Gas Safety System

Abstract

A gas safety system. The gas safety system includes an actuatable electric solenoid valve connected inline with a gas line, and operably connected to a control unit, such as a timer or a smart home system. The timer may be used to set a user-defined length of time for the solenoid valve to be in an open position, thereby allowing gas to flow through the gas line for no longer than the user-defined length of time. The smart home system may be used to remotely control an actuation of the solenoid valve, thereby enabling a user to remotely actuate the solenoid valve between the open position and the closed position. The stove safety system is useful for preventing a fire, an explosion, or another emergency caused by leaving the gas line open during use of a variety of gas appliances, such as gas stoves and the like.

I claim: 
     
         1 ) A gas safety system, comprising:
 a gas line configured to deliver a volume of gas from a gas source to a gas appliance;   an actuatable electric solenoid valve connected inline with the gas line;   a control unit operably connected to the actuatable electric solenoid valve, wherein the control unit is configured to actuate the actuatable electric solenoid valve to effect movement of the volume of gas from the gas source to the gas appliance via the gas line.   
     
     
         2 ) The gas safety system of  claim 1 , wherein the gas appliance includes a gas stove or a gas oven. 
     
     
         3 ) The gas safety system of  claim 1 , wherein the actuatable electric solenoid valve is connected inline with the gas line at a position upstream of an entry point of the gas line into the gas appliance. 
     
     
         4 ) The gas safety system of  claim 3 , wherein the actuatable electric solenoid valve is connected inline with the gas line at a position of the gas line that is inside an interior of a building. 
     
     
         5 ) The gas safety system of  claim 3 , wherein the actuatable electric solenoid valve is connected inline with the gas line at a position of the gas line that is outside an interior of a building. 
     
     
         6 ) The gas safety system of  claim 1 , wherein the control unit includes a timer configured to open the actuatable electric solenoid valve to start flow of the volume of gas from the gas source to the gas appliance via the gas line at an onset of a user-determined length of time, and further configured to close the actuatable electric solenoid valve to stop flow of the volume of gas from the gas source to the gas appliance via the gas line at a conclusion of the user-determined length of time. 
     
     
         7 ) The gas safety system of  claim 6 , wherein the timer is connected inline with an electric circuit, wherein the timer includes an electric switch that is configured to close the electric circuit at the onset of the user-determined length of time, and that is further configured to open the electric circuit at the conclusion of the user-determined length of time. 
     
     
         8 ) The gas safety system of  claim 1 , wherein the control unit includes a computer having a non-transitory data storage medium, a processor, and an executable logic stored on the non-transitory data storage medium configured to be executed by the processor, wherein an execution of the executable logic enables a user to transform a setting of the computer to actuate the actuatable electric solenoid valve, to start or stop flow of the volume of gas from the gas source to the gas appliance via the gas line. 
     
     
         9 ) The gas safety system of  claim 8 , wherein the control unit is operably connected to a network, and wherein the control unit is configured to enable the user to transform the setting of the computer to remotely actuate the actuatable electric solenoid valve. 
     
     
         10 ) The gas safety system of  claim 9 , wherein the network includes at least one selected from a group consisting of: a wired network, a wireless network, an intranet, and an internet.