Integrated Gas Cooktop Assembly for Easier Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gas ranges are laborious to clean due to the need to remove and separately clean each burner and grate, and food particles often seep into the cooktop openings, requiring lifting of the cooktop for thorough cleaning.
Innovation Solution
Integration of the cooktop, burner, and grate as a single, continuous surface with a gas manifold assembly that includes a delivery tube, stand, ring, and igniter, forming an open-bottom chamber to facilitate airflow and prevent food particles from entering the compartment, and a sloped bowl portion to contain spills without extinguishing the flame.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the cooktop, burner, and grate are kept as separate components, then each component can be independently manufactured and assembled, but cleaning becomes laborious requiring removal and separate cleaning of each component
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cooktop surface, burner assembly, and grate into a single integrated unit. The cooktop includes a surface with an opening, a burner assembly extending through the opening, and a grate positioned around the opening, all forming one continuous structure that eliminates seams where food particles can accumulate, allowing the entire assembly to be cleaned as a single unit without disassembly
2Productivity
If the cooktop is designed with openings for burners, then gas delivery and combustion are enabled, but food particles can seep into the openings and onto surfaces below requiring lifting of the cooktop for cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses the cleaning accessibility problem by integrating the grate to extend downward into the compartment below the cooktop surface. This vertical extension into a third dimension allows the grate to block food particles from reaching surfaces below while maintaining the functional openings for gas delivery and combustion
3Ease of operation
If separate grates are positioned around each opening, then cooking utensils can be supported above the burner, but the grate structure creates additional surfaces and seams that accumulate food particles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the grate with the cooktop and burner assembly into a single continuous structure. The grate is positioned around the opening and integrated with the cooktop surface and burner assembly, eliminating separate components and the seams between them, thereby reducing surfaces where food particles can accumulate while maintaining cooking utensil support functionality
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Simplifies cleaning by eliminating seams and reducing the likelihood of food particles entering the compartment, while maintaining efficient gas delivery and combustion, thus enhancing the overall cleaning efficiency and usability of the gas range.
Implementation Method 1
a delivery tube configured to deliver gas received from a supply to the burner
Implementation Method 2
an igniter configured to ignite the gas flowing through the burner
Implementation Method 3
forming an open-bottom chamber to facilitate airflow and prevent food particles from entering the compartment
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus are disclosed regarding a gas range and an integrated cooktop assembly. The integrated cooktop assembly may be formed as a single, continuous surface. Some embodiments of the cooktop assembly may include a bowl portion, a burner portion, a grate portion, and a cooktop portion.