Fail safe door seal microwave oven

Claim 1

A microwave oven comprising: a. a housing formed with a heating cavity having a first opening at the front part of said housing; b. means for generating microwave energy; c. means for supplying said microwave energy to said heating cavity; d. a door mounted on said housing opposite to said first opening of said heating cavity and being movable between open and closed positions so as to close said first opening in the closed position thereof, said closed position forming a capacitive seal for preventing the microwave energy applied to said heating cavity from escaping therethrough, said capacitive seal being formed between the surfaces of said door and said housing which are placed in contact with each other when said door is closed in a portion adjacent to the periphery of said first opening of said heating cavity, said door being formed with a choke cavity having a second opening for attenuating escaped microwave energy traveling from said heating cavity through said capacitive seal when said door is slightly open, said second opening facing the surface of said housing at the outside portion of the periphery of said capacitive seal when said door is closed; e. an insulating coating, for constituting said capacitive seal, provided on at least one of the surfaces of said door and housing which are placed in contact with each other when said door is closed, and f. a microwave absorbing material on at least one of the marginal side edge of said door and a portion of said housing opposing said marginal side edge of said door, said microwave absorbing material being disposed substantially parallel to the direction in which said door is opened, said capacitive seal, said choke cavity and said absorption material being in a series relationship in the direction of escaped microwave energy.