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  Time knob for gas and electric heaterUSPTO Application #: 20060234177Title: Time knob for gas and electric heater Abstract: A timer knob arrangement for a heater includes an ignition button and a timer control. The ignition button is rotatably switched between a switched off position and an operation position with respect to an operation pin of the heater. The timer control includes a power unit, a runner wheel driven by the power unit and is rotatably supported by the ignition button at a position tangentially with respect to the operation pin, and a time control unit. When the time control unit is activated to actuate the power unit, the runner wheel is driven to rotate and to run on the operation surface, so as to drive the ignition button turning back to the switched off position for ensuring a flow of gas being shut off from the heater. (end of abstract) Agent: Raymond Y. Chan - Monterey Park, CA, US Inventors: Shih-Szu Yu, Stephen Cheng USPTO Applicaton #: 20060234177 - Class: 431086000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Combustion, Timer, Programmer, Retarder Or Condition Responsive Control, By Manually Started Timer Or Retarder, Or By Time Of Day Device The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060234177. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a heater, and more particularly to a time knob arrangement for a gas or an electric heater which is capable of automatically shutting off an ignition button after a predetermined period of time. [0003] 2. Description of Related Arts [0004] A conventional heater, such as a domestic gas heater for use in kitchen, usually comprises a housing, a heater unit provided on the housing for controllably generating fire, and an actuation unit operatively provided on the housing to communicate with the heater unit for selectively turning the heater unit on and off. The heater unit usually comprises an operation pin rotatably extended from the housing, wherein the actuation unit, which is usually embodied as an actuation button, is rotatably engaged with the operation pin for rotating the operation pin to turn on or turn off the heater unit. [0005] One inherent problem for this kind of conventional gas heater is that once it has been turned on, it will still be on until the user manually turns it off by rotating the actuation button in a predetermined direction. As a result, where the gas heater is needed for an extended period of time, the user has no choice but to stay in the vicinity of the heater and wait until, say, the cooking is finished. Then, the user can turn off the heater manually and free to do anything else. [0006] There are two possible solutions to this problem. First, over the years, electric heaters have been developed in which heat is generated not by fire, but by converting electrical energy to heat energy. As a result, these electric heaters usually comprise sophisticated electric circuits for controlling a conversion process between electrical energy and heat energy. The implication of this solution is of course, to phrase out the traditional gas heaters, which may not be suitable for all kinds of cooking. [0007] Second, people may simply buy other equipments which provide automatic on-off control for extended cooking. For example, some rice cookers have been incorporated with fuzzy logic for controlling temperature and on-off status in response to a pre-set time schedule or the temperature condition inside the rice cooker. As a result, when the user want to cook, say soup or Chinese porridge, he/she may put the appropriate ingredients into the rice cooker and set the corresponding time schedule. Obviously, the user has to spend extra money in purchasing additional equipments for specific cooking purposes. [0008] One may appreciate that none of the above solutions are really satisfactory. In both of these solutions, the user has to purchase additional equipment which has timer control so as to allow him/her to pre-set a time schedule for the cooking in question. Moreover, as a matter of fact, some of these equipments are expensive. SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION [0009] A main object of the present invention is to provide a time knob arrangement for a gas or an electric heater which is capable of automatically shutting off after a predetermined period of time. In other words, the user is able to pre-set a time schedule for a gas or electric heater. [0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a time knob arrangement for a gas or an electric heater comprising a timer control which is arranged to controllably turn off an ignition button of the gas heater or the electric heater so as to shut off the gas heater or the electric heater. [0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a time knob arrangement which does not involve complicated or expensive mechanical or electronic components so as to minimize the manufacturing cost as well as the ultimate selling price of the present invention. In other words, the present invention should be affordable for a majority of household's users. [0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a heater comprising a time knob arrangement which is capable of automatically shutting off after a predetermined period of time, wherein the timer knob arrangement comprises a timer control which is arranged to controllably turn off an ignition button of the heater for shutting off thereof. [0013] Accordingly, in order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a timer knob arrangement for a heater which comprises an operation pin rotatably extended from an operation surface, comprising: [0014] an ignition button having an actuation side, an opposed engaging side defining a receiving cavity therebetween, and a pin holder provided at the engaging side for substantially engaging with the operation pin that the engaging side is facing towards the operation surface of the heater, wherein the ignition button is rotatably switched between a switched off position and an operation position with respect to the operation pin; and [0015] a timer control, which comprises: [0016] a power unit received in the receiving cavity of the ignition button; [0017] a runner wheel which is driven by the power unit and is rotatably supported by the ignition button at a position tangentially with respect to the operation pin, wherein a portion of the runner wheel is protruded from the engaging side of the ignition button for substantially running with the operation surface of the heater; and [0018] a time control unit which is received in the receiving cavity and is arranged to actuate the power unit in a timely manner such that when the time control unit is activated to actuate the power unit, the runner wheel is driven to rotate and to run on the operation surface, so as to drive the ignition button turning back to the switched off position for ensuring the heater being shut off from a power source. [0019] These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a timer knob arrangement according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [0021] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a timer knob arrangement according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention Continue reading... Full patent description for Time knob for gas and electric heater Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Time knob for gas and electric heater patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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