Patent Grant
11598529
The present device generally relates to a heating arrangement for use in an oven, and more specifically, to a heating arrangement useable as a broiler in a conventional oven and having a cover mesh arranged for use with quartz heating elements.
Quartz heating tubes or other infrared heating elements are useable in cooking appliances for heating cooking cavities. Generally, such heating elements rely on dissipation of infrared radiation from the heating element into the cooking cavity, which requires a line of sight for dissipation of energy, including by flux of the radiating energy. Notably, such heating does not require a medium, such as air, or contact with the item to be heated, making them efficiently useable as broiler elements positioned on the upper portion of a heating cavity (or as toaster elements). When used in ovens and the like, a mesh cover may be positioned between the heating tubes and the oven cavity to prevent a user from touching any of the heating elements. In such smaller appliances, a mesh material is used with openings spaced between the tubes such that no direct line of sight is present between a heating tube and the oven cavity. In this respect, a reflector may be provided opposite the mesh and may reflect infrared energy internally to promote flux through the openings in the mesh. When broilers of this type are used in connection with combination microwave ovens and smaller cooking appliances, reflectors with a high reflective index can be used at a reasonable cost and with low reinforcement or deformation concerns, due to the smaller size. Quartz and other infrared heating elements are also generally useable in connection with broiler units in larger appliances, however, constraints on the types of reflectors useable in such large configurations, for example, may make it advantageous to use different mesh configurations.
In at least one aspect, a heating arrangement for an oven includes a heating assembly including a plurality of elongate heating members extending along respective longitudinal axes oriented in a first direction and mutually spaced apart in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The heating arrangement further includes a cover unit having a body extending along a plane oriented parallel with the plurality of elongate heating members and spaced apart therefrom in a third direction perpendicular to the first and second directions. A plurality of openings extend through the body with at least some of the openings being aligned with respective ones of the elongate heating members in the first and second directions.
In at least another aspect, an oven includes a cabinet defining an interior cooking cavity and a heating arrangement mounted within the interior cavity adjacent an upper surface thereof. The heating arrangement, includes a heating assembly having a plurality of elongate heating members extending along respective longitudinal axes oriented in a first direction and having a width in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The heating assembly also includes a cover unit having a body extending along a plane oriented parallel with upper surface of the cavity and spaced apart therefrom in a third direction with the heating members positioned between the upper surface and the cover unit. A plurality of openings extend through the body with at least some of the openings being aligned with respective ones of the elongate heating members in the first and second directions. The plurality of openings define respective lateral axes and longitudinal axes longer than the lateral axes. The longitudinal axes of the plurality of openings extend in the second direction.
In at least another aspect, an oven includes a cabinet defining an interior cooking cavity and a heating arrangement mounted within the interior cavity adjacent an upper surface thereof. The heating arrangement includes a heating assembly having a plurality of elongate heating members extending along respective longitudinal axes oriented in a first direction and having a width in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The heating assembly further includes a cover unit having a body extending along a plane oriented parallel with upper surface of the cavity and spaced apart therefrom in a third direction with the heating members positioned between the upper surface and the cover unit. A plurality of openings extend through the body with at least some of the openings being aligned with respective ones of the elongate heating members in the first and second directions. The plurality of openings define respective lateral axes and longitudinal axes longer than the lateral axes. The longitudinal axes of the plurality of openings extend in the first direction, and the lengths of the openings extend through substantially an entire depth of the cover in the second direction.
These and other features, advantages, and objects of the present device will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art upon studying the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.
In the drawings:
For purposes of description herein the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the device as oriented in
Referring to the embodiment illustrated in
As discussed herein, the present incorporation of the openings 30 into the body 26 of the cover unit 24 provides a resulting structure useable as a protective mesh for the heating assembly 14. In particular, such mesh structures can be used in connection with a variation of the oven 12 that utilizes quartz heating tubes for the heating members 16, particularly when the heating assembly 14 is a broiler heater in an otherwise conventional oven. As discussed above, quartz heating elements are used in smaller countertop ovens or in combination microwave ovens in connection with a protective mesh. In connection with larger appliances, such as the depicted conventional oven 12 and further including commercial ovens and the like (which are generally larger and utilize both higher voltage and amperage (e.g., 110 V, 15 Amp countertop ovens, compared to 220 V, 30 Amp conventional ovens)), less reflective materials may be used for the reflector plate 40 to be able to provide sufficient structural rigidity and manage cost, given the size of cavity 34 and the operating conditions of such ovens. The use of such material may reduce the ability of heat to reach the oven cavity through a mesh of a pattern or configuration similar to those used with higher-index reflectors, which particularly use openings that are not aligned with the quartz tubes. In this manner, the present cover unit 24 includes openings 30 that, as mentioned above, are aligned with the heating members 16 in the depth direction 20 and the width direction 22. Put differently, the openings can be described as being aligned with the heating members 16 along the third direction 28 is such that, in one example, a theoretical line extending along the third direction 28 (i.e., vertically in the depiction of
As shown in
As further shown in
The arrangement 10 can further include a reflector plate 44 that can be assembled with and can extend along upper surface 36 opposite the body 26 of cover unit 24 with respect to heating members 16. The reflector plate 44 may be of various reflective materials suitable for the size of oven cavity 34 and can be supported in multiple central locations on upper surface 36. Reflector plate can be textured or otherwise incorporate facets or features to direct the infrared radiation from the heating members 16 that is otherwise directed toward upper surface 36 toward the body 26 of cover unit 24 and, more particularly, through openings 30. In this manner, the particular configuration of reflector plate 44 can vary with the particular position of the heating members 16 and the openings 30, as described further herein.
As particularly shown in
Continuing with respect to
In a similar manner, the openings 30 (regardless of whether or not they are aligned with one of the heating members 16 in a particular implementation) are further arranged in respective rows 58 with the longitudinal axes 50 of the openings 30 aligned in the width direction 22 in such rows 58. In particular, the openings 30 are separated in the width direction 22 by solid portions of the body 26 that are positioned between adjacent ones of the plurality of the elongate heating members 16. Such arrangement helps to provide body 26 with sufficient support and structural integrity, particularly of openings 30 such that cover unit 24 does not deform such that openings 30 become too large to provide adequate protection both from and for heating members 16 or too small to allow flux of infrared radiation therethrough. In a particular example, the openings 30 can have widths 54 that are less than the general size of a human finger so as to prevent contact with the heating members 16 through the openings 30, and can have lengths 52 sufficient to allow flux outwardly from the heating members 16 for heating of cavity 34 at a desired rate or efficiency and with a desired distribution. In one example, a cover unit 24 configured according to the principles described herein may provide improved distribution of heat within cavity 34 by at least 3% or greater and an improvement of flux by at least about 25% compared with a cover unit 24 of similar material and material properties with the solid portions of cover unit 24 aligned with the associated heating members 16.
As further shown in
Turning to the example shown in
As shown, the openings 130 can be distributed along the width direction 122 of the body 126 of the cover unit 124 such that only some of the openings 130a are aligned with respective ones of the heating members 116. Remaining ones of the openings 130b are positioned between adjacent ones of the elongate heating elements 116, including multiple ones of the openings 130b between each successive ones of the elongate heating elements 116. As discussed above, each of the openings 130 has a respective width 154 along the lateral axes 148 of the openings 130. The widths 154 of the openings 130a that are aligned with the elongate heating elements 116 are less than the widths 154 of the remaining ones of the openings 130b. In particular, the widths 154 of the openings 130a aligned with the elongate heating elements 116 are less than the widths 146 of the heating members 116. The widths 154 of the remaining, un-aligned openings 130b can increase successively with a distance away from the aligned openings 130b such that at least the particular openings 130b disposed farthest from the heating members 116 can have widths 154 greater than the widths 146 of the heating members 116. In various examples, the heating members 116 can have uniform widths 146 of between about 10 mm and about 20 mm, with the widths 146 in one particular example being about 12 mm. Further, the widths 154 of openings 130a can be about 5 mm, with the widths 154 of the remaining openings 130b being about 7 mm and about 10 mm, depending on the positioning with respect to openings 130a.
In the example of
It will be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art that construction of the described device and other components is not limited to any specific material. Other exemplary embodiments of the device disclosed herein may be formed from a wide variety of materials, unless described otherwise herein.
For purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” (in all of its forms, couple, coupling, coupled, etc.) generally means the joining of two components (electrical or mechanical) directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature. Such joining may be achieved with the two components (electrical or mechanical) and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two components. Such joining may be permanent in nature or may be removable or releasable in nature unless otherwise stated.
It is also important to note that the construction and arrangement of the elements of the device as shown in the exemplary embodiments is illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the present innovations have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited. For example, elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements shown as multiple parts may be integrally formed, the operation of the interfaces may be reversed or otherwise varied, the length or width of the structures and/or members or connectors or other elements of the system may be varied, the nature or number of adjustment positions provided between the elements may be varied. It should be noted that the elements and/or assemblies of the system may be constructed from any of a wide variety of materials that provide sufficient strength or durability, in any of a wide variety of colors, textures, and combinations. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present innovations. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions, and arrangement of the desired and other exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present innovations.
It will be understood that any described processes or steps within described processes may be combined with other disclosed processes or steps to form structures within the scope of the present device. The exemplary structures and processes disclosed herein are for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as limiting.
It is also to be understood that variations and modifications can be made on the aforementioned structures and methods without departing from the concepts of the present device, and further it is to be understood that such concepts are intended to be covered by the following claims unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise.
The above description is considered that of the illustrated embodiments only. Modifications of the device will occur to those skilled in the art and to those who make or use the device. Therefore, it is understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above are merely for illustrative purposes and not intended to limit the scope of the device, which is defined by the following claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law, including the Doctrine of Equivalents.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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