Patent ID: 8455799

Claim:
A control panel for controlling the operation of at least a first hotplate and a second hotplate situated on a cooking appliance, the control panel comprising: a translucent plate having a top surface, and a plurality of operating elements with each operating element having associated lighting elements located below the top surface of the translucent plate, the location of the operating elements being identifiable on the top surface of the translucent plate only when the associated lighting elements are energized, the plurality of operating elements comprising a first hotplate selection switch, a second hotplate selection switch, and at least one control switch useable to select at least one hotplate operating parameter, the lighting elements controllable to be energized and/or de-energized so that only the operating elements associated with selecting and operating a particular hotplate are made visible on the top surface of the translucent plate while a user is in the process of selecting or otherwise altering an operating parameter of the particular hot plate.