GB2223160A

GB2223160A - Electric kettle

Info

Publication number: GB2223160A
Application number: GB8922022A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Victor George Howard
Original assignee: KALVID ELECTRICS Ltd
Current assignee: KALVID ELECTRICS Ltd
Priority date: 1988-09-30
Filing date: 1989-09-29
Publication date: 1990-04-04
Also published as: GB8822941D0; GB8922022D0

Abstract

An electric kettle has a sump 8 in its base 9 in which a heating element 10 is accommodated and is large enough for just a small quantity of water to be boiled safely sufficient to fill a cup or mug. The sump is screened from view by a skirt 11 depending from the underside of the base 9, which may also serve as a stand for the kettle. A water level gauge 16 extends from the sump 8 and is visible at the outside of the body. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO ELECTRIC KETTLES This invention relates to electric kettles.

The bodies of electric kettles usually have a' generally flat base across a substantial part of which the heating element extends. This is also the case with electric jug kettles the bodies of which, whilst being of comparable capacities to those of kettles, are usually appreciably smaller in plan area. An advantage which the smaller plan area has is that smaller volumes of water can be heated, if desired, sufficient for example to fill just one cup dr mug. Kettles known hitherto on the other hand, being of much larger plan area, need to contain larger volumes of water to avoid the risk of their heating elements being over-heated and damaged. There are those people who prefer kettles to jug kettles but would like the facility for heating a smaller volume of water on occasions.

The present invention seeks to meet that need.

According to the present invention an electric kettle is provided the body of which has a sump in its base within which a heating element is contained.

By the provision of the sump, and having the heating element in the sump, a small amount of water may be heated by the heating element, without necessarily covering the whole of the base of the body with water, and yet still covering the heating element sufficiently to avoid its becoming over-heated. The sump may be large enough just to hold sufficient water to be heated to fill a cup or mug. The body may, of course, be filled above the sump in the normal way when larger quantities of heated water are required.

The sump, may be of various shapes to accommodate the heating element.

A.water level gauge may extend from the sump and be located outside the body to show the level to which water has been filled in the body, and may be marked with appropriate capacity readings.

The body may be made of metal, for example stainless steel, copper or aluminium, or of a suitable plastics material. A skirt may be formed integrally with, or be attached to, the body to extend down below the level of the base and around the sump to screen the sump from view. The skirt may form a stand for the kettle.

The kettle may be cordless. It may seat on a stand which connects to the electric supply and at which the releasable electrical connection of the heating element to the supply is made either at the side or the bottom of the kettle. A connection made at the bottom of the kettle is preferably contained within the confines of the aforementioned skirt.

An electric kettle embodying the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a partly sectioned side view of the kettle.

The kettle has a body 1 having a pouring spout 2, a loop handle 3 secured on the top of the body over a filling opening fitted with a lid 4, and a shroud 5 at the side cf the body opposite to the spout 2 extending from the handle to the bottom of the body and containing a switch 6 and an inlet socket 7 for a supply plug, not shown. A sump 8 is formed in the base 9 of the body 2 adjacent to the shroud 5 and extends to that side of the body.

The body and its base may be made of metal, for example as pressings.

The kettle is heated by an electric immersion heating element 10 accommodated within the sump 8, below the general level of the base 9, being fixed in known sealed manner in an aperture, not shown, in the adjacent side wall of the body and being electrically connected through the switch to the inlet socket 7. A cut-out, not shown, is provided which operates to disconnect the supply to the heating element in the event that it should become over-heated. Suitable thermally sensitive means may be associated with the switch which when heated by steam from boiling water in the body causes the switch to be opened automatically to disconnect the supply to the heating element.

The sump 8 is preferably large enough to hold approximately 1/3 pint (0.189 litre) of water.

A skirt 11 secured to the underside of the base 9 of the body effectively forms a downward continuation of the side wall of the body to screen the sump from view and also to serve as a stand for the kettle. Feet may be provided as an alternative to the skirt's serving as a stand, if desired. The skirt 11, conveniently made as a plastics moulding, has internal spoke-like portions 12 extending to a hub 13 which is engaged with a stud 14 fixed centrally to the underside of the base and retained to the base by means of a circlip or spring retention washer 15 to fix the skirt to the body.

The heating element 10 may be of a known kind such as normally fitted to electric jug kettles and have an output of 2.4 kw.

A water gauge tube 16 mounted in the shroud 5 and visible at one side of the shroud for showing the level of water in the body has a sealed connection into the interior of the sump.

Instead of being made separately and secured to the base, the skirt may be made integrally with the body. For example, a body made of metal, for example stainless steel, may be formed as a deep drawn pressing closed at the bottom by the base, also formed of metal, for example stainless steel, as a pressing and shaped to define the sump, the base fitting inside the bottom of the body and having a depending rim which is deeper than the sump and is overlapped by and welded to the surrounding lower portion of the circumferential wall of the body. The depending rim of the base and the surrounding lower portion of the body wall together thus form the skirt concealing the sump from view. The bottom edges of the welded rim and body wall are trimmed and may be fitted with a protective bead, conveniently of plastics material.

Claims

1. An electric kettle having a body which has a sump in its base within which a heating element is contained.

2. An electric kettle according to claim 1 wherein the sump is large enough to hold sufficient water to be heated to fill a cup or mug.

3. An electric kettle according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the sump is large enough to hold approximately 1/3 pint (0.189 litre) of water.

4. An electric kettle according to any preceding claim wherein the sump is formed in the base adjacent a side of the body at which the heating element is fixed.

5. An electric kettle according to any preceding claim in which the heating element is below the general level of the base around the sump.

6. An electric kettle according to any preceding claim wherein the body has a skirt which extends below the level of the base and screens the sump from view.

7. An electric kettle according to claim 6 wherein the skirt forms a stand for the kettle.

8. An electric kettle according to claim 6 or claim 7 wherein the skirt is formed separately from the body and is secured to the underside of the base.

9. An electric kettle according to claim 8 wherein the skirt has internal spoke-like portions extending to a hub which is secured to a stud fixed to the underside of the base.

10. An electric kettle according to any of claims 6 to 9 which is cordless, and seats on a stand which connects to the electric supply and between which stand and the heating element a releasable electrical connection is made at the bottom of the kettle within the confines of the skirt.

11. An electric kettle according to any preceeding claim having a water level gauge which extends from the sump and is visible at the outside of the body to show the level of water in the body in use.

12. An electric kettle substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing.