US 5,467,761 A · Apparatus and method for removing fumes from the space above a cooking appliance

Abstract

An apparatus for filtering grease laden fumes in the space above a cooking appliance, including a hood, a supply air plenum and an exhaust air plenum on each side of the hood, a source of air under pressure being connected to a supply air transition duct connected by an air supply transition duct coupled to an opening in the air supply plenum, the supply air plenum being provided with perforated balancing plates which perform the function of modulating the incoming air to flow in a particular manner, and further being provided with perforated deflector pairs of overlapped plates positioned below the balancing plates, to additionally modulate the air flow paths, so that straight paths of air flow move into the interior of the hood above the cooking appliances and then pass through filters which remove grease particles as the exhaust air moves through the filters into the exhaust air plenum. An equalizer vane member is secured to shroud the exhaust air passing through the filters, the equalizer vane member being provided with an exhaust opening which communicates with an exhaust air plenum, the exhaust air under said equalizer vane member being conducted toward the exhaust opening which registers with an opening in an exhaust air transition duct which is coupled to an exhaust duct communicating with a source of exhaust suction.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A method of removing cooking fumes and odors from an area above a cooking appliance located in a kitchen area, wherein supplied air passes through a supply air plenum into an interior of a hood, partly defined by a vortex liner, and exits through filter means in an exhaust plenum and is then exhausted exteriorly of the kitchen area, comprising the steps of:

modulating the flow of the supply air through the supply air plenum,
directing air flow from the supply air plenum toward a chamber in the hood,
deflecting and increasing the velocity of the supply air to create a vortex flow to capture rising fumes and smoke entering a hood chamber,
directing the supply air, contaminated with the fumes and smoke, through said filter means into the exhaust plenum,
channeling exhaust air upwardly after passing through the filter means, and
directing the flow of the exhaust air along a horizontal path toward a transition exhaust duct,
wherein the step of modulating the flow of supply air is achieved by inserting perforated plates in the supply air plenum to impart particular flow characteristics to the supply air,
including the step of positionally adjusting the perforated plates with respect to each other to control the amount of supply air entering the chamber in the hood.

5 more elements

A fume and odor collecting hood adapted to be mounted above a cooking appliance in a cooking area, comprising:

a housing having a hood chamber and a vortex liner adapted to receive fumes and cooking odors generated by the cooking appliance,
grease filter means mounted in said housing for removing fume and odor permeated air,
exhaust air duct and blower means to draw the permeated air through said filter means from said chamber in the hood for discharge to a region exterior of the cooking area,
supply air duct and blower means connected to said housing for supplying air directly to said housing from a region exterior of the cooking area,
deflecting means defining one wall of said housing,
the supply air duct means including a supply air plenum defined by full lengths of the vortex liner and said deflecting means,
exhaust air plenum wall means defining another wall of said housing,
said exhaust air duct means including an exhaust air plenum defined by full lengths of the vortex liner and said exhaust air plenum wall means, and
equalizer vane means provided with a centrally located exhaust air opening extending longitudinally above the grease filter means, said equalizer vane means for conducting outwardly the odor permeated air passing through said filter means.

6 more elements

In an apparatus for filtering fumes in the space above a cooking appliance, said apparatus comprising a hood, a supply air plenum and an exhaust air plenum in said hood, supply air means communicating with said supply air plenum for providing a supply of air to the hood, an exhaust air means communicating with said exhaust air plenum for exhausting contaminated air from said hood, and filter means adjacent said exhaust air plenum for filtering grease from said contaminated air, the improvement wherein said supply air means comprise a supply air duct, a supply air transition duct, and compensator means, said supply air transition duct connecting said supply air duct to said supply air plenum, said compensator means being disposed in a flow path of said supply air, said exhaust air means comprise an exhaust air duct, an exhaust air transition duct, and equalizer vane means, said exhaust air transition duct connecting the exhaust air duct to said exhaust air plenum, said equalizer vane means having a centrally located exhaust air opening and being disposed in said exhaust air plenum, and means for securing said equalizer vane means above said filter means at a predetermined distance therefrom, to direct the exhaust air, passing through the filter means, under the equalizer vane means toward said exhaust opening.

In an apparatus for filtering fumes in the space above a cooking appliance, a housing defining a hood, a vortex liner contained in said hood, a supply air plenum and an exhaust air plenum in said hood, supply air means communicating with said supply air plenum for providing a supply of air to the hood, an exhaust air means communicating with said exhaust air plenum for exhausting contaminated air from said hood, and filter means for filtering grease from said contaminated air, the improvement wherein said supply air means comprise a supply air duct, a supply air transition duct, and compensation means, said supply air transition duct coupling said supply air duct to said supply air plenum, said compensator means being disposed in a flow path of said supply air, said exhaust air means comprise an exhaust air duct, an exhaust air transition duct, and equalizer vane means, said exhaust air transition duct connecting the exhaust air duct to said exhaust air plenum, said equalizer vane means, having a centrally located exhaust air opening, being disposed in said exhaust air plenum, and means for securing said equalizer vane means above said filter means, at a predetermined distance therefrom, to direct the exhaust air passing through said filter means, under the equalizer vane means, toward said exhaust opening.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus and method for removing fumes from the space above a cooking appliance

Life of this patent

Apparatus and method for removing fumes from the space above a cooking appliance

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims25