Field of the Invention

The present invention refers to a burner for a cooking table, and particularly a burner having a safety device which neither interferes aesthetically in the aspect of the burner nor makes the body of the burner difficult to clean.

Background of the Invention and Prior Art Teachings

Cooking facilities generally include a cooking table having one or more cooking plates on which pots, containing the food to be prepared, are positioned. The cooking plates comprise burners wherein it is produced the flames that generate the heat for cooking.

The burners basically comprise a body disposed on the cooking table and a removable lid. The body of the burner is connected to a means of supplying air/combustible and optionally an ignition system which is included to generate a spark ignition that turns the burner on.

To guarantee that the cooking facility will be utilized in safe conditions, some ven- dors include a sensing device which detects when the flame of the burner is accidentally extinguished and which operates with a safety valve to interrupt the gas flow.

Such sensing device generally comprises a thermocouple installed next to the port openings of the burner.

A big disadvantage of this type of technical solution is the fact that the installation of such safety device leaves a metallic pin visible, which extends vertically from the cooking table. Besides the fact it is aesthetically unpleasant, said pin makes the cooking table substantially difficult to clean, obstructing the wiping movement with a cloth or a brush.

Objectives of the Invention

In view of the foregoing, one of the objectives of the present invention is the supply of a safety device which neither interferes, in an aesthetical way, in the aspect of the burner and cooking table nor makes the body of the burner and the cooking table difficult to clean.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention achieves this and other objectives by providing a burner for a cooking table which comprises a burner body and a lid, wherein a safety device is installed in such a way that it follows the design of the burner body.

Preferably, this safety device is installed under the body of the burner, passing to the superior surface through a hole which is slightly greater than the diameter of the edge of the safety device, wherein the length of the edge of such safety device, above the surface, is the minimum necessary for enabling the operation of the device. Preferably, the length of the edge portion of the safety device that is projected beyond the surface is 0.1 to 3.0 mm.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the safety device is a thermocouple having a design that is similar to those found in market, or a novel thermocouple which has the design defined to follow the design of the burner, in such a way that it is embedded in the wall of the body. The thermocouple is installed next to a port opening of the burner, the region wherein the flame will be formed.

In an embodiment of the invention, the body of the burner comprises a base wall, a back wall, and an annular wall interconnecting the base wall and the back wall and, in this case, the safety device is installed in the end of the annular wall.

Concise Description of the Drawings

The figures show:

Figure 1 - figure 1 shows a perspective view of a burner, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 2 - figure 2 shows an enlarged view of the detail D shown in Figure 1.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The present invention will be described in detail below, with basis on the example of execution represented in the drawings. Although the following description exemplifies a burner applied to a stove with cooking plates, a skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is applicable to any type of equipment comprising burners with safety systems.

Figure 1 shows a burner 1 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in such figure, the burner 1 comprises a body 2 and a removable lid 3. The body 2 basically comprises a back wall 6, an annular wall 4, and a base wall 5, wherein at least one opening for the supply of air/combustible mixture 7 is provided in the body. While the base wall extends over the cooking table, substantially in parallel with the same, the annular wall 4 interconnects the base wall 5 and the back wall 6.

As the skilled in the art already known, the lid 3 basically comprises a metallic disk having a peripheral edge wall with a plurality of port openings 9 to form the flames.

Additionally, as the skilled in the art already known, the burner 1 is connect to a means of supplying combustible (not showed) and a means of ignition (not showed) can be provided to generate a spark ignition that turns the burner on.

A safety device 8, which comprises, in the preferred embodiment, a thermocouple, is installed in the body 2 of the burner 1. Such device is preferably designed in a shape that follows the design of the body 2 of the burner 1 , wherein the installation of such device does not generate protuberant parts on the cooking table/body of the burner.

Thus, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the device 8 is installed crossing a hole in the body 2, wherein such hole has dimensions slightly greater than the dimensions of the edge of the device 8. Thus, the device gets embedded in the wall of the body 2, without projecting itself substantially beyond the plan of the wall.

Accordingly, in a preferable embodiment of the present invention, the edge of the device 8 ends at the same plan of the hole, in such a way that there is no projection beyond the surface of the hole. However, in other embodiments of the present invention, the edge portion of the device 8 which is projected above the surface can have 0.1 to 3 millimeters.

As shown in the figures, the hole can be located in the end of the annular wall 4, next to one of the port openings 9 of the lid 3. It shall be noted, however, that the hole could be located in another part of the body 2, provided that such location enables the correct detection of flame extinguishment.

It shall be understood that the description provided with basis on the above- mentioned figures only refers to one of the feasible embodiments for the device of the present invention. The real scope of the object of the present invention is defined in the appended claims.