US2727507A

US2727507A - Oven doors and the like

Info

Publication number: US2727507A
Application number: US394246A
Authority: US
Inventors: Titus James Lowell
Original assignee: Magic Chef Inc
Current assignee: Magic Chef Inc
Priority date: 1953-11-25
Filing date: 1953-11-25
Publication date: 1955-12-20
Anticipated expiration: 1972-12-20

Description

Dec. 20, 1955 .1. TITUS OVEN DOORS AND THE LIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 25, 1953 FIG. I.

Ill

Dec. 20, 1955 J. 1.. TlTUS OVEN DOORS AND THE LIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 25, 1953 Dec. 20, 1955 J. 1.. TlTUS OVEN DOORS AND THE LIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed NOV. 25, 1953 Dec. 20, 1955 J. L. TITUS OVEN DOORS AND THE LIKE =1- Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 25, 1953 Patented Dec. 20,-- 1 955 2,727,507 OVEN DOORS AND THE James Lowell Titus, Cr'estwood, Mo., assignor to Magic Chef, Inc., St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of New Jersey This invention relates to oven doors and the like, and more particularly to oven doors for cooking ranges.

In general, the object of the invention is the provision of a detent and hinge construction for oven doors and the like, particularly for cooking ranges, including the following features:

(1) An improved positive stop determining a fully open position of the door, which allows the door and hinge elements to be completely subassembled and installed as a unit.

(2) A detent mechanism for the door which is adapted to hold the door in a partly open position against a return bias tending to close the door, the door being readily movable either to its closed position or its fully open position from said partly-openposition;

(3) An arrangement as set forth in (2) in which the door is adapted to be held by its weight in its fully open position againsta closing spring bias;

(4) The utilization of the closing spring bias for detent operation;

(5) The utilization of the detent mechanism to operate a switch for controllinga signal means in response to opening and closing of the door;

(6) A construction which is quiet and reliable in operation and economical to manufacture.

Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which several of various possible embodiments of the invention are illustrated,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary horizontal cross section takenon line 11 of Fig. '3 through an oven of a cooking range including its closed door, central and rear portions being brokenawayj i Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1, with certain lower parts shown in front elevation partly broken away; i

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 33 of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the door in its partly open intermediate position;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Figs. 3 and 4, showing the door in fully open position;

Fig. 6 is a view corresponding to the right-hand portion of Fig. 1, illustrating a modification including a switch for controlling a lamp;

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectiontaken on line 7-7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 showing the door in fully open position; v v

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Figs. 7 and 8 showing the door in its partly open intermediate position; and,

Fig. 10 is across section taken on line 1010 of Fig. 6.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring to Figs. 1 5 of the drawings, there is indicated at 1 a cooking range having an oven 3 and a-door 5 for the oven. The usual internal side walls of the oven are indicated at 7. The bottom of the oven is indicated at 9. The door comprises an outer panel 11, an inner panel or lining 13 and an internal panel 15 constituting a brace. The brace 15 has side flanges 17. Fixed to these side flanges are hinge outside of each of the walls 7 is a hinge member 21. These hinge members 21 extend through slots 23 in the front 25 of the range adjacent the bottomof the oven and reach into the interior of the door 5 through slots 27 in the door lining 13 to pin connections at 29 with the lower ends of hinge membeis 19. These pin con nections are at the bottom of the door, and the door is thereby hinged for swinging movement on a horizontal axis between the closed position illustrated in Figs- 1:3 extending vertically upward and the fully open position extending generally horizontally forward from the range illustrated in Fig. 5.

Each hinge member into the interior of the side walls 7. These arms 31,- as illustrated, are curved on an arc centered in the axis or pin connections. When the door is closed they extend rearward and downward from the door (see Fig. 3). A lever generally designated 37 is pivoted on each arm 31 at the inner end of the arm by means of a pivot pin 39 for both swinging movement with the door and rocking movement relative to the door on an axis parallel to the axis of the door hinge pins 29. Each lever 37 has the general form of a bell crank, having

arms

41 and 43 generally at right angles to one another and diver gfrom an apexindicated at 45, where the lever is formed as a hook for attachment of one end of a coil tension spring47. pivot pin 39 for lever 37 is oifset from the apex 45, being located along the length of the arm 41. There is'a'helically coiled tension spring 47 at each side of the oven, each spring extending from a connection 49 atthe bottom of the range and adjacent the front of the range to its connection at 45 with the respective lever. The springs thus act through the levers 37 to bias the door to'its closed position. As the door is swung open, each spring is stretched but itsaxis angles toward thedoor' axis, so that while the force of the spring is increased, the effective the force with respect .to the door hinge axis is diminished so that the door may remain in its fully opened position shown in Fig. 5 under the moment arm of its own weight.

Fixed on the outside 51. Each bracket carries a roller 53 located toact as the door, in swinging closed, mediate position shown in Fig. 2 wherein the'oven is slightly open, as for oven-venting purposes. Each roller 53 is mounted on a stud 57 extending outward from its respective bracket 51 and has a flange 59. Each bracket 51 has a bottom flange 61 attachedto ah'cirizontal panel 63 in the range. Springs 47 extend through slots 65 in this panel. The edge 55 of the arm 43 of each lever 37 is formed generally centrally of its length with a lobe 67 providing a shoulder 69 on said edge 55 spaced from the end of the arm 43.

The fully open position of the door is determined by the engagement of the outer edges 71 of arms" 41 of the levers 37 with the front of the range (see Fig. '5). These edges are generally at right angles to the edges-"s5 or arms 43 of the levers. As the door is swung upward in closing direction, each spring 47 is angled rearward about members 19. Fixed to the its lower end connection 49, and acts upon the respective lever 37 to cause such rocking of the lever on its pivot 39 in counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. as maintains the spring axis in line with the pivot 39. Also, as the door is swung upward from its fully open position, the springs overcome the moment arm of the weight of the door with respect to the door hinge axis and become etfective'. to move the door in closing direction. The stated rocking action of each lever 37 continues as the door swings closed until the edge 55 of the lever comes into engagement with the respectiveroller or stop 53. Thereupon thelever. is rocked counterclockwise on its pivot 39 in such manner that the spring axis angles rear ward from the line of the spring connection 49 and the pivot 39 to extend between the pivot 39 and the stop 53. As this occurs, the edge 55 of the lever rides on the stop 53 to the point where the shoulder 69 provided by. the lobe 67 engages the stop to hold the door under balanced conditions in the intermediate and slightly open position shown in Fig. 4, the closing bias exerted by the spring being overcome by the reaction of the stop against the shoulder. The door may be moved from this inter? mediate position to its closed position by manually pushing it in closing direction to overcome the reaction, thereby causing the shoulder 69 to pass the stop 53 and lobe 67 to ride up on may be freely swung open from either its closed position of Fig. 3 or its intermediate position of Fig. 4, the action of the levers 37 thereupon being reverse to that above described. It will be understood that when it is desired to move the door from its closed position to its intermediate position it is necessary only to open the door somewhat past its intermediate position, and then return it to its intermediate position. It will be further understood that the door may be moved in one continuous operation from its fully open position of Fig. 5 to its closed position of Fig. 3 without any interruption at the intermediate position.

In the manufacture of the range, a subassembly is made consisting of the

door panels

11, 13 and 15,

hinge members

19 and 21 and their pin connections 29, and levers 37 on the ends of the arms 31 of hinge members 19. To mount this subassembly in place, hinge members 21 are inserted through the slots 23 in the front of the range and fastened to the oven side walls 7. The inner ends of arms 31 together with levers 37 are passed through the slots 35 in the front of the range. In order to enable each lever 37 to be passed through the respective slot 35, the shape of the lever is made such that its maximum width (from its apex 45 to the fillet opposite the apex) is less than the length of the slot 35. Thus, with the lever 37 free to rock on its pivot 39, it is possible to pass it through the slot by appropriately angling it on its pivot. After this has been accomplished, springs 47 are connected to the levers, and they position the levers for engagement of the edges 71 with the front 25 of the range at positions above and below the slots 35. The thickness of levers 37 is enough to provide sufiicient area for distribution of the force applied to the front of the range above and below the slots 35 to reduce chipping of enamel and eliminate any necessity for reinforcement of the range at these areas. Thus, the hinge construction, apart from the stops 53 for determining the intermediate position of the door, has utility in that it provides means for determining the fully open position of the door while allowing the door and hinge elements to be completely subassembled and installed as a unit.

Figs. 6-10 illustrate a modification providing for operation of a switch for controlling a lamp (not shown) in response to opening and closing of the door. This lamp, for example, may be a lamp in the oven for illuminating the oven, to be turned on when the door isopened and to be turned off when the door is closed. To provide for such switch operation, the bracket 51 at one side of the oven (its right side, as shown) is replaced by'a bracket 81 to which is fixed a U-shaped switch support 83. This the stop (see Fig. 3). The door support 83 is able by the arm from fixed to the bracket 81 so that it is angled upward toward the .front of therrange. The sides of the U-shaped support 83 and the bracket 81 have slots 85 receiving a shaft 87 carrying a roller or stop 89 corresponding to stop 53. Attached to the base of the support 83 is a switch 91 having a push button 93 extending through an opening in the base for engagement by the roller 89. This switch isof a well-known type including a spring which biases the push button to an ex tended position. This holds the roller 89 in an extended limiting position determined by engagement of shaft 87 with the outer ends of the slots 85 (see Fig. 8). Upon engagement of the roller 89 by the lever 37, the roller is moved transversely inward against the spring bias of the switch to an inward limiting position determined by engagement of the shaft 87 with the inner ends of the slots 85, and this operates the switch. Usually, the switch will be of a type that is spring biased to on position, and moved to off position by pushing in its button. In such case, the switch will be on when the door is open, and off when the door is either in its intermediate or closed position.

Inview of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above cone structions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

1. In a cooking range, an oven door hinged on a first pivot for swinging movement between a fully closed and a fully open position, a detent mechanism for releasably holding the door in a partially open position comprising a stop located on the rangeback of said first pivot, a helical tension spring, an anchor on the range below both the pivot and the stop, the lower, end of said spring being attached to said anchor, a rigid arm extending backward from the door and carrying a second pivot which is swinga forward to a rearward position, a lever swingable on said second pivot and having a first portion on one side of said pivot and engaging with a fixed portion of the range when the door is fully open and a second portion on the opposite side of said pivot and engaging with said stop when the door swings from a partially open to a closed position, the upper end of said spring having a connection with said lever at a point between said second pivot and said second portion, said anchor being substansecond pivot, spring connection and tially on the spring axis when the door opening exceeds that of said partiallyopen position, engagement of the lever with said stop when the door is between its partially v open and closed positions swinging the lever on said second pivot so that the spring axis is along a line extending between said second pivot and stop.

2. Apparatus made accor lever includes a shoulder means detent engaging said stop as the door moves partially open to closed position.

3. Apparatus made means to mount the stop for limited movement by the lever, and a switch actuated by the stop upon such limited movement.

4. Apparatusmade according to claim 1, wherein the lever includes a shoulder means forming a force exerting detent engaging said stop as the door moves from said partially open to closed position, means adapted to guide the stop for limited movement by the lever, actuated by the stop upon such limited movement 5. In a cooking range, pivot for swinging movement between a fully closed position which is substantially vertical and a fully open posiforming a force exerting from said tion which is substantially horizontal, a detent mechanism.

for releasably holding the door in a partially open posi-:

g to claim 1, wherein the.

according to claim 1, including.

and a switch an oven door hinged on a'first:

tion comprising a stop located on the range back of said first pivot, a helical tension spring, an anchor on the range below the pivot and the stop, the lower end of said spring being attached to said anchor, a rigid arm extending backward from the door and carrying a second pivot which is swingable by the arm from an elevated forward to a downward and rearward position, a lever swingable on said second pivot and having a first portion on one side of said pivot and engaging with a fixed portion of the range when the door is substantially horizontal, and a second portion on the opposite side of said pivot and engaging with said stop when the door swings from a partially open to a closed position, the upper end of said spring having a connection with said lever at a point between said second pivot and said second portion, said second pivot, spring connection and anchor being substantially on the spring axis when the door opening exceeds said partially open position, engagement of the second portion of the lever with said stop when the door is between its partially open and closed positions swinging the lever on said second pivot so that the spring axis is along a line extending between said second pivot and stop.

6. Apparatus made according to claim 5, wherein said stop is constituted by a roller mounted for limited displacement by the lever, said second portion on the lever which engages the roller including a shoulder means forming a force exerting detent mechanism engaging with said roller as the door moves from said partially open to closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,621,500 Fitch Mar. 22, 1927 2,313,506 Berg Mar. 9, 1943 2,410,980 Klein Nov. 12, 1946 2,425,365 Davidson Aug. 12, 1947 2,447,341 Johnson Aug. 17, 1948