EP2659194A1

EP2659194A1 - A cooking device comprising a liquid guidance means

Info

Publication number: EP2659194A1
Application number: EP11794699.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Mehmet Baris Gocer; Serdar Turkoz
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2010-12-27
Filing date: 2011-12-07
Publication date: 2013-11-06
Anticipated expiration: 2031-12-07
Also published as: TR201716671T3; EP2659194B1; ES2665956T3; WO2012089460A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cooking device (1) comprising an oven cavity (2) wherein the foods to be cooked are placed, a door (3) providing access into the oven cavity (2) having a closed position (Pc) and an entirely open position (Po) the door (3) is in when the foods in the oven cavity (2) will be taken out and a liquid collection chamber (4) disposed at the lower side of the door (3) and wherein the droplets that form on the inner surface of the door (3) spill by draining, and wherein the droplets that form on the surface of the door (3) is directed such that the said droplets do not spill to the furniture in all positions of the door (3).

Description

A COOKING DEVICE COMPRISING A LIQUID GUIDANCE MEANS

The present invention relates to a cooking device comprising a liquid guidance chamber.
In cooking devices, for example in ovens, generally glass is preferred as the door material since it can be easily cleaned. Moreover, while the oven is heated at the start of the cooking process, glass heats up later than the oven cavity and the oven body due to its chemical structure and vapor forms on the glass surface due to the temperature difference. After a while, the glass surface also reaches the same temperature as the oven cavity and the vapor thereon starts flowing towards the lower side of the door by condensing. In the meantime, when the oven door is opened, the droplets on the door spill onto the furniture from the opening under the door due to the angle the door acquires. For the solution of the said problem, in some ovens the door is produced from enamel material which heats up more quickly, but these type of doors are not preferred since they are hard to clean.
Another method used for the solution of the said problem is to use various means to accelerate the heating of the door.
In the state of the art European Patent Application No. EP1890085, an oven is described comprising an electrical heater disposed in the glass on at least one of the layers forming the door. The heater used in this embodiment is transparent and configured as film.
In the state of the art, embodiments are available wherein a liquid collection chamber is disposed at the lower side of the door so that the liquid, which flows by condensing on the door, does not damage the furniture. In some of these embodiments, additional elements directing the liquid, which drains from over the door, into the liquid collection chamber are situated. In some embodiments, the liquid is directed directly to the base of the oven cavity.
In the state of the art German Patent Application No. DE10044376, a cooking device is described comprising a sealing element which serves as a bridge between the body and the door when the door is closed. In this embodiment, some of the sealing element is at the lower side of the door and the rest is at the base of the casing. When the door is closed, the said two elements join and provide the liquid on the door to be delivered to the oven cavity.
In the state of the art German Patent Application No. DE102005024426, an oven is described comprising a discharge conduit disposed on the door gasket. The liquid coming by draining from the door is delivered to the said conduit by means of the guidance element and guided to the collection chamber disposed under the casing from there.
The aim of the present invention is the realization of a cooking device wherein the liquid droplets that form on the inner surface of the door during cooking are removed from the surface of the door.
The cooking device realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, explicated in the first claim and the respective claims thereof, comprises a liquid guidance means that removes the droplets that form on the door from the door and a liquid collection chamber wherein the liquid droplets that are removed from the door are collected.
The door of the cooking device can be in four different positions throughout and after cooking. The said positions are a closed position, an entirely open position perpendicular to the closed position, an intermediate position between the closed position and the entirely open position and an half-open position. The intermediate position is generally the position when the door is slightly opened for controlling the foods in the oven cavity. Preferably there is an angle of 20 degrees between the closed position and the intermediate position. The half-open position is almost in the middle of the entirely open position and the closed position.
On the inner surface of the door of the cooking device of the present invention, a liquid guidance means is situated. The liquid guidance means is disposed in a section near the lower side of the door. The liquid guidance means extends almost parallel to the base of the cooking device along the width of the door. When the door is between the intermediate position and the half-open position, the liquid guidance means directs the droplets coming from the surface of the door to the liquid chamber by making the said droplets impact thereagainst and when the door is between the half-open position and the entirely open position, the liquid guidance means accumulates the coming droplets thereon by means of the liquid accumulation means it has.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the liquid guidance means extends starting from the lower surface of the door towards the level of the inner surface thereof in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the liquid guidance means is shaped as an extension of the element which forms the lower surface of the door and carries the layers of the door thereon.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the liquid accumulation means is shaped as a groove that traverses from end to end the door in the horizontal axis. When the door is between the half-open position and the entirely open position, the liquid that drips from the door fills in the groove-shaped liquid accumulation means. Each of both ends of the liquid accumulation means are closed by a wall and the liquid filling therein is prevented from overflowing from the sides. Since the liquid accumulation means acquires an inclination in the negative direction while the door is closed, the liquid therein spills into the liquid collection chamber.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a lip is disposed on the liquid guidance means, right in front of the liquid accumulation means, positioned so as to form the end portion of the liquid guidance means. When the door is between the intermediate position and the half-open position, the droplets that drain from the door are directed to the liquid collection chamber by impacting the lip of the liquid guidance means. The lip is preferably shaped as a flat plate.
The liquid guidance means can perform both the functions of directing and accumulating at the same time in any position according to the direction and force of the air flow in the cooking device. While some of the liquid that drips from the door fills in the groove-shaped liquid accumulation means, the rest spills into the liquid guidance chamber by impacting the lip.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the liquid guidance means is produced from sheet metal.
By means of the cooking device of the present invention, the liquid droplets, which form on the door of the cooking device and spill onto the furniture by acquiring angle when the door is opened, are provided to be effectively directed to the liquid collection chamber. The liquid guidance means used in the cooking device of the present invention provides guidance effective for each position of the door by making the liquid droplets impact the lip or accumulating them on the groove-shaped liquid accumulation means.
The cooking device 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 schematic view of the cooking device when the door is in the closed position.
Figure 3 – is the view of detail A in Figure 2.
Figure 4 – is the cross-sectional view of the liquid guidance means and the liquid collection chamber when the door is in the closed position.
Figure 5 – is the cross-sectional view of the liquid guidance means and the liquid collection chamber when the door is in the intermediate position.
Figure 6 – is the cross-sectional view of the liquid guidance means and the liquid collection chamber when the door is in the half-open position.
Figure 7 – is the cross-sectional view of the liquid guidance means and the liquid collection chamber when the door is in the entirely open position.
Figure 8 – is the perspective view of the liquid guidance means.
The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

Cooking device
Oven cavity
Door
Liquid collection chamber
Liquid guidance means
Liquid accumulation means
Lip

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) has a closed position (P_C) and an entirely open position (P_O) almost perpendicular to the closed position (P_C).
The cooking device (1) furthermore comprises at least one liquid collection chamber (4) disposed at the lower side of the door (3) and wherein the droplets that form on the inner surface of the door (3) spill by draining. During the cooking process, vapor forms on the inner surface of the door (3) due to the temperature difference between the door (3) and the oven cavity (2). After a while, vapor causes liquid droplets to form on the surface of the door (3) by condensing. The said liquid droplets leave the door (3) by draining downwards from the surface of the door (3) with the effect of gravity and accumulate in the liquid collection chamber (4) disposed right at the lower side of the door (3).
The cooking device (1) of the present invention comprises a liquid guidance means (5) which is disposed in the vicinity of the lower edge of the door (3) and which provides the droplets coming from the surface of the door (3) to be directed to the liquid collection chamber (4) and/or to be accumulated on itself according to the opening angle of the door (3) (Figure 2, Figure 3).
In an embodiment of the present invention, the liquid guidance means (5) comprises a liquid accumulation means (6) which provides the droplets coming from the surface of the door (3) to be accumulated thereon according to the opening angle of the door (3).
In an embodiment of the present invention, the door (3) has

a half-open position (P₂) wherein the door (3) is almost half open and
an intermediate position (P₁) wherein the opening angle of the door (3) is between the half-open position (P₂) and the closed position (P_C).

In this embodiment, the liquid guidance means (5)

directs the droplets coming from the surface of the door (3) to the liquid collection chamber (4) when the door (3) is between the intermediate position (P₁) and the half-open position (P₂) and
accumulates the droplets coming from the surface of the door (3) in the liquid accumulation means (6) when the door (3) is between the half-open position (P₂) and the entirely open position (P_O).

When the door (3) is in the closed position (P_C), the droplets that form thereon directly reach the liquid collection chamber (4) without contacting the liquid guidance means (5) disposed at the lower side of the door (3). When the situation of the foods in the oven cavity (2) is desired to be seen during cooking, the door (3) is brought to the intermediate position (P₁) by being slightly opened. While the door (3) is brought to the intermediate position (P₁) from the closed position (P_C), the separation angle of the liquid droplets, that drain from the door (3), from the door (3) does not change much and the liquid droplets continue to accumulate directly in the liquid collection chamber (4). When the oven cavity (2) is desired to be accessed, the door (3) is brought to the half-open position (P₂) by being opened some more. During the movement of the door (3) from the intermediate position (P₁) to the half-open position (P₂), the droplets draining from the door (3) are directed to the liquid collection chamber (4) by impacting the liquid guidance means (5). When the tray disposed in the oven cavity (2) is desired to be taken out, the door (3) is brought to the entirely open position (P_O) which is almost perpendicular to the closed position (P_C). When the door (3) is between the half-open position (P₂) and the entirely open position (P_O), the liquid droplets that drip from the door (3) separate from the door (3) with a greater angle and accumulate on the liquid accumulation means (6) since the liquid droplets are not able to reach the liquid collection chamber (4). Afterwards, when the door (3) is brought to the closed position (P_C) again, the liquid that accumulates on the liquid accumulation means (6) is emptied into the liquid collection chamber (4). In each of the three positions, the movement of the liquid ends in the liquid collection chamber (4). The liquid collected in the liquid collection chamber (4) mixes into the air in the oven cavity (2) by evaporating by means of the high temperature in the cooking device (1). Thus, the liquid is prevented from dripping onto the furniture in all positions of the door (3) (Figure 4, Figure 5, Figure 6, Figure 7).
In an embodiment of the present invention, there is an angle of almost 20 degrees between the intermediate position (P₁) and the closed position (P_C) of the door (3). In the said embodiment, there is an angle of almost 45 degrees between the half-open position (P₂) and the closed position (P_C). By means of the arrangements performed on the hinge system, the door (3) can stay at the said two points while being brought to the entirely open position (P_O) from the closed position (P_C).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the liquid guidance means (5) extends from the lower surface of the door (3) towards the inner surface vertical level of the door (3). Thus, when the door (3) is between the closed position (P_C) and the intermediate position (P₁), the liquid droplets that separate from the surface of the door (3) can be directed to the liquid collection chamber (4) without impacting the liquid guidance means (5). In this embodiment, the liquid guidance means (5) is produced as an extension of the element that forms the lower surface of the door (3) (Figure 4, Figure 5, Figure 6, Figure 7).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the liquid accumulation means (6) is shaped as a groove. When the door (3) is between the half-open position (P₂) and the entirely open position (P_O), the liquid droplets that separate from the door (3) fill in the groove-shaped liquid accumulation means (6). While the door (3) is brought to the closed position (P_C) again, the liquid that accumulates in the liquid accumulation means (6) is emptied into the liquid collection chamber (4). In this embodiment, both ends of the liquid accumulation means (6) are closed such that the liquid therein does not flow from the sides (Figure 8).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the liquid guidance means (5) comprises a lip (7) against which the droplets coming from the surface of the door (3) impact and are directed to the liquid collection chamber (4). The lip (7) is disposed at the front side of the liquid accumulation means (6). The lip (7), which is shaped as a flat plate forms the end portion of the liquid guidance means (5). While the door (3) is brought from the intermediate position (P₁) to the half-open position (P₂), the droplets that separate from the door (3) are directed to the liquid collection chamber (4) by impacting the lip (7) of the liquid guidance means (5). In situations wherein the liquid droplets fill in the liquid accumulation means (6), the liquid, which is in the liquid accumulation means (6) while the door (3) is brought to the closed position (P_C), is directed to the liquid collection chamber (4) by flowing over the lip (7) (Figure 8).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the liquid guidance means (5) is produced from sheet metal. Thus, the liquid guidance means (5) is not affected by the high temperature in the cooking device (1). Moreover, the production costs of the elements are prevented from increasing since the sheet metal is a low cost material.
By means of the cooking device (1) of the present invention, the liquid droplets that form on the inner surface of the door (3) during the cooking process are provided to be effectively directed in all positions of the door (3) and prevented from damaging the furniture by spilling thereon.
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, a door (3) providing access into the oven cavity (2) having a closed position (P_C) and an entirely open position (P_O) almost perpendicular to the closed position (P_C) and at least one liquid collection chamber (4) disposed at the lower side of the door (3) and wherein the droplets that form on the inner surface of the door (3) spill by draining, characterized by a liquid guidance means (5) which is disposed in the vicinity of the lower edge of the door (3) and which provides the droplets coming from the surface of the door (3) to be directed to the liquid collection chamber (4) and/or to be accumulated on itself according to the opening angle of the door (3).
A cooking device (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the liquid guidance means (5) having a liquid accumulation means (6) which provides the droplets coming from surface of the door (3) to be accumulated on itself.
A cooking device (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized by the door (3) having a half-open position (P₂) wherein the door (3) is almost half open and an intermediate position (P₁) wherein the opening angle of the door (3) is between the half-open position (P₂) and the closed position (P_C) and the liquid guidance means (5) which directs the droplets coming from the surface of the door (3) to the liquid collection chamber (4) when the door (3) is between the intermediate position (P₁) and the half-open position (P₂) and accumulates the droplets coming from the door (3) surface in the liquid accumulation means (6) when the door is between the half-open position (P₂) and the entirely open position (P_O).
A cooking device (1) as in Claim 3, characterized by the door (3) between the closed position (P_C) and the intermediate position (P₁) of which there is an angle of almost 20 degrees.
A cooking device (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the liquid guidance means (5) which extends from the lower surface of the door (3) towards the inner surface vertical level thereof.
A cooking device (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the liquid accumulation means (6) shaped as a groove.
A cooking device (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the liquid guidance means (5) having a lip (7) against which the droplets coming from the surface of the door (3) impact and are directed to the liquid collection chamber (4).
A cooking device (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the liquid guidance means (5) produced from sheet metal.