Patent ID: 7342203

Claim:
An oven chamber comprising: a bottom wall, a top wall and at least one side wall; a heating element located within a first section of the oven chamber between the bottom wall of the oven chamber and the top wall of the oven chamber; and a shielding member located within the oven chamber between the first section of the oven chamber and the top wall of the oven chamber and extending over the first section of the oven chamber, including the heating element located therein, the shielding member being essentially impervious to solid and liquid materials so as to shield the first section of the oven chamber, including the heating element located therein, from cooking and baking releases occurring in a second section of the oven chamber above the shielding member, the shielding member having an outer boundary, at least two first portions of the outer boundary of the shielding member being spaced away from the at least one side wall of the oven chamber by a first distance so as to form an open space between each of the at least two first portions of the outer boundary of the shielding member and the at least one side wall through which convective heat may pass from the heating element to the second section of the oven chamber, and one or more second portions of the outer boundary of the shielding member being located in relation to the at least one side wall at a distance ranging from being in engagement with the at least one side wall to being spaced away from the at least one side wall a second distance that is less than the first distance, wherein the at least two first portions of the outer boundary of the shielding member and the one or more second portions of the outer boundary of the shielding member are positioned along a common edge of the shielding member, and wherein at least one of the second portions of the outer boundary is positioned between two first portions of the outer boundary along a common edge of the shielding member to form a notched section in the outer boundary of the shielding member.