DEVICE FOR AN OVEN TO IMPROVE THE INSIGHT INTO THE OVEN CAVITY

Abstract: A device for an oven that is integrated into a cooker and comprises an oven cavity (15), which has an upper wall with a rear wall part (23) and a front section (24), and a mainly vertical door (12) closing the oven cavity. The door has a transparent portion (19, 20) and has an inside panel (16) with an edge portion which is at least partly arranged to abut against a sealing surface (21) surrounding the oven cavity opening. The transparent portion at least partly extends to or above the rear wall part (23), and the front section (24) is designed such that there is a transparent free space between the front section (24) and the door (12), wherein the view or insight into the oven cavity is improved.

Description: DEVICE FOR AN OVEN TO IMPROVE THE INSIGHT INTO THE OVEN CAVITY This invention relates to a device for an oven that is integrated into a cooker and has an oven cavity and a mainly vertical door closing the oven cavity. The door is provided with a transparent portion and has an inside panel with an edge portion, which is at least partly arranged to abut against a sealing suface surrounding the oven cavity opening. Traditional cookers that have a cooker top and one or several integrated ovens, i.e. gas cookers and electric cookers, usually have a control panel above the upper oven door at the front part of the cooker. This control panel contains knobs for the different heating plates of the cooker top and for the ovens as well as indication means for them. The existence of the cooker top with its control panel and the thick, insulated wall construction surrounding the oven cavity prevents a view or insight through the transparent portion of the oven door into the oven cavity. When the oven is placed on a comparatively low level, the operator must bend significantly in order to see the conditions of the food placed in the oven. This is futher accentuated by the fact that the transparent portion, which usually consists of glass plates, is placed such that a part of the frame part, which normally surrounds the glass, contributes to prevent the insight into the oven cavity. Glass panels may be extended above the upper wall of the oven cavity, see DE 19849989, but this will still give a limited insight into the oven because of the existence of the upper wall of the oven cavity. There are also cookers with cooker tops and integrated ovens on the market where the control panel is placed at the rear edge of the cooker top or at one of its sides, a position mainly for child saftey reason. Likewise, control panels with touch controls may be placed at the upper side of the cooker top since it very easy for the operator of the cooker to view the control panel in such a position. However, these positions of the control panel do not change anything with regard to the insight into the oven cavity since the door, the cooker top, and the surrounding walls of the oven cavity are shaped in a traditional way. Cookers with ovens may also be configured to design the oven in a traditional way, but to decrease the volume of the oven and simultaneously raise it with respect to the cooker top. The upper edge of the oven door is placed in close vicinity (i.e., 2-3 cm below) to the upper edge of the cooker top. The width, which is decreased, makes it possible to place the control panel at the side of the oven at the front part of the cooker. However, since the oven and the oven door continue to be designed in a traditional way, the insight into the oven cavity will still be limited. The invention provides an oven design improving the insight into the oven by making it possible for the operator to see the contents of the oven without the need for bending. This is achieved by means of a device comprising an oven cavity having an upper wall with a rear wall part and a front section and a mainly vertical door closing an oven cavity opening. The door is provided with a transparent portion and has an inside panel with an edge portion, which is at least partly arranged to abut against a sealing suface surrounding the oven cavity opening. The transparent portion extends up to or above the rear wall part, and the front section is designed such that there is a transparent free space between the front section and the door, wherein the insight into the oven is improved An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures in which: FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a cooker provided with a device according to an embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 2 is a view of an enlargement of the upper parts of the door and the oven cavity of the cooker shown in FIG. 1. The cooker as shown in Fig. 1 comprises a base structure 10 having at least one oven 11 with a door 12 and a cooker top 13. The cooker top 13 might be of any type, i.e., a ceramic cooker top with several heating zones, a conventional cooker top with electric plates, or a gas burners with several gas fire places. The cooker is also provided with control means 14 that is arranged outside the area of the front part of the cooker, which is above the door 12. The control means 14 might, for example, be shaped as touch controls or knobs and can be placed on or at the upper side of the cooker top 13. The oven 1 1 is provided with an oven cavity 15 with surrounding walls, which in a conventional manner enclose heating elements and insulation (not shown). The opening of the oven cavity 15 is covered by the door 12, which is supported at its lower part by means of hinges (not shown). The door has an outer and an inner panel 16 and 17, respectively, and can be turned to a mainly horizontal position by means of a handle 18. Between the panels 16, 17 of the door, there is an inner and an outer plate 19 and 20, respectively, of glass or some other type of transparent material. The inner panel 16 of the door is provided with an edge part, which in the closed position of the door abuts a sealing 22 arranged at a sealing surface 21 surrounding the cavity opening. The oven cavity 15 has an upper wall comprising a mainly horizontal, rear wall part 23 extending forward to a slanted roof or front section 24 that forms an inclined surface extending upwards and forwards from the rear wall part, towards the sealing surface 21. A transparent free space is created between the slanted roof section 24, the inside of the door 12, and an imagined extension of the rear wall part 23 towards the door. The slanted roof section forms a limiting insight line L for goods arranged at the central parts of the oven cavity 15. When the door 12 is in its closed position, the insight line L is a continuation of a slanted surface 25 of a profile strip 26 in which the upper edges of the two plates 19, 20 are fixed, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The plates 19, 20 have such a height and are secured in the door such that their upper edge portions 27 and 28 are placed in close vicinity of the upper edge of the door above the rear wall part 23 of the oven cavity 15. The upper edge portion 28 of the outer plate 20 is placed at a higher level than the upper edge portion 27 of the inner plate 19. In order to give a good insight into the oven, the upper edge of the door should be placed at a distance which is less than 10 cm, preferably less than 5 cm, from the upper front edge of the cooker top. The upper wall 23, 24 may have different shapes in order to improve the insight. For example, it would be possible to use an upper wall where the rear wall part 23 and/or the roof section 24 are arc-shaped. Compared to traditional arrangements, the insight into the oven cavity is in this way considerably improved. Measurements show that a person having a height of 165 cm at a conventional cooker has to stand at a distance of 179 cm from the cooker in order to see goods placed in the center of the oven cavity, whereas, this distance is reduced to 63 cm for an oven according to this invention. In order to further increase the insight into the oven, the conventional handle 18 might be removed and replaced by other arrangements, such as forward-extending handles at one or each side of the door or by hidden handles comprising recesses making it possible to grip the door by inserting the fingers of the operator between the door 12 and the base structure 10. While the invention has been described with reference to a specific embodiment, various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, other modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or method to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. The present invention herein is not to be construed as being limited, except insofar as indicated in the appended claims.

Claims: CLAIMS; 1. Device for an oven comprising: an oven cavity (15) having an upper wall with a rear wall part (23) and a front section (24) and a mainly vertical door (12) closing an oven cavity opening, the door having an inside panel (16) with an edge portion which is at least partly arranged to abut against a sealing suface (21) surrounding the oven cavity opening, and the door provided with a transparent portion, characterized in that the transparent portion extends up to or above the rear wall part (23) and that the front section (24) is designed such that there is a transparent free space between the front section (24) and the door (12) wherein the insight into the oven is improved. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the front section (24) is inclined upwards and forwards from the rear wall part (23) of the oven cavity towards the door (12). 3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the rear wall part (23) is mainly horizontal and that said front section (24) forms a mainly flat surface. 4. Device according to any of claims 1 -3, characterized in that the transparent portion comprises an outer and an inner plate (19, 20), wherein an upper edge of the inner plate (19) is placed below an upper edge of the outer plate (20). 5. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the rear wall part (23) and/or the front section (24) are curved. 6. Device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the door has at least one handle placed at least at one side of the door outside the transparent portion. 7. Device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the door has at least one handle which comprises a recess placed between the door and a base structure. 8. Device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the oven is a part of a cooker having a base structure (10) with a cooker top (13), the cooker provided with control means for the cooker top and the oven, and said control means is arranged outside the area of the front side of the cooker which above the door (12).

Inventors: NORDWALL JOAKIM, OESTLUND PER AAKE, NORDWALL, JOAKIM, OESTLUND, PER, AAKE
Applicants: ELECTROLUX AB, NORDWALL JOAKIM, OESTLUND PER AAKE, AKTIEBOLAGET ELECTROLUX, NORDWALL, JOAKIM, OESTLUND, PER, AAKE
Application year: 2001
Main classification: F24C15
IPC codes: F24C15