Whirlpool Corporation

Maytag Corporation

Joseph E Kelley

Russell L Simms, Ii

Issac P Sargunam

Richard J Arntz

Gregory S Wade

A cooking appliance includes a door assembly having a main frame provided with an inner, central opening. A glass panel is secured to the main frame portion across the inner, central opening and an overlay member is adhesively secured to the glass panel through a plurality of adhesive elements. The overlay member includes top, bottom and opposing side sections that collectively define an outer, central opening. The adhesive elements establish airflow passages that extends longitudinally across the door assembly between the glass panel and the overlay member. The overlay member also includes first and second flanges that are arranged along the top and bottom edge sections respectively. Third and fourth flanges are provided on respective upper and lower edges of the outer central opening. The flanges, together with the adhesive elements, ensure the presence of the airflow passages.

Oven door assembly incorporating overlay member

A method and device for cleaning the oven cavity of a pyrolytic self-cleaning oven without using a broil element or burner. The method includes using a bake burner to maintain the temperature of the oven cavity during the first stage of the self-cleaning process at a temperature sufficiently low such that cooking residues are baked onto the oven walls and bottom without producing excessive levels of smoke. During the second stage of the self-cleaning process, the temperature inside the oven cavity is raised to clean away the baked-on residues while still maintaining acceptable levels of smoke.

Growing community of inventors

Cleveland, TN, United States of America

Joseph E Kelley