Recessed cooktop appliance system

A cooking appliance, comprising:

• housing means defining an upwardly facing burner box;
• downdraft ventilation means associated with said housing means and having air inlet means at one side of said burner box;
• drip pan means in said housing means and having a first side adjacent said one burner box side, said drip pan including a recessed central portion spaced above the bottom wall of said burner box defining an air flow space therebetween in air flow communication with said air inlet means, said drip pan means further including peripheral flange means having a plurality of air intake apertures located along the remaining sides of said drip pan means, said apertures providing air flow communication with said air flow space and a thermal break between said drip pan means and said housing means;
• grate means overlying said drip pan means for supporting items to be cooked;
• and
• heater means in said drip pan means below said grate means for heating said items to be cooked, wherein operation of said downdraft ventilation means establishes an air flow into said air flow space around the periphery of said cooking appliance to draw cooling air flow and cooking by-products through said air intake apertures and said air inlet means for reducing heat transfer to said housing means, and exhausting cooking by-products.

A countertop cooking unit, comprising:

• a housing adapted to be supported by a countertop, said housing including a burner box and having an open top level with the countertop, a bottom and peripheral walls, said housing further including an interior ledge;
• at least one removable drip pan recessed below the open top of said housing within said burner box and removably carried by said interior ledge of said housing at its peripheral edges;
• and
• at least one heating unit recessed and removably carried within said removable drip pan,
• said countertop cooking unit being adapted thereby to provide an upper surface that is level with said countertop, and interior parts that are easily disassembled by freely lifting one from the other.

A countertop cooking unit, comprising:

• a housing adapted to be supported by a countertop, said housing including a burner box and having an open top level with the countertop, a bottom, peripheral walls, and a peripheral flange-forming member with supporting surfaces inside its peripheral walls;
• at least one removable drip pan recessed below the open top of said housing within said burner box and removably carried by said housing at its peripheral edges, said removable drip pan comprising an outwardly extending flange at its periphery forming a plurality of distributed air flow openings and engaging said supporting surfaces of said housing at its peripheral edges to removably support said drip pan in said housing;
• and
• at least one heating unit recessed and removably carried within said removable drip pan,
• said countertop cooking unit being adapted thereby to provide an upper surface that is level with said countertop and removable interior parts, and an induced flow of air is directed between the peripheral walls of said housing and said drip pan to reduce heat transfer to said housing.

The countertop cooking unit, comprising:

• a housing adapted to be supported by a countertop, said housing including a burner box and having an open top level with the countertop, a bottom and peripheral walls;
• at least one removable drip pan recessed below the open top of said housing within said burner box and removably carried by said housing at its peripheral edges;
• at least one heating unit recessed and removably carried within said removable drip pan;
• and
• at least one cover for said at least one heating unit, said at least one cover being removably carried within said housing and providing an upper surface that is level with said countertop,
• said countertop cooking unit being adapted thereby to provide an upper surface that is level with said countertop, and removable interior parts.