U.S. patent number 3,878,360 [Application Number 05/393,411] was granted by the patent office on 1975-04-15 for liquid heating and dispensing appliance.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Sunbeam Corporation. Invention is credited to Robert J. Augustine, Jean P. Du Bois, Joseph L. Vieceli.
United States Patent |
3,878,360 |
Augustine , et al. |
April 15, 1975 |
Liquid heating and dispensing appliance
Abstract
A compact appliance for rapidly heating small quantities of
water and dispensing the heated water into a cup or vessel. The
appliance includes a stainless steel reservoir having a heating
element brazed to the bottom thereof and a thermostat which extends
through the bottom wall of the reservoir to sense the temperature
of the liquid contained therein. The thermostat is a manually
resettable thermostat which is operable by means of a lever
extending through the front wall of the appliance in close
proximity to a second lever which operates a valve to dispense the
heated liquid into a vessel. The cover for the reservoir is
provided with means to return the condensed water vapor to the
reservoir rather than permitting it to run into the interior of the
housing.
Inventors: |
Augustine; Robert J. (Downers
Grove, IL), Du Bois; Jean P. (Villa Park, IL), Vieceli;
Joseph L. (LaGrange, IL) |
Assignee: |
Sunbeam Corporation (Chicago,
IL)
|
Family
ID: |
23554589 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/393,411 |
Filed: |
August 31, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
392/444; 99/281;
219/214; 222/146.5; D7/309; 99/288; 219/441; 392/459 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47J
31/461 (20180801); A47J 31/106 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47J
31/44 (20060101); A47J 31/54 (20060101); A47J
31/56 (20060101); H05b 001/02 (); F24h 001/18 ();
B67d 005/62 () |
Field of
Search: |
;219/214,310-316,327-331,335,336,296-308,401,436,438,441,442
;137/341 ;99/280-283,288-291,295,299-307,316 ;222/146R,146H,146HE
;239/133-136 ;21/95 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Bartis; A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Clark; George R. Rose; Neil M.
Pacocha; John S.
Claims
What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent
of the United States is:
1. A water heating appliance comprising a housing of plastic heat
insulating material having a base, a support extending upwardly
from said base, and a reservoir enclosing portion; said base
including means for supporting a small open vessel adjacent to said
support; said reservoir enclosing portion having a top wall with an
opening formed therein and a closure for said opening; a
lightweight reservoir of drawn sheet metal having a low heat
capacity and being cup shaped with a mouth provided with an
outwardly extending peripheral flange; said reservoir being
received in said reservoir enclosing portion with said flange in
sealed engagement with said top wall; a sheathed heating element
having a wattage in excess of 1,000 watts brazed to the bottom of
said reservoir; a manually resettable thermostatic switch secured
to said reservoir and responsive to open the electrical circuit to
said heating element when the water in said reservoir is at a
temperature below the boiling point; said thermostat being mounted
in the bottom of said reservoir extending through an opening to
respond to the temperature of the water within said reservoir; a
bottom outlet in said reservoir; manually operable valve means
connected to said bottom outlet to control the flow of water from
said reservoir and having dispensing means extending outwardly from
said reservoir enclosing portion above said vessel support means to
discharge water into said vessel.
2. The combination of claim 1 including first lever means pivotally
mounted on said reservoir enclosing portion and engagable with said
valve means to control the flow of water from said reservoir, and
second lever means pivotally mounted on said reservoir enclosing
portion and engagable with said thermostatic switch to reset
it.
3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said valve means includes a
plastic housing and is rigidly supported on the inside of said
reservoir enclosing portion with said dispensing means extending
downwardly through an opening in the bottom of said reservoir
enclosing portion, a silicone rubber tube providing a fluid
connection between said reservoir and valve means.
4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said closure includes a flat
body portion which overlies the mouth of said reservoir and a
peripherally disposed downwardly extending lip on said body
portion, said closure having a downwardly extending cylindrical
wall which is spaced from and projects into said reservoir to
restrict water condensation to the area of said closure within said
cylindrical wall, said lip being positioned outwardly of said
cylindrical wall and engaging said top wall surrounding said
reservoir.
5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said closure is pivoted to
said housing by a hinge formed in part by one edge of said closure
lip, said closure having a condensate flow baffle which extends
across said body portion between said hinge and said cylindrical
wall to direct the flow of condensation deposited on said closure
outside of said cylindrical wall back into said reservoir when said
closure is opened and closed.
6. A water-boiling appliance comprising a small capacity reservoir
being of cup shape with a heating element in good heat exchange
relation with the bottom wall thereof, "said reservoir having a
bottom outlet a housing which supports said reservoir" with said
outlet above a recessed pocket in which a cup or receptacle may be
placed, said housing having a top opening in which said reservoir
is received, said reservoir being formed at the mouth thereof, with
a flange which overlies the housing portion defining said opening
and being sealed thereto by a sealant material, a cover for said
reservoir pivoted to said housing, said cover having a downwardly
extending cylindrical wall which is spaced from and projects into
said reservoir to restrict water condensation to the area of said
cover within said cylindrical wall, said cover includes a flat body
portion which overlies the mouth of said reservoir and a
peripherally disposed outwardly extending lip on said body portion,
said lip being positioned outwardly of said cylindrical wall and
engaging said housing surrounding said reservoir, said cover being
pivoted to said housing by a hinge formed in part by one edge of
said cover lip, said wall extending from said closure a distance
greater than the distance from the mouth of said reservoir to said
hinge.
7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said cover has a condensate
flow baffle which extends across said body portion between said
hinge and said cylindrical wall to direct the flow of condensation
on said cover outside of said cylindrical wall back into said
reservoir when said cover is opened and closed.
8. An appliance for heating water comprising an upright housing
having an enclosure at the upper portion thereof and a recessed
pocket to receive a container at the lower portion thereof, said
housing having a base defining the bottom of said pocket and
supporting said housing, a cup-shaped water reservoir mounted in
said upper portion, said reservoir having a high wattage sheathed
heating element brazed to the bottom of said reservoir, a manually
resetable thermostat extending through the wall of said reservoir
into the interior thereof, said thermostat being manually resetable
by means of a first lever which is pivoted within said upper
portion of said housing and extends to the exterior thereof, a
manually operable valve for dispensing water from said reservoir,
said valve being positioned in conduit means extending from said
reservoir to the upper portion of said pocket, a second lever
mounted in said housing adjacent said first lever and being
manually operable to open said valve, a signal light supported on
said housing and connected in circuit with said heating element to
indicate that said heating element is energized, said housing
including a closure plate for a rearwardly facing opening, a cover
for said reservoir hingedly connected to said housing, a hinge for
said cover formed by forwardly facing channels on said plate in
which axle members on said cover are received.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The trend toward the use of materials and mixes which make it easy
to prepare instantly beverages which formerly required cooking and
brewing has resulted in a demand for appliances which boil water
quickly and easily. Since the housewife is accustomed to heating or
boiling water in a saucepan on the stove, any appliance which
essentially does nothing more than heat or boil water must be both
inexpensive and provide additional advantages if it is to be an
acceptable appliance. Some of the first and least expensive
appliances of this type involve immersion heaters which are merely
inserted into a cup or small vessel to heat the contents. Such
appliances are hazardous in that if they are not used with
considerable care, there is a danger of receiving an electrical
shock or of burning oneself in handling the exposed heating
element.
Other more sophisticated appliances for heating and boiling liquids
consist of electrified teakettles which are nothing more than
teakettles with built-in electrical heating elements. While such
appliances could quickly heat quantities of liquid more efficiently
and more rapidly than similar vessels used in connection with the
burner or heating elements of the stove, they were expensive and
unappealing to the housewives since they offered little advantage
other than the improved efficiency. The electric kettles, however,
looked and functioned much like the non-electric kettles which have
always been used on the surface units of the stove.
There have been some attempts at making small heating pots which
would rapidly heat a small quantity of water. Such small electrical
vessels are difficult to handle and again have enjoyed little
commercial success. It is evident, however, that in view of the
increased use of instant coffee, tea, soup, bouillon, cocoa and
other drinks, there exists a substantial demand for an inexpensive
appliance for heating water to a temperature just below the boiling
point.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention includes a water reservoir made of stainless steel to
prevent corrosion and having associated with it a sheathed heating
element brazed to the bottom of the reservoir. The heating element
is of extremely high wattage so that one cup of water can be heated
to the boiling point in less than a minute, and two cups in less
than a minute and a half. The low mass of the reservoir contributes
to the speed with which the heating is accomplished since very
little of heat input is required to increase the temperature of the
vessel itself. A thermostat is provided to de-energize the heating
element when the water within the vessel is just below the boiling
point. In order to obtain prompt response for the thermostat,
particularly in view of the light weight of the reservoir and the
poor heat conducting characteristics of stainless steel, the
thermostat is positioned to extend through the wall of the
reservoir where it will be in contact with the water contained
therein. By utilizing light gage material for the reservoir, the
lip of the reservoir by which it is supported on the plastic
housing remains relatively cool in spite of the high heat input by
the heating element.
The thermostat is of a manually resetable type and is controlled by
a lever which extends outside of the housing in which the reservoir
is supported. A plastic valve is provided at the outlet of the
reservoir to control the dispensing of the heated water into a
vessel which may be positioned below the reservoir. A silicone
rubber tube connects the reservoir to the plastic valve so that the
plastic is effectively insulated from the high temperatures
existing at the bottom of the reservoir during energization of the
heating element. The appliance housing is formed with a recess or
pocket below the reservoir which is intended to receive a cup or
small vessel into which the heated water may be dispensed. The
reservoir valve is controlled by a second lever which also extends
outwardly of the housing where it may be manually actuated.
The cup shaped reservoir is closed by a hingeable cover which has a
cylindrical wall positioned to extend into the reservoir itself.
The cylindrical wall tends to restrict the area in which water
vapor will condense on the cover to the area within the cylindrical
wall. This results in the condensed moisture being returned to the
reservoir rather than leaking into the interior of the housing
where electrical shorts might be caused. A second baffle located
between the cylindrical wall and the hinge on the cover tends to
direct additional condensed moisture back into the reservoir,
particularly when the cover is opened.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an
improved appliance for quickly and efficiently heating and
dispensing water.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a simple
and inexpensive appliance which automatically heats a small
quantity of water to a temperature just below the boiling point at
which time a signal is provided to indicate to the operator that
the water is ready to be dispensed by valve means into a cup or
vessel.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a water
heating appliance which has an open top reservoir for easy filling
and a cover which is formed with baffles to prevent water
condensation from being dispensed or leaking into areas other than
the reservoir itself.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an
improved water heating appliance having a simple and inexpensive
valve and control means for dispensing the water heated
therein.
Further objects and advantages will become apparent as the
following description proceeds and the features of novelty which
characterize the invention will be pointed out in the claims
annexed to and forming a part of the specification.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a water heating and dispensing
appliance embodying our invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 2--2 of FIG.
1;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary rear elevational view of the
water heating and dispensing appliance of FIGS. 1 and 2 with all
but one corner of the closure plate of the rear housing opening
removed to expose the interior portions;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the thermostat control lever;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the control lever for operating the
water dispensing valve;
FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the reservoir for the liquid
heating and dispensing appliance;
FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of the hinged cover for the
reservoir;
FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the top of
the closure plate;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 9--9 of FIG.
3;
FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 10-10 of FIG.
3; and
FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the electrical circuit of the
appliance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Referring to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 a water heating
and dispensing appliance designated generally by reference number
11. The appliance 11 includes a housing 12 which is made up of a
forward housing member 13 and a rear closure member 14. As may best
be seen in FIG. 2, the forward housing member 13 provides an upper
chamber 15 and a cord storage space 16, both of which are closed by
the closure member 14.
The forward housing member 13 is formed with a horizontally
extending base portion 17 which has low walls 18 along either edge
thereof, which walls tend to position or locate a cup or vessel
which might be placed on the base portion 17. Extending upwardly
from the rear edge of the base portion 17 is a cylindrical wall 20,
which with the base portion 17 and walls 18 defines the pocket or
recess within which the cup or vessel may be received.
The cylindrical wall 20 is connected at its edges to walls 21 which
extend upwardly the entire length of the housing member 13. As is
most evident from FIG. 1, the walls 21 become wider toward the top
of the housing member 13 and are joined at their forward edges by a
front wall 22. Angling upwardly from the top of the cylindrical
wall 20 to the front wall 22 is a wall 23 which is best shown in
FIG. 2. The angled wall 23, together with the front wall 22 and the
sidewalls 21 define in part the chamber 15 within which a reservoir
25 is received. Considered from broad functional standpoint, the
housing 12 described above consists of a base which supports a
reservoir enclosing portion by means of a column-like portion
defined by walls 20 and 21. The housing 12 is little more than a
frame to support and enclose the reservoir and its associated
heating and valving means.
The reservoir 25 is a drawn stainless steel cup having cylindrical
sidewalls 25a and a bottom wall 25b. The reservoir 25 has a very
low mass and heat capacity being small in size having a capacity of
only 10 ounces and being made of lightweight material having a
thickness of only 1/32 inch. At the center of the bottom wall 25b,
there is an opening defined by a down turned flange 25c. Connected
to the flange 25c is a discharge spout 26. Also secured to the
bottom of the reservoir 25 is a sheathed heating element 27 which
is best shown in FIG. 6. The heating element 27 is a sheathed
heating element having a helical configuration with approximately
21/4 turns as is evident in FIG. 6. The heating element includes a
steel outer tubular sheath 27a within which a resistance wire
element 27b is supported by compacted magnesium oxide 27c. The
heating element is formed with downwardly turned ends 27d from
which the element terminals 27e extend.
At the top or mouth of the reservoir 25, there is provided an
annular flange 25d. The housing member 13 is formed with a
horizontal wall 28 which is provided with enlarged opening 29 which
is shouldered in order to support the annular flange 25d. A
suitable room temperature vulcanizing adhesive material is utilized
between the annular flange 25d and the shoulder formed on the
reservoir opening 29 to insure against any leakage from around the
reservoir 25 into the chamber 15. The reservoir 25 is retained in
place by the adhesive mentioned above, as well as a bracket 31
which extends downwardly as shown in FIG. 2 to a position where it
receives a screw which is threaded into engagement with a boss 32
formed on the inside of the front wall 22 of the housing member 13.
To assemble the bracket 31, the sheathed heating element 27 and the
discharge spout 26 to the bottom of the stainless steel reservoir
25, a copper brazing process is used. The three elements may be
brazed to the reservoir in a single operation.
In order to sense the temperature of water received within the
reservoir 25, there is provided a small thermostat 34 which extends
through an opening formed in the bottom 25b of the reservoir 25.
The thermostat 34 has a sealing flange 34a located beneath the
bottom wall of the reservoir 25b. A suitable room temperature
vulcanizing adhesive is placed between the flange 34a and the
bottom wall 25b to prevent leakage through the opening provided for
the thermostat 34. In order to retain the thermostat 34 in place
while the adhesive is curing and to assure a secure assembly, there
is provided a bracket 35 which is somewhat U-shaped as shown in
FIG. 2 and has a centrally disposed opening in which the discharge
spout 26 is received. One upwardly extending leg of the bracket 35
engages the reservoir bottom 25 and the other upwardly extending
leg engages the thermostat flange 34a. An assembly washer 36 having
projecting portions in interfering engagement with the discharge
spout 26 retains the bracket 35 in assembled position.
The thermostat 34 is of a conventional disc type being calibrated
to open the electrical circuit when the water nears the boiling
point. The thermostat 34 includes electrical terminals 37 and 38,
as well as a centrally disclosed manual reset button 39 as are best
shown in FIG. 6. The manual reset button may be pushed upwardly to
close the electrical circuit through the thermostat 34 and begin
the heating of water within the reservoir 25. The actuation of the
reset button 39 is accomplished by means of the lever 40 which is
shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the reset lever 40 is pivoted
about trunnions 40a which are received within rearwardly facing
slots 41 formed on walls 42 which are positioned parallel to and
adjacent a slot 43 formed in the front wall 22. The outer end of
the lever 40 is formed with a projection 40b on which is received
the actuator bar 44. The end of the reset lever 40 remote from the
projection 40b is provided with a horizontally disposed flat
portion 40c which is positioned to abut against the recess button
39. Thus when a downward pressure is applied against the actuator
bar 44, the lever 40 is rotated about trunnions 40a causing the
portion 40c to move into actuating engagement with the reset button
39.
In order to retain the lever 40 in position in the slots 41 and
rotate the lever 40 out of engagement with the reset button 39,
there is provided a leaf spring 45 which bears against the angled
portion 40d of the reset lever 40. The leaf spring 45 has a
mounting portion 45a which is received on an integrally molded
projection on the front wall 22 of the forward housing member 13.
Extending downwardly and rearwardly from the mounting portion 45a
is a portion 45b which extends into engagement with angled portion
40d.
For the purpose of controlling the flow from the reservoir 25,
there is provided a valve 47 which is located immediately below the
reservoir 25. The valve 47 is made up of two simple plastic parts
within which a simple plunger type valve is received. These plastic
parts include the main valve body 48 which has an inlet passageway
48a, a valve seat 48b and guide means 48c for a valve rod 49. The
valve body 48 also includes a channel portion 48d which defines
half of the valve outlet or discharge. Positioned rearwardly of
valve seat 48b is a valve cover 50 which is formed with a channel
50a which cooperates with channel 48d to provide a discharge
passageway from the valve 47. This discharge passageway formed by
channels 48d and 50a extends through an opening 23a formed in the
angled wall 23 of the housing member 13.
The movable part of the valve 47 includes the valve rod 49 which
supports at its rearwardly projecting end a valve sealing member 51
which is made of a resilient material such as rubber and is
retained in a groove of reduced diameter adjacent the end of the
rod 49. The other end of the rod 49 is formed with an enlargement
49a against which a spring 52 abuts to urge the valve sealing
member 51 into engagement with the valve seat 48b. The guide 48c
serves to guide the enlargement 49a and encloses the spring 52
which at its end toward the sealing member 51 seats against a metal
washer overlying a rubber washer (not shown) to seal against water
leakage along rod 49. It should be appreciated that the valve 47 is
extremely simple in construction and simple to fabricate. To
assemble the various parts the rod 49 is simply inserted through
the spring 52 and its associated sealing washers which are placed
in the guide 48c. The valve sealing member 51 is then assembled to
the end of the rod 49 by merely slipping it over the end of the
rod. The sealing member 51 then prevents the rod from being
detached from the valve body 48. The valve cover 50 and the valve
body 48 are retained together and assembled to the forward housing
member 13 by means of screws 53 which extend into threaded openings
formed in mounting bosses 54 formed on the upper surface of the
angled wall 23.
The reservoir discharge spout 26 is connected to the inlet
passageway 48a of the valve 47 by means of a piece of flexible tube
55. The discharge spout 26 is formed with a ridge or enlargement
26a which tends to retain the flexible tubing 55 in position on the
discharge spout 26. The tubing 55 is preferably made of a silicone
tubing so as to resist the high temperatures found in the areas
adjacent to the heating element 27. The tubing 55 also serves to
insulate the plastic valve body 48 from the effects of the high
temperatures present on the bottom of reservoir 25 during heating
of water therein.
For the purpose of actuating the valve rod 49, there is provided a
valve actuating lever 57 which is shown in perspective in FIG. 5.
The lever 57 is somewhat similar to the lever 40 in that it is
supported on trunnions 57a which are received in slots 58 formed in
the walls 59 which walls are located in spaced parallel
relationship extending as is best shown in FIG. 3. The lever 57 has
a forward projection 60 on one end thereof which receives an
actuating bar 61 which is exposed at the front of the housing 12 as
shown in FIG. 1. The lever 57 is formed with a flat plate-like
portion 57b which extends generally radially with respect to the
trunnions 57a and is positioned to engage the end of the valve rod
49 as may be seen in FIG. 2. Thus when the actuating bar 61 is
depressed, the valve actuating lever 57 is rotating
counter-clockwise as shown in FIG. 2 causing the plate-like portion
57b to force the rod 49 rearwardly thus unseating the sealing
member 51 with respect to the valve seat 48b.
In order to bias the valve actuating lever 57 clockwise as shown in
FIG. 2, there is provided a leaf spring 62 which is positioned to
engage angled portion 57c of the lever 57. The spring 62 has a
mounting portion 62a which is received on a boss molded integrally
with the front wall 22 as is best shown in FIG. 2. Extending
rearwardly and downwardly from the mounting portion 62a is the body
portion 62b which at its rearward end engages portion 57c of the
lever 57. The spring 62 not only biases the lever 57 in a clockwise
direction but also retains the trunnions 57a assembled in the slots
58.
The reservoir 25 is provided with a cover 65 which is hingeably
secured to the housing 12 at the rear edge thereof. The cover 65
has a generally horizontally disposed body portion 65a which
terminates at its edges in a downwardly extending peripheral flange
65b which normally rests in engagement with the top wall 28 of the
housing member 13. At the forward end extending outwardly from the
peripheral flange 65b near the front of the cover 65 are handle
extensions 65c which permit the cover to be lifted upwardly for
filling the reservoir 25. Along the portion of flange 65b extending
along the rear edge of the cover 65 there are provided integrally
mounted axle members 65d which are spaced from the flange 65b by
slots 65e. At the upper edge of the rear closure member 14, there
are provided two spaced forwardly facing channel shaped members 14a
(see FIG. 8). The upper ends of the channel shaped members 14a
extend through openings 65e in the cover 65. When the cover 65 is
lifted to provide access to the reservoir 25, the axle members 65d
rotate in the channel portions 14a thus permitting the cover 65 to
pivot with respect to the housing 12.
The inner ends of the axle members 65d extend beyond the openings
65e and are connected to the flange 65b. These connected portions
of the axle members 65d are received in an upwardly facing channel
member 66 which is molded integrally with the housing member 13 and
extends rearwardly as is best shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 10. The
upwardly facing channel member 66 is positioned between the channel
portions 14a. The aligned channels provided by the member 66 and
the portions 14a pivotally connect the cover 65 to housing 12 by
means of the axle members 65d. In order to assemble the cover to
the housing, the axle members 65d are laid in the upwardly facing
channel member 66 with the cover in the horizontal position and the
rear closure member 14 is assembled to the forward housing member
13 and retained in position by screws 67 which extend through the
closure member into threaded engagement with the housing member
13.
Because of the small area of the reservoir 25 and the fact that the
water contained therein is heated to a temperature just below the
boiling point, there is a considerable amount of water vapor which
tends to condense on the cover 65. In order to prevent this
condensation from leaking into the housing 12 or down the sides of
the appliance 11, the cover 65 is provided with a cylindrical wall
65f which is of slightly smaller diameter than the reservoir 25 and
which extends downwardly into the reservoir 25 a distance of
approximately three-eighths inch. As water condenses on the cover
65, most of it tends to condense in the area within the cylinder
wall 65f. Accordingly, when the cover is lifted to a vertical
position to permit the filling of the reservoir 25, the moisture
tends to stay within the cylindrical wall and when the cover is
returned to its horizontal position, the condensed moisture is
poured back into the reservoir.
There is invariably a small amount of moisture which condenses
outside of the cylindrical wall 65f. In order to prevent this
moisture from leaking through the hinge into the housing 12 when
the cover is moved to the vertical position, a low baffle wall 65g
is provided. The wall 65g extends above the top wall 28 except at
its midpoint where two wall portions meet at an apex 65h. This apex
65h is located above the edge of the reservoir 25 so that water
which runs down the cover 65 when it is in its vertical position
tends to run toward the apex 65h and pour back into the reservoir
65 when the cover 65 is moved to the horizontal position. Thus,
with the cylindrical wall 65f which extends somewhat into the
reservoir 65 and the baffle 65g which is located entirely above the
upper edge of the reservoir 65, all the condensation on the cover
65 is returned to the reservoir 25.
Turning now to the electrical connections for the appliance 11,
there is provided a power cord 68 which has a suitable plug on the
outer end and extends inwardly through the opening 69 at the lower
rear portion of the housing 12 into the cord storage space 16.
Toward the top of the space 16 there are provided a bar of spaced
posts 70 and 71 as are best shown in FIG. 3. These posts are spaced
a distance from wall 72 so that the power cord 68 can be looped
around post 70 with a double line of cord fitting snuggly between
the post 71 and the wall 72. This arrangement of the posts provides
an inexpensive strain relief for the end of the cord attached to
the appliance 11. After extending through the strain relief, the
power cord extends upwardly through an opening 73 in the wall 70
and is connected to the heating element and thermostat in the
manner shown in FIG. 3.
One side of the power cord is connected directly to the heating
element 27 with a signal light 74 shown schematically in FIG. 11
and shown pictorially in FIGS. 2 and 3 connected in parallel with
the heating element. The other side of the line is connected to the
terminal 38 of the thermostat 34. The terminal 37 of the thermostat
is connected by a fuse link 75 to the other end of the heating
element 27.
In the operation of the appliance 11 a quantity of water to be
heated is placed in the reservoir 25 and the heat actuator bar 44
is depressed. This action pivots the lever 40 causing the inner end
portions 40c to engage the reset button 39 which closes the
thermostat 34 completing the circuit to the heating element 27. The
energization of the heating element 27 causes the parallel
connected signal light 74 to be lit, this being feasible through a
lens 73 mounted in an opening in the front wall 22 of the housing
12. In the preferred embodiment, the heating element 27 had a
rating of 1,450 watts at a 120 volt A.C. This large wattage heating
element and the low thermal mass of the reservoir causes the water
within the reservoir 25 to be heated to a temperature just below
the boiling point very rapidly. Because of the rapidity of heating
the water, it is necessary to have the thermostat extending into
the water itself rather than simply being mounted on the outer
surface of the reservoir 25. Even so, the lag in response makes it
necessary for the thermostat to be calibrated to turn off at
approximately 175.degree.F rather than near the boiling point which
is the desired temperature for the water being heated. When the
thermostat 34 senses the 175.degree.F temperature, it opens the
circuit cutting off the power to the heating element 27 and
extinguishing the signal light 74. The user of the appliance then
knows that the water contained in the reservoir has been heated to
the proper temperature. He then places a cup or other small vessel
on the base portion 17 beneath the water discharge from the valve
47 and depresses the valve actuating bar 61. This action causes the
lever 57 to be rotated whereby the portion 57b engages the rod 49
opening the valve 47 and permitting the water in the reservoir 25
to discharge downwardly into the cup or vessel.
In the meantime, there will be some water condensing on the cover
65 of the appliance 11. When the cover 65 is again lifted to the
vertical position to add more water to the reservoir 25, any
condensation contained therein will be trapped by the cylindrical
wall 65f and the baffle 65g and later returned to the reservoir 25
rather than leaking down through the hinge into the interior of the
housing 12.
The light weight of the reservoir and the fast heating cycle
permits the reservoir 25 to be mounted directly on the plastic
housing without causing any damage to the plastic. In spite of the
high temperatures produced at the surface of the sheathed heating
element 27, the supporting flange or lip 25d attains a temperature
of only about 175.degree.F at the time the water is at the desired
temperature of just below the boiling point.
While there has been shown and described a particular embodiment of
the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the
art that various changes and modifications may be made without
departing from the invention in its broader aspects, and it is,
therefore, contemplated in the appended claims to cover all such
changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope
of the present invention.
* * * * *