General Electric Company

Robert V Chou

Thomas R Payne

Stephen Michael Bakanowski

Patrick J Bowles

John C Reiche

Michael T Beverle

Nayson N Khoshnood

A pyrolytically cleaned oven includes an upper broil element and a lower bake element, the broil element is energized until the oven temperature reaches a trigger temperature, well below the glass transition temperature point of the oven porcelain enamel; then the bake and broil elements are alternately energized in a cyclical manner until an off temperature, somewhat above the trigger temperature but still below the transition temperature, is reached. Thereafter one or both of the elements are cycled to maintain the temperature with a range between the off temperature and a lower on temperature, also within the effective self cleaning range.

Oven with improved self-cleaning cycle

An apparatus for preventing tilting of an appliance relative to a wall including a pair of rigid support members mountable on the wall which cooperatively engage stop means on the appliance when it is positioned adjacent the wall. Each support member includes a first portion secured to the wall with a plurality of fasteners such that the rear face thereof firmly engages the wall, and a second portion extending substantially perpendicular to the first portion including stop means. Openings in the rear wall of the appliance include second stop means which are aligned with the stop means on the second portion of the support member when the appliance is positioned adjacent the wall to thereby prevent tilting of the appliance.

Appliance anti-tip system

A protective control arrangement for heating units of the type comprising the concentric assembly of a resistance heating element embedded in an insulating material and enclosed within a metallic sheath for limiting the propagation of a rupture in the sheath resulting from an arc at a discontinuity in the heating element along a substantial portion of the length of the sheath. The control arrangement of the illustrative embodiment includes a power control triac operatively connected to the heating element for selectively coupling the heating element to an external power supply. A preprogrammed microprocessor operatively connected to the gate terminal of triac is effective to periodically interrupt power to the heating element by opening the switch means for interrupt periods of predetermined duration. The time between successive ones of these interrupt periods is determined such that extinction of any arc which may develop at a discontinuity in the heating element occurs before any resultant separation can propagate along a substantial portion of the sheath; and the duration of each of these interrupt periods is at least approximately equal to the nominal recovery time for the insulating material required to allow the insulating material to return from its relatively low resistance molten and plasma state to its relatively high resistance state. By periodically interrupting energization of the heating unit in this manner, any arc which occurs is extinguished by the next occurring interrupt period.

Growing community of inventors

Prospect, KY, United States of America

Robert V Chou