Kitchen island vent hood

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6647978
  • Patent Number
    6,647,978
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, June 6, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, November 18, 2003
    21 years ago
Abstract
A kitchen island vent hood is provided which telescopes upwardly and downwardly and extends forwardly and rearwardly for use between operative and non-operative positions. In the non-operative position, the vent hood resides within a recessed area of the island, at a level slightly above the countertop of the island. The lift column of the vent hood assembly extends at approximately a 15° from vertical so as to position the vent hood over the cooking surface. The vent hood moves forwardly so as to cover the cooking surface and moves rearwardly for storage in the island recess.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Kitchen islands are common and popular, and often include a gas or electric stove top for cooking. Such an island stove top presents problems with venting, since the island sits in the open area of the kitchen, apart from any walls. Prior art venting for islands generally comes in two forms, upward and downward venting. Upward venting involves a hood at the lower end of a column hanging from the ceiling. The hood captures rising hot air carrying grease, steam, smoke, and/or odors, and vents them upwardly through a duct extending through the hanging column. In order to be effective, such hanging hoods must extend to a height approximately 28-30 inches above the cooking surface. However, at this elevation, the hood obstructs view across the kitchen and from one side of the island to the other.




Downward venting systems typically include a panel which extends or pops up from the island a short distance and draws air laterally across the cooking surface for expulsion through a duct extending downwardly into the island. However, since hot air naturally rises, such downward venting systems are inefficient and allows substantial portions of grease, steam, smoke and/or odors to escape into the ambient kitchen air.




Another type of venting system is disclosed in Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,358, which discloses a pop-up table top with vent hoods that can be extended and retracted so as to overlay a portion of the cooking surface. A similar pop-up column with a swivel vent hood is offered for sale by Gaggenau under the tradename V1051 Cook-Top Ventilator, which has a hood extending over a portion of the cooking surface. In both the Gaggenau system and the system of U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,358, the vent hoods are relatively small and do not cover all of the cooking surface. Therefore, these ventilation systems are not efficient in capturing rising air from cooking areas beyond the reach of the small hoods.




Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved kitchen island vent hood.




Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an island vent hood which extends over substantially the entire cooking area to capture grease, steam, smoke and/or odors.




A further objective of the present invention is the provision of an island vent hood which is retractable into the island when not in use and extensible over the entire cooking surface when in use.




Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved island vent hood which can be positioned at various heights above the cooking surface and which can also be horizontally positioned overall or a portion of the cooking surface.




Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of an island vent hood which is efficient and durable in use, and economical to manufacture.




These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




An improved vent hood is provided for an island cooking surface. The vent hood is mounted on an extensible and retractable column so as to be retracted into a recess in the island structure when not in use, and is extensible to a height up to 30 inches above the cooking surface when in use. The column extends from a position in the island rearwardly of the cooking surface, preferably at an angle of approximately 15° from vertical. The vent hood slides horizontally from a forward position covering the cooking surface to a retracted position for receipt in the island recess when not in use. Separate actuators control the raising and lowering of the column and the extension and retraction of the vent hood relative to the column. The movement of the vent hood actuator is amplified by linkages so as to maximize the extension of the vent hood with minimal space requirements for the actuator.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of the improved island vent hood of the present invention.





FIG. 2

is a side elevation view of the island vent hood of the present invention.





FIG. 3

is a top plan view of the island vent hood of the present invention.





FIG. 4

is a perspective view of a portion of the island framework with the frame assemblies of the vent hood and column in a retracted or storage position.





FIG. 5

is a view similar to

FIG. 4

showing the column and vent hood frames in fully extended positions.





FIG. 6

is a side elevation view of the frame structures shown in

FIG. 4

in the retracted positions.





FIG. 7

is a side elevation view of the frame structures shown in

FIG. 5

in the fully extended positions.





FIG. 8

is an enlarged perspective view of the vent hood frame structure in a retracted position.





FIG. 9

is a view similar to

FIG. 8

showing the vent hood frame structure in an extended position.





FIG. 10

is a sectional view of the vent hood frame structure taken along lines


10





10


of FIG.


8


.





FIG. 11

is a sectional view of the vent hood frame structure taken along lines


11





11


of FIG.


9


.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




A kitchen island is generally designated by the reference numeral


10


in the drawings. The island includes a stovetop or cooking surface


12


and the vent hood assembly


14


of the present invention. The assembly


14


includes a telescoping lift column


16


with a retractable and extendable vent hood


18


mounted on top of the column


16


. As seen in

FIG. 1

, the assembly


14


extends upwardly in the operative or use position from a recessed area


20


in the island


10


. In the non-use or storage position, the assembly


14


resides within the recess


20


. Preferably, when the assembly


14


is lowered and retracted into the recess


20


, the top of the vent hood


18


is slightly above the countertop


22


of the island


10


, so as to discourage the setting of an object on the edge of the vent hood where the object could fall off or spill when the assembly


14


is raised. Alternatively, the top of the vent hood


18


can be flush with the countertop


22


when the assembly


14


is in the storage position.




As seen in

FIGS. 1 and 2

, the column


16


preferably extends at a non-perpendicular angle relative to the cooking surface


12


. The angle is in the range of 10°-20° from vertical, with a preferred angle of 15°.




The vent hood


18


is mounted on the column


16


so as to be horizontally movable between a retracted position, shown in

FIG. 3

, and an extended position, shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

. The angular orientation of the column


16


allows the vent hood


18


to be positioned fully over the cooking surface


12


with less forward movement, as compared to a vertical column. While it is understood that the column


16


may be oriented vertically, such a vertical orientation would require a greater extension of the vent hood


18


for positioning over the cooking surface


12


.





FIGS. 4-10

show the frame structures for a portion of the island


10


, the column


16


, and the vent hood


18


. More particularly, the island


10


includes a forward frame portion


24


which supports the stovetop or cooking appliance which defines the cooking surface


12


. The island


10


also includes a shorter rearward frame portion


26


which defines


15


the recessed area


20


of the island


10


.




The mechanical structures of the assembly


14


are mounted in the rearward frame portion


26


of the island


10


as shown in

FIGS. 4-7

. The column


16


includes a pair of spaced apart frame members


28


with telescoping sections. The frame members


28


are connected so that they are raised and lowered in unison. It is understood that a single telescoping frame member could be provided, though it is preferred to use the dual frame members


28


which provide increased lateral stability for the vent hood


18


.




As best seen in

FIGS. 6 and 7

, an actuator


30


, such as a motor driven screw, has a lower end connected to the rearward frame


26


of the island


10


and an upward end connected to the base


28


A of the column frames


28


. The bases


28


A of the column frames


28


are mounted for sliding movement along rails


32


in the rearward frame


26


of the island


10


. The angle of orientation of the rails


32


determines the angle of the column


16


, preferably 15° from vertical. As seen in

FIG. 6

, when the actuator


30


is retracted, the bases


28


A of the column frames


28


are at the bottom of the rails


32


, and when the actuator


30


is extended, as shown in

FIG. 7

, the bases


28


A of the column frames


28


are at the top of the rails


32


.




The telescoping frame sections


28


A, B and C of the column


16


are enclosed by housing sections


17


A, B, C, which also telescope with respect to one another.




The column frames


28


includes internal linear slides and actuators (not shown) for extending and retracting the telescoping frame sections


28


B and


28


C. The lift column frames


28


are commercially available from Linak of Denmark, Model DL3. These Linak lift columns extend more than two times their retracted height.




The actuator


30


and rails


32


define a first stage of the lift action for the vent hood assembly


14


, while the internal actuators of the column frames


28


define a second stage of the lifting action.




Attached to the upper column section


28


C is the frame assembly


34


for the vent hood


18


. More particularly, a pair of plates


36


are secured between the upper column sections


28


C, and are substantially L-shaped. A lower plate


38


is secured to the lower end of the plates


36


. A backing plate


40


is secured to the rearward side of the plates


36


adjacent the upper end thereof. An upper plate


42


is secured to the top of the plates


36


. The plates


36


,


38


,


40


and


42


define a sandwich structure which houses an actuator


44


, as described in further detail below.




A horizontally disposed, rectangular subframe


46


is mounted to the upper end of the lift column frames


28


via mounting blocks


48


. The subframe


46


is defined by opposite side slide rails


50


and cross bars


52


,


53


secured at opposite ends of the slide rails


50


. The slide rails


50


are attached to the mounting blocks


48


. A slide bar


54


extends between the slide rails


50


and is adapted to slide there along. A retractable and extendable scissors mechanism


56


has a rearward end


58


connected to the upper plate


42


and a forward end


60


connected to the forward cross bar


52


. The scissors


56


includes multiple joints, with the first joints


62


being slidably pinned or connected to elongated slots


64


in the slide bar


54


.




The slide bar


54


is connected to a rod


66


, which in turn is pivotally connected to the upper end of a link arm


68


. The lower end of the link arm


68


is connected to the upper end of the actuator


44


, as best seen in

FIGS. 10 and 11

. The lower end of the actuator


44


is secured to the lower plate


38


. When the actuator


44


is extended, the link arm


68


and connecting rod


66


translate the upward linear motion of the actuator


44


to horizontal linear motion so as to slide the slide bar


54


forwardly along the slide rails


50


, while the scissors


56


simultaneously extend as the first joints


62


thereof move inwardly along the slots


64


of the slide bar


54


. Thus, the slide bar


54


and scissors


56


translates a short linear extension of the actuator


44


into a substantially longer linear extension of the subframe


46


and the attached vent hood


18


. Thus, the travel of the vent hood


18


is much longer than the travel of the actuator


44


due to the amplification resulting from the scissors


56


. It is further contemplated that other types of actuators including, but not limited to, a motor driven screw mechanism could be substituted for the scissors mechanism


56


.




The vent hood


18


, which is mounted on the subframe


46


, houses filters (not shown) through which the updraft heated air passes. A flexible duct


70


extends from the vent hood


18


and downwardly through the lift column


16


and into the island


10


. The flexible duct thus raises and lowers with the lift column


16


. The upper end of the duct


70


is secured in a collar or ring


72


in any convenient manner. The lower end of the duct


70


is connected to a filter assembly


74


to remove cooking vapors from the air. (The details of the filter assembly


74


are described in Applicant's co-pending application titled Modular Kitchen System filed Jun. 7, 2002, and incorporated herein by reference.) A blower


76


draws air through the duct


70


and filter


74


and discharges filtered air into an outlet duct


78


. A humidifier


80


and heater


82


may optionally be provided in the outlet duct


78


. The outlet duct


78


preferably discharges the filtered air for recycling back into the kitchen. Alternatively, the outlet duct


78


can be connected to an exhaust duct (not shown) in the floor to carry the vented air for discharge outside the house.




Controls are provided on the island for actuating the first stage actuator


30


, the internal second stage actuators of the lift column frames


28


, and the vent hood actuator


44


. The various actuators can be positioned anywhere between the fully retracted and fully extended positions, such that the height of the assembly


14


is adjustable and the position of the vent hood


18


relative to the burners of the cooking surface


12


is adjustable. Thus, the vent hood


18


may cover only the rear burners, or may cover the rear burners and the front burners. Also, the height of the vent hood


18


above the cooking surface


12


can be selected to accommodate various cooking conditions.




The invention has been shown and described above with the preferred embodiments, and it is understood that many modifications, substitutions, and additions may be made which are within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.



Claims
  • 1. A vent hood assembly for a kitchen cooking surface, comprising:a column extending upwardly adjacent one side of the cooking surface at a non-perpendicular angle relative to the cooking surface and being adjustable between raised and lowered positions relative to the surface; a vent hood mounted on the column and being horizontally movable between a retracted position behind the cooking surface and an extended position over the cooking surface.
  • 2. The vent hood assembly of claim 1 wherein the column can be positioned at any height between the raked and lowered positions.
  • 3. The vent hood assembly of claim 1 wherein the vent hood can be positioned anywhere between the extended and retracted positions.
  • 4. The vent hood assembly of claim 1 wherein the vent hood includes a frame with scissor members for moving the hood between the extended and retracted positions.
  • 5. The vent hood assembly of claim 1 wherein the vent hood includes an actuator for moving the hood between the extended and retracted positions.
  • 6. The vent hood assembly of claim 5 further comprising a linear motion amplifier extending between the actuator and the vent hood so as to amplify movement of the actuator so as to impart greater movement to the vent hood.
  • 7. The vent hood assembly of claim 5 wherein the actuator is mounted in the column, and further comprising linkage between the actuator and vent hood to translate upward and downward motion of the actuator into horizontal motion of the vent hood.
  • 8. The vent hood assembly of claim 1 wherein the column includes telescoping sections.
  • 9. The vent hood assembly of claim 1 wherein the column includes an actuator for moving the column between the raised and lowered positions.
  • 10. The vent hood assembly of claim 1 wherein the angle between the column and the cooking surface is approximately 15° from vertical.
  • 11. The vent hood assembly of claim 1 further comprising a vent duct connected to the vent hood and extending through the column.
  • 12. The vent hood assembly of claim 1 wherein the vent hood is at least partially recessed beneath the cooling surface when the column is in the lowered position and the hood is in retracted position.
  • 13. An island cooking station, comprising:a stove top with a plurality burners; a column extending upwardly and forwardly from the station and having vertical adjustability; a vent hood mounted on the column and having horizontal adjustability; the vent hood being movable between a plurality of operative positions over the burners and a position behind the stove top.
  • 14. The cooking station of claim 13 wherein the vertical and horizontal adjustability are independent of one another.
  • 15. The cooking station of claim 13 wherein the column includes telescoping sections.
  • 16. The cooking station of claim 13 further comprising a vent duct extending from the vent hood and through the column.
  • 17. The cooking station of claims 13 wherein the column extends approximately 15° from vertical.
  • 18. The cooking station of claim 13 wherein the vent hood is moved horizontally by scissor members.
  • 19. The cooking station of claim 13 wherein the vertical and horizontal movement of the vent hood is controlled by actuators.
  • 20. The cooking station of claim 13 wherein the stove top is mounted on a cabinet, and further comprising a vent duct extending from the vent hood and into the cabinet.
  • 21. The vent hood assembly of claim 13 comprising an actuator for controlling horizontal movement of the vent hood and further comprising a linear motion amplifier extending between the actuator and the vent hood so as to amplify movement of the actuator and thereby impart greater movement to the vent hood.
  • 22. The vent hood assembly of claim 13 comprising an actuator for controlling horizontal movement of the vent hood and further comprising linkages extending between the actuator and the vent hood, so as to translate vertical movement of the actuator to horizontal movement of the vent hood.
  • 23. The cooking station of claim 13 wherein the column and hood are retractable such that the hood is at least partially recessed behind the stove top.
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Number Name Date Kind
2554694 Belt May 1951 A
2674991 Schaefer Apr 1954 A
2974663 Humbert Mar 1961 A
3011492 Humbert Dec 1961 A
3031946 Watt et al. May 1962 A
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Number Date Country
557775 Jul 1957 BE
3503236 Aug 1986 DE
2619198 Feb 1989 DE
2730040 Aug 1996 FR
62-288436 Jun 1986 JP
3-17455 Jan 1991 JP
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry
Gaggenau “We Get To The Source Of The Problem” VL 051 Cooktop ventilator.