Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CA 02388390 2002-05-31
TITLE OF THE INVENTION
RANGE HOOD FAN SPRAY DISPENSER
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to range hoods and more particularly to a spray
dispenser for a
range hood wherein a cleaning fluid is dispersed against the surfaces of a
range hood
to fan in order to remove any accumulated grease from the fan.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Range hoods are used above cooking surfaces to remove grease, common odors
and hazardous gases created during the cooking process. Typically, range hoods
have a pair of motors horizontally installed in a motor housing within the
hood body.
Each motor drives a fan. The fans draw air from the cooking area below and
force it
2o through the motor housing to ventilation piping.
As the vaporized grease contained in the entrained air travels through the
motor
housing, some of it condenses on the inside walls of the housing from where
the
shaping of the walls and floor of the housing directs the grease to a circular
grease
2s catcher mounted below each fan opening. Grease catchers are known in the
art as
illustrated in U.S. Patent Nos. 6,216,686 B1 and 5,537,988.
Grease catchers are also adapted to capture any grease that drips off the fan
blades
when the motors are turned off. Typically, the grease catcher has radial inner
and
30 outer trays with a wall separating them. The wall extends vertically so as
to be almost
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CA 02388390 2006-03-O1
flush with the lower edge of the outer circumference of the fan. In this way
air being
drawn in by the fans is compelled to enter the motor housing rather than the
hood
body. The wall therefore acts to control the air currents of the range hood.
5 The grease catchers are usually provided with an inclined base or floor, so
as to
direct accumulated grease to a hole in the floor. A hose is attached to the
hole to
convey the grease to a grease receptacle outside the range hood.
The motor housing and grease catchers are mounted within the hood body.
to Openings in the lower surface of the hood body are positioned so as to
match those
of the motor housing. Typically the lower surface of the hood body is
removably fitted
into the main hood body. A protective grill is attached to the outside of each
opening
in the hood body so as to prevent the insertion of body parts when the fan is
in
operation.
Alternatively, as described in my U.S. Patent No. 6,732,729 entitled RANGE
HOOD
WITH GREASE COLLECTING MOTOR HOUSING, the motor housing may be
adapted to act as a grease catcher itself. In this system, a circular wall
defining the
motor housing intake openings projects vertically into the motor housing,
acting as a
2o barrier to grease accumulated therein. The accumulated grease drains
directly from
the housing rather than to a grease catcher. Grease trays inserted into the
intake
openings provide a barrier for proper airflow into the housing and to capture
any
grease that should happen to drip from the fan.
z5 Both of the foregoing designs rely on gravity to cause the accumulated
grease to
drain out of the range hood. However, gravity is not effective in removing all
the
grease with the result that some becomes caked on to the interior surfaces,
thereby
reducing the efficiency of the range hood. The foregoing systems of motor
housing
and grease catchers therefore require periodic cleaning to remove condensed
grease
3o accumulated on the fans, motor housing interior and grease catchers or
trays.
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CA 02388390 2002-05-31
Attempts have been made to overcome the necessity to manually clean the
interior of
a range hood exhaust system. It is known in the art to provide a washing fluid
under
pressure in order to clean the interior of the exhaust system. For example,
U.S.
s Patent No. 4,259,945 teaches an exhaust system in which a washing fluid
under
pressure is used to clean the flue and fan. Cleaning of the fan is possible as
it is set
back in the exhaust duct and is positioned such that fluid sprayed on the fan
drains to
an external receptacle. Similar washing fluid systems are taught in U.S.
Patent Nos.
3,795,181 and 4,085,735. However, these prior art cleaning systems are
specific to
io their respective range hood/exhaust duct designs.
A cleaning system is also known in the art with respect to the range hood
having a
motor housing as described above. A fluid delivering nozzle is fitted into a
hole in the
side of the motor housing so as to deliver a spray of washing fluid to clean
the
is interior. This is done while the motors are activated so that the force of
the air being
drawn into the motor housing forces the sprayed fluid against the interior
surfaces of
the motor housing and prevents any liquid from passing through the air
intakes.
However, while this system cleans the interior of the motor housing, it does
not clean
the fan.
It is therefore an object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide
a spray
dispenser for cleaning a fan in a range hood having a motor housing with at
least one
fan.
2s Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the description that
follows.
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CA 02388390 2002-05-31
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided a spray dispenser for use
in a
range hood comprising a motor housing having an interior and containing at
least one
s motor and at least one fan, and a grease tray releasably attachable to the
motor
housing. The spray dispenser comprises a nozzle, a hose, and at least one
source of
cleaning fluid located externally to the motor housing. The nozzle is
positioned so as
to disperse cleaning fluid from the source of cleaning fluid against the fan
and into the
motor housing interior.
io
In one aspect of the invention, the nozzle and hose are located external to
the motor
housing.
In another aspect of the invention, the grease tray comprises an opening,
first,
is second and third tray walls extending around the opening, a first trough
formed
between the first and second tray walls, a second trough formed between the
second
and third tray walls, and at least one drainage hole. Preferably, the nozzle
extends
through apertures in at least two of said first, second and third tray walls;
2o In another aspect of the invention the nozzle has a drip catcher.
Preferably the drip
catcher is seated in the first trough.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the grease tray comprises an
opening,
first and second tray walls extending around the opening, and a trough formed
2s between the walls.
In another aspect of the invention, the nozzle is releasably connectable to
the grease
tray.
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In another aspect of the invention, the grease tray further comprises a gap in
the first
and second tray walls, and is sized such that the nozzle may be positioned
within the
gap.
s In another aspect of the invention the motor housing has a lower surface
having at
least one intake opening and at least one drain hole. The intake opening is
defined
by a wall depending from the lower surface of the motor housing and projecting
into
the interior of the enclosure. The tray comprises an opening, first and second
tray
walls extending around the opening, and a floor between the first and second
tray
io walls. The nozzle is releasably connectable to the tray and the tray is
releasably
connectable to the intake opening.
The present invention is also directed a spray dispenser for use in a range
hood
generally defining an enclosure and comprising an upper panel and a lower
panel, the
is lower panel having at least one air inlet and having a motor housing and
tray. The
motor housing is connectable to the range hood within the enclosure of the
range
hood. The motor housing generally defines a further enclosure and comprises a
lower surface having at least one intake opening and at least one drain hole.
A wall
depending from the lower surface and projecting into the interior of the
further
2o enclosure defines the intake opening. The spray dispenser comprises a
nozzle, a
hose, and at least one source of cleaning fluid located externally to said
motor
housing. The nozzle being positioned so as to disperse cleaning fluid from the
source
of cleaning fluid against the fan and into the motor housing interior.
2s In another aspect of the invention, the tray comprises an opening, first
and second
tray walls extending around the tray opening and a trough formed between the
walls;
and the tray is releasably connectable to the intake opening;
In yet another aspect of the invention, the air inlet is defined by a third
wall depending
3o from the lower panel and projecting into the interior of the range hood
enclosure. The
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CA 02388390 2002-05-31
air inlet and the intake opening are of identical shape, the air inlet being
located
directly below the intake opening. The tray may be releasably inserted into
the air
inlet and connected to the intake opening.
s In another aspect of the invention the tray further comprises a gap in the
first and
second tray walls. The gap is sized such that the nozzle may be seated within
the
gap when the tray is inserted into the air inlet and connected to the intake
opening.
Other aspects of the invention will be appreciated by reference to the
detailed
~o description of the preferred embodiment and to the claims that follow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
is These and other features of the invention will become more apparent from
the
following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings
wherein:
Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a range hood according to the preferred
embodiment of the invention with the right hand portion of the figure
providing
2o a deeper sectional view than the left hand portion of the figure;
Fig. 2 is an exploded sectional view of portions of the range hood of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a range hood according to an alternative
2s embodiment of the invention with the right hand portion of the figure
providing
a deeper sectional view than the left hand portion of the figure;
Fig. 4 is an exploded sectional view of portions of the range hood of Fig. 3;
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CA 02388390 2002-05-31 I
Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a further alternative embodiment of a range hood
according to the invention with the right hand portion of the figure providing
a
deeper sectional view than the left hand portion of the figure;
s Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the grease tray of the range hood of Fig. 5;
Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a further alternative embodiment of a range hood
according to the invention with the right hand portion of the figure providing
a
deeper sectional view than the left hand portion of the figure;
to
Fig. 8 is an exploded sectional view of portions of the range hood of Fig. 7
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The preferred embodiment of a range hood 100 with a spray dispenser according
to
the invention is illustrated in Fig. 1. The spray dispenser is connected to a
source of
cleaning fluid. A pump forces the cleaning fluid to the spray dispenser where
it is
dispersed against grease coated surfaces of the range hood fans. This will be
2o described in greater detail below by reference to the preferred and
alternative
embodiments.
In the preferred embodiment, the motor housing 110 defines an enclosure and is
mountable within a further enclosure formed by the hood body generally
indicated by
2s the numeral 102. The interior of the housing 110 may be coated with a non-
stick
material so as to facilitate grease removal and is separated into two
substantially
similar, separate chambers 4, one of which is visible in Fig. 1. Each chamber
4 has
an intake opening 112 and ventilation hole (not shown). The ventilation holes
project
through the upper surface of hood body 102 when the housing 110 is attached to
the
3o interior of the hood body 102.
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CA 02388390 2002-05-31
A motor 125 is fitted in each chamber 4 of the motor housing 110 and is
attached to
the inside of the upper surface of the hood body 102. A fan 120, of the semi-
impeller
type, is secured to each of the motors 125 by fan caps 129, acts to draw
grease-
laden air into the motor housing 110 and out the ventilation holes. The fans
120 are
s dimensioned so as to be removable from within the housing 110 through
openings
112.
The motor housing 110 acts as an integral grease catcher and includes walls
130
depending and rising vertically from the lower surface of the motor housing in
each
io chamber 4. An outwardly and downwardly projecting extension or lip 132
depends
from wall 130, so as to form a gap 134 between the lip 132 and wall 130.
Extension
132 may diverge from wall 130 such that gap 134 forms a wedge surface. A tray
140
is dimensioned such that its outer wall 142 may be releasably connected to gap
134.
This is discussed in greater detail below.
is
The lower surfaces of the chambers 4 of the motor housing 110 are each shaped
such that any accumulated grease or other liquid is directed by gravity
towards their
respective drain holes 123 as shown in Fig. 1. Holes 123 are therefore located
at the
lowest point of lower surface 118 of the motor housing 110. As seen in Fig. 1,
a
2o drainage hose 127 is attached to each hole 123 (only one is visible).
Accumulated
liquid travels through drainage hoses 127 by way of gravity to external grease
cups
126 (only one of which is shown in Fig. 1 ). Wall 130 acts as a barrier to any
liquid
that accumulates in the interior of the motor housing, preventing it from
dripping
through openings 112.
2s
As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, for each chamber 4 the spray dispenser
includes a
hose 162 connected at one end to nozzle 160 and at the other end to a pump
(not
shown) through which cleaning fluid is pumped. Preferably nozzle 160 is
equipped
with a drip catcher 164. The nozzle 160 is positioned so as to disperse a
spray
3o solution against the fans 120 so as to force grease accumulated on the fans
120 into
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CA 02388390 2002-05-31
the chambers 4 of the motor housing 110. Preferably, the nozzle 160 is
releasably
connectable to a surface of the motor housing 110. Once nozzle 160 is
connected to
the motor housing, hose 162 may be releasably attached to the nozzle by way of
Grip
290 or other means.
The tray 140 while also being releasably connectable to housing 110, also
connects
to the lower panel 108, which is removable from the remainder of main hood
body
102. Lower panel 108 has a pair of air inlets 109, one of which is shown in
Fig. 2. Air
inlets 109 are defined by circular vertical walls 101, which depend, and rise
vertically
io from, lower panel 108. The circular vertical walls 101 can vary in height
between a
minimum height and a maximum height. The minimum height is the height at which
the circular vertical walls 101 will remain in contact with the tray 140 when
it is
connected to the housing 110 as described below. The maximum height is the
height
at which the top of the circular vertical walls 101 abuts the bottom of the
nozzle 160
is when the lower panel 108 is connected with hood body 102.
Tray 140 has a fan grill 138 and is connected to the range hood 100 by
inserting it
through intake opening 109 in lower panel 108 and into intake opening 112 in
the
motor housing 110 until outer wall 142 is firmly in place within gap 134. Tray
140 may
2o be releasably connected to housing 110 by wedging outer wall 142 into gap
134.
When connecting the tray 140, it must be positioned so as to line-up gap 148
(shown
in Fig. 2) formed in the tray walls 144, 142 with nozzle 162 such that the
nozzle is
seated, preferably tightly, within the gap 148. When tray 140 is connected to
the
housing 110, outer wall 142 is also in contact with lower panel 108 and acts
to seal
2s any space that may exist between the housing and the lower panel thereby
preventing air from entering into any undesired area within the range hood
body 102.
A clip or other form of suitable restraint (not shown) accessible on the
outside surface
of the range hood is used to hold the tray in place. In this way, lower panel
108 need
not be removed in order to access the interior of the motor housing 110. A
user need
3o simply remove the tray in order to access the interior of the housing.
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Preferably, the nozzles are made of plastic. However, any solid material with
suitable
characteristics may be used. Drip catcher 164 is preferably made of plastic or
rubber
and is dimensioned such that when tray 140 is in place, drainage end 166 sits
within
the confines of trough 146 of the tray 140. Drip catcher 164 is set at a
downward
s angle, drainage end 166 being lower than the remainder of the drip catcher.
Any
cleaning fluid dripping from nozzle 160 is caught by drip catcher 164 where it
drains
into trough 146 where it eventually evaporates or is removed during regular
maintenance.
io It is contemplated that the spray dispenser will be used in conjunction
with the
cleaning system of the prior art wherein cleaning fluid is sprayed into the
motor
housing 110 through the sides of the motor housing.
An alternative embodiment is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Range hood 200 has motor
is housing 110 within hood body 202. In this embodiment fan 220 is of the
squirrel cage
type and is attached to motor 125. In order to remove grease from the fan 220,
a
nozzle 260 is used. At one end nozzle 260 has twin heads 264 for greater
dispersion
of cleaning fluid against the fan 220; however, any number of heads is
satisfactory
provided there is at least one. One end of a hose 262 is attached to nozzle
260,
2o while the other end of hose 262 is attached to a pump (not shown).
Range hood 200 also has a different tray 240 and lower panel 208 design. In
this
embodiment, tray 240 has inner wall 244 and concentric outer wall 242. Inner
wall
244 defines an opening. Outer wall 242 is distal from the opening in relation
to the
2s inner wall 244. Outer wall 242 is shaped and dimensioned to fit within gap
134 when
tray 240 is connected with housing 110 so that a portion of outer wall 142 is
in
abutment with wall 130. Preferably, the diameter of inner wall 244 is smaller
than the
diameter of lower fan edge 222. The tray 240 is dimensioned such that when
connected with the motor housing 110, the top of inner wall 244 is just below
the level
30 of fan 220, thereby directing air into the housing 110 by way of the fan
220.
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Nozzle 260 may be releasably or permanently attached to tray 240, for example
by
connector 268, such that when the tray is connected to motor housing 110, hose
260
may then be attached to nozzle 262. Connection means such as a crip 290 are
used
to connect hose 262 to one end of nozzle 260. It is contemplated that other
methods
s of connection would be equally viable. Cleaning fluid is pumped through hose
262
and is dispersed over a wide area by nozzle 260 against fan 220 thereby
forcing any
accumulated grease into the interior of the motor housing 110. Because the
twin
heads 264 are situated overtop of trough 246, any cleaning fluid that should
happen
to drip from them will land in tray 240 where it eventually evaporates or is
removed
io during regular maintenance.
In order to access the interior of the range hood, one must remove lower panel
208,
which has integrated fan grill 238 to prevent insertion of objects into the
fan 220.
is A further alternative embodiment of a range hood 300 is shown in Fig. 5.
Enclosed in
hood body 302, motor housing 310 is compartmentalized in a similar fashion to
the
housing 110 of the preferred embodiment. However, the lower surface 313 of
motor
housing 310 is shaped such that grease accumulated in the housing interior
drains
into tray 340.
An integrated fan nozzle 360 passes through apertures in each of walls 342,
348 and
344 as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Hose 362 attached to a pump (not shown) may be
releasably attached to the fan nozzle 362 by way of crip 290. Cleaning fluid
travelling
through hose 362 is directed by fan nozzle 360 against the fan 120 thereby
forcing
2s any accumulated grease into the interior of the motor housing where it then
drains
down to tray 340. Drip catcher 364 acts to prevent any cleaning fluid that
drips from
nozzle 360 from falling on the cooking surface below, instead directing any
cleaning
fluid to the confines of the inner trough 345. As shown in Fig. 7, channel 395
travels
from inner trough 345 through wall 348 and outer trough 346 to wall 342 where
it
3o combines with drainage hole 380. Drainage hole 382 is located on the
opposite side
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CA 02388390 2002-05-31
of a partition wall 390, thereby allowing grease on that side of the tray to
drain out of
the range hood. Grease and used cleaning fluid drains through drainage holes
380
and 382 through hoses 327 (only one is shown) to external grease cups 326
(only
one shown).
s
To access the motor housing interior, first lower panel 308 with integrated
fan grill 338
must be removed from the remainder of the hood body 302. Using Grips 290, hose
362 is removed from nozzle 360 before removing tray 340.
io As is apparent from the three embodiments described above, the spray
dispenser of
the present invention may be adapted for various range hood and tray designs.
This
is shown in Figs. 7 and 8, where a further alternative embodiment is shown.
Motor
housing 410 is similar in all respects to motor housing 110 except with
respect to its
size in relation to the motor 125 and fan 120. Motor housing 410 is compressed
is vertically, such that fan 120 sits approximately half in and half out of
the motor
housing 410 when it is connected to motor 125 by way of fan cap 129.
The tray 440 is similar to that of Figs. 1 and 2, but is simply dimensioned
differently.
Outer wall 444 extends a much greater distance vertically than does inner wall
442.
2o Nozzle 460 may be releasably or permanently connected to the bottom of tray
440 by
connector 468. Hose 462 may be connected to nozzle 460 by Grip 290 and to a
pump
providing a source of cleaning fluid.
Further alternative embodiments of the invention are contemplated by combining
2s different fan types with different motor housing and grease tray designs.
The spray dispenser may be activated in one of two ways. First, the range hood
may
be adapted such that the pump connected to the spray dispenser is
automatically
activated for a set period of time during range hood use. The duration of
activity may
3o be varied, however it preferably lasts for approximately 15 seconds.
Alternatively, the
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CA 02388390 2002-05-31
pump of the fan cleaner may be activated manually. In this way, if the range
hood is
subjected to particularly greasy vapour on a given day, the fan cleaner may be
activated manually in order to ensure that sufficient cleaning fluid is
sprayed against
the fans to force off all the accumulated grease.
s
Typically only a very small amount of grease accumulates on a fan as most is
dispersed by means of the centripetal force of the rotating fan. However, any
grease
or liquid that remain on the fan will be forced to the interior of the housing
by the
cleaning fluid as discussed with respect to the various embodiments above. As
a
to result of the grease being removed from the fan, very little grease
accumulates in the
trays, and they need only be checked, and cleaned if necessary, during regular
maintenance of the range hood.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the preferred and
alternative
is embodiments have been described in some detail but that certain
modifications may
be practiced without departing from the principles of the invention.
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