Patent ID: 7375310

Claim:
A microwave oven, comprising: a housing including a front plate, a back plate and a base plate; a cooking cavity mounted within the housing, wherein the cooking cavity is spaced above the base plate, and wherein sidewalls of the cooking cavity include a plurality of ventilation holes; a door mounted on a front of the housing; an electronic equipment chamber mounted within the housing; a plurality of first intake ports located at a front of the microwave oven; a plurality of outlet ports formed on a lower portion of the front plate; a barrier positioned below the cooking cavity, wherein the barrier separates a space below the cooking cavity into an outlet duct and an outlet space; and a circulation fan that draws air from outside the microwave oven into the first intake ports, wherein the fan generates a first flow of air that passes from the equipment chamber, into the outlet duct, and then out of at least one of the outlet ports, wherein the circulation fan also generates a second flow of air that passes from the equipment chamber through the cooking cavity via the ventilation holes in the sidewalls of the cooking cavity, into the outlet space, and then out of at least one of the outlet ports, and wherein the barrier prevents the second flow of air from entering the outlet duct.