U.S. patent application number 13/517017 was filed with the patent office on 2012-12-06 for gas burner secondary air feed.
This patent application is currently assigned to WHIRLPOOL S.A.. Invention is credited to Marcos Raphael Da Silva, Henrique Cesar De Gaspari.
Application Number | 20120304978 13/517017 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44246850 |
Filed Date | 2012-12-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120304978 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
De Gaspari; Henrique Cesar ;
et al. |
December 6, 2012 |
GAS BURNER SECONDARY AIR FEED
Abstract
The present invention refers to a gas burner secondary air feed,
comprising an air inlet (2) in contact with ambient air; an air
exit (3) near the base of flames 9 of a burner (7); an elongated
duct (1) connecting said air inlet (2) to said air exit (3), said
duct being disposed beneath a cooking table (8) and capable of
supplying an air flow from the air inlet (2) towards said air exit
(3) by convection generated by flames (9) of the burner (7). Said
duct (1) comprises a straight section (6) substantially parallel to
the flat portion of said cooling table (8) and an upward section
(5) directed to flames (9) of the burner (7), said straight section
(6) connected to the upward section (5) by means of an inflection
region (4).
Inventors: |
De Gaspari; Henrique Cesar;
(Joinville, BR) ; Da Silva; Marcos Raphael;
(Joinville, BR) |
Assignee: |
WHIRLPOOL S.A.
Sao Paulo
BR
|
Family ID: |
44246850 |
Appl. No.: |
13/517017 |
Filed: |
December 16, 2010 |
PCT Filed: |
December 16, 2010 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/BR2010/000442 |
371 Date: |
August 28, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
126/15R |
Current CPC
Class: |
F23D 14/06 20130101;
F24C 3/085 20130101; F23L 9/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
126/15.R |
International
Class: |
F24B 5/04 20060101
F24B005/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 18, 2009 |
BR |
PI0914276-2 |
Claims
1. Gas burner secondary air feed, characterized in that it
comprises: an air inlet (2) in contact with ambient air; an air
exit (3) near the base of flames 9 of a burner (7); an elongated
duct (1) connecting said air inlet (2) to said air exit (3), said
duct being disposed beneath a cooking table (8) and capable of
supplying an air flow from the air inlet (2) towards said air exit
(3) by convection generated by flames (9) of said burner (7).
2. Gas burner secondary air feed, in accordance with claim 1,
characterized in that said duct (1) comprises a straight section
(6) substantially parallel to the flat portion of said cooling
table (8) and an upward section (5) directed to flames (9) of said
burner (7), said straight section (6) being connected to the upward
section (5) by means of an inflection region (4).
3. Gas burner secondary air feed, in accordance with claim 1,
characterized in that said air inlet (2) is an opening provided on
the cooking table (8).
4. Gas burner secondary air feed, in accordance with claim 1,
characterized in that said air inlet (2) is an opening provided on
the front panel of an woven or an independent cooking table,
5. Gas burner secondary air feed, in accordance with claim 1,
characterized in that said air inlet (2) is disposed on the
external sidewall of an oven or an independent cooking table.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention refers to a gas burner secondary air
feed for cooking tables.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Ovens are widely used home appliances, having a main role in
food preparation. Ovens, as known, have the purpose of providing
means for heating foods, either by an apparent flame, magnetic
induction, heat conduction or any applicable devices. In case of
ovens using apparent flame for heating food, some basic features
can be found in almost all models of the state of the art.
[0003] Generally, said ovens comprise an internal gas pipe coupling
a gas reservoir (known as "gas cylinder") to one or more burners.
In most of these products, burners are provided with igniters used
for igniting air/gas mixture, thus generating flames which heat a
pan bottom or similar utensils. In this case, burners have the
function of spreading a flame flow for encompassing the largest
portion of a pan surface. Thus, when a user wishes to use an oven
or an independent cooking table, he positions a pan or utensil on a
tripod (or grid), which is arranged on a burner, handles knobs
disposed on an oven interface or on an independent cooking table,
which regulate gas flow, and turns on an igniter, when same is
present. An igniter actuator can be automatic, when handling gas
flow knobs.
[0004] Nevertheless, many gas ovens present some drawbacks relative
to a flame generated for food heating. Firstly, a total combustion
of a gas being flamed may not occur, thus producing high carbon
monoxide level released in the air, creating yellowish flame. Such
a yellowish flame, as known by a person skilled in the art, covers
a pan or utensil inner surface with fouling. Additionally, a second
drawback refers to the stability of flames which, without a
suitable secondary air feed, may become unstable and thereby
self-extinguishing, resulting in gas leakage, when a burner is not
equipped with a flame sensing device.
[0005] In this sense, secondary air feeding to a burner flame
allowing for better stabilizing and obtaining an almost total
combustion has been needed. Therefore, it is observed that the
state of art brings some exemplary solutions for this problem, as
shown below.
[0006] DE 19861078 refers to a secondary air feed for gas oven
burners. According to the configuration illustrated and described
in this EP document, a cooking table comprises openings, beneath
which burners are disposed. Since said burners are beneath said
cooking table there is an interspace between the burners and
cooking table, where said interspace is used as secondary air
inlet. However, so as to make air flows to a burner flame,
according to the object of this document, a small blower is
provided for forcing air towards a flame.
[0007] EP 1016823 also refers to a burner provided with an
auxiliary air inlet which construction is very similar to that of
the device taught by DE 19861078. In this case, openings are also
disposed on a cooking table wherein a burner base is arranged at
one of these openings, said openings having a diameter larger than
that of said burner base so as to form a concentric gap. Said
concentric gap is directly associated with an empty space just
below said cooling table, this empty space being provided with an
air inlet. Said air inlet comprises a small fan for forcing air to
circulate in this empty space and towards a burner through an
opening made on the cooking table. Air is then supplied upwardly to
burner flames.
[0008] As can be noted, these two examples of the state of the art
employ particularly disadvantageous frames, once a great space
under the cooking table is used to provide for a free space so that
air can circulate up to the burner flames. Moreover, in both cases
air is forced towards said burner flames by means of a fan, thus
making such solutions more expensive.
[0009] Hence, one may note that there is a need in the state of the
art for gas burner secondary air feed of simple structure, which
does not occupy a large are beneath a cooking table, in addition to
using a smaller number of possible elements wherein the use of fans
for forcing air into burner flames is no longer required.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0010] It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a
secondary air feed comprising a simple structure and occupying a
smaller area beneath a cooking table, in addition to eliminating
the use of fans for forcing air into the burner flame.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The objects of the present invention are accomplished by
means of a gas burner secondary air feed, comprising: an air inlet
in contact with ambient air, an air exit near a burner flame base,
an elongated duct connecting the air inlet with the air exit, which
is disposed beneath a cooking table and capable of supplying air
flow from the air inlet to the air exit by convection generated by
burner flames.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0012] Figures show:
[0013] FIG. 1--a side cut view of a gas burner secondary air
feed;
[0014] FIG. 2--a side cut view of a first preferred embodiment of
gas burner air secondary feed of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 3--a side cut view of a second preferred embodiment of
gas burner secondary air feed of the present invention; and
[0016] FIG. 4--a side cut view of a third preferred embodiment of a
gas burner secondary air feed of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] FIG. 1 of the present invention generally illustrates the
preferred embodiments of the present invention, which are shown in
more details in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. As can be seen from FIG. 1, a
secondary air feed of the present invention is assembled beneath a
cooking table 8 and is designed to be disposed near flames 9 of a
gas burner.
[0018] In the context of the present invention, a cooking table
refers to either a cooking table 8 incorporated into an oven or a
separate cooking table, i.e. such as an independent home appliance.
Therefore, as used in this specification, the expression "cooking
table" should be construed in a broad sense once the present
invention can be applied to an oven and also to an independent
cooking table.
[0019] The secondary air feed of the present invention comprises an
air inlet 2 in contact with ambient air. Said air inlet can be in
several forms, such as, for example, a rectangular or elliptical
shape. Preferably, said air inlet 2 is of rectangular form,
contouring the side region design of a cooking table.
[0020] In a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, an
air inlet 2 is an opening disposed at a cooking table 8, as can be
seen from FIG. 2. In this case, said air inlet 2 is a small orifice
made on the surface of a cooking table 8, wherein this orifice can
be placed in any region of said cooking table 8. Other forms and
arrangements of air inlet 2 can be implemented within this
embodiment.
[0021] In a second preferred embodiment of the present invention,
an air inlet 2 is an opening disposed on the front panel 10 of an
oven or independent cooking table, as depicted in FIG. 3.
Therefore, said air inlet 2 can be made as an orifice on a front
panel 10 of an oven or an independent cooking table, with no
detrimental to aesthetics of a home appliance. Further, it should
be understood that air inlet 2 of this second preferred embodiment
may be placed at any region of front panel 10 of an oven or an
independent cooking table.
[0022] In a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, an
air inlet 2 is an opening disposed on the external wall 11 of an
oven or an independent cooking table, as seen from FIG. 4. By this
way, air inlet 2 can be, for example, an orifice or a hole disposed
on a sidewall of an oven or an independent cooking table.
[0023] As can be inferred, air inlet 2 does not require a large
opening and can be made in the form of a small orifice disposed at
any portion of an oven or an independent cooking table, i.e. said
air inlet 2 can be placed on any external surface of the oven or
the cooking table 8, including, for example: (already mentioned)
front panel 10, sidewalls, rear portion, upper surface, among
others falling within the scope of the present invention.
Furthermore, the present invention provides a variety of
arrangements possibilities for said air inlet air 2, so that said
inlet 2 does not interfere with aesthetics of the product.
[0024] Gas burner secondary air feed of the present invention
additionally comprises an air exit 3, as can be seen from FIGS. 1
to 4. Said air exit is designed to be placed near flame base 9 of a
burner 7. Preferentially, said air exit 3 is of circular form;
however, it is to be understood that the present invention
contemplates other possible shapes.
[0025] Secondary air burner of the present invention additionally
comprises an elongated duct 1 coupling air inlet 2 to air exit 3,
allowing for fluids to pass between these areas. Hence, duct 1 has
the ability to supply air flow from inlet 2 to exit 2 by convection
generated by flames 9 of burner 6. Said duct 1 can also have any
cross-section form; however, in the preferred embodiment of the
present invention, this duct has a rectangular cross-section form.
Depending on where said air inlet 2 and air exit 3 are disposed,
duct 1 may have its contour changed, i.e. said duct 1 may have one
or more sinuous segments, depending on the place where air inlet 2
is arranged, as can be seen from FIG. 3, where said duct 1
comprises a short curve 12.
[0026] As illustrated in figures, duct 1 is disposed just beneath
said cooking table 8 so that the thickness of said cooking table
which separates said duct 1 from the external ambient is markedly
thin.
[0027] As can be seen from FIGS. 1 to 4, duct 1 irrespective of the
local of air inlet 2 comprises two distinguished sections, i.e., a
straight section 6 and an upward section 5. Said straight section 6
is substantially parallel to a flat portion of a cooking table 8
whereas said upward section 5 is directed to flames 9 of burner 7,
said straight section 6 being connected to upward section 5 by
means of an inflection region 4.
[0028] It should be understood that said straight section 6 and
upward section 5 can be of any length or contour provided that
their inclination characteristics are maintained, i.e., said
straight section 5 should be substantially parallel to the flat
portion of said cooking table 8, and upward section 5 should be
bent in relation to straight section 6 and directed to flames 9 of
the burner 7.
[0029] By this way, as can be inferred, the present invention does
not employ fans or any other means to force air towards flames 9 of
said burner 7. Contrarily, the present invention uses natural
convection generated by heat produced by flames 9 near the air exit
3, which establishes an air flow inside said duct 1. Therefore, due
to the fact that a fan is not used and that natural means for
establishing an air flow towards flames 9 are employed, the present
invention comprises a significant advantage over the prior art.
[0030] Furthermore, it also noted that the present invention is not
invasive, in the sense that it occupies small space within a
cooking table 8. Consequently, the present invention is of simple
structure allowing for easily performing design and
installation.
[0031] Finally, these advantages result in low costs because fans
are not required and the object of the invention is structurally
simple.
[0032] After describing an example of the preferred embodiment, it
should be construed that the scope of the present invention
encompasses other possible variations, and is limited by the
contents of the appended claims only, including therein possible
equivalents.
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