Cooking range oven having insulated oven door with viewing system

A door for the oven of a cooking range, the oven having a cavity and a marginal edge defining the boundary of the cavity, the door having an inner panel that in use closes the oven cavity and an outer panel spaced from the inner panel, the inner and outer panels being connected adjacent their upper edges by an upper panel, the door comprising:

• an opening in the inner panel at approximately the center of the inner panel;
• a first window in the form of a wide-angle lens mounted in the opening in the inner panel;
• a first light transmissive device disposed between the inner and outer panels, the first light transmissive device being in the form of a first, right-angled prism whose smaller faces are oriented perpendicular and parallel, respectively, to the path of the light received through the first window;
• an opening in the upper panel;
• a second window mounted in the opening in the upper panel;
• and
• a second light transmissive device disposed between the inner and outer panels adjacent the second window, the second light transmissive device including a mirror inclined at an angle of 45 degrees to the path of the light received from the first prism and a second prism disposed in the path of the light reflected from the mirror.

A door for the oven of a cooking range, the oven having a cavity and a marginal edge defining the boundary of the cavity, the door having an inner panel that in use closes the oven cavity and an outer panel spaced from the inner panel, the inner and outer panels being connected adjacent their upper edges by an upper panel, the door comprising:

• an opening in the inner panel at approximately the center of the inner panel;
• a first window in the form of a wide-angle lens mounted in the opening in the inner panel;
• a first light transmissive device disposed between the inner and outer panels, the first light transmissive device being in the form of a right-angled prism whose smaller faces are oriented perpendicular and parallel, respectively, to the path of the light received through the first window;
• an opening in the upper panel;
• a second window mounted in the opening in the upper panel;
• a second light transmissive device disposed between the inner and outer panels adjacent the second window, the second light transmissive device including a mirror inclined at an angle of 45 degrees to the path of the light received from the first prism and a second, right-angled prism whose smaller faces are disposed perpendicular and parallel, respectively, to the path of the light reflected from the mirror;
• at least two transparent heat shields disposed between the inner and outer panels and intermediate the first prism and the mirror, the heat shields being spaced from each other and oriented at right angles to the path of the light reflected from the first prism;
• and
• first and second low voltage halogen lamps secured to the inner panel and positioned so as to illuminate the interior of the oven when the door is closed;
• the first window being disposed in the approximate center of the inner panel and the first and second lights being disposed on either side of the first window in approximate alignment therewith;
• electrical contacts carried by the inner panel and the marginal edge of the oven, the contacts engaging each other when the door is closed in order to conduct electrical current to the first and second lights;
• a plate disposed between the inner panel and the interior of the oven;
• a layer of microporous insulation disposed between the inner panel and the plate, the plate being connected to the inner panel such that the insulation is compressed between the plate and the inner panel;
• the edges of the plate being spaced inwardly from the edges of the inner panel;
• and
• a thermal gasket disposed about the periphery of the layer of insulation, the gasket extending beyond the edges of the plate, the gasket engaging the marginal edge of the oven when the door is closed, the gasket being compressed against the marginal edge of the oven by the inner panel.