RANGE HOOD INSERT ASSEMBLY

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This utility patent application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 18/914,850, filed on Oct. 14, 2024, and titled “Range Hood Insert Assembly,” the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to range hoods for ventilating food preparation locations, like kitchens. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a range hood insert assembly for being installed in conjunction with a custom vent shell arrangement in a kitchen.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

A range hood is a kitchen appliance that is positioned above a cooking surfaces, like a range, and is configured to ventilate and remove smoke, steam, odors, and airborne grease that can be produced while cooking. Often in custom kitchen applications, a wall-mounted custom cabinet or wood feature is configured to receive and surround a range hood insert assembly, such that the assembly is able to perform its ventilation function while concealed by the cabinet feature. A standard installation method of such an assembly includes first installing a custom hood shell into a specific cabinet cutout. Next, the assembly is lifted into the hood shell and held it in place for an extended period of time while the insert is secured to the hood shell via an arrangement of fasteners. This scenario creates installation challenges due to a weight of the assembly-which often weigh anywhere from 50 to 70 lbs. Another installation process includes securing the assembly inside a custom shell using a series of L-shaped brackets and Phillips-head screws across all sides of the assembly to ensure that it is safely secured. Due to a plethora of custom shells that exist, the L-shaped bracket approach does not always work. In these instances, holes may be pre-drilled into the assembly itself, and screws may be used to secure the insert into the custom shell. Regardless of the installation method, the main challenge in installing range hood insert assemblies is dealing with the weight of the assembly. It can take several minutes to a half hour or longer to safely install the assembly, and such installs are typically a minimum a two-person job, if not more, to ensure that the assembly is satisfactorily held in place from below. Additionally, range hood insert assemblies by design put a full weight of the assembly on the custom shell, thus causing unnecessary strain, meaning custom cabinet or wood shells typically have to be built and fortified to safely withstand the weight of the assembly. Finally, only after the range hood insert assembly is successfully installed into the custom hood shell can a customer move on to the next stage of installing ducting from the top of the assembly into the ceiling of the kitchen to provide proper ventilation, all while the full weight of the assembly is leveraged against the custom shell. Once the ducting is installed, installation can be finalized by securing a custom-made chimney onto the custom shell.

SUMMARY

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure and is not intended to be interpreted as a comprehensive listing of its full scope or of all of its objects, aspects, features and/or advantages.

According to an aspect of the disclosure, a range hood insert assembly includes a chassis that has a top wall, a bottom wall opposite the top wall, a front wall, and a rear wall opposite the front wall and a pair of side walls, and defines a compartment. The bottom wall of the chassis defines a vent, and the top wall of the chassis defines an exhaust opening. A smoke collecting box is connected to the top wall of the chassis about the exhaust opening and defines an interior fluidly connected to the compartment of the chassis. The smoke collecting box has a top surface that defines an opening for being connected with a conduit, a front surface, a rear surface opposite the front surface, and a pair of side surfaces. A connection flange overlies and is connected to the rear surface of the smoke collecting box and has a top portion that extends above the smoke collecting box, and a pair of side portions that extend beyond the side surfaces of the smoke collecting box. The connection flange defines at least one orifice for receiving at least one fastener to connect the range hood insert assembly to a wall.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a method for installing a range hood insert assembly includes providing a range hood insert assembly that has a chassis. The chassis has a top wall, a bottom wall, a front wall, a rear wall and a pair of side walls, and defines a compartment. The bottom wall of the chassis defines a vent, and the top wall of the chassis defines an exhaust opening. The method also includes providing a smoke collecting box that is connected to the top wall of the chassis about the exhaust opening. The smoke collecting box defines an interior that is fluidly connected to the compartment of the chassis. The smoke collecting box has a top surface that defines an opening for being connected with a conduit, a front surface, a rear surface opposite the front surface, and a pair of side surfaces. A connection flange overlies the rear surface of the smoke collecting box. The connection flange has a top portion that extends above the smoke collecting box, and a pair of side portions that extend beyond the side surfaces of the smoke collecting box. The connection flange defines a plurality of orifices. The method also includes positioning the range hood insert assembly against the wall. The method also includes driving a plurality of fasteners through a plurality of the orifices of the connection flange and into the wall such that the plurality of fasteners hold the range hood insert assembly to the wall.

The embodiments of the subject range hood insert assembly are easy to install, require little man-power, provide flexibility in hood shell designs, and are robustly connected to the adjacent wall.

The connection flange with orifices extends above the top of the smoke collecting box and beyond its sides. This design offers a large surface area and multiple options for securing mounting fasteners, allowing the range hood insert assembly to be fixed to a wall, whether or not it aligns with the wall studs.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations thereof such that the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a top, perspective view of a first embodiment of a range hood insert assembly and an associated wall and hood shell;

FIG. 2 is a bottom, perspective view of the first embodiment of the range hood insert assembly;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the first embodiment of the range hood insert assembly;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the first embodiment of the range hood insert assembly;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the first embodiment of the range hood insert assembly;

FIG. 6 is a top, perspective view of the first embodiment of the range hood insert assembly, prior to assembly of a smoke collecting box;

FIG. 7 is a front view of a second embodiment of the range hood insert assembly;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the second embodiment of the range hood insert assembly;

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the second embodiment of the range hood insert assembly;

FIG. 10 is a top, perspective view of the second embodiment of the range hood insert assembly, prior to assembly of a smoke collecting box;

FIG. 11 is a front view of a third embodiment of the range hood insert assembly;

FIG. 12 is a side view of the third embodiment of the range hood insert assembly;

FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the third embodiment of the range hood insert assembly;

FIG. 14 is a front view of a fourth embodiment of the range hood insert assembly;

FIG. 15 is a side view of the fourth embodiment of the range hood insert assembly;

FIG. 16 is a bottom view of the fourth embodiment of the range hood insert assembly;

FIG. 17 is a top, perspective view of the fourth embodiment of the range hood insert assembly, prior to assembly of a smoke collecting box;

FIG. 18 is a front view of a fifth embodiment of the range hood insert assembly;

FIG. 19 is a side view of the fifth embodiment of the range hood insert assembly;

FIG. 20 is a bottom view of the fifth embodiment of the range hood insert assembly;

FIG. 21 is a top, perspective view of the fifth embodiment of the range hood insert assembly, prior to assembly of a smoke collecting box;

FIG. 22 is a flow diagram of a method of installing a range hood insert assembly, according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 23 is a front, perspective view of a sixth embodiment of the range hood insert assembly;

FIG. 24 is rear, perspective view of the sixth embodiment of the range hood insert assembly;

FIG. 25 is a front, perspective view of a seventh embodiment of the range hood insert assembly;

FIG. 26 is a rear, perspective view of the seventh embodiment of the range hood assembly;

FIG. 27 is a rear view of the seventh embodiment of the range hood assembly;

FIG. 28 is perspective view of an eighth embodiment of the range hood assembly;

FIG. 29 is a perspective, exploded view of the eight embodiment of the range hood assembly;

FIG. 30 is a perspective view of a ninth embodiment of the range hood assembly;

FIG. 31 is a perspective, exploded view of the ninth embodiment of the range hood assembly;

FIG. 32 is a perspective view of a tenth embodiment of the range hood assembly;

FIG. 33 is a perspective, exploded view of the tenth embodiment of the range hood assembly;

FIG. 34 is a perspective view of an eleventh embodiment of the range hood assembly; and

FIG. 35 is a perspective, exploded view of the eleventh embodiment of the range hood assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Example embodiments of a range hood insert assembly 10, 110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 610, 710, 810, 910, 1010 and associated methods embodying the teachings of the present disclosure will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the example embodiments are only provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that the example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms that may be combined in various ways, and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

More particularly, referring to the figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, embodiments of a range hood insert assembly 10, 110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 610, 710, 810, 910, 1010 are provided. As best illustrated in FIG. 1, the range hood insert assembly 10, 110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 610, 710, 810, 910, 1010 is configured to be positioned in an insert opening of a hood shell 12 for a stove. For example, the hood shell 12 may be a wall 66 mounted custom cabinet or wood feature that is configured to receive and surround a range hood insert assembly 10, 110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 610, 710, 810, 910, 1010, such that the range hood insert assembly 10, 110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 610, 710, 810, 910, 1010 is able to perform its ventilation function while concealed by the hood shell 12. The hood shell 12 may be connected to the wall and insert assembly 10, 110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 610, 710, 810, 910, 1010 in various ways.

FIGS. 1-6 show a first embodiment of the range hood insert 10. The range hood insert 10 has a chassis 14 that is generally box shaped, with a top wall 16, a bottom wall 18, side walls 20 between the top and bottom walls 16, 18, and front and rear walls 22, 24 between the top side walls 20. The chassis 14 defines a compartment 26. A vent 28 is defined along the bottom wall 18. As best shown in FIG. 1B, a grill 30 overlies the vent 28. A pair of lights 32 are located along the bottom wall 18 for illuminating a range below the range hood insert assembly 10A. Any number of lights 32 and slots of the vent 28 may be used. The top wall 16 of the chassis 14 defines an exhaust opening 34 which is fluidly connected to the vent 28. A rim 36 extends upwardly from the top wall 16 of the chassis 14 around the exhaust opening 34. According to the described embodiments, the exhaust opening 34 is square-shaped, and the rim 36 is comprised of four segments, but other arrangements may be used without departing from the scope of the subject disclosure. As shown, the exhaust opening 34 may be separated into any number of openings 34 by a divider.

The range hood insert assembly 10 also includes a smoke collecting box 38 that has an open bottom end 40 which is connected to the top wall 16 of the chassis 14 in alignment with the exhaust opening 34. More particularly, the bottom end 40 surrounds the rim 36 of the chassis 14. The smoke collecting box 38 also has a top surface 42 that is opposite the bottom end 40, and a front surface 44, a rear surface 46 opposite the front surface 44 and a pair of side surfaces 48 that extend between the front and rear surfaces 44, 46. A plurality of fasteners 50 connect the front, rear and side surfaces 44, 46, 48 to the rim 36 of the chassis 14 to connect the smoke collecting box 38 to the chassis 14. The smoke collecting box 38 defines an interior that is fluidly connected to the exhaust opening 34 of the chassis 14. The top surface 42 of the smoke collecting box 38 defines an outlet 52 for being coupled with a conduit 54 which ultimately extends through the shell 12 and to the atmosphere. One or more exhaust fans 56 (schematically shown in FIG. 1) are located in the interior of the smoke collecting box 38 for pulling air through the vent 28, into the smoke collecting box 38 and through the conduit 54 such that it may be exhausted to the atmosphere.

As shown in FIG. 2, a series of buttons 58 are located along the bottom wall 18 of the chassis 14 for allowing an operator to selectively activate the lights 32 and the exhaust fan 56. Any number of buttons 58 may be used, and they may serve various features. The buttons 58 may be connected to an associated controller 59 (schematically shown in FIG. 1) which can provide variability in operation of the lights 32 and exhaust fan 56. Other input devices, e.g., a smart phone or tablet, may be used to control the lights 32 and exhaust fan 56. A control box 70 is connected to the smoke collecting box 38 adjacent to the outlet 52 for containing controlling equipment such as the controller 59.

A flange 60 overlies, and is connected to the rear surface 48 of the smoke collecting box 38. The flange 60 extends beyond the top surface 42 of the smoke collecting box 38 in the vertical direction such that an exposed portion of the flange 60 is visible. The flange 60 defines a pair of orifices 62 along the exposed portion for receiving fasteners 64, e.g., bolts or screws, to connect the range hood insert assembly 10 to a wall 66. According to embodiments, the orifices 62 are spaced from one another at a distance which permits the fasteners 64 to be connected to studs 68 or other mounting features on the wall 66 (shown schematically in FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 22, a method 100 for installing a range hood insert assembly 10 is also provided. The method includes 102 connecting the smoke collecting box 38 to the rim 36 of the chassis 14. This may include driving a plurality of fasteners 50, such as screws or bolts, through the smoke collecting box 38 and the rim 36 of the chassis 14. The method also includes 104 securing a pair of fasteners 64, such as screws or bolts, to the wall 66 into a pair of studs 68 or other supports in, or along the wall 66. This step may include pre-drilling holes into the studs 68 or other supports. The method also includes 106 positioning the chassis 14 and smoke collecting box 38 against the wall 66, with the orifices 62 of the flange 60 receiving the fasteners 64. This step may include one or more installers lifting and positioning the chassis 14 and smoke collecting box 38 in place. The method then includes 108 tightening the fasteners 64 to fix the chassis 14 and the smoke collecting box 38 to the wall 66. Once the chassis 14 and the smoke collecting box 38 are in place, the method includes 108 sliding a hood shell 12 around the assembled range hood insert assembly 10.

This process not only allows an installer to fully install exhaust conduits 54/ducting without maneuvering around a custom shell 12 because the full weight of the range hood insert assembly 10 is shifted to the kitchen wall. This provides an overall sturdy mount. With the range hood insert assembly 10 successfully mounted on the wall 66, the installer can then install specifically designed hood shell 12 by easily sliding it onto the hood insert assembly 10 by crafting the shell 12 around the precise width and depth dimensions for the specific range hood insert assembly 10. This process is fundamental for installation scenarios where an oven or stove/range is already installed below the range hood insert assembly 10. Installation parameters often require hoods to be between 30 inches and 36 inches above the cooktop below—this exacerbates the issue of multiple people holding a heavy hood in place to insert it into a shell 12 due to having three feet or less of space with which to work.

FIGS. 7-10 illustrate a second embodiment of the range hood insert assembly 110, wherein like numerals, separated by a prefix of “1” identify corresponding components with the first embodiment described above.

FIGS. 11-13 illustrate a third embodiment of the range hood insert assembly 210, wherein like numerals, separated by a prefix of “2” identify corresponding components with the embodiment described above.

FIGS. 14-17 illustrate a fourth embodiment of the range hood insert assembly 310, wherein like numerals, separated by a prefix of “3” identify corresponding components with the embodiments described above.

FIGS. 18-21 illustrate a fifth embodiment of the range hood insert assembly 410, wherein like numerals, separated by a prefix of “4” identify corresponding components with the embodiments described above.

The second through fifth embodiments are generally structurally the same, but with smaller and/or larger features than those of the first embodiment of the range hood insert assembly 10 in order to accommodate hood shells 12 and exhaust fans 56 of different sizes and configurations.

FIGS. 23-24 illustrate a sixth embodiment of the range hood insert assembly 510, wherein like numerals, separated by a prefix of “5” identify corresponding components with the embodiments described above.

The sixth embodiment of the range hood insert assembly includes a flange 560 which overlies, and is connected to the rear surface 548 of the smoke collecting box 538. The flange 560 extends above and outwardly of the smoke collecting box 538 beyond both of the side surfaces 548 of the smoke collecting box 538. The flange 560 has a top 572 extending horizontally above the smoke collecting box, and a pair of angled portions 574 each extending outwardly and downwardly from the top 572 to a location adjacent the side walls 520 of the chassis 514. Furthermore the flange 560 defines an array of orifices 562A, 562B for receiving fasteners 564 to connect the hood insert assembly 510 to a wall 566. The array of orifices 562A, 562B are distributed along a large surface area of the flange 560, which permits any number of the fasteners 564 to be secured to the wall 566 at various locations, along or off studs 568 of the wall 566. According to embodiments, a majority of the orifices 562A, 562B are oval orifices 562A which have an oval shape being wider in the horizontal direction than vertical direction. Two of the orifices 562A, 562B are keyhole orifices 562B which have a large circular region 576 at a bottom and a narrow region 578 which extends upwardly from the circular region 576. The keyhole orifices 562B are configured to receive a fastener in the large circular region 576, then the fastener is slid upwardly into the narrow region 578 to fix the fastener to the flange 560. The orifices 562A, 562B may have different combinations of these, or other shapes across the flange. The fasteners 564 may be received through any number of the orifices 562 depending on specific needs.

As shown in FIG. 24, the sixth embodiment includes two exhaust fans 565 in the smoke collecting box 538, with the exhaust fans 565 positioned adjacent to one another with exhaust fans 565 positioned along a common rotation axis A.

FIGS. 25-27 illustrate a seventh embodiment of the range hood insert assembly 610, wherein like numerals, separated by a prefix of “6” identify corresponding components with the embodiments described above.

The seventh embodiment is arranged substantially the same as the sixth embodiment, but as shown in FIGS. 23-24, the two exhaust fans 656 are positioned along parallel axes of rotation B. As shown, a power cable 667 we be coupled to the controller box 670 for being connected to a source of power to power the various components of the range hood insert assembly 610. Power cables may be utilized in the other described embodiments for the same purpose.

FIGS. 28-29 illustrate an eighth embodiment of the range hood insert assembly 710, wherein like numerals, separated by a prefix of “7” identify corresponding components with the embodiments described above.

The eighth embodiment is arranged similarly to the seventh embodiment, but of note, the flange 760 includes a rectangular-shaped top component 773 (top portion) extending upwardly beyond the top of the smoke collecting box 738. The flange 760 also has two angled components 774 (side portions) that extend in a triangular shape outwardly and downwardly from the top of the smoke collecting box 738, beneath the top component 773.

The flange 760 defines an array of orifices 762A, 762B for receiving fasteners 764 to connect the hood insert assembly 710 to a wall 766. The array of orifices 762A, 762B are distributed across a large surface area of the flange 760, which permits any number of the fasteners 764 to be secured to the wall 766 at various locations, along or off studs 68 of the wall 766. According to embodiments, the orifices 762A, 762B along the angled components 774 are oval orifices 762A which have an oval shape being wider in the horizontal direction than vertical direction. Furthermore, the orifices 762A, 762B on the top component 773 are keyhole orifices 762B which have a large circular region 776 at a bottom and a narrow region 778 which extends upwardly from the circular region 776. The keyhole orifices 762B are configured to receive a fastener in the large circular region 776, then the fastener is slid upwardly into the narrow region 778 to fix the fastener to the flange 760. The orifices 762A, 562B may have different combinations of these, or other shapes across the flange 760. The fasteners 764 may be received through any number of the orifices 762A, 762B depending on specific needs.

FIGS. 30-31, 32-33 and 34-35, respectively illustrate ninth, tenth and eleventh embodiments of the range hood insert assembly 810, 910, 1010, wherein like numerals, separated by a prefix of “8”, “9” and “10” identify corresponding components with the embodiments described above.

As best shown in FIG. 30, the range hood insert assembly 810 may further include a capacitor/circuit board 869 and transformer 871 which are connected to or part of the controller 870. This may apply to all of the discussed embodiments of the range hood assembly.

As best shown in FIG. 31, each of the exhaust fan assemblies 856 may include a fan housing 871 which holds a motor 873. Each of the housings 871 has one or more inlets 875 and one or more outlets 877. A cover 881 may cover the one or more inlets 875 to prevent debris from entering the inlets 875. An impeller 879 is coupled with an output of the motor 873 to draw air in through the at least one inlet 875 and emit air through the at least one outlet 877. According to the shown embodiment, each of the housings 871 contains two impellers 879 which are driven by a single motor 873, and which draw air in through inlets 875 on opposing sides of the housing 871 and emit air through two parallel outlets 877 at the top of the housing 871.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in that particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or later, or intervening element or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to described various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.

Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.