US1958887A - Hotel range - Google Patents

Description

May 1934- o. A. COLBY ET AL 1,958,387

HOTEL RANGE Filed May 23, 1931 WITNESSES; INVENTORS 22 One /I. folby and 37 1F" ,4 Karl zmofi.

Patented May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOTEL RANGE Vania Application May 23, 1931, Serial No. 539,562

2 Claims.

Our invention relates to electric ranges and particularly to supporting means for electric heating elements therein;

An object of our invention is to provide a re- 5. siliently mounted support for a heating element of an electric range.

Another object of our invention is to provide a supporting frame for an electric heating element, which frame shall be so supported in a rigid supporting structure that it shall be free to expand without stressing the rigid support.

Another object of our invention is to provide a supporting frame for electric heating elements that shall be so supported in a rigid supporting 15. structure that it shall be free to expand without stressing the supporting frame, thereby preventing the buckling or warping of the heater-supporting frame.

In practicing our invention, we provide, on a suitable range structure, a rigid frame at the top thereof which is relatively heavy and unyielding. We locate therein extended metal members secured together to constitute a supporting frame to support a plurality of flat heating elements,

the extended metal members being supported in the rigid skeleton frame by means which permit the expansion of the metal frame members without stressing the rigid skeleton frame.

In the single sheet of drawing,

Figure 1 is a view, mainly in front elevation, with certain portions shown in section, of an electric range embodying our invention,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the elements more particularly embodying our invention,

Fig. 3 is a view in lateral section through the structure shown in Fig. 2 taken on the line III-III thereof, and

Fig. 4 is a view on an enlarged scale of a small portion of the structure shown in Fig. 3.

Our invention is particularly applicable to electric ranges used in hotels, which ranges, in general, are of the heavy duty type, that is, they are of relatively heavy construction, and the amount of electric energy which is translated into heat in the heating elements is relatively large so that the heating elements and their immediate supporting members operate at a relatively high temperature. It becomes not only desirable but necessary that the supports for the heating eleso ments be such that they can expand and contract freely without stressing any other portion of the range structure, so that buckling or warping of the heater-supports is prevented.

Referring first to Fig. 1 of the drawing, we

have there shown a range designated generally by the numeral 11, which range structure includes an oven portion 12 having a suitable door 13 at the front thereof, which door is hinged at the bottom and is provided with a latch 14. Other walls, not shown in detail, are provided including, of course, back, side and bottom walls and a structure therein for supporting these walls, but as this structure may be of any desired type and construction, it will not be described in detail and only such portions as are particularly pertinent to our invention will be described in detail.

We provide a plurality of electric hot plates 16 and 17 at the top of the range, each hot plate embodying a metal plate having a plurality of grooves 18 in the underside thereof in which is located an electric resistor member 19 suitably insulated from the metal of the plate by a mass of electric insulating material 21. While we prefer to utilize a heating element constructed in accordance with the teachings of Backer Reissue Patent No. 16,340, we do not desire to be limited thereto, but have illustrated and described a specific construction of a heating element or heating unit or hot plate in order to clearly set forth the general type of such heating element or hot plate.

The plurality of heating elements is supported on an extended metal frame, shown more particularly in Fig. 2 of the drawing, and to be described hereinafter, which extended metal frame is supported in a relatively heavy rigid skeleton frame 22, which, as shown in the drawing, may be made up of fabricated members of substantially angle-bar shape. However, while we use angle-bar members mainly for the reason that we can thereby build up easily and at relatively little expense a heavy and unyielding frame which is located at the top of the other portions of the range structure, we do not desire to be limited to 95 the use of angle-bar members. Any suitable or desired means may be provided for securing the frame 22 at the top of the range.

The extended metal frame members for directly supporting the heating elements 16 may include a pair of angle- bar members 23 and 24, which extend longitudinally and horizontally of the skeleton frame 22. It also includes a pair of laterally extending an le- bar members 26 and 27, the ends of which are suitably welded to the angle- bar members 23 and 24 adjacent the ends thereof, as is shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. A pair of angle- bar members 28 and 29 placed back to back extend laterally and centrally of the members 23 and 24, and are welded thereto at their adjacent and engaging portions. While members 26 and 27 extend only between anglebar members 23 and 24, the members 28 and 29 extend therebeyond, as is shown in Fig. 2.

Means for resiliently supporting the extended metal members 23, 24, 26, 27, 28 and 29 from the skeleton metal frame 22 includes particularly a plurality of relatively short angle- bar members 31, 32, 33, 34, 36 and 37. As may be noted by reference to Fig. 2 of the drawing, angle- bar members 31, 32, 34 and 36 are relatively very short and have one web portion thereof extending substantially parallel with the angle-bar member 22 at the side of the range, and have only the tip ends of this web welded to the respective angle-- bar members 22. The ends of the other web portion are welded to the ends of angle- bar members 23 and 24, as may be noted in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

Angle- bar members 33 and 37 extend parallel to the angle-bar members of frame 22 to which they are secured, as is shown more particularly in Fig. 4 of the drawing, the weld therebetween being located at the outer edge of one of the web portions. The ends of angle- bar members 28 and 29 are welded thereto, as is shown in Fig. 4. It may be noted particularly that the connecting anglebar members 33 and 37 of relatively short length do not extend parallel to one web portion of the support 22 to which that web portion is welded, but that they extend angularly away therefrom.

The control of the plurality of heating elements 16 may be effected by a plurality of switches 38, which have been shown generally only. The respective hot plates or heating elements 16 are directly supported by adjustable bolts 39, four such bolts being provided for each heating element and four such heating elements being utilized in the extended metal members and within the rigid frame 22 in the embodiment shown in the drawing. The use of a lock nut on the bolts 39, which extend upwardly through certain of the angle-bar members or through two of them, makes possible the exact adjustment of the upper smooth surfaces of all of the heating elements so that they will be located in one horizontal plane whereby a level and even surface is provided at the top of the range for receiving cooking utensils.

The amount of energy translated into heat in these heating units is relatively large, and it may happen that at the times of greatest demand for food and for quick delivery thereof, the upper surface of one or more of the heating elements may be operated at almost red heat. This means that the metal supporting members closely adjacent to the heating elements will be raised in temperature and will, therefore, expand longitudinally. The mounting of the angle-bar members hereinbefore described and effected by welding an end portion thereof to a flexing connecting member between the expanding metal bar and the rigid frame which is resilient and which, therefore, permits the expansion of the extended metal members without stressing the rigid skeleton frame to any appreciable extent. When the heating unit is deenergized, the temperature thereof and of the supporting metal members will be reduced and the latter will contract, but without stressing the rigid frame. It is obvious also that the metal bars directly beneath the heating elements may expand without warping, buckling or bending, so that the top surfaces of the hot plates will remain in their original positions during repeated cycles of heating and cooling.

The device embodying our invention thus provides a relatively simple construction in a heavy duty electric range for ensuring that the supporting members for the heating elements shall be free to expand and contract relatively to a rigid frame without unduly stressing the rigid frame or without warping or buckling themselves. The flexing connecting members are free as an assembly, to yield in two different directions corresponding to the directions in which the supportingframe members extend.

Various modifications may be made in the device embodying our invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and we desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art or 110 are set forth in the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. In an electric range, a relatively heavy and unyielding main skeleton frame, a heating-element-supporting frame within the main frame, 115 and yielding means including a plurality of relatively short angle-bar members having their opposite ends rigidly secured to the two frames for supporting the heatingelement-supporting frame from the main frame.

2. In an electric range having a relatively rigid outer main metal frame, and an auxiliary metal frame therewithin for supporting a heating element, means including yielding metal members having their opposite ends rigidly secured to the 125 two frames to support the auxiliary frame from the main frame and prevent expansion of the auxiliary from unduly stressing the main frame.

ORA A. COLBY. 13G KARL EHRGOTT.

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