Patent ID: 6046440
Filing Date: 2000-04-04
Classification: H05B

Abstract:
A stove burner activation system comprising, in combination:a stove having a planar top surface with a burner compartment situated therebelow, the burner compartment having a planar bottom surface situated in parallel relationship with the top surface of the stove, the stove further having a plurality of burner wells each having a periphery coupled to the top surface, wherein each burner well resides in the burner compartment and a burner is mounted in each burner well, each burner being formed of a single heating element with a spiral configuration lying in a single horizontal plane, the heating element of each burner being adapted to transmit heat upon the supply of power to a pair of electrical terminal ends of the heating element; anda stove burner activation device comprising:a microswitch having an inboard portion with a rectilinear configuration and having a top face, a bottom face, a pair of side faces, and a pair of end faces formed therebetween, the microswitch having an actuator arm with a planar rectangular configuration having a first end coupled to the top of the switch, the actuator arm extending outwardly from the top of the switch, the actuator arm having a bore formed in a second end thereof, the microswitch being electrically connected between a power source and the ends of the heating element of the burner for permitting the flow of power to the heating element upon the downward movement of the actuator arm of the microswitch into a lower position and blocking the flow of power to the heating element when the actuator arm is moved into an upper position;a mounting assembly including an angle member with a horizontal extent and a vertical extent, the angle member having a pair of bores formed in the vertical extent, the vertical extent of the angle iron being coupled to one of the side faces of the inboard extent of the microswitch by a pair of screws, the horizontal extent of the mounting assembly having a magnet situated thereon for mounting to the bottom surface of the burner compartment such that the bore in the actuator arm of the microswitch resides below a center of the burner well of an associated one of the burners of the stove;a linear actuator rod slidably situated through an aperture formed in the center of the burner well and the bore of the actuator arm of the microswitch, a first end of the actuator rod being extended above the heating element of the burner, and a second end of the actuator rod having a plurality of threads formed therein;a pair of nuts, including a first nut threadedly coupled to the second end of the rod and abutting a top surface of the actuator arm of the microswitch, and a second nut threadedly coupled to the second end of the rod and abutting a bottom surface of the actuator arm of the microswitch, wherein a bottom portion of the rod extends a predetermined length below the second nut and the actuator arm of the microswitch; anda spring situated about the bottom portion of the actuator rod between the second nut and the bottom surface of the burner compartment for biasing the actuator rod upward and the actuator arm into the upper position, wherein placement of an article upon the burner moves the rod and the actuator arm of the microswitch downwardly for providing power to the heating element of the burner.