EP1327827A1

EP1327827A1 - Filter for aspirating kitchen hoods

Info

Publication number: EP1327827A1
Application number: EP02425254A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Alfredo Pellegrini
Original assignee: Aria Srl
Current assignee: Aria Srl
Priority date: 2001-12-11
Filing date: 2002-04-22
Publication date: 2003-07-16
Also published as: ITRN20010023V0; ITRN20010023U1

Abstract

A filter (1) for aspirating kitchen hoods, provided with at least a filtering baffle (11), comprises two distinct half-shells (2, 3) having walls (4, 5) and walls (6, 7), contouring the walls (4, 5) and the filtering baffle (11), monolithic with the walls (4, 5) themselves. One of the half-shells (2, 3) bears, for latching to the structure of the hood, two fixed appendages (8) and two movable appendages (9). The movable appendages, which are located in correspondence with a contour segment of the half-shell (2) opposite to the one involved with the fixed appendages (8), are mounted in guiding fashion (10) and locked in an extreme position thereof by elastic reaction means (14) in such a way as to project relative to the edge (6) of a half-shell (2, 3) and to concur in the removable latching of the filter (1) to the hood structure. The two half-shells (2, 3) are associated to each other with mutual opposition of the respective walls (4, 5), with the interposition of the filtering baffle (11), and are removable for the opening, inspection, and cleaning of the filter (1).

Description

The present invention relates to the construction of aspirating kitchen hoods and in particular it concerns a hood filter to be mounted preferably in correspondence with the inlet section of gaseous substances into the hood.
Currently, to stop macroscopic particles conveyed by the cooking fumes, such as oil, water droplets, vaporised fat droplets, etc., aspirating kitchen hoods are provided with filters, positioned in correspondence with their inlet section, i.e. of the section for collecting the gaseous substances, which filters have a structure that is essentially constituted by a plurality of thin sheets of aluminium plate, appropriately holed, superposed in a stack and held together by a frame obtained from an aluminium section bar.
The frame is also provided, for fastening the filter to the hood structure in a removable fashion, with fixed hooks and with a small handle with movable latches, whose operation allows to secure or release the filter to and from the hood to enable washing or replacing the filter.
A first drawback of filters of the kind described above is due to the fact that the composite and monolithic structure of the filter allows only a rather incomplete washing, manually or automatically in a dishwasher, because the innermost filtering baffles of the filter can only be reached with some difficulty by detergents; on the other hand, the monolithic construction of the filter does not allow the user to ascertain the measure of cleanliness actually achieved after washing.
Moreover, it has been verified experimentally that aluminium, which constitutes in particular the construction material of the inner filtering baffles, can be attacked by corrosion by certain acids developed from frying vapours produced when using some cooking oils and fats, especially those of animal origin.
In case of repeated exposure under such cooking conditions, conventional filters are therefore subject to a rapid degradation of the inner filtering baffles, which tend to undergo a crumbling effect, compromising the effectiveness of the filter and the hygiene of the foods that are prepared under the hood and that could be polluted by the microscopic corrosion powders from the overlying filter.
Such a corrosion-induced degradation of the filtering baffles is occasionally also accelerated by the washing operations themselves, since some detergents, especially those specifically destined to be used in dishwashers, have demonstrated a certain ability corrosively to attack the aluminium material constituting the filtering baffles.
Under the strictly technological constructive profile, filters of the aforesaid kind are characterised by a certain structural complexity which requires several operations, necessarily entailing a certain use of manpower and a certain cost of the operations.
The frame that holds together filtering baffles in a stack is obtained by means of a C-section aluminium bar that is conveniently cut to measure, bent and riveted to close it. The handle, made of two plastic parts, coupled and screwed on to each other, is the provided with an internal metallic actuation element, contrasted by steel springs, and associated to the structure of the filter.
The different nature of the materials constituting the parts of the filter is also responsible for a considerable part of the difficulties with disposing of the filters removed from the hoods because they are no longer efficient and scrapped.
Although the materials constituting prior art filters are all recyclable in themselves, their retrieval cannot be accomplished without dismantling the filter which, as stated, has essentially monolithic structure, and without the differentiated selection and collection of the various materials.
The aim of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of prior art filters with a filter that is can be totally disassembled, cannot be attacked by corrosive agents, can be washed without any problems and, once its working life is ended, can be totally recycled in the most economical manner possible, with respect to its constituting materials.
In accordance with the invention, said aims are achieved by a filter for aspirating kitchen hoods provided with at least a filtering baffle, characterised in that it comprises two distinct half-shells having walls and edges, contouring the walls and the filtering baffle, that are monolithic with the walls themselves, at least one of said half-shells bearing, for latching to the structure of the hood, at least a fixed appendage and at least a movable appendage, located in correspondence with a contour segment of said half-shall opposite to the one involved by said fixed appendage, said one or each movable appendage being mounted in guiding fashion and locked by elastic reaction means in such a way as to project relative to the edge of a said half-shell and to concur in the removable latching of the filter to the hood structure; said half-shells being able to be associated to each other in removable fashion with mutual opposition of said walls and with the interposition of at least one said filtering baffle.
The technical features of the invention, according to the aforesaid aims, can be clearly noted from the content of the claims set out below and its advantages shall become more readily apparent in the detailed description that follows, made with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show an embodiment provided purely by way of limiting example, in which:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the filter according to the invention shown in its entirety;
Figures 2 and 3 are perspective view, in enlarged scale, respectively of two independent half-shells comprising the filter of Figure 1;
Figures 4, 5 and 6, are views of some details of the half-shells of the previous Figures 2 and 3;

With reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 globally shows a filter for aspirating kitchen hoods essentially comprising two independent half-shells respectively indicated with the reference numbers 2 and 3, one or more filtering baffles 11; and a handle indicated as 12.
A first half-shell 2, having quadrilateral contour, includes a planar wall indicated as 4, which is monolithically integrated with an "L" shaped edge 6, which externally contours the periphery of the half-shell 2, and internally thereto, also the wall 4 itself comprising in particular a wall abutment 15. The wall 4 is also traversed by an opening 13 so shaped and dimensioned as to be accessible by a person's fingers. A part of the contour of the opening 13 is surrounded by an edge 18 bearing wall segments which are parallel an opposite to corresponding wall segments of the edge 6 of the half-shell 2, including among them also the wall abutment 15.
The first half-shell 2 B better visible in Figure 2 B bears two fixed appendages indicated as 8, obtained in its own structure in correspondence with a side of the contour opposite the one involved by the wall 4. The appendages 8 B visible in detail in Figure 4 also have a planar surface, parallel to the one of the wall 4, are borne in projection by the contour of the half-shell 2 and are oriented towards the exterior of the contour thereof.
Along the remaining sides of its own contour, the half-shell 2 bears a series of regularly distributed teeth 16 which, as Figure 5 shows, project from the edge 6 of the half-shell 2 and are oriented towards the interior of the half-shell 2 itself.
The second half-shell 3 has a similar structure to that of the first half-shell 2. In particular, it is also provided with a quadrilateral, "L" shaped edge 7, structurally integrated and monolithic with a planar wall 5. The edge 7 is provided with a series of seats 17 regularly distributed along the contour of the half-shell 3, visible in greater detail in Figure 6.
The filtering baffle 11 is constituted by one or more micro-holed panels and it has its own contour 19 shaped in conformity with the inner contour of the half- shells 2 and 3 and with the outer contour of the walls 4 and 5 of the firs and of the second half- shell 2 and 3.
Figure 7 shows the handle 12. It has substantially "C" shaped plan form and it is provided with end appendages 9 which are monolithic with the body of the handle 12 and able to be inserted into correspondingly shaped openings 20, obtained on the contour segment of the first half-shell 3 that is adjacent to the wall 4.
The handle 12 is also provided with two elastically deformable blades 12 obtained on a segment of its own contour and positioned on a side opposite the one bearing the end appendages 9.
The handle 12 is housed in the first half-shell 2 above the wall 4, with its own appendages 9 aligned with the openings 20 of the segment of the edge 6 adjacent to the wall 4 and with the elastically deformable blades 14 in contrast with the wall abutment 15 of the contour.
The elastic reaction of the blades 14 thus thrusts the handle 12 towards the opposite wall segment of the edge 6 causing the appendages 9 to project through the openings 20 of the contour.
By the superposition of the second half-shell 3 with the first half-shell 2, with corresponding superposition of the respective walls 5 and 4, the handle 12 remains completely confined in a sort of box-like container that also incorporates a guide 10 for the translation of the handle 12 upon its manual actuation effected through the opening 13 in opposition to the reaction provided by the elastic blades 14.
This translation obviously takes place between two extreme positions, in the first of which the appendages 9 of the handle 12 thrust by the blades 14 project outside the edge 6 of the first shell, contributing, in combination with the fixed appendages 8, to the latching of the filter 1 to the hood structure, in the second position the appendages being instead recessed within the edge 6 in such a way as to allow the disengagement and removal of the filter 1 from the hood structure itself.
In regard to the mutual connection of the two half- shells 2 and 3, with the interposition of the handle 12 and of the filtering baffles 11, from the Figures it is readily apparent that the connection itself is accomplished by means of the snap-on coupling between the teeth 16 and the complementary seats 17 of the two half- shells 2 and 3. Naturally, such a connection system allows the monolithic connection of all elements comprising the filter 1, as is necessary during normal use of the filter 1, and they simultaneously allow the capability to disassemble the filter 1 easily and completely when it is necessary to proceed with its internal inspection and/or cleaning.
If all the component parts of the filter 1 are made of a single material and in particular a plastic material of suitable nature to assure, for instance, heat resistance, self-extinguishing ability, lack of vulnerability to acid and detergent attacks, to the advantage of a possible and rapid cleanability and of total hygiene are also added the advantages of a facilitated and economical disposal of the filter 1 as waste at the end of the working life of the filter 1 itself.
It is clear that in case of total compatibility of all materials composing the elements of the filter 1 it is sufficient to introduce the filter 1 into the chopping machines as it is, without any preliminary disassembly and selective separation operation, to obtain the recovered granular plastic material by means of grinding.
If, instead, different materials subject to differentiated recovery were used for the construction of the various parts of the filter 1, their separation would still by immediate and very much facilitated as a consequence of the ability to open the filter 1 easily and totally, and to separate all of its component parts.
The invention therefore fully achieves the objectives correlated to the aforementioned aims and, in comparison to the prior art in the industry, it also has considerable economic advantages both in terms of its technological feasibility and relatively lesser demand for manpower, and in terms of the ability to recover the material constituting it at the time of the disposal and scrapping of the product.
The invention thus conceived is susceptible of evident industrial application; moreover, it can be subject to numerous modifications and variations, without thereby departing from the scope of the inventive concept. Moreover, all components can be replaced with technically equivalent elements.

Claims

Filter for aspirating kitchen hoods provided with at least a filtering baffle (11), characterised in that it comprises two distinct half-shells (2, 3) having walls (4, 5) and edges (6, 7), contouring the walls (4, 5) and the filtering baffle (11), monolithic with the walls (4, 5) themselves, at least one of said half-shells (2, 3) bearing, for latching to the structure of the hood, at least a fixed appendage (8) and at least a movable appendage (9), located in correspondence with a contour segment of said half-shell (2, 3) opposite to the one involved by said fixed appendage (8), said one or each movable appendage (9) being mounted in guiding fashion (10) and locked by elastic reaction means (14) in such a way as to project relative to the edge (6) of a said half-shell (2, 3) and as to concur in the removable latching of the filter (1) to the hood structure; said half-shells (2, 3) being able to be associated to each other in removable fashion with mutual opposition of said walls (4, 5) and with the interposition of at least a said filtering baffle (11).
Filter, as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said half-shells (2, 3), said at least one fixed appendage (8) and at least one movable appendage (9) and said elastic reaction means (14) are made of a single material.
Filter, as claimed in any of the previous claims, characterised in that it comprises at least one said filtering baffle (11), housed between said half-shells (2, 3) and made of the same material as the half-shells (2, 3).
Filter, as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that it comprises a plurality of said filtering baffles (11).
Filter, as claimed in any of the previous claims, characterised in that said single material is a plastic material.
Filter, as claimed in any of the previous claims, characterised in that said half-shells (2, 3) comprise fastening means (16, 17) that are integrated in the structure of said half-shells (2, 3).
Filter, as claimed in claim 6, characterised in that said fastening means include elastically deformable latching elements, able to engage each other in snap-on fashion.
Filter, as claimed in claim 7, characterised in that said latching elements include mutually complementary teeth (16) and seats (17) obtained respectively on one and on the other said half-shells (2, 3).
Filter, as claimed in any of the previous claims, characterised in that said one ore each movable appendage (9) is borne by a handle (12) associated to at least one of said half-shells (2, 3).
Filter, as claimed in claim 9, characterised in that said handle (12) is housed between said half-shells (2, 3), at least one of said half-shells (2, 3) being provided with a wall opening (13) for reaching the handle (12) of its actuation.
Filter, as claimed in claim 9 o 10, characterised in that said handle (12) and said elastic reaction means (14) are integrated in a single body.
Filter, as claimed in claim 11, characterised in that said elastic reaction means include at least a blade (14) which can be deformed by flexure.
Filter, as claimed in claim 12, characterised in that said one or each blade (14) is located on a contour segment of the handle (12) and is able to react against an opposite abutment (15) of at least one of said half-shells (2, 3).