Patent Application
20240151404
The present subject matter relates generally to locking systems for microwave appliances.
Microwave appliances generally include a cabinet and a magnetron to heat food inside the cabinet. Microwaves cook items inside the cabinet by emitting microwave radiation into a cooking chamber inside the cabinet. Such microwave radiation is contained within the cabinet in order to avoid heating objects outside the cabinet. Additionally, microwave appliances generally heat an exterior of the articles before an interior of the articles, and the exterior of the articles may be uncomfortable or difficult to handle after heating the interior of the articles to the desired temperature. As such, a microwave appliance with safety measures directed towards limiting access to the interior of the microwave and heated articles therein would be advantageous.
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 one example embodiment, a microwave appliance has a vertical, a transverse, and a lateral direction. The microwave appliance includes a cabinet that defines a cooking chamber and a user interface panel positioned on the cabinet. The user interface panel includes a door release button and a display. The microwave appliance also includes a door that is configured to allow selective entry to the cooking chamber. The door includes an upper portion and an opening side portion, and a lock assembly positioned at the upper portion.
In another example embodiment, a microwave appliance has a vertical, a transverse, and a lateral direction. The microwave appliance includes a cabinet defining a cooking chamber and a user interface panel positioned on the cabinet. The user interface panel includes a plurality of user inputs, a door release button, and a display. The microwave appliance also includes a door that is configured to allow selective entry to the cooking chamber. The door includes an upper portion, a hinge side portion, an opening side portion, and a bottom portion. The upper portion includes a lock assembly. Both the door release button and the lock assembly are actuated in order to open the door.
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.
Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the present invention.
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.
As used herein, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third” may be used interchangeably to distinguish one component from another and are not intended to signify location or importance of the individual components. The terms “includes” and “including” are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.” Similarly, the term “or” is generally intended to be inclusive (i.e., “A or B” is intended to mean “A or B or both”). In addition, here and throughout the specification and claims, range limitations may be combined and/or interchanged. Such ranges are identified and include all the sub-ranges contained therein unless context or language indicates otherwise. For example, all ranges disclosed herein are inclusive of the endpoints, and the endpoints are independently combinable with each other. The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification and claims, may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term or terms, such as “generally,” “about,” “approximately,” and “substantially,” are not to be limited to the precise value specified. In at least some instances, the approximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value, or the precision of the methods or machines for constructing or manufacturing the components and/or systems. For example, the approximating language may refer to being within a 10 percent margin, i.e., including values within ten percent greater or less than the stated value. In this regard, for example, when used in the context of an angle or direction, such terms include within ten degrees greater or less than the stated angle or direction, e.g., “generally vertical” includes forming an angle of up to ten degrees in any direction, e.g., clockwise or counterclockwise, with the vertical direction V.
Referring now to the figures,
As illustrated, microwave appliance 100 generally defines a vertical direction V, a lateral direction L, and a transverse direction T, each of which is mutually perpendicular, such that an orthogonal coordinate system is generally defined. Cabinet 102 of microwave appliance 100 extends between a top portion 106 and a bottom portion 108 along the vertical direction V, between a first side portion 110 (left side when viewed from front) and a second side portion 112 (right side when viewed from front) along the lateral direction L, and between a front portion 114 and a rear portion 116 along the transverse direction T.
Microwave oven 100 includes a door 120 that is rotatably attached to cabinet 102 in order to allow selective entry to a cooking chamber 104 within the cabinet 102. A handle 300 (
Microwave oven 100 is generally configured to heat articles, e.g., food or beverages, within cooking chamber 104 using electromagnetic radiation. Microwave appliance 100 may include various components which operate to produce electromagnetic radiation, as is generally understood. For example, microwave appliance 100 may include a microwave heating assembly 130, which may include a magnetron (such as, for example, a cavity magnetron), a high voltage transformer, a high voltage capacitor, and a high voltage diode.
According to example embodiments, microwave appliance 100 may further include an inverter assembly 132 that is operably coupled to microwave heating assembly 130 to provide energy from a suitable energy source (such as an electrical outlet) to microwave heating assembly 130, e.g., the magnetron. The magnetron may convert the energy from the inverter assembly 132 to electromagnetic radiation, specifically microwave radiation. Microwave heating assembly 130 and/or inverter assembly 132 may include other suitable components, such as a capacitor that generally connects the magnetron and power supply, such as via high voltage diode, to a chassis. Microwave radiation produced by the magnetron may also be transmitted through a waveguide to cooking chamber 104. Microwave radiation generated from the magnetron may provide heat to cooking chamber 104.
As would be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, inverter assembly 132 allows the magnetron's analog electric field intensity to be adjusted between various power levels, such as between ten percent (10%) and one hundred percent (100%) of the total power capacity. In some examples, a power level may have a value between one (1) and ten (10), with level 10 equating to one hundred percent (100%) of the total power and level 1 equating to ten percent (10%) of the total power capacity, with other levels equally spaced between the level 1 and level 10. By contrast, with conventional non-inverter power supplies, the electric field intensity is either one hundred percent (100%) or zero percent (0%), and power levels are made using a timed duty cycle. For example, a non-inverter assembly set for a fifty percent (50%) power level turns the magnetron ON at one hundred percent (100%) output power for fifteen (15) seconds, and then OFF for fifteen (15) seconds. At power levels less than one hundred percent (100%), inverter assembly 132 may have better heating uniformity and less penetration depth.
The structure and intended function of microwave appliances are generally understood by those of ordinary skill in the art and are not described in further detail herein. According to other example embodiments, microwave appliance 100 may include one or more heating elements, such as electric resistance heating elements, gas burners, other microwave heating elements, halogen heating elements, or suitable combinations thereof, are positioned within cooking chamber 104 for heating cooking chamber 104 and food items positioned therein.
Microwave oven 100 may include additional features to improve heating uniformity and precision. For example, according to an example embodiment, microwave appliance 100 includes a turntable 134 rotatably mounted within cooking chamber 104. Turntable 134 may be selectively rotated during a cooking process to ensure improved temperature uniformity for the object being heated. In addition, microwave appliance 100 may include a temperature sensor 136 that is operable to measure temperatures across the entire bottom of the cooking chamber 104. Temperature sensor 136 may detect temperatures at various distinct temperature locations, may associate certain locations with the food items being cooked, and may use a subset of the temperature data as feedback for regulating inverter assembly 132 and microwave heating assembly 130 for improved precision.
Referring again to
Generally, microwave appliance 100 may include a controller 150 in operative communication with the user input device 142. The user interface panel 140 of the microwave appliance 100 may be in communication with the controller 150 via, for example, one or more signal lines or shared communication busses, and signals generated in controller 150 operate microwave appliance 100 in response to user input via the user input devices 142. Input/Output (“I/O”) signals may be routed between controller 150 and various operational components of microwave appliance 100. Operation of microwave appliance 100 can be regulated by the controller 150 that is operatively coupled to the user interface panel 140.
Controller 150 is a “processing device” or “controller” and may be embodied as described herein. Controller 150 may include a memory and one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICS), CPUs, or the like, such as general or special purpose microprocessors operable to execute programming instructions or micro-control code associated with operation of microwave appliance 100, and controller 150 is not restricted necessarily to a single element. The memory may represent random access memory such as DRAM, or read only memory such as ROM, electrically erasable, programmable read only memory (EEPROM), or FLASH. In one embodiment, the processor executes programming instructions stored in memory. The memory may be a separate component from the processor or may be included onboard within the processor. Alternatively, a controller 150 may be constructed without using a microprocessor, e.g., using a combination of discrete analog and/or digital logic circuitry (such as switches, amplifiers, integrators, comparators, flip-flops, AND gates, and the like) to perform control functionality instead of relying upon software.
Referring now to
Referring now to
As may be seen from the above, lock assembly 200 is positioned at the top portion 180 of door 120. In order to open door 120 of microwave appliance 100 two (2) separate actions may be necessary, e.g., both of door release button 122 and lock assembly 200 must be actuated for door 120 to rotate to the open position. Moreover, a user may manually actuate both door release button 122 and lock assembly 200 in order to open door 120. Lever 204 of lock assembly 200 may engage with a slot 210 in cabinet 102 in order to lock door 120 in the closed position. Thus, in order to open door 120, tab 202 may be translated in the transverse direction T, which actuates lever 204 into the up position, disengaging slot 210. In such a manner, door 120 may advantageously limit access to cooking chamber 104 within the cabinet 102 until both door release button 122 and lock assembly 200 are actuated.
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.
