Patent Abstract:
A cooking range includes a cook top section. The cooking range also include an oven section having walls defining a cavity and a door, wherein the cavity being configured to accommodate food and the door being configured to open or close the cavity. The cooking range further include a heating source configured to provide heat to the cavity when the cooking range is operated. In addition, the cooking range include a rack member coupled to the cavity, and configured to support a food container placed thereon, wherein at least a part of the rack member is configured to be rotated to rotate the food thereon.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present application is claims benefits of priority to Korean Application Number  10 -2009-0038091, filed Apr. 30, 2009, which is herein expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
       FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to a cooking range. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    A conventional cooking range includes an oven section indirectly heating foods using high temperature heat air to heat object within its cabin, which forms a tight space, and a cook-top section directly heating the foods, wherein the oven section and the cook-top section are conventionally combined in a single unit. 
         [0004]    The cooking range may be categorized into three types based on the types of heat sources, that are an electric oven range adopting an electric heater as a heat source, a microwave oven equipped with a magnetron which heats the foods via penetration of microwaves generated from a super high frequency oscillator into the foods, and a gas oven using flames from a gas fuel burner for heating the foods. 
         [0005]    The conventional cooking ranges also includes a cavity that is heated for cooking foods. The cavity is opened or closed by a door that is moveable to provide access to the cavity. An internal of the cavity is horizontally defined with racks provided to enable multiple trays, pans or pots of food items to be placed therein at different levels within the cavity. The racks are moveable toward the door along a guide rail formed inside the cavity. 
         [0000]    When foods are cooked, the racks are dragged outside of the cavity and if the foods are well cooked, the foods are taken out from the cavity. Yet, to evenly cook the foods, there may be desirable to rotate them, and it may be desirable to do so without physical touch or integrating with food container within the oven. The conventional cooking ranges have the inconvenience of rotating the foods by hands instead of rotating the rack by a separate mechanism. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    In one aspect, a cooking range includes: a cook top section; an oven section having walls defining a cavity and a door, wherein the cavity being configured to accommodate food and the door being configured to open or close the cavity; a heating source configured to provide heat to the cavity when the cooking range is operated; and a rack member coupled to the cavity, and configured to support a food container placed thereon, wherein at least a part of the rack member is configured to be rotated to rotate the food thereon. 
         [0007]    In another aspect, a cooking range includes: a cook top section; an oven section having walls defining a cavity and a door, wherein the cavity being configured to accommodate food and the door being configured to open or close the cavity; a heating source configured to provide heat to the cavity when the cooking range is operated; and a rack member coupled to the cavity, and configured to support a food container placed thereon, wherein the rack member having a first rack coupled to the walls of the cavity and configured to slide along a guide member and a second rack coupled to the first lack and configured to rotate with respect to the first rack to rotate the food thereon. 
         [0008]    In yet, another aspect, a cooking range includes: a cook top section; an oven section having a cavity and a door, wherein the cavity being configured to accommodate a food and the door being configured to open or close the cavity; a heating source configured to provide heat to the cavity when the cooking range is operated; and a rack member coupled to the cavity, and configured to put the food on, wherein the rack member having a first rack coupled to an inner wall of the cavity and configured to move along a guide member and a second rack coupled to the first rack and configured to move independently from the first rack, wherein the first and the second rack are moving together when the first rack moves. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a view illustrating a cooking range; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a view illustrating a rotational rack; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a view illustrating a rotational rack; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a view illustrating a rotational rack; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a plane view illustrating a friction member; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a plane view illustrating a cam and an elastic member. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    The structure and operation of a rotational rack and a cooking range including the same will be described in detail with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 4 . 
         [0016]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , a cooking range  100  includes an oven section  101  indirectly heating foods such as cakes, bread and barbecues by using a high temperature heat air in a space, and a cook-top section  102  positioned at an upper side of the oven section  101  directly heating the foods. 
         [0017]    A heat source heating the oven section  101  may be, for example, an electric heater, a microwave, a gas flame or the like. 
         [0018]    The surrounding of the oven section  101 , where a temperature is also high, is filled by an insulating material for preventing heat loss and accidental fire. And outside of the insulating material is covered by a side panel  130 . The side panel  130  prevents the constituent elements of the cooking range  100  from being exposed to the outside to make an exterior look of the cooking range  100  clean and beautiful. 
         [0019]    The cooking range  100  may be categorized into two types based on installation, which are a free standing type and a built-in type. The free standing type is an independent type that the cooking range  100  is independently located from a kitchen furniture  10  On the contrary, the built-in type is a combination type that the cooking range  100  is positioned between the side panel  130  and the kitchen furniture. In this implementation, a built-in type cooking range  100  may not need installation of the side panel  130 . 
         [0020]    In some implementations, in a case a particular part of the cooking range  100  is concentrated with heat or the kitchen furniture about the cooking range  100  may get overheated (e.g., 90° C. or more.), The overheating phenomenon may be restricted by using insulation material that wraps the oven section  101 . 
         [0021]    In case of the free standing type cooking range  100 , an empty space is defined between the side panel  130  and the oven section  101  such that the air may be circulated. 
         [0022]    The oven section  101  includes a cavity  110  and a door  120 . The cavity  110 , having a space for cooking foods, is opened or closed by the door  120 , and a rotational rack  200  on which foods are placed is positioned in the space as shown in  FIG. 1 . When the foods are placed on the rotation rack, the foods are rotated based on rotation of the rotation rack  200 . Therefore, a user may easily take out the food placed on the rotation rack  200  after rotating the rack  200 . 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , the rotational rack  200  may include a first rack  210  and a second rack  220 . The first rack  210  slides along a guide member  150  at an inner wall of the cavity  110  as shown in  FIG. 1 . A plurality of guide members  150  are arranged at an inner wall of the cavity  110 , whereby the user can adjust an installation height of the rotational rack  200 . As a result, an appropriate height of guide member  150  may be selected to cater to the size of the food into which the first rack  210  is inserted. 
         [0024]    The second rack  220  is rotatively and slidingly connected to the first rack  210 . The second rack  220  is rotated on a plane parallel with the first rack  210 . 
         [0025]    The second rack  220  can be rotated with a rotation shaft  221  or without the rotation shaft  221 . If the second rack  220  is rotated using the rotation shaft  221 , the second rack may include a rotation shaft holder  223  fixedly installed at the first rack  210 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , with the rotation shaft holder  223  being slidable along the first rack  210 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0026]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , the second rack  220  is supported by an upper surface of the first rack  210 . In order to stably support the second rack  220  by the first rack  210 , a part of the first rack  210  is coupled to the second rack  220  protrudes toward an upper surface of the first rack  210  to define a sill  212  having a height direction stair at a center of the first rack  210 . The second rack  220  may rotate or slide within the sill  212  while being contacted by the sill  212 . 
         [0027]    In order to guide the rotation or sliding of the second rack  220 , a guide sill  214  is located at a periphery of the sill  212 . In some examples, an outer circumference of the second rack  220  is rounded, wherein the outer circumference of the second rack  220  is contacted or interfered by the guide sill  214  to guide the second rack  220  to rotate or slide. In some exemplary embodiments, the second rack  220  can be simply detached from the sill  212 , for example, by lifting the second rack  220  if there is a need of cleaning the second rack  220  after the cooking is done. 
         [0028]    Further, the second rack  220  may be drawn out toward the door  120 , toward or away from the cavity  110 . The second rack  220  also may be used to rotate the food. During cooking the foods, if necessary, a position of the food may be changed by rotating the second rack  220 . In order to ease the access of the second rack  220  when the second rack  220  is rotated or drawn out by hand, a recess  216  may be provided at a forward end of the first rack  210  facing the door  120 . For example, in order that the second rack  220  is easily rotated or slid by manipulating by hand, part of the second rack  220  that may have the recess  216  exposed to the recess  216 . 
         [0029]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , a rotation shaft  221  is coupled to the second rack  220 . The second rack  220  may be rotated at a predetermined distance from an upper surface of the first rack  210 . The first rack  210  and the second rack  220  may be discretely installed toward the height direction because the rotation shaft  221  and a rotation shaft holder  223  being positioned between the first rack  210  and the second rack  220  in the height direction. As a result, even if the second rack  220  is warped the first rack  210  or an assembled state between the second rack with the first rack is partially twisted in a long use, the second rack  220  is able to smoothly rotate without being interfered by the first rack  210 . 
         [0030]    Further, the rotating shaft holder  223  is positioned between the first rack  210  and the second rack  220  in the height direction. The rotation shaft holder  223  supports the rotation shaft  221 . Here, a rotation shaft  221  may be a rotation center of the second rack  220 . 
         [0031]    In some implementations, the rotation shaft holder  223  is positioned at an upper surface of the first rack  210  when the rotation shaft  221  is extended to a bottom surface of the second rack  220 . The rotation shaft  221  is also positioned at the upper surface of the first rack  210  when the rotation shaft holder  223  is located at a bottom surface of the second rack  220 . A bearing may be provided inside of the rotation shaft holder  223  for smooth rotation of the rotation shaft  221 . 
         [0032]    The rotation shaft holder  223  may be fixed at a point of the rotational rack  200  as shown in  FIG. 3 , or may be slidingly installed toward the door  120  or toward the cavity  110  as shown in FIG. 
         [0033]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , the first rack  210  includes a plurality of rods  218  extended toward the door  120 . The rotation shaft holder  223  may include at least one insertion groove  228 , and the sliding of the second rack  220  is guided by the rods  218  of the first rack  210  being slidingly inserted into the insertion groove  228  of the rotation shaft holder  223 . 
         [0034]    If the rotation shaft holder  223  is fixedly installed, the second rack  220  will be less likely overthrown by the load deviation of the food, and if the rotation shaft holder  223  is slidingly installed, the food may be inserted or removed by sliding the second rack  220 . 
         [0035]    Furthermore, if the first rack  210  is inserted into the guide member  150  at the inner wall of the cavity  110  and the second rack  220  only is separable, the rotational rack  200  can be easily cleaned. In addition, the rotation shaft  221  is assembled with the rotation shaft holder  223  in the attachable and detachable manners and the second rack  220  is separated by operation of separating the rotation shaft  221  from the rotation shaft holder  223 . 
         [0036]    In some exemplary implementations, if the rotation shaft holder  223  is separable, the second rack  220  may be also separated by operation of separating the rotation shaft  221  and the rotation shaft holder  223  from the first rack  210 . Referring to  FIG. 4 , the second rack  220  can be easily separated by operation of separating the insertion groove  228  of the rotation shaft holder  223  from the rod  218  of the first rack  210 . 
         [0037]    Further, an inconvenience of use, or an incident of the food being overthrown in the process of the food being inserted may occur if the user does not operate the second rack  220  accurately, for example, the second rack  220  rotates over a predetermined angle or rotates unintentionally. So, the second rack  220  may be arbitrarily rotated. To prevent an unexpected rotation of the second rack  220 , a structure for restriction of the rotation of the second rack  220  defined as “rotational direction motion”, may be provided. 
         [0038]    In some implementations, the restriction structure may include the sill  212  or the guide sill  214  as shown in  FIG. 2 . the restriction structure may include the friction member  225  as shown in  FIG. 5 . the restriction structure may include a cam  2291  or an elastic member  2292  as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0039]    The sill  212  and the guide sill  214  restrict the rotational direction motion based on supportive contact with the first rack  210  and the second rack  220 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the friction member  225  is interposed between the rotation shaft  221  and the rotation shaft holder  223  and applies a predetermined level of frictional force to the rotation shaft  221  to limit the rotational direction motion of the second rack  220 . 
         [0040]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , the cam  2291  and the elastic member  2292  are interposed between the rotation shaft  221  and the rotation shaft holder  223  and apply an intermittent elastic load based on a rotational angle of the rotation shaft  221  to restrict the rotational direction motion. 
         [0041]    In some examples, if the cam  2291  integrally assembled to the rotation shaft  221  is elastically deformed by the depression of the elastic member  2292 , an elastic load that restricts the rotation of the rotation shaft  221  increases. If the cam  2291  passes a peak point that deforms the elastic member  2292  to a maximum, the elastic member  2292  is restored to decrease the elastic load. As noted, the elastic load may be increased by the rotation of the rotation shaft  221 . For example, per each predetermined angle, the rotation load of the rotation shaft  221  may be increased to restrict the rotational direction motion of the second rack  220 . 
         [0042]    In this implementation, in addition to the motion of operating the second rack  220  such as rotation or sliding by hand, a driving source and a power transmission member for rotating the second rack  220  may be provided. For example, a barbecue rod is inserted on the second rack  220 , the rotational force of the barbecue rod is transmitted to the second rack  220  via the power transmission member to automatically rotate the second rack  220 . 
         [0043]    Now, the operation of the rotational rack  200  will be described in the following. In a case the food is put into the cavity  110 , the first rack  210  guided along the guide member  150  is drawn out toward the door  120 , and the food is put on the second rack  220 . Then, the first rack  210  is pushed into the cavity  110  and the door  120  is closed. In this implementation, the first rack may be slid in and out in connection with open and close operations of the door  120 . When the user opens the door  120 , the first rack  210  is drawn out toward the door  120 . And, when the user close the door  120 , the first rack  210  is pushed into the cavity. 
         [0044]    If rotation of food is necessary during cooking of the food, the door  120  may be opened to rotate the second rack  220 . And then, the second rack  220 , as a discrete member positioned at a predetermined space toward an upper side compared to the first rack  210 , may be rotated by hand or by the driving force. 
         [0045]    In a case restriction structure is provided, the second rack  220  rotates up to an arbitrary rotational direction. If the food is completed in cooking, the first rack  210  is drawn out toward the door  120  to take out the food. Furthermore, in a case the second rack  220  is needed to be cleaned, only the second rack  220  may be separated from the first rack  210 . 
         [0046]    As apparent from the foregoing, the rotational rack of the cooking range can rotates the food. The arbitrary motion of rotational direction by the second rack may be restricted. 
         [0047]    It will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. For example, advantageous results still could be achieved if steps of the disclosed techniques were performed in a different order and/or if components in the disclosed systems were combined in a different manner and/or replaced or supplemented by other components. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5