Door mounted catalyst exhaust arrangement for a self-cleaning oven

Claim 1

A cooking range including walls defining an oven having an opening, a door for closing said opening including an inner panel facing said opening and exposed to said oven when the door is closed, seal means extending around said opening for substantially closing the jointure between the inner panel of the door and the walls which form said opening, heating means for heating in said oven at one temperature for cooking therein and at a higher temperature for degrading accumulated food soils on the walls thereof whereby to create oven fluids as the result of said cooking and degrading, duct means providing a passageway between said oven and the atmosphere for said oven fluids, said duct means having a duct inlet in said inner panel connected to said oven for receiving said oven fluids and a duct outlet connected to atmosphere, catalytic fluid contact means in said duct means comprising container means including a plurality of catalyst beads therein, a portion of said container means being formed by a portion of said inner panel adjacenT said seal means and including said duct inlet, said portion of said inner panel thereby supporting said catalyst beads adjacent said seal means and in immediate communication with the interior of said oven through said duct inlet, said catalyst beads forming a catalyst bed positioned in oven fluid intercepting relationship between the duct inlet connection of said duct means with said oven and the duct outlet connection of said duct means with the atmosphere, the voids between said catalyst beads in said catalyst bed defining a passageway for oven fluid leaving said oven, whereby oven fluid passing from the oven through said passageway necessarily contacts the surface of said catalyst beads during its passage and is thereby altered to colorless and odorless products, said catalyst bed in accordance with the altering of said oven fluid heating said portion of said inner panel adjacent said seal means as an aid in raising the temperature of this portion of said inner panel for improving the degradation of accumulated food soils thereon when said oven is being heated at said higher temperature.