GB2185564A - Pan support for cooking - Google Patents

Abstract

A hot plate region 5 of a gas-fuelled cooking hob comprises a moulding 1 of a high temperature-resistant material shaped to form eight upstanding ridges 9 to 16, integrally moulded with a base 2 and extending across the region 5, thereby forming a pan support. The underside of the base is formed with a recess 17, the size and shape of which is commensurate with an open-topped gas burner body 18, so that the moulding base 2 effectively closes the gas burner. Gas outlet ports are provided by a number of ducts 19, which each extend from the recess 17 to a side face of one of the upstanding ridges 10 to 15 in a slanting manner, to inhibit spillage from a pan supported on the ridges from entering the gas burner body 18. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A pan support arrangement for a gas-fuelled cooking hob This invention relates to a pan support arrangement fora gas-fuelled cooking hob.

Conventional gas fuelled cooking hobs usually comprise four gas burner regions set in an enamelled metal surround, each gas burner being constructed from at least two removable metal components, which, when assembled, make up a pan support and a gas burner head, and, when disassembled, can be cleaned more easilythan if these components were fixed to the surround.

However, it can still be difficult and time consuming to clean all of the components individually.

To alleviate this problem of cleaning gas fuelled cooking hobs, it has been proposed hitherto that a smooth, continuous, glass ceramic cooktop is used to cover all of the gas burners, as is commonly used for electric cooking hobs. However, whilst such a cooktop is much easierto clean, the glass ceramic material generally requires some protection from the intense and localised heat oftheflames from the gas burners, which can considerably reduce the thermal response ofthe hob.

In anothercooking hob,shown in UKPatentNo.

1593977, the pan supports and the surround are formed by a single moulding with a central aperture, through which the flames from a gas burner head beneath the moulding are arranged to project. This construction thus partially alleviates the problem of cleaning by using a moulding for the pan support rather than individual components, but still require separate cleaning ofthe moulding and the gas burner head region beneath it.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved pan supportarrangementfora gas-fuelled cooking hob, which substantially alleviates all of the above-mentioned problems encountered with such arrangements for gas-fuelled cooking hobs known hitherto.

According to the present invention there is provided a pan support arrangementfora gas-fuelled cooking hob, said arrangement consisting of a moulding of high temperature-resistant material comprising a base arranged to effectively close a gas burner of said hob and a pan support formation projecting upwardly from said base, said moulding also having formed therein gas outlet ports of said gas burner extending from the underside of said moulding to the upper surface thereof.

Preferably, the outlet ports each consistofa slanted ductformed in the upwardly projecting pan supportformation which tends to inhibit spillage, from a pan supported on the formation, from entering the gas burner.

The pan support formation may consist of a numberof substantially parallel longitudinal ridges upstanding from the base and extending across at least the region of the base above the gas burner.

The invention will now be further described by way of example onlywith reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 shows a plan view of a gas-fuelled cooking hob incorporating the present invention, Figure 2 shows a planviewofone pan support arrangement shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 shows a sectional view along X-X in Figure 2, and Figure 4shows a sectional view along Y-Y in Figure 2.

Agas-fuelled cooking hob, shown in Figure 1, consists of a moulding 1 of a high temperature-resistant material comprising a base 2 having four gas burner regions 3,4,5,6 formed therein, and the moulding 1 is set in a suitable trim 7.

Each gas burner region is provided with a number of substantially parallel, longitudinal, upstanding ridges, such as at 8, which are integrally moulded with the base 2 and extend across the gas burner region, providing a pan supportfor pans (not shown) on the hob.

Figures 2 to 4 show more detailed views of the part ofthe moulding 1 forming the pan support arrangementforthe gas burner reg ion 5.

The hotplate region 5 is provided with eight upstanding ridges 9 to 16, forming the pan support, which are integrally moulded with the base 2 and extend across the reg ion 5.

The underside ofthe base 2 is formed with a recess 17, the size and shape of which is commensurate with an open-topped gas burner body 18, so that, when the moulding 1 is located over the gas burner, the base 2 of the moulding 1 effectively closes the gas burner.

Outlet ports for the gas burner body 18 are provided by a number of ducts, such as at 19, which each extend from the recess 17 to a side face of one of the upstanding ridges 10 to 15, as shown at side face 20 on ridge 12, in a slanting manner, which tends to inhibit spillage, from a pan (notshown) supported on the ridges 9 to 16, from entering the gas burner body 18. Furthermore, all of the ducts are slanting in the same direction, as this arrangement eases removal of the moulding 1 from the mould during manufacture of the hob. It can be seen from Figures 3 and 4that ridges 10 to 1 are each provided with a row of ducts and thetwo outer ridges 9 and 16, which are outside of the region directly above the gas burner body 18, do not have any ducts formed therein.

Any suitable mouldy blue material may be utilised, as long as it has sufficient temperature resistance to withstand the thermal shocks involved and also the intense heat of the gas burnerflames, the temperature of which can be as high as 18600C.The material used should also be impervious to water and have sufficient mechanical strength when moulded to withstand being struck by pans of considerable weight.

Asuitable material,which possesses these properties, may be a composite of magnesium oxide, aluminium ortho phosphate or aluminium acidic phosphate, and a filler, such as kaolin.

This material isfurtheradvantageous in that it does not require firing at high temperatures in a kiln for itto set in the mould, thereby considerably reducing the manufacturing costs, which would be incurred if a material requiring firing was used.

When formed into a slurry, this composite is suitable to be used in an injection or compression moulding process. The magnesium oxide preferably has a comparatively large particle size and small surface area, so that it reacts sufficiently slowly with the phosphate or acidic phosphate to permit mixing ofthe composite before the setting process.

Refractoryfibres may also be added to the composite material to increase the mechanical strength thereof.

The moulding of the underside of the base can be extendedto includethe gas burner body 18andthe necessary gas supply ducts, thereby providing a single moulding comprising the surround, the gas supply ducts, the pan support and the whole gas burner including the gas outlet ports.

The pan support can be formed into any suitable shape or configuration for supporting pans of various shapes and sizes. For example, the pan support may consist of radially- arranged straight ridges or alternatively one or more annular ridges.

Furthermore, the gas outlet ports may be formed at other suitable locations in the moulding, instead of in the pan support, and they may be suitably orientated to direct specifically flames from the burner. Also, any suitable numberand/or configuration ofthe outlet ports may be used.

A moulding for each gas burner region 3to 6may be individually moulded and set in a suitable surround eitherin a removable manner our permanently fixed.

The present pan support arrangement is thus advantageous in that it provides a one-piece moulded gas-fuelled cooking hob,which incorporates the gas burner surround, the pan support and also at least the gas outlet ports of the gas burner, thereby enabling easier cleaning than known gas-fuelled cooking hobs, whilst still providing a rapid thermal response by maintaining direct contact ofthe flames from the burner with the pan supported thereon.

Claims (9)

1. Apan supportarrangementforagas-fuelled cooking hob, said arrangement consisting of a moulding of high temperature-resistant material comprising a base arranged to effectively close a body portion of a gas burner of said hob and a pan supportformation projecting upwardly from said base, said moulding also having formed therein gas outlet ports of said gas burner extending from the underside of said moulding to the upper surface thereof.

2. A pan support arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said outlet ports each consist of a slanted duct extending through said pan support formation.

3. A pan support arrangement as claimed in claim 1 or2 wherein said pan supportformation consists of a number of substantially parallel, longitudinal ridges upstanding from said base and extending across at least the region of said base located, in use, above said gas burner.

4. A pan support arrangement as claimed in claim 1,2 or 3 wherein the underside of said base is formed with a recess commensurate with said gas burner to provide, in use, effective closure of said gas burner.

5. A pan support arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said body of said gas burner is integrally moulded from said high temperature-resistant material with the underside of said base.

6. A pan support arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim wherein gas supply ductsforsaid gas burner are integrally moulded from said high temperature-resistant material with the underside of said base.

7. A pan support arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said material consists of a composite of magnesium oxide, aluminium phosphate or acidic phosphate, and a filler.

8. A pan support arrangement substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

9. A gas-fuelled cooking hob including a number of pan support arrangements, each as claimed in any preceding claim, said arrangements all being formed from a single moulding of said high temperature-resistant material.