EP0255413B1 - Door for a domestic oven - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a door for a domestic cooking oven comprising on its front face a window behind which air circulation is ensured, so that the temperature in front of this window is never dangerous for the user or for persons susceptible to be in contact with this window.

In modern kitchens, there is an increasing effort to create elements that combine aesthetics and functionality. This is the case of household appliances and household appliances among which, among others, we find cookers and ovens. A cooker is a device consisting of a cooktop superimposed on one or more ovens.

An oven has a door whose functions are to prevent loss of calories during cooking and to prevent people in the vicinity or using the appliance from getting burned when the heating elements are in operation. In addition, the door of an oven must not affect the overall appearance of the appliance on which it is fixed.

An oven door generally comprises a part made of insulating material enclosed for example between two metal sheets. Often the porthole is formed through the insulating material and the sheets, and is constituted by one or more panes which make it possible to monitor the cooking of the dishes inside the enclosure. The door can be manipulated using a handle attached to the outside, usually horizontally at the top.

However, known doors have drawbacks. In fact, the temperatures reached in the enclosure are sometimes sufficiently high for a period long enough for the door to eventually let heat pass through. This is due to the fact that if we wanted to achieve perfect insulation, we would have to place a very large thickness of insulating material, and the door would be huge. In addition, the window, when it is present, lets heat escape towards the outside regardless of the thickness of the insulating material.

Also, temperature rises outside can be due to thermal bridges linked to the presence of parts or metal parts joining the two outer and inner sheets of the door.

The temperature reached by the outside of the door can be dangerous for people who have to handle the door, or who are nearby.

In order to remedy this drawback, doors are produced which, as in patent FR-A-2 113 196, consist of a system of shutters which, by cooperating with each other from a certain temperature thanks to a thermostatic control, constitutes additional insulation or else which comprise on the front face a glass plate parallel to the external sheet and to the porthole, in the case of the latter, and an air circulation device between this glass plate, the sheet and possibly the window. The presence of renewed air prevents excessive heating of the external face of the glass plate, such is the solution proposed by patent EP-A-0149 385 which proposes double glazing, in which the air circulates, located between the 'exterior of the oven and the exterior face of the door and which eliminates any thermal bridge between these last two elements to the detriment of the sealing of the door.

However, the known embodiments either do not allow optimal protection of the user at the level of the handle, which is fixed to the outer sheet and therefore undergoes heating by conduction, or are too expensive because they require the creation of a special handle with air circulation inside to protect the user.

The subject of the invention is therefore an oven door, the structure of which is such that the safety of persons in the vicinity and of the user is preserved with respect to heat, without however increasing the amount of insulating material. , and which does not present projecting elements which could injure close people or users during a shock, and which remains pleasant in appearance.

According to the invention, a household cooking oven door comprising an insulating part on the side of the cooking chamber, a window substantially parallel to this insulating part, at a distance therefrom, and an air circulation zone between the glass and the insulating part, is characterized in that it comprises a handling handle constituted by at least part of the edges of the glass or by at least one additional piece fixed on at least one of said edges and located substantially in the plane of the window.

We start from the fact that the edges of the glass are cold zones with respect to the central zones and that it is therefore possible to use said edges to handle the door and even more so to support an additional element acting as a handle.

Thus, it is no longer necessary to build a complicated handle, with an air circulation circuit inside, since the handle is supported or formed by a cold part of the glass.

According to another characteristic, means are provided for limiting the travel of the fingers or of the hand of a person behind the window, in order to prevent them from ending up in a hot and dangerous zone, and to avoid the introduction foreign bodies behind the glass.

• la figure l est une vue d'une cuisinière munie d'une porte conforme à l'invention ;
• la figure 2 est une vue en coupe AA de la porte de la figure 1 ;
• la figure 3 est une vue d'un appareil de cuisson munie d'une variante de porte conforme à l'invention ;
• les figures 4, 5, 6 sont d'autres variantes de portes conformes à l'invention.

Other characteristics and advantages will appear with the description of some embodiments made with reference to the appended figures in which:

• Figure 1 is a view of a cooker provided with a door according to the invention;
• Figure 2 is a sectional view AA of the door of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a view of a cooking appliance provided with a door variant according to the invention;
• Figures 4, 5, 6 are other variants of doors according to the invention.

In Figure 1, there is shown a cooker provided with a door according to the invention.

The door has a first part 1 containing insulating material and provided with a window 2 for monitoring the dishes inside the oven enclosure.

In front and at a distance from this first part, there is a window 3 held by means 4 fixed to this first part. The glass 3 is fixed so that an air circulation can take place between it and the first part 1.

In the example shown, the means 4 for holding the window 3 are constituted by at least two U-shaped elements, fixed to the vertical edges of the window 3 and to the first part 1 of the door. The base of the U is used to prevent the introduction of fingers or foreign bodies from the side of the door and to maintain the spacing, while the glass is fixed on one side of the U, the other side being fixed at the first part 1 of the door.

In the example, these elements 4 start from the bottom of the glass, but are of a length less than the height of the glass, so that the upper edge 5 of the glass can be used as a handle, or preferably as support of a part 6, for example in the form of a bar, facilitating handling, improving aesthetics, and avoiding direct contacts which leave fingerprints on the glass.

This part 6, for example made of plastic, is hollowed out with a longitudinal groove, engaged on the upper edge 5 of the window. In the example, it has a cylindrical shape, and is the length of the upper rim, but it is obvious that on the one hand the shape can be any other, for example flattened, provided that it allows an easy grip , and that on the other hand the part can be of different length.

Moreover, in order to impart a good aesthetic to the whole, the part 6 may have reliefs or particular decorations.

To prevent objects falling between the glass 3 and part 1 of the door having the insulating material, and above all, to prevent the user's fingers or hands from engaging too much between these two elements, a piece 7 plane, connecting the upper ends of the elements 4 for holding the window 2 is provided. In order to allow the continuity of the air circulation (represented by arrows) between the lower part of the door and the upper part, this part 7 is pre-drilled with holes 70, 71, 72, or alternatively, in a variant, not shown, is less wide than the space determined between the window 3 and the first part 1 of the door, by the holding elements 4. Thus, in this case it remains a space between the glass and the part 7 and / or between the first part 1 of the door and the part 7, to allow air circulation.

The elements 4 for holding the glass 3 are made of insulating material, to better insulate the glass 3 and to prevent a person who touches them, when the oven is operating, from being burned. In addition, these elements help prevent the introduction of fingers or foreign bodies behind the glass. Thus, the holding elements 4 can be made of one or more materials in themselves known to be thermally insulating, such as for example a thermoplastic material of the polyester type.

Preferably, the elements 4 for holding the glass 3 are fixed by gluing them on the part 1 of the door enclosing the insulating material, and the glass 3 itself is fixed by gluing on these elements. It is however understood that any other method of attachment is possible, provided that thermal bridges to the front face of the glass are avoided as much as possible. So you can use screws or rivets.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view AA of FIG. 1 which shows the relative location of the window 3 relative to the part 1 of the door containing the insulating material and the window 2.

Part 1 containing the insulating material and the window is made in a known manner, namely that the insulating material 21 is for example trapped between an inner sheet 22 located on the cooking chamber side, and an outer sheet 23, on the glass side, i.e. outside of the cooking appliance.

The window 2 is produced, for example using two panes 24, 25, limiting a space in the thickness of this part 1.

The window 3 is kept at a distance from the outside face of the part 1, here the sheet metal 23 and the window 25, thanks to the holding elements 4. An air circulation channel 8 is thus created from bottom to top between the window 3 and said outer face.

In one embodiment, the distance between said outer face 23, 25 and the window 3 is of the order of 3 cm.

The distance depends on the maximum operating temperature planned for the oven and can be, depending on the type of appliance, between 0.1 and 5 cm.

FIG. 3 represents a cooking appliance, the oven of which is closed by a variant door according to the invention.

In the example of FIG. 3, a canopy 9 masks, for aesthetic and safety reasons, the upper edge of the window 3 and the strip. This cover 9 is for example a part of the cover 10 used to cover the hob in the case where the cooking appliance carrying the door is a cooker. It is therefore no longer possible, in this case, to manipulate the door using the upper edge 5 of the glass, and therefore the upper part 11, of at least one of the two lateral edges, is used. free by the elements 4 for holding the glass on the door, either directly as a handle, or for carrying a piece improving comfort during handling and / or overall aesthetics.

The hot air circulating behind the glass is evacuated in the areas where the user may have to place his hands to handle the door because the canopy 9, when present, prohibits the evacuation of the air above the upper edge 5 of the window. This is in no way a drawback since the temperature of the exhaust air represents no danger for the user. The device can however be improved to avoid bringing the hands into the air evacuation zone, by providing evacuation orifices on the lateral elements 4 for holding the glass, or spaces in their proximity.

In the example shown, a part 7, to prevent foreign bodies from entering between the glass 3 and the part 1 of the door containing the insulating material and the window (not shown), connects the upper edges of the elements 4 holding the glass 3.

It is pierced with holes 70, 71, 72 to allow air circulation.

The fresh air intake always takes place near the lower zone of the glass by a passage provided between the glass 3 and the part 1 of the door containing the insulation.

In the example, a strip 12 is provided in the lower part, which connects the lower edges of the elements 4 for holding the window 3. A space 13 is left between this strip 12 and the window 3 to allow entry of the air behind the glass 3.

In Figure 4 is shown an alternative embodiment in which the two upper corners of the window 3 have been truncated and have been replaced by handles 14 carried by window.

The window 3 therefore has two vertical edges, each extended at their upper part by an inclined edge 16 joining the horizontal upper edge 5. Preferably, the space between these different edges and the part 1 of the door enclosing the insulating material is surrounded to avoid the introduction of foreign bodies and / or to prevent a user from putting his fingers in the circulation zone of air.

The entourage is ensured either using a single profiled piece, or using several complementary pieces 4, 7, 15.

At least part 4 of this or these parts is used to secure the window 3 and means 7 are provided to ensure the evacuation of the hot air. In the example, the hot air is evacuated in the part 7 of the surround close to the upper edge 5 of the glass, using holes 70, 71. An evacuation of the air can be ensured by a share by any other means, for example by leaving at least one space between the surround 4, 7 and / or at least one space between the surround and the part 1 of the door containing the insulating material, on the other hand by any other place in the environment, that is to say also in the lateral zones 4, or inclined zones 15.

The handles 14 can be fixed by gluing or by any other means, near a ledge or on one of the edges of the glass.

In any case, we see that the handles are fixed so as not to exceed the plane of the outside face of the glass, and this so as not to risk injuring someone who would come up against it.

Thus, in the example, the handles 14 each have the shape of a bar bent at 90 °, one side of an elbow being in the extension of a vertical edge and the other in the extension of the horizontal edge 5 of the glass 3, It is clear that it is possible to use any other form of handle which can be fixed to the glass 3, near the truncated corners, and which does not protrude towards the front or on the sides. One can thus for example use handles having a curved shape such as that of an arc of a circle or the like.

Shells can be provided behind the handles to prevent hands from coming into contact with the hot parts on the back of the handles.

FIG. 5 represents a variant of the handle on the one hand and means for channeling the air on the other hand. A handle 17 is fixed to the lateral edges of the window 3 and is made in one piece by two vertical uprights and by a horizontal upright joining these two vertical uprights.

The maintenance of the glass is ensured by the two upper horizontal surround parts 7 and lower not visible in this figure. The vertical surround parts 4 are fixed to the insulating part 1 while there remains a space 18 between the window 3 and these parts 4 to facilitate the lateral circulation of air as shown by the arrows in the figure.

In this case, the upper and lower surround parts 7 can be provided with passages 70, 71 for air, although this is not compulsory.

Of course, this mode of air circulation and fixing is usable regardless of the handle.

FIG. 6 makes it possible to see, in section, another method of fixing the glass which can be used whatever the handle in which the surround 4 is simply fixed to the insulating part 1, so that a space remains between the glass 3 and this surrounding, and the maintenance of the glass is ensured by means of spacers 26, 27 fixed to the insulating part 1 on the one hand, and to the glass 3 on the other hand using screws or any other way.

Thus, the glass can be pierced with holes to allow the passage of screws towards the spacers, or alternatively, the end of the spacers, on the glass side, is provided with a flat allowing the gluing of the glass 3 on this flat.

Finally, in a variant, not shown, means allow the glass 3 to be clipped onto its support means 4, 7, 26, 27, in order to authorize its removal for cleaning the air circulation zone.

Claims (18)

1. A door of a household oven, comprising an insulating part (1) adjacent to the heating enclosure, a window (3) maintained at a distance from and substantially parallel to the said insulating part by thermally non-conducting holding elements (4) and an air circulation zone between the window (3) and the insulating part, characterized in that it comprises a manipulating grip constituted by at least a part of at least one rim of the window (3) utilized directly as a manipulating grip or by the intermediary of an additional member uniquely fixed to at least a part of at least one of the said rims, said member being substantially within the plane of the window.
2. The door as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the window (3) is fixed on the insulating part (1).
3. The door as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the window (3) is fixed on the outside surface of the insulating part (1).
4. The door as claimed in claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that the grip is constituted by the upper rim (5) of the window (3).
5. The door as claimed in claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that the grip is constituted by an additional member (6) fixed on the upper rim (5) of the window (3).
6. The door as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the additional member (6) possesses a longitudinal groove having the upper rim (5) of the window (3) fitted in it.
7. The door as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the grip is constituted and/or borne by the upper part of at least one of the two vertical rims of the window (3).
8. The door as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the grip comprises two ascending parts, of which one is fixed to each vertical rim of the window (3) and one ascending part is also horizontal and connects the two vertical ascending parts.
9. The door as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the window (3) has two vertical rims, one upper rim (5) and two oblique rims (16) connecting each of the vertical rims with the upper rim, and in that it comprises a grip (14) fixed to the window, in the vicinity of the said oblique rims and in the plane of the window (3).
10. The door as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 through 9, characterized in that it comprises means (4 and 7) in order to prevent the introduction of a foreign body and to limit the movement of the someome's fingers between the window (3) and the insulating part (1) while nevertheless allowing an easy grasp of the grip in the hand.
11. The door as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that the said means (4 and 7) are arranged at least in the vicinity of the vertical rims of the window (3).
12. The door as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that the said means (4 and 7) are arranged at least in the vicinity of the upper rim (5) of the window (3).
13. The door as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that the said means (4 and 7) are constituted in part at least by the elements (4) holding the window (3) on the insulating part (1).
14. The door as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 10 through 13, characterized in that it comprises a fresh air inlet in the vicinity of the upper rim of the window (3) and in that the said means (4 and 7) are adapted to allow the outlet of the air in the vicinity of the upper part of the window (3) and are ports (70 and 71) and/or a space.
15. The door as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 10 through 14, characterized in that between the vertical surrounding parts (4) and the vertical rims of the window (3) there is a space (18) for the passage of the air past the sides.
16. The door as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 10 through 15, characterized in that the window (3) is fixed to the insulating part (1) by the intermediary of spacers (26 and 27).
17. The door as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 10 through 16, characterized in that means are provided in order to ensure clipping of the window on the supports thereof.
18. The door as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 10 through 17, characterized in that the holding elements (4) are manufactured of one or more thermally insulating materials.

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