US20230400195A1

US20230400195A1 - Multi-piece range

Info

Publication number: US20230400195A1
Application number: US18/330,496
Authority: US
Inventors: Bradley Mergener; Richard R. Sinur; Dominic Blanchette
Original assignee: Broan NuTone LLC
Current assignee: Broan NuTone LLC
Priority date: 2022-06-09
Filing date: 2023-06-07
Publication date: 2023-12-14
Also published as: CA3202268A1

Abstract

A range hood configured to direct exhaust from a cooktop toward a blower assembly. The blower assembly and the range hood are configured to be attached to cabinetry having a predetermined opening between at least two cabinets included in the cabinetry. A barrier is placed around the predetermined opening to guard against damage to surfaces around the range hood.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/350,483, filed Jun. 9, 2022, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to ventilation systems, and particularly to kitchen ventilation systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a range ventilation system.

SUMMARY

According to the present disclosure, a cooktop range is configured to be mounted to cabinetry above a cooktop. The cooktop range includes a blower assembly defining an exhaust inlet and a barrier coupled to the cabinetry adjacent to the inlet to protect the cabinetry from effluents being removed by the blower assembly. The blower assembly includes a fan housing defining the inlet that opens toward the cooktop and a fan arranged to lie within the fan housing and configured to vent air and particles through the inlet. The barrier is coupled to a downwardly-facing surface of the cabinetry to lie between the fan housing and the cabinetry to block heat and particles from reaching the downwardly-facing surface of the cabinetry.
In illustrative embodiments, the barrier includes a first barrier panel and a second barrier panel. The first and second barrier panels are movable relative to the blower to increase or decrease a width of the barrier during installation so that the width of the barrier matches a cabinet width of the downwardly-facing surface of the cabinetry
In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a protective barrier is configured to be coupled to a surface of cabinetry adjacent to an opening formed in the cabinetry to block heat and particles from reaching the surface of the cabinetry. The protective barrier includes a first barrier panel and a second barrier panel. The first and second barrier panels are movable relative to the blower to increase or decrease a width of the barrier during installation so that the width of the barrier matches a cabinet width of the downwardly-facing surface of the cabinetry. The first barrier panel and the second barrier panel each include a panel base and at least one breakaway section separated from the panel base by a frangible breakaway line. Each of the breakaway sections is removable from the panel base to adjust the width of the barrier. Each panel base has a first thickness and each breakaway line has a second thickness less than the first thickness so that the breakaway panels are separable from the panel base when desired.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method includes installing a protective barrier for a range hood configured to protect a surface of cabinetry located adjacent to an exhaust inlet. The method further includes measuring a cabinet width between two cabinets arranged on opposite sides of the exhaust inlet from one another. The method further includes obtaining a first barrier panel and a second barrier panel, each barrier panel including a panel base and at least one breakaway section coupled to the panel base by a breakaway line. The method further includes removing at least one breakaway section from the panel base along the breakaway line. The method further includes placing each barrier panel on opposite sides of the exhaust inlet from one another such that inner edges of each barrier panel coincide with the exhaust inlet.
Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a range hood installed on cabinetry and including a protective barrier that is configured to be attached to a downwardly-facing surface of the cabinetry to protect the downwardly-facing surface from heat, smoke, or other debris and elements;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 with a portion of the range hood removed from the cabinetry to show that the protective barrier includes a plurality of panels that are repositionable and reconfigurable to be installed on cabinetry having a various widths;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the protective barrier from FIGS. 1 and 2 showing that the protective barrier includes a plurality of breakaway sections that can be separated from the rest of the protective barrier depending on the width of the downwardly-facing surface of the cabinetry to which the protective barrier is attached;

FIG. 4 is a series of bottom views of various range hood configurations with different amounts of breakaway sections removed from the rest of each respective protective barrier and showing that each protective barrier has a different width depending on how many breakaway sections are left attached to the rest of the protective barrier;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the range hood from FIGS. 1-4 with a front barrier panel installed on a front end of the protective barrier and a pair of side barrier panels installed on respective lateral ends of the protective barrier;

FIG. 6 is an exploded assembly view of the range hood from FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the range hood including a rear barrier panel installed on a rear end of the protective barrier; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the range hood arranged in a collapsed-storage configuration where each of the components of the range hood can be stacked and boxed for shipment to consumers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A cooktop range hood 10 in accordance with the present disclosure is configured to be attached removably to cabinetry 12, a microwave, or another structure around the cabinetry 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . The cooktop range hood 10 is positioned directly above a cooktop 16 and is configured to capture and direct effluents away from the space above the cooktop 16 and below the cooktop range hood 10.
The cooktop range hood 10 includes a blower assembly 18 mounted in a generally central region above the cooktop 16 and a protective barrier 20 positioned to cover one or more surfaces of the cabinetry 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . The blower assembly 18 is configured to provide a vacuum force above the cooktop 16 to remove air, particles and effluents away from the cooktop 16. The protective barrier 20 covers surfaces of the cabinetry not already covered by the blower assembly 18 to protect the cabinetry from heat, moisture, particles or other effluents that could damage the cabinetry 12.
The blower assembly 18 includes a fan housing 22 and a fan 24 arranged to lie within the fan housing 22 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . The fan housing 22 may be made from a metallic material and is formed to define an inlet 26 that opens toward the cooktop 16. The inlet 26 is formed in a bottom wall 22B of the fan housing 22 facing toward the cooktop 16. The fan 24 is configured to draw air, particles and effluents through the inlet 26 during operation of the fan 24. The fan housing 22 is also formed to define an outlet 28 that discharges the air, particles and/or effluents from the fan housing 22. The outlet 28, in the illustrative embodiment, is formed in a top wall 22T of the fan housing 22 opposite the bottom wall 22B. The outlet 28 opens into a ventilation duct 30 that leads away from the cooktop 16 (i.e. to an outdoor area). In other embodiments, the outlet 28 may discharge filtered air back into the room where the cooktop range hood 10 is located. The blower assembly 18 may also include one or more screens, grates, and/or filters to remove effluents and particles from the air entering the inlet 26.
The barrier 20 is coupled to a downwardly-facing surface 32 of the cabinetry 12 and lies between the fan housing 22 and the cabinetry 12 to block heat and particles from reaching the downwardly-facing surface 32 of the cabinetry 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . The barrier 20 includes a first barrier panel 34 and a second barrier panel 36. The first barrier panel 34 is configured to cover a first portion (e.g. first half) of the downwardly-facing surface 32 of the cabinetry 12. The second barrier panel 36 is configured to cover a second portion (e.g. second half) of the downwardly-facing surface 32 of the cabinetry 12. In the illustrative embodiment, both the first panel 34 and the second panel 36 of the barrier 20 are made from a metallic material such as stainless steel, for example. Other panels may also be included in the protective barrier 20 to cover other surfaces of the cabinetry 12 such as a rear wall 38, lateral sidewalls 40, 42, or any other surfaces of the cabinetry 12 or the building that may be exposed to heat and particles produced by or on cooktop 16.
The first and second barrier panels 34, 36 are movable relative to the blower assembly 18 to increase or decrease a width 44 of the protective barrier 20 during installation so that the width 44 of the protective barrier 20 matches a cabinet width 46 of the downwardly-facing surface 32 of the cabinetry 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and as suggested in FIGS. 3 and 4 . The configuration of each of the barrier panels 34, 36 is substantially similar to the other and includes a panel base 48 that is configured to be mounted to the downwardly-facing surface 32 of the cabinetry 12, and a plurality of breakaway sections 50 coupled to the panel base 48 and one another along frangible, breakaway lines 52. Each of the plurality of breakaway sections 50 may be removed from the panel base 48 and from one another along the frangible, breakaway lines 52. In the illustrative embodiment, the frangible breakaway lines 52 are provides as areas of each respective barrier panel 34, 36 where there is a decreased thickness compared to other areas of the panel base 48 and the breakaway sections 50. The breakaway lines 52 may be formed by mechanically deforming, scoring, and/or etching the breakaway lines 52 into the panel base 48.
A person installing the cooktop range hood 10 can remove one or more of the breakaway sections 50 by applying a force (e.g. repeated bending and/or shearing) between one breakaway section 50 and the panel base 48 until the frangible, breakaway line 52 is broken. In some embodiments, the first and second barrier panels 34, 36 have no openings that extend all the way through a thickness of the first and second barrier panels 34, 36 along the frangible, breakaway lines 52. This provides a continuous fire and/or particle barrier across each of the breakaway sections 50 since some of the breakaway sections 50 may not be removed from the panel base 48 depending on the width 46 of the cabinet.
Each of the plurality of breakaway sections 50 is defined by a concave inner edge 54, a convex outer edge 56, and opposing generally straight side edges 58, 60. The concave inner edge 54 is shaped with a curvature that matches the ventilation duct 30 and/or outlet 28. In the illustrative embodiment, the inner edges 54 of the first and second barrier panels 34, 36 form a circle when brought together around the ventilation duct 30 and/or outlet 38. However, in other embodiments, the inner edges 54 can have any shape to match a duct or outlet with a corresponding shape.
The convex outer edge 56 and side edges 58, 60 of each breakaway section 50 are provided by a respective frangible, breakaway line 52. The convex outer edges 56 interface with a concave inner edge 54 of a neighboring breakaway section 50 or the panel base 48 when the panels are connected to one another. Thus, the convex outer edges 56 all have the same curvature or shape as the concave inner edges 54.
During installation of the protective barrier 20, the width 46 of the surface to which the cooktop range hood 10 will be mounted is determined by an installer. Many cabinets have a predetermined width 46 above a cooktop 16 that is equal to one of the following: 21 inches, 24 inches, 30 inches, 36 inches, or 42 inches. Accordingly, the plurality of breakaway sections 50 are spaced apart from one another so that the protective barrier 20 can correspond to one of these widths. For example, the inner edge 54 of an innermost breakaway section 50 can correspond to a width 46 of 42 inches. If it is determined that the width 46 of the downwardly-facing surface 32 of the cabinetry 12 is 30 inches, then the first two innermost breakaway sections 50 can be removed and the first and second barrier panels 34, 36 can be adjusted inwardly so that the protective barrier 20 matches the width 46 of the surface 32 as suggested in FIG. 4 . Once one or more breakaway sections 50 are removed, the first and second barrier panels 34, 36 are slid inwardly toward one another so that the inner edge 54 of the remaining innermost breakaway section 50 or panel base 48 interfaces with the duct 30 and/or outlet 28. Portions of the first and second barrier panels 34, 36 may overlap with one another when fully installed on the cabinetry 12.
In general, more breakaway sections 50 left attached to the panel base 48 coincides with a greater width 44 of the protective barrier 20 as suggested in FIG. 4 . The number of breakaway sections 50 and/or spacing between inner edges 54 of each breakaway section 50 can be adjusted so that the protective barrier 20 can be used with other widths 46 and ducts 30. In some embodiments, the breakaway panels 50 may have varying widths. For example, the innermost breakaway panels 50 may have a first width and while outer breakaway panels 50 have a second width 92 less than the first width 90. In some embodiments, the first width 90 may be less than the second width 92.
In some embodiments, the panel base 48 may be formed to include additional breakaway lines and/or bend lines 62 that extend parallel to an outermost edge 64 of the panel base 48 from a front end 48F of the panel base 48 to a rear end 48R of the panel base 48 as shown in FIG. 3 . The panel bases 48 can be bent along lines 62 to further adjust the width 44 of the protective barrier 20 if the width 46 of the cabinetry 12 is slightly different than one of the predetermined widths that coincide with the breakaway sections 50. Illustratively, spacing between each additional line 62 is smaller than spacing between the inner edges 54 of the breakaway sections 50, however, any suitable spacing may be used. Some exemplary widths of between the additional lines 62 include ¼ inch, ⅜ inch, ½ inch, 1 inch, etc.
In some embodiments, the protective barrier 20 may further include a front barrier panel 66, a rear barrier panel 68, and side barrier panels 70, 72 as shown in FIGS. 5-7 . The front barrier panel 66 is arranged to lie along a front edge of the blower assembly 18 to obstruct view of the blower assembly 18 and provide a canopy that helps capture effluents produced on cooktop 16. The front barrier panel 66 includes a plurality of segments 66A, 66B, 66C that are adjustable relative to one another to match the width 44 of the first and second barrier panels 34, 36. The rear barrier panel 68 is arranged to lie along a wall located behind the blower assembly 18. The side barrier panels 70, 72 are positioned on opposite lateral sides of the blower assembly 18 from one another and are arranged to lie against lateral side surfaces of the cabinetry 12. In the illustrative embodiment, each of the panels 34, 36, 66, 68, 70, 72 are removable from one another and from the blower assembly 18 so that the protective barrier 20 can be stored and/or shipped in a package 80 as shown in FIG. 8 .
A method includes installing the protective barrier 20 for the cooktop range hood 10 to the cabinetry 12 to protect surfaces of cabinetry 12 located adjacent to an exhaust inlet 26. The method includes measuring a cabinet width 44 between two cabinets arranged on opposite sides of the exhaust inlet 26 from one another. The first barrier panel 34 and a second barrier panel 36 are also measured to determine if any of the breakaway panels 50 or additional breakaway lines 62 should be removed/bent to adjust the width 46 of the barrier 20. If the width 46 of the barrier would be too large to fit within the width 44 of between the two cabinets, at least one breakaway section from either panel base 48 may be removed along a breakaway line 52. Once the barrier 20 is properly sized to fit within the width 44 of the cabinets, each barrier panel 34, 36 can be placed on opposite sides of the exhaust inlet 26 from one another such that inner edges 54 of each barrier panel 34, 36 coincide with the exhaust inlet 26. The barrier panels 34, 36 may be attached to the cabinetry by any suitable method including one or more fasteners, glue, or by adding or removing material to the cabinetry to provide a ledge, groove, etc for the barrier panels 34, 36 to rest on.
After placing each barrier panel 34, 36 on opposite sides of the exhaust inlet 26, and at least a portion of the first and second barrier panel overlap one another in a vertical direction. For example, each panel base 48 may include front and rear arms 94, 95 defining the straight side edges 58, 60 of the breakaway panels 50. The barrier panels 34, 36 can be slide or maneuvered inwardly toward one another so that the arms 94, 95 at least partially overlap and the inner edges 54 extend circumferentially around the inlet 26. In some embodiments, the arms 94, 95 can be omitted such that the breakaway panels 50 form front and rear edges of the barrier panels 34, 36 and no overlapping of the panels 34, 36 takes place when the barrier 20 is fully installed on the cabinetry 12.

Claims

1. A range hood configured to be mounted to cabinetry above a cooktop, the range hood comprising:

a blower assembly including a fan housing defining an inlet that opens toward the cooktop and a fan arranged to lie within the fan housing and configured to vent air and particles through the inlet, and

a barrier configured to be coupled to a downwardly-facing surface of the cabinetry to lie between the fan housing and the cabinetry to block heat and particles from reaching the downwardly-facing surface of the cabinetry,

wherein the barrier includes a first barrier panel and a second barrier panel, the first and second barrier panels are movable relative to the blower to increase or decrease a width of the barrier during installation so that the width of the barrier matches a cabinet width of the downwardly-facing surface of the cabinetry.

2. The range hood of claim 1, wherein the first barrier panel and the second barrier panel each include a panel base and at least one breakaway section separated from the panel base by a frangible breakline and each of the breakaway sections is removable from the panel base to adjust the width of the barrier.

3. The range hood of claim 2, wherein each breakaway section defines a concave edge.

4. The range hood of claim 3, wherein each of the concave edges is a semi-circle to extend circumferentially around the inlet.

5. The range hood of claim 2, wherein the panel base of the first barrier panel and the second barrier panel are arranged to lie in end-to-end relation with one another when the breakaway sections remain fixed to the panel base to establish a first width of the barrier and the cabinet width, and the panel base of the first barrier panel and the second barrier panel overlap with one another when the breakaway sections are removed from the panel base to establish a second width of the barrier and the cabinet width.

6. The range hood of claim 5, wherein the panel base of at least one of the first and the second barrier panels includes additional breakaway lines that extend linearly from a front end of the panel base to a rear end of the panel base and that are configured to be separated from the rest of the panel base to decrease the width of the barrier separately from the at least one breakaway section of the first barrier panel and the second barrier panel.

7. The range hood of claim 1, further comprising a pair of side barrier panels coupled to opposite lateral ends of the barrier, a front barrier panel coupled to a front end of the side barrier panels, and a rear barrier panel coupled to a rear end of the side barrier panels.

8. A protective barrier configured to be coupled to a surface of cabinetry adjacent to an opening formed in the cabinetry to block heat and particles from reaching the surface of the cabinetry, the protective barrier comprising:

a first barrier panel and a second barrier panel,

wherein the first and second barrier panels are movable relative to the blower to increase or decrease a width of the barrier during installation so that the width of the barrier matches a cabinet width of the downwardly-facing surface of the cabinetry.

9. The protective barrier of claim 8, wherein the first barrier panel and the second barrier panel each include a panel base and at least one breakaway section separated from the panel base by a frangible breakaway line and each of the breakaway sections is removable from the panel base to adjust the width of the barrier, each panel base having a first thickness and each breakaway line having a second thickness less than the first thickness.

10. The protective barrier of claim 9, wherein each breakaway section defines a concave edge.

11. The protective barrier of claim 10, wherein each of the concave edges is a semi-circle to extend circumferentially around the inlet.

12. The protective barrier of claim 9, wherein the panel base of the first barrier panel and the second barrier panel are arranged to lie in end-to-end relation with one another when the breakaway sections remain fixed to the panel base to establish a first width of the barrier and the cabinet width, and the panel base of the first barrier panel and the second barrier panel overlap with one another when the breakaway sections are removed from the panel base to establish a second width of the barrier and the cabinet width.

13. The protective barrier of claim 12, wherein the panel base of at least one of the first and the second barrier panels includes additional breakaway lines that extend linearly from a front end of the panel base to a rear end of the panel base and that are configured to be separated from the rest of the panel base to decrease the width of the barrier separately from the at least one breakaway section of the first barrier panel and the second barrier panel.

14. The protective barrier of claim 8, further comprising a pair of side barrier panels coupled to opposite lateral ends of the barrier, a front barrier panel coupled to a front end of the side barrier panels, and a rear barrier panel coupled to a rear end of the side barrier panels.

15. A method of installing a protective barrier for a range hood configured to protect a surface of cabinetry located adjacent to an exhaust inlet, the method comprising:

defining a cabinet width between two cabinets arranged on opposite sides of the exhaust inlet from one another,

obtaining a first barrier panel and a second barrier panel, each barrier panel including a panel base and at least one breakaway section coupled to the panel base by a breakaway line,

removing at least one breakaway section from the panel base along the breakaway line;

placing each barrier panel on opposite sides of the exhaust inlet from one another such that inner edges of each barrier panel coincide with the exhaust inlet.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, after placing each barrier panel on opposite sides of the exhaust inlet, and at least a portion of the first and second barrier panel overlap one another in a vertical direction.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein each breakaway line is concave relative to the exhaust inlet.

18. The method of claim 8, further comprising attaching: (i) a pair of side barrier panels to opposite lateral ends of the barrier, (ii) a front barrier panel to a front end of the side barrier panels, and (iii) a rear barrier panel to a rear end of the side barrier panels.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein, prior to placing each barrier panel on opposite sides of the exhaust inlet, the method further includes bending or removing a portion of the panel base along an additional line that is spaced apart from the breakaway line.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the additional line is a linear line and each breakaway line is semi-circular.