The present invention relates to a cooking device comprising a dampening mechanism which enables the top cover to be slowly closed.

In freestanding ovens, a top cover is provided, which covers the burner plate when the oven is not used, which is fixed to the casing by means of hinges, which can be opened and closed, and which is produced from glass material. While the top cover is being opened/closed, stress may occur especially at the regions where the hinges connecting the top cover to the body are positioned, adversely affecting the burner plate covered with enamel and causing the enamel to be damaged. Moreover, after passing a certain angle while being closed, the top cover hits the burner plate hard. This impact damages both the burner plate and the top cover, causing various deformations.

In the state of the art, even if it is thought to solve this problem by increasing the spring force of the hinge, when this solution is applied, the top cover opens quickly and as a result the top cover may hit the wall and get broken.

In the state of the art German Patent Application No. DE19613320, a top plate fixing system used in household appliances is disclosed, and a pair of spring sockets are provided in front of the top plate and at opposite sides of the panel.

Documents CN 202177150 U and US 2018/238093 A1 represent further prior art relevant for the invention.

The aim of the present invention is the realization of a cooking device comprising a dampening mechanism which enables the top cover to be slowly closed.

The cooking device realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, explicated in the first claim and the respective dependent claims thereof, comprises one or more than one damper which is positioned behind the burner plate, which extends towards the top plate, which contacts the top cover while the top cover is closed onto the burner plate so as to slow down the movement of the top cover and which prevents the top cover from hitting due to the interruption of the contact while the top cover is being opened.

The top cover rotates around the axis of the hinge and closes onto the burner plate until getting in contact with the damper. During this movement, the top cover gets in contact with the damper, and the damper applies a force against the closing movement of the top cover, preventing the top cover from hitting the burner plate hard. Thus, the top cover is prevented from falling hard, and the top cover is prevented from getting damaged by hitting the burner plate, and the user is prevented from getting hurt with his/her hand being stuck between the burner plate and the top cover. Moreover, since the damper does not apply a large force in the opening direction of the top cover, the top cover is prevented from hitting the wall.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the damper contacts the holder while the top cover is being closed.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the damper comprises a cylindrical hollow casing, a spring disposed into the casing, a pin fixed onto the spring, a first fixing member forming the top cover of the casing, and a second fixing member covering the underside of the casing. In the embodiment of the present invention, the damper comprises a step which is arranged on the pin, which enables the pin to be seated onto the spring and which forms the part thereof remaining in the casing, and an extension which extends in the vertical direction outwards from the step.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the damper is passed through a mounting hole bored on the rear side of the burner plate and placed onto the side of the burner plate. The first fixing member is attached to the upper part of the casing via the pin remaining at the upper side of the mounting hole while the second fixing member is attached to the lower part of the casing remaining under the mounting hole, thus enabling the damper to be fixed to the burner plate such that the burner plate remains between the first and second fixing members.

When the top cover reaches a certain angle while being closed onto the burner plate by rotating around the holder via which the top cover is connected to the hinges, the holder gets closer to the damper and gets in contact with the pin extending in the vertical direction. By means of said contact, the holder pushes the extension and the step which is integrated with the extension thanks to the weight of the top cover. A force is applied onto the spring whereon the step is seated while the spring applies a counterforce, thus slowing down the movement of the top cover towards the burner plate. Thus, the top cover is prevented from hitting the burner plate. While the top cover is being opened, the damper applies a force up to a certain angle; however, since the contact between the damper and the top cover is interrupted after a certain angle, the damper cannot apply a force to the top cover anymore. In this case, the top cover is prevented from hitting the wall hard.

By means of the present invention, the top cover is prevented from hitting the burner plate while being closed and the wall while being opened. Thus, the top cover, especially the glass top cover is prevented from being broken due to impact. Moreover, since the movement of the top cover is dampened by the damper while being closed towards the burner plate, the hand/fingers of the user are prevented from getting stuck and damaged between the top cover and the burner plate.

A cooking device realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:

• Figure 1 - is the perspective view of a cooking device when the top cover is open.
• Figure 2 - is the perspective view of the top cover while being shifted from the open position to the closed position.
• Figure 3 - is the perspective view of the cooking device when the top cover is closed.
• Figure 4 - is the perspective view of the damper.
• Figure 5 - is the detailed view of the damper.
• Figure 6 - is the exploded view of the damper.
• Figure 7 - is the top perspective view of the damper when mounted to the burner plate.
• Figure 8 - is the below perspective view of the damper when mounted to the burner plate.
• Figure 9 - is the sideways cross-sectional view of the cooking device when the top cover is closed.
• Figure 10 - is the sideways cross-sectional view of the cooking device while the top cover is being closed.

The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

1. 1. Cooking device
2. 2. Body
3. 3. Burner plate
4. 4. Top cover
5. 5. Hinge
6. 6. Damper
7. 7. Casing
8. 8. Pin
9. 9. Step
10. 10. Extension
11. 11. Spring
12. 12. First fixing member
13. 13. Second fixing member
14. 14. Holder
15. 15. Mounting hole

The cooking device (1) comprises a body (2); a burner plate (3) which provides the performance of gas and/or electric heating, cooking processes on the body (2); a top cover (4) which covers the burner plate (3); at least two hinges (5) which are disposed at the rear side of the burner plate (3) and which connects the top cover (4) to the burner plate (3); and one or more than one damper (6) which is disposed at the rear side of the burner plate (3), which extends towards the top cover (4) and which gets in contact with the top cover (4) while the top cover (4) is being closed onto the burner plate (3) so as to slow down the movement of the top cover (4) (Figure 1).

The top cover (4), which is mounted to the body (2) and the burner plate (3) on the body (2) by means of the hinges (5), rotates around the hinges (5) until getting in contact with the damper (6) so as to be closed onto the burner plate (3). During this movement, the top cover (4) gets in contact with the damper (6), and the damper (6) applies a force against the closing movement of the top cover (4), preventing the top cover (4) from hitting the burner plate (3) hard. Thus, the top cover (4) is prevented from falling hard, and the top cover (4) is prevented from getting damaged by hitting the burner plate (3), and the user is prevented from getting hurt with his/her hand being stuck between the burner plate (3) and the top cover (4). While the top cover (4) is being opened, the contact between the damper (6) and the top cover (4) is interrupted after a certain angle. In this case, since the damper (6) does not apply a large force in the opening direction of the top cover (4), the top cover (4) is prevented from hitting the wall (Figure 2 and Figure 3).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the cooking device (1) comprises a holder (14) which enables the top cover (4) to be mounted to the hinges (5) and which is disposed along the rear side of the top cover (4). The top cover (4) is mounted to the hinges (5) by means of the holder (14). In the embodiment of the present invention, the damper (6) contacts the holder (14) while the top cover (4) is being closed.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the damper (6) comprises a preferably cylindrical hollow casing (7), a spring (11) disposed into the casing (7), a pin (8) fixed onto the spring (11), a first fixing member (12) forming the top cover (4) of the casing (7), and a second fixing member (13) covering the underside of the casing (7). In the embodiment of the present invention, the damper (6) comprises a step (9) which is arranged on the pin (8), which enables the pin (8) to be seated onto the spring (11) and which forms the part thereof remaining in the casing (7), and an extension (10) which extends in the vertical direction outwards from the step (9) (Figure 4, Figure 5 and Figure 6).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the damper (6) is passed through a mounting hole (15) bored on the rear side of the burner plate (3) and placed onto the side of the burner plate (3). The first fixing member (12) is attached to the upper part of the casing (7) via the pin (8) remaining at the upper side of the mounting hole (15) while the second fixing member (13) is attached to the lower part of the casing (7) remaining under the mounting hole (15), thus enabling the damper (6) to be fixed to the burner plate (3) such that the burner plate (3) remains between the first and second fixing members (12 and 13).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first and second fixing members (12 and 13) are nuts, and tightened by means of the threads on the upper and lower sides of the casing (7), thus fixing the damper (6) onto the burner plate (3) (Figure 7 and Figure 8).

When the top cover (4) reaches a certain angle while being closed onto the burner plate (3) by rotating around the holder (14) via which the top cover (4) is connected to the hinges (5), the holder (14) gets closer to the damper (6) and gets in contact with the pin (8) extending in the vertical direction. By means of said contact, the holder (14) pushes the extension (10) and the step (9) which is integrated with the extension (10) thanks to the weight of the top cover (4). A force is applied onto the spring (11) whereon the step (9) is seated while the spring (11) applies a counterforce, thus slowing down the movement of the top cover (4) towards the burner plate (3). Thus, the top cover (4) is prevented from hitting the burner plate (3). While the top cover (4) is being opened, the damper (6) applies a force up to a certain angle; however, since the contact between the damper (6) and the top cover (4) is interrupted after a certain angle, the damper (6) cannot apply a force to the top cover (4) anymore. In this case, the top cover (4) is prevented from hitting the wall hard (Figure 9 and Figure 10).

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the top cover (4) is glass. In this case, the present invention gains importance. Because when the top cover (4) hits the burner plate (3), the glass top cover (4) may get broken.

By means of the present invention, the top cover (4) is prevented from hitting the burner plate (3) while being closed and the wall while being opened. Thus, the top cover (4), especially the glass top cover (4) is prevented from being broken due to impact. Moreover, since the movement of the top cover (4) is dampened by the damper (6) while being closed towards the burner plate (3), the hand/fingers of the user are prevented from getting stuck and damaged between the top cover (4) and the burner plate (3).