FLAT PANEL HOOD SYSTEM

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a flat panel hood system with a flat panel hood and a mounting strip according to patent claim 1.

[0002] Kitchen appliances include extractor hoods, which can also be referred to as vapor extractors. These are devices for extracting and usually filtering the vapors created during cooking processes such as boiling or frying, i.e. the cooking or frying fumes. Such an appliance usually consists essentially of a housing with a downward-facing intake screen in which a grease filter such as a disposable fleece mat or a washable metal filter is arranged. The vapor extractor also has a fan to suck in an air stream containing the vapors from the hob into the extractor and pass them through the grease filter so that the grease can be removed from the vapors as completely as possible. The strength of the air stream can be adjusted by the user via a control, usually on the extractor hood itself, by selecting a power level of the fan motor that generates the air stream.

[0003] If the extractor is an exhaust-air vapor extractor, the vapors are then expelled from the building into the environment, which can, however, lead to a loss of heat. For energy efficiency reasons, recirculating vapor extractors are now widespread, especially in private households. These extractors recirculate the vapors after passing through the grease filter, returning them to the room, such as the kitchen, so that no heat energy is lost to the environment. Recirculating vapor extractors therefore usually have an additional odor filter, such as an activated carbon filter, to remove as much of the cooking or frying odors as possible from the vapors, which can be perceived as more pleasant by the user.

[0004] In any case, extractor hoods can be designed as ceiling-mounted extractors, which are mounted above the cooktop on the ceiling or on a wall in the kitchen. Ceiling-mounted extractor hoods typically feature lighting directed onto the cooktop from above, which can be switched on and off by the user via a control, usually on the extractor hood itself.

[0005] It is also known to design such extractor hoods as flat panels, which are arranged vertically beneath a piece of kitchen furniture and can be pulled out toward the user for operation if necessary. Extractor hoods designed as flat panels can also be referred to as flat panel hoods.

[0006] Mounting a flat panel hood in a kitchen wall unit can be a challenge, as the mounting element must be able to support the weight of the extractor hood and define its exact position in the kitchen furniture, such as a kitchen cabinet.

[0007] From the publications DE 199 06 322 A1 and DE 298 09 744 U1, fastenings for extractor hoods in kitchen cabinets are known, in which a guide rail is mounted in the kitchen cabinet and the extractor hood is held on this guide rail.

[0008] Furthermore, ease of installation should be considered when choosing a mounting option. Furthermore, the varying cabinet thicknesses offered by kitchen manufacturers can pose a challenge, as in addition to the familiar 16 mm and 19 mm cabinet thicknesses, some kitchen manufacturers also offer cabinet thicknesses of 18 mm.

[0009] For example, the applicant currently markets a flat panel hood DA3568 / 98, which is mounted in the kitchen wall unit using two steel mounting brackets. The mounting brackets are designed to be used with cabinet thicknesses of 16 mm or 19 mm. It is important to note which side is mounted on the inside of the cabinet. To mount the extractor hood using the keyholes, two screws must be installed per bracket. Finally, the mounting brackets can be covered with plastic caps.

[0010] To install such a flat panel hood, kitchen manufacturers with 18 mm cabinet thicknesses must adapt the dimensions of their existing wall cabinets. Kitchen manufacturers cannot therefore rely on the "standard" 18 mm cabinet thickness to use the previously described flat panel hood. This is because the side and possibly rear panels of the wall cabinets must be shortened to accommodate the flat panel hood's suction kit. This represents additional effort, which makes the previously described flat panel hood unsuitable or less attractive than products from other flat panel hood manufacturers.

[0011] The invention therefore addresses the problem of providing a flat panel hood system that allows a flat panel hood to be installed in kitchen furniture more easily, quickly, and / or flexibly than previously known. In particular, the flat panel hood should be able to be installed with different cabinet thicknesses, especially between approximately 16 mm and approximately 19 mm. At the very least, an alternative to such flat panel hood systems should be created.

[0012] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a flat panel hood system having the features of patent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention emerge from the dependent claims.

[0013] The invention thus relates to a flat panel hood system with a flat panel hood and with at least one pair of mounting strips which are designed to be fastened in a furniture niche of a kitchen furniture, extending in the longitudinal direction and spaced parallel to one another in the transverse direction, such that the flat panel hood can be placed vertically from above onto a support side of the respective mounting strip and can be held in a form-fitting manner by the mounting strips in the vertical direction. The fixed fastening can be effected, for example, by screwing through the mounting strips laterally, i.e. in the transverse direction, into the material of the side walls of the kitchen furniture which form the furniture niche.

[0014] In other words, the two mounting strips, or additional mounting strips extending lengthwise from each other, can be attached individually one after the other inside the cabinet recess by a user or installer without having to hold the flat panel hood itself. The flat panels can then be placed from above onto the tops of the mounting strips, which form their support sides. This allows the installation steps to be carried out very easily one after the other by one person, without having to attach the flat panels directly to the kitchen unit and hold them in place.

[0015] Another advantage is that the positioning and attachment of the mounting strips to the kitchen cabinet body can be so flexible that the flat panel hood system according to the invention can be used with different cabinet thicknesses. This allows the possible uses and applications of the corresponding flat panels to be expanded. In particular, adjustments to the kitchen cabinet to accommodate the corresponding flat panels can be avoided.

[0016] According to the invention, the mounting strips are each designed to accommodate the flat panel hood vertically on its support side when attached to the kitchen unit and to guide it longitudinally along its support side into a mounting position. This can further simplify installation by placing the flat panel hood with its rear edge of its underside on the front edge of the mounting strips in the longitudinal direction (as viewed by the person or installer) and then sliding it backward into the unit's recess.

[0017] This can in particular keep down or minimize the space in the vertical direction that must be required between the support side of the mounting strips and the underside of the ceiling of the furniture body, which limits the height of the furniture niche, since when installing the flat panel hood no movement in the vertical direction is required by sliding it in and thus the mounting strips can be arranged accordingly close to the underside of the ceiling of the furniture body.

[0018] According to a further aspect of the invention, the flat panel hood is designed to limit the sliding movement in the longitudinal direction by at least one stop, preferably in each case, in the mounting position, thereby ensuring a defined positioning of the flat panel hood relative to the corresponding mounting strip. This can facilitate the installation and / or a defined positioning of the flat panel hood relative to the mounting strip or relative to the furniture recess. The stop can be represented by a concave surface (recess) in the mounting strip and a corresponding counter-contour in the base plate.

[0019] According to the invention, the flat panel hood is designed to limit the sliding movement in the longitudinal direction by at least one positioning element in the mounting position, preferably in each case, wherein the positioning element of the flat panel hood is designed, preferably in each case, to engage in a corresponding positioning element receptacle or in a corresponding fastening opening of one of the mounting strips. This can enable an alternative implementation of the previously described aspect of the invention, which can increase the design options for the relative positioning between the flat panel hood and the mounting strip. This can also enable implementation without, for example, having to modify the base plate or the front plate of the flat panel hood.

[0020] According to one aspect of the invention, the positioning element receptacle is designed to be open at least toward the support side. This ensures that the positioning element can engage into the positioning element receptacle from the support side.

[0021] According to a further aspect of the invention, the mounting strips each have at least one fastening opening, preferably arranged on the axis of symmetry, which is designed to accommodate fastening means, preferably screws, for fastening the respective mounting strip to the inside of a corresponding side wall of the kitchen furniture. This enables a fixed fastening of the respective mounting strip to the inside of the corresponding side wall of the kitchen furniture within the furniture niche in a simple and flexible manner.

[0022] Locating the fastening opening on the mounting strip's axis of symmetry, i.e., centrally in the longitudinal direction, can make it possible to use the mounting strip without a preferred orientation in the longitudinal direction, i.e., on both inner sides of the furniture recess. Accordingly, both mounting strips can be designed identically, so that only one type of mounting strip can be produced and used for both mounting strips. This can keep manufacturing and storage costs low, as well as reduce assembly effort, because there is no need to distinguish between two different types of mounting strips.

[0023] According to a further aspect of the invention, the mounting strips each have a plurality of fastening openings designed to accommodate fastening means, preferably screws, for attaching the respective mounting strip to the inside of a corresponding side wall of the kitchen furniture. Using a plurality of such fastening openings can increase the stability of the respective mounting strip's attachment to the kitchen furniture. Furthermore, the forces of the weight of the flat panel hood can be transferred more evenly to the body of the kitchen furniture.

[0024] According to a further aspect of the invention, the fastening openings are each spaced equally along the longitudinal axis from the axis of symmetry and / or arranged on the axis of symmetry. This allows the corresponding properties and advantages described above to be transferred to multiple fastening openings.

[0025] According to a further aspect of the invention, the mounting strips each have at least one fastening opening, referred to as a through-opening, preferably arranged on the axis of symmetry, which is designed to accommodate fastening means, preferably screws, for fastening the flat panel hood to the support side of the respective mounting strip. This allows for a fixed fastening of the flat panel hood to the mounting strips.

[0026] According to a further aspect of the invention, the mounting strips each have a plurality of additional fastening openings, also called through-openings, which are designed to accommodate fastening means, preferably screws, for fastening the flat panel hood to the support side of the respective mounting strip. This can increase the stability of the fastening of the flat panel hood to the respective mounting strip.

[0027] According to a further aspect of the invention, the through-openings are each spaced equally along the longitudinal axis to the axis of symmetry and / or are arranged on the axis of symmetry. This allows the corresponding previously described aspects to be transferred to the through-openings for the flat panel hood.

[0028] According to a further aspect of the invention, the mounting strips are designed to be used at least for kitchen cabinets with a body thickness of approximately 16 mm to approximately 19 mm. This can enable the use of the flat panel hood system according to the invention, particularly with such kitchen cabinets, as already mentioned above.

[0029] The present invention also relates to a piece of kitchen furniture with at least one flat panel hood system as described above. This allows the properties and advantages of a flat panel hood system according to the invention to be implemented and utilized in a piece of kitchen furniture.

[0030] The present invention also relates to a flat panel hood designed for use in a flat panel hood system as described above. This allows a flat panel hood to be provided that can implement and utilize the features and advantages of a flat panel hood system according to the invention in a kitchen unit.

[0031] According to the invention, the through-openings are oriented transversely to the fastening openings. This means that, when the flat panel hood is mounted, a fastening means arranged in a through-opening is oriented perpendicular to the support side, i.e., in the vertical direction, and a fastening means arranged in the through-opening is oriented parallel to the support side, i.e., in the transverse direction. This makes it possible to provide a mounting strip for implementing and utilizing the properties and advantages of a flat panel hood system according to the invention in a piece of kitchen furniture.

[0032] In other words, the new development according to the invention allows the extraction unit to be installed in the wall cabinet, allowing kitchen manufacturers to rely on their "standard" design. Furthermore, no mounting brackets or plastic covers are visible after installation. A flat surface is created, which can also be used as additional storage space for kitchen utensils. Furthermore, cleaning these surfaces is significantly simplified. Furthermore, flat panel hoods, which were previously only designed for cabinet thicknesses of 16 mm or 19 mm, can now also be installed with a cabinet thickness of 18 mm. This can expand the application possibilities.

[0033] For installation, two plastic rails ("suspensions") can be mounted on the left and right inside of the wall cabinet. The hood body can then be suspended from these plastic rails and pushed into the wall cabinet until it stops. The stop can be implemented via the base plate. However, it is also conceivable that the stop is represented by a concave surface (recess) in the plastic rail and a corresponding counter-contour in the base plate.

[0034] To ensure a secure fit with the cabinet, the base plate can be screwed to the plastic rails from below. This prevents the hood from being pulled forward when the cabinet door is open. It also prevents the side panels from drifting outward.

[0035] The plastic rails ("suspensions") can be designed to allow the hood to be installed on cabinets with a cabinet thickness of 16 mm to 19 mm. One advantage of the invention is that kitchen manufacturers are no longer required to produce "special cabinets" for certain flat panel hoods, which were previously only designed for cabinet thicknesses of 16 mm or 19 mm. Furthermore, the flat panel hoods can be installed in wall cabinets with cabinet thicknesses of 16 mm to 19 mm. This allows the aforementioned flat panel hoods to also cover the "market niche" of kitchen manufacturers with a cabinet thickness of 18 mm.

[0036] Several embodiments of the invention are shown purely schematically in the drawings and are described in more detail below. Figure 1 shows a front view of a flat panel hood system according to the invention according to a first embodiment in a furniture niche of a kitchen furniture; Figure 2 shows the representation of the Figure 1 without flat panel hood; Figure 3 the flat panel hood system of the Figure 1 during assembly from the side; and Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a mounting strip of a flat panel hood system according to the invention according to a second embodiment.

[0037] The above figures are viewed in Cartesian coordinates. There is a longitudinal direction X, which can also be referred to as depth X or length X. Perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X extends a transverse direction Y, which can also be referred to as width Y. Perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction X and the transverse direction Y extends a vertical direction Z, which can also be referred to as height Z and corresponds to the direction of gravity. The longitudinal direction X and the transverse direction Y together form the horizontal X, Y, which can also be referred to as the horizontal plane X, Y.

[0038] A flat panel hood system 1, 3 according to the invention is considered, which comprises a flat panel hood 1, two identical mounting strips 3, and corresponding screws (not shown) as fastening means. The flat panel hood 1 represents a special design of an extractor 1 or extractor hood 1. The flat panel hood 1 has an intake screen 10, which can also be referred to as a vapor screen 10 and is designed to allow vapor to flow in from below in the vertical direction Z through a filter 11 in the form of a grease filter 11 and to pass through the grease filter 11. The grease filters 11 are arranged in corresponding drawers 12 so that they can be removed or replaced.

[0039] The intake screen 10 has a base plate 13, which forms the underside of the intake screen 10 and thus also of the flat panel hood 1 in the vertical direction Z. In the longitudinal direction X toward the front, i.e., facing a user or a technician, the intake screen 10 has a front plate 14, which closes off the intake screen 10 or the flat panel hood 1 at the front. The intake screen 10 or the flat panel hood 1 has a rear plate 15, lying flat and parallel to the front plate 14.

[0040] The mounting strips 3 each consist of a strip body 30 made of plastic with a rectangular cross-section, which is elongated in the longitudinal direction X and symmetrical to the center of its elongated extension, see Figures 3 and 4 , whereby in the second embodiment the Figure 4An additional positioning element receptacle 33 is provided, as will be explained further below. In any case, the strip bodies 30 of the mounting strips 3 according to both exemplary embodiments each have, in the vertical direction Z, a flat support side 31 extending in the horizontal X, Y direction, which can also be referred to as a support surface 31.

[0041] Along the elongated extension, several fastening openings 32 are provided as through-openings in the strip body 30, through which screws can be screwed to screw the respective mounting strip 3 into the material of a furniture body 20 of a kitchen unit 2, as will be described in more detail below. Furthermore, further fastening openings are provided in between as through-openings 34 in the strip body 30, through which screws can be screwed to screw the flat panel hood 1 to the respective mounting strip 3, as will also be described in more detail below.

[0042] According to the first embodiment, one of the through-openings 34 of the strip body 30 can additionally serve as the previously mentioned positioning element receptacle 33, see Figure 3 . According to the second embodiment, a separate positioning element receptacle 33 is formed, see Figure 4In any case, a corresponding positioning element 16 is formed on the underside of the flat panel hood 1 as a locking cam 16 pointing downwards in the vertical direction Z, which can engage in the positioning element receptacle 33 as a locking cam receptacle 33 and thus impede movement along the longitudinal direction X. This can enable a simple implementation of a defined positioning of the flat panel hood 1 relative to the respective mounting strip 3.

[0043] For the fixed fastening of the flat panel hood 1 according to the invention within a furniture niche 21 of a kitchen furniture 2 in the form of a kitchen cabinet 2, the two mounting strips 3 are first fastened in the longitudinal direction X, in the horizontal direction X, Y, in the vertical direction Z, spaced apart from the underside of a ceiling 20b of the furniture body 20, and in the transverse direction Y, spaced parallel to one another, on the respective inner side of one of the two side walls 20a of the furniture body 20, by screwing screws through the fastening openings 32 as screw openings 32 into the material of the side walls 20a. The two mounting strips 3 are positioned and fastened in such a way as the flat panel hood 1 is to be positioned and held later, see Figure 1 .

[0044] Now the user or the installer can place the flat panel hood 1 with the edge of its back, ie with the edge below the back plate 15, onto the front edges of the two mounting strips 3 and then insert it in the longitudinal direction X as mounting direction A into the furniture recess 21, see Figure 3 The movement in the mounting direction A can be limited by inserting a locking cam 16 which is continuous in the transverse direction Y or two locking cams 16 arranged on the outside in the transverse direction Y into one of the fastening openings 32 as a locking cam receptacle 33, see Figure 3 , or in a separate locking cam holder 33, see Figure 4 , snap into place. Alternatively, the lower edge of the front panel 14 or a downward-facing bevel 14 of the base panel 13 can form a stop, which can strike one of the two mounting strips 3 or both mounting strips 3 at the front.

[0045] In any case, the insertion of the flat panel hood 1 in the mounting direction A can be limited in this way and a defined positioning can be assumed, in which the flat panel hood 1 can then be screwed to the two mounting strips 3 from below through the through openings 34 as screw openings 34 by means of screws. List of reference symbols (part of the description)

[0046] AMonstruction direction XLongitudinal direction; Depth YTransverse direction; Width Zvertical direction; Height X, YHorizontal; horizontal plane 1Flat panel hood; extractor hood; extractor hood 10Suction screen; vapor screen 11Filter; grease filter 12Drawers for filters 11 13Bottom panel 14Front panel; folded bottom panel 13 15Rear panel 16Positioning element; locking cam 2Kitchen furniture; kitchen cabinet 20Furniture body; cabinet body 20aSide walls of the furniture body 20 20bCeiling of the furniture body 20 21Furniture niche 3 Mounting strips 30 Strip body 31 Support side; support surface 32 Mounting holes for kitchen furniture 2; screw holes for kitchen furniture 2 33 Positioning element holder; locking cam holder 34 Through holes for flat panel hood 1; screw holes for flat panel hood 1

Claims

1. Flat panel hood system (1, 3) comprising a flat panel hood (1) and comprising at least one pair of mounting strips (3), the mounting strips (3) being designed to be fastened in a furniture recess (21) of an item of kitchen furniture (2) so as to extend in the longitudinal direction (X) and run spaced apart from one another in parallel in the transverse direction (Y), so that the flat panel hood (1) can be placed from above in the vertical direction (Z) onto a support side (31) of each mounting strip (3) and can be held in a form-fitting manner by the mounting strips (3) in the vertical direction (Z) the mounting strips (3) each having a plurality of fastening openings (32) which are designed to receive fastening means, preferably screws, for fastening the particular mounting strip (3) to the inside of a corresponding side wall (20a) of the item of kitchen furniture (2) and the mounting strips (3) each having at least one through-opening (34) which is designed to receive fastening means, preferably screws, for fastening the flat panel hood (1) on the support side (31) of each mounting strip (3), the mounting strips (3) each being designed to receive the flat panel hood (1) in the vertical direction (Z) on the support side (31) thereof when fastened to the item of kitchen furniture (2) and to guide it slidingly into a mounting position in the longitudinal direction (X) on the support side (31) thereof, characterised in that the flat panel hood (1) is designed to limit the sliding movement in the longitudinal direction (X) by at least, preferably in each case, one positioning element (16) in the mounting position, the positioning element (16) of the flat panel hood (1) being designed, preferably in each case, to engage in a corresponding positioning element receptacle (33) or in a corresponding fastening opening (32) of one of the mounting strips (3), the through-openings (34) being oriented transversely to the fastening openings (32), in particular such that, in the fastened state of the flat panel hood (1), a fastening means arranged in a through-opening (34) is oriented perpendicularly to the support side (31), i.e. in the vertical direction (Z), and a fastening means arranged in the through-opening (34) is oriented in parallel with the support side (31), i.e. in the transverse direction (Y).

2. Flat panel hood system (1, 3) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein each positioning element (16) is designed as a fixing cam (16) pointing downwards in the vertical direction Z, wherein the fixing cam (16) engages in a positioning element receptacle (33) designed as a fixing cam receptacle (33) and thus makes movement in the longitudinal direction (X) more difficult.

3. Flat panel hood system (1, 3) according to either of the preceding claims, wherein the movement of the flat panel hood (1) in a mounting direction (A) is limited by a fixing cam (16) which is continuous in the transverse direction (Y) or two fixing cams (16) arranged on the outside in the transverse direction (Y), which engage in one of the fastening openings (32) as a fixing cam receptacle (33) or in a separate fixing cam receptacle (33).

4. Flat panel hood system (1, 3) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the positioning element receptacle (33) is open at least towards the support side (31), in particular so that the positioning element (16) can engage into the positioning element receptacle (33) from the support side (31).

5. Flat panel hood system (1, 3) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one fastening opening (32) of the mounting strips (3) is spaced along the longitudinal axis (X) at the same distance from the axis of symmetry and / or is arranged on the axis of symmetry.

6. Flat panel hood system (1, 3) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one through-opening (34) of the mounting strips (3) is spaced along the longitudinal axis (X) at the same distance from the axis of symmetry and / or is arranged on the axis of symmetry.

7. Flat panel hood system (1, 3) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the mounting strips (3) are designed to be used at least for carcass thicknesses of the item of kitchen furniture (2) of approximately 16 mm to approximately 19 mm.