Household cooking oven provided with an electric infra-red emission grill which is arrangeable at different heights

Abstract

 A gas or electric household cooking oven provided with an electric grill emitting infra-red radiation, preferably by means of quartz tubes, has the grill itself which is extractable and adjustable in height. To this aim, inside the oven electric sockets are provided in correspondence with the various arrangement heights of the grill which uses, at its higher position, the guide for the upper protection, and below the pre-existing guides for the shelves supporting the cooking vessels. At a lower position a better grilling as well as a higher efficiency of the grill itself are obtained, with a consequent energy saving due to a reduction of the cooking periods.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooking oven provided with an electric infra-red emission grill which is arrangeable at different heights inside the cooking hearth.

[0002] It is known that in the ovens provided with a grill, being either electric ones of the so called static type (having cooking resistors arranged only at their bottom) or of the so called multifunction type (i.e. having resistors arranged also near to an internal fan), or having a gas burner, the grill is always arranged in a stationary position on the oven ceiling. Consequently, if the food to be grilled inside a vessel must be placed, e.g. due to encumbrance reasons, on the oven bottom, the distance between the food and the radiating source can result excessive , with a reduced grilling effect.

[0003] On the other hand, even if said distance is shorter, as the vessel containing the food to be cooked can be placed on an intermediate shelf of the oven, the radiation would anyhow affect almost the same air volume, which comprises also the zone below the shelf supporting the food. Therefore it would be advantageous to try every way to reduce the oven dimensions, and consequently the air volume affected by the radiation each time the grill is actuated.

[0004] The object of the present invention is thus to provide a grill, particularly of the infra-red rays emitting type, consisting of quartz tubes, mounted on a support which is extractable and arrangeable at different heights inside the oven.

[0005] According to a particular aspect of the present invention, the grill is mounted on a support forming the oven upper protection, consisting in a stainless steel plate which is shaped such that it reflects in the best way the radiation with an ideal spreading thereof.

[0006] This is obtained by providing a guide to the grill unit in the upper position thereof, close to the oven ceiling , possibly coinciding with the upper protection guide if already existing, as well as by providing power supply sockets on the oven innere rear wall, in correspondence with each different height position.

[0007] These and other objects, advantages and characteristics of the present invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, given as a non-limiting example with reference to the attached drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a front perspective view of an oven according to the present invention with the grill arranged at the upper position thereof; and

Figure 2 shows the same view of Fig.1 with the grill arranged at a lowered position thereof.

[0008] Referring to the drawings, it is referenced 1 the cooking hearth of an electric or gas household oven provided or not with possible additional functional features such as ventilation, smokes discharge and the like. In any case, at least on the bottom 3 of the hearth 1 the usual cooking electric resistors or the equivalent gas burners will be provided. In correspondence with the upper side or "ceiling " 5 opposite to the bottom 3, an electric infra-red rays emitting grill 2 of known type is arranged, preferably having its resistors included inside quartz tubes 4.

[0009] According to the present invention, the grill 2 consists of a set in which the radiating elements are mounted on a sheet metal support 6 which can further act as a so called "upper protection" existing in several types of oven, in order to avoid that the upper zone of the oven, in which the residual volatile products of the cooking mainly collect, becomes dirt and deposits settle thereon. When this protecting sheet metal is provided, it is extractable along suitable lateral guides just to make easier the cleaning thereof.

[0010] According to this invention, the grill unit 6 itself is mounted in an extractable fashion as it can slide on lateral guides 7 schematically represented in the drawing by pairs of small legs, but which can be realized in whatever else suitable way. Thus the grill unit 2 can be extracted from the hearth 1 and brought to a lower position, e.g. by using guides 9 already provided for the arrangement of shelves supporting the cooking vessels. Naturally, the wires for supplying power to the radiating tubes must be avoided to follow the unit in the movements thereof, thus remaining free inside the hearth 1 and exposed to the high temperatures generated therein. To this aim sockets 8,8a are provided, preferably on the inner rear wall 12 opposite to the access door, corresponding to each of the positions of the grill 2, i.e. close to the guides 7 and 9. Clearly, more than two sockets may be provided, unlike what shown in the drawings, when a greater number of different positions are provided for the grill.

[0011] As regards the support 6 of the tubes 4, the ends of these result to be engaged in two supporting zones 14 which protrude from the opposite sides of a substantially box-shaped body 16 having a reduced thickness with respect to the other two dimensions defined by both an upper sheet metal 18 and a lower one 20. The lower sheet metal 20 is preferably made of stainless steel and shaped such to have the higher reflecting effect for the infra-red rays which are emitted by the tubes 4 and directed according to the arrows F in the drawings. Said sheet metal 20 further has a shape such to ensure the best and more uniform spreading of the radiation inside the volume of the hearth 1 below the grill 2.

[0012] It should be noted that just in the position represented in Fig.2 the volume affected by the radiation from the tubes 4 is reduced of about a third with respect to the whole volume of Fig.1, with a consequent remarkable energy saving as well as possibility of more satisfactorily grilling or browning the foods arranged on the bottom 3 of the oven or in proper baking pans which are transparent to the infra-red rays.

[0013] It should be finally noted that, when the grill 2 is in the lowered position, there is not any risk that the lamp (not represented) normally provided in the upper part of the oven can not light the underlying zone of the hearth 1. In fact, the use of quartz tubes ensures, in any case, the lighting of the irradiated zone, whereby the usual lamp can be considered unnecessary.

Claims

1. A household cooking oven provided with an electric infra-red emission grill (2), characterized in that said grill (2) is mounted on a sheet metal support (6) which is both extractable from the hearth (1) of the oven itself and arrangeable at different heights inside the hearth (1), electric sockets (8,8a) being provided corresponding to each of said positions.

2. An oven according to claim 1, characterized in that said sheet metal support (6) forms an upper protection for the oven and, in its higher position, is supported by lateral guides (7) already provided for said upper protection.

3. An oven according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in positions different from the upper one, the guides for said grill support (6) consist of pre-existing guides (9) for supporting cooking shelves of the oven.

4. An oven according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said support (6) comprises a substantially box-shaped body (16) made of sheet metal and having reduced thickness with respect to the other two dimensions, whose lower sheet metal (20) is in stainless steel.

5. An oven according to claim 4, characterized in that said lower sheet metal (20) is shaped such to form two supports (14) at its side ends for inserting therein the grill radiating elements (4).

6. An oven according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that said radiating elements (4) consist of resistors for infra-red emission which are included inside quartz tubes, and said lower reflecting surface (20) of the support (6) is shaped for obtaining the maximum spreading of the radiation inside the hearth (1).

Drawing