Maytag Corporation

Theodore A Becker

Inho Andy Shin

Dustin L Hawkins

Jeffrey D Ware

Jerry Woodby

Jeffrey B Ensley

James Coty McFarland

Michael J Shaver

Michael C Mayne

Samuel Clifford Crosby

Steven G Tirrell

S Todd Brooks

Kenneth M Hattori

Mark A Pickering

Russell L Simms, Ii

Michael E Bales

Shelton T Barnes

Perry A Bennett

Mark A Boyer, Iii

Kenneth E Sauter

Xiaojian James Chen

Charles Looney

Jill L Means

Brian Jones

Kevin D Kinch

Liana Y Webb

Susan K Fisher

Mark D Engle

J Coty McFarland

Stephen L Farlett

Oven door vent/handle assembly for a cooking appliance

A cooking appliance includes a control user interface defined by a control panel arranged with a set of dedicated keys for each of various primary cooking modes. The control panel includes a display having various information display zones and various buttons which are provided on each side of and aligned with the information display zones. The buttons are used to select options and settings presented in the display. A controller, based on a hierarchical type organization, is employed to select a choice of cooking modes visually presented to a user in the display. The controller then navigates the user through a series of sub-menus to establish settings and options associated with each particular cooking mode.

Menu driven control system for a cooking appliance

Four burner gas cooktop with grates and side control knobs

Modular grate arrangement for a five burner gas-on-glass cooking appliance

Five burner gas cooktop with grates and central control knobs

Four burner gas-on-glass cooktop with grates and side control knobs

Modular grate arrangement for a gas cooking appliance

Grate arrangement for a five burner gas on glass cooking appliance

Modular grate arrangement for a five burner gas cooking appliance

Multiple, programmable appliance units are connected to a control unit which receives program data from a control panel including user input elements for selecting various operational parameters, such as operational modes and times, for the appliance units. The control panel also includes a display having both display zones which are dedicated to the individual appliance units and at least one common display zone. Preferably, the common display zone is centrally located and operates on priority and override bases to provide user information concerning the appliance units. In further accordance with the invention, the information provided in the common display zone is linked to a dedicated area for a corresponding one of the appliance units to clearly enable the user to relate the provided information with the respective unit. In a preferred form of the invention, the information link takes the form of a bracket provided on the display which extends across the common display zone and into a dedicated zone for the particular appliance unit.

Growing community of inventors

Cleveland, TN, United States of America

Theodore A Becker