GB2158217A - Gas manifold - Google Patents

Abstract

A manifold for a gas appliance, e.g. a cooker, includes a bullet-shaped sealing plug 4 of nitrile rubber. The plug forms an interference fit with the inner walls of the manifold and is positioned therein to section the manifold into first and second compartments (6, 7) which may supply a hotplate and an oven, respectively. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A manifold This invention relates to manifolds and in particular, though not exclusively, to a gas manifold for use in a gas-fired appliance, such as a cooker.

Some known gas cookers, typically those with hinged covers which are lowered to cover a hotplate area of the cooker when it is not in use, are provided with a safety device to prevent use of the hotplate when the cover is not raised.

To this end, it is necessary to separate distribution of gas to the hotplate from that to other gas burners within the cooker, such as those within the gas oven.

This has been achieved in known cookers by using separate gas manifolds for distribution of gas to the hotplate and to the other gas burners of the cooker, respectively. These separate manifolds may be provided in a series or a parallel construction.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a manifold for use in a gas cooker, which achieves the above-mentioned separation of gas distribution, but is substantially less complex than such manifolds known hitherto.

According to the present invention there is provided a manifold for use in a gas appliance, said manifold including a blocking member formed from a resilient material and positioned, in a substantially sealing manner, at a predetermined location within said manifold, so as to section said manifold into different compartments.

The blocking member preferably consists of a sealing plug of an elastomeric material, such as nitrile rubber for example.

The blocking member is preferably inserted through one end of the manifold and is required to form a slight interference fit with the inner walls of the manifold to provide an effective seal and to prevent migration of the blocking member during use of the manifold.

The invention will now be further described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawing, the single Figure of which shows schematically a sectional view of one embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the Figure, a manifold for a gas cooker is shown at 1, having open ends 2 and 3. A sealing plug 4, formed from an elastomeric material, such as nitrile rubber or VITON (RTM), is inserted in open end 2, in the direction shown by arrow 5, to a predetermined location within the manifold 1 to section the manifold into two separate compartments 6 and 7.

Open ends 2 and 3 are then sealed and suitable connections (not shown) are made along the length of the manifold 1 to supply gas to the appropriate compartment 6 and 7, which are respectively connected via an appropriate number of gas tap controls to gas burners situated at a hotplate area of the gas cooker and at other locations, such as within an oven of the cooker.

It is necessary that the sealing plug 4 forms an interference fit with the inner walls of the manifold 1 so as to provide an effective seal between the two compartments 6 and 7.

Furthermore, the interference fit prevents migration of the sealing plug 4 during use of the manifold.

The preferred shape of the sealing plug 4 is bullet-shaped, as shown in the Figure, but the plug may however be any other desirable shape, such as spherical, for example.

The bullet-shaped plug is preferable, because any moulding flash can be arranged to form, during manufacture of the plug 4, at rear end 8 thereof, as shown at 9, so that, upon insertion of the plug 4 into the open end 2, the flash 9 is caused to trail along the inner walls of the manifold 1 and not to fold across the body of the plug, which would tend to interfere with the sealing ability of the plug.

More than one sealing plug may of course be inserted into the manifold to respective predetermined locations along its length to provide any number of discrete, isolated compartments within the manifold.

It can thus be envisaged that the manifold, in accordance with the present invention, obviates the provision of a complex construction of more than one manifold to provide a separation between gas distributions to the gas burners of the hotplate and to other gas burners within the cooker, respectively.

1. A manifold for use in a gas appliance, said manifold including a blocking member formed from a resilient material and positioned, in a substantially sealing manner, at a predetermined location within the manifold so as to section the manifold into different compartments.

2. A manifold according to Claim 1 wherein the blocking member comprises a sealing plug of an elastomeric material.

3. A manifold according to Claim 2 wherein the elastomeric material is nitrile rubber.

4. A manifold according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the blocking member is generally bullet-shaped.

5. A manifold according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 including a plurality of blocking members positioned to section the manifold into respective compartments.

6. A gas appliance including a manifold according to any one of Claims 2 to 5.

7. A manifold substantially as hereinbefore described by reference to the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (7)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION A manifold This invention relates to manifolds and in particular, though not exclusively, to a gas manifold for use in a gas-fired appliance, such as a cooker. Some known gas cookers, typically those with hinged covers which are lowered to cover a hotplate area of the cooker when it is not in use, are provided with a safety device to prevent use of the hotplate when the cover is not raised. To this end, it is necessary to separate distribution of gas to the hotplate from that to other gas burners within the cooker, such as those within the gas oven. This has been achieved in known cookers by using separate gas manifolds for distribution of gas to the hotplate and to the other gas burners of the cooker, respectively. These separate manifolds may be provided in a series or a parallel construction. It is an object of the present invention to provide a manifold for use in a gas cooker, which achieves the above-mentioned separation of gas distribution, but is substantially less complex than such manifolds known hitherto. According to the present invention there is provided a manifold for use in a gas appliance, said manifold including a blocking member formed from a resilient material and positioned, in a substantially sealing manner, at a predetermined location within said manifold, so as to section said manifold into different compartments. The blocking member preferably consists of a sealing plug of an elastomeric material, such as nitrile rubber for example. The blocking member is preferably inserted through one end of the manifold and is required to form a slight interference fit with the inner walls of the manifold to provide an effective seal and to prevent migration of the blocking member during use of the manifold. The invention will now be further described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawing, the single Figure of which shows schematically a sectional view of one embodiment of the invention. Referring now to the Figure, a manifold for a gas cooker is shown at 1, having open ends 2 and 3. A sealing plug 4, formed from an elastomeric material, such as nitrile rubber or VITON (RTM), is inserted in open end 2, in the direction shown by arrow 5, to a predetermined location within the manifold 1 to section the manifold into two separate compartments 6 and 7. Open ends 2 and 3 are then sealed and suitable connections (not shown) are made along the length of the manifold 1 to supply gas to the appropriate compartment 6 and 7, which are respectively connected via an appropriate number of gas tap controls to gas burners situated at a hotplate area of the gas cooker and at other locations, such as within an oven of the cooker. It is necessary that the sealing plug 4 forms an interference fit with the inner walls of the manifold 1 so as to provide an effective seal between the two compartments 6 and 7. Furthermore, the interference fit prevents migration of the sealing plug 4 during use of the manifold. The preferred shape of the sealing plug 4 is bullet-shaped, as shown in the Figure, but the plug may however be any other desirable shape, such as spherical, for example. The bullet-shaped plug is preferable, because any moulding flash can be arranged to form, during manufacture of the plug 4, at rear end 8 thereof, as shown at 9, so that, upon insertion of the plug 4 into the open end 2, the flash 9 is caused to trail along the inner walls of the manifold 1 and not to fold across the body of the plug, which would tend to interfere with the sealing ability of the plug. More than one sealing plug may of course be inserted into the manifold to respective predetermined locations along its length to provide any number of discrete, isolated compartments within the manifold. It can thus be envisaged that the manifold, in accordance with the present invention, obviates the provision of a complex construction of more than one manifold to provide a separation between gas distributions to the gas burners of the hotplate and to other gas burners within the cooker, respectively. CLAIMS

1. A manifold for use in a gas appliance, said manifold including a blocking member formed from a resilient material and positioned, in a substantially sealing manner, at a predetermined location within the manifold so as to section the manifold into different compartments.

2. A manifold according to Claim 1 wherein the blocking member comprises a sealing plug of an elastomeric material.

3. A manifold according to Claim 2 wherein the elastomeric material is nitrile rubber.

4. A manifold according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the blocking member is generally bullet-shaped.

5. A manifold according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 including a plurality of blocking members positioned to section the manifold into respective compartments.

6. A gas appliance including a manifold according to any one of Claims 2 to 5.

7. A manifold substantially as hereinbefore described by reference to the accompanying drawings.