US20100051012A1

US20100051012A1 - Grate to improve the simmering on a gas hob

Info

Publication number: US20100051012A1
Application number: US12/552,314
Authority: US
Inventors: Eduardo Sant'anna Martins; Filippo Costa; Valerio S. Hammes; Daniele Franchi
Original assignee: Whirlpool Corp
Current assignee: Whirlpool Corp
Priority date: 2008-09-02
Filing date: 2009-09-02
Publication date: 2010-03-04
Also published as: EP2159491A1; CA2676870A1

Abstract

Gas burner assemblies include a cooking gas hob and a grate for supporting cooking utensils. The grate includes a plate which integrates a protection for preventing the flame of a burner from being extinguished from a wind blow when operating around the minimum level. Simmering performance of such burner assembly is enhanced.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
Gas burner assemblies include gas hobs and grates are associated with a gas built-in cook top or a gas cook top integrated within a cooking range. For the purpose of the present invention we extend this definition by including all the cooking gas hobs provides with at least one burner fed with any type of combustible gas.
2. Description of the Related Art
Burner assemblies include gas hobs having gas burners with grates placed above the gas burners. Grates normally present “fingers” for supporting pots, pans, casseroles or any other cooking utensil that has to be heated by the gas hob.
“Fingers” are required to position, in a centered and stable way, cooking utensils above the gas burners.
Generally, gas hob appliances are designed to prevent the flame from being extinguished by a wind blow caused for instance by a slammed door, especially with regard to the low power burners. This design is particularly important for the countries in which it the door slam test is a safety requirement to be passed for obtain the approval of the product.
Whenever it is desired to pass such a test the product may be modified to increase the minimum power level of the target burner to prevent extinguishing the flame. This change has decreases the performance of the product when using the same burner at the minimum level. This effect is particularly undesirable when the burner is used for simmering, especially when needed to supply good melting and good sauce results. In fact, a burner with increased power is not good enough for this purpose.
Moreover, it is known in the art that after having increased the power, to avoid extinguishing the flame hob temperatures may increase. This may require a change the ornamental design of grates. This change normally has an impact on metal top design, and on other components including the “fingers”. As a consequence the overall grate ornamental design is changed, and this change can compromise the overall stability of the cooking utensils and jeopardize the overall aesthetic design.
Good results on performance tests, like simmering Tomato Sauce and Melting Chocolate and a nice appearance based on a design which provides stability the cooking utensils, are very important for the brand to build a good image on the market, and are very important to transmit a good impression to the customer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of the present invention is therefore to provide a burner assembly that does not present the limitations of the prior art.
More specifically, a further aspect of the present invention is a cooking gas hob provided with a grate presenting some characteristics capable to solve the problem of the flame extinguishing due to wind blows and which also doesn't need to change the disposition of the fingers, compromising the stability of the cooking utensils supported by the grates.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to the skilled artisan from the following detailed description when read in light of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a cooking gas hob provided with a grid according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a detailed view of a preferred embodiment of grid according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the drawings a gas hob 100 presents five burners having different sizes, adapted for being coupled with different pans and for supply different powers. In particular the gas hob presents an auxiliary burner A having a small size, i.e. rated 1.5 kW and rapid burner R rated, for instance, 4.4 kW. Three grates G are positioned above the burners, each of them presenting “fingers” F to support cooking utensils (cookware) of different sizes.
According to the present invention, the grate G above the auxiliary burner A, which is the burner that first extinguishes it flame when set at its lower (minimum) power level during the door slam test, present a flat surface metal area M, a plate, which avoids the flame be directly in contact with the pan at low power level, and which prevent an excessive warming when the customer is using the burner of the product on the simmer function.
The same configuration is applicable also to the grates over standing the rapid burner R or any other burner which can also affected by the same problem. This flat surface metal area M is integrated with the grids and obtained by a metal casting process.
With a grid G according to the present invention it is possible to improve the simmer function of the product and to prevent the flame extinguishing in case of a wind blow. The results are particularly appreciable when the burner is operated at its minimum level, whenever the flame of the burner is retained underneath the flat surface metal area M.
The presence of the flat surface metal area/s prevent to a modification of the “fingers” F and so of the stability of the cooking utensils used with the hob. As a further consequence the overall original nice appearance of the product is maintained together with the product performances.

Claims

1. A gas burner assembly comprising:

a cooking gas hob having a gas burner which feeds combustible gas to a flame;

a grate positioned above the gas burner; and

a plate secured to the grate and presenting a surface above the burner,

wherein the plate is displaced a predetermined distance from the gas burner so as to retain the flame of the gas burner below the grate when the burner is operated near the minimum level

2. The gas burner assembly according to claim 1, wherein the plate is integral with the grate.

3. The gas burner assembly according to claim 1, wherein the plate is flat and parallel with a worktop in which the hob is installed.

4. The gas burner assembly according to claim 1, wherein the plate and the grate are formed by a metal casting process.

5. The method for preventing the extinguishing of a gas burner flame from accidental air blows in a cooking gas hob according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises the step of setting the burner to operate to a predetermined minimum power level retaining the flame underneath the plate.