from 00 to 01 and for every count to next number. When the user requires the pressure counter to be started from initial 00, they can reset the counter by pressing the counter reset button placed in the sidewards of the counter assembly.
Further the pressure cooker assembly is made with light weight insulated material which is one-sixth of the weight of the traditional pressure cooker whistle.
For a better view of the invention, the present pressure cooker whistle assembly is shown in different side views in the Fig. 4.
,CLAIMS:
1. Pressure cooker whistle counter assembly for counting number of steam releases in the cooker, comprising counter digit display, counter reset button where the said parts are mounted contriving on the pressure cooker whistle and valve positioned in center for exertion of steam/pressure.
2. Pressure cooker whistle counter assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the whole assembly is made with any metal or in combination with metal and insulated synthetic or plastic preferably with light weight insulated material which is one-sixth of the weight of the traditional pressure cooker whistle of approved quality and grade with usage of appropriate and relevant insulated synthetic/plastic material made for aesthetic and safety purposes to handle in hot conditions.
3. Pressure cooker whistle counter assembly as claimed in claim 1, the counter digit display unit is an hand tally counter designed in braille beneficial for the impaired.
4. Pressure cooker whistle counter assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the valve pushes the counter to increase number of count when the steam is released.
5. Pressure cooker whistle counter assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the counter reset button is side wards placed in the counter assembly with a push system to reset to 00.