U.S. patent application number 11/992277 was filed with the patent office on 2009-12-10 for cooking appliance mounted at an elevated level.
This patent application is currently assigned to BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate GmbH. Invention is credited to Gerd Wilsdorf.
Application Number | 20090301464 11/992277 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37726934 |
Filed Date | 2009-12-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090301464 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wilsdorf; Gerd |
December 10, 2009 |
Cooking Appliance Mounted at an Elevated Level
Abstract
A cooking appliance which is mounted at an elevated level and
comprises at least one muffle that defines a cooking compartment
and is provided with a muffle opening, and a bottom door for
closing the muffle opening. The inventive cooking appliance is
provided with a boundary decoration on the top face of the bottom
door. Said boundary decoration indicates a border of the cooking
compartment on the bottom door in a substantial manner, i.e.
without distortions modifying the characteristics, according to the
support of the muffle.
Inventors: |
Wilsdorf; Gerd; (Olching,
DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BSH HOME APPLIANCES CORPORATION;INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DEPARTMENT
100 BOSCH BOULEVARD
NEW BERN
NC
28562
US
|
Assignee: |
BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate
GmbH
Munchen
DE
|
Family ID: |
37726934 |
Appl. No.: |
11/992277 |
Filed: |
September 18, 2006 |
PCT Filed: |
September 18, 2006 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2006/066435 |
371 Date: |
July 28, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
126/273A |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24C 15/027 20130101;
F24C 15/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
126/273.A |
International
Class: |
F24C 15/30 20060101
F24C015/30 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 19, 2005 |
DE |
102005044693.0 |
Claims
1-8. (canceled)
9. A high-level built-in cooking appliance having a muffle defining
a cooking chamber with a muffle opening formed on its base side,
the cooking appliance comprising: a base door for generally
vertical movement into and out of a covering relation with the
muffle opening, the base door being formed with an indicia pattern
disposed on an upwardly directed portion of the base door for
indicating the limits of the cooking chamber on the base door when
the base door is covering the muffle opening.
10. The high-level built-in cooking appliance according to claim 9
wherein an outer contour of the indicia pattern corresponds to the
cooking chamber limits.
11. The high-level built-in cooking appliance according to claim 9
wherein an outer contour of the indicia pattern corresponds to a
location on the base door a predetermined clearance distance from
the cooking chamber limits.
12. The high-level built-in cooking appliance according to claim 9
wherein the clearance distance is less than 2 cm, in particular
less than 1 cm.
13. The high-level built-in cooking appliance according to claim 12
wherein the clearance distance at a rear edge of the indicia
pattern is greater than at least one of the clearance distance at a
front edge of the indicia pattern and the clearance distance at
side edges of the indicia pattern.
14. The high-level built-in cooking appliance according to claim 13
wherein the clearance distance at the front edge of the indicia
pattern and the clearance distance at the side edges the indicia
pattern are each less than 2 cm, in particular less than 1 cm, and
the clearance at the rear edge is greater than 1 cm, in particular
more than 2 cm, and less than 4 cm.
15. The high-level built-in cooking appliance claim 9 wherein the
corners of the indicia pattern are rounded.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a high-level built-in
cooking appliance having at least one muffle that delimits a
cooking chamber and has a muffle opening on its base side, and a
base door for closing the muffle opening.
[0002] Generic high-level built-in cooking appliances are known for
example from U.S. Pat. No. 2,944,540, WO 98/04871, DE 100 59 652 or
DE 101 64 239.
[0003] Also known for cookers having hotplates made of glass
ceramic is the use of decor patterns to demarcate the
hotplates.
[0004] With high-level built-in cooking appliances it is
disadvantageous in contrast to other types of cooking appliances
that when the base door is moved upward--e.g. for the purpose of
closing the cooking appliance for an oven mode of
operation--cookware that projects beyond the edge of the cooking
chamber or muffle can become jammed or can be overturned. In order
to avoid damage due to objects being jammed in the closing
direction, anti-jamming protection devices are known, e.g. from DE
101 64 239, in which after the jamming situation has occurred the
base door is halted and its movement reversed. In this case,
however, the jamming situation is not prevented, with the result
that although serious damage due to the jamming incident is
avoided, accidents such as, for example, cooking dishes or baking
pans being overturned or foods placed directly on the surface being
crushed are not.
[0005] It is therefore the object of the present invention to
provide a means of avoiding objects becoming jammed on the top side
of the base door.
[0006] The present object is achieved by means of the high-level
built-in cooking appliance as claimed in claim 1. Advantageous
embodiments may be derived from the dependent claims either
individually or in combination.
[0007] For this purpose the high-level built-in cooking appliance
is furnished on the top side of the base door with a delimiting
decor pattern which essentially, i.e. without nature-modifying
deviations, indicates the limits of the cooking
chamber--corresponding to the rest position of the muffle--on the
base door. By means of said delimiting decor pattern it is possible
for a user to check the position of objects on the base door prior
to the closing movement in order to determine whether they will
move into the muffle without colliding or jamming.
[0008] In order to utilize the maximum space for placing objects on
the base door it is advantageous if the outer contour of the
delimiting decor pattern corresponds to the limits of the cooking
chamber.
[0009] Since full utilization of the limits of the cooking chamber
permits no tolerance for error on the part of the user (e.g. not
taking into account pot edges, imprecise positioning in particular
in the case of larger objects, poor vision, haste, etc.), it can be
advantageous if the outer contour of the delimiting decor pattern
corresponds to the limits of the cooking chamber except for a
clearance. Said clearance allows a corresponding exceeding of the
delimiting decor pattern for the purpose of an orderly closing
movement.
[0010] For typical cooking appliances it has proved a good
compromise between adequate safety clearance and maximum
utilization of the limits of the cooking chamber if the clearance
is less than 3.5 cm, in particular less than 2 cm, especially less
than 1 cm.
[0011] Since objects usually cannot be positioned so precisely in
respect of the rear edge of the delimiting decor pattern due to the
poorer perspective recognition and a possible concealing of the
boundary, it is advantageous if the clearance is greater at a rear
edge of the delimiting decor pattern than the clearance at a front
edge of the delimiting decor pattern and/or than the clearance at
side edges of the delimiting decor pattern. In this case it has
proven favorable in particular if the clearance at the front edge
and the clearance at the side edges is less than 2 cm, in
particular less than 1 cm, and the clearance at the rear edge more
than 1 cm, in particular more than 2 cm, and less than 4 cm.
[0012] Since corner limits are comparatively more difficult to
observe by a user, it is advantageous if the corners of the
delimiting decor pattern are rounded.
[0013] The invention is described below with reference to the
attached schematic figures, in which:
[0014] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a wall-mounted,
high-level built-in cooking appliance with the base door
lowered;
[0015] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the high-level built-in
cooking appliance with the base door closed;
[0016] FIG. 3 shows a plan view onto an embodiment of the base
door;
[0017] FIG. 4 shows a schematic side view, in cross-section along
the line I-I shown in FIG. 1, of the wall-mounted, high-level
built-in cooking appliance with the base door lowered; and
[0018] FIG. 5 shows a plan view onto an embodiment of the base door
with delimiting decor pattern.
[0019] In the interests of providing a better illustration of the
individual elements the figures are not drawn to scale.
[0020] FIG. 1 shows a high-level built-in cooking appliance having
a housing 1. The rear of the housing 1 is mounted in the manner of
a suspended cabinet on a wall 2. Defined in the housing 1 is a
cooking chamber 3 that can be monitored through a viewing window 4
incorporated at the front in the housing 1. It can be seen in FIG.
4 that the cooking chamber 3 is delimited by a muffle 5 which is
provided with a thermally insulating casing (not shown) and that
the muffle 5 has a muffle opening 6 on its base. The muffle opening
6 can be closed by means of a base door 7. The base door 7 is shown
in the lowered position in FIG. 1, resting with its underside on a
work surface 8 of an item of kitchen furniture. In order to close
the cooking chamber 3 the base door 7 must be moved into the
position shown in FIG. 2, which is termed the "zero position". For
the purpose of moving the base door 7 the high-level built-in
cooking appliance has a drive device 9, 10. The drive device 9, 10
has a drive motor 9, indicated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 by means of
dashed lines, which is disposed between the muffle 5 and an
exterior wall of the housing 1. The drive motor 9 is disposed in
the area of the rear of the housing 1 and, as shown in FIG. 1 or 4,
is operatively connected to a pair of lifting elements 10 which are
linked to the base door 7. According to the schematic side view
shown in FIG. 4 each lifting element 10 is therein embodied as an
L-shaped support whose vertical limb extends from the drive motor 9
on the housing side. For moving the base door 7 the drive motor 9
can be actuated with the aid of an operating panel 12 and a control
circuit 13, which panel is according to FIGS. 1 and 2 arranged at
the front on the base door 7. As shown in FIG. 4, the control
circuit 13 is located behind the operating panel 12 inside the base
door 7. The control circuit 13, consisting here of a plurality of
spatially and functionally separate printed circuit boards that
communicate via a communication bus, constitutes a central control
unit for operating the appliance and controls and/or regulates, for
example, heating, displacing of the base door 3, implementing of
user inputs, illuminating, pinching/jamming protection, clocking of
the heating elements 16, 17, 18, 22, and much more.
[0021] It can be seen from FIG. 1 that a top side of the base door
7 has a cooking matrix 15. Virtually the entire surface of the
cooking matrix 15 is occupied by heating elements 16, 17, 18, which
are indicated in FIG. 1 by dash-dotted lines. According to FIG. 1
the heating elements 16, 17 are two differently sized hotplate
heating elements spaced apart from each other, while the heating
element 18 is a panel heating element provided between and almost
enclosing the two hotplate heating elements 16, 17. For the user,
the hotplate heating elements 16, 17 define associated cooking
zones or cooking rings; together with the panel heating element 18,
the hotplate heating elements 16, 17 define a bottom-heat zone. The
zones can be indicated by means of a suitable decor pattern on the
surface. The heating elements 16, 17, 18 can each be controlled via
the control circuit 13.
[0022] In the exemplary embodiment shown, the heating elements 16,
17, 18 are embodied as radiant heating elements covered by a glass
ceramic plate 19. The glass ceramic plate 19 has approximately the
same dimensions as the top side of the base door 7. The glass
ceramic plate 19 is furthermore fitted with mounting openings (not
shown) through which protrude bases for fixing securing parts 20
for supports 21 for items being cooked, as also shown in FIG. 4.
Instead of a glass ceramic plate 19 it is also possible to employ
other--preferably fast-reacting--coverings, for example a thin
metal plate.
[0023] With the aid of a control knob provided in the operating
panel 12 the high-level built-in cooking appliance can be switched
to a hotplate operating mode or a bottom-heat operating mode, which
are explained below.
[0024] In the hotplate operating mode the hotplate heating elements
16, 17 can be controlled individually via the control circuit 13 by
means of control elements 11 provided in the operating panel 12,
while the panel heating element 18 remains in the non-operating
state. The hotplate operating mode can be used with the base door 7
lowered, as is shown in FIG. 1. However, it can also be used within
the scope of an energy-saving function when the cooking chamber 3
is closed with the base door 7 raised.
[0025] In the bottom-heat operating mode not only the hotplate
heating elements 16, 17 but also the panel heating element 18 are
controlled by the control device 13.
[0026] In order to achieve maximally even browning of items being
cooked during the bottom-heat mode it is critical that the cooking
matrix 15 providing the bottom heat should distribute the heating
output evenly across the surface of the cooking matrix 15, even
though the heating elements 16, 17, 18 have different nominal
outputs. The heating elements 16, 17, 18 are therefore preferably
not switched to continuous operation by the control circuit 13;
instead, the power supply to the heating elements 16, 17, 18 is
clocked. The different nominal heat outputs of the heating elements
16, 17, 18 are therein reduced individually in such a way that the
heating elements 16, 17, 18 will distribute the heating output
evenly across the surface of the cooking matrix 15.
[0027] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the position of an air
circulation pot 23 having an air circulation motor and an
associated ring heating element, e.g. for generating hot
circulating air in the case of a hot-air mode of operation. The air
circulation pot 23, which is open toward the cooking chamber, is
typically separated from the latter by a deflector (not shown).
Further provided attached to a top side of the muffle 5 is a
top-heat heating element 22 that can be embodied as of
single-circuit or multiple-circuit design, for example having an
inner and an outer circuit. The various operating modes such as,
for example, also top-heat, hot-air or quick-heat mode can be set
by means of the control circuit 13 by appropriately switching or
setting the heat output of the heating elements 16, 17, 18, 22,
possibly with activating of the fan 23. The heat output can be set
by means of suitable clocking. The cooking matrix 15 can
furthermore be embodied otherwise, for example with or without a
roasting zone, as a pure--single-circuit or
multiple-circuit--warming zone without cooking rings, and so forth.
The housing 1 has a seal 24 facing toward the base door 7.
[0028] The operating panel 12 is normally arranged at the front of
the base door 7. Other arrangements are alternatively also
conceivable, for example at the front of the housing 1, distributed
over different partial panels, and/or in part on side surfaces of
the cooking appliance. Further embodiments are possible. The
control elements 11 are not limited in their structural design and
can include, for example, control knobs, toggle switches,
pushbuttons, and plastic membrane keys that include display
elements 14, for example LED, LCD and/or touchscreen displays.
[0029] FIG. 5 shows a plan view (not to scale) onto an embodiment
of the base door 7 with delimiting decor pattern. In this view the
operating panel 12 is at the bottom.
[0030] In the closed state the muffle rests on the surface of the
base door 7, the base door 7 thereby forming a side of the cooking
chamber. The limits 25 of the cooking chamber due to the muffle
resting thereon are shown by the dotted line. In this embodiment, a
delimiting decor pattern 26 applied to the surface of the base door
7 has--except for the corner areas--a constant clearance d=1 cm
from the limits of the cooking chamber 25, i.e. the same clearance
for dv for a front edge 26a of the delimiting decor pattern 26, as
well as ds and dh for the side edges 26b and the rear edge 26c,
respectively, of the delimiting decor pattern 26. The clearances
dv, ds and dh can also be different from one another in suitable
combinations; this also applies to the respective two side
clearances ds.
[0031] The surface of the base door 7 also has a decor pattern 27
to delimit the heating zone as well as a decor pattern 28 for the
two hotplates that are present in this case.
[0032] In other embodiments it is possible for example for only one
decor pattern 27 for delimiting the heating zone to be present,
e.g. if the heating zone has no hotplate function, but only a
warming and bottom-heat function. Also, the base door does not need
to have its own heating elements and in that case serves only as a
cover for the cooking chamber.
[0033] The design of the delimiting decor pattern 26 is left to the
discretion of the person skilled in the art and can include, for
example, different line shapes, depths, densities, colors, etc.
LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS
[0034] 1 Housing [0035] 2 Wall [0036] 3 Cooking chamber [0037] 4
Viewing window [0038] 5 Muffle [0039] 6 Muffle opening [0040] 7
Base door [0041] 8 Work surface [0042] 9 Drive motor [0043] 10
Lifting element [0044] 11 Control element [0045] 12 Operating panel
[0046] 13 Control circuit [0047] 14 Display elements [0048] 15
Heating zone [0049] 16 Hotplate heating element [0050] 17 Hotplate
heating element [0051] 18 Panel heating element [0052] 19 Glass
ceramic plate [0053] 20 Securing part [0054] 21 Support for items
being cooked [0055] 22 Top-heat heating element [0056] 23 Fan
[0057] 24 Seal [0058] 25 Cooking chamber limits [0059] 26
Delimiting decor pattern [0060] 26a Front edge of the delimiting
decor pattern [0061] 26b Side edge of the delimiting decor pattern
[0062] 26c Rear edge of the delimiting decor pattern [0063] 27
Heating zone limit [0064] 28 Hotplate decor pattern [0065] d
Clearance: cooking chamber limits--delimiting decor pattern [0066]
dh Rear clearance [0067] ds Side clearance [0068] dv Front
clearance
* * * * *