Electric heating – Microwave heating – Enclosed cavity structure
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-08
2001-04-24
Walberg, Teresa (Department: 3742)
Electric heating
Microwave heating
Enclosed cavity structure
C219S702000, C248S274100, C248S309100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06222171
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cooking appliance, and a method of installing this cooking appliance. More particularly, the present invention relates to a high-placement type cooking appliance such as a microwave oven attached at a high position to a wall or within a cabinet in a kitchen, and a method of installing this cooking appliance.
2. Description of the Background Art
Installing the cooking appliance at a wall or within a cabinet in a kitchen is advantageous from the standpoint of effectively using limited space. Such a cooking appliance attached at a high position to a wall or installed within a cabinet is referred to as a high-placement type cooking appliance hereinafter.
This high-placement type cooking appliance is disadvantageous in that the installment job is difficult.
In the case of installing a cooking appliance to the wall, for example, great man labor is required since the installation includes the supporting job and the attaching job, as shown in
FIGS. 36A and 36B
. More specifically, two workmen are required to engage the fastening member of a cooking appliance
100
with a predetermined portion of a wall
110
while supporting cooking appliance
100
, as shown in FIG.
36
A. Referring to
FIG. 36B
, the two workmen attach cooking appliance
100
to wall
110
while supporting cooking appliance
100
. It is appreciated from these drawings that at least two workmen are required in the conventional installment of a cooking appliance corresponding to the supporting job and the attaching job. A great man labor was required in the conventional installment of a cooking appliance. It was not easy to handle a cooking appliance.
The conventional high-placement type cooking appliance is also disadvantageous in that the repair of the internal components constituting the control means requires great man power. When an internal component is to be removed for repair, the cooking appliance attached to the wall had to be dismounted to remove the internal component. Alternatively, the front panel of the cooking appliance attached to the wall had to be removed. Then, the internal component secured at a predetermined location inside the cooking appliance had to be removed through the opening. In other words, the conventional cooking appliance required the step of dismounting the cooking appliance per se or a predetermined panel, and also the step of removing the internal component from a predetermined location in the cooking appliance. The internal component could be repaired only through the load of great man labor. The conventional cooking appliance could not be handled easily.
The interior of the conventional cooking appliance becomes higher in temperature than the room temperature since a cooking operation such as heating foodstuff is carried out. The conventional cooking appliance includes an inlet and an outlet to introduce the air into the cooking appliance for cooling the interior and to exhaust the air in the cooking appliance outside.
In the conventional cooking appliance, the inlet and the outlet are open even when the air is not introduced or output. There was a problem that dust and contamination will be introduced into the cooking appliance through the inlet or the outlet even when the operation of air input and output is not carried out in the conventional cooking appliance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide a cooking appliance that can be handled easily.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of easily installing a cooking appliance.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a cooking appliance into which dust and contamination do not easily enter.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a cooking appliance includes a heat unit for heating foodstuff, a controller for controlling the operation of the heat unit, and a casing enclosing the heat unit and the controller. The cooking appliance is attached to a fixture panel fixed to a sidewall. The casing includes a bottom panel located at the bottom of the casing, and a body frame covering the upper portion of the bottom panel. The controller is provided on the bottom panel. The bottom panel is detachable from the body frame with the cooking appliance still attached to the fixture panel.
It is to be noted that the bottom panel can be detached from the body frame while the cooking appliance is still attached to the fixture panel. In other words, the controller can be detached from the body frame with the cooking appliance still attached to the fixture panel.
Since the controller can be easily removed from the cooking appliance, the internal components constituting the controller can be repaired, if necessary, more easily. Thus, a cooking appliance feasible in handling can be provided.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of installing a cooking appliance having a fastening member engaging with a fixture panel fixed to a sidewall includes the steps of setting the cooking appliance at a first state in which the cooking appliance is tilted forward in front of the sidewall on a predetermined base, setting the cooking appliance at a second state from the first state in which the cooling appliance is tilted forward and having the fastening member engaging with the fixture panel, setting the cooking appliance at a third state in which the forward tilt is less than in the second state by rotating the cooking appliance about the fastening member from the second state, and fixing the cooking appliance attaining the third state to the fixture panel. In the step of fixing the cooking appliance attaining the third state to the fixture panel, the cooking appliance attaining the third state is supported using a predetermined member.
The cooking appliance is supported at the third state by a predetermined member in the transition from the second state to the third state.
Accordingly, the labor involved in the supporting job as to the supporting job and the attaching job required in the installment of the cooking appliance can be reduced. Therefore, the method of handling the cooking appliance easily can be provided.
In the method of installing the cooking appliance, the predetermined member is preferably a support base to support the cooking appliance attaining the third state.
The cooking appliance is supported at the third state by the support base in the transition from the second state to the third state. Therefore, the labor involved in the supporting job as to the supporting job and the attaching job required in the installment of the cooking appliance can be reduced.
In the method of installing the cooking appliance, the predetermined member is preferably a sub fastening member provided at the cooking appliance, and engaging with the fixture panel when the cooking appliance is at the third state.
The cooking appliance is supported at the third state by the engagement of the sub fastening member with the fixture panel in the transition from the second state to the third state.
Therefore, the labor involved in the supporting job as to the supporting job and the attaching job required in the installment of the cooking appliance can be reduced.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a method of installing a cooking appliance having a fastening member engaging with a fixture panel fixed to a sidewall includes the steps of setting the cooking appliance at a first state in which the cooking appliance is tilted forward on a predetermined base in front of the sidewall, setting the cooling appliance at a second state from the first state in which the cooking appliance is tilted forward and having the fastening member being engaged with the fixture panel, and setting the cooking appliance at a third state in which the forward tilt is less than that in the second state by rotating the cooking appliance about the fastening member from the second state, and fixing the cooking appliance attaining the third state to the fixture
Fujii Miho
Fukuda Takashi
Fukuda Yoshito
Kume Kenji
Murata Junji
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Pwu Jeffrey
Sanyo Electric Co,. Ltd.
Walberg Teresa
LandOfFree
Cooking appliance that can be easily installed by small man... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Cooking appliance that can be easily installed by small man..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Cooking appliance that can be easily installed by small man... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2471706