Latch system for microwave oven door

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12414206-B2
Application number	US-202217732961-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2022
Priority date	Apr 29, 2022
Publication date	Sep 9, 2025
Grant date	Sep 9, 2025

Abstract

A microwave oven includes a housing, a door, and a latch. The housing defines a first internal cavity configured to receive food. The door is rotatably secured to the housing, defines a second internal cavity, and has a handle. The door is configuring to pivot relative to the housing to transition the door between an open position and a closed position. The latch is disposed within the second internal cavity. The latch has a hook and a push button. The hook protrudes outward from second internal cavity and toward the housing. The hook is configured to engage and disengage the housing to lock and unlock the door to and from the housing, respectively. The push button is rigidly interconnected with the hook. The hook is configured to disengage the housing in response to depression of the push button.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A microwave oven comprising:
a housing defining (i) an internal cavity configured to receive food for cooking and (ii) an opening configured to provide access to the internal cavity;
a door (i) rotatably secured to the housing, (ii) having external panels defining an internal pocket, and (iii) having a handle, wherein the door (i) is configuring to pivot relative to the housing in response to a user engaging the handle to transition the door between an open position and a closed position, (ii) provides access to the opening in the open position, and (iii) covers the opening in the closed position; and
a latch (i) pivotably secured to the door within the internal pocket and (ii) configured to pivot about an axis relative to the door, the latch having
a latch book (i) protruding outward from the internal pocket along a first of the external panels, (ii) extending toward the housing. (iii) configured to engage the housing to lock the door to the housing in the closed position, and (iv) configured to disengage the housing to unlock the door from the housing, where the first of the external panels faces toward the housing, and
push button (i) protruding outward from the handle and (ii) rigidly interconnected to the latch hook within the internal pocket to maintain relative positions between the push button and the lack hook, wherein the push button and the latch. hook are configured to collectively pivot about the axis while maintaining the relative positions in response to depression of the push button to disengage the latch hook from the housing.

2. The microwave oven of claim 1 , wherein the latch includes a plurality of linking arms rigidly interconnecting the latch hook to the push button.

3. The microwave oven of claim 2 , wherein the latch hook, push button, and plurality of linking arms form a single solid component.

4. The microwave oven of claim 2 , wherein at least two of the plurality of linking arms are non-linear relative to each other.

5. The microwave oven of claim 1 , wherein the handle ( 1 ) is C-shaped, (ii) has a central portion that is spaced-apart from a second of the external panels such that a space is defined between the central portion and the second of the external panels and (in) bas opposing ends each secured to the second of the external panels, wherein the second of the external panels faces away from the housing.

6. The microwave oven of claim 5 , wherein the handle definies an internal channel that is in communication with the internal pocket, and wherein the push button is rigidly interconnected with the latch hook via first and second linking arms extending through the internal channel and the internal pocket.

7. The microwave oven of claim 6 , wherein the first and second linking arms are substantially perpendicular to each other.

8. The microwave oven of claim 5 , wherein the push button protrudes outward from an external surface of the central portion of the handle and into the space.

9. The microwave oven of claim 8 , wherein the external surface faces toward the space and the second of the external panels of the door.

10. The microwave oven of claim 1 , wherein the handle is a pocket handle defined along a bottom edge of the door.

11. The microwave oven of claim 10 , wherein the push button is disposed within the pocket handle.

12. A microwave oven comprising:
a housing defining a first internal cavity configured to receive food for cooking;
a door having (i) a panel rotatably secured to the housing and (ii) a handle protruding outward from the panel, wherein the door (i) is configuring to pivot relative to the housing to transition the door between an open position and a closed position, (ii) provides access to the first internal cavity in the open position, (ii) covers the first internal cavity in the closed position, and wherein the panel and the handle collectively define a second internal cavity; and
a latch disposed within the second internal cavity, the latch having
a hook (i) protruding outward from the second internal cavity, through the panel, and toward the housing, (ii) configured to engage the housing to lock the door to the housing in the closed position, and (iii) configured to disengage the housing to unlock the door from the housing, and
a push button (i) protruding outward from the handle and (ii) rigidly interconnected to the hook within the second internal, cavity to maintain relative positions between the push button and the hook, wherein the hook is configured to disengage the housing in response to depression of the push button.

13. The microwave oven of claim 12 , wherein the push button and the hook are configured to collectively pivot about an axis relative to the panel while maintaining the relative positions in response to depression of the push button to disengage the hook from the housing.

14. The microwave oven of claim 12 , wherein the push button protrudes outward from an external surface of the handle, into a space defined between the handle and the panel, and toward the panel.

15. The microwave oven of claim 14 , wherein the external surface faces toward the panel.

16. The microwave oven of claim 12 , wherein the latch includes a plurality of linking arms (i) disposed within the second internal cavity and (ii) rigidly interconnecting the hook to the push button.

17. The microwave oven of claim 16 , wherein the hook, push button, and plurality of linking arms form a single solid component.

18. A microwave oven comprising:
a housing defining a first internal cavity configured to receive food for cooking;
a door (i) rotatably secured to the housing, (ii) defining a second internal cavity, and (ii) defining a pocket handle extending upward from a lower edge, wherein the door (i) is configuring to pivot relative to the housing to transition the door between an open position and a closed position, (ii) provides access to the first internal cavity in the open position, (iii) covers the first internal cavity ju the closed position; and
a latch disposed within the second internal cavity, the latch having
a hook (i) protruding outward from the second internal cavity, beyond an external surface of the door, and toward the housing, (ii) configured to engage the housing to lock the door to the housing in the closed position, and (iii) configured to disengage the housing to unlock the door from the housing, and
a push button (i) extending downward into the pocket handle and (ii) rigidly interconnected to the hook within the second internal-cavity, cavity to maintain relative positions between the push button and the hook, wherein the hook is configured to disengage the housing in response to depression of the push button.

19. The microwave oven of claim 18 , wherein the push button and the hook are configured to collectively pivot about an axis relative to the door while maintaining the relative positions in response to depression of the push button to disengage the latch hook from the housing.

20. The microwave oven of claim 19 , wherein the latch includes a plurality of linking arms (i) disposed within the second internal cavity and (ii) rigidly interconnecting the hook to the push button.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Ge Dick
• Li Ryan
• Xie Fly
• Zhou Troy

Classifications

• H05B6/6417 Primary

  Door interlocks of the microwave heating apparatus and related circuits · CPC title