Combination Microwave And Hood System
Patent No. US12133317 (titled "Combination Microwave And Hood System") was filed by Whirlpool Corp on Dec 2, 2022.
What is this patent about?
’317 is related to the field of kitchen appliances, specifically combination microwave ovens and ventilation hoods designed for installation above cooking ranges. Traditional over-the-range microwave/hood combinations often have a large vertical profile, which can reduce the clearance between the cooktop and the microwave, hindering cooking activities. The patent addresses the need for a more compact design that maximizes cooking space while maintaining effective microwave and ventilation functionality.
The underlying idea behind ’317 is to create a low-profile microwave oven with integrated ventilation by strategically arranging the internal components and airflow paths. Instead of a single, large ventilation fan mounted above the microwave cavity, the design uses laterally positioned hood fans and a dedicated cooling fan. This allows for a reduced vertical height while still providing adequate ventilation and cooling for the microwave's electronics.
The claims of ’317 focus on a microwave oven featuring an external enclosure, an internal cooking cavity, a cooking component area, a cooling fan, and at least one hood fan. The key aspects covered are the specific airflow paths for both cooling the microwave components and ventilating cooking fumes. The cooling air enters through an inlet, passes through the cooking component area, then through air passages in the cooking cavity walls, and finally exits through an outlet. The hood fan draws air through a vent inlet and expels it through a vent outlet, with the cooking cavity remaining separate from the hood fan's airflow.
In practice, the cooling fan draws air in through the top of the microwave, directs it across the magnetron and other heat-generating components, and then channels it through the cooking cavity walls before exhausting it. This cooling airflow through the cavity walls helps to maintain a safe operating temperature for the microwave components. Simultaneously, the laterally positioned hood fans draw cooking fumes from below the microwave and exhaust them through vents on the top or rear of the unit.
This design differentiates itself from conventional over-the-range microwaves by optimizing space utilization and airflow. By placing the hood fans on the sides of the cooking cavity and routing the cooling air through the cavity walls, the overall vertical height of the appliance is significantly reduced. This allows for greater clearance above the cooking range, improving usability and addressing a common complaint with traditional designs. The separation of cooling and ventilation airflows also ensures efficient cooling of the microwave components without contaminating the cooking cavity with grease or odors.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical landscape at the time
In the mid-2010s when ’317 was filed, combination microwave and hood systems were typically implemented with a significant overall vertical dimension. At a time when ventilation units were commonly incorporated into overhead microwave ovens, hardware constraints made it non-trivial to reduce the vertical space occupied by such appliances without restricting access to rear cooking regions of the cooking appliance.
Novelty and Inventive Step
The examiner approved the application because the prior art did not disclose or teach a recirculation vent outlet positioned between the cooling air inlet and outlet, where the bottom surface includes at least one vent inlet. Also, the prior art fails to disclose a recirculation vent outlet between a cooling air inlet and outlet along a front edge, all defined within a horizontal plane. Finally, the prior art does not teach a recirculation vent outlet between the cooling air inlet and outlet, combined with an internal enclosure having sidewalls and a top wall that define a cooking cavity within the external enclosure.
Claims
This patent includes 20 claims, with independent claims numbered 1, 9, and 16. The independent claims are directed to microwave oven designs that incorporate specific configurations of cooling and hood fan systems within the external and internal enclosures. The dependent claims generally elaborate on and refine the features described in the independent claims, adding details about air flow paths, vent placements, and component arrangements.
Key Claim Terms New
Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.
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Date
Description
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US12133317
- Application Number
- US18073694
- Filing Date
- Dec 2, 2022
- Status
- Granted
- Expiry Date
- Apr 11, 2037
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents