Patent Application
20140070685
The present subject matter relates generally to oven appliances, e.g., French door oven appliances.
Oven appliances generally include a cabinet that defines a chamber for receipt of food items for cooking The oven appliance's cabinet also defines an opening that permits access to the chamber of the cabinet. A door or doors mounted at the opening of the cabinet can selectively limit access to the chamber of the cabinet. As an example, an oven appliance can include a pair of doors rotatably mounted at the opening of the cabinet. Such oven appliances are generally referred to as French door oven appliances.
Certain French door oven appliances include a linkage assembly that connects the oven appliance's pair of doors such that the doors open and close simultaneously. Such a configuration can be useful. For example, the pair of doors can each include a handle. By providing a linkage assembly that connects the pair of doors, a user can pull on either handle in order to open or close both of the doors simultaneously. Thus, a user holding food items in one hand can open or close both doors with the other free hand.
However, French door oven appliances can have certain drawbacks. For example, the doors may not properly compress against the cabinet when the doors are in a closed potion. Accordingly, an oven appliance with features for compressing a pair of doors against a cabinet of the oven appliance would be useful.
In addition, the doors may easily rotate between the open and closed positions. Such easy rotation can be undesirable because the oven appliances' chamber can reach high temperatures. Such easy rotation can also be undesirable when the doors are open and a user is adding food items to the oven appliance's chamber. For example, unwanted rotation of doors to the closed position can interfere with the user as her or she is adding food items into the chamber. Accordingly, an oven appliance with features for selectively securing a pair of doors in a closed configuration or an open configuration or hindering unwanted rotation of the pair of doors would be useful.
The present subject matter provides an oven appliance. The oven appliance includes a cabinet that defines a chamber. A pair of doors is rotatably mounted to provide selective access to the chamber of the cabinet. The pair of doors is connected with a linkage assembly such that the doors rotate open and closed simultaneously. The linkage assembly includes a spur gear that engages another gear of the linkage assembly. The spur gear can hinder unwanted rotation of the pair of doors or compress the pair of doors against a seal. Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be apparent from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In a first exemplary embodiment, an appliance is provided. The oven appliance includes a cabinet that defines a chamber. The cabinet also defines an opening. The chamber of the cabinet is accessible through the opening of the cabinet. A first door is rotatably mounted proximate the opening of the cabinet. A second door is rotatably mounted proximate the opening of the cabinet. The first and second doors are rotatable between an open position and a closed position in order to permit selective access to the chamber of the cabinet through the opening of the cabinet. A linkage assembly couples the first door and the second door such that the first and second doors rotate between the open position and the closed position simultaneously. The linkage assembly includes a first linkage arm that extends between a first end and a second end. The first end of the first linkage arm is connected to the first door. A first gear has a plurality of teeth. The second end of the first linkage arm is connected to the first gear. A second gear has a plurality of teeth. The plurality of teeth of the second gear engages the plurality of teeth of the first gear. A second linkage arm extends between a first end and a second end. The first end of the second linkage arm is connected to the second door. The second end of the second linkage arm is connected to the second gear. A spur gear has a plurality of teeth. The plurality of teeth of the spur gear engages the plurality of teeth of the first gear when the first door is in the closed position. The spur gear has an axis of rotation about which the spur gear is rotatable. A biasing member has a connecting end. The connecting end of the biasing member is mounted to the spur gear such that the connection end of the biasing member is spaced apart from the axis of rotation of the spur gear.
In a second exemplary embodiment, an appliance is provided. The appliance includes a cabinet that defines a chamber. A door is rotatably mounted proximate the cabinet. The door is rotatable between an open position and a closed position in order to permit selective access to the chamber of the cabinet. A linkage assembly includes a linkage gear having a plurality of teeth. A linkage arm extends between and connects the door and the linkage gear. A spur gear has a plurality of teeth. The plurality of teeth of the spur gear engages the plurality of teeth of the linkage gear when the door is in the closed position. The spur gear has an axis of rotation about which the spur gear is rotatable. A biasing member extends between a connecting end and a fixed end. The fixed end of the biasing member is mounted to the cabinet. The connecting end of the biasing member is mounted to the spur gear such that the connection end of the biasing member is spaced apart from the axis of rotation of the spur gear.
In a third exemplary embodiment, an appliance is provided. The appliance includes a cabinet that defines a chamber. A door is rotatably mounted proximate the cabinet. The door is rotatable between an open position and a closed position in order to permit selective access to the chamber of the cabinet. A linkage assembly includes a linkage gear having a plurality of teeth. A linkage arm extends between and connects the door and the linkage gear. A spur gear has a plurality of teeth. The plurality of teeth of the spur gear engages the plurality of teeth of the linkage gear when the door is in the open position. The spur gear has an axis of rotation about which the spur gear is rotatable. A biasing member extends between a connecting end and a fixed end. The fixed end of the biasing member is mounted to the cabinet. The connecting end of the biasing member is mounted to the spur gear such that the connection end of the biasing member is spaced apart from the axis of rotation of the spur gear.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which:
Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Oven appliance 10 defines a vertical direction V, a lateral direction L, and a transverse direction T. Vertical direction V, lateral direction L, and transverse direction T are mutually perpendicular and form an orthogonal direction system. Oven appliance 10 extends between a top 40 and a bottom 42 along the vertical direction V.
Oven appliance 10 also includes a pair of doors 16, sometimes referred to as “French doors,” that are rotatably mounted on cabinet 12 proximate to an opening 15 to cooking chamber 14. Thus, oven appliance 10 is sometimes referred to as a French door style oven appliance. Pair of doors 16 is configured for selectively shifting between an open configuration shown in
One or more seals 20 between pair of doors 16 and cabinet 12 provide for maintaining heat and cooking fumes within cooking chamber 14 when pair of doors 16 is closed as shown in
Heating elements or sources 28 and 30 are positioned within the cooking chamber 14 of cabinet 12. Heating elements 28 and 30 are used to heat cooking chamber 14 for both cooking and cleaning of oven appliance 10. While electrically-resistive heating elements 28 and 30 are shown, the present subject matter may be used with other heating elements as well such as gas burners or microwave elements.
The operation of oven appliance 10 including heating elements 28 and 30 is controlled by one or more processing devices (not shown), e.g., a microprocessor. User manipulated controls 29 on control panel 31 allow the user to make selections regarding temperature, time, and other options. The selections can be communicated to the processing device for operation of oven appliance 10. Such processing device is also in communication with a temperature sensor 32 that is used to measure temperature inside cooking chamber 14.
Oven appliance 10 is provided by way of example only. Thus, the present subject matter may be used with other oven configurations, e.g., an oven range, or other appliances, e.g., refrigerator appliances. As another example, the present subject matter may be used with an oven defining multiple interior cavities for the receipt of food and/or having different pan or rack arrangements than what is shown in
As may be seen in
Linkage assembly 100 also includes a spur gear 200. Linkage assembly 100 includes features for utilizing spur gear 200 to urge the first and second doors 110 and 120 to remain in the open and/or closed position. Spur gear 200 is discussed in greater detail below.
As will be understood by those skilled in the art, linkage assembly 100 is provided by way of example only. Other suitable alternative mechanisms may be used to connect pair of doors 16 such that both doors of pair of doors 16 rotate open and closed simultaneously.
As may be seen in
First linkage arm 130 extends between a first end portion 132 and a second end portion 134. Similarly, second linkage arm 140 extends between a first end portion 142 and a second end portion 144. First end portion 132 of first linkage arm 130 is rotatably mounted or connected to first door 110, and second end portion 134 of first linkage arm 130 is rotatably mounted or connected to first gear 150. First end portion 142 of second linkage arm 140 is rotatably mounted or connected to second door 120, and second end portion 144 of second linkage arm 140 is rotatably mounted or connected to second gear 160.
First gear 150 and second gear 160 each have an engagement edge 152 and 162, respectively. Engagement edge 152 of first gear 150 is positioned on first gear 150 such that engagement edge 152 is radially spaced apart from the axis of rotation A of first gear 150. Similarly, engagement edge 162 of second gear 160 is positioned on second gear 162 such that engagement edge 162 is radially spaced apart from the axis of rotation A of second gear 160.
First gear 150 and second gear 160 also both have a plurality of teeth 154 and 164, respectively. The plurality of teeth 154 of first gear 150 engages the plurality of teeth 164 of second gear 160 to transfer rotation motion between first door 110 and second door 120. The plurality of teeth 154 of first gear 150 is disposed on engagement edge 152 of first gear 150. Similarly, the plurality of teeth 164 of second gear 160 is disposed on engagement edge 162 of second gear 160. In particular, pluralities of teeth 154 and 164 are uniformly, e.g., circumferentially, distributed on engagement edges 152 and 162 of first and second gears 150 and 160, respectively.
First and second gears 150 and 160 each have a leg 156 and 166, respectively. Leg 156 of first gear 150 extends away from axis of rotation A of first gear 150, and leg 166 of second gear 160 extends away from the axis of rotation A of second gear 160. Second end portion 134 of first linkage arm 130 is rotatably mounted to leg 156 of first gear 150, and second end portion 144 of second linkage arm 140 is rotatably mounted to leg 166 of second gear 160.
As may be seen in
Linkage assembly 100 connects first and second doors 110 and 120 such that first and second doors 110 and 120 rotate open and closed simultaneously. As an example, with first and second doors 110 and 120 in the closed position show in FIG. 4, a user may pull on handle 18 of first door 110 (or handle 18 of second door 120) to urge first door 110 to begin rotating open. As first door 110 beings to rotate open, first linkage arm 130 can transfer such rotation motion to first gear 150. In turn, plurality of teeth 154 of first gear 150 engages plurality of teeth 164 of second gear 160 to transfer such rotation motion from first gear 150 to second gear 160. Second gear 160 then transfers such rotation motion to second door 120 via second linkage arm 140. Thus, linkage assembly 100 can transfer rotation motion generated by the user between the first door 110 and the second door 120 to shift first and second doors 110 and 120 to the open position shown in
As discussed above, linkage assembly 100 includes spur gear 200. As shown in
Spur gear 200 is mounted to cabinet 12 (e.g., hood 50 of cabinet 12) such that spur gear 200 is rotatable about an axis of rotation A of spur gear 200. Axis of rotation A of spur gear 200 is spaced apart from the axis of rotation A of second gear 160. Spur gear 200 also has a plurality of teeth 202. In particular, spur gear 200 has a circumferential edge 204 radially spaced apart from the axis of rotation A of spur gear 200. Plurality of teeth 202 of spur gear 200 is uniformly disposed on circumferential edge 204 of spur gear 200.
As may be seen in
Linkage assembly 100 also includes a biasing member 210. Biasing member 210 extends between a connecting end 212 and a fixed end 214. Connecting end 212 of biasing member 210 is mounted or secured to spur gear 200. In particular, connecting end 212 of biasing member 210 is mounted on spur gear 200 such that connecting end 212 is radially spaced apart from the axis of rotation A of spur gear 200. Fixed end 214 of biasing member 214 is mounted to cabinet 12, e.g., hood 50 of cabinet 12.
Biasing member 210 is configured for urging spur gear 200 to rotate about axis of rotation A of spur gear 200. In particular, biasing member 210 is configured for selectively urging spur gear 200 to rotate about axis of rotation A of spur gear 200 in either a positive or negative direction (i.e., in a first direction or a second opposite direction) depending upon the position of connecting end 212 of biasing member 210 relative to axis of rotation A of spur gear 200 and fixed end 214 of biasing member 210 as discussed in greater detail below.
In the exemplary embodiment shown in
As discussed above, linkage assembly 100 includes features for utilizing spur gear 200 to urge the first and second doors 110 and 120 to remain in the closed position. As an example, with first door 150 in the closed position shown in
Due to biasing member 210 urging spur gear 200 to rotate in a positive direction, spur gear 200 urges second gear 160 to rotate in a negative direction. When second gear 160 rotates in the negative direction, second door 120 (and, in turn, first door 110 via first gear 150) is urged into the closed position or to remain in the closed position. In addition, when first and second doors 110 and 120 are urged into the closed position by spur gear 200, first and second doors 110 and 120 are urged against seal 20. Thus, spur gear 200 can assist in maintaining first and second doors 110 and 120 in the closed position and also improve sealing of cooking chamber 12.
As discussed above, a user can shift first and second doors 110 and 120 open and closed simultaneously due to linkage assembly 100. As an example, from the configuration shown in
In
In the configuration shown in
In
As may be seen in
As may be seen in
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
