US3051160A

US3051160A - One-piece built-in range

Info

Publication number: US3051160A
Application number: US863253A
Authority: US
Inventors: William A Nielsen
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: General Electric Co
Priority date: 1959-12-31
Filing date: 1959-12-31
Publication date: 1962-08-28
Anticipated expiration: 1979-08-28

Description

8, 1962 w. A. NIELSEN ONE-PIECE BUILT--IN RANGE Filed Dec. 31, 1959 INVENTOR.

WILLIAM A. NIELSEN @Lqf ivg H )5 ATTORNEY a Jew United States Patent 3,051,160 ONE-PIECE BUILT-1N RANGE William A. Nielsen, Louisville, Ky., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 31, 1959, Ser. No. 863,253 6 Claims. (Cl. 12637) The present invention relates to cooking ranges and particularly to one-piece built-in ranges that are convenient to mount in a kitchen counter cabinet.

Until about 1946 electric and gas ranges were designed as freestanding appliances that could be moved from place to place in the same manner as a refrigerator. They were usually removed from a house with other home furnishings when the house was sold. Built-in ranges where the oven is physically separated from the surface units are of recent origin. The oven is recessed into a wall cabinet while the surface units are dropped into an opening in the kitchen counter. Built-in range units have become very popular in the last decade until they now include almost one-half of the range market at the present time. The present invention is an improvement in the line of built-in ranges because of the simplification of the installation of a single built-in range unit that comprises both the cooktop and the oven.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a one-piece built-in range that may be suspended in place with a sliding action into the different size counters of kitchen cabinets that are widely used in the home, without holding close tolerances between the range and the supporting cabinet.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a suspended range that includes both a cooktop and an oven where the entire weight of the unit is supported by reinforced flanges that bear against the counter of a kitchen cabinet.

This invention is concerned with a one-piece range that is built into a kitchen counter. The top surface of the range is provided on three sides with an outwardly directed flange which represents the supporting member of the range for overhanging the edge of the counter opening and suspending the unit in place. These flanges form a sealing means between the range and the supporting counter to prevent food particles and liquids from accumulating in this area. Moreover, the frontmost vertical sides of the side walls of the range are provided with trim strips to allow for adjustment between the range and counter so that close tolerances need not be held between the dimensions of the range and its supporting counter and the range may be accommodated in a variety of cabinet structures. The top surface of the] cooktop as well as the slanting control panel and the oven door are all coated with a porcelain enamel appearance finish while the remainder of the outer surface is merely painted or left unfinished as it will be hidden within the counter after the range is installed. It is desirable that this range be able to sustain a weight that may exceed the average weight of a person. Weights of some magnitude place large stresses in the outwardly directed flanges. These stresses cause strains in the cooktop and if it be enamelled tend to flake oh the enamel where the flange is joined to the cooktop. This difficulty, in the case of an enamelled cooktop, is eliminated by leaving the flange free of the enamel and applying a decorative trim over the flange. This trim serves the dual purpose of enhancing the beauty of the edge treatment as Well as acting as a spring member to cushion the deflection of the cooktop under load. Also, it will be understood that suitable clamping members are provided to engage the underside of the counter for releasably holding the range in the counter.

I isi Patented Aug. 28, 1952 My invention will be better understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of a kitchen cabinet that is designed to receive the one-piece built-in range embodying the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is an isometric view similar to that of FIGURE 1 with the one-piece range partially supported in the cabinet.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 2 showing the method of supporting and clamping the range to the counter.

FIGURE 4 is a View similar to that of FIGURE 3 showing the interengagement between the trim member and the outwardly directed flange of the range.

Turning now to a consideration of the drawing and in particular to FIGURE 1, there is shown a kitchen counter cabinet 11 that is provided with a counter top 11 and a front panel 12 on which are mounted a plurality of vertically hinged doors 13 for gaining access to shelves within the cabinet. The cabinet also includes the necessary side walls 14 and a back wall 15 for completing the box-like structure of the cabinet. Notice the counter top 11 is notched as at 25 so that a range 16 may fit therein. Each side of the notch has a cut-out portion 22 at the front of the counter topfor accommodating a wide vertical trim strip on the side of the range. Similarly, the front panel 12 is notched at 26 in a similar manner to the counter top. For purposes which will be clear hereinafter the thickness of the counter top 11 is increased along the three sides of the notch 25 by fastening a wooden strip 27 under such edges. The one-piece built-in range 16 includes a cooktop 17 and an underlying oven 18. The cooktop is shown with four surface heating units 19 and a slanting front control panel 20. The oven 18 is provided with a front opening drop door 21 for gaining access to the oven interior. The previously mentioned wide vertical trim strip is element 23 and it cooperates with an elongated strip 24 that extends along the sides of the oven door opening. These

trim strips

23 and 24 are of stainless steel or the like and are of such width that they may or may not be exposed, depending on the depth of the counter and the type of edging on the counter top, without detracting from the appearance of the installation.

As seen in FIG. 3 the cooktop 17 is provided with an outwardly directed flange 28 for overlying the three sides of the notch 25 in the counter top. Studying both FIG- URES 2 and 3 it will 'be clear that the top surface of the cooktop 17 is recessed below the counter top 11, although this feature is not absolutely necessary in the practice of the present invention. The outermost edge of the flange 28 has a down-turned lip 29 which reinforces the flange and forms a supporting and sealing edge for the entire range 16. As mentioned previously the cooktop 17 and the oven door 18 are covered with an appearance finish so that the range will match the other appliances in the kitchen. The three-sided flange 28 would be subject to high stress concentration if a person were to stand on the top of the range for one reason or another. Such a heavy load on the range would normally cause the porcelain enamel to flake off at the bend where the flange 28 merges with the cooktop. This problem has been eliminated by wiping the flange clean of the enamel during the painting operation and later covering the flange with a decorative trim strip 30 of stainless steel or the like.

As seen in FIGURE 2 this trim strip 30 is provided with straight sections at the two sides and the back of the cooktop while the corners of the flange are covered with corner pieces 31 that are held in place by the trim strips 3%. The trim strip 30 has a doubled-over configuration so that it covers both the top and bottom surface of the flange 28. An accurate view of the trim stripmay be had fromFIGURE 4 since the trim strip is altered slightly in the area ofthe clamping bracket 32. The bottom surface of the trim strip 3% has a flattened section 33 to provide a resilient support for the range. The range 16 is installed in the counter by merely lifting the range into the counter until the flange 28 of the cooktop bear on the side edges of the notch in' the counter top 11. Then all that is necessary is to exert a pushing force on the front of the range which will slide the range into the notched counter in the manner of a sliding drawer.

Once the range is properly positioned it is necessary to attach some fastening means which will prevent the range from being pulled out of the counter or being tilted by unbalanced forces exerted on the range as for example when the oven door is open. Such fastening means are more or less conventional in the built-in cooktop designs where the ovens are separately mounted in the wall from the cooktop. Several support brackets 32 as seen in FIGURE 3 are welded to the underside of the flange 28 and extend vertically down from the flange. Each support bracket 32 is provided with a threaded opening 34 for receiving a thumb screw 35. The head 36 of the thumb screw is located in an area within the range that is between the cooktop and the top wall of the oven liner. A suitable opening 37 is located in the side wall 38 of the range so that the thumb screw may extend therethrough. Access may be had to the thumb screw by merely raising the pivoted surface heating unit 19 and reaching through the opening in the cooktop so that the thumb screws may be tightened against the edge strip 27 of the counter notch 25.

Having described above my invention of a novel onepiece built-in range it will be readily apparent to those skilled in this art that I have facilitated the ease of mounting a built-in cooktop and oven in kitchen cabinets. Only a single electrical connection need be made. There is no need for an oven cabinet nor a cooktop base cabinet, and substantial savings may be made in the countertop while at the same time reaping the reward of having modern built-in appliances in the kitchen.

Modifications of this invention will occur to those skilled in this and it is to be understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiment disclosed but that it is intended to cover all modifications which are within the true spirit and scope of this invention as claimed.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A one-piece built-in range comprising a combined cooktop and oven wherein the cooktop is provided with a plurality of surface heating units mounted therein and the oven is disposed directly beneath the cooktop, supporting flanges extending outwardly from the side and rear edges of said range unit adjacent the top surface of said cooktop, and trim strips fitted to said flanges respectively both to overlie and underlie the flanges and yieldingly to engage the undersides thereof so as to provide resilient support means for said flanges and thereby for said range.

2. A one-unit built-in range as recited in claim 1 wherein the outer edge of each of said outwardly directed supporting flanges is provided with a downturned lip, said strips having sections closely fitted to the tops of the flanges and sections extending around the flange lips to the undersides of said flanges which they yieldingly engage so as to define spring members to yield under load imposed on said flanges by said cooktop.

3. A one-piece built-in range adapted to be supported as a unit from the top surface of a counter structure which is provided with a notch in said surface extending through the front thereof and a notch in the front surface of the counter to receive said range, said range comprising a combined cooktop and oven, the cooktop having a plurality of surface heating units and the oven being mounted under said cooktop, the cooktop having outwardly disposed flanges located at the two sides and back edge thereof, the outer edge of the flange being provided with a down-turned lip, the range being adapted to be suspended in a counter structure by merely pushing it into notches on its flanges in the manner of a sliding drawer until the range completely closes the notches, and adjustable fastening means carried by said range and adapted to engage a counter structure when the range is installed for holding the range in place, a trim strip being fitted over the outwardly disposed flanges, the trim strip both overlying and underlying the flanges and in springing engagement with the underside and providing a resilient sup port for the flanges to reduce the strain that might be developed in the cooktop when a heavy weight is supported thereon. a

4. A one-piece built-in range adapted to be supported as a unit from the top surface of a counter structure which is provided with a notch in said surface extending through the front thereof and a notch in the front surface of the counter to receive said range, said range comprising a combined cooktop and oven, the cooktop having a plurality of surface heating units and the oven being mounted under said cooktop, the uppermost surface of the cooktop and the front surface of the oven having an appearance finish while the remaining surfaces of the range have a non-appearance finish, the cooktop having outwardly disposed flanges located on the two sides and rear thereof, the flanges being reinforced by a down-turned lip along the outermost edges of the flanges and adapted to form a supporting and sealing edge with relation to a top surface when the range is supported in operating position therein, the range being adapatd to be inserted into said operating position merely by pushing in into notches on its flanges in the manner of a sliding drawer until only the appearance finish of the cooktop and oven front are visible, and adjustable fastening means carried by the range and adapted to engage a counter structure when the range is inserted therein for holding the range in place.

5. A one-piece built-in range adapted to be supported as a unit from the top surface of a counter structure which is provided with a notch in said surface extending through the front thereof and a notch in the front surface of the counter to receive said range, said range comprising a combined cooktop and oven, the cooktop having a plurality of surface heating units and the oven being mounted under said cooktop, the uppermost surface of the cooktop and the front surface of the oven having an appearance finish while the remaining surfaces of the range have a non-appearance finish, the cooktop having outwardly disposed flanges located on the two sides and rear thereof, the flanges being reinforced by a down-turned lip on the outermost edges of the flanges and adapted to form a supporting and sealing edge with relation to a top surface when the range is supported in operating position therein, the range being adapted to be inserted into said operating position merely by pushing it into notches on its flanges in the manner of a sliding drawer until only the appearance finish of the cooktop and oven front are visible, the frontmost vertical sides of the side walls of the range being provided with appearance trim strips to allow for a degree of adjustment between the range and a counter in which it is supported and the range is thereby adapted to be used in a variety of counter structures, and adjustable fastening means carried by the range and adapted to engage a supporting counter for holding the range in place when inserted therein.

6. A one-piece built-in range adapted to be supported as a unit from the top surface of a counter structure which is provided with a notch in said surface extending through the front thereof and a notch in the front surface of the counter to receive said range, said range comprising a cooktop having a plurality of surface heating units and an v yes,

oven located under said cooktop, the uppermost surface of the cooktop and the front of the oven having an appearance finish while the remaining surfaces of the range have a non-appearance finish, supporting flanges projecting outwardly adjacent the upper two sides and rear edge of said cooktop, the flanges being reinforced by a downturned lip along the outermost edges of the flanges and adapted to form a supporting sealing edge with relation to a counter in which it is to be supported, the range being adapted to be moved by sliding the range as a unit on its flanges in the manner of a sliding drawer into notches until the range completely closes the notches in a counter with only the appearance finish of the cooktop and the oven front visible, and adjustable fastening means mounted on said range adjacent said side flanges and being adjustable when said range is positioned into a top surface to engage a counter, each frontmost vertical side of the Side walls of the range being provided with a wide trim strip to obtain a degree of adjustment between the range and a counter when inserted therein so that close tolerances need not be held between the overall dimensions of the range and counter in which it is to be supported and the range is thereby adapted to be used in a variety of counter structures.

References Cited in the file of this patent