COOKER HOOD

Abstract

There is provided a cooker hood and a method of manufacturing the cooker hood. The cooker hood comprises a roof (20) and sides (10, 12, 14, 16) that descend from the roof. The method comprises providing a first metal sheet (100) that forms the sides of the cooker hood, the first metal sheet having upper and lower lengthwise edges opposite from one another; providing a second metal sheet (200) that forms the roof of the cooker hood, the second metal sheet having peripheral edges; folding the first metal sheet across the width of the first metal sheet to define differing ones of the sides of the cooker hood, and subsequently joining the upper lengthwise edge of the first metal sheet to the peripheral edges of the second metal sheet.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to GB Application No. 2309565.6, filed Jun. 26, 2023, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a cooker hood, for example of the type commonly used to collect or constrain unwanted gaseous emissions from cooking processes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Both domestic and commercial food cooking typically results in unwanted emissions above the cooker. These emissions are commonly collected using a cooker hood positioned above the cooker, and the cooker hood may be fitted with a filtering device and/or an extraction outlet to reduce the unwanted spread of smells or grease/fats into the kitchen.

Various types of cooker hood are available, and typically comprise a roof with sides descending from the roof, and an open bottom through which cooking emissions can enter the hood. The sides of the hood ideally need to extend all of the way around the area of the cooker, and so cooker hoods are manufactured with specific sizes of cooker in mind.

There is a desire to make cooker hoods that are both economic and efficient, and various methods of construction are used. Typically, cooker hoods are formed from multiple metal panels which are folded and joined along their edges. For example, FIG. 1 shows a perspective view taken from above a cooker hood that has not been previously published but which is of a type known to the Applicant, which has a roof 1 and sides 5 descending from the roof 1. The cooker hood has length direction Ln, a width direction Wd, and a height direction He. The cooker hood is formed of several metal panels which are joined to one another along the dotted lines. The panels P1a and P1b are joined to one another centrally along the roof 1, the join J1 extending in the length direction Ln. The panels P1a and P1c are joined to one another along the roof 1 and the sides 5, along joins J2 and J3 respectively, the join J2 extending in the width direction Wd and the join J3 extending in the height direction He. The metals panels are typically cut from metal sheets of limited dimensions, and so the larger the cooker hood is to be, the more metal panels are required. It is common for commercial size cooker hoods to use many metal panels, each needing to be bent and joined to adjacent panels, typically by welding. Aside from the time and expense needed to join multiple panels together, joins are also undesirable since they impact on the visual appearance of the final product, provide areas in which grease and/or fats can accumulate over time, and are more difficult to thoroughly clean.

It is therefore an aim of the invention to provide an improved cooker hood.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a cooker hood. The cooker hood comprises a roof that defines a length and a width of the cooker hood, and sides that descend from the roof and define a height of the cooker hood. The method comprises:

• • providing a first metal sheet that forms the sides of the cooker hood, the first metal sheet having a width and a length, the length being greater than the width, the first metal sheet having upper and lower lengthwise edges opposite from one another;
  • providing a second metal sheet that forms the roof of the cooker hood, the second metal sheet having a width and a length, the length being equal or greater than the width, the second metal sheet having peripheral edges;
  • folding the first metal sheet across the width of the first metal sheet to define differing ones of the sides of the cooker hood, and subsequently joining the upper lengthwise edge of the first metal sheet to the peripheral edges of the second metal sheet.

The width of the first metal sheet therefore defines the height of the cooker hood. This is advantageous since the height of the cooker hood does not typically vary no matter how large the cooker is, and the maximum size of a metal sheet is often more limited by its width than by its length. This is especially the case when the metal sheet is supplied in the form of a roll having a given axial length, the metal sheet having a maximum width corresponding to the axial length of the roll, but a practically unlimited length depending on how much of the roll is unrolled to provide the first metal sheet. It will be understood that a ‘metal sheet’ as described herein is a single, unitary sheet of metal. It may be a single homogenous body, or consist of a single piece of metal.

The length of the first metal sheet may define the perimeter of the cooker hood, the perimeter being the variable that is subject to change depending on the size of the cooker, and so however much length of metal sheet is required to form the desired perimeter may be unrolled from a roll of metal sheet material. The first metal sheet may be folded across its width to define both lengthwise sides of the cooker hood and widthwise sides of the cooker hood. Accordingly, the length of the first metal sheet may be aligned with the length of the cooker hood along the lengthwise side and the length of the first metal sheet may be aligned with the width of the cooker hood along the widthwise sides of the cooker hood. Preferably, the first metal sheet forms all of the sides of the cooker hood.

Although most cooker hoods have a rectangular perimeter, this is not a requirement and cooker hoods having perimeters of alternative shapes could also be implemented if desired. For example, the cooker hood could be formed in an L-shape such that the roof is L-shaped and formed of one or more sheets of metal including the second metal sheet. The sides may be all formed of the first metal sheet, the first metal sheet extending all of the way around the periphery of the roof.

The roof of the cooker hood may have peripheral edges that are defined by the peripheral edges of the second metal sheet, and the sides of the cooker hood may have upper edges that are defined by the upper lengthwise edge of the first metal sheet. The upper edges of the sides may be joined to the peripheral edges of the roof along the whole perimeter of the cooker hood. Therefore the length of the first metal sheet may be substantially the same as the perimeter of the second metal sheet.

The length of the second metal sheet may be aligned with the length of the cooker hood and the width of the second metal sheet may be aligned with the width of the cooker hood. This is advantageous since the width of the cooker hood does not typically go beyond a certain size no matter how large the cooker is, since the person operating the cooker has to be able to reach all the way from the front to the back of the cooker to use it. Therefore cooker hoods may have an almost unlimited length, but are limited in their width. The maximum size of a metal sheet may be more limited by its width than by its length, and so aligning the width of the metal sheet with the width of the cooker hood allows the second metal sheet to form the whole of the roof of the cooker hood almost regardless of the size of cooker that the cooker hood has to cover. A square shaped cooker hood is also possible where the length of the second metal sheet is equal to the width of the second metal sheet. Forming the whole of the roof from the second metal sheet avoids the need for any additional metal sheets to form the roof, it being understood that any additional metal sheets would take extra time and cost to fold and join to the second metal sheet and so are undesirable.

Therefore, any practical size of rectangular cooker hood may be formed from only two metal sheets, the first metal sheet forming the sides and the second metal sheet forming the roof. The upper lengthwise edge of the first metal sheet may be joined to all of the peripheral edges of the second metal sheet. Providing the first metal sheet may comprise unrolling the first metal sheet from a roll of metal sheet material wherein the width of the first metal sheet is parallel to an axis of rotation of the roll, and providing the second metal sheet may comprise unrolling the second metal sheet from the roll of metal sheet material wherein the width of the second metal sheet may also be parallel to the axis of rotation of the roll.

The first and second metal sheets could be formed of various types of metal, however metals such as aluminium or stainless steel are preferred for their corrosion resistant properties.

The first metal sheet may have a first widthwise edge and a second widthwise edge at an opposite end of the first metal sheet from the first widthwise edge, and the method may comprises joining the first and second widthwise edges to one another along the height of the cooker hood. Then, there is only one join needed along the height direction of the cooker hood, saving time and expense compared to known designs.

Various methods of joining the first and second widthwise edges may be used, although in a preferred embodiment the method comprises folding the first widthwise edge across the width direction of the first metal sheet to define a lip portion, and joining the lip portion to the second widthwise edge. This provides a secure joint, for example by folding the lip portion until it is parallel to and overlaps the first metal sheet along the second widthwise edge, and welding or riveting the lip portion to the first metal sheet along the second widthwise edge.

The first metal sheet may comprise inner and outer major surfaces that are spaced apart by a thickness of the first metal sheet, the inner major surface facing inside of the cooker hood and the outer major surface defining an exterior of the cooker hood. Joining the first and second widthwise edges to one another may comprise joining the inner major surface at the lip portion to the outer major surface at the second widthwise edge, thereby avoiding any sharp edges along the corner of the cooker hood, which is desirable to ease cleaning of the cooker hood.

Joining the upper lengthwise edge of the first metal sheet to the peripheral edges of the second metal sheet may comprise joining an upper surface of the second metal sheet to a lower surface of tab portions that are folded inwardly along the upper lengthwise edge of the first metal sheet. This stops any sharp edges of the second metal sheet from appearing on the outsides of the corners of the cooker hood. Forming the tab portions as part of the first metal sheet is also advantageous since they there may be no need to form any folds in the second metal sheet at all.

Cooking emissions often condense on the interior of the cooker hood to form oil or grease, which has to be periodically cleaned away. The method may comprise folding the lower lengthwise edge of the first metal sheet along the length of the first metal sheet to define trough portions running along a lowermost edge of the cooker hood, the trough portions collecting any such oil or grease and preventing it from dripping down onto the cooker or the floor of the kitchen. The trough portions may be positioned at an interior of the cooker hood, and preferably abut one another to define a continuous trough running all around the lowermost edge of the cooker hood when the step of folding the first metal sheet to define the sides of the cooker hood has been completed.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a cooker hood manufactured by the method of the first aspect. The cooker hood comprises a roof that defines a length and a width of the cooker hood, and sides that descend from the roof and define a height of the cooker hood. A first metal sheet forms the sides of the cooker hood, the first metal sheet having a width and a length, the length being greater than the width, the first metal sheet having upper and lower lengthwise edges opposite from one another. A second metal sheet forms the roof of the cooker hood, the second metal sheet having a width and a length, the length being equal or greater than the width, the second metal sheet having peripheral edges; wherein the first metal sheet comprises folds across the width of the first metal sheet to define differing ones of the sides of the cooker hood. The upper lengthwise edge of the first metal sheet is joined to the peripheral edges of the second metal sheet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of non-limiting example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective diagram of a cooker hood of a type previously known to the Applicant;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective diagram of a cooker hood in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional diagram taken along XS1 marked on FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic perspective diagram of a second metal sheet that defines a roof of the cooker hood of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic perspective diagram of a first metal sheet that has been folded to define sides of the cooker hood of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 shows schematic plan diagram of the first metal sheet, taken prior to folding of the first metal sheet of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 shows a schematic perspective diagram of a roll of metal sheet material from which the first and second metal sheets of FIGS. 5 and 4 are cut;

FIG. 8 shows a flow diagram of a method for forming the cooker hood of FIG. 2.

The figures are not to scale, and same or similar reference signs denote same or similar features.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The schematic perspective of FIG. 2 shows a cooker hood 8. The cooker hood comprises a roof 20 and sides 10, 12, 14 and 16 that descend from the roof 20. The sides may together define a rectangular shape, and include two widthwise sides 12 and 16 and two lengthwise sides 10 and 14 that each adjoin the widthwise sides at corners of the cooker hood. The sides 10, 12, 14 and 16 may all be folded from a single metal sheet 100, and/or the roof 20 may be formed from a single metal sheet 200. The cooker hood has a width W3, a length L3, and a height H3.

The metal sheet 100 is referred to as a first metal sheet, and may have a width W1 and a length L1 (as seen in FIG. 6). The first metal sheet 100 may form the cooker hood with the width W1 parallel to the height H3 of the cooker hood, and the width W1 may be substantially the same as the height H3. The first metal sheet 100 may also form the cooker hood with the length L1 substantially the same as the perimeter around the metal sheet 200.

The metal sheet 200 is referred to as a second metal sheet, and may have a width W2 and a length L2 (as seen in FIG. 4). The second metal sheet 200 may form the cooker hood with the width W2 parallel to the width W3 of the cooker hood, and with the length L2 parallel the length L3 of the cooker hood. The width W2 may be substantially the same as the width W3, and the length L2 may be substantially the same as the length L3.

As seen in FIG. 1, the first metal sheet 100 may comprise three folds F1, F2 and F3 across the width of the metal sheet, defining three of the four corners of the cooker hood. The fourth corner 50 of the cooker hood may be defined by a join between two opposing widthwise edges of the first metal sheet 100. An upper lengthwise edge of the metal sheet 100 comprises inwardly extending tab portions 10a, 12a, 14a and 16a, which overlap the metal sheet 200 that defines the roof 20 of the cooker hood.

The cross-sectional diagram of FIG. 3 is taken along line XS1 marked on FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the tab portion 14a at the upper lengthwise edge of the side 14 overlaps the top of the second metal sheet 200 at one peripheral edge of the second metal sheet, and the tab portion 10a at the upper lengthwise edge of the side 10 also overlaps the top of the second metal sheet 200 at an opposite peripheral edge of the second metal sheet. The tab portions 14a and 10a extend directly towards one another. The lower surfaces of the tab portions 14a and 10a are joined to the upper surfaces of the second metal sheet 200 at the peripheral edges, in the regions generally designated as 35. The joins may be made using rivets or welding, for example.

FIG. 3 also shows how the lower lengthwise edge of the first metal sheet 100 may be formed as a trough 30 to collect any oil or grease that condenses on the interior of the cooked hood. The trough 30 may comprises a base portion 31 that extends inwardly toward the interior of the cooker hood from each of the sides 10, 12, 14 and 16, an upright portion 32 that extends upwardly from the base portion 31, and a foldback portion 33 that extends downwardly into the trough from the top of the upright portion 32. The foldback portion 33 stops any sharp edges from appearing at the top of the trough, which could otherwise risk injuring anyone performing cleaning of the cooker hood. Other trough configurations are also possible.

The schematic diagram of FIG. 5 shows the first metal sheet 100 prior to joining it with the second metal sheet 200 to form the cooker hood. The tabs 10a, 12a, 14a and 16a are visible along the upper lengthwise edge of the first metal sheet 100, and the trough 30 is visible along the lower lengthwise edge of the first metal sheet. The first metal sheet 100 has a first widthwise edge 38 and an opposite second widthwise edge 39. The first widthwise edge 38 is formed with a lip portion 55 by folding the lip portion inwardly from the side 10 across the width of the first metal sheet. The inner major surface at the lip portion 55 may be joined to the outer major surface at the second widthwise edge 39 to form the corner 50 of the cooker hood, for example by rivets or welding. The first metal sheet 100 as shown in FIG. 5 has been folded along widthwise fold lines F1, F2 and F3, in preparation for forming the cooker hood.

The schematic plan diagram of FIG. 6 shows the metal sheet 100 prior to folding it for forming the cooker hood. The locations of the various folds are shown in dashed lines. The first and second metal sheets may be cut from a roll of metal sheet material 300, as shown in FIG. 7. The axial length of the roll and therefore the width of the metal sheet when unwound form the roll is shown as width W4. The width W4 may be greater than or equal to the width W1 of the first metal sheet, and as much of the roll 300 as needed can be unwound to provide the length L1 of the first metal sheet. The width W4 may also be equal or greater than the width W2 of the second metal sheet 200, and as much of the roll 300 as needed can be unwound to provide the length L2 of the second metal sheet. Accordingly, the cooker hood 8 can be made to have almost any length, whilst still being formed from only two different metal sheets.

The flow diagram of FIG. 8 shows a method for manufacturing the cooker hood 8. In a first step 501, the first and second metal sheets 100 and 200 shown in FIGS. 6 and 4 respectively may be provided, for example by cutting them from the roll 300 of metal sheet material. In a second step 502, the first metal sheet 100 may be bent along the dashed fold lines shown in FIG. 6, to form it into the shape shown in FIG. 5. In a third step 503, the widthwise edges 38 and 39 of the first metal sheet 100 may be joined together using the lip portion 55, and the second metal sheet 200 may be attached to the undersides of the tab portions 10a, 12a, 14a and 16a to form the finished cooker hood.

Many other variations of the described embodiments falling within the scope of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the cooker hood may have alternative geometry from the rectangular geometry of the illustrated embodiment.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a cooker hood, the cooker hood comprising a roof that defines a length and a width of the cooker hood, and sides that descend from the roof and define a height of the cooker hood, the method comprising: providing a first metal sheet that forms the sides of the cooker hood, the first metal sheet having a width and a length, the length being greater than the width, the first metal sheet having upper and lower lengthwise edges opposite from one another;providing a second metal sheet that forms the roof of the cooker hood, the second metal sheet having a width and a length, the length being equal or greater than the width, the second metal sheet having peripheral edges;folding the first metal sheet across the width of the first metal sheet to define differing ones of the sides of the cooker hood, and subsequently joining the upper lengthwise edge of the first metal sheet to the peripheral edges of the second metal sheet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the length of the second metal sheet is aligned with the length of the cooker hood and wherein the width of the second metal sheet is aligned with the width of the cooker hood.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the length of the first metal sheet is aligned with the length of the cooker hood along a folded portion of the first metal sheet that defines a lengthwise side of the cooker hood, and wherein the length of the first metal sheet is aligned with the width of the cooker hood along a folded portion of the first metal sheet that defines a widthwise side of the cooker hood.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second metal sheet forms the whole of the roof of the cooker hood.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the first metal sheet comprises unrolling the first metal sheet from a roll of metal sheet material wherein the width of the first metal sheet is parallel to an axis of rotation of the roll.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the second metal sheet comprises unrolling the second metal sheet from a roll of metal sheet material wherein the width of the second metal sheet is parallel to an axis of rotation of the roll.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first metal sheet has a first widthwise edge and a second widthwise edge at an opposite end of the first metal sheet from the first widthwise edge, and wherein the method comprises joining the first and second widthwise edges to one another along the height of the cooker hood.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises folding the first widthwise edge across the width direction of the first metal sheet to define a lip portion, and wherein joining the first and second widthwise edges to one another comprises joining the lip portion to the second widthwise edge.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first metal sheet comprises inner and outer major surfaces that are spaced apart by a thickness of the first metal sheet, the inner major surface facing inside of the cooker hood and the outer major surface defining an exterior of the cooker hood, and wherein joining the first and second widthwise edges to one another comprises joining the inner major surface at the lip portion to the outer major surface at the second widthwise edge.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising folding the upper lengthwise edge of the first metal sheet along the length of the first metal sheet to define tab portions, the tab portions extending towards one another when the step of folding the first metal sheet to define the sides of the cooker hood has been completed.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein joining the upper lengthwise edge of the first metal sheet to the peripheral edges of the second metal sheet comprises joining an upper surface of the second metal sheet to a lower surface of each of the tab portions.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising folding the lower lengthwise edge of the first metal sheet along the length of the first metal sheet to define trough portions running along a lowermost edge of the cooker hood.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the trough portions are positioned at an interior of the cooker hood.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the trough portions abut one another to define a continuous trough running all around the lowermost edge of the cooker hood when the step of folding the first metal sheet to define the sides of the cooker hood has been completed.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the length of the first metal sheet is substantially the same as a perimeter of the second metal sheet.

16. A cooker hood comprising a roof that defines a length and a width of the cooker hood, and sides that descend from the roof and define a height of the cooker hood, wherein a first metal sheet forms the sides of the cooker hood, the first metal sheet having a width and a length, the length being greater than the width, the first metal sheet having upper and lower lengthwise edges opposite from one another; wherein a second metal sheet forms the roof of the cooker hood, the second metal sheet having a width and a length, the length being equal or greater than the width, the second metal sheet having peripheral edges; wherein the first metal sheet comprises folds across the width of the first metal sheet to define differing ones of the sides of the cooker hood, and wherein the upper lengthwise edge of the first metal sheet is joined to the peripheral edges of the second metal sheet, wherein the cooker hood is optionally manufactured according to claim 1.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the first metal sheet forms all of the sides of the cooker hood.