Gas Stove Surface Burner Having A Low Heat Simmer Burner

Abstract

A simmer burner for a residential stove is disclosed. The simmer burner comprises a base plate, a cover plate, and a burner head disposed between the base plate and the cover plate, wherein the burner head and one of the base plate or cover plate defines a simmer burner chamber and the burner head includes in the range of twenty-six to thirty-two spaced simmer burner apertures extending outwardly from the simmer burner chamber through the burner head.

Description

BACKGROUND

Gas stove surface burners, such as for residential stoves, are well known. Many such surface burners may produce both a main flame and a smaller warming, or simmer, flame. One such prior art burner is disclosed in Koch et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,868. The flame level of the simmer burner was typically variable, under control of a gas valve, but the level to which the simmer flame could be reduced was limited, as any further reduction of the gas flow could result in the simmer flame extinguishing or otherwise not burning properly.

Such prior art simmer burners are generally acceptable for most uses; however, because the simmer flame of such prior art simmer burners is limited in how low a flame can remain ignited, it will produce too much heat for certain purposes.

The present invention is provided to address this and other problems.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the present invention to provide a gas stove surface burner having an adjustable simmer burner able to remain ignited down to a very low flame, and thus heat, level.

This and other objectives and advantages may become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying Figures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is side view of a simmer burner, such as for a stove top, in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the simmer burner of FIG. 1, rotated 90° about a vertical axis from the view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the simmer burner of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the simmer burner of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the simmer burner of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the simmer burner of FIG. 1, having a 98 mm diameter simmer burner head;

FIG. 7 is a view of a base plate of the simmer burner of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 8a-8c are detailed views of a 98 mm diameter prior art simmer burner ring of a prior art simmer burner head, with FIG. 8b taken along line A-A of FIG. 8a and FIG. 8c taken along line B-B of FIG. 8a;

FIGS. 9a-9d are views of a 75 mm diameter simmer burner head of the simmer burner of FIG. 1, with FIG. 8c taken along line A-A of FIG. 9b and FIG. 9d taken along line B-B of FIG. 9b; and

FIGS. 10a, 10b and 10c are detailed views of 98 mm diameter simmer burner head of the simmer burner of FIG. 1, with FIG. 10b taken along line A-A of FIG. 10a and FIG. 10c taken along line B-B of FIG. 10a.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there will be described herein in detail, specific embodiments thereof, with an understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated.

A burner, such as a gas stove surface burner, in accordance with the invention, generally designated 20, is illustrated in FIGS. 1-7 and 9a,b,c-10a,b,c. As discussed below, the burner 20 may be configured to alternatively create a main burner flame or a simmer burner flame, the simmer burner flame being of a lower intensity than the main burner flame. The burner 20 may include a cover plate 22, a base plate 24 and a burner head, or ring 26, disposed therebetween. The ring 26 may be secured to the base plate 24 by a nut 28. As is known, the ring 26, in combination with the cover plate 22 may define a main burner chamber, and the ring 26 in combination with the base plate 24, a simmer burner chamber. The base plate 24 may include a circumferential base plate wall 24a, generally vertically oriented relative to a generally horizontal base plate surface 24b.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the ring 26 may include a plurality of circumferentially spaced, through-going main burner apertures 29a, emanating from the main burner chamber, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced, through-going simmer burner apertures 29b, emanating from the simmer burner chamber.

A conventional valve 30 may selectively provide gas to the burner 20. The valve 30 may be a model GH-400-016 surface burner gas valve. As is known, the valve 30 may have a control stem, which regulates the flow of a gas through a main burner port 34 into the main burner chamber, as the control stem is conventionally rotated. Further rotation of the control stem may regulate the flow of a gas through a simmer burner port 36 into the simmer burner chamber. The preceding describes a conventional gas burner having both a main burner chamber from which may provide an adjustable primary flame, and a simmer burner chamber, from which may provide an adjustable simmer flame.

As illustrated in FIGS. 8a, 8b and 8c, one prior art burner included a ring having sixteen circumferentially spaced, generally circular simmer burner holes, or apertures, 29b′, through which gas for the simmer flame would be directed. Such prior art simmer burner apertures 29b′ were of the order of 1.6 mm in diameter, which apertures 29′ has a center point spaced 1.7 mm above the base plate surface 24b. This resulted in a total surface area opening of all sixteen apertures 29′ of (26×πr²)˜26×3.14×(1.6 mm/2)²˜28 mm²

In accordance with the present invention, the diameter of the circumferentially spaced simmer burner apertures 29 may be decreased, such as to 1.3 mm (+0.06 mm) in diameter. It has been found that by decreasing the diameter of the simmer burner apertures 29b from 1.6 mm to 1.3 mm, while maintaining the prior art quantity of sixteen simmer burner apertures 29, the gas present for burning can be unstable, adversely affected by ambient conditions, such as wind. Accordingly, the quantity of the circumferentially spaced simmer burner apertures 29 may be increased, preferably in the range of twenty-six to thirty-two, or possibly more, apertures 29b. This may result in a per aperture surface area opening of the apertures 29b of:

$\pi r^2={\pi \left(1.3\mathrm{mm}/2\right)}^2\sim 1.33{\mathrm{mm}}^2/\mathrm{opening}.$

Which results in a total surface area opening of approximately 35 mm²-43 mm².

As such, the total cross-sectional area of the simmer burner apertures 29b of the present invention remains somewhat greater than the total cross-sectional area of the above-described prior art apertures 29b′, though the simmer burner apertures 29b of the present invention are more closely spaced to one another.

Additionally, the height of the simmer burner apertures 29b may be lowered, such as to a center height of 1.5 mm, from the base plate surface 24a to the center of the simmer burner aperture 29b, from a prior respective height of 1.7 mm. This change (decreased diameter of simmer burner apertures 29b, increased number of simmer burner apertures 29b, and a lowering of the simmer burner apertures 29b, may create a film of gas, as the gas exits the through-going holes and engages the base plate wall 24b, which permits the gas to continue to efficiently burn, even at a reduced simmer gas level from the valve 30.

The twenty-six apertures 29b may be circumferentially spaced at 11.25° (degree) increments. Such spacing would result in a total of thirty-two such simmer burner apertures 29b. However, in accordance with the present invention, at six of the spacings, a respective tab 40 is substituted instead of an aperture 29b. The base plate 24 may include six recesses 42, to receive the respective tabs 40. Four of the tabs 40 may be utilized to properly align the base plate with the igniter. Two other of the tabs 40 may be utilized to ensure use of the proper base plate 24.

The present disclosure describes two embodiments of the present invention, one being a burner 20 having a simmer burner head 26 having a conventional diameter of 75 mm (FIGS. 9a, 9b and 9c), and another being a burner 20 having a simmer burner head 26 having a conventional diameter of 98 mm (FIGS. 10a, 10b and 10c).

It is to be understood that this disclosure is not intended to limit the invention to any particular form described herein, but to the contrary, the invention is intended to include all modifications, alternatives and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A burner for a residential stove comprising: a base plate;a cover plate;a burner head disposed between the base plate and the cover plate, wherein: the burner head and one of the base plate or cover plate defines a simmer burner chamber; andthe burner head includes in the range of twenty-six to thirty-two spaced simmer burner apertures extending outwardly from the simmer burner chamber through the burner head, the simmer burner apertures being of the order of 1.3 mm in diameter.

2. The burner of claim 1, wherein the burner head includes twenty-six of the spaced simmer burner apertures.

3. The burner of claim 1, wherein the burner head and the base plate define the simmer burner chamber.

4. The burner of claim 3, wherein the base plate includes a generally horizontal base plate surface and a center of each of the spaced simmer burner apertures is spaced of the order of 1.5 mm above the base plate surface.

5. The burner of claim 3, wherein the burner head and the cover plate define a main burner chamber and the burner head includes a plurality of spaced apertures extending from the main burner chamber outwardly through the burner head.

6. The burner of claim 1 including means for controllably providing a gas to the simmer burner chamber.

7. A burner for a residential stove comprising: a base plate;a cover plate; anda burner head disposed between the base plate and the cover plate, wherein: the burner head and one of the base plate or cover plate defines a simmer burner chamber; andthe burner head includes in the range of twenty-six to thirty-two spaced apertures extending from the simmer burner chamber, the apertures having a collective aperture surface area in the range of 35 mm2 to 43 mm2.

8. The burner of claim 5 wherein the apertures are of substantially equal diameter.

9. The burner of claim 5, wherein the burner head and the base plate define the simmer burner chamber.

10. The burner of claim 8, wherein the burner head and the cover plate define a main burner chamber and the burner head includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced apertures extending from the main burner chamber.

11. The burner of claim 5 including means for controllably providing a gas to the simmer burner chamber.