HEATING COOKER

Abstract

 A heating cooker includes a top plate, a front frame for covering a front edge of the top plate, and opposite side frames for covering respective side edges of the top plate. A front end (edge) of each of the side frames is inserted into and covered by a side portion of the front frame. The side frame has a ridge formed on an outer surface thereof at a location a predetermined distance spaced apart from a front edge thereof such that the ridge is positioned along a rear end (edge) of the front frame.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a heating cooker to be used in a kitchen at standard home or for business purposes and, more particularly, to a protective frame mounted on a periphery of a top plate, which is mounted on an upper surface of a main body, to constitute an outer shell of the heating cooker for protection of the top plate.

Background Art

[0002] Recently, induction heating appliances having a heating area on an upper surface of a main body are in common use as cooking appliances using no fire. The induction heating appliance has a generally rectangular top plate mounted on the upper surface of the main body to place a cooking container thereon. A heating portion having the heating area is made up of a portion of the top plate and a heating coil disposed below the top plate so as to confront the portion of the top plate. In addition to the induction heating appliances of the above-described construction, there are heating appliances having a halogen lamp or a radiant heater, or gas cooking appliances having a top plate mounted on an upper surface thereof.

[0003] A top plate unit having the top plate is provided with a protective frame for covering an entire peripheral edge of the top plate to avoid injury to user's fingers.

[0004] The protective frame generally includes a frame for covering opposite side edges and a rear edge of the top plate and a front plate for covering a front edge of the top plate. An operation panel for operating the heating appliance is mounted on the front plate.

[0005] Some protective frames are made up of four frame pieces connected to one another. These frame pieces are mounted on the top plate unit along a peripheral edge thereof so as to take the form of a picture frame as a whole, and adjoining frame pieces are held in contact with each other at an angle of inclination of 45 degrees. Each of the frame pieces has a generally U-shaped section and is secured to the top plate with an adhesive so as to cover a corresponding edge of the top plate (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0006] A protective frame 140 as shown in Figs. 23 and 24 has been proposed having a corner 142 that has been formed by bending a straight member having a generally U-shaped section along a corner edge of a top plate 141. As shown in Fig. 25, this protective frame 140 includes a side frame 144 and a front frame 145 connected to each other via a joint 143 (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-188908

Patent Document 2: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-59743

Disclosure of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, in the prior art construction in which a connecting member is used to connect the front frame (front plate), provided along a front edge of the top plate mounted atop the main body, to the side frame provided along a side edge of the top plate, many component parts are required and, hence, there is still room for improvement in terms of assemblage.

[0008] A heating appliance for cooking including an electrostatic type touch-sensitive operating portion provided on a front side of the top plate has been recently proposed. In such a heating appliance, if an upper portion of the front frame is narrowed for placement of the operating portion or for improvement of the design of the appearance, the front frame and the side frame cannot be secured to the top plate with sufficient strength, thus posing a problem that the front frame and the side frame would be easily separated from the top plate.

[0009] In the case of the heating appliance as disclosed in Patent Document 1, if variations in size of the frame pieces or distortion of the frame pieces occurs at the contact portions, or the connection accuracy lowers, a gap would be created at the contact portions or a position gap would be created at a tip of a corner, thus posing a problem that the appearance of the protective frame would be spoiled. Because the contact portions expose on an upper surface of the top plate, if a cooking liquid or water drops on the corner of the protective frame during cooking, a stain is apt to adhere to between the contact portions, and removal thereof is troublesome. Also, a user may be accidentally caught by the corner at which the position gap has been created.

[0010] In the heating appliance as disclosed in Patent Document 2 and as shown in Figs. 23 and 24 in which the corner 142 of the protective frame 140 is formed by bending a straight member having a generally U-shaped section, the corner 142 comes to have a large radius R, thus spoiling the appearance of the heating appliance.

[0011] Also, if the side frame 144 and the front frame 145 are connected to each other via the joint 143, as shown in Fig. 25, the number of component parts increases, and the assemblage of the protective frame 140 is time-consuming. Also, if the joint 143 is made of a resin, another problem arises that the joint 143 may be thermally deformed to thereby spoil the appearance of the heating appliance.

[0012] The present invention has been developed to overcome the above-described disadvantages.

[0013] It is accordingly an objective of the present invention to provide a highly reliable and safe heating cooker or heating appliance for cooking, which is improved in assemblage and strength, and in which a protective frame mounted on a peripheral edge of a top plate is made up of a reduced number of component parts without spoiling the appearance thereof.

Means to Solve the Problems

[0014] In accomplishing the above objective, a heating appliance for cooking according to the present invention includes a main body, a generally rectangular top plate made of a heat-resisting glass and mounted on an upper surface of the main body, a front frame disposed along a front edge of the top plate, two side frames disposed along respective side edges of the top plate, and a heating portion mounted in the main body. Each of the side frames is formed by bending a metal plate and has an upper wall held in contact at a lower edge thereof with an upper surface of the top plate to cover a side edge of the top plate, and a side wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly. The front frame is formed by bending a metal plate and has an upper wall held in contact at a lower edge thereof with the upper surface of the top plate to cover a front edge of the top plate, opposite side walls each formed by bending a side portion of the front wall downwardly, and a front wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly at a front edge thereof. A front end of the upper wall and that of the side wall of each of the side frames is inserted into an inside of the upper wall and one of the side walls of the front frame, and each of the side frames has an outwardly protruding strip-shaped ridge formed with the upper wall and the side wall thereof and positioned along a rear edge of the upper wall and that of each of the side walls of the front frame.

[0015] This construction requires no separate joints to connect the front frame to the side frames, thus making it possible to reduce the number of component parts and facilitate assemblage. Also, the protective frame comes to have substantially right-angled corners on a front side of the top plate and accordingly does not spoil the appearance. Further, the strip-shaped ridge formed with the upper wall and the side wall of the side frame is positioned along the rear edge of the front frame, and a front portion of the side frame is covered with a side portion of the front frame, thus making it possible to prevent user's hands from being brought into contact with an edge of the front frame and that of the side frame to avoid injury to the user.

[0016] An underframe having an opening defined therein and holding a periphery of the top plate is further provided. Each of the side frames has a lower wall formed by bending the side wall thereof toward the underframe at a lower edge thereof and secured to a lower surface of the underframe, and the front frame has a front lower wall formed by bending the front wall toward the underframe at a lower edge thereof. The front lower wall of the front frame is secured to the lower surface of the underframe.

[0017] It is preferred that the front frame be screwed to the underframe using a plurality of mounting holes defined in the front lower wall of the front frame.

[0018] The front frame has opposite side lower walls and may have opposite side covers each extending inwardly from an end portion of the front lower wall or each of the side lower walls.

[0019] The heating appliance for cooking preferably includes a rear cover held by the underframe and having a front edge to cover a rear edge of the top plate and at least one exhaust port or intake port defined therein, and a rear frame disposed along a rear edge of the rear cover. In this case, the rear frame is formed by bending a metal plate and has an upper wall held in contact at a front edge thereof with an upper surface of the rear cover to cover a front edge of the rear cover, a rear wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly at a rear edge thereof, and a lower wall formed by bending the rear wall toward the underframe at a lower edge thereof and secured to the lower surface of the underframe. The rear frame is unitarily formed with the side frames, which cover side edges of the rear cover, those of the top plate, and those of the underframe, by bending a straight frame member.

[0020] Alternatively, a rear frame for covering a rear edge of the top plate and that of the underframe is unitarily formed with the side frames by bending a straight frame member.

[0021] The rear frame may be divided into two, each of which is unitarily formed with one of the side frames.

[0022] The upper wall of the front frame has a rear portion that has been bent so as to descend toward the upper surface of the top plate such that a rear edge of the upper wall of the front frame is held in contact with the upper surface of the top plate.

[0023] In another aspect of the present invention, a heating appliance for cooking includes a main body, a generally rectangular top plate mounted on an upper surface of the main body, a front frame disposed along a front surface of the top plate and formed by bending a metal plate, and two side frames disposed along respective side surfaces of the top plate and each formed by bending a metal plate, wherein the front frame includes an upper wall having a rearwardly descending inclined portion and covering a front edge of the top plate, a front wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly at a front upper edge thereof, a front lower wall formed by bending the front wall inwardly at a lower edge thereof, two side walls formed by bending the front wall downwardly at respective side edges thereof, and two side lower walls formed by bending the two side walls inwardly at respective lower edges thereof. Each of the side frames has an insert formed at a front end thereof and inserted into the front frame, and the insert has an engaging piece positioned below the upper wall of the front frame and above a lower end of the inclined portion so as to extend in a longitudinal direction of the upper wall of the front frame. The engaging piece is held in contact with the inclined portion to avoid removal of the front frame from the insert.

[0024] Because each side frame is formed by bending a metal plate and has the insert formed at the front end thereof and inserted into the front frame, no separate joints are required to connect the front frame to the side frame, thus making it possible to simplify the construction.

[0025] Also, because the insert has the engaging piece positioned below the upper wall of the front frame and above the lower end of the inclined portion so as to extend in a longitudinal direction of the upper wall of the front frame and to be held in contact with the inclined portion to avoid removal of the front frame from the insert, the joint between the front frame and the side frame is simplified in configuration and considerably increased in rigidity. Further, a spaced occupied by the joint between the front frame and the side frame can be reduced and, hence, the depth of the upper wall of the front frame can be reduced, and the design thereof can be enhanced.

[0026] The side frame has an upper wall that covers a side edge of an upper surface of the top plate, a side wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly, and an outwardly protruding strip-shaped ridge formed at a location adjacent to the insert by deforming a portion of the upper wall and that of the side wall of the side frame. By this construction, when the insert of the side frame is inserted into the front frame, the outwardly protruding strip-shaped ridge is juxtaposed with the rear edge of the front frame and accordingly acts as a stopper during insertion of the side frame into the front frame. The strip-shaped ridge also acts to prevent user's fingers from being brought into contact with cut rear edges of the front frame to thereby avoid injury to the user's fingers.

[0027] Alternatively, the side frame has an upper wall that covers a side edge of an upper surface of the top plate, a side wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly, and a lower wall formed by bending the side wall inwardly at a lower edge thereof, wherein the lower wall of the side frame is removed at the insert. This configuration allows, when the side frame is inserted into the front frame, the side frame to slide relative to the front frame under the condition in which a lower edge of the side wall of the side frame is held in contact with an upper surface or a rear edge of the side lower wall of the front frame. That is, the lower edge of the side wall of the side frame is guided by the side lower wall of the front frame during insertion of the side frame, thus facilitating the assemblage.

[0028] If a lower front corner of the side wall of the side frame is removed at the insert, and the side wall of the side frame has an inclined guide that inclines forwardly upwardly from a lower front edge of the side wall, when the insert of the side frame is inserted into the front frame, the side frame is caused to slide with the guide held in contact with the side lower wall of the front frame, so that the engaging piece can move obliquely upwardly to pass under the lower edge of the inclined portion of the front frame. This construction can avoid interference of the engaging piece with the inclined portion, and accordingly facilitates insertion of the insert.

[0029] Also, if the front frame has a cutout formed in each end of the inclined portion to receive an upper portion of the ridge of the side frame therein, an inward movement and a forward movement of the side frame are restrained by the ridge and the front wall of the front frame forming the cutout, and a rearward movement of the side frame is restrained by the engaging piece the inclined portion of the front frame, thus making it possible to stabilize the front frame.

[0030] If the engaging piece of the side frame has a strip-shaped inclined portion that descends toward the front frame, the inclined portion acts to guide the insert of the side frame during insertion of the side frame into the front frame to thereby allow the insert to easily pass under the lower end of the inclined portion of the upper wall of the front frame.

[0031] An underframe formed of a metal plate is disposed below the top plate for support thereof, and the front frame is fixed to the underframe such that the inclined portion of the front frame is held in contact at a lower edge thereof with an upper surface of the top plate, an upper surface of the front lower wall of the front frame is held in contact with a lower surface of the underframe, and the front lower wall of the front frame has a plurality of upwardly protruding protrusions formed thereon, each of which is received in a latch hole defined in the underframe. This configuration allows the front frame having a narrow depth to be easily attached to the top plate along a front edge thereof.

[0032] The underframe is made of a metal and, hence, hole drilling can be easily conducted thereto. Also, use of a thin stainless steel plate (for example, thickness of 0.3 millimeters) for the front frame allows the protrusions 118a to be easily formed on the front lower wall of the front frame, and insertion of the side frame into the front frame under the condition in which the side frame has been attached to the top plate placed on the underframe and secured thereto by an adhesive or the like enables the front frame to be easily rigidly secured to the top plate and the underframe. Accordingly, the depth of the front frame can be reduced to enhance the appearance of the appliance, and not only can the assemblage of the front frame be improved, but the fixing strength thereof can be also enhanced.

[0033] The side wall has an upper wall having an inclined portion descending toward a central portion of the top plate to cover an upper surface of a side portion of the top plate, a side wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly, and a lower wall formed by bending the side wall inwardly at a lower edge thereof. The side frame is fixed to the underframe such that the inclined portion of the side frame is held in contact at a lower edge thereof with the upper surface of the top plate, an upper surface of the lower wall of the side frame is held in contact with a lower surface of the underframe, and the lower wall of the side frame has a plurality of upwardly protruding protrusions formed thereon, each of which is received in a latch hole defined in the underframe. As with the front frame, this configuration allows the side frame to have an upper wall of a narrow width to enhance the appearance of the appliance, and not only can the assemblage of the side frame be improved, but the fixing strength thereof can be also enhanced.

Effects of the Invention

[0034] According to the present invention, no separate joints are required to connect the front frame to the side frames, both constituting the protective frame, thus making it possible to reduce the number of component parts and facilitate assemblage. Also, the protective frame comes to have substantially right-angled corners on a front side of the top plate and accordingly does not spoil the appearance. Further, the strip-shaped ridge formed with the upper wall and the side wall of the side frame is positioned along the rear edge of the front frame, and a front portion of the side frame is covered with a side portion of the front frame, thus making it possible to prevent user's hands from being brought into contact with an edge of the front frame and that of the side frame to avoid injury to the user.

[0035] In addition, because the insert of the side frame is inserted into the front frame, and the front frame and the side frame are mechanically secured to each other by the engaging piece and the inclined portion of the front frame, it is unlikely that the front frame would be removed from the side frame, and the two frames can be easily and assuredly assembled.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0036] 

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an induction heating appliance for cooking according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a top plate unit mounted on the induction heating appliance for cooking of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an essential portion of the top plate unit of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the essential portion of the top plate unit of Fig. 2 with a portion thereof removed.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a frame of the top plate unit of Fig. 2 as viewed from below.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the top plate unit of Fig. 2 as viewed from below.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a front corner of the top plate unit of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along a line A-A in Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along a line B-B in Fig. 6.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken along a line C-C in Fig. 6.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a front frame of the top plate unit of Fig. 2 as viewed from below.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a protective cover of the top plate unit of Fig. 2.

Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken along a line D-D in Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a top plan view of a portion of the protective cover, particularly showing a relationship between a guide portion of the protective cover and a portion on which the protective cover is placed.

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of an induction heating appliance for cooking according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 16 is a perspective view of a peripheral portion of a top plate unit mounted on the induction heating appliance for cooking of Fig. 15.

Fig. 17 is a sectional view taken along a line E-E in Fig. 16.

Fig. 18 is a perspective view of another peripheral portion of the top plate unit.

Fig. 19 is a perspective view of a front frame of the top plate unit.

Fig. 20 is a perspective view of a side frame of the top plate unit.

Fig. 21 is a sectional view of the side frame.

Fig. 22 is a perspective view of a connecting portion between the front frame and the side frame.

Fig. 23 is a top plan view of a corner of a top plate unit of a conventional induction heating appliance for cooking.

Fig. 24 is a sectional view of a protective cover that forms the corner of the top plate unit of Fig. 23.

Fig. 25 is a sectional view of a connecting portion of a protective frame mounted on another conventional induction heating appliance for cooking.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0037] 1 top plate unit, 1A, 1B heating portion (induction heating type), 1Aa, 1Ba, 1Ca heating region indicating portion, 1C heating portion (radiant type), 1D upper operating portion, 1 E cabinet, 1Ea opening, 1Eb upper surface, 2C main body casing, 2Ca opening, 2Cb flange portion, 2 front operating portion, 3 grill door, 11 top plate, 12 protective frame, 13 underframe, 13a latch hole, 13b side surface, 13c screw hole, 13d opening, 13e latch piece, 13f latch piece, 13g screw hole, 13h screw insertion hole, 13i top plate mounting surface, 13j bonding surface, 14 rear cover, 14a grill exhaust port, 14b exhaust port, 14c intake port, 14d screw insertion hole, 14e screw insertion hole, 15a, 15b protective cover, 15aa exhaust hole, 15ba intake hole, 15ab, 15bb grid portion, 15ac, 15bc planar portion, 15ad left rear corner, 15bd right rear corner, 15be, 15bf guide ridge, 16 protective cover placement member, 17 right rear corner, 18 left rear corner, 19 front corner, 21 frame, 21a rear frame, 21b side frame, 21c side frame lower wall, 21d side frame side wall, 21e side frame upper wall, 21f rear frame lower wall, 21g rear frame rear wall, 21h rear frame upper wall, 21i front end, 22 front frame, 22a front frame upper wall, 22c front frame front wall, 22d front frame side wall, 22e front frame lower wall, 22f front frame side lower wall, 22h rear edge, 22i rear edge, 23, 25 protrusion, 24 mounting hole, 26 side cover, 29 ridge, 30 rear portion, 31 adhesive, 32 sealing material, 101 top plate, 101a top plate front surface, 101b top plate side surface, 102 front frame, 103 side frame, 103a insert, 103b insert piece, 104 rear frame, 105 main body, 106 grill door, 107 operating portion, 108 front frame side portion, 109 front frame side wall, 109a lower edge, 109b rear edge, 110 front frame front wall, 111 inclined portion, 111a lower end, 111b inner surface, 112 front edge, 113 top plate upper front portion, 114 front frame upper wall, 114a rear edge, 115 underframe, 115a latch hole, 115b screw hole, 116 ridge, 116a upper portion, 116b side surface, 117 side frame side wall, 117a lower edge, 117b lower front edge, 118 front frame front lower wall, 118a protrusion, 119 front frame side lower wall, 119a rear edge, 120 cutout, 121 side frame upper wall, 121a inclined portion, 122 guide, 122a side frame lower corner (removed portion), 123 engaging piece, 123a inclined portion, 124 side frame lower wall, 124a removed portion, 124b protrusion, C, C1 heating appliance for cooking.

Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention

[0038] Embodiments of the present invention are explained hereinafter with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1.

[0039] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an induction heating appliance C for cooking according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the induction heating appliance C for cooking includes three heating portions 1A, 1B, 1C and an upper operating portion 1D for heating a bottom wall of a cooking container (not shown) placed on an upper surface of the appliance. The heating portion 1A provided on a right front side and the heating portion 1B provided on a left front side are of an induction heating type for generating a high frequency magnetic field to induction heat the bottom wall of the cooking container, while the heating portion 1C provided on a central rear side includes a radiant heater having a heating element to heat the cooking container with radiant heat. A rotary type front operating portion 2, a power switch 2A, and a grill door 3 are provided at a front portion of the appliance.

[0040] The rotary type front operating portion 2 is, when not in use, accommodated within the appliance, as shown in Fig. 1, and pivoted forwards, when in use, by pushing an upper portion thereof so that an operation panel (not shown) having a plurality of operating keys may appear. The grill door 3 is a door for opening and closing a grill (not shown) for grilling, for example, raw fish placed within the appliance.

[0041] In cooking a food contained in a cooking container with the cooking appliance C, the cooking container is first placed on one of the heating portions 1A, 1B, 1C, and the power switch 2A of the cooking appliance C is subsequently turned on.

[0042] When the cooking container is placed on either the heating portion 1A or the heating portion 1B, and when a heating operation is initiated by operating the upper operating portion 1D and the front operating portion 2, a control means (not shown) controls an inverter power source (not shown), which in turn supplies a high frequency current to a heating coil (not shown). When the heating coil is supplied with the high frequency current, the heating coil generates an alternating current magnetic field to induction heat the cooking container, resulting in an increase in temperature of the cooking container.

[0043] The construction of the cooking appliance C according to this embodiment is explained hereinafter with reference to Figs. 2 to 11.

[0044] The cooking appliance C has a main body outer shell or framework that is made up of a box-shaped main body casing 2C made of a steel plate and having an opening 2Ca (see Fig. 10) defined in an upper wall thereof, a flange portion 2Cb (see Fig. 10) formed along a periphery of the opening 2Ca, and a top plate unit 1 mounted on the flange portion 2Cb so as to cover the opening 2Ca in the main body casing 2C.

[0045] Fig. 2 depicts a perspective view of the top plate unit 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the top plate unit 1 includes a top plate 11 for placing a cooking container or containers thereon, a rear cover 14 made of a metal and disposed rearwardly of the top plate 11, an underframe 13 (see Fig. 6) for holding the top plate 11 and the rear cover 14, and a protective frame 12 for covering an entire peripheral edge of the top plate unit 1. The rear cover 14 covers an edge positioned rearwardly of the top plate 11 and has a grill exhaust port 14a, an exhaust port 14b, and an intake port 14c, all defined therein.

[0046] The top plate 11 is a plate made of a non-magnetic heat-resisting glass such as a crystallized ceramic that is superior in thermal resistance, mechanical strength, chemical resistance, or electrical insulation. The top plate 11 has heating region indicating portions 1Aa, 1Ba, 1Ca printed on an upper or lower surface thereof so as to confront respective heating sources (not shown). Each of the heating region indicating portions 1Aa, 1Ba, 1Ca has a shape (a circle in this embodiment) corresponding to that of an associated one of the heating sources, and indicates a range on which a cooking container is to be placed.

[0047] The protective frame 12 includes two frames 21 (see Fig. 5) and a front frame 22 (see Fig. 11) combined together. Each of the frames 21 is of a one-piece construction substantially in the form of "L" as viewed from above and formed along from a rear edge to a side edge of the top plate unit 1, and the two frames 21 are disposed symmetrically in the form of "U" as a whole as viewed from above. The protective frame 12 extends along an entire periphery of the top plate unit 1 so as to cover edges of component parts that expose on an outer peripheral side of the top plate unit 1.

[0048] The rear cover 14 has a grill exhaust port 14a through which smoke from the grill is discharged, an exhaust port 14b through which a wind for cooling an interior of the appliance is discharged, and an intake port 14c through which cooling air is sucked. As shown in Fig. 1, a protective cover 15a for covering the grill exhaust port 14a and the exhaust port 14b and a protective cover 15b for covering the intake port 14c are removably mounted on the rear cover 14. The rear cover 14 has a plurality of protective cover placement members 16 for placing the protective covers 15a, 15b thereon and positioning them. Details of the grill exhaust port 14a, the exhaust port 14b, the intake port 14c, the protective covers 15a, 15b, the protective cover placement members 16, and the like are explained later.

[0049] Fig. 3 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of a left front corner 19 of the top plate unit 1 as shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of the left front corner 19 of the top plate unit 1 with the front frame 22 and the top plate 11 shown in Fig. 3 removed. The protective frame 12 is formed of a metal plate such as, for example, a stainless steel plate having a thickness of 0.3 to 0.6mm. The frame 21 and the front frame 22 form the protective frame 12 and are each bent so as to have a section substantially in the form of "U" (see Figs. 8 to 10). The front frame 22 covers a front edge of the top plate 11 and that of the underframe 13 so as to sandwich them between an upper portion and a lower portion thereof (see Fig. 8). The frame 21 covers an edge of the top plate 11 and that of the underframe 13 so as to sandwich them between an upper portion and a lower portion thereof at a portion where the top plate 11 exists (see Fig. 9), and covers an edge of the rear cover 14 and that of the underframe 13 so as to sandwich them between the upper portion and the lower portion thereof at a portion where the top plate 11 doest not exist, but the rear cover 14 exists (see Fig. 10).

[0050] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the two frames 21 of the protective frame 12 combined together as viewed from below and each formed along from a rear edge to a side edge of the top plate unit 1. In Fig. 5, portions of the two frames 21 extending along the entire rear edge of the top plate unit 1 are hereinafter collectively referred to as "a rear frame 21a", and another portion of each frame 21 extending along a rear side edge of the top plate unit 1 is hereinafter referred to as "a side frame 21b". Just a half of the rear frame 21 a and one of the side frames 21b are formed into a generally L-shaped frame 21 of one-piece construction by bending a straight frame member. That is, the protective frame 12 is made up of a front frame 22 and two frames 21 each having a rear corner (a right rear corner 17 or a left rear corner 18 (see Fig. 2)), and can be said as being made up of the front frame 22, the rear frame 21a, and the two side frames 21b. The two frames 21 are connected to each other at a center of the rear frame 21a, and such a construction can reduce the number of component parts of the protective frame 12. Also, because the joint between the two frames 21 is positioned at a central portion rearwardly of the top plate 11 (on a side opposite to the front operating portion 2), the appearance of the appliance is not spoiled.

[0051] As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the frame 21 has an upper wall (an upper wall 21e of the side frame 21b and an upper wall 21 h of the rear frame 21a) for covering an upper edge of the top plate unit 1, a side wall and a rear wall (a side wall 21d of the side frame 21b and a rear wall 21g of the rear frame 21a) bent substantially vertically downward at an outer edge of the upper wall for covering a side surface and a rear surface of the top plate unit 1, and a lower wall (a lower wall 21c of the side frame 21b and a lower wall 21f of the rear frame 21a) bent toward the underframe 13 at a lower edge of the side wall. As shown in Figs. 5 and 9, a plurality of protrusions 23 are formed on the lower wall of the frame 21, and as shown in Fig. 3, the upper wall and the side wall of the frame 21 are formed with a strip-shaped ridge 29 protruding outwardly therefrom. This ridge 29 is formed by deforming a portion of the frame 21 and positioned at a location spaced a predetermined distance, e.g., about 1 to 2 millimeters from a front end 21i of the frame 21. As shown in Fig. 3, the front end 21i of the side frame 21b is inserted into the front frame 22 (between the upper wall 22a and the side wall 22d of the front frame 22), and a rear edge 22h of the upper wall 22a and a rear edge 22i of the side wall 22d are positioned in the vicinity of and along the ridge 29. Details of the ridge 29 are discussed later.

[0052] The rear frame 21a may not be divided into two. That is, the protective frame 12 may be made up of the front frame 22 and a generally U-shaped frame (not shown) of one-piece construction having a rear frame 21a and two side frames 21b. The one-piece construction of the rear frame 21a and the two side frames 21b can further improve the appearance of the appliance. Alternatively, the protective frame 12 may be made up of four members, i.e., a front frame 22, two side frames 21b, and a rear frame 21a.

[0053] It is to be noted here that although in the above-described embodiment the frame 21 has been described as having a generally U-shaped section, it may partially or entirely have a generally L-shaped section.

[0054] Fig. 6 depicts a perspective view of the top plate unit 1 as viewed from below, and Fig. 7 depicts a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of the left front corner 19 of the front frame 22 as shown in Fig. 6. Figs. 8, 9 and 10 depict a sectional view of the front frame 22 taken along a line A-A, that of the side frame 21b taken along a line B-B, and that of the rear frame 21a taken long a line C-C in Fig. 6, respectively.

[0055] As described above, the side frame 21b has a plurality of protrusions 23 formed on the lower wall 21 c thereof, and as shown in Fig. 8, the front frame 22 has a plurality of protrusions 25 formed on a lower wall 22e thereof. Each of such protrusions 23, 25 is formed by cutting and raising a portion of the side frame 21b or the front frame 22. The underframe 13 has a plurality of latch holes 13a defined in a peripheral portion thereof (see Fig. 4), with inner surfaces of which end surfaces of the protrusions 23, 25 are respectively brought into contact to thereby fix the side frame 21b and the front frame 22 to the underframe 13. By doing so, the front frame 22 sandwiches a peripheral edge of the top plate 11 and that of the under frame 13 together between the upper wall 22a and the lower wall 22e thereof to cover them. Also, each side frame 21b sandwiches another peripheral edge of the top plate 11 and that of the under frame 13 together between the upper wall 21e and the lower wall 21c thereof to cover them.

[0056] As shown in Figs. 4 to 9, the underframe 13 has an opening 13d defined therein, two strip-shaped top plate mounting surfaces 13i formed around the opening 13d, and a bonding surface 13j formed between the two top plate mounting surfaces 13i so as to be lower than the top plate mounting surfaces 13i. The top plate 11 is mounted on the top plate mounting surfaces 13i of the underframe 13 and appropriately positioned by opposite side surfaces 13b of the underframe 13, which have been formed as positioning pieces by bending side edges of the underframe 13 upwardly with respect to the top plate mounting surfaces 13i. Under the condition in which the top plate 11 is mounted on the top plate mounting surfaces 13i of the underframe 13, an adhesive 31 is applied to the bonding surface 13j over the entire periphery of the opening 13d to bond the underframe 13 to the lower surface of the top plate 11. A rear cover 14 is placed on and secured to the underframe 13 at a location rearwardly of the top plate 11.

[0057] As shown in Fig. 2, the rear cover 14 has a plurality of (for example, three) screw insertion holes 14e defined therein, through each of which a screw is threaded into a screw hole 13g defined in the underframe 13 to rigidly secure the rear cover 14 to the underframe 13.

[0058] The top plate unit 1 is placed on the horizontally extending flange portion 2Cb (see Fig. 10) formed on an upper edge of the main body casing 2C, and a plurality of (for example, three) screws are each inserted into a screw insertion hole 14d (see Fig. 2) defined in the rear cover 14 and into a screw insertion hole 13h (see Fig. 6) defined in the underframe 13 and then threaded into a screw hole (not shown) defined in the flange portion 2Cb to rigidly secure a rear portion of the top plate unit 1 to the main body casing 2C.

[0059] As shown in Fig. 6, the underframe 13 has a latch piece 13e formed in front of the opening 13d and two latch pieces 13f formed on respective sides of the latch piece 13e. The top plate unit 1 is secured to the main body casing 2C by screwing the latch pieces 13e, 13f to the main body casing 2C.

[0060] As described above, the underframe 13 has a plurality of rectangular latch holes 13a defined therein, through each of which one of the protrusions 23 of the frame 21 or one of the protrusions 25 of the front frame 22 is inserted. Also, the underframe 13 has a plurality of screw holes 13c defined therein to secure the front frame 22.

[0061] Fig. 11 depicts a perspective view of the front frame 22 as viewed from below. As shown in Figs. 3, 7, 8 and 11, the front frame 22 has an upper wall 22a, a front wall 22c bent downwardly at a front edge of the upper wall 22a, opposite side walls 22d bent downwardly at side edges of the upper wall 22a, a lower wall 22e bent rearwardly toward the underframe 13 at a lower edge of the front wall 22c, and opposite side lower walls 22f bent toward the underframe 13 at lower edges of the side walls 22d, thus taking the form of a pouch as a whole. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the lower wall 22e of the front frame 22 has generally trapezoidal side covers 26 formed on opposite end portions thereof so as to extend inwardly of the top plate unit 1.

[0062] The side lower walls 22f, bent toward the top plate 11 at the lower edges of the side walls 22d, and the lower wall 22e lie substantially on the same plane and adjoin each other at opposite front corners 19 of the protective frame 12. In this embodiment, the side covers 26 are formed on opposite end portions of the lower wall 22e of the front frame 22 in the vicinity of the side lower walls 22f of the front frame 22. This configuration allows the width of the side lower walls 22f to be greater than that of the lower wall 22e. The shape of the side covers 26 is not limited to that shown in Fig. 11 and may be any shape if the side covers 26 extend inwardly so as to cover rear surfaces of the front corners of the protective frame 12, and if portions of the lower wall 22e that adjoin the side lower walls 22f have an enlarged area, compared to a case where no side covers are provided.

[0063] As described above and as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, an outwardly protruding strip-shaped ridge 29 is formed on an outer side surface of the side frame 21b along the rear end 22h, 22i of the front frame 22. The ridge 29 has a section substantially in the form of a portion of an oval or rectangle. It is preferred that the amount of protrusion (height) of the ridge 29 be greater than the thickness of the front frame 22 that is mated with the side frame 21b. The height of the ridge 29 may be determined depending on the thickness of the front frame 22 and on a clearance or gap between the front frame 22 and the frame 21 that are mated with each other.

[0064] As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the front frame 22 having a generally U-shaped section is mounted on the top plate 11 along a front edge thereof. A front end 21i of the side frame 21b is inserted between the side wall 22d and the upper wall 22a of the front frame 22, and a rear edge 22i of the side wall 22d and a rear edge 22h of the upper wall 22a are held in contact with or adjoin the ridge 29 of the side frame 21b (see Figs. 3 and 4). As a result, the front frame 22 comes to cover the front end (edge) 21i of the side frame 21b.

[0065] Because the ridge 29 protrudes from the side wall 21 d and the upper wall 21e of the side frame 21b and does not have any sharp edge or cut surface, the ridge 29 acts to prevent a user from being injured by the front end 21i of the side frame 21b or the rear end (edge) 22h, 22i of the front frame 22. The height of the ridge 29 protruding from the surrounding surfaces may be set to, for example, a value enough to avoid injury to user's fingers by the edges of the front frame 22.

[0066] Also, because the side frame 21 and the ridge 29 are unitarily formed of the same material, the ridge 29 is inconspicuous and ,hence, the appliance is superior in appearance. Further, because the protective frame 12 is of the construction in which the side frame 21b is inserted into the straight front frame 22, the top plate unit 1 comes to have generally right-angled front corners positioned on a user side, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, thus enhancing the appearance of the appliance.

[0067] The front frame 22 has a plurality of mounting holes 24 and a plurality of protrusions 25 formed in or on the lower wall 22e thereof. As with the protrusions 23 formed on the frame 21, the protrusions 25 formed on the front frame 22 are each inserted into one of the latch holes 13a formed in the underframe 13 to fix the front frame 22 to the underframe 13. A screw is inserted into each of the mounting holes 24 and threaded to the underframe 13 to rigidly secure the front frame 22 to the underframe 13. This construction can avoid removal of the protective frame 12, made up of the two frames 21 and the front frame 22, from the underframe 13, which may be caused by disengagement of the protrusions 23 from the corresponding latch holes 13a due to deformation or distortion of the protective frame 12.

[0068] As shown in Fig. 10, when the main body casing 2C is dropped into and then installed inside a cabinet 1 E through a generally rectangular opening 1 Ea in the cabinet 1E, a lower surface of the protective frame 12 mounted on the flange portion 2Cb of the main body casing 2C is brought into contact with an upper surface 1 Eb of the cabinet 1 E. An elastic sealing material 32 such as, for example, an expanded resin having elasticity is applied to the entire periphery of the lower surface of the protective frame 12 to prevent entry of a liquid spilled on the upper surface 1 Eb of the cabinet 1 E into the protective frame 12. When the sealing material 32 is applied or fixed to a lower surface of the lower wall 22e of the front frame 22, the side cover 26 extending inwardly from each end of the lower wall 22e of the front frame 22 acts to control free movement of the sealing material 32 on the lower surface side of each front corner 19 of the protective frame 12, and the sealing material 32 is pressed against the cabinet 1 E by the top plate unit 1, thus enabling the sealing material 32 to exhibit a steady sealing effect.

[0069] As shown in Fig. 8, a rear portion 30 of the upper wall 22a of the front frame 22 other than portions thereof into which the ends of the frames 21 are inserted is bent obliquely downwardly toward the top plate 11 so that a rear edge of the upper wall 22a may be held in contact with an upper surface of the top plate 11 (on which a cooking container is to be placed). This configuration can seal a gap between the top plate 11 and the upper wall 22a of the front frame 22 to thereby avoid entry of dust or foreign materials thereinto.

[0070] As described above, the protective frame 12 does not have any joint members that have been hitherto provided to connect the side frames 21b to the front frame 22. As such, the number of component parts of the protective frame 12 reduces, thus facilitating the assemblage of the protective frame 12. Also, each of the rear ends 22h, 22i of the front frame 22 is positioned adjacent the ridge 29 formed on the upper wall and the side wall of the side frame 21b, and the front end 21i of the side frame 21b is covered with the front frame 22. This configuration prevents a user from being injured by the end portion of the front frame 22 or the front end 21i of the side frame 21b. Further, because the straight end portion of the front frame 22 and that of the side frame 21b are at right angles to each other to form a corner, an exposed corner of the top plate 11 edged with the protective frame 12 is right-angled, thus making it possible to enhance the appearance of the top plate 11.

[0071] The protective covers 15a, 15b placed on the top plate unit 1 are explained hereinafter with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 12, 13, and 14.

[0072] In this embodiment, the two protective covers 15a, 15b are juxtaposed with each other and placed on the rear cover 14 positioned rearwardly of the top plate 11 (on an opposite side of the upper operating portion 1 D on the top plate 11). The protective cover 15a is positioned to cover the grill exhaust port 14a and the exhaust port 14b, and the protective cover 15b is positioned to cover the intake port 14c.

[0073] Fig. 12 depicts a perspective view of the protective cover 15b placed on the top plate unit 1 shown in Fig. 1 on the right side thereof, and Fig. 12 depicts a sectional view of the protective cover 15b taken along a line D-D in Fig. 12. As shown in Fig. 1, the protective cover 15a positioned on the left side and the protective cover 15b positioned on the right side are each in the form of a plate and substantially symmetrical with respect to a centerline that equally divides the top plate unit 1 right and left.

[0074] The protective cover 15b is formed of, for example, aluminum by die casting and has a grid portion 15bb having a plurality of intake holes 15a and a planar portion 15bc having a substantially horizontally extending upper surface, as shown in Fig. 12. The grid portion 15bb covers the intake port 14c formed in the rear cover 14, and the protective cover 15b covers, as a whole, the rear cover 14 on the side of the intake port 14c and a portion of the protective frame 12 formed along a periphery of the intake port 14c.

[0075] The protective cover 15a similarly has a grid portion 15ab having a plurality of exhaust holes 15aa and a planar portion 15ac having a substantially horizontally extending upper surface. The grid portion 15ab covers the grill exhaust port 14a and the exhaust port 14b both formed in the rear cover 14. The protective cover 15a covers, as a whole, the rear cover 14 on the side of the grill exhaust port 14a and the exhaust port 14b, and a portion of the protective frame 12 formed along a periphery of the grill exhaust port 14a and the exhaust port 14b. That is, a front portion of the protective cover 15a covers a front portion of the rear cover 14, and a rear portion of the protective cover 15a covers a rear portion of the top plate unit 1.

[0076] The protective covers 15a, 15b so formed prevent foreign materials from falling into the grill exhaust port 14a, the exhaust port 14b, and the intake port 14c, and covers them so as not to spoil the appearance while exhausting therethrough smoke or odor, which would be produced in a grill (not shown) inside the grill door 3.

[0077] The planar portions 15ac, 15bc of the protective covers 15a, 15b prevent broth or stock, which may drop out of a cooking container, from adhering to the rugged or irregular rear cover 14 as shown in Fig. 2 to facilitate removal of a stain or stains.

[0078] Fig. 14 is a partial top plan view of the protective cover 15b, particularly depicting a positional relationship between guide ridges 15be, 15bf of the protective cover 15b and the protective cover placement members 16. As shown in Fig. 14, the protective cover 15b has a plurality of straight guide ridges 15be, 15bf formed on a lower surface thereof (surface confronting the rear cover 14) so as to extend parallel to front and rear ends of the protective cover 15b. In this embodiment, the protective cover 15b has two guide ridges 15be and two guide ridges 15bf, and a total of four guide ridges 15be, 15bf extend parallel to one another.

[0079] On the other hand, the rear cover 14 has a plurality of (four in this embodiment) protective cover placement members 16 formed thereon around the grill exhaust port 14a and the exhaust port 14b, and a plurality of (four in this embodiment) protective cover placement members 16 formed thereon around the intake port 14c. The protective cover placement members 16 are formed of an elastic material such as, for example, rubber.

[0080] When the protective cover 15b is placed on the top plate unit 1, the guide ridges 15be, 15bf are positioned inside the four protective cover placement members 16 to limit movement of the protective cover 15b from front to back and from side to side with respect to the top plate unit 1. More specifically, the two guide ridges 15be are formed between the two guide ridges 15bf, and the protective cover 15b is placed on the top plate unit 1 such that the inner guide ridges 15be are positioned between the two front side protective cover placement members 16 and the two rear side protective cover placement members 16 so as to be held in contact with inner sides thereof, thereby limiting movement of the protective cover 15b from front to back. The two outer guide ridges 15bf have a length shorter than that of the inner guide ridges 15be, and the front side guide ridge 15bf is aligned with and positioned between the two front side protective cover placement members 16, while the rear side guide ridge 15bf is aligned with and positioned between the two rear side protective cover placement members 16, thereby limiting movement of the protective cover 15b from side to side. Such positional restriction of the protective cover 15b requires at least two guide ridges 15be and at least one ridge 15b. The same applies to the protective cover 15a.

[0081] A rear edge and an outer side edge of the protective cover 15a are substantially aligned with the rear surface and the side surface of the frame 21b (the rear surface 21g and the side surface 21d of the side frame 21b) of the top plate unit 1, respectively, as viewed from above. As shown in Figs. 2 and 12, a right rear corner 15bd of the protective cover 15b has a radius of curvature smaller than that of a right rear corner 17 of the top plate unit 1 positioned below the protective cover 15b. This configuration allows the right rear corner 15bd of the protective cover 15b to overhang the right rear corner 17 of the top plate unit 1 and, hence, a user can easily remove the protective cover 15b from the top plate unit 1 by lifting the protective cover 15b with his or her fingers laid to a lower surface of the corner 15bd of the protective cover 15b. The protective cover 15b may have a size to allow the protective cover 15b to laterally partially or entirely extend beyond the frame 21b of the top plate unit 1. The same applies to the protective cover 15a.

[0082] As shown in Fig. 1, the protective cover 15a has a configuration similar to that of the protective cover 15b. That is, the protective cover 15a has a left rear corner 15ad that overhangs a left rear corner 18 of the top plate unit 1 positioned below the protective cover 15a. The corner 15ad of the protective cover 15a and the corner 15bd of the protective cover 15b may be substantially right-angled to overhang the corners 18, 17 of the top plate unit 1, respectively.

[0083] As described above, because the protective covers 15a, 15b cover the grill exhaust port 14a, the exhaust port 14b, and the intake port 14c defined in the top plate unit 1 and the periphery thereof including the rear corners of the top plate unit 1, the protective covers 15a, 15b can prevent a stain or broth, which may drop out of a cooking container, from adhering to the periphery of such openings. Also, a portion of the protective cover 15a positioned above the grill exhaust port 14a is easily stained with lampblack, but cleaning thereof can be easily carried out.

[0084] Further, because the corner 15ad of the protective cover 15a and the corner 15bd of the protective cover 15b have a radius of curvature smaller than that of the corners 18, 17 of the top plate unit 1, the corners of the protective covers 15a, 15b overhang the corners of the top plate unit 1. Accordingly, a user can easily lift the protective covers 15a, 15b for removal thereof by grasping the corners thereof extending beyond the corners of the top plate unit 1, thus making it possible to facilitate cleaning of only the protective covers 15a, 15b.

Embodiment 2.

[0085] Fig. 15 is a perspective view of an induction heating appliance C1 for cooking according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Because this induction heating appliance C1 for cooking includes heating portions having respective constructions similar to those of the heating portions 1A, 1B, 1C shown in Fig. 1, they are not shown in Fig. 15.

[0086] A main body 105 of the cooking appliance C1 has a top plate 101 mounted on an upper surface thereof. The main body 105 also has a front frame 102, opposite side frames 103, and a rear frame 104 formed along a periphery of the top plate 101 to reinforce and cover it. The front frame 102, the side frames 103, and the rear frame 104 are each formed by bending a metal plate such as, for example, a stainless steel plate. The main body 105 further has a grill door 106 for opening and closing a grill and a rotary type front operating portion 107.

[0087] Fig. 16 depicts a portion of the periphery of the top plate 101 on an enlarged scale, Fig. 17 is a sectional view taken along a line E-E in Fig. 16, and Fig. 18 is an enlarged perspective view of the portion shown in Fig. 16. Figs. 19 and 20 depict the front frame 102 and one of the side frames 103, respectively, Fig. 21 is a sectional view of the side frame 103, and Fig. 22 is an enlarged perspective view of a connecting portion of the front frame 102 and the side frame 103.

[0088] As shown in Fig. 15, the top plate 101 mounted on the upper surface of the main body 105 is substantially in the form of a rectangle as viewed from above. The front frame 102 is disposed along a front surface 101a of the top plate 101, and each side frame 103 is disposed along a side surface 101b of the top plate 101.

[0089] As shown in Figs. 17 and 19, the front frame 102 has an inclined portion 111 descending rearwardly (toward a rear side of the top plate 101), an upper wall 114 for covering an upper front portion of the top plate 101, opposite side walls 109 formed by bending respective side portions 108 of the upper wall 114 downwardly, opposite side lower walls 119 formed by bending the side walls 109 inwardly at respective lower edges 109a thereof, a front wall 110 formed by bending the upper wall 114 downwardly at a front edge 112 thereof, and a front lower wall 118 formed by bending the front wall 110 inwardly at a lower edge 110a thereof. The front frame 102 may have an inclined portion descending forwardly down to the lower edge 110a such that a boundary line between the upper wall 114 and the front wall 110 does not appear clearly. In this case, a lower end of the inclined portion and a portion adjacent thereto can be regarded as the front wall 110, and the rest of the inclined portion can be regarded as the upper wall 114.

[0090] As shown in Figs, 20 and 22 (figure as viewed from inside), the side frame 103 has an insert 103a inserted into the front frame 102, and the insert 103a has an engaging piece 123 positioned below the upper wall 114 of the front frame 102 and above a lower end 111a of the inclined portion 111 (see Fig. 17) so as to extend in a longitudinal direction of the upper wall 114 of the front frame 102 (direction indicated by A in Fig. 15). The engaging piece 123 is held in contact with an inner surface 111b of the inclined portion 111 to avoid removal of the front frame 102 from the insert 103a, which results in a forward inclination of the front frame 102.

[0091] As shown in Figs. 18 and 20, the side frame 103 has an upper wall 121 for covering a side edge 113 of an upper surface of the top plate 101 and a side wall 117 formed by bending the upper wall 121 downwardly. The upper wall 121 and the side wall 117 of the side frame 103 are formed with a strip-shaped ridge 116 protruding outwardly therefrom. This ridge 116 is formed by deformation of the side frame 103 and positioned at a location adjacent to the insert 103a.

[0092] The side frame 103 also has a lower wall 124 formed by bending the side wall 117 inwardly at a lower edge 117a thereof, but the insert 103a has no lower wall (dotted lines in Fig. 20 indicate a portion 124a removed from the lower wall). The insert 103a has an insert piece 103b formed with an end portion of the side wall 117 forwardly of the engaging piece 123. A lower front corner 122a of the insert piece 103b is partially removed, and the insert piece 103b accordingly has an inclined guide 122 that inclines forwardly upwardly from a lower front edge 117b of the side wall 117.

[0093] As shown in Fig. 19, the front frame 102 has a cutout 120 formed in each end of the inclined portion 111 to receive an upper portion 116a of the ridge 116 of the side frame 103 therein. Accordingly, the upper portion 116a of the ridge 116 is positioned along a rear edge 114a of the upper wall 114 of the front frame 102, and a side surface 116b of the ridge 116 is positioned along a rear edge 109b of the side wall 109 of the front frame 102.

[0094] The engaging piece 123 of the side frame 103 has a strip-shaped inclined portion 123a that descends toward the front frame 102.

[0095] As shown in Fig. 17, an underframe 115 formed of a metal plate is disposed below the top plate 101 to support it. The front frame 102 is fixed to the underframe 115 such that the inclined portion 111 of the front frame 102 is held in contact at the lower edge 111a thereof with an upper surface of the top plate 101, an upper surface of the front lower wall 118 of the front frame 102 is held in contact with a lower surface of the underframe 115, and a plurality of protrusions 118a formed on the front lower wall 118 of the front frame 102 so as to protrude upwardly are received in respective latch holes 115a defined in the underframe 115. The underframe 115 may have a plurality of screw holes 115b into each of which a screw inserted into a mounting hole (not shown, see the mounting hole 24 shown in Fig. 7) defined in the front lower wall 118 of the front frame 102 is threaded after the front frame 102 has been fixed to the underframe 115, thereby increasing the fixing strength of the front frame 102 with respect to the underframe 115. The fixing by the screws and the screw holes 115b may be dispensed with.

[0096] As shown in Fig. 21, the side frame 103 has an upper wall 121 having an inclined portion 121a descending toward a central portion of the top plate 101 to cover an upper surface of a side portion of the top plate 101, a side wall 117 formed by bending the upper wall 121 downwardly, and a lower wall 124 formed by bending the side wall 117 inwardly at a lower edge 117a thereof. The side frame 103 is fixed to the underframe 115 such that the inclined portion 121a of the side frame 103 is held in contact at the lower edge thereof with the upper surface of the top plate 101, an upper surface of the lower wall 124 of the side frame 103 is held in contact with a lower surface of the underframe 115, and a plurality of protrusions 124b formed on the lower wall 124 of the side frame 103 so as to protrude upwardly are received in respective latch holes 115a in the underframe 115.

[0097] As described above, in this embodiment, the main body 105 includes the generally rectangular top plate 101 mounted on the upper surface thereof, the front frame 102 disposed along the front surface 101a of the top plate 101 and formed by bending a metal plate, and the two side frames 103 disposed along opposite side surfaces 101b of the top plate 101 and each formed by bending a metal plate.

[0098] The front frame 102 has the upper wall 114 formed with the rearwardly descending inclined portion 111 for covering the upper front portion 113 of the top plate 101, the front wall 110 formed by bending the upper wall 114 downwardly at the front edge 112 thereof, the front lower wall 118 formed by bending the front wall 110 inwardly at the lower edge 110a thereof, the two side walls 109 formed by bending respective side portions 108 of the upper wall 114 downwardly, and the two side lower walls 119 formed by bending the side walls 109 inwardly at respective lower edges 109a thereof.

[0099] On the other hand, the side frame 103 has the insert 103a inserted into the front frame 102, and the insert 103a has the engaging piece 123 formed with the upper wall 121 of the side frame 103. The engaging piece 123 is positioned below the upper wall 114 of the front frame 102 and above the lower end 111a of the inclined portion 111 so as to extend in a longitudinal direction of the upper wall 114 of the front frame 102 (direction indicated by A in Fig. 15) such that the engaging piece 123 is held in contact with the inner surface 111b of the inclined portion 111. The insert 103a acts to avoid removal of the front frame 102 from the side frame 103. The side frame 103 is formed by bending a metal plate and has the insert 103a formed with a front end thereof and inserted into the front frame 102. Because no separate members are required to connect the side frame 103 to the front frame 102, the construction of the protective frame is simplified.

[0100] The provision of the engaging piece 123 formed with the insert 123 of the side frame 103 can simplify the configuration for connection between the front frame 102 and the side frame 103 and considerably increase the rigidity thereof. Also, because a connecting space between the front frame 102 and the side frame 103 can be reduced, the depth (indicated by L in Fig. 17) of the front frame 102 can be reduced, thus making it possible to enhance the design of the appliance.

[0101] Further, the side frame 103 includes the upper wall 121 for covering the side edge 113 of the upper surface of the top plate 101, the side wall 117 formed by bending the upper wall 121 downwardly, and the outwardly protruding strip-shaped ridge 116 formed at a location adjacent to the insert 103a by deforming a portion of the upper wall 121 and that of the side wall 117 of the side frame 103. Accordingly, when the insert 103a of the side frame 103 is inserted into the front frame 102, the outwardly protruding strip-shaped ridge 116 is juxtaposed with the rear edge 109b of the front frame 102 and accordingly acts as a stopper during insertion of the side frame 103 into the front frame 102. The strip-shaped ridge 116 also acts to prevent user's fingers from being brought into contact with cut rear edges 109b, 114a of the front frame 102 to thereby avoid injury to the user's fingers.

[0102] The side frame 103 also includes the lower wall 124 formed by bending the side wall 117 inwardly at the lower edge 117a thereof, but the insert 103a has no lower wall (dotted lines in Fig. 20 indicate a portion 124a removed from the lower wall). This configuration allows, when the side frame 103 is inserted into the front frame 102, the side frame 103 to slide relative to the front frame 102 under the condition in which the lower front edge 117b of the insert 103a formed with the side wall 117 of the side frame 103 is held in contact with an upper surface or a rear edge 1119a of the side lower wall 119 of the front frame 102. That is, the lower front edge 117h of the insert 103a of the side wall 117 of the side frame 103 is guided by the side lower wall 119 of the front frame 102 during insertion of the side frame 103, thus facilitating the assemblage.

[0103] A portion of the lower wall 124 of the side frame 103 adjacent to the insert 103a is removed, the lower front corner 122a of the insert piece 103b, i.e., a front end of the side wall 117 of the side frame 103 is partially removed, and the insert piece 103b accordingly has the inclined guide 122 that inclines forwardly upwardly from the lower front edge 117b of the side wall 117. When the insert 103a of the side frame 103 is inserted into the front frame 102, the former can be caused to slide relative to the latter with the guide 122 held in contact with the side lower wall 119 of the front frame 102. Accordingly, the engaging piece 123 moves obliquely upwardly to pass under the lower edge 111a of the inclined portion 111 of the front frame 102 to avoid interference with the inclined portion 111, thereby facilitating insertion of the insert 103a. After insertion of the side frame 103 into the front frame 102, the side lower wall 119 of the front frame 102 is positioned in the removed portion 124a of the lower wall 124 of the side frame 103 and, hence, the lower wall 124 of the side frame 103 is substantially aligned with the side lower wall 119 of the front frame 102 (see Fig. 22). By this arrangement, a lower surface of the lower wall 124 of the side frame 124, that of the side lower wall 119 of the front frame 102, and that of the front lower wall 118 of the front frame 102, to all of which a sealing material 32 (see Fig. 10) is applied, lie on the same plane. Accordingly, when the main body 105 is dropped into the opening 1 Ea in the cabinet 1 E, a sealing effect between an upper surface of the cabinet 1E and the lower wall 124 of the side frame 103, the side lower wall 119 and the front lower wall 118 of the front frame 102, all of which are placed on the upper surface of the cabinet 1 E, can be enhanced.

[0104] Also, because the front frame 102 has the cutout 120 formed in each end of the inclined portion 111, and the upper portion 116a of the ridge 116 of the side frame 103 is received in the cutout 120, an inward movement of the side frame 103 is restrained by the inclined portion 111, which forms the cutout 120, and the ridge 116, a rearward movement of the front frame 102 is restrained by the rear edges 114a, 109a of the front frame 102 and the ridge 116, and a forward movement of the front frame 102 is restrained by the engaging piece 123 and the inclined portion 111, thus making it possible to stabilize the front frame 102.

[0105] Further, because the engaging piece 123 of the side frame 103 has the strip-shaped inclined portion 123a that descends toward the front frame 102, the inclined portion 123a acts to guide the insert 103a of the side frame 103 during insertion of the side frame 103 into the front frame 102 to thereby allow the insert 103a of the side frame 103 to easily pass under the lower end 111a of the inclined portion 111 of the upper wall 114 of the front frame 102.

[0106] Also, the underframe 115 made of a metal plate is provided below the top plate 101 to support it. The lower end 111a of the inclined portion 111 of the front frame 102 is held in contact with the upper surface of the top plate 101, the upper surface of the front lower wall 118 of the front frame 102 is held in contact with the lower surface of the underframe 115, and the plurality of upwardly protruding protrusions 118a formed on the front lower wall 118 of the front frame 102 are received in respective latch holes 115a in the underframe 115. This arrangement allows the front frame 102 having a short depth (indicated by L in Fig. 17) of, for example, 16 millimeters to be easily attached to a front edge of the top plate 101. The underframe 15 is made of a metal and, hence, hole drilling can be easily conducted thereto. Also, use of a thin stainless steel plate (for example, thickness of 0.3 millimeters) for the front frame 102 allows the protrusions 118a to be easily formed on the front lower wall 118 of the front frame 102, and insertion of the side frame 103 into the front frame 102 under the condition in which the side frame 103 has been mounted to the top plate 101 placed on the underframe 115 and secured thereto by an adhesive or the like enables the front frame 102 to be easily rigidly secured to the top plate 101 and the underframe 115. Accordingly, the front frame 102 can be made thin to enhance the appearance of the appliance, and not only can the assemblage of the front frame 102 be improved, but the fixing strength thereof can be also enhanced.

[0107] Further, the underframe 115 formed of a metal plate is disposed below the top plate 101 to support it, and the side frame 103 has the upper wall 121 having the inclined portion 121a descending toward a central portion of the top plate 101 to cover the upper surface of the side portion 113 of the top plate 101, the side wall 117 formed by bending the upper wall 121 downwardly, and the lower wall 124 formed by bending the side wall 117 inwardly at the lower edge 117a thereof. The inclined portion 121a of the side frame 103 is held in contact at the lower edge thereof with the upper surface of the top plate 101, the upper surface of the lower wall 124 of the side frame 103 is held in contact with the lower surface of the underframe 115, and the plurality of upwardly protruding protrusions 1124b formed on the lower wall 124 of the side frame 103 are received in respective latch holes 115a in the underframe 115. As with the front frame 102, this arrangement makes it possible to reduce the width of the upper wall 121 of the side frame 103 to enhance the appearance of the appliance, and not only can the assemblage of the side frame 103 be improved, but the fixing strength thereof can be also stabilized.

[0108] Although the above-described embodiments have been described taking the case of an induction heating cooker, the present invention is not limited thereto, but is applicable to a heating cooker having a top plate and a heating source therein, and a gas or electric heating cooker employing gas, halogen or the like as a heating source.

Industrial Applicability

[0109] Because the heating cooker according to the present invention can be produced at a low cost, enhance the design of the top plate, the assemblage and the rigidity of the front frame and the side frame, and are superior in reliability and safety, it is useful as a heating cooker having a top plate such as, for example, an induction heating cooker, a gas cooker and the like for home use or business use.

Claims

1. A heating appliance for cooking which comprises:

a main body;

a generally rectangular top plate made of a heat-resisting glass and mounted on an upper surface of the main body;

a front frame disposed along a front edge of the top plate;

two side frames disposed along respective side edges of the top plate;

a heating portion mounted in the main body;

each of the side frames being formed by bending a metal plate and having an upper wall held in contact at a lower edge thereof with an upper surface of the top plate to cover a side edge of the top plate, and a side wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly;

the front frame being formed by bending a metal plate and having an upper wall held in contact at a lower edge thereof with the upper surface of the top plate to cover a front edge of the top plate, opposite side walls each formed by bending a side portion of the front wall downwardly, and a front wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly at a front edge thereof,

a front end of the upper wall and that of the side wall of each of the side frames being inserted into an inside of the upper wall and one of the side walls of the front frame; and

each of the side frames having an outwardly protruding strip-shaped ridge formed with the upper wall and the side wall thereof and positioned along a rear edge of the upper wall and that of each of the side walls of the front frame.

2. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 1, further comprising an underframe having an opening defined therein and holding a periphery of the top plate, wherein each of the side frames has a lower wall formed by bending the side wall thereof toward the underframe at a lower edge thereof and secured to a lower surface of the underframe, and the front frame has a front lower wall formed by bending the front wall toward the underframe at a lower edge thereof, and wherein the front lower wall of the front frame is secured to the lower surface of the underframe.

3. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 2, wherein the front frame is screwed to the underframe using a plurality of mounting holes defined in the front lower wall of the front frame.

4. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 2, wherein the front frame has opposite side lower walls and opposite side covers each extending inwardly from an end portion of the front lower wall or each of the side lower walls.

5. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 2, further comprising a rear cover held by the underframe and having a front edge to cover a rear edge of the top plate and at least one exhaust port or intake port defined therein, and a rear frame disposed along a rear edge of the rear cover, wherein the rear frame is formed by bending a metal plate and has an upper wall held in contact at a front edge thereof with an upper surface of the rear cover to cover the front edge of the rear cover, a rear wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly at a rear edge thereof, and a lower wall formed by bending the rear wall toward the underframe at a lower edge thereof and secured to the lower surface of the underframe, and wherein the side frames, which cover side edges of the rear cover, those of the top plate, and those of the underframe, and the rear frame are formed into one-piece construction by bending a straight frame member.

6. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 2, further comprising a rear frame that covers a rear edge of the top plate and that of the underframe, wherein the rear frame is unitarily formed with the side frames by bending a straight frame member.

7. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the rear frame is divided into two, each of which is unitarily formed with one of the side frames.

8. The heating appliance for cooking according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the upper wall of the front frame has a rear portion that has been bent so as to descend toward the upper surface of the top plate such that a rear edge of the upper wall of the front frame is held in contact with the upper surface of the top plate.

9. A heating appliance for cooking which comprises:

a main body;

a generally rectangular top plate mounted on an upper surface of the main body;

a front frame disposed along a front surface of the top plate and formed by bending a metal plate;

two side frames disposed along respective side surfaces of the top plate and each formed by bending a metal plate;

the front frame comprising:

an upper wall having a rearwardly descending inclined portion and covering a front edge of the top plate;

a front wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly at a front upper edge thereof;

a front lower wall formed by bending the front wall inwardly at a lower edge thereof;

two side walls formed by bending the front wall downwardly at respective side edges thereof; and

two side lower walls formed by bending the two side walls inwardly at respective lower edges thereof;

each of the side frames having an insert formed at a front end thereof and inserted into the front frame;

the insert having an engaging piece positioned below the upper wall of the front frame and above a lower end of the inclined portion so as to extend in a longitudinal direction of the upper wall of the front frame; and

the engaging piece being held in contact with the incline portion to avoid removal of the front frame from the insert.

10. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 9, wherein the side frame has an upper wall that covers a side edge of an upper surface of the top plate, a side wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly, and an outwardly protruding strip-shaped ridge formed at a location adjacent to the insert by deforming a portion of the upper wall and that of the side wall of the side frame.

11. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 9, wherein the side frame has an upper wall that covers a side edge of an upper surface of the top plate, a side wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly, and a lower wall formed by bending the side wall inwardly at a lower edge thereof, and wherein the lower wall of the side frame is removed at the insert.

12. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 11, wherein a lower front corner of a front end of the side wall of the side frame is removed at the insert, and the side wall of the side frame has an inclined guide that inclines forwardly upwardly from a lower front edge of the side wall.

13. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 10, wherein the front frame has a cutout formed in each end of the inclined portion to receive a portion of the ridge of the side frame therein.

14. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 9, wherein the engaging piece of the side frame has a strip-shaped inclined portion that descends toward the front frame.

15. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 9, further comprising an underframe formed of a metal plate and disposed below the top plate for support thereof, wherein the front frame is fixed to the underframe such that the inclined portion of the front frame is held in contact at a lower edge thereof with an upper surface of the top plate, an upper surface of the front lower wall of the front frame is held in contact with a lower surface of the underframe, and the front lower wall of the front frame has a plurality of upwardly protruding protrusions formed thereon, each of which is received in a latch hole defined in the underframe.

16. The heating appliance for cooking according to claim 15, wherein the side wall has an upper wall having an inclined portion descending toward a central portion of the top plate to cover an upper surface of a side portion of the top plate, a side wall formed by bending the upper wall downwardly, and a lower wall formed by bending the side wall inwardly at a lower edge thereof, and wherein the side frame is fixed to the underframe such that the inclined portion of the side frame is held in contact at a lower edge thereof with the upper surface of the top plate, an upper surface of the lower wall of the side frame is held in contact with a lower surface of the underframe, and the lower wall of the side frame has a plurality of upwardly protruding protrusions formed thereon, each of which is received in a latch hole defined in the underframe.

Drawing