Patent ID: 7895999

Claim:
A cooking vessel support assembly comprising: a frame configured to secure to the underside of a cooktop surface, a translating support structure, at least one cooking vessel support, said at least one cooking vessel support including at least one support location for contacting a cooking vessel, said at least one cooking vessel support located on said translating support structure, said at least one cooking vessel support moveable between at least a first operating condition and a second condition, wherein in said first operating condition said at least one support location is located at a first level above said frame, and wherein, in said second condition said at least one support location is located at a second level relative to said frame, said second level being below said first level, a rotating member adjacent said frame and rotatable relative to said frame in a generally horizontal plane, said rotating member having a first set of angled slots, said translating support structure adjacent to said rotating member and having a second set of angled slots which pair with said first set of angled slots in said rotating member to form a set of paired angled slots, a first set of ball slide engagements between said rotating member and said translating support structure, said ball slide engagements each including a ball running in and captured within said set of paired angled slots and causing relative vertical displacement between said translating support structure and said frame by rotation of said rotating member, wherein said translating support structure is engaged with said frame so as to concentrically locate said translating support structure within said frame and constrain relative movement of said translating support structure to vertical movement with no rotation; and wherein said rotating member is engaged with said frame, to stably support said rotating member relative to said frame so as to allow rotation of said rotating member but no vertical movement, a rotation actuator to drive rotation of said rotating member relative to said frame.