GB2271176A

GB2271176A - Dual energy cooker hob

Info

Publication number: GB2271176A
Application number: GB9320294A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Karlheinz Henry
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-10-05
Filing date: 1993-10-01
Publication date: 1994-04-06
Also published as: ITMI932081A1; ITMI932081A0; DE4233470A1; FR2696612A1; IT1272708B; GB9320294D0

Abstract

A cooker hob has a plurality of cooking zones, of which at least one zone is heatable by electrical energy and at least one further cooking zone (13) is heatable by gas. The hob top is formed by a plate (7) of glass or glass-ceramic material which has in each such gas cooking zone (13) an opening (16) for the reception of a gas burner (14) or its feed duct (15). <IMAGE>

Description

2271176 DUAL ENERGY COOKER NOB The present invention relates to a cooker

bob and has particular reference to a hob at which heating can be performed by both electricity and gas.

In a known cooking appliance of this kind, several gas burners and at at least one electrical radiant heating element are arranged below a heat-transmitting plate of glass-ceramic (DE-OS 30 49 491).

Since the heat energy in the case of the gas burners is transmitted directly by way of the plate to the cooking vessels, the known advantages of cooking with open gas flames cannot be fully exploited, in particular the advantages concerning the reaction time on turning-on and turning-off the gas flame and, not least, the efficiency, There is thus a need for a cooker hob in which on the one hand the advantages of a planar hob plate with respect to cleaning and ease of use are maintained and on the other hand both forms of heating can be brought into effect without limitations.

According to the present invention there is provided a cooker hob comprising a plate of vitreous material provided with a plurality of cooking zones, electrical heating means for providing heat at at least one such zone and gas heating means for providing heat at at least one further such zone, the plate being provided in the or each said further zone with an opening and the gas heating means comprising gas feed or discharge means arranged to extend in the or each opening.

A cooker hob embodying the -invention can have the same attractive advantages in respect of manipulation, operation and cleaning as a typical all-electric glass-ceramic cooker hob, since all cooking zones are provided on a single flat plate capable of being decorated, preferably a plate of glass-ceramic. However, the advantages of the gas cooking-with open flame are also available, for which purpose the plate need have only one or more relatively small openings for gas burners or their feed ducts. Such gas burners can advantageously be constructed to be plugged into position and easily removable. If so desired, the or each opening can have sealing means such as annular covers or other sealing elements, which co-operate with the gas feed or discharge means, for example gas burners or their feed ducts, to prevent the ingress of liquid into the openings. The burner head of the or each gas burner or other gas feed or discharge means can project slightly above the top surface of the plate, or be flush with or slightly recessed below this surface.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a cooker hob embodying the invention; and Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the cooker hob of Fig. 1.

3 Referring now to the drawings there is shown a cooker hob tomprising an encircling outer flat frame 1 with an upper flange rim 2, the frame 1 being closed off from below by a detachable cover 3.

The hob top surface is divided by a web 4 into a work area 5 and an operating area 6 with operating elements 18, which are in the form of rotary knobs, of electrical switches for cooking elements referred to below. The area 5, at least, is defined by a planar plate 7 of glass-ceramic material. Several cooking zones are situated in the area 5, in particular electrically heated cooking zones of different size and shape as indicated by 8, 9, 10 and 11 at the outer circumference of these zones. The zones are associated, underneath the plate 7, with corresponding electrical elements 12 for example radiant heater elements. Also situated in the area 5 are two gas cooking zones 13 which are respectively associated with gas burners 14 and corresponding feed -ducts 15. The plate 7 is provided in the gas cooking zones 13 with openings 16, which are dimensioned in correspondence with the diameter of the gas burners 14 and the clear width of each which is only slightly greater than the diameter of the associated gas burner or burner head. The gas burners 14 project slightly above the top surface of the plate 7, as apparent from Fig. 2. A one-piece grating 17 is placed on the plate 7 and extends across both gas cooking zones 13 and around the gas burners 14. Cooking vessels can be placed on the grating to be supported above the gas burners 14.

Claims

1 A cooker hob comprising a plate of vitreous material provided with a plurality of cooking zones, electrical heating means for providing heat at at least one such zone and gas heating means for providing heat at at least one further such zone, the plate being provided in the or each said further zone with an opening and the gas heating means comprising gas feed or discharge means arranged to extend in the or each opening.

2. A hob as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vitreous material is one of a glass material and a glass-ceramic material.

3. A hob as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the gas feed -or discharge means extending in the or each opening is a feed duct or a burner.

4. A hob as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the gas feed or discharge means extending in the or each opening projects above a top surface of the plate and the hob further comprises cooking vessel support means disposed on the Dlate in the region of the gas feed or discharge means._

5. A hob as claimed in claim 4, wherein the plate has a plurality of openings and the support means comprises a single grate arranged to support vessels in the vicinity of the gas feed and discharge means extending in all of the openings.

6. A cooker hob substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.