US3660969A

US3660969A - Device for releasably latching filters and lamp lenses in range hoods

Info

Publication number: US3660969A
Application number: US27691A
Authority: US
Inventors: Norman P Fox
Original assignee: Fasco Industries Inc
Current assignee: HS DEECO Inc A CORP OF
Priority date: 1970-04-13
Filing date: 1970-04-13
Publication date: 1972-05-09
Anticipated expiration: 1989-05-09

Abstract

A removable filter unit is mounted in a range hood to pivot about its rear edge into an operative position rearwardly of a removable light lens, and beneath the hood''s exhaust fan. A finger-actuatable latch is pivoted on the forward edge of the filter unit, and has a slot in its upper end engageable over a stationary pin in the hood to secure the unit in its operative position, at which time a flange on the forward edge of the unit engages and clamps the rear edge of the light lens against the hood also to lock the lens in place. The lower end of the latch is manually actuatable to pivot the latch to released position to disengage its slot from said pin, thereby to permit the filter unit to pivot downwardly, and the lens to be slid rearwardly for removal.

Description

United States Patent Fox [54] DEVICE FOR RELEASABLY LATCHING FILTERS AND LAMP LENSES IN RANGE HOODS [72] Inventor: Norman P. Fox, Springwater, NY. [73] Assignee: Fasco Industries, Inc., Rochester, NY. [22] Filed: Apr. 13, 1970 [2]] App]. No.: 27,691

Welch ..98/1 15 K 1 1 May9,l972

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,297,543 5/l962 France ..98/ll5K 888,823 2/1962 GreatBritain ..98/ll5K Primary Eraminer-Bemard Nozick Attorney-Shlesinger, Fitzsimmons & Shlesinger.

[57] ABSTRACT A removable filter unit is mounted in a range hood to pivot about its rear edge into an operative position rearwardly of a removable light lens, and beneath the hoods exhaust fan. A finger-actuatable latch is pivoted on the forward edge of the filter unit, and has a slot in its upper end engageable over a stationary pin in the hood to secure the unit in its operative position, at which time a flange on the forward edge of the unit engages and clamps the rear edge of the light lens against the hood also to lock the lens in place. The lower end of the latch is manually actuatable to pivot the latch to released position to disengage its slot from said pin, thereby to permit the filter unit to pivot downwardly, and the lens to he slid rearwardly for removal.

2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEBMAY 91972 3, 660,969

FIG. 1

I8 INVENTOR. NORMAN P. FOX

ATTORNEYS DEVICE FOR RELEASABLY LATCHING FILTERS AND LAMP LENSES IN RANGE HOODS This invention relates to range hoods, such as are employed for filtering odors and grease from cooking vapors that arise from kitchen ranges during use. More particularly, this invention relates to a novel latching device for removably securing filter units and light lenses in hoods of the type described.

Range hoods nowadays usually contain, in addition to the required grease and fume filters, lights for illuminating the cooking surfaces of the ranges; and removable, transparent cover plates are ordinarily mounted on the hoods to protect the lenses. The filters have to be removed, cleaned and replaced periodically, when they become unduly clogged or dirty. Likewise, the transparent cover plates for the lamps have to be removable so that they can be readily cleaned when necessary, and so that the lamps can be replaced.

With the spring-loaded method heretofore most commonly used in the industry for securing filter units and transparent cover plates or lenses in range hoods, there is always the possibility of the filter units or lenses dropping out of the hoods due to vibration or shock or because they have not been firmly seated in place. Moreover, with the structures heretofore used it has been difficult for the average housewife to remove either the filters or the light lenses, when properly placed, for cleaning or replacement purposes without employing a screwdriver 'or some other tool to release or unlatch the hood filter unit and/or light lens. Often, too, where filter and lens latching mechanisms are employed, they are located where they are difficult to see, and equally difficult to reach with a tool.

A prime object of this invention is to provide a mechanically secure method of attachment of filter unit and lens in a range hood, which will be superior to the conventional spring loaded means.

Another object of this invention is to provide for hoods of the type described novel latching means, which will enable the average housewife, or anyone with little or no mechanical ability, readily to remove and reinsert a range hood filtering unit, and/or light lens, without the use of any tools.

Another object of this invention is to provide for a range hood of the type described a single, readily accessible, fingeractuatable cam latching device for removably securing both a filter unit and a light lens in a hood.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel cam latching device of the type described which remains attached to the removable filter unit of the associated range hood so that it cannot be dropped or accidentally lost when the filter unit is removed.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent hereinafter from the specification or from the recital of the appended claims, particularly when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a range hood of the type incorporating a cam latching device made in accordance with one embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of this hood with portions thereof broken away and shown in section for purposes of illustration;

H6. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view of this hood taken along the line 3-3 in FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view, on the same scale as FIG. 3, and taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The hereinafter described hood is adapted to be mounted in conventional manner above the cooking surface of a kitchen range to collect and filter fumes and cooking vapors that arise from the food being cooked on the range. It contains one or more lamps, which direct light downwardly to illuminate the cooking surface of the stove, and one or more filter units, which are positioned removably beneath an exhaust fan that is contained in the hood to draw cooking fumes through the filters before exhausting the fumes into the kitchen or out-ofdoors.

Referring now to the drawing by numerals of reference, 10 denotes a range hood having on its forward wall a pair of switches 11 and 12 for operating, respectively, the exhaust fan contained in the hood (not illustrated), and the lamp or lamps (not illustrated) that are used to illuminate the cooking surface of the associated range.

Removably mounted in the hood 10 beneath the exhaust fan, and with its rear edge removably seated on a flange 14 formed along the lower, rear, inside edge of the hood, is a filter unit 15. Along its forward edge unit 15 has a lateral flange or lip 16, which projects beneath the rear edge of a removable light lens or translucent plate 18, which is mounted in the hood beneath the illuminating lamp, or lamps, and forwardly of the filter unit 15. Both the filter unit 15 and the lens 18 are secured removably in the hood by a cam latching device denoted generally at 20.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, 22 denotes a metal bracket or plate, which extends along the forward edge of the filter unit 15. The lower edge of plate 22 is bent forwardly to form the above-noted flange l6, and its upper edge is bent rearwardly to form a flange 23. Brazed, welded or otherwise secured to the back of plate 22 beneath and parallel to the flange 23 is a rearwardly facing channel member 24. The two, conventional,

filter elements

25 and 26 of the unit 15 are sup ported at their formed edges by the channel 24, and in the space between the channel 24 and the upper flange 23, respectively, of plate 22.

Secured to plate 22 substantially medially of its ends is a headed rivet 28. Mounted intermediate its ends on pin 28 to pivot thereabout against the face of plate 22 is a flat cam plate or latch 30. The lower end of latch 30 projects downwardly through a slot or notch 32 in the flange 16 of plate 22 and has formed thereon a tab 33 for manipulating the latch. Adjacent its upper end the latch 30 has therein slot 35, the inner end of which is slightly enlarged as at 36. Slot 35 is radially spaced from the pin 28 to register at its open end with a latchpin 38, which projects from an inclined wall 40 that overlies the confronting edges of the unit 15 and the lens 18 when the filter and lens are in place in the hood.

Wall 40 forms part of a fan housing, which is fixed in the hood to support the exhaust fan (not illustrated) above unit 15. lts lower edge is positioned directly above the removable light lens 18 adjacent the inner or rear edge thereof.

The slot 32 in flange l6 permits latch 30 to be pivoted by its tab 33 approximately 60 (FIG. 3) about the pin 28 to move the latch to and from locking engagement with pin 38.

For purposes of illustration, the latch 30 is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 in a position in which it is partway between fully latched and fully released positions. By manipulating the tab 33 with a thumb or finger, the latch 30 may be pivoted further in a counterclockwise direction (FIG. 3) about the pin 28 to cause the pin 38 to enter into full locking engagement with latch 30 in the enlarged inner end 36 of the notch 35. During this movement a camming surface 42 formed on the upper edge of slot 35 causes the pin 28, and hence the plate 22 and the entire filter unit 15, to be urged upwardly at its forward end. This causes the flange 16 on plate 22 to engage and urge the rear edge of the light lens 18 upwardly into a locked position against the lower edge of the fan housing wall 40. When the enlarged end 36 of slot 35 engages around the shank of pin 38, the rear edge of the lens plate 18 will be locked firmly between the wall 40 and the flange l6; and both unit endge and lens 18 will be locked against vertical and lateral movement.

To release the unit 15 and the lens 18, the latch 30 is swung by its tab 33 in a clockwise direction about the pin 28 (FIG. 3) until the shank of pin 38 has become completely disengaged from the slot 35. At this time the unit 15, together with the latch 30 which is pivoted thereon, are free to drop or pivot downwardly from the hood 10 about the flange 14 on its rear edge. This permits the unit 15 to be completely removed from the hood so that

filter elements

25 and 26 can be removed, and lens 18 can be slid rearwardly and removed for cleaning.

After the lens 18 has been cleaned, it is reinserted into the hood; and then the rear edge of a cleaned or substitute unit is placed on the flange 14 of the hood 10, and its forward edge is swung upwardly until the flange l6 thereon reengages the underside of the lens 18 in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. The latch 30 is then again swung back into locking engagement with pin 30.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the instant invention provides relatively simple and readily accessible and operable means for releasably latching both the filter unit and the light lens of a range hood in place. When the latch 30 is in its locking position, it has a center of gravity which registers vertically with the axis of the pivot pin 28, thereby increasing the strength and stability of locking. Moreover, when the latch 30 is fully seated in its latched position, the shank of the latch pin 38 seats snugly in the enlarged diameter end 36 of the slot 35 to prevent accidental rotation of latch 30 toward released position. When the unit 15 is removed the latch remains secured thereto, so that there are no small, individual moving parts that can be accidentally dropped or lost during the removal or reinsertion of the filter unit. In addition, the camming surface 42 on latch 30 operates to draw the flange 16 on the filter unit resiliently and firmly into contact with the trailing edge of the lens 18 to hold the lens firmly in place.

I claim:

1. A range hood having an inlet opening in its bottom, and means removably supporting a light lens and a filter unit in and across said opening,

said supporting means comprising a flange on said hood at the rear of said opening on which the rear of said filter unit rests.

means on said hood for holding the front end of the lens,

a forwardly projecting lip on the front of the filter unit on which the rear end of the lens is seated, and

cooperating locking members respectively mounted on the front end of the filter unit and on an inner wall of the hood for releasably locking the filter unit in the hood transverse of the opening and simultaneously lifting the lip into position to force the lens against a stop in the hood to hold the lens in place,

said filter unit, upon release of said locking members being slidable forwardly ofi" said flange and rockable downwardly to remove it from the hood, and

said lens being slidable rearwardly and rockable downwardly to remove it from said opening after said filter unit has been removed from the hood,

the front end of said filter unit being disposed closely adjacent the rear end of said lens to prevent removal of the lens from the hood without prior removal of the filter unit.

2. A range hood as claimed in claim 1, wherein said locking means comprises a pin fastened to the wall in the hood, and

a latch member pivotably mounted on the front end of the filter unit, said latch member having an arcuate cam slot therein to engage said pin.

Claims

1. A range hood having an inlet opening in its bottom, and means removably supporting a light lens and a filter unit in and across said opening, said supporting means comprising a flange on said hood at the rear of said opening on which the rear of said filter unit rests, means on said hood for holding the front end of the lens, a forwardly projecting lip on the front of the filter unit on which the rear end of the lens is seated, and cooperating locking members respectively mounted on the front end of the filter unit and on an inner wall of the hood for releasably locking the filter unit in the hood transverse of the opening and simultaneously lifting the lip into position to force the lens against a stop in the hood to hold the lens in place, said filter unit, upon release of sAid locking members being slidable forwardly off said flange and rockable downwardly to remove it from the hood, and said lens being slidable rearwardly and rockable downwardly to remove it from said opening after said filter unit has been removed from the hood, the front end of said filter unit being disposed closely adjacent the rear end of said lens to prevent removal of the lens from the hood without prior removal of the filter unit.

2. A range hood as claimed in claim 1, wherein said locking means comprises a pin fastened to the wall in the hood, and a latch member pivotably mounted on the front end of the filter unit, said latch member having an arcuate cam slot therein to engage said pin.