Abstract:
A cooktop configured to be mounted in a domestic appliance is provided. The cooktop has a top surface; a plurality of heating units located on the top surface; a receiving area in the top surface; and a receptacle removably positioned in the receiving area of the cooktop, the receptacle having an opening at an upper end of the receptacle. The receptacle is configured to receive through the opening material collected from the top surface of the cooktop for subsequent removal from the domestic appliance by removal of the receptacle from the top surface of the cooktop.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention is directed to an apparatus such as a cooktop having a removable receptacle for easy cleaning. 
         [0002]    An example of an application of the invention is a removable receptacle in a cooktop in a domestic kitchen. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Domestic appliances, such as cooktops that are part of a cooking range or counter mounted cooktops, can require regular cleaning, particularly after use. The cooktop can become heated during use and material, such as food and grease, can become hardened and stick to the surface of the cooktop. A user cleans the cooktop surface to collect spilled food and grease, for example, by collecting and removing them to a remote refuse collection area. A user can use disposable cleaning cloths to clean the cooktop surface, and dispose of those individually to the remote refuse collection area as well. 
         [0004]    The problem with existing appliances is that a user typically makes multiple trips away from the cooktop surface during cleaning in order to remove foodstuff, debris, and/or disposable cleaning cloths to a remote refuse collection area, such as a garbage can, garbage disposal, or compost collection. The user wastes time walking back and forth to the appliance, and cleaning takes longer than necessary. In addition, often particles of the cleaning cloth and/or the debris are dropped on the kitchen floor during transport of the used cleaning cloth to the remote refuse collection area. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    Exemplary embodiments of the invention overcome the problems in conventional appliances by providing a receptacle in the top surface of the cooktop so that a user can collect material for subsequent removal in a single trip to a remote refuse collection area. The user can clean the entire cooktop surface and deposit collected material, including foodstuff and disposable cleaning cloths, into a removable receptacle on the top of the cooktop surface. When the user has completed cleaning the cooktop surface, the receptacle can be easily removed via the top of the cooktop surface and all of the collected material can be deposited to a remote refuse collection area in a single action. 
         [0006]    Particular embodiments of the invention include a domestic appliance having a cooktop having a top surface; a plurality of heating units located on the top surface; a receiving area in the top surface; and a receptacle removably positioned in the receiving area, the receptacle having an opening at an upper end of the receptacle. The receptacle is configured to receive through the opening material collected from the top surface of the cooktop for subsequent removal from the domestic appliance by removal of the receptacle from the top surface of the cooktop. 
         [0007]    Other embodiments of the invention include a cooktop configured to be mounted in a domestic appliance. The cooktop has a top surface; a plurality of heating units located on the top surface; a receiving area in the top surface; and a receptacle removably positioned in the receiving area of the cooktop, the receptacle having an opening at an upper end of the receptacle. The receptacle is configured to receive through the opening material collected from the top surface of the cooktop for subsequent removal from the domestic appliance by removal of the receptacle from the top surface of the cooktop. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The following figures form part of the present specification and are included to further demonstrate certain aspects of the disclosed features and functions, and should not be used to limit or define the disclosed features and functions. Consequently, a more complete understanding of the exemplary embodiments and further features and advantages thereof may be acquired by referring to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is an exemplary embodiment of a domestic range having a cooktop; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a cooktop in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a cooktop in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a front view of a cooktop in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a receptacle in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is another receptacle in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is another receptacle in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the invention; and 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  is another receptacle in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0017]    The invention is described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. 
         [0018]    Cleaning a cooktop surface can be challenging when food, grease, and other substances stick to the surface. Users typically make multiple trips to a remote refuse collection area, such as a garbage can, garbage disposal, and compost collection, to deposit material removed from the cooktop surface, which can be tiresome and time consuming. The present invention eliminates the need for multiple trips by providing a receptacle on the cooking surface that can be removed to deposit material in one trip. 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  shows a domestic appliance such as, for example, a range  10 . The range  10  has a cooktop  20  and grates  30  positioned on a top surface  40  of the cooktop  20 . Other appliances in accordance with the invention include cooktops that are built into a countertop. 
         [0020]      FIG. 2  shows an embodiment of the invention in which the cooktop  20  has a recess  50  on the top surface  40  of the cooktop. A receptacle  60  can be positioned inside the recess  50 . The receptacle  60  can be removable from the recess  50 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . The recess  50  can be a depression or indentation in the top surface of the cooktop, having a depth d, for example, as shown in  FIG. 4 . Alternatively, the recess  50  can be an aperture having no bottom so that the receptacle  60  extends a depth d through the top surface  40  of the cooktop. The top surface  40  of the cooktop  20  can be made of, for example, sheet metal, and can include a plurality of gas burners. In the example shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the cooktop  20  has five gas burners  80   a ,  80   b ,  80   c ,  80   d ,  80   e  arranged on the top surface  40  of the cooktop  20 . The top surface  40  of the cooktop  20  can become heated during use when gas burner  80   a - e  operate. During cooking, material such as food can spill onto the top surface  40  of the cooktop  20 , and the heated surface can cause the spilled material to adhere to the surface, making cleaning difficult. 
         [0021]      FIGS. 5-8  show exemplary embodiments of receptacles in accordance with the invention. 
         [0022]      FIG. 5  shows an example of a receptacle  60  having an opening  80  in its upper end. The opening  80  allows for material such as food, grease, and cleaning cloths to be placed in the receptacle  60  during the cleaning operation. In this example, the receptacle  60  is essentially a rectangular parallelepiped having four sides  90   a ,  90   b ,  90   c ,  90   d  and a bottom  100 . A handle  70  is provided to facilitate lifting and carrying of the receptacle  60 . The handle  70  can be connected to the receptacle  60  for easy removal from the recess  50 . The handle  70  can be a protrusion across a width of the receptacle  60  so that the handle does not project into the space of the cooktop. The handle  70  can be positioned in the center of the receptacle  60 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . A handle can be positioned to a side of the receptacle or can be hinged to fold between a carrying position and a non-carrying position. More than one handle can be positioned on the receptacle. For example, handles can be provided on two sides of the receptacle so that a user can use two hands for removal. The handle can be any design to facilitate removal of the receptacle. The handle can be attached to the receptacle in any known manner, such as welding or fastening. The receptacle can have apertures to receive ends of the handle. The handle can be positioned so as to not extend above the cooktop surface, but to be flush to the surface so as not to interfere with cooking utensils such as pots and pans on the gas burners. The handle can also be designed to extend slightly above the cooktop surface. The receptacle  60  has a height H and width W. The corresponding recess  50  in the top surface  40  of the cooktop  20  can be the same shape as the receptacle  60  in order to provide a high quality looking fit when the receptacle  60  is in place in the recess  50 . The recess  50  can be a closed pocket, it can be a mesh pocket, it can be one or more bars, it can be an opening in the top surface  40  that has no bottom, or it can be any combination of these features. 
         [0023]      FIG. 6  shows an example of a receptacle  160  having an opening  180  in its upper end. The opening  180  allows for material such as food, grease, and cleaning cloths to be placed in the receptacle  160  during the cleaning operation. In this example, the receptacle  160  is a circular cylinder having a side  90  and a bottom  110 . In this example, two handles  170  are provided to facilitate lifting and carrying of the receptacle  160 . The handles  170  can be connected to the receptacle  160  for easy removal from the recess in the top surface of the cooktop. The handles  170  can be protrusions across a mouth of the receptacle  160  so that the handles do not project into the space of the cooktop. In other embodiments, one handle  170  can be positioned in the center of the receptacle  160 . The handles  170  can be positioned to a side of the receptacle or can be hinged to fold between a carrying position and a non-carrying position. The handles can be any design to facilitate removal of the receptacle. The handles can be attached to the receptacle in any known manner, such as welding or fastening. The receptacle can have apertures to receive ends of the handles. The handles can be positioned so as to not extend above the cooktop surface, but to be flush to the surface so as not to interfere with cooking utensils such as pots and pans on the gas burners. The handles can also be designed to extend slightly above the cooktop surface. The corresponding recess in the top surface of the cooktop can be the same shape as the receptacle  160  in order to provide a high quality looking fit when the receptacle  160  is in place in the recess. The recess can be a closed pocket, it can be a mesh pocket, it can be one or more bars, it can be an opening in the top surface of the cooktop that has no bottom, or it can be any combination of these features. 
         [0024]    The receptacle can have a cover  300 , as shown in  FIG. 7 . As an example, the cover  300  is shown corresponding to the receptacle  60  of  FIG. 5 . Other receptacles can have covers that correspond to the respective shapes of those receptacles. The cover  300  can be fully detachable from the receptacle  60 , and include a handle  310  on an outer surface of the cover  300  so that a user can remove the cover  300  to deposit material into the receptacle  60 . The cover  300  can attached to the receptacle  60  in a known manner, such as hingedly connected on one side of the receptacle  60  with a latch and/or clasp to keep the cover  300  closed on the receptacle  60 . The cover  300  can be rotatable around the hinge. The handle  310  can be rotatable to disengage the latch and/or clasp to open the cover  300  from the receptacle  60 . The handle  310  can also be a hole in the cover  300  designed to allow a user to lift the cover  310  by placing a finger in the hole  310 . 
         [0025]      FIG. 8  shows an example of a receptacle  260  that is made of a wire mesh  270 . The receptacle  260  is similar in shape to the receptacle  60  shown in  FIG. 5 , but is made of the wire mesh material  270  instead of a solid material. 
         [0026]    While  FIGS. 5-8  show example of rectangular and round receptacle, other shapes can also be used, such as, for example, square, trapezoidal, or oval. The corresponding recess in the top surface of the cooktop can be the same shape as the receptacle in order to provide a high quality looking fit when the receptacle  160  is in place in the recess. The receptacle, of any shape, can have a lip that rests on the top surface of the cooktop. The lip can help properly position the receptacle in the recess and can help ensure that the debris and cleaning cloths are deposited into the receptacle and do not fall between the receptacle and the top surface. The receptacle can be made of any material suitable in a cooktop environment, for example, stainless steel or heat resistant plastic. 
         [0027]    The recess and the receptacle can be centered on the top surface of the cooktop, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The recess can be positioned elsewhere on the top surface of the cooktop depending on other features of the cooktop such as, for example, the configuration of the gas burners or other heating units. For example, the configuration of the gas burners can affect the placement of the recess and receptacle on the top surface of the cooktop as a result of heat transfer of the gas burners. In addition, the configuration of components beneath the cooktop surface can affect the placement and size of the recess. It is advantageous for the receptacle to be in the cooking area so a user can easily utilize the receptacle while cleaning the cooktop as opposed to a location off the cooktop surface. It is also advantageous to have the receptacle removable from the top surface of the cooktop so as to allow for easy removal and replacement after cleaning. 
         [0028]    The receptacle  60 ,  160 ,  260  can be removed from the recess of the top surface of the cooktop to remove material, debris, and trash deposited into it by a user. For example, a user may be cleaning the cooktop surface and need to deposit material collected from the cooktop surface. Instead of walking away from the cooktop to deposit material in a trash can or other collected area, the user can deposit material directly into the receptacle. Once the user has completed cleaning the cooktop, the receptacle can be removed from the recess on the cooktop surface to deposit all of the material collected into a trash can or other area. This prevents a user from having to make multiple trips away from the cooktop during cleaning to deposit material and trash to a remote garbage can or other area. 
         [0029]    It will be appreciated that variants of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the invention.