Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24C—DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES ; DETAILS OF DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
  • F24C15/00—Details
  • F24C15/10—Tops, e.g. hot plates; Rings
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24C—DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES ; DETAILS OF DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
  • F24C3/00—Stoves or ranges for gaseous fuels
  • F24C3/08—Arrangement or mounting of burners
  • F24C3/085—Arrangement or mounting of burners on ranges

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method for assembling a household cooking top according to the preamble of claim 1.
• the present invention typically applies to household cooking tops of the type comprising a plurality of burners, in particular gas burners, for cooking foods placed in suitable containers.
• Cooking tops of this type are known and widespread, in different forms, in every household kitchen.
• said cooking tops are separate units, i.e. simple cookers; in other cases, said cooking tops are add-on components adapted to be flush-mounted in standard-size apertures obtained in the top of a sectional kitchen; or, in other cases, said cooking tops are the upper portion of a household appliance comprising an oven suitable for cooking foods.
• Household cooking tops are generally fitted with a cover that houses a plurality of cooking points.
• Each cooking point is provided with at least one burner, in particular a gas burner, which is generally associated with one adjuster element adapted to be operated by a user for turning on and/or off the burner and for adjusting the heat generated by said burner, said adjuster element allowing the user to adjust the gas flow, and hence the heat generated by combustion.
• said adjuster element is associated with a knob, so that it is more ergonomical and can be operated more easily by a user.
• the cooking tops known in the art are assembled by mounting a plurality of burners and a corresponding number of adjuster elements onto a base of the cooking top.
• a set of components are then assembled in a suitable jig, said set of components comprising:
• a cover typically made of glassy material, having a plurality of apertures for inserting the burners;
• each heat shield being suited to being associated with said burners and said apertures;
• the plate that allows containers to be stably positioned on the cooking top even should the material of the cover break or crack.
• the plate is also used for optimally reinforcing the cooking top.
• Said set of components are assembled by securing the cover, generally made of glassy material, between said plurality of heat shields and the plate, in particular after having used fastening means for coupling the heat shields to the plate.
• the use of a jig ensures the necessary accuracy when associating the cover with the plate.
• Such a deformation of the heat shields may cause the enamel of the plate and/or of the heat shields to come off, which may lead to the formation of rust on said components.
• said deformation of the plate may lead to improper coupling between the elements of the cooking top, thus causing aesthetic and functional problems, e.g. presence of a gap between the base and the cover.
• FIG. 1 schematically shows a perspective view of one embodiment of a cooking top according to the present invention
• FIG. 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b are perspective views showing the steps to be carried out for assembling the cooking top of Fig. 1 in accordance with the present invention
• Fig. 4 shows a detail of a variant of the cooking top of Fig. 1.
• reference numeral 1 designates as a whole a household cooking top of the type comprising a base 10 that houses at least one burner 1 1, in particular a gas burner.
• said cooking top 1 comprises a plurality of burners 1 1 , more precisely four or five burners 1 1 , preferably having different size and calorific power, which can be used as necessary with cooking containers (pots, pans, jugs and the like) having different dimensions and being suitable for cooking different types of foods.
• Said burners 1 1 may be manufactured by using any technology, e.g. the "Flat Thin Gas Hob" technology as described in patent application WO2007/036772 by the present Applicant.
• Fig. 1 In particular, in the embodiment of Fig. 1 four burners 1 1 are arranged at the four corners of the quadrilateral that delimits the cooking top 1, whereas a fifth burner 1 1 is arranged centrally relative to the other four; it is however clear that the layout of the burners 1 1 on the cooking top 1 may be different from that shown in Fig. 1.
• Said burners 1 1 may be without distinction of the type taking primary air above or below the cooking top 1 whereon they are mounted. It is also clear that each burner 1 1 may be fitted with at least one ignition spark plug and/or at least one thermocouple for checking if the burner 1 1 is on; neither said ignition spark plugs nor said thermocouples are shown in the drawings.
• Fig. 2a is an exploded perspective view of the elements making up the cooking top 1
• Figs. 2b, 3a and 3b are perspective views of the steps to be carried out for assembling the components of the cooking top 1 in accordance with the present invention.
• the method for assembling the cooking top 1 according to the present invention comprises the following steps:
• said cover 30 is made of glassy material.
• the assembly method according to the present invention allows to obtain a cooking top 1 which can be wholly manufactured along a production line, without having to use a suitable jig for assembling off-line some of the components of the cooking top 1.
• such an assembly method allows to avoid using any fastening means for coupling the heat shields 40 to the plate 20, thus preventing said heat shields 40 and said plate 20 from becoming deformed, in particular when excessive force is exerted to tighten the fastening means.
• This is particularly important in view of possible repairs of the cooking top 1 ; in fact, thanks to the assembly method according to the present invention, during said repair work it will no longer be necessary to tighten again the fastening means that provide the coupling between the heat shields 40 and the plate 20, risking to further deform said components.
• the absence of any deformations caused to the plate 20 and/or to the heat shields 40 allows to obtain an ideal coupling between the elements of the cooking top 1 , in particular with no aesthetic and functional defects, such as the presence of a gap between the base 10 and the cover 30.
• said step b) of associating the cover 30 with the base 10 and with the plate 20 is carried out by using reference means 51 , 52 which allow the cover 30 to be positioned correctly with respect to the base 10 and the plate 20.
• reference means comprising at least one pair of cylinders 51 are fitted onto a pair of adjuster elements 12, inserted into a pair of second apertures 22 of the plate 20, and then inserted into a corresponding pair of second holes 32 of the cover 30 when positioning the cover 30 onto the plate 20.
• said cylinders 51 may be fitted onto at least one portion of a pair of burners 1 1 , inserted into a pair of first apertures 21 of the plate 20, and then inserted into a corresponding pair of first holes 31 of the cover 30 when positioning the cover 30 onto the plate 20.
• to fit means to accurately position the cylinders 51 onto the burners 1 1 and/or onto the adjuster elements 12; to this end, the cylinders 51 preferably comprise a seat (not shown in the drawings) adapted to precisely accommodate the burners 1 1 and/or the adjuster elements 12 inside the cylinders 51.
• reference means comprising at least one tongue 52 (shown in Fig. 4) may be associated with said base 10 and/or with said plate 20, said at least one tongue 52 being adapted to match a seat (not shown in the drawings) in the cover 30.
• said at least one tongue 52 may be associated with said base 10 and/or with said plate 20 in a manner such as to match at least one first hole 31 and/or at least one second hole 32 in the cover 30; this ensures a proper positioning of the cover 30 with respect to the base 10 and the plate 20 without ruining the appearance of the cooking top 1, in that the coupling between the tongue 52 and said first hole 31 and/or said second hole 32 in the cover is hidden by the subsequently positioned heat shield 40, if the coupling takes place with said first hole 31 , or by a subsequently positioned decorative annular frame (not shown in the drawing) like those typically installed around knobs, if the coupling takes place with said second hole 32.
• Said at least one tongue 52 may be obtained when moulding said base 10 and/or said plate 20; as an alternative, said at least one tongue 52 may be secured to said base 10 and/or to said plate 20 after having manufactured said base 10 and or said plate 20.
• said at least one tongue 52 is associated with an upper portion 13 of the base 10, said upper portion 13 being substantially parallel to a bottom 14 of the base 10, so that it can act as a support surface for the cover 30.
• the use of the reference means 51, 52 according to the present invention allows the cover 30 to be assembled together with the plate 20 and the heat shields 40 without said components having to be assembled off-line in a jig.
• said reference means 51 , 52 avoids the need of drilling the cover 30 for using fastening means adapted to centre said cover 30 with respect to the base 10 and the plate 20.
• step a) of associating the plate 20 with the base 10 is preferably carried out by:
• fastening elements allow the plate 20 to be properly positioned and centered with respect to the base 10; they may comprise, for example, a pair of screws adapted to be coupled to a pair of holes drilled into the bottom 14 of the base 10.
• the fastening means used for centering the plate 20 relative to the base 10 cannot deform said plate 20, since the latter rests on the bottom 14 of the base 10.
• step a) may be preceded (as can be seen in Fig. 2a) by a step of securing at least one burner 1 1 and/or at least one adjuster element 12 to said base 10, in particular to the bottom 14 of said base 10.
• Said step a) may then be preceded by a step of positioning at least one damper element into said base 10, in particular into the bottom 14 of the base 10; for example, said damper element may consist of at least one rubber ring (not shown in the drawings) which allows to compensate for any movements of the plate 20 with respect to the base 10, in particular when transporting an assembled cooking top 1.
• step c) of associating the heat shield 40 with said at least one burner 1 1 is carried out in a manner such that said cover 30 is sandwiched between the plate 20 and said at least one heat shield 40.
• said step c) is carried out by inserting a body 1 1A of the burner 1 1 into a passage 41 of the heat shield 40 and by securing the heat shield 40 to a foot 1 IB (visible in Fig. 2a) of the burner 1 1 , in particular through fastening means; for example, said fastening means may comprise a pair of screws (not shown in the drawings).
• said step c) comprises the positioning of a gasket 42 between the heat shield 40 and the cover 30; this provides adequate contact between the surfaces of said components, while preventing any liquids from leaking into the first holes 31 of the cover 30 and then into the area under the cover 30.
• the present invention provides a method for assembling a household cooking top which allows to obtain a cooking top 1 wholly manufactured along a production line, without requiring the use of a suitable jig for assembling off-line some components of said cooking top 1.
• Another advantage offered by the present invention is that the assembly method does not require any fastening means for coupling the heat shields 40 to the plate 20, thus preventing said heat shields 40 and said plate 20 from becoming deformed, in particular when excessive force is exerted to tighten the fastening means.
• the assembly method according to the present invention allows to avoid damaging the paint of the plate 20 and of the heat shields 40.
• Yet another advantage of the assembly method according to the present invention is that the use of the reference means 51 , 52 allows the cover 30 to be assembled together with the plate 20 and the heat shields 40 without said components having to be assembled off-line, in particular without requiring the use of a jig. Furthermore, sandwiching the cover 30 between the plate 20 and at least one heat shield 40 allows to not having to use any fastening means, which would require drilling the cover 30, thus weakening the structure thereof.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Cookers (AREA)
• Electric Stoves And Ranges (AREA)
• Electric Ovens (AREA)
• Control Of Resistance Heating (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=43348494

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Citations (1)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 2010
  • 2010-04-13 IT ITTO2010A000291A patent/IT1399560B1/it active
• 2011
  • 2011-04-12 WO PCT/IB2011/051582 patent/WO2011128848A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2011-04-12 EP EP11724759.3A patent/EP2558782B1/en active Active

Patent Citations (1)

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