# US 12,111,060 B2 · Gas safety shutoff > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,111,060 B2 - Document ID: US12111060B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/136,701 - Filed: 2023-04-19 - Published: 2023-08-10 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-05-29 - Assignees: Lynx Grills, Inc. - Applicants: Lynx Grills, Inc. - Inventors: John T. French; Randall Lee Dawson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12111060B2 ## CPC - F24C 3/12: Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices - F16K 31/0675: {Electromagnet aspects, e.g. electric supply therefor} - F16K 31/524: with a cam - F16K 31/60: Handles {(form, features or function of taps or faucet handles for domestic plumbing installations E03C1/04)} - F16K 37/0025: {Electrical or magnetic means (F16K37/0075 takes precedence)} - F23N 1/007: {using mechanical means (F23N1/04 - F23N1/10 take precedence)} - F24C 3/103: {of electric ignition devices} - F24C 3/126: {on ranges} - F23N 2229/12: with flame rectification current detecting means - F24C: DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES (exclusively for solid fuels F24B); DETAILS OF DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES, OF GENERAL APPLICATION - F16K: VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING {(devices for emptying and evacuating the excess liquid in valves or conduits F16L55/07)} - F23N: REGULATING OR CONTROLLING COMBUSTION (control devices specially adapted for combustion apparatus in which combustion takes place in a fluidised bed of fuel or other particles F23C10/28; condition responsive controls for regulating combustion in domestic stoves with open fires for solid fuel F24B1/187) ## Abstract A system for igniting a grill can include a solenoid valve, a flame rectification sensor, an igniter, and a control circuit connected to the solenoid valve and the flame rectification sensor. The solenoid valve controls flow of gas to the grill's burner and includes a switch that closes when a handle connected to the switch opens the solenoid valve. The control circuit sends current to the solenoid valve when the switch is closed to hold the solenoid valve open. After the switch closes, the igniter is ignited. After ignition, the control circuit monitors the presence of a flame with a flame rectification sensor. If no flame is detected after a certain amount of time, the control circuit stops sending current to the solenoid valve to close the solenoid valve. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A grill, comprising: a gas burner that is connectable to a gas supply that provides a source of combustible gas; a solenoid valve comprising a switch and a handle, the switch actuated by manipulation of the handle, the solenoid valve configured to be held open by a current; a flame rectification sensor positioned to monitor for a presence or absence of a flame produced by the gas burner, the flame rectification sensor configured to provide a flame detection signal based upon a presence of a flame produced by the gas burner or based upon an absence of a flame produced by the gas burner, an igniter; and a control circuit electrically coupled to the solenoid valve, the igniter, the switch, and the flame rectification sensor, the control circuit configured to selectively send the current to the solenoid valve when the switch is closed wherein the solenoid valve cannot be moved from a closed position to an open position by current sent from the control circuit, the control circuit is connected to a transformer such that the control circuit is powered by current from the transformer; the control circuit further configured to determine a presence or an absence of a flame produced by the gas burner based on the flame detection signal, and to close the solenoid valve by removing the current to the solenoid valve when the control circuit does not detect the presence of a flame by not receiving the flame detection signal representative of the presence of a flame produced by the gas burner within a predetermined period of time after activating the igniter. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The grill of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to determine the presence of a flame being produced by the gas burner by determining a derivative of the signal from the flame rectification sensor over a period from before the ignition current is sent to the igniter to after the ignition current is sent to the igniter. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The grill of claim 1, wherein the flame rectification sensor comprises a spark igniter. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The grill of claim 1, wherein the igniter is configured to ignite a gas using a hot ceramic surface. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The grill stem of claim 1, further comprising a cam member mechanically coupled to the handle, wherein actuating the handle moves a cam of the cam member to close the switch. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The grill of claim 5, wherein the cam is configured to hold the switch closed when the handle of the solenoid valve is in an open position. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The grill of claim 1, further comprising continuously powering an LED during receipt of the signal from the flame rectification sensor based upon the presence of the flame produced by the gas burner. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The grill of claim 1, the signal based upon the presence of the flame produced by the gas burner produced by the flame rectification sensor is a rectified signal. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The grill of claim 8, wherein the signal based upon the absence of the flame produced by the gas burner produced by the flame rectification sensor is a non-rectified signal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The grill of claim 8, wherein the signal based upon the absence of the flame produced by the gas burner produced by the flame rectification sensor is a signal that is rectified less than a predetermined threshold. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The grill of claim 8, wherein the signal based upon the absence of the flame produced by the gas burner produced by the flame rectification sensor is an inconsistently rectified signal over a predetermined period of time. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The grill of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is further connected to a battery such that the control circuit is capable of being powered by current from the battery. ### Claim 13 A grill, comprising: a plurality of gas burners that are connectable to a gas supply that provides a source of combustible gas; a plurality of solenoid valves that are each associated with the respective plurality of gas burners, wherein each of the plurality of solenoid valves is disposed to selectively allow or disrupt combustible gas flow from the source to the respective gas burner associated with each respective solenoid valve, wherein each solenoid valve of the plurality of solenoid valves comprises a switch and a handle, the switch actuated by manipulation of the handle, the solenoid valve configured to be held open by a current; a plurality of flame rectification sensors, each respective flame rectification sensor positioned to monitor for a presence or an absence of a flame produced by the respective gas burner in a grill, each respective flame rectification sensor is configured to provide a flame detection signal based upon the presence of a flame produced by the respective gas burner or based upon the absence of a flame produced by the respective gas burner, a plurality of igniters; and a plurality of control circuits, each control circuit electrically coupled to a respective solenoid valve of the plurality of solenoid valves, a respective igniter of the plurality of igniters, a respective switch of the plurality of switches, and a respective flame rectification sensor of the plurality of flame rectification sensors, each control circuit being configured to selectively send the current to the respective solenoid valve when the respective switch is closed wherein each of the plurality of solenoid valves cannot be moved from a closed position to an open position by current sent from the control circuit, each of the plurality of control circuits further configured to determine the presence or the absence of a flame produced by the respective gas burner based on the flame detection signal received from the respective flame rectification sensor, and to close the respective solenoid valve by removing the current to the respective solenoid valve when the control circuit does not detect the presence of a flame by not receiving the flame detection signal representative of the presence of a flame produced by the respective gas burner within a predetermined period of time after activating the igniter. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The grill of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of control circuits are connected to a transformer such that each respective control circuit is powered by current from the transformer. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The grill of claim 14, wherein the each of the plurality of control circuits is further connected to a battery such that each control circuit is capable of being powered by current from the battery. ### Claim 16 A grill, comprising: a gas burner that is connectable to a gas supply that provides a source of combustible gas; a solenoid valve comprising a switch and a handle, the switch actuated by manipulation of the handle, the solenoid valve configured to be held open by a current; a flame rectification sensor positioned to monitor for a presence or absence of a flame produced by the gas burner, the flame rectification sensor configured to provide a flame detection signal based upon a presence of a flame produced by the gas burner or based upon an absence of a flame produced by the gas burner, an igniter; and a control circuit electrically coupled to the solenoid valve, the igniter, the switch, and the flame rectification sensor, the control circuit configured to selectively send the current to the solenoid valve when the switch is closed, the control circuit is connected to a transformer such that the control circuit is powered by current from the transformer; the control circuit further configured to determine a presence of a flame produced by the gas burner based on identifying a change in the flame detection signal by a comparison of the flame detection signal received during a time before current was sent to the igniter and the flame detection signal received during a time after current was sent to the igniter, wherein the control circuit continues to provide current to the solenoid valve as long as the flame detection signal based upon the presence of the flame produced by the gas burner is continued to be received, and to close the solenoid valve by removing the current to the solenoid valve when the control circuit does not detect the presence of a flame by not identifying the change in the flame rectification signal within a predetermined period of time after current is sent to the igniter. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The grill of claim 16, wherein the control circuit is configured to determine the presence of a flame being produced by the gas burner by determining a derivative of the signal from the flame rectification sensor over a period from before the ignition current is sent to the igniter to after the ignition current is sent to the igniter. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The grill of claim 16, wherein the flame rectification sensor comprises a spark igniter. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The grill of claim 16, wherein the igniter is configured to ignite a gas using a hot ceramic surface. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The grill of claim 16, further comprising a cam member mechanically coupled to the handle, wherein actuating the handle moves a cam of the cam member to close the switch. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The grill of claim 18, wherein the cam is configured to hold the switch closed when the handle of the solenoid valve is in an open position. ### Claim 22 (depends on 16) The grill of claim 16, wherein the control circuit comprises a power supply circuit. ### Claim 23 (depends on 16) The grill of claim 16, wherein the solenoid valve cannot be moved from a closed position to an open position by current sent from the control circuit.