Household appliance having a latch retainer for an all glass inner door

• US 9,958,166 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2012
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BSH Home Appliances Corporation (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: BSH Home Appliances Corporation (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Braden, Ben, Parker, Rose Marie, Russell, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Huson, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): NAMAY, DANIEL ELLIOT
• Application Number:
  US13/484,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20130319395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,161 Days
• Field of Search: 126197, 126200, 126190
• CPC Class Codes: A21B 3/02 Doors; Flap gates
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/01 Vessels uniquely adapted for baking for use in baker's ovens A21B
• CPC Class Codes: F24B 1/192 Doors; Screens; Fuel guards fire-screens A47G5/04, protective guards F24C15/36
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/022 Latches
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/028 Stoves doors
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/04 with transparent panels

Abstract

A household cooking appliance including a housing having an oven chamber accessible through an opening. The opening has a seal surrounding a perimeter of the opening. A door covers the opening and is moveable about a hinge between an open position and a closed position. The door includes a door skin forming an outer surface of the door and a full glass inner panel forming an inner surface of the door. The full glass inner panel abuts the seal when the door is in a closed position. A latch retainer is coupled to the door skin and an oven lock is moveable between a lock position in which the oven lock engages the latch retainer and locks the door in the closed position during a self-cleaning process, and an unlock position in which the oven lock is disengaged from the latch retainer.

Claims

1. A household cooking appliance comprising:

a housing having an oven chamber accessible through an opening, the opening having a seal surrounding a perimeter of the opening;

a door covering the opening and moveable about a hinge between an open position and a closed position, the door including a door skin forming an outer front surface of the door and an outer side surface of the door, and a full glass inner panel forming an inner surface of the door, the full glass inner panel abutting the seal when the door is in a closed position;

an oven lock having a latch movable between an unlocked position and a locked position that locks the door in the closed position during a self-cleaning process; and

a latch retainer coupled to the door skin, the latch retainer including a body portion having an opening that receives and engages the latch of the oven lock in the locked position such that the door is locked in the closed position, wherein the body portion and the opening of the body portion are disposed within an interior space of the door surrounded by the door skin and the full glass inner panel, and within a perimeter of the door defined by the outer side surface of the door skin.

2. The household cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the latch retainer further comprises:

a mounting portion coupling the body portion of the latch retainer to an inner surface of the door skin.

3. The household cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the latch retainer further comprises:

a plurality of flanges on the body portion, the plurality of flanges stabilizing the latch retainer against an inner surface of the door skin and coupling the latch retainer to the inner surface of the door skin.

4. The household cooking appliance of claim 3, wherein the plurality of flanges includes a flange projecting substantially perpendicularly from one or both sides of the body portion, the flange having an opening for fastening the latch retainer to the inner surface of the door skin such that the latch retainer projects substantially perpendicularly from the inner surface of the door skin.

5. The household cooking appliance of claim 3, wherein the plurality of flanges includes a flange projecting substantially perpendicularly from a side of the body portion, the flange having an opening for fastening the latch retainer to the inner surface of the door skin such that the latch retainer projects substantially perpendicularly from the inner surface of the door skin.

6. The household cooking appliance of claim 3, wherein the inner surface of the door skin includes an inner surface of a top side of the outer side surface of the door.

7. The household cooking appliance of claim 6, wherein the inner surface of the top side includes a plurality of vents, and

wherein the top side includes a latch mounting surface disposed between a pair of the plurality of vents.

8. The household cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the latch retainer is coupled to an inner surface of a top side of the outer side surface of the door skin.

9. The household cooking appliance of claim 8, wherein the door skin includes a latch cover projecting downward from an upper surface of the top side of the outer side surface of the door skin, the latch cover projecting downward in a same plane with the inner surface of the door formed by the full glass inner panel.

10. The household cooking appliance of claim 9,

wherein the latch cover includes a lock guide opening that receives and guides the latch of the oven lock into the interior space of the door and to the opening of the body portion of the latch retainer.

11. The household cooking appliance of claim 9, wherein the latch cover is integrally formed with the door skin.

12. The household cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the full glass inner panel which forms the inner surface of the door includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being adjacent to a first area within the perimeter of the seal surrounding the opening and directly exposed to heating of the oven chamber, and the second portion being adjacent to a second area outside of the perimeter of the seal and being insulated from the heating of the oven chamber by the seal.

13. The household cooking appliance of claim 12, wherein the full glass inner panel extends substantially from edge-to-edge of the perimeter of the door.

14. The household cooking appliance of claim 13, wherein the full glass inner panel extends substantially from top-to-bottom of the door.

15. The household cooking appliance of claim 13, wherein the full glass inner panel includes a transparent ceramic inner panel.

16. The household cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the door further comprises:

means for movably supporting the full glass inner panel without penetrating through the inner surface of the full glass inner panel.

17. The household cooking appliance of claim 1, further comprising:

a retaining lip extending across a top edge of the door and retaining a top edge of the full glass inner panel; and

a hinge retainer disposed adjacent to the hinge of the door, the hinge retainer retaining a corner area of the full glass inner panel.

18. The household cooking appliance of claim 17, wherein a perimeter of the full glass inner panel includes a cutout corresponding to the hinge and the hinge retainer, wherein the hinge retainer engages an edge of the cutout to retain the full glass inner panel.

19. The household cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein a perimeter of the full glass inner panel includes a first cutout at a first location corresponding to the hinge of the door.

20. The household cooking appliance of claim 19, wherein the perimeter of the full glass inner panel includes a second cutout at a second location corresponding to the opening of the body portion of the latch retainer of the door to permit the latch of the oven lock to pass into the interior space of the door and engage the opening of the body portion of the latch retainer.

21. The household cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the outer front surface of the door skin includes an outer glass panel;

and

wherein the household cooking appliance further comprises a middle glass panel disposed between the outer glass panel and the full glass inner panel.

22. The household cooking appliance of claim 21, wherein the outer side surface of the door skin comprises:

a first side surface and a second side surface opposed to the first side surface, the first side surface and the second side surface extending substantially perpendicular from side edges of the outer front surface in a direction toward the full glass inner panel; and

an upper surface extending from an upper edge of the outer front surface in the direction toward the full glass inner panel,

wherein the full glass inner panel extends substantially from the first side surface to the second side surface.

23. The household cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the full glass inner panel includes a transparent ceramic inner panel.

24. The household cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein a surface of the body portion having the opening is parallel to the outer front surface of the door skin.

25. The household cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the body portion having the opening of the latch retainer is spaced apart from the outer front surface of the door skin.

26. The household cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the body portion having the opening of the latch retainer is spaced apart from both the outer front surface of the door skin and from the full glass inner panel.

27. The household cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the full glass inner panel includes a cutout at a location corresponding to the opening of the body portion of the latch retainer, the cutout configured to permit the latch of the oven lock to pass into the interior space of the door and engage the opening of the body portion of the latch retainer.

28. The household cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the body portion and the opening of the body portion are disposed below a top side of the outer side surface of the door and lower than an uppermost edge of the full glass inner panel.

29. A household cooking appliance comprising:

a housing having an oven chamber accessible through an opening, the opening having a seal surrounding a perimeter of the opening;

a door covering the opening and moveable about a hinge between an open position and a closed position, the door including a door skin forming an outer front surface of the door and an outer side surface of the door, and a full glass inner panel forming an inner surface of the door, the full glass inner panel abutting the seal when the door is in a closed position; and

an oven lock having a latch movable between an unlocked position and a locked position that locks the door in the closed position during a self-cleaning process; and

means for receiving and engaging the latch of the oven lock in the locked position and locking the door in the closed position, wherein the means is disposed within an interior space of the door surrounded by the door skin and the full glass inner panel, and within a perimeter of the door defined by the outer side surface of the door skin.

30. A household cooking appliance comprising:

a housing having an oven chamber accessible through an opening, the opening having a seal surrounding a perimeter of the opening;

a door covering the opening and moveable about a hinge between an open position and a closed position, the door including a door skin forming an outer front surface of the door and an outer side surface of the door, and a full glass inner panel forming an inner surface of the door, the full glass inner panel abutting the seal when the door is in a closed position;

an oven lock having a latch movable between an unlocked position and a locked position that locks the door in the closed position during a self-cleaning process; and

a latch retainer coupled to the door skin, the latch retainer including a body portion having an opening that receives the latch of the oven lock in the locked position such that the body physically engages a portion of the received latch to prevent withdrawing of the latch from the opening and the door is locked in the closed position, wherein the body portion and the opening of the body portion are disposed within an interior space of the door surrounded by the door skin and the full glass inner panel, and below a top side of the outer side surface of the door and lower than an uppermost edge of the full glass inner panel.

31. The household cooking appliance of claim 30, wherein a surface of the body portion having the opening of the latch retainer is parallel to the outer front surface of the door skin.

32. The household cooking appliance of claim 30, wherein the body portion which has the opening is spaced from both the outer front surface of the door skin and the full glass inner panel.

33. The household cooking appliance of claim 30, wherein the full glass inner panel includes a cutout at a location corresponding to the opening of the body portion of the latch retainer, the cutout configured to permit the latch of the oven lock to pass into the interior space of the door and engage the opening of the body portion of the latch retainer.