GB2409896A

GB2409896A - A powered oven door featuring non-parallel planar members

Info

Publication number: GB2409896A
Application number: GB0400114A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David George Dohren; Paul Mcstrafick
Original assignee: TOM CHANDLEY Ltd
Current assignee: TOM CHANDLEY Ltd
Priority date: 2004-01-06
Filing date: 2004-01-06
Publication date: 2005-07-13
Also published as: GB0400114D0

Abstract

An oven door 10 comprises at least two pieces of planar material 44, 48 connected to each other with the plane of each piece of material 44, 48 being other than parallel. The included angle between the pieces 44, 48 may be obtuse. The pieces 44, 48 may have a reflective coating to reflect heat. The door 10 may have a horizontal pivot axis 20. There may be provided a counterweight (22, figure 1) to exert a turning moment about the pivot axis 20. The door 10 may feature side pieces attached to the pieces 44, 48. The side pieces being attached to the pieces 44, 48 using adhesive. The pieces 44, 48 may be connected to each other by adhesive. The pieces 44, 48 may contact each other. The pieces 44, 48 may feature inclined edge surfaces 50 that face each other and that diverge from each other. The diverging surfaces 50 may be filled with adhesive. The pieces 44, 48 may comprise transparent glass. The door 10 may be powered between open and/or closed positions. The door may have an arcuate surface (24, figure 9) with a radius about the pivot axis 20 with the arcuate surface (24, figure 9) being driven. The drive may be provided by a round driving member 28. The arcuate surface (24, figure 9) and the round surface 28 may be smooth. The arcuate member (24, figure 9) or round surface 28 may include a resilient member. The door 10 may be powered by a motor 12 that includes a gearbox and slipping clutch. There may be provided a single switch to power the door between open and closed positions.

Description

1 2409896

OVEN DOORS

The present invention relates to an oven door, a method of marking an oven door, an oven and a method of opening or closing an oven door. The present invention is particularly although not exclusively applicable to ovens for farinaceous material.

In known oven doors, a metal door includes a metal handle which an operator must grasp in order to open and close the door. In another door, the door is made of a planar glass sheet that requires to be reinforced by a metal frame in order to prevent the glass from sagging when the face of the glass is other than vertical. Both arrangements are complicated, time consuming and expensive to produce. Furthermore, both arrangements require an operator to be at the face of the oven in order to grasp the handle when opening.

As the metal handle is in thermal communication with the door of the oven, accidental contact by the operator to the hot metal is a frequent cause of burns. In addition, as the operator must be at the face of the oven when opening the door, the operator is exposed to steam and heat exiting the oven. Again accidents happen and operators could be harmed.

In addition, as the metal frame is in contact with the interior and exterior of the oven the insulating properties of the oven are decreased. To try and alleviate the heat loss the doors include two spaced members. This further complicates the production procedure and increases costs.

It is an object of the present invention to attempt to overcome at least one of the above or other disadvantages.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an oven door comprises at least two pieces of generally planar material connected to each other with the planes of each piece of material being other than parallel.

The included angle between the pieces may be obtuse and may be more than 135 or more than 145 or more than 160 or in the region of 170 .

One piece of material may be arranged, in use, to move in a first direction to seal with a surface of an oven opening, the other piece being arranged to move in a second direction opposed to the first direction to seal with a surface of an oven opening.

The pieces may be arranged, in use, to reflect heat back into an oven. The pieces may be coated with a reflective coating on the surface that, in use, will face inside an oven. The door may be an insulating door without a cavity.

The door may be arranged, in use, to pivot between an open and closed position and that pivot may be about an axis extending transversely to the vertical and is preferably a horizontal axis. The pieces of material may be arranged to exert a moment in a first direction with respect to the pivot axis and there may be provided a counterweight arranged to exert a moment in a second direction about the axis. The moment exerted in the first and second direction may be substantially equal in both directions in at least one pivotal position and preferably all pivotal positions.

The door may include a pair of side members secured to the opposed edge faces of at least one and preferably all planar members. The side members may accommodate the pivotal axis. The side members may be adhered to the planar member or members by adhesive such as silicone adhesive. The counterweight may be connected to one of the side members.

The door may be arranged to be powered between the open and closed position.

The planar members may be connected to each other by adhesive such as silicone adhesive.

The planar member may include edge surfaces that face each other and that diverge from each other from one surface towards the other. The planar members may contact each other. The diverging surfaces may be adhered together and the space defined between the diverging surfaces may be filled with adhesive.

The planar members may comprise transparent and, alternatively or additional may comprise glass such as toughened glass.

The door may be greater than 1 m or less than 2 m long.

The door may be more than 10 and less than 40 cm high.

The present invention also includes an oven including a door as hereinbefore described.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, a method of making an oven door comprises connecting at least two generally planar transparent material together with the planes of each piece being other than coincident.

The method may comprise gluing the pieces together such as with silicone adhesive.

The method may comprise gluing the pieces together with the glue extending at least partly along a valley defined at the junction between the pieces.

The present invention also includes a method of making a door when the door is as herein referred to.

According to another aspect of the present invention an oven includes a door which is arranged to be powered from at least one of the open or closed positions to the other of the open or closed positions.

The door may be arranged to be powered between both positions.

The door may be arranged to pivot between the positions.

The door may include an arcuate surface having a radius about the pivot axis with the arcuate surface being arranged to be driven. The drive may be arranged to be provided by a round driving member. At least one of the arcuate surface or the round member and preferably both surfaces are smooth. At least one of the arcuate surface or round member may have a resilient Surface.

The door may be arranged to be powered by a motor such as an electric motor. The motor may include a gear box. The motor may include a slipping clutch.

The rotational axis of the driven round member may be at the same level as the axis of the arcuate member or the axes may be located one above the other.

The oven may include a switch at at least one of the open or closed positions and preferably both arranged, when the door moves into one or both positions, to stop the motor and preferably may be arranged to reverse the direction that the driven member is rotated when the motor is next operated.

The oven may include a single switch arranged to operate the door from the closed to the open or from the open to the closed positions.

The control that is actuated to power the door may be located to one side of the door.

The present invention also includes an oven having a door as herein referred to.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, a method of opening or closing an oven door comprises powering the door.

The method may comprise opening and closing the door by powering the door.

The method may comprise using a single switch to both power the door open and to power the door closed.

The present invention also includes a method of opening or closing a door of an oven as herein referred to or a door as herein referred to.

The present invention may be carried into practice in various ways, but embodiments will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1, 2 and 3 are, respectively, a view from one end, a front view and a view from the other end of a door 10 in the closed position; Figures 4, 5 and 6 are views respectively corresponding to those in Figures 1, 2 and 3 with the door 10 in the open position; Figure 7 is a detailed side view showing the door 10 in both the open and closed positions; Figure 8 is a side view showing one location at which a motor 12 may be mounted and Figure 9 is also a side view showing in detail the cooperation of the motor and door, and Figure 10 is a view similar to that shown in Figure 8 showing another location for the motor 12.

As shown in Figures 1 to 6, an oven cooking space 14 can be accessed through the door 10, when open. The door 10 is see-through and is made of toughened glass. Brackets 16 and 18 are secured to opposed end faces of the door with each bracket having an opening and with a pivot shaft extending through those openings and mounted in bearings at either end. In use, the door moves about the axis of the shaft 20 between the open and closed positions. The brackets are secured to the door with silicone adhesive.

The bracket 20 has, mounted to the upper side thereof when in the closed position, a balance weight 22 secured thereto. The weight 22 ensures that the clockwise and anticlockwise moment about the axis of the shaft 20 are of the same order or substantially the same. This allows minimal force in order to pivot the door between its positions.

The other bracket 18 has a cam 24 secured thereto. The radius of the ram is about the axis of the shaft 20.

The motor 12 cooperates with the cam to drive the door between the open and closed positions. The oven includes micro switches (not shown) at each end of the door travel to switch the drive motor off. The micro switches also ensure that when a single actuator button 26 is pushed or touched the door moves from the open position to the closed position and vice versa. The door travels through 90 between those positions.

Figures 7, 8 and 9 show the driving mechanism for the door. The motor 10, which is electrically driven, includes a gear box. The output from the gear box is connected to a rotationally mounted wheel 28 having or comprising rubber compound on its outer surface. The wheel 78 engages with the arcuate surface of the cam 24 to drive the door between its positions.

An upper lintel 30 of the door includes a wall 32 that faces towards the interior of the oven 14. That wall 32 includes a seal 34 extending along its surface with which, in the closed position, the upper edge region of the door seals with.

A lower lintel 36 includes an outwardly facing surface 38 against which the door seals, when in the closed position.

Each lintel 30 and 36 includes, on a forward facing portion, an air duct 40 and, on a rearward facing portion, insulation 42.

In Figures 7 to 9 the motor 10 is mounted such that the rotational axis of the wheel 28 is at the same level as the axis of the shaft 20. In Figure 10 the motor is mounted such that the wheel axis is vertically below the shaft axis.

In use, an operator can, with a single button, both open and close the door. When opening the door the operator can actuate the button and stand clear of the door. Thus any steam or heat that is emitted from the oven can exit safely without the operator being at risk of harm.

Likewise, when closing the door, the same button can be activated with the operator standing well away from the door and oven. In this way, the operator need have nothing to do with the door. The motor may include a slipping clutch to assist in ease of operation.

The door itself comprises two glass panels 44 and 48. The S facing edges 50 of the panels are bevelled at an angle of about 45 to the faces of the panels whereas the angle between the faces of the panels is approximately 15 . The resultant gap between the facing edges of the panels is filled with silicone adhesive which holds the panels together. The brackets 16 and 18 may also assist in holding the panels together. As the door is not a single piece of glass having a planar front and rear surface, the door does not tend to sag in any operational position and the panels form a rigid structure, free of any metal on the outwardly facing surface. As glass is an extremely good insulator, the outer surface will not be as hot as would be the case if the door included metal in thermal connection with the interior of the oven. Furthermore, the contents of the oven can easily be seen without the obstruction of a handle. The glass may be coated on the outside surface with Pilkington K heat reflective coating.

The glass door and/or the coating may reflect heat back into the oven.

The door is between 1 m and 2 m long and 10 cm and 40 cm high. The oven is of the type used in supermarkets where there may be a stack of oven compartments, each with their own door, one on top of the other which may each cook different products such as different farinaceous products.

Attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features

disclosed in this specification (including any

accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims

1. An oven door comprising at least two pieces of generally planar material connected to each other with the planes of each piece of material being other than parallel.

2. A door as claimed in claim 1 in which the included angle between the pieces is obtuse.

3. A door as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the included angle between the pieces is more than 135 .

4. A door as claimed in claim 3 in which the included angle between the pieces is more than 145 .

5. A door as claimed in claim 4 in which the included angle between the pieces is more than 160 .

6. A door as claimed in claim 5 in which the included angle between the pieces is in the region of 170 .

7. A door as claimed in any preceding claim in which one piece of material is arranged, in use, to move in a first direction to seal with the surface of an oven door opening, the other piece being arranged to move in a second direction opposed to the first direction to seal with the surface of an oven opening.

V

8. A door as claimed in any preceding claim in which the pieces are arranged, in use, to reflect heat back into an oven.

9. A door as claimed in any preceding claim in which the pieces are coated with a reflective coating on the surface that, in use, will face the inside of an oven.

10. A door as claimed in any preceding claim comprising an insulating door without a cavity.

11. A door as claimed in any preceding claim arranged, in use, to pivot between an open and closed position.

12. A door as claimed in claim 11 in which that pivot is about an axis extending transversely to the vertical.

13. A door as claimed in claim 12 in which the pivot axis is a horizontal axis.

14. A door as claimed in any of claims 11 to 13 in which the pieces of material are arranged to exert a moment in a first direction with respect to the pivot axis.

15. A door as claimed in claim 14 including a counterweight arranged to exert a moment in a second direction about the axis.

16. A door as claimed in claim 14 or 15 in which the moment exerted in the first and second directions is substantially equal in both directions in at least one pivotal position.

17. A door as claimed in claim 16 in which the moment exerted in the first and second directions is substantially equal in all pivotal positions.

18. A door as claimed in any preceding claim including a pair of side members secured to the opposed edge faces of at least one planar member.

19. A door as claimed in claim 18 including a pair of side members secured to all planar members.

20. A door as claimed in claim 18 or 19 in which the or each side member accommodates the pivotal axis.

21. A door as claimed in any of claims 18 to 20 in which the or each side member is adhered to the planar member or members by adhesive.

22. A door as claimed in any of claims 18 to 21 when dependent upon any of claims 15 to 17 in which the counterweight is connected to one of the side members.

23. A door as claimed in any preceding claim arranged to be powered between open and closed positions.

24. A door as claimed in any preceding claim in which the planar members are connected to each other by adhesive.

25. A door as claimed in any preceding claim in which the planar members include edge surfaces that face each other and that diverge from each other from one surface towards the other.

26. A door as claimed in any preceding claim in which the planar members contact each other.

27. A door as claimed in claim 25 or claim 26 when dependent upon claim 24 in which the diverging surfaces are adhered together.

28. A door as claimed in claim 27 in which the diverging surfaces are filled with adhesive.

29. A door as claimed in any preceding claim in which the planar members comprise transparent members.

30. A door as claimed in any preceding claim in which the planar members comprise glass.

31. A door as claimed in any preceding claim which is greater than lm long.

32. A door as claimed in any preceding claim in which the door is less than 2m long.

33. A door as claimed in any preceding claim that is more than loom high.

34. A door as claimed in any preceding claim in which the door is less than 40cm high.

35. An oven door substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

36. An oven including an oven door as claimed in any of claims 1 to 35.

37. A method of making an oven door comprising connecting at least two generally planar transparent pieces of material together with the planes on each piece being connected other than coincident.

38. A method as claimed in claim 37 comprising gluing the pieces together.

39. A method as claimed in claim 38 comprising gluing the pieces together with the glue extending at least partly along a valley defined at the junction between the pieces.

40. A method of making an oven door substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

41. A method of making a door as claimed in any of claims 37 to 40 when the door is as claimed in the new claims 1 to 36.

42. An oven including a door that is arranged, in use, to be powered from at least one of the open or closed positions to the other of the open or closed positions.

43. A door as claimed in claim 42 arranged to be powered between both positions.

44. A door as claimed in either of claims 42 or 43 which the door pivots between the positions.

45. A door as claimed in claim 44 including an arcuate surface having a radius about the pivot axis with the arcuate surface being arranged to be driven.

46. A door as claimed in claim 45 in which the drive is provided by a round driving member.

47. A door is claimed in either of claims 45 or 46 in which at least one of the arcuate surfaces or the round member is smooth.

48. A door as claimed in claim 47 in which both the arcuate surfaces and the round member are smooth.

49. A door as claimed in any of claims 45 to 48 in which at least one of the arcuate surfaces or round member includes a resilient surface.

50. A door as claimed in any of claims 42 to 49 arranged to be powered by a motor.

51. A door as claimed in claim 50 in which the motor includes a gearbox.

52. A door as claimed in either of claims 50 or 51 in which the motor includes a slipping clutch.

53. A door as claimed in any preceding claim when dependent upon claim 44 in which the rotational axis of the driven round member is at the same level as the axis of the arcuate member.

54. A door as claimed in any of claims 45 to 52 when dependent upon claim 44 in which the rotational axis of the driven round member with respect to the axis of the arcuate member are located one above the other.

55. A door as claimed in any of claims 42 to 54 in which the oven includes a switch arranged to power the door from one to at least the other position.

56. A door as claimed in claim 55 in which the switch is arranged to power the door between both positions.

57. A door as claimed in claim 56 in which the direction that the driven member is rotated is reversed when the motor that powers the door is next operated.

58. A door as claimed in any of claims 55 to 57 including a single switch arranged to operate the door from the closed to the open or from the open to the closed positions.

59. An oven door substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in any of the accompanying drawings.

60. An oven including a door as claimed in any of claims 42 to 59.

61. A method of opening or closing an oven door comprising powering the door.

62. A method as claimed in claim 61 comprising opening and closing the door by powering the door.

63. A method as claimed in claim 62 comprising using a single switch to both power the door open and to power the door closed.

64. A method of opening or closing an oven door substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in any of the accompanying drawings.

65. A method of opening or closing a door of an oven according to any of claims 61 to 64 when the door is as claimed in any of claims 42 to 59.