New appliances are continually being developed and existing appliances improved. Consumers purchasing new or improved appliances desire the ability to integrate the new appliances into an existing kitchen layout. Additionally, manufacturers may wish to form customized configurations of appliances for consumers by combining appliance modules. For example, a composite cooking appliance can be formed by combining a range module placed adjacent to a griddle module. By providing a selection of different appliance modules, custom configurations can be provided which are tailored to the requirements of a particular customer.
It is generally the case that a gap will be found between adjacent appliances or appliance modules when those appliances or appliance modules are positioned adjacent to each other. This gap will typically have a horizontal component, for example because the adjacent edges of the adjacent appliances or appliance modules are not exactly parallel, or because of other variations in the sizes of the appliances or appliance modules. The gap between adjacent appliances or appliance modules will also have a vertical component, for example because the adjacent edges of the adjacent appliances or appliance modules are not exactly the same height. The gap can be especially large when combining appliances or appliance modules from different manufacturers.
Similar problems are found when placing appliances into kitchen cabinetry and countertops. When kitchen cabinetry and countertops are built to surround an appliance, the horizontal space in the cabinetry and countertops for the appliance will generally be made a little larger than the appliance requires, to make sure the appliance fits into the space. This is especially true when the countertops are formed of granite or an engineered material which is not easily trimmed once placed into a final position.
Because the consequences of making the horizontal space for the appliance a little too small are much worse than making the horizontal space for the appliance a little too large, the horizontal space is commonly made a little oversize to ensure the appliance fits, even though this means there will be at least some gap between the appliance and the countertop. Although it is possible to reduce the size of the gap by making the horizontal space for the appliance exactly the right size, this approach runs the risk that the horizontal space for the appliance will be too small.
For the aforementioned reasons, a gap having both horizontal and vertical components will generally be found between adjacent appliances or appliance modules. This gap is undesirable for a number of reasons. When cleaning the appliances, appliance modules, or surrounding cabinetry using a cloth or sponge, liquids, grease, food, or other debris may fall into the gap and collect therein. It is typically difficult or even impossible to clean the debris that collect in the gap without dismantling the appliance or moving the appliance. Over an extended period of time, the debris collecting in the gap can form a medium for the growth of mold or fungus, it can attract insects or vermin, and in some cases may even create a fire hazard. Besides the health and safety concerns raised by such a gap between appliances or appliance modules, the gap will typically present an unfinished and unattractive appearance, lowering the perceived quality of the appliances or appliance modules and causing them to appear mismatched with each other and their surroundings.
While devices are known for use in covering horizontal gaps, these prior devices do not adjust to different height misalignments between adjacent appliances, appliances modules, and/or surrounding cabinetry and countertops. Thus, there is a need for a cover plate that can be placed between adjacent surfaces to span any height misalignment that may exist between the adjacent surfaces. What is further needed is a cover plate that provides an aesthetically pleasing cover plate.