U.S. patent number 3,828,763 [Application Number 05/360,042] was granted by the patent office on 1974-08-13 for oven door construction with front glass panel.
This patent grant is currently assigned to General Electric Company. Invention is credited to Arthur C. Wilson.
United States Patent |
3,828,763 |
Wilson |
August 13, 1974 |
OVEN DOOR CONSTRUCTION WITH FRONT GLASS PANEL
Abstract
A windowed door construction for use as an insulated oven door
for an electric or gas domestic oven. The door has a large front
glass panel and a metal inner door liner with a small window
opening and a multiple glazed window assembly and thermal
insulation combined in the door. A sheet metal decorative trim
frame encircles the front glass panel along the bottom edge and up
the two opposite sides of the glass panel. An inner support strip
is attached to the decorative trim frame for engaging the adjacent
edges of the front glass panel. An elongated handle assembly joins
the free ends of the inner support strip and comprises the top
portion of the door construction. All fastening screws are hidden
from view when the oven door is in its closed position.
Inventors: |
Wilson; Arthur C. (Louisville,
KY) |
Assignee: |
General Electric Company
(Louisville, KY)
|
Family
ID: |
23416354 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/360,042 |
Filed: |
May 14, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
126/200; 52/456;
52/786.13 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24C
15/04 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F24C
15/04 (20060101); F24C 15/02 (20060101); F24c
015/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;126/200
;52/616,656,455,456,400 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Dority, Jr.; Carroll B.
Assistant Examiner: Schwartz; Larry T.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Caslin; Richard L. Boos, Jr.;
Francis H.
Claims
What is claimed as new and is desired to be secured by Letters
Patent of the United States is:
1. A door construction comprising a large front panel of tinted
glass fastened in a three-sided wrap-around decorative frame that
extends along the bottom and up the two sides of the glass panel,
said decorative frame being a single sheet metal member with
flexible sections at the two ends of the bottom portion of the
frame so that the two side portions may be folded up into position,
a separate inner support means attached in the frame and provided
with means to engage the adjacent edges of the glass panel and hold
it in place, a top assembly located above the top edge of the glass
panel and spanning the distance across the top of the frame, and
rear fastening means at the opposite ends of the top assembly
joining the top assembly to at least one of the decorative frame
and inner support means, a metal inner door liner including a
window opening provided with a multi-glazed window pack within the
inner liner assembled across the window opening, and thermal
insulation filling at least some of the inner door liner around the
window pack, and fastening means attaching the inner liner to the
door frame.
2. A windowed door construction comprising a front glass panel and
a metal inner door liner, the glass panel being confined within a
simple sheet metal decorative trim frame that extends along the
bottom and up the opposite sides of the glass panel, the trim frame
including an inner support means telescoped into the said trim
frame and confined thereby, said inner support means having channel
means for receiving and clamping the edges of the front glass
panel, and an elongated handle assembly comprising the top edge of
the door, and fastening means connecting the handle assembly to the
trim frame, the said inner door liner having a window opening, a
multiple glass window pack assembled within the inner door liner
over the said window opening, and thermal insulation filling at
least some of the inner door liner around the window pack, and an
insulation guard plate assembled over the insulation to hold it in
place, and fastening means for joining the inner door liner to the
front glass panel assembly.
3. A windowed door construction as recited in claim 2 wherein the
decorative trim frame is a single straight piece of material with
flexible sections at the two ends of the bottom portion of the
frame so that the two side portions may be folded up into
position.
4. A windowed door construction as recited in claim 3 wherein the
said inner support means is formed of at least three separate
peices, a piece in the bottom portion of the frame and separate
pieces in the opposite side portions of the frame.
5. A windowed oven door construction comprising an overall front
glass panel and a metal inner door liner having a window opening
and a multi-glazed window pack mounted within the inner door liner
over the said window opening, thermal insulation held within the
inner door liner around the window pack, and a sheet metal
decorative trim frame encircling the front glass panel along the
bottom edge and up the two opposite sides of the glass panel, an
inner support means telescoped within the trim frame and
substantially coextensive therewith for clamping the edge of the
glass panel, and an elongated handle assembly comprising the top
edge of the door and attached to the free upper ends of the inner
support means from the back side of the handle assembly, and
fastening means for joining the inner door liner to the front glass
panel assembly.
6. A windowed oven door construction as recited in claim 5 wherein
the front glass panel is a tinted glass that is provided with an
opaque mask on its rear surface having a window opening
substantially aligned with the window opening in the inner door
liner.
7. A windowed oven door construction as recited in claim 5 wherein
the decorative trim frame is formed of a straight piece of material
with flexible sections at the two corners of the bottom portion of
the frame so that the two side portions may be folded up into
position with the inner support means engaging the edge of the
front glass panel.
8. A windowed oven door construction as recited in claim 7 wherein
the decorative trim frame is provided with folded-over edges along
the opposite sides thereof except at the two flexible sections at
the two corners of the bottom portion of the frame, and the inner
support means is of generally flat configuration that is confined
by the folded-over edges.
9. A windowed oven door construction comprising a large front glass
panel and a metal inner door liner having a relatively small window
opening, and a multi-glazed window assembly mounted within the door
and sealed over the said window opening, thermal insulation means
combined with the door to retard the conduction of heat
therethrough, a one-piece decorative trim frame encircling the
front glass panel along the bottom edge and the two opposite sides
of the glass panel, the said one-piece decorative trim frame being
of sheet metal configuration with flexible sections at the two ends
of the bottom portion of the frame so that the two opposite side
portions may be folded up into position with the inner support
strip clamping the edges of the front glass panel, an inner support
strip attached in the trim frame for clamping the edge of the front
glass panel, the trim frame having folded edges for attaching the
inner support strip therein, the inner support strip including tab
means for engaging the edge of the front glass panel, and an
elongated handle assembly attached to the free upper ends of the
inner support strip and comprising the top edge of the door, and
fastening means for joining the inner door liner to the front glass
panel and trim frame assembly.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
One of the first oven door designs with an all-glass front glass
panel is illustrated in the Design U.S. Pat. No. 195,610 of Robert
W. Blee and Renor S. Faidy, which is assigned to the General
Electric Company, the assignee of the present invention. These
early all-glass oven door designs had decorative trim frames of
heavy die castings or extrusions which were relatively heavy in
weight and expensive to manufacture. In recent years range
manufacturers have worked toward improved oven door designs using
multiple frame members that are attached together to form the
whole, with a principal objective to hide all of the fastening
screws from view when the oven door is in its closed position. It
is considered detracting from the pleasing appearance of the door
if any of the fastening screws are exposed at the front of the oven
and also along the sides and top edge of the door. It is considered
acceptable to have fastening screws along the bottom or underside
of the door as well as on the inner side of the door, but even here
the numbers of such fastening screws should be held to a
minimum.
The principle object of the present invention is to provide a
windowed oven door construction with a front all-glass panel that
is supported by a simple three-sided wrap-around decorative trim
frame in combination with a top handle assembly that constitutes
the top edge of the door.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a windowed
oven door of the class described wherein the decorative trim frame
is supplied with an inner support strip for engaging and clamping
the front glass panel.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a windowed
oven door of the class described wherein the decorative trim frame
is of sheet metal construction having bendable sections adjacent
the two ends of the bottom portion of the frame so that the two
side portions may be folded up into engagement with the side edges
of the front glass panel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention, in accordance with one form thereof, relates
to a windowed oven door construction comprising a front all-glass
panel and a metal inner door liner having a smaller window opening
in cooperation with a multi-glazed window assembly and thermal
insulation assembled within the door. The front glass panel is
confined within a three-sided decorative trim frame that extends
along the bottom and up the two sides of the glass panel. The trim
frame includes an inner support means that is attached in the frame
and capable of engaging the adjacent edges of the glass panel so as
to hold it in place. An elongated handle assembly comprises the
fourth side of the trim frame and is fastened to the frame to
comprise the top edge of the door. The inner door liner is fastened
to the front glass panel and trim frame assembly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
This invention will be better understood from the following
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and
its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a windowed oven door
construction embodying the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a somewhat exploded front elevational view of the oven
door construction of FIG. 1 showing the elongated handle assembly
at the top edge of the door slightly removed from the trim frame
and the two side portions of the trim frame pivoted outwardly from
the front glass panel at the top to illustrate the flexible nature
of the trim frame, while the left side portion of the frame shows
the inner support strip partially raised therefrom to illustrate
the telescopic nature of assembly.
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the sheet metal
decorative trim frame showing only a segment of the bottom portion
and one side portion, with the inner support strip supported within
the trim frame for engaging the adjacent edge of the front glass
panel. Also shown is the nature of the means for fastening the
elongated handle assembly to the combined decorative trim frame and
inner support strip. It should be understood that this FIG. 3 is
not an exact illustration of the oven door design in its assembled
position in that the inner support strips have been shifted
slightly in position so as to enable a better understanding of the
construction.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional elevational view taken on the line 4--4
of FIG. 1 and showing the door in its fully assembled condition so
as to enable the complete understanding of the present
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Turning now to a consideration of the drawings and in particular to
FIG. 1, there is shown an oven door 10 embodying the present
invention which has a large front glass panel 12 that is enclosed
by a three-sided, wrap-around decorative trim frame 14 and an
elongated handle assembly 16 that constitutes the top portion of
the oven door 10. As is best seen in FIG. 2, the decorative trim
frame 14 is a one-piece, three-sided, wrap-around design having a
bottom portion 20 and two opposite side portions 21 and 22.
The detailed nature of the decorative trim frame 14 can best be
understood with relation to the fragmentary view of FIG. 3 wherein
the trim frame 14 is shown as a single sheet metal member wherein
the side edges are rolled on themselves as at 25 at the front of
the frame and as at 27 at the rear edge of the frame. The front
edge 25 is somewhat wider than the rear edge 27 so to give more of
a decorative trim width to the frame as at 29 in FIG. 1. In other
words, the front edge of the trim frame has a folded perpendicular
flange 29 of narrow width and its free edge is rolled over as at 25
to form a re-entrant fold or channel. The rear edge has a simple
folded re-entrant channel 27.
Turning back to FIG. 2, it is clear that the two ends of the bottom
portion 20 of the decorative trim frame 14 are furnished with
resilient sections 31 and 32 which act in the manner of a simple
bendable hinge so that the two side portions 21 and 22 of the trim
frame may be flexed upwardly and against the adjacent edges of the
front glass panel 12. Corner 31 is illustrated in FIG. 3 as
comprising a portion of the decorative trim frame 14 wherein the
front flange 29 and the re-entrant channel 25 as well as the rear
re-entrant channel 27 are notched out so as to leave the trim frame
in that area as just a simple planar section which may flex or bend
when an upward force is exerted against the side portions 21 and 22
of the trim frame 14. Notice in FIG. 2 that the front flange 29 is
provided with a V-notch 34 such that when the side portions are
pivoted into a perpendicular or vertical position the V-notch will
close in the manner of a mitered joint so as to give a closed joint
appearance and substantially eliminate any cracks or crevices in
the corners of the frame.
Some means must be provided between the trim frame 14 and the front
glass panel 12 for supporting the glass panel in the frame against
movement. This need is satisfied by an inner support means 36 which
is shown as comprising three separate pieces, a bottom piece 38 and
two identical side pieces 40 and 41. It should be understood,
however, that this inner support strip 36 could be formed as one
piece rather than being divided into three separate pieces as is
illustrated. This inner support strip 36 is also of sheet metal
construction that is substantially coextensive with the trim frame
14 and has a transverse configuration of generally L-shape with a
wide flat portion 42 and a narrow front flange 44. The inner
support strip 36 is adapted to telescope into the trim frame 14 and
be held in place by the folded-over edges 25 and 27, as is best
seen in FIG. 3. Each piece 38, 40 and 41 of the inner support strip
36 is provided with lanced tabs 46 which are adapted to be folded
into a perpendicular position with respect to the flat portion 42
of the inner support strip and cooperate with the opposing edge of
the folded-over edge 25 of the trim frame for establishing a close
fitting channel which is adapted to receive and clamp the adjacent
edge of the front glass panel 12 as is illustrated at the bottom
front edge of the door as is seen in the cross-sectional
elevational view of FIG. 4.
It should be understood that the inner support strip 40 as
illustrated in FIG. 3 is not in its final assembled position since
it is raised out of engagement with the lower portion 20 of the
trim frame 14, and this is not a typical situation. This view was
made to illustrate the telescopic nature of inserting the inner
support strip 40 into the decorative trim frame 14. Somewhat the
same situation is true of the inner support strip 38 is seen in
FIG. 3 in that it is moved off to the right from its final
assembled position. This is clear because the inner support strip
38 is provided with a screw hole 52 which is adapted to match with
a similar screw hole 54 in the bottom portion 20 of the trim frame.
These two screw holes are adapted to be aligned with a screw hole
56 in a foot or horizontal flange 58 that is formed at the lower
end of the inner support strip 40. It should be understood that a
similar arrangement would be found at the opposite corner of the
trim frame. A fastening screw 60 is illustrated for threading into
the openings 52, 54 and 56 and holding the parts together.
Thus, in order to assemble the front segment of the door 10 the
front glass panel 12 is first moved into the narrow channel
formation in the bottom portion 20 of the trim frame 14 created by
the lanced tabs 46 of the bottom most inner support strip 38 in
cooperation with the folded-over edge 25 of the front flange 29 of
the trim frame. Then the two opposite side portions 21 and 22 of
the trim frame are pivotal about the resilient corners 31 and 32
until the inner support strips 40 and 41 engage the adjacent edges
of the front glass panel 12. Then it is necessary to assemble the
elongated handle assembly 16 across the top portion of the door.
Notice that the inner support strips 40 and 41 extend up above the
top edge of the side portions 21 and 22 of the trim frame 14, as at
62 and 64. The top handle assembly 16 is furnished with die cast
end caps 63 and 65 respectively which fit over the ends of an
elongated plastic or metal hollow housing 67 which has a transverse
elevational cross-section of an overhang as is best seen in FIG. 4
formed by a continuous top surface 69 and an undercut bottom
surface 71 having an elongated slot 73 for receiving a person's
fingers to obtain a firm grip on the top portion of the oven door
10 so that it may be pivoted into either an open or a closed
position by hinging the door along an imaginary horizontal axis
adjacent the bottom edge of the door, as will be well understood by
those skilled in this art. Connected between the two end caps 63
and 65 across the back side of the top handle assembly 16 is a
strong mounting plate 75 which has at the top edge a rear-turned
decorative flange 77 which aligns with the top portion of each end
cap 63 and 65. The inner support strips 40 and 41 have an upper
flange 62 and 64 respectively that is provided with screw openings
79 that are adapted to be aligned with similar openings in the
mounting plate 75 for receiving fastening screws 81 thereby joining
the top handle assembly 16 with the trim frame 14 and front glass
panel 12 through the medium of the inner support strips 40 and
41.
The mounting plate 75 of the top handle assembly 16 also includes a
pair of hat-shaped brackets 85 at each end thereof that are each
provided with a screw opening over which is adapted to be assembled
a Tinnerman type sheet metal nut so that the screw opening need not
be threaded but will receive a fastening screw 110, as will be well
understood by those skilled in the appliance art.
The rear side of the oven door 10 is provided with a metal inner
door liner 90 of generally rectangular configuration having a
generally rectangular raised embossment 92 which forms a plug-like
member that is adapted to fit closely within the front opening of
an oven liner (not shown). The inner door liner 90 has a
rectangular window opening 94 behind which is mounted a
multi-glazed window pack assembly 96 which is a sealed sub-assembly
comprising at least two glass panes 97 and 98 which are spaced
apart by a spacer frame 100 and sealed in such a way that no water
vapor, dust and grease may become lodged on the inner surface of
the glass panes and reduce the visibility. Two of the fastening
means 102 are present to hold the window pack 96 firmly over the
inside of the window opening 94. It should be appreciated by those
skilled in this art that this invention is not limited to a
particular arrangement of the window pack assembly 96 as to how
many glass panes are employed, and as to what means are used to
prevent the inner surfaces of the glass pane from becoming soiled.
A layer of thermal insulating material 106 such as fiber glass is
installed in the embossment 92 around the window pack assembly 96
so that the plug-like embossment is an insulated component for
retarding the loss of heat from the oven through the door. Notice
that there is a sheet metal insulation guard 112 which is fastened
against the inner surface of the inner door liner 90 across the
plug-like embossment 90 for supporting the thermal insulation 106
in place. Of course, this insulation guard 112 would be provided
with a window opening 94 so as not to obscure the visibility
therethrough.
The inner door liner 90 is provided with a front turned peripheral
flange 108, as is best seen in FIG. 4, which is adapted to
telescope within the decorative trim frame 14. At the lower edge of
the door the inner door liner 90 is fastened to the trim frame 14
by means of the fastening screws 60 that are threaded up from the
bottom through the trim frame through screw openings 52, 54 and 56
in the trim frame and the inner support strips and finally into the
flange 108 of the inner door liner. At the top of the door, the
inner door liner 90 is fastened to the brackets 85 on the back side
of the mounting plate 77 by means of fastening screws 110.
Looking at the front view of the door of FIG. 1 only a small
rectangular window opening 114 is slightly visible. This is because
an opaque mask 116 is applied on the inner surface of the front
glass panel 12, and this mask is continuous except for the window
opening 114 which aligns with the window pack 96 and window opening
94 in the inner door liner 90. Preferably, the front glass panel
112 is of tinted glass such that when the oven interior is not
lighted the glass panel 12 will appear as a dark reflective or
mirror surface and viewing into the oven interior would not be
possible. Only when the oven interior is lighted would it be
possible to view through the window opening 114 and see the
condition of food being cooked within the oven.
Notice that there is an air space in FIG. 4 between the front glass
panel 12 and the insulation guard 112. This air space serves as a
cooling air channel for reducing the operating temperature of the
door. Air slots 114 are provided along the bottom edge 20 of the
trim frame 14, as well as similar slots 116 in the top handle
assembly 16 preferably extending from one side to the other of the
handle assembly so as to obtain a swift upward air movement through
the door when the oven is heated.
Modifications of this invention will occur to those skilled in this
art. Therefore, it is to be understood that this invention is not
limited to the particular embodiments disclosed but that it is
intended to cover all modifications which are within the true
spirit and scope of this invention as claimed.
* * * * *