Patent US4471194A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4471194A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Electromagnetic energy seal for high frequency heating apparatus
Assignee: Panasonic Holdings Corp
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Filing: 1974-07-22
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Granted: 1984-09-11
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Expires: 1994-07-22
Abstract
Abstract A microwave oven comprising an enclosure including a wall member defining an opening for providing access to a heating cavity, the wall member having a continuous uninterrupted planar surface portion substantially surrounding the access opening. A door is provided for closing the opening in the wall member, the door having a continuous uninterrupted planar surface portion positioned, when the door is closed, opposite and substantially parallel to the planar surface portion of the wall member. An energy seal comprising walls defining a sealing cavity is formed in either the wall member or the door, the sealing cavity extending in a longitudinal direction to substantially surround the continuous uninterrupted planar surface portion of the member in which it is located. A segmented partition wall is interposed between the walls of the sealing cavity thereby separating it into two longitudinally extending spaces. A path is formed by the opposing planar surface portions of the wall member and the door which extends from the heating cavity to the sealing cavity resulting in substantial reduction, in combination with the sealing cavity, in the amount of microwave energy leaking from the heating cavity when the heating cavity is radiated with microwave energy from a microwave generator.
Inventors
- 👤 Tomoyuki Hosokawa
- 👤 Shigeru Kusunoki
- 👤 Teruhisa Takano
- 👤 Hirofumi Yoshimura
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 14:13
CPC Classifications
H; H05; H05B; H05B6/00; H05B6/64; H05B6/76; H05B6/763
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
247 words
A microwave oven, comprising: an enclosure having a heating cavity therein, said enclosure including a wall member defining an opening for providing access to said heating cavity, said wall member having a continuous uniterrupted planar surface portion substantially surrounding said access opening; microwave energy generating means for radiating microwave energy into said heating cavity; a door for closing the opening in said wall member, said door having a continuous uninterrupted planar surface portion positioned, when the opening in said wall member is covered by said door, opposite and substantially parallel to the planar surface portion of said wall member; and an energy seal comprising at least first and second spaced walls defining a sealing cavity formed in one of said wall member and door, said sealing cavity extending in a longitudinal direction to substantially surround said continuous uninterrupted planar surface portion thereof; and a partition wall interposed between the first and second walls of said sealing cavity and extending in a direction transverse to said longitudinal direction thereby separating said sealing cavity into two longitudinally extending spaces, said partition wall comprising a plurality of segments spaced one from another by slots, a path being formed by the opposing planar surface portions of said wall member and said door which extends from said heating cavity to said sealing cavity resulting in substantial reduction, in combination with said sealing cavity, in the amount of microwave energy leaking from said heating cavity when said microwave energy generating means is actuated.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
247 words
A microwave oven, comprising: an enclosure having a heating cavity therein, said enclosure including a wall member defining an opening for providing access to said heating cavity, said wall member having a continuous uniterrupted planar surface portion substantially surrounding said access opening; microwave energy generating means for radiating microwave energy into said heating cavity; a door for closing the opening in said wall member, said door having a continuous uninterrupted planar surface portion positioned, when the opening in said wall member is covered by said door, opposite and substantially parallel to the planar surface portion of said wall member; and an energy seal comprising at least first and second spaced walls defining a sealing cavity formed in one of said wall member and door, said sealing cavity extending in a longitudinal direction to substantially surround said continuous uninterrupted planar surface portion thereof; and a partition wall interposed between the first and second walls of said sealing cavity and extending in a direction transverse to said longitudinal direction thereby separating said sealing cavity into two longitudinally extending spaces, said partition wall comprising a plurality of segments spaced one from another by slots, a path being formed by the opposing planar surface portions of said wall member and said door which extends from said heating cavity to said sealing cavity resulting in substantial reduction, in combination with said sealing cavity, in the amount of microwave energy leaking from said heating cavity when said microwave energy generating means is actuated.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
A microwave oven according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of segments are spaced from each other at predetermined regular intervals less than the wave length of microwaves generated by said microwave energy generating means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
A microwave oven according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of segments are spaced apart from each other a distance less than the length of adjacent segments.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
A microwave oven according to claim 1, wherein said partition wall comprises a metal wire having the shape of a rectangular waveform, said partition wall being formed integrally with a dielectric filler in said sealing cavity.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
A microwave oven according to claim 1, wherein said heating cavity is semispherical in shape and said wall member extends from the circular edge of said cavity to define said access opening.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
34 words
A microwave oven according to claim 1, wherein said door includes a sealing plate for closing said access opening, said sealing plate having an extending portion for at least partially covering said sealing cavity.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
51 words
A microwave oven according to claim 6, wherein said door has a stepped portion which projects into said heating cavity when said door is positioned to close said access opening, said stepped portion being spaced with a gap from said wall member when said stepped portion projects into said heating cavity.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
A microwave oven according to claim 1, wherein the two longitudinally extending spaces of said sealing cavity are filled with a dielectric material to a level below the upper end of said partition wall.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
A microwave oven according to claim 1, wherein a wave absorber is mounted on the wall of said sealing cavity most remote from said access opening.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
25 words
A microwave oven according to claim 1, wherein each segment of said partition wall has a length larger than the depth of said sealing cavity.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
30 words
A microwave oven according to claim 1, wherein each segment of said partition wall includes a portion canted toward one of said first and second walls defining said sealing cavity.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
27 words
A microwave oven according to claim 1, wherein each segment of said partition wall is bent at least at one intermediate portion between two opposite ends thereof.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
38 words
The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said enclosure comprises at least one further wall member extended outwardly from said enclosure adjacent to and spaced from the wall of said energy seal most remote from said access opening.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
29 words
A microwave oven according to claim 1, wherein the depths of the portions of said sealing cavity between said partition wall and said first and second walls are different.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1987-09-11 | 1988-03-12 | 1988-09-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1991-09-11 | 1992-03-12 | 1992-09-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1995-09-11 | 1996-03-12 | 1996-09-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |