Microwave cooking appliance with user interface display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12200849-B2
Application number	US-202318473838-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2023
Priority date	Mar 31, 2020
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

A microwave cooking appliance for increasing visibility into the cooking cavity. The microwave cooking appliance may include a door. The door may include a conductive mesh layer. The door may include a frame supporting the conductive mesh layer. The door may include a conductive and/or sealing engagement between the conductive mesh layer and the frame. The door may include a leak detection device. The leak detection device may be adjacent the conductive and/or sealing engagement. The door may include a user interface display and/or a touch screen.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A microwave cooking appliance comprising:
a housing having a door to form a cooking cavity, wherein the door includes an interior face arranged to face towards the cooking cavity and an exterior face arranged to face away from the cooking cavity; and
the door comprising
a frame having a choke groove and a multi-layered shielding panel having one or more conductive mesh layers and one or more glass layers; and
one or more user interface panels are disposed over at least a portion of the choke groove.

2. The microwave cooking appliance of claim 1 wherein the one or more user interface panels are disposed over the one or more conductive mesh layers.

3. The microwave cooking appliance of claim 1 wherein the one or more user interface panels extend to an outer periphery of the choke groove.

4. The microwave cooking appliance of claim 3 wherein an outer periphery of a user interface panel of the one or more user interface panels is fully adjacent to the outer periphery of the choke groove.

5. The microwave cooking appliance of claim 1 wherein the one or more user interface panels include one or more touch screens configured to receive input from the user.

6. The microwave cooking appliance of claim 1 wherein the one or more user interface panels include at least one outer protective layer.

7. The microwave cooking appliance of claim 1 wherein the door further includes one or more conductive engagements between a remaining portion of the frame and the one or more conductive mesh layers.

8. The microwave cooking appliance of claim 7 wherein the one or more conductive engagements include at least one of a conductive glass sealant, a conductive gasket, a conductive tape, and/or a mechanical fastener electrically grounding the remaining portion of the frame to the one or more conductive mesh layers.

9. The microwave cooking appliance of claim 8 includes the conductive glass sealant.

10. The microwave cooking appliance of claim 8 includes the conductive gasket.

11. The microwave cooking appliance of claim 8 includes the conductive tape, wherein the conductive tape surrounds an outer edge of the one or more conductive mesh layers and one or more glass layers.

12. The microwave cooking appliance of claim 1 wherein the door includes one or more first contact pins and a remaining portion of the housing having one or more second contact pins, wherein the one or more first contact pins engage the one or more second contact pins when the door is in a closed position and wherein the one or more first contact pins are disengaged from the one or more second contact pins when the door is in an open position.

13. The microwave cooking appliance of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the choke groove is made of the one or more conductive mesh layers and the one or more glass layers.

14. The microwave cooking appliance of claim 1 wherein a remaining portion of the frame is molded to the one or more conductive mesh layers.

15. A microwave door comprising:
an interior face arranged to face towards the cooking cavity and an exterior face arranged to face away from the cooking cavity;
a frame having a choke groove extending along an outer periphery of the frame and one or more conductive mesh layers and one of more glass layers; and
one or more user interface panels having an outer periphery, wherein the outer periphery of the one or more user interface panels are disposed over at least a portion of the choke groove of the frame.

16. The microwave door of claim 15 wherein the one or more user interface panels include one or more outer protective layers.

17. The microwave door of claim 15 the one or more user interface panels include at least one touch screen configured to receive input from the user.

18. The microwave door of claim 15 wherein the outer periphery of the one or more user interface panels are disposed entirely over an exterior face of the choke groove and/or the exterior face of the door.

19. The microwave door of claim 15 wherein the one or more conductive mesh layers allow at least 80% optical transmittance into the cooking cavity and include an EMI shielding effectiveness of about 30 dB to about 70 dB.

20. The microwave door of claim 15 further comprises one or more conductive engagements between at least a portion of the frame and the one or more conductive mesh layers, wherein both the one or more conductive mesh layers and the one or more conductive engagements are exterior to the portion of the frame in a direction from the interior face of the door to the exterior face of the door.

21. A door for a microwave cooking appliance comprising:
a frame having an outer periphery and a choke groove extending along the outer periphery, wherein the frame includes a multi-layered shielding panel having one or more conductive mesh layers and one or more glass layers, and wherein the one or more conductive mesh layers are electrically grounded by one or more conductive engagements between a remaining portion of the frame and the one or more conductive mesh layers;
one or more user interface panels are disposed over at least a portion of the frame and disposed over the one or more conductive mesh layers and the one or more glass layers; and
wherein in a direction from an interior face of the door towards an exterior face of the door, the one or more conductive mesh layers are at least followed by the one or more conductive engagements, and then followed by the one or more user interface panels.

22. The door of claim 21 wherein the one or more conductive mesh layers include an EMI shielding effectiveness of about 30 dB to about 70 dB while maintaining optical transmittance of about 88% to about 99%.

23. The door of claim 21 wherein the one or more user interface panels include a touch screen configured to receive input from the user.

24. The door of claim 21 wherein the one or more user interface panels include an outer protective layer.

25. The door of claim 21 wherein the one or more user interface panels are disposed over at least a portion of the choke groove.

Assignees

• Midea Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Trice Daniel J
• Langness Brian
• Woodling Pierce

Classifications

• H05B6/766

  Microwave radiation screens for windows · CPC title

• H05B6/763

  Microwave radiation seals for doors · CPC title

• H05B6/6414

  Aspects relating to the door of the microwave heating apparatus · CPC title

• H05B6/6432

  Aspects relating to testing or detecting leakage in a microwave heating apparatus · CPC title

• H05B6/6435 Primary

  Aspects relating to the user interface of the microwave heating apparatus · CPC title