Patent ID: 8045848

Claim:
A babycare heating apparatus comprising: a vessel for containing water; a heating element for heating the water held in the vessel; a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature rise effected by operation of the heating element; and a controller configured to energize the heating element in response to an output of the temperature sensor, wherein the controller is configured to de-energize the heating element if a change in the sensed temperature, sensed by the temperature sensor, meets a predetermined criterion including a first reference value and a second reference value, and wherein the controller is further configured to compare the sensed temperature, at a predetermined time after energizing the heating element, with the first reference value and the second reference value, and de-energize the heating element if the sensed temperature is above the first reference value or below the second reference value, the controller being further configures to provide a first signal indicating that a level of the water in the vessel is low when the sensed temperature is above the first reference value, and to provide a second signal indicating that the vessel is overfilled with the water when the sensed temperature is below the second reference value.