Electric heating – Heating devices – Combined with container – enclosure – or support for material...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-22
2001-02-06
Pelham, Joseph (Department: 3742)
Electric heating
Heating devices
Combined with container, enclosure, or support for material...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06184499
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of electric cooking appliances of the household electric oven type or of the type utilized for grilling, broiling, barbecuing, etc., and concerns more particularly a pivotable heating element and its arrangement in such an appliance.
The patent document FR 2 720 917 discloses a heating element for a household electric oven which is movable through the intermediary of a guide element which permits the heating element to be displaced from a working position to a disengagement position by pivoting around a loop. If this solution is well adapted to a position of the heating element at the level of the bottom of the oven, it is in order, for an upper heating element, to provide a specific system for maintaining this heating element in a horizontal working position. Such systems are well known in the art.
Furthermore, the French patent document FR 2 752 918 describes a pivoting oven heating resistance, the assembly of the resistance being carried out with the aid of holes formed in each of the lateral walls, the resistance being mounted to be pivotable around a pivot axis located at those holes. Each hole carries a bearing block mounted in a fixed position, in which a bearing a sheath portion of the corresponding free end of the resistance is mounted as to permit pivoting of the resistance. An elastic means permits the resistance to be returned to its horizontal working position.
This solution is complex and requires several operations to connect the heating resistance to the elastic means. These operations are associated with a substantial cost. Furthermore, two lateral walls are required for pivoting of the resistance, which involves the provision of additional bulk.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One of the objects of the present invention is to overcome drawbacks of the prior art by providing a pivoting heating element for an electric cooking appliance, which is simple to fabricate and to operate, and thus reduces fabrication costs, without reducing the performance of the heating elements, and all the while permitting a simple manipulation of the heating element by the user.
The present invention achieves the above and other objects by the provision of an electric cooking appliance comprising a frame having at least one bottom wall and/or at least one top, or roof, wall, at least one lateral wall, the walls defining a cooking enclosure, at least one tubular heating element arranged in the cooking enclosure, in the vicinity of the roof and/or the bottom wall of the electric appliance, the heating element being able to be positioned, by rotation, either in a horizontal working position or in a disengagement position with respect to the working position, an elastic restoring, or bias, means disposed between the heating element and the frame for permitting return of the heating element from its disengagement position, wherein the heating element has two end parts whose free ends are connected by connectors to a current supply circuit for the heating element, the end parts extending out of the cooking enclosure through an opening or openings provided in one of the lateral walls and each having at least one locally enlarged portion able to cooperate with a fastener at least partially surrounding the heating element and forming an extremity of the restoring means, the restoring means being arranged to urge the heating element toward, and maintain the heating element in, its working position.
The particular arrangement between the heating element and the restoring means is very simple in its implementation, requires few elements, and does not require any mechanical assembly means such as screws, soldering, etc. The assembly times are thus reduced and performance is achieved at minimum cost.
Advantageously, the enlarged portion, formed on each of the end parts of the heating element, is obtained by die forming the sheath, or insulating shield, of the heating element in a press.
This particularity permits fabrication of the device to be simplified. In effect, the die stamping creates a flattening of the heating element sheath, and consequently a transverse enlargement thereof, which enlargement serves to retain the elastic means preliminarily surrounding the heating element.
Advantageously, the end parts of the heating element are bent and have an inclination directed toward the restoring means. This permits the restoring means to always be positioned in abutment against the deformed zone of the heating element in order to provide the same torque on the heating element, which permits a reproducible positioning of the heating element into its working position.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2918560 (1959-12-01), Kruse
patent: 3024346 (1962-03-01), Sand
patent: 3076886 (1963-02-01), Altman et al.
patent: 3171947 (1965-03-01), McOrlly
patent: 3197615 (1965-07-01), Wetlesen
patent: 3221140 (1965-11-01), Bisley et al.
patent: 3253811 (1966-05-01), Hanson
patent: 3296417 (1967-01-01), Macaulay
patent: 3334215 (1967-08-01), Allen
patent: 94 05 786 (1995-08-01), None
patent: 686368 (1995-12-01), None
Pelham Joseph
Pillsbury Madison & Sutro
Seb S.A.
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