Patent ID: 6062130
Filing Date: 2000-05-16
Classification: A47J

Abstract:
A convertible household electric cooking appliance comprising:a lower cooking unit;an upper cooking unit pivotally mounted on said lower cooking unit for rotation about a horizontal axis to three different positions, a first position in which said upper cooking unit is on top of said lower cooking unit, a second position in which said upper cooking unit is substantially horizontally oriented with and parallel to said lower cooking unit; and a third, generally upright, position intermediate said first position and said second position;said lower cooking unit comprising:a support;a lower cooking plate horizontally mounted on said support,said lower cooking plate having an upwardly-facing, upper surface comprising plural, mutually parallel and coplanar cooking surfaces separated from one another by plural, mutually-parallel arcuate grooves that increase in depth from one margin of said lower grill plate toward the opposite margin of said lower grill plate, and liquid outlet surface portions adjacent said opposite margin that permit liquid cooking byproducts moving down said grooves to drip downwardly off said upper surface;said upper cooking unit comprising:an upper cooking plate that forms a cooking chamber with said lower cooking plate when said upper cooking unit is in said first position, and which has a cooking surface that faces downwardly when said upper cooking unit is in said first position and faces upwardly when said upper cooking unit is in said second position.