EP1389894B1 - Microwave oven - Google Patents
Microwave oven Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1389894B1 EP1389894B1 EP02258153A EP02258153A EP1389894B1 EP 1389894 B1 EP1389894 B1 EP 1389894B1 EP 02258153 A EP02258153 A EP 02258153A EP 02258153 A EP02258153 A EP 02258153A EP 1389894 B1 EP1389894 B1 EP 1389894B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- cooking chamber
- air
- see
- door
- cooking
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24C—DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES ; DETAILS OF DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
- F24C15/00—Details
- F24C15/02—Doors specially adapted for stoves or ranges
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- H05B6/00—Heating by electric, magnetic or electromagnetic fields
- H05B6/64—Heating using microwaves
- H05B6/642—Cooling of the microwave components and related air circulation systems
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- H05B6/00—Heating by electric, magnetic or electromagnetic fields
- H05B6/64—Heating using microwaves
- H05B6/6414—Aspects relating to the door of the microwave heating apparatus
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a microwave oven, and more particularly to a door for a microwave oven.
- a microwave oven is an appliance that cooks or heats food laid in a cooking chamber using microwaves that are generated by a magnetron disposed in a machine room.
- the microwave oven cooks or heats the food using a frictional heat produced between moisture molecules of the food, and generated by irradiating the microwaves into the cooking chamber. That is, the microwaves repeatedly change the molecular arrangement of moisture contained in the food to cook the food.
- FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a conventional microwave oven with its door 8 opened.
- the microwave oven comprises a housing 1 having a machine room 2 and a cooking chamber 3 which are partitioned from each other in the interior of the housing 1.
- a magnetron 4 which generates microwaves, and a blower fan 5 which cools the magnetron 4 and discharges moisture and odor generated from food to the outside of the microwave oven are mounted in the machine room 2.
- the blower fan 5 discharges the moisture and odor by circulating air through the cooking chamber 3.
- the cooking chamber 3 is constructed in a form of a box with its front opened.
- the cooking chamber 3 has a rectangular bottom 3a, a front end of which is laid on the same plane as a front of the cooking chamber 3.
- a turntable 6 which allows the food to be laid thereon, and a rotation guide (not shown) which rotatably supports the turntable 6 are mounted on the rectangular bottom 3a.
- the turntable 6 is rotated at a relatively low speed while being coupled to a motor (not shown) disposed under the cooking chamber 3.
- the door 8 is rotatably hinged to one side of the housing 1 in front of the cooking chamber 3 so as to selectively open and close the cooking chamber 3.
- the door 8 is constructed in a form of a rectangle.
- a see-through member 9 having a plurality of see-through holes is fitted into a center portion of the door 8 to allow a user to see through the door 8.
- the door 8 including the see-through member 9 has planar front and back surfaces. Accordingly, where the door 8 is tightly closed, the planar back surface of the door 8 comes into close contact with the front of the cooking chamber 3, and the front of the door 8 constitutes a plane.
- the microwaves generated by the magnetron 4 are irradiated into the cooking chamber 3, and simultaneously, the turntable 6 is rotated at a relatively low speed. Accordingly, the food laid on the turntable 6 is cooked by the irradiated microwaves.
- the conventional microwave oven having the construction as described above is shaped in a form of a hexahedron and the see-through member 9 formed to allow a user to see through the door 8 constitutes a plane along with the frame of the door 8, the user has to observe the interior of the cooking chamber 3 with his eyes being level with the see-through member 9. That is, the user must adjust his/her body toward and directly in front of the see-through member 9 to ascertain a cooking status of the food.
- the door 8 of the conventional microwave oven and the see-through member 9 thereof are planar, and a region where the see-through holes are formed is small as compared to the overall size of the door 8. Therefore, the user has to approach the see-thorough member 9 to observe the interior of the cooking chamber 3.
- the conventional microwave oven is inconvenient and time-consuming for the user to ascertain the cooking status of the food being cooked in the cooking chamber. Therefore, the user cannot carry out other tasks and must remain attentive to the microwave oven while cooking the food with the conventional microwave oven.
- the conventional microwave oven has a planar door 8, so air fed into the cooking chamber 3 through air inlet holes (not shown) formed on one sidewall of the cooking chamber 3 is brought into collision with an inside surface of the planar door 8. Consequently, moisture generated from the food, for example, at the time of cooling, condenses on the inside surface of the planar door 8. Therefore, the user has a further difficulty in making a visual contact with the cooking chamber 3 through the planar door 8.
- US-A-3 991 295 discloses a microwave oven in which the heating chamber is defined by an upper portion serving as a door opening upwards and a lower portion forming the oven chamber lower portion for constituting, upon closure of the door, one complete heating chamber.
- the heating chamber In one side of the heating chamber a microwave assembly and stirrer members are provided. The stirrer members can be rotated by the passage of cooling air for efficient microwave energy distribution and consequent uniform heating of the object to be heated.
- EP-A-0 723 382 discloses a microwave oven comprising an oven cavity, a microwave radiation source for feeding microwaves to the cavity, and an oven door with a window. Mist formation on the inside of the window is prevented by an air stream directed thereto.
- JP 01 184 332 A discloses a cooker with a door formed in the shape of a rectangular with a punching screen arched laterally.
- Another aim of the present invention is to provide a microwave oven which effectively prevents moisture generated from food from condensing on an inside surface of a door, thus improving a see-through function of the door of the microwave oven.
- a cooking apparatus comprising:
- the door is adapted to correspond to the opening of the cooking chamber and a portion of the door is projected forward to form an inner space in front of the cooking chamber, so as to provide a multiple plane of views into the inner space and an interior of the cooking chamber.
- the air feed through paths and air discharge paths are provided at respective positions adjacent to sides of the door so as to have the air from the air feed through paths easily flow along the inside surface of the door and exit through the air discharge paths.
- the air feed through paths comprise air feed through holes to receive air into the cooking chamber; and the air discharge paths comprise air discharge holes to discharge the air from the cooking chamber to the outside of the oven, wherein: the air feed through and air discharge holes are provided to corresponding sidewalls of the cooking chamber at respective positions adjacent to sides of the see-through member; and the see-through member has a curved shape, so as have the air from the air feed through holes flow along an inside surface of the curved see-through member and prevent the moisture from condensing on the inside surface of the see-through member.
- a front plate and the top plate provide optical views into the interior of the cooking chamber from at least in front of, above, and both sides of the oven.
- see-through holes are formed across an entire area of the see-through member so as to allow an effective visual view of the interior of the cooking chamber.
- the frame and the top and bottom plates are integrally formed as a single structure and attached to the front plate of the see-through member.
- the cooking apparatus further comprises a transparent panel attached to the see-through member to prevent the interior of the cooking chamber from communicating with the outside of the oven, through the see-through holes.
- the cooking chamber (20) comprises a rim (26) formed around the opening (25); and the frame (31) is sized to conform with the rim (26), when the door (30) is closed so as not to protrude into the opening (25); and wherein the frame (31) and the inner space of the see-through member (32) form a cooking space together with the cooking chamber (20) when the door (30) is closed.
- the cooking chamber which receives the food includes an inner space formed by the door.
- the heating unit includes a magnetron which generates microwaves to cook the food.
- the heating unit includes a magnetron which generates microwaves to cook the food
- the frame includes a plurality of choke slits which prevent a leakage of the microwaves from the cooking chamber through the door, where the opening is closed by the door.
- the cooking apparatus is a microwave oven.
- FIGS 2 and 3 show perspective views of a microwave oven according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein a door 30 is opened in Figure 2 and closed in Figure 3 .
- the microwave oven comprises a machine room 10 in which various electrical parts are mounted to generate microwaves, a cooking chamber 20 which provides a space to cook food and has an opened front, and the door 30 which selectively opens and closes the cooking chamber 20.
- the machine room 10 includes a magnetron 11 which generates the microwaves, and a blower fan 12 which cools the magnetron 11 and discharges moisture and odor generated from the food to the outside of the microwave oven.
- the cooking chamber 20 is defined by a top 21, a bottom 22, sidewalls 23 and 24 and a rear wall (not shown). Additionally, the cooking chamber 20 is provided with a front opening 25 to allow the front of the cooking chamber 20 to be opened.
- the door 30 is rotatably hinged to the front of the cooking chamber 20 so as to selectively open and close the front opening 25.
- a rectangular rim 26 is formed around the front opening 25 of the cooking chamber 20 so as to tightly close the front opening 25 by coming into close contact with a frame 31 of the door 30, where the door 30 is closed.
- a turntable 27 which allows food to be cooked or heated thereon, and a rotation guide (not shown) which rotatably supports the turntable 27 are mounted on the bottom 22 of the cooking chamber 20.
- the turntable 27 allows food to be effectively cooked by uniformly irradiating the microwaves onto the food while being rotated at a relatively low speed by a motor (not shown) disposed under the bottom 22 of the cooking chamber 20.
- the door 30 includes the frame 31 and a see-through member 32.
- the frame 31 has a rectangular shape so as to prevent a leakage of the microwaves while being in close contact with the rectangular rim 26 that defines the front opening 25 of the cooking chamber 20.
- the see-through member 32 is fitted into an opening of the frame 31 and allows a user to see through the door 30 so as to ascertain a cooking status of the food in the cooking chamber 20.
- a plurality of choke slits 31a are formed along an inner edge of the frame 31.
- the choke slits 31a prevent a leakage of the microwaves where the frame 31 is brought into contact with the rectangular rim 26 of the front of the cooking chamber 20.
- the see-through member 32 comprises a front plate 33 which is half-cylindrically projected forward, a top plate 34 which is laid on a top of the front plate 33 to cover a top of an inner space formed inside the front plate 33, and a bottom plate 35 which is laid under a bottom of the front plate 33 to cover a bottom of the inner space.
- the top and bottom plates 34, 35 are integrally formed with the frame 31 as a single structure.
- a front part 22a of the bottom 22 of the cooking chamber 20 is semi-circularly projected forward from the cooking chamber 20. Accordingly, where the door 30 closes the cooking chamber 20, the front part 22a of the bottom 22 of the cooking chamber 20 is positioned over the bottom plate 35 of the see-through member 32, and an interior of the half-cylindrical see-through member 32 forms the cooking space 37.
- a plurality of see-through holes are closely arranged on the front and top plates 33 and 34 of the see-through member 32 to allow a user to see through the door 30. Therefore, the user can observe the interior of the cooking chamber 20 through the front and top plates 33 and 34 of the see-through member 32. That is, with the microwave oven of the present invention, the user can observe the interior of the cooking chamber 30, for example, from the above and both sides of the microwave oven, as well as directly in front of the microwave oven. Accordingly, the user can ascertain the cooking status of food laid in the cooking chamber 20 while carrying out other tasks near the microwave oven.
- a transparent panel (not shown) made of a transparent material is attached to an outside surface of the see-through member 32, so as to prevent the interior of the cooking chamber 20 from communicating with the exterior of the microwave oven, through the see-through holes formed on the see-through member 32, and enable the user to observe the interior of the cooking chamber 20 through the see-through member 32.
- the see-through holes have been described as not being formed on the bottom plate 35 of the see-through member 32, in consideration of the fact that a microwave oven is generally placed at a position level with or below the eye-level of the user in a cooking space, the see-through holes may be formed on the bottom plate 35 so as to provide a further plane of view to view the interior of the cooking chamber 20.
- the see-through member 32 of the door 30 is projected forward to form a half-cylindrical shape.
- Such a structure prevents the moisture generated from the food from condensing on the inside surface of the see-through member 32. This operation will be further described with reference to Figure 4 .
- Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the microwave oven shown in Figures 2 and 3 , illustrating a flow of air that is fed into the machine room 10, passed through the cooking chamber 20, circulated through the cooking chamber 20, and discharged from the cooking chamber 20 to the outside of the microwave oven.
- a plurality of inlet holes 13 are formed on a rear wall of the machine room 10.
- air feed holes 14 and air discharge holes 15 are formed on a right sidewall 24 and a left sidewall 23 of the microwave oven, respectively.
- the microwave oven comprises air feed through paths and air discharge paths.
- the air feed through paths are formed on a first sidewall of the cooking chamber and comprise the air feed through holes to receive air into the cooking chamber.
- the air discharge paths are formed on a second sidewall of the cooking chamber and comprise the air discharge holes to discharge the air from the cooking chamber to outside the oven.
- the blower fan 12 is positioned in front of the inlet holes 13, which are formed on the rear wall of the machine room 10, to suck the outside air into the interior of the machine room 10.
- the air feed holes 14 formed on the right sidewall 23 of the cooking chamber 20 are arranged near a front of the cooking chamber 20, so as to guide the air to the see-through member 32 of the door 30 and allow the air to smoothly flow along an arcuate inside surface of the see-through member 32.
- the air discharge holes 15 formed on the left sidewall 24 of the cooking chamber 20 are arranged near the front of the cooking chamber 20 in the same manner as the air feed holes 14, so as to allow the air flowing from the see-through member 32 to smoothly discharge from the cooking chamber 20 to the outside of the microwave oven.
- the magnetron 11 is disposed between the inlet holes 13 and the air feed holes 14.
- An air guide duct 16 is disposed between the magnetron 11 and the air feed holes 14 so as to guide the air having passed the magnetron 11 to the air feed holes 14 and feed the air to the interior of the cooking chamber 20.
- air fed into the cooking chamber 20 can smoothly flow along the arcuate inside surface of the see-through member 32, and the moisture generated from the food being cooked can be rapidly discharged through the air discharge holes 15, together with air flowing along the front and top plates 33 and 34 of the see-through member 32. Accordingly, the air circulation structure of the present invention effectively prevents the moisture from condensing on the arcuate inside surface of the see-through member 32. Consequently, the user can more clearly observe the food laid in the cooking chamber 20 through the see-through member 32.
- the present invention provides a microwave oven having a front plate of a see-through member which is half-cylindrically projected forward, and top and bottom plates of the see-through member which cover corresponding top and bottom of an inner space formed inside the front plate of the see-through member. Accordingly, the interior of a cooking chamber can be observed from a variety of viewing locations or angles, enabling a user to rapidly ascertain a cooking status of the food from various locations outside of the microwave oven.
- the microwave oven of the present invention enables the user to ascertain the cooking status of the food from the various locations, and therefore, the user can observe the interior of the cooking chamber while carrying out other tasks near the microwave oven.
- the present microwave oven is convenient to use as it is not necessary for the user to approach the microwave oven to ascertain the cooking status of the food.
- a door having the present see-through member has an arcuate shape, and air feed holes and air discharge holes are formed near the door. Accordingly, air fed into a cooking chamber smoothly flows along an inside surface of the see-through member. Therefore, condensation of moisture on the inside surface of the see-through member is effectively prevented, and the user can more clearly observe the interior of the cooking chamber through the see-through member.
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- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
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Description
- The present invention relates to a microwave oven, and more particularly to a door for a microwave oven.
- Generally, a microwave oven is an appliance that cooks or heats food laid in a cooking chamber using microwaves that are generated by a magnetron disposed in a machine room. The microwave oven cooks or heats the food using a frictional heat produced between moisture molecules of the food, and generated by irradiating the microwaves into the cooking chamber. That is, the microwaves repeatedly change the molecular arrangement of moisture contained in the food to cook the food.
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Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a conventional microwave oven with itsdoor 8 opened. As shown inFigure 1 , the microwave oven comprises ahousing 1 having amachine room 2 and acooking chamber 3 which are partitioned from each other in the interior of thehousing 1. Amagnetron 4 which generates microwaves, and ablower fan 5 which cools themagnetron 4 and discharges moisture and odor generated from food to the outside of the microwave oven are mounted in themachine room 2. Theblower fan 5 discharges the moisture and odor by circulating air through thecooking chamber 3. - The
cooking chamber 3 is constructed in a form of a box with its front opened. Thecooking chamber 3 has arectangular bottom 3a, a front end of which is laid on the same plane as a front of thecooking chamber 3. Aturntable 6 which allows the food to be laid thereon, and a rotation guide (not shown) which rotatably supports theturntable 6 are mounted on therectangular bottom 3a. Theturntable 6 is rotated at a relatively low speed while being coupled to a motor (not shown) disposed under thecooking chamber 3. - The
door 8 is rotatably hinged to one side of thehousing 1 in front of thecooking chamber 3 so as to selectively open and close thecooking chamber 3. Thedoor 8 is constructed in a form of a rectangle. A see-throughmember 9 having a plurality of see-through holes is fitted into a center portion of thedoor 8 to allow a user to see through thedoor 8. Thedoor 8 including the see-throughmember 9 has planar front and back surfaces. Accordingly, where thedoor 8 is tightly closed, the planar back surface of thedoor 8 comes into close contact with the front of thecooking chamber 3, and the front of thedoor 8 constitutes a plane. - Where the microwave oven operates, the microwaves generated by the
magnetron 4 are irradiated into thecooking chamber 3, and simultaneously, theturntable 6 is rotated at a relatively low speed. Accordingly, the food laid on theturntable 6 is cooked by the irradiated microwaves. - However, since the conventional microwave oven having the construction as described above is shaped in a form of a hexahedron and the see-through
member 9 formed to allow a user to see through thedoor 8 constitutes a plane along with the frame of thedoor 8, the user has to observe the interior of thecooking chamber 3 with his eyes being level with the see-throughmember 9. That is, the user must adjust his/her body toward and directly in front of the see-throughmember 9 to ascertain a cooking status of the food. - Specifically, the
door 8 of the conventional microwave oven and the see-throughmember 9 thereof are planar, and a region where the see-through holes are formed is small as compared to the overall size of thedoor 8. Therefore, the user has to approach the see-thorough member 9 to observe the interior of thecooking chamber 3. As a result, the conventional microwave oven is inconvenient and time-consuming for the user to ascertain the cooking status of the food being cooked in the cooking chamber. Therefore, the user cannot carry out other tasks and must remain attentive to the microwave oven while cooking the food with the conventional microwave oven. - Additionally, the conventional microwave oven has a
planar door 8, so air fed into thecooking chamber 3 through air inlet holes (not shown) formed on one sidewall of thecooking chamber 3 is brought into collision with an inside surface of theplanar door 8. Consequently, moisture generated from the food, for example, at the time of cooling, condenses on the inside surface of theplanar door 8. Therefore, the user has a further difficulty in making a visual contact with thecooking chamber 3 through theplanar door 8. -
US-A-3 991 295 discloses a microwave oven in which the heating chamber is defined by an upper portion serving as a door opening upwards and a lower portion forming the oven chamber lower portion for constituting, upon closure of the door, one complete heating chamber. In one side of the heating chamber a microwave assembly and stirrer members are provided. The stirrer members can be rotated by the passage of cooling air for efficient microwave energy distribution and consequent uniform heating of the object to be heated. -
EP-A-0 723 382 discloses a microwave oven comprising an oven cavity, a microwave radiation source for feeding microwaves to the cavity, and an oven door with a window. Mist formation on the inside of the window is prevented by an air stream directed thereto. -
JP 01 184 332 A - It is an aim of the present invention to provide a microwave oven which allows a cooking status of food being cooked in a cooking chamber to be easily and rapidly ascertained from various locations outside of the microwave oven.
- Another aim of the present invention is to provide a microwave oven which effectively prevents moisture generated from food from condensing on an inside surface of a door, thus improving a see-through function of the door of the microwave oven.
- Additional aims and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
- According to the present invention there is provided a cooking apparatus, such as a microwave oven, as set forth in the appended claims. Preferred features of the invention will be apparent from the dependent claims and the description which follows.
- In one aspect of the present invention there is provided a cooking apparatus, comprising:
- a casing which defines an outer appearance of the cooking apparatus;
- a heating unit to cook food; and
- an air circulation structure for receiving the food therein and exhausting moisture and odor generated from the food, wherein the air circulation structure comprises:
- a cooking chamber having an opening to receive the food;
- air feed through paths formed on a first sidewall of the cooking chamber to receive air into the cooking chamber; and
- air discharge paths formed on a second sidewall of the cooking chamber to discharge the air from the cooking chamber to the outside of the cooking apparatus; the cooking apparatus is characterised by
- a door which selectively opens and closes the opening and is non-planar shaped to allow the air from the air feed through paths to flow along an inside surface of the door so as to prevent moisture of the food from condensing on the inside surface of the door; and wherein the door comprises:
- a frame which is constructed to form an outer edge of the door to contact and close the opening;
- a see-through member which is curved in a half-cylindrical shape projected away from the cooking chamber, so as to provide the multiple plane of views into the cooking chamber and allow the air from the air feed through paths to easily flow along an inside surface of the see-through member;
- top and bottom plates which have a semi-circular shape and cover a corresponding top and bottom of an inner space formed by the front plate of the see-through member in front of the cooking chamber; and
- wherein the top plate includes a see-through portion so as to provide an additional plane of view into the cooking chamber.
- Suitably, the door is adapted to correspond to the opening of the cooking chamber and a portion of the door is projected forward to form an inner space in front of the cooking chamber, so as to provide a multiple plane of views into the inner space and an interior of the cooking chamber.
- Suitably, the air feed through paths and air discharge paths are provided at respective positions adjacent to sides of the door so as to have the air from the air feed through paths easily flow along the inside surface of the door and exit through the air discharge paths.
- Suitably, the air feed through paths comprise air feed through holes to receive air into the cooking chamber; and
the air discharge paths comprise air discharge holes to discharge the air from the cooking chamber to the outside of the oven, wherein:
the air feed through and air discharge holes are provided to corresponding sidewalls of the cooking chamber at respective positions adjacent to sides of the see-through member; and
the see-through member has a curved shape, so as have the air from the air feed through holes flow along an inside surface of the curved see-through member and prevent the moisture from condensing on the inside surface of the see-through member. - Suitably, a front plate and the top plate provide optical views into the interior of the cooking chamber from at least in front of, above, and both sides of the oven.
- Suitably, see-through holes are formed across an entire area of the see-through member so as to allow an effective visual view of the interior of the cooking chamber.
- Suitably, the frame and the top and bottom plates are integrally formed as a single structure and attached to the front plate of the see-through member.
- Suitably, the cooking apparatus further comprises a transparent panel attached to the see-through member to prevent the interior of the cooking chamber from communicating with the outside of the oven, through the see-through holes.
- Suitably, the cooking chamber (20) comprises a rim (26) formed around the opening (25); and the frame (31) is sized to conform with the rim (26), when the door (30) is closed so as not to protrude into the opening (25); and wherein the frame (31) and the inner space of the see-through member (32) form a cooking space together with the cooking chamber (20) when the door (30) is closed.
- Suitably, the cooking chamber which receives the food includes an inner space formed by the door.
- Suitably, the heating unit includes a magnetron which generates microwaves to cook the food.
- Suitably, the heating unit includes a magnetron which generates microwaves to cook the food, and the frame includes a plurality of choke slits which prevent a leakage of the microwaves from the cooking chamber through the door, where the opening is closed by the door.
- Suitably, the cooking apparatus is a microwave oven.
- For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how embodiments of the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:
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Figure 1 is a perspective view of a conventional microwave oven with its door being opened; -
Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a microwave oven with its door being opened according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the microwave oven shown inFigure 2 with its door being closed; and -
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the microwave oven shown inFigure 3 illustrating a flow of air which is fed into a machine room, passed through a cooking chamber, circulated through the cooking chamber and discharged from the cooking chamber to the exterior of the microwave oven. -
Figures 2 and3 show perspective views of a microwave oven according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein adoor 30 is opened inFigure 2 and closed inFigure 3 . As shown inFigures 2 and3 , the microwave oven comprises amachine room 10 in which various electrical parts are mounted to generate microwaves, a cooking chamber 20 which provides a space to cook food and has an opened front, and thedoor 30 which selectively opens and closes the cooking chamber 20. - The
machine room 10 includes amagnetron 11 which generates the microwaves, and ablower fan 12 which cools themagnetron 11 and discharges moisture and odor generated from the food to the outside of the microwave oven. - The cooking chamber 20 is defined by a top 21, a bottom 22, sidewalls 23 and 24 and a rear wall (not shown). Additionally, the cooking chamber 20 is provided with a
front opening 25 to allow the front of the cooking chamber 20 to be opened. Thedoor 30 is rotatably hinged to the front of the cooking chamber 20 so as to selectively open and close thefront opening 25. Arectangular rim 26 is formed around thefront opening 25 of the cooking chamber 20 so as to tightly close thefront opening 25 by coming into close contact with aframe 31 of thedoor 30, where thedoor 30 is closed. - A
turntable 27 which allows food to be cooked or heated thereon, and a rotation guide (not shown) which rotatably supports theturntable 27 are mounted on the bottom 22 of the cooking chamber 20. Theturntable 27 allows food to be effectively cooked by uniformly irradiating the microwaves onto the food while being rotated at a relatively low speed by a motor (not shown) disposed under the bottom 22 of the cooking chamber 20. - The
door 30 includes theframe 31 and a see-throughmember 32. Theframe 31 has a rectangular shape so as to prevent a leakage of the microwaves while being in close contact with therectangular rim 26 that defines thefront opening 25 of the cooking chamber 20. The see-throughmember 32 is fitted into an opening of theframe 31 and allows a user to see through thedoor 30 so as to ascertain a cooking status of the food in the cooking chamber 20. - A plurality of
choke slits 31a are formed along an inner edge of theframe 31. The choke slits 31a prevent a leakage of the microwaves where theframe 31 is brought into contact with therectangular rim 26 of the front of the cooking chamber 20. - The see-through
member 32 comprises afront plate 33 which is half-cylindrically projected forward, atop plate 34 which is laid on a top of thefront plate 33 to cover a top of an inner space formed inside thefront plate 33, and abottom plate 35 which is laid under a bottom of thefront plate 33 to cover a bottom of the inner space. The top andbottom plates frame 31 as a single structure. - To allow the half-cylindrically projected see-through
member 32 to form acooking space 37, which communicates with the cooking chamber 20, afront part 22a of the bottom 22 of the cooking chamber 20 is semi-circularly projected forward from the cooking chamber 20. Accordingly, where thedoor 30 closes the cooking chamber 20, thefront part 22a of the bottom 22 of the cooking chamber 20 is positioned over thebottom plate 35 of the see-throughmember 32, and an interior of the half-cylindrical see-throughmember 32 forms thecooking space 37. - A plurality of see-through holes are closely arranged on the front and
top plates member 32 to allow a user to see through thedoor 30. Therefore, the user can observe the interior of the cooking chamber 20 through the front andtop plates member 32. That is, with the microwave oven of the present invention, the user can observe the interior of thecooking chamber 30, for example, from the above and both sides of the microwave oven, as well as directly in front of the microwave oven. Accordingly, the user can ascertain the cooking status of food laid in the cooking chamber 20 while carrying out other tasks near the microwave oven. - A transparent panel (not shown) made of a transparent material is attached to an outside surface of the see-through
member 32, so as to prevent the interior of the cooking chamber 20 from communicating with the exterior of the microwave oven, through the see-through holes formed on the see-throughmember 32, and enable the user to observe the interior of the cooking chamber 20 through the see-throughmember 32. - Although the see-through holes have been described as not being formed on the
bottom plate 35 of the see-throughmember 32, in consideration of the fact that a microwave oven is generally placed at a position level with or below the eye-level of the user in a cooking space, the see-through holes may be formed on thebottom plate 35 so as to provide a further plane of view to view the interior of the cooking chamber 20. - As shown in
Figures 2 and3 , the see-throughmember 32 of thedoor 30 is projected forward to form a half-cylindrical shape. Such a structure prevents the moisture generated from the food from condensing on the inside surface of the see-throughmember 32. This operation will be further described with reference toFigure 4 . -
Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the microwave oven shown inFigures 2 and3 , illustrating a flow of air that is fed into themachine room 10, passed through the cooking chamber 20, circulated through the cooking chamber 20, and discharged from the cooking chamber 20 to the outside of the microwave oven. - As illustrated in the drawing, to suck outside air into the interior of the
machine room 10, pass the air through the cooking chamber 20 and discharge the air from the cooking chamber 20 to the exterior of the microwave oven, a plurality of inlet holes 13 are formed on a rear wall of themachine room 10. Additionally, air feed holes 14 and air discharge holes 15 are formed on aright sidewall 24 and aleft sidewall 23 of the microwave oven, respectively. Furthermore, the microwave oven comprises air feed through paths and air discharge paths. The air feed through paths are formed on a first sidewall of the cooking chamber and comprise the air feed through holes to receive air into the cooking chamber. The air discharge paths are formed on a second sidewall of the cooking chamber and comprise the air discharge holes to discharge the air from the cooking chamber to outside the oven. - The
blower fan 12 is positioned in front of the inlet holes 13, which are formed on the rear wall of themachine room 10, to suck the outside air into the interior of themachine room 10. The air feed holes 14 formed on theright sidewall 23 of the cooking chamber 20 are arranged near a front of the cooking chamber 20, so as to guide the air to the see-throughmember 32 of thedoor 30 and allow the air to smoothly flow along an arcuate inside surface of the see-throughmember 32. Additionally, the air discharge holes 15 formed on theleft sidewall 24 of the cooking chamber 20 are arranged near the front of the cooking chamber 20 in the same manner as the air feed holes 14, so as to allow the air flowing from the see-throughmember 32 to smoothly discharge from the cooking chamber 20 to the outside of the microwave oven. Themagnetron 11 is disposed between the inlet holes 13 and the air feed holes 14. Anair guide duct 16 is disposed between themagnetron 11 and the air feed holes 14 so as to guide the air having passed themagnetron 11 to the air feed holes 14 and feed the air to the interior of the cooking chamber 20. - By having an air circulation structure of the microwave oven described above, air fed into the cooking chamber 20 can smoothly flow along the arcuate inside surface of the see-through
member 32, and the moisture generated from the food being cooked can be rapidly discharged through the air discharge holes 15, together with air flowing along the front andtop plates member 32. Accordingly, the air circulation structure of the present invention effectively prevents the moisture from condensing on the arcuate inside surface of the see-throughmember 32. Consequently, the user can more clearly observe the food laid in the cooking chamber 20 through the see-throughmember 32. - As described above, the present invention provides a microwave oven having a front plate of a see-through member which is half-cylindrically projected forward, and top and bottom plates of the see-through member which cover corresponding top and bottom of an inner space formed inside the front plate of the see-through member. Accordingly, the interior of a cooking chamber can be observed from a variety of viewing locations or angles, enabling a user to rapidly ascertain a cooking status of the food from various locations outside of the microwave oven.
- That is, the microwave oven of the present invention enables the user to ascertain the cooking status of the food from the various locations, and therefore, the user can observe the interior of the cooking chamber while carrying out other tasks near the microwave oven. As such, the present microwave oven is convenient to use as it is not necessary for the user to approach the microwave oven to ascertain the cooking status of the food.
- Additionally, a door having the present see-through member has an arcuate shape, and air feed holes and air discharge holes are formed near the door. Accordingly, air fed into a cooking chamber smoothly flows along an inside surface of the see-through member. Therefore, condensation of moisture on the inside surface of the see-through member is effectively prevented, and the user can more clearly observe the interior of the cooking chamber through the see-through member.
- Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.
Claims (13)
- A cooking apparatus, comprising:a casing (1) which defines an outer appearance of the cooking apparatus;a heating unit (10) to cook food; andan air circulation structure for receiving the food therein and exhausting moisture and odor generated from the food, wherein the air circulation structure comprises:a cooking chamber (20) having an opening to receive the food;air feed through paths (14) formed on a first sidewall of the cooking chamber to receive air into the cooking chamber; andair discharge paths (15) formed on a second sidewall of the cooking chamber to discharge the air from the cooking chamber to the outside of the cooking apparatus; the cooking apparatus is characterised bya door (30) which selectively opens and closes the opening and is non-planar shaped to allow the air from the air feed through paths (14) to flow along an inside surface of the door (30) so as to prevent moisture of the food from condensing on the inside surface of the door; and wherein the door (30) comprises:a frame (31) which is constructed to form an outer edge of the door to contact and close the opening;a see-through member (32) which is curved in a half-cylindrical shape projected away from the cooking chamber (20), so as to provide the multiple plane of views into the cooking chamber and allow the air from the air feed through paths to easily flow along an inside surface of the see-through member;top and bottom plates (34,35) which have a semi-circular shape and cover a corresponding top and bottom of an inner space formed by the front plate of the see-through member (32) in front of the cooking chamber (20); andwherein the top plate (34) includes a see-through portion so as to provide an additional plane of view into the cooking chamber (20).
- The cooking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the door (30) is adapted to correspond to the opening (25) of the cooking chamber (20) and a portion (32) of the door (30) is projected forward to form an inner space in front of the cooking chamber (20), so as to provide a multiple plane of views into the inner space and an interior of the cooking chamber (20).
- The cooking apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the air feed through paths (14) and air discharge paths (15) are provided at respective positions adjacent to sides of the door (30) so as to have the air from the air feed through paths (14) easily flow along the inside surface of the door (30) and exit through the air discharge paths (15).
- The cooking apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein:the air feed through paths (14) comprise air feed through holes to receive air into the cooking chamber; andthe air discharge paths (15) comprise air discharge holes to discharge the air from the cooking chamber to the outside of the oven, wherein:the air feed through and air discharge holes (14,15) are provided to corresponding sidewalls of the cooking chamber (20) at respective positions adjacent to sides of the see-through member (32); andthe see-through member (32) has a curved shape, so as have the air from the air feed through holes flow along an inside surface of the curved see-through member and prevent the moisture from condensing on the inside surface of the see-through member.
- The cooking apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein a front plate (33) and the top plate (34) provide optical views into the interior of the cooking chamber (20) from at least in front of, above, and both sides of the oven.
- The cooking apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein see-through holes are formed across an entire area of the see-through member (32) so as to allow an effective visual view of the interior of the cooking chamber.
- The cooking apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the frame (31) and the top and bottom plates (34,35) are integrally formed as a single structure and attached to the front plate (33) of the see-through member (32).
- The cooking apparatus according to any of claims 4 to 7, further comprising a transparent panel attached to the see-through member (32) to prevent the interior of the cooking chamber from communicating with the outside of the oven, through the see-through holes.
- The cooking apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the cooking chamber (20) comprises a rim (26) formed around the opening (25); and the frame (31) is sized to conform with the rim (26), when the door (30) is closed so as not to protrude into the opening (25); and wherein the frame (31) and the inner space of the see-through member (32) form a cooking space together with the cooking chamber (20) when the door (30) is closed.
- The cooking apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the cooking chamber (20) which receives the food includes an inner space formed by the door (30).
- The cooking apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the heating unit includes a magnetron (11) which generates microwaves to cook the food.
- The cooking apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein:the heating unit includes a magnetron (11) which generates microwaves to cook the food, and the frame (31) includes a plurality of choke slits which prevent a leakage of the microwaves from the cooking chamber through the door, where the opening is closed by the door.
- The cooking apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the cooking apparatus is a microwave oven.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US40344002P | 2002-08-15 | 2002-08-15 | |
US403440P | 2002-08-15 |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1389894A2 EP1389894A2 (en) | 2004-02-18 |
EP1389894A3 EP1389894A3 (en) | 2006-04-12 |
EP1389894B1 true EP1389894B1 (en) | 2009-03-04 |
Family
ID=30771242
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP02258153A Expired - Fee Related EP1389894B1 (en) | 2002-08-15 | 2002-11-27 | Microwave oven |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1389894B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2004077109A (en) |
KR (1) | KR100485576B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN100334392C (en) |
DE (1) | DE60231392D1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN105134032A (en) * | 2014-05-30 | 2015-12-09 | 盛美半导体设备(上海)有限公司 | Door of semiconductor device |
CN106051843A (en) * | 2016-07-13 | 2016-10-26 | 广东美的厨房电器制造有限公司 | Microwave cooking utensil |
WO2023075053A1 (en) * | 2021-10-28 | 2023-05-04 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | Cooking apparatus |
Family Cites Families (17)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2266039A (en) * | 1940-06-11 | 1941-12-16 | Byron Jackson Co | Submersible motor structure |
US3594531A (en) * | 1969-11-10 | 1971-07-20 | Ralph L Hough | Internally viewable microwave induction heater |
US3654417A (en) * | 1970-10-30 | 1972-04-04 | Litton Precision Prod Inc | Microwave oven including air flow system |
US3991295A (en) | 1974-05-20 | 1976-11-09 | Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. | Microwave oven with symmetrically positioned microwave stirrers |
DE3002264A1 (en) * | 1980-01-23 | 1981-09-17 | Jetform Heißkanalnormalien und Zubehör GmbH, 5880 Lüdenscheid | INJECTION MOLDING TOOL WITH HIGH-PERFORMANCE SOCKET |
JPS61127301U (en) * | 1985-01-29 | 1986-08-09 | ||
US4618756A (en) * | 1985-07-08 | 1986-10-21 | Whirlpool Corporation | Air circulation system for microwave oven |
JPH01184332A (en) * | 1988-01-18 | 1989-07-24 | Toshiba Corp | Cooking apparatus |
GB2249245B (en) * | 1990-10-24 | 1994-12-14 | Gold Star Co | Microwave shielding device for a door of a microwave oven |
US5365918A (en) * | 1992-10-16 | 1994-11-22 | Patentsmith Corporation | Oven with short radius door |
KR200142755Y1 (en) * | 1994-08-18 | 1999-06-01 | 전주범 | Facade shape of microwave oven |
SE503829C2 (en) | 1995-01-17 | 1996-09-16 | Whirlpool Europ | Microwave oven |
KR960041905A (en) * | 1995-05-16 | 1996-12-19 | 구자홍 | Microwave Air Flow Structure |
KR200141855Y1 (en) * | 1996-11-29 | 1999-06-01 | 전주범 | Electric range |
KR19990006191U (en) * | 1997-07-24 | 1999-02-18 | 윤종용 | Microwave |
EP1120606B1 (en) * | 2000-01-24 | 2006-03-29 | Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha | Cooking apparatus |
US6624399B2 (en) * | 2000-11-15 | 2003-09-23 | Zenon Rypan | Space saving cooking appliance |
-
2002
- 2002-09-06 KR KR10-2002-0053899A patent/KR100485576B1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2002-11-14 CN CNB021505748A patent/CN100334392C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2002-11-27 DE DE60231392T patent/DE60231392D1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 2002-11-27 EP EP02258153A patent/EP1389894B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2002-12-09 JP JP2002357287A patent/JP2004077109A/en active Pending
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP1389894A3 (en) | 2006-04-12 |
JP2004077109A (en) | 2004-03-11 |
KR20040016352A (en) | 2004-02-21 |
CN100334392C (en) | 2007-08-29 |
KR100485576B1 (en) | 2005-04-27 |
CN1475699A (en) | 2004-02-18 |
DE60231392D1 (en) | 2009-04-16 |
EP1389894A2 (en) | 2004-02-18 |
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