Cooktop
First Claim
1. An apparatus for a cooking system that comprises a plurality of electrically-operated heating elements that each define a center, and a plurality of heating element power control circuits that each control power flow to a respective one of the heating elements, the apparatus comprising:
- a cooktop surface member located above the heating elements and defining a top surface and a front edge; and
a plurality of user interface elements visible from above the top surface of the cooktop surface member and spaced from the heating elements, one of each of the user interface elements operatively associated with a respective one of the heating elements and used to control the heating element power control circuit for such heating element;
wherein the heating elements and the user interface elements are arranged such that for each heating element a line on the top surface of the cooktop surface member that contains the normal projection of the center of the heating element onto the top surface of the cooktop surface member, and is normal to the front edge of the cooktop surface member, intersects the user interface element that is associated with the heating element.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for a cooking system with a number of electrically-operated heating elements that each define a center, and a number of heating element power control circuits that each control power flow to a respective one of the heating elements. There is a cooktop surface member located above the heating elements and defining a top surface and a front edge. There are also a number of user interface elements visible from above the top surface of the cooktop surface member and spaced from the heating elements. One of each of the user interface elements is operatively associated with a respective one of the heating elements and used to control the heating element power control circuit for such heating element. The heating elements and the user interface elements are arranged such that for each heating element a line on the top surface of the cooktop surface member that contains the normal projection of the center of the heating element onto the top surface of the cooktop surface member and is normal to the front edge of the cooktop surface member, intersects the user interface element that is associated with the heating element.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. An apparatus for a cooking system that comprises a plurality of electrically-operated heating elements that each define a center, and a plurality of heating element power control circuits that each control power flow to a respective one of the heating elements, the apparatus comprising:
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a cooktop surface member located above the heating elements and defining a top surface and a front edge; and a plurality of user interface elements visible from above the top surface of the cooktop surface member and spaced from the heating elements, one of each of the user interface elements operatively associated with a respective one of the heating elements and used to control the heating element power control circuit for such heating element; wherein the heating elements and the user interface elements are arranged such that for each heating element a line on the top surface of the cooktop surface member that contains the normal projection of the center of the heating element onto the top surface of the cooktop surface member, and is normal to the front edge of the cooktop surface member, intersects the user interface element that is associated with the heating element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An apparatus for a cooking system that comprises a plurality of electrically-operated heating elements that each define a generally circular periphery, and a plurality of heating element power control circuits that each control power flow to a respective one of the heating elements, the apparatus comprising:
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a cooktop surface member located above the heating elements and defining a top surface and a front edge; and a plurality of user interface elements visible from above the top surface of the cooktop surface member and spaced from the heating elements, one of each of the user interface elements operatively associated with a respective one of the heating elements and used to control the heating element power control circuit for such heating element; wherein the heating elements and the user interface elements are arranged such that for each heating element, two planes that are tangent to the periphery of the heating element and are normal to both the top surface and the front edge of the cooktop surface member fully encompass and do not intersect the user interface element associated with such heating element. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An apparatus for a cooking system that comprises a plurality of electrically-operated heating elements that each define a center, and a plurality of heating element power control circuits that each control power flow to one of the heating elements, the apparatus comprising:
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a cooktop surface member located above the heating elements and defining a top surface, a front edge, a rear edge, and a bisecting line that is normal to the front edge and the rear edge and divides the cooktop surface member into generally equally sized left and right halves; a plurality of graphics visible from above the top surface of the cooktop surface member, each graphic defining a center and indicating the location of one of the heating elements; and a plurality of user interface elements that each define a center, are visible from above the top surface of the cooktop surface member, and are spaced from the heating elements, one of each of the user interface elements operatively associated with a respective one of the heating elements and used to control the heating element power control circuit for such heating element; wherein the graphics and the user interface elements are arranged such that the angles between straight line segments that run from the center of each graphic to the center of its associated user interface element are symmetric with respect to the cooktop surface member bisecting line. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. An apparatus for a cooking system that comprises a plurality of electrically-operated heating elements that each define a center, and a plurality of heating element power control circuits that each control power flow to one of the heating elements, the apparatus comprising:
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a cooktop surface member located above the heating elements and defining a top surface and a front edge; and a plurality of user interface elements that each define a center, are visible from above the top surface of the cooktop surface member, and are spaced from the heating elements, one of each of the user interface elements operatively associated with a respective one of the heating elements and used to control the heating element power control circuit for such heating element; wherein the heating elements and the user interface elements are arranged such that lines on the top surface of the cooktop surface member that contain both the normal projection of the center of each heating element onto the top surface of the cooktop surface member and the center of its associated user interface element, are all radial with respect to a common point. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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Specification