Snap spring clip for burner unit mounting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9851108-B2
Application number	US-201514694010-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2015
Priority date	Apr 23, 2015
Publication date	Dec 26, 2017
Grant date	Dec 26, 2017

Abstract

An appliance includes a spring clip for attaching a radiant burner unit to a cooktop includes a body extending in a lateral direction. A retention tab projects from the body and extends in the lateral direction adjacent the body. A retention arm projects from the body and defines a first spring loop and a lever. The spring loop biases the lever toward the retention tab. The spring clip further includes a snap tab having a support arm projecting from the body in a vertical direction and a tab resiliently flexible toward and away from the support arm.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A spring clip for attaching a radiant burner unit to a cooktop, comprising:
a body extending in a lateral direction;
a retention tab projecting from the body and extending in the lateral direction adjacent the body;
a retention arm projecting from the body in a vertical direction and defining a first spring loop and a lever, the first spring loop biasing the lever toward the retention tab; and
a snap tab having a support arm projecting from the body in the vertical direction adjacent the retention arm and a tab resiliently flexible toward and away from the support arm.

2. The spring clip of claim 1 , wherein the support arm of the snap tab is coupled with the body by a second spring loop disposed between the body and the support arm, the second spring loop being resiliently expandable to extend the tab vertically away from the body.

3. The spring clip of claim 1 , wherein the body, retention tab, retention arm, and snap tab are of a single, unitary piece of material.

4. The spring clip of claim 2 , wherein the single, unitary piece of material is stamped steel having a thickness of between about 0.3 and 0.6 millimeters.

5. The spring clip of claim 1 , wherein the tab of the snap tab includes:
a release arm extending in the vertical direction opposite the support arm; and
first and second side arms extending from the release arm on opposite sides thereof.

6. The spring clip of claim 1 , wherein the snap tab is insertable within a hole in the radiant burner unit with the retention arm biased against a wall of the radiant burner unit to retain the snap tab within the hole.

7. The spring clip of claim 6 , wherein the snap tab is removeably coupleable with a receiving aperture in a support structure of the cooktop adjacent a burner unit aperture therein, the burner unit being retained against a portion of the cooktop by coupling of the snap tab with the receiving aperture.

8. The spring clip of claim 1 , wherein the retention arm is a first retention arm and is disposed on a first side of the support arm of the snap tab, the spring clip further having a second retention arm disposed on a second side of the support arm opposite the first side.

9. A burner assembly for a cooktop, comprising:
a burner unit comprising a heating element retained within a housing defining a vertical side wall and a lower surface having a hole therein adjacent the side wall; and
a spring clip, including:
a body extending in a lateral direction;
a retention tab projecting from the body and engaging with the hole with the body retained against the lower surface of the housing;
a retention arm projecting from the body in a vertical direction and defining a first spring loop and a lever, the spring loop biasing the lever against the side wall; and
a snap tab projecting from the body in the vertical direction adjacent the retention arm and spaced apart from the side wall of the housing.

10. The burner assembly of claim 9 , wherein the biasing of the lever of the retention arm against the side wall of the housing urges the body of the spring clip laterally, thereby maintaining engagement of the retention tab with the hole in the lower surface.

11. The burner assembly of claim 9 , wherein the spring clip further has a support arm projecting from the body in the vertical direction and spaced apart from the side wall of the housing, the snap tab further having and a tab resiliently flexible toward and away from the support arm.

12. The burner assembly of claim 9 , wherein the spring clip further includes a first stability arm extending from a first side of the body along the lower surface of the housing and a second stability arm extending from a second side of the body along the lower surface of the housing.

13. The burner assembly of claim 9 , wherein the snap tab is at least partially resiliently deformable in the vertical direction.

14. The burner assembly of claim 13 , wherein the snap tab is removably coupleable with a receiving aperture in a support structure of the cooktop adjacent a burner unit aperture therein, the housing of the burner unit being retained against a portion of the cooktop by coupling of the snap tab with the receiving aperture including by deformation of the snap tab in the vertical direction.

15. A method for assembling a burner unit with a cooktop, comprising:
assembling a first spring clip with a housing of the burner unit, including positioning a retention arm of the first spring clip against a side wall of the housing and urging the first spring clip in a first lateral direction against a bias of the retention arm to align a retention tab of the first spring clip with a first hole in a lower surface of the housing and releasing the first spring clip such that the retention tab is engaged with the first hole and the retention arm is biased against the side wall; and
assembling the first spring clip with a support structure of the cooktop positioned vertically above the housing, including aligning the housing of the burner unit with an aperture in the support structure and engaging a spring tab of the first spring clip with a first receiving aperture disposed in the support structure adjacent the aperture by vertical movement of the housing toward the support structure, wherein engaging the spring tab with the first receiving aperture includes deflection of the spring tab in a vertical direction against a bias of the first spring clip.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein assembling the spring clip with the support structure of the cooktop includes positioning a portion of the housing of the burner unit against an underside of a glass substrate of the cooktop.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the deflection of the spring tab in the vertical direction is such that the bias of the spring clip retains the portion of the housing of the burner unit against the underside of the glass substrate.

18. The method of claim 15 , further including assembling a second spring clip with the housing of the burner unit, including positioning a retention arm of the second spring clip against the side wall of the housing and urging the second spring clip in a second lateral direction against a bias of the retention arm to align a retention tab of the second spring clip with a second hole in the lower surface of the housing and releasing the second spring clip such that the retention tab thereof is engaged with the second hole and the retention arm thereof is biased against the side wall.

19. The method of claim 18 , further including assembling the second spring clip with the support structure of the cooktop, including engaging a spring tab of the second spring clip with a second receiving aperture disposed in the support structure adjacent the aperture.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein engaging the spring tab with the second receiving aperture includes deflection of the spring tab in a vertical direction against a bias of the second spring clip.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Pille Alexander S

Classifications

• F24C15/108 Primary

  Mounting of hot plate on worktop · CPC title

• H05B2206/022

  Special supports for the induction coils · CPC title

• H05B3/748

  Resistive heating elements, i.e. heating elements exposed to the air, e.g. coil wire heater (H05B3/742 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16B2/241

  of sheet metal · CPC title

• F24C15/102

  electrically heated · CPC title