Electric heating – Microwave heating – Enclosed cavity structure
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-21
2003-01-21
Leung, Philip H. (Department: 3742)
Electric heating
Microwave heating
Enclosed cavity structure
C219S681000, C126S02100R, C126S29900R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06509556
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microwave oven, and, more particularly, to an improved structure of a ventilation motor assembly fitted above a cavity of a microwave oven for discharging, not only heat, smoke, smell from an inside of the microwave oven, but also heat, smoke, smell from a gas oven range provided below the microwave oven.
2. Background of the Related Art
The microwave oven is a cooker having a magnetron for generating, and directing a microwave to cooking material, to cause molecular movement therein, that generates a heat for the cooking material. Recently, a microwave oven is developed, which has a function of the cooker itself, as well as a function of ventilator that removes heat, gas, and smell for food from a gas range or gas oven range. Such a microwave oven is in general placed over the gas oven range, to call such a microwave oven as OTR (Over-the-Range) type microwave oven. A ventilation motor assembly of the related art OTR type microwave oven will be explained with reference to
FIGS. 1 and 2
.
FIG. 1
illustrates a perspective view showing a system of related art ventilation motor and sirocco fan.
Referring to the drawing, the ventilation motor
2
is provided between one pair of supports
4
, for forming an air flow. The ventilation motor
2
has one pair of sirocco fans
12
and
24
shaft connected thereto on both sides thereof. The sirocco fan shaft connected on a left side thereof is called as a left fan
14
, and the sirocco fan shaft connected on a right side thereof is called as a right fan
24
. There is a fan housing
12
or
22
enclosing each of the fans
14
or
24
. There is an air outlet
12
b
or
22
b
and an air inlet
12
a
and
22
a
in each of the fan housings
12
or
22
in a direction of the shaft. The air inlet
12
a
or
22
a
is formed in a side of each of the fan housings
12
or
22
, and the air outlet
12
b
or
22
b
is formed in an outer circumference of the fan housing
12
or
22
in a direction perpendicular to the shaft direction, such that an air flow through the air inlet
12
a
or
22
a
and the air flow through the air outlet
12
b
or
22
b
are perpendicular to each other.
In the meantime, the fan housings
12
and
22
enclosing the left and right fans
14
and
24
are rotatable centered on the vent motor
2
, to change a direction of the air outlet according to rotation of the fan housings
12
and
22
. Arrows and symbols ‘f’ on the drawing represent directions of air flows.
FIG. 2
illustrates a perspective view of a microwave oven showing a related art ventilation motor fitted thereto.
Referring to
FIG. 2
, there is an electric fitting room
36
at a side of a cavity
32
for accommodating food to be cooked therein, and an exhaust gas passage in rear of the electric fitting room
36
for guiding exhaust gas from a gas oven range under the microwave oven to above the cavity
32
. There is an air duct
34
over the cavity
32
, and the ventilation motor
2
fitted in rear of the air duct
34
. The fan housings
12
and
22
on both sides of the ventilation motor
2
are fitted in a lateral direction of the microwave oven. That is, the one pair of air inlets
12
a
and
22
a
in the fan housings face left and right sides of the microwave oven, and the one pair of the air outlet
12
b
and
22
b
in the fan housings
12
and
22
are provided to face an upper part of the microwave oven.
The work of the related art ventilation motor assembly in a microwave oven will be explained. At first, the operation of the related art ventilation motor assembly will be explained with reference to FIG.
1
. The left and right fans
14
and
24
on the ventilation motor
2
are rotated in the same direction as the ventilation motor
2
is come into operation, to draw air along a shaft direction into the one pair of fan housings
12
and
22
on the same time, and discharge through the air outlet
12
b
in a direction vertical to the direction of air inlet.
The air flow will be described with reference to FIG.
2
. When the ventilation motor
2
is put into operation, an exhaust gas from the gas oven range under the microwave oven flows into the microwave oven through an air suction (not shown) in the side of the microwave oven. The exhaust gas then flows toward the one pair of fan housings
12
and
22
on both sides of the ventilation motor
2
through a space formed between a rear wall of the electric fitting room
36
and a rear wall of the microwave oven. The exhaust drawn through the one pair of fan housings
12
and
22
is discharged above the microwave oven through the air outlets
12
b
and
22
b
in the fan housings. In this instance, as the fan housings
12
and
22
are rotatable, different from the drawing, the air outlets
12
b
and
22
b
may face front, or rear of the microwave oven. That is, directions of the exhaust gas discharged by the ventilation motor
2
vary with directions of the fan housings
12
and
22
.
However, the related art ventilation motor assembly has the following problems in view of a system.
The related art ventilation motor assembly has an air flow direction toward the ventilation motor
2
only when the ventilation motor
2
is in operation. That is, when the ventilation motor
2
is in operation, the exhaust gas flows into the one pair of the fan housings
12
and
22
on the same time along a shaft direction, and discharged through the air outlet
12
b
in a direction perpendicular to a direction of inlet. Accordingly, the fixed air flow direction in designing suction/discharge structure of the microwave oven in the related art ventilation motor assembly substantially limits air flow structural design, that makes a structure of the electric fitting room complicate. That is, the related art ventilation motor assembly leads to require a separate ventilation system for the electric fitting room, such that cooling down of the electric fittings in the electric fitting room is invariably made by a separate cooling fan, to require a separate air flow passage, that makes an internal structure of the microwave oven complicate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a ventilation motor assembly in a microwave oven that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a ventilation motor assembly in a microwave oven, in which a variety of air flows are formed for forming a variety of air suction/discharge structures of the microwave oven.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the structure of a ventilation motor assembly in a microwave oven includes a ventilation motor having first and second shafts fitted in opposite directions, a sirocco fan interlocked with the first shaft for drawing air in a direction of the first shaft and discharging in a direction perpendicular to the first shaft, and a radial fan interlocked with the second shaft for drawing air in a direction perpendicular to the second shaft and discharging in a direction of the second shaft, thereby permitting the sirocco fan and the radial fan to form air flows different from each other when the ventilation motor is in operation, to provide a variety of air suction/discharge structures for ventilation of the microwave oven and a variety of air flow structures for prevention of temperature rise.
It is preferable that a fan housing having an air outlet in an outer surface thereof and an angle of fitting position variable as the fan hou
Fleshner & Kim LLP
Leung Philip H.
LG Electronics Inc.
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