Electric heating – Microwave heating – Enclosed cavity structure
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-19
2001-09-18
Leung, Philip H. (Department: 3742)
Electric heating
Microwave heating
Enclosed cavity structure
C219S702000, C219S716000, C126S02100R, C126S27300R, C126S29900R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06291809
ABSTRACT:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY
This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing 35 U.S.C. §119 from an application for Wall Mounted Type Microwave Oven earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Oct. 5, 2000 and there duly assigned Serial No. 58579/2000 and an application for Microwave Oven earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Feb. 27, 2001 and there duly assigned Serial No. 10128/2001 by that Office respectively.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates present invention relates to a wall-mounted microwave oven, and more particularly, to a wall-mounted microwave oven capable of opening and closing a louver in response to a hood switch.
2. Description of the Related Art
A microwave oven mounted above a gas oven or range includes two air ducts, such as a cavity duct for supplying outside air into a cavity, in which food to be cooked is placed, and a hood duct for providing a passageway of fumes and smoke generated from the gas range and passing through the microwave oven. Generally, a hood motor mounted in the hood duct draws the fumes and smoke into the hood duct and exhaust the fumes and smoke outside the hood duct of the microwave oven. Since the cavity duct is communicated with the hood duct, a vacuum state occurred inside the microwave oven causes the hood motor to be overloaded if the cavity duct is closed during the operation of the hood motor.
FIG. 1
illustrates a conventional wall-mounted microwave oven including a main body
3
having a rectangular cooking cavity
4
in which food to be cooked in placed, an outer case
6
enclosing main body
3
, a door
7
opening and closing cooking cavity
4
, and a control panel
5
controlling a cooking condition of the food. Over the door
7
and the control panel
5
are horizontally installed an elongated suction grill
27
along main body
3
.
Outer case
6
includes an upper case
6
a
covering a top and sides of main body
3
, and a lower case
6
b
coupled to a bottom of main body
3
. Between upper case
6
a
and the top side of the main body
3
is formed a space providing an air passage of outside air drawn into cooking cavity
4
through elongated suction grill
27
. A duct member
14
is installed at a rear portion of suction grill
27
within the space for guiding a flow of air drawn in through the suction grill
27
. Within a space between either side of upper case
6
a
and main body
3
is formed a hood duct for providing a passage of moisture and fumes generated from the gas range mounted below the microwave oven and passing through the main body of the microwave wave.
Lower case
6
b
has a hood inlet port
8
for drawing the moisture and fumes into hood duct
15
. A hood outlet port
9
for discharging the moisture and fumes drawn into hood duct
15
is formed on a top surface of upper case
6
a.
A hood fan
13
is installed on main body
3
adjacent to hood outlet port
9
of upper case
6
a.
While hood fan
13
operates, the moisture and fumes drawn into hood duct
15
through hood inlet port
8
are discharged outside through hood outlet port
9
. A hood switch is installed within hood duct
15
and turns on when the inner temperature of hood duct
15
is higher than a predetermined temperature. The hood switch is usually formed with a thermostat using a bimetal, and hood fan
13
starts to operate when the hood switch turns on. The suction grill
27
includes a rectangular grill frame
26
installed in front of main body
3
, a louver
25
rotatably installed at the front of grill frame
26
covering an opening of rectangular grill frame
26
, and a louver driving device
20
for driving louver
25
.
When the gas range operates, hot air containing the fumes and moisture spreads around hood duct
15
through hood inlet port
8
, and the hood switch turns on when the internal temperature of hood duct
15
is higher than a predetermined temperature so as to allow hood fan
13
to operate automatically. When hood fan
13
operates, a control unit controls louver driving means
20
to rotate louver
25
for opening suction grill
27
.
When the control unit does not operate in a normal manner, the operation of hood fan
13
cannot be detected by the control unit even if the inner temperature of hood duct
15
increases and if hood fan
13
starts to operate. Accordingly, louver
25
does not rotate to open suction grill
27
, and the air is not drawn in through suction grill
27
. Therefore, the space in which the duct member
14
is installed is vacuumized depending on the operation of hood fan
13
, thereby overloading hood fan
13
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved wall-mounted microwave oven capable of opening and closing a louver depending upon an operation of a hood switch irrespective of a normal operation of a control unit controlling the louver.
It is another object to provide a wall-mounted microwave oven able to prevent an overload of a hood motor exhausting air contained in a hood duct by automatically opening a louver of a suction grill communicated with the hood duct.
It is also object to provide a wall-mounted microwave oven able to avoid a vacuum state inside the wall-mounted microwave oven by opening a louver covering a suction grill during operating of a hood motor exhausting air contained in a hood duct communicated with the suction grill.
These and other objects of the present invention may be achieved by a wall-mounted type microwave oven including a main body having a suction grill formed on a front side of the main body, a hood inlet port and a hood outlet port both coupled to a hood duct, a hood fan installed within the hood duct of the main body and discharging air drawn through the suction port and the hood inlet port outside the microwave oven through the hood outlet port, a louver opening and closing the suction grill, a louver driving motor driving the suction louver, a hood switch turned on over a predetermined temperature and supplying a power to the hood fan, and a hood driving circuit part supplying the power to the louver driving motor so as to open the louver, depending upon a turn-on state of the hood switch.
The louver driving circuit part includes a louver relay switch switching on and off the louver driving motor, a hood switching part coupled to the louver relay switch so that the louver relay switch is activated when the hood switch turns on, and first and second switching parts coupled between the louver relay switch and the hood switching part and activating the louver relay switch depending on opening and closing states of the louver so that the louver driving motor opens the louver when the suction louver is not completely opened.
The hood switching part includes a driving switch coupled to the louver relay switch and switching on and off the louver relay switch and a power supply switch supplying electric power to drive the driving switch when the hood switch turns on.
The first switching part includes a first microswitch turning on or off depending upon opening and closing states of the louver and a first transistor coupled to the louver relay switch and turned on and off depending upon the first microswitch while the second switching part includes a second microswitch connected in parallel to the first microswitch to the louver relay switch through a second transistor.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5232402 (1993-08-01), Lorenzon
patent: 5951907 (1999-09-01), Kang
patent: 5981929 (1999-11-01), Maeda et al.
patent: 6072169 (2000-06-01), Kang et al.
Bushnell , Esq. Robert E.
Leung Philip H.
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
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