Maytag Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation

Safe Hydrogen, LLC

Christopher A Larsen

Eddie Max Brock

Gerald R Place

Shelton T Barnes

David E Levi

Steven M Swayne

Mark A Pickering

Robert Z Whipple, Jr

Jonathan L Rolfe

Andrew W McClaine

Thu-Ha Duncan

Wade A Atkinson

David Charles Ometer

Ravi K Konduri

Dutch VanZandt

A burner assembly for a cooking hob includes a gas burner portion having a lower housing and a burner housing assembled with and supported by the lower housing. The burner housing defines a gas distribution path open at least on an outer surface of the burner housing through a plurality of outlets. A central region of the gas burner portion is defined by an opening within the burner housing and is at least partially enclosed beneath the gas burner portion by the lower housing. The burner assembly further includes a first electric heating element disposed beneath a portion of the lower housing within the central region of the gas burner portion.

Electric warming element for gas burner

A cooking appliance includes an oven cavity accessed through first and second French-style doors that are connected to the appliance through a door linkage system. The door linkage system establishes a particular timing of door openings and closings to minimize potential wear of a door gasket. That is, each of the doors has an associated gasket for use in sealing the oven cavity when the doors are closed. One of the doors is provided with an annular gasket, while the other door essentially incorporates a less that fully annular, preferably 3-sided or a three-quarter gasket. With this arrangement, each of the gaskets has three sides adapted to seal against a cabinet shell portion of the appliance, while the fourth side of the first gasket is adapted to seal against an extension provided on the other door.

French door cooking appliance closure system

A cooking appliance having first and second oven doors that combine to extend across and close off a frontal opening of a cooking chamber includes a latching mechanism for locking the first and second oven doors in a closed position. The latching mechanism includes a fixed support plate and a motor having an output shaft to which is rotatably mounted an eccentric drive member. Preferably, the motor is fixedly mounted to the support plate. The latching mechanism further includes first and second latch members each having a first end portion pivotally attached to the eccentric drive member extending to a second end portion defining a hook element. When the motor is activated, a guide mechanism directs the second end portions of the first and second latch members to a locking position leading the hook members into engagement with the first and second doors.

Door locking mechanism for an oven having french-style doors

A gas cooking range includes a housing having an upper half section and a lower half section. A gas control valve is operable to control the flow of gas to a burner. The gas control valve is positioned in the lower half section of a housing of the gas cooking range. A handle extending from the gas control valve to the upper half section of the housing is operable to control the gas control valve.

Remote oven valve actuator

A cooking appliance includes an oven door having a transparent zone and a passage for permitting an air flow to pass through the door and into a cooling duct extending about an oven cavity. The door includes a panel having a front surface and a central opening in which is arranged an outer transparent pane. The passage separates the outer transparent pane from an inner window pack. The inner window pack includes first and second, substantially parallel window panes spaced one from the other to establish an inner dead air space. Preferably, the door includes an inner transparent pane that forms, with an outer transparent pane, an outer window pack which establishes an outer dead air space. The outer dead air space is positioned between upper and lower portions of the oven door that establish additional dead air spaces that form an overall uniform insulating layer for the door.

Door assembly for a cooking appliance

A cooking appliance includes first and second French-style doors connected through a door linkage system. The door linkage system includes first and second control arms, each including a first end linked to a corresponding one of the first and second doors and a second end. The second ends of the first and second control arms are interconnected and mounted so as to travel in an arcuate path when one of the doors is operated. Shifting one of the first and second doors in an open or closed direction results in a corresponding movement in the other door. The first and second control arms are actually interconnected to a linkage control arm that establishes a particular timing of the doors. The door linkage system also employs a camming surface, cam follower and spring element that provides a biasing force to the doors.

Door linkage system for an oven having french-style doors

A cooking appliance includes an oven cavity, a trim element and a door designed to pivot about a substantially vertical axis. The door is mounted for pivotal movement relative to the oven cavity about a substantially vertical axis. The door includes a main body portion having a front surface, a rear surface and a peripheral edge portion. The peripheral edge portion includes top, bottom and opposing side edge sections, with each of the opposing side edge sections leading to an extended region that overlaps, at least in part, the trim element. The extended region includes a generally rounded portion directly adjacent to the trim element. The generally rounded portion provides clearance necessary to enable the door to shift between open and closed positions, while simultaneously allowing the use of an extremely thin or low profile door.

Thin profile door for a cooking appliance

Door locking mechanism for an oven having French-style doors

A convection cooking appliance includes a convection fan for establishing a convection airflow which is heated by a heating element including first and second sections that are symmetrically disposed about the convection fan substantially parallel to and downstream of the convection fan. Each of the first and second sections is formed so as to include at least three lobes and four 180&#xb0; turns, while establishing a thin profile heating element. A convection fan cover extends across the convection fan and includes a main body portion having an outlet portion for directing the convection airflow into a cooking chamber of the appliance. The outlet portion includes an angled louver and a trip edge portion. The angled louver and trip edge portion cooperate to alter a direction of the convection airflow from being substantially parallel to the main body portion to being substantially perpendicular the main body portion.

Airflow system for a convection oven

A gas cooking appliance includes a low profile gas burner assembly positioned within an oven cavity. The low profile gas burner assembly, formed from a tubular member having a defined diameter, includes a first end, defining an inlet portion, interconnected with a second end, defining an outlet portion, through an intermediate portion. In accordance with the invention, the intermediate portion maintains a vertically spaced relationship between the inlet portion and outlet portion from about 1.0 to 3.33 times the diameter of the tubular member, preferably about 1.33 to 2.66 times the diameter and, most preferably, approximately twice the diameter of the tubular member.

Low profile gas burner for a cooking appliance

A composition comprising a carrier liquid; a dispersant; and a chemical hydride. The composition can be used in a hydrogen generator to generate hydrogen for use, e.g., as a fuel. A regenerator recovers elemental metal from byproducts of the hydrogen generation process.

Storage, generation, and use of hydrogen

A gas cooking appliance includes at least one oven cavity which is coated with a heat resistant material, preferably porcelain. The cooking appliance includes a gas broil element and an associated baffle, as well as a gas igniter, arranged atop the oven cavity. The baffle is provided with one or more openings above the igniter for ventilation purposes. Each opening is preferably defined by a louver. With the inclusion of the louvered opening, enhanced combustion is assured and any potential crazing zone of the oven cavity is shifted to a position wherein, should any heat resistant material chip off due to heat from the igniter, the material will be blocked from falling into any food support zone of the oven cavity.

Gas cooking appliance with louvered burner baffle

A cooking appliance includes a gas burner module having a base structure upon which is secured at least a gas burner element and a gas orifice defining member in a predetermined alignment. The base structure is preferably formed from stamped steel. The burner module also preferably includes a gas igniter. The gas burner module is adapted to be mounted to heat an oven cavity of the cooking appliance. With this arrangement, tolerance build-up leading to misalignment between critical components is greatly reduced thereby improving manufacturing and combustion repeatability, as well as enhanced field replacement. In this manner, the cooking appliance will consistently operate within prescribed agency limitations.

Gas burner module for a cooking appliance

A cook appliance in the form of a range having upper and lower oven is provided with an exhaust system including an exhaust duct for the lower oven which extends through an exhaust duct for the upper oven. Each of the exhaust ducts leads to an exhaust air box which defines an exhaust outlet for the appliance. Preferably, the exhaust duct for the lower oven has associated therewith an extension sleeve which divides the exhaust air box into separate exhaust zones for the upper and lower ovens. Provisions are made to dilute and/or cool exhaust gases flowing through the ducts prior to the exhaust gases existing the appliance.

Exhaust cooling system for a cooking appliance

A range includes a cabinet, defined by at least a front, side, bottom and top portions, as well as upper and lower oven cavities each having a respective gas burner assembly. At least one passageway is formed to create an airflow path enabling a portion of an ambient airflow introduced into the cabinet to reach the gas burner assemblies of the upper and lower oven cavities for combustion purposes, preferably through natural convection, while the remaining portion of the airflow passes over and cools portions of the range. In a preferred form of the invention, insulation is maintained in a desired position below a respective oven cavity by a holder through which the airflow passes to the burner assembly.

Growing community of inventors

Dorchester, MA, United States of America

Christopher A Larsen