Quick install/remove stove guard for drop-in cooktops

Abstract

A stove guard for a drop-in cooktop is attached to the front edge of a kitchen countertop by inserting the guard panel into two holding devices which are attached onto the front surface of the countertop. The guard prevents young children from reaching the burners, control knobs and cookware on the cooktop. The guard can be installed or removed in seconds.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The invention is related to a drop-in cooktop stove guard, which prevents small children from reaching the burners, control knobs and cookware on the cooktop. The guard also prevents small children from coming in contact with heated liquid or other foods that may bubble or splash from cookware on the cooktop. The guard can be installed or removed in seconds.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Two patent applications were filed by the present inventor for quick install/remove stove guards. The previous stove guard designs permit the use of the guard only on conventional free-standing stoves and can not be applied to a drop-in cooktop. The current design addresses the application of a stove guard which can be attached to the front edge of the kitchen countertop and provide a barrier between small children and a drop-in cooktop.

Other stove guards were invented in the prior art to prevent small children from reaching the stove burners, control knobs and cookware while cooking as listed on the following list:

4157705	June 1979	Caan
4517955	May 1985	Ehrlich et al.
4836181	June 1989	Saga
5546928	August 1996	Lewis et al.
5758636	June 1998	Butrimas et al.
5842464	December 1998	Koch

Those devices described in the prior art and included on the above list often require complicated installation procedures. Once installed, the devices are difficult to remove for cleaning. In some cases, the guard panels are attached to the top of the stove surface, making the guard panel vulnerable to heat damage.

The complicated installing and removing devices of those included on the above list make those guards less likely to be used on a regular basis when small children are present, and this departs from the purpose of the inventions. Therefore, new and improved stove guards are needed to overcome the disadvantages of the existing inventions. The current invention addresses this need for drop-in cooktops.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The objective of this invention is to provide a reliable and simple way to install a stove guard on a drop-in cooktop to prevent small children from reaching the stove burners, control knobs and cookware while cooking. The present invention provides a stove guard that can be installed or removed in seconds, which increases the likelihood that parents and other caregivers of small children will use it more frequently. Two identical guard panel holding devices are attached to the front surface of a kitchen countertop where the drop-in cooktop is located.

The guard panel is not attached to the top surface of the cooktop where the burners are located, thus minimizing the chance that heat damage to the guard panel will occur during use. When installed, the upper portion of the guard panel bends about 45 degrees outward from the edge of the kitchen countertop to provide more room for cookware handles and utensils and to increase the rigidity of the guard panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a view of a drop-in cooktop with the guard panel holding devices attached to the front surface of the kitchen countertop.

FIG. 2 is the perspective view of the drop-in cooktop with the stove guard installed in a secured upright position.

FIG. 3 is the view of one of the two identical guard panel holding devices.

FIG. 4 is the view of the guard panel. The upper portion of the panel is bent outward by about 45 degrees.

FIG. 5 is the side view of the guard panel. The upper portion is bent by about 45 degrees.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The invention provides a design of a quick install/remove stove guard for drop-in cooktops. For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings referred to as FIGS. 1 to 5.

FIG. 1 is a view of a typical drop-in cooktop 10 mounted on the kitchen countertop 40. Burners 20 are located on the top of the cooktop 10. Control knobs 30 are located on the right of the cooktop. Two identical guard panel holding devices 50 are attached to the front surface of the countertop with double-faced adhesive tape 60. The holding devices 50 provide two vertical slots 80 for accepting the guard panel 70 (FIG. 2).

FIG. 2 is the perspective view of the drop-in cooktop with the stove guard panel 70 supported by two identical guard panel holding devices 50 that are attached to the front surface of the countertop with double-faced adhesive tape 60. The lower portion of the guard panel 70 is inserted into the vertical slots 80 of the guard panel holding devices 50 which hold the guard panel in a secured upright position.

FIG. 3 is the view of one of the two identical guard panel holding devices 50. Double-faced adhesive tape 60 is attached to the portion of the guard panel holding device 50 that will contact the countertop surface; that is, the horizontal portion of the holding device. The vertical slot 80 is perpendicular to the horizontal portion of the holding device 50.

FIG. 4 is the view of the guard panel 70. The upper portion of the panel 70 is bent by about 45 degrees so that when installed, this portion of the guard panel extends outward to provide more space for cookware, to avoid heat damage and to increase the rigidity of the guard panel 70.

FIG. 5 is the cross-section view of the guard panel 70. The upper portion of the panel 70 is bent outward by about 45 degrees.

The guard panel 70 and guard panel holding devices 50 can be made of plastic, aluminum, other metals or other durable materials.

Claims

1-3. (canceled)

4. A quick-install/quick-removable stove guard comprising: at least two guard panel holding devices, each of said guard panel holding devices with vertical slots substantially perpendicular to the countertop surface, said guard panel holding devices affixed to the countertop along the front of the stove; anda guard panel removably positioned within the guard panel holding device vertical slots such that said guard panel occupies substantially all of, and extends upwardly from, the front of the stove-top.

5. The quick-install/quick-removable stove guard of claim 4, wherein the guard panel holding devices are affixed to the countertop using double-sided adhesive tape.

6. The quick-install/quick-removable stove guard of claim 5, wherein the guard panel is bent outwards from the countertop, having an angle substantially between 120 and 150 degrees with the countertop.

7. The quick-install/quick-removable stove guard of claim 6, wherein the guard panel is bent outwards from the countertop, having an angle of substantially 135 degrees with the countertop.

8. The quick-install/quick-removable stove guard of claim 5, wherein the guard panel holding devices are each shaped to have a flat part that extends over the top of the countertop near an edge of thereof and a u-shaped part extending outwardly from the flat part forming a groove disposed about a longer dimension of the guard panel holding device to hold the guard panel in a substantially upwardly position.

9. The quick-install/quick-removable stove guard of claim 5, further including at least two double-faced adhesive tapes, each disposed under the flat part of a corresponding guard panel holding device that secures the guard panel holding device to the top of the countertop.