Patent Abstract:
A control system for a glass touch cooktop includes a control panel including a plurality of touch control areas with touch toggle controls that correspond to a plurality of surface heater elements, and a toggle lock control that disables the touch controls areas when activated. The toggle lock control is separated from the touch control, identified with a conspicuous icon, and includes an integral indicator to readily alert a user that the system is locked. Graphical icons and integral indicators are incorporated into touch controls for user-friendly operation of the heating elements.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to controls for cooking appliances and, more particularly, to a touch control for electric range surface heating elements. 
     Electric ranges typically include a plurality of surface heating elements. Typically, a user controls the operation of these surface heating elements by mechanically selecting power settings for the surface heating elements via dials or knobs located on a panel near the surface heating elements. The dials or knobs are connected to mechanical switches that control the individual heating elements. 
     Glass touch control systems typically include a plurality of touch toggle control areas responsive to a touch by a user. Each touch control area electronically controls a corresponding surface heating element. Some touch control systems are confusing to new users, such as systems that incorporate a lock feature that disables the touch controls for safety. Often, it is neither apparent to the uninitiated whether the controls are locked nor evident how to unlock them to operate the range. 
     Moreover, user-friendly touch controls for combination heating elements, such as dual element burners and bridge heating elements, are needed. 
     Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a touch control system that designates the status of the system as locked or unlocked, attracts attention to the lock control, and facilitates the control of dual element burners and bridge elements. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a control system for a glass touch cooktop includes a control panel including a plurality of touch control areas with touch toggle controls that correspond to a plurality of surface heater elements, and a toggle lock control that disables the touch control areas when activated. The toggle lock control is separated from the touch control and is identified with a conspicuous icon for unlocking the touch controls. The toggle lock control further includes an integral indicator to readily alert a user that the system is locked. 
     Each control area includes on/off touch controls, up and down power controls, and power level displays for intuitive operation by a user. Further, touch controls with graphical icons and integral indicators are incorporated for user-friendly operation of a dual element burner and a bridge element. The indicators are lit in response to the energization of the elements so that a user may see at a glance the status of the elements. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a range; 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a control panel; and 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a control system for the control panel shown in FIG.  2 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a range  10  including a base  12 , a range surface  14 , and a control riser  16 . Base  12  includes a storage drawer  18  for the storage of pots, pans, broilers, etc, and an oven door  20  allowing access to an oven chamber (not shown). The oven chamber is positioned within base  12  and above storage drawer  18 . 
     Range surface  14  includes a left front burner  22 , a right front burner  24 , a left rear burner  26 , a right rear burner  28 , and center rear heating element  30  between left rear burner  26  and right rear burner  28 . Right front burner  24  is a dual element heater capable of heating in a 6 inch mode or 9 inch mode. Left rear burner  26  is a warming element. The remaining heating elements  22 ,  28 ,  30  are single element heaters. A bridge element (not shown) allows the combined operation of left  26 , center  30 , and right rear  28  burners. Of course, the number of heating elements, the type of heating elements (i.e., single or double element) and the arrangement of the elements may be varied on range surface  14 . 
     Control riser  16  extends upwardly from the rear end of range surface  14  and includes a surface heating element control panel  32 . Control riser  16  further includes oven controls (not shown) and other accessories such as clocks or timers (not shown). In an alternative embodiment, control panel  32  is located in front of and below range surface  14 . In a further alternative embodiment, control panel  32  is remotely located from range surface  14  as part of a cabinet structure or counter top. 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of control panel  32  including a plurality of touch control areas  34  that correspond to one of heating elements  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  of FIG.  1 . More specifically, control panel  32  includes a left rear element control area  36  corresponding to left rear burner  26 , a center rear element control area  38  corresponding to center rear burner  30 , a right rear element control area  40  corresponding to right rear burner  28 , a left front element control area  42  corresponding to left front burner  22 , and a right front element control area  44  corresponding to right front burner  24 . Each control area  34  includes on/off touch control pads  46 , power level up pads  48 , and power level down pads  50 . 
     Left front control area  42 , right front control area  44 , right rear control area  40 , and center rear control area  38  include alphanumeric power level displays  52  that indicate power levels according to one of eleven settings from lowest power to highest power: L, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and H. Left rear control area  36  includes a bar graph power display  54  including nine horizontal bars  56  vertically stacked to indicate one of nine power levels, with the lowest bar indicating the lowest power setting and the highest bar indicating the highest power setting. Left rear element control area  36  further includes a “warmer” graphical icon  58  to indicate left rear burner  26  (shown in FIG. 1) as a warmer element with a reduced power range. 
     Right rear control area  40  has a single element control pad  60  with a graphical icon and an integral indicator  62  that is lit when the right rear burner is energized. Right rear control area  40  also includes a second combined bridge element control pad  64  with a graphical icon and multiple integral indicators  66  that are lit when left rear  26  burner (FIG.  1 ), center rear burner  30  (FIG. 1) and right rear burner  28  (FIG. 1) are operated in combination. 
     Right front control area  44  includes a 9 inch burner touch control pad  68  with a graphical icon  70  and an integral indicator  72  that is lit when right front dual element burner  24  is operated in 9 inch mode. Right front control area  44  further includes a 6 inch burner touch control pad  74  with a graphical icon  76  and an integral indicator  78  that is lit when right front dual element burner  24  (FIG. 1) is operated in 6 inch mode. 
     A lock touch control area  80  is separated from touch control areas  36 ,  38 ,  40 ,  42 , and  44  and includes a lock pad  82  with a graphical lock icon  84  and an integral indicator  86  that is lit when a lock feature is activated, as explained below. 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of control panel  32  in operational connection with heating elements  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 . Each touch control pad of each touch control area  36 ,  38 ,  40 ,  42 , and  44  is connected to a control  88 . Control  88  includes a microprocessor (not shown) or other electronic elements for executing the functions described below. 
     Each indicator of each control area  36 ,  38 ,  40 ,  42 , and  44  is connected to control  88  and is responsive thereto. Heating elements  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  are connected to control  88  and are operationally responsive through control  88  to inputs from a user via manipulation of control panel  32 . Operation of heating elements  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  in response to manipulation of control areas  36 ,  38 ,  40 ,  42 , and  44  is subject to the following control scheme. 
     Power Up/Initialization 
     When power is first applied, or restored after a power outage, control panel  32  flashes “8” in all alphanumeric power level displays  52  for 4 seconds at a frequency of 1 Hz with a 50% duty cycle. Warming bar graph display  54  will also flash at the same frequency and duty cycle. Upon completion of the flashing sequence, control  88  will begin normal power operation as described below. If an on/off control pad  46  is touched during the power up sequence, the power up sequence will be terminated and touch control pads will be processed as set forth below. 
     Idle Mode 
     When control  88  is powered up and not in the locked mode, and no heating elements are being energized, the system is in the “idle mode.” In the idle mode, only the on/off control pads  46  for each control area  36 ,  38 ,  40 ,  42 , and  44  and lock control area  80  are operable. All other touch control pads are unresponsive in the idle mode. 
     Lock Operation 
     To activate the lock feature, lock control pad  82  is touched and held for 2 seconds. After a 2 second touch, control  88  will beep once and illuminate LED  86  (shown in FIG. 2) behind lock pad icon  84 . LED  86  indicates that control panel  32  is in the locked mode. When control panel  32  is locked, all pads with the exception of lock pad  82  are unresponsive. If any heating elements are active when control panel  32  is locked, the elements are turned off as part of the locking process, and power will not be restored to any element as long as control panel  32  is locked. 
     Control panel  32  is unlocked by pressing and holding lock pad  82  for 2 seconds. Control  88  will beep twice, turn off LED  86  behind lock pad  82  and return to idle mode. 
     Power Control Operation 
     When a control area on/off touch pad  46  is touched and the corresponding heating element is not energized, control  88  will beep and flash “0” in the corresponding alphanumeric power display  52  and the corresponding power level up pad  48  and power level down pad  50  are activated. Heating mode is entered when a corresponding power up pad  48  or power down pad  50  is depressed. If power level up pad  48  is pressed within seven seconds of the on/off control pad  46 , control  88  will beep, energize the corresponding heating element at full power, and display an “H” in corresponding power level display  52 . If power level down control pad  50  is pressed within seven seconds of on/off touch control pad  46 , control  88  will beep, energize the corresponding heater at the lowest power setting, and display an “L” in corresponding power level display  52 . If neither power level up pad  48  or power level down pad  50  is pressed within seven seconds of control area on/off control pad  46 , corresponding power level display  52  is turned off and control  88  returns to the idle mode. 
     Once a control area  34  enters the heating mode, on/off control pad  46 , and power level up and down control pads  48 ,  50  are active. If on/off pad  46  is touched, control  88  will beep, turn the corresponding heater element off, and turn power level display  52  off. Touch control area  34  will then return to the idle mode. 
     Eleven power settings (L, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and H) are available for each heating element  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30 . If power level up control pad  48  is touched while corresponding control area  34  is in the active heating mode, control  88  will beep and, if the power level is below the highest power setting “H,” the power level will be increased one power level. If a power up pad  48  is touched and held for one second or longer while a control area  34  is in heating mode, the power to the corresponding heating element will be increased at a rate of three power levels per second. 
     If a down control pad  50  is touched while a control area  34  is in the active heating mode, control  88  will beep and, if the power level is not already at the lowest power setting “L,” the power level will be decreased by one power setting. If a power level down control pad  50  is touched and held for one second or longer, the power will be decreased at a rate of three power levels per second. 
     Dual Ring Element Operation 
     Right front burner dual heating element  24  is operable in 6 inch mode or 9 inch mode using the 6 inch touch control pad  74  or 9 inch touch control pad  68 . The 6 inch and 9 inch control pads  74 ,  68  are inactive until dual element on/off control  46  is touched. Once dual element on/off control  46  is touched, the system defaults to 9 inch mode, and LED  72  (shown in FIG. 2) behind 9 inch icon  70  (shown in FIG. 2) is illuminated. The 6 inch mode may be selected by pressing 6 inch touch control pad  74 . Dual heating element  24  will not be energized, however, unless either right front power up pad  48  or power down pad  50  is depressed. Once dual heating element  24  is energized, the 6 or 9 inch mode may be changed by pressing the appropriate touch control pad  74 ,  68 , and the power level in the new mode will remain at the same level before the heating mode was changed. 
     Bridge Element Operation 
     Right rear control area  40  has two additional controls for selecting either the right rear burner  28 , or the combination of the right rear burner  28 , left rear burner  26 , and center rear burner  30  via the bridge element. Right rear element icon  60  has an icon with LED  62  (shown in FIG. 2) to indicate that only right rear burner  28  is energized. Combined control pad  64  has an icon and three LEDs  66  (shown in FIG. 2) to indicate the operation of rear burners  26 ,  28 ,  30  in combination. 
     When right rear on/off control pad  46  is turned on, control defaults to right rear element  28  only and right rear control area  40  functions as any other control area. 
     If combined bridge element control pad  64  is touched, right rear LED  62  is turned off and combined LEDs  66  are turned on. Center rear control area  38  is disabled. Center segment of alphanumeric power display  52 , i.e., a dash, is displayed in center rear power display (as illustrated in FIG. 2) and power level up and down control pads  48 ,  50  of center rear control area  38  are disabled. Center rear on/off control pad  46  turns combined elements  26 ,  28 ,  30  off if touched. Once combined element mode is selected, right rear control  40  functions as a normal element control for combined elements  26 ,  28 ,  30 . Right rear on/off pad  46  is utilized to turn elements  26 ,  28 ,  30  off when elements  26 ,  28 ,  30  are in the combined element mode. 
     If right rear touch control pad  60  is depressed during the combined element mode, left rear element  26  and center rear element  30  will be turned off, and right rear element  28  continues to be energized at the same power level that element  26 ,  28 ,  30  were energized prior to right rear control pad  60  being touched. If combined bridge element control pad  64  is touched again, all three elements  26 ,  28 ,  30  are turned on at the selected power level. If center rear element  30  is operating when combined element control pad  64  is depressed, center rear element  30  will not be returned to its prior operating state when combined element mode is terminated. Rather, center rear heating element  30  will be turned off when combined element mode is turned off. 
     Warming Element Operation 
     Left rear warming element control area  36  operation is similar to the power operation described above with the following notable differences. Nine power levels are available for the warming element rather than the  11  power levels for the other burners. The warming element power display  54  is a nine level bar graph rather than an alphanumeric display  52 , and all nine segments of the bar graph display will flash after the on/off control  46  is depressed until either control up control  48  or down control  50  is depressed. 
     Thus, a user friendly touch control system is provided that allows a user to see the status of all heating elements at a glance. Integral indicators and graphical icons clearly indicate the locked/unlocked status of the controls, and facilitate operation of dual burner elements and bridge burners. 
     While the invention has been described in terms of various specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5