Cooktop grate support

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12234994-B2
Application number	US-202217713630-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2022
Priority date	Apr 5, 2022
Publication date	Feb 25, 2025
Grant date	Feb 25, 2025

Abstract

A cooking vessel support for a burner includes a grate and a support foot. The grate has a top surface configured to support a cooking vessel and a lower surface configured for disposal along an upper surface of a cooking appliance. The lower surface defines a cavity. The support foot is disposed within the cavity, has a first protrusion disposed within a first portion of the cavity, has a second protrusion disposed within a second portion of the cavity, and has pad disposed within a third portion of the cavity. The first protrusion is secured to the pad along a side of the pad. The first and second protrusions are configured to engage first and second internal surfaces of the grate within the first and second portions of the cavity, respectively, to restrict movement of the base support in first and second directions, respectively.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooking vessel support for a burner comprising:
a grate having (i) a top surface configured to support a cooking vessel and (ii) at least one lower surface configured for disposal along an upper surface of a cooking appliance, wherein the at least one lower surface defines a plurality of cavities, each cavity extending upward from the at least one lower surface and into the grate, and each cavity having first, second, and third portions; and
a plurality of base supports each (i) disposed within a respective cavity of the plurality of cavities, (ii) having a column disposed within the first portion of the respective cavity, (ii) having a beam disposed within the second portion of the respective cavity, and (iv) having a pad disposed within the third portion of the respective cavity, wherein each pad (i) extends outward from a side of a respective column, (ii) extends downward from a bottom of a respective beam, and (iii) has a bottom surface configured to engage the upper surface of the cooking appliance, wherein the first and second portions of each cavity are respectively shaped to interact with the column and the beam of a respective base support of the plurality of base supports to respectively restrict horizontal movement and vertical movement of the respective base support, and
wherein intersections between the second and third portions of each cavity form bottlenecks configured to restrict downward movement of the beams.

2. The cooking vessel support of claim 1 , wherein the column and beam within each base support are substantially perpendicular to each other.

3. The cooking vessel support of claim 2 , wherein each beam and each column are cylindrical in shape, and wherein each pad is wedge-shaped and tapers in a direction that extends upward.

4. The cooking vessel support of claim 1 , wherein the bottom surface of each pad is disposed below the at least one lower surface of the grate.

5. The cooking vessel support of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of each cavity includes an upper pocket that is positioned above and offset from the second portion of the cavity, and wherein each pocket is configured to interact with a top portion of one of the columns to restrict horizontal movement of one of the base supports.

6. The cooking vessel support of claim 1 , wherein the grate includes a hub and spokes protruding outward from the hub, and wherein each cavity is defined by one of the spokes.

7. A cooking vessel support for a burner comprising:
a grate having (i) a top surface configured to support a cooking vessel and (ii) a lower surface configured for disposal along an upper surface of a cooking appliance, the lower surface defining a cavity, wherein the cavity extends upward from the lower surface and into the grate;
a support foot (i) disposed within the cavity, (ii) having a first protrusion disposed within a first portion of the cavity, (iii) having a second protrusion disposed within a second portion of the cavity, and (iv) having pad disposed within a third portion of the cavity, wherein (i) the first protrusion is secured to the pad along a side of the pad, (ii) the second protrusion is secured to the pad along a top of the pad, (iii) the pad has a bottom surface configured to engage the upper surface of the cooking appliance, and (iv) the first and second protrusions are configured to engage first and second internal surfaces of the grate within the first and second portions of the cavity, respectively, to restrict movement of the support foot in first and second directions, respectively, and
wherein an intersection between the second and third portions of the cavity forms a bottleneck configured to restrict downward movement of the second protrusion.

8. The cooking vessel support of claim 7 , wherein the first direction is a horizontal direction.

9. The cooking vessel support of claim 7 , wherein the second direction is a vertical direction.

10. The cooking vessel support of claim 7 , wherein the first and second protrusions are substantially perpendicular to each other.

11. The cooking vessel support of claim 7 , wherein the first and second protrusions are cylindrical in shape, and wherein the pad is wedge-shaped and tapers in a direction that extends upward.

12. The cooking vessel support of claim 7 , wherein the bottom surface of the pad is disposed below the lower surface of the grate.

13. The cooking vessel support of claim 7 , wherein the first portion of the cavity includes an upper pocket that is positioned above and offset from the second portion of the cavity, and wherein a top portion of the first protrusion engages the first internal surface within the upper pocket to restrict movement of the support foot in the first direction.

14. The cooking vessel support of claim 7 , wherein the grate includes a hub and spokes protruding outward from the hub, and wherein the cavity is defined by one of the spokes.

15. A cooktop grate support foot comprising:
a resting pad having a bottom surface configured to engage an upper surface of a cooking appliance;
a beam secured to a top of the resting; and extending over an entirety of the top of the resting pad; and
a column secured to a lateral side of the resting pad, secured to a lateral side of the beam, and extending over entireties of the lateral sides of the resting pad and beam from the bottom surface of the resting pad to a top of the beam, wherein the beam and the column are configured to engage internal surfaces defined within an orifice of a cooktop grate to restrict movement of the cooktop grate support foot in first and second directions relative to the cooktop grate, respectively.

16. The cooktop grate support foot of claim 15 , wherein the first and second protrusions are cylindrical in shape, and wherein the resting pad is wedge-shaped and tapers in a direction that extends upward.

17. The cooktop grate support foot of claim 15 , wherein the column further extends above and beyond the top of the beam.

18. The cooktop grate support foot of claim 15 , wherein a bottom surface of the column is coplanar with the bottom surface of the resting pad, and wherein the bottom surface of the column and the bottom surface of the resting pad collectively define a bottom surface of the cooktop grate support foot as a whole.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Schultz Rodrigo

Classifications

• F24C15/107 Primary

  Pan supports or grates therefor · CPC title