TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a steam-assisted oven comprising a water reservoir made of a single piece or multiple pieces.

PRIOR ART

In steam-assisted ovens, water intended to evaporate within the cooking chamber is transferred to a metal part called a water reservoir. Due to its depth, it is very difficult to shape the water reservoir during the molding process. Although it is possible to manufacture it with multiple parts, achieving a leak-proof design becomes significantly challenging when using multiple parts. In cases of water leakage from the reservoir, cold water flowing onto the hot cooking chamber base causes sudden thermal expansions, resulting in permanent deformation underneath the cooking chamber. Moreover, after the leaked water evaporates from below the cooking chamber, it leaves behind deposits such as lime. Therefore, there is a need for a solution in which a water reservoir made of a single piece or multiple pieces is produced leak-proof by using the bending method.

WO2021046613 invention relates to a steam-assisted oven. The invention describes the assembly of a multi-part reservoir in a steam-assisted oven. However, the invention does not produce sectional structures of sheets by the bending (folding) method.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The objective of the invention is to develop a steam-assisted oven with a leak-proof, cost- effective water reservoir made of a single piece or two pieces, offering ease of production through the use of bending structures.

In order to achieve the mentioned goals, the invention describes a steam-assisted oven comprising a cooking chamber confined by a muffle; a water pipe located between the cooking chamber and the muffle; a fan that helps to evaporate water along with the hot air generated during cooking in the cooking chamber; a first water tank made of a single piece mounted on a protective sheet, or a second water tank made of multiple pieces, where the water to be evaporated is carried by the water pipe and accumulates in a predetermined volume. In the steam-assisted oven, the first water tank includes a housing configured in a predetermined shape by bending in a specified mold, and a front wall configured to be bendable from a mouth corresponding to the edge ends of the opposite side walls in the housing; the second water tank includes an outer part configured to provide a mounting clearance between a curved wall formed by bending and a front wall in the tank, and an inner part with a rigid structure, having a connection edge configured in a predetermined shape by bending to fit into the mounting clearance of the outer part. As a result, a steam-assisted oven with a water tank made of one or two pieces, which provides sealing by reducing production costs due to its easy bending or folding production, is obtained.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the front wall in the first water tank is welded by bending to align with a stripe line connecting the lower wall to the side walls from the opposite side ends. In this way, the bent sheet's side ends (sheet skirts) are kept wide, hidden behind the visible surface, and the welding marks are made invisible.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the mounting clearance provides a guide bed of a predetermined width. In this way, the connection edge can be placed in the mounting clearance.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the curved wall is formed by bending along the first and second lines. As a result, a mounting clearance is obtained between the curved wall and the outer part's front wall.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the connection edge is formed by bending along the length of a third line connected to a lower wall in the inner part and the opposite side walls. In this way, the inner part can be easily mounted circumferentially to the mounting clearance of the outer part from the connection edge.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a front wall on the inner part is formed by bending along a fourth line on the opposite side walls with the lower wall. This allows for a volume area to be created within the second water tank for water accumulation by forming the front wall.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the curved wall is in a form that narrows the mounting clearance towards the front wall by bending or crushing. In this way, after placing the connection edge in the mounting clearance, the inner part can be mounted within the outer part as a result of an effect created by bending or crushing the curved wall, preventing it from coming out.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first or second water tank is mounted from a free lower surface of an inner wall on the protective sheet. In this way, in a steam-assisted oven containing one of the tanks, water flow can be achieved by gravity when filling the water in the used water tank.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the fan is on the protective sheet. This ensures that the fan is protected from damage due to temperature effects by the protective sheet.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the protective sheet is between the cooking chamber and the muffle, covering the rear part of the cooking chamber. In this way, the protective sheet provides protection by covering the rear part of the cooking chamber and allows for the mounting of one of the water tanks connected to the protective sheet.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the fan is a turbo fan operating at a predetermined rotation speed. This allows the water in the water tank to evaporate at a predetermined pressure and volume with the help of the hot air generated during cooking, provided by the turbo feature of the fan.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a steam-assisted oven according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of the connections inside the steam-assisted oven according to the invention.

Figure 3 is a front view of the connections inside the steam-assisted oven as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a top view of the first water reservoir in the steam-assisted oven according to the invention.

Figure 5 is a representation of the closing state of the front wall of the first water reservoir in the steam-assisted oven according to the invention.

Figure 6 is a side view of the first water reservoir in the steam-assisted oven according to the invention. Figure 7 is a representation of the assembly elements related to the second water reservoir in the steam-assisted oven according to the invention.

Figure 8 is a representation of the assembled state of the second water reservoir in the steam-assisted oven according to the invention.

Figure 9 is a magnified representation of the assembled state of the second water reservoir in the steam-assisted oven according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In this detailed description, the subject matter of the invention is described without any limitation and only with references to examples for better understanding.

Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a steam-assisted oven according to the invention. Surrounding and housing an oven (10) shown in Figure 1 is a muffle (12). Here, a cooking chamber (14) can be accessed through an opening wrapped by the muffle (12). In one configuration of the invention, the oven (10) is steam-assisted and is designed to allow a user to perform steam cooking in the cooking chamber (14) whenever desired.

Figure 2 shows a side view of the connections inside the steam-assisted oven according to the invention. In Figure 3, the connections inside the steam-assisted oven as shown in Figure 2 are shown from the front. In the steam-assisted oven (10) shown in Figures 2 and 3, a water pipe (16) is connected to the water-filled part of the oven (10) located within the gap provided between the cooking chamber (14) and the muffle (12). In the oven (10), there is a protective sheet (18) mounted between the cooking chamber (14) and the muffle (12) and covering the rear part of the cooking chamber (14). Here, the protective sheet (18) is a metallic sheet of predetermined thickness covering the rear part of the cooking chamber (14). Thus, the protective sheet (18) provides protection by covering the rear part of the cooking chamber (14). In the steam-assisted oven of the invention, only one of the first water reservoir (26) or the second water reservoir (44) can be mounted in connection with the protective sheet (18). Here, the first or second water reservoir (26) (44) is mounted from a free lower surface (22) of an inner wall (20) of the protective sheet (18). Thus, after filling the steam-assisted oven (10) with water, gravity can allow water to flow into the mounted water reservoir (26) (44). Also, the water reservoir (26) serves as a structure that accumulates a predetermined volume of water coming from the water pipe (18). In the steam-assisted oven (10) according to the invention, a fan (24) helps evaporate the water with the hot air generated during cooking in the cooking chamber (14). Here, the fan (24) is mounted on the protective sheet (18). Thus, the protective sheet (18) provides a space for the fan (24) to operate and ensures protection against damage caused by the heat effect. The fan (24) in the invention is a turbo fan that operates at a predetermined rotation speed, enabling evaporation at a predetermined pressure and volume. Additionally, the fan (20) is mounted in an inner recess on the protective sheet (22).

Figure 4 shows the top view of the first water tank in the steam-assisted oven of the invention, Figure 5 shows the closing state of the front wall of the first water tank in the steam-assisted oven, and Figure 6 shows the side view of the first water tank in the steam- assisted oven. The steam-assisted oven (10) in one configuration of the invention includes the first water tank (26) shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6. In the steam-assisted oven (10) containing the first water tank (26), the first water tank (26) is a single-piece structure. The first water tank (26) here includes a housing (28) configured in a predetermined shape by bending in a specified mold. Furthermore, a front wall (36) connected to the housing (28) is configured to bend at a mouth (34) to match the end edges (32) of the opposite side walls (30) in the housing (28). In Figure 5, the front wall (36) of the first water tank (26) is bent in the direction (a) until it contacts the end edges (32), closing the front part of the first water tank (26). In the steam-assisted oven (10) where the first water tank (26) is mounted, the front wall (36) of the tank is bent to match the strip line (42) connected to a lower wall and side walls (40) (30) from the opposite side ends (38) on it. Thus, the welding traces are not visible. Here, the side ends (sheet skirts) (38) of the bent sheet are kept wide, hidden behind the visible surface, ensuring the welding traces are not visible.

In the steam-assisted oven invention containing the first water tank (26), the first water tank (26) structure provides the following advantages;

• A cost-effective, leak-proof single-piece water tank (26) is achieved by providing ease of production.

• The welding area is minimized and hidden thanks to the hybrid design.

Figure 7 shows the assembly elements of the water tank in the steam-assisted oven of the invention, Figure 8 shows the mounted state of the water tank in the steam-assisted oven, and Figure 9 shows a close-up view of the mounted state of the water tank in the steam- assisted oven. Another configuration of the invention's steam-assisted oven (10) includes the second water tank (44) shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6. In the steam-assisted oven (10) containing the second water tank (44), the second water tank (44) consists of multiple parts, as given in the invention's configuration. The second water tank (44) consists of a rigid outer part (46) and an inner part (58). The outer part (46) has a curved wall (48) formed by bending. The outer part (46) is designed to provide a mounting clearance (52) between the curved wall (48) and a front wall (50) in the tank. Additionally, the inner part (58) has a connection edge (60) provided in a predetermined shape by bending to fit into the mounting clearance (52) in the outer part. The mounting clearance (52) here is a guide bed with a predetermined width. Thus, the connection edge (60) can be placed in the mounting clearance (52). The curved wall (48) in the outer part (46) is also formed by bending along the first line and the second line (54) (56). Thus, the mounting clearance (52) is provided between the curved wall (48) and the front wall (50) in the outer part. Additionally, the curved wall (48) is bent or crushed towards the front wall (50) in a form that narrows the mounting clearance (52). After placing the connection edge (60) in the mounting clearance (52), the inner part (58) is mounted within the outer part (46) by bending or crushing the curved wall (48) in such a way that it does not come out due to the resulting force. The force formed here, for example, corresponds to the force exerted by the water on the curved wall (48) when the water is filled and in a stagnant state. The connection edge (60) in the inner part is formed by bending along a third line (68) connected to a lower wall (64) and opposite side walls (66) from the connection edge (60). Thus, the inner part (58) structure is easily mounted circumferentially from the connection edge (60) to the mounting clearance (52) of the outer part (46). A front wall (62) on the inner part (58) is also formed by bending along a fourth line (70) between the lower wall (64) and the opposite side walls (66). Thus, a volume area is provided within the second water tank by forming the front wall (62).

In the steam-assisted oven invention containing the second water tank (58), the second water tank (44) structure provides the following advantages;

• A cost-effective two-piece water tank (44) is achieved by providing ease of production.

• By performing sheet skirt bends/curls and placing the connection edge (60) in the mounting clearance (52), and bending/crushing the curved wall (48) afterward, leak-proofing is provided in the water tank (44).

REFERENCE NUMBERS

10 Oven 42 Stripe line

12 Muffle 44 Second water tank

14 Cooking chamber 46 Outer part

16 Water pipe 48 Curved wall Protective sheet 50 Front wall

Inner wall 52 Mounting clearance

Lower surface 54 First line

Fan 56 Second line

First water tank 58 Inner part

Housing 60 Connection edge

Side walls 62 Front wall

Edge ends 64 Lower wall

Mouth 66 Side wall

Front wall 68 Third line

Side ends 70 Fourth line

Lower wall a Bending direction