[0001] The present invention relates to a safety device, to be applied to cooking hobs provided
with gas-burners or electric hot-plates, and being either of the built-in type to
be recessed in a piece of furniture or formed of a household cooker top, which is
capable of preventing vessels placed on the hob itself from overturning, in particular
when cooking foods.
[0002] It is known that the vessels used for cooking, and especially the pots having a considerable
height in comparison with their diameter, are susceptible of overturning when incidentally
struck and of falling from the cooking hob, thus pouring the liquid therein, often
boiling. This leads to a dangerous situation for people standing near, especially
when children are present who, besides causing this type of accidents more frequently,
due to their restlessness and less care taken, may be burnt more seriously by the
poured liquid, owing to their height which approximately corresponds to the hob level.
[0003] It is true that sometimes attempts have been made to anchor vessels onto the support
top surface, such as by means of snap fastening devices, which however have proved
to be complex and/or cumbersome, with the additional drawback of easily heating while
cooking, so as to be of difficult handling when these devices have to be released
for leaving free the associate vessel as soon as the cooking is over.
[0004] Other anti-tilting devices are known, for the above-mentioned purpose, being formed
of a protective metal section which, at a front position, restrains onto the hob the
vessels placed over the burners. However these known devices show various disadvantages,
such as the fact that at the rest, backward position they are situated over the rear
burners or anyway due to their overall dimensions are of hindrance to the complete
lowering of the cover onto the cooking top. In addition sometimes these devices comprise
a plurality of members and thereby constructional complications are required to keep,
during operation, a higher position with respect to the cooking top surface that is
more efficient against the tilting of the adjacent vessels.
[0005] An object of the present invention is therefore that of providing an anti-tilting
device for pots and the like, which is easily applicable onto cooking surfaces of
any type, of simple construction in a single piece and of good functional capacity
and handiness, without the need of a releasing operation for leaving free vessels,
while being at the same time perfectly reliable.
[0006] According to a particular aspect of the present invention, the device is laterally
hinged to the innerly facing sides of the cooker top or hob and can assume two opposed
positions, one of which, towards the front edge, prevents from overturning those vessels
which are placed on the hob at the fore area and in part also at the sides, whereas
the opposite position, towards the rear edge, allows the cover to be closed down without
any hindrance and interference with the rear burners.
[0007] These and further advantages and characteristics of the device according to the invention
will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof,
given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the annexed drawing, the single
figure of which shows a perspective view of a hob provided with a device of the invention.
[0008] With reference to the figure, a device 2 according to the invention is mounted to
a cooking hob 1 which may be indifferently either of the built-in type to be recessed
in a piece of forniture thereunder, or such as to form the top plane of a self-contained
cooker, being here represented with gas-burners, whereas it could also comprise at
least one electric hot plate. The device is formed as a shaped bar, hinged at its
ends 3, 3ʹ to the side edges 4, 4ʹ of the hob at a nearly middle zone along the direction
of depth of the hob itself. Preferably the bar 2 has a round cross-section, so that
its ends 3, 3ʹ can rotate freely in associate holes formed in the side surfaces 4,
4ʹ without the necessity of separate hinges.
[0009] At position A the bar 2 has been shown by continuous lines as in use, i.e. turned
to the front side of the hob, whereas at position B it is turned rearwards, in a rest
situation. The bar 2 substantially comprises an elongated portion 6, parallel to
the front edge or width side of the hob, being joined at each side to the associate
hinging end 3, 3ʹ through a shaped portion, respectively 8, 8ʹ.
[0010] The protection against possible tilting or overturning of vessels on the front burners
of the cooking hob 1 is mainly provided by the elongated bar 6 which, thanks to a
particularly angled shape of the side connecting portions 8, 8ʹ, results to be raised
with respect to the hob, thus forming an actual hindrance to a forward tilting of
the vessels on the front burners. At the same time also the side arms 8, 8ʹ give a
protection, even if partial, against a possible tilting in a side direction.
[0011] Furthermore the particular configuration of the arms 8 is useful to a lateral grasping
of the device to cause it to rotate from position A to B and vice versa.
[0012] The side arms 8 are upwardly bent at A, starting from parts 5, 5ʹ which are slightly
recessed to the inside with respect to the hinge end 3, 3ʹ and parallel to the sides
4, 4ʹ of hob 1. Such a configuration, when the device 2 is rotated backward by 180°
to the position B, causes the elongated bar 6 to completely rest on the rear side
of the hob, while the side arms 8, 8ʹ remain partially raised therefrom. A designer
will then be able to dimension the various parts so that the height by which arms
8 are raised at the position B will be within the tolerance range allowed between
hob and cover 10 without hindering the complete lowering of the latter.
[0013] It is clear that a safety device as described and illustrated can be easily applied
to whichever cooking hob having upraised lateral edges of sufficient height, and
affords an extremely good handiness and ease of utilization without showing the known
drawbacks due to an excessive heating, when it is also considered that the vessels
thereby protected from overturning can be removed from the burners, upon cooking,
without the necessity of touching by hands the device itself. In fact the same does
not prevent pots and the like from lifting from the rest surface, but only from tilting,
especially towards the front side.
1. A device to prevent from overturning vessels placed on a cooking hob, characterized
by the fact that said device (2) comprises a metal bar (6), substantially parallel
to the front edge of hob (1) and connected at each side to an end portion (3, 3ʹ)
to be hinged at a lateral zone (4, 4ʹ) of said hob (1) through a shaped arm (8, 8ʹ)
which is angled to both said bar (6) and a part (5, 5ʹ) being co-planar with said
end portion (3, 3ʹ), perpendicular thereto and parallel to the respective side (4,
4ʹ) of the hob (1).
2. A device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact of being adapted to take
two opposite positions, upon a rotation of about 180°, at the first of which (A),
being the position in use, said bar (6) is raised with respect to the cooking hob
(1) and at the second of which (B), being the position at rest, it is resting on
said hob (1) from which said side arms (8, 8ʹ) are partially raised, at such a height
to allow the complete lowering of cover (10) onto the hob.
