Shelf actuated air flow control in multi-zone ovens

Abstract

A multi-compartment oven is provided with removable shelves that receive separate streams of heated air, providing heating for different oven cavities above and below the shelves. The shelves are in communication with an operating portion, causing the automatic closing of the ducts that provide air to the shelves when the shelves are removed.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 908,061, filed on September 30, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference. Background Technology

[0003] This invention relates to ovens for preparing food, and more particularly to multi-zone ovens that provide independent temperature control in each zone and allow for the removal of shelves to change the size of the cooking cavity.

[0004] In convection cooking, heated air circulates rapidly through the cooking chamber, disrupting the stagnant air layer surrounding the food and thus increasing the rate of heat transfer. Higher-velocity air typically increases the rate of heat transfer from air to food by further disrupting this stagnant air layer, much like air delivered to the food from a direction roughly perpendicular to it impacts the food's largest surface area. This is because vertical air disrupts this stagnant air layer more effectively than air gliding laterally across the food's largest surface. Improved convection cooking can be achieved by supplying a stream of heated air directly to the food, for example, through air jets placed above and below the food being cooked.

[0005] Professional kitchens are typically required to prepare a wide variety of dishes simultaneously, which require cooking at different temperatures and ideally according to a schedule that allows multiple different dishes to emerge from the oven at the same time. U.S. Patent 9,677,774, assigned to the assignee of this invention and incorporated herein by reference, describes a multi-zone convection oven with shelves having separate channels communicating with upward-directed and downward-directed air jets. In this way, the shelves not only deliver streams of heated air directly below and above the food in each zone, but also deliver these streams of heated air at different temperatures and speeds for each zone, thereby allowing the cooking of multiple dishes with different temperature requirements while benefiting from localized convection flow.

[0006] U.S. Patent 9,879,865, assigned to the assignee of this invention, describes an improvement to this design that allows shelves between different zones to be removed to combine individually controllable zones into a larger cooking cavity for large foods. When the shelves are removed, air passages supplying heated air to the removed shelves are closed to prevent such heated air from adversely disrupting the airflow distribution within the cavity. Closing these air passages can be performed via a pull knob at the front of the oven or via an electromechanical actuator. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention provides a multi-zone oven that allows for removal of a shelf without the need for complex electromechanical mechanisms to close air channels that feed air to the shelf or without the need for the user to remember to manually close these air channels. The design allows for insertion of the shelf to automatically open a shutter to provide air to the shelf and removal of the shelf to automatically close the shutter to prevent disruption of the heating pattern. In this way, air flow is properly controlled without the risk of the user forgetting to open or close the shutter or without the need for complex electromechanical operations.

[0008] Then specifically, in one embodiment, the present invention provides a multi- cavity oven having a housing with interior walls defining an oven cavity. At least one removable shelf fits within the oven cavity and provides an upper passageway and a lower passageway through the removable shelf, the upper passageway and the lower passageway communicating with upwardly directed air jets and downwardly directed air jets of the removable shelf, respectively, the shelf dividing the oven cavity into an upper cooking chamber and a lower cooking chamber. First and second air outlets through the interior walls of the oven cavity communicate with the upper passageway and the lower passageway of the removable shelf, respectively, when the removable shelf is installed within the oven cavity, and first and second shutters are positioned at the first and second air outlets, respectively, to be movable between an open state and a closed state, the open state allowing air to pass from the respective one of the first and second outlets, the closed state blocking air from passing from the respective one of the first and second outlets. At least one operation communicates between the removable shelf and the first and second shutters to move the first and second shutters between the closed state and the open state in the event that the removable shelf is inserted into the oven cavity.

[0009] Thus, it is a feature of at least one embodiment of the present invention to provide an improved mechanism for ensuring that undesired heated air does not flow directly onto food when a shelf is removed.

[0010] The first and second shutters can each be provided with a flap that is hingedly attached in the first or second air outlet, respectively, to swing inwardly away from the oven cavity in the open state and into the first or second air outlet, respectively, and to swing outwardly toward the oven cavity in the closed state to block the first and second air outlets, respectively.

[0011] Thus, it is a feature of at least one embodiment of the present invention to provide a shutter mechanism that resists bending at high temperatures or that resists contamination.

[0012] The flap can extend downwardly from a sleeve having a horizontal aperture that receives a hinge pin, allowing the sleeve to swing about a horizontal axis of the hinge pin.

[0013] Accordingly, it is a feature of at least one embodiment of the present application to provide a simple and reliable gravity assisted winged flap of movement.

[0014] At least one stop surface can be provided to prevent the first and second flaps from swinging outwardly from the closed condition into the oven cavity.

[0015] Accordingly, it is a feature of at least one embodiment of the present application to further induce air pressure of oven air to close the flaps, thereby causing the air flaps to stop in the closed condition.

[0016] The operating portion can be a rearwardly extending finger portion attached with a rear edge of the removable shelf such that the operating portion presses at least one of the first and second louvers inwardly.

[0017] Accordingly, it is a feature of at least one embodiment of the present application to provide a simple operating portion mechanism that operates directly on the louvers without the need for complex linkages or the like to be incorporated.

[0018] The louvers can include a tooth portion extending outwardly from a surface facing the finger portion to engage the finger portion.

[0019] Accordingly, it is a feature of at least one embodiment of the present application to facilitate greater than 90° movement of the louvers to improve air flow in the open condition.

[0020] The removable shelf can provide separable upper and lower shelf portions to thereby provide upper or lower passageways, respectively, wherein each of the shelf portions provides a finger portion that presses a respective one of the first and second louvers inwardly.

[0021] Accordingly, it is a feature of at least one embodiment of the present application to allow customization of the operating portion for different louver movements of the first and second louvers.

[0022] Each finger portion can provide a first portion closest to the aperture of the shelf portion and extending correspondingly further rearwardly compared to a second portion of the finger portion further from the aperture of the shelf portion, such that an upper shelf portion having an upwardly facing aperture provides greater angular swing in the louver compared to a lower shelf portion having a downwardly facing aperture.

[0023] Accordingly, it is a feature of at least one embodiment of the present application to provide a single finger portion design that can work with either an upper shelf portion or a lower shelf portion.

[0024] The first and second air outlets can communicate with a ducting system behind the inner wall, away from the oven cavity, and the ducting system is connected with the independent heating element, and the ducting system can include a recess for receiving the first and second louvers, the first and second louvers being flush with the ducting wall when the first and second louvers are in an open state.

[0025] Accordingly, it is a feature of at least one embodiment of the present invention to minimize air flow resistance from the louver mechanism.

[0026] The inner wall of the housing adjacent to the louvers can provide an access area defined by perforations, the walls of the access area being selectively removable by a pry action - breaking the material between the perforations to remove the material of the access area, in turn providing access to the louvers.

[0027] Accordingly, it is a feature of at least one embodiment of the present invention to provide occasional access to the louvers without the burden of a removable access panel for each louver.

[0028] The inner wall can further include a guide hole outside the access area for receiving and attaching a patch panel sized to cover the access area once the material of the access area has been removed.

[0029] Accordingly, it is a feature of at least one embodiment of the present invention to allow for a reduction in the number of patch panels to be used for occasional repairs of selected louvers.

[0030] The housing can provide an outer wall spaced apart from and outside of the inner wall, and the outer wall can further provide an access area defined by perforations, the walls of the access area of the outer wall being selectively removable by a pry action - breaking the material between the perforations to remove the material of the access area of the outer wall, in turn providing access to the access area of the inner wall.

[0031] Accordingly, it is a feature of at least one embodiment of the present invention to provide cost-effective access to the louvers through multiple walls of a typical oven.

[0032] As noted, the passageway through the shelf can be provided with a curved baffle, the passageway conducting air from an outlet in a wall of the oven cavity through an air jet covering a surface of the shelf, the curved baffle reducing the cross-sectional area of the cavity as the baffle moves away from the oven wall outlet to improve air flow uniformity. Such baffles must maintain a precise curvature, for example, as ensured by a rivet or similar attaching the baffle to the shelf. However, as noted, for example, the enclosed passageway of the shelf can be difficult to clean, for example, when food material falls through the air jet into the shelf cavity.

[0033] In one embodiment, the present invention provides an easily removable baffle having opposing edges, upwardly extending tabs and downwardly extending tabs that cooperate with channels on a shelf to bend the baffle into the proper shape when inserted into the channels. The points of contact between the baffle and the shelf are reduced to small areas, thereby minimizing the adhesion between the surface of the food and the debris.

[0034] In particular, in one embodiment, the present invention provides a multi-cavity oven having a housing with interior walls defining an oven cavity. At least one removable shelf is fitted within the oven cavity and provides a horizontally extending passageway through the removable shelf that is in communication with an air jet directed outwardly along one horizontal surface of the removable shelf. An air outlet through the oven cavity interior wall is in communication with the horizontally extending passageway through the removable shelf when the removable shelf is positioned within the oven cavity, and a removable baffle is fitted within the removable shelf to define one side of the horizontally extending passageway. The baffle has a curvature when fitted within the removable shelf to provide a horizontally extending passageway of decreasing cross-sectional area as the baffle is moved away from the air outlet, thereby providing a more uniform air flow through the air jet.

[0035] The removable shelf can provide horizontally extending channels for receiving opposing edges of the removable baffle. The horizontally extending channels can be opposing C-shaped channels that open toward each other.

[0036] Accordingly, it is an object of at least one embodiment of the present invention to provide a baffle that can maintain a precise curvature while being easily removable.

[0037] The baffle can provide a generally flat rectangular sheet. The baffle can include tabs that extend upwardly and downwardly at the edges of the baffle to bend the baffle into a curved shape when the tabs are inserted into channels.

[0038] It is a further object of the present invention to provide an easily manufactured baffle having a precise curvature that can be defined by tab profiles rather than by complex shaping steps and supporting frames.

[0039] The vertical extension of the tabs can vary according to the position toward the front or back of the baffle.

[0040] It is a further object of the present invention to define a precise curvature of the baffle to improve the uniformity of air flow through the removable shelf.

[0041] The tabs can have vertical slots.

[0042] It is a further object of the present invention to allow the bending action of the baffle without cracking of the tabs.

[0043] The front edge of the baffle can include a ledge extending upwardly to minimize the contact area between the front edge of the baffle and the removable shelf.

[0044] Another object of the present application is to allow easy removal of the baffle from the removable shelf by decoupling the baffle from the surface of the removable shelf at the end that can not have a tab.

[0045] In one embodiment of the present application, a double door can be provided on the front of an oven to provide an improved oven cavity access in a space where a single swing door can be bulky. A compact linkage and slide mechanism uses a handle on one of the doors to coordinate the opening and closing of the double doors while compensating for the closing of the doors to improve door locking, gasket installation, and reduced spacing between the doors when the doors are closed.

[0046] More particularly, one embodiment of the present application can provide a multi-cavity oven having a housing with interior walls defining oven cavities that are accessible through an oven opening, and the multi-cavity oven provides a left oven door and a right oven door for accessing the oven cavities. The left and right doors are hinged about vertical hinge axes on opposite sides of the oven opening to provide opposing door frame edges that move into close proximity when the left and right doors are in a closed position, and move away from each other when the left and right doors are in an open position. A door linkage couples the left and right doors to move both the left and right doors between open and closed conditions by movement of either of the left and right doors, such that the left door reaches the closed position before the right door during closing of the left and right doors.

[0047] Accordingly, at least one embodiment of the present application features providing improved double door operation on an oven.

[0048] These particular objects and advantages can apply to only some embodiments falling within the scope of the claims and thus do not limit the scope of the application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0049] Figure 1 is a simplified perspective view of an oven constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present application showing a cooking volume divided into cooking cavities by a removable shelf assembly;

[0050] Figure 2 is an exploded view of the removable shelf assembly showing an upper shelf unit and a lower shelf unit receiving separate air flows through openings in a rear wall of the oven, and a baffle received within the shelf units to separate the air flows and provide a more uniform air flow;

[0051] Figure 3is an exploded view of the upper shelf unit of the removable shelf assembly, the upper shelf unit positioned to receive the baffle in an un-flexed, flat configuration;

[0052] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view along line 4-4 of Figure 3 , showing the baffle formed into the proper curvature by the upwardly extending tab and downwardly extending tab on the baffle when the baffle is installed.

[0053] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view along line 5-5 of Figure 2 , showing the gravity-actuated shutter that closes the opening in the back wall of the oven before the shelves are inserted;

[0054] Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 , showing the insertion of the shelves, which open the associated shutters;

[0055] Figure 7 is a partial perspective view of the rear-facing tab on the shelf that engages the shutter to open the shutter;

[0056] Figure 8 is an exploded partial view of the oven wall positioned between Figures 5 to 6 the shutter and the exterior of the oven, and showing the disengagement of the panel to possibly prepare access to the shutter as needed;

[0057] Figure 9 is a perspective view of an oven similar to Figure 1 , showing the double doors in the closed configuration and the door opening mechanism shown in dashed lines;

[0058] Figure 10 is a schematic view of the door opening mechanism of Figure 9 , and the door illustrates the phased closing of the door;

[0059] Figure 11 is a top plan view of the door when closed, showing (left) the interfering and non-crossing door swing trajectory that requires a greater door spacing between the leading edges of the door (right); and

[0060] Figure 12 is a view similar to Figure 11 , showing the phased closing of the door, which allows the trajectories of the doors to overlap without interference to the closer seal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] Reference is now made to Figure 1The multi-zone oven 10 may provide a housing 12 having upright right outer side walls 14a and left outer side walls 14b and an upright rear wall 14c extending therebetween. These three walls 14 are generally connected to opposing upper walls 14d and lower walls 14e, which provide support so that the oven 10 can be placed on a trolley or similar object (not shown).

[0062] Wall 14 encloses a generally rectangular cooking volume 16 having an opening 18 through the front wall 14f to provide an entrance to the cooking volume 16, which receives food for cooking. The cooking volume 16 is defined by inner walls 19 spaced inwardly from each of the outer walls 14. The cooking volume 16 may be subdivided from top to bottom by means of shelf assembly 22 into, for example, cooking cavities 20a, 20b, and 20c, as will be described in more detail below.

[0063] The periphery of the oven opening 18 and the front edge of each shelf assembly 22 support resilient washers 24, which can be sealed against the inner surface of the glass panel 26, which provides the inner surface of the door 28. The door 28 is hinged about a vertical axis at the front edge of the wall 14b to move between an open and a closed state, the closed state sealing cavities 20a to 20c relative to external air and relative to each other. As is generally understood in the art, the door 28 can be held in the closed state by a latching mechanism and a handle 29. In one embodiment, the glass panel 26 of the door 28 extends as a continuous surface over the opening of each cavity in the cavity 20; however, the invention also contemplates separate glass panels or separate doors associated with each cavity in the cavity 20.

[0064] The upper portion of the front wall 14f may support a user controller 30, which includes, for example, an input control unit with one or more dials and an output display, such as an LCD display, for communicating information with the user. A condensate tray 32 may extend forward from the lower edge of the front wall 14f to catch condensation from the inner surface of the glass panel 26 when the door 28 is opened or closed.

[0065] Now refer to Figure 2 Each shelf assembly 22 may include an upper shelf unit 36 ​​and a lower shelf unit 38, which are substantially mirror images of each other when supported on rails 35 attached to the inner wall 19 of the cooking volume 16 and are removable individually. Each of the shelf units 36 and 38 may have a set of outwardly exposed spray ports 40 (on the upper horizontal surface of the shelf unit 36 ​​or the lower horizontal surface of the shelf unit 38). These spray ports 40 provide heated cooking to the upper cavity 20a (relative to the spray ports 40 on the shelf unit 36) or the lower cavity 20b (relative to the spray ports 40 on the shelf unit 38).

[0066] Heated air for the injection ports 40 on each shelf unit 36 ​​and 38 is received from internal channels in the respective shelf units 36 and 38 (as will be described below), which in turn originates from individual air vents 42 and 44 in the rear inner wall 21 of the cooking volume 16. More specifically, air from air vent 42 passes through shelf unit 36, and air from air vent 44 passes through shelf unit 38. Return air exiting through the injection ports 40 of shelf units 36 and 38 can be received by air vents 39 in the rear inner wall 21 of the cooking volume 16, located between air vents 42 and 44. Air vents 39 can generally span the horizontal width of air vents 42 and 44 and generally span the vertical height between air vents 42 and 44.

[0067] The air supplied from these individual air outlets 42 and 44 can have individual temperature control, for example as described in the following U.S. patent applications: Publication Nos. 2017 / 0211819; 2018 / 0031250; and 2018 / 0142900, all of which are assigned to the assignee of this application and the entire contents of those U.S. patent applications are incorporated herein by reference. As depicted, shelf units 36 and 38 represent only one example shelf assembly 22, and this general configuration is suitably repeated for the other cavities 20.

[0068] Still refer to Figure 2 Each of the shelf units 36 and 38 provides horizontally opposed side channels 48C-shaped channels that open toward each other and extend from front to back along the right and left edges of the shelf units 36 and 38. The side channels 48 receive corresponding baffles 50, which are used to separate airflow within each of the shelf units 36 and 38. The inner surfaces of the shelf units 36 and 38 are otherwise open—but for the baffles 50—allowing air to flow within the shared cavity of the shelf units 36 and 38.

[0069] Now refer to Figure 3 The baffle 50 in its relaxed state provides a generally flat rectangular sheet 52 of construction material, which in at least one embodiment is represented by stainless steel. The leading edge of the sheet 52 may have an upwardly extending boss 54, which, for example, has a height of approximately 1 / 8 inch protruding from the metal of the sheet 52. The rear portion of the sheet 52 may have one or more welded upright blade portions 56 for controlling air distribution during use to provide more airflow from left to right across the surface of the baffle 50.

[0070] The left and right edges of the baffle 50 provide protrusions 58 extending vertically upward from the plane of the baffle 50 toward the rear of the baffle 50. Similarly, the left and right edges of the baffle 50 provide protrusions 60 extending vertically downward toward the rear of the baffle 50. The vertical extension of these protrusions 58 and 60 from the plane of the baffle 50 varies depending on their position toward the front or rear of the baffle 50, so as to define the curvature of the baffle 50 when the baffle 50 is inserted into the side channel 48.

[0071] When the baffle 50 is inserted between the side channels 48 of the corresponding shelf unit 36, the vertical extreme edges of the protrusions 58 and 60 engage the horizontally extending legs of the channels 48, causing the baffle 50 to bend according to the vertical extension of the protrusions 58 and 60. (Refer to...) Figure 4 In this respect, the upper edge of the forward protrusion 58 presses against the lower inner surface of the upper horizontally extending leg of the channel 48, thereby pressing the sheet 52 downward to provide a maximum open aperture 64 towards the rear of the unit 36. Conversely, the lower edge of the rearward protrusion 60 presses against the upper inner surface of the lower horizontally extending leg of the channel 48, thereby pressing the sheet 52 upward to reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the air passage above the sheet 52 as the sheet 52 moves towards the front of the shelf unit 36. The foremost edge of the sheet 52 presses against the inner side of the upper surface of the shelf unit 36 ​​closest to the spray port 40, thereby resting against the upwardly extending surface of the boss 54. The relatively small contact area between the inner surface of the shelf unit 36 ​​and the protrusions 58 and 60 and the boss 54 allows for easy removal of the baffle 50 for cleaning, etc. The protrusions 58 (and 60) may have vertical grooves 66 to allow for desired bending action, and the protrusions 58 (and 60) may be spaced inwardly from the vertical inner surface of the channel 48 to prevent adhesion between these wide surfaces. However, the baffles 50 for the shelf unit 38 are generally identical and are mounted in an inverted manner in the mirror image of the inverted shelf unit 38.

[0072] It should be understood that, in at least one implementation, Figure 2 The shelf units 36 and 38 shown are interchangeable and can be replaced by a lower-positioned shelf unit and an upper-positioned shelf unit, respectively, by reversing the shelf units 36 and 38. In this respect, the manufacturing of shelf units 36 and 38 is simplified.

[0073] Now refer to Figure 2 and Figure 5Air vents 42 and 44 in the rear inner wall 21 of the cooking volume 16—which supply heated air to shelf units 36 and 38—support shields 70 and 72, respectively. Each shield is provided with a gravity-actuated door flap 74, which can swing under gravity like a suspended object about a pivot axis 76 or 78, respectively, located at the upper edge of the air vents 42 and 44. In the first closed state, the door flap 74 is generally vertical and blocks the air vents 42 and 44. The door flap 74 is prevented from... Figure 5 Further clockwise movement of the vertical configuration shown: through interference between the lower edge of the door flap 74 and a structure such as duct 80—which directs air to exhaust orifices 42 and 44—or through contact with another of the door flaps 74, as depicted, each door flap 74 having a stop surface. In the closed state, normal airflow outside the air exhaust orifices 42 and 44, indicated by arrow 81, is blocked, and the air pressure and gravity from the airflow indicated by arrow 81 are used to bias the door flap 74 to this closed state.

[0074] Now also refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 Each of the shelf units 36 and 38 may have a rearwardly extending finger 86 at its rear edge. The finger 86 engages with a corresponding tooth 88 on the front side of each door flap 74 to fully open the door flap 74 when the corresponding shelf units 36 and 38 are fully rearwardly mounted in the oven when positioned against the stop surface of the rear inner wall 21.

[0075] The desired amount of angular swing in the opening of each door flap 74 is different for baffles 70 and 72 because the angle of duct 82 is directed to specific air exhaust orifices 42 and 44. Therefore, the fingers 86 provide a larger rearward extension on the side of the shelf unit 36 ​​or 38 with the injection port 40 and a smaller rearward extension on the opposite side of the fingers 86 to accommodate this difference. In this way, the door flaps 74 of baffle 70 provide a larger angle opening movement to conform to the upwardly branching duct 82 associated with the air exhaust orifice 42. Conversely, the door flaps 74 of baffle 72 provide a smaller angle opening movement to conform to the downwardly branching duct 82 associated with the air exhaust orifice 44. This difference can be provided by variation in the forward extension 88. When open, the door flaps 74 can fit into corresponding recesses 89 in the duct—which are substantially flush with the adjacent duct wall—to minimize disruption to airflow when fully open.

[0076] Now refer to Figure 1 and Figure 8Typically, the door flap 74 may have an upper sleeve 90 providing a horizontal opening that receives a horizontally extending hinge pin 92, allowing the sleeve 90 to rotate about the hinge pin 92 (thus protecting the hinge pin 92 from contamination) to provide the necessary angular movement of the door flap 74. Occasionally, it may be necessary to access the shields 70 and 72 through the outer wall 14 of the oven and the inwardly spaced inner wall 21, for example, to ensure that the shields 70 and 72 do not obstruct food splatter, which cannot be easily accessed from within the cooking volume 16. Therefore, the inner wall 21 and the adjacent outer wall 14a may respectively include access areas 96 and 98 surrounded by perforations 93 and 94. The material of these access areas 96 and 98 can be broken free, for example, by inserting the tip of a screwdriver 100 or the like into the perforations 93 and 94 and prying the material of access area 98 or 96 outward to break off the protrusion retained between the perforations 93 and 94. Ideally, these perforations are achieved through a laser cutting process, thereby providing narrow retaining protrusions between the slotted perforations, for example, the width of the protrusions being less than the thickness of the material of the walls 14a or 19, for example, less than 0.05 inches.

[0077] Guide holes 102 can be cut at the four corners outside the perforations 93 and 94 to allow the repair panel 106 with corresponding alignment guide holes 108 to be installed using self-tapping machine screws 110 in the openings left by material removal from access areas 96 and 98 after any necessary repairs to the baffles 70 and 72 have been completed. This method approaches multiple locations at a low incremental cost, which is proportional to the rarity of needing to repair the baffles 70 and 72 in this manner. The perforations 93 and guide holes 102 are small enough not to substantially affect the airflow or heat loss leaving the cooking volume 16 due to the high turbulence in these narrow channels and the small area of ​​these narrow channels.

[0078] Now refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10 In one embodiment, oven 10 may have two doors 28a and 28b, each door providing a peripheral guide rail 19 of a rectangular frame that holds the central glass panel 26. Doors 28a and 28b may be hinged around their outer edges along a vertical hinge axis 111, thereby providing maximum unobstructed access to oven opening 18. A handle 29 may be placed on the inner vertical guide rail of only one door 28a to allow direct movement of that door 28a. Door 28a communicates with an internal mechanism 112, causing both doors 28a and 28b to move together when a single door moves.

[0079] Mechanism 112 provides a sliding track 114 that extends horizontally along the front-rear axis below door 28, holding sliding pin 116 linearly along the track axis. Sliding pin 116 pivotally holds two pull arms 118 and 120, the remaining ends of which are pivotally attached to a lower horizontal guide rail 19 of each door 28. Movement of door 28a (shown as a movement to the open configuration indicated by dashed lines) causes sliding pin 116 to move forward, which moves pull arm 120, thereby providing a corresponding opening movement for door 28b.

[0080] Mechanism 112 provides that door 28b closes slightly earlier than door 28a, allowing the inner vertical guide rail 19 of door 28a to slightly overlap with the adjacent guide rail 19 of door 28b, such that door 28a holds door 28b closed when locked, or allows for a similar overlap in the gasket structure used to seal the two doors together. This closing phase of door 28 can be achieved in various ways, including using combinations of pull arms 118 and 120 of different lengths, adjusting the distance 121 between axis 111 and the attachment points between pull arms 118 and 120 and doors 28a and 28b, doors 28 of different horizontal widths 123, etc. Some spring bias elasticity, represented by spring 122, can be incorporated into pull arm 120, the attachment points of pull arm 120, or the gasket of door 28b, such that when door 28b is closed, it first allows pin 116 to continue moving backward to close door 28a.

[0081] Now refer to Figure 11 and Figure 12 This offset or phased closing of doors 28a and 28b also provides a closer gap between the adjacent vertical guide rails 19 of doors 28a and 28b. For example, as Figure 11 As shown, when the doors 28 are positioned too close together, it is necessary to prevent the leading edges 130 of each door 28 from colliding. This collision is prevented by preventing the tracks 134 of the opposite edges of each door 28 from overlapping, which requires a basic gap 132 between the doors 28 when they are closed.

[0082] In contrast to the offset of the door 28 according to the invention, the leading edge 130 of the door 28a is in front of the leading edge 130 of the door 28b, thereby allowing a slight overlap of the tracks 134, thus allowing for closer positioning of the relative edges of the doors 28 and providing a significantly narrower gap 132.

[0083] Certain terms are used herein for reference only and are not intended to be limiting. For example, terms such as “upper,” “lower,” “above,” and “below” refer to directions of reference in the accompanying drawings. Terms such as “front,” “rear,” “rear,” “bottom,” and “side” describe the orientation of parts of a component within a consistent but arbitrary frame of reference, as becomes clear by referring to the text describing the component under discussion and the associated drawings. Such terms may include words specifically mentioned above, derivatives of these words, and words with similar meanings. Similarly, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the terms “first,” “second,” and other such numerical terms involving structure do not imply sequence or order.

[0084] When describing elements or features in this disclosure and exemplary embodiments, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “described” are intended to mean the presence of one or more such elements or features. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that additional elements or features may be present in addition to those specifically stated. It should also be understood that, unless explicitly indicated as a sequence of execution, the method steps, processes, and operations described herein should not be construed as requiring them to be performed in the specific order discussed or described. It should also be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

[0085] References to “microprocessor” and “processor” or “the microprocessor” and “the processor” can be understood to include one or more microprocessors that can communicate in independent and / or distributed environments, and are therefore configured to communicate with other processors via wired or wireless communication devices, wherein such one or more processors can be configured to operate on a device controlled by one or more processors that may be similar or different devices. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, references to memory can include one or more processor-readable and accessible memory elements and / or components that may be internal to the processor control device, external to the processor control device, and accessible via wired or wireless networks.

[0086] The particular intention is that the invention is not limited to the embodiments and illustrations contained herein, and the claims should be understood to include modifications of these embodiments, including combinations of portions of the embodiments within the scope of the claims and elements of different embodiments. The entire contents of all publications, including patent and non-patent publications, described herein are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A multi-cavity oven, comprising: A housing having an inner wall defining an oven cavity; At least one removable shelf is fitted inside the oven cavity and provides an upper passage and a lower passage through the removable shelf, the upper passage and the lower passage communicating with an upwardly guided air jet and a downwardly guided air jet, respectively, the shelf dividing the oven cavity into an upper cooking chamber and a lower cooking chamber; The oven cavity has a first air outlet and a second air outlet on its inner wall, and the first air outlet and the second air outlet are respectively connected to the upper passage and the lower passage of the removable shelf when the removable shelf is installed in the oven cavity; A first baffle and a second baffle are respectively positioned at the first air outlet and the second air outlet and are movable between an open state and a closed state. The open state allows air to pass through a corresponding one of the first air outlet and the second air outlet, and the closed state blocks air from passing through the corresponding one of the first air outlet and the second air outlet. as well as At least one operating part, communicating between the removable shelf and the first cover and between the removable shelf and the second cover, is provided to move the first cover and the second cover between a closed state and an open state when the removable shelf is inserted into the oven cavity. Wherein, the upper passage and the lower passage are horizontally extending passages, and The multi-cavity oven also includes a removable baffle fitted within a removable shelf to define one side of the horizontal extension passage. The baffle, when fitted within the removable shelf, has curvature or bending to provide a reduced cross-sectional area of ​​the horizontal extension passage as the baffle moves away from the air outlet, thereby providing a more uniform airflow through the air jet.

2. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 1, wherein, The first and second baffles each have flaps that are hingedly attached to one of the first or second air outlets, so that in the open state they swing inward away from the oven cavity and into the first or second air outlet, and in the closed state they swing outward toward the oven cavity to block the first and second air outlets.

3. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 2, wherein, The wing has a sleeve with a horizontal opening that receives a hinge pin, thereby allowing the sleeve to swing about the horizontal axis of the hinge pin.

4. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 2, further wherein, At least one stop surface prevents the blade from swinging outward from the closed state into the oven cavity.

5. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 1, wherein, The operating part is a rearwardly extending finger attached to the rear edge of at least one of the removable shelves, the operating part being pressed to press at least one of the first cover and the second cover inward.

6. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 5, wherein, At least one baffle may include teeth that extend outward from a surface facing the finger to engage the finger.

7. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 5, wherein, The removable shelf provides a separable upper shelf portion and a lower shelf portion, thereby providing the upper passage and the lower passage, respectively, wherein each of the upper shelf portion and the lower shelf portion provides a finger-like portion for pressing a corresponding one of the first cover and the second cover inward.

8. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 7, wherein, Each finger provides a first portion that is closest to the air jet of the removable shelf, and the first portion extends further rearward accordingly compared to a second portion of the finger that is further away from the air jet of the removable shelf, such that the upper shelf portion with an upwardly guided air jet provides a greater angular swing in the respective shelf compared to the lower shelf portion with a downwardly guided air jet.

9. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 1, wherein, The first air outlet and the second air outlet are connected to a duct system located behind the inner wall away from the oven cavity and to a separate heating element, wherein the duct system includes recesses for receiving the first and second shields, the first and second shields being flush with the duct wall when the first and second shields are in the open state.

10. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 1, wherein, The inner wall of the housing adjacent to at least one of the first and second baffles provides an access area defined by perforations. The wall of the access area can be selectively removed by a prying action, thereby breaking the material between the perforations and removing the material from the access area to provide an entrance to at least one of the first and second baffles.

11. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 10, wherein, The inner wall also includes guide holes outside the entry area for receiving and attaching a repair plate sized to cover the entry area once the material in the entry area has been removed.

12. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 11, wherein, The housing provides an outer wall spaced apart from and outside the inner wall, and wherein the outer wall also provides an access area defined by perforations, the wall of the access area of ​​the outer wall being selectively removed by a prying action, thereby breaking the material between the perforations and removing the material of the access area of ​​the outer wall to provide an entrance to the access area of ​​the inner wall.

13. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 1, wherein, The upper and lower passages guide airflows of separate temperatures without mixing.

14. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 7, wherein, The rearwardly extending fingers have a larger rearward extension on the first side of the rearwardly extending fingers and a smaller rearward extension on the opposite second side of the rearwardly extending fingers.

15. A multi-cavity oven, comprising: A housing having an inner wall defining an oven cavity; At least one removable shelf, wherein the at least one removable shelf is fitted within the oven cavity and provides a horizontally extending passage through the removable shelf, the horizontally extending passage communicating with an outwardly guided air jet along a horizontal surface of the removable shelf; An air outlet is located through the inner wall of the oven cavity, and the air outlet communicates with the horizontally extending passage through the removable shelf when the removable shelf is positioned within the oven cavity; as well as A removable baffle, which is fitted within the removable shelf to define one side of the horizontally extending passage, has curvature or bending when fitted within the removable shelf to provide a horizontally extending passage with a reduced cross-sectional area as the baffle moves away from the air outlet, thereby providing a more uniform airflow through the air jet. The baffle further includes a protrusion that extends vertically upward and downward from the plane of the baffle to press the baffle when it is fitted into the removable partition, thereby defining the curvature or bending degree.

16. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 15, wherein, The removable shelf provides a horizontally extending channel adapted to receive the opposite edges of the removable shelf.

17. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 16, wherein, The horizontally extending channels are opposing C-shaped channels that open to each other.

18. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 15, wherein, The baffle provides a generally flat rectangular sheet.

19. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 16, wherein, The protrusion extends upward and downward at the edge of the baffle, such that the baffle bends into a curved or flexed shape when the protrusion is inserted into the removable shelf.

20. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 19, wherein, The vertical extension of the protrusion varies depending on its position toward the front or rear of the baffle.

21. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 18, wherein, The protrusion has a vertical groove.

22. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 18, wherein, The front edge of the baffle includes an upwardly extending boss, thereby minimizing the contact area between the front edge of the baffle and the removable shelf.

23. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 1 or 15, wherein: The oven cavity is accessible through an oven opening and is provided with a left and right oven door for access to the oven cavity. The left and right oven doors are hinged about vertical hinge axes on opposite sides of the oven opening to provide opposing door frame edges. These opposing door frame edges move close together when the left and right oven doors are in the closed position and move away from each other when the left and right oven doors are in the open position. The multi-cavity oven also includes a door linkage that connects the left oven door and the right oven door so that the left oven door and the right oven door can move between the open state and the closed state to open and close by movement of either the left oven door or the right oven door, such that during the closing of the left oven door and the right oven door, the left oven door reaches the closed position before the right oven door.

24. The multi-cavity oven according to claim 23, wherein, The left and right oven doors follow slightly overlapping tracks, allowing the relative edges of the left and right oven doors to be positioned closer together and providing a significantly narrower gap when closed.

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