Patent ID: 7956309

Claim:
A cooking apparatus, comprising: a plate upon configured to receive thereon an object to be heated; a ring shaped heater mounted under the plate; and a reflector positioned at least partially below the ring shaped heater so as to reflect heat and light emitted from the ring shaped heater toward the plate, wherein the reflector comprises a bottom wall; an outer wall that extends upward and outward from the bottom wall; and a dome that projects upward from a central portion of the bottom wall towards a center of the ring shaped heater such that the dome forms a curved convex shape at the central portion of the bottom wall, with an upwardly curved top of the dome positioned above a top surface of the heater, wherein a center of curvature of the outer wall and a center of curvature of the dome are each located at an outer side of the reflector, the outer side of the reflector being opposite from a side of the reflector facing the heater, and wherein a curvature of the outer wall and a side and top of the dome cause multiple images of the ring shaped heater to be formed on the plate.