Maytag Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation

Carrier Corporation

Mark A Pickering

William D Barritt

Timothy J Arntz

David E Levi

Wade A Atkinson

Roger F Doty

S Todd Brooks

Lloyd A Smith, Jr

Theodore A Becker

Christopher A Larsen

Michael E Bales

Charles Looney

Val Briedis

Richard W Brangan

David M Lorenz

William A Barritt

Steven Todd Brooks

A cooking appliance a gas burner configured to generate a quantity of heat is disclosed. The cooking appliance also includes a pressure sensor operable to measure the pressure of gas supplied to the gas burner from a gas control valve. The gas control valve is operable to adjust the supply of gas to the gas burner based on the measured pressure of the gas.

Method and apparatus for providing ultra low gas burner performance for a cooking appliance

A cooking appliance having a gas burner operable to generate a quantity of heat is disclosed. The cooking appliance also includes a pressure sensor operable to measure the pressure of gas supplied to the gas burner from a gas valve. The gas valve is programmed to adjust the supply of gas to the gas burner based on the measured pressure of the gas.

Smart gas burner system for cooking appliance

A cooking appliance includes an oven cavity accessed through first and second French-style doors that are connected to the appliance through a door linkage system. The door linkage system establishes a particular timing of door openings and closings to minimize potential wear of a door gasket. That is, each of the doors has an associated gasket for use in sealing the oven cavity when the doors are closed. One of the doors is provided with an annular gasket, while the other door essentially incorporates a less that fully annular, preferably 3-sided or a three-quarter gasket. With this arrangement, each of the gaskets has three sides adapted to seal against a cabinet shell portion of the appliance, while the fourth side of the first gasket is adapted to seal against an extension provided on the other door.

French door cooking appliance closure system

A cooking appliance includes smooth cooking surface having at least one cooking zone, a base frame section, at least one gas burner assembly located between the smooth cooking surface and the base frame section, and a control unit. A wire filament coil, electrically interconnected to the control unit, is arranged adjacent to the gas burner assembly. The wire filament coil includes a plurality of distinct, independently controlled segments extending about a perimeter of the gas burner. When operated in a first mode, at least one segment of the wire filament coil is utilized as an ignition source for a gas flow directed from the gas burner assembly. When operated in a second mode, the gas flow is shut off and selected segments of the wire filament coil are activated to establish a low level heat setting for the cooking zone.

Smooth surface gas cooktop having an electric ignition/turndown system

A gas cooking appliance includes a combination radiant/convection cooking system mounted below a bottom wall portion of an oven cavity. The combination cooking system includes a gas burner in the form of a ring element having a central portion within which is positioned a convection fan. In addition to the convection fan, a forced air combustion fan supplies a combustion airflow to the gas burner. The oven preferably includes a glass panel arranged in a bottom wall portion of the oven cavity, above the gas burner. Arranged about the central opening are a plurality of vented openings for introducing the convective airflow into the oven cavity. The glass panel provides both a conductive heat surface transmitting at least a portion of the radiate heat energy into the oven cavity and a viewing surface allowing a consumer to view the operation of the gas burner.

Combination radiant/convection gas cooking appliance

An electric oven includes a cabinet within which is arranged an oven cavity. Arranged below a bottom portion of the oven cavity is a combination convection/radiant bake cooking system adapted to derive heat energy from a single heat source. The oven preferably includes a central opening in the bottom portion within which is arranged a glass panel. Arranged about a periphery of the central opening are a plurality of vented openings adapted to introduce a convective airflow into the oven cavity. The glass panel provides both a conductive heat surface transmitting radiant heat energy into the oven cavity and a viewing surface allowing a consumer to view the operation of the heat source.

Combination radiant/convection cooking system for an electric oven

A cooking appliance includes a support frame at least partially defining a cooktop, an orifice holder, an igniter assembly having an attachment bracket and a removable burner base. The orifice holder includes a central projection and a recessed portion through which extends an igniter receiving aperture. The removable burner includes an igniter receiving opening and a central receiving portion adapted to engage with the gas orifice holder through the central projection to form a burner assembly. The igniter is positioned in the igniter receiving aperture with the bracket being secured to the recessed portion of the orifice holder. Once assembly, the burner base is placed over the orifice holder to from a gas burner assembly. Preferably, the igniter is interconnected with an ignition wire having a terminal connector sized to pass through the igniter receiving aperture. With this arrangement, the igniter is installed/removed from a top portion of the cooktop.

Front serviceable ignition system for a cooking appliance

A cooking appliance includes a cabinet, defined by at least front, side, bottom and back panel portions, a pair of laterally spaced end caps provided at an upper rear portion cabinet, and a range top mounted upon an upper portion of the cabinet. At least two sets of alignment components, with each set of alignment components being defined by cooperating first and second sets of alignment elements, are provided on the end caps and range top respectively. When the range top is mounted upon the cabinet, the sets of alignment components become interengaged to automatically, laterally center and mount the range top with respect to the cabinet.

Rear alignment and support system for a cooking appliance cooktop

A cooking appliance includes a grilling grate supported directly above at least one heating element and situated adjacent to a downdraft grill. The grilling grate includes structure to effectively shield the heating element(s) from an air flow generated during operation of the downdraft system. More specifically, the grilling grate includes a grilling surface on an upper side, and a plurality of conductive heat members on a lower side. The conductive heat members have side portions which extend about the heating element in order to cloak the heating element from the effects of the airflow produced by the downdraft system thereby providing a more efficient means of energy transfer to the grilling surface.

Heater cloaking grill grate system for downdraft cooking appliance

A cooking appliance including a cooktop incorporates a plurality of control element arrays for regulating spaced heating zones, a downdraft venting system that includes a grill provided on the cooktop, and a timing device. In accordance with the most preferred form of the invention, electronic control components are utilized and openings are formed in a ceramic-based face plate portion of the cooktop to accommodate mounting of the electronic control components generally flush with an exposed surface of the face plate portion.

Control system for an appliance cooktop

A filtering system for a downdraft cooking appliance includes a filter assembly arranged directly below an air grill leading to a venting plenum. The filter assembly includes a liner which supports a filter element and is removably positioned inside the plenum. The filter element can be arranged inside the liner, attached thereto or insert molded into the liner material. The liner is preferably suspended from the air grill so as to be readily removable in unison with the grill for inspection, cleaning or replacement. In a preferred embodiment, the liner is formed with opposing, outwardly projecting flanges which slide into mating channels formed into the underside of the grill. With this arrangement, exposure of the wall surfaces of the plenum to the cooking byproducts is minimized, thereby greatly reducing any necessary cleaning of these surfaces.

Downdraft filter assembly for a cooking appliance

A versatile surface cooking cartridge for use in an appliance includes a lower container portion to which is attached a lid member. A first heating element is arranged in the lower container portion and a second heating element is carried by and extends along a lower surface of the lid member. One of a replaceable rack or cooking plate can be positioned in the lower container portion, above the first heating element, to enable food items to be cooked by heat generated by either or both of the first and second heating elements. The cooking plate preferably has a sloped surface leading to a recess trap for collecting byproducts generated during cooking upon the plate. The cooking plate can define a grilling plate, a griddle plate, or a reversible, combination grilling/griddle plate.

Versatile surface heating cartridge for cooking appliance

A gas burner mounting assembly includes a gas injector having a main body portion positioned between a chassis member of a gas cooking appliance and a ceramic based cooktop of the appliance. The gas injector also includes an upper body portion which extends through an aperture formed in the cooktop. A burner retention bracket is interposed between the main body portion of the gas injector and an underside of the cooktop. A resilient support preferably acts between the gas injector and the cooktop, although no rigid attachment is made between these elements. The gas injector is mechanically, fixedly secured to the cooktop in order to allow the gas injector to flex with the cooktop.

Growing community of inventors

Cleveland, TN, United States of America

Mark A Pickering