Cooktop grate with flame clearance

#This invention relates generally to gas cooking appliances, and, more specifically, to cooktop grates for gas surface heater elements.

#Gas fired cooktops typically include a flat top surface having one or more openings, with a gas burner set in each opening, and a corresponding number of raised cooking grates resting on the cooktop, generally above and surrounding the burners to provide a cooking surface spaced from the burner. Cooking implements such as pots and pans are thus placed on the stove grates above the burners to allow the flame to spread out for increasing the surface actually heated by the gas flames emanating from the burner.

#Typically, cooking grates are formed from a round or square outer frame and include a number of long fingers extending radially inwardly from the outer frame. These fingers can be separate members joined at one end to an outer frame, or can be extensions of the outer frame itself. Generally, the fingers do not extend so far inward from the outer frame as to touch at the grate's center. Rather, the inner ends usually form an open area of circular shape about the burner.

#FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary free standing gas range.

#FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a grate assembly for the range shown in FIG. 1.

#FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the grate assembly shown in FIG. 2.

#FIG. 1 illustrates a gas cooking appliance in the form of a free standing gas range 10 including an outer body or cabinet 12 that incorporates a generally rectangular cooktop 14. An oven, not shown, is positioned below cooktop 14 and has a front-opening access door 16. A range backsplash 18 extends upward of a rear edge 20 of cooktop 14 and includes, for example, a control display and control selectors for user manipulation to select operative oven features, cooking timers, time and temperature displays, etc. It is contemplated that the present invention is applicable, not only to cooktops which form the upper portion of a range, such as range 10, but to other forms of cooktops as well, such as, but not limited to, built-in counter units that are mounted to kitchen counters. Therefore, gas range 10 is provided by way of illustration rather than limitation, and accordingly there is no intention to limit application of the present invention to any particular appliance or cooktop, such as range 10 or cooktop 14. In addition, it is contemplated that the present invention is applicable to multiple fuel cooking appliances, e.g., a gas cooktop with an electric oven or other combination of gas, electric, or other types of heating elements.

#In an exemplary embodiment, cooktop 14 includes four gas fueled burners 22, 24, 26, 28 which are positioned in spaced apart pairs 22, 24 and 26, 28 positioned adjacent each side of cooktop 14. Each pair of burners 22, 24 and 26, 28 is surrounded by a recessed area (not shown in FIG. 1) respectively, of cooktop 14. The recessed areas are positioned below the upper surface 30 of cooktop 14 and serve to catch spills from cooking utensils being used with cooktop 14. Each burner 22, 24, 26, 28 extends upwardly through an opening in cooktop 14, and a grate assembly 30 is positioned over burners, 22, 24, 26, 28 and substantially spans cooktop 14. The construction and operation of the range heating elements, including cooktop gas burners 22, 24, 26, 28 are believed to be within the purview of those in the art without further discussion. It is appreciated that greater or fewer than four burners could be employed in alternative embodiments of the invention, with or without associated recessed areas in the cooktop associated with the burners.

#Grate assembly 30 includes a number of utensil supporting fingers extending toward and between burners 22, 24, 26 and 28, and each of the fingers include a substantially flat top surface coplanar with the top surfaces of the other fingers to support cooking utensils and implements thereon. Additionally, and as explained further below, grate assembly 30 further includes interior frame members extending between the burners, and each of the interior frame members includes a top surface substantially coplanar with the top surface of the fingers. The interior frame members provide additional support surfaces between burner pairs 22, 24 and 26, 28 for placement of cooking utensils (e.g., pots and pans). Thus, grate assembly 30 provides an extended area over cooktop 14 for placement of cooking utensils thereon, including an area between burners 22, 24, 26, 28. Additionally, cooking utensils may be slid across the top surface of grate assembly 30 to any desired position on the surface of the grate without lifting the utensils.