Electric heating – Microwave heating – Enclosed cavity structure
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-20
2001-12-11
Leung, Philip H. (Department: 3742)
Electric heating
Microwave heating
Enclosed cavity structure
C219S702000, C219S719000, C126S29900R, C126S02100R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06329646
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to high frequency heating apparatuses, particularly to high frequency heating apparatuses of various types such as a microwave oven.
2. Description of the Background Art
In conventional cases, a microwave oven may be installed above a cooking counter such as a kitchen stove counter from the standpoint of effectively utilizing the space above the cooking counter.
When cooking is carried out at the cooking counter, the heat therefrom rises to adversely affect the microwave oven. An approach could be taken to install a ventilation fan at the microwave oven per se to drive the fan to discharge the heat.
In a conventional microwave oven, the start and end of a ventilation operation was effected through the key operation of the user.
In the conventional case, the user had to operate the end specification key in order to terminate the ventilation operation. This may be a bother to the user. In the case the user forgets to operate the end key, the ventilation operation will be continued to result in wasting power consumption.
In order to eliminate the key operation by the user to terminate the ventilation operation, the applicant of the present invention considered that the conventional problem can be solved by utilizing a timer, for example, to automatically terminate the ventilation operation at an elapse of a predetermined time from the start of the ventilation operation. In this case, the key operation is bothersome since the key operation to initiate a ventilation operation and the key operation to specify the operation period of time of the ventilation operation had to be carried out. If the period of time of the ventilation operation is to be set based on the unit of one minute per one operation, for example, the number of key operations required will increase as a longer operation period of time is to be set such as 10 minutes, 20 minutes, and the like. The operation load on the user is rather heavy in such a conventional high frequency heating apparatuses. There was a problem that the usability thereof is poor and bothersome.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to alleviate the operation load on the user of a high frequency heating apparatus capable of ventilation operation when the ventilation operation is to be restricted in time.
Another object of the present invention is to allow setting the period of the ventilation operation to a relatively long time with the minimum manipulation.
A high frequency heating apparatus of the present invention is installed above a cooking appliance to cook an object. The high frequency heating apparatus includes a case covering the housing thereof, a fan to send the air below the case in a predetermined direction towards outside the case, an operation unit operated to set an operation of the fan, and a control unit controlling the operation of the fan. The control unit executes time limit control in response to one operation of the operation unit. The time limit control is provided to operate the fan for a predetermined period of time after initiating the fan drive and then terminating the fan drive.
According to the present invention, one operation by the user with respect to the operation unit allows the fan drive to be automatically stopped after the fan has been driven for a predetermined period of time.
Accordingly, the users operation can be simplified when the ventilation operation is to be restricted in time in a high frequency heating apparatus.
In the high frequency heating apparatus of the present invention, the control unit preferably extends the time to drive the fan for every predetermined time in the time limit control according to the number of times the operation unit has been operated.
Accordingly, the user can set a long period time of the ventilation operation in the time limit control with a relatively small number of operations.
Furthermore, the high frequency heating apparatus of the present invention preferably extends the time of driving the fan in the time limit control under the condition that the operation on the operation unit has been effected before the elapse of a particular time from the immediately preceding operation on the operation unit.
Accordingly, the period of time of driving the fan can be extended by a unitary operation unit being operated by a particular manipulation manner.
Therefore, the ventilation operation will not be extended in the time limit control by just operating the operation unit a plurality of times. Also, the user can set a long ventilation operation in the time limit control by a relatively small number of operations.
The high frequency heating apparatus of the present invention further includes a start designation unit operated to initiate the fan drive, and an end designation unit operated to terminate the fan drive. The control unit preferably drives the fan according to the operation of the start designation unit and the end designation unit.
Accordingly, the user can end the fan drive automatically according to the time limit control, or manually according to the operation on the end designation unit.
Since a ventilation operation restricted in time can be executed through the fan by just one manual operation by the user, the user does not have to execute an operation to end the ventilation operation.
In the case where the ventilation operation is to be terminated manually, the user initiates the fan drive with the start designation unit and terminates the fan drive with the end designation unit.
By increasing the number of times of operation on the operation unit by the user, the operation time of the fan can be extended by every constant period of time. If the constant period of time is defined as 10 minutes, for example, the user can set a long period of time of the fan operation with a relatively small number of operations.
In the high frequency heating apparatus of the present invention, the operation unit is preferably formed of a touch panel. The touch panel includes a transparent substrate and a film. The transparent substrate includes a touch key arranged at a site facing the operator. The film is arranged at the side opposite of the plane of the substrate facing the operator, and has a reflectance of visible light higher than that of the substrate.
Accordingly, the member behind the substrate of a touch panel can be concealed from the operator while providing the sense of high quality to the touch panel. The sense of high quality can be provided to the touch panel by forming the substrate of a transparent member such as glass. By disposing a film having a reflectance of visible light higher than that of the substrate at one plane of the substrate, the member located behind the substrate of the touch panel can be concealed from the operator.
In the high frequency heating apparatus of the present invention, the film is preferably a half mirror.
In the high frequency heating apparatus of the present invention, the substrate further includes a display unit displaying information at the back side of the plane facing the operator. The film preferably includes a first film arranged at a region corresponding to the display unit, and a second film arranged at a region other than the region corresponding to the display unit. The first film is formed of a half mirror. The second film is formed of a material that blocks visible light.
The high frequency heating apparatus of the present invention has a first electrode arranged at the plane facing the operator and a second electrode formed at the back side of the plane facing the operator. The film on the substrate is preferably arranged between the substrate and the second electrode. The second electrode is arranged corresponding to the first electrode at the back side of the plane facing the operator.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken i
Fukuda Yoshihito
Murata Junji
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Leung Philip H.
Sanyo Electric Co,. Ltd.
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