EP2659192A2

EP2659192A2 - A cooking device comprising a door having a sealing element

Info

Publication number: EP2659192A2
Application number: EP11791561.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Mehmet Baris Gocer
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2010-12-27
Filing date: 2011-12-06
Publication date: 2013-11-06
Also published as: WO2012089455A3; WO2012089455A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cooking device (1) comprising an oven cavity (2) wherein the foods to be cooked are placed and a door (3) that provides access into the oven cavity (2) and that has an outer panel (4) which forms the door (3) surface that contacts the outer environment, an inner panel (5) which forms the door (3) surface that contacts the oven cavity (2) and a transparent surface (7) which provides the oven cavity (2) to be observed from the outside by being disposed at the middle portions of the outer panel (4) and the inner panel (5), and wherein the liquid leaking between the outer panel (4) and the inner panel (5) of the door (3) is prevented from causing stains on the transparent surface (7).

Description

A COOKING DEVICE COMPRISING A DOOR HAVING A SEALING ELEMENT

The present invention relates to a cooking device comprising a door having a sealing element.
The oven doors are generally produced in double glazing structure and there is an air gap between the front panel and the inner panel of the door. Particularly in ovens wherein steam cooking is performed, the vapor in the oven cavity enters through the joint points of the panels forming the doors into the gap between the panels and causes stains on the glass by condensing there. Moreover, while work is performed on the counter under which the oven is situated, the liquids flowing from the counter pass to the inner side of the door from the gap between the upper surface of the oven door and the body and leak into the gap between the panels from there. Similarly, while the oven cover is being cleaned, liquid can enter from the upper surface. The liquid entering from the upper surface of the door flows to the lower side of the door with the effect of gravity and causes stains on the inner surface of the outer panel. In some ovens, silicon material is applied to the joint points of the outer panel and the inner panel to solve this problem. These types of ovens are not preferred by the user since the panels on their doors cannot be dismounted.
In order to solve this problem, various types of gaskets, which are disposed between the panels and/or between the door and the body, are used.
In the state of the art International Patent Application No. WO2010032668, a gasket is described which is disposed on the door and which provides leak-proofing between the door and the body by opening when the door is closed.
In the cooking device described in state of the art European Patent Application No. EP1726884, a sealing element is disposed in the region where the outer panel and the inner panel that form the door join. The outer panel also forms the upper surface of the door and the inner panel is mounted to the outer panel from below. The sealing element used in this embodiment is U-shaped.
In the state of the art European Patent Application No. EP1211464, a sealing element is described which surrounds the outer surface of the door all around. The shape of the sealing element is almost same as that of the outer frame of the door and the corners of the door are taken out through the holes at the corners of the sealing element.
The aim of the present invention is the realization of a cooking device wherein the liquids leaking into the inner volume of the door of which are prevented from causing stains on the glass surface which cannot be wiped from the outside.
The cooling device realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, explicated in the first claim and the respective claims thereof, comprises a door which consists of an outer panel and an inner panel whereon transparent surfaces are situated and a sealing element disposed between these two panels.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the sealing element is disposed at the inner side of the outer panel, a little above the transparent surface. The sealing element which extends along almost the width of the outer panel has a downwardly inclined configuration from a side view.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the sealing element is produced from a silicon material which is resistant against high temperatures.
In another embodiment of the present invention, concealing surfaces, positioned from the edges of the transparent surface towards the middle portion thereof, are disposed. The concealing surface is obtained by cladding the edges of the transparent surface which is generally glass with serigraphy so as to provide a frame appearance. The concealing surface conceals the stains left by the liquid, which is carried by the sealing element to the sides, while draining downwards and also conceals the sealing element which is situated at the uppermost side of the transparent surface in some cases.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a locking mechanism is disposed on the door which provides the inner panel and the outer panel to be detachably mounted to each other. The locking mechanism consists of a recess on the outer panel and a protrusion on the inner panel. The recess provides the inner panel and the outer panel to be fastened to each other by being snap fittingly inserted into the protrusion. The tension occurring in this connection provides the sealing element, which extends from the outer panel to the inner panel, not to pass liquid through therebetween by applying pressure on the inner panel.
In another embodiment of the present invention, in the cooling device, the liquid directed to the edges by the sealing element drains along the door vertical direction and accumulates in the liquid collection chamber at the lower side of the door.
In an embodiment of the present invention, two sealing supports, disposed at both ends of the sealing element such that no gap remains therebetween and which extend towards the lower side of the door in the vertical direction, are situated at the inner side of the outer panel. The sealing supports are preferably produced from the same material as the sealing element. In this embodiment, the sealing element and the sealing supports provide a U-shaped single gasket together.
By means of the cooking device of the present invention, the stains, that form on the inner surface of the door and that cannot be cleaned from the outer surface of the door, are prevented from forming. Moreover, the liquids causing stains can be cleaned by being collected in a liquid collection chamber that is easily accessed from the outside.
The oven realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:
Figure 1 – is the schematic view of the cooking device.
Figure 2 – is the sideways cross-sectional view of the door when the inner panel and the outer panel are not mounted to each other in an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 – is the sideways cross-sectional view of the door when the inner panel and the outer panel are mounted to each other in an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 – is the rear view of the outer panel.
Figure 5 – is the sideways cross-sectional view of the liquid collection chamber and the door.
Figure 6 – is the exploded view of the door.
The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

Cooking device
Oven cavity
Door
Outer panel
Inner panel
Sealing element
Transparent surface
Concealing surface
Locking mechanism
Recess
Protrusion
Liquid collection chamber
Sealing support

The cooking device (1) comprises an oven cavity (2) wherein the foods to be cooked are placed and a door (3) providing access into the oven cavity (2) (Figure 1).
The door (3) comprises an outer panel (4) which forms the surface thereof that contacts the outer environment, an inner panel (5) which forms the surface of the door (3) that contacts the oven cavity (2) and a transparent surface (7) which provides the oven cavity (2) to be observed from the outside by being disposed at the middle portions of the outer panel (4) and the inner panel (5) (Figure 2, Figure 3, Figure 4, Figure 6).
In the cooking device (1) of the present invention, the door (3) furthermore comprises a sealing element (6) which directs the liquid droplets, which enter between the inner panel (5) and the outer panel (4) from the upper edge of the door (3), to the side edges, disposed between the inner panel (5) and the outer panel (4) so as to remain above the transparent surface (7) and which extends almost from one side edge to the other side edge of the door (3). The sealing element (6) is disposed so as to be pressed between the outer panel (4) and the inner panel (5). The liquids, which enter into the door (3) from the region where the inner panel (5) and the outer panel (4) join, contact the sealing element (6) situated at the upper side of the door (3) while draining downwards with the effect of gravity. If the amount and the flow rate of the liquid that contacts the sealing element (6) are low, the said liquid remains on the sealing element (6) and vanishes from there by evaporating after a while. If the amount and the flow rate of the liquid that contacts the sealing element (6) are high, the said liquid is directed towards the side edges of the door (3) by the sealing element (6). Thus, the liquid is not allowed to cause stains by passing to the transparent surface (7), which is right below the sealing element (6) and which can be seen by the user.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the sealing element (6) is mounted to the inner surface of the outer panel (4). When the outer panel (4) is joined with the inner panel (5), the sealing element (6) on the outer panel (4) prevents the liquid leakage from therebetween by applying pressure on the inner surface of the inner panel (5) (Figure 4).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the sealing element (6) is produced from high temperature resistant silicon material. Particularly in the inner volumes of the cooking devices (1) which are pyrolytic ovens, the temperature rises to very high levels. Even though the inner panel (5) partially insulates the said heat, high amount of heat enters the gap of the door (3) between the outer panel (4) and the inner panel (5). By means of its high temperature resistant feature, the structure of the sealing element (6) is prevented from being degenerated by being affected by the heat.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the door (3) comprises at least one concealing surface (8) disposed at the portions of the transparent surface (7) close to its edges and which prevents the rear side of the portion at which the concealing surface (8) is disposed from being seen. The concealing surface (8) generally shaped as serigraphy clad on the edges of the transparent surface (7) prevents the stains, which are left by the liquid directed to the side edges of the door (3) by the sealing element (6) and which drains downwards therefrom, from being seen by the user.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the sealing element (6) is disposed so as to remain behind the concealing surface (8). By means of the concealing surface (8) disposed at the upper edge of the transparent surface (7), the sealing element (6) is prevented from being seen by the user.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the door (3) comprises at least one locking mechanism (9) which provides the outer panel (4) and the inner panel (5) to be detachably mounted to each other and which consists of a recess (10) on the outer panel (4) and a protrusion (11) on the inner panel (5) mounted to each other snap fittingly. When the recess (10) and the protrusion (11) are mounted to each other snap fittingly, the sealing element (6) that remains between the inner panel (5) and the outer panel (4) applies force on the inner surface of the inner panel (5) by being pressed and thus prevents the liquid that comes from above from leaking through between the sealing element (6) and the inner panel (5). In this embodiment, since the positions of the recess (10) and the sealing element (6) with respect to each other are always fixed, the force that joins the inner panel (5) and the outer panel (4) and the force that presses the sealing element (6) are always equal to each other.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the cooking device (1) comprises a liquid collection chamber (12) disposed at the lower side of the door (3) and which provides the liquid directed to the edges by the sealing element (6) to be collected. The liquid collected in the liquid collection chamber (12) is cleaned by the user by being wiped or evaporates during cooking (Figure 5).
In another embodiment of the present invention, two sealing supports (13), extending starting from the both ends of the sealing element (6) towards the lower side of the door (3) almost vertically and which prevent the liquid directed by the sealing element (6) to the side edges from passing to the transparent surface (7) again, are disposed. The sealing supports (13) provide an additional protection by preventing the liquid directed by the sealing element (6) to the side edges from passing to the middle portion again due to the air flows that may occur in the door (3).
By means of the cooking device (1) of the present invention, stain formation due to the liquid flow in the inner portion of the transparent surface (7) of the door (3), which is one of the hardest places to clean, is prevented. Moreover, the liquid, which is prevented from coming to the transparent surface (7), is prevented from spreading by being collected in the liquid collection chamber (12) which is right below the door (3) and a controlled cleaning is provided to be performed. Thus, customer satisfaction is increased.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited by the embodiments disclosed above and a person skilled in the art can easily introduce different embodiments. These should be considered within the scope of the protection postulated by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

A cooking device (1) comprising an oven cavity (2) wherein the foods to be cooked are placed and a door (3) that provides access into the oven cavity (2) and that has an outer panel (4) which forms the door (3) surface that contacts the outer environment, an inner panel (5) which forms the door (3) surface that contacts the oven cavity (2) and a transparent surface (7) which provides the oven cavity (2) to be observed from the outside by being disposed at the middle portions of the outer panel (4) and the inner panel (5), characterized by the door (3) having a sealing element (6) which directs the liquid droplets, which enter between the inner panel (5) and the outer panel (4) from the upper edge of the door (3), to the side edges, disposed between the inner panel (5) and the outer panel (4) so as to remain above the transparent surface (7) and which extends almost from one side edge to the other side edge of the door (3).
A cooking device (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the sealing element (6) mounted to the inner surface of the outer panel (4).
A cooking device (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized by the sealing element (6) produced from high temperature resistant silicon material.
A cooking device (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by at least one concealing surface (8) disposed at the portions of the transparent surface (7) close to its edges and which prevents the rear side of the portion at which the concealing surface (8) is disposed from being seen.
A cooking device (1) as in Claim 4, characterized by the sealing element (6) disposed so as to remain behind the concealing surface (8).
A cooking device (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the door (3) having at least one locking mechanism (9) which provides the outer panel (4) and the inner panel (5) to be detachably mounted to each other and which consists of a recess (10) disposed on the outer panel (4) and a protrusion (11) disposed on the inner panel (5) mounted to each other snap fittingly.
A cooking device (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by a liquid collection chamber (12) disposed at the lower side of the door (3) and which provides the liquid directed to the side edges by the sealing element (6) to be collected.
A cooking device (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the door (3) having two sealing supports (13), extending starting from the both ends of the sealing element (6) towards the lower side of the door (3) almost vertically and which prevent the liquid directed by the sealing element (6) to the side edges from passing to the transparent surface (7) again.