Protective cover for a cooking appliance
View Patent ↗A protective cover for a cooking appliance having a touch-activated control panel is disclosed. The cover includes a rectangular frame with a transparent center section that allows viewing of the control panel while preventing direct contact. Fasteners, such as magnetic strips, adhesive pads, or suction cups, are affixed to an inner side surface of the frame to permit removable attachment to the appliance. The transparent section is preferably made of shatter-proof, heat-resistant material such as Plexiglas®, and may include glare-reducing or UV-resistant coatings. The cover is suitable for vertical or angled control panels and may include optional spacers to maintain a consistent offset. The device serves as a removable barrier to help prevent unintended activation.
1 . A protective cover for a cooking appliance having a touch-activated control panel disposed on a surface of the cooking appliance, the protective cover consisting of:
a rectangular frame consisting of a rigid, semi-rigid, or flexible material, the rectangular frame having: an outer side; an inner side; an edge surface extending continuously around an outer perimeter of the rectangular frame; an inner side surface facing inwardly; and an outer side surface facing outwardly, the rectangular frame being dimensioned to be removably positioned over the touch-activated control panel such that the inner side faces the cooking appliance and the outer side faces away from the cooking appliance;
an inner transparent center section joined to an inner perimeter of the rectangular frame, the inner transparent center section consisting of a single transparent polymeric panel having a panel outer side and a panel inner side, the transparent polymeric panel being configured to permit unobstructed viewing of the touch-activated control panel from the panel outer side while preventing all direct physical contact with the touch-activated control panel;
a first fastener and a second fastener, each fastener being coupled directly to the inner side surface of the rectangular frame on a respective first portion and second portion thereof, the first portion and the second portion being located on opposing sides of the rectangular frame, each of the first fastener and the second fastener consisting of a fastening element selected from the group consisting of: magnetic strips, adhesive pads, and suction cups, the first fastener and the second fastener being configured to removably attach the protective cover to surfaces of the cooking appliance that are adjacent to and outside the perimeter of the touch-activated control panel; and
one or more side spacers affixed to the inner side surface of the rectangular frame at a fixed predetermined position, the one or more side spacers being configured to maintain a fixed offset between the panel inner side of the transparent polymeric panel and the touch-activated control panel when the protective cover is installed on the cooking appliance, the fixed offset being sufficient to prevent the transparent polymeric panel from contacting the touch-activated control panel during ordinary use;
wherein the protective cover is configured for removable placement over touch-activated control panels that are vertically oriented, angled, or non-vertical with respect to a horizontal plane of the cooking appliance; and,
wherein the rectangular frame, when formed from a flexible or semi-rigid material, is configured to conform to non-planar surfaces of the cooking appliance.