Steam oven cleaning method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10184667-B2
Application number	US-201515126319-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2015
Priority date	May 16, 2014
Publication date	Jan 22, 2019
Grant date	Jan 22, 2019

Abstract

A method for cleaning a cavity of an oven having a steam generation device, comprising the following steps: (i) a step of mild detergent cleaning, comprising (i.1) a step of applying mild detergent to the oven cavity at a predetermined cavity starting temperature (T0), and subsequently (i.2) a step of incubating the oven cavity for a predetermined incubation period of time (Δtinc1) at a temperature Tact, (i.3) a step of applying steam generated by the steam generation device to the oven cavity for a steam period of time (Δtsteam1) until the oven cavity reaches a temperature T1, and subsequently incubating the oven cavity for an incubation period of time (Δtinc2) until the oven cavity reaches a temperature T2, and (i.4) a step of removing water and dirt from the oven cavity; and (ii) a step of steam cleaning, comprising (ii.1) a step of applying steam generated by the steam generation device to the oven cavity for a steam period of time (Δtsteam2) until the oven cavity reaches a temperature T3, and subsequently incubating the oven cavity for an incubation period of time (Δtinc3) until the oven cavity reaches a temperature T4, and (ii.2) a step of removing water and dirt from the oven cavity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for cleaning a cavity of an oven having a steam generation device, comprising the following steps:
(i) a step of mild detergent cleaning, comprising:
(i.1) applying mild detergent to the oven cavity at a predetermined cavity starting temperature (T 0 ), and subsequently
(i.2) incubating the oven cavity for a predetermined first incubation period of time (Δt inc1 ) at a temperature T act ,
(i.3) applying steam generated by the steam generation device to the oven cavity for both a first steam period of time (Δt steam1 ) until the oven cavity reaches a temperature T 1 and a second incubation period of time (Δt inc2 ) until the oven cavity reaches a temperature T 2 that is less than temperature T 1 , and thereafter turning off the steam generation device such that the oven cavity cools to a first working temperature (T work1 ), and
(i.4) removing water and dirt from the oven cavity; and

(ii) a step of steam cleaning, comprising:
(ii.1) applying steam generated by the steam generation device to the oven cavity for a second steam period of time (Δt steam2 ) until the oven cavity reaches a temperature T 3 , and subsequently incubating the oven cavity for a third incubation period of time (Δt inc3 ) until the oven cavity reaches a temperature T 4 , and
(ii.2) removing water and dirt from the oven cavity.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined cavity starting temperature (T 0 ) is about room temperature and/or wherein T act is between about room temperature and about 60° C.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein T 1 is equal to or less than about 100° C.

4. The method according to claim 3 , T 1 being between about 50° C. and about 100° C.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein T 3 is equal to or less than about 100° C.

6. The method according to claim 5 , T 3 being between about 65° C. and about 100° C.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein T 2 is higher than about 40° C.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein T 4 is less than about 95° C. and/or higher than about 50° C.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein substep ii.2 of removing water and dirt from the oven cavity is carried out subsequent to cooling the cavity to a second working temperature (T work2 ).

10. The method according to claim 9 , said second working temperature being about room temperature.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mild detergent is selected from the group consisting of basic mild detergents and enzyme based mild detergents.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mild detergent is a basic mild detergent comprising sodium hydroxide.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mild detergent is a basic detergent and wherein the temperature T 1 and/or T 2 and/or T 3 and/or T 4 is higher than about 60° C.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mild detergent is an enzyme and wherein the temperature T 1 and/or T 2 and/or T 3 and/or T 4 is each individually from about 40° C. to about 50° C.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a duration of the step (i) of mild detergent cleaning is about 35 min to 42 min, and the first incubation period Δt inc1 is between about 200 sec and about 600 sec, and/or wherein the second incubation period Δt inc2 is between 30 min and about 40 min, and/or wherein the first steam period Δt steam1 is about 10 min.

16. The method according to claim 15 , said first incubation period Δt inc1 being between about 360 sec to about 600 sec.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a duration of the step (ii) of steam cleaning is about 20 min to about 45 min, and the third incubation period Δt inc3 is between about 15 min and about 30 min and/or wherein the second steam period Δt steam2 is about 500 s.

18. The method according to claim 1 , said first working temperature being about room temperature.

19. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature T act is greater than the predetermined cavity starting temperature (T 0 ) and the temperature T 1 is greater than the temperature T act .

20. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature T 3 is greater than the temperature T 4 .

21. The method according to claim 1 , wherein steam generated by the steam generation device is applied to the oven cavity intermittently during the second incubation period of time (Δt inc2 ).

22. A method for cleaning a cavity of an oven having a steam generation device and a user interface, comprising the following steps:
a step of mild detergent cleaning, comprising:
(i.1) said user interface issuing a first message to apply mild detergent to the oven cavity,
(i.2) a user manually applying said mild detergent to the oven cavity in response to said first message at a predetermined cavity starting temperature (T 0 ),
(i.3) thereafter incubating the oven cavity for a predetermined first incubation period of time (Δt inc1 ) at a temperature T act ,
(i.4) thereafter applying steam generated by the steam generation device to the oven cavity for a first steam period of time (Δt steam1 ) until the oven cavity reaches a temperature T 1 ,
(i.5) thereafter incubating the oven cavity by supplying heat for a second incubation period of time (Δt inc2 ) until the oven cavity reaches a temperature T 2 that is less than temperature T 1 ,
(i.6) thereafter said user interface issuing a second message to remove water and dirt from the oven cavity, and
(i.7) thereafter said user manually removing water and dirt from the oven cavity in response to said second message; and

(ii) a step of steam cleaning, comprising:
(ii.1) applying steam generated by the steam generation device to the oven cavity for a second steam period of time (Δt steam2 ) until the oven cavity reaches a temperature T 3 ,
(ii.2) thereafter incubating the oven cavity for a third incubation period of time (Δt inc3 ) until the oven cavity reaches a temperature T 4 ,
(ii.3) thereafter said user interface issuing a third message to remove water and dirt from the oven cavity, and
(ii.4) thereafter said user manually removing water and dirt from the oven cavity in response to said third message.

23. The method according to claim 22 , said step (i) of mild detergent cleaning further comprising, before substep i.1, said user interface issuing a fourth message to open an oven door and thereafter said user manually opening said oven door in response to said fourth message and closing said oven door after applying said mild detergent.

24. The method according to claim 22 , said step (i) of mild detergent cleaning further comprising before, substep i.6, said user interface issuing a fifth message to open said oven door and thereafter said user manually opening said oven door in response to said fifth message and closing said door after removing said water and dirt, and said step (ii) of steam cleaning further comprising, before said step ii.3, said user interface issuing a sixth message to open said oven door and thereafter said user manually opening said oven door in response to said sixth message.

25. The method according to claim 22 , wherein during any of the first incubation period of time (Δt inc1 ), the second incubation period of time (Δt inc2 ), and the third incubation period of time (Δt inc3 ), steam generated by the steam generation device is applied to the oven cavity.

26. The m

Assignees

• Electrolux Appliances AB

Inventors

• Faraldi Paolo
• Banz Claire
• Di Piano Giovanni

Classifications

• F24C14/005 Primary

  using a cleaning liquid · CPC title