US20120111312A1

US20120111312A1 - Cooking appliance

Info

Publication number: US20120111312A1
Application number: US13/266,664
Authority: US
Inventors: Wan Soo Kim
Original assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Current assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Priority date: 2009-05-04
Filing date: 2009-09-09
Publication date: 2012-05-10
Also published as: KR101626303B1; WO2010128719A1; KR20100120018A

Abstract

A cooking appliance comprises: a top plate divided into a grill area and a cooktop area; a cooktop area heating source disposed in proximity of the cooktop area; a grill area heater disposed adjacent the grill area; a cooking grill disposed adjacent the grill area for supporting food to be cooked; and a cooking grill heater mounted to the grill area for heating the cooking grill through contact with the cooking grill.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a cooking appliance, and more particularly, to a cooking appliance, which has a cooking grill heater for heating a cooking grill on which food is positioned, and creates grill marks on the food.

BACKGROUND ART

In general, a cooking appliance is a device, which has a top plate provided on the top, and allows a user to put a cooking container on the upper surface of the top plate to heat food inside the cooking container by a heating source on the bottom surface of the top plate.
On the other hand, food can be directly heated by using a cooking grill consisting of metal beams instead of a cooking container, to grill meat or fish. With the use of the cooking grill, user's aesthetic feeling can be stimulated when the user sees grill marks in the shape of metal beams of the cooking grill created on the food.
However, the cooking grill needs to consist of metal beams above a predetermined thickness in order to support the food. Accordingly, there arises the problem that a manipulation such as preheating using a heating source is required in order to heat the metal beams above the predetermined thickness. Moreover, it takes a lot of time for the heat generated from the heating source to be transferred to the cooking grill and then to the food placed on the cooking grill.

DISCLOSURE

Technical Problem

The present invention has been made in an effort to solve the problems occurring in the prior art, and to provide a cooking appliance, which includes a top plate divided into a grill area and a cooktop area, the grill area having a cooking grill and a cooking grill heater for directly heating the cooking grill.
Further, the present invention provides a cooking appliance, which is capable of heating the surface of food while supporting the food since a cooking grill is composed of heaters.
The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and those skilled in the art can clearly understand other unmentioned objects of the present invention.

Technical Solution

To achieve the aforementioned objects, there is provided a cooking appliance according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, including: a top plate divided into a grill area and a cooktop area; a cooktop area heating source disposed in proximity of the cooktop area; a grill area heater disposed adjacent the grill area; a cooking grill disposed adjacent the grill area for supporting food to be cooked; and a cooking grill heater mounted to the grill area for heating the cooking grill through contact with the cooking grill.
Furthermore, there is provided a cooking appliance according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, including: a top plate divided into a grill area and a cooktop area; a cooktop area heating source disposed in proximity of the cooktop area; a grill area heater disposed adjacent the grill area; a cooking grill disposed adjacent the grill area for supporting food to be cooked; and mounted to the grill area disposed adjacent the grill area and composed of heaters for transferring heat to the food while supporting the food.
Furthermore, there is provided a cooking appliance according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, including: a top plate provided with a cooktop area; a heating source for heating the cooktop area; a cooking grill disposed to be detachable from the cooktop area for supporting food to be cooked; and a cooking grill heater mounted to the grill area for heating the cooking grill through contact with the cooking grill.
Furthermore, there is provided a cooking appliance according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, including: a top plate provided with a cooktop area; a heating source for heating the cooktop area; a cooking grill disposed to be detachable from the cooktop area for supporting food to be cooked; and a cooking grill heater mounted to the grill area and composed of heaters for transferring heat to the food while supporting the food.
Particulars of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

Advantageous Effects

The cooking appliance of the present invention has one or more of the following effects:
First, it is possible to supply sufficient heat to a cooking grill and create clear grill marks on food to be cooked positioned on the cooking grill by having a cooking grill heater for directly heating the cooking grill.
Second, there is an advantage that a grill area where the cooking grill is positioned is formed on a top plate to allow a user to conveniently cook food by the cooking grill, and a heater for providing sufficient heat to the food cooked with the cooking grill can be provided.
Third, there is another advantage that a cooking grill is composed of heaters for directly transferring heat to food, thereby creating grill marks on the surface of the food without having a cooking grill heater.
The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned above can be clearly understood from the definitions in the claims by one skilled in the art.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a grill area according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a grill area according to the second exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance according to a fifth exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of a cooktop area according to the fifth exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance according to a sixth exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODE

Merits, features, and methods for achieving them of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein, but may be implemented in various different forms. These embodiments are provided to make the disclosure of the present invention complete and fully inform the scope of the present invention to a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. The present invention should be defined by the technical scope of the appended claims. Throughout the specification, it is noted that the same reference numerals are used to designate the same constituent elements having the same function.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a grill area according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cooking appliance of the present exemplary embodiment includes a main body 1 and a top plate 10 and 20 positioned on the upper surface of the main body 1.
The main body 1 can be disposed on an upper side of an oven or the like and formed integral with the oven or the like, can be buried in a sink or the like, and can be placed to be movable on the sink or the like.
The top plate 10 and 20 is disposed on the upper surface of the main body so as to form the appearance of the upper surface of the cooking appliance. The top plate 10 and 20 of the present exemplary embodiment is divided into a cooktop area 10 and a grill area 20.
A cooking container or the like is placed on the upper surface of the cooktop area 10, and food or the like in the cooking container is cooked. Thus, a cooktop area heating source 12 for heating a cooking container or the like is disposed in proximity of the cooktop area 10. As the cooktop area heating source 12 of the present exemplary embodiment, various heating sources such as an electric heater for generating heat by electricity or a burner for firing a fossil fuel and heating the cooking container can be used.
A cooking grill 40 to be described later is disposed on the upper surface of the grill area 20, and food or the like placed on the cooking grill is cooked. A grill area heater 22 is disposed adjacent the grill area 20 to apply heat to the food positioned on top of the cooking grill 40 and cook the food. Although various types of heating sources can be used as the grill area heater 22, a sheath heater is used in the present exemplary embodiment.
The cooking grill 40 is disposed adjacent the grill area 20. The food is positioned on the upper surface of the cooking grill 40, and the cooking grill 40 serves to support the food so that the food is heated by the grill area heater 22. The cooking grill 40 of the present exemplary embodiment includes grills 42 for supporting food to be cooked and a support 44 for supporting the grills 42 so as to be spaced a predetermined distance from the upper surface of the grill area 20.
The grills 42 are formed in plural number, spaced apart at a predetermined distance from each other, to support the food. Specifically, the grills 42 may be spaced apart at a predetermined distance, and formed in parallel in a front-to-back direction and a left-to-right direction. Also, as the heat from the cooking grill heater 30 to be described later is transferred to the plurality of grills 42, grill marks having the shape of grills may be created on the surface of the food positioned on the upper surface of the grills.
The support 44 is formed with a predetermined height so as to support the plurality of grills 42, spaced apart at a predetermined distance from the upper surface of the grill area 20. Although the support 44 may be formed in various shapes, the support 44 in the present exemplary embodiment is formed in the shape of grills formed to be bent downward from the plurality of grills 42. As the support transfers heat of the cooking grill heater 30 to the grills through contact with the cooking grill heater 30 to be described later, it may be formed of a metal having high heat conductivity.
The cooking grill heater 30 is mounted to the grill area 20, and heats the cooking grill through contact with the cooking grill 40. Specifically, the heat of the cooking grill heater 30 is transferred to the cooking grill 40 by conduction. Accordingly, grill marks having the shape of the grills 42 of the cooking grill 40 can appear clearly on the surface of the food positioned on the cooking grill 40. Also, various heating sources can be used as the cooking grill heater 30, and a sheath heater is used in the present exemplary embodiment.
Specifically, the cooking grill heater 30 of the present exemplary embodiment is disposed to be exposed to the upper surface of the grill area 20 of the top plate. Also, the cooking grill heater 30 is disposed at a position capable of contacting the support 44 of the cooking grill 40, and transfers heat to the support 44.
Although the cooking grill heater 30 may be exposed to the upper surface of the grill area 20, the cooking grill heater 30 of the present exemplary embodiment is longitudinally exposed in the lengthwise direction, corresponding to the length of the support 33. Accordingly, the contact area between the support 44 and the cooking grill heater 30 can be widened.
The cooking grill 40 may be coupled integrally to the grill area 20, or coupled detachably to the grill area 20 so that it can be used during cooking. Moreover, the grill area 20 may have a fixing portion for stably fixing the support 44 of the cooking grill 40. Although the fixing portion may be formed in various shapes to fix the support 44, the fixing portion of the present exemplary embodiment is depressed on the upper surface of the grill area 20. Further, the support 44 causes the cooking grill 40 to be fixed on the grill area 20 as it is inserted into the fixing portion 24. In addition, the cooking grill heater 30 is exposed to the upper surface of the depressed fixing portion 24, and transfers heat through contact with the support 44.
Consequently, in the present exemplary embodiment, the food is cooked as the heat generated from the grill area heater 22 is transferred by convection to the food positioned on the upper surface of the cooking grill 40. At the same time, grill marks can be created on the surface of the food by the heat transferred by conduction directly to the cooking grill 40 from the cooking grill heater 30.
Additionally, the power density and conductive performance of the heater can be set in order for the cooking grill heater 30 to transfer heat appropriate to create grill marks on the food positioned on the cooking grill 40. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the surface of the food from being burnt due to excessive heat transferred to the cooking grill 40.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a grill area according to the second exemplary embodiment.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the overall configuration of the present exemplary embodiment is identical to that of the first exemplary embodiment, so the description will be made focusing on the differences.
The grill area 20′ of the present invention is depressed in the top plate. Also, the cooking grill heater 30′ is formed to be exposed to a side of the depressed grill area 20′. Accordingly, in the present exemplary embodiment, a side of the support 44 of the cooking grill 40 comes into contact with the cooking grill heater 30′. Therefore, according to the present exemplary embodiment, the cooking grill heater 30′ is not exposed through the upper surface of the grill area 20′. Hereinafter, other components are identical to those of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, so descriptions thereof will be omitted.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 5, the cooking appliance of the present exemplary embodiment includes no cooking grill heaters 30 and 30′ of the first and second exemplary embodiments. Also, the cooking grill 40′ itself is composed of heaters capable of transferring heat to food.
Specifically, the cooking grill 40′ of the present exemplary embodiment includes grills 42′ for supporting food to be cooked and a support 44 for supporting the grills 42 so as to be spaced a predetermined distance from the upper surface of the grill area 20. Moreover, at least part of the plurality of grills 42′ of the present exemplary embodiment may be composed of heaters for generating heat.
The grills 42′ may be entirely composed of heaters for generating heat. Further, part of the grills 42′ may be composed of heaters for generating heat, and the remaining part of the grills 42′ may be composed of metal beams having high heat conductivity. Accordingly, heat of the grills 42′ composed of heaters may be transferred to the grills 42′ composed of metal beams, thereby creating grill marks on the surface of the food.
Specifically, the grills 42′ composed of heaters may be composed of sheath heaters. Also, various types of heating elements disposed inside the grills 42′ to transfer heat to the grills may be disposed to cause the grills 42′ themselves to generate heat.
Alternatively, the cooking grill 40′ of the present exemplary embodiment may be formed integral with the grill area 20. In this case, a power supply unit is incorporated in the main body 1 to supply electric power to the heaters of the cooking grill 40′, and the heaters of the cooking grill 40′ may be connected to the power supply unit in various manners.
Further, the cooking grill 40′ may be coupled detachably to the grill area 20. In this case, a connector 24 for supplying electric power to the cooking grill 40′ is formed at the main body 1 of the cooking appliance. In addition, a terminal 46 may be formed on the cooking grill 40′ to be connected to the connector 26 and supply electricity to the heaters or heating elements of the cooking grill 40′.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 6, unlike the first exemplary embodiment, the cooking appliance of the present exemplary embodiment includes no grill area 20. That is, only a cooktop area 10′ is formed on the top plate.
As shown in the first exemplary embodiment, a cooking container or the like is placed on the upper surface of the cooktop area 10′, and food or the like in the cooking container is cooked. A cooktop area heating source 12 for heating a cooking container or the like is disposed in proximity of the cooktop area 10′. As the cooktop area heating source 12 of the present exemplary embodiment, various heating sources such as an electric heater for generating heat by electricity or a burner for firing a fossil fuel and heating the cooking container can be used.
The cooking grill 140 of the present exemplary embodiment is disposed to be detachable from the cooktop area 10′. Accordingly, unlike the preceding exemplary embodiments, the grill area 20 and the grill area heater 22 may not be provided, the cooking grill 140 may be mounted to the grill area 10, and the food positioned on the cooking grill 140 may be cooked by using the cooktop area heater 12.
The cooking grill 140 includes grills 142 for supporting food to be cooked and a support 144 for supporting the grills 142 so as to be spaced a predetermined distance from the upper surface of the cooktop area 10′.
The cooking grill heater 130 of the present exemplary embodiment is mounted to the grill area 10′, and heats the cooking grill through contact with the cooking grill 140. Specifically, the cooking grill heater 130 transfers heat to the grills 142 through contact with the support 144 of the cooking grill 140.
That is, the cooking grill heater 130 of the present exemplary embodiment is formed on the cooktop area 10′, rather than being mounted to the grill area 20 as in the first exemplary embodiment, and the overall configuration thereof is identical to those of the first exemplary embodiment. Specifically, the cooking grill heater 130 of the present exemplary embodiment may be positioned to be exposed to the upper surface of the cooktop area 10′. Also, a fixing portion for fixing the support 144 may be formed on the upper surface of the cooktop area 10′. Moreover, a fixing portion for fixing the support 144 may be formed on the upper surface of the cooktop area 10′, and the fixing portion may be depressed on the upper surface of the cooktop area 10′ to fix the support 144. As the cooking grill heater 130 is exposed to the upper surface of the depressed fixing portion, heat can be transferred to the support 144. An operation using the components of the present exemplary embodiment is identical to that of the first exemplary embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance according to a fifth exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of a cooktop area according to the fifth exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the overall configuration of the present exemplary embodiment is identical to that of the second exemplary embodiment on the whole. In the present exemplary embodiment, however, the cooktop area 10″ is depressed; while, in the second exemplary embodiment, the grill area 20′ is depressed. Also, the cooking grill heater 130′ is disposed so as to be exposed on a side of the depressed cooktop area 10″.
Accordingly, in the present exemplary embodiment, a side of the support 144 of the cooking grill 140 comes into contact with the cooking grill heater 130′. Therefore, according to the present exemplary embodiment, the cooking grill heater 130′ is not exposed through the upper surface of the cooktop area 10″.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance according to a sixth exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 9, the cooking grill 240 of the present exemplary embodiment is composed of heaters capable of enabling the cooking grill 244 to transfer heat to food, like the cooking grill 40′ of the third exemplary embodiment. Moreover, the overall configuration of the cooking grill 244 is identical to that of the cooking grill 40′ of the third exemplary embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted.
While the cooking grill 40′ of the third exemplary embodiment is disposed to be integral with or detachable from the grill area 20, the cooking grill 244 of the present exemplary embodiment is disposed to be only detachable from the cooktop area 10. Accordingly, a connector 1 a for supplying electric power to the cooking grill 244 is formed at the main body 1 of the cooking appliance. In addition, a terminal 246 may be formed on the cooking grill 244 to be connected to the connector 1 a and supply electricity to the heaters or heating elements of the cooking grill 244.
As described above, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will appreciate that the present invention may be implemented in some other concrete forms without departing from the technical spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Accordingly, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative but not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description, and it should be appreciated that the modifications that may be derived from the claims and the equivalents thereof are all included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cooking appliance comprising:

a top plate divided into a grill area and a cooktop area;

a cooktop area heating source disposed in proximity of the cooktop area;

a grill area heater disposed adjacent the grill area; a cooking grill disposed adjacent the grill area for supporting food to be cooked; and

a cooking grill heater mounted to the grill area for heating the cooking grill through contact with the cooking grill.

2. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the cooking grill comprises grills for supporting food to be cooked and a support for supporting the grills so as to be spaced a predetermined distance from the upper surface of the grill area,

wherein the cooking grill heater is in contact with the support.

3. The cooking appliance of claim 2, wherein the cooking grill heater is positioned to be exposed to the upper surface of the grill area.

4. The cooking appliance of claim 2, wherein a fixing portion for fixing the support is formed on the upper surface of the grill area.

5. The cooking appliance of claim 4, wherein the fixing portion is depressed on the upper surface of the grill area.

6. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the grill area is depressed in the top plate.

7. A cooking appliance comprising:

a top plate divided into a grill area and a cooktop area;

a cooktop area heating source disposed in proximity of the cooktop area;

a grill area heater disposed adjacent the grill area;

a cooking grill disposed adjacent the grill area for supporting food to be cooked; and

a cooking grill heater disposed adjacent the grill area and composed of heaters for transferring heat to the food while supporting the food.

8. The cooking appliance of claim 7, wherein the cooking grill comprises a plurality of grills for supporting the food,

wherein at least part of the plurality of grills is composed of heaters for generating heat.

9. The cooking appliance of claim 7, wherein a connector for supplying electric power to the heaters is formed on the cooking appliance, and

the cooking grill comprises a terminal connected to the connector.

10. A cooking appliance comprising:

a top plate provided with a cooktop area;

a heating source for heating the cooktop area;

a cooking grill disposed to be detachable from the cooktop area for supporting food; and

11. The cooking appliance of claim 10, wherein the cooking grill comprises grilles for supporting the food and a support for supporting the grills so as to be spaced a predetermined distance from the upper surface of the grill area, and

the cooking grill heater is in contact with the support.

12. The cooking appliance of claim 11, wherein the cooking grill heater is positioned to be exposed to the upper surface of the cooktop area.

13. The cooking appliance of claim 11, wherein a fixing portion for fixing the support is formed on the upper surface of the cooktop area.

14. The cooking appliance of claim 13, wherein the fixing portion is depressed on the upper surface of the cooktop area.

15. The cooking appliance of claim 10, wherein the cooktop area is depressed in the top plate, and

the cooking grill heater is disposed to be exposed to a side of the depressed cooktop area.

16. A cooking appliance comprising:

a top plate provided with a cooktop area;

a heating source for heating the cooktop area;

a cooking grill heater mounted to the grill area and composed of heaters for transferring heat to the food while supporting the food.

17. The cooking appliance of claim 16, wherein the cooking grill comprises a plurality of grills for supporting the food,

18. The cooking appliance of claim 16, wherein a connector for supplying electric power to the heaters is formed on the cooking appliance, and

the cooking grill comprises a terminal connected to the connector.