U.S. patent application number 12/121820 was filed with the patent office on 2008-11-20 for oven and associated rack hanger.
Invention is credited to Kenneth A. Graven.
Application Number | 20080283034 12/121820 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40026257 |
Filed Date | 2008-11-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080283034 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Graven; Kenneth A. |
November 20, 2008 |
OVEN AND ASSOCIATED RACK HANGER
Abstract
An oven includes an internal cavity defined by rear, bottom,
top, left and right sidewalls. A front opening of the cavity is
selectively accessible by moving a door between open and closed
positions. A heating device is associated with the cavity for
heating the environment within the cavity. The cavity includes
multiple rack supports therein for supporting racks at multiple
elevations within the cavity. A rack hanger is located on an
exterior side wall of the oven housing and includes at least one
arm extending outward from the exterior side wall for receiving and
holding racks thereon.
Inventors: |
Graven; Kenneth A.;
(Louisville, KY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
THOMPSON HINE LLP;Intellectual Property Group
P.O Box 8801
DAYTON
OH
45401-8801
US
|
Family ID: |
40026257 |
Appl. No.: |
12/121820 |
Filed: |
May 16, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60930543 |
May 17, 2007 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
126/19R |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24C 15/08 20130101;
F24C 15/16 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
126/19.R |
International
Class: |
F24C 15/16 20060101
F24C015/16 |
Claims
1. An oven, comprising: an internal cavity defined by rear, bottom,
top, left and right sidewalls and having a front opening
selectively accessible by moving a door between open and closed
positions; a heating mechanism associated with the cavity for
heating the environment within the cavity; multiple rack supports
within the cavity for supporting racks at multiple elevations
within the cavity, the racks removable from the cavity via the
front opening; a rack hanger located at an exterior side wall of
the oven and including an arm extending outward from the exterior
side wall for receiving and holding racks thereon.
2. The oven of claim 1 wherein the rack hanger includes a main body
portion that is secured to the oven via one or more fasteners, the
arm extends outward from the main body.
3. The oven of claim 2 wherein the main body portion has a first
segment positioned adjacent a exterior top wall of the oven and a
second segment positioned adjacent the exterior side wall, the
first segment and second segment oriented substantially
perpendicular to each other.
4. The oven of claim 3 wherein the arm is a first arm the extends
substantially horizontally from the main body, the rack hanger
includes a second arm spaced apart from the first arm and extending
substantially horizontally from the main body.
5. The oven of claim 3 wherein the arm includes a portion extending
generally laterally from the exterior side wall and a distal end
portion extending upward.
6. The oven of claim 5 wherein the rack hanger is formed as a
unitary piece from metal plate with bends therein.
7. The oven of claim 1 wherein the rack hanger includes a main body
portion that is secured to the oven via a two-sided adhesive
tape.
8. The oven of claim 1 wherein the oven is a lower oven of a
stacked oven arrangement, an upper oven being placed atop the lower
oven, the rack hanger includes a portion sandwiched between a top
exterior wall of the lower oven and a bottom exterior wall of the
upper oven.
9. An oven system, comprising: an internal cavity defined by rear,
bottom, top, left and right sidewalls and having a front opening
selectively accessible by moving a door between open and closed
positions; a heating mechanism associated with the cavity for
heating the environment within the cavity; multiple rack supports
within the cavity at multiple elevations within the cavity, at
least one rack is supported horizontally within the cavity by one
or more of the rack supports; a rack hanger located at an exterior
side wall of the oven and including an arm extending outward from
the exterior side wall, at least one rack supported in a hanging
manner from the arm such that the rack has a substantially upright
orientation alongside the exterior side wall.
10. The oven system of claim 9 wherein the rack hanger includes a
main body portion that is secured to the oven via one or more
fasteners.
11. The oven system of claim 9 wherein the main body portion has a
first segment positioned adjacent a exterior top wall of the oven
and a second segment positioned adjacent the exterior side wall,
the first segment and second segment oriented substantially
perpendicular to each other.
12. The oven system of claim 11 wherein the arm is a first arm the
extends substantially horizontally from the main body, the rack
hanger includes a second arm spaced apart from the first arm and
extending substantially horizontally from the main body.
13. The oven system of claim 1 wherein the rack hanger includes a
main body portion that is secured to the oven via a two-sided
adhesive tape.
14. The oven system of claim 1 wherein the oven cavity is formed in
a lower oven of a stacked oven arrangement, an upper oven being
placed atop the lower oven, the rack hanger includes a portion
sandwiched between a top exterior wall of the lower oven and a
bottom exterior wall of the upper oven.
15. A method of operating a food product cooking oven including M
racks, where M is an integer number, and where multiple rack
supports are located within a cavity of the oven for selectively
supporting racks at multiple elevations within the cavity, the
method comprising: identifying N racks, where N is an integer
number, from among the M racks, to be used for a given cooking
operation; providing only N racks within the cavity at respective
elevations during the given cooking operation; hanging M-N racks on
a rack hanger arm during the given cooking operation, the rack
hanger arm extending outward from one exterior side of the oven.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application No. 60/930,543, filed May 17, 2007, the entirety of
which is incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This application relates generally to ovens for cooking
foods and, more specifically, to an oven having a cooking cavity
with removable racks and a mechanism for storing racks that are
removed from the cooking cavity.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Conventional ovens, steam ovens and combination ovens (combi
ovens) all comprise a cavity that is heated for cooking foods. The
cavity is surrounded on five sides by walls, and on the front by a
door that is moveable to provide access to the cavity. The back
side of each cavity wall is typically covered or surrounded by
insulation. Internal of the cavity horizontally disposed racks may
be provided to enable multiple trays, pans or pots of food items to
be placed therein at different levels within the cavity.
[0004] Various types of food products may be cooked in the ovens.
For example, trays of peas may be placed in the ovens. In most
instances, the peas do not stand above the lip of a shallow tray.
In contrast the ovens may also be used to cook chickens which have
a vertical height much higher than a tray. The oven racks are
typically removable to facilitate formation of rack slots of the
necessary height for the items being cooked. It would be desirable
to provide an oven that facilitates rack handling upon removal.
SUMMARY
[0005] In one aspect, an oven includes an internal cavity defined
by rear, bottom, top, left and right sidewalls. A front opening of
the cavity is selectively accessible by moving a door between open
and closed positions. A heating device is associated with the
cavity for heating the environment within the cavity. The cavity
includes multiple rack supports therein for supporting racks at
multiple elevations within the cavity. A rack hanger is located on
an exterior side wall of the oven housing and includes at least one
arm extending outward from the exterior side wall for receiving and
holding racks thereon.
[0006] In another aspect, an oven and rack combination includes an
oven with an internal cavity defined by rear, bottom, top, left and
right sidewalls. A front opening of the cavity is selectively
accessible by moving a door between open and closed positions. A
heating device is associated with the cavity for heating the
environment within the cavity. The cavity includes multiple rack
supports therein for supporting racks at multiple elevations within
the cavity. At least one rack is supported horizontally within the
cavity by one or more shelf supports. A rack hanger is located on
an exterior side wall of the oven housing and includes at least one
arm extending outward from the exterior side wall. At least one
rack is supported in a hanging manner from the arm such that the
rack has a substantially upright orientation alongside the exterior
side wall.
[0007] In a further aspect, a method of operating a food product
cooking oven including M racks, where M is an integer number,
involves: (i) providing multiple rack supports within a cavity of
the oven for selectively supporting racks at multiple elevations
within the cavity; (ii) identifying N racks, where N is an integer
number, from among the M racks, to be used for a given cooking
operation; (iii) providing only N racks within the cavity at
respective elevations during the given cooking operation; (iv)
providing a rack hanger arm at an exterior side wall of the oven;
and (v) hanging M-N racks on the rack hanger arm during the given
cooking operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective, schematic depiction of a food
product cooking oven;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a front elevation schematic depiction of the
cooking cavity of the oven of FIG. 1;
[0010] FIGS. 3A and 3B show schematic front elevations of cooking
cavities with different food product items therein;
[0011] FIGS. 4A and 4B show a perspective and side profile,
respectively, of one embodiment of a rack hanger;
[0012] FIG. 5 shows a top plan view of a metal plate used to form
the rack hanger of FIG. 4A;
[0013] FIG. 6 shows a front elevation of an oven with the rack
hanger of FIG. 4A mounted thereon;
[0014] FIG. 7 shows a front elevation of a double stacked oven with
rack hangers mounted thereon; and
[0015] FIG. 8 shows a partial view of a rack hanger attached to an
oven using double-sided adhesive tape.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] Referring to FIG. 1, an oven 100 is shown including an
external housing 102, oven door 104 and a user interface control
panel 106. Internal to the housing a cooking cavity 108 is defined
by left, right, top, bottom and rear walls 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18
and a front opening 20 that is selectively closeable via movement
of the door 104. The oven includes one or more heating mechanisms
or cooking sources for heating the environment within the cavity
and/or for heating food product within the cavity.
[0017] For example, the oven may be a steam oven having an
associated steam generator (e.g., an electric or gas boiler) 110
plumbed for controlled delivery of steam to the cavity 108. The
steam generator 110 may be incorporated within the primary housing
102 as shown, or could be a separate unit connected with the
primary housing 102. In another example, a microwave generator 112
produces microwave radiation that is delivered to the oven cavity
108 via a suitable path as may be defined utilizing waveguides. In
another example, a convection heating source 114 may be formed by
an electric or gaseous heating element 116 in association with one
or more blowers 118, with suitable delivery and return airflow
paths to and from the cavity 108. The exact configuration of any
given cooking source could vary. Moreover, in the case of a combi
oven, multiple different cooking sources could be provided.
[0018] Referring to FIG. 2, where the oven cavity is shown in a
front view, regardless of the oven configuration, the cavity may
include multiple rack supports 22 therein for supporting racks 24
at multiple elevations within the cavity. In one implementation,
the rack supports 22 may be formed by separate structures, such as
brackets, that are mounted to the left and right side walls 10 and
12. In another implementation, the rack supports 22 may be formed
by bends or stamped contours in sheet metal used to form the side
walls 10 and 12. Five racks 24 are shown, but variations are
possible. The racks are selectively removable from the cavity via
the front opening 20 when the door 104 is opened. Also shown in
FIG. 2 is exemplary insulation layer 26 that may be provided at the
exterior surfaces of the cavity walls.
[0019] As noted above, various types of food products may be cooked
in the ovens. For example, referring to the schematic of FIG. 3A,
relatively shallow trays of peas may be placed in the ovens, in
which case the trays and food product fit within the space between
adjacent racks, enabling all of the racks 24A-24E to remain in the
oven during the cooking operation. In contrast, referring to the
schematic of FIG. 3B, deeper trays 32 may be used to cook other
food products, or food products taller than the shallow trays 30
may be placed in the oven. In either case, one or more of the racks
24 needs to be removed to accommodate the food product. In the
schematic of FIG. 3B at least racks 24B and 24D would need to be
removed during the cooking operation.
[0020] Referring now to FIGS. 4A and 4B, one configuration of a
rack hanger 40 is shown. The rack hanger 40 includes a main body 42
and spaced apart arms 44 and 46 extending outwardly from the body.
The main body 42 has a generally L-shaped profile with a horizontal
segment 48 and a downwardly extending segment 50. Each arm 44, 46
has a generally L-shaped profile with a horizontally extending
segment 52 and an upwardly extending segment 54. The rack hanger
may be formed as a unitary piece by cutting a piece of metal sheet
or plate into the configuration 60 of FIG. 5 and then bending the
plate along line 62 to form the two perpendicular segments of the
main body, and bending the arms along lines 64 and 66 to form the
two segments of each arm. It is recognized that the rack hanger may
have other configurations, including configurations having only one
arm or configurations having more than two arms.
[0021] The rack hanger includes multiple openings 70 that may be
used to attach the rack hanger to an oven. Specifically, referring
to front elevation of FIG. 5, the L-shaped main body 42 is
configured for mounting at the top edge of the left 72 or right 74
exterior side wall of the oven. In the illustrated embodiment the
rack hanger is positioned on the right exterior side wall, with
segment 48 positioned adjacent the top exterior housing wall 76 and
segment 50 positioned adjacent right exterior side wall 74.
Self-tapping screws may be used to connect the hanger directly to
the housing and/or an internal frame of the oven by drilling
suitable holes in the housing and/or frame, aligning the rack
hanger openings 70 with the drilled holes and passing the screws
through the openings 70 and into the drilled holes. Other types of
fasteners may be used, including various mechanical fasteners,
adhesives, epoxies or structures that capture the rack hanger. In
one variation shown in FIG. 8, a two-sided adhesive tape 80 (e.g.,
of the acrylic foam type) could be applied to the underside of
segment 48 for securing the rack hanger to the oven.
[0022] In the illustrated embodiment, racks 24A, 24C and 24E are
shown positioned horizontally within the oven cavity, while racks
24B and 24D are illustrated in hanging, upright and substantially
vertical orientation at the side of the oven supported on the arms
of the rack hanger. Depending upon the exact structure of the racks
and the length of the rack hanger arms, the number of racks that
can be supported by a given rack hanger can be set or varied. In an
oven with five racks, the rack hanger could be configured to hold 4
racks, with the assumption that at least one rack would always be
in use in the cavity. Alternatively the rack hanger could be
configured to hold all five racks, as may be desired during
cleaning of the cavity when all racks might be removed from the
cavity.
[0023] Providing a rack hanger as shown facilitates selective use
and storage of racks in accordance with the food products being
cooked in the cavity. Take, for example, a food product cooking
oven including M racks, where M is an integer number (e.g., in FIG.
6, M=5) and where multiple rack supports are provided within a
cavity of the oven for selectively supporting racks at multiple
elevations within the cavity. Based upon the food product being
cooked, an operator identifies N racks, where N is an integer
number, from among the M racks, to be used for a given cooking
operation (e.g., in FIG. 6, N=2 or 3). The operator then provides
only N racks within the cavity at respective elevations during the
given cooking operation. The remaining oven cavity racks, numbering
M-N, are hung on the rack hanger arm during the given cooking
operation. Hanging the unused racks in such a manner facilitates a
clean and reliable way to store and retrieve racks in the hectic
environment of a commercial kitchen.
[0024] Referring now, to FIG. 7, exemplary use of rack hangers in a
double stacked oven (i.e., two ovens stacked one atop the other) is
shown. One rack hanger 40A is shown in association with the right
side wall of the top oven 100A, and another rack hanger 40B is
shown in association with the right side wall of the lower oven
100B. In the case of the lower rack hanger 40B, the horizontal
segment of the main body may be sandwiched between the bottom wall
of the upper oven and the top wall of the lower oven, which in some
cases may provide all the support necessary to secure the rack
hanger 40B in place. In other cases, the lower rack hanger 40B may
also be secured by screws or other fasteners.
[0025] It is to be clearly understood that the above description is
intended by way of illustration and example only and is not
intended to be taken by way of limitation, and that changes and
modifications are possible. For example, other rack hanger
configurations are possible, such as a rack hanger in which the
main body lacks horizontal segment 48, in which case openings may
be provided on segment 50 for securing to the rack hanger to the
oven using fasteners. In another example, a pair of separate
brackets may be secured to the oven to form the rack hanger. Other
variations are possible.
* * * * *