AU726260B2 - Appliance centre - Google Patents

Description

P00011 Regulation 3.2 Revised 2/98

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act, 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT 0 0 0 0*00 TO BE COMPLETED BY THE APPLICANT NAME OF APPLICANT: ACTUAL INVENTOR: ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: INVENTION TITLE: DETAILS OF ASSOCIATED

APPLICATION:

JOHN D SMITH JOHN D SMITH Peter Maxwell Associates Level 6 Pitt Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 APPLIANCE CENTRE Divisional of Australian Patent Application No. 42,405/99 filed on 30 July 1999 The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me:- FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to domestic appliances and more particularly to stands for mounting domestic kitchen ovens and cook tops.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There are two main styles of domestic kitchen cooking appliances "built-in" ovens installed in cupboards and cook tops installed in bench tops as one group and freestanding stoves as the other group.

*A freestanding stove is a self contained unit which usually includes an 10 oven and a number of gas burners or electric hot plates. The stove is separate and independent from any cupboards, benches or other kitchen furniture and is 000.

usually positioned at the end of a cupboard or between two cupboards, Built-in O0eo style ovens and cook tops are not freestanding but are inserted into a cupboard and bench top respectively. Without a suitable support structure they are unusable.

Due to market forces most freestanding stoves are made to sell at the lower end of the market, opposed to built-in type appliances, which are built to sell at the upper end. As a consequence, freestanding units tend to have a lower quality than built-in style appliances and have less features.

A consumer may have a kitchen with a freestanding stove but wishes to have a newer, better quality and/or more fully featured cooking appliances. At the present time the only way this may be achieved is by replacing or substantially modifying the existing kitchen cupboards unless the consumer stays with a lower quality freestanding stove.

Further, for personal preference, a consumer may wish to have a freestanding stove but wish to have better quality/featured cooking appliances.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In an attempt to overcome at least some of the disadvantages of the prior art, the invention, in one broad form, provides a stand for supporting a built-in style cook top or a built-in style oven or both, the stand comprising: a pair of vertical side walls which support a hob comprising a horizontal top surface in which is formed a central opening for receiving a built-in style cook top; In some embodiments, the rear wall may have one or more apertures for improved air flow.

The stand may include an internal horizontal surface adjacent the lower edge of the front aperture which surface may have one or more apertures for improved air flow.

Preferably, the top and front apertures are industry standard size apertures.

15 The aperture may be partially defined by the side walls. The spacing of the side walls may be adjustable to accommodate minor variations in width of the appliance inserted into the front aperture.

The top surface and/or the vertical front surface may be adjustable fore and aft relative to the side walls to accommodate differences in the fore-aft thickness of the appliance inserted into the front aperture.

The stand may include a drawer.

The top surface may include an upwardly extending "splash back" panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the invention may be more readily and put into practical effect reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:- Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention with appliances installed.

Fig. 2 shows a top view of the Fig. 1 embodiment with the appliances absent, Fig. 3 shows a side view of the hob portion of the Fig. 1 embodiment, again with appliances absent.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the Fig. 1 embodiment with the appliances absent.

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment oof one embodiment of the invention.

10 Fig. 6 illustrates a slot and fastener in a rim of a sidewall.

Fig. 7 illustrates a runner and two runner supports in side elevation.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

S

Referring to Figs 1 to 6 there is shown an appliance centre or stand The centre 10 has side walls 12, 14, and a hob 101 with top surface 18. The top surface 18 has an aperture 20, sized to receive a standard cook top 22. A rim 102 at least partially surrounds the aperture 20. Standard cook tops have a peripheral edge 24 which is designed to overlap and rest upon the supporting surface 18. The aperture 20 is sized so that edge 24 overlaps the top surface 18 so the cook top 22 extends through but supported by the aperture. The rear portion of the top surface 18 may curve upwardly at 25 so as to form an integral splash-back 27, for catching fat, etc. The optional integral splashback 27 rigidises rear edge of the hob makes cleaning easier. The splashback may be open-ended.

The front portion of the top surface may curve according to a nominal radius) downwards at the front edge 29, so forming an integral vertical rim 31.

This rim surface 31 is intended to be in vertical alignment with the front surface of the oven 28. Further, the entire top surface 18 may be surrounded by a descending rim 101. The rim may be omitted across the back, if desired.

The space between the side walls 16 forms an aperture 26 which is sizeable to or sized to receive an industry standard size wall oven 28. The appliance centre 10 may include a shelf 30 which subdivides the interior space of the stand 10. The shelf is intended to support the oven (if required) and is preferably secured along its sides to the side walls 12, 14. The shelf may extend fully to the rear of the device or may only extend partway to the rear of *the centre, so as to provide a more open airspace behind the oven. If the shelf extends fully to the rear of the device then if desired, the shelf 30 may be provided with ventilation apertures 100 as shown in Fig. 4.

As shown in Figure 7, in place of a full shelf, the oven 150 may be supported by a pair of metal runners 151 which extend from the front to the rear of the interior compartment 152 The runners may be height adjustable l **15 with the provision of adjusting bolts 153 retained by threads 154 in the angle shaped runner supports 161 at each end of the interior compartment. The top end 156 of the adjustment screw passes through an opening 162 in and is restrained by a folded end flap 157 of the runner. The top end 156 of the adjustment screw bears on the end of the runner 158 and sets the runner's height and degree of level. The runner is strengthened by a rigid flap 159 folded down from each side of the runner. A rigid barrier may be carried by the runner supports 161 and positioned between the runners.

As shown in Figure 4, the shelf 30 is raised from the ground and, if desired, a cupboard, door or sliding drawer unit may be provided below the shelf 30 for storage of oven trays, racks, etc.

The vertical adjustment of the spacing of the shelf 30 or cupboard 34 allows the top edge 36 of a standard appliance 28 to extend upward so as to 6 lie just below the front rim surface 31 of the "range" portion of the centre. This may be done by repositioning the shelf or by adjusting the runners (see Figure Figure 4 also shows the use of a support bracket 200 having reinforcing and levelling features. The bracket 200 is formed from channel formed sheet metal and includes parallel uprights 201 with openings 121 as required for attachment to the side walls 202 of the unit. The side walls are preferably formed with threaded or other fastening studs 203 spot welded to the interior surface 215 The flat base 204 of the bracket 200 has threaded openings 210 for admitting adjustable feet 211. The bracket 200 allows the unit to be levelled and supports the stresses required to do so evenly across both side walls. The use of two brackets 200, one each forward and rear, is preferred.

Figure 4 also shows slots 110 which extend along the front surface 250 of the folded rim of the side wall 14. These slots are used to position fasteners 251 as shown better in Figure 6. The fastener 251 is captured by the slot 110 *l and receives a threaded fastener through a forward opening 252 and threaded ***engagement 253.

Wall ovens are designed to extend on all four sides of the aperture into which they are inserted. Whilst the aperture required and width of oven have generally become standardised, there may be variations in the relative position of the top and bottom edges of a particular oven relative to the aperture.

The centre or stand may be provided with an oversize space 26 between the side walls, with the lower edge 32 lower than always necessary.

By providing a height adjustable shelf 30 and by adjusting the position of the shelf 30, the top of the oven 28 may be adjusted to fit just between the lower edge 33 of the vertical rim surface 31.

The width of the centre is preferably the same as industry standard wall ovens, so the oven edges 38, 40 are flush with sides 12, 14 of the centre.

7 Current widths are 60, 90 and 75cm, but obviously other sizes may be produced. To accommodate minor variations from these standard sizes, the side walls may be adjustable so that the side walls line up with the sides of the oven.

Fig. 5 shows an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention 50. The appliance centre includes side walls 52, cook top adaptor or hub 54 and drawer unit 56. A support shelf 58 may be provided to S.support the oven.

The adaptor or hob is attached to the side walls via nuts and bolts 10 passing through apertures 60 in the hob and 62 in the side walls. These apertures arepreferably oversized so as to allow minor variation in the gill separation of the side walls 52 relative to the adaptor and for minor variation of the position of the adaptor 54 relative to the front edges 66 of the side walls, to allow the front surface or rim 68 of the hob to be flush with the front surface of the oven.

The front edges 66 of the side walls are provided with a series of apertures 70 to which the support shelf 58 is mounted. These apertures allow for adjustment of the shelf to accommodate variations in height differences of ovens, to allow the oven to be positioned as close as practical to the front surface or rim 68 of the hob.

It will be appreciated that many variations and modifications to the embodiment described herein may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Claims (11)

1. A stand for supporting a built-in style cook top or a built-in style oven or both, the stand comprising: a pair of vertical side walls; a hob comprising a horizontal top surface in which is formed a central opening for receiving a built-in style cook top; 4 the hob having a rim at least partially surrounding it. 9

2. The stand of Claim 1 further comprising: one or more horizontal support surfaces supported by the side walls and extending between the front and rear of an interior compartment of the 9 stand.

3. The stand of Claim 2, wherein: the side walls include forward facing rims having slots and fasteners for positioning an oven in a multiple of different vertical locations.

4. The stand of any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein: the horizontal spacing of the side walls is adjustable.

The stand of any one of Claims 1 to 4 where: a pair of runners are supported by the sidewalls, the runners adjustable independently of one another for supporting an oven. 9

6. The stand of any one of Claims 1 to 5 including a drawer located below or defining the lower edge of an oven receiving aperture.

7. The stand of Claim 6 where: the vertical position of the drawer is adjustable.

8. The stand of any of claims 1 to 7, where: the sidewalls are supported by brackets, the brackets being fastened to the sidewalls and having one or more adjustable feet.

9. The stand of any of claims 1 to 8, where: the hob has a splashback.

10. The stand of any of claims 1 to 9, where: the hob has a rim which extends around three edges of the hob.

11. The stand of any of claims 1 to 9, where: the hob has a rim which extends around four edges of the hob. Dated this 16 day of March 2000. JOHN D SMITH Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: PETER MAXWELL ASSOCIATES