Movable cooking appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9879864-B2
Application number	US-201113079040-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2011
Priority date	Apr 9, 2010
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

A movable cooking appliance comprises a structure which is adapted to be placed on a kitchen worktop appliance or inside a cooking oven appliance and includes a heating element and releasable connector assembly for making electrical connection with power supply connectors. The heating element is an induction heating element and an electronic driving unit is mounted on the appliance. The releasable connector assembly comprising a plug connector having a plurality of terminals designed in order to provide a disconnection signal to the electronic unit before the power supply connectors are fully extracted.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooking appliance comprising:
a cooking unit defined by a kitchen worktop or an oven cavity, said cooking unit including a power source and an electronic driving unit;
an induction tray including an induction heating element, wherein the induction tray is configured to be removably attached to the cooking unit; and
a connector assembly interconnecting the induction tray to the cooking unit in order to provide power to and control the induction tray, said connector assembly including:
a female connector assembly including a plurality of female terminals, the female connector assembly being attached to one of the induction tray or the cooking unit; and
a male connector assembly including a plurality of male terminals, the male connector assembly being attached to another one of the induction tray or the cooking unit, wherein the plurality of male terminals are configured to be selectively inserted into, or removed from, respective ones of the plurality of female terminals to interconnect the induction tray to the power source and electronic driving unit of the cooking unit, said connector assembly incorporating safety means for causing the power source to be disconnected from the induction tray through the male and female connector assemblies before the plurality of male terminals are fully removed from the plurality of female terminals, wherein the safety means comprises at least one male terminal of the plurality of male terminals being longer in length than other ones of the plurality of male terminals and configured to disengage from a switch provided in the female connector assembly so as to provide a disconnection from the power source before all of the plurality of male terminals are fully removed from the plurality of female terminals respectively.

2. The cooking appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the safety means comprises at least one male terminal of the plurality of male terminals being shorter in length than other ones of the plurality of male terminals, such that the at least one male terminal is removed from at least one female terminal of the plurality of female terminals so as to provide a disconnection signal to the electronic driving unit before all of the plurality of male terminals are fully removed from their respective plurality of female terminals.

3. The cooking appliance according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of male terminals and at least one of the plurality of female terminals establish a ground connection for a sensor circuit for detecting a temperature of the induction heating element.

4. The cooking appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of male terminals of the male connector assembly include first and second sensor terminals, first and second power terminals and a ground terminal.

5. A cooking appliance comprising:
a cooking unit defined by a kitchen worktop or an oven cavity, said cooking unit including a power source and an electronic driving unit;
an induction tray including an induction heating element, wherein the induction tray is configured to be removably attached to the cooking unit; and
a connector assembly interconnecting the induction tray to the cooking unit in order to provide power to and control the induction tray, said connector assembly including:
a female connector assembly including a plurality of female terminals, the female connector assembly being attached to one of the induction tray or the cooking unit; and
a male connector assembly including a plurality of male terminals, the male connector assembly being attached to another one of the induction tray or the cooking unit, wherein the plurality of male terminals are configured to be selectively inserted into, or removed from, respective ones of the plurality of female terminals to interconnect the induction tray to the power source and electronic driving unit of the cooking unit, said connector assembly incorporating safety means for causing the power source to be disconnected from the induction tray through the male and female connector assemblies before the plurality of male terminals are fully removed from the plurality of female terminals, wherein the safety means comprises at least one male terminal of the plurality of male terminals being shorter in length than other ones of the plurality of male terminals, such that the at least one male terminal is removed from at least one female terminal of the plurality of female terminals so as to provide a disconnection signal to the electronic driving unit before all of the plurality of male terminals are fully removed from their respective plurality of female terminals, and wherein the at least one male terminal is a temperature sensor terminal electrically connected to a temperature sensor of the induction heating element.

6. A cooking appliance comprising:
a cooking unit defined by a kitchen worktop or an oven cavity, said cooking unit including a power source and an electronic driving unit;
an induction tray including an induction heating element, wherein the induction tray is configured to be removably attached to the cooking unit; and
a connector assembly interconnecting the induction tray to the cooking unit in order to provide power to and control the induction tray, said connector assembly including:
a female connector assembly including a plurality of female terminals, the female connector assembly being attached to one of the induction tray or the cooking unit; and
a male connector assembly including a plurality of male terminals, the male connector assembly being attached to another one of the induction tray or the cooking unit, wherein the plurality of male terminals are configured to be selectively inserted into, or removed from, respective ones of the plurality of female terminals to interconnect the induction tray to the power source and electronic driving unit of the cooking unit, said connector assembly incorporating safety means for causing the power source to be disconnected from the induction tray through the male and female connector assemblies before the plurality of male terminals are fully removed from the plurality of female terminals, wherein the safety means comprises switching means acted upon by one of the plurality of male terminals so as to provide a disconnection signal before all of the plurality of male terminals are fully extracted from the plurality of female terminals.

7. The cooking appliance according to claim 6 , wherein the switching means comprises a mechanical switch.

8. The cooking appliance according to claim 6 , wherein the switching means comprise a proximity switch.

9. The cooking appliance according to claim 6 , wherein various ones of the plurality of male terminals vary in length.

10. The cooking appliance according to claim 9 , wherein the plurality of male terminals includes at least three sets of terminals with distinct lengths.

11. The cooking appliance according to claim 9 , wherein the plurality of male terminals includes at least five male terminals, with two of the at least five male terminals constituting sensor terminals, two of the at least five male terminals constituting power terminals and one of the at least five male terminals constituting a ground terminal.

12. The cooking appliance according to claim 11 , wherein the sensor terminals are shorter in length than the power terminals and the power terminals are shorter in length than the ground terminal.

13. The cooking appliance according to claim 6 , wherein at least one of the plurality of male terminals and at least one of the plurality of female terminals establish a ground connection for a sensor circuit for detec

Assignees

• Gutierrez Diego Neftali
• Santacatterina Gianpiero
• Farachi Francesco
• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Gutierrez Diego Neftali
• Santacatterina Gianpiero
• Farachi Francesco

Classifications

• H01R13/7032

  making use of a separate bridging element directly cooperating with the terminals · CPC title

• F24C15/166 Primary

  with integrated heating means · CPC title

• H01R13/7037

  making use of a magnetically operated switch · CPC title

• F24C15/16

  Shelves, racks or trays inside ovens; Supports therefor · CPC title