WO2019213196A1

WO2019213196A1 - Oven cavity shield

Info

Publication number: WO2019213196A1
Application number: PCT/US2019/030112
Authority: WO
Inventors: Evan Peter POWLOWSKY; Daniel Jeffrey SWAYZE
Original assignee: G.S Blodgett Corporation
Priority date: 2018-05-03
Filing date: 2019-05-01
Publication date: 2019-11-07

Abstract

An oven cavity shield that makes cleaning an oven easier and more ergonomically friendly and avoids the use of harsh cleaning chemicals in a cooking environment is disclosed. The oven cavity shield is configured to be removably positioned within a cooking environment and includes a base portion having a first side and a second side that is opposite of the first side and a side portion removably coupled to the base portion on each of the first and second sides of the base portion. The base portion is adapted to be positioned on a bottom of the cooking environment. The side portions are adapted to be positioned on each side of the cooking environment.

Description

OVEN CAVITY SHIELD

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION DATA

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/666,320 filed on May 3, 2018, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

[0002] The present disclosure relates to ovens, and more particularly to ovens for cooking.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Ovens are commonly used in domestic and commercial applications for the cooking and heating of foods. Foods typically cooked using an oven include meats, casseroles, and baked goods such as breads, cakes, and other desserts. However, the numerous cycles of heating and cooking foods can leave an inside of the oven covered with food particles and/or residue, such as grease. Without cleaning the oven on a regular basis, the food particles and residue may present a fire hazard or a food safety hazard. To prevent such a hazard, oven cleaning methods have been used.

[0004] One such method used to clean ovens is pyrolytic cleaning. Pyrolytic cleaning is a cleaning function for ovens that heats an inside of an oven to a very high temperature. By heating the inside of the oven to the very high temperature, any grease that is stuck on the walls of the oven is burned off. Further after the heating of the oven, a wet cleaning tool, such as a sponge is used to wipe off any dirt and burned off grease. However, pyrolytic cleaning places a high degree of stress due to expansion and contraction associated with heating of the oven. Further, ovens in a commercial setting need to be cleaned frequently which puts frequent and extreme stress on the interior of ovens. Cleaning an oven the appropriate number of times the oven needs to be cleaned in such a setting may be problematic, and go undone such that ovens are used in an unacceptable dirty condition.

[0005] Other methods are used to clean ovens that have a leak-free oven cavity. These oven cavities may be cleaned using water and cleaning chemicals. However, this requires a drain, water line, and cleaning chemicals to be used in conjunction with the oven. This also creates an inconvenience for the user of the oven. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application discloses an oven cavity shield that makes cleaning an oven easier and more ergonomically friendly and avoids the use of harsh cleaning chemicals in a cooking environment. The oven cavity shield is designed to protect the internal faces of an oven cavity from long term, high temperature cooking. An oven cavity shield is configured to be removably positioned within a cooking environment. In one embodiment the oven cavity shield includes a base portion having a first side and a second side that is opposite of the first side and a side portion removably coupled to the base portion on each of the first and second sides of the base portion. The base portion is adapted to be positioned on a bottom of the cooking environment. The side portions are adapted to be positioned on each side of the cooking environment. The oven cavity shield may also have a retention system adapted to secure the base portion and side portions in position.

[0007] The oven cavity shield retention system is adapted to securely retain the base portion and the side portions in position within the cooking environment. The retention system may include' components of an oven rack system of the cooking environment. The retention system may have protrusions that extend from the oven rack system and the protrusion may removably couple to a loop that extends from the sides of the cooking environment. The base portion and side portions may have apertures to allow the retention system to couple to the loops on the sides of the cooking environment. Alternatively or additionally, the retention system may include magnets holding shielding tight to cavity walls. The retention system securely positions each of the portions of the oven cavity shield along the respective sides of the cooking environment.

[0008] The oven cavity shield may also include a bracket coupled to the base portion on a distal side of the base portion. The bracket is adapted to securely position the base portion on the bottom of the cooking environment by applying a force toward the base portion to prevent air flow effects from a blower wheel in the cooking environment.

[0009] According to an embodiment, the oven cavity shield may also include a back portion removably coupled to a distal side of the base portion and side portions. The back portion is adapted to be positioned on a distal side, i.e. a back side, of the cooking environment. Further, the oven cavity shield may also include a top portion removably coupled to a top side of the side portions and back portion and opposite of the bottom portion. The top portion is adapted to be positioned on a top side of the cooking environment.

[0010] The base portion may comprise a plurality of base pieces removably coupled together to form the base portion. The base portion may be hinged and include embossed patterns for rigidity of the base portion. In addition, the side portion may comprise a plurality of side pieces removably coupled together to form the side portion. The back portion may comprise a plurality of back pieces removably coupled together to form the back portion. Further, the top portion may comprise a plurality of top pieces removably coupled together to form the top portion.

[0011] Each portion and piece of the oven cavity shield may be made from a non-toxic, tear resistant, high temperature fluoropolymer, such as a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) based material that enables easy cleaning of the pieces. Shield panels may be made rigid by embedding metals or other materials into the panels. Alternatively, each portion and piece could be made of heat-resistant, non-toxic hard material such as ceramic.

[0012] When the retention system is uncoupled from the sides of the cooking environment, the oven cavity shield may be quickly and conveniently removed from the cooking environment. Once the oven cavity shield is removed from the cooking environment, the oven cavity shield can be uncoupled and cooking residue can be efficiently cleaned off from each piece in a dishwasher or by a kitchen cleaner soaking and/or washing in a sink. The oven cavity shield also prevents a kitchen cleaner from having to reach into a cooking environment to clean a distal side of the cooking environment, thereby improving ergonomics and safety for kitchen cleaners. Further, the oven cavity shield also prevents the need to use harsh cleaning chemicals within the cooking environment, which improves food safety. The oven cavity shield according to the disclosure simplifies oven cleaning and reduces time spent cleaning by kitchen workers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Embodiments of devices, systems, and methods are illustrated in the figures of the accompanying drawings, which are meant to be exemplary and non-limiting, in which like references are intended to refer to like or corresponding parts, and in which:

[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates a first perspective view of an oven cavity shield in accordance with an embodiment of the present application;

[0015] FIG. 2 illustrates a first exploded view of the oven cavity shield of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate an alternative embodiment of a bottom tray or base portion of the oven cavity shield according to the disclosure; [0017] FIG. 3 illustrates a second perspective view of the oven cavity shield of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] FIG. 4 illustrates a third perspective view of the oven cavity shield of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] FIG. 5 illustrates a second exploded view of the oven cavity shield of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] FIGS. 6A - 6C illustrate views of a further embodiment of the oven cavity shield of the present application having top and back shield portions; and

[0021] FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate perspective, exploded views of the oven cavity shield of the present application having top and back shield portions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The present disclosure provides an oven cavity shield that makes cleaning an oven easier and more ergonomically friendly and also avoids the use of harsh cleaning chemicals in a cooking environment. In one exemplary use, the oven cavity shield may be removably positioned within an oven cooking environment. The cooking environment may be any of various cooking environments used to cook and heat foods such as oven, deep fryer, fryolator, or the like. The oven cavity shield may provide an easy, quick, and ergonomic way of cleaning food particle and/or residue from a cooking environment.

[0023] FIGS. 1-5 illustrate an oven cavity shield 100 that can be removably positioned within a cooking environment 20 in accordance with an embodiment of the present application. The oven cavity shield 100 may include a base portion 102 having a first side and a second side that is opposite of the first side. The base portion 102 is adapted to be removably positioned on a bottom of a cooking environment 20, i.e. a bottom of the inside of an oven. The base portion 102 may be sized and positioned in such a manner that the base portion covers the whole bottom of the cooking environment 20 and catches any food particles that fall during the heating and cooking of foods. The base portion 102 may be substantially U-shaped so the first side and second side extend up respective sides of the cooking environment 20 to ensure substantially all falling food particles are caught.

[0024] The base portion 102 may also have a plurality of base pieces 102a, 102b that are removably coupled together to form the base portion 102. The plurality of base pieces 102a, 102b allow a size of the base portion 102 to be increased or decreased based on the size of the bottom of the cooking environment 20. Further, the plurality of base pieces 102a, 102b allows for easier cleaning of the base portion 102 when the base portion is removed from the cooking environment 20. For example, the base pieces could be sized to fit within various sizes of dishwasher enclosures for cleaning.

[0025] The base portion 102 may be implemented as a bottom tray 102’ as illustrated in greater detail in FIGS. 2A-2D. In this alternative embodiment the plurality of pieces (two), 102a’ and 102b’, may be implemented as one piece by joining the pieces with a hinge 103. The hinge 103 may be formed of hinge portions on each of the plurality of pieces 102a’ and 102b’ so that the pieces form a bottom tray that folds substantially at its middle. In this illustrative embodiment, the bottom tray is formed with a plurality of dimples 105 that are added for structural support and to substantially prevent warpage of the bottom tray 102’. As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the hinged bottom tray 102’ may be slid into the bottom of an oven to form the base portion of the oven cavity shield according to the disclosure, as illustrated in FIG. 2C. The dimples 105 in the bottom tray 102’ can be seen in the profile, illustrated in FIG. 2D, protruding from a bottom surface 107 of the bottom tray 102’. The dimples 105, in this embodiment, protrude from the bottom surface 107 by approximately 1/8 of an inch. The dimples 105 form an embossed pattern on the bottom tray that adds structural stability and substantially prevents warping of the bottom tray as it is subjected to varying temperatures.

[0026] The oven cavity shield 100 may also have a bracket 104. The bracket 104 is coupled to the base portion 102 on a distal side of the base portion 102. The bracket is adapted to securely position the base portion 102 on the bottom of the cooking environment 20. The bracket may be any of various devices capable of applying a force toward the base portion 102 to prevent air flow effects from a blower wheel in the cooking environment 20 from getting under the base portion 102.

[0027] In addition, the oven cavity shield may also include side portions 106 removably coupled to the base portion 102 on each of the first and second sides of the base portion 102. The side portions 106 may extend up each of the sides of the cooking environment 20 such that the side portions are adapted to be positioned on the sides of the cooking environment 20. The side portions 106 may be sized and positioned in such a manner that the side portions 106 covers substantially all of the sides of the cooking environment 20 and prevents buildup of food residue on the side of the cooking environment 20 during the cooking and heating of foods in the cooking environment 20. The side portions 106 may be substantially flat with a lip on a proximal side of the side portions 106. Similar to the base portion, the side portion 106 may also include a plurality of side pieces that are removably coupled together to form one of the side portions 106.

[0028] Each portion and piece of the oven cavity shield may be made from a non-toxic, tear resistant, high temperature fluoropolymer, such as a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or silicone based material that enables easy cleaning of the pieces. Shield panels may be made rigid by embedding metals or other materials into the panels. Alternatively, each portion and piece could be made of heat-resistant, non-toxic hard material such as ceramic. Such materials enable easy cleaning of the pieces.

[0029] As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the oven cavity shield 100 may include a retention system 108. The retention system is adapted to securely retain the base portion 102 and side portions 106 in proper position within the cooking environment 20. The retention system 108 may be the components of an oven rack system within the cooking environment 20. More specifically, the retention system may have protrusions that extend from the oven rack system and the protrusion is adapted to removably couple to one of a plurality of loops 1 10 that extends from the sides of the cooking environment. Additionally, the base portion 102 and the side portions 106 may have apertures 112 (FIG. 1) to allow the retention system 108 to couple to the loops 1 10. Alternatively or additionally, magnets (not shown) may be implemented in the retention system to tightly adhere the cavity shield to the oven cavity. The retention system securely positions each of the portions of the oven cavity shield 100 along the respective sides of the cooking environment.

[0030] When the retention system 108 is uncoupled from the sides of the cooking environment 20, the oven cavity shield 100 may be quickly and conveniently removed from the cooking environment 20. Once the oven cavity shield 100 is removed from the cooking environment 20, the oven cavity shield 100 can be uncoupled and food particles and/or cooking residue can be efficiently cleaned from each portion/piece in a dishwasher or by a kitchen cleaner soaking and/or washing in a sink. The oven cavity shield 100 also prevents a kitchen cleaner from having to reach into a cooking environment 20 to clean a distal side of the cooking environment 20, thereby improving ergonomics and safety for kitchen cleaners. Further, the oven cavity shield 100 also prevents the need to use harsh cleaning chemicals within the cooking environment 20, which improves food safety.

[0031] Alternative configurations for the oven cavity shield are contemplated herein. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6C and FIGS. 7A and 7B, the oven cavity shield 100 may also include a back portion removably coupled to a distal side of the base portion 102 and side portions 106. The back portion is adapted to be positioned on a distal side, i.e. a back side, of the cooking environment 20. Further, the oven cavity shield 100 may also include a top panel portion removably coupled to a top side of the side portions 106 and back portion and opposite of the bottom portion 102. The top portion is adapted to be positioned on a top side of the cooking environment 20. Similar to the bottom portion 102 and side portions 106, these portions can also include a plurality of pieces removably coupled together to form the respective back portion and top portion. Additionally, these portions and pieces may also be made of a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) based material that enables easy cleaning of the pieces or any heat-resistant, non-toxic tear resistant material as well.

[0032] While embodiments disclosed herein describe an oven cavity shield made or formed from a PTFE or silicone based material, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that any of various materials, including, metal alloys, steel, stainless steel, cast iron, ceramic, porcelain, or the like, may be used to form the components of the devices disclosed.

[0033] Further, while various components or pieces have been described herein as discrete components of the devices disclosed, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the devices may be formed or manufactured as a single piece, via mold, extrusion, three- dimensional printing, or the like, or may be formed from several pieces and connected, affixed, or attached by any number of known techniques. Furthermore, although all the panels are shown in use in one embodiment, it should be appreciated that less than all panels could be used in various implementations, including just sides, top and bottom, bottom and sides, or combinations thereof.

[0034] While embodiments disclosed herein describe an oven cavity shield for use in keeping a cooking environment clean, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the disclosure is not limited only to those exemplary uses and the devices described herein may be implemented in a variety of other areas and environments without deviating from the scope of the disclosure.

[0035] References to items in the singular should be understood to include items in the plural, and vice versa, unless explicitly stated otherwise or clear from the text. Grammatical conjunctions are intended to express any and all disjunctive and conjunctive combinations of conjoined clauses, sentences, words, and the like, unless otherwise stated or clear from the context. Thus, the term“or” should generally be understood to mean“and/or” and so forth.

[0036] Recitation of ranges of values herein are not intended to be limiting, referring instead individually to any and all values falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value within such a range is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. The words“about,”“approximately,”“substantially,” or the like, when accompanying a numerical value or direction are to be construed as indicating a deviation as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art to operate satisfactorily for an intended purpose. Ranges of values and/or numeric values are provided herein as examples only, and do not constitute a limitation on the scope of the described embodiments. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (“e.g.,”“such as,” or the like) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the embodiments and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the embodiments. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any unclaimed element as essential to the practice of the embodiments.

[0037] In the description and following claims, it is understood that terms such as“first,” “second,”“third,”“above,”“below,” and the like, are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0038] It will be appreciated that the methods and systems described above are set forth by way of example and not of limitation. Numerous variations, additions, omissions, and other modifications will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. In addition, the order or presentation of method steps in the description and drawings above is not intended to require this order of performing the recited steps unless a particular order is expressly required or otherwise clear from the context. Thus, while particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure and are intended to form a part of the disclosure as defined by the following claims, which are to be interpreted in the broadest sense allowable by law.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. An oven cavity shield removably positioned within a cooking environment, comprising:

a base portion having a first side and a second side opposite of the first side and adapted to be positioned on a bottom of the cooking environment;

at least one side portion removably coupled to the base portion on each of the first and second sides and adapted to be removably positioned on each side of the cooking environment; a back portion removably coupled to a distal side of the base portion and coupled to the at least one side portion; and

a top panel portion removably coupled to a top side of the at least one side portion and coupled to the back portion and disposed opposite of the bottom portion.

2. The oven cavity shield of claim 1 , further comprising a retention system adapted to securely retain the base portion and sides in position within the cooking environment.

3. The oven cavity shield of claim 1, wherein the base portion comprises a plurality of base pieces removably coupled to each other to form the base portion.

4. The oven cavity shield of claim 1, further comprising a bracket attached to the base portion and adapted to securely position the base portion on the bottom of the cooking environment.

5. The oven cavity shield of claim 1, wherein the base portion comprises a first and second base piece that are hinged to form a bottom tray that folds substantially at its middle.

6. The oven cavity shield of claim 1 , wherein the base portion comprises a plurality of dimples extending from a bottom surface of the base portion.

7. The oven cavity shield of claim 1, wherein the base portion is sized and positioned in such a manner that the base portion covers the whole bottom of the cooking environment.

8. The oven cavity shield of claim 1, wherein the at least one side portion is sized and positioned in such a manner that the at least one side portion covers substantially all of the sides of the cooking environment.

9. An oven cavity shield removably positioned within a cooking environment, comprising:

a base portion having a first side and a second side opposite of the first side and adapted to be positioned on a bottom of the cooking environment; and

at least one side portion removably coupled to the base portion on each of the first and second sides and adapted to be removably positioned on each side of the cooking environment.

10. The oven cavity shield of claim 9, further comprising a back portion removably coupled to a distal side of the base portion and coupled to a portion of the at least one side portion.

11. The oven cavity shield of claim 9, further comprising a back portion adapted to be positioned on a distal side of the cooking environment.

12. The oven cavity shield of claim 9, further comprising a top panel portion removably coupled to a top side of the at least one side portion and coupled to a portion of a back portion and opposite of the base portion.

13. The oven cavity shield of claim 9, further comprising a retention system adapted to securely retain the base portion and at least one side portion in position within the cooking environment.

14. The oven cavity shield of claim 9, wherein the base portion comprises a plurality of base pieces removably coupled to each other to form the base portion.

15. The oven cavity shield of claim 9, further comprising a bracket attached to the base portion and adapted to securely position the base portion on the bottom of the cooking environment.

16. The oven cavity shield of claim 9, wherein the base portion comprises a first and second base piece that are hinged to form a bottom tray that folds substantially at its middle.

17. The oven cavity shield of claim 9, wherein the base portion comprises a plurality of dimples extending from a bottom surface of the base portion.

18. The oven cavity shield of claim 9, wherein the base portion is sized and positioned in such a manner that the base portion covers the whole bottom of the cooking environment.

19. The oven cavity shield of claim 9, wherein the at least one side portion is sized and positioned in such a manner that the at least one side portion covers substantially all of the sides of the cooking environment.

20. A method of removably shielding an oven cavity, comprising:

installing a base portion having a first side and a second side opposite of the first side and adapted to be positioned on a bottom of the oven cavity;

positioning at least one side portion removably coupled to the base portion on each of the first and second sides of the oven cavity;

positioning a back portion removably coupled to a distal side of the base portion and coupled to the at least one side portion; and

installing a top panel portion removably coupled to a top side of the at least one side portion and coupled to the back portion and disposed opposite of the bottom portion.