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The present invention relates to a filter accessory for an extraction hob and to a combination appliance comprising the extraction hob and the filter accessory.
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Modern induction hobs are widely appreciated because of their flush installation which makes them easy to clean. Also, electricity is a preferred source of energy in cooking as it avoids safety concerns relating to e.g. gas usage. An extraction hood is normally installed above the induction cooktop in order to effectively remove odors and steam from the cooking area.
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In a more recent product category, a cooking hob and an extraction device have been integrated into a single product, called downward extraction hob. This new system is appreciated as it allows a higher freedom in product installation, providing an acceptable performance regarding the removal of odors and steam, although it is still somewhat reduced compared to that of standard hood systems.
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An example for such a downward extraction hob comprising a cooking hob and an extraction device installed completely below a top plate of the cooking hob and configured to draw in cooking vapors from above the top plate through a rectangular main air inlet provided in a central region of the top plate is described in
EP4246046A1 .
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In order to improve the performance of extraction hobs, some extraction hobs have been developed recently, which comprise an extraction device that is removably installed in a main air inlet opening provided in a top plate of the extraction hob, so that the extraction device protrudes by an adjustable height above the cooking surface of the hob as described in
EP4008966A1 . This system also comprises an integrated lifting system for adjusting the vertical position of the extraction device. Normally, when the hob is OFF, the extraction device is completely recessed into the hob surface to keep a flush look. When ON or in case of customer request, the extraction device moves up to increase the extraction efficiency.
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The extraction device of the extraction hob of
EP4008966A1 , which is considered the most relevant prior art for the present invention, comprises a cuboid filter housing having four side walls and a top wall while being open at a bottom side, wherein at least one of the side walls has an air inlet window, and it comprises a planar horizontal filter element accommodated in the filter housing.
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In
EP4008966A1 , although the extraction device can be removed from the extraction hob for cleaning, it is nevertheless formed as an integrated part thereof. In particular, the extraction fan for taking in cooking vapors is provided within the filter housing of the extraction device of
EP4008966A1 , so that the extraction of cooking vapors only works when the separate extraction device is installed.
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Against this background, the present invention solves the problem of improving the extraction efficiency of existing extraction hobs already having an integrated extraction device that is completely arranged below the cooktop such as shown e.g. in
EP4246046A1 .
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The invention proposes a filter accessory device with the features of claim 1. This filter accessory is adapted for being removably installed in a main air inlet opening provided in a top plate of the extraction hob, so that the filter accessory at least partially protrudes above the top plate.
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It is noted that throughout this application, terms such as horizontal, vertical, upper, lower, above, below and similar refer to the usual orientation of the claimed devices when installed in a kitchen, so that the top plate of the extraction hob on which cooking vessels are placed during cooking is oriented in a horizontal manner
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The filter accessory comprises a cuboid filter housing having four side walls and a top wall while being open at a bottom side, wherein the top wall and/or at least one of the side walls has an air inlet window, and the filter accessory furthermore comprises a filter assembly accommodated in the filter housing, the filter assembly having a planar filter surface portion that is tilted with respect to the top wall and to at least one of the side walls.
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Due to its tilted orientation, the filter surface can be increased for a given size of the filter housing as compared to a filter element that is oriented vertically or horizontally.
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Furthermore, according to the invention, the filter accessory does not comprise an integrated extraction fan because it can use the fan already provided below the top plate of the separate extraction hob. This makes the filter accessory more lightweight and cost-efficient as well as easier to clean than the extraction device of e. g.
EP4008966A1 .
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When an increased extraction performance is desired, the filter accessory can be easily installed instead of the usual top grid usually covering the main air inlet in the top plate of a conventional exhaust hob in which the integrated exhaust device is installed completely below the top plate.
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The interfaces between the filter accessory and the main air inlet can correspond to those between the usual top grid and the main air inlet, for a perfect mechanical fit with the accessory, therefore avoiding or reducing air gaps, leakages and the related noise.
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The geometric form of the inside of the filter housing acting as an air channel can be designed in order to reduce or minimize noise during operation, and/or suitable insulating and noise suppressing materials can be provided in the filter housing.
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According to a particular embodiment of the invention, at least one of the side walls of the filter housing has an air inlet window and the filter assembly has a planar filter surface potion associated with this air inlet window, wherein the associated filter surface portion is tilted by a tilt angle α with respect to the side wall having the respective air inlet window so that a lower end region of the associated filter surface portion is arranged nearer to this side wall than an upper end region of the associated filter surface portion, and wherein 0° < α ≤ 45°.
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In particular for a configuration in which the top plate of the cooking hob has only a single main air inlet provided in a central region of the top plate, each of two opposed side walls of the cuboid filter housing, usually the two longer side walls, can have an air inlet window, wherein for each air inlet window, the filter assembly has a planar filter surface portion associated with the respective air inlet window, the associated filter surface portion being tilted by a tilt angle α with respect to the side wall having the respective air inlet window, so that a lower end region of the associated filter surface portion is arranged nearer to this side wall than an upper end region, and wherein 0° < α ≤ 45°.
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For such an accessory, the filter assembly can comprise two separate planar filter elements, each filter element providing one of the two planar filter surface portions. As an alternative, the filter assembly can consist of a single filter element that is bent so as to form the two tilted planar filter surface portions, in particular in an inverted V shape or in the form of the upper part of an isosceles trapezoid.
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Preferably, the tilt angle α is not smaller than 5° and not larger than 30°, more preferably not smaller than 5° and not larger than 15°, and in particular, α can be approximately 10°.
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The filter assembly can be configured to filter out e.g. grease and/or odors.
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It is noted that, in addition to the filter assembly with the tilted planar filter surface portions as described above, the filter accessory can comprise additional grease and/or odor filters and/or special filters such as PECO (photoelectrochemical oxidation) filters and/or selective filters e.g. for specific food types.
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The top wall of the filter housing can be formed as a grid for increased extraction efficiency.
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According to some embodiments, the top wall of the filter housing can be part of a removable lid component of the filter housing. In this case, the top wall can be impermeable for gas. As explained in more detail below, additional functions can be integrated in this removable lid component.
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Apart from the removable lid component, the filter housing can comprise a housing body that is preferably made from a suitable plastics material, whereas the removable lid component or at least the top wall thereof is preferably made from a glass or glass ceramic material, in particular from the same material as the top plate of the cooking hob, for aesthetic reasons and easier cleaning.
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Preferably, a bottom end region of the removable lid component has the same geometric form and size as a bottom end region of the filter housing, so that the removable lid component, when removed from the housing body, can be installed in the main air inlet opening instead of the entire filter accessory, when no vapor extraction is needed. It is possible that some or all of the additional functions of the removable lid component as described below can also be used when only the lid component is installed in the main air inlet opening.
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The height of the removable lid component is preferably chosen so that when only the lid component but not the rest of the filter housing is installed in the main air inlet opening, the top wall of the removable lid component is flush with the upper surface of the top plate.
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The filter accessory, in particular the removable lid component, can comprise a display, in particular a touch screen, integrated in the top wall, and/or a projection device for projecting a display on the surface of the top plate or to another suitable surface. e.g. a cooktop, worktop or wall. The display can in particular display air quality parameters and/or can notify the user when the filters in the accessory need maintenance.
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As an alternative or in addition, the filter accessory can comprise a weighting system, preferably integrated in a removable lid thereof, wherein the determined weight of dishes or ingredients placed on the top wall of the filter housing can be determined and indicated on a display integrated in the top wall or can be sent to a main user interface of the extraction hob or to device in communication with the extraction hob, e.g. a user's mobile phone, preferably in order to be used as input for recipe guidance functions.
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The filter accessory can also comprise at least one lighting element, in particular a LED, and/or at least one sensor element, wherein the lighting and/or sensor element is preferably integrated in the removable lid component of the filter housing. In particular, an automatic regulation of light intensity and color can be provided, depending e.g. on the time of day and/or on user preferences.
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The sensor element can be used to monitor the air quality in the kitchen environment and can in particular be chosen from the group consisting of a steam capture sensor, a humidity sensor, a VOC (volatile organic compound) sensor, a PM (particulate matter) sensor, an ozone sensor, a nitrogen oxide sensor and combinations thereof.
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The accessory can also comprise a wireless temperature sensor and/or a camera in order to allow assisted cooking functions based on food temperature, and/or in order to allow safety functions. In addition, or as an alternative, the accessory may comprise a microphone, in particular for voice control of the product.
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The lighting elements, sensor elements and any other elements of the filter accessory needing electrical energy can be powered by a battery provided in the filter housing or can be powered wirelessly e.g. by the extraction hob or a separate charging station, preferably by induction
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In order to facilitate the positioning process of the filter accessory in the main air inlet, the filter accessory can comprise a magnet arrangement for releasably fixing the filter accessory to the extraction hob.
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According to a particular embodiment, the filter accessory can further comprise a mechanism configured to manually or automatically adjust a height of the filter accessory above the top plate and thus the position of air extraction, in particular a telescopic mechanism. In this manner, the user can flexibly adapt the extraction height to the specific cooking process and the used cookware at any time. In this case, the accessory can also include a mechanism to block the movable parts of the filter accessory at the desired height until cooking is completed.
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An optional elastic gasket circumferentially provided around the four side walls in a bottom end region of the filter housing can improve the extraction efficiency and/or reduce noise during operation of the extraction hob
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Protection is also claimed for a combination appliance comprising an extraction hob with a cooking hob and a downward extraction device installed below a top plate of the cooking hob and configured to suck in cooking vapors through a main air inlet opening provided in the top plate, the combination appliance furthermore comprising a filter accessory according to the invention as described in the present application, the filter accessory being configured to be removably installed in the main air inlet opening so that the filter accessory partly protrudes above the top plate.
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According to a preferred embodiment, the main air inlet opening is the only air inlet opening provided in the top plate and is arranged in a central region of the top plate. In an alternative configuration with two separate filter accessories, two air inlet openings can be provided near the side edges of the top plate.
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Preferably, the filter accessory is configured to be installable in and removable from the main air inlet of the hob without the use of any tools. In particular, the filter accessory can be releasably fixed to the cooking hob by means of a magnetic mechanism which also facilitates the positioning process.
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In the following, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings, in which
- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a combination appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention,
- Fig. 2 is a side view of the appliance of Fig. 1,
- Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the appliance of Fig. 2, taken along the sectional plane indicated as III-III in Fig. 2,
- Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a filter accessory according to an embodiment of the invention,
- Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the device of Fig. 4, taken along the sectional plane indicated as V-V in Fig. 4, and
- Fig. 6 is an exploded view of the device of Fig. 4.
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In all figures, the same or equivalent features are marked with the same reference numbers.
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Figs. 1 to 3 illustrate a combination appliance 500 comprising a downward extraction hob 100 and a separate filter accessory 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
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The downward extraction hob 100 can be a conventional hob such as described e.g. in
EP4246046A1 , and reference is made to this previous application for more constructional details of the hob 100 without the accessory 10.
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The illustrated extraction hob 100 comprises a top plate 104 as a cooktop for placing cookware and a flat hob housing 106 or coil carrier installed below the top plate 104, the hob housing 106 accommodating induction coils or other heating elements for heating fixed and/or adjustable cooking zones (not shown). A main user interface, e.g. in the form of a touch screen can optionally be integrated in the top plate 104 but is also not illustrated in the figures.
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In the illustrated example, a single, oblong, rectangular main air inlet 102 is provided in a central area of the top plate 104, and cooking vapors from above the top plate 104 can be extracted downwards through this main air inlet 102 by means of an extraction device 120 installed below the top plate 104, the extraction device 120 comprising an extraction housing 108 forming an intake channel 110 and an extraction fan that is not visible in the figures but is shown e.g. in the figures of
EP4246046A1 . Electronic components for powering and/or controlling the hob and/or the extraction fan or any other elements of the combination appliance can be arranged in flat modules 112 arranged at opposed sides of the extraction housing 108 in order to facilitate the assembly process as described in
EP4246046A1 .
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It is noted that the extraction hob 100 is functional without the separate filter accessory 10 and can comprise integrated grease and/or odor filters 114 arranged in a filter holder 116 arranged in the extraction housing 108 below the top plate 104 (cf. Fig. 3), but according to the present invention, the extraction performance can be increased by installing the separate filter accessory 10 in the main air inlet 102 so that the accessory 10 at least partly protrudes above the top plate 104 as shown in Figs. 1-3.
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The air flow during operation of the combination appliance 500 from above the top plate 104, through the air inlet windows 18 and the associated planar filter surface portions 22, downward in the interior of the filter housing 12 of the filter accessory 10, downward through the main air inlet 102, through the filters 114 below the top plate and in the interior of the housing 108 to the exhaust fan that is hidden behind the filter holder 116 in the cross sectional view of Fig. 3 is illustrated in this figure by hollow arrows F.
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The filter accessory 10 according to an embodiment of the invention that is illustrated larger and in more detail in Figs. 4 has an oblong cuboid filter housing 12 comprising a top wall 16 and four side walls 14 including two longer opposed side walls 14.1 and two shorter opposed side walls 14.2.
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Each of the two opposed longer side walls 14.1 has an air inlet window 18 through which cooking vapors from above the top plate 104 can be taken in and directed through the associated planar filter surface portion 22 of the filter assembly 20 within the housing 12 and then through the main air inlet 102 into the housing 108 of the extraction device 120 below the top plate 104.
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In the illustrated example, the shorter side walls 14.2 are closed walls, but in an alternative embodiment, air inlet windows can also be provided in these walls.
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As illustrated in particular in the cross-sectional view of Fig. 5, each associated planar filter surface portion 22 is tilted with regard to the side wall 14 in which the respective air inlet window 18 is arranged by a tilt angle α so that a lower end region 221 of the associated filter surface portion 22 is arranged nearer to this side wall 14 than an upper end region 22u of the associated filter surface portion 22. In the illustrated example, the tilt angle α is approximately 10° for both planar filter surface portions 22.
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Although not illustrated, the filter accessory 10 can comprise a mechanism for selectively opening and closing each air inlet window 18, e.g. if only the cooking zones on a single side of the filter accessory are used.
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The top wall 16 in the illustrated example is made from the same material as the top plate 104 of the cooking hob and is preferably part of a removable lid element 17 which can integrate additional functions.
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For example, two LED bars can be provided as lighting elements 24, providing additional lighting during the cooking process. Intensity and/or color of the lighting elements can be adapted and controlled according to user preferences, the time of day, overall lighting conditions as determined by additional sensors etc.
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Although not illustrated in the figures, the removable lid element 17 provides a suitable space for installing additional elements, e.g. sensor elements, a camera, a microphone, a communication interface etc. As the lid element 17 comprising electronic elements can be removed from the rest of the housing 12, cleaning the rest of the housing e.g. in the dishwasher can be facilitated.
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The top wall 16 preferably integrates a display 28 as suggested in Fig. 4, in particular in the form of a touchscreen for displaying information and/or allowing user input. In particular, parameters of the air quality or of the maintenance state of the filters can be displayed and/or the lighting elements 24 can be controlled by means of the touchscreen.
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As indicated in Figs. 1 and 4, the filter accessory 10 and in particular the removable lid component 17 can comprise an integrated weighting system 30, so that the weight of dishes or ingredients placed on top of the top wall 16 is displayed directly on the integrated display 28 and/or is sent to a central user interface or a separate user device such as a mobile phone.
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In an alternative embodiment that is not illustrated, the top wall of the filter housing can be formed as a grid for improved extraction performance.
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The construction of the illustrated filter accessory 10 can be seen best in the cross-sectional view of Fig. 5 and the exploded view of Fig. 6.
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In the illustrated example, the filter housing 12 is composed of a main body part 19 and the removable lid component 17, the lid component 17 comprising a top cover frame 11 and a removable top cover flap 27 forming the top wall 16.
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The top cover frame 11 has the form of a flat rectangular box with a closed bottom wall 23 and elongated openings 25 in the side walls for inserting the lighting elements 24. The interior space of the top cover frame 11 can accommodate additional elements such as sensor elements, PCBs with control circuits and similar.
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The main body part 19 can comprise a body frame 29 and two filter holder inserts 31 which can be inserted in the main body part 19 so that vertical guide rail protrusions 32 of the inserts 31 (cf. Fig. 6) engage with vertical guide rail slots 33 provided in hollow bars 34 arranged at the four vertical side edges of the main body part 19, the hollow bars serving to increase stiffness and stability of the main body part 19 and to hold the filter holder inserts 31. Furthermore, electrical wires might be passed through the hollow interior of the bars 34.
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Planar filter elements 21 forming the planar filter surface portions 22 are held in position in the filter holder inserts 31 by means of support walls 36, 38 defining the desired tilt angle α. For cleaning and replacement, the filter elements 21 can be easily removed from the filter holder inserts 31. Although in the example of Fig. 5, two separate filter elements 21 are inserted in each filter holder insert 31, it is possible to provide only one single filter element associated to each air inlet window 18. The filter elements 21 can be grease filters and/or odor filters and can in particular comprise a metallic mesh. Instead of two separate filter elements, a single filter element can be used that is bent in a suitable manner to provide the two tilted planar surface portions.
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A lower filter frame 38 holding an additional horizontal activated carbon filter 40 can be press-fit into the rectangular space defined by the four side walls 14 from below.
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For reducing leakage and noise during operation of the combination appliance 500, a gasket 26 can be circumferentially provided around the four side walls 14 in a bottom end region 12b of the filter housing 12 of the filter accessory.
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It is noted that although the body frame 29, the two filter inserts 31 and the lower filter frame 38 are formed as separate components in the illustrated example of Fig. 6, several or all of these elements 29, 31, 38 can be formed in one single piece in an alternative embodiment of the present invention.
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Departing from the illustrated example, two filter accessories according to the invention and only having a single air inlet window can be provided in two main air inlet openings arranged at two opposed side edge regions of the top plate.
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Furthermore, in addition to or instead of the air inlet windows provided in the side walls of the filter housing in the illustrated examples, an air inlet window can be provided in the top wall of the filter housing.