US 12,171,368 B1
Cooking appliance with removable plates
Chunyu Wu, Xiamen (CN); and Weibin Ji, Zhangzhou (CN)
Assigned to StoreBound, LLC, New York, NY (US); and Tsann Kuen (Zhangzhou) Enterprise Co., Ltd, Zhangzhou (CN)
Filed by Tsann Kuen (Zhangzhou) Enterprise Co., Ltd, Zhangzhou (CN); and StoreBound LLC, New York, NY (US)
Filed on May 16, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/666,274.
Claims priority of application No. 202321815813.7 (CN), filed on Jul. 11, 2023.
Int. Cl. A47J 37/06 (2006.01); A47J 27/00 (2006.01)
CPC A47J 37/0611 (2013.01) [A47J 27/002 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
7. A cooking appliance comprising:
a base portion comprising:
a base main body section comprising a base cavity having an open top end;
a base protrusion extending from the base main body section and comprising a first internal cavity; and
a first pair of notches;
a top portion hingedly coupled to the base portion so as to be alterable between an open state and a closed state, the top portion comprising:
a top main body section comprising a top cavity having an open top end;
a top protrusion extending from the top main body section and comprising a second internal cavity; and
a second pair of notches;
a base latch mounted to the base protrusion of the base portion, the base latch and the first pair of notches located on opposite sides of the base cavity;
a top latch mounted to the top protrusion of the top portion, the top latch and the second pair of notches located on opposite sides of the top cavity;
a first heating element located within the base cavity;
a second heating element located within the top cavity;
a first cooking plate removably coupled to the base portion to close the open top end of the base cavity, the first cooking plate comprising:
a first peripheral edge; and
a first pair of tabs protruding from a rear portion of the first peripheral edge of the first cooking plate, the first pair of tabs received within the first pair of notches;
a second cooking plate removably coupled to the top portion of the housing to close the open top end of the top cavity, the second cooking plate comprising:
a second peripheral edge; and
a second pair of tabs protruding from a rear portion of the second peripheral edge of the second cooking plate, the second pair of tabs received within the second pair of notches;
the base latch alterable between: (1) a locked state in which the first cooking plate is locked to the base portion through engagement of the base latch and a front portion of the first cooking plate; and (2) an unlocked state that allows the first cooking plate to be removed from the base portion;
a first spring located within the first internal cavity of the base protrusion and biasing the base latch into the locked state;
the top latch alterable between: (1) a locked state in which the second cooking plate is locked to the top portion through engagement of the top latch and a front portion of the second cooking plate; and (2) an unlocked state that allows the second cooking plate to be removed from the top portion; and
a second spring located within the second internal cavity of the top protrusion and biasing the top latch into the locked state.