Atty. Docket No.: 442-521
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`HEATING APPLIANCE, IN PARTICULAR OVEN
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`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
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`The invention relates to a heating appliance, in particular to an oven, with a
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`housing enclosing a heatable interior, wherein the interior is bounded at the rear by a rear
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`wall and at the front by a door which in a closed position closes a housing opening
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`allowing access to the interior, wherein at least one product support for products to be
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`heated, which can be removed from the housing after the door has been opened, is
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`accommodated in the housing.
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`Heating appliances of this type, e.g. baking ovens, have a housing enclosing a
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`heatable interior, which can also be described as a muffle or baking muffle. The housing
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`consists of a heat-resistant material, e. g. a steel material. In conventional heating
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`appliances, the side walls of the housing are fitted with slide-in rails for product supports,
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`in the case of a baking oven cooking product supports such as baking sheets or grids, at
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`the side walls. At the front, the heating appliance is bounded by a door, which is designed
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`as a downward-pivotable hatch as a rule. After the door has been opened, the interior of
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`the housing is accessible and the product support can be pulled out together with the
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`product. As the door is being opened, the heated air in the interior of the housing escapes
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`to the outside.
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`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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`The invention is based on the problem or creating a heating appliance of the type
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`referred to above which offers a higher degree of energy efficiency than conventional
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`heating appliances.
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`This problem is solved by a heating appliance with the features of the independent
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`claim 1. Further developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.
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`The heating appliance according to the invention is characterised in that a
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`bulkhead movably guided by guide means between an operating position located in the
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`region of the rear wall and a closed position, in which it is pulled out into the region of
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`the housing opening and closes the housing opening substantially completely, is located
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`in the interior.
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`If the door is opened and the product support is pulled out, the bulkhead once
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`again closes the interior or the cavity of the heating appliance, and the entire interior
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`volume of heated air is lost only once. In its closed position, the bulkhead acts as a kind
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`of door or closure and on the one hand allows the easy removal of the product support
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`and on the other hand allows working with the door open without any further hot air
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`flowing outside from the interior. The interior behind the bulkhead can immediately be
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`brought up to temperature although the door is open.
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`In a further development of the invention, the bulkhead is coupled to the at least
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`one product support by coupling means in such a way that the bulkhead can be moved by
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`pulling out the product support from the operating position into the closed position. As in
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`the case of common heating appliances, the handle on the product support effects the
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`displacement of the bulkhead from its operating position into its closed position. In the
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`closed position, the bulkhead is in the region of the housing opening, closing it
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`substantially completely, with the result that the product support is at least partially and in
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`particular almost completely outside the housing and can therefore be removed easily,
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`e. g. even gripped at the sides, before it is removed from the bulkhead.
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`In principle, however, it would also be possible not to move the bulkhead from the
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`operating position into the closed position by pulling out the product support, but rather to
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`displace it from the operating position into the closed position by opening the door using
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`suitable coupling means of another kind.
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`In a further development of the invention, the coupling means comprise at least
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`one hook element and at least one hook holder for releasably holding the at least one hook
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`element. In a particularly preferred way, the at least one hook element is located on the
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`product support and the hook holder is located on the bulkhead. In principle, however, it
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`would also be possible to locate the hook element on the bulkhead and the hook holder on
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`the product support. Compared to this arrangement, however, the location of the hook
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`element on the product support is advantageous, being easier to convert and therefore
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`more cost-effective. Furthermore, conventional product supports can be retrofitted with
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`such hook elements, which could also be described as hang-in hooks.
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`In a particularly preferred variant, the hook holder has several hang-in members
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`lying on top of one another in the vertical direction of the bulkhead for hanging in an
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`associated hook element.
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`The hang-in members are expediently located in at least one holder slot formed in
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`the bulkhead and extending in the vertical direction and occupy the slot width of the
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`holder slot. This has the advantage that the bulkhead has no parts which project forwards,
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`i.e. towards the interior in the operating position, but the hang-in members are recessed in
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`the slot, so that the bulkhead as a whole forms a flat surface interrupted by at least one
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`holder slot and in particular by two holder slots.
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`The hang-in members are expediently designed to be pin- or bolt-like.
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`In a further development of the invention, the guide means are designed such that
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`they are secured to the rear wall on the one hand and to the bulkhead on the other hand.
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`In a particularly preferred way, the guide means are designed such that there is no
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`contact with the side walls. The guide means can therefore be secured to the rear wall on
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`the one hand and to the bulkhead and the surroundings of the side walls on the other hand.
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`It is possible that the guide means have a guide linkage consisting of several guide
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`arms, which is movable in the manner of an accordion while guiding the bulkhead
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`between the operating position and the closing position. A telescopic guide could be used
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`as an alternative to the accordion guide linkage.
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`For ventilating and venting the interior of the housing, at least one ventilation hole
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`is expediently formed in the bulkhead.
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`In a particularly preferred way, the heating appliance is designed as a baking
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`oven. In this case, the housing could be described as a muffle. The product supports
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`would be cooking product supports in this case. The product supports, in particular the
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`cooking product supports, could be tray- or grid-like. The cooking product supports, for
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`example, could have the form of a baking sheet and/or a backing rack and/or grid. Several
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`such cooking product supports are expediently assigned to the baking oven, e. g. several
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`baking sheets or grids, but it is also possible for several cooking product supports such as
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`baking sheets or grids to be accommodated in the interior of the housing and hooked by
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`means of their hook elements into associated hang-in members on the holder of the
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`bulkhead.
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`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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`A preferred embodiment is illustrated in the drawing and will be explained in
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`greater detail below. Of the drawing:
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`Figure 1
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`is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the heating
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`appliance according to the invention, the bulkhead of the heating appliance being in the
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`closed position.
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`Figure 2
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`shows the heating appliance from Figure 1 without its housing,
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`showing the guide means for guiding the bulkhead.
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`Figure 3
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`is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the heating
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`appliance from Figure 1, with housing but without bulkhead.
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`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
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`Figures 1 to 3 show a preferred embodiment of the heating appliance 11 according
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`to the invention. The heating appliance 11 is explained below using an oven, in particular
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`a baking oven, as an example. In principle, however, the invention could also be used in a
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`steamer or a microwave, although with a microwave there is no need to retain hot air, but
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`the invention rather focuses on the easier removal of the product support.
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`As Figure 1 shows in particular, the heating appliance 11 has a housing 12, which
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`in the case of a baking oven could also be described as a muffle or baking muffle. As a
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`rule and in the embodiment described here, the housing 12 is rectangular or cuboid in
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`design. It is made of a heat-resistant material, in particular a steel material.
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`The housing 12 encloses a heatable interior 13 bounded at the rear by a rear wall
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`14 and at the front by a door 15. In the illustrated embodiment, the door 15 is an oven
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`hatch which blocks access to the interior 13 in the closed position. The housing 12 further
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`comprises to opposite side walls 16a, 16b, a floor 17 and a ceiling wall 18 located
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`opposite thereof.
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`At least one product support 19 for product to be heated is accommodated in the
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`housing 12. By way of example, the product support 19 is shown in the form of a baking
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`sheet having a support section 20 and a raised edge section 21 extending around the
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`support section 20.
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`In the interior 13 of the housing 12, there is located a bulkhead 22, which is
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`movably guided by guide means 23 between an operating position 24 located in the
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`region of the rear wall 14 and a closed position 26, in which it is pulled out into the region
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`of the housing opening 25 and closes the housing opening 25 substantially completely.
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`As Figures 1 and 2 show in particular, the bulkhead 22 is plate-shaped and
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`likewise consists of a steel material.
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`The bulkhead 22 has a rectangular shape and closes the likewise rectangular
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`housing opening 25 virtually completely in the closed position 26, as a result of which the
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`interior 13 now lying behind the bulkhead 22 in the closed position 26 can immediately
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`be brought up to temperature.
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`As mentioned above, the bulkhead 22 is movably guided by guide means 23
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`between the operating position 24 and the closed position.
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`As Figure 2 shows in particular, the guide means 23 are designed such that they
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`are secured to the rear wall 14 on the one hand and to the bulkhead 22 on the other hand.
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`There is no contact with the side walls 16a, 16b.
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`As Figure 2 shows in particular, the guide means 23 comprise two guide units 27a,
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`27b, each of which is, at a mutual transverse distance, joined to the housing 12 on the one
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`hand and to the bulkhead 22 on the other hand.
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`Each of the guide units 27a, 27b has a guide linkage 29a, 29b consisting of several
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`guide arms 28a, 28b, which is movable in the manner of an accordion while guiding the
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`bulkhead 22 between the operating position 24 and the closed position 26.
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`As Figure 2 shows in particular, the guide arms 28a, 28b are designed as pivotably
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`connected swivel arms.
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`Each of the guide linkages 29a, 29b has two swivel arms, of which a first is
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`pivotably mounted about a housing-side first pivot axis 30a and a second is pivotably
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`mounted about a product support-side second pivot axis 30b, the two pivot axes being
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`pivotably connected to each other via a third pivot axis 30c.
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`The guide means 23 are further provided with a synchronisation device (not
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`shown) for synchronising the movement of the guide units 27a, 27b during the travel of
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`the product support 19 coupled to the guide units 27a, 27b by way of the bulkhead 22.
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`As mentioned above, the bulkhead 22 is coupled to the at least one product
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`support 19 in the form of the baking sheet by coupling means 31 in such a way that the
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`bulkhead 22 can be moved from the operating into the closed position 26 by pulling out
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`the product support 19.
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`The coupling means 31 comprise two hook elements 32a, 32b on the product
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`support 19 and associated hook holders 33a, 33b on the bulkhead 22 for releasably
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`holding the hook elements 32a, 32b.
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`As Figure 3 shows in particular, the hook elements 32a, 32b are secured to the
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`edge section 21 of the baking sheet and projects towards the rear therefrom.
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`On the bulkhead 22 there are located two hook holders 33a, 33b, which lie in the
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`region of the outer edge sides and each of which has hang-in members 34 located on top
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`of one another in the vertical direction of the bulkhead 22 for hanging in the associated
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`hook elements 32a, 32b at the baking sheet.
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`As Figure 2 shows in particular, the hang-in members 34 are designed as pins or
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`bolts and located in holder slots 34a, 34b belonging to the hook holders 33a, 33b and
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`extending in the vertical direction of the bulkhead 22, occupying the slot width of the
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`associated holder slot 34a, 34b.
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`In the illustrated embodiment, there are therefore provided in the region of the two
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`side walls of the bulkhead 22 holder slots 35a, 35b, in which are located three hang-in
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`members 34 arranged on top of one another, in particular with regular spacing. As a
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`result, the baking sheet can be placed at different heights on the bulkhead, depending on
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`the selection of hang-in members 34.
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`As Figure 2 shows in particular, at least one ventilation hole 36, in particular a
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`pattern formed from several ventilation holes, is formed on the bulkhead 22 for
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`ventilating and venting the interior 13 of the housing 12.
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`During the operation of the oven, the door 15 is closed and the bulkhead 22 is in
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`its operating position 24 in the region of the rear wall 14 of the housing 12. The interior
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`13 is heated to a suitable temperature, so that cooking products on the baking sheets, grids
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`or the like are heated to a corresponding temperature. At the end of the cooking process,
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`the door 15 or oven hatch is opened, and the baking sheet can be pulled out of the housing
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`12 manually, but in contrast to conventional ovens, it is not yet removed from the housing
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`12, but the extraction of the baking sheet causes a displacement of the bulkhead 22 from
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`the operating position 24 into the closed position 26, in which the housing opening 25 is
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`substantially closed completely by the bulkhead 22. The baking sheet is now substantially
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`completely outside the housing 12, but is still located on the bulkhead 22. The bulkhead
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`22 screens the interior of the housing 12, so that it can quickly be brought up to
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`temperature again. The baking sheet can be removed from the bulkhead 22 by
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`disengaging the hook elements from the associated hang-in members 34 on the bulkhead
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`22, but it can also be gripped at the sides, thereby avoiding an unfavourable slant of the
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`support section of the baking sheet, which may be covered by liquid such as gravy.
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