Emerson Electric Company

Other

Christopher R Taylor

Jeffrey A Bates

Simon P Griffiths

Byron Neal Cantrell

James E Small

Lucas L Fowler

Subhash R Deo

Philip Wayne Hunnicutt

Radiant heating element

A heating unit for use in a cooktop is disclosed. The heating unit includes a pan with an insulation structure supporting a heating element. The heating unit further includes a temperature sensor and indicator to be used as a visual indication to the user that the heating unit is energized.

Temperature sensor for heater unit in cooktop range

The present invention provides a modular heating unit for a grill. The grill has a grill plate supported on a support base. The grill plate has a bottom surface and a top surface. The modular heating unit is mounted to the bottom surface of the grill plate and has at least four side edges. The modular heating unit has a pan, an insulation layer and a heating element. The pan has a generally flat base and a circumferential sidewall. The insulation layer has an insulation base and a circumferential sidewall. The heating element is supported on the insulation base to heat the grill plate and is positioned in a spaced apart relationship to the bottom surface of the grill plate. The modular heating unit is divided into a center section and two side sections. The side sections are adjacent to two side edges of the modular heating unit. The heating element is contoured to provide more heat to at least one of the side sections than the center section of the heating unit. This allows for additional heat to be provided to certain sections of the grill plate that may extend beyond the modular heating unit.

Modular radiant heater units for use in grills having edge heat weighting

The present invention provides a radiant heating unit for a cooktop. The heating unit includes a cooking plate, a support pan, an insulation layer, a heating element, a temperature sensor, and a support post. The support pan is disposed beneath the cooking plate. The insulation layer is supported in the pan and includes an insulation base and an insulation sidewall ring. The heating element is supported on the insulation base in a spaced apart relationship to the cooking plate. The heating element is capable of radiating direct radiant energy. The temperature sensor senses the temperature inside the heating unit and includes a sensing element and lead wires. The support post has an upper head portion and a lower base portion. The upper head portion has a recess to house at least a portion of the sensing element of the temperature sensor. The recess also shields at least a portion of the sensing element from direct radiant energy of the heating element.

Modular heating unit for cooktops

A modular radiant heating unit adapted for installation into a cooktop or the like. In one embodiment, the heating unit comprises an open-topped pan having a bottom and circumferential sidewall defining a flanged upper rim. A thermally insulating support element disposed in the bottom of the pan, and a radiant heating element is disposed in a pattern on the support element. An insulation ring is extends around and adjacent to the inner surface of the circumferential sidewall of the pan. A thermally insulating washer-like gasket is disposed atop the insulation ring and the flanged upper rim of the pan. A glass-ceramic cover plate is disposed atop the gasket, such that the gasket enhances the seal between the plate and the pan. The present invention also includes methods of assembling a modular radiant heating unit having such a gasket.

Modular radiant heating unit having a thermally insulating gasket and methods of assembling same

A grill (,) includes a hot plate (,) on one side of which is a cooking surface (,) upon which food to be cooked is set. A heating unit (,) installed on the underside (,) of the hot plate is used to heat the grill so the cooking surface temperature is a desired temperature. The unit includes a radiant heating element (,) and a pan (,) in which the heating element is installed. A cavity (C) defined by the underside of the grill, a sidewall (,) of the pan, and a top surface (,) of an insulation material (,) in which the heating element is supported, is heated to a uniform temperature across the cavity, and the grill is heated to this temperature. This uniformity of temperature results in food placed anywhere on the grill rapidly heating to a desired temperature and the food being cooked uniformly throughout.

Growing community of inventors

Columbus, MS, United States of America

Christopher R Taylor