US 12,002,343 B2
Method and apparatus to alert energization of cooking appliance surface burners
Richard W. Cowan, Louisville, KY (US)
Assigned to MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD., Guangdong (CN)
Filed by Midea Group Co., Ltd., Foshan (CN)
Filed on Mar. 13, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/182,625.
Application 18/182,625 is a division of application No. 16/913,173, filed on Jun. 26, 2020, granted, now 11,605,284.
Prior Publication US 2023/0215264 A1, Jul. 6, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G08B 21/18 (2006.01); F24C 3/12 (2006.01); F24C 7/08 (2006.01)
CPC G08B 21/18 (2013.01) [F24C 3/126 (2013.01); F24C 7/083 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A residential cooking appliance comprising:
a housing having a cooking surface;
a gas burner disposed on the cooking surface;
a gas valve regulating gas flow to the gas burner;
an actuator disposed on the housing and coupled to the gas valve, wherein the actuator is configured to control the gas valve in response to user actuation of the actuator, the actuator movable between a first position that controls the gas valve to de-energize the gas burner and a second position that controls the gas valve to provide gas flow to the gas burner to energize the gas burner;
an alarm;
an ignition enable control; and
a controller coupled to the actuator, the ignition enable control, and the alarm, the controller configured to:
receive status of the ignition enable control;
detect an unintentional energization of the gas burner in response to actuation of the actuator to the second position that causes the gas valve to provide gas flow to the gas burner, and in response to the detection, cause the alarm to alert the user of the unintentional energization of the gas burner;
switch the appliance between a locked mode and an unlocked mode in response to user input, wherein when in the locked mode the alarm alerts the user regardless of the status of the ignition enable control.