Cooking appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016334114-A1
Application number	US-201615151854-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 11, 2016
Priority date	May 12, 2015
Publication date	Nov 17, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A cooking appliance includes a cabinet that defines an exterior of the cooking appliance, a cooking unit provided within the cabinet, the cooking unit configured to perform cooking using a first heat source, a drawer provided under the cooking unit, the drawer configured to perform cooking using a second heat source and to be inserted in and withdrawn from the cabinet, and a damping module configured to absorb a closing shock transmitted to the drawer based on the drawer being closed by being inserted into the cabinet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A cooking appliance, comprising:
a cabinet that defines an exterior of the cooking appliance; a cooking unit provided within the cabinet, the cooking unit configured to perform cooking using a first heat source; a drawer provided under the cooking unit, the drawer configured to perform cooking using a second heat source and to be inserted in and withdrawn from the cabinet; and a damping module configured to absorb a closing shock transmitted to the drawer based on the drawer being closed by being inserted into the cabinet.

2 . The cooking appliance of claim 1 , wherein the damping module is configured to absorb the closing shock of the drawer during the insertion of the drawer from a preset insertion position to a fully inserted position, and wherein the damping module is configured to automatically close the drawer by moving the drawer in a closing direction.

3 . The cooking appliance of claim 1 , wherein a slider is provided to each of both lateral sides of the drawer, and wherein a guide part configured to guide the slider to thereby allow sliding movement between the slider and the guide part is provided within the cabinet.

4 . The cooking appliance of claim 3 , wherein the damping module is provided at one side of the guide part and is oriented to be parallel with the guide part.

5 . The cooking appliance of claim 4 , wherein the damping module and the guide part are spaced apart from each other by a preset interval, and wherein at least one end portion of both end portions of the damping module and the guide part are fixed to each other by at least one bracket to maintain the preset interval.

6 . The cooking appliance of claim 5 , wherein each of both of the end portions of the damping module is fixed to a location corresponding to the guide part by the fixing bracket.

7 . The cooking appliance of claim 6 , wherein the fixing bracket comprises a first fixing bracket and a second fixing bracket, wherein a first end portion of the damping module is fixed to a rear end portion of the guide part by the first fixing bracket, and wherein a second end portion of the damping module is fixed to a preset location between a front end portion and the rear end portion of the guide part by the second fixing bracket.

8 . The cooking appliance of claim 3 , wherein a link member is provided to the slider, and wherein the damping module is provided with a holding member that is configured to selectively engage with the link member at a preset insertion position of the drawer.

9 . The cooking appliance of claim 8 , the damping module comprising:
a hydraulic damper configured to absorb the closing shock of the drawer during the insertion of the drawer from the preset insertion position to a fully inserted position; and an elastic unit configured to move the drawer in a closing direction from the preset insertion position of the drawer, the elastic member being oriented to be parallel with the hydraulic member, wherein a front end portion of the hydraulic damper and a front end portion of the elastic unit are fixed to the holding member.

10 . The cooking appliance of claim 9 , wherein the hydraulic damper comprises a first body and a piston rod configured to reciprocate in and out of the first body, wherein the elastic unit comprises a second body and an elastic member accommodating in at least one portion of the second body, and wherein a first guide slot having a preset length is defined in the second body to guide a first projection provided to the holding member.

11 . The cooking appliance of claim 10 , wherein the first body and the second body are integrally formed with each other.

12 . The cooking appliance of claim 10 , wherein a second guide slot configured to enable the link member to be selectively locked to or separated from the holding member is located at a front end portion of the second body, and wherein a second projection configured to be selectively inserted into or withdrawn from the second guide slot is provided to the holding member.

13 . The cooking appliance of claim 12 , wherein the second guide slot includes a first inclined plane inclined at a preset first inclination angle with reference to a virtual line in parallel with the guide part and a second inclined plane inclined upward at a preset second inclination angle from a front end of the first inclined plane, and wherein the second inclination angle of the second inclined plane is greater than the first inclination angle of the first inclined plane.

14 . The cooking appliance of claim 12 , wherein the second body comprises a protruding portion that protrudes toward a rear side of the second body from a lower side of the second inclined plane to thereby restrict the second projection from being separated upward from the second guide slot.

15 . The cooking appliance of claim 9 , wherein the holding member is provided with a first locking portion and a second locking portion spaced apart from each other in a preset interval along a length direction of the holding member, and wherein the link member is provided with a third locking portion configured to engage between the first locking portion and the second locking portion at the preset insertion position of the drawer.

16 . The cooking appliance of claim 15 , wherein the second projection is provided to a front end of the first locking portion, and wherein, based on a rear end of the third locking portion of the link member pushing the second locking portion at the preset insertion position of the drawer, the second projection is configured to be withdrawn from the second guide slot.

17 . The cooking appliance of claim 15 , wherein, based on the drawer being withdrawn from a fully closed state, while the drawer is withdrawn to a preset withdrawal position, as the third locking portion of the link member engages between the first locking portion and the second locking portion, the holding member and the link member are configured to maintain a mutually locked state, and wherein, at the preset withdrawal position of the drawer, the link member is configured to be separated from the holding member based upon the second projection of the holding member being inserted into the second guide slot.

18 . The cooking appliance of claim 17 , wherein the preset insertion position is a position at which the second projection is inserted into the second guide slot, wherein the preset withdrawal position is a position at which the second projection is withdrawn from the second guide slot, and wherein the preset insertion position and the preset withdrawal position are identical to each other.

19 . The cooking appliance of claim 15 , wherein the third locking portion defines a fit slit configured to enable the first locking portion to be fitted along a length direction of the third locking portion by a shrink fit, and wherein, based on the drawer being closed, while the third locking portion deviates from a location between the first locking portion and the second locking portion and while the drawer is pushed in a closing direction, as the first locking portion is locked into the fit slit, the link member and the holding member are configured to engage with each other.

20 . The cooking appliance of claim 19 , wherein the third locking portion is symmetrically provided to each of both end portions of the link member with reference to a center of the link member.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Choi Moonho

Classifications

• F24C15/18

  Arrangement of compartments additional to cooking compartments, e.g. for warming or for storing utensils or fuel containers; Arrangement of additional heating or cooking apparatus, e.g. grills · CPC title

• F24C15/34 Primary

  Elements and arrangements for heat storage or insulation · CPC title

• F24C15/168 Primary

  with telescopic rail systems · CPC title