All-Glass Oven Door Latch Retainer for Self-Cleaning Heat
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional self-cleaning oven doors with full glass inner surfaces face issues due to extreme temperature differentials during the self-cleaning process, leading to potential fracture or explosion of the glass panels, as they are typically made from materials with high thermal expansion coefficients, which are not suitable for withstanding the high temperatures involved.
Innovation Solution
The use of a transparent ceramic material with a low coefficient of thermal expansion, such as Robax or Resistan, for the full glass inner panel, combined with a latch retainer system that replicates the interaction of a conventional porcelain liner/plunger with an oven latch, allowing for secure locking and easy cleaning, while maintaining aesthetic appeal and compliance with industry standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional porcelain liner/plunger is used to lock the oven door during self-cleaning, then the door can be securely locked, but the door structure becomes complex and requires multiple components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the locking function from the traditional porcelain liner/plunger structure and implements it through a dedicated latch retainer component that works with the existing oven latch mechanism. This separates the locking function from the door skin structure itself, simplifying the overall door construction while maintaining reliable locking during self-cleaning cycles
Solution Approach 2:
The latch retainer is designed to work with the existing oven latch mechanism, allowing the same latch to serve both normal operation and self-cleaning locking functions. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate locking mechanisms while ensuring secure door closure during high-temperature self-cleaning
2Volume of stationary object
If a full glass inner panel is used to increase cooking chamber space and improve aesthetics, then the door appearance is enhanced and space is increased, but the glass panel may fracture or explode under extreme temperature differentials during self-cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter of the inner panel from conventional glass to a specialized glass-ceramic material with specific thermal properties. This material composition change enables the panel to withstand the extreme temperature differentials (900-1000°F during self-cleaning) without fracturing, while maintaining the full-panel design that maximizes cooking chamber space and aesthetic appearance
Solution Approach 2:
The use of glass-ceramic composite material combines the aesthetic and spatial benefits of a full glass panel with the thermal resistance properties needed for self-cleaning. This composite material approach allows the inner panel to serve multiple functions: maintaining door structure, providing aesthetic appearance, maximizing cooking space, and withstanding thermal stress during self-cleaning cycles
3Temperature
If multiple glass panels are used to ensure suitable surface temperature of the door skin, then thermal management is improved, but the door structure becomes more complex and cleaning becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the traditional metal plunger and multiple glass panel construction, extracting only the essential thermal management function. The single full glass-ceramic inner panel directly abuts the seal, eliminating intermediate components that complicate the structure and hinder cleaning, while still maintaining appropriate door skin temperatures through the thermal properties of the glass-ceramic material
4Reliability
If a latch retainer is coupled to the door skin to replicate conventional porcelain liner interaction, then the door can be securely locked for self-cleaning, but the door structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The latch retainer acts as an intermediary component that facilitates the interaction between the door assembly and the oven latch mechanism. This simple retainer component enables secure locking during self-cleaning by providing a proper engagement surface for the latch, while adding minimal complexity to the overall door structure compared to traditional porcelain liner designs
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables a self-cleaning oven door with a full glass inner panel that withstands high temperatures and extreme differentials without breaking, provides easy cleaning, and meets safety and aesthetic requirements, while reducing the number of glass panels needed and increasing cooking chamber space.
Implementation Method 1
The use of a transparent ceramic material with a low coefficient of thermal expansion, such as Robax or Resistan, for the full glass inner panel
Data Source
AI summary
A household cooking appliance including a housing having an oven chamber accessible through an opening. The opening has a seal surrounding a perimeter of the opening. A door covers the opening and is moveable about a hinge between an open position and a closed position. The door includes a door skin forming an outer surface of the door and a full glass inner panel forming an inner surface of the door. The full glass inner panel abuts the seal when the door is in a closed position. A latch retainer is coupled to the door skin and an oven lock is moveable between a lock position in which the oven lock engages the latch retainer and locks the door in the closed position during a self-cleaning process, and an unlock position in which the oven lock is disengaged from the latch retainer.