WO2010125010A1

WO2010125010A1 - Vertically movable built-in oven

Info

Publication number: WO2010125010A1
Application number: PCT/EP2010/055494
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tiziano Meneghetti
Original assignee: Meneghetti - S.P.A. Unipersonale -
Priority date: 2009-04-28
Filing date: 2010-04-26
Publication date: 2010-11-04
Also published as: ITVE20090024A1

Abstract

A built-in oven, in particular for upright installation, characterised by comprising: - a parallelepiped structure (2) closed laterally and lowerly and open upperly, said structure being installable in a counter (8) with its upper aperture (14) substantially coplanar with the counter worktop (6), - a cooking chamber (10) housed, at least when in its working state, within said parallelepiped structure (2) and provided with an access aperture (12), - heating elements (18) for said cooking chamber, - a structure (26) for supporting shelves (28) for carrying baking pans, which is provided upperly with a closure plate (34), said structure being movable vertically relative to said parallelepiped structure (2) between an upper position emerging from the counter (8) worktop (6) and a lower position totally contained within said parallelepiped structure, with said closure plate (34) substantially coplanar with said worktop (6), - devices (44, 46, 48, 50) for commanding and controlling the oven operation.

Description

VERTICALLY MOVABLE BUILT-IN OVEN

The present invention relates to a built-in oven, in particular for upright installation

Known built-in ovens comprise an external parallelepiped structure defining the maximum outer dimension of the appliance, a cooking chamber housed within said parallelepiped structure and provided with a vertical access door to its interior, a plurality of shelves supported at their lateral edges by the sides of the cooking chamber or by a rack fixed to said sides, a series of electrical components for oven operation such as resistance elements, fans, etc , and a series of regulator and control members such as timers, thermometers, thermostats, switches, etc by which the desired cooling cycle can be chosen and programmed

Built-in ovens are normally installed below the working surface of a counter, such as to leave the working surface free and to have the access door to the cooking chamber disposed frontally

This known solution, which in practice is the most widespread, has often proved unsatisfactory as the position of the oven below the cooking hob makes it difficult to inspect the cooking chamber though the glass with which the front door is provided, and to gam access to the cooking chamber, given the uncomfortable position of said door

Another drawback of this known solution is the danger to which children are exposed by the hot door

To eliminate these drawbacks it has already been proposed to install the oven within a 'column ', i e within a furniture item which extends upwards above the counter surface This solution has effectively solved the aforesaid drawbacks, but has introduced a new problem consisting of a reduction in the useful surface of the counter top because of the presence of the column.

EP-A2-0033921 describes an oven installable within a counter and movable vertically between a rest position totally contained within the counter, with the oven upper surface coplanar with the working surface, and a working position emerging from said working surface and provided with a vertical access door to the cooking chamber.

This solution results in an oven which reduces the usable surface of the counter worktop only when the oven is to be used, and restores continuity and hence usability of said worktop when use of the oven is not required. However it has given rise to other problems linked to the need to raise a complete heavy household electrical appliance, thus requiring high powered and hence bulky transfer mechanisms.

This solution also requires the oven to assume the position in which it emerges from the worktop for the entire time in which it is in operation, hence constituting an obstacle thereon.

The object of the invention is to provide a buiit-in oven free of all the drawbacks of known ovens, and in particular a built-in oven which leaves the counter worktop completely free even when in operation. Another object of the invention is to provide a built-in oven which, for its passage from the configuration totally withdrawn into the counter to the configuration in which it emerges therefrom, requires transfer mechanisms which are of low power and consequently of small bulk.

These and other objects which will be apparent from the ensuing description are attained, according to the invention, by a built-in oven, in particular for upright installation, as described in claim 1. Some preferred embodiments of the present invention are further clarified hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of an oven of the invention in its closed condition, figure 2 shows it in the same view as Figure 1 but in the open condition, figure 3 shows it in exploded perspective view, figure 4 is a vertical cross-section therethrough on the line IV-IV of Figure

5, figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal section therethrough on the line IV-IV of Figure 5, figure 6 shows it m perspective view in the closed condition, installed in a basic kitchen unit, figure 7 shows it in the same view as Figure 6, but in the open condition, figure 8 shows a second embodiment thereof in the same view as Figure 2, figure 9 is a perspective view of a third embodiment thereof, and figure 10 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment thereof

As can be seen from the figures, the oven of the invention comprises a parallelepiped structure 2 closed laterally and lowerly and provided upperly with an aperture 14 bounded by a perimetral flange 4, at which the structure rests on the worktop 6 of any basic kitchen unit 8 or counter

Fixed within the parallelepiped structure 2 there is a cooking chamber 10 of parallelepiped shape provided upperly with an aperture 12 facing a corresponding aperture 14 defined by the flange 4

The dimensions of the aperture 14 provided in the flange 4 are slightly greater than those of the aperture 12 of the cooking chamber 10, such that between the two there is defined a horizontal peripheral step 16 An interspace laterally and lowerly wrapping the cooking chamber 10 is present between the cooking chamber and the external structure 2 to house in its interior those components normally provided in any oven for its operation These comprise at least one bottom electrical resistance element 18, a tangential cooling fan 20, a radial fan 22 for circulating heating air and a circular electrical resistance element 24 for heating this latter Alternatively, the oven can be provided with different heating systems, such as gas, microwave, steam or pyrolytic

The interior of the cooking chamber 10 is provided with a support structure for shelves 28, which can be gπd-like shelves, dripping pans or a combination thereof

The support structure 26 preferably consists of two uprights 30, to which brackets 32 for supporting said shelves 28 are secured, preferably in a vertically adjustable manner The two uprights 30 are joined together at their top by a plate 34 which, depending on requirements, can be a simple closure plate to rest on the peπmetral step 16, or a box-like plate forming a gas or electric cooking hob, in this latter case preferably of glass ceramic or of induction type

In all cases, one or more electrical resistance elements 35 can be mounted below the plate 34 to heat the cooking chamber from above

The two uprights 30 are also joined together lowerly by a further plate 36, of dimensions exactly equal to the horizontal dimensions of the cooking chamber 10 and hence of its aperture 12

The two uprights 30 are housed outside the cooking chamber and are lowerly provided with threaded bushes 38 engaged by threaded rods 40 rotated by motors 42 Rotating the motors causes the threaded rods 40 to rotate, with consequent vertical movement of the shelf support structure 26, upwards or downwards depending on the direction of rotation of the motors

The invention can comprise different systems for moving the shelf support structure 26, in particular a single motor which drives both the threaded rods via a direct mechanical connection between them, or hydraulic or pneumatic or electrical actuators, or a mechanical movement system which is direct or via levers, or a manual system with handgrips and counterweights

All the control and command members for correct oven operation are mounted on the panel 4, and in particular a selector 44 for the functions which the oven can carry out, a temperature control 46, a control 48 for the vertical upward and downward movements of the shelf support structure 26, and a traditional programmer 50

If the upper plate 34 consists of a cooking hob, the controls for this can be mounted on the plate itself or on the panel 4

The operation of the oven of the invention is immediately apparent from the aforegoing description

When not in use, the shelf support structure 26 is lowered such that its upper plate 34 is coplanar with the panel 4 to form therewith a substantial continuity with the counter worktop 8 (see Figure 6)

When sn this condition, if said upper plate 34 consists of a cooking hob, it can be used in the same manner as any traditional cooking hob

When the oven is to be used the user, after bringing it to the correct temperature, raises the shelf support structure 26 to have easy access to the shelves in order to position thereon the pans containing the food to be cooked (see Figure 7) The structure 26 is then made to descend, resulting in oven closure and commencement of the cooking process. During this stage the worktop 6 is evidently free and can be used as though the oven were inactive.

If the food cooking is to be monitored, the user again raises the structure 26, to be able to directly view the pans in which the food is placed.

It should be noted that during this stage, which can extend for some time, the lower plate 36 closes the aperture of the cooking chamber 10, so preventing any lowering of the temperature within the cooking chamber.

In order to view the interior of the cooking chamber 10 without having to raise the structure 26, according to the invention the plate 34 can be made totally or partly of transparent material, through which the user can view the food from above during its cooking. If the user has actually raised the structure 26, then after viewing, the user would re-lower the structure to again free the worktop ready for use as required, From the aforegoing it is apparent that the built-in oven of the invention is extremely advantageous compared with traditional built-in ovens, and in particular:

- it does not alter the appearance of the kitchen unit, as no presence of a household electrical appliance can be seen from the front, - it uses the available spaces in a more rational manner, and in particular the worktop,

- it creates perfect continuity between the worktop and oven, to perfectly combine with other appliances which may be inserted into the worktop,

- it offers considerable safety particularly for children, who can never come into contact with the hot walls of the oven, - if the upper plate forms a cooking hob, various cooking devices can be incorporated into it which in the past required separate locations,

- it can also be used as a food heater or a grill, with the shelf support structure maintained preferably extracted, - it enables access to the pans located on the shelves, while maintaining the oven at temperature,

- it enables the interior of the oven to be viewed without opening it

In the embodiment shown in Figure 8 the entire cooking chamber 6 is movable vertically between the lower rest and working position and the upper position providing access to its interior in this case the support structure for the shelves 28 consists of the lateral walls of the cooking chamber 6 itself The advantages obtainable with the first embodiment are evidently also obtainable with the second in the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the support structure 26 for the shelves 28 is provided with a single upright 30, to which the upper plate 34 is preferably hinged about a vertical axis, to enable access to the underlying cooking chamber 10 for facilitating the operations involved in its cleaning

The embodiment shown in Figure 10 differs from that shown in Figure 9 essentially in that the support structure 26 is provided with a single rear rather than lateral upright 30, to which the upper plate 34 is hinged about a horizontal axis

Claims

C L A I M S

1. A built-in oven, in particular for upright installation, characterised by comprising:

- a parallelepiped structure (2) closed laterally and lowerly and open upperiy, said structure being installable in a counter (8) with its upper aperture (14) substantially coplanar with the counter worktop (6),

- a cooking chamber (10) housed, at least when in its working state, within said parallelepiped structure (2) and provided with an access aperture (12),

- heating elements (18) for said cooking chamber, - a structure (26) for supporting shelves (28) for carrying baking pans, which is provided upperiy with a closure plate (34), said structure being movable vertically relative to said parallelepiped structure (2) between an upper position emerging from the counter (8) worktop (6) and a lower position totally contained within said parallelepiped structure, with said closure plate (34) substantially coplanar with said worktop (6),

- devices (44, 46, 48, 50) for commanding and controlling the oven operation.

2. A built-in oven as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that said cooking chamber (10) is fixed relative to said parallelepiped structure (2), said support structure (26) for the pan carrying shelves (28) being movable vertically relative to said cooking chamber (10).

3. A built-in oven as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that the dimensions of the cooking chamber (10) are less than the corresponding dimensions of the parallelepiped structure (2), between the two there being defined an interspace which laterally and lowerly surrounds said cooking chamber (10) and houses internally the components for oven operation.

4. A built-in oven as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that between the upper edge of the parallelepiped structure (2) and the upper edge of the cooking chamber (10) a horizontal perimetral step (14) is defined on which said closure plate (34) rests at the lower portion of said support structure (26).

5. A built-in oven as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that electric heating means (18) are housed within the interspace defined by said parallelepiped structure (2) and by said cooking chamber (10).

6. A built-in oven as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that gas heating means are housed within the interspace defined by said parallelepiped structure (2) and by said cooking chamber (10).

7. A built-in oven as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that microwave heating means are housed within the interspace defined by said parallelepiped structure (2) and by said cooking chamber (10).

8. A built-in oven as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that steam heating means are housed within the interspace defined by said parallelepiped structure (2) and by said cooking chamber (10).

9. A built-in oven as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that pyrolytic heating means are housed within the interspace defined by said parallelepiped structure (2) and by said cooking chamber (10).

10. A built-in oven as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that at least one tangential cooling fan (20) is provided within the interspace defined by said parallelepiped structure (2) and by said cooking chamber (10).

11. A built-in oven as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that at least one radial fan (22) for circulating oven heating air and a circular electrical resistance element (24) for heating this latter are provided within the interspace defined by said parallelepiped structure (2) and by said cooking chamber (10)

12 A built-in oven as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that said support structure (26) for the shelves (28) consists of a pair of uprights (30) provided with brackets (32) for supporting said shelves and joined together upperly by said closure plate (34)

13 A built-in oven as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that said support structure (26) for the shelves (28) comprises a single upright (30) provided upperiy with a closure plate (34) 14 A built-in oven as claimed in claim 13, characterised in that said closure plate (34) is hinged on one side to the upper end of said upright (30) 15 A built-in oven as claimed in claim 14, characterised in that said closure plate (34) is hinged on one side to the upper end of said upright (30) about a vertical axis 16 A built-in oven as claimed in claim 14, characterised in that said closure plate (34) is hinged on one side to the upper end of said upright (30) about a horizontal axis

17 A built-in oven as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that said closure plate (34) is of box type and consists of a gas cooking hob 18 A built-in oven as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that said closure plate (34) is of box type and consists of an electric cooking hob

19 A built-in oven as claimed in claim 18, characterised in that said electric cooking hob is of glass ceramic type

20 A built-in oven as claimed in claim 18, characterised in that said electric cooking hob is of induction type 21 A built-in oven as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that said closure plate (34) is at least partly formed of transparent material

22 A built-in oven as claimed in ciaim 1 , characterised in that at least one electrical resistance element (35) is associated with said closure plate (34) to heat the cooking chamber from above

23 A built-in oven as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that the support structure (26) is provided lowerly with a plate (36) for upperly closing the cooking chamber (10) when said support structure (26) is in its upper end position 24 A built-in oven as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that the cooking chamber (10) is rigid with the support structure (26) for the shelves (28) and is hence vertically movable with this structure

25 A built-in oven as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that at least one actuator is associated with said support structure (26) for its vertical movement