Patent Publication Number: US-2022214047-A1

Title: Household cooking appliance including a non-welded oven cavity having a seal allowing pyrolytic cleaning

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a household cooking appliance including a non-welded oven cavity having a seal disposed between mechanically coupled panels, and more particularly, a non-welded oven cavity having at least one seal disposed between mechanically coupled panels for allowing pyrolytic cleaning of the non-welded oven cavity. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Some conventional home cooking appliances, such as ovens and ranges, may include a self-cleaning mode, such as a high temperature pyrolytic cleaning cycle. In operation, a so-called pyrolytic oven heats up the interior of the oven cavity to an extremely high temperature (e.g., approximately 400° C. or greater, 450° C. or greater, etc.) to reduce any foodstuff, spills, etc. on the interior surfaces of the oven cavity to a fine ash that can be easily wiped away once the oven cavity has cooled down, with no need for harsh oven-cleaning chemicals or intense scrubbing of the interior surfaces. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Some conventional home cooking appliances, such as ovens and ranges, may include a welded oven cavity having a plurality of panels welded together to form the oven cavity. Other conventional home cooking appliances may include a non-welded oven cavity, such as a cavity having a plurality of panels mechanically coupled together without welding. The manufacturing costs associated with producing a non-welded oven cavity may be less than a welded oven cavity, for example, since the manufacturing processes and facilities associated with producing a non-welded oven cavity may require less specialized, less complex, and/or less costly manufacturing equipment or manufacturing techniques, less capacity, less space, etc., than may otherwise be associated with the manufacturing of a welded oven cavity. 
     The present invention recognizes that, while a welded oven cavity may be suitable for use in an oven having a self-cleaning mode, a non-welded oven cavity typically is not suitable for, or capable of, use in an oven having a self-cleaning mode, such as a high temperature pyrolytic cleaning cycle, since the extreme temperatures within the interior of the oven cavity may cause movement or expansion of mechanical seams or joints of the non-welded oven cavity, thereby allowing hot air or gases to undesirably escape through the mechanical seams or joints of the non-welded oven cavity. Thus, a self-cleaning mode, such as a high temperature pyrolytic cleaning cycle, typically cannot be provided in a conventional home cooking appliance having a non-welded oven cavity. 
     The present invention solves these and other problems by providing a household cooking appliance comprising a non-welded oven cavity including a plurality of panels mechanically coupled together without welding and a seal disposed between mechanically coupled panels of the plurality of panels. In this way, the present invention can provide a non-welded oven cavity capable of preventing hot air or gases from escaping through mechanical seams or joints of the non-welded oven cavity during exposure to the extreme temperatures within the interior of the oven cavity associated with a self-cleaning mode, such as a high temperature pyrolytic cleaning cycle. As a result, the present invention can provide a household cooking appliance with desirable self-cleaning features, such as high temperature pyrolytic cleaning, while at the same time reducing manufacturing costs associated with the oven cavity as compared to a welded oven cavity. 
     The seal can be configured to provide an airtight seal between the mechanically coupled panels of the plurality of panels, and more particularly, to provide a thermal seal or pyrolytic seal between the mechanically coupled panels of the plurality of panels. 
     In an example embodiment, one or more of the mechanically coupled panels of the non-welded oven cavity can include one or more flanges adjacent to each other, with the seal being disposed between the flanges. The flanges can be mechanically coupled to each other with the seal disposed therebetween by at least one fixation element. In some examples, the fixation elements can be centrally located and aligned along a longitudinal centerline of one or more of the flanges and/or the seal disposed between the flanges. 
     In other examples, one or more flanges can include an emboss extending along a longitudinal centerline of the flange. In still other examples, a pair of adjacent flanges can include matching embosses extending along a longitudinal centerline of each of the flanges. In these examples, the seal can be disposed in the emboss or matching embosses between the mechanically coupled panels of the plurality of panels. A portion of the seal can be disposed in the emboss or matching embosses, or the seal can be disposed entirely within the emboss or matching embosses. 
     The present invention recognizes that providing embosses on one or more of the flanges may result in a reduced amount of the flange being usable for fixation points. Moreover, in some instances, it may be desirable to provide fixation points on each side of the emboss or matching embosses to adequately secure the flanges to each other and to adequately secure the seal within the emboss between the flanges. The present invention further recognizes that aligning the fixation points on opposite sides of the emboss or matching embosses (e.g., aligning the fixation points in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline of the flanges or embosses), combined with the reduced size of the flange on either side of the emboss, may result in metal fatigue and failure of the mechanical coupling at such a location. To solve these and other problems, in the present invention, the flanges can be mechanically coupled to each other by a plurality of fixation elements, wherein each of the plurality of fixation elements is alternately located on opposite sides of the emboss or matching embosses extending along the longitudinal centerline of the flanges or embosses. In this way, the fixation points on each side of the emboss or matching embosses are capable of adequately securing the flanges to each other and adequately securing the seal between the flanges, while at the same time, reducing the risk of, or avoiding altogether, metal fatigue and failure of the mechanical coupling at fixation locations. 
     In other examples, only one panel of the mechanically coupled panels may include a flange, while the other panel may include an adjacent surface. In these examples, the seal can be disposed between the flange of the first panel and the surface of the second panel, with the flange of the first panel being mechanically coupled to the surface of the second panel with the seal therebetween. Similar to the example having a pair of flanges, the flange of the first panel can be mechanically coupled to the surface of the second panel by one or more fixation elements and such fixation elements can be centrally located along a longitudinal centerline of the flange of the first panel. The fixation elements also can be centrally located along the longitudinal centerline of the seal. 
     In these examples, either or both of the flange of the first panel and the surface of the second panel can include an emboss or matching embosses extending along the longitudinal centerline of the flange, with the seal being disposed in the emboss or matching embosses. The flange of the first panel can be mechanically coupled to the surface of the second panel by a plurality of fixation elements, wherein each of the plurality of fixation elements is alternately located on opposite sides of the emboss or matching embosses extending along the longitudinal centerline of the flange or embosses, thereby adequately securing the flange to the surface and adequately securing the seal between the flange and the surface, while at the same time, reducing the risk of, or avoiding altogether, metal fatigue and failure of the mechanical coupling at the fixation locations. 
     In the exemplary embodiments, the seal can be a flat seal. In other examples, the seal can have an oval cross-section, a circular cross-section, or other cross-sectional shape. The cross-section of the seal can correspond to at least a portion of a cross-section of an emboss formed in one or more flanges and/or surfaces of one of the panels. 
     For purposes of this invention, a welded oven cavity can include an oven cavity having a plurality of panels coupled together with welded seams or joints to form the oven cavity. A non-welded oven cavity can include a cavity having a plurality of panels mechanically coupled together at seams or joints with or without fixation elements to form the oven cavity. For example, a non-welded oven cavity can include a cavity having a plurality of panels mechanically coupled to each other at seams or joints with one or more fasteners, such as with bolts, rivets, etc., and/or without fasteners, such as by clinching. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the plurality of panels can be mechanically coupled together at seams or joints by various other mechanical fixation, assembly, or coupling devices or structures suitable for coupling or joining metal sheets. 
     By providing a seal, and more particularly an air-tight seal, a thermal seal, or a pyrolytic seal, etc., between the mating flanges or surfaces of a non-welded oven cavity, high temperature gases can be retained within the non-welded oven cavity such that the gases are unable to escape through gaps in the metal panels of the non-welded oven cavity. Accordingly, the present invention can provide both the cost savings of a non-welded oven cavity, as compared to a welded cavity, along with the ability to employ a pyrolytic self-cleaning feature, which would not feasibly be safe with conventional non-welded oven cavity systems. 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other aspects and features of embodiments of the present invention will be better understood after a reading of the following detailed description, together with the attached drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic, partial cutaway view of a household cooking appliance, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic front view of a household cooking appliance, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic perspective view of a non-welded oven cavity of a household cooking appliance, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 4A  is a schematic partial, cross-sectional view of panels of a non-welded oven cavity mechanically coupled together, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, and  FIG. 4B  is a schematic plan view of  FIG. 4A ; 
         FIG. 5A  is another schematic partial, cross-sectional view of panels of a non-welded oven cavity mechanically coupled together, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, and  FIG. 5B  is a schematic plan view of  FIG. 5A ; 
         FIG. 6  is another schematic partial, cross-sectional view of panels of a non-welded oven cavity mechanically coupled together, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 7  is another schematic partial, cross-sectional view of panels of a non-welded oven cavity mechanically coupled together, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 8  is another schematic partial, cross-sectional view of panels of a non-welded oven cavity mechanically coupled together, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 9  is schematic perspective view of panels of a non-welded oven cavity mechanically coupled together, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention now is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. 
     Referring now to the drawings,  FIGS. 1-9  illustrate exemplary embodiments of a household cooking appliance having a non-welded oven cavity with a seal disposed between mechanically coupled panels. Like reference numerals are used to identify similar features of the example embodiments in  FIGS. 1-9 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an example of a household cooking appliance  100  configured to perform a self-cleaning operation, such as a high temperature pyrolytic cleaning cycle, will now be described. The household cooking appliance  100  can include a standalone appliance, wall mounted appliance, such as a stand-alone oven, wall mounted oven, double oven, combination oven, countertop oven, or a freestanding range having one or more ovens. For example, the household cooking appliance  100  can include a gas or electric wall oven (as shown, for example, in  FIGS. 1-3 ), or a gas cooking range having one or more cooking or warming devices, such as a cooktop, gas oven, electric oven, steam oven, convection oven, and/or warming drawer. In other embodiments, the household cooking appliance can include a plurality of oven cooking cavities. The exemplary household cooking appliance can include one or more doors, such as a baking oven door, a steam oven door, and/or a warming drawer door for providing access to one or more cavities within the housing. 
     An example of a household cooking appliance  100  can include a housing  102 , a non-welded oven cavity  104  defining an interior oven cavity space  105  accessible through an opening in the non-welded oven cavity  104 , and an oven door  106  covering the opening and moveable about a hinge between an open position and a closed position. The household cooking appliance  100  can include a control panel  108  having a user input device  110  for controlling operation of one or more heating elements and/or circulating fans in the oven cavity  104  for performing various operations, such as a preheat operation, cooking operation, self-cleaning operation, such as a high temperature pyrolytic cleaning cycle, etc. The user input device  110  can include one or more control knobs, touch sensitive input devices, etc. for controlling the various operations of the appliance, including, for example, a self-cleaning mode, such as a high temperature pyrolytic cleaning cycle. The control panel  108  can include various electronic components for operating the appliance, such as one or more controllers, processors, memory devices, etc. The housing  102  can include a gasket  112  surrounding the opening of the oven cavity  104  and sealing the oven door  106  to the opening when the oven door  106  is in the closed position. The oven door  106  can be configured to be lockable in a closed position, for example, during a self-cleaning operation. One or more removable oven racks or other support devices can be provided within the oven cavity  104 . One of ordinary skill will recognize that other configurations are possible. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 3-9 , exemplary embodiments of a non-welded oven cavity  104  according to the present invention will now be described. 
     In exemplary embodiments of the household cooking appliance, a non-welded oven cavity  104  can include a plurality of panels mechanically coupled together without welding and a seal disposed between the mechanically coupled panels of the plurality of panels. The seal can be configured to form an airtight seal between the mechanically coupled panels of the plurality of panels during exposure to the extreme temperatures within the interior of the oven cavity associated with a self-cleaning mode, such as a high temperature pyrolytic cleaning cycle, thereby preventing hot air or gases from escaping through mechanical seams or joints of the non-welded oven cavity. The seal can include, for example, any thermal seal, pyrolytic seal, fire retardant seal, etc. capable of withstanding extreme temperatures associated with a self-cleaning operation (e.g., 400° C. or greater, 450° C. or greater, etc.). The arrangement of the seal is not limited to any particular shape and can include, for example, a flat seal having a rectangular cross-section, a round seal having a circular or oval cross-section, etc. The arrangement of the seal is not limited to any particular type, construction, or material and can include, for example, a solid core, a liquid core, a hallow core, a rope-style seal, a woven blend of materials (e.g., a fiberglass and cotton blend treated with fire retardant chemicals), a rubberized ceramic, etc. The seal can be formed from an extrudable material, a woven material such as fabric, a blended material, a laminated material, a pressed material, etc. The seal can be formed from food grade (e.g., FDA approved materials) to comply with any applicable government regulations or standardized testing requirements in the industry. The seal can be continuous along all or a portion of a length of the seam or joint between the respective panels of the non-welded oven cavity  104 . In other examples, a plurality of seals can be provided at different locations along all or a portion of a length of the seam or joint between the respective panels of the non-welded oven cavity  104 . One or more different types, shapes, sizes, materials, configurations, etc. of seals can be provided along the same seam or joint between the respective panels of the non-welded oven cavity  104  or along different seams or joints between other combinations of panels of the non-welded oven cavity  104 . 
     With reference to the example illustrated in  FIG. 3 , a non-welded oven cavity  104  can include a plurality of panels (e.g.,  200 ,  202 ,  204 ,  206 ,  208 ,  210 ) mechanically coupled together without welding. In the illustrated example, the non-welded oven cavity  104  can include a front panel  200  having an opening  201  for accessing the interior space defined by the oven cavity  104 , a side panel  202 , a side panel  204 , a rear panel  206 , a top panel  208 , and a bottom panel  210 . The arrangement of the non-welded oven cavity  104  is not limited to the illustrated example, and other configurations of a non-welded oven cavity  104  are possible. For example, the non-welded oven cavity  104  can include various configurations and arrangements, including a different number of panels, sub-panels, corner components, etc. The non-welded oven cavity  104  can include a variety of assemblies, including a plurality of substantially flat panels, L-shaped panels, U-shaped panels, etc., or various combinations thereof. The various panels can be mechanically coupled together at one or more seams or joints with or without fixation elements. For example, the panels can be mechanically coupled to each other with one or more fasteners, such as with bolts, rivets, etc., and/or without fasteners, such as by clinching. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the plurality of panels can be mechanically coupled together at seams or joints by other mechanical fixation, assembly, or coupling devices or structures suitable for coupling or joining metal sheets. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an example embodiment having a plurality of panels (e.g.,  200 ,  202 ,  204 ,  206 ,  208 ,  210 ) mechanically coupled together at one or more seams or joints with fixation elements, such as fasteners  308 . In this example, the edges of the panels (e.g.,  200 ,  202 ,  204 ,  206 ,  208 ,  210 ) can include corresponding flanges  302 ,  304  having matching embosses  320  and one or more seals  306  disposed within the matching embosses  320  and between the corresponding flanges  302 ,  304 . The exemplary features of  FIG. 3 , as well as other exemplary embodiments of mechanically coupled panels of a non-welded oven cavity  104 , according to the present invention, will be described in greater detail below with reference to the examples illustrated in  FIGS. 4A-9 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 4A and 4B , an exemplary embodiment of mechanically coupled panels of a non-welded oven cavity  104  can include two or more panels coupled together to form a seam or joint of the non-welded oven cavity  104 . For illustrative purposes,  FIGS. 4A and 4B  reference the side panel  204  being coupled to the bottom panel  210 . However, the illustrated example is not limited to any particular combination of panels being coupled together. In this example, the panel  204  can include a first flange  302  and the panel  210  can include a corresponding second flange  304  that is adjacent to the first flange  302  when the panels  204 ,  210  are assembled. A seal  306  (e.g., a flat seal) is disposed between the flanges  302 ,  304 . In this example, the seal  306  is disposed entirely between the flanges  302 ,  304 . However, in other examples, a portion of the seal  306  can extend or protrude outside of the flanges  302 ,  304 . The flanges  302 ,  304  can be mechanically coupled to each other with the seal  306  therebetween by at least one fixation element  308 , which is illustrated in this example as a fastener such as a rivet or bolt. As shown in the example of  FIG. 4B , the fixation elements  308  can be centrally located and aligned along a longitudinal centerline C 1  of either or both of the flanges  302 ,  304 . In some examples, the longitudinal centerline C 1  also can correspond to a centerline of the seal  306 . 
     In the example illustrated in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the flanges  302 ,  304  are disposed respectively on the panel  204  and the panel  210  on an opposite side of the panels  204 ,  210  from an interior space  105  of the non-welded oven cavity  104 . However, in other examples, the flanges  302 ,  304  can be disposed on a side of the panels  204 ,  210  facing or extending into the interior space  105  of the non-welded oven cavity  104 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 5A and 5B , in another example, the panel  204  can include a flange  302  that is adjacent to a surface  310  of the panel  210  when the panels are assembled. In this example, a seal  306  (e.g., a flat seal) is disposed between the flange  302  and the surface  310  of the panel  210 . The flange  302  of the panel  204  and the surface  310  of the panel  210  can be mechanically coupled to each other with the seal  306  therebetween by at least one fixation element  308 . As shown in the example of  FIG. 5B , the fixation elements  308  can be centrally located and aligned along a longitudinal centerline C 1  of the flange  302  and/or a centerline of the seal  306 . In this example, a portion of the seal  306  can extend or protrude beyond the flange  302 . However, in other examples, the seal  306  can be disposed entirely between the flange  302  and the surface  310 . In the example illustrated in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , the flange  302  is disposed on an opposite side of the panel  204  from the interior space  105  of the non-welded oven cavity  104 . However, in other examples, the flange  302  can be disposed on a side of the panel  204  facing or extending into the interior space  105  of the non-welded oven cavity  104 . 
     In other examples, one or more flanges can include an emboss extending along a longitudinal centerline of the flange. For example, as shown in  FIG. 6 , a flange  302  can include an emboss extending along a longitudinal centerline of the flange  302 . In this example, all or a portion of a seal  306  (e.g., a round or oval seal) can be disposed between the emboss  320  of the flange  302  and the surface  310  of the panel  210 . The flange  302  of the panel  204  and the surface  310  of the panel  210  can be mechanically coupled to each other with the seal  306  therebetween by a plurality of fixation elements  308 . 
     In another example, as shown in  FIG. 7 , a pair of adjacent flanges  302 ,  304  can include matching embosses  320  extending along a longitudinal centerline of each of the flanges  302 ,  304 . In this example, a seal  306  (e.g., a round or oval seal) is disposed between the matching embosses  320 . The flanges  302 ,  304  can be mechanically coupled to each other with the seal  306  therebetween by a plurality of fixation elements  308 . In these examples, all or a portion of the seal  306  (e.g., a round or oval seal) can be disposed within the matching embosses  320 . 
     With reference again to  FIG. 3  and also to  FIG. 8 , a plurality of panels (e.g.,  200 ,  202 ,  204 ,  206 ,  208 ,  210 ) can be coupled together along a plurality of seams or joints to define the non-welded oven cavity  104 . Each of the panels (e.g.,  200 ,  202 ,  204 ,  206 ,  208 ,  210 ) can include a flange or plurality of flanges  302  configured to be adjacent to a respective flange  304  of another adjacent panel when the panels are in an assembled state. In the examples shown in  FIGS. 3 and 8 , each of the flanges  302 ,  304  can include matching embosses  320  extending along a longitudinal centerline of each of the flanges  302 ,  304 . In this example, a plurality of seals  306  (e.g., round or oval seals) can be disposed respectively between the matching embosses  320  of the respective flanges  302 ,  304 . The respective flanges  302 ,  304  can be mechanically coupled to each other with the seals  306  therebetween by a plurality of fixation elements  308 . 
     As shown in each of  FIGS. 3 and 6-8 , the fixation elements  308  can be alternately located on opposite sides of the matching embosses  320  extending along the longitudinal centerline of the flanges  302 ,  304  or embosses  320 . In these examples, every other fixation element  308  extending in a direction of the longitudinal centerline of the flanges  302 ,  304  or embosses  320  can be disposed on an opposite side of the longitudinal centerline of the flanges  302 ,  304  or embosses  320 . In other examples, two or more successive fixation elements  308  can be disposed on a same side of the flanges  302 ,  304  or embosses  320 , for example, depending on the particular arrangement of the joint or seam. The fixation elements  308  can be spaced along the longitudinal centerline of the flanges or embosses. The spacing between two successive fixation elements  308  extending in a direction of the longitudinal centerline of the flanges  302 ,  304  or embosses  320  can be the same or uniform along the length of the longitudinal centerline of the flanges  302 ,  304  or embosses  320 , or in other examples, the spacing between two successive fixation elements  308  at one or more locations can be different from another location, for example, depending on the particular arrangement of the joint or seam. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates another example having a plurality of panels (e.g.,  204 ,  206 ,  210 ) coupled together along a plurality of seams or joints to define a lower portion of the non-welded oven cavity  104 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , a lower end of each of the panels (e.g.,  204 ,  206 ) can include one or more flanges  302  configured to be adjacent to a surface of the bottom panel  210  when the panels are in an assembled state, similar to the example illustrated in  FIGS. 5A and 5B . In this example, a seal  306  (e.g., a flat seal or the like) can be disposed between the flanges  302  of each respective panel  204 ,  206  and the surface of the panel  210 , with each flange  302  being mechanically coupled to the surface of the panel  210  with the respective seal  306  therebetween. The fixation elements  308  can be centrally located along a longitudinal centerline of each flange  302 . In this example, each of the flanges  302  can be disposed on a side of the respective panel  204 ,  206  facing or extending into the interior space  105  of the non-welded oven cavity  104 . However, in other examples, one or more, or all, of the flanges  302  can be disposed on an opposite side of the respective panel  204 ,  206  from the interior space  105  of the non-welded oven cavity  104 . 
     The present invention has been described herein in terms of several preferred embodiments. However, modifications and additions to these embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the foregoing description. It is intended that all such modifications and additions comprise a part of the present invention to the extent that they fall within the scope of the several claims appended hereto.