Western Industries Incorporated

John J Huber

Gerhart S Langenbach

William H Punzel

Peter F Sosso

Richard C Hochschild, Jr

Christopher Irgens

Conrad G Bohlman

Gene Goetz

A cooktop is provided that has a downdraft ventilator with a seal arrangement that may include a plenum seal and a vent grate seal. The plenum and vent grate seals may be arranged at interconnections of a plenum, a panel of the cooktop, and a vent grate to provide a layered and substantially airtight interconnection between such components.

Cooktop with downdraft ventilator

A telescoping downdraft ventilator with a movable fan and efficient way of removing gases and fumes is disclosed. The telescoping downdraft ventilator has the ability to fit behind a cook top unit beneath a countertop when the cook top unit is located against a wall. The telescoping downdraft ventilator has a fan that may be attached in front of the unit or behind the unit. The ventilator collects and draws in exhaust fumes and smoke, filters it, and re-circulates or expels it through a movable exhaust duct.

Downdraft that is telescoping

A telescoping downdraft ventilator with a system for self-aligning a vent within a housing is provided. The telescoping downdraft ventilator of the present invention comprises a housing with a track, a vent sized to fit within the housing, a drive assembly that moves the vent along the track, and a guide attached to the vent for engaging the track, wherein the guide is operably coupled with a biasing element. In one embodiment, a pair of guides is respectively coupled with pair of compression springs and is positioned on opposite sides of the vent along a line that is substantially perpendicular to a pair of tracks.

Self-aligning telescoping downdraft ventilator assembly

Growing community of inventors

Delafield, WI, United States of America

John J Huber