Modular radiant heater units for use in grills having edge heat weighting
First Claim
1. A separately-installed, self-contained heating unit adapted for modular installation with other heating units beneath a bottom surface of a grill plate, the heating unit comprising:
- a pan having a generally flat base and a circumferential sidewall;
an insulation layer having an insulation base and a circumferential sidewall; and
a heating element supported on the insulation base to heat the grill plate, the heating element in a spaced apart relationship to the bottom surface of the grill plate;
wherein the heating element has a contour to provide more heat at one or more edges of the heating unit, whereby a plurality of heating units may be arranged to provide a substantially uniform surface temperature in the grill plate.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides a modular heating unit for a grill. The grill has a grill plate supported on a support base. The grill plate has a bottom surface and a top surface. The modular heating unit is mounted to the bottom surface of the grill plate and has at least four side edges. The modular heating unit has a pan, an insulation layer and a heating element. The pan has a generally flat base and a circumferential sidewall. The insulation layer has an insulation base and a circumferential sidewall. The heating element is supported on the insulation base to heat the grill plate and is positioned in a spaced apart relationship to the bottom surface of the grill plate. The modular heating unit is divided into a center section and two side sections. The side sections are adjacent to two side edges of the modular heating unit. The heating element is contoured to provide more heat to at least one of the side sections than the center section of the heating unit. This allows for additional heat to be provided to certain sections of the grill plate that may extend beyond the modular heating unit.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A separately-installed, self-contained heating unit adapted for modular installation with other heating units beneath a bottom surface of a grill plate, the heating unit comprising:
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a pan having a generally flat base and a circumferential sidewall;
an insulation layer having an insulation base and a circumferential sidewall; and
a heating element supported on the insulation base to heat the grill plate, the heating element in a spaced apart relationship to the bottom surface of the grill plate;
wherein the heating element has a contour to provide more heat at one or more edges of the heating unit, whereby a plurality of heating units may be arranged to provide a substantially uniform surface temperature in the grill plate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A grill for cooking food, said grill comprising:
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a grill plate having a top surface and a bottom surface; and
a plurality of separately-installed, self-contained heating units adapted for modular installation beneath the bottom surface of the grill plate the heating units further comprising;
a pan having a generally flat base and a circumferential sidewall;
an insulation layer having an insulation base and a circumferential sidewall;
a heating element supported on the insulation base in a spaced apart relationship to the bottom surface of the grill plate;
wherein the heating element has a contour to provide more heat at one or more edges of the heating unit, whereby the plurality of heating units may be arranged to provide a substantially uniform surface temperature in the grill plate. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification