Oven Vent Hood

Abstract

A hood for use with a baking oven or the like having an exhaust vent in its upper surface which communicates with an interior of the hood, the hood having a faceplate, an upper vent above the faceplate and a lower vent below the faceplate, the oven flue products being enabled to enter the hood and mix with cool air which is drawn into the hood through the lower vent before passing out through the upper vent or through an exhaust fan.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Kitchen ranges and other appliances are often provided with oven exhaust hoods located on their upper ends for exhausting flue products which flow from the ovens into the hoods. In some known hood structures there is provided a vent or gap located below the faceplate for the purpose of permitting exhaust of oven flue products when the exhaust fan in the hood is not operating. In such cases it will be apparent that the flue products passing out through the gap will be directed onto the outer surface of the faceplate and the handle thereon. Such heating of the exposed surfaces of the hood is extremely undersirable since it presents a hazard to the manual manipulation of the faceplate and the appurtenances thereon.

A switch is usually provided on the faceplate whereby the exhaust fan may be switched on to draw the oven flue products through the filter into the interior of the rear chamber of the hood from which the hot air will eventually be expelled through the fan.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above and other disadvantages of the prior art are overcome in the present invention by the incorporation of a novel hot air circulation system including a vent in the upper surface of the hood behind the faceplate. Thus, when the fan is off and oven flu products pass upwardly from the oven into the hood, the products will continue upwardly and will pass out through the hood through the upper vent, remaining behind the faceplate at all times. When the oven flue products flow upwardly as described, this creates a negative pressure which pulls cool air into the hood through the lower vent by stack action. This substantially lowers the temperature of the oven flue products so that the rear or inner surfaces of the faceplate will not be unduly heated. Consequently, the exposed surfaces of the faceplate will always remain cool to the touch.

When an exhaust fan in the rear interior of the hood is operated, this will draw the hot flue products through a filter and will eventually force the filtered air out through a rear port or aperture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an oven-hood combination of a type to which the invention is applicable;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view front-to-rear of a hood embodying the invention;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the hood faceplate in open position; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of adjacent portions of the hood and oven showing cooperating vent structures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1 an oven 10 which is of the type known as a "top" oven located at the upper end of an upright background 12 and overlying the maintop of a conventional range (not shown) in a well known manner. Disposed immediately above the oven 10 is a hood 14, and above the hood may be found cabinets 15 or the like.

The oven 10 may be of known structure, electric or gas fueled, with a front-opening door 16 which provides access to the interior. Within the oven 16 are one or more heating units (not shown) which may be activated for heating food products to be placed in the oven.

A control panel 18 is located on the front of the oven at one side of door 16 and carries the control knobs 20 by which the heating elements in the oven may be activated in the known manner.

It will be understood that when food is being prepared in the oven 10 combustion products will be produced. Such products may be generated from the items being cooked or may arise from the heating element as in the case of gas burners, for example. These products, from whatever source, will be referred to hereinafter as flue products.

In the normal operation of an appliance of this character, flue products will rise within the oven chamber 22 (FIG. 2) and will exit through a vent 24 which communicates by a passageway 26 with an opening 28 in the bottom wall 30 of the hood 14.

The front of the hood 14 is closed by a door 32 which is hinged at 34 to pivot about an axis located slightly rearwardly of its top edge as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. When the door 32 is closed as shown in FIG. 2, the flue products will rise upwardly as shown by the dashed line 36 and will pass out of the top of the hood through a vent 38 therein.

The bottom wall 30 of the hood is raised slightly above the oven door 16 to form a gap 40 therebetween and the vent 28 extends sufficiently forwardly to communicate with the gap 40. Thus, when hot air and flue products rise as described, resulting negative pressures cause stack action which will draw cool air into the hood through gap 40 and vent 28 to mix with and cool the rising air. This is also indicated in FIG. 2 by a dashed line 42 which connects with dashed line 36.

It will be understood that this mixture of cool air with the flue products, by decreasing the temperature of the products also lowers the temperature of the inner wall of the door 32. Thus, the handle 44 and outer surface of the door will remain cool to the touch.

An exhaust fan 46 is mounted rearwardly within the hood housing and may be activated to exhaust the flue products through a rear or top exhaust vent 48 or through a charcoal vented unit. The exhaust fan 46 is conventional in structure and operation and, therefore, is not described in detail herein. A filter 50 also is located in the hood between the vent 28 and the fan 46 to filter the flue products as they are drawn out by the fan. The flow of flue products with the fan on is shown by dotted line 52 in FIG. 2.

During the foregoing described cycle the faceplate 32 is closed as shown in FIG. 2 and an excessive heat situation occurs only when the faceplate 32 is closed and the exhaust fan 46 is off. Should an operator decide to operate the fan 46 he will operate a switch 54 which may be mounted on the faceplate 54. Switch 54 connects the fan 46 to an external power source by conventional electrical circuitry (not shown).

If the operator decides to capture flue products from the bottom portion of the range by opening the faceplate to the position shown in FIG. 3, no hazard will be presented since the faceplate 32 and, more important, the handle 44 have not been unduly heated even if the fan was not operated.

Therefore, since the faceplate and its attachments and appurtenances do not become undesirably heated, they may be handled and manipulated without fear of being burned. Accordingly, the objectives of this invention have been achieved by the circulation system shown and described.

It will be apparent, however, that various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the accompanying claims. Therefore, all matter shown and described is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Claims

I claim:

1. The combination of an oven, an exhaust hood positioned on top of said oven, and including a housing having parallel transversely extending top and bottom walls and a movable faceplate spanning the space between adjacent ends of said top and bottom walls, a vent in the top of the oven, a lower vent in the bottom wall of the hood behind said faceplate communicating with said oven vent, and an exhaust vent in the top wall of said hood behind and adjacent the faceplate whereby hot air from the oven will rise through the hood behind the faceplate and will exit through said exhaust vent, when said faceplate is closed, without contacting the outer surface of the faceplate.

2. An exhaust hood comprising a housing having top and bottom walls, side walls and back wall, a movable faceplate in the front of the housing, a lower vent in the bottom wall rearwardly of the faceplate, and an exhaust vent in said top wall behind and adjacent said faceplate whereby hot air entering the housing through the lower vent will rise through the housing behind the faceplate and flow out through said exhaust vent, when the faceplate is closed, without contacting the outer surface of the faceplate.