Patent Application
20240410594
The present invention relates generally to the field of oven vent heat diverter devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to a heat diversion system placed under the control panel of an oven. Accordingly, the present disclosure makes specific reference thereto. Nonetheless, it is to be appreciated that aspects of the present invention are also equally applicable to other like applications, devices and methods of manufacture.
By way of background, this invention relates to improvements in oven vent heat diverter devices. Generally, cooking food on a stovetop and/or oven inevitably leads to increased temperatures in a kitchen. Further, smoke can develop and force people to leave the kitchen area until it is suctioned into the vent or out a window. Thus, increased temperatures can force people out of the kitchen until it cools down or risk becoming incredibly hot and uncomfortable while trying to cook.
A conventional home cooking appliance, such as a Free Standing Range (FSR), includes a housing having a cooking compartment, such as a baking oven, convection oven, steam oven, warming drawer, etc., and a cooking surface formed, for example, by cooking grates disposed over gas burners on top of the housing. A conventional range (i.e., slide-in, free standing, etc.) is installed in a cooking area of a home kitchen with a rear wall of the appliance facing a back wall of the kitchen. The appliance typically is disposed between counters with floor cabinets below the counters. The kitchen may include wall cabinets mounted on the back wall of the kitchen either over the cooking surface of the range or over the adjacent floor cabinets, and/or another appliance or component, such as an over-the-range (OTR) microwave oven or an OTR convection microwave oven over the cooking surface.
During cooking, the appliance must be able to exhaust hot air, steam, smoke, and flue gases from the cooking compartment to maintain acceptable door temperatures of the appliance, acceptable surface temperatures of the appliance, acceptable temperatures of a combustible back wall behind the appliance, and acceptable temperatures of cabinets or components over the range or adjacent to the range. In order to provide enough air flow through the appliance to maintain acceptable surface temperatures and oven door temperatures and to protect components in and around the appliance, the appliance is vented out into the kitchen area, causing increased temperatures and forcing people out of the kitchen until it cools down.
Accordingly, there is a demand for an improved oven vent heat diverter device that enables users to guide unwanted heat and smoke directly into the vent device of a stove. More particularly, there is a demand for an oven vent heat diverter device that maintains and cools the kitchen area.
Therefore, there exists a long felt need in the art for an oven vent heat diverter device that provides users with a heat diversion device placed under the control panel of an oven. There is also a long felt need in the art for an oven vent heat diverter device that enables a user to guide unwanted heat and smoke directly into the vent device of a stove. Further, there is a long felt need in the art for an oven vent heat diverter device that maintains a more pleasant cooking experience by controlling the temperature of the kitchen. Moreover, there is a long felt need in the art for a device that saves time by cooling the kitchen area quicker allowing access to the area for retrieving any other food items from the kitchen, refrigerator, etc. Further, there is a long felt need in the art for an oven vent heat diverter device that enhances the cooking experience by keeping the kitchen area considerably cooler. Finally, there is a long felt need in the art for an oven vent heat diverter device that folds substantially flat when not in use.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises an oven vent heat diverter device. The device is a heat diversion barrier placed under the control panel of an oven or other appliance and redirects the heat to the exhaust fan. The oven vent heat diverter device comprises a body component consisting of several hinged panels attached to one another. In use, the hinged panels are secured together in a square configuration and positioned over the cooking surface of the free-standing range vent area, and under a control panel of an over-the-range (OTR) microwave or other suitable oven appliance. When applied to the oven, the diverter device helps control temperatures in the kitchen to improve comfort and ensure all smoke and excess heat is removed from the immediate area. Further, the device can be folded up substantially flat for easy and convenient storage.
In this manner, the oven vent heat diverter device of the present invention accomplishes all of the forgoing objectives and provides users with a device that redirects heat from an oven to the exhaust fan. The device comprises several hinged panels secured together. The device can be folded up flat for storage.
The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some general concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises an oven vent heat diverter device. The device is a heat diversion barrier placed under the control panel of an oven or other appliance and redirects the heat to the exhaust fan. The oven vent heat diverter device comprises a body component consisting of several hinged panels attached to one another. In use, the hinged panels are positioned over the vent area, and under a vent hood or a control panel of an appliance. When applied to the oven, the diverter device helps control temperatures in the kitchen to improve comfort and ensure all smoke and excess heat is removed from the immediate area.
In one embodiment, the oven vent heat diverter device is utilized with a free-standing range oven or other suitable appliance as is known in the art. The device enables users to guide unwanted heat and smoke from the range oven appliance, directly to the vent system to be dispersed away from the kitchen area. Thus, the device enhances the cooking experience by keeping the kitchen area considerably cooler.
In one embodiment, the free-standing range oven or other suitable appliance comprises a housing having a cooking compartment, such as a baking oven, convection oven, steam oven, warming drawer, etc., which is accessible through a door in a front of the housing. The door can include a door glass for viewing the interior of the cooking compartment. The range oven has a cooking surface on a top of the housing. The cooking surface can include, for example, one or more cooking grates having an upper surface for supporting cookware over one or more gas or electric burners and a vent area. The range oven includes a control panel having a plurality of user input features, such as control knobs for controlling the operation of the burners and the cooking compartment. The appliance is not limited to the illustrated embodiments, and can additionally or alternatively include other cooking compartments, such as one or more baking ovens, convection ovens, steam ovens, warming drawers, broil burner, etc., or one or more cooking surfaces, such as a griddle, an induction cooktop with a glass ceramic cooking surface, etc. Further, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the housing can include more than one cooking compartment and more than one door.
In one embodiment, the vent area on the range oven exhausts air from within the appliance, such as hot air, steam, and smoke from within the appliance and hot flue gases from the cooking compartment. The vent area can take various forms depending on the particular appliance, arrangement of cooking compartment(s), cooktop or burners, desired aesthetics of the appliance, and/or the location in which the appliance will be installed, such as adjacent to a kitchen wall, in a kitchen island, adjacent to cabinetry, counters, or other accessories such as a microwave, vent hood, etc., among other things. For example, the vent area can be configured to be raised up from the cooking surface, or be substantially flush with the top of the appliance or cooking surface, and includes one or more vent openings for exhausting the hot air, steam, and smoke from within the appliance and for exhausting flue gases from the cooking compartment.
In one embodiment, the oven vent heat diverter device comprises a body component consisting of several hinged panels attached to one another. Each panel is rectangular shaped and comprises a front surface, a rear surface, opposing top and bottom edges, and opposing right and left edges. In use, the hinged panels are secured together in a square or rectangular configuration, depending on the number of panels. Further, any suitable number of hinges can be used to secure the panels together. Specifically, the panels comprise hinges secured at the opposing right and left edges, which allow the panels to be secured together and folded into the square or rectangular configuration. Once in the square or rectangular configuration, the panels are arranged such that their front surfaces face outward toward a user and their rear surfaces face inward toward the other panels. They are connected via the hinges on the right and left edges and the panels rest on their bottom edges, when in use.
In one embodiment, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the particular location, arrangement, size, shape, and number of panels can vary depending on the particular physical dimensions of one or more components of the appliance, such as the vent area, the size and positioning of the burners, and the arrangement of the cooking surface, etc. The panels can be configured on the appliance such that the panels do not contact, or are substantially free of contact with, the rear wall of the appliance and/or the kitchen where the appliance is located.
In one embodiment, the panels are manufactured of a heat-resistant material, such as metal, specifically, aluminum, or high-temperature plastics, or insulated foam boards, etc., or any other suitable material as is known in the art.
In one embodiment, once in the rectangular or square configuration, the body component is positioned over the cooking surface of the free-standing range oven. Specifically, over its vent area, which allows hot air and steam to vent from the cooking compartment out of the range oven. Further, the body component is positioned directly under the vent hood or the control panel of an over-the-range (OTR) microwave or other suitable oven appliance. The body component is configured such that the plurality of panels encircle/surround the vent area on the cooking surface, collecting the hot air and steam from the cooking compartment and directing it up towards the vent hood to the exhaust fan, to be expelled outside and away from the kitchen area. Thus, when applied to the range oven, the diverter device helps control temperatures in the kitchen to improve comfort and ensure all smoke and excess heat is removed from the immediate area.
In one embodiment, the plurality of panels can be folded via their hinges and stored when not in use. Further, the device can be folded up substantially flat for easy and convenient storage on the cooking surface or in a cabinet, depending on the needs and/or wants of a user.
In use, users guide unwanted heat, smoke, and steam directly into the exhaust fan of a range oven to be expelled outside. Specifically, during operation of a heating element in the cooking compartment of the range oven, hot air, smoke, and steam flows from the cooking compartment and out the vent area. The body component configured to surround the vent area, guides the hot air, smoke, and steam upward toward the vent hood (or other appliance) and directly toward the exhaust fan. Thus, the device diverts all or substantially all of the air exhausting from the cooking compartment, up toward the exhaust fan and outside of the kitchen area.
In yet another embodiment, the oven vent heat diverter device comprises a plurality of indicia.
In yet another embodiment, a method of diverting heat from an oven to an exhaust fan to keep a kitchen cool is disclosed. The method includes the steps of providing an oven vent heat diverter device comprising a body component consisting of a plurality of hinged panels. The method also comprises securing the hinged panels together in a square configuration. Further, the method comprises positioning the body component over the vent area of an oven and under the control panel of a microwave. The method also comprises diverting air from the oven directly to the exhaust fan. Finally, the method comprises folding the body component flat for storage.
Numerous benefits and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains, upon reading and understanding the following detailed specification.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
The description refers to provided drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and in which:
The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments are discussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are described only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in other embodiments, any of the features described herein from different embodiments may be combined.
As noted above, there is a long felt need in the art for an oven vent heat diverter device that provides users with a heat diversion device placed under the control panel of an oven. There is also a long felt need in the art for an oven vent heat diverter device that enables a user to guide unwanted heat and smoke directly into the vent device of a stove. Further, there is a long felt need in the art for an oven vent heat diverter device that maintains a more pleasant cooking experience by controlling the temperature of the kitchen. Moreover, there is a long felt need in the art for a device that saves time by cooling the kitchen area quicker allowing access to the area for retrieving any other food items from the kitchen, refrigerator, etc. Further, there is a long felt need in the art for an oven vent heat diverter device that enhances the cooking experience by keeping the kitchen area considerably cooler. Finally, there is a long felt need in the art for an oven vent heat diverter device that folds substantially flat when not in use.
The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, is a novel oven vent heat diverter device. The device is a heat diversion barrier placed under the control panel of an oven or other appliance and redirects the heat to the exhaust fan. The oven vent heat diverter device comprises a body component consisting of several hinged panels attached to one another. In use, the hinged panels are secured together in a square configuration and positioned over the cooking surface of the free-standing range vent area, and under a control panel of an over-the-range (OTR) microwave or other suitable oven appliance. Further, the device can be folded up substantially flat for easy and convenient storage. The present invention also includes a novel method of diverting heat from an oven to an exhaust fan to keep a kitchen cool. The method includes the steps of providing an oven vent heat diverter device comprising a body component consisting of a plurality of hinged panels. The method also comprises securing the hinged panels together in a square configuration. Further, the method comprises positioning the body component over the vent area of an oven and under the control panel of a microwave. The method also comprises diverting air from the oven directly to the exhaust fan. Finally, the method comprises folding the body component flat for storage.
Referring initially to the drawings,
Generally, the oven vent heat diverter device 100 is utilized with a free-standing range oven 106 or other suitable appliance as is known in the art. The device 100 enables users to guide unwanted heat and smoke 112 from the range oven appliance 106, directly to the exhaust fan 108 to be dispersed away from the kitchen area 110. Thus, the device 100 enhances the cooking experience by keeping the kitchen area 110 considerably cooler.
Furthermore, the free-standing range oven 106 or other suitable appliance comprises a housing 114 having a cooking compartment 116, such as a baking oven, convection oven, steam oven, warming drawer, etc., which is accessible through a door 118 in a front of the housing 114. The door 118 can include a door glass 120 for viewing the interior of the cooking compartment 116. The range oven 106 has a cooking surface 122 on a top of the housing 114. The cooking surface 122 can include, for example, one or more cooking grates 124 having an upper surface 126 for supporting cookware over one or more gas or electric burners 128 and a vent area 130. The range oven 106 includes a control panel 132 having a plurality of user input features, such as control knobs 134 for controlling the operation of the burners 128 and the cooking compartment 116. The appliance 106 is not limited to the illustrated embodiments, and can additionally or alternatively include other cooking compartments 116, such as one or more baking ovens, convection ovens, steam ovens, warming drawers, broil burner, etc., or one or more cooking surfaces, such as a griddle, an induction cooktop with a glass ceramic cooking surface, etc. Further, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the housing 114 can include more than one cooking compartment 116 and more than one door 118.
Additionally, the vent area 130 on the range oven 106 exhausts air from within the appliance, such as hot air, steam, and smoke 112 from within the appliance 106 and hot flue gases from the cooking compartment 116. The vent area 130 can take various forms depending on the particular appliance 106, arrangement of cooking compartment(s) 116, cooktop 122 or burners 128, desired aesthetics of the appliance 106, and/or the location in which the appliance 106 will be installed, such as adjacent to a kitchen wall, in a kitchen island, adjacent to cabinetry, counters, or other accessories such as a microwave 136, vent hood 138, etc., among other things. For example, the vent area 130 can be configured to be raised up from the cooking surface 122, or be substantially flush with the top of the appliance 106 or cooking surface 122 and includes one or more vent openings 140 for exhausting the hot air, steam, and smoke 112 from within the appliance 106 and for exhausting flue gases from the cooking compartment 116.
As shown in
One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the particular location, arrangement, size, shape, and number of panels 104 can vary depending on the particular physical dimensions of one or more components of the appliance 106, such as the vent area 130, the size and positioning of the burners 128, and the arrangement of the cooking surface 122, etc. The panels 104 can be configured on the appliance 106 such that the panels 104 do not contact, or are substantially free of contact with, the rear wall of the appliance 106 and/or the kitchen 110 where the appliance 106 is located.
Further, once in the rectangular or square configuration, the body component 102 is positioned over the cooking surface 122 of the free-standing range oven 106. Specifically, over its vent area 130, which allows hot air and steam 112 to vent from the cooking compartment 116 out of the range oven 106. Further, the body component 102 is positioned directly under the vent hood 138 or the control panel 210 of an over-the-range (OTR) microwave 136 or other suitable oven appliance. The body component 102 is configured such that the plurality of panels 104 encircle/surround the vent area 130 on the cooking surface 122, collecting the hot air and steam 112 from the cooking compartment 116 and directing it up towards the vent hood 138 to the exhaust fan 108, to be expelled outside and away from the kitchen area 110. Thus, when applied to the range oven 106, the diverter device 100 helps control temperatures in the kitchen 110 to improve comfort and ensure all smoke and excess heat 112 is removed from the immediate area.
In use, users guide unwanted heat, smoke, and steam 112 directly into the exhaust fan 108 of a range oven 106 to be expelled outside. Specifically, during operation of a heating element in the cooking compartment 116 of the range oven 106, hot air, smoke, and steam 112 flows from the cooking compartment 116 and out the vent area 130. The body component 102 configured to surround the vent area 130, guides the hot air, smoke, and steam 112 upward toward the vent hood 138 (or other appliance 136) and directly toward the exhaust fan 108. Thus, the device 100 diverts all or substantially all of the air exhausting from the cooking compartment 116, up toward the exhaust fan 108 and outside of the kitchen area 110.
As shown in
Further, in one embodiment, the plurality of panels 104 can be folded via their hinges 208 and stored when not in use. Thus, the device 100 can be folded up substantially flat for easy and convenient storage on the cooking surface 122 or in a cabinet, depending on the needs and/or wants of a user.
In yet another embodiment, the oven vent heat diverter device 100 comprises a plurality of indicia 400. The body component 102 of the device 100 may include advertising, a trademark, or other letters, designs, or characters, printed, painted, stamped, or integrated into the body component 102, or any other indicia 400 as is known in the art. Specifically, any suitable indicia 400 as is known in the art can be included, such as but not limited to, patterns, logos, emblems, images, symbols, designs, letters, words, characters, animals, advertisements, brands, etc., that may or may not be oven, vent, or brand related.
Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different users may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not structure or function. As used herein “oven vent heat diverter device”, “oven vent device”, “heat diverter device”, and “device” are interchangeable and refer to the oven vent heat diverter device 100 of the present invention.
Notwithstanding the forgoing, the oven vent heat diverter device 100 of the present invention can be of any suitable size and configuration as is known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the invention, provided that it accomplishes the above stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the oven vent heat diverter device 100 as shown in
Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. While the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof.
What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
The present application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/472,125, which was filed on Jun. 9, 2023, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63472125 | Jun 2023 | US |
