Induction cooktop with vapor extraction device

Abstract

Induction hob with a glass ceramic plate (4) having an extraction mouth (8) connected to an apparatus for recovering and disposing of the cooking fumes and vapors generated during the use of said hob (2) and with a lid (14) for closing said extraction mouth (8) when the extraction of said fumes and vapors is not required, characterised in that said extraction mouth (8) has a substantially elongated rectangular shape with one of the two smaller sides positioned close to the rear side of said hob (2) and said closing lid (14) has a complementary shape, is articulated to said hob (2) close to said rearr side to pass from a horizontal position coplanar with said glass ceramic plate (4) to a position emerging from it substantially along its entire length and is provided at least close to its free end with at least one light source (16).

Description

[0001] INDUCTION COOKTOP WITH VAPOR EXTRACTION DEVICE.

[0002] The present invention concerns an induction hob with vapor extraction device.

[0003] Induction hobs are known which comprise an upper glass-ceramic plate, which delimits at the top a compartment housing a plurality of electric coils, which generate magnetic fields suitable for induction heating of pans placed on the glass-ceramic plate in a position above the coils themselves.

[0004] There are also known induction hobs equipped with an extraction system. They include an extraction mouth, obtained in the glass ceramic plate, and a duct that departs from said mouth and through a fan placed inside it can suck up the fumes and vapors that are generated during cooking and conveys them to the outside of the cabinet, on which the hob is mounted, generally through an opening obtained in the rear wall of this.

[0005] In these well-known hobs, the suction mouth created in the glass ceramic plate and the associated fan have the function of replacing the traditional extractor hoods mounted above the hob and have proven to be a valid alternative to the hoods themselves as they practically perform the same function but at the same time allow for optimal use of the space above the hob.

[0006] However, in addition to these advantageous aspects, the well-known induction hobs with suction mouth also present some drawbacks, which the present invention aims to eliminate.

[0007] One of these drawbacks consists in that the extractor hood is usually also equipped with lamps that illuminate from above the inside of the pots and pans placed on the hob and therefore perform a function in addition to the function of extracting cooking vapors and fumes, a function that is obviously lost if the extractor hood is eliminated. To overcome this drawback, it has already been proposed to apply lights to a wall unit placed above the hob, but this solution has not proved satisfactory, firstly because people do not always want to install a wall unit above the hob, and secondly because the lack of an extractor hood could eliminate the need to provide an electrical point in the wall above the hob, while applying lights to the wall unit requires that this be installed anyway.

[0008] Another drawback is linked to the arrangement of the extraction mouth on the hob and to the operating methods of the lid that closes it when the suction system does not need to be activated. More specifically, the extraction mouth of the well-known hobs generally has an elongated rectangular shape in the direction from the front to the back of the hob and has a lid of an equally elongated rectangular shape, articulated around a median axis parallel to the longer sides and can go from a closed horizontal arrangement, coplanar with the glass-ceramic plate of the hob, to an open vertical arrangement, in which it emerges for approximately half its height from the glassceramic plate. It is clear that this arrangement, which occurs when the hob is in operation, constitutes an obstacle to the free movement of a pan on the glass-ceramic plate, making it slide on it without lifting it and therefore without having to carry out operations made difficult by the weight of the pan and without having to run the risk of breaking the glass-ceramic plate, especially in the case of large and heavy pans.

[0009] Another drawback is that since the extraction mouth is placed at the level of the glass ceramic plate, it may prove to be ineffective if it has to suck up cooking fumes and vapours generated by pans of a certain height.

[0010] An aim of the invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks.

[0011] In particular, an aim of the invention is to propose an induction hob with a vapor extraction device, which is able to illuminate the work area even in the absence of an extractor hood equipped with its own lights.

[0012] Another aim of the invention is to create an induction hob that allows the free movement of pans on the glass ceramic plate of the hob without having to lift them from the plate itself.

[0013] Another aim of the invention is to propose an induction hob which, compared to traditional hobs with a built-in vapor extraction device, offers greater extraction efficiency when used with pans of practically any height.

[0014] Another aim of the invention is to propose an induction hob which, compared to traditional hobs with a vapor extraction device, offers greater functionality.

[0015] Another aim of the invention is to propose an induction hob that achieves all these aims without practically modifying the installation methods of the hob itself.

[0016] All these aims and others that will result from the following description can be achieved jointly or separately according to the invention with an induction hob with a vapor extraction device as defined in claim 1.

[0017] The present invention is further clarified hereinafter in some of its preferred forms of practical embodiment reported for purely illustrative and non-limiting purposes with reference to the attached table of drawings in which:

[0018] Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a hob according to the invention installed in the base cabinet of a kitchen, and

[0019] Figure 2 shows it in partial and schematic vertical section.

[0020] As can be seen from the figures, the induction hob according to the invention, indicated globally with 2, traditionally comprises a rectangular glass-ceramic plate 4, which delimits at the top a compartment intended to house the components of the hob, not visible in the drawings and in themselves traditional and consisting of electric coils and their power supply and regulation components, which as a whole are able to supply the coils themselves with electrical energy to make them generate electromagnetic fields intended to heat by induction pans placed on the plate 4.

[0021] On plate 4 of hob 2 there are a number of traditional touch buttons, which control the switching on, switching off and regulation of the individual electric coils and essentially of the “burners” of hob 2.

[0022] The plate 4, which is intended to be mounted on the worktop of a kitchen unit, indicated globally by 6, has a centrally elongated rectangular opening 8, which extends substantially across most of the plate 4 from its front side 10 to its rear side 12 and is connected underneath the plate itself with a suction duct, of which only the upper part which opens into the opening 8 is visible in the drawing.

[0023] This suction duct communicates with the suction side of a fan housed inside the cabinet 6 and having the delivery side opening outwards through an opening made, for example, in the rear wall of the cabinet itself.

[0024] At the rear short side of the opening 8 on the cooking surface 2, a preferably rectangular cover 14 is articulated, which can be moved between a horizontal position coplanar with the plate 4 and a vertical or close to vertical position, and which can assume a series of intermediate positions, at least some of which can be made stable by any means, for example by friction or by steps.

[0025] A snap opening / closing device, for example of the push-pull type, can be applied to the lid 14 to allow the user to unlock it with the simple pressure of a finger and then lift it to allow a spring or other elastic system to bring it and keep it in the vertical position or in the desired inclined positions, according to the user's needs.

[0026] Instead of having a lid 14 that can be operated manually by the user, the hob 2 is also provided with a lid that can be moved electromechanically via an electric actuator controlled, for example, with a touch button, also provided on the glass ceramic plate 4.

[0027] Furthermore, one or more lights 16, preferably led, are advantageously applied to the lid 14, preferably in the part far from the end articulated to the cooking surface 2 and to both sides of the lid itself. These lights can be activated automatically when the lid 14 is lifted, or can be activated upon command by the user, preferably via a touch button provided on the plate 4.

[0028] Advantageously, the cover 14 can be internally hollow and can communicate with the fume and vapour suction duct, in which the suction fan is located. It can also be advantageously provided on its edge by openings 18, which put the internal part of the lid 14 in communication with the outside.

[0029] A display 20 can advantageously be applied to the lower wall of the lid 14, i.e. the wall visible when the lid 14 is raised, in which information intended for the user and preferably concerning the use of the hob 2 can be displayed.

[0030] The operation of the hob 2, according to the invention is as follows: in the rest condition the lid 14 is lowered, completely closes the extraction mouth 8 and creates a substantial surface continuity with the remaining part of the plate 4.

[0031] When using the hob 2, i.e. when fumes or vapours are produced from the pans placed on its plate 4, it is generally preferable to activate the extraction system. If the lid 14 is of the manually operated type, the user can, for example, press on the lid 14 so that the push-pull device incorporated in it releases it and allows a spring or the operator's hand to bring it to the vertical position or to a desired intermediate position. If, on the other hand, the lid 14 is equipped with an electromechanical system for its opening and tilting, the user can act on a special touch button provided in the glassceramic plate 4 and control the release of the lid 14 and its motorised rotation.

[0032] Of course, intermediate configurations can also be envisaged, i.e. an electric system activated by a touch button to release the lid 14 and place it in a slightly raised position, and to then allow it to be lifted manually by the user until the desired operating configuration is reached.

[0033] As will be seen better later, it is also envisaged that a correct use of the lid 14 requires its tilted arrangement, and this can be achieved with an electric command via a touch button or by manual operation by the user up to the desired position, which can remain stable if, for example, the articulation of the lid 14 to the cooking surface 2 is obtained with a friction hinge.

[0034] It can also be advantageously envisaged that the lid 14, once lifted, can also be made to translate parallel to its development plane and orthogonally to the axis of its articulation hinge and made to partially retract into the cabinet 6, so as to reduce the part of it that protrudes from the cooking surface 2.

[0035] It may be advantageous for the lid 14 to be associated with a switch that automatically activates the suction apparatus as soon as the lid itself leaves the rest position coplanar with the plate 4, although the invention also provides for the possibility of manually activating the suction apparatus and in particular its fan, with a touch button, which can also regulate the speed of the fan itself and therefore the flow of sucked air. In any case, regardless of the lifting methods of the lid 14, the very fact that it is articulated with one of its ends close to the rear side 12 of the plate 4, allows almost the entire surface of the plate itself to be practically free from obstacles even when the suction mouth 8 is open and the hob is in operation, and thus makes it possible to move the pans on the plate 4 without hindrance, even by simply sliding on the plate itself.

[0036] Thanks to the presence of the lights 16, which are preferably located near the free end of the lid 14 and on both sides of it, by activating them it is possible to illuminate, even in the absence of a lighting system above the hob 2, the inside of the pots , which are placed on the plate 4 laterally to the opening 8.

[0037] It is then envisaged that during the use of the hob 2 the fumes and vapors coming out of the pans can be sucked up exclusively through the mouth 8 or exclusively through the openings 18 provided along the edges of the lid 14 or both through the mouth 8 and through the openings 18, and the possibility of these different options is linked to an appropriate configuration of the suction and disposal channel of the fumes and vapors and to appropriate interception devices present in it, preferably controlled by means of touch buttons provided in the plate 4.

[0038] The possibility of extracting cooking fumes and vapors through the openings 18 of the lid 14 appears particularly advantageous, as it allows that with an appropriate inclination of the lid 14 at least a significant part of its openings 18 are brought above the upper edge of the pan, from which these fumes and vapors exit and therefore allows an effective extraction effect to be obtained for pans of any height even in the absence of a hood dedicated to this function.

[0039] Finally, thanks to the presence of the display 20, the user will be able to read various types of information on it, particularly regarding the operation of the hob. If this display is then connected wirelessly to the Internet, the user will be able to view useful information on it for using the hob (e.g. recipes) and use the lid with display for particular functions (e.g. timer, alarm, etc.)

[0040] It is clearly understood that the hob according to the invention is much more advantageous than traditional hobs, and in particular:

[0041] - illuminates the hob even in the absence of an extractor hood with lights,

[0042] - does not require lights on any wall units above the hob and therefore eliminates the need for an electrical point in the wall above the hob,

[0043] - allows to adjust the inclination of the lid 14 and therefore both to place the light sources in the correct position, regardless of the height of the pans placed on the hob, and to position any suction openings 18 in the optimal position to obtain an effective suction effect with pans of any height, - practically eliminates any obstacle to the free movement of pans on the hob even without having to lift them,

[0044] - offers ample possibilities for moving the lid 14 according to needs,

[0045] - offers a series of additional features that current induction hobs with vapor extraction device do not have,

[0046] - offers all these advantages without having to modify the installation methods of a traditional induction hob with vapor with extraction device.

Claims

C L A I M S1. Induction hob with a glass ceramic plate (4) having an extraction mouth (8) connected to an apparatus for recovering and disposing of the cooking fumes and vapors generated during the use of said hob (2) and with a lid (14) for closing said extraction mouth (8) when the extraction of said fumes and vapors is not required, characterised in that said extraction mouth (8) has a substantially elongated rectangular shape with one of the two smaller sides positioned close to the rear side of said hob (2) and said closing lid (14) has a complementary shape, is articulated to said hob (2) close to said rearr side to pass from a horizontal position coplanar with said glass ceramic plate (4) to a position emerging from it substantially along its entire length and is provided at least close to its free end with at least one light source (16).

2. Cooking hob according to claim 1 characterised in that said lid (14) is provided on both sides with at least one light source (16).

3. Cooking hob according to claim 1 and / or 2 characterised in that it comprises means for controlling powering of said at least one light source (16), which means can be activated automatically when said lid (16) is moved from its horizontal rest position.

4. Cooking hob according to one or more of the preceding claims characterised in that said lid (14) is movable between a horizontal position, coplanar with said glass ceramic plate (4) and a vertical or close to vertical position.

5. Cooking hob according to one or more of the preceding claims characterised in that said lid (14) can be moved parallel to its development plane orthogonally to its articulation axis to said glass-ceramic plate (4) to partially enter said extraction mouth (8).

6. Cooking hob according to one or more of the preceding claims characterised in that the articulation means of said lid (14) to said cooking hob (2) are configured to maintain stable any position of said lid (14) between its two limit positions.

7. Cooking hob according to one or more of the preceding claims characterised in that said lid (14) is internally hollow and is provided with suction openings (16) communicating with said apparatus for recovering and disposing of cooking fumes and vapours.

8. Cooking hob according to one or more of the preceding claims characterised in that said lid (14) is associated with electromechanical means for its movements around its articulation axis to said cooking hob (2).

9. Cooking hob according to one or more of the preceding claims characterised in that said lid (14) is provided with a push-pull device for locking it in the closed rest configuration and for unlocking it from this.

10. Cooking hob according to one or more of the preceding claims characterised in that said lid (14) is provided with a friction hinge configured to keep stable any operating position of the lid itself stable.11 . Cooking hob according to one or more of the preceding claims characterised in that said lid (14) is provided with a display (20) for viewing useful information for the user.

12. Cooking hob according to one or more of the preceding claims characterised in that it comprises in said glass ceramic plate (4) touch buttons to control functions that said lid (14) can perform.

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