Kitchen appliance

Abstract

Kitchen appliance comprising one or more electrical and/or electromechanical devices, a frontal surface adapted, once the kitchen appliance is installed, to be faced by a user, a lateral surface substantially perpendicular to the frontal surface, the lateral surface being provided with a touch-sensitive control device adapted to operate the one or more electrical and/or electromechanical devices of the same kitchen appliance and/or of one or more further kitchen appliances.

1 . Kitchen appliance comprising:
 one or more electrical and/or electromechanical devices;   a frontal surface ( 14   a ,  14   b ) adapted, once the kitchen appliance is installed, to be faced by a user;   a lateral surface ( 7   a,    7   b ) substantially perpendicular to said frontal surface ( 14   a,    14   b ), characterized in that said lateral surface ( 7   a ,  7   b ) is provided with a touch-sensitive control device adapted to operate said one or more electrical and/or electromechanical devices of the same kitchen appliance and/or of one or more further kitchen appliances.   
     
     
         2 . Kitchen appliance, according to  claim 1 , characterized in that said lateral surface ( 7   a,    7   b ) is arranged in such a way that, once the kitchen appliance is installed, said lateral surface ( 7   a,    7   b ) is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, so as to facilitate the use of said touch-sensitive control. 
     
     
         3 . Kitchen appliance, according to  claim 1 , characterized in that it comprises a connecting device adapted to allow its touch-sensitive control device to operate one or more electrical and/or electromechanical devices of one or more further kitchen appliances. 
     
     
         4 . Kitchen appliance, according to  claim 1 , characterized in that it comprises a selecting device ( 17   a,    17   b ) adapted for allowing a user to select which of the one or more electrical and/or electromechanical devices of the same kitchen appliance or of a further kitchen appliance has to be operated, in a particular moment, by said touch- sensitive control device. 
     
     
         5 . Kitchen appliance, according to  claim 1 , characterized in that said touch-sensitive control device comprises a touch-sensitive sensor ( 16   a,    16   b ) and an illuminating device operated by said touch-sensitive sensor ( 16   a,    16   b ). 
     
     
         6 . Kitchen appliance, according to  claim 5 , characterized in that said touch-sensitive sensor is associated to said lateral surface ( 7   a,    7   b ) in such a way that said touch-sensitive sensor is able to detect the sliding of a body in proximity of, or in contact with, said lateral surface ( 7   a,    7   b ). 
     
     
         7 . Kitchen appliance, according to  claim 5 , characterized in that said illuminating device is adapted to illuminate said lateral surface ( 7   a,    7   b ) in such a way that a region of said lateral surface ( 7   a,    7   b ), if previously not illuminated by said illuminating device, is illuminated during and/or after the sliding on it of a body in a first sliding direction, while a region of said lateral surface ( 7   a,    7   b ), if previously illuminated by the illuminating device, is darkened during and/or after the sliding of a body on it in a second sliding direction. 
     
     
         8 . Kitchen appliance, according to  claim 1 , characterized in that it comprises a further lateral surface ( 13   a,    13   b ), substantially perpendicular to said frontal surface ( 14   a,    14   b ), provided with a further touch-sensitive control device adapted to operate the one or more electrical and/or electromechanical devices of the same kitchen appliance and/or of one or more further kitchen appliances. 
     
     
         9 . Kitchen appliance, according to  claim 1 , characterized in that it comprises a cooking hob ( 1 ) defining said lateral surface ( 7   a ) and comprising a working surface ( 3   a ) provided with one or more heating devices ( 4 ), said lateral surface ( 7   a ) being substantially perpendicular or inclined with respect to said working surface ( 3   a ). 
     
     
         10 . Kitchen appliance, according to  claim 9 , characterized in that said further kitchen appliance comprises one or more cooking hoods ( 2 ) and/or one or more further cooking hobs ( 1 ). 
     
     
         11 . Kitchen appliance, according to  claim 1 , characterized in that it comprises a cooking hood ( 2 ) defining said lateral surface ( 7   b ) and comprising a working surface ( 3   b ) provided with suction devices, said lateral surface ( 7   b ) being substantially perpendicular or inclined with respect to said working surface ( 3   b ). 
     
     
         12 . Kitchen appliance, according to  claim 11 , characterized in that said further kitchen appliance comprises one or more cooking hobs ( 1 ) and/or one or more further cooking hoods ( 2 ).