Patent Application
20220404033
The following description relates generally to an assembly for a cooking appliance.
Household cooking appliances can have a “uni-body” construction in which the load-carrying, structural aspects are provided by the same elements that provide the architectural or aesthetic features of the appliance. For example, a kitchen range can have a housing assembled from a front frame, a rear panel, a right-side panel, and a left-side panel. A pair of base rails extend between the front and rear panels and mount a plurality of foot assemblies that support the housing relative to the floor. A cooktop for use with a plurality of conventional burners (not shown) is attached to the top of the housing. A cooking chamber, or oven cavity, is sandwiched between and supported by the front frame and the rear panel.
The front frame, rear panel, right-side panel, and left-side panel are typically large, planar elements. Not only do they serve as an aesthetically pleasing enclosure, but each also can provide structural support for the oven housing, the cooktop, the burners, a control panel, a drawer, and other such elements typically found in a conventional household cooking range. For example, an oven door is typically coupled directly to the front frame by a hinge assembly (not shown). The hinge assembly includes a hinge mounted to the door and a corresponding receiver attached to the front frame. Thus, the thin sheet metal that comprises the front frame substantially carries the full load of the door. For this reason, the front frame generally extends the full length of the front side of the oven.
The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of the embodiments described herein. This summary is not an extensive overview nor is it intended to identify key or critical elements. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
According to one embodiment, a housing assembly for a cooking appliance is provided. The housing assembly includes: first and second opposed side panels, each of the first and second side panels having integral front and rear vertical support columns; a front frame secured to the front vertical support columns of the first and second side panels; a rear component plate secured to the rear vertical support columns of the first and second side panels; and an oven cavity enclosed by the first and second side panels, the front frame, and the rear component plate, the oven cavity coupled to the rear vertical support columns of the first and second side panels.
According to another embodiment, a housing assembly for an appliance includes: a first side panel and a second side panel, each of the first and second side panels having a horizontal axis of symmetry and a vertical axis of symmetry; first front and rear vertical support columns integrated with the first side panel, the first front and rear vertical support columns forming first and second load paths; and second front and rear vertical support columns integrated with the second side panel, the second front and rear vertical support columns forming third and fourth load paths. Additionally, all loads in the appliance travel through one or more of the first, second, third, and fourth load paths.
According to another embodiment, a housing assembly for an appliance is provided. The housing assembly includes: a first side panel having a first pair of vertical support columns; a second side panel positioned opposite the first side panel and having a second pair of vertical support columns; an oven cavity positioned between the first side panel and the second side panel; a rear component plate secured to and configured to support the oven cavity, a first side of the rear component plate secured to one of the first pair of vertical support columns and a second side of the rear component plate secured to one of the second pair of vertical support columns; a first door hinge component secured to at least one of the first pair of vertical support columns; and a second door hinge component secured to at least one of the second pair of vertical support columns.
Other features and aspects will be apparent from the following detailed description, the drawings, and the claims.
Throughout the drawings and the detailed description, unless otherwise described, the same drawing reference numerals can be understood to refer to the same elements, features, and structures. The relative size and depiction of these elements may be exaggerated for clarity, illustration, and convenience.
Example embodiments are described and illustrated herein. These illustrated examples are not intended to be a limitation on the present embodiments. For example, one or more aspects of the system can be utilized in other embodiments and other types of appliances. Such systems may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Like, but not necessarily the same, elements in the various figures are denoted by like reference numerals for consistency. Terms such as “first,” “second,” “front,” and “rear” are used merely to distinguish one component (or part of a component or state of a component) from another. Such terms are not intended to denote a preference or a particular orientation.
The oven door, which is used to close the oven cavity opening 200, is pivotally mounted to the oven housing assembly 100 at a position below the oven cavity opening 200 such that when the oven door is fully open, an interior of the oven cavity 150 is fully accessible. The oven door is pivoted about a generally horizontal axis between a horizontal position in which the oven cavity opening 200 is fully open and a vertical position in which the oven cavity opening 200 is closed by the oven door. Alternatively, the oven door may be mounted at a left-side and/or a right-side of the oven cavity opening 200. In this configuration, the oven door can be pivoted about a vertical axis adjacent to one or both sides of the oven cavity 150. The housing assembly 100 includes oven door hinge assemblies to facilitate movement of the oven door about its pivot axis. Each hinge assembly includes a hinge component and a receiver component. As will be described in greater detail below, a first hinge component 220 is coupled to the first side panel 110 via a front vertical support column 230 and optionally, also to a rear vertical support column 240. Likewise, a second hinge component 250 is coupled to the second side panel 120 via a front vertical support column 260 and optionally, also to a rear vertical support column 270. Thus, one hinge component 220, 250 is provided at each side of the oven cavity 150. The vertical support columns can be provided via sheet-metal bends in sheet metal comprising or forming the respective side panels.
The front frame 130 includes a first hinge opening 280 positioned at a first lower side portion of the front frame 130 and a second hinge opening 290 positioned at a second, opposing, lower side portion of the front frame 130. The first and second hinge openings 280, 290 are sized and shaped such that end portions of corresponding hinge components 220, 250 can extend therethrough. The end portions of the hinge components 220, 250 are configured to engage with corresponding receiver components (not shown) secured within the oven door. The first and second hinge openings 280, 290 allow the end portions of the hinge components 220, 250 to merely pass therethrough. In other words, the front frame 130 provides no structural support to the hinge assemblies or any components thereof.
The front frame 130 has a central opening 131 that corresponds with the oven cavity opening 200 such that the oven cavity 150 is accessible through the front frame 130. A first side 133 of the front frame 130 is secured to a front side portion of the front vertical support column 230 of the first side panel 110 via fasteners or the like. Likewise, a second side 135 of the front frame is secured to a front side portion of the front vertical support column 260 of the second side panel 120 via fasteners or the like. Thus, the front frame 130 is fully supported by the front vertical support columns 230, 260 and provides structural rigidity to the housing assembly. The position of the front frame 130 between the front vertical support columns 230, 260 further provides a large component of squareness of the housing for strength. However, no primary load paths are carried by the front frame 130. Accordingly, the front frame 130 does not need to carry primary loads to the support surface and thus, a lower edge 300 of the front frame 130 can terminate at a position adjacent a lower edge of the oven door and substantially above a lower space 310 provided in the oven housing assembly 100. The lower space 310 is configured for use as a storage drawer, a warming drawer, and/or as another oven cavity and is located below (optionally defined by) the bottom wall 180 of the oven cavity 150. The lower space 310 also is bounded by lower portions of the first and second side panels 110, 120, a lower portion of rear panel 140, and a support surface of the oven housing assembly 100, such as a floor. Thus, the entire front frame 130 is positioned above at least one of a storage drawer, a warming drawer, and an oven cavity provided at a lower portion of the appliance, within the lower space 310.
Turning now to
A foot (not shown) can be threaded through each of the apertures 410, 420, 430, 440 to couple the rails 330, 340, 350, 360 together and to provide adjustable and/or nonadjustable feet for the appliance. As shown, the apertures 410, 420, 430, 440 and thus, the feet extending therethough, are positioned forwardly of the front frame 130 of the oven housing assembly 100 and rearwardly of the rear panel 140 of the oven housing assembly 100 to facilitate balancing of the loads and to mitigate tipping of the appliance, such as when a load from an open oven door will introduce a moment about its (horizontal) pivot axis that might otherwise tend to cause the appliance to tip forward. In the illustrated embodiment, all downward forces at the front of the appliance are accumulated and directed down the front vertical support columns 230, 260, and then ultimately into the front feet (not shown) received within apertures 410 and 420, which are located forward of those columns 230, 260 and thus better able to counteract the tipping moment of the open door.
According to one example, aperture 410 may have an adjustable leveling foot extending through the aperture 410; while apertures 420, 430, and 440 may include a downwardly extending projection or nonadjustable foot extending therethrough. Any suitable combination of adjustable and nonadjustable feet can be provided. The front and rear base rails 330, 360 can be of the same or substantially the same configuration such that during assembly, the front and rear base rails 330, 360 are interchangeable. Optionally, they may be laterally symmetrical such that upon rotating a front base rail 330 about a vertical axis, it become suitable as a rear base rail 360, wherein the left- and right-hand portions of each are symmetric with one another. Additionally, the first and second side base rails 340, 350 can be of the same or substantially the same configuration such that during assembly, the first and second side base rails 340, 350 are interchangeable. Similarly, side base rails 340, 350 also may be symmetrical such that the front- and rear-portions thereof are symmetric with one another. Thus, the oven housing assembly 100 requires fewer part variants as compared to conventional assemblies, which reduces complexity in both assembly and inventory, or part storage. That is, a single part (SKU) can serve as both the left- and right-hand side base rails 340, 350 during assembly of the appliance, while another single part or SKU can serve as both the front- and rear base rails 330, 360.
The side panel 110 (including all integrated support columns and reinforcement features) has a vertical axis of symmetry Y and preferably also a horizontal axis of symmetry X, thereby rendering the side panel 110 right and left side agnostic as well as suitable as either a left-hand or a right-hand side panel regardless which end is up. In other words, the configuration of the side panel 110 and its features preferably are symmetrical about a horizontal axis X extending through a center of the side panel 110. For example, as shown in
Turning back to
The second end portion 560 of the hinge housing 520 is located near a rear portion of the appliance. The second end portion 560 also includes one or more tabs or extensions that engage an adjacent rear vertical support column 270. Specifically, a first rear tab 620 extends from the first sidewall 570 of the hinge housing 520 and a second rear tab 630 extends from the second sidewall 590 of the hinge housing 520. More specifically, the first rear tab 620 extends upwards towards a top portion of the appliance and the second rear tab 630 extends in an opposite direction, downwards towards the oven support surface. The first and second rear tabs 620, 630 are of a width that corresponds to a width W of an elongated, recessed bead 275 in the rear vertical support column 270. (
The first end portion 550 of the hinge housing 520 further includes a flange 600 having an aperture 610 therein. As shown in
It is to be appreciated that while a specific hinge housing has been illustrated and described herein, any suitable body-mounted component, such as a body-mounted hinge or body-mounted receiver of any configuration can be employed and still fall within the scope of the present invention. A portion of the body-mounted component is coupled to at least one vertical support column, and sometimes to two vertical support columns, in order to conduct a load of the oven door via vertical support columns (preferably) integrated in the side panels into an adjacent base rail.
Turning back to
At a rear portion of the oven housing assembly 100 is a rear component plate 700 and a lower component plate 710. The rear component plate 700 is secured to a back portion of the oven cavity 150 and is configured to support the oven cavity 150 within the housing. As shown in the detailed view of
Thus, the housing assembly described herein provides for the use of components that are common to a plurality of different appliance configurations. Using common components leads to a reduction in part variants across the multiple different layouts, such as multiple oven cavity sizes, gas or electric ovens, etc., which reduces complexity. Regardless of the layout, in each configuration, the primary load paths are the same. The base of the appliance collects all loads in the same manner, from the four vertical support columns. These columns provide load paths for each of the cooktop assembly, the oven cavity via the rear component plate, the lower component plate, and the oven door hinge assemblies. Additionally, the use of variable cavity sizes with a single side panel configuration results in the need to attach components at different locations along the length of the vertical support columns depending upon the desired layout. Thus, the components (e.g. the vertical support columns) do not include bite holes or other predetermined fastener locations. Rather, during assembly, self-piercing or self-tapping fasteners can be employed to secure the rear component plate and oven door hinge assemblies, for example, at the desired locations along the vertical support columns, depending on the oven cavity size being accommodated within the housing.
Due to the elongated bead 265, 275, the vertical support column 260, 270 is capable of withstanding greater loads, both static and dynamic, than a column made from an equivalent material without the bead 265, 275. As shown, the bead 265, 275 can be of a substantially rectangular shape and includes parallel lateral edges. Such a configuration provides a mechanism to easily and quickly localize, align and install attached components to the column 260, 270, such as via brackets that are sized to be received within a recessed width of the bead 265, 275. Loads carried by the vertical support column 260, 270 are principally carried at lateral portions of the column adjacent to where the bends of the bead 265, 275 have been introduced. These are generally the strongest portions of the column 260, 270, and loads introduced via components fastened within the bead 265, 275 will be transferred to the lateral portions to be carried downward toward the ground or appliance supporting surface. Thus, weight loads will tend to be concentrated adjacent the lateral portions of the column 260, 270, rather than being uniformly distributed throughout the column 260, 270. Prior to reaching the underlying support rail or surface on which a bottom end of the column 260, 270 rests, it is desirable to redistribute the carried loads more evenly to avoid localized-pressure points, which are more likely to result in point failures. Thus, in a lower region of the column 260, 270, a second bead 268, 278 having a substantially triangular shape is provided. The second bead 268, 278 is configured with the widest portion closest to bead 265, 275 and as the bead progresses downward, a width (W) thereof gradually reduces until it is completely eliminated, thereby forming a v-shaped recess just above the bottom end of the column 260, 270. In this way, a uniform contour is gradually introduced into the column 260, 270 (or at least to the surface thereof carrying the bead) adjacent to its bottom end. This will have the effect of redistributing weight loads from the lateral portions uniformly about the bottom end of the column 260, 270 (or again, at least through its face bearing the bead), rather than driving those loads into an adjacent base rail concentrated at the lateral portions of the column 260, 270. In essence, while the bead structure 265, 275 introduces greater strength and buckling resistance into the column 260, 270 along its length, it also has the effect of concentrating loads adjacent the fortified, lateral portions of the column. The narrowing feature or v-shaped recess of the second bead 268, 278 redistributes those loads uniformly about the column 260, 270 or its face before they are delivered to the corresponding base rail. A third bead 269, 279 is positioned at a top portion of the vertical support column 260, 270 to maintain the symmetry of the side panel, thereby allowing the side panel to be right and left side agnostic.
The vertical support columns 230, 240, 260, and 270 are of a material and thickness that can withstand not only the static loads of supported components, but transient loads that may be encountered during shipping and agency testing of the appliance. At the same time, for cost- and weight-savings it is desirable to use hollow columns that are made from sheeting that is as thin as possible while still being strong enough to sustain the encountered loads.
Although embodiments described herein are made with reference to example embodiments, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications are well within the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the example embodiments is not limited herein. The disclosure is intended to include all such modifications and alterations disclosed herein or ascertainable herefrom by persons of ordinary skill in the art without undue experimentation. It will be appreciated that a hinge system and appliance body construction configured in accordance with the examples shown herein can be used for a wide variety of other appliances such as clothes washers and dryers, dishwashers and the like.
