Holding device for a tray in a cooking compartment of a cooking appliance and cooking appliance
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- GORENJE GOSPODINJSKI APARATI DOO
- Filing Date
- 2023-07-14
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-20
AI Technical Summary
The existing holding structures for trays in cooking compartments of cooking appliances often have a weak connection between the upper support bar and the front vertical bar, leading to a higher probability of the tray striking this connection region and complicating the tray's introduction into the holding structure.
The holding device features a bent end part of the upper support bar that is welded to the front vertical bar, creating a stronger connection and reducing the likelihood of the tray striking this area. This design also includes an insertion guide region formed by the upper and lower support bars, which simplifies the tray's placement.
The improved connection between the upper support bar and the front vertical bar enhances the stability of the tray, reducing the risk of accidents and simplifying the tray's insertion, thereby improving user safety and convenience.
Smart Images
Figure EP2023069693_23012025_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] Holding device for a tray in a cooking compartment of a cooking appliance and cooking appliance
[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention relates to holding device for a tray in a cooking compartment of a cooking appliance and to a cooking appliance.
[0004] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0005] For placing a tray in the cooking compartment a holding structure is needed to hold and / or guide the tray in or to a predefined position in the cooking compartment of a cooking appliance. A predefined horizontal region / height for placing the tray can be provided or defined between a lower support bar and an upper support bar which are each placed at their particular horizontal planes. Both support bars are typically connected to vertical supports, wherein the latter are mounted to the walls of the compartment, for example screwed or plugged to the sidewalls. Further, guide elements for the tray can be arranged at the lower support bar. The end of the upper support bar is typically cross welded to the front vertical bar (and to the rear vertical bar). It is desired to improve the connection of the upper support bar to the front vertical bar in order to lower the probability of striking the tray to the connection region between the upper support bar and the front vertical bar and to simplify introducing the tray to the holding structure.
[0006] Document KR100765552 B1 describes an oven which includes a cavity, a door, a rack, and a shelf. The door is installed at the front of the oven to open and close the cavity. The rack is installed at a sidewall of the cavity. The shelf is inserted into the cavity and supported by the rack. The rack includes a plurality of support bars, and a connection bar. The plurality of support bars extend in a horizontal direction thereof. The connection bar extends in a vertical direction to maintain the shape of the support bars. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] It is an object of the invention to improve the connection between the upper support bar and the front vertical bar and to simplify introducing the tray to the holding structure.
[0008] The object is solved by the subject-matter of the independent claims.
[0009] The present invention pertains a holding device for a tray in a cooking compartment according to claim 1 and to a cooking appliance according to claim 7.
[0010] Preferred embodiments are subject of the dependent claims.
[0011] According to the invention the holding device for holding a tray in a cooking compartment of a cooking appliance comprises for each of two opposite lateral sidewalls of the cooking compartment a front vertical bar and a rear vertical bar which are arranged parallel to each other and wherein the rear vertical bar is spaced apart from the front vertical bar by a predefined horizontal distance; at least one upper support bar and at least one lower support bar which are both arranged at the front vertical bar and at the rear vertical bar, wherein the upper support bar extends inside an upper horizontal plane and the lower support bar extends inside a lower horizontal plane, wherein the lower horizontal plane extends parallel to the upper horizontal plane and below it and is spaced by a predefined height from the upper horizontal plane; wherein the upper support bar and the lower support bar form an insertion guide region next to the front vertical bar for receiving the tray in a front region of the upper support bar and of the lower support bar for sliding and / or resting the tray on the lower support bar and wherein the upper support bar has a bent end part at its front region which is arranged at least partly in parallel to the front vertical bar and wherein the bent end part, at least its region which is parallel to the front vertical bar, is welded to the front vertical bar.
[0012] The tray can be a food tray or any other type of trays for a cooking appliance.
[0013] The vertical bars and support bars can have mainly a cylindrical shape with predefined radiuses.
[0014] The vertical and horizontal direction can be defined according to the interior of the compartment of a cooking appliance when mounted or positioned for use. The upper support bar and the lower support bar can be separate parts which are welded to the vertical bars and a predefined vertical distance between both can be present.
[0015] According to a further embodiment of the holding device the bent end part at least partly projects perpendicular from the upper horizontal plane along the front vertical bar over a first length in a direction towards the lower horizontal plane or away from the lower horizontal plane.
[0016] The bent end part can reach the lower support bar or not.
[0017] According to a further embodiment of the holding device at least part of the first length corresponds to a welding length of a welded contact between the bent end part and the front vertical bar, wherein the welding length is provided according to a predefined strength of the welded contact.
[0018] The welding length can be proportional to the strength of the welded contact.
[0019] According to a further embodiment of the holding device the front vertical bar and / or the bent end part has a cylindrical surface area at which a welded contact between the bent end part and the front vertical bar is provided.
[0020] According to a further embodiment of the holding device the lower support bar is cross-welded at its front region to the front vertical bar and has a first offset from a front view direction on the front vertical bar at the front region of the lower support bar and / or the upper support bar has a front straight part which extends from the bent end part towards the rear vertical bar in the front view direction, wherein the bent end part and the front straight part are in front view on the front vertical bar in the front view direction at least partly hidden behind the front vertical bar.
[0021] By at least partly hiding the bent end part and the front straight part in front view on the front vertical bar in the front view direction behind the front vertical bar a probability of striking the tray to the connection region between the upper support bar and the front vertical bar can be lowered and introducing the tray to the holding device can be simplified.
[0022] The bent end part and the front straight part as well as the welded connection can be fully hidden behind the front vertical bar, in particular have smaller diameters than the front vertical bar.
[0023] According to a further embodiment of the holding device the upper support bar has a middle part which follows up the front straight part in direction towards the rear vertical bar and which has a second offset from the front view direction on the front vertical bar, wherein the upper support bar runs at least partly parallel to the lower support bar behind the second offset in the direction towards the rear vertical bar.
[0024] According to the invention the cooking appliance comprises a cooking compartment and a holding device according to the invention, which is arranged at opposite lateral sidewalls of the cooking compartment and inside the cooking compartment.
[0025] The holding device can have all its components twice, in particular one arrangement at one lateral sidewall of the compartment and another arrangement at the opposite lateral sidewall of the compartment, having the upper support bars respectively at same heights and the lower support bars respectively at same heights (vertical) for receiving the tray in a particular horizontal plane (between the upper and lower horizontal plane or at the lower horizontal plane). The vertical support bars (front and rear ones) are mounted to the lateral sidewalls inside the compartment.
[0026] According to a further embodiment of the cooking appliance the cooking appliance is a built-in oven or a standalone oven or a microwave.
[0027] BRIEF DESCIRPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] The invention will be explained in greater detail with reference to exemplary embodiments depicted in the drawings as appended. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate a comparative embodiment and embodiments of the present invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. Other embodiments of the present invention and many of the intended advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as they become better understood by reference to the following detailed description. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale relative to each other. Like reference numerals designate corresponding similar parts.
[0029] Fig. 1 shows a cooking appliance with a holding device for a tray according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0030] Fig. 2 shows a view of a holding device according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0031] Fig. 3 shows a detailed view of a holding device according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0032] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0033] Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of alternate and / or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention. Generally, this application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific embodiments discussed herein.
[0034] Fig. 1 shows a cooking appliance with a holding device for a tray according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0035] The cooking appliance CA comprises a cooking compartment CD which is shown from a front side but the front door of the cooking appliance CA is not shown. A holding device 10 according to the invention is arranged at lateral sidewalls SW of the cooking compartment CD and inside the cooking compartment CD. The lateral sides of the cooking compartment CD regard the right and left sidewalls SW when seen from front view from the opening of the cooking compartment CD. An arrangement with vertical bars as well as with several upper support bars U and lower support bars L is arranged on each of the opposite lateral sidewalls SW of the cooking compartment CD, in particular the left and the right lateral sidewall SW. The tray tr can then be placed on respective (left and right) lower support bars L such to extend in a horizontal plane and supported by a lower support bar L on the right lateral sidewall SW-L and by a lower support bar (not shown) on the left lateral sidewall SW-L The arrangement of the vertical bars and upper and lower support bars U and L is equal at right and left lateral sidewall SW-R and SW-L. The cooking appliance CA can, for example, be a built-in oven or a standalone cooking appliance or a microwave.
[0036] Fig. 2 shows a view of a holding device according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0037] In Fig. 2 the arrangement of the bars of the holding device 10 for one of the two opposite lateral sidewalls (from Fig. 1) is shown. The front vertical bar V1 and the rear vertical bar V2 can be arranged at the lateral sidewall of the cooking compartment in a plugged or screwed manner. The holding device 10 for a tray (as shown in Fig. 1) in a cooking compartment of a cooking appliance comprises for each of two opposite lateral sidewalls of the cooking compartment a front vertical bar V1 and a rear vertical bar V2 which are arranged parallel to each other and wherein the rear vertical bar V2 is spaced apart from the front vertical bar V1 by a predefined horizontal distance d-h. Further, the holding device 10 comprises at each sidewall at least one upper support bar U and at least one lower support bar L (several as shown in Fig. 2) which are both arranged at the front vertical bar V1 and at the rear vertical bar V2, wherein the upper support bar U extends inside an upper horizontal plane UH and the lower support bar L extends inside a lower horizontal plane LH, wherein the lower horizontal plane LH extends parallel to the upper horizontal plane UH and below it and is spaced by a predefined height hp from the upper horizontal plane UH. In Fig. 2 there are five such pairs of upper support bars U and lower support bars L. The predefined height hp can be equal or vary for the particular pairs of upper support bars U and lower support bars L when compared to each other. Further, the upper support bar U and the lower support bar L form an insertion guide region GR next (directly or with predefined distance) to the front vertical bar V1 for receiving the tray in a front region (FR-U, FR-L) of the upper support bar U and of the lower support bar L for sliding and / or resting the tray on the lower support bar L and wherein the upper support bar U has a bent end part ER at its front region FR-U which is arranged at least partly in parallel to the front vertical bar V1 and wherein the bent end part ER projects (downwards as shown in Fig. 2) from the upper horizontal plane
[0038] UH and is welded to the front vertical bar V1.
[0039] At the rear vertical bar V2 the upper support bars U and the lower support bars L can be crosswelded to the rear vertical bar V2 or welded to the latter as the upper support bar to the front vertical bar V1 (not shown).
[0040] The front vertical bar V1, the rear vertical bar V2 the lower support bar L, the upper support bar U and / or the bent end part ER can have, at least partly, a cylindrical symmetry and a cylindrical surface area and a welded contact between the bent end part ER and the front vertical bar V1 is provided.
[0041] Fig. 3 shows a detailed view of a holding device according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0042] In particular, Fig. 3 shows a front region of the upper support bar U and of the lower support bar L with the front vertical bar V1 for two pairs of upper and lower support bars U and L from Fig. 2 in a zoomed view.
[0043] The bent end part ER can project perpendicular from the upper horizontal plane along the front vertical bar V1 over a first length d-ER in a direction towards the lower horizontal plane.
[0044] Further, at least part of the first length d-ER can correspond to a welding length d-W of a welded contact W (or be equal in length) between the bent end part ER and the front vertical bar V1, wherein the welding length d-W can be provided according to a predefined strength of the welded contact W. The longer the welding length d-W the more stable / strong the welding contact W can become.
[0045] The lower support bar L can be cross-welded at its front region to the front vertical bar V1 and has a first offset of-1 from a front view direction FVD on the front vertical bar V1 at the front region of the lower support bar L and the upper support bar U has a front straight part U-SP which extends from the bent end part ER towards the rear vertical bar in the front view direction FVD, wherein the bent end part ER and the front straight part U-SP are in front view on the front vertical bar V1 in the front view direction FVD at least partly hidden behind the front vertical bar V1.
[0046] The lower support bar L can have a region at its front end which extends perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of the lower support bar L which also forms the first offset of-1 and which stays inside the lower horizontal plane and which is cross-welded to the front vertical bar.
[0047] Between the front straight part U-SP and the bent end part ER a curved part can be present and the bent end part ER can be redirected from the front straight part U-SP by 90° in upward or downward (as shown) direction.
[0048] The upper support bar U can have a middle part MP which follows up the front straight part U- SP in direction towards the rear vertical bar and which has a second offset of-2 from the front view direction FVD on the front vertical bar V1, wherein the upper support bar U runs at least partly parallel to the lower support bar L behind the second offset of-2 in the direction towards the rear vertical bar. The region between the first offset of-1 and the second offset of-2 can form the insertion guide region (as shown in Fig. 2).
[0049] In the foregoing detailed description, various features are grouped together in one or more examples or examples with the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. It is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents.
[0050] The straight part U-SP of one upper support bar U can be longer or shorter than another straight part U-SP of another upper support bar U. Further, there can be a distance between the end of the bent end part ER and the lower support bar L.
[0051] Since a part of the bent end part ER can represent a welding surface at a curved surface area of the bent end part ER (skin area of the curved surface) towards the front vertical bar V1 this significantly differs from a contact area as a cross section of an end of the upper support bar as contact to the front vertical bar.
Claims
CLAIMS1 . Holding device (10) for a tray (tr) in a cooking compartment (CD) of a cooking appliance (CA), comprising for each of two opposite lateral sidewalls (SW) of the cooking compartment (CD):- a front vertical bar (V1) and a rear vertical bar (V2) which are arranged parallel to each other and wherein the rear vertical bar (V2) is spaced apart from the front vertical bar (V1) by a predefined horizontal distance (d-h);- at least one upper support bar (U) and at least one lower support bar (L) which are both arranged at the front vertical bar (V1) and at the rear vertical bar (V2), wherein the upper support bar (U) extends inside an upper horizontal plane (UH) and the lower support bar (L) extends inside a lower horizontal plane (LH), wherein the lower horizontal plane (LH) extends parallel to the upper horizontal plane (UH) and below it and is spaced by a predefined height (hp) from the upper horizontal plane (UH); wherein the upper support bar (U) and the lower support bar (L) form an insertion guide region (GR) next to the front vertical bar (V1) for receiving the tray (tr) in a front region (FR-U, FR-L) of the upper support bar (U) and of the lower support bar (L) for sliding and / or resting the tray (tr) on the lower support bar (L) and wherein the upper support bar (U) has a bent end part (ER) at its front region (FR-U) which is arranged at least partly in parallel to the front vertical bar (V1) and wherein the bent end part (ER) is welded to the front vertical bar (V1).
2. Holding device (10) according to claim 1, wherein the bent end part (ER) at least partly projects perpendicular from the upper horizontal plane (UH) along the front vertical bar (V1) over a first length (d-ER) in a direction towards the lower horizontal plane (LH) or away from the lower horizontal plane (LH).
3. Holding device (10) according to claim 2, wherein at least part of the first length (d-ER) corresponds to a welding length (d-W) of a welded contact (W) between the bent end part (ER) and the front vertical bar (V1), wherein the welding length (d-W) is provided according to a predefined strength of the welded contact (W).
4. Holding device (10) according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the front vertical bar (V1) and / or the bent end part (ER) has a cylindrical surface area at which a welded contact (W)between the bent end part (ER) and the front vertical bar (V1) is provided.
5. Holding device (10) according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lower support bar (L) is cross-welded at its front region (FR-L) to the front vertical bar (V1) and has a first offset (of- 1) from a front view direction (FVD) on the front vertical bar (V1) at the front region (FR-L) of the lower support bar (L) and / or the upper support bar (U) has a front straight part (U-SP) which extends from the bent end part (ER) towards the rear vertical bar (V2) in the front view direction (FVD), wherein the bent end part (ER) and the front straight part (U-SP) are in front view on the front vertical bar (V1) in the front view direction (FVD) at least partly hidden behind the front vertical bar (V1).
6. Holding device (10) according to claim 5, wherein the upper support bar (U) has a middle part (MP) which follows up the front straight part (U-SP) in direction towards the rear vertical bar (V2) and which has a second offset (of-2) from the front view direction (FVD) on the front vertical bar (V1), wherein the upper support bar (U) runs at least partly parallel to the lower support bar (L) behind the second offset (of-2) in the direction towards the rear vertical bar (V2).
7. Cooking appliance (CA) comprising:- a cooking compartment (CD);- a holding device (10) according to any of claims 1 to 6, which is arranged at opposite lateral sidewalls (SW) of the cooking compartment (CD) and inside the cooking compartment (CD).
8. Cooking appliance (CA) according to claim 7, wherein the cooking appliance (CA) is a built-in oven or a standalone cooking appliance or a microwave.