GLASS CERAMIC WORKTOP

• US 20190021485A1
• Filed: 09/06/2016
• Published: 01/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eurokera S.N.C. (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Eurokera S.N.C. (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: DEBREYER, Gregory, DEMOL, Franck, ROUX, Nicolas, VILATO, Pablo
• Granted Patent: US 10,455,933 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 13/12 Transparent tops , e.g. with lighting means under the table top
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 96/18 Tops specially designed for working on table tops A47B13/08
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 10/00 Devitrified glass ceramics, i.e. glass ceramics having a crystalline phase dispersed in a glassy phase and constituting at least 50% by weight of the total composition
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/10 Tops, e.g. hot plates; Rings cover lids or splash guards F24C15/12; spillage trays or grooves F24C15/14
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/082 on ranges, e.g. control panels, illumination

Abstract

An item of equipment includes at least one worktop formed of at least one substrate made of transparent monolithic glass material with a surface area of greater than 0.7 m². The substrate exhibits a light transmission T_L of greater than 10% and an opacity indicator of between 5 and 90. The substrate is predominantly or completely bare or provided with coating(s) such that the substrate, thus coated, exhibits a haze of less than 15% and/or a light transmission T_L of greater than 60% and/or an opacity indicator of less than 85. The item of equipment also includes at least one heating element and at least one interface for communication with at least one element of the worktop and/or with at least one external element for wireless communication. The item of equipment is devoid of light source(s).

Claims

1. An item of equipment, comprising:

at least one worktop formed of at least one substrate made of transparent monolithic glass material with a surface area of greater than 0.7 m², said substrate exhibiting a light transmission T_L of greater than 10% and an opacity indicator of between 5 and 90, said substrate being predominantly or completely bare or provided with coating(s) such that the substrate, thus coated, exhibits a haze of less than 15% and/or a light transmission T_L of greater than 60% and/or an opacity indicator of less than 85,

at least one heating element,

at least one interface for communication with at least one element of the worktop and/or with at least one external element for wireless communication,

said item of equipment additionally being devoid of light source(s).

2. The item of equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surface area of the substrate made of glass material is greater than 0.9 m², the thickness of said substrate is at least 2 mm, and the thickness of the substrate is less than 15 mm.

3. The item of equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate made of glass material occupies at least 50% of the surface area of the worktop.

4. The item of equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate is made of tempered glass or of glass-ceramic.

5. The item of equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate exhibits a flatness of less than 0.1% of the diagonal of the substrate.

6. The item of equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the glass material exhibits a light transmission T_L of between 10% and 20% or of greater than 60%.

7. The item of equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the glass material comprises colorants.

8. The item of equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the item of equipment comprises, as the heating element(s), one or more inductive heating means, the heating element(s) being located in one or more zones of the substrate or being uniformly distributed under the substrate.

9. The item of equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cooking locations on the worktop, straight above the heating means, and/or other zones and/or elements and/or functions and/or decorations are signaled by a permanent decoration.

10. The item of equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heating element(s) or other component(s) of the item of equipment are capable of being activated by contact on the surface of the worktop and/or on the interface and/or on an external unit, or by movement.

11. The item of equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interface is configured to perform wireless communication with a unit external to the worktop.

12. The item of equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the worktop comprises at least one added element in the form of a slab of mica, of wood, of plywood, of laminate, of plastic, of glass or of stone.

13. The item of equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the worktop is mounted on at least one or more supporting elements thus forming, with said supporting elements, a table, an uninterrupted or interrupted piece of furniture, or a counter.

15. A method, comprising:

obtaining a substrate made of transparent monolithic glass material with a surface area of greater than 0.7 m², said substrate exhibiting a light transmission T_L of greater than 10% and an opacity indicator of between 5 and 90, said substrate in particular being predominantly or completely bare or provided with coating(s) such that the substrate, thus coated, exhibits a haze of less than 15% and/or a light transmission T_L of greater than 60% and/or an opacity indicator of less than 85; and

using the substrate with the item of equipment as claimed in claim 1.

16. The item of equipment as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an element added to the substrate or worktop so that the assembly formed by the substrate or worktop and the added element exhibits a haze of greater than 15% and/or a light transmission T_L of less than 60% and/or an opacity indicator of greater than 85.

17. The item of equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one element of the worktop in communication with the at least one interface is the at least one heating element.

18. The item of equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thickness of said substrate is 3 to 30 mm.

19. The item of equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate exhibits a flatness of less than 3 mm.

20. The item of equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interface is configured to perform wireless communication with a unit external to the worktop to remotely active the at least one heating element and/or control different functions of the item of equipment.

14. A worktop, comprising:

at least one substrate made of transparent monolithic glass material with a surface area of greater than 0.7 m², said substrate exhibiting a light transmission T_L of greater than 10% and an opacity indicator of between 5 and 90, said substrate being predominantly or completely bare or provided with coating(s) such that the substrate, thus coated, exhibits a haze of less than 15% and/or a light transmission T_L of greater than 60% and/or an opacity indicator of less than 85.