Oven appliance with dual opening and closing doors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10018364-B2
Application number	US-201213613927-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2012
Priority date	Sep 13, 2012
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

An oven appliance with a cabinet that defines a chamber for cooking food items is provided. A pair of doors is rotatably mounted to provide selective access to the chamber of the cabinet. The pair of doors is connected with a linkage assembly that simultaneously opens and closes the pair of doors. The linkage includes features for rotating one door of the pair at a first angular velocity and for rotating another of the pair of doors at a second angular velocity. An angular velocity differential between the first angular velocity and the second angular velocity can limit impacting or rubbing between the pair of doors during simultaneous opening and closing of the pair of doors.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An oven appliance, comprising:
a cabinet defining a chamber for receipt of food items for cooking, the chamber accessible through an opening defined by said cabinet;
a heating element for providing heat to the food items for cooking in the chamber of said cabinet;
a pair of doors rotatably mounted proximate the opening of said cabinet, said pair of doors comprising a first door and a second door, each of said first door and second door being rotatable between an open position and a closed position in order to permit selective access to the chamber of said cabinet through the opening of said cabinet, each of said first door and second door comprising a handle that allows for opening or closing the pair of doors; and
a linkage assembly coupling said pair of doors together, said linkage assembly comprising:
a pair of gears, each gear of said pair of gears having an axis of rotation about which the gear is rotatable, each axis of rotation defining a radial direction that is perpendicular to the respective axis of rotation, each gear of said pair of gears having a plurality of teeth, the plurality of teeth of one of said pair of gears engaging the plurality of teeth of the other of said pair of gears, each gear of said pair of gears having an engagement surface spaced apart from the axis of rotation of the gear along the radial direction, the plurality of teeth disposed on the engagement surface, the engagement surface having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of the engagement surface spaced apart from the axis of rotation of the gear along the radial direction by a first distance, the second portion of the engagement surface spaced apart from the axis of rotation of the gear along the radial direction by a second distance, the first distance being different than the second distance; and
a pair of linkage arms, each linkage arm of said pair of linkage arms extending between and connecting one of said pair of doors and one of said pair of gears,
wherein said linkage assembly couples said first door to said second door such that said first door rotates at first angular velocity when said second door rotates at a second angular velocity, an absolute value of the first angular velocity being different than an absolute value of the second angular velocity,
wherein said first door and said second door each having an inner surface and an outer surface, said first door and said second door each also having a sidewall extending between the inner surface and the outer surface, said first door and said second door each also having a projection that extends away from the sidewall, the projection of said first door and the projection of said second door engaging one another in a lap joint interface when said first and second doors are in the closed position.

2. The oven appliance of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said pair of gears is non-circular.

3. The oven appliance of claim 1 , wherein the projection of said first door is positioned contiguous with the inner surface of said first door, and the projection of said second door is positioned contiguous with the outer surface of said second door.

4. The oven appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a seal disposed between said cabinet and said first and second doors when said first and second doors are in the closed position.

5. The oven appliance of claim 1 , wherein the engagement surface is continuous between the first and second portions of the engagement surface.

6. The oven appliance of claim 3 , further comprising a gasket disposed between the sidewalls of said first door and said second door when said first and second doors are in the closed position.

Assignees

• Yantis John Adam
• Chilton John Mark
• Kershner Scott Thomas
• Sugalski Eric
• Schoon David
• Perry David
• Haier Us Appliance Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Yantis John Adam
• Chilton John Mark
• Kershner Scott Thomas
• Sugalski Eric
• Schoon David
• Perry David

Classifications

• F24C15/023 Primary

  Mounting of doors, e.g. hinges, counterbalancing · CPC title