Patent ID: 8367988

Claim:
A field director assembly for use in heating an article in a resonant cavity of a microwave oven, the field director assembly comprising: a support member having a geometric center, the support member having a generally planar uninterrupted presentation surface positioned on the field director assembly to accept an article for presentation to the resonant cavity of the microwave oven and a second generally planar opposed surface; a field director structure comprising at least two substantially planar vanes each having a connection edge and a single free edge thereon, each vane being mechanically connected along its connection edge to the opposed surface of the support member such that substantially the entire length of the vane is overlaid by the opposed surface of the support member, the mechanical connection being implemented by either a fixed or a hinged connection between the field director structure and the support member, the vanes being connected such that an axis erected through the geometric center of the presentation surface lies on a plane containing one of the planar surfaces of a vane, at least a first portion of each vane being electrically conductive and at least a second portion of the vane being electrically non-conductive, the electrically non-conductive portion of each vane being disposed between the electrically conductive portion of the vane and the opposed surface of the support member such that the electrically conductive portion of each vane is spaced at least a predetermined close distance from the opposed surface of the support member, the electrically conductive portion of each vane having a first end and a second end, the first end of the electrically conductive portion on each of the vanes being disposed in end-wise confrontational relationship with the first end of the electrically conductive portion of another vane, the first end of each vane being at least a predetermined separation distance from the geometric center of the planar support member, so that the occurrence of overheating of the field director assembly is prevented when the same is used in an unloaded microwave oven.