Patent ID: 8191464

Claim:
An electric cooking appliance comprising: a heater for heating a bowl when connected to an electric power supply; a sensor for sensing a temperature of the bowl, wherein the sensor comprises a hinging frame and a movable thermal contact member movable in a substantially perpendicular direction which is substantially perpendicular to a wall of the bowl to contact the wall of the bowl; and a detector for detecting a presence of the bowl, wherein displacement of said movable thermal contact member operates said detector to disconnect the electric power supply from the heater in case of absence of the bowl and to connect the electric power supply to the heater in case of detection of the presence of the bowl, wherein said detector does not contact the bowl when the bowl is inserted in the electric cooking appliance, wherein the movable thermal contact member and the detector are urged in the substantially perpendicular direction, wherein the movable thermal contact member is on the hinging frame, the hinging frame extending away from a first side of the movable thermal contact member past the detector and contacting the detector, and wherein an end of the hinging frame away from the first side of the movable thermal contact member is pivotably mounted on a casing that receives the bowl.