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US 10,743,714 B2Granted
Kitchen cooking appliance with mobile drain fluid receptacle
AssigneeIllinois Tool Works Inc.
InventorEric D. Guy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cooking appliance includes a housing and at least one upwardly facing cooking wall on which food product can directly sit for cooking, where the cooking wall is supported by the housing and has an associated drain path for residual cooking fluid and/or for cleaning fluid, where the drain path includes an outlet end. A mobile fluid receptacle located in an installed use position within the housing is positioned below the cooking wall. The mobile fluid receptacle is movable to a transport position fully disengaged from the housing. The mobile fluid receptacle may be configured to sit in a generally horizontal use orientation when in the installed use position, as well as an upright orientation when disengaged from the housing.
Claims14
A cooking appliance, comprising:
- a housing;
- at least one upwardly facing cooking wall on which food product can directly sit for cooking, the cooking wall supported by the housing and having an associated drain path for residual cooking fluid and/or for cleaning fluid, wherein the drain path includes an outlet end;
- a mobile fluid receptacle located in an installed use position within the housing and below the cooking wall, the mobile fluid receptacle having a first end, a second end and an upwardly facing inlet opening positioned toward the first end to receive residual cooking fluid and/or cleaning fluid from the outlet end of the drain path, the mobile fluid receptacle including a wheel arrangement at the second end and a handle at the first end, wherein the mobile fluid receptacle disengageable from the housing for transport;
- wherein, when in the installed use position, the mobile fluid receptacle includes an inlet section below the inlet opening and a primary storage section adjacent and in fluid communication with the inlet section, wherein the primary storage section is enclosed on all sides except where the primary storage section abuts the inlet section;
- wherein, when in the installed use position, the mobile fluid receptacle includes a bottom wall that is common between the inlet section and the primary storage section, and the primary storage section includes a top wall that does not extend over the inlet section and that is higher than the inlet opening such that, when a liquid level in the mobile fluid receptacle reaches a height of the inlet opening, the primary storage section includes an air space above the liquid level that is not filled by liquid such that, when the mobile fluid receptacle is shifted to an upright position with the inlet opening higher than the primary storage section, liquid in the inlet section moves into the primary storage section under the force of gravity and, in turn, air in the air space is displaced into the inlet section;
- wherein the primary storage section has a depth that is greater than a depth of the inlet section and the primary storage section is within the housing when the mobile fluid receptacle is in the installed use position.
3 more elements
A cooking appliance, comprising:
- a housing;
- at least one cooking wall for heating food product, the cooking wall supported by the housing;
- a drain path for delivering residual cooking fluid and/or for cleaning fluid away from the cooking wall;
- a mobile fluid receptacle located in an installed use position within the housing, the mobile fluid receptacle including an inlet opening positioned to receive residual cooking fluid and/or cleaning fluid from the drain path, the mobile fluid receptacle is disengageable from the housing, wherein the mobile fluid receptacle is configured such that:
- when in the installed use position, the mobile fluid receptacle includes an inlet section below the inlet opening and a primary storage section adjacent and in fluid communication with the inlet section, wherein the primary storage section is enclosed on all sides except where the primary storage section abuts the inlet section;
- when in the installed use position, the mobile fluid receptacle includes a bottom wall that is common between the inlet section and the primary storage section, and the primary storage section includes a top wall that does not extend over the inlet section and that is higher than the inlet opening such that, when a liquid level in the mobile fluid receptacle reaches a height of the inlet opening, the primary storage section includes an air space above the liquid level that is not filled by liquid such that, when the mobile fluid receptacle is shifted to an upright position with the inlet opening higher than the primary storage section, liquid in the inlet section moves into the primary storage section under the force of gravity and, in turn, air in the air space is displaced into the inlet section,
- wherein the primary storage section has a depth that is greater than a depth of the inlet section and the primary storage section is within the housing when the mobile fluid receptacle is in the installed use position.
4 more elements
A cooking appliance, comprising:
- a housing supporting a cooking wall and a drain path for cooking fluid;
- a mobile cooking fluid receptacle installable within the housing in a use orientation for receiving residual cooking fluid and/or cleaning fluid from the drain path, in the use orientation the mobile fluid receptacle having a first end, a second end and an upwardly facing inlet opening positioned toward the first end to receive residual cooking fluid and/or cleaning fluid, the mobile fluid receptacle including a wheel arrangement at the second end and a handle at the first end, wherein the mobile fluid receptacle is configured such that:
- in the use orientation, the mobile fluid receptacle includes an inlet section below the inlet opening and a primary storage section adjacent and in fluid communication with the inlet section, wherein the primary storage section is enclosed on at sides except where the primary storage section abuts the inlet section;
- in the use orientation, the mobile fluid receptacle includes a bottom wall that is common between the inlet section and the primary storage section, and the primary storage section includes a top wall that does not extend over the inlet section and that is higher than the inlet opening such that, when a liquid level in the mobile fluid receptacle reaches a height of the inlet opening, the primary storage section includes an air space above the liquid level that is not filled by liquid such that, when the mobile fluid receptacle is shifted to an upright orientation with the inlet opening higher than the primary storage section, liquid in the inlet section moves into the primary storage section under the force of gravity and, in turn, air in the air space is displaced into the inlet section,
- wherein the primary storage section has a depth that is greater than a depth of the inlet section and the primary storage section is within the housing when the mobile fluid receptacle is in the use orientation.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.