# US 10,371,390 B2 · Cooking appliance > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,371,390 B2 - Document ID: US10371390B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/147,524 - Filed: 2016-05-05 - Published: 2016-11-10 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-05-08 - Assignees: LG Electronics Inc. - Applicants: LG Electronics Inc. - Inventors: Wanglim Lee; Cheonghwan Yu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10371390B2 ## CPC - F24C 15/32: Arrangements of ducts for hot gases, e.g. in or around baking ovens - F24C 3/124: {Control panels} - F24C 15/002: {for stoves of the closed type} - F24C 15/006: {Arrangements for circulation of cooling air} - F24C 15/02: Doors specially adapted for stoves or ranges - F24C: DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES (exclusively for solid fuels F24B); DETAILS OF DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES, OF GENERAL APPLICATION ## Abstract A cooking appliance may include a case that defines a cavity for cooking, a top plate that is disposed above the cavity and that is configured to define an external appearance of a top side of the cooking appliance, a control panel that is disposed at a front upper position of the cavity and that is configured to define an external appearance of a front side of the cooking appliance, the control panel having a knob for user operation, and a door that is disposed below the control panel and that is configured to define, along with the control panel, the external appearance of the front side of the cooking appliance, the door being configured to open or close the cavity. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A cooking appliance comprising: a case that defines a cavity for a cooking space; a top plate that is disposed above the cavity and that is configured to define an external appearance of a top side of the cooking appliance; a control panel that is disposed at a front upper position of the cavity and that is configured to define an external appearance of a front side of the cooking appliance, the control panel having a knob for user operation; and a door that is disposed below the control panel and that is configured to define, along with the control panel, the external appearance of the front side of the cooking appliance, the door being configured to open or close the cavity, wherein the control panel includes an air passage that is defined in a lower surface of the control panel, that receives air discharged from the cavity through the door via natural convection, and that introduces received air into an interior space of the control panel via natural convection, and wherein the control panel includes a rear opening that is configured to allow communication between the interior space of the control panel and an interior space of the cooking appliance, and that is positioned higher than the air passage. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the rear opening is configured to allow communication between a space defined between the top plate and the cavity, and the interior space of the control panel. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The cooking appliance according to claim 2, further comprising a burner case provided between the cavity and the top plate, wherein the rear opening is configured to allow communication between a space defined between the top plate and the burner case, and the interior space of the control panel. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the air passage is configured to be substantially parallel to a ground surface. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The cooking appliance according to claim 4, wherein the air passage is defined as an elongated hole with a horizontal orientation. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The cooking appliance according to claim 5, wherein the air passage is located at a rear position in the lower surface of the control panel. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance according to claim 1, further comprising a partition provided on the lower surface of the control panel at a position in front of the air passage. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The cooking appliance according to claim 7 further comprising a bracket with a base coupled to the lower surface of the control panel, the base including a base hole corresponding to the air passage. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The cooking appliance according to claim 8, wherein the partition is configured to be rearwardly and downwardly inclined. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The cooking appliance according to claim 7, wherein the partition is bent downward from the base. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the control panel is a manifold-type control panel configured to include a front inclined surface, opposite side surfaces, and the lower surface, wherein the lower surface is configured to protrude forward from a front surface of the door. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The cooking appliance according to claim 11, wherein the inclined surface is provided with a plurality of knobs for user operation. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance according to claim 1, further comprising a rear panel that is configured to define a rear side of the cooking appliance, the rear panel including an outlet port configured to discharge air inside the cooling appliance. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the air passage is vertically above a contact surface at which the door and the cavity come into contact with each other. ### Claim 15 A cooking appliance comprising: a cabinet; a cavity provided inside the cabinet that is configured to form a cooking space; a top plate that is disposed above the cavity that is configured to define an external appearance of a top side of the cooking appliance; a door that is configured for opening or closing the cavity; and a control panel that is disposed above an upper end surface of the door and configured to include a gap between the control panel and the end surface of the door, the control panel and the door configured to define an external appearance of a front side of the cooking appliance, the control panel including a lower surface which is configured to protrude further forward than the upper end surface of the door, wherein the control panel includes an air passage formed at a rear position in the lower surface of the control panel, wherein the air passage is configured to allow hot air discharged from the cavity to be introduced into an interior space of the control panel via natural convection, and wherein the control panel includes a rear opening that is configured to discharge the hot air from the interior space of the control panel to an interior space of the cooking appliance via natural convection. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The cooking appliance according to claim 15, wherein the air passage is configured to have a longer left-right length than a front-rear length, and is configured to be parallel to a ground surface. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The cooking appliance according to claim 15, wherein a partition is provided in front of the air passage to separate a front region and a rear region of the air passage from each other. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The cooking appliance according to claim 17, wherein the partition is configured to extend downward from the lower surface of the control panel in a direction in which the gap is reduced. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The cooking appliance according to claim 15, wherein hot air introduced into the control panel through the air passage is configured to pass through a rear opening formed in the control panel, a space between the top plate and a burner case, provided between the cavity and the top plate, and an outlet port formed in a rear panel provided for forming a rear side of the cooling appliance, to be discharged to an outside of the cooking appliance.