Microwave oven door assembly

• US 4,008,383 A
• Filed: 12/24/1974
• Issued: 02/15/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Junzo, Kai, Toshio, Takami, Tsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Grimley, Arthur T.
• Application Number:
  US05/536,095
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 219/10.55 D, 219/10.55 F, 219/10.55 R, 174/35 R, 174/35 GC, 174/35 MS
• US Class Current: 219/740
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/763 Microwave radiation seals for doors
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/766 Microwave radiation screens for windows

Abstract

A microwave oven whose door screen is constructed by interposing an electromagnetic wave shielding body of a metallic plate having a plurality of through-holes formed therein or a wire screen, between a tempered glass plate and a transparent resin plate, with the tempered glass plate being placed on the side of a heating cavity while the transparent resin plate being placed outwardly, a peripheral section of the shielding body extending to electrically connect with a metal plate which, essentially, electrically connects the heating cavity with the door body, whereby observation of food in the heating cavity during cooking can be facilitated while the safety from electromagnetic wave leakage is assured.

Claims

1. In a microwave oven having a heating cavity and means for radiating microwave energy into said heating cavity, a door assembly mounted on said oven for opening and closing access to said heating cavity, comprising:

a door screen formed in said door and comprising an exterior transparent resin plate, an interior strengthened glass plate interposed between said resin plate and said heating cavity, and a shielding body of a wire screen or metal plate having a number of through-holes formed therein laminated between said resin and strengthened glass plates, said resin plate being mounted to permit free expansion and contraction of its peripheral edges;

a peripheral door body, an inner door frame having an L-shaped portion to which said strengthened glass is secured and having a leg substantially parallel to the upstanding leg of said L-shaped portion, and an abutting metal plate in contact with the inner side of said door body and facing said substantially parallel leg of said inner door frame;

wherein said shielding body extends peripherally beyond the edges of said strengthened glass plate, said peripherally extending portion of said shielding body being sandwiched between said substantially parallel leg of said inner door frame and said adjacent abutting plate, said peripherally extending portion of said shielding body electrically contacting said abutting plate to prevent leakage of electro-magnetic energy from said heating cavity through said shielding body.

2. The microwave oven door assembly according to claim 1, wherein an outer surface of said strengthened glass plate facing said heating cavity is covered with a transparent plastic material.

3. The microwave oven door assembly according to claim 1, wherein said peripherally extending portion of said shielding body and said substantially parallel leg of said inner door frame are insulated from each other to prevent electrical discharge therebetween.

4. The microwave oven door assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a U-shaped member seated on said L-shaped portion of said inner door frame, said U-shaped member receiving and securing the periphery of said strengthened glass plate.

5. The microwave oven door assembly according to claim 1, wherein said shielding body is made of stainless steel and has black nickel plating applied to its surface.

6. The microwave oven door assembly according to claim 1, wherein said shielding body is made of stainless steel and is constructed of an etched metal having a surface roughness of 0.81 μ

or more.

7. The microwave oven door assembly according to claim 1, wherein said shielding body is made of stainless steel and has a colored resin board overlaid on the front thereof.

8. The microwave oven door assembly according to claim 1, wherein said door body has a mounting boss and an upstanding wall forming a terminating surface of a choke for attenuating a leaking electromagnetic wave, and said abutting plate is sandwiched between said shielding body and said upstanding wall.

9. The microwave oven door assembly according to claim 8, further comprising a bolt hole located in said abutting plate in correspondence with said mounting boss, wherein the diameter of said bolt hole in said abutting plate is larger than the diameter of said mounting boss.

10. The microwave oven door assembly according to claim 1, wherein the length of the upstanding leg of the L-shaped portion of said inner door frame is selected to be other than a substantially odd numbered multiple of 1/4 λ

, where λ

is the wavelength of the nominal frequency generated by said microwave energy radiating means.

11. A microwave oven according to claim 1, wherein said electromagnetic shielding body is treated with insulation to prevent discharge between said shielding body and said door body and said inner frame door.

12. The microwave oven door assembly according to claim 11, wherein said shielding body is made of aluminum subjected to an alumite surface treatment with black paint.