Cooking appliance

• US 20090255526A1
• Filed: 07/26/2006
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerã¤Te GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerã¤Te GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Neuhauser, Maximillan, Keller, Martin, Fuchs, Wolfgang, Feldmann, Kerstin, Roch, Klemens, Bally, Ingo, Zschau, Günter, Kuttalek, Edmund, Schnell, Wolfgang
• Application Number:
  US11/990,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20090255526A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 126/273.A
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/027 located at bottom side of housing

Abstract

A cooking appliance, in particular, a cooking appliance which is mounted in an elevated manner, which comprises at least one muffle which defines the cooking space, whereby the muffle opening thereof is surrounded by a muffle frame, a door which is used to close said muffle opening and a drive device which is used to actuate the door and which is controlled by a control device. The drive device can be controlled by the control device such that the door can be actuated independently from the charge.

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A cooking appliance comprising:

a muffle defining a cooking compartment having a muffle access opening;

a door configured for driven traveling movement in and out of a covering relation with the muffle access opening;

a drive device operatively associated with the door for driving the door in and out of a covering relation with the muffle access opening; and

a control circuit operatively associated with the drive device for controlling door movement with the door movement being uninfluenced by a load bearing on the door.

18. The cooking appliance according to claim 17 wherein the control circuit is configured for causing the drive device to drive the door movement at a predetermined speed.

19. The cooking appliance according to claim 17 wherein the control circuit is operatively connected to a speed measuring device for determining speed of door movement.

20. The cooking appliance according to claim 19 wherein the speed measuring device includes at least one sensor disposed along a motor shaft of the drive device.

21. The cooking appliance according to claim 19 wherein the speed measuring device includes at least one Hall sensor disposed along a motor shaft of the drive device.

22. The cooking appliance according to claim 19 and further comprising operator-accessible means for adjusting speed of door movement.

23. The cooking appliance according to claim 22 wherein the speed of door movement can be set for at least two speed levels.

24. The cooking appliance according to claim 23 wherein the speed of door movement can be set for a first speed level in the range of about 40 mm/s to about 55 mm/s and a second speed level in the range of about 60 mm/s to about 80 mm/s.

25. The cooking appliance according to claim 24 wherein the speed of door movement can be set for the first speed level at about 50 mm/s.

26. The cooking appliance according to claim 24 wherein the speed of door movement can be set for the speed level in the range of about 65 mm/s to about 75 mm/s.

27. The cooking appliance according to claim 26 wherein the speed of door movement can be set for the second speed level at about 65 mm/s.

28. The cooking appliance according to claim 23, wherein a preset speed of door movement corresponds to the slowest of the at least two speed levels.

29. The cooking appliance according to claim 22 and further comprising a nonvolatile memory device for storing an operator-set door movement speed.

30. The cooking appliance according to claim 22 wherein the means for adjusting speed of door movement includes means for adjusting speed of door movement in a linear manner.

31. The cooking appliance according to claim one of claims 19 wherein obstructions to door movement are detected using the speed measuring device.

32. The cooking appliance according to claim 31 wherein the speed measuring device includes an anti-trap facility operable only when a predetermined minimum speed of door movement has been achieved.

34. The cooking appliance according to claim 17 wherein said cooking appliance is configured for mounting above countertop level with a plurality of sides and a downwardly directed muffle opening and the door is configured for covering the downwardly directed muffle opening.

33. The cooking appliance according to claim one 19 wherein the control circuit is operable to control the speed of door movement in one of a speed-dependent travel mode and a load-dependent travel mode.

35. A method for operating a cooking appliance comprising the steps of:

providing the cooking appliance with a vertically traveling platform driven by a drive device controlled by a control circuit; and

controlling the drive device with the control device wherein the platform can travel substantially independently of the load.