Supports: cabinet structure – With movable components – Horizontally movable
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-08
2004-09-14
Chen, Jose V. (Department: 3637)
Supports: cabinet structure
With movable components
Horizontally movable
Reexamination Certificate
active
06789861
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a product support system for an oven with at least one product support, at least one pair of telescopic guides each of which has at least one internal track and one external track, and wall-mounted holders arranged on the side walls of the baking muffle, which are designed for a releasable attachment of the telescopic guides at different levels of the oven muffle, the product support being housed over the telescopic guides in the oven muffle able to be pulled out from the latter.
By the expression “product support” is meant the following: all the inserts which are normally used in ovens, such as baking sheets, grills, baking dishes etc. The inside of an oven or cooker is formed by the so-called baking muffle or muffle. If the expression “at the back” is used in the following in relation to the oven, the product support or the telescopic guides, this refers to an area near to the back wall of the muffle, or, in the case of a part which is introduced into the oven, the area which is brought near to the back wall of muffle. “At the front” means the area near the mouth of the muffle or oven. In the following the expression “side wall” refers to the wall laterally limiting the inside of the oven. This can be the side wall of the oven muffle itself. However, there can also be a wall additionally arranged in the oven in front of the actual muffle side wall, a block, a folded or bent steel sheet, a profile or other lateral attachment device, as is normal in some ovens.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In known ovens the product support is guided in grooves which are developed in the side wall. Several grooves are provided on both sides at different heights or levels so that the product support can be introduced into the oven muffle at different heights or so that several product supports can be accommodated in the oven at the same time. The sliding behavior of the product supports in such grooves depends on the surface properties of the surfaces sliding on each other and the loading of the product support and is comparatively poor. In other known ovens, grids with horizontal bars, on which the product supports are guided, are arranged in front of the side walls. Due to the smaller bearing surface of the mostly round horizontal grid bars, the sliding behavior is somewhat improved vis-á-vis grooves. Both previously mentioned guide devices for product supports have the disadvantage that the product support can only be pulled a certain distance out of the oven before it tilts downwards or has to be held at the front. Although the upper limits of the grooves, or other horizontal grid bars fitted a small distance above the product carrier, do offer some help in preventing the product carrier from tilting downwards, and thus make it possible to pull it out for a somewhat greater distance, such arrangements do not permit the product support to be fully pulled out in front of the muffle without the product having to be held by someone.
In the case of improved ovens telescopic guides, onto the movable track of which a product support can be placed, are attached to the side wall or to a grid. If the telescopic guides have one or more center tracks between the stationary track and the movable track on which the product support rests, then the telescopic guides can be pulled out far enough for the product support to be able to be pulled completely out of the oven in front of the muffle. It is furthermore known that the product support lying on the movable telescopic track is furthermore housed slidable on this track so that, after the telescopic guide has been completely pulled out, it can be pulled further along the track until it is in front of the baking oven muffle. This allows the use of telescopic guides with only two tracks, which is advantageous in terms of cost. Because of their smooth-running properties, the telescopic guides facilitate the pulling-out and pushing-in of the product support generally and guarantee stability and safeguard against downward tilting of the product support in the pulled-out position. In order to be able to accommodate several product supports in one oven or in order to be able to position one product support at different levels it is necessary in the previously mentioned ovens that a pair of telescopic guides be provided at each level, which in turn increases the cost for such ovens. Furthermore, both the used and the unused telescopic guides take up a lot of room in the oven muffle, which means a poorer circulation of air in fan-assisted stoves. As telescopic guides are made of metal as a rule, they possess a high thermal capacity. As the telescopic guides which are not used are also heated in such ovens, a certain amount of thermal energy flows unnecessarily into these unused telescopic guides and thus increases the energy consumption of such ovens. A further disadvantage is that the telescopic guides partly cover the lighting often arranged on the side in the oven muffle and thus adversely affects the view in the oven. Ovens are also known in which the telescopic guides on the side wall are attached so as to be releasable, e.g. by means of screws. Thus the telescopic guides can be assembled as needed at certain levels and disassembled and the presence of unused telescopic guides in the oven is avoided. If telescopic guides are not arranged at every level in the oven then it is not possible in such ovens to adjust the height of the product support during baking or roasting. To do this, the telescopic guides would firstly have to be dismantled and then reassembled at another level. This is time consuming and impractical and represents a handling problem as the product support has to firstly be removed from the oven and placed somewhere else and the telescopic guides are very hot. It would be a waste of energy, and also very inexpedient for the baking or roasting process, if the telescopic guides first had to be left to cool down for a time before disassembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to prepare a product support system of the type mentioned at the start in which only the minimum necessary number of telescopic guides is present in the oven and a simple and comfortable change of the levels of the product supports is nevertheless possible without time consuming disassembly work.
This object is achieved by a product support system of the type mentioned at the start in which the product support is connected in fixed or releasable manner, as a product support unit which can be removed from the oven, to the pair of telescopic guides.
Each product support which is pushed into the oven is connected to the necessary pair of telescopic guides to form a product support unit. Product support and telescopic guides are thus introduced into the oven, and also removed again, as one unit. The telescopic guides are each attached laterally to the product support. The attachment can be developed in a non-releasable manner, e.g. by welding, riveting or otherwise. A releasable connection can be carried out by screwing, plug insertion, clamping, locking or in other ways. A releasable connection has the advantage that the unit of product support and telescopic guides can be broken down into these individual components in order to more easily clean them separately. Furthermore a small number of telescopic guides can thereby be used for very different product supports. Normally no more than two or three product supports are pushed into an oven at the same time. However, in most cases many different types of product supports are present for different uses, such as baking sheets, grills, drip trays etc., which can then be equipped when needed with the telescopic guides.
By “internal track” is meant herein the movable track of a telescopic guide which, in relation to the muffle side wall, faces the inside of the oven. The connection between product support and telescopic guide takes place expediently via the internal track. By “external track” is meant the stationary track of the telescopic guides which in
Accuride International GmbH
Chen José V.
Ellis Howard M.
LandOfFree
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