OPERATING MECHANISM FOR A SLIDING SUPPORT OF A COOKING APPLIANCE HAVING A COOKING CHAMBER, AND COOKING APPLIANCE

An operating mechanism for a sliding support of a cooking appliance having a cooking chamber which is closable by a cooking chamber door, the operating mechanism including: an overload protection device configured to protect the operating mechanism from being damaged by improper use of the cooking chamber door and/or of the sliding support, the overload protection device having a slip coupling having a first contact surface and a second contact surface which, in non-overload conditions, is force-transmittingly connected to the first contact surface, each contact surface including at least one of a friction surface and an interlocking engagement surface. The operating mechanism automatically operates the sliding support. A contact force between the first contact surface and the second contact surface is manually adjustable using an adjusting element of the overload protection device without any need to remove the operating mechanism from a remainder of the cooking appliance.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION

Priority is claimed to German Patent Application No. DE 10 2022 129 619.9, filed on Nov. 9, 2022, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD

The invention relates to an operating mechanism for a sliding support of a cooking appliance having a cooking chamber and to a cooking appliance.

BACKGROUND

Cooking appliances having a cooking chamber have been previously described in various embodiments in the art and include a housing, a cooking chamber disposed in the housing and bounded by cooking chamber walls, a cooking chamber door movable back and forth between a closed position and an open position for closing a cooking chamber opening of the cooking chamber in the closed position of the cooking chamber door and for access to the cooking chamber via the cooking chamber opening in the open position of the cooking chamber door, and a sliding support mounted on at least one cooking chamber wall of the cooking chamber walls and adapted for supporting a separate accessory of the cooking appliance for receiving food to be cooked, the sliding support being manually movable back and forth between a retracted position, in which the sliding support is fully received in the cooking chamber, and an extended position, in which the sliding support is at least partially extended out of the cooking chamber. Furthermore, other embodiments of such cooking appliances are known where the cooking appliance has an operating mechanism for automatically operating the sliding support. This significantly increases the ease of use for a user of the inventive cooking appliance. Furthermore, this significantly reduces the risk of injury to the user of the cooking appliance according to the invention, since, unlike with manual operation of the sliding support, the user, for example, does not accidentally come into contact with hot surfaces of the cooking appliance.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, the present invention provides an operating mechanism for a sliding support of a cooking appliance having a cooking chamber which is closable by a cooking chamber door, the operating mechanism being configured to automatically operate the sliding support, the operating mechanism comprising: an overload protection device configured to protect the operating mechanism from being damaged by improper use of the cooking chamber door and/or of the sliding support, the overload protection device comprising a slip coupling having a first contact surface and a second contact surface which, in non-overload conditions, is force-transmittingly connected to the first contact surface, each contact surface comprising at least one of a friction surface and/or an interlocking engagement surface, wherein the overload protection device is configured such that a contact force between the first contact surface and the second contact surface is manually adjustable using an adjusting element of the overload protection device without any need to remove the operating mechanism from a remainder of the cooking appliance.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In an embodiment, the present invention provides an operating mechanism for a sliding support of a cooking appliance and a cooking appliance having a sliding support.

In an embodiment, the present invention provides an operating mechanism for a sliding support of a cooking appliance, including an overload protection device to protect the operating mechanism from being damaged by improper use of the cooking chamber door and/or of the sliding support, the overload protection device being designed as a slip coupling having a first contact surface as well as a second contact surface which, in non-overload conditions, is force-transmittingly connected to the first contact surface, and the two aforementioned contact surfaces each being configured as a friction surface and/or as an interlocking engagement surface, and the overload protection device being configured such that a contact force between the first contact surface and the second contact surface can be manually adjusted using an adjusting element of the overload protection device without any need to remove the operating mechanism from a remainder of the cooking appliance.

An advantage provided by the invention is that an operating mechanism for a sliding support of a cooking appliance and a cooking appliance having a sliding support are improved. The overload protection device according to the invention effectively protects the operating mechanism from being damaged in the event of improper use of the cooking chamber door and/or of the sliding support. Such an event may occur, for example, if a food item of excessive weight has been placed on the separate accessory supported by the sliding support, if the cooking chamber door is moved too quickly, if the sliding support is incorrectly manually moved, or if a separate accessory, such as the separate accessory supported by the sliding support, is not properly positioned. Furthermore, the overload protection device allows the individual components of the inventive cooking appliance that are relevant for the automatic movement of the sliding support to be designed and manufactured with less material. Also, the aforementioned components can be manufactured with greater tolerances and thus more cost-effectively. Therefore, the above-mentioned adjustment of the overload protection device simplifies assembly during the manufacture of the inventive cooking appliance equipped with the inventive operating mechanism. This is because the capability of adjustment makes it easy to compensate for component and assembly tolerances, for example. In addition, the inventive design of the overload protection device of the operating mechanism allows the overload protection device to be adjusted on site and, thus, after installation and initial operation at the end user's location. Such adjustment may be necessary, for example, when, due to wear and tear of the material, the contact force acting between the first and second contact surfaces falls below a lower limit for the proper functioning of the overload protection device. The term “drive rod” is intended herein to have a wide meaning and to include also rail-like or plate-like variants, for example.

The operating mechanism according to the invention and the cooking appliance according to the invention can, in principle, be freely selected within wide suitable limits in terms of type, function, material, and dimensions. For example, the inventive cooking appliance may be a baking oven or another cooking appliance having a cooking chamber. Here, reference is made, by way of example, only to steam cookers, microwave appliances, or combination cooking appliances; i.e., cooking appliances having different types of heating. Accordingly, the design of the separate accessory of the cooking appliance, which is supported on the sliding support, can be freely selected within wide suitable limits. For example, the separate accessory may be a baking sheet or a rack. Furthermore, the cooking appliance according to the invention may be a household appliance or a cooking appliance for professional use. The sliding support may also be configured as a so-called full-extension sliding support which, when in the extended position, is completely extended out of the cooking chamber of the cooking appliance. In this case, access to the sliding support, to a separate accessory placed on the sliding support, or to the food is further simplified. If the inventive cooking appliance has a plurality of rack levels, the inventive sliding support may, in principle, be positioned at any of the rack levels. In addition, the inventive cooking appliance is suitable for and can be advantageously used with all conceivable sizes of cooking appliances having a cooking chamber. It is particularly advantageous if the operating mechanism is configured such that the sliding support is automatically moved by the operating mechanism between its retracted position and its extended position depending on the movement of the cooking chamber door between its closed position and its open position and/or between its extended position and its retracted position depending on the movement of the cooking chamber door between its open position and its closed position. This is because this ensures that during the automatic movement of the sliding support and the automatic or manual movement of the cooking chamber door, a collision between the sliding support and the cooking chamber door is effectively prevented.

An advantageous embodiment of the operating mechanism according to the invention provides that the overload protection device be designed such that the aforementioned adjustment can be done simply by manipulating a single adjusting element of the overload protection device. In this way, the aforementioned adjustment of the overload protection device is significantly simplified.

Another advantageous embodiment of the operating mechanism according to the invention provides that the overload protection device be essentially disposed in an overload protector housing and mounted on the overload protector housing, the overload protector housing being releasably or permanently attachable to a housing of the cooking appliance. In this way, firstly, the overload protection device is effectively protected against environmental influences that are detrimental to the functioning of the overload protection device. Secondly, the overload protection device can essentially be handled as a unit, which further simplifies the manufacture of the inventive operating mechanism and of the cooking appliance equipped therewith.

A further advantageous embodiment of the operating mechanism according to the invention provides that the operating mechanism have a drive fork capable of being force-transmittingly coupled to a hinge of the cooking chamber door and having the first contact surface, as well as a toothed disk directly or indirectly force-transmittingly coupled to the sliding support and having the second contact surface, the toothed disk and the drive fork being torque-transmittingly mounted on a common bearing shaft of the operating mechanism and capable of being biased against each other by means of a spring of the overload protection device and the adjusting element, preferably, that a friction and/or interlock liner having the first contact surface or the second contact surface be non-rotatably disposed on the drive fork or on the toothed disk. In this way, the operating mechanism according to the invention can be implemented in a particularly simple and robust manner in terms of design and production. In addition, in the present embodiment of the operating mechanism according to the invention, an electric motor and its signal-transmitting and power-transmitting connection with a controller of the cooking appliance can be dispensed with. The inventive operating mechanism for automatically operating the sliding support in accordance with this embodiment can be implemented with purely mechanical means. The preferred variant of this embodiment also has the further advantage that, for example, a coefficient of friction between the first and second contact surfaces is easily settable by means of the friction and/or interlock liner. In addition, the friction and/or interlock liner makes it is possible, for example, to adjust the aforementioned coefficient of friction independently of the drive fork or of the toothed disk, which provides greater freedom in the selection of the material for the aforementioned component of the operating mechanism.

An advantageous refinement of the aforementioned embodiment of the operating mechanism according to the invention provides that the bearing shaft be supported with a first end of the bearing shaft and a first bearing element of the operating mechanism at a side of the overload protector housing facing the cooking chamber of the cooking appliance and with a second end of the bearing shaft and a second bearing element of the operating mechanism at a side of the overload protector housing opposite the aforementioned side, the first and second bearing elements each being configured to reduce friction as compared to if the bearing shaft were supported directly on the overload protector housing, preferably, that the second bearing element be configured to interlockingly connect the drive fork to the bearing shaft, particularly preferably, that the bearing shaft have a contour that interlockingly engages with the second bearing element and with the toothed disk. In this way, the friction between the bearing shaft and the overload protector housing is significantly reduced. In addition, the preferred and, in particular, the particularly preferred variant of this embodiment further simplify the construction and assembly and allow for savings in terms of components and materials.

An advantageous variant of the last-mentioned embodiment of the operating mechanism according to the invention provides that the bearing shaft have an external thread on the second end and that the adjusting element be in the form of an adjusting nut having an internal thread corresponding to the external thread. In this way, the adjusting element and its operative connection with a remainder of the overload protection device are implemented in a particularly simple manner in terms of design and production.

An advantageous embodiment of the inventive operating mechanism provides that the toothed disk and the drive fork be disposed between the spring and the adjusting element, preferably, that the spring be in the form of at least one disk spring. This enables a particularly compact and functionally reliable arrangement of the toothed disk and the drive fork of the operating mechanism according to the invention. The preferred variant of this embodiment has the further advantage that, thanks to the at least one disk spring, the spring can be configured in a very compact but also flexible manner, for example, by means of a suitable series connection and/or parallel connection of individual disk springs in the case of a plurality of disk springs.

Another advantageous embodiment of the operating mechanism according to the invention provides that the overload protection device be configured to compensate both for the sliding support being incorrectly operated toward its retracted position and for the sliding support being incorrectly operated toward its extended position. In this way, the protection of the operating mechanism against overloading is further enhanced.

Furthermore, an advantageous embodiment of the operating mechanism according to the invention provides that the overload protection device be mounted to the housing of the cooking appliance via the operating mechanism in such a way that the adjusting element is directly accessible from the outside. In this way, access to the adjusting element for adjusting the contact force between the first and second contact surfaces of the overload protection device is further simplified. For example, this eliminates the need to first remove a cover or the like that covers the adjustment element.

An advantageous embodiment of the inventive cooking appliance provides that the operating mechanism have a drive unit for generating a torque, the drive unit being disposed outside of the cooking chamber and mechanically coupled to a hinge of the cooking chamber door, a drive shaft torque-transmittingly connected to the drive unit and substantially sealingly extending through one of the cooking chamber walls, and a drive rod torque-transmittingly connected to the drive shaft and force-transmittingly connected to the sliding support, the overload protection device being configured as an integral part of the drive unit. Because the drive unit is disposed outside of the cooking chamber, the operating mechanism, except for the drive shaft and the drive rod, is disposed outside of the cooking chamber, so that only a very small portion of the space available in the cooking chamber is occupied by the operating mechanism. Accordingly, the essential part of the cooking chamber volume is available for the cooking process. In cases where side racks or the like are arranged in the cooking chamber, a space conflict between the side racks or the like and the operating mechanism is substantially avoided in accordance with the invention. Thus, when it comes to the interior design and features of the cooking chamber, it is possible to use existing accessories, such as existing side racks or the like. It is therefore not necessary to adapt the aforementioned accessories to the interior design and features of the inventive cooking appliance having the operating mechanism.

InFIGS.1through4, an exemplary embodiment of the inventive cooking appliance having the inventive operating mechanism is illustrated in purely schematic form.

Cooking appliance2is in the form of a household baking oven and includes a housing4, a cooking chamber16disposed in housing4and bounded by cooking chamber walls6,8,10,12,14, a cooking chamber door18movable back and forth between a closed position and an open position for closing a cooking chamber opening20of cooking chamber16in the closed position of cooking chamber door18and for access to cooking chamber16via cooking chamber opening20in the open position of cooking chamber door18, and a sliding support22mounted on two opposite cooking chamber side walls10,12of the cooking chamber walls6through14and adapted for supporting a separate accessory in the form of a baking sheet of cooking appliance2for receiving food to be cooked, the sliding support22being movable back and forth between a retracted position, in which sliding support22is fully received in cooking chamber16, and an extended position, in which sliding support22is at least partially extended out of cooking chamber16. Sliding support22is not shown inFIG.1.

Furthermore, cooking appliance2has an operating mechanism24for automatically operating sliding support22, the operating mechanism24having a drive unit26for generating a torque, the drive unit26being disposed outside of cooking chamber16, a drive shaft28torque-transmittingly connected to drive unit26and substantially sealingly extending through the cooking chamber bottom wall6of the cooking chamber walls6through14, and a drive rod30torque-transmittingly connected to drive shaft28and force-transmittingly connected to sliding support22.

In the present exemplary embodiment, drive unit26is thus disposed below cooking chamber bottom6, with drive shaft28extending through cooking chamber bottom6.

Further, drive unit26is here configured as a transmission mechanically coupled to cooking chamber door18, namely to a hinge32of cooking chamber door18.

Drive unit26, which is configured as a transmission, has a pair of gears, one gear34of the gear pair being mechanically coupled to cooking chamber door18, namely to hinge32, and the other gear36of the gear pair being mechanically coupled to drive shaft28. Here, each of the two gears34,36has a spur toothing, the gear34being configured only as a gear segment; i.e., as a toothed disk.

Cooking chamber door18, namely hinge32, further has a coupling pin38, and the drive unit26mechanically coupled to cooking chamber door18, namely to hinge40, has a drive fork40formed correspondingly to coupling pin38, the coupling pin38and the drive fork40being configured and arranged to match each other in such a way that coupling pin38is movable at least partially independently of drive fork40during movement of cooking chamber door18from its closed position to its open position and/or from its open position in its closed position. This will be explained in greater detail below.

In the present exemplary embodiment, sliding support22is mounted on the two opposite cooking chamber side walls10,12of the cooking chamber walls6through14, sliding support22having a left sliding rail42disposed at one cooking chamber side wall10and a right sliding rail44disposed at the other cooking chamber side wall12, the sliding rails42,44being adapted for supporting the separate accessory and permanently connected to each other by a connecting bar46. Connecting bar46is mounted on the two sliding rails42,44at an end of sliding support22facing away from cooking chamber opening20, when considered in relation to the retracted position of sliding support22, the drive rod30being force-transmittingly connected to connecting bar46. For this purpose, drive rod30engages force-transmittingly by means of a sliding block in a guide slot of connecting bar46.

As can also be seen fromFIGS.2and3, sliding support22is removably supported by the two sliding rails42,44on respective side racks48,50, each mounted on an associated cooking chamber side wall10,12. Side racks48,50may be configured such that at least one further separate accessory of cooking appliance2, such as another baking sheet or rack, for receiving another food to be cooked can be supported on the two side racks48,50in addition to sliding support22.

In accordance with the invention, operating mechanism24has an overload protection device60to protect operating mechanism24from being damaged by improper use of cooking chamber door18and/or of sliding support22, the overload protection device60being designed as a slip coupling having a first contact surface62as well as a second contact surface64which, in non-overload conditions, is force-transmittingly connected to first contact surface62, and the two aforementioned contact surfaces62,64each being configured as a friction surface, and the overload protection device60being configured such that a contact force between first contact surface62and second contact surface64can be manually adjusted using an adjusting element65of overload protection device60without any need to remove operating mechanism24from a remainder of cooking appliance2. Here, overload protection device60is configured as an integral part of drive unit26.

As will be explained in more detail below, overload protection device60is here designed such that the aforementioned adjustment can be done simply by manipulating the single adjusting element65of overload protection device60.

In the present exemplary embodiment, overload protection device60is essentially disposed in an overload protector housing67and mounted on overload protector housing67, the overload protector housing67being releasably or permanently attachable to housing4of cooking appliance2.

In the present exemplary embodiment, drive fork40has the first contact surface62, and toothed disk34has the second contact surface64, the toothed disk34and the drive fork40being torque-transmittingly mounted on a common bearing shaft70of operating mechanism24and capable of being biased against each other by means of a spring72of overload protection device60and adjusting element65, a friction liner66having the first contact surface62being non-rotatably disposed on drive fork40. Toothed disk34and drive fork40are disposed between adjusting element65and spring72, which is in the form of a disk spring.

Bearing shaft70is supported with a first end of bearing shaft70and a first bearing element74of operating mechanism24at a side68of overload protector housing67facing the cooking chamber16of cooking appliance2and with a second end of bearing shaft70and a second bearing element76of operating mechanism24at a side69of overload protector housing67opposite the aforementioned side68, the first and second bearing elements74,76each being configured to reduce friction as compared to if bearing shaft70were supported directly on overload protector housing67. Further, second bearing element76interlockingly connects drive fork40to bearing shaft70, the bearing shaft70having a contour that interlockingly engages with second bearing element76and with toothed disk34. This contour is crescent-shaped.

Furthermore, bearing shaft70has an external thread on its second end, and adjusting element65is in the form of an adjusting nut having an internal thread corresponding to the external thread. Stops on overload protector housing67ensure that adjustment of the contact force can be done simply by manipulating the single adjusting element65. This is because the aforementioned stops effectively prevent rotation of bearing shaft70during adjustment of the contact force. In addition, co-rotation of second bearing element76with bearing shaft70prevents accidental detachment of adjusting element65, which is in the form of an adjusting nut, from bearing shaft70. Since the second end of bearing shaft70protrudes downwardly from overload protector housing67, adjusting element65can be manipulated without any need to remove operating mechanism24from housing4of cooking appliance2.

In addition, in the present exemplary embodiment, overload protection device60is mounted to housing4of cooking appliance2via operating mechanism24in such a way that adjusting element65is directly accessible from the outside.

In the following, the operation of the inventive cooking appliance having the inventive operating mechanism according to the present exemplary embodiment will be described in more detail with reference toFIGS.1through4.

Initially, cooking appliance2is in a non-operating condition, and cooking chamber door18is in its closed position. Sliding support22is in its retracted position.

The user then wants to place the food to be cooked (e.g., a piece of meat) on the separate accessory, which is in the form of a baking sheet and is supported on sliding support22. The user, the food to be cooked, and the separate accessory are not shown inFIGS.1through4.

To this end, the user grabs cooking chamber door18and manually moves it from its closed position to its open position. In this process, the position of cooking chamber door18gradually changes from its closed position; i.e. from 0 degree, to its open position, namely 90 degrees. This movement is not specifically illustrated, butFIGS.2and3correspond to a 75-degree position andFIG.1to the 90-degree position of cooking chamber door18. Of cooking chamber door18, only the hinge32with a hinge blade33of cooking chamber door18is shown inFIGS.2and3.

During the aforementioned manual movement of cooking chamber door18from its closed position to its open position, sliding support22is automatically moved from its retracted position to its extended position because of the mechanical coupling via operating mechanism24. When cooking chamber door18is moved from its closed position to its open position, an operating rod52of hinge32, which is articulated at one end to hinge blade33, is automatically moved conjointly therewith. Coupling pin38is mounted on operating rod52, so that coupling pin38is also automatically moved conjointly therewith. At another end opposite the aforementioned end, operating rod52is longitudinally movably and articulatedly attached to a remainder of hinge32. For this purpose, the aforementioned remainder of hinge32has a retaining pin54, and operating rod52has a corresponding linear guide56.

During movement of cooking chamber door18from its 0-degree position (i.e., its closed position) to approximately its 55-degree position, sliding support22remains in its retracted position. Coupling pin38is thus initially moved independently of drive fork40.

After cooking chamber door18has passed through approximately its 55-degree position, coupling pin38engages in drive fork40, so that during the further movement of cooking chamber door18from its closed position to its open position, coupling pin38automatically causes co-movement of toothed disk34via drive fork40. As a result of this rotation of toothed disk34, gear36, drive shaft28, and the drive rod30torque-transmittingly connected to drive shaft28are automatically rotated as well. Since drive rod30force-transmittingly engages by means of the sliding block in the guide slot of connecting bar46, the aforementioned rotational movement of drive shaft28is converted, via drive rod30and the aforementioned sliding block and guide slot combination, into in a linear movement of sliding support22parallel to the two side racks48,50, so that sliding support22is automatically moved from its retracted position to its extended position. In this regard, seeFIGS.2and3.

In accordance withFIG.1, cooking chamber door18is in its open position; i.e. in its 90-degree position. Sliding support22is in its retracted position. As desired, the user can place the food to be cooked on the separate accessory, namely the baking sheet, supported on sliding support22.

After this has been done, the user wants to move sliding support22back to its retracted position and to close cooking chamber door18in order to perform a cooking process. To this end, the user grabs cooking chamber door18and manually moves it from its open position to its closed position. In this process, cooking chamber door18performs the above-described movement again, but in the opposite direction. Operating mechanism24is configured such that when cooking chamber door18is moved from its 90-degree position (i.e., its open position) toward its closed position, sliding support22is immediately and automatically moved conjointly therewith in the above-described manner, without the sliding support22colliding with cooking chamber door18in the process. Thus, no provision is made for coupling pin38to initially move independently as cooking chamber door18is moved from its open position to its closed position and, thus, as sliding support22is moved from its extended position to its retracted position. Therefore, coupling pin38causes drive fork40to immediately move conjointly with it. During the aforementioned movement of cooking chamber door18from its open position to its closed position, coupling pin38automatically causes co-movement of toothed disk34via drive fork40, so that gear36and, thus, drive shaft28, as well as drive rod30are rotated as well. Since drive rod30force-transmittingly engages by means of the sliding block in the guide slot of connecting bar46, the aforementioned rotational movement of drive shaft28is converted, via drive rod30and the aforementioned sliding block and guide slot combination, into in a linear movement of sliding support22parallel to the two side racks48,50again, so that sliding support22is automatically moved from its extended position to its retracted position.

In accordance with the invention, to protect operating mechanism24from being damaged by overloading, operating mechanism24additionally has the overload protection device60in the form of a slip coupling.

Friction liner66, which is in the form of a rubber liner and is mounted on drive fork40, is biased by spring72against toothed disk34. In accordance with the invention, a spring force of spring72is settable and adjustable so that a normal force; i.e. the contact force with which the two contact surfaces62,64are pressed against each other, can be set or adjusted in advance or during maintenance of cooking appliance2in the manner described above. When cooking chamber door18is moved to its closed position or to its open position, drive fork40on one side and toothed disk34on the other side are thereby resynchronized, namely, properly aligned with each other by means of the two contact surfaces62,64. Thus, overload protection device60is configured such that the above-mentioned synchronization takes place automatically each time the cooking chamber door18is moved to its closed position and to its open position. In the present exemplary embodiment, overload protection device60is thus, at the same time, designed a synchronizer for automatically aligning drive fork40and toothed disk34to bring these two parts of the drive unit26of operating mechanism24into a proper position relative to each other. The above-mentioned design of slip coupling60allows it to compensate for overloading in both directions of rotation of toothed disk34. Accordingly, overload protection device60is configured such that overload protection device60compensates both for the sliding support22being incorrectly operated toward its retracted position and for the sliding support22being incorrectly operated toward its extended position.

Alternatively or in addition to the two contact surfaces62,64, that is, to a purely frictional engagement, it is also conceivable that in other embodiments, the slip coupling may create a purely frictional engagement or a combination of interlocking engagement and frictional engagement in non-overload conditions. Thus, in other embodiments of the inventive cooking appliance, the two contact surfaces of the slip coupling may each be configured as a purely interlocking engagement surface or as a friction surface and, at the same time, an interlocking engagement surface. Instead of rubber liner66, other liners, such as material combinations, are also conceivable. It is, of course, also possible to conceive of slip couplings where no liner is used at all, but where the two contact surfaces are, for example, formed directly on the drive fork and on the toothed disk. The slip coupling may alternatively also be disposed elsewhere in the operating mechanism. For example, it would be conceivable for the drive shaft to be divided into two parts for this purpose, with the slip coupling then being formed at the point of force transfer from one part of the drive shaft to the other part of the drive shaft. Furthermore, in yet other embodiments, the connection point between the drive shaft and the drive rod could be configured as the slip coupling.

Due to the inventive design of cooking appliance2with the operating mechanism24, operating mechanism24is effectively protected from being damaged in the event of improper use of cooking chamber door18and/or of sliding support22. In addition, the individual components of the inventive cooking appliance2that are relevant for the automatic movement of sliding support22can be designed and manufactured with less material. This also allows the aforementioned components to be manufactured with greater tolerances and thus more cost-effectively. Thus, the above-mentioned adjustment of overload protection device60simplifies assembly during the manufacture of the cooking appliance2equipped with operating mechanism24. This is because the capability of adjustment makes it easy to compensate for component and assembly tolerances, for example. In addition, overload protection device60of operating mechanism24allows the overload protection device60to be adjusted on site and, thus, after installation and initial operation at the end user's location. Such adjustment may be necessary, for example, when, due to wear and tear of the material, the contact force acting between the first and second contact surfaces62,64falls below a lower limit for the proper functioning of overload protection device60. The term “drive rod” is intended herein to have a wide meaning and to include also rail-like or plate-like variants, for example.

The design of operating mechanism24, namely, of drive unit26with the integrated overload protection device60, allows the coefficient of friction acting between the two contact surfaces62,64to be set in a defined manner since friction liner66only rubs with first contact surface62along second contact surface64. The stops on overload protector housing67ensure that adjustment of the contact force can be done simply by manipulating the single adjusting element65. This is because the aforementioned stops effectively prevent rotation of bearing shaft70during adjustment of the contact force. In addition, the co-rotation of second bearing element76with bearing shaft70prevents accidental detachment of adjusting element65, which is in the form of an adjusting nut, from bearing shaft70. Moreover, since the second end of bearing shaft70protrudes downwardly from overload protector housing67, adjusting element65can be manipulated without any need to remove operating mechanism24from housing4of cooking appliance2.

The invention is not limited to the present exemplary embodiment. In this regard, see, for example, the relevant explanations in the introductory part of the description and the alternatives mentioned in the text of the description.