Kettle with power connector module

A kettle includes a water tank, an electrical element under the bottom of the tank, connecting members to be connected to an electrical power supply and arrangements for regulating the operation of the element. The regulator arrangements and the connecting members include pins to be inserted in a connection module. Electrical connecting wires for connecting the pins are accommodated inside the connection module.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention concerns an electric kettle with a heater plate and a 
connecting module for kettles of this kind. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Electric kettles with a heater plate, like that described in document 
FR-A-93 09 467, which have a tank for the liquid to be heated, usually 
water, and electrical heating means disposed under the bottom of the tank 
to heat the latter and to boil the liquid are known in themselves. 
Such kettles also include an on-off type manual control to control the 
operation of the heating means and regulator means adapted to modify, and 
in particular to interrupt, the operation of the electrical heating means 
according to the temperature of the bottom of the tank or of the steam, 
for example. Connection members are connected to an electrical power 
supply either by an electrical cord connected to the connecting members, 
usually removably, or by means of an electrical power supply base on which 
the "cordless" kettle is placed while heating the liquid, the connection 
members terminating under the base of the kettle where they come into 
contact with connection members inside the power supply base. 
In conventional kettles the many separate regulation and connection 
components are electrically connected by a plurality of electrical 
connecting wires under the heater plate of the tank and in the handle of 
the kettle. 
The assembly of such kettles is therefore difficult and time-consuming 
because many intermediate connecting members are used. 
Passing electrical connecting wires between the various parts of the kettle 
requires additional means for sealing and electrically insulating the 
various parts of the kettle. 
The aim of the present invention is to simplify the connection of the 
regulation and connection components of a kettle with a heater plate and 
thereby to obtain a lower cost construction of "cordless" kettles with a 
power supply base or kettles with a removable power supply cord. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention consists in an electric kettle including a tank for liquid to 
be heated, electric heater means disposed under the bottom of said tank, 
manual means for controlling the operation of said electrical heating 
means, connection members adapted to be connected to electrical power 
supply means, regulator means adapted to modify the operation of said 
electrical heating means and an electrically insulative material 
connection module, the regulator means and the connecting members 
including pins adapted to be inserted into said connection module and 
electrical connecting wires connecting the pins of the regulation means 
and the connecting members are housed in said connection module. 
The electrical connections between the regulator means and the connection 
members are made inside the connecting module, in a sealed and 
electrically insulated area. 
The regulator and connection means being plugged directly into the 
connection module, the assembly of the electric kettle is simplified and a 
highly economic construction results. 
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the kettle further comprises a 
steam sensor and a steam vent near a top edge of said tank and leading 
into a handle of said kettle, said steam sensor being disposed under said 
handle and fixed by a pin to said connection module. 
This arrangement of the steam sensor, whereby it is plugged directly into 
the connection module, eliminates all the electrical connecting wires 
located inside the handle of conventional kettles. 
A steam passage preferably extends substantially parallel to a lateral wall 
of said tank between said steam passage and said steam sensor. 
This relatively short steam passage, the length of which is substantially 
equal to the height of the tank, gives the steam sensor a very short 
response time. 
In an advantageous version of the invention, the regulator means include a 
thermal limiter disposed under said bottom of said tank and mounted on 
said heating means and said connection module includes an extension part 
extending under said bottom of said tank, said thermal limiter being fixed 
by a pin to said extension part. 
This latter feature also eliminates all exposed electrical connecting wires 
in the heating area of the kettle, so improving electrical safety. 
The thermal limiter is also fitted in a very simple way, by inserting an 
electrical contact pin into the connection module. 
In another aspect, the invention consists in a connection module for an 
electric kettle comprising orifices adapted to receive pins of said 
regulator means and said connection members, electrical connection wires 
extending within said module between said orifices. 
The connection module thus forms a one-piece assembly into which the 
various connection and regulator means are plugged directly. 
The mounting of the electrical wires in the module can therefore be carried 
out independently of the assembly of the kettle. 
Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the 
following description given by way of non-limiting example with reference 
to the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring firstly to FIGS. 1 and 2, an electric kettle 20 includes a tank 1 
for liquid to be heated, such as water. A pouring spout 3 is provided at 
the top edge of the tank 1 and a lid 4 closes off virtually all of the 
tank 1. 
Heating means 5 are disposed under the bottom 2 of the tank 1. The heating 
means may comprise a tubular electrical element 5, a thermal diffusion 
plate being fixed between the bottom 2 and the electrical element 5 in 
order to improve the transfer of heat to the tank 1. One such heating 
plate arrangement is described in document FR-A-93 09 467, for example. 
Means 9 for manually controlling the operation of the heating means are 
provided at an accessible position on one side 22 of the kettle. These 
manual control means may be an on-off button controlling the supply of 
electrical power to the element 5. 
Connection members 11 are adapted to be connected to electrical power 
supply means. 
The kettle 20 also comprises regulator means 7, 8 able to modify the 
operation of the electrical element 5. 
The kettle 20 includes a steam sensor 8, a steam vent 14 being provided 
near the top edge of the tank and leading into the handle 13 of the kettle 
20. The steam sensor 8 may comprise a bimetallic strip, for example, which 
above a certain temperature cuts off the supply of electrical power to the 
element 5. 
The regulator means also include a thermal limiter 7 disposed under the 
bottom 2 of the tank and mounted on the heating means 5. The thermal 
limiter 7 may serve as a conventional thermostat with regard to the 
electrical element and as a thermal cut-out in the event of overheating of 
the bottom of the tank, in particular if the tank is empty. 
A connection module 10 shown in FIG. 3 is made from an electrically 
insulative material, for example a heat-resistant plastics material. 
The module includes orifices 10a, 10b, 10c adapted to receive pins 7a, 8a, 
11a of the steam sensor 8, the thermal limiter 7 and the connecting 
members 11. 
As shown in section in FIGS. 1 and 2, electrical connecting wires 12 extend 
inside the module 10 between the orifices 10a, 10b and 10c. These 
connecting wires 12 are fixed in the module so that their ends are in 
electrical contact with the pins 7a, 8a, 11a when the latter are inserted 
in the orifices in the module 10. 
The steam sensor 8 is preferably under the handle 3 and is fixed to the 
connection module 10 by a pin 8a inserted through an orifice 10b. 
The steam sensor 8 may therefore be removably plugged into the connection 
module 10. 
It can instead be in one piece with the connection module 10, in order to 
simplify further the assembly of the kettle 20. 
A steam passage 15 extends parallel to a lateral wall 1' of the tank 1 
between the steam vent 14 and the steam sensor 8. The steam passage 15 is 
therefore substantially vertical, the steam sensor 8 being aligned with 
the bottom end of the passage 15. 
Steam therefore comes into contact with the steam sensor 8 very quickly, 
enabling the electrical power supply to be cut off in a very short time, 
as soon as the liquid in the kettle 20 boils. 
Since the steam sensor 8 is elongate in shape and is disposed vertically 
under the steam passage 15, the electrical safety of the kettle 20 is 
further improved by the favorable behavior of the steam sensor 8 in regard 
of any trickling water. Water does not tend to stagnate on the steam 
sensor 8, but rather to flow towards the base 21 of the kettle 20, over 
the sealed connection module 10. 
The latter has a part disposed in the body of the kettle 20 under the 
handle 13 and an extension part 10' extending under the bottom 2 of the 
tank 1, the thermal limiter 7 being fixed to the extension part 10' of the 
module by a pin 7a inserted through an orifice 10a. 
Like the steam sensor 8, the thermal limiter may be removably plugged into 
or in one piece with the connection module 10. In the latter case a 
one-piece unit comprising the module 10, the thermal limiter 7 and the 
steam sensor 8 may be constructed separately from the kettle 20, 
facilitating the assembly of the kettle. 
The manual control means 9 are preferably mounted directly on the steam 
sensor 8 so that the cutting off of the electrical power supply by the 
steam sensor 8 also moves the manual control means 9 to their "off" 
position. 
As all of the control means 9 are outside the heating area of the kettle, a 
perfect static steel may be formed around the connection module 10. The 
latter is preferably fixed to the base 21 of the kettle 20, for example by 
means of one or more grooves 16 on the top and bottom faces of the module 
10 which accommodate projections 21' on the base 21 of the kettle 20 or a 
bottom end of a lateral wall 1' of the tank 1. 
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the connection members 11 are pins 11 
extending parallel to the base 21 of the kettle 20 and projecting from a 
lateral wall 22 of the kettle 20. A removable electrical power cord can 
therefore be fixed to these pins 11 to connect the kettle to an electrical 
power supply. 
In a different embodiment shown in FIG. 2 the connecting pins 11 are 
parallel to a vertical axis 20a of the kettle 20 and project from the 
bottom of the kettle 20, at the level of its base 21. This type of 
assembly is ideally suited to "cordless" kettles with a separate power 
supply base 17 on which the kettle 20 is placed. 
In a manner that is known in itself the connecting pins 11 then come into 
electrical contact with electrical connection members inside the base 17. 
Because it is near the base 21 of the kettle 20, the connection module 10 
of the invention enables very simple construction of either a kettle with 
a removable power cord or a cordless kettle. 
Of course, many modifications may be made to the examples described 
hereinabove without departing from the scope of the invention.