Range top heater assembly

Claim 1

A RANGE TOP HEATING UNIT COMPRISING AN ELONGATED SHEATHED ELECTRIC HEATING ELEMENT HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE HEAT-GENERATING PORTION PROVIDING A GENERALLY PLANE HEATING SURFACE REMOVABLY SUPPORTED BY THE RANGE IN A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL POSITION FOR UNDERLYING AND SUPPORTING A VESSEL TO BE HEATED AND HAVING TERMINAL END PORTIONS EXTENDING FROM RESPECTIVE ENDS OF SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION FOR CONDUCTING ELECTRICAL ENERGY THERETO SAID HEATTERMINAL END PORTIONS BEING DISPOSED BENEATH SAID HEATING SURFACE AND PROJECTING GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY IN SIDEBY-SIDE RELATION BEYOND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID HEATING SURFACE, A DIELECTRIC BODY CARRIED BY THE RANGE BENEATH THE RANGE TOP AND SPACED TO ONE SIDE OF SAID ELEMENT HEATING SURFACE ADJACENT THE FREE ENDS OF SAID ELEMENT TERMINAL END PORTIONS, AND MEANS CARRIED BY SAID BODY PROVIDING A PAIR OF OPPOSED SURFACES RESILIENTLY BIASED TOWARD EACH OTHER TO ENGAGE A RESPECTIVE ELEMENT TERMINAL END PORTION DISPOSED THEREBETWEEN AND PLACE SAID ELEMENT IN AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT, SAID SURFACES HAVING CONVERGING PORTIONS WHOSE WIDEST SPACING FACES TOWARD SAID ELEMENT HEATING SURFACE TO PROVIDE A TAPERED POCKET IN WHICH A RESPECTIVE ELEMENT TERMINAL END PORTION IS READILY SLIDABLE IN A DIRECTION LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID ELEMENT TERMINAL END PORTIONS, SAID LAST NAMED MEANS HAVING A PORTION YIELDABLY LOCKING THE SAME IN POSITION WITH RESPECT TO SAID BODY.