Range with suspended cooktop
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cooking ranges with fixed cooktops face challenges in accommodating varying countertop and floor heights due to thermal and mechanical loadings, leading to potential damage from uneven stress distribution.
Innovation Solution
A cooktop module that can be vertically adjusted relative to the oven and cabinet, allowing for independent alignment with the countertop, using mechanisms such as removable locking pins, ratcheting systems, and biasing arrangements to manage stress and ensure proper positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cooktop is fixedly mounted to the cabinet, then the structure is simple and stable, but the cooktop cannot accommodate varying countertop heights and suffers from damaging loads
Solution Approach 1:
The cooktop mounting structure transitions from a fixed rigid connection to a dynamic adjustable system. The cooktop module can be vertically repositioned relative to the cabinet using adjustment mechanisms, allowing the system to adapt to varying countertop heights and thermal-mechanical loading conditions while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The range is divided into separable modules: the cooktop module and the cabinet/oven assembly. This segmentation allows independent adjustment of the cooktop module's vertical position, enabling the cooktop to accommodate countertop height variations without requiring adjustment of the entire range structure.
2Ease of operation
If the cooktop and oven are both fixed relative to the cabinet, then the assembly is simple, but vertical repositioning requires adjustable feet that complicate the structure
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting structure incorporates dynamic adjustment capabilities that allow the cooktop module to be easily repositioned vertically. The system transitions from a static fixed mounting to a dynamic adjustable mounting, enabling operational flexibility while maintaining structural integrity.
3Manufacturing precision
If the range is positioned with low tolerance relative to floor and countertop, then installation is precise, but manufacturing and operating variations cause changing distances that damage the cooktop
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates dynamic adjustment mechanisms that allow the cooktop module to compensate for dimensional changes caused by thermal and mechanical loading. This dynamic capability maintains reliable operation despite variations in the distance between the floor and countertop over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The vertical position parameter of the cooktop module is made adjustable to compensate for changes in the overall range dimensions. By allowing the cooktop to be repositioned vertically, the system adapts to parameter changes caused by thermal expansion, mechanical loading, and manufacturing tolerances.
Data Source
AI summary
A slide-in or drop-in cooking range includes an upper cooktop in the form of a module suspended above an oven cavity. For installation purposes, the upper cooktop can be vertically repositioned relative to the oven cavity to assure proper alignment with the countertop and avoid damage to the cooktop as a result of combined thermal and mechanical stresses over time. The disclosure is particularly applicable to ranges employing glass cooktops having a periphery designed to rest upon edge portions of a countertop and contemplates various mechanisms to perform the cooktop repositioning function, including select mechanisms for locking, ratcheting and biasing the cooktop to establish a desired vertical position for the cooktop.