Units Mounted In Counter Top Patents (Class 126/214A)
  • Patent number: 6120282
    Abstract: A glass-ceramic plate has at least one opening which is intended to house an atmospheric gas burner. At least part of the edge of the opening is polished and the opening is at the top of a local deformation of the plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2000
    Assignee: Eurokera
    Inventors: Pablo Vilato, Michel Grassi
  • Patent number: 6012445
    Abstract: A guard for preventing the turning of at least one control knob of an appliance. The guard has a resilient, elongated sleeve member for enclosing one or more control knobs. A slot defined in the sleeve permits a shaft, rotated by the control knob, to extend through the sleeve. The sleeve member can be made from a transparent material which permits the rotational position of the knob or knobs to be viewed through the guard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2000
    Inventor: Albert Santelli, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5990457
    Abstract: A glass-ceramic cooktop includes a glass-ceramic plate having a periphery. At least one heating body is disposed below the glass-ceramic plate. A sprayed-on plastic frame embraces the periphery of the glass-ceramic plate and has an upper surface. A protective lining of high-temperature-proof material embraces the glass-ceramic plate and is disposed on the upper surface of the plastic frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete GmbH
    Inventors: Herbert Steiner, Manfred Edlmann, Rudolf Meierhofer
  • Patent number: 5968391
    Abstract: A modular radiant heater unit (10) is for use in a stove top (RT) designed for installation of a tubular coil type heating unit (C). The heater can either use a coil (12), or a ribbon heating element (14). The element rests upon a cake (20) of an insulation material fitted within a pan (16) sized to be installed in an opening (6) in the stove type in which a coil type heating unit is normally installed. The heating unit has an electrical connector (24) adapted to readily connect with the electrical connector installed in the stove top. A radiant glass cover (30), sized to fit over the heater unit, is fitted over the pan and held in place by an annular ring (34) which fits about the circumference of the pan and a shield (38) which covers a gap (6) between the heater unit and stove top. Utensils for cooking food are placed upon the glass top. The heater control (K) normally used to control the temperature of a tubular, coil heater, is now used to control the temperature of the radiant heater unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Assignee: Emerson Electric Company
    Inventors: Subhash R. Deo, Simon P. Griffiths
  • Patent number: 5954981
    Abstract: A bracket (12) for installing a replacement heating unit (R) in place on a cooktop (C). One leg (14) of each of a pair of L-shaped brackets (12a, 12b) is attached to the bottom (B) of a pan portion (P) of the heating unit. The pan portion is smaller in diameter than the diameter of the opening in the cooktop where the replacement unit fits. The other leg (16) of each bracket extends upwardly along the side of the pan and is spaced outwardly of the pan. This other end of the bracket fits behind a downturned lip (L) defining an opening (O) in the cooktop in which the replacement unit is fitted. This allows the heating unit, with the brackets attached, to be set in place in the cooktop opening with the upwardly extending legs of the brackets bearing against an inner portion of the opening sidewall so to fit the replacement heating unit in place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1999
    Assignee: Emerson Electrict Company
    Inventors: Subhash R. Deo, Herbert G. Ray
  • Patent number: 5931152
    Abstract: The invention relates to a glass-ceramic cooking plate for gas cooking apparatuses, characterized by the fact that it has at least one opening 2 intended to receive a gas burner 3 and several humps 5 of the same height distributed around this opening which are intended to support a cooking utensil which is to be heated by said burner, said humps being an integral part of the plate itself.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1999
    Assignee: Eurokera
    Inventors: Gerald P. Fafet, Allan M. Fredholm
  • Patent number: 5931151
    Abstract: A range for a recreational vehicle which is adapted to be fit into a simple rectangular opening provided in a kitchen cabinet of the recreational vehicle. The present invention provides a range having a control panel on its front face with notched sides. The notched sides are provided to receive the corners of the countertop to thereby allow the rectangular opening created in the kitchen cabinet to have a simple rectangular shape and to thereby eliminate the labor-intensive process of creating notches in the corners of the countertop. Moreover, by providing the control panel as a piece formed from a unitary sheet of metal, the assembly process for the range is additionally streamlined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1999
    Assignee: Atwood Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan P. Van Dore, Kenneth R. Parker
  • Patent number: 5893359
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an arrangement for assembling and mounting a built-in cooktop such as a glass-ceramic cooktop wherein the cooktop is seated latchably secured from above in a countertop cutout provided therefor. Tolerance problems between the built-in cooktop and the countertop cutout are avoided in that, in the assembly into the countertop cutout, an ancillary assembly frame is premounted with a precise fit to the built-in cooktop. The built-in cooktop is seated in the ancillary assembly frame and is secured via clamping connections or latch connections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 13, 1999
    Assignee: Schott Glaswerke
    Inventors: Bernd Schultheis, Martin Taplan, Otmar Stengg, Franz Hammer
  • Patent number: 5813395
    Abstract: The invention provides a device for clasp the rims of openings in shaped bodies made of glass ceramic, glass or ceramic, especially openings for the passage of atmospheric gas burners on cooking hobs or stovetops, from mechanical damage and for preventing soiling and damage to arrangements situated underneath the shaped body owing to the ingress of liquids through the openings in the shaped body. The clasp reaches over the rim of the respective opening and extends onto both the top and bottom sides of the shaped body. A sealing and/or heat-insulating material is advantageously inserted between the shaped body and the clasp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1998
    Assignee: Schott Glaswerke
    Inventors: Martin Taplan, Stefan Hubert, Boris Marx, Thomas Heisner
  • Patent number: 5791336
    Abstract: Apparatus for mounting a cooking panel to a top surface without a visible circumferential frame or visible sealants/adhesives is disclosed. An assembly of a cooking panel and a burner box may be suspended in a recess formed in a top with a support member having a roll-form with an inverted L-shaped cross-section. The invention further includes a method for mounting a ceramic cooking panel within a recess formed in a countertop by suspending the assembly of the cooking panel and a burner box through the cooktop by the support member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1998
    Assignee: Maytag Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel A. Helm
  • Patent number: 5699784
    Abstract: A tubular-shaped sleeve of insulative material is disclosed adapted to fit around and encase the sides of a pan of the type used in steam tables to limit the degree of heat reaching the sides of the pan from steam or water to thereby substantially reduce the susceptibility of the inside side surface of the pan to adherence of food product being heated in the pan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 23, 1997
    Inventors: Joseph R. Tippmann, Vincent P. Tippmann
  • Patent number: 5638806
    Abstract: The invention in the present application is for a cookware safety system that includes a safety ring that depends from the bottom of a conventional cooking utensil. The safety ring includes a plurality of chair members that are annularly spaced apart to form a ring that depends from the bottom of the cooking utensil. In one embodiment, the chair members are mounted directly to the bottom of the cooking utensil. The chair members are annularly spaced, using as a point of origin, a centerline of a handle to a cooking utensil. The spacing is such that the chair members will fit a three, four, six or eight-pronged gas stove top burner. The cookware safety system also includes a lid retainer that includes tabs mounted to the side of the sidewall of the cooking utensil and pins that are either mounted directly to the lid of the cooking utensil or a lid retainer. A trivet is also provided and includes at least one annularly extending channel that is adapted to receive the safety ring of the cooking utensil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 17, 1997
    Inventor: Carl Boyd Foust
  • Patent number: 5549100
    Abstract: The invention relates to a plate of glass ceramic suitable as component of a cooking appliance with at least one region of the one-piece plate deviating from the main plane of the plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1996
    Assignee: Schott Glaswerke
    Inventors: Thomas Heisner, Jurgen Naubik, Karl-Heinz Juras
  • Patent number: 5438974
    Abstract: A guard to prevent children from contacting stove controls comprising a planar sheet of material having long parallel upper and lower edges and short side edges therebetween in a rectangular configuration to form a guard plate; an attachment plate having long parallel front and rear edges of a length equal to the length of the guard plate, the front edge of the attachment plate being formed integrally with the lower edge of the guard plate and forming an obtuse angle whereby when the attachment plate is horizontal, the upper edge of the guard plate extends outwardly from the front edge of the attachment plate; and a pair of triangular side plates, the triangular side plates having a long vertical rearward edge, and a short upper horizontal edge and a connecting hypotenuse edge therebetween, the hypotenuse edge being formed integrally with the side edges of the guard plate and extending rearwardly at about 90 degrees, the ends of the side plates remote from their short edges being parallel with the short edges
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 8, 1995
    Inventor: Lucio Maldonado
  • Patent number: 5429114
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a cooktop unit for mounting in a frame structure or in a cutout of a work surface. The cooktop unit includes a plate made of glass ceramic and this plate defines the cooking surface. The cooktop unit also includes a metal frame permanently-elastically connected by a silicone adhesive to the lower side in the peripheral region of the plate. A leg of the holding frame connected to the cooktop plate extends flush from the edge of the plate inwardly and parallel to the plate and then bends downwardly at right angles to the plate. The adhesive effects the force-tight connection or bond between the plate and the holding frame. The adhesive defines a peripheral silicone flange at the lateral edges of the plate and at the lateral edge of the leg cemented to the plate. This silicone flange terminates flush with the surface of the plate and projects beyond the lower edge of the leg connected to the plate to form a sealing lip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 4, 1995
    Assignee: Schott Glaswerke
    Inventors: Martin Taplan, Stefan Hubert, Herwig Scheidler
  • Patent number: 5323759
    Abstract: An assembly for mounting sealed gas burners in a gas stove has a cabinet including upstanding side walls and a main top with spaced-apart burner openings therein mounted on the upstanding side walls. The assembly includes a sub-top mounted on the upstanding side walls of the stove cabinet substantially parallel to and beneath the stove main top so as to effectively span the area bounded by the upstanding side walls of the stove cabinet. The sub-top is adapted for functional connection thereto of gas burners. The assembly is adapted for mounting the sub-top on the upstanding side walls of the stove cabinet. Each of the gas burners extend through a correspondingly positioned opening in the stove main top and are connected to the sub-top in such manner that the main top may be removed from the stove without disturbing the functional connection of the gas burners to the sub-top.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 28, 1994
    Assignee: Peerless Premier Appliance Company
    Inventors: John C. Hammel, Gary Siburt
  • Patent number: 5313929
    Abstract: The invention offers a simple and economical mounting possibility for gas burners in molded parts made of a brittle-friable material, such as glass, glass-ceramic or ceramic, by means of which gas burners can be mounted without stresses, in a leakage-proof and gastight fashion in cooking surfaces of such a material without having to impose a restriction as to a special appliance and/or a specific burner type. The molded part which is made of the brittle-friable material, is the sole support for the gas burners, however, if the molded part breaks, the gas burners will drop onto a lower metal support so that the gas feed lines do not rupture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 24, 1994
    Assignee: Schott Glaswerke
    Inventors: Jurgen Thurk, Martin Taplan, Roland Dudek, Stefan Hubert, Dietrich Busch
  • Patent number: 5201306
    Abstract: A cooktop has its body disposed within a rectangular shaped opening in a counter top. The body has upper front and rear flanges larger than the opening in the counter top to rest on the counter top. The cooktop has two slidably mounted clamping brackets on its bottom surface with one at its front edge and the other at its rear edge. Each clamping bracket is releasably held in a retracted position within the periphery of the bottom surface of the cooktop during insertion of the cooktop into the opening. Each clamping bracket has two elongated slots through which two screws extend into two holes in the bottom surface of the cooktop. After the cooktop is inserted within the opening in the counter top, the two screws for each clamping bracket are loosened, and each clamping bracket is moved to an extended position with its maximum being the length of the elongated slots. Each clamping bracket has a nut to receive a long screw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 13, 1993
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: David L. Kinny
  • Patent number: 5156140
    Abstract: A metal barbecue liner includes a thermal insulating liner having walls of twin spaced apart galvanized sheets with one inch of insulation therebetween. An upwardly extending flange surrounds an open portion of the liner so that the liner may be set in an appropriate hole in a counter and retained therein by the flange. Spacers ensure a minimum clearance between walls of the liner and combustible construction in which the liner is mounted. The liner may be constructed of sheet metal such as galvanized steel. Insulation between the sheet metal is one-inch fiberglass foil faced ductboard with the foil facing the inside of the thermal insulating liner next to the barbecue grill.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1992
    Inventor: Herbert J. Zisman
  • Patent number: 5046477
    Abstract: A gas cook-top with a glass top wherein each of a plurality of burners has a neck portion with a flange that seats down on a gasket thereby sealing the burner to the glass top. A collar surrounds the neck portion of each burner. Brackets are positioned below the glass top and support the burners independent of the glass top. A grate covers a pair of burners and has locator rod members that encircle portions of the respective collars, thereby fixedly locating the grate on the glass top.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 10, 1991
    Assignee: Amana Refrigeration Inc.
    Inventors: James L. Bennett, John D. Robeson, Ralph E. Biddle
  • Patent number: 4971024
    Abstract: A cooking hob comprises a glass top in which is disposed a plurality of gas burners and or electric hotplates, the glass top being supported on the top surface of an open-bottomed rectangular box-like structure, a base plate of which is removable for access purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 20, 1990
    Assignee: New World Domestic Appliances Limited
    Inventors: Philip Albon, Leslie Smith
  • Patent number: 4968246
    Abstract: A heating apparatus comprising a burner including a burner body having an air-fuel mixture chamber and a burner cap formed with a plurality of flame ports, a pan formed with an opening for receiving the burner body, a top plate placed on an upper face of the heating apparatus and a trivet placed on the top plate. The burner cap includes a cylindrical portion formed with an air passage, a convex portion projecting upwardly from an inner face of the cylindrical portion and a cover member formed integrally with an upper portion of the cylindrical portion through the convex portion such that a gap is defined between an upper end of the cylindrical portion and a lower face of the cover member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 1989
    Date of Patent: November 6, 1990
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsumi Sasada, Nobuhide Nishiyama, Junzo Tanaka
  • Patent number: 4736729
    Abstract: A gas downdraft range is provided with an airflow system for inducing and maintaining cooling airflow, combustion airflow and exhaust airflow. A housing defines an upwardly facing burner box and a cover overlies the housing with a downwardly formed burner pan disposed within the burner box. The bottom wall of the burner pan is spaced above the bottom wall of the burner box to form an air space therebetween. The burner box has cooling air inlets and cooling air outlets in communication with the air space to define a cooling airflow path. A burner is operably disposed in the burner pan and a grill grate overlies the burner pan providing combustion air inlet and outlet ports to and from the burner pan for defining a combustion airflow path. A plenum enclosure is connected to an exhaust air intake juxtaposed the grill grate and exhausts to atmosphere defining an exhaust airflow path. A blower concurrently induces and maintains each of the airflows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1987
    Date of Patent: April 12, 1988
    Assignee: The Maytag Company
    Inventor: Stanley H. Beach
  • Patent number: 4705019
    Abstract: A gas cooking appliance is provided which is operable with interchangeable burners. An appliance housing includes a burner box mounting an upwardly facing non-removable burner pan. A gas supply system includes gas valves arranged to provide gas to inlet fittings having orifice hoods mounted on the burner pan with the orifice hoods and burner pan being adapted to interchangeably receive first and second burners. A proximity ventilation system has an exhaust intake adjacent the burner pan and a motor driven blower for inducing airflow into the exhaust intake. A first switch is mounted on the burner pan and is operated by only one of the burners. A second switch is associated with the gas valves and is in circuit with the first switch. The switches are cooperable on operation of the gas valves to provide automatic blower operation with only one of the first and second burners.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1987
    Assignee: The Maytag Company
    Inventors: Stanley H. Beach, Richard W. Brangan
  • Patent number: 4640261
    Abstract: An improved ceramic burner plate for gas combustion which is made from a composition comprising about 30-40 weight percent of a clay, about 3-8 weight percent of talc, about 25-40 weight percent of a pore-producing substance and about 14-36 weight percent of mullite. The ceramic burner plates of the invention are characterized by excellent fire resistance and long service life.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1985
    Date of Patent: February 3, 1987
    Assignee: Rinnai Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kato, Toshifumi Yamana
  • Patent number: 4616626
    Abstract: A cooking device having a table surface provided with a gas burner container with a plurality of surrounding ventilation holes disposed generally above a burner located within the burner container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 1984
    Date of Patent: October 14, 1986
    Inventor: Jung K. Kwan Soon
  • Patent number: 4541407
    Abstract: A cooking station for gas ranges whose burner works with super-stoichiometric combustion air premixing. The burner head arranged in a burner tray is connected with a mixing pipe via a ceramic insulating ring. Between the burner head bottom and the burner head lid with the flat topside, we have two perforated flame opening rings which are arranged concentrically with respect to the burner axis, which are resistant to heat and which are resistant to oxidizing and reducing atmospheres. The perforation of the inner flame-opening ring is so dimensioned that the flames cannot backfire. Below the burner tray there is arranged a reflector. The cooking station can be covered with a glass ceramics plate. The invention achieves stable flame performance, perfect combustion, and waste gas poor in harmful substances at nominal load and at small adjustment heat load within a vast utilization field of gases with differing Wobbe indexes as well as a start-up cooking efficiency improvement compared to known burners.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 1981
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1985
    Assignee: Ruhrgas Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Hans Sommers, Dieter Hanselmann
  • Patent number: 4492217
    Abstract: A heater or cooker panel assembly comprises an enameled frame having an upper edge which is capped by a decorative edge trim made of alloy steel. The trim protects the upper edge of the frame against damage in use. The frame has an internal flange which mounts a glass or vitreous ceramic hob plate. A layer of silicone adhesive forms a cohesive unit with the frame and trim so that the hob plate is thermally bonded to the unit. A good bond is obtained between the enameled frame and the adhesive. In an embodiment where the frame is plastic coated or is of anodized aluminum, the trim is dispensed with and a substantially U-shaped profile is engaged over the internal flange of the frame. The U-shaped profile is formed of a material which is capable of being firmly bonded to the adhesive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1983
    Date of Patent: January 8, 1985
    Assignee: JENAer Glaswerk Schott & Gen.
    Inventor: Herwig Scheidler
  • Patent number: 4201184
    Abstract: Gas-heated, glass-ceramic cooking stove incorporating at least one improved gas heated radiation burner subassembly. Each such burner subassembly comprises an infrared radiation burner, a glass, a housing about a burner chamber, a burner plate, a nozzle and mixer pipe, an exhaust gas ring, a waste gas conduit, an igniter, and safety and regulating means. A glass ceramic cover plate is integrally associated with each burner subassembly and serves directly as a cooking surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1977
    Date of Patent: May 6, 1980
    Assignee: Jenaer Glaswerk Schott & Gen.
    Inventors: Herwig Scheidler, Dietmar Wennemann, Bernd Schwank
  • Patent number: 3937207
    Abstract: A cooking gas range equipped with an oven door having a vertical window allowing visual inspection of oven and broiler compartments. The top of the range is held on a fixed support with a hold down assembly. Hold down assembly has a tubular member which serves as a flash tube for the pilot light burner and an expandable sleeve releasably mounted on the fixed support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1974
    Date of Patent: February 10, 1976
    Assignee: Winnebago Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Willard E. Kendall