Heat warning safety device using light emitting diodes

#The field of this invention is heat warning safety devices, and more particularly, such devices for warning individuals that a surface is dangerously hot.

#With respect to stoves and related appliances, various kinds of stoves—electric, gas, smooth cooktop stoves which use glass or metal tops—and toaster ovens are well known to be used for heating food. In addition, “mobile stove-type appliances” such as hot plates and warming trays are well known to be used for heating food. Each of these kinds of stoves and “mobile stove-type appliances” present a safety problem since the heating elements of the stove are hot during the cooking process and remain hot well afterwards. During the cooking process, the safety problem caused by touching the heating element is mitigated somewhat by visual inspection of the stove. With a gas, electric or smooth top stove, for example, the presence of a pot or other utensil on top of the stove might alert someone to the fact that the stove appears to be in use for cooking and therefore too hot to touch. Even the presence of a pot or other utensil is not a reliable clue, however, since people tend to leave tea kettles on their stove perpetually. When the cooking process has ended, however, it is generally impossible to detect that the heating elements of the stove remains hot and would burn the skin of anyone who touched them. There is no visual or other clue that the stove is hot.

#To some degree, adults have developed an inherent caution when approaching stoves because of their experience and knowledge in dealing with such safety problems. This inherent caution, however, does not obviate the need for a device that warns the adult when touching the stove would be dangerous. Moreover, children, and particularly young children, usually have not developed such a watchfulness and there has long been a need for a device that can prevent burn accidents to children who may inadvertently touch a stove that is hot, especially when the stove remains hot well after the cooking process has ended.

#FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the heat warning safety device of the present invention used on a smooth cooktop stove showing a particular configuration of LEDs;

#FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of an alternative embodiment of the heat warning safety device of the present invention;

#FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of an alternative embodiment of the heat warning safety device of the present invention;

#The apparatus of the present invention will now be illustrated by reference to the accompanying drawings. The device of the present invention has been assigned reference numeral 10. Other elements have been assigned the reference numerals referred to below.

#As seen from FIGS. 1-13, a heat alert safety device for warning individuals that a surface of an object is dangerously hot is presented. FIGS. 14 and 15 describe prior art heat warning indicators. FIG. 1 describes the entire device of the present invention whereas FIGS. 2-13 illustrate the many possible configurations of light emitting diodes that can form the heat warning symbols in various embodiments of the present invention. It is intended that the remaining elements of device 10 shown in FIG. 1 are also incorporated into the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2-9 and 11-13, although these elements are not shown in FIGS. 2-9 and 11-13. So for example, even though electric lines running from the light emitting diodes to the controller are not shown in FIGS. 2-13, and similarly the heat sensors 65 and the communication lines 66 running from the heat sensors 65 to the controller 60 are also not shown in these figures, nonetheless they appear in these embodiments as well.

#The most commonly faced object containing a dangerously hot surface, particularly one with residual heat, is a stove. Accordingly, the drawings and below discussion focus on the surface of a stove, such as an electric stove, a gas stove or a smooth cooktop stove. However, other objects containing other surfaces are also contemplated. Furthermore, although the heat alert safety device is illustrated in the drawings in the context of a surface of a stove that contains four heating elements, the device 10 of the present invention is also applicable to a stove having a any number of heating elements or hot surfaces, especially two or more such heating elements or hot surfaces. Moreover, it need not necessarily be the heating element of the stove or other object that is the surface that is being against for heat, although that is typical. Device can be used on other areas of a stove of other object other than the surface containing the heating elements.