GB2213050A

GB2213050A - Guard for a kettle

Info

Publication number: GB2213050A
Application number: GB8828165A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Barry Watkins
Original assignee: HAGO PROD Ltd
Current assignee: HAGO PROD Ltd
Priority date: 1987-12-04
Filing date: 1988-12-02
Publication date: 1989-08-09
Also published as: GB8728480D0; GB8828165D0

Abstract

A guard for a kettle as a means to prevent the disturbing or over-balancing of kettles and like appliances comprises a guard arm (2) hingedly attached to a wall-mounted bracket (3) and provided with a stop member (20) to prevent the guard arm being hingedly movable beyond a horizontal position wherein the arm, being of a configuration to complement that of the kettle, partially or fully surrounds the kettle. <IMAGE>

Description

"Guard for a Kettle" This invention relates to a guard for a kettle and has particular application as a means to prevent the disturbing or overturning of an appliance filled with boiling or nearboiling fluid, such appliances being potentially treacherous and particularly liable to being disturbed by children and household pets, such appliances may include jug kettles, traditional electric kettles, coffee percolators and the like, and being hereinafter termed kettles.

According to the present invention there is provided a guard for a kettle, comprising a guard arm hingedly attached to a support-mounted bracket and provided with a stop member to prevent the guard arm being hingedly movable beyond a position wherein the guard arm, being of a particular configuration to complement that of the kettle, partially or fully surrounds the kettle.

Preferably, the guard arm is hingedly movable through 900 from an upright. position to a horizontal position wherein it partially or fully surrounds the kettle.

The hinge interconnecting bracket and guard arm may be in the form of a counter-balanced or restrained pivot pin, which is preferably right-angled with one arm rotatably movable on the bracket and one arm interconnected with the guard arm.

Preferably, the guard arm is adjustable to accommodate different sizes and shapes of kettles; most preferably, the arm and the hinge pin are slideably interconnected; these may be held by a screwably tightenable alignment plates.

Preferably, the stop member comprises an extension to the hinge pin, which extension abuts the bracket and brackets the guard arm when the guard arm is in position.

Preferably, the bracket is wall-mounted and at height selected such that the kettle will not topple over the arm, nor slip under it, when the arm is in position.

The arm and bracket may be made of metal and/or plastics material and the abutment face of the stop member may be a rubber cap to an extension of a metal and/or plastics arm.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view from the above left of a guard for a kettle according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the bracket of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the guard arm of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the guard arm of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a plan view of the pivot pin of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the pin of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is an enlarged side elevation of the left plug of the bracket of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is an enlarged rear elevation of the plug of Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the right plug of the bracket of Fig. 1; Fig. 10 is an enlarged rear elevation of the retaining bracket of Fig. 1; Fig. 11 is an enlarged side elevation of the bracket of Fig. 10;; Fig. 12 is an enlarged side elevation of a fixing plate of Fig. 1; Fig. 13 is an enlarged front elevation of the fixing plate of Fig. 12; Fig. 14 is an enlarged side elevation of an aligning plate of Fig. 1; Fig. 15 is an enlarged front elevation of the aligning plate of Fig. 14; Fig. 16 is an enlarged side elevation-of an aligning plate of Fig. 1; and, Fig. 17 is an enlarged rear elevatipn of the aligning plate of Fig. 16.

Referring to the drawings, there is a guard 1 for a kettle (not shown). The guard 1 comprises a guard arm 2 hingedly attached to a wall-mounted bracket 3, the two being interconnected by a right-angled pivot pin 9, one arm 91 of which is largely concealed and rotatably movable on the bracket 3 and one arm 92 of which is exposed and interconnects with the guard arm 2.

The bracket 3 is box-like and attached to the wall by screws in cantilever fashion, the heads of the screws slidably fitting inverted keyhole-shaped apertures 4 in the rear plate 5 of the bracket 3.

The ends of the bracket 3 are bunged with rubber plugs 6, 7, one of which 6 is provided with an aperture 8 through which the concealed arm 91 of the right-angled pivot pin 9 extends to a counter-balancing inner bracket 10; the inner bracket 10 is substantially of the same height of the wall-mounted bracket 3 and wedged therein and, furthermore, it has an aperture 11 through which the arm 91 of the pivot pin 9 extends and is thus stabilised.

The guard arm 2 defines an acurate front 12 and a straight side 13, the straight side 13 slidably interconnecting with the exposed arm 92 of the pivot pin 9.

The exposed arm 92 is paralleled along much of its length by a lower rod 14, which does not extend as far as the corner of the pin 9 (see Fig 6 in particular). Instead rod 14 is extended and angled such that a portion 141 lies in front of the bracket 3 rather than within. The lower rod ld is attached to the pin 9 by a sloping strut 22 connecting the rod 141 to the short exposed area of arm 91.

The guard arm 2 comprises two rods 15, 15' also equidistant but of greater separation than 14 and 92; the rods 15, 15' lie parallel to but outside those 14 and 92 of the pin 9.

The slidable interconnection of the arm 2 and the hinge pin arm 92 is held by a aligning plates 17 and 18, one plate 17 being welded to the hinge pin 92 and lower rod 14 and being of a greater length than a screwably attachable fixing plate 16, the extension of plate 17 thus abutting the ends of rods 14 and 92 and thus aligning these with parallel rods 15, 15'. The free end of the straight side 13 of the arm 2 is provided with a welded hook plate 18 which slidably interconnects with the rods 14, 92 and prevents the arm 2 from pivoting about the slidable interconnection and helps keep the rods 14, 92, 15, 15' aligned when the aligning plate 17 and fixing plate 16 are screwably unloosened so that the. arm 2 may be adjusted.

In use, the arm 2 is moved on the pivot pin 9 through 900 from a horizontal position to a fully upright position. The kettle is then stood adjacent to the bracket 3, which is permanently attached at a user-selected height, before the arm 2 is dropped. When dropped, the arm 2 surrounds the kettle on at least two sides and at a height selected so that the kettle will not topple over the arm 2, nor slip under it, should it be disturbed.

The stop member 20 ensures that the arm 2 does not fall further than the horizontal and also brackets the arm 2 in the horizontal position. The stop member 20 comprises a rubber end cap 21 to the angled portion 141 of rod 14. The cap 21 forms an abutment face that urges against the front face of the bracket 3 in the horizontal position due to the pull of gravity, the abutment face rising clear of the bracket 3 when the arm 2 is lifted to the upright position.

The strut 22, which is welded at respective sides to the rod 141 and to the short exposed portion of one arm 91 of the pivot pin 9, reduces the stress on the pivot pin 9 caused by the weight of the guard arm 2.

In the illustrated embodiment, the guard arm 2 and pin 9 are made of plastic covered metal rods 91, 14, 92 and 15, 15') mainly in pairs as parallel rods (14, 92; 15, 15') with occasional metal cross members 24 or struts 22. In other embodiments there may be additional rods adding to the height of the arm or the arm may comprise a solid, or reticulate form, rather than parallel rods. The type of arm 2 and the direction and extent that it is hingedly movable will be adapted to be suitable for the kettle to be guarded.

Modifications and improvements may be incorporated without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A guard for a kettle comprising a guard arm hingedly attached to a support-mounted bracket and provided with a stop member to prevent the guard arm being hingedly movable beyond a position wherein the guard arm, being of a particular configuration to complement that of the kettle, partially or fully surrounds the kettle.

2. A guard according to Claim 1, wherein the guard arm is hingedly movable through 900 from an upright position to a horizontal position wherein it partially or fully surrounds the kettle.

3. A guard according to either Claim 1 or 2, wherein the guard arm and bracket are interconnected by a right-angled hinge pin, one arm of which is rotatably movable on the bracket and one arm of which interconnects with the guard arm.

4. A guard according to Claim 3, wherein the guard arm and hinge pin are slidably interconnected such that the guard is adjustable.

5. A guard according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the stop member comprises an extension to the hinge pin, which extension abuts the bracket and brackets the guard arm when the guard arm is in the position wherein it partially or fully surrounds the kettle.

6. A guard according to any one of the preceeding Claims, wherein the bracket is wall-mounted and at a height selected such that the kettle will not topple over the guard arm, nor slip under the guard arm, when the guard arm is in position to partially or fully surround the kettle.

7. A guard for a kettle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.