Collapsible field director structure

A collapsible field director structure for use in a microwave oven, the field director being convertible from a collapsed to a deployed state, the field director structure comprising:

• a planar support element, the planar support element having a plurality of open-ended slots disposed in spaced locations along the periphery thereof;
• at least one master vane having a mounting flange and a conductor flap, the mounting flange being mounted to the planar support element,
• the conductor flap being mounted for articulable movement with respect to the mounting flange, the conductor flap having at least one electrically conductive region thereon, and
• at least a first and a second slave vane, the slave vanes being flexibly connected to the conductor flap of the master vane, each slave vane having at least one electrically conductive region thereon,
• each slave vane having a distal end thereon, each slave vane having a locking tab disposed adjacent to the distal end,
• the master and the slave vanes being foldable against each other so that the field director structure, in the collapsed state, is able to exhibit a generally planar configuration, and
• the conductor flap being articulably movable with respect to the mounting flange and the slave vanes being flexibly displaceable with respect to the conductor flap of the master vane so that the field director structure, in the deployed state, is able to occupy a self-supported disposition with the conductor flap oriented substantially perpendicular to the mounting flange and with the slave vanes angularly spaced from the conductor flap of the master vane and oriented substantially perpendicular to the mounting flange, the plane of each slave vane intersecting with the plane of the conductor flap of the master vane along its respective line of flexure, and wherein
• in the deployed state the locking tabs on the slave vanes each respectively being receivable into one slot of the plurality of slots in the periphery of the planar support element.