Cooking appliance

• US 10,288,296 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2015
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Ryu, Jungwan, Kwon, Dongho
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau, Jason
• Application Number:
  US14/863,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20160187002A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: 126214 D
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/006 Arrangements for circulation of cooling air
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/08 Foundations or supports plates; Legs or pillars; Casings; Wheels tops, e.g. hot plates F24C15/10
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/101 provisions for circulation of air

Abstract

A cooking appliance includes a cabinet that defines an external appearance of the cooking appliance, a top plate disposed on an upper surface of the cabinet and provided with one or more first cooking units configured to execute cooking using a heat source, and a second cooking unit provided within the cabinet and configured to execute cooking using a heat source. The top plate includes protrusions protruding upward from both widthwise side parts of the top plate and a recess formed at a widthwise inner part of the top plate between the protrusions. The top plate also includes blocking members configured to block heat generated from the one or more first cooking units from being transmitted to the widthwise side parts of the top plate.

Claims

1. A cooking appliance comprising:

a cabinet that defines an external appearance of the cooking appliance;

a top plate disposed on an upper surface of the cabinet and provided with one or more first cooking units configured to execute cooking using a heat source; and

a second cooking unit provided within the cabinet and configured to execute cooking using a heat source,

wherein the top plate includes;

protrusions that protrude upward from both widthwise side parts of the top plate;

a recess defined at a widthwise inner part of the top plate between the protrusions, the one or more first cooking units being disposed on the recess; and

blocking members that are provided under an upper surface of the top plate and that are configured to block heat generated from the one or more first cooking units from being transmitted to the widthwise side parts of the top plate,

wherein each protrusion includes;

a first wall that extends in a perpendicular direction with respect to the upper surface of the cabinet,

a second wall that is spaced apart from the first wall in a width direction of the top plate, that is located outward of the first wall in the width direction of the top plate, and that extends in the perpendicular direction, and

a third wall that connects a top end of the first wall to a top end of the second wall,

wherein each blocking member is disposed under the third wall of a corresponding protrusion, each blocking member including;

an upper end that contacts a lower surface of the third wall of the corresponding protrusion,

a first surface that faces the first wall of the corresponding protrusion and that contacts the first wall of the corresponding protrusion, and

a second surface that faces toward the second wall of the corresponding protrusion,

wherein the upper end of each blocking member is bent toward the second wall at a predetermined curvature,

wherein a first air flow channel through which air flows from a front portion to a rear portion of the top plate is defined between the second surface of the blocking member and the second wall of the protrusion, and

wherein a second air flow channel through which air flows from the front portion to the rear portion of the top plate is defined between a lower surface of the recess of the top plate and the first surface of the blocking member, the air flow through the second air flow channel being independent of the air flow through the first air flow channel.

2. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the blocking members are configured to block heat generated from the one or more first cooking units from being transmitted from a center of an area under the upper surface of the top plate to the widthwise side parts of the top plate.

3. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the blocking members are arranged in the perpendicular direction under the upper surface of the top plate.

4. The cooking appliance according to claim 3, wherein the blocking member is disposed between the first wall and the second wall.

5. The cooking appliance according to claim 4, wherein the blocking member is disposed closer to the first wall than the second wall.

6. The cooking appliance according to claim 3, wherein the blocking member is disposed in parallel with the first wall and the second wall.

7. The cooking appliance according to claim 3:

wherein the third wall is arranged in parallel with a mounting surface of the cabinet; and

wherein a size of the first wall in a height direction is less than a size of the second wall in the height direction.

8. The cooking appliance according to claim 1:

wherein side walls of the second cooking unit and side walls of the cabinet are separated from each other; and

wherein external air introduced from a lower portion of the cabinet flows into the first air flow channel and the second air flow channel through spaces between the side walls of the second cooking unit and the side walls of the cabinet.

9. The cooking appliance according to claim 8, further comprising:

side brackets provided at both widthwise side parts of the lower portion of the cabinet;

a rear bracket provided at a rear region of the lower portion of the cabinet;

one or more first air influx holes located on the side brackets; and

one or more second air influx holes located on the rear bracket,

wherein external air is introduced into the cabinet through the one or more first air influx holes and the one or more second air influx holes.

10. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, further comprising:

a rear panel installed at a rear portion of the cabinet at an area above the cabinet, the rear panel including a control command input unit configured to control the second cooking unit; and

a first discharge hole that is provided on a front surface of the rear panel and that is configured to discharge at least a part of air flowing below the top plate and air flowing within the cabinet to outside of the cooking appliance.

11. The cooking appliance according to claim 10, wherein the cabinet includes a rear wall configured to cover the rear portion of the cabinet, further comprising:

one or more second discharge holes that are provided on the rear wall and that are configured to discharge at least a part of air flowing below the top plate and air flowing within the cabinet to the outside of the cooking appliance.

12. The cooking appliance according to claim 11, further comprising one or more third discharge holes that are located on a rear surface part of the rear panel and that are configured to discharge at least a part of air flowing below the top plate and air flowing within the cabinet to the outside of the cooking appliance.

13. The cooking appliance according to claim 1:

wherein the blocking members include fixing ribs protruding toward both widthwise side walls of the cabinet; and

wherein the fixing ribs are fixed to the upper ends of the widthwise side walls of the cabinet.

14. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the one or more first cooking units comprises multiple first cooking units.

15. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the blocking members are configured to prevent heat generated from the one or more first cooking units from being transmitted to the widthwise side parts of the top plate.

16. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the upper end of each blocking member is bent toward the second wall in the width direction of the top plate.

17. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein each blocking member is configured to block airflow in the width direction between the first air flow channel and the second air flow channel.