US20110088680A1 - Heating cooker - Google Patents
Heating cooker Download PDFInfo
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- US20110088680A1 US20110088680A1 US12/921,637 US92163709A US2011088680A1 US 20110088680 A1 US20110088680 A1 US 20110088680A1 US 92163709 A US92163709 A US 92163709A US 2011088680 A1 US2011088680 A1 US 2011088680A1
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- Prior art keywords
- frame
- wall
- top plate
- edge
- front frame
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- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24C—DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES ; DETAILS OF DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
- F24C15/00—Details
- F24C15/10—Tops, e.g. hot plates; Rings
- F24C15/102—Tops, e.g. hot plates; Rings electrically heated
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a heating cooker to be used in a kitchen at standard home or for business purposes and, more particularly, to a protective frame mounted on a periphery of a top plate, which is mounted on an upper surface of a main body, to constitute an outer shell of the heating cooker for protection of the top plate.
- induction heating appliances having a heating area on an upper surface of a main body are in common use as cooking appliances using no fire.
- the induction heating appliance has a generally rectangular top plate mounted on the upper surface of the main body to place a cooking container thereon.
- a heating portion having the heating area is made up of a portion of the top plate and a heating coil disposed below the top plate so as to confront the portion of the top plate.
- a top plate unit having the top plate is provided with a protective frame for covering an entire peripheral edge of the top plate to avoid injury to user's fingers.
- the protective frame generally includes a frame for covering opposite side edges and a rear edge of the top plate and a front plate for covering a front edge of the top plate.
- An operation panel for operating the heating appliance is mounted on the front plate.
- Some protective frames are made up of four frame pieces connected to one another. These frame pieces are mounted on the top plate unit along a peripheral edge thereof so as to take the form of a picture frame as a whole, and adjoining frame pieces are held in contact with each other at an angle of inclination of 45 degrees. Each of the frame pieces has a generally U-shaped section and is secured to the top plate with an adhesive so as to cover a corresponding edge of the top plate (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
- a protective frame 140 as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24 has been proposed having a corner 142 that has been formed by bending a straight member having a generally U-shaped section along a corner edge of a top plate 141 .
- this protective frame 140 includes a side frame 144 and a front frame 145 connected to each other via a joint 143 (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
- Patent Document 1 Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-188908
- Patent Document 2 Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-59743
- a heating appliance for cooking including an electrostatic type touch-sensitive operating portion provided on a front side of the top plate has been recently proposed.
- the front frame and the side frame cannot be secured to the top plate with sufficient strength, thus posing a problem that the front frame and the side frame would be easily separated from the top plate.
- the joint 143 is made of a resin, another problem arises that the joint 143 may be thermally deformed to thereby spoil the appearance of the heating appliance.
- the present invention has been developed to overcome the above-described disadvantages.
- a heating appliance for cooking includes a main body, a generally rectangular top plate made of a heat-resisting glass and mounted on an upper surface of the main body, a front frame disposed along a front edge of the top plate, two side frames disposed along respective side edges of the top plate, and a heating portion mounted in the main body.
- Each of the side frames is formed by bending a metal plate and has an upper wall held in contact at a lower edge thereof with an upper surface of the top plate to cover a side edge of the top plate, and a side wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly.
- the front frame is formed by bending a metal plate and has an upper wall held in contact at a lower edge thereof with the upper surface of the top plate to cover a front edge of the top plate, opposite side walls each formed by bending a side portion of the front wall downwardly, and a front wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly at a front edge thereof.
- a front end of the upper wall and that of the side wall of each of the side frames is inserted into an inside of the upper wall and one of the side walls of the front frame, and each of the side frames has an outwardly protruding strip-shaped ridge formed with the upper wall and the side wall thereof and positioned along a rear edge of the upper wall and that of each of the side walls of the front frame.
- the protective frame comes to have substantially right-angled corners on a front side of the top plate and accordingly does not spoil the appearance.
- the strip-shaped ridge formed with the upper wall and the side wall of the side frame is positioned along the rear edge of the front frame, and a front portion of the side frame is covered with a side portion of the front frame, thus making it possible to prevent user's hands from being brought into contact with an edge of the front frame and that of the side frame to avoid injury to the user.
- An underframe having an opening defined therein and holding a periphery of the top plate is further provided.
- Each of the side frames has a lower wall formed by bending the side wall thereof toward the underframe at a lower edge thereof and secured to a lower surface of the underframe, and the front frame has a front lower wall formed by bending the front wall toward the underframe at a lower edge thereof The front lower wall of the front frame is secured to the lower surface of the underframe.
- the front frame be screwed to the underframe using a plurality of mounting holes defined in the front lower wall of the front frame.
- the front frame has opposite side lower walls and may have opposite side covers each extending inwardly from an end portion of the front lower wall or each of the side lower walls.
- the heating appliance for cooking preferably includes a rear cover held by the underframe and having a front edge to cover a rear edge of the top plate and at least one exhaust port or intake port defined therein, and a rear frame disposed along a rear edge of the rear cover.
- the rear frame is formed by bending a metal plate and has an upper wall held in contact at a front edge thereof with an upper surface of the rear cover to cover a front edge of the rear cover, a rear wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly at a rear edge thereof, and a lower wall formed by bending the rear wall toward the underframe at a lower edge thereof and secured to the lower surface of the underframe.
- the rear frame is unitarily formed with the side frames, which cover side edges of the rear cover, those of the top plate, and those of the underframe, by bending a straight frame member.
- a rear frame for covering a rear edge of the top plate and that of the underframe is unitarily formed with the side frames by bending a straight frame member.
- the rear frame may be divided into two, each of which is unitarily formed with one of the side frames.
- the upper wall of the front frame has a rear portion that has been bent so as to descend toward the upper surface of the top plate such that a rear edge of the upper wall of the front frame is held in contact with the upper surface of the top plate.
- a heating appliance for cooking includes a main body, a generally rectangular top plate mounted on an upper surface of the main body, a front frame disposed along a front surface of the top plate and formed by bending a metal plate, and two side frames disposed along respective side surfaces of the top plate and each formed by bending a metal plate, wherein the front frame includes an upper wall having a rearwardly descending inclined portion and covering a front edge of the top plate, a front wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly at a front upper edge thereof, a front lower wall formed by bending the front wall inwardly at a lower edge thereof, two side walls formed by bending the front wall downwardly at respective side edges thereof, and two side lower walls formed by bending the two side walls inwardly at respective lower edges thereof.
- Each of the side frames has an insert formed at a front end thereof and inserted into the front frame, and the insert has an engaging piece positioned below the upper wall of the front frame and above a lower end of the inclined portion so as to extend in a longitudinal direction of the upper wall of the front frame.
- the engaging piece is held in contact with the inclined portion to avoid removal of the front frame from the insert.
- each side frame is formed by bending a metal plate and has the insert formed at the front end thereof and inserted into the front frame, no separate joints are required to connect the front frame to the side frame, thus making it possible to simplify the construction.
- the insert has the engaging piece positioned below the upper wall of the front frame and above the lower end of the inclined portion so as to extend in a longitudinal direction of the upper wall of the front frame and to be held in contact with the inclined portion to avoid removal of the front frame from the insert, the joint between the front frame and the side frame is simplified in configuration and considerably increased in rigidity. Further, a spaced occupied by the joint between the front frame and the side frame can be reduced and, hence, the depth of the upper wall of the front frame can be reduced, and the design thereof can be enhanced.
- the side frame has an upper wall that covers a side edge of an upper surface of the top plate, a side wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly, and an outwardly protruding strip-shaped ridge formed at a location adjacent to the insert by deforming a portion of the upper wall and that of the side wall of the side frame.
- the side frame has an upper wall that covers a side edge of an upper surface of the top plate, a side wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly, and a lower wall formed by bending the side wall inwardly at a lower edge thereof, wherein the lower wall of the side frame is removed at the insert.
- This configuration allows, when the side frame is inserted into the front frame, the side frame to slide relative to the front frame under the condition in which a lower edge of the side wall of the side frame is held in contact with an upper surface or a rear edge of the side lower wall of the front frame. That is, the lower edge of the side wall of the side frame is guided by the side lower wall of the front frame during insertion of the side frame, thus facilitating the assemblage.
- the front frame has a cutout formed in each end of the inclined portion to receive an upper portion of the ridge of the side frame therein, an inward movement and a forward movement of the side frame are restrained by the ridge and the front wall of the front frame forming the cutout, and a rearward movement of the side frame is restrained by the engaging piece the inclined portion of the front frame, thus making it possible to stabilize the front frame.
- the inclined portion acts to guide the insert of the side frame during insertion of the side frame into the front frame to thereby allow the insert to easily pass under the lower end of the inclined portion of the upper wall of the front frame.
- An underframe formed of a metal plate is disposed below the top plate for support thereof, and the front frame is fixed to the underframe such that the inclined portion of the front frame is held in contact at a lower edge thereof with an upper surface of the top plate, an upper surface of the front lower wall of the front frame is held in contact with a lower surface of the underframe, and the front lower wall of the front frame has a plurality of upwardly protruding protrusions formed thereon, each of which is received in a latch hole defined in the underframe.
- This configuration allows the front frame having a narrow depth to be easily attached to the top plate along a front edge thereof.
- the underframe is made of a metal and, hence, hole drilling can be easily conducted thereto. Also, use of a thin stainless steel plate (for example, thickness of 0.3 millimeters) for the front frame allows the protrusions 118 a to be easily formed on the front lower wall of the front frame, and insertion of the side frame into the front frame under the condition in which the side frame has been attached to the top plate placed on the underframe and secured thereto by an adhesive or the like enables the front frame to be easily rigidly secured to the top plate and the underframe. Accordingly, the depth of the front frame can be reduced to enhance the appearance of the appliance, and not only can the assemblage of the front frame be improved, but the fixing strength thereof can be also enhanced.
- the side wall has an upper wall having an inclined portion descending toward a central portion of the top plate to cover an upper surface of a side portion of the top plate, a side wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly, and a lower wall formed by bending the side wall inwardly at a lower edge thereof.
- the side frame is fixed to the underframe such that the inclined portion of the side frame is held in contact at a lower edge thereof with the upper surface of the top plate, an upper surface of the lower wall of the side frame is held in contact with a lower surface of the underframe, and the lower wall of the side frame has a plurality of upwardly protruding protrusions formed thereon, each of which is received in a latch hole defined in the underframe.
- this configuration allows the side frame to have an upper wall of a narrow width to enhance the appearance of the appliance, and not only can the assemblage of the side frame be improved, but the fixing strength thereof can be also enhanced.
- the protective frame comes to have substantially right-angled corners on a front side of the top plate and accordingly does not spoil the appearance.
- the strip-shaped ridge formed with the upper wall and the side wall of the side frame is positioned along the rear edge of the front frame, and a front portion of the side frame is covered with a side portion of the front frame, thus making it possible to prevent user's hands from being brought into contact with an edge of the front frame and that of the side frame to avoid injury to the user.
- the insert of the side frame is inserted into the front frame, and the front frame and the side frame are mechanically secured to each other by the engaging piece and the inclined portion of the front frame, it is unlikely that the front frame would be removed from the side frame, and the two frames can be easily and assuredly assembled.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an induction heating appliance for cooking according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a top plate unit mounted on the induction heating appliance for cooking of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an essential portion of the top plate unit of FIG. 2 .
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the essential portion of the top plate unit of FIG. 2 with a portion thereof removed.
- FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a frame of the top plate unit of FIG. 2 as viewed from below.
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the top plate unit of FIG. 2 as viewed from below.
- FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a front corner of the top plate unit of FIG. 6 .
- FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along a line A-A in FIG. 6 .
- FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along a line B-B in FIG. 6 .
- FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along a line C-C in FIG. 6 .
- FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a front frame of the top plate unit of FIG. 2 as viewed from below.
- FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a protective cover of the top plate unit of FIG. 2 .
- FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along a line D-D in FIG. 12 .
- FIG. 14 is a top plan view of a portion of the protective cover, particularly showing a relationship between a guide portion of the protective cover and a portion on which the protective cover is placed.
- FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an induction heating appliance for cooking according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a peripheral portion of a top plate unit mounted on the induction heating appliance for cooking of FIG. 15 .
- FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along a line E-E in FIG. 16 .
- FIG. 18 is a perspective view of another peripheral portion of the top plate unit.
- FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a front frame of the top plate unit.
- FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a side frame of the top plate unit.
- FIG. 21 is a sectional view of the side frame.
- FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a connecting portion between the front frame and the side frame.
- FIG. 23 is a top plan view of a corner of a top plate unit of a conventional induction heating appliance for cooking.
- FIG. 24 is a sectional view of a protective cover that forms the corner of the top plate unit of FIG. 23 .
- FIG. 25 is a sectional view of a connecting portion of a protective frame mounted on another conventional induction heating appliance for cooking.
- 1 top plate unit 1 A, 1 B heating portion (induction heating type), 1 A a, 1 B a, 1 C a heating region indicating portion, 1 C heating portion (radiant type), 1 D upper operating portion, 1 E cabinet, 1 E a opening, 1 E b upper surface, 2 C main body casing, 2 C a opening, 2 C b flange portion, 2 front operating portion, 3 grill door, 11 top plate, 12 protective frame, 13 underframe, 13 a latch hole, 13 b side surface, 13 c screw hole, 13 d opening, 13 e latch piece, 13 f latch piece, 13 g screw hole, 13 h screw insertion hole, 13 i top plate mounting surface, 13 j bonding surface, 14 rear cover, 14 a grill exhaust port, 14 b exhaust port, 14 c intake port, 14 d screw insertion hole, 14 e screw insertion hole, 15 a, 15 b protective cover, 15 aa exhaust hole, 15 ba intake hole, 15 ab, 15 bb grid portion, 15 ac, 15
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an induction heating appliance C for cooking according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
- the induction heating appliance C for cooking includes three heating portions 1 A, 1 B, 1 C and an upper operating portion 1 D for heating a bottom wall of a cooking container (not shown) placed on an upper surface of the appliance.
- the heating portion 1 A provided on a right front side and the heating portion 1 B provided on a left front side are of an induction heating type for generating a high frequency magnetic field to induction heat the bottom wall of the cooking container, while the heating portion 1 C provided on a central rear side includes a radiant heater having a heating element to heat the cooking container with radiant heat.
- a rotary type front operating portion 2 , a power switch 2 A, and a grill door 3 are provided at a front portion of the appliance.
- the rotary type front operating portion 2 is, when not in use, accommodated within the appliance, as shown in FIG. 1 , and pivoted forwards, when in use, by pushing an upper portion thereof so that an operation panel (not shown) having a plurality of operating keys may appear.
- the grill door 3 is a door for opening and closing a grill (not shown) for grilling, for example, raw fish placed within the appliance.
- the cooking container In cooking a food contained in a cooking container with the cooking appliance C, the cooking container is first placed on one of the heating portions 1 A, 1 B, 1 C, and the power switch 2 A of the cooking appliance C is subsequently turned on.
- a control means controls an inverter power source (not shown), which in turn supplies a high frequency current to a heating coil (not shown).
- the heating coil When the heating coil is supplied with the high frequency current, the heating coil generates an alternating current magnetic field to induction heat the cooking container, resulting in an increase in temperature of the cooking container.
- the cooking appliance C has a main body outer shell or framework that is made up of a box-shaped main body casing 2 C made of a steel plate and having an opening 2 C a (see FIG. 10 ) defined in an upper wall thereof, a flange portion 2 C b (see FIG. 10 ) formed along a periphery of the opening 2 C a, and a top plate unit 1 mounted on the flange portion 2 C b so as to cover the opening 2 C a in the main body casing 2 C.
- FIG. 2 depicts a perspective view of the top plate unit 1 .
- the top plate unit 1 includes a top plate 11 for placing a cooking container or containers thereon, a rear cover 14 made of a metal and disposed rearwardly of the top plate 11 , an underframe 13 (see FIG. 6 ) for holding the top plate 11 and the rear cover 14 , and a protective frame 12 for covering an entire peripheral edge of the top plate unit 1 .
- the rear cover 14 covers an edge positioned rearwardly of the top plate 11 and has a grill exhaust port 14 a, an exhaust port 14 b, and an intake port 14 c, all defined therein.
- the top plate 11 is a plate made of a non-magnetic heat-resisting glass such as a crystallized ceramic that is superior in thermal resistance, mechanical strength, chemical resistance, or electrical insulation.
- the top plate 11 has heating region indicating portions 1 A a, 1 B a, 1 C a printed on an upper or lower surface thereof so as to confront respective heating sources (not shown).
- Each of the heating region indicating portions 1 A a, 1 B a, 1 C a has a shape (a circle in this embodiment) corresponding to that of an associated one of the heating sources, and indicates a range on which a cooking container is to be placed.
- the protective frame 12 includes two frames 21 (see FIG. 5 ) and a front frame 22 (see FIG. 11 ) combined together.
- Each of the frames 21 is of a one-piece construction substantially in the form of “L” as viewed from above and formed along from a rear edge to a side edge of the top plate unit 1 , and the two frames 21 are disposed symmetrically in the form of “U” as a whole as viewed from above.
- the protective frame 12 extends along an entire periphery of the top plate unit 1 so as to cover edges of component parts that expose on an outer peripheral side of the top plate unit 1 .
- the rear cover 14 has a grill exhaust port 14 a through which smoke from the grill is discharged, an exhaust port 14 b through which a wind for cooling an interior of the appliance is discharged, and an intake port 14 c through which cooling air is sucked.
- a protective cover 15 a for covering the grill exhaust port 14 a and the exhaust port 14 b and a protective cover 15 b for covering the intake port 14 c are removably mounted on the rear cover 14 .
- the rear cover 14 has a plurality of protective cover placement members 16 for placing the protective covers 15 a, 15 b thereon and positioning them. Details of the grill exhaust port 14 a, the exhaust port 14 b, the intake port 14 c, the protective covers 15 a, 15 b, the protective cover placement members 16 , and the like are explained later.
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of a left front corner 19 of the top plate unit 1 as shown in FIG. 2
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of the left front corner 19 of the top plate unit 1 with the front frame 22 and the top plate 11 shown in FIG. 3 removed.
- the protective frame 12 is formed of a metal plate such as, for example, a stainless steel plate having a thickness of 0.3 to 0.6 mm.
- the frame 21 and the front frame 22 form the protective frame 12 and are each bent so as to have a section substantially in the form of “U” (see FIGS. 8 to 10 ).
- the front frame 22 covers a front edge of the top plate 11 and that of the underframe 13 so as to sandwich them between an upper portion and a lower portion thereof (see FIG. 8 ).
- the frame 21 covers an edge of the top plate 11 and that of the underframe 13 so as to sandwich them between an upper portion and a lower portion thereof at a portion where the top plate 11 exists (see FIG. 9 ), and covers an edge of the rear cover 14 and that of the underframe 13 so as to sandwich them between the upper portion and the lower portion thereof at a portion where the top plate 11 doest not exist, but the rear cover 14 exists (see FIG. 10 ).
- FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the two frames 21 of the protective frame 12 combined together as viewed from below and each formed along from a rear edge to a side edge of the top plate unit 1 .
- portions of the two frames 21 extending along the entire rear edge of the top plate unit 1 are hereinafter collectively referred to as “a rear frame 21 a ”, and another portion of each frame 21 extending along a rear side edge of the top plate unit 1 is hereinafter referred to as “a side frame 21 b ”.
- a side frame 21 b Just a half of the rear frame 21 a and one of the side frames 21 b are formed into a generally L-shaped frame 21 of one-piece construction by bending a straight frame member.
- the protective frame 12 is made up of a front frame 22 and two frames 21 each having a rear corner (a right rear corner 17 or a left rear corner 18 (see FIG. 2 )), and can be said as being made up of the front frame 22 , the rear frame 21 a, and the two side frames 21 b.
- the two frames 21 are connected to each other at a center of the rear frame 21 a, and such a construction can reduce the number of component parts of the protective frame 12 . Also, because the joint between the two frames 21 is positioned at a central portion rearwardly of the top plate 11 (on a side opposite to the front operating portion 2 ), the appearance of the appliance is not spoiled.
- the frame 21 has an upper wall (an upper wall 21 e of the side frame 21 b and an upper wall 21 h of the rear frame 21 a ) for covering an upper edge of the top plate unit 1 , a side wall and a rear wall (a side wall 21 d of the side frame 21 b and a rear wall 21 g of the rear frame 21 a ) bent substantially vertically downward at an outer edge of the upper wall for covering a side surface and a rear surface of the top plate unit 1 , and a lower wall (a lower wall 21 c of the side frame 21 b and a lower wall 21 f of the rear frame 21 a ) bent toward the underframe 13 at a lower edge of the side wall.
- an upper wall an upper wall 21 e of the side frame 21 b and an upper wall 21 h of the rear frame 21 a
- a side wall and a rear wall a side wall 21 d of the side frame 21 b and a rear wall 21 g of the rear frame 21 a
- a lower wall a
- a plurality of protrusions 23 are formed on the lower wall of the frame 21 , and as shown in FIG. 3 , the upper wall and the side wall of the frame 21 are formed with a strip-shaped ridge 29 protruding outwardly therefrom.
- This ridge 29 is formed by deforming a portion of the frame 21 and positioned at a location spaced a predetermined distance, e.g., about 1 to 2 millimeters from a front end 21 i of the frame 21 . As shown in FIG.
- the front end 21 i of the side frame 21 b is inserted into the front frame 22 (between the upper wall 22 a and the side wall 22 d of the front frame 22 ), and a rear edge 22 h of the upper wall 22 a and a rear edge 22 i of the side wall 22 d are positioned in the vicinity of and along the ridge 29 . Details of the ridge 29 are discussed later.
- the rear frame 21 a may not be divided into two. That is, the protective frame 12 may be made up of the front frame 22 and a generally U-shaped frame (not shown) of one-piece construction having a rear frame 21 a and two side frames 21 b. The one-piece construction of the rear frame 21 a and the two side frames 21 b can further improve the appearance of the appliance. Alternatively, the protective frame 12 may be made up of four members, i.e., a front frame 22 , two side frames 21 b, and a rear frame 21 a.
- the frame 21 has been described as having a generally U-shaped section, it may partially or entirely have a generally L-shaped section.
- FIG. 6 depicts a perspective view of the top plate unit 1 as viewed from below
- FIG. 7 depicts a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of the left front corner 19 of the front frame 22 as shown in FIG. 6
- FIGS. 8 , 9 and 10 depict a sectional view of the front frame 22 taken along a line A-A, that of the side frame 21 b taken along a line B-B, and that of the rear frame 21 a taken long a line C-C in FIG. 6 , respectively.
- the side frame 21 b has a plurality of protrusions 23 formed on the lower wall 21 c thereof, and as shown in FIG. 8 , the front frame 22 has a plurality of protrusions 25 formed on a lower wall 22 e thereof.
- Each of such protrusions 23 , 25 is formed by cutting and raising a portion of the side frame 21 b or the front frame 22 .
- the underframe 13 has a plurality of latch holes 13 a defined in a peripheral portion thereof (see FIG. 4 ), with inner surfaces of which end surfaces of the protrusions 23 , 25 are respectively brought into contact to thereby fix the side frame 21 b and the front frame 22 to the underframe 13 .
- the front frame 22 sandwiches a peripheral edge of the top plate 11 and that of the under frame 13 together between the upper wall 22 a and the lower wall 22 e thereof to cover them.
- each side frame 21 b sandwiches another peripheral edge of the top plate 11 and that of the under frame 13 together between the upper wall 21 e and the lower wall 21 c thereof to cover them.
- the underframe 13 has an opening 13 d defined therein, two strip-shaped top plate mounting surfaces 13 i formed around the opening 13 d, and a bonding surface 13 j formed between the two top plate mounting surfaces 13 i so as to be lower than the top plate mounting surfaces 13 i.
- the top plate 11 is mounted on the top plate mounting surfaces 13 i of the underframe 13 and appropriately positioned by opposite side surfaces 13 b of the underframe 13 , which have been formed as positioning pieces by bending side edges of the underframe 13 upwardly with respect to the top plate mounting surfaces 13 i.
- an adhesive 31 is applied to the bonding surface 13 j over the entire periphery of the opening 13 d to bond the underframe 13 to the lower surface of the top plate 11 .
- a rear cover 14 is placed on and secured to the underframe 13 at a location rearwardly of the top plate 11 .
- the rear cover 14 has a plurality of (for example, three) screw insertion holes 14 e defined therein, through each of which a screw is threaded into a screw hole 13 g defined in the underframe 13 to rigidly secure the rear cover 14 to the underframe 13 .
- the top plate unit 1 is placed on the horizontally extending flange portion 2 C b (see FIG. 10 ) formed on an upper edge of the main body casing 2 C, and a plurality of (for example, three) screws are each inserted into a screw insertion hole 14 d (see FIG. 2 ) defined in the rear cover 14 and into a screw insertion hole 13 h (see FIG. 6 ) defined in the underframe 13 and then threaded into a screw hole (not shown) defined in the flange portion 2 C b to rigidly secure a rear portion of the top plate unit 1 to the main body casing 2 C.
- a plurality of (for example, three) screws are each inserted into a screw insertion hole 14 d (see FIG. 2 ) defined in the rear cover 14 and into a screw insertion hole 13 h (see FIG. 6 ) defined in the underframe 13 and then threaded into a screw hole (not shown) defined in the flange portion 2 C b to rigidly secure a rear portion of the
- the underframe 13 has a latch piece 13 e formed in front of the opening 13 d and two latch pieces 13 f formed on respective sides of the latch piece 13 e.
- the top plate unit 1 is secured to the main body casing 2 C by screwing the latch pieces 13 e, 13 f to the main body casing 2 C.
- the underframe 13 has a plurality of rectangular latch holes 13 a defined therein, through each of which one of the protrusions 23 of the frame 21 or one of the protrusions 25 of the front frame 22 is inserted. Also, the underframe 13 has a plurality of screw holes 13 c defined therein to secure the front frame 22 .
- FIG. 11 depicts a perspective view of the front frame 22 as viewed from below.
- the front frame 22 has an upper wall 22 a, a front wall 22 c bent downwardly at a front edge of the upper wall 22 a, opposite side walls 22 d bent downwardly at side edges of the upper wall 22 a, a lower wall 22 e bent rearwardly toward the underframe 13 at a lower edge of the front wall 22 c, and opposite side lower walls 22 f bent toward the underframe 13 at lower edges of the side walls 22 d, thus taking the form of a pouch as a whole.
- the lower wall 22 e of the front frame 22 has generally trapezoidal side covers 26 formed on opposite end portions thereof so as to extend inwardly of the top plate unit 1 .
- the side covers 26 are formed on opposite end portions of the lower wall 22 e of the front frame 22 in the vicinity of the side lower walls 22 f of the front frame 22 . This configuration allows the width of the side lower walls 22 f to be greater than that of the lower wall 22 e.
- the shape of the side covers 26 is not limited to that shown in FIG.
- the side covers 26 may be any shape if the side covers 26 extend inwardly so as to cover rear surfaces of the front corners of the protective frame 12 , and if portions of the lower wall 22 e that adjoin the side lower walls 22 f have an enlarged area, compared to a case where no side covers are provided.
- an outwardly protruding strip-shaped ridge 29 is formed on an outer side surface of the side frame 21 b along the rear end 22 h, 22 i of the front frame 22 .
- the ridge 29 has a section substantially in the form of a portion of an oval or rectangle. It is preferred that the amount of protrusion (height) of the ridge 29 be greater than the thickness of the front frame 22 that is mated with the side frame 21 b.
- the height of the ridge 29 may be determined depending on the thickness of the front frame 22 and on a clearance or gap between the front frame 22 and the frame 21 that are mated with each other.
- the front frame 22 having a generally U-shaped section is mounted on the top plate 11 along a front edge thereof
- a front end 21 i of the side frame 21 b is inserted between the side wall 22 d and the upper wall 22 a of the front frame 22 , and a rear edge 22 i of the side wall 22 d and a rear edge 22 h of the upper wall 22 a are held in contact with or adjoin the ridge 29 of the side frame 21 b (see FIGS. 3 and 4 ).
- the front frame 22 comes to cover the front end (edge) 21 i of the side frame 21 b.
- the ridge 29 protrudes from the side wall 21 d and the upper wall 21 e of the side frame 21 b and does not have any sharp edge or cut surface, the ridge 29 acts to prevent a user from being injured by the front end 21 i of the side frame 21 b or the rear end (edge) 22 h, 22 i of the front frame 22 .
- the height of the ridge 29 protruding from the surrounding surfaces may be set to, for example, a value enough to avoid injury to user's fingers by the edges of the front frame 22 .
- the ridge 29 is inconspicuous and, hence, the appliance is superior in appearance.
- the protective frame 12 is of the construction in which the side frame 21 b is inserted into the straight front frame 22 , the top plate unit 1 comes to have generally right-angled front corners positioned on a user side, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , thus enhancing the appearance of the appliance.
- the front frame 22 has a plurality of mounting holes 24 and a plurality of protrusions 25 formed in or on the lower wall 22 e thereof As with the protrusions 23 formed on the frame 21 , the protrusions 25 formed on the front frame 22 are each inserted into one of the latch holes 13 a formed in the underframe 13 to fix the front frame 22 to the underframe 13 . A screw is inserted into each of the mounting holes 24 and threaded to the underframe 13 to rigidly secure the front frame 22 to the underframe 13 .
- This construction can avoid removal of the protective frame 12 , made up of the two frames 21 and the front frame 22 , from the underframe 13 , which may be caused by disengagement of the protrusions 23 from the corresponding latch holes 13 a due to deformation or distortion of the protective frame 12 .
- FIG. 10 when the main body casing 2 C is dropped into and then installed inside a cabinet 1 E through a generally rectangular opening 1 E a in the cabinet 1 E, a lower surface of the protective frame 12 mounted on the flange portion 2 C b of the main body casing 2 C is brought into contact with an upper surface 1 E b of the cabinet 1 E.
- An elastic sealing material 32 such as, for example, an expanded resin having elasticity is applied to the entire periphery of the lower surface of the protective frame 12 to prevent entry of a liquid spilled on the upper surface 1 E b of the cabinet 1 E into the protective frame 12 .
- the side cover 26 extending inwardly from each end of the lower wall 22 e of the front frame 22 acts to control free movement of the sealing material 32 on the lower surface side of each front corner 19 of the protective frame 12 , and the sealing material 32 is pressed against the cabinet 1 E by the top plate unit 1 , thus enabling the sealing material 32 to exhibit a steady sealing effect.
- a rear portion 30 of the upper wall 22 a of the front frame 22 other than portions thereof into which the ends of the frames 21 are inserted is bent obliquely downwardly toward the top plate 11 so that a rear edge of the upper wall 22 a may be held in contact with an upper surface of the top plate 11 (on which a cooking container is to be placed).
- This configuration can seal a gap between the top plate 11 and the upper wall 22 a of the front frame 22 to thereby avoid entry of dust or foreign materials thereinto.
- the protective frame 12 does not have any joint members that have been hitherto provided to connect the side frames 21 b to the front frame 22 . As such, the number of component parts of the protective frame 12 reduces, thus facilitating the assemblage of the protective frame 12 . Also, each of the rear ends 22 h, 22 i of the front frame 22 is positioned adjacent the ridge 29 formed on the upper wall and the side wall of the side frame 21 b, and the front end 21 i of the side frame 21 b is covered with the front frame 22 . This configuration prevents a user from being injured by the end portion of the front frame 22 or the front end 21 i of the side frame 21 b.
- the protective covers 15 a, 15 b placed on the top plate unit 1 are explained hereinafter with reference to FIGS. 1 , 2 , 12 , 13 , and 14 .
- the two protective covers 15 a, 15 b are juxtaposed with each other and placed on the rear cover 14 positioned rearwardly of the top plate 11 (on an opposite side of the upper operating portion 1 D on the top plate 11 ).
- the protective cover 15 a is positioned to cover the grill exhaust port 14 a and the exhaust port 14 b
- the protective cover 15 b is positioned to cover the intake port 14 c.
- FIG. 12 depicts a perspective view of the protective cover 15 b placed on the top plate unit 1 shown in FIG. 1 on the right side thereof, and FIG. 12 depicts a sectional view of the protective cover 15 b taken along a line D-D in FIG. 12 .
- the protective cover 15 a positioned on the left side and the protective cover 15 b positioned on the right side are each in the form of a plate and substantially symmetrical with respect to a centerline that equally divides the top plate unit 1 right and left.
- the protective cover 15 b is formed of, for example, aluminum by die casting and has a grid portion 15 bb having a plurality of intake holes 15 ba and a planar portion 15 bc having a substantially horizontally extending upper surface, as shown in FIG. 12 .
- the grid portion 15 bb covers the intake port 14 c formed in the rear cover 14
- the protective cover 15 b covers, as a whole, the rear cover 14 on the side of the intake port 14 c and a portion of the protective frame 12 formed along a periphery of the intake port 14 c.
- the protective cover 15 a similarly has a grid portion 15 ab having a plurality of exhaust holes 15 aa and a planar portion 15 ac having a substantially horizontally extending upper surface.
- the grid portion 15 ab covers the grill exhaust port 14 a and the exhaust port 14 b both formed in the rear cover 14 .
- the protective cover 15 a covers, as a whole, the rear cover 14 on the side of the grill exhaust port 14 a and the exhaust port 14 b, and a portion of the protective frame 12 formed along a periphery of the grill exhaust port 14 a and the exhaust port 14 b. That is, a front portion of the protective cover 15 a covers a front portion of the rear cover 14 , and a rear portion of the protective cover 15 a covers a rear portion of the top plate unit 1 .
- the protective covers 15 a, 15 b so formed prevent foreign materials from falling into the grill exhaust port 14 a, the exhaust port 14 b, and the intake port 14 c, and covers them so as not to spoil the appearance while exhausting therethrough smoke or odor, which would be produced in a grill (not shown) inside the grill door 3 .
- planar portions 15 ac, 15 bc of the protective covers 15 a, 15 b prevent broth or stock, which may drop out of a cooking container, from adhering to the rugged or irregular rear cover 14 as shown in FIG. 2 to facilitate removal of a stain or stains.
- FIG. 14 is a partial top plan view of the protective cover 15 b, particularly depicting a positional relationship between guide ridges 15 be, 15 bf of the protective cover 15 b and the protective cover placement members 16 .
- the protective cover 15 b has a plurality of straight guide ridges 15 be, 15 bf formed on a lower surface thereof (surface confronting the rear cover 14 ) so as to extend parallel to front and rear ends of the protective cover 15 b.
- the protective cover 15 b has two guide ridges 15 be and two guide ridges 15 bf, and a total of four guide ridges 15 be, 15 bf extend parallel to one another.
- the rear cover 14 has a plurality of (four in this embodiment) protective cover placement members 16 formed thereon around the grill exhaust port 14 a and the exhaust port 14 b, and a plurality of (four in this embodiment) protective cover placement members 16 formed thereon around the intake port 14 c.
- the protective cover placement members 16 are formed of an elastic material such as, for example, rubber.
- the guide ridges 15 be, 15 bf are positioned inside the four protective cover placement members 16 to limit movement of the protective cover 15 b from front to back and from side to side with respect to the top plate unit 1 . More specifically, the two guide ridges 15 be are formed between the two guide ridges 15 bf, and the protective cover 15 b is placed on the top plate unit 1 such that the inner guide ridges 15 be are positioned between the two front side protective cover placement members 16 and the two rear side protective cover placement members 16 so as to be held in contact with inner sides thereof, thereby limiting movement of the protective cover 15 b from front to back.
- the two outer guide ridges 15 bf have a length shorter than that of the inner guide ridges 15 be, and the front side guide ridge 15 bf is aligned with and positioned between the two front side protective cover placement members 16 , while the rear side guide ridge 15 bf is aligned with and positioned between the two rear side protective cover placement members 16 , thereby limiting movement of the protective cover 15 b from side to side.
- Such positional restriction of the protective cover 15 b requires at least two guide ridges 15 be and at least one ridge 15 bf. The same applies to the protective cover 15 a.
- a rear edge and an outer side edge of the protective cover 15 a are substantially aligned with the rear surface and the side surface of the frame 21 b (the rear surface 21 g and the side surface 21 d of the side frame 21 b ) of the top plate unit 1 , respectively, as viewed from above.
- a right rear corner 15 bd of the protective cover 15 b has a radius of curvature smaller than that of a right rear corner 17 of the top plate unit 1 positioned below the protective cover 15 b.
- This configuration allows the right rear corner 15 bd of the protective cover 15 b to overhang the right rear corner 17 of the top plate unit 1 and, hence, a user can easily remove the protective cover 15 b from the top plate unit 1 by lifting the protective cover 15 b with his or her fingers laid to a lower surface of the corner 15 bd of the protective cover 15 b.
- the protective cover 15 b may have a size to allow the protective cover 15 b to laterally partially or entirely extend beyond the frame 21 b of the top plate unit 1 . The same applies to the protective cover 15 a.
- the protective cover 15 a has a configuration similar to that of the protective cover 15 b. That is, the protective cover 15 a has a left rear corner 15 ad that overhangs a left rear corner 18 of the top plate unit 1 positioned below the protective cover 15 a.
- the corner 15 ad of the protective cover 15 a and the corner 15 bd of the protective cover 15 b may be substantially right-angled to overhang the corners 18 , 17 of the top plate unit 1 , respectively.
- the protective covers 15 a, 15 b cover the grill exhaust port 14 a, the exhaust port 14 b, and the intake port 14 c defined in the top plate unit 1 and the periphery thereof including the rear corners of the top plate unit 1 , the protective covers 15 a, 15 b can prevent a stain or broth, which may drop out of a cooking container, from adhering to the periphery of such openings. Also, a portion of the protective cover 15 a positioned above the grill exhaust port 14 a is easily stained with lampblack, but cleaning thereof can be easily carried out.
- the corner 15 ad of the protective cover 15 a and the corner 15 bd of the protective cover 15 b have a radius of curvature smaller than that of the corners 18 , 17 of the top plate unit 1 , the corners of the protective covers 15 a, 15 b overhang the corners of the top plate unit 1 . Accordingly, a user can easily lift the protective covers 15 a, 15 b for removal thereof by grasping the corners thereof extending beyond the corners of the top plate unit 1 , thus making it possible to facilitate cleaning of only the protective covers 15 a, 15 b.
- FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an induction heating appliance C 1 for cooking according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Because this induction heating appliance C 1 for cooking includes heating portions having respective constructions similar to those of the heating portions 1 A, 1 B, 1 C shown in FIG. 1 , they are not shown in FIG. 15 .
- a main body 105 of the cooking appliance C 1 has a top plate 101 mounted on an upper surface thereof.
- the main body 105 also has a front frame 102 , opposite side frames 103 , and a rear frame 104 formed along a periphery of the top plate 101 to reinforce and cover it.
- the front frame 102 , the side frames 103 , and the rear frame 104 are each formed by bending a metal plate such as, for example, a stainless steel plate.
- the main body 105 further has a grill door 106 for opening and closing a grill and a rotary type front operating portion 107 .
- FIG. 16 depicts a portion of the periphery of the top plate 101 on an enlarged scale
- FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along a line E-E in FIG. 16 .
- FIG. 18 is an enlarged perspective view of the portion shown in FIG. 16 .
- FIGS. 19 and 20 depict the front frame 102 and one of the side frames 103 , respectively,
- FIG. 21 is a sectional view of the side frame 103 , and
- FIG. 22 is an enlarged perspective view of a connecting portion of the front frame 102 and the side frame 103 .
- the top plate 101 mounted on the upper surface of the main body 105 is substantially in the form of a rectangle as viewed from above.
- the front frame 102 is disposed along a front surface 101 a of the top plate 101
- each side frame 103 is disposed along a side surface 101 b of the top plate 101 .
- the front frame 102 has an inclined portion 111 descending rearwardly (toward a rear side of the top plate 101 ), an upper wall 114 for covering an upper front portion of the top plate 101 , opposite side walls 109 formed by bending respective side portions 108 of the upper wall 114 downwardly, opposite side lower walls 119 formed by bending the side walls 109 inwardly at respective lower edges 109 a thereof, a front wall 110 formed by bending the upper wall 114 downwardly at a front edge 112 thereof, and a front lower wall 118 formed by bending the front wall 110 inwardly at a lower edge 110 a thereof.
- the front frame 102 may have an inclined portion descending forwardly down to the lower edge 110 a such that a boundary line between the upper wall 114 and the front wall 110 does not appear clearly.
- a lower end of the inclined portion and a portion adjacent thereto can be regarded as the front wall 110
- the rest of the inclined portion can be regarded as the upper wall 114 .
- the side frame 103 has an insert 103 a inserted into the front frame 102 , and the insert 103 a has an engaging piece 123 positioned below the upper wall 114 of the front frame 102 and above a lower end 111 a of the inclined portion 111 (see FIG. 17 ) so as to extend in a longitudinal direction of the upper wall 114 of the front frame 102 (direction indicated by A in FIG. 15 ).
- the engaging piece 123 is held in contact with an inner surface 111 b of the inclined portion 111 to avoid removal of the front frame 102 from the insert 103 a, which results in a forward inclination of the front frame 102 .
- the side frame 103 has an upper wall 121 for covering a side edge 113 of an upper surface of the top plate 101 and a side wall 117 formed by bending the upper wall 121 downwardly.
- the upper wall 121 and the side wall 117 of the side frame 103 are formed with a strip-shaped ridge 116 protruding outwardly therefrom. This ridge 116 is formed by deformation of the side frame 103 and positioned at a location adjacent to the insert 103 a.
- the side frame 103 also has a lower wall 124 formed by bending the side wall 117 inwardly at a lower edge 117 a thereof, but the insert 103 a has no lower wall (dotted lines in FIG. 20 indicate a portion 124 a removed from the lower wall).
- the insert 103 a has an insert piece 103 b formed with an end portion of the side wall 117 forwardly of the engaging piece 123 .
- a lower front corner 122 a of the insert piece 103 b is partially removed, and the insert piece 103 b accordingly has an inclined guide 122 that inclines forwardly upwardly from a lower front edge 117 b of the side wall 117 .
- the front frame 102 has a cutout 120 formed in each end of the inclined portion 111 to receive an upper portion 116 a of the ridge 116 of the side frame 103 therein. Accordingly, the upper portion 116 a of the ridge 116 is positioned along a rear edge 114 a of the upper wall 114 of the front frame 102 , and a side surface 116 b of the ridge 116 is positioned along a rear edge 109 b of the side wall 109 of the front frame 102 .
- the engaging piece 123 of the side frame 103 has a strip-shaped inclined portion 123 a that descends toward the front frame 102 .
- an underframe 115 formed of a metal plate is disposed below the top plate 101 to support it.
- the front frame 102 is fixed to the underframe 115 such that the inclined portion 111 of the front frame 102 is held in contact at the lower edge 111 a thereof with an upper surface of the top plate 101 , an upper surface of the front lower wall 118 of the front frame 102 is held in contact with a lower surface of the underframe 115 , and a plurality of protrusions 118 a formed on the front lower wall 118 of the front frame 102 so as to protrude upwardly are received in respective latch holes 115 a defined in the underframe 115 .
- the underframe 115 may have a plurality of screw holes 115 b into each of which a screw inserted into a mounting hole (not shown, see the mounting hole 24 shown in FIG. 7 ) defined in the front lower wall 118 of the front frame 102 is threaded after the front frame 102 has been fixed to the underframe 115 , thereby increasing the fixing strength of the front frame 102 with respect to the underframe 115 .
- the fixing by the screws and the screw holes 115 b may be dispensed with.
- the side frame 103 has an upper wall 121 having an inclined portion 121 a descending toward a central portion of the top plate 101 to cover an upper surface of a side portion of the top plate 101 , a side wall 117 formed by bending the upper wall 121 downwardly, and a lower wall 124 formed by bending the side wall 117 inwardly at a lower edge 117 a thereof.
- the side frame 103 is fixed to the underframe 115 such that the inclined portion 121 a of the side frame 103 is held in contact at the lower edge thereof with the upper surface of the top plate 101 , an upper surface of the lower wall 124 of the side frame 103 is held in contact with a lower surface of the underframe 115 , and a plurality of protrusions 124 b formed on the lower wall 124 of the side frame 103 so as to protrude upwardly are received in respective latch holes 115 a in the underframe 115 .
- the main body 105 includes the generally rectangular top plate 101 mounted on the upper surface thereof, the front frame 102 disposed along the front surface 101 a of the top plate 101 and formed by bending a metal plate, and the two side frames 103 disposed along opposite side surfaces 101 b of the top plate 101 and each formed by bending a metal plate.
- the front frame 102 has the upper wall 114 formed with the rearwardly descending inclined portion 111 for covering the upper front portion 113 of the top plate 101 , the front wall 110 formed by bending the upper wall 114 downwardly at the front edge 112 thereof, the front lower wall 118 formed by bending the front wall 110 inwardly at the lower edge 110 a thereof, the two side walls 109 formed by bending respective side portions 108 of the upper wall 114 downwardly, and the two side lower walls 119 formed by bending the side walls 109 inwardly at respective lower edges 109 a thereof.
- the side frame 103 has the insert 103 a inserted into the front frame 102
- the insert 103 a has the engaging piece 123 formed with the upper wall 121 of the side frame 103 .
- the engaging piece 123 is positioned below the upper wall 114 of the front frame 102 and above the lower end 111 a of the inclined portion 111 so as to extend in a longitudinal direction of the upper wall 114 of the front frame 102 (direction indicated by A in FIG. 15 ) such that the engaging piece 123 is held in contact with the inner surface 111 b of the inclined portion 111 .
- the insert 103 a acts to avoid removal of the front frame 102 from the side frame 103 .
- the side frame 103 is formed by bending a metal plate and has the insert 103 a formed with a front end thereof and inserted into the front frame 102 . Because no separate members are required to connect the side frame 103 to the front frame 102 , the construction of the protective frame is simplified.
- the provision of the engaging piece 123 formed with the insert 123 of the side frame 103 can simplify the configuration for connection between the front frame 102 and the side frame 103 and considerably increase the rigidity thereof. Also, because a connecting space between the front frame 102 and the side frame 103 can be reduced, the depth (indicated by L in FIG. 17 ) of the front frame 102 can be reduced, thus making it possible to enhance the design of the appliance.
- the side frame 103 includes the upper wall 121 for covering the side edge 113 of the upper surface of the top plate 101 , the side wall 117 formed by bending the upper wall 121 downwardly, and the outwardly protruding strip-shaped ridge 116 formed at a location adjacent to the insert 103 a by deforming a portion of the upper wall 121 and that of the side wall 117 of the side frame 103 . Accordingly, when the insert 103 a of the side frame 103 is inserted into the front frame 102 , the outwardly protruding strip-shaped ridge 116 is juxtaposed with the rear edge 109 b of the front frame 102 and accordingly acts as a stopper during insertion of the side frame 103 into the front frame 102 .
- the strip-shaped ridge 116 also acts to prevent user's fingers from being brought into contact with cut rear edges 109 b, 114 a of the front frame 102 to thereby avoid injury to the user's fingers.
- the side frame 103 also includes the lower wall 124 formed by bending the side wall 117 inwardly at the lower edge 117 a thereof, but the insert 103 a has no lower wall (dotted lines in FIG. 20 indicate a portion 124 a removed from the lower wall).
- This configuration allows, when the side frame 103 is inserted into the front frame 102 , the side frame 103 to slide relative to the front frame 102 under the condition in which the lower front edge 117 b of the insert 103 a formed with the side wall 117 of the side frame 103 is held in contact with an upper surface or a rear edge 119 a of the side lower wall 119 of the front frame 102 . That is, the lower front edge 117 b of the insert 103 a of the side wall 117 of the side frame 103 is guided by the side lower wall 119 of the front frame 102 during insertion of the side frame 103 , thus facilitating the assemblage.
- a portion of the lower wall 124 of the side frame 103 adjacent to the insert 103 a is removed, the lower front corner 122 a of the insert piece 103 b, i.e., a front end of the side wall 117 of the side frame 103 is partially removed, and the insert piece 103 b accordingly has the inclined guide 122 that inclines forwardly upwardly from the lower front edge 117 b of the side wall 117 .
- the former can be caused to slide relative to the latter with the guide 122 held in contact with the side lower wall 119 of the front frame 102 .
- the engaging piece 123 moves obliquely upwardly to pass under the lower edge 111 a of the inclined portion 111 of the front frame 102 to avoid interference with the inclined portion 111 , thereby facilitating insertion of the insert 103 a.
- the side lower wall 119 of the front frame 102 is positioned in the removed portion 124 a of the lower wall 124 of the side frame 103 and, hence, the lower wall 124 of the side frame 103 is substantially aligned with the side lower wall 119 of the front frame 102 (see FIG. 22 ).
- the front frame 102 has the cutout 120 formed in each end of the inclined portion 111 , and the upper portion 116 a of the ridge 116 of the side frame 103 is received in the cutout 120 , an inward movement of the side frame 103 is restrained by the inclined portion 111 , which forms the cutout 120 , and the ridge 116 , a rearward movement of the front frame 102 is restrained by the rear edges 114 a, 109 a of the front frame 102 and the ridge 116 , and a forward movement of the front frame 102 is restrained by the engaging piece 123 and the inclined portion 111 , thus making it possible to stabilize the front frame 102 .
- the engaging piece 123 of the side frame 103 has the strip-shaped inclined portion 123 a that descends toward the front frame 102 , the inclined portion 123 a acts to guide the insert 103 a of the side frame 103 during insertion of the side frame 103 into the front frame 102 to thereby allow the insert 103 a of the side frame 103 to easily pass under the lower end 111 a of the inclined portion 111 of the upper wall 114 of the front frame 102 .
- the underframe 115 made of a metal plate is provided below the top plate 101 to support it.
- the lower end 111 a of the inclined portion 111 of the front frame 102 is held in contact with the upper surface of the top plate 101
- the upper surface of the front lower wall 118 of the front frame 102 is held in contact with the lower surface of the underframe 115
- the plurality of upwardly protruding protrusions 118 a formed on the front lower wall 118 of the front frame 102 are received in respective latch holes 115 a in the underframe 115 .
- This arrangement allows the front frame 102 having a short depth (indicated by L in FIG. 17 ) of, for example, 16 millimeters to be easily attached to a front edge of the top plate 101 .
- the underframe 15 is made of a metal and, hence, hole drilling can be easily conducted thereto. Also, use of a thin stainless steel plate (for example, thickness of 0.3 millimeters) for the front frame 102 allows the protrusions 118 a to be easily formed on the front lower wall 118 of the front frame 102 , and insertion of the side frame 103 into the front frame 102 under the condition in which the side frame 103 has been mounted to the top plate 101 placed on the underframe 115 and secured thereto by an adhesive or the like enables the front frame 102 to be easily rigidly secured to the top plate 101 and the underframe 115 . Accordingly, the front frame 102 can be made thin to enhance the appearance of the appliance, and not only can the assemblage of the front frame 102 be improved, but the fixing strength thereof can be also enhanced.
- the underframe 115 formed of a metal plate is disposed below the top plate 101 to support it, and the side frame 103 has the upper wall 121 having the inclined portion 121 a descending toward a central portion of the top plate 101 to cover the upper surface of the side portion 113 of the top plate 101 , the side wall 117 formed by bending the upper wall 121 downwardly, and the lower wall 124 formed by bending the side wall 117 inwardly at the lower edge 117 a thereof.
- the inclined portion 121 a of the side frame 103 is held in contact at the lower edge thereof with the upper surface of the top plate 101 , the upper surface of the lower wall 124 of the side frame 103 is held in contact with the lower surface of the underframe 115 , and the plurality of upwardly protruding protrusions 1124 b formed on the lower wall 124 of the side frame 103 are received in respective latch holes 115 a in the underframe 115 .
- this arrangement makes it possible to reduce the width of the upper wall 121 of the side frame 103 to enhance the appearance of the appliance, and not only can the assemblage of the side frame 103 be improved, but the fixing strength thereof can be also stabilized.
- the present invention is not limited thereto, but is applicable to a heating cooker having a top plate and a heating source therein, and a gas or electric heating cooker employing gas, halogen or the like as a heating source.
- the heating cooker according to the present invention can be produced at a low cost, enhance the design of the top plate, the assemblage and the rigidity of the front frame and the side frame, and are superior in reliability and safety, it is useful as a heating cooker having a top plate such as, for example, an induction heating cooker, a gas cooker and the like for home use or business use.
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- Induction Heating Cooking Devices (AREA)
Abstract
A heating cooker includes a top plate, a front frame for covering a front edge of the top plate, and opposite side frames for covering respective side edges of the top plate. A front end (edge) of each of the side frames is inserted into and covered by a side portion of the front frame. The side frame has a ridge formed on an outer surface thereof at a location a predetermined distance spaced apart from a front edge thereof such that the ridge is positioned along a rear end (edge) of the front frame.
Description
- The present invention relates to a heating cooker to be used in a kitchen at standard home or for business purposes and, more particularly, to a protective frame mounted on a periphery of a top plate, which is mounted on an upper surface of a main body, to constitute an outer shell of the heating cooker for protection of the top plate.
- Recently, induction heating appliances having a heating area on an upper surface of a main body are in common use as cooking appliances using no fire. The induction heating appliance has a generally rectangular top plate mounted on the upper surface of the main body to place a cooking container thereon. A heating portion having the heating area is made up of a portion of the top plate and a heating coil disposed below the top plate so as to confront the portion of the top plate. In addition to the induction heating appliances of the above-described construction, there are heating appliances having a halogen lamp or a radiant heater, or gas cooking appliances having a top plate mounted on an upper surface thereof.
- A top plate unit having the top plate is provided with a protective frame for covering an entire peripheral edge of the top plate to avoid injury to user's fingers.
- The protective frame generally includes a frame for covering opposite side edges and a rear edge of the top plate and a front plate for covering a front edge of the top plate. An operation panel for operating the heating appliance is mounted on the front plate.
- Some protective frames are made up of four frame pieces connected to one another. These frame pieces are mounted on the top plate unit along a peripheral edge thereof so as to take the form of a picture frame as a whole, and adjoining frame pieces are held in contact with each other at an angle of inclination of 45 degrees. Each of the frame pieces has a generally U-shaped section and is secured to the top plate with an adhesive so as to cover a corresponding edge of the top plate (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
- A
protective frame 140 as shown inFIGS. 23 and 24 has been proposed having acorner 142 that has been formed by bending a straight member having a generally U-shaped section along a corner edge of atop plate 141. As shown inFIG. 25 , thisprotective frame 140 includes aside frame 144 and afront frame 145 connected to each other via a joint 143 (see, for example, Patent Document 2). - Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-188908
- Patent Document 2: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-59743
- However, in the prior art construction in which a connecting member is used to connect the front frame (front plate), provided along a front edge of the top plate mounted atop the main body, to the side frame provided along a side edge of the top plate, many component parts are required and, hence, there is still room for improvement in terms of assemblage.
- A heating appliance for cooking including an electrostatic type touch-sensitive operating portion provided on a front side of the top plate has been recently proposed. In such a heating appliance, if an upper portion of the front frame is narrowed for placement of the operating portion or for improvement of the design of the appearance, the front frame and the side frame cannot be secured to the top plate with sufficient strength, thus posing a problem that the front frame and the side frame would be easily separated from the top plate.
- In the case of the heating appliance as disclosed in
Patent Document 1, if variations in size of the frame pieces or distortion of the frame pieces occurs at the contact portions, or the connection accuracy lowers, a gap would be created at the contact portions or a position gap would be created at a tip of a corner, thus posing a problem that the appearance of the protective frame would be spoiled. Because the contact portions expose on an upper surface of the top plate, if a cooking liquid or water drops on the corner of the protective frame during cooking, a stain is apt to adhere to between the contact portions, and removal thereof is troublesome. Also, a user may be accidentally caught by the corner at which the position gap has been created. - In the heating appliance as disclosed in
Patent Document 2 and as shown inFIGS. 23 and 24 in which thecorner 142 of theprotective frame 140 is formed by bending a straight member having a generally U-shaped section, thecorner 142 comes to have a large radius R, thus spoiling the appearance of the heating appliance. - Also, if the
side frame 144 and thefront frame 145 are connected to each other via thejoint 143, as shown inFIG. 25 , the number of component parts increases, and the assemblage of theprotective frame 140 is time-consuming. Also, if thejoint 143 is made of a resin, another problem arises that thejoint 143 may be thermally deformed to thereby spoil the appearance of the heating appliance. - The present invention has been developed to overcome the above-described disadvantages.
- It is accordingly an objective of the present invention to provide a highly reliable and safe heating cooker or heating appliance for cooking, which is improved in assemblage and strength, and in which a protective frame mounted on a peripheral edge of a top plate is made up of a reduced number of component parts without spoiling the appearance thereof
- In accomplishing the above objective, a heating appliance for cooking according to the present invention includes a main body, a generally rectangular top plate made of a heat-resisting glass and mounted on an upper surface of the main body, a front frame disposed along a front edge of the top plate, two side frames disposed along respective side edges of the top plate, and a heating portion mounted in the main body. Each of the side frames is formed by bending a metal plate and has an upper wall held in contact at a lower edge thereof with an upper surface of the top plate to cover a side edge of the top plate, and a side wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly. The front frame is formed by bending a metal plate and has an upper wall held in contact at a lower edge thereof with the upper surface of the top plate to cover a front edge of the top plate, opposite side walls each formed by bending a side portion of the front wall downwardly, and a front wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly at a front edge thereof. A front end of the upper wall and that of the side wall of each of the side frames is inserted into an inside of the upper wall and one of the side walls of the front frame, and each of the side frames has an outwardly protruding strip-shaped ridge formed with the upper wall and the side wall thereof and positioned along a rear edge of the upper wall and that of each of the side walls of the front frame.
- This construction requires no separate joints to connect the front frame to the side frames, thus making it possible to reduce the number of component parts and facilitate assemblage. Also, the protective frame comes to have substantially right-angled corners on a front side of the top plate and accordingly does not spoil the appearance. Further, the strip-shaped ridge formed with the upper wall and the side wall of the side frame is positioned along the rear edge of the front frame, and a front portion of the side frame is covered with a side portion of the front frame, thus making it possible to prevent user's hands from being brought into contact with an edge of the front frame and that of the side frame to avoid injury to the user.
- An underframe having an opening defined therein and holding a periphery of the top plate is further provided. Each of the side frames has a lower wall formed by bending the side wall thereof toward the underframe at a lower edge thereof and secured to a lower surface of the underframe, and the front frame has a front lower wall formed by bending the front wall toward the underframe at a lower edge thereof The front lower wall of the front frame is secured to the lower surface of the underframe.
- It is preferred that the front frame be screwed to the underframe using a plurality of mounting holes defined in the front lower wall of the front frame.
- The front frame has opposite side lower walls and may have opposite side covers each extending inwardly from an end portion of the front lower wall or each of the side lower walls.
- The heating appliance for cooking preferably includes a rear cover held by the underframe and having a front edge to cover a rear edge of the top plate and at least one exhaust port or intake port defined therein, and a rear frame disposed along a rear edge of the rear cover. In this case, the rear frame is formed by bending a metal plate and has an upper wall held in contact at a front edge thereof with an upper surface of the rear cover to cover a front edge of the rear cover, a rear wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly at a rear edge thereof, and a lower wall formed by bending the rear wall toward the underframe at a lower edge thereof and secured to the lower surface of the underframe. The rear frame is unitarily formed with the side frames, which cover side edges of the rear cover, those of the top plate, and those of the underframe, by bending a straight frame member.
- Alternatively, a rear frame for covering a rear edge of the top plate and that of the underframe is unitarily formed with the side frames by bending a straight frame member.
- The rear frame may be divided into two, each of which is unitarily formed with one of the side frames.
- The upper wall of the front frame has a rear portion that has been bent so as to descend toward the upper surface of the top plate such that a rear edge of the upper wall of the front frame is held in contact with the upper surface of the top plate.
- In another aspect of the present invention, a heating appliance for cooking includes a main body, a generally rectangular top plate mounted on an upper surface of the main body, a front frame disposed along a front surface of the top plate and formed by bending a metal plate, and two side frames disposed along respective side surfaces of the top plate and each formed by bending a metal plate, wherein the front frame includes an upper wall having a rearwardly descending inclined portion and covering a front edge of the top plate, a front wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly at a front upper edge thereof, a front lower wall formed by bending the front wall inwardly at a lower edge thereof, two side walls formed by bending the front wall downwardly at respective side edges thereof, and two side lower walls formed by bending the two side walls inwardly at respective lower edges thereof. Each of the side frames has an insert formed at a front end thereof and inserted into the front frame, and the insert has an engaging piece positioned below the upper wall of the front frame and above a lower end of the inclined portion so as to extend in a longitudinal direction of the upper wall of the front frame. The engaging piece is held in contact with the inclined portion to avoid removal of the front frame from the insert.
- Because each side frame is formed by bending a metal plate and has the insert formed at the front end thereof and inserted into the front frame, no separate joints are required to connect the front frame to the side frame, thus making it possible to simplify the construction.
- Also, because the insert has the engaging piece positioned below the upper wall of the front frame and above the lower end of the inclined portion so as to extend in a longitudinal direction of the upper wall of the front frame and to be held in contact with the inclined portion to avoid removal of the front frame from the insert, the joint between the front frame and the side frame is simplified in configuration and considerably increased in rigidity. Further, a spaced occupied by the joint between the front frame and the side frame can be reduced and, hence, the depth of the upper wall of the front frame can be reduced, and the design thereof can be enhanced.
- The side frame has an upper wall that covers a side edge of an upper surface of the top plate, a side wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly, and an outwardly protruding strip-shaped ridge formed at a location adjacent to the insert by deforming a portion of the upper wall and that of the side wall of the side frame. By this construction, when the insert of the side frame is inserted into the front frame, the outwardly protruding strip-shaped ridge is juxtaposed with the rear edge of the front frame and accordingly acts as a stopper during insertion of the side frame into the front frame. The strip-shaped ridge also acts to prevent user's fingers from being brought into contact with cut rear edges of the front frame to thereby avoid injury to the user's fingers.
- Alternatively, the side frame has an upper wall that covers a side edge of an upper surface of the top plate, a side wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly, and a lower wall formed by bending the side wall inwardly at a lower edge thereof, wherein the lower wall of the side frame is removed at the insert. This configuration allows, when the side frame is inserted into the front frame, the side frame to slide relative to the front frame under the condition in which a lower edge of the side wall of the side frame is held in contact with an upper surface or a rear edge of the side lower wall of the front frame. That is, the lower edge of the side wall of the side frame is guided by the side lower wall of the front frame during insertion of the side frame, thus facilitating the assemblage.
- If a lower front corner of the side wall of the side frame is removed at the insert, and the side wall of the side frame has an inclined guide that inclines forwardly upwardly from a lower front edge of the side wall, when the insert of the side frame is inserted into the front frame, the side frame is caused to slide with the guide held in contact with the side lower wall of the front frame, so that the engaging piece can move obliquely upwardly to pass under the lower edge of the inclined portion of the front frame. This construction can avoid interference of the engaging piece with the inclined portion, and accordingly facilitates insertion of the insert.
- Also, if the front frame has a cutout formed in each end of the inclined portion to receive an upper portion of the ridge of the side frame therein, an inward movement and a forward movement of the side frame are restrained by the ridge and the front wall of the front frame forming the cutout, and a rearward movement of the side frame is restrained by the engaging piece the inclined portion of the front frame, thus making it possible to stabilize the front frame.
- If the engaging piece of the side frame has a strip-shaped inclined portion that descends toward the front frame, the inclined portion acts to guide the insert of the side frame during insertion of the side frame into the front frame to thereby allow the insert to easily pass under the lower end of the inclined portion of the upper wall of the front frame.
- An underframe formed of a metal plate is disposed below the top plate for support thereof, and the front frame is fixed to the underframe such that the inclined portion of the front frame is held in contact at a lower edge thereof with an upper surface of the top plate, an upper surface of the front lower wall of the front frame is held in contact with a lower surface of the underframe, and the front lower wall of the front frame has a plurality of upwardly protruding protrusions formed thereon, each of which is received in a latch hole defined in the underframe. This configuration allows the front frame having a narrow depth to be easily attached to the top plate along a front edge thereof.
- The underframe is made of a metal and, hence, hole drilling can be easily conducted thereto. Also, use of a thin stainless steel plate (for example, thickness of 0.3 millimeters) for the front frame allows the protrusions 118 a to be easily formed on the front lower wall of the front frame, and insertion of the side frame into the front frame under the condition in which the side frame has been attached to the top plate placed on the underframe and secured thereto by an adhesive or the like enables the front frame to be easily rigidly secured to the top plate and the underframe. Accordingly, the depth of the front frame can be reduced to enhance the appearance of the appliance, and not only can the assemblage of the front frame be improved, but the fixing strength thereof can be also enhanced.
- The side wall has an upper wall having an inclined portion descending toward a central portion of the top plate to cover an upper surface of a side portion of the top plate, a side wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly, and a lower wall formed by bending the side wall inwardly at a lower edge thereof. The side frame is fixed to the underframe such that the inclined portion of the side frame is held in contact at a lower edge thereof with the upper surface of the top plate, an upper surface of the lower wall of the side frame is held in contact with a lower surface of the underframe, and the lower wall of the side frame has a plurality of upwardly protruding protrusions formed thereon, each of which is received in a latch hole defined in the underframe. As with the front frame, this configuration allows the side frame to have an upper wall of a narrow width to enhance the appearance of the appliance, and not only can the assemblage of the side frame be improved, but the fixing strength thereof can be also enhanced.
- According to the present invention, no separate joints are required to connect the front frame to the side frames, both constituting the protective frame, thus making it possible to reduce the number of component parts and facilitate assemblage. Also, the protective frame comes to have substantially right-angled corners on a front side of the top plate and accordingly does not spoil the appearance. Further, the strip-shaped ridge formed with the upper wall and the side wall of the side frame is positioned along the rear edge of the front frame, and a front portion of the side frame is covered with a side portion of the front frame, thus making it possible to prevent user's hands from being brought into contact with an edge of the front frame and that of the side frame to avoid injury to the user.
- In addition, because the insert of the side frame is inserted into the front frame, and the front frame and the side frame are mechanically secured to each other by the engaging piece and the inclined portion of the front frame, it is unlikely that the front frame would be removed from the side frame, and the two frames can be easily and assuredly assembled.
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FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an induction heating appliance for cooking according to a first embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a top plate unit mounted on the induction heating appliance for cooking ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an essential portion of the top plate unit ofFIG. 2 . -
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the essential portion of the top plate unit ofFIG. 2 with a portion thereof removed. -
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a frame of the top plate unit ofFIG. 2 as viewed from below. -
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the top plate unit ofFIG. 2 as viewed from below. -
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a front corner of the top plate unit ofFIG. 6 . -
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along a line A-A inFIG. 6 . -
FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along a line B-B inFIG. 6 . -
FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along a line C-C inFIG. 6 . -
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a front frame of the top plate unit ofFIG. 2 as viewed from below. -
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a protective cover of the top plate unit ofFIG. 2 . -
FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along a line D-D inFIG. 12 . -
FIG. 14 is a top plan view of a portion of the protective cover, particularly showing a relationship between a guide portion of the protective cover and a portion on which the protective cover is placed. -
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an induction heating appliance for cooking according to a second embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a peripheral portion of a top plate unit mounted on the induction heating appliance for cooking ofFIG. 15 . -
FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along a line E-E inFIG. 16 . -
FIG. 18 is a perspective view of another peripheral portion of the top plate unit. -
FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a front frame of the top plate unit. -
FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a side frame of the top plate unit. -
FIG. 21 is a sectional view of the side frame. -
FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a connecting portion between the front frame and the side frame. -
FIG. 23 is a top plan view of a corner of a top plate unit of a conventional induction heating appliance for cooking. -
FIG. 24 is a sectional view of a protective cover that forms the corner of the top plate unit ofFIG. 23 . -
FIG. 25 is a sectional view of a connecting portion of a protective frame mounted on another conventional induction heating appliance for cooking. - 1 top plate unit, 1A, 1B heating portion (induction heating type), 1Aa, 1Ba, 1Ca heating region indicating portion, 1C heating portion (radiant type), 1D upper operating portion, 1E cabinet, 1Ea opening, 1Eb upper surface, 2C main body casing, 2Ca opening, 2Cb flange portion, 2 front operating portion, 3 grill door, 11 top plate, 12 protective frame, 13 underframe, 13 a latch hole, 13 b side surface, 13 c screw hole, 13 d opening, 13 e latch piece, 13 f latch piece, 13 g screw hole, 13 h screw insertion hole, 13 i top plate mounting surface, 13 j bonding surface, 14 rear cover, 14 a grill exhaust port, 14 b exhaust port, 14 c intake port, 14 d screw insertion hole, 14 e screw insertion hole, 15 a, 15 b protective cover, 15 aa exhaust hole, 15 ba intake hole, 15 ab, 15 bb grid portion, 15 ac, 15 bc planar portion, 15 ad left rear corner, 15 bd right rear corner, 15 be, 15 bf guide ridge, 16 protective cover placement member, 17 right rear corner, 18 left rear corner, 19 front corner, 21 frame, 21 a rear frame, 21 b side frame, 21 c side frame lower wall, 21 d side frame side wall, 21 e side frame upper wall, 21 f rear frame lower wall, 21 g rear frame rear wall, 21 h rear frame upper wall, 21 i front end, 22 front frame, 22 a front frame upper wall, 22 c front frame front wall, 22 d front frame side wall, 22 e front frame lower wall, 22 f front frame side lower wall, 22 h rear edge, 22 i rear edge, 23, 25 protrusion, 24 mounting hole, 26 side cover, 29 ridge, 30 rear portion, 31 adhesive, 32 sealing material, 101 top plate, 101 a top plate front surface, 101 b top plate side surface, 102 front frame, 103 side frame, 103 a insert, 103 b insert piece, 104 rear frame, 105 main body, 106 grill door, 107 operating portion, 108 front frame side portion, 109 front frame side wall, 109 a lower edge, 109 b rear edge, 110 front frame front wall, 111 inclined portion, 111 a lower end, 111 b inner surface, 112 front edge, 113 top plate upper front portion, 114 front frame upper wall, 114 a rear edge, 115 underframe, 115 a latch hole, 115 b screw hole, 116 ridge, 116 a upper portion, 116 b side surface, 117 side frame side wall, 117 a lower edge, 117 b lower front edge, 118 front frame front lower wall, 118 a protrusion, 119 front frame side lower wall, 119 a rear edge, 120 cutout, 121 side frame upper wall, 121 a inclined portion, 122 guide, 122 a side frame lower corner (removed portion), 123 engaging piece, 123 a inclined portion, 124 side frame lower wall, 124 a removed portion, 124 b protrusion, C, C1 heating appliance for cooking.
- Embodiments of the present invention are explained hereinafter with reference to the drawings.
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FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an induction heating appliance C for cooking according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown inFIG. 1 , the induction heating appliance C for cooking includes threeheating portions upper operating portion 1D for heating a bottom wall of a cooking container (not shown) placed on an upper surface of the appliance. Theheating portion 1A provided on a right front side and the heating portion 1B provided on a left front side are of an induction heating type for generating a high frequency magnetic field to induction heat the bottom wall of the cooking container, while theheating portion 1C provided on a central rear side includes a radiant heater having a heating element to heat the cooking container with radiant heat. A rotary typefront operating portion 2, apower switch 2A, and a grill door 3 are provided at a front portion of the appliance. - The rotary type
front operating portion 2 is, when not in use, accommodated within the appliance, as shown inFIG. 1 , and pivoted forwards, when in use, by pushing an upper portion thereof so that an operation panel (not shown) having a plurality of operating keys may appear. The grill door 3 is a door for opening and closing a grill (not shown) for grilling, for example, raw fish placed within the appliance. - In cooking a food contained in a cooking container with the cooking appliance C, the cooking container is first placed on one of the
heating portions power switch 2A of the cooking appliance C is subsequently turned on. - When the cooking container is placed on either the
heating portion 1A or the heating portion 1B, and when a heating operation is initiated by operating theupper operating portion 1D and thefront operating portion 2, a control means (not shown) controls an inverter power source (not shown), which in turn supplies a high frequency current to a heating coil (not shown). When the heating coil is supplied with the high frequency current, the heating coil generates an alternating current magnetic field to induction heat the cooking container, resulting in an increase in temperature of the cooking container. - The construction of the cooking appliance C according to this embodiment is explained hereinafter with reference to
FIGS. 2 to 11 . - The cooking appliance C has a main body outer shell or framework that is made up of a box-shaped main body casing 2C made of a steel plate and having an opening 2Ca (see
FIG. 10 ) defined in an upper wall thereof, a flange portion 2Cb (seeFIG. 10 ) formed along a periphery of the opening 2Ca, and atop plate unit 1 mounted on the flange portion 2Cb so as to cover the opening 2Ca in the main body casing 2C. -
FIG. 2 depicts a perspective view of thetop plate unit 1. As shown inFIG. 2 , thetop plate unit 1 includes atop plate 11 for placing a cooking container or containers thereon, arear cover 14 made of a metal and disposed rearwardly of thetop plate 11, an underframe 13 (seeFIG. 6 ) for holding thetop plate 11 and therear cover 14, and aprotective frame 12 for covering an entire peripheral edge of thetop plate unit 1. Therear cover 14 covers an edge positioned rearwardly of thetop plate 11 and has a grill exhaust port 14 a, anexhaust port 14 b, and anintake port 14 c, all defined therein. - The
top plate 11 is a plate made of a non-magnetic heat-resisting glass such as a crystallized ceramic that is superior in thermal resistance, mechanical strength, chemical resistance, or electrical insulation. Thetop plate 11 has heating region indicating portions 1Aa, 1Ba, 1Ca printed on an upper or lower surface thereof so as to confront respective heating sources (not shown). Each of the heating region indicating portions 1Aa, 1Ba, 1Ca has a shape (a circle in this embodiment) corresponding to that of an associated one of the heating sources, and indicates a range on which a cooking container is to be placed. - The
protective frame 12 includes two frames 21 (seeFIG. 5 ) and a front frame 22 (seeFIG. 11 ) combined together. Each of theframes 21 is of a one-piece construction substantially in the form of “L” as viewed from above and formed along from a rear edge to a side edge of thetop plate unit 1, and the twoframes 21 are disposed symmetrically in the form of “U” as a whole as viewed from above. Theprotective frame 12 extends along an entire periphery of thetop plate unit 1 so as to cover edges of component parts that expose on an outer peripheral side of thetop plate unit 1. - The
rear cover 14 has a grill exhaust port 14 a through which smoke from the grill is discharged, anexhaust port 14 b through which a wind for cooling an interior of the appliance is discharged, and anintake port 14 c through which cooling air is sucked. As shown inFIG. 1 , aprotective cover 15 a for covering the grill exhaust port 14 a and theexhaust port 14 b and aprotective cover 15 b for covering theintake port 14 c are removably mounted on therear cover 14. Therear cover 14 has a plurality of protectivecover placement members 16 for placing the protective covers 15 a, 15 b thereon and positioning them. Details of the grill exhaust port 14 a, theexhaust port 14 b, theintake port 14 c, the protective covers 15 a, 15 b, the protectivecover placement members 16, and the like are explained later. -
FIG. 3 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of a leftfront corner 19 of thetop plate unit 1 as shown inFIG. 2 , andFIG. 4 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of the leftfront corner 19 of thetop plate unit 1 with thefront frame 22 and thetop plate 11 shown inFIG. 3 removed. Theprotective frame 12 is formed of a metal plate such as, for example, a stainless steel plate having a thickness of 0.3 to 0.6 mm. Theframe 21 and thefront frame 22 form theprotective frame 12 and are each bent so as to have a section substantially in the form of “U” (seeFIGS. 8 to 10 ). Thefront frame 22 covers a front edge of thetop plate 11 and that of theunderframe 13 so as to sandwich them between an upper portion and a lower portion thereof (seeFIG. 8 ). Theframe 21 covers an edge of thetop plate 11 and that of theunderframe 13 so as to sandwich them between an upper portion and a lower portion thereof at a portion where thetop plate 11 exists (seeFIG. 9 ), and covers an edge of therear cover 14 and that of theunderframe 13 so as to sandwich them between the upper portion and the lower portion thereof at a portion where thetop plate 11 doest not exist, but therear cover 14 exists (seeFIG. 10 ). -
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the twoframes 21 of theprotective frame 12 combined together as viewed from below and each formed along from a rear edge to a side edge of thetop plate unit 1. InFIG. 5 , portions of the twoframes 21 extending along the entire rear edge of thetop plate unit 1 are hereinafter collectively referred to as “arear frame 21 a”, and another portion of eachframe 21 extending along a rear side edge of thetop plate unit 1 is hereinafter referred to as “aside frame 21 b”. Just a half of therear frame 21 a and one of the side frames 21 b are formed into a generally L-shapedframe 21 of one-piece construction by bending a straight frame member. That is, theprotective frame 12 is made up of afront frame 22 and twoframes 21 each having a rear corner (a rightrear corner 17 or a left rear corner 18 (see FIG. 2)), and can be said as being made up of thefront frame 22, therear frame 21 a, and the two side frames 21 b. The twoframes 21 are connected to each other at a center of therear frame 21 a, and such a construction can reduce the number of component parts of theprotective frame 12. Also, because the joint between the twoframes 21 is positioned at a central portion rearwardly of the top plate 11 (on a side opposite to the front operating portion 2), the appearance of the appliance is not spoiled. - As shown in
FIGS. 3 and 4 , theframe 21 has an upper wall (anupper wall 21 e of theside frame 21 b and anupper wall 21 h of therear frame 21 a) for covering an upper edge of thetop plate unit 1, a side wall and a rear wall (aside wall 21 d of theside frame 21 b and arear wall 21 g of therear frame 21 a) bent substantially vertically downward at an outer edge of the upper wall for covering a side surface and a rear surface of thetop plate unit 1, and a lower wall (alower wall 21 c of theside frame 21 b and alower wall 21 f of therear frame 21 a) bent toward theunderframe 13 at a lower edge of the side wall. As shown inFIGS. 5 and 9 , a plurality ofprotrusions 23 are formed on the lower wall of theframe 21, and as shown inFIG. 3 , the upper wall and the side wall of theframe 21 are formed with a strip-shapedridge 29 protruding outwardly therefrom. Thisridge 29 is formed by deforming a portion of theframe 21 and positioned at a location spaced a predetermined distance, e.g., about 1 to 2 millimeters from afront end 21 i of theframe 21. As shown inFIG. 3 , thefront end 21 i of theside frame 21 b is inserted into the front frame 22 (between the upper wall 22 a and theside wall 22 d of the front frame 22), and arear edge 22 h of the upper wall 22 a and arear edge 22 i of theside wall 22 d are positioned in the vicinity of and along theridge 29. Details of theridge 29 are discussed later. - The
rear frame 21 a may not be divided into two. That is, theprotective frame 12 may be made up of thefront frame 22 and a generally U-shaped frame (not shown) of one-piece construction having arear frame 21 a and two side frames 21 b. The one-piece construction of therear frame 21 a and the two side frames 21 b can further improve the appearance of the appliance. Alternatively, theprotective frame 12 may be made up of four members, i.e., afront frame 22, two side frames 21 b, and arear frame 21 a. - It is to be noted here that although in the above-described embodiment the
frame 21 has been described as having a generally U-shaped section, it may partially or entirely have a generally L-shaped section. -
FIG. 6 depicts a perspective view of thetop plate unit 1 as viewed from below, andFIG. 7 depicts a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of the leftfront corner 19 of thefront frame 22 as shown inFIG. 6 .FIGS. 8 , 9 and 10 depict a sectional view of thefront frame 22 taken along a line A-A, that of theside frame 21 b taken along a line B-B, and that of therear frame 21 a taken long a line C-C inFIG. 6 , respectively. - As described above, the
side frame 21 b has a plurality ofprotrusions 23 formed on thelower wall 21 c thereof, and as shown inFIG. 8 , thefront frame 22 has a plurality ofprotrusions 25 formed on alower wall 22 e thereof. Each ofsuch protrusions side frame 21 b or thefront frame 22. Theunderframe 13 has a plurality of latch holes 13 a defined in a peripheral portion thereof (seeFIG. 4 ), with inner surfaces of which end surfaces of theprotrusions side frame 21 b and thefront frame 22 to theunderframe 13. By doing so, thefront frame 22 sandwiches a peripheral edge of thetop plate 11 and that of theunder frame 13 together between the upper wall 22 a and thelower wall 22 e thereof to cover them. Also, eachside frame 21 b sandwiches another peripheral edge of thetop plate 11 and that of theunder frame 13 together between theupper wall 21 e and thelower wall 21 c thereof to cover them. - As shown in
FIGS. 4 to 9 , theunderframe 13 has anopening 13 d defined therein, two strip-shaped topplate mounting surfaces 13 i formed around theopening 13 d, and abonding surface 13 j formed between the two topplate mounting surfaces 13 i so as to be lower than the topplate mounting surfaces 13 i. Thetop plate 11 is mounted on the topplate mounting surfaces 13 i of theunderframe 13 and appropriately positioned by opposite side surfaces 13 b of theunderframe 13, which have been formed as positioning pieces by bending side edges of theunderframe 13 upwardly with respect to the topplate mounting surfaces 13 i. Under the condition in which thetop plate 11 is mounted on the topplate mounting surfaces 13 i of theunderframe 13, an adhesive 31 is applied to thebonding surface 13 j over the entire periphery of theopening 13 d to bond theunderframe 13 to the lower surface of thetop plate 11. Arear cover 14 is placed on and secured to theunderframe 13 at a location rearwardly of thetop plate 11. - As shown in
FIG. 2 , therear cover 14 has a plurality of (for example, three) screw insertion holes 14 e defined therein, through each of which a screw is threaded into ascrew hole 13 g defined in theunderframe 13 to rigidly secure therear cover 14 to theunderframe 13. - The
top plate unit 1 is placed on the horizontally extending flange portion 2Cb (seeFIG. 10 ) formed on an upper edge of the main body casing 2C, and a plurality of (for example, three) screws are each inserted into ascrew insertion hole 14 d (seeFIG. 2 ) defined in therear cover 14 and into ascrew insertion hole 13 h (seeFIG. 6 ) defined in theunderframe 13 and then threaded into a screw hole (not shown) defined in the flange portion 2Cb to rigidly secure a rear portion of thetop plate unit 1 to the main body casing 2C. - As shown in
FIG. 6 , theunderframe 13 has alatch piece 13 e formed in front of theopening 13 d and twolatch pieces 13 f formed on respective sides of thelatch piece 13 e. Thetop plate unit 1 is secured to the main body casing 2C by screwing thelatch pieces - As described above, the
underframe 13 has a plurality of rectangular latch holes 13 a defined therein, through each of which one of theprotrusions 23 of theframe 21 or one of theprotrusions 25 of thefront frame 22 is inserted. Also, theunderframe 13 has a plurality of screw holes 13 c defined therein to secure thefront frame 22. -
FIG. 11 depicts a perspective view of thefront frame 22 as viewed from below. As shown inFIGS. 3 , 7, 8 and 11, thefront frame 22 has an upper wall 22 a, afront wall 22 c bent downwardly at a front edge of the upper wall 22 a,opposite side walls 22 d bent downwardly at side edges of the upper wall 22 a, alower wall 22 e bent rearwardly toward theunderframe 13 at a lower edge of thefront wall 22 c, and opposite side lower walls 22 f bent toward theunderframe 13 at lower edges of theside walls 22 d, thus taking the form of a pouch as a whole. As shown inFIGS. 6 and 7 , thelower wall 22 e of thefront frame 22 has generally trapezoidal side covers 26 formed on opposite end portions thereof so as to extend inwardly of thetop plate unit 1. - The side lower walls 22 f, bent toward the
top plate 11 at the lower edges of theside walls 22 d, and thelower wall 22 e lie substantially on the same plane and adjoin each other at oppositefront corners 19 of theprotective frame 12. In this embodiment, the side covers 26 are formed on opposite end portions of thelower wall 22 e of thefront frame 22 in the vicinity of the side lower walls 22 f of thefront frame 22. This configuration allows the width of the side lower walls 22 f to be greater than that of thelower wall 22 e. The shape of the side covers 26 is not limited to that shown inFIG. 11 and may be any shape if the side covers 26 extend inwardly so as to cover rear surfaces of the front corners of theprotective frame 12, and if portions of thelower wall 22 e that adjoin the side lower walls 22 f have an enlarged area, compared to a case where no side covers are provided. - As described above and as shown in
FIGS. 3 and 4 , an outwardly protruding strip-shapedridge 29 is formed on an outer side surface of theside frame 21 b along therear end front frame 22. Theridge 29 has a section substantially in the form of a portion of an oval or rectangle. It is preferred that the amount of protrusion (height) of theridge 29 be greater than the thickness of thefront frame 22 that is mated with theside frame 21 b. The height of theridge 29 may be determined depending on the thickness of thefront frame 22 and on a clearance or gap between thefront frame 22 and theframe 21 that are mated with each other. - As shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8 , thefront frame 22 having a generally U-shaped section is mounted on thetop plate 11 along a front edge thereof Afront end 21 i of theside frame 21 b is inserted between theside wall 22 d and the upper wall 22 a of thefront frame 22, and arear edge 22 i of theside wall 22 d and arear edge 22 h of the upper wall 22 a are held in contact with or adjoin theridge 29 of theside frame 21 b (seeFIGS. 3 and 4 ). As a result, thefront frame 22 comes to cover the front end (edge) 21 i of theside frame 21 b. - Because the
ridge 29 protrudes from theside wall 21 d and theupper wall 21 e of theside frame 21 b and does not have any sharp edge or cut surface, theridge 29 acts to prevent a user from being injured by thefront end 21 i of theside frame 21 b or the rear end (edge) 22 h, 22 i of thefront frame 22. The height of theridge 29 protruding from the surrounding surfaces may be set to, for example, a value enough to avoid injury to user's fingers by the edges of thefront frame 22. - Also, because the
side frame 21 and theridge 29 are unitarily formed of the same material, theridge 29 is inconspicuous and, hence, the appliance is superior in appearance. Further, because theprotective frame 12 is of the construction in which theside frame 21 b is inserted into the straightfront frame 22, thetop plate unit 1 comes to have generally right-angled front corners positioned on a user side, as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2 , thus enhancing the appearance of the appliance. - The
front frame 22 has a plurality of mountingholes 24 and a plurality ofprotrusions 25 formed in or on thelower wall 22 e thereof As with theprotrusions 23 formed on theframe 21, theprotrusions 25 formed on thefront frame 22 are each inserted into one of the latch holes 13 a formed in theunderframe 13 to fix thefront frame 22 to theunderframe 13. A screw is inserted into each of the mountingholes 24 and threaded to theunderframe 13 to rigidly secure thefront frame 22 to theunderframe 13. This construction can avoid removal of theprotective frame 12, made up of the twoframes 21 and thefront frame 22, from theunderframe 13, which may be caused by disengagement of theprotrusions 23 from the corresponding latch holes 13 a due to deformation or distortion of theprotective frame 12. - As shown in
FIG. 10 , when the main body casing 2C is dropped into and then installed inside a cabinet 1E through a generally rectangular opening 1Ea in the cabinet 1E, a lower surface of theprotective frame 12 mounted on the flange portion 2Cb of the main body casing 2C is brought into contact with an upper surface 1Eb of the cabinet 1E. An elastic sealing material 32 such as, for example, an expanded resin having elasticity is applied to the entire periphery of the lower surface of theprotective frame 12 to prevent entry of a liquid spilled on the upper surface 1Eb of the cabinet 1E into theprotective frame 12. When the sealing material 32 is applied or fixed to a lower surface of thelower wall 22 e of thefront frame 22, theside cover 26 extending inwardly from each end of thelower wall 22 e of thefront frame 22 acts to control free movement of the sealing material 32 on the lower surface side of eachfront corner 19 of theprotective frame 12, and the sealing material 32 is pressed against the cabinet 1E by thetop plate unit 1, thus enabling the sealing material 32 to exhibit a steady sealing effect. - As shown in
FIG. 8 , arear portion 30 of the upper wall 22 a of thefront frame 22 other than portions thereof into which the ends of theframes 21 are inserted is bent obliquely downwardly toward thetop plate 11 so that a rear edge of the upper wall 22 a may be held in contact with an upper surface of the top plate 11 (on which a cooking container is to be placed). This configuration can seal a gap between thetop plate 11 and the upper wall 22 a of thefront frame 22 to thereby avoid entry of dust or foreign materials thereinto. - As described above, the
protective frame 12 does not have any joint members that have been hitherto provided to connect the side frames 21 b to thefront frame 22. As such, the number of component parts of theprotective frame 12 reduces, thus facilitating the assemblage of theprotective frame 12. Also, each of the rear ends 22 h, 22 i of thefront frame 22 is positioned adjacent theridge 29 formed on the upper wall and the side wall of theside frame 21 b, and thefront end 21 i of theside frame 21 b is covered with thefront frame 22. This configuration prevents a user from being injured by the end portion of thefront frame 22 or thefront end 21 i of theside frame 21 b. Further, because the straight end portion of thefront frame 22 and that of theside frame 21 b are at right angles to each other to form a corner, an exposed corner of thetop plate 11 edged with theprotective frame 12 is right-angled, thus making it possible to enhance the appearance of thetop plate 11. - The protective covers 15 a, 15 b placed on the
top plate unit 1 are explained hereinafter with reference toFIGS. 1 , 2, 12, 13, and 14. - In this embodiment, the two
protective covers rear cover 14 positioned rearwardly of the top plate 11 (on an opposite side of theupper operating portion 1D on the top plate 11). Theprotective cover 15 a is positioned to cover the grill exhaust port 14 a and theexhaust port 14 b, and theprotective cover 15 b is positioned to cover theintake port 14 c. -
FIG. 12 depicts a perspective view of theprotective cover 15 b placed on thetop plate unit 1 shown inFIG. 1 on the right side thereof, andFIG. 12 depicts a sectional view of theprotective cover 15 b taken along a line D-D inFIG. 12 . As shown inFIG. 1 , theprotective cover 15 a positioned on the left side and theprotective cover 15 b positioned on the right side are each in the form of a plate and substantially symmetrical with respect to a centerline that equally divides thetop plate unit 1 right and left. - The
protective cover 15 b is formed of, for example, aluminum by die casting and has a grid portion 15 bb having a plurality of intake holes 15 ba and a planar portion 15 bc having a substantially horizontally extending upper surface, as shown inFIG. 12 . The grid portion 15 bb covers theintake port 14 c formed in therear cover 14, and theprotective cover 15 b covers, as a whole, therear cover 14 on the side of theintake port 14 c and a portion of theprotective frame 12 formed along a periphery of theintake port 14 c. - The
protective cover 15 a similarly has a grid portion 15 ab having a plurality of exhaust holes 15 aa and a planar portion 15 ac having a substantially horizontally extending upper surface. The grid portion 15 ab covers the grill exhaust port 14 a and theexhaust port 14 b both formed in therear cover 14. Theprotective cover 15 a covers, as a whole, therear cover 14 on the side of the grill exhaust port 14 a and theexhaust port 14 b, and a portion of theprotective frame 12 formed along a periphery of the grill exhaust port 14 a and theexhaust port 14 b. That is, a front portion of theprotective cover 15 a covers a front portion of therear cover 14, and a rear portion of theprotective cover 15 a covers a rear portion of thetop plate unit 1. - The protective covers 15 a, 15 b so formed prevent foreign materials from falling into the grill exhaust port 14 a, the
exhaust port 14 b, and theintake port 14 c, and covers them so as not to spoil the appearance while exhausting therethrough smoke or odor, which would be produced in a grill (not shown) inside the grill door 3. - The planar portions 15 ac, 15 bc of the protective covers 15 a, 15 b prevent broth or stock, which may drop out of a cooking container, from adhering to the rugged or irregular
rear cover 14 as shown inFIG. 2 to facilitate removal of a stain or stains. -
FIG. 14 is a partial top plan view of theprotective cover 15 b, particularly depicting a positional relationship between guide ridges 15 be, 15 bf of theprotective cover 15 b and the protectivecover placement members 16. As shown inFIG. 14 , theprotective cover 15 b has a plurality of straight guide ridges 15 be, 15 bf formed on a lower surface thereof (surface confronting the rear cover 14) so as to extend parallel to front and rear ends of theprotective cover 15 b. In this embodiment, theprotective cover 15 b has two guide ridges 15 be and two guide ridges 15 bf, and a total of four guide ridges 15 be, 15 bf extend parallel to one another. - On the other hand, the
rear cover 14 has a plurality of (four in this embodiment) protectivecover placement members 16 formed thereon around the grill exhaust port 14 a and theexhaust port 14 b, and a plurality of (four in this embodiment) protectivecover placement members 16 formed thereon around theintake port 14 c. The protectivecover placement members 16 are formed of an elastic material such as, for example, rubber. - When the
protective cover 15 b is placed on thetop plate unit 1, the guide ridges 15 be, 15 bf are positioned inside the four protectivecover placement members 16 to limit movement of theprotective cover 15 b from front to back and from side to side with respect to thetop plate unit 1. More specifically, the two guide ridges 15 be are formed between the two guide ridges 15 bf, and theprotective cover 15 b is placed on thetop plate unit 1 such that the inner guide ridges 15 be are positioned between the two front side protectivecover placement members 16 and the two rear side protectivecover placement members 16 so as to be held in contact with inner sides thereof, thereby limiting movement of theprotective cover 15 b from front to back. The two outer guide ridges 15 bf have a length shorter than that of the inner guide ridges 15 be, and the front side guide ridge 15 bf is aligned with and positioned between the two front side protectivecover placement members 16, while the rear side guide ridge 15 bf is aligned with and positioned between the two rear side protectivecover placement members 16, thereby limiting movement of theprotective cover 15 b from side to side. Such positional restriction of theprotective cover 15 b requires at least two guide ridges 15 be and at least one ridge 15 bf. The same applies to theprotective cover 15 a. - A rear edge and an outer side edge of the
protective cover 15 a are substantially aligned with the rear surface and the side surface of theframe 21 b (therear surface 21 g and theside surface 21 d of theside frame 21 b) of thetop plate unit 1, respectively, as viewed from above. As shown inFIGS. 2 and 12 , a right rear corner 15 bd of theprotective cover 15 b has a radius of curvature smaller than that of a rightrear corner 17 of thetop plate unit 1 positioned below theprotective cover 15 b. This configuration allows the right rear corner 15 bd of theprotective cover 15 b to overhang the rightrear corner 17 of thetop plate unit 1 and, hence, a user can easily remove theprotective cover 15 b from thetop plate unit 1 by lifting theprotective cover 15 b with his or her fingers laid to a lower surface of the corner 15 bd of theprotective cover 15 b. Theprotective cover 15 b may have a size to allow theprotective cover 15 b to laterally partially or entirely extend beyond theframe 21 b of thetop plate unit 1. The same applies to theprotective cover 15 a. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , theprotective cover 15 a has a configuration similar to that of theprotective cover 15 b. That is, theprotective cover 15 a has a left rear corner 15 ad that overhangs a leftrear corner 18 of thetop plate unit 1 positioned below theprotective cover 15 a. The corner 15 ad of theprotective cover 15 a and the corner 15 bd of theprotective cover 15 b may be substantially right-angled to overhang thecorners top plate unit 1, respectively. - As described above, because the protective covers 15 a, 15 b cover the grill exhaust port 14 a, the
exhaust port 14 b, and theintake port 14 c defined in thetop plate unit 1 and the periphery thereof including the rear corners of thetop plate unit 1, the protective covers 15 a, 15 b can prevent a stain or broth, which may drop out of a cooking container, from adhering to the periphery of such openings. Also, a portion of theprotective cover 15 a positioned above the grill exhaust port 14 a is easily stained with lampblack, but cleaning thereof can be easily carried out. - Further, because the corner 15 ad of the
protective cover 15 a and the corner 15 bd of theprotective cover 15 b have a radius of curvature smaller than that of thecorners top plate unit 1, the corners of the protective covers 15 a, 15 b overhang the corners of thetop plate unit 1. Accordingly, a user can easily lift the protective covers 15 a, 15 b for removal thereof by grasping the corners thereof extending beyond the corners of thetop plate unit 1, thus making it possible to facilitate cleaning of only the protective covers 15 a, 15 b. -
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an induction heating appliance C1 for cooking according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Because this induction heating appliance C1 for cooking includes heating portions having respective constructions similar to those of theheating portions FIG. 1 , they are not shown inFIG. 15 . - A
main body 105 of the cooking appliance C1 has atop plate 101 mounted on an upper surface thereof. Themain body 105 also has afront frame 102, opposite side frames 103, and arear frame 104 formed along a periphery of thetop plate 101 to reinforce and cover it. Thefront frame 102, the side frames 103, and therear frame 104 are each formed by bending a metal plate such as, for example, a stainless steel plate. Themain body 105 further has agrill door 106 for opening and closing a grill and a rotary typefront operating portion 107. -
FIG. 16 depicts a portion of the periphery of thetop plate 101 on an enlarged scale,FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along a line E-E inFIG. 16 , and -
FIG. 18 is an enlarged perspective view of the portion shown inFIG. 16 .FIGS. 19 and 20 depict thefront frame 102 and one of the side frames 103, respectively,FIG. 21 is a sectional view of theside frame 103, andFIG. 22 is an enlarged perspective view of a connecting portion of thefront frame 102 and theside frame 103. - As shown in
FIG. 15 , thetop plate 101 mounted on the upper surface of themain body 105 is substantially in the form of a rectangle as viewed from above. Thefront frame 102 is disposed along afront surface 101 a of thetop plate 101, and eachside frame 103 is disposed along aside surface 101 b of thetop plate 101. - As shown in
FIGS. 17 and 19 , thefront frame 102 has aninclined portion 111 descending rearwardly (toward a rear side of the top plate 101), anupper wall 114 for covering an upper front portion of thetop plate 101,opposite side walls 109 formed by bendingrespective side portions 108 of theupper wall 114 downwardly, opposite sidelower walls 119 formed by bending theside walls 109 inwardly at respectivelower edges 109 a thereof, afront wall 110 formed by bending theupper wall 114 downwardly at afront edge 112 thereof, and a frontlower wall 118 formed by bending thefront wall 110 inwardly at alower edge 110 a thereof. Thefront frame 102 may have an inclined portion descending forwardly down to thelower edge 110 a such that a boundary line between theupper wall 114 and thefront wall 110 does not appear clearly. In this case, a lower end of the inclined portion and a portion adjacent thereto can be regarded as thefront wall 110, and the rest of the inclined portion can be regarded as theupper wall 114. - As shown in
FIGS. 20 and 22 (figure as viewed from inside), theside frame 103 has aninsert 103 a inserted into thefront frame 102, and theinsert 103 a has anengaging piece 123 positioned below theupper wall 114 of thefront frame 102 and above alower end 111 a of the inclined portion 111 (seeFIG. 17 ) so as to extend in a longitudinal direction of theupper wall 114 of the front frame 102 (direction indicated by A inFIG. 15 ). The engagingpiece 123 is held in contact with aninner surface 111 b of theinclined portion 111 to avoid removal of thefront frame 102 from theinsert 103 a, which results in a forward inclination of thefront frame 102. - As shown in
FIGS. 18 and 20 , theside frame 103 has anupper wall 121 for covering aside edge 113 of an upper surface of thetop plate 101 and aside wall 117 formed by bending theupper wall 121 downwardly. Theupper wall 121 and theside wall 117 of theside frame 103 are formed with a strip-shapedridge 116 protruding outwardly therefrom. Thisridge 116 is formed by deformation of theside frame 103 and positioned at a location adjacent to theinsert 103 a. - The
side frame 103 also has alower wall 124 formed by bending theside wall 117 inwardly at a lower edge 117 a thereof, but theinsert 103 a has no lower wall (dotted lines inFIG. 20 indicate a portion 124 a removed from the lower wall). Theinsert 103 a has aninsert piece 103 b formed with an end portion of theside wall 117 forwardly of theengaging piece 123. A lowerfront corner 122 a of theinsert piece 103 b is partially removed, and theinsert piece 103 b accordingly has aninclined guide 122 that inclines forwardly upwardly from a lowerfront edge 117 b of theside wall 117. - As shown in
FIG. 19 , thefront frame 102 has acutout 120 formed in each end of theinclined portion 111 to receive anupper portion 116 a of theridge 116 of theside frame 103 therein. Accordingly, theupper portion 116 a of theridge 116 is positioned along arear edge 114 a of theupper wall 114 of thefront frame 102, and aside surface 116 b of theridge 116 is positioned along arear edge 109 b of theside wall 109 of thefront frame 102. - The engaging
piece 123 of theside frame 103 has a strip-shapedinclined portion 123 a that descends toward thefront frame 102. - As shown in
FIG. 17 , anunderframe 115 formed of a metal plate is disposed below thetop plate 101 to support it. Thefront frame 102 is fixed to theunderframe 115 such that theinclined portion 111 of thefront frame 102 is held in contact at thelower edge 111 a thereof with an upper surface of thetop plate 101, an upper surface of the frontlower wall 118 of thefront frame 102 is held in contact with a lower surface of theunderframe 115, and a plurality of protrusions 118 a formed on the frontlower wall 118 of thefront frame 102 so as to protrude upwardly are received in respective latch holes 115 a defined in theunderframe 115. Theunderframe 115 may have a plurality of screw holes 115 b into each of which a screw inserted into a mounting hole (not shown, see the mountinghole 24 shown inFIG. 7 ) defined in the frontlower wall 118 of thefront frame 102 is threaded after thefront frame 102 has been fixed to theunderframe 115, thereby increasing the fixing strength of thefront frame 102 with respect to theunderframe 115. The fixing by the screws and the screw holes 115 b may be dispensed with. - As shown in
FIG. 21 , theside frame 103 has anupper wall 121 having aninclined portion 121 a descending toward a central portion of thetop plate 101 to cover an upper surface of a side portion of thetop plate 101, aside wall 117 formed by bending theupper wall 121 downwardly, and alower wall 124 formed by bending theside wall 117 inwardly at a lower edge 117 a thereof. Theside frame 103 is fixed to theunderframe 115 such that theinclined portion 121 a of theside frame 103 is held in contact at the lower edge thereof with the upper surface of thetop plate 101, an upper surface of thelower wall 124 of theside frame 103 is held in contact with a lower surface of theunderframe 115, and a plurality ofprotrusions 124 b formed on thelower wall 124 of theside frame 103 so as to protrude upwardly are received in respective latch holes 115 a in theunderframe 115. - As described above, in this embodiment, the
main body 105 includes the generally rectangulartop plate 101 mounted on the upper surface thereof, thefront frame 102 disposed along thefront surface 101 a of thetop plate 101 and formed by bending a metal plate, and the twoside frames 103 disposed along opposite side surfaces 101 b of thetop plate 101 and each formed by bending a metal plate. - The
front frame 102 has theupper wall 114 formed with the rearwardly descendinginclined portion 111 for covering theupper front portion 113 of thetop plate 101, thefront wall 110 formed by bending theupper wall 114 downwardly at thefront edge 112 thereof, the frontlower wall 118 formed by bending thefront wall 110 inwardly at thelower edge 110 a thereof, the twoside walls 109 formed by bendingrespective side portions 108 of theupper wall 114 downwardly, and the two sidelower walls 119 formed by bending theside walls 109 inwardly at respectivelower edges 109 a thereof. - On the other hand, the
side frame 103 has theinsert 103 a inserted into thefront frame 102, and theinsert 103 a has theengaging piece 123 formed with theupper wall 121 of theside frame 103. The engagingpiece 123 is positioned below theupper wall 114 of thefront frame 102 and above thelower end 111 a of theinclined portion 111 so as to extend in a longitudinal direction of theupper wall 114 of the front frame 102 (direction indicated by A inFIG. 15 ) such that theengaging piece 123 is held in contact with theinner surface 111 b of theinclined portion 111. Theinsert 103 a acts to avoid removal of thefront frame 102 from theside frame 103. Theside frame 103 is formed by bending a metal plate and has theinsert 103 a formed with a front end thereof and inserted into thefront frame 102. Because no separate members are required to connect theside frame 103 to thefront frame 102, the construction of the protective frame is simplified. - The provision of the
engaging piece 123 formed with theinsert 123 of theside frame 103 can simplify the configuration for connection between thefront frame 102 and theside frame 103 and considerably increase the rigidity thereof. Also, because a connecting space between thefront frame 102 and theside frame 103 can be reduced, the depth (indicated by L inFIG. 17 ) of thefront frame 102 can be reduced, thus making it possible to enhance the design of the appliance. - Further, the
side frame 103 includes theupper wall 121 for covering theside edge 113 of the upper surface of thetop plate 101, theside wall 117 formed by bending theupper wall 121 downwardly, and the outwardly protruding strip-shapedridge 116 formed at a location adjacent to theinsert 103 a by deforming a portion of theupper wall 121 and that of theside wall 117 of theside frame 103. Accordingly, when theinsert 103 a of theside frame 103 is inserted into thefront frame 102, the outwardly protruding strip-shapedridge 116 is juxtaposed with therear edge 109 b of thefront frame 102 and accordingly acts as a stopper during insertion of theside frame 103 into thefront frame 102. The strip-shapedridge 116 also acts to prevent user's fingers from being brought into contact with cutrear edges front frame 102 to thereby avoid injury to the user's fingers. - The
side frame 103 also includes thelower wall 124 formed by bending theside wall 117 inwardly at the lower edge 117 a thereof, but theinsert 103 a has no lower wall (dotted lines inFIG. 20 indicate a portion 124 a removed from the lower wall). This configuration allows, when theside frame 103 is inserted into thefront frame 102, theside frame 103 to slide relative to thefront frame 102 under the condition in which the lowerfront edge 117 b of theinsert 103 a formed with theside wall 117 of theside frame 103 is held in contact with an upper surface or arear edge 119 a of the sidelower wall 119 of thefront frame 102. That is, the lowerfront edge 117 b of theinsert 103 a of theside wall 117 of theside frame 103 is guided by the sidelower wall 119 of thefront frame 102 during insertion of theside frame 103, thus facilitating the assemblage. - A portion of the
lower wall 124 of theside frame 103 adjacent to theinsert 103 a is removed, the lowerfront corner 122 a of theinsert piece 103 b, i.e., a front end of theside wall 117 of theside frame 103 is partially removed, and theinsert piece 103 b accordingly has theinclined guide 122 that inclines forwardly upwardly from the lowerfront edge 117 b of theside wall 117. When theinsert 103 a of theside frame 103 is inserted into thefront frame 102, the former can be caused to slide relative to the latter with theguide 122 held in contact with the sidelower wall 119 of thefront frame 102. Accordingly, the engagingpiece 123 moves obliquely upwardly to pass under thelower edge 111 a of theinclined portion 111 of thefront frame 102 to avoid interference with theinclined portion 111, thereby facilitating insertion of theinsert 103 a. After insertion of theside frame 103 into thefront frame 102, the sidelower wall 119 of thefront frame 102 is positioned in the removed portion 124 a of thelower wall 124 of theside frame 103 and, hence, thelower wall 124 of theside frame 103 is substantially aligned with the sidelower wall 119 of the front frame 102 (seeFIG. 22 ). By this arrangement, a lower surface of thelower wall 124 of theside frame 124, that of the sidelower wall 119 of thefront frame 102, and that of the frontlower wall 118 of thefront frame 102, to all of which a sealing material 32 (seeFIG. 10 ) is applied, lie on the same plane. Accordingly, when themain body 105 is dropped into the opening 1Ea in the cabinet 1E, a sealing effect between an upper surface of the cabinet 1E and thelower wall 124 of theside frame 103, the sidelower wall 119 and the frontlower wall 118 of thefront frame 102, all of which are placed on the upper surface of the cabinet 1E, can be enhanced. - Also, because the
front frame 102 has thecutout 120 formed in each end of theinclined portion 111, and theupper portion 116 a of theridge 116 of theside frame 103 is received in thecutout 120, an inward movement of theside frame 103 is restrained by theinclined portion 111, which forms thecutout 120, and theridge 116, a rearward movement of thefront frame 102 is restrained by therear edges front frame 102 and theridge 116, and a forward movement of thefront frame 102 is restrained by the engagingpiece 123 and theinclined portion 111, thus making it possible to stabilize thefront frame 102. - Further, because the
engaging piece 123 of theside frame 103 has the strip-shapedinclined portion 123 a that descends toward thefront frame 102, theinclined portion 123 a acts to guide theinsert 103 a of theside frame 103 during insertion of theside frame 103 into thefront frame 102 to thereby allow theinsert 103 a of theside frame 103 to easily pass under thelower end 111 a of theinclined portion 111 of theupper wall 114 of thefront frame 102. - Also, the
underframe 115 made of a metal plate is provided below thetop plate 101 to support it. Thelower end 111 a of theinclined portion 111 of thefront frame 102 is held in contact with the upper surface of thetop plate 101, the upper surface of the frontlower wall 118 of thefront frame 102 is held in contact with the lower surface of theunderframe 115, and the plurality of upwardly protruding protrusions 118 a formed on the frontlower wall 118 of thefront frame 102 are received in respective latch holes 115 a in theunderframe 115. This arrangement allows thefront frame 102 having a short depth (indicated by L inFIG. 17 ) of, for example, 16 millimeters to be easily attached to a front edge of thetop plate 101. The underframe 15 is made of a metal and, hence, hole drilling can be easily conducted thereto. Also, use of a thin stainless steel plate (for example, thickness of 0.3 millimeters) for thefront frame 102 allows the protrusions 118 a to be easily formed on the frontlower wall 118 of thefront frame 102, and insertion of theside frame 103 into thefront frame 102 under the condition in which theside frame 103 has been mounted to thetop plate 101 placed on theunderframe 115 and secured thereto by an adhesive or the like enables thefront frame 102 to be easily rigidly secured to thetop plate 101 and theunderframe 115. Accordingly, thefront frame 102 can be made thin to enhance the appearance of the appliance, and not only can the assemblage of thefront frame 102 be improved, but the fixing strength thereof can be also enhanced. - Further, the
underframe 115 formed of a metal plate is disposed below thetop plate 101 to support it, and theside frame 103 has theupper wall 121 having theinclined portion 121 a descending toward a central portion of thetop plate 101 to cover the upper surface of theside portion 113 of thetop plate 101, theside wall 117 formed by bending theupper wall 121 downwardly, and thelower wall 124 formed by bending theside wall 117 inwardly at the lower edge 117 a thereof. Theinclined portion 121 a of theside frame 103 is held in contact at the lower edge thereof with the upper surface of thetop plate 101, the upper surface of thelower wall 124 of theside frame 103 is held in contact with the lower surface of theunderframe 115, and the plurality of upwardly protruding protrusions 1124 b formed on thelower wall 124 of theside frame 103 are received in respective latch holes 115 a in theunderframe 115. As with thefront frame 102, this arrangement makes it possible to reduce the width of theupper wall 121 of theside frame 103 to enhance the appearance of the appliance, and not only can the assemblage of theside frame 103 be improved, but the fixing strength thereof can be also stabilized. - Although the above-described embodiments have been described taking the case of an induction heating cooker, the present invention is not limited thereto, but is applicable to a heating cooker having a top plate and a heating source therein, and a gas or electric heating cooker employing gas, halogen or the like as a heating source.
- Because the heating cooker according to the present invention can be produced at a low cost, enhance the design of the top plate, the assemblage and the rigidity of the front frame and the side frame, and are superior in reliability and safety, it is useful as a heating cooker having a top plate such as, for example, an induction heating cooker, a gas cooker and the like for home use or business use.
Claims (16)
1. A heating appliance for cooking which comprises:
a main body;
a generally rectangular top plate made of a heat-resisting glass and mounted on an upper surface of the main body;
a front frame disposed along a front edge of the top plate;
two side frames disposed along respective side edges of the top plate;
a heating portion mounted in the main body;
each of the side frames being formed by bending a metal plate and having an upper wall held in contact at a lower edge thereof with an upper surface of the top plate to cover a side edge of the top plate, and a side wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly;
the front frame being formed by bending a metal plate and having an upper wall held in contact at a lower edge thereof with the upper surface of the top plate to cover a front edge of the top plate, opposite side walls each formed by bending a side portion of the front wall downwardly, and a front wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly at a front edge thereof,
a front end of the upper wall and that of the side wall of each of the side frames being inserted into an inside of the upper wall and one of the side walls of the front frame; and
each of the side frames having an outwardly protruding strip-shaped ridge formed with the upper wall and the side wall thereof and positioned along a rear edge of the upper wall and that of each of the side walls of the front frame.
2. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 1 , further comprising an underframe having an opening defined therein and holding a periphery of the top plate, wherein each of the side frames has a lower wall formed by bending the side wall thereof toward the underframe at a lower edge thereof and secured to a lower surface of the underframe, and the front frame has a front lower wall formed by bending the front wall toward the underframe at a lower edge thereof, and wherein the front lower wall of the front frame is secured to the lower surface of the underframe.
3. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 2 , wherein the front frame is screwed to the underframe using a plurality of mounting holes defined in the front lower wall of the front frame.
4. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 2 , wherein the front frame has opposite side lower walls and opposite side covers each extending inwardly from an end portion of the front lower wall or each of the side lower walls.
5. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 2 , further comprising a rear cover held by the underframe and having a front edge to cover a rear edge of the top plate and at least one exhaust port or intake port defined therein, and a rear frame disposed along a rear edge of the rear cover, wherein the rear frame is formed by bending a metal plate and has an upper wall held in contact at a front edge thereof with an upper surface of the rear cover to cover the front edge of the rear cover, a rear wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly at a rear edge thereof, and a lower wall formed by bending the rear wall toward the underframe at a lower edge thereof and secured to the lower surface of the underframe, and wherein the side frames, which cover side edges of the rear cover, those of the top plate, and those of the underframe, and the rear frame are formed into one-piece construction by bending a straight frame member.
6. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 2 , further comprising a rear frame that covers a rear edge of the top plate and that of the underframe, wherein the rear frame is unitarily formed with the side frames by bending a straight frame member.
7. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 5 , wherein the rear frame is divided into two, each of which is unitarily formed with one of the side frames.
8. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 1 , wherein the upper wall of the front frame has a rear portion that has been bent so as to descend toward the upper surface of the top plate such that a rear edge of the upper wall of the front frame is held in contact with the upper surface of the top plate.
9. A heating appliance for cooking which comprises:
a main body;
a generally rectangular top plate mounted on an upper surface of the main body;
a front frame disposed along a front surface of the top plate and formed by bending a metal plate;
two side frames disposed along respective side surfaces of the top plate and each formed by bending a metal plate;
the front frame comprising:
an upper wall having a rearwardly descending inclined portion and covering a front edge of the top plate;
a front wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly at a front upper edge thereof;
a front lower wall formed by bending the front wall inwardly at a lower edge thereof;
two side walls formed by bending the front wall downwardly at respective side edges thereof; and
two side lower walls formed by bending the two side walls inwardly at respective lower edges thereof;
each of the side frames having an insert formed at a front end thereof and inserted into the front frame;
the insert having an engaging piece positioned below the upper wall of the front frame and above a lower end of the inclined portion so as to extend in a longitudinal direction of the upper wall of the front frame; and
the engaging piece being held in contact with the inclined portion to avoid removal of the front frame from the insert.
10. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 9 , wherein the side frame has an upper wall that covers a side edge of an upper surface of the top plate, a side wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly, and an outwardly protruding strip-shaped ridge formed at a location adjacent to the insert by deforming a portion of the upper wall and that of the side wall of the side frame.
11. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 9 , wherein the side frame has an upper wall that covers a side edge of an upper surface of the top plate, a side wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly, and a lower wall formed by bending the side wall inwardly at a lower edge thereof, and wherein the lower wall of the side frame is removed at the insert.
12. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 11 , wherein a lower front corner of a front end of the side wall of the side frame is removed at the insert, and the side wall of the side frame has an inclined guide that inclines forwardly upwardly from a lower front edge of the side wall.
13. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 10 , wherein the front frame has a cutout formed in each end of the inclined portion to receive a portion of the ridge of the side frame therein.
14. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 9 , wherein the engaging piece of the side frame has a strip-shaped inclined portion that descends toward the front frame.
15. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 9 , further comprising an underframe formed of a metal plate and disposed below the top plate for support thereof, wherein the front frame is fixed to the underframe such that the inclined portion of the front frame is held in contact at a lower edge thereof with an upper surface of the top plate, an upper surface of the front lower wall of the front frame is held in contact with a lower surface of the underframe, and the front lower wall of the front frame has a plurality of upwardly protruding protrusions formed thereon, each of which is received in a latch hole defined in the underframe.
16. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 15 , wherein the side wall has an upper wall having an inclined portion descending toward a central portion of the top plate to cover an upper surface of a side portion of the top plate, a side wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly, and a lower wall formed by bending the side wall inwardly at a lower edge thereof, and wherein the side frame is fixed to the underframe such that the inclined portion of the side frame is held in contact at a lower edge thereof with the upper surface of the top plate, an upper surface of the lower wall of the side frame is held in contact with a lower surface of the underframe, and the lower wall of the side frame has a plurality of upwardly protruding protrusions formed thereon, each of which is received in a latch hole defined in the underframe.
Applications Claiming Priority (5)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2008-061007 | 2008-03-11 | ||
JP2008061007A JP4896906B2 (en) | 2008-03-11 | 2008-03-11 | Cooker |
JP2008-168392 | 2008-06-27 | ||
JP2008168392A JP4841593B2 (en) | 2008-06-27 | 2008-06-27 | Cooker |
PCT/JP2009/000904 WO2009113264A1 (en) | 2008-03-11 | 2009-02-27 | Heating cooker |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20110088680A1 true US20110088680A1 (en) | 2011-04-21 |
Family
ID=41064938
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/921,637 Abandoned US20110088680A1 (en) | 2008-03-11 | 2009-02-27 | Heating cooker |
Country Status (6)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20110088680A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2258989A1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN101965484B (en) |
CA (1) | CA2718033A1 (en) |
HK (1) | HK1153803A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2009113264A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20140158676A1 (en) * | 2012-12-06 | 2014-06-12 | Electrolux Home Products, Inc. | Flip top induction cooktop |
US10009962B2 (en) * | 2011-11-22 | 2018-06-26 | BSH Hausgeräte GmbH | Domestic appliance device |
US10251220B2 (en) * | 2016-09-15 | 2019-04-02 | Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. | Induction cooking device |
Families Citing this family (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2014101960A1 (en) * | 2012-12-28 | 2014-07-03 | Arcelik Anonim Sirketi | A cooking appliance comprising a handling means |
JP6876902B2 (en) * | 2017-03-30 | 2021-05-26 | パナソニックIpマネジメント株式会社 | Manufacturing method of induction heating cooker and induction heating cooker |
EP4141328A1 (en) * | 2021-08-23 | 2023-03-01 | Miele & Cie. KG | Strip device, hob system and method for mounting |
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US10251220B2 (en) * | 2016-09-15 | 2019-04-02 | Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. | Induction cooking device |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CA2718033A1 (en) | 2009-09-17 |
CN101965484A (en) | 2011-02-02 |
HK1153803A1 (en) | 2012-04-05 |
CN101965484B (en) | 2012-06-27 |
EP2258989A1 (en) | 2010-12-08 |
WO2009113264A1 (en) | 2009-09-17 |
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Legal Events
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: PANASONIC CORPORATION, JAPAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:SUZUKI, HIDEKAZU;KOBAYASHI, HIDEAKI;OGURI, TAIHEI;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:025521/0227 Effective date: 20100826 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |