Control panel assembly of a microwave oven

Abstract

A control panel assembly of a microwave oven which is easy to use, including: a front panel section having first and second cooking mode single-functional buttons comprised of a plurality of single-functional buttons for first and second cooking modes of the microwave oven, and a slot formed on the middle portion of the front panel section between the first and second cooking mode single-functional buttons; a movable switch disposed on the front panel section which is moved laterally along the slot of the front panel section; and a mode shifting switch for shifting cooking modes to the first and second cooking modes by the movement of the movable switch, wherein the first and second cooking modes are automatically selected by the movement of the movable switch, and the cooking mode single-functional button of the selected mode is exposed outward for pressing by a user. Accordingly, by simply moving the movable switch in a lateral direction, the cooking modes of the microwave oven are automatically selected. Also, the cooking mode single-functional button of the selected cooking mode is exposed, while the single-functional buttons of the unselected cooking mode are blocked by the movable switch. Accordingly, since there is a reduced number of exposed functional buttons, the appearance of the microwave oven is simple and clean. Further, by using the single-functional button for frequently cooked foods, the use of the control panel assembly becomes much easier.