The invention relates to a cooking and baking device to be built in comprising an oven and a cooktop, said oven comprising a frame, a cabinet-shaped oven unit connected with said frame and provided with a pivotable door and an oven control-member connected with said frame and carrying an oven actuating member partly protruding beyond a control panel connected with the frame, whilst the cooktop comprises a cooktop unit to be built in in a horizontal plate and cooktop control-members which are connected with cooktop actuating members partly protruding beyond the control panel.

Such a device is generally known and developed on the basis of the separate kitchen range when there came up a need for a closed, continuous kitchen furniture. The supporting function of the kitchen range housing is taken over by the kitchen furniture in the built-in devices. It is common practice in a device of the kind set forth, in which the cooktop is operating with electric heating elements, to rigidly secure the control-members for the cooktop together with the control-members for the oven to the oven. When building in, the electric conductors of the cooktop are connected to the oven.

With increasing diversity of types of cooking/baking devices the costs involved in having all these types on store rise explosively. The object of the invention is to provide a cooking/ baking device of the kind set forth in the preamble, by which with a limited stock a great diversity of types of such devices can nevertheless be supplied.

In a cooking/baking device according to the invention this is achieved in that the cooktop control-members are permanently and functionally connected with the cooktop unit and the cooktop comprises an actuating unit releasably connected with the frame, which unit accommodates at least

the cooktop actuating members. Thus the cooktop and the oven constitute independent parts which are combined in accordance with the desired type of cooking/baking device.

In one embodiment of the device in accordance with the invention the cooktop is an electric cooktop and the cooktop control-members are housed in the actuating unit and permanently connected by electric conductors to the cooktop unit. Owing to the flexible nature of the electric conductors the actuating unit can be simply mounted on the frame. In a further device according to the invention the cooktop is a gas cooktop and the cooktop control-members are rigidly secured to the cooktop unit and through rod trans¬ missions connected with the cooktop actuating members in the actuating unit. An additional advantage of the invention is that both the cooktop and the oven can be separately tested, since the actuating members of each unit are -connected with said unit. This is contrary to the prior art in which the cooking/baking device as a whole need be tested. According to a particularly advantageous aspect of the invention at least the visible part of the control-panel is formed by a releasable front panel with recesses for the actuating members. Owing to this front panel the parts become a unit also visually. By using this separate front panel it is also possible to adapt the device according to the invention in a simple manner to the colour of the kitchen furniture. Only the front panel need be of the colour concerned.

The invention relates to and provides furthermore a cooktop for use in a device according to the invention. This cooktop comprises a cooktop unit, cooktop control-members and cooktop actuating members connected with said control-members. According to the invention the cooktop control-members are functionally, permanently connected with the cooktop unit, whilst at least the cooktop actuating members are housed in a control-unit provided with fastening means for a releasable connection with the frame.

The invention furthermore relates to and provides an oven comprising a frame, a cabinet-shaped oven unit connected

with said frame and provided with a hinged door and an oven control-member connected with said frame and carrying an oven actuating member partly protruding beyond a control-panel connected with the frame. According to the invention the oven comprises first fastening means for fastening a control-unit to the frame of a cooktop and second fastening means for fastening a detachable front panel of a control-panel. The oven can thus be used in conjunction with a cooktop according to the invention to obtain a cooking/baking device in accordance with the invention. For this purpose the control- unit of the cooktop is secured by the first fastening means to the frame. Subsequently a front panel matching the desired type is provided for the control-members. The oven according to the invention may, however, also be used as a separate oven at eye level. Then a front panel is used which only has recesses for the control-members of the oven itself. The remaining part of the front panel is closed.

The invention will be described more fully herein¬ after with reference to schematically shown embodiments .of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a schematic, perspective exploded view of a first embodiment of the cooking/baking device in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1 of a second embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a schematic, perspective view of an oven according to the invention.

The cooking/baking device 1 comprises an oven housing 3 and a cooktop housing 2. The oven housing 3 comprises a frame 4 and a cabinet-shaped oven unit 5 connected with the frame 4. The oven unit 5 is provided with a hinged door 6. On the oven unit is placed a cabinet 7, which accommodates the oven control-member (not shown in detail). This oven control- member is connected with actuating members formed by push- buttons 9. The cabinet 7 furthermore comprises a time switch, the indications of which are visible behind a window 8. The time switch has control-members 10. '

The cooktop 2 is a gas cooktop having, in this case, four burners 12. The burners 12 are connected through control-

members 13 with a gas supply duct. The control-members 13 are actuated by actuating members, the control-knobs 15 of which are shown in the Figure. In this embodiment of the device in accordance with the invention the control-knobs are arranged on a tiltable panel 16. According to the invention the actuat¬ ing members are housed in an actuating unit 14 which can be connected with the frame 4 of the oven housing 3. The cooktop control-members 13 are rigidly connected with the cooktop unit. The actuating unit 14 comprises in this embodiment of the invention only the actuating members and may, therefore, be releasably connected with the frame 4. The rod trans¬ missions 17 may comprise a sliding piece and universal joints so that the position of the actuating unit 14 can be varied to a limited extent with respect to the control-members 13. The device 1 furthermore comprises a front panel 18, which can be placed in front of the control-panel formed by the cabinet 7 and the actuating unit 14. The front panel 18 has recesses 19 for the actuating members of the oven and a recess 20 for the actuating members of the cooktop. In the built-in state, in which the actuating unit 14 is connected with the frame 4, the front panel 18 suggests that the oven actuating members and the cooktop actuating members constitute a single unit. The front panel 18 may be designed in a colour matching the colour of the kitchen furniture. The device 24 of Fig. 2 comprises a cooktop 25 with electric heating elements 29. The oven 26 again comprises a cabinet 28 receiving the actuating member ^' s and the control- members of the oven. The actuating members and the control- members of the cooktop 25 are together housed in the actuat- ing unit 27. The cooktop control-members are functionally, permanently connected with the cooktop unit through the electric conductors 30. The actuating unit 27 with the parts 31 of the actuating members of the cooktop protruding out of said unit can be releasably connected with the frame of the oven by means of bolts 35 engaging bolt holes 36 in the oven frame 24. However, the cooktop may also be used separately. In particular the cooktop 25 can be separately tested, since the actuating unit 27 with the control-members and the actuating members is integral with the cooktop. The device 24

furthermore comprises a front panel 32 having recesses 33 and 34 for the actuating members of the oven and the actuating members of the cooktop.

Fig • 3 partly shows an oven housing 40 embodying the invention. On this oven housing 40 is arranged a cabinet 41 accommodating the actuating and control-members of the oven in the manner described above. The oven housing furthermore comprises first fastening means such as the bolt holes 36 of Fig. 2 for fastening an actuating unit to the frame. The oven embodying the invention furthermore comprises fastening means for the releasable front panel.

The oven housing 40 shown in Fig. 3 in conjunction with the front panel 42 is also suitable for use as a separate, so-called eye-level oven. The panel 42 only has recesses 43 for the actuating members of the oven. The remain¬ ing part of the panel is closed.

By the cooking/baking device according to the inven¬ tion a number of desired types can be assembled in a very effective manner from separate parts such as the oven unit, the cooktop unit and the front panel. In this way costs of stock are appreciably reduced.

Furthermore the cooking/baking device according to the invention has the advantage that the cooktop housing as well as the oven housing can be separately tested. By using the separate front panel every type can be supplied in a simple manner in a colour matching that of the kitchen. The oven door may then be provided with a front panel in the same colour.