Cooktop and resilient element support
AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
InventorsNathan Ernell Nelson, Andrea Nichole Stokes, Adam Joseph Sollman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cooktop appliance may include a cooktop plate, a support panel, a raised ridge, a mounting spring, a heater frame, and an electric heating element. The cooktop plate may define an upper cooking surface. The support panel may be disposed below the cooktop plate. The raised ridge may be disposed on the support panel. The raised ridge may define an elevated surface above the support panel. The mounting spring may be mounted to the raised ridge and extend above the elevated surface. The heater frame may be supported on the mounting spring below the cooktop plate. The electric heating element may be mounted within the heater frame below the cooktop plate.
Claims19
A cooktop appliance, comprising:
- a cooktop plate defining an upper cooking surface;
- a support panel disposed below the cooktop plate;
- a raised ridge disposed on the support panel, the raised ridge defining an elevated surface above the support panel;
- a mounting spring mounted to the raised ridge and extending above the elevated surface;
- a heater frame supported on the mounting spring below the cooktop plate;
- and
- an electric heating element mounted within the heater frame below the cooktop plate,
- wherein the support panel extends along a lateral direction from a first lateral side to a second lateral side, wherein a lateral width is defined between the first lateral side and the second lateral side, wherein the raised ridge disposed at a location between 25% to 75% of the lateral width, wherein the raised ridge comprises an embossing formed and extending upward from the support panel to be integral therewith, and wherein the mounting spring is positioned between the elevated surface and the support panel such that the raised ridge is spaced apart from the support panel along a vertical direction.
A cooktop appliance, comprising:
- a cooktop plate defining an upper cooking surface;
- a support panel disposed below the cooktop plate;
- a raised ridge disposed on the support panel, the raised ridge defining an elevated surface above the support panel;
- a first mounting spring (MS1) mounted to the raised ridge and extending above the elevated surface;
- a first heater frame supported on the MS1 below the cooktop plate;
- a first electric heating element mounted within the first heater frame below the cooktop plate;
- a second mounting spring (MS2) mounted to a portion of the support panel below the elevated surface relative to a vertical direction and horizontally spaced apart from the raised ridge, the MS2 being formed as an identical spring to the MS1;
- a second heater frame supported on the MS2 below the cooktop plate;
- and
- a second electric heating element mounted within the second heater frame below the cooktop plate,
- wherein the support panel extends along a lateral direction from a first lateral side to a second lateral side, wherein a lateral width is defined between the first lateral side and the second lateral side, wherein the raised ridge disposed at a location between 25% to 75% of the lateral width, wherein the raised ridge comprises an embossing formed and extending upward from the support panel to be integral therewith, and wherein the mounting spring is positioned between the elevated surface and the support panel such that the raised ridge is spaced apart from the support panel along a vertical direction.
A cooktop appliance, comprising:
- a cooktop plate defining an upper cooking surface and a bottom interior surface;
- a support panel disposed below the cooktop plate, the support panel defining a lateral width along a lateral direction between a first lateral side and a second lateral side;
- a raised ridge disposed on the support panel at a location between 25% to 75% of the lateral width, the raised ridge comprising an embossing defining an elevated surface above the support panel;
- a mounting spring mounted to the raised ridge and extending above the elevated surface;
- a heater frame disposed above the mounting spring in contact with the bottom interior surface;
- and
- an electric heating element mounted within the heater frame below the cooktop plate,
- wherein the mounting spring is positioned between the elevated surface and the support panel such that the raised ridge is spaced apart from the support panel along a vertical direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.