Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6715484
-
Patent Number
6,715,484
-
Date Filed
Thursday, June 6, 200222 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, April 6, 200420 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- McKee, Voorhees & Sease, P.L.C.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 126 299 R
- 126 299 D
- 055 DIG 36
- 454 49
- 454 66
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A vent hood is provided for a stove having a plurality of burners. The vent hood includes a housing with a plurality of slots extending substantially around the perimeter of the housing through which cooking vapors pass. The hood includes a plurality of chambers to balance the air flow through the hood. An exhaust duct extends from the housing to an exhaust fan such that air is drawn upwardly through the slots, into the housing, and out the exhaust duct. The air is passed through an air filter for removal of odors and grease particles before being discharged back into the ambient kitchen air.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Kitchen vent or exhaust systems are commonly used to remove steam, odors, and other airborne vapors resulting from cooking on stoves. The exhaust systems often times include grease filters to capture grease carried by the airborne vapors. Generally there are two types of exhaust systems. An up draft system utilizes a hood covering a portion or all of the stove burners to capture the rising air. The hood is attached to the wall, or in the case of a kitchen island, is suspended from the ceiling. Conventional vent hoods typically are cone shaped and include a centrally positioned fan which provides a centralized suction to draw air into the hood. However, such a centralized exhaust fails to capture much of the cooking vapors, which then escape into the ambient kitchen air carrying grease and odors. If a grease filter is not provided, the grease collects on the hood structure and eventually may drip back down onto the stove.
A second type of exhaust system is a down draft system, which is typically built into the stove or adjacent countertop to draw the air laterally and then downwardly into an exhaust duct. Since heated air rises, such down draft systems are very inefficient.
Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved vent hood for exhausting cooking air.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved up draft exhaust system for stoves.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a vent hood which can be used on a kitchen island.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a kitchen vent hood with improved efficiencies.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a kitchen vent hood which extends over all of the stove burners to minimize or eliminate the escape of cooking vapors into the ambient kitchen air.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a kitchen vent hood which creates an up draft curtain around the stove burners to capture substantially all of the cooking vapors.
These and other objectives will be apparent from the following description of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An improved kitchen vent hood is provided, and is particularly suitable in providing updraft exhaust of cooking vapors on an island stove or cooktop. The vent hood has a plurality of air inlet slots extending around its lower perimeter to draw air into the hood. The hood extends over all of the stove burners so as to provide an exhaust curtain extending 360° around the stove burners to substantially prevent cooking vapors from escaping into the ambient kitchen air. The hood includes a plurality of internal vanes or baffles which define compartments, each associated with at least one air inlet slot, which balance the air flow to an exhaust duct mounted at the rear of the vent hood. The slots have flared edges so as to minimize air flow noise, turbulence and pressure losses. The area of the air inlet slots is approximately equal to the cross sectional area of the exhaust duct. A lip extends downwardly around the perimeter of the housing to substantially contain the flow of air upwardly from the stove to an area within the hood for passage through the slots.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of the kitchen exhaust system of the present invention as used on an island having a stove.
FIG. 2
is a side elevation view of the kitchen exhaust system of the present invention, with the hood in an extended position.
FIG. 3
is a top plan view of the kitchen exhaust system of the present invention with the hood in a retracted position.
FIG. 4
is a top perspective view of the vent hood of the present invention with the grease filters and top cover removed for clarity.
FIG. 5
is a bottom perspective view of the vent hood of the present invention with the grease filters and vanes removed for clarity.
FIG. 6
is a top plan view of the vent hood as shown in FIG.
4
.
FIG. 7
is a bottom plan view of the vent hood as shown in FIG.
5
.
FIG. 8
is a sectional view taken along lines
8
—
8
of FIG.
7
.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A kitchen island is generally designated by the reference numeral
10
in the drawings. The island includes a stove top or cooking surface
12
with a plurality of burners
13
and a vent hood assembly
14
. The vent hood assembly
14
includes a telescoping lift column
16
with a retractable and extendable vent hood
18
of the present invention. As seen in
FIG. 1
, the vent hood assembly
14
extends upwardly in the operative or use position from a recessed area
20
in the rear portion of the island
10
. In the non-use or storage position, the vent hood assembly
14
resides within the recess
20
. Preferably, when the vent hood 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
18
where the object could fall off or spill when the vent hood assembly
14
is raised. Alternatively, the top of the vent hood
18
can be flush with the countertop
22
when the vent hood assembly
14
is in the storage position. The top surface of the vent hood
18
may include a slightly raised drip edge to prevent liquids spilled on the hood
18
from falling into the recess
20
. 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 the preferred angle of 15°.
The vent hood
18
is mounted on the column
16
so as to be horizontally moveable 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
.
The vent hood
18
generally includes a housing
24
defined by a top wall or cover
26
, a bottom wall
28
, a front wall
30
, a back wall
32
, and opposite side walls
34
. The front wall
30
, back wall
32
and side walls
34
define a perimeter edge for the vent hood
18
. The bottom wall
28
includes central area
57
in which the mechanical structure for moving the vent hood
18
forwardly and rearwardly with respect to the lift column
16
is mounted. This movement structure is described in applicant's co-pending application Ser. No. 10/163,558, entitled IMPROVED KITCHEN VENT HOOD, filed Jun. 6, 2002, and is incorporated herein by reference. The structure for raising and lowering the telescoping column
16
is also disclosed in the same co-pending application, and is incorporated herein by reference.
The bottom portion
28
of the housing
24
is defined by a rear plate
36
having a curved rearward edge, and a U-shaped central plate
38
. The rear plate
36
and central plate
38
have cut out portions to define a central opening
40
.
The rear plate
36
includes a plurality of slots
42
which are a part of the exhaust system, as described below. The rear plate
36
also has a plurality of openings or holes
44
in which lights can be operatively mounted to illuminate the cooking surface
12
.
A pair of upright plates
48
extend upwardly and laterally at the front edge of the rear plate
36
on each side of the central opening
40
. C-shaped clips
50
are provided on the front face of the plates
48
and on the rear face of the front wall
30
, as best seen in
FIG. 8
, so as to support a grease filter
52
on each side of the central opening
40
.
A pair of longitudinally extending braces
54
extend between the front wall
30
and the back wall
32
on each side of the central opening
40
. A pair of rectangular frames
56
extend between the respective side walls
34
and braces
54
, and extend substantially from the front wall
30
to the front edge of the rear plate
36
, as best seen in
FIG. 7. A
plurality of air inlet slots
58
extend through and around the frames
56
. Thus, as can be seen in
FIG. 7
, the slots
42
,
46
and
58
define air inlets extending substantially around the perimeter of the vent hood
18
.
At least the front wall
30
and side walls
34
of the housing
24
extend downwardly to a level below the frames
56
and center plate
38
, to define a lip
59
extending around the front and sides of the vent hood
18
. The lip
59
helps contain the rising vapors within the perimeter of the vent hood
18
for passage through the slots
46
,
58
. Also, the slots
42
,
46
and
58
define a negative pressure air-curtain extending around the cooking surface
12
so as to efficiently capture the airborne vapors generated by the cooking process.
As best seen in
FIGS. 4 and 6
, a plurality of vanes
60
are mounted within the housing
24
on each side of the central opening
40
so as to define separate or individual compartments or zones
62
A,
62
B,
62
C, and
62
D. Each compartment
62
A-D is associated with one or more of the slots
46
,
58
. The rearward edges of each compartment
62
A-D define outlets having different widths, which yields equal air flow velocities from the compartments
62
A-D. The volume of each compartment
62
A-D corresponds to the area of the associated slots
46
,
58
. Thus, the compartments
62
A-D provide a balanced air flow to an exhaust duct
64
mounted at the rear of the vent hood
18
. Preferably, the slots
42
,
46
and
58
define an air inlet area which is substantially equal to the cross-sectional area of the exhaust duct
64
. As further shown in
FIG. 4
, notches
55
provide air flow communication between central area
57
and compartments
62
D.
All of the slots
42
,
46
and
58
have rounded or flared edges, as opposed to square punched or sheared edges, so as to eliminate or minimize air flow noise and turbulence as the heated vapors pass through the slots. It is also understood that the slots do not necessarily have the same width. For example, the rear slots
42
are generally narrower than the side or front slots
46
,
58
, since the rear slots are closer to the exhaust duct
64
.
Thus, the slots
42
,
46
,
58
capture different volumes of rising air with any pressure drop being equalized in the compartments
62
A-D due to the arrangement of the vanes
60
. The compartments
62
A-D are independent from one another. The flared slots also reduce restrictions and increase air flow by reducing pressure and increasing volume.
A flexible exhaust duct
64
extends downwardly through the lift column
16
and is operatively connected to an air filter
66
and a fan
68
for removing odors from the air before being discharged back into the kitchen through a vent
70
within the island
10
. A dehumidifier
72
and a heater
74
may also be provided in the exhaust system, as shown in FIG.
1
. The air filtration system is more fully described in applicant's co-pending application Ser. No. 10/163,643 filed Jun. 6, 2002 and entitled KITCHEN AIR FILTRATION SYSTEM, which is incorporated herein by reference.
In operation, the lift column
16
of the vent hood assembly
14
is extended from the retracted storage position within the recess
20
of the island
10
to a desired height, and the vent hood
18
is extended forwardly from the retracted position shown in
FIG. 3
to a desired position covering the front and/or rear burners
13
. During cooking, the fan
68
is actuated to draw the cooking vapors through the grease filters
52
, the slots
46
and
58
, and the slots
42
. Additionally, notches
55
provide an airflow path for evacuating air from central area
57
into compartments
62
A-D and into exhaust duct
64
. The air passing through the grease filters
52
and the slots
46
and
58
passes rearwardly through the compartments
62
A-D and joins the air passing through the slots
42
for entry into the exhaust duct
64
. The exhausted air is then drawn through the air filter
68
to remove odors and grease particles before being discharged through an opening
70
within the island
10
and back into the kitchen.
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 for a stove having a plurality of burners, comprising:a housing with a top wall, a bottom wall, and upstanding perimeter walls defining a front edge, a rear edge and opposite side edges; a plurality of slots extending through the bottom wall and adjacent the perimeter of the housing; an exhaust duct having a first end mounted adjacent the housing and having a second end operatively connected to an exhaust fan; and a plurality of vanes mounted in the housing to direct air from the slots to the exhaust duct, whereby air is drawn upwardly through the slots, into the housing and into the exhaust duct.
- 2. The vent hood of claim 1 further comprising at least one grease filter mounted in the housing.
- 3. The vent hood of claim 1 wherein the vanes define independent air flow compartments within the housing.
- 4. The vent hood of claim 3 wherein each compartment is associated with at least one slot.
- 5. The vent hood of claim 3 wherein the compartments have balanced air flow.
- 6. The vent hood of claim 3 wherein the compartments produce equal air flow velocity.
- 7. The vent hood of claim 3 wherein each compartment has an air flow outlet.
- 8. The vent hood of claim 7 wherein the air flow outlets are different in dimension for each of the compartments.
- 9. The vent hood of claim 1 wherein the slots define an air inlet area which is substantially equal to the cross-sectional area of the first end of the duct.
- 10. The vent hood of claim 1 wherein the exhaust duct is located adjacent the rear edge of the housing.
- 11. The vent hood of claim 1 wherein the slots have flared edges to minimize air flow noise and turbulence.
- 12. The vent hood of claim 1 wherein the slots extend substantially around the perimeter of the housing to create an upward air flow curtain extending 360° around the stove burners.
- 13. The vent hood of claim 1 wherein the housing includes a lip extending downwardly around the perimeter thereof to substantially contain the flow of air upwardly from the stove to an area within the hood for passage through the slots.
- 14. An exhaust system for an island stove having a plurality of burners, comprising:a hood adapted to extend over all of the burners during cooking; a plurality of air inlets adjacent the perimeter of the hood; an exhaust duct mounted in the hood; a fan operatively connected to the exhaust duct to draw air through the inlets into the hood; and a plurality of baffles mounted in the hood to direct air drawn into the inlets for removal through the duct by the fan.
- 15. The exhaust system of claim 14 wherein the hood has a perimeter and the air inlets are slots extending substantially 360° around the perimeter.
- 16. The exhaust system of claim 15 wherein the slots are flared to inhibit air flow noise and turbulence.
- 17. The exhaust system of claim 14 further comprising a grease filter mounted in the hood.
- 18. The exhaust system of claim 14 wherein the baffles creating a plurality of compartments within the housing, with each compartment having at least one air inlet associated therewith and each compartment directing air to the exhaust duct.
- 19. The exhaust system of claim 18 wherein each compartment has an outlet, with all outlets having different dimensions.
- 20. The exhaust system of claim 14 wherein the air inlets have a cumulative area substantially equal to a cross-sectional area of the air duct.
- 21. The exhaust system of claim 14 further comprising a lip extending around the hood to substantially inhibit flow of air outwardly away from the air inlets.
- 22. A method of venting airborne vapors generated by cooking on a kitchen stove having a plurality of burners, the method comprising:positioning a vent hood over the burners being used for cooking, the hood having a plurality of air inlet slots; drawing air and vapors upwardly through the slots and into the hood in a curtain pattern surrounding the cooking burners; and directing the vapors through separate compartments in the hood to an exhaust duct.
- 23. The Method of claim 22 further comprising drawing at least a portion of the vapors through a grease filter mounted in the hood.
- 24. The method of claim 22 further comprising directing the vapors rearwardly in the hood to the exhaust duct adjacent a near portion of the hood.
- 25. The method of claim 24 further comprising drawing in a volume of air through the slots substantially equal to a volume of air being exhausted through the duct.
- 26. The method of claim 22 further comprising balancing the air flow through the compartments.
- 27. The method of claim 22 further comprising generating substantially equal air flow velocities through the compartments.
- 28. The method of claim 22 further comprising containing the vapors substantially beneath the hood with a perimeter lip extending around the hood.
- 29. The method of claim 22 further comprising enhancing smooth air flow through the slots by rounding the edges of the slots.
- 30. The method of claim 22 further comprising filtering the air and vapors to clean the air.
- 31. The method of claim 30 further comprising discharging the filtered air back into the kitchen.
- 32. The method of claim 31 further comprising heating the filtered air before discharge back into the kitchen.
- 33. The method of claim 31 further comprising passing the filtered air through a dehumidifier before discharge back into the kitchen.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0304533 |
Jan 1989 |
EP |
74 25636 |
Jul 1974 |
FR |
1349 199 |
Apr 1971 |
GB |
55028468 |
Feb 1980 |
JP |