The invention relates to a packaging system of a gas cooking appliance having an appliance housing, a supporting plate with a top surface, on which at least a gas burner is arranged, and at least a support of cooking vessel, which, in an operating mode of the gas cooking appliance, directly rests on the top surface, wherein the packaging system, in a packaged mode of the gas cooking appliance, comprises at least a securing unit arranged between the gas burner and the support of cooking vessel and a protective unit arranged between the support of cooking vessel and the top surface, and a fixing unit fastening the set composed of gas burner, support of cooking vessel, securing unit and protective unit on the top surface of the supporting plate to the appliance housing.

Packaging systems of a gas cooking appliance are known having a packaging system for an at least partial fixation of the components of a gas cooking appliance during its transportation. These systems comprise several polystyrene moulded pieces to house different components of the appliance.

The object of the invention consists in particular in providing a simplified and low-cost generic packaging system of a gas cooking appliance and a packaging process of a gas cooking appliance. According to the invention, this object is achieved by means of the features of claim 1 and 11 , while advantageous configurations and developments of the invention can be derived from the dependent claims.

The invention relates to a packaging system of a gas cooking appliance having an appliance housing, a supporting plate with a top surface, on which at least a gas burner is arranged, and at least a support of cooking vessel, which, in an operating mode of the gas cooking appliance, directly rests on the top surface, wherein, in a transporting mode, the gas cooking appliance is housed in a packaging of the gas cooking appliance comprising at least a securing unit arranged between the gas burner and the support of cooking vessel and a protective unit arranged between the support of cooking vessel and the top surface, and a fixing unit fastening the set composed of gas burner, support of cooking vessel, securing unit and protective unit on the top surface of the supporting plate to the appliance housing. The securing unit and the protective unit are made in one piece forming a securing element and the system further comprises a supporting sheet arranged on at least a part of the protective unit surrounding at least a part of the at least one gas burner, on which at least a part of the support of cooking vessel rests.

A ‘packaging system’ is understood to be in this context in particular a system, which, at least during a transportation of the gas cooking appliance, is adapted to a shape of the gas cooking appliance at least partially and fixes the gas cooking appliance, preferably at least in a spatial direction and, in a particularly advantageous manner, in at least two spatial directions, inside a packaging of a gas cooking appliance. In this case, the transportation refers to a transportation of the set of a gas cooking appliance with all its components being secured and packaged in a compact manner without any relative movement with respect to each other. Thereby, friction among the components is reduced.

By means of this configuration, an advantageously high level of protection of the gas cooking appliance during a transportation can be provided and it can be ensured that all of its movable parts remain fixed at least partially and do not hit one another during transportation. Furthermore, the number of elements required for a safe and more economical transportation can be reduced. An ‘at least partial fixation’ of the movable parts of the gas cooking appliance is understood to be in particular a restriction of a freedom of movement of the movable parts of the gas cooking appliance with respect to each other in at least a spatial direction and, preferably, in at least two spatial directions.

In a preferred embodiment, the supporting sheet extends beyond an outer perimeter of the support of cooking vessel and bends upwards covering at least a part of a supporting side of the support of cooking vessel. With this configuration, the supporting sheet performs two functions: protecting the top surface of the supporting plate from a direct contact with the support of cooking vessel and protecting the side of the support of cooking vessel.

In an economical embodiment of the securing element, this is provided as a foliar film of a flexible material such as plastics, polyethylene foam, paper or the like and the supporting sheet is provided as a rigid or semi-rigid plate of plastics, cardboard or the like. In this manner, the flexibility of the securing element also allows to adopt the relief of the top surface of the gas burner and keep it firmly pressed in its position when the supporting sheet is arranged on the top surface of the supporting plate surrounding at least a part of the burner. To improve the position of the securing element and the protection of the top surface of the supporting plate, it is provided that the supporting sheet surrounds the gas burner completely and the support of cooking vessel rests on the supporting sheet.

To protect the top of the support of cooking vessel as well and press the fixing unit on the same limiting its displacement, it is provided that the supporting sheet extends above at least a part of the support of cooking vessel and the fixing unit presses the supporting sheet against the support of cooking vessel. In this manner, the set composed of gas burner, support of cooking vessel, securing element and supporting sheet on the top surface of the supporting plate is connected to the appliance housing, thereby forming a packaged set.

A configuration of the fixing unit is as a wrapping of a shrink-wrap plastic and/or at least a strapping, fitted to the outline of the gas cooking appliance. The fixation of the packaged set is enough with one of both configurations of the fixing unit, but both configurations as a strapping and shrink-wrap plastic increase a lot the compaction of the packaged set.

With this configuration, there is a perfectly compact packaged set, which can be transported comfortably and safely but, to increase the protection of the appliance, it is provided that the packaging has at least an impact dampening unit surrounding at least a part of the perimeter of the packaged set or preferably the entire perimeter of the packaged set.

‘Dampening unit’ is understood to be in particular a unit of the packaging, which is provided to dampen a hit acting on the packaging system, particularly a hit caused by a fall of the packaging system, and/or a shaking acting on the packaging system, particularly during a transportation and, when this happens, which is provided in particular to be deformed, preferably at least in the hitting and/or shaking direction. ‘Provided’ is to be understood here and below in particular as specifically configured and/or equipped.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is proposed that the dampening unit is configured in one piece. ‘In one piece’ is to be understood in particular as materially connected such as by means of a welding process and/or a gluing process, etc. and, in a particularly advantageous manner, shaped together such as by means of a manufacture from a cast piece and/or by means of a manufacture in an injection process of one or several components. In this manner, a plurality of pieces can be advantageously reduced. Furthermore, time invested in packaging and/or unpacking the gas cooking appliance can be advantageously reduced.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, it is proposed that the dampening unit is composed of polystyrene at least in large part. That the dampening unit 'is composed of polystyrene at least in large part’ is to be understood in particular in the sense that the packaging unit is composed of polystyrene with a percentage by weight of at least 70%, in particular of at least 80%, preferably of at least 90% and, in a particularly advantageous manner, completely. Preferably, the polystyrene is present at least partially and preferably completely as expanded polystyrene. Preferably, the dampening unit is configured as a polystyrene moulded piece at least partially and, in a particularly advantageous manner, completely. In this manner, a light, economical and easily fabricable dampening unit can be created.

For an appropriate transportation to the final user of the gas cooking appliance, it is provided that the packaging comprises an external wrapping element containing the impact dampening unit and the packaged set.

‘Appropriate transportation’ is understood here to be in particular a transportation of the gas cooking appliance in which this is packaged in the packaging of a gas cooking appliance in accordance with the rules applicable, particularly according to the specifications laid down by a manufacturer and/or distributor and in which the packaging of a gas cooking appliance is transported particularly being oriented in accordance with the requirements prescribed in particular by a manufacturer and/or a distributor. In addition, by means of a packaging system of a gas cooking appliance of the invention, legal precepts and/or rules relating to a protection of a gas cooking appliance during a transportation of the gas cooking appliance can be observed.

In another aspect of the invention, the packaging comprises at least a securing element, a supporting sheet and a fixing unit to form the packaged set and, to provide more protection, it is provided that the packaging further comprises at least an impact dampening unit and an external wrapping element. The external wrapping element can be a cardboard box fitted to the size of the impact dampening unit with the packaged set and closed with a closure or a shrink-wrap plastic around the set. In another aspect of the invention, a packaging process of a gas cooking appliance with a packaging from the invention having the following steps is proposed: firstly arranging the securing element on the gas burner and the top surface, then arranging the supporting sheet on at least a part of the securing element surrounding at least a part of the gas burner, then arranging the support of cooking vessel on at least a part of the supporting sheet tightening the securing element on the gas burner, and lastly applying the fixing unit fastening the set composed of gas burner, support of cooking vessel, the securing element and the supporting sheet on the top surface of the supporting plate to the appliance housing, thereby forming a packaged set.

In a preferred embodiment, the packaging process further comprises the steps consisting in arranging the impact dampening unit surrounding at least a part of the perimeter of the packaged set, and lastly arranging the external wrapping element containing the impact dampening unit and the packaged set.

Other advantages derive from the following description of the drawing. An exemplary embodiment of the invention is represented in the drawing. The drawing, the description and the patent claims contain diverse combined features. The person skilled in the art shall also advantageously consider the features separately and gather them in further reasonable combinations.

It is shown in:

Fig. 1 a perspective of a gas cooking appliance,

Fig. 2 a perspective of the gas cooking appliance from figure 1 with a part of the packaging system of the invention,

Fig. 3 a perspective section of the appliance from figure 2 with a part of the packaging system according to the invention,

Fig. 4 a side view of the section from figure 3,

Fig. 5 a perspective of the gas cooking appliance from figure 2 with more elements of the packaging of the invention,

Fig. 6 a perspective of the gas cooking appliance from figure 5 with more elements of the packaging of the invention,

Fig. 7 a perspective of the gas cooking appliance from figure 6 with more elements of the packaging of the invention, and

Fig. 8 a perspective of the packaged gas cooking appliance. A gas cooking appliance 10 like the one shown in figure 1 has an appliance housing 11 and a supporting plate 12, which is made of tempered glass in this case. It can be made of metal, a ceramic material or the like. On a front, it has operating elements to control gas taps (not shown) controlling the gas and flame flow in the three burners 13. The burners 13 are formed by separable pieces and some of them are demountable from outside the appliance 10 to be cleaned, such as the diffusing cover. Both supports of cooking vessel 14 rest detachably on the top surface 121 of the supporting plate 12. In this case, both supports 14 cover an almost identical area of the supporting surface, but the left support 14 is arranged on a burner 13 and the right support 14 covers two burners 13. The burner supports can be independent for a burner 13 or can cover more than one burner 13. The supports 14 rest on the top surface 121 of the supporting plate 12 on legs arranged close to an outer perimeter 141 of the support 14 extending upwards by a supporting side 142, from which arms parallel to the top surface 121 extend, thereby forming the supporting surface for the cooking vessel. In any case, there is a plurality of configurations of supports of cooking vessel 14 but the majority of them need to have a basic arrangement comprising a support in contact with the supporting surface 121 and a side 142 from which a supporting surface for supporting cooking vessels extends.

Figure 2 shows a perspective of the gas cooking appliance 10 from figure 1 where the securing element 21 extends on the burners 13 and on the top surface 121 of the supporting plate 12. The securing unit 211 of the securing element 21 is arranged on the burners 13 and the protective unit 212 of the securing element 21 is arranged on the top surface 121 of the supporting plate 12. In this case, the securing element 21 is made as a honeycomb paper with a huge flexibility and enough resistance. The supporting sheet 23 is arranged on the protective unit 212 having orifices surrounding the burners 13, through which securing units 211 project being superimposed tightened on the burners 13. And, finally, both supports of cooking vessel 14 rest on the supporting sheet 23. In this manner, the supporting sheet 23 with the weight of the supports14 keeps the securing element 21 tightened. The supporting sheet 23 extends beyond the outer perimeter 141 of the support of cooking vessel 14 and bends a first time upwards, and bends again downwards to cover at least a part of the supporting surface of the support of cooking vessel 14, being thereby connected to one of the supporting arms. Figure 3 shows a section of a perspective view of the gas cooking appliance 10 from figure 2 with the securing element 21 and the supporting sheet 23 mounted on the top surface 121 of the supporting plate 12.

Figure 4 shows another section of a side view of the same appliance of figure 2 in which it can be seen how the supporting sheet 23 extends on the protective unit 212 beyond the outer perimeter 141 of the vessel support 14 and bends upwards covering the supporting side 142 and bends again beyond the upper part of the vessel support 14 towards the supporting surface 143. In this manner, the securing element 21 remains tightened by the securing unit 211 when the protective unit 212 pulls it when the supporting sheet 23 and the weight of the support of cooking vessel 14 rest on the same.

Figure 5 shows a perspective of the gas cooking appliance 10 from figure 2 in which a stripping of plastics or metal has been added as a fixing unit 22, thereby compacting the packaging system into a packaged set 20.

Figure 6 shows a perspective of the gas cooking appliance 10 from figure 5 in which a shrink-wrap plastic has been added as a fixing unit 22, apart from the stripping of plastics or metal. This improves the compaction of the packaged set 20.

Subsequently, two dampening units 24 are added in figure 7 covering parts of the perimeter of the packaged set 20 and, finally, figure 8 shows the box-shaped external wrapping 25 of the packaging 30 containing the packaged set 20 and the dampening units 24.

Reference numerals gas cooking appliance appliance housing supporting plate top surface gas burner support of cooking vessel outer perimeter supporting side supporting surface packaged set securing element securing unit protective unit fixing unit supporting sheet impact dampening unit external wrapping packaging