Broiler

Application filed August 21, 1928, Serial No. 301,060. Renewed December 30, 1931.

The improvements relate to cooking ranges and more particularly to broilers ‘adapted to be used in connection with gas ovens and ranges, but may be employed in electrically 6 heated and other stoves. The principal object of the improvements is to provide a broiler of simple, efficient and convenient construction and operation in combination with a cooking range. A further object is 10 to provide a broiler compartment of sturdy and rugged construction and yet be neat in appearance, readily slidable in or removable from the stove. A still further object is to provide a construction of the aforementioned 16 type having novel anti-friction and alignment means, as well as a novel door and binge arrangement therefor.

Other objects of the arrangement and details of construction will be apparent. The 20 improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which

Fig. 1 is a phantom perspective view of a portion of a cooking range illustrating the broiler embodying the present improve25 ments. .

Fig. 2 is a full line longitudinal section of the broiler housing, parts broken away and the broiler compartment in outline form.

Fig. 3 is a side view of a modification.

Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged side views of modified forms of door and hinge constructions. .

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1, with pan and grill removed, illustrating the im35 provements with the door construction of Fig. 4.

The present improvements form a part of a gas or electric cooking range, the greater portion of which has been omitted for con40 venience of illustration. The oven 5 may be of any suitable form and should be provided with oven heating burners and broiling burners (not shown). The latter may be disposed in the upper portion of broiler 45 housing 7, just beneath the member 6 which defines the oven bottom and broiler housing top. The burners, however, are not part of the present improvements, which are designed to be used with ovens and burners 50 of any satisfactory character.

As illustrated, the broiler housing 7 is disposed under the fixed stove member or oven 5 and is defined by top 6, base 8, sides 9 and 10, back 11 and front 12 which latter has an opening 13 defined by offset flange 14 com- _ggpletely surrounding said opening 13. It will be noted that oven 5 and housing 7 have coextensive edges thus presenting a neat appearance the whole being supported on frames 15 and these frames in turn may be _eosupported in any convenient manner on the range.

Roller guides Or tracks 16 are mounted longitudinally of the housing 7 and are fixed to the opposed sides 9 and 10 thereof. These 35 guides are disposed a short distance above the base 8 and take the form of channel members having laterally extending flanges of the same width. In extent, the guides 16 o'cupy substantially the length of the hous- 70 ing 7 and terminate with a stop member 17 adjacent the opening 13.

Guide members 18 are similarly fixed on the opposed sides 9 and 10 of the housing 7 but suitably spaced above the roller guides 75 16. These members 18 are also in the form of channel members but have laterally extending flanges of unequal width. That is to say, the upper flange 19 extends laterally in the housing 7 a slightly greater distance than so lower flange 20 both flanges thereby serving as alignment means as hereinafter set forth. As illustrated, the guide members 18 extend from the rear portion of the housing toward the open front thereof but terminate 35 short thereof and as clearly seen in Fig. 2, are of less length than guides 16. Although the guides 16 and 18 are preferably con- structed as integral channel members, it is obvious that the flanges thereof may be sepa- 90 rate pieces suitably fixed to the walls of the housing.

Spaced from the housing walls 9 and 10 and in the forward base portion 8 of the housing, are mounted anti-friction means in the form of rollers 21 and 22, hereinafter referred to.

The broiler compartment comprises a drawer shaped member designated in its entirety as 23 and consists .of two sides 24, 25, 10O

1,861,854 back 26, bottom 27 and an open top and front oo · K^T° ^{tIie front edge of the} bottom a door 28js hinged so as to open downwardly about a horizontal axis to give the user access to the interior of the broiler compartment and a view thereof without drawing the latter from the housing (as hereinafter explained), find also to permit the insertion and removal . P^an 29, which is adapted to be removed io and replaced at different levels on the shelves or ledges 30 fixed on the walls 24, 25 of the compartment. The pan 29 is provided with dram grooves extending from different portions of the pan bottom to a well 31. A removable grill 32 is illustrated as supported by the pan and has a broken away portion disposed over well 31 to facilitate removal of the meat essence for basting or other purposes.

²⁰ 'h V^{shaped rein}f°rcement plate 33 is welded or otherwise secured about the open end of the broiler compartment 23 and thereby braces and holds sides 24, 25 and bottom ψ ¹¹¹ proper position and insures against dis°^f θ’: ⁱⁿJ^ury to the compartment.

-this plate 33 in conjunction with the sides of the compartment afford a rigid mounting for ^pins 34 which project laterally from the sides of the broiler compartment near the top, and pins cooperating with members on door 28 for holding same closed. Vertical slots 35 are provided in the lower front portions of walls 24. and 25 and plate 33, said slots embracing a hinge rod 36 which has limited ‘ vertical movement therein. Said rod 36 extends slightly beyond the sides of the compartment and is fixed at each end to lugs 37 mounted adjacent the bottom corners of door -. 7 illustrated, these lugs 37, are of right angle form and have their free ends terminating in laterally projecting stops 38 which' engage the edges of plate 33 when door 28 is opened to horizontal position and hold it there.

⁴⁵ κ V^{]aCent the side edges of} the door 28 hooks 39 are suitably mounted to engage the and hold the door in closed position, lhe hooks have a downwardly inclined entrant portion 40 communicating with a vertically extending recess 41. The shape of the nook is important and is designed not only to lock the door in closed position but also guides the door while opened so that the door clears the bottom of the compartment 23. In clos‘ ing the door from the position; of Fig. 1 to fbfit of Fig. 2, the pins 34 enter the portion 40 of hooks 39, the inclined portions 40 causing the door to be raised, this movement being permitted by the rod 36 riding up in slots 35, after which the door drops with pins 34 in the recesses 41 which lock the door against direct outward swinging. To open the door, the handle 42 is gripped, lifted „ vertically until pins 34 clear recesses 41 ’ whence the door and hooks may be removed from the pins and swung to horizontal position where the door is arrested and held by projections 38. During the foregoing movements it is notable that the door clears the bottom of the compartment and all strains are borne directly by the reinforcing plate 33.

Each side 24 and 25, of the broiler compartment 23 is provided with an anti-friction means in the form of a roller 43 mounted adjacent the lower rear corner thereof. It is to be noted that these rollers are preferably disposed out of alignment with rollers 21 and 22 previously referred to. Upon reference to the assembled parts in Figs. 1 and 2 it is seen that rollers 43 are always disposed’ to the rear of rollers 21 and 22, at a different level therefrom, and closer to the housing walls than is the case with respect to rollers 21, 22. This arrangement affords a sturdy construction for supporting the broiler com- ₈₅partment during all its movements and also in all positions in which it may come to rest The compartment 23 is thus afforded support at a plurality of spaced bearing points onset from one another so that sliding move- oo pient is facilitated, the weight is more uniformly distributed and play between the housing and compartment iii a lateral and vertical direction is reduced to a minimum. Each side of the broiler compartment is also 95 provided with a laterally extending stop 44 fixed a short distance in advance of rollers 43.

The foregoing construction has been described m detail in order to .emphasize important features of the present improvements, lot When the compartment 23 is assembled in the housing 7, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the rollers 43 of the compartment are disposed in roller guides 16 of the housing and are freely movable along same. The construe- 103 tion and positioning of these parts is such that the compartment bottom is suspended slightly above the housing bottom so that free sliding movement of the compartment is afforded by the cooperating rollers 43 and 110 guides 16. In order to preserve the guides and also provide freedom of movement, the rollers 43 have a wide tread occupying substantially the entire cross section of the channel member. The rollers 21 and 22 disposed 115 m the housing base 8, also have a wide tread and are contacted by the broiler compartment bottom 27, thus facilitating sliding movement thereof in conjunction with the previously described anti-friction means. 120 The arrangement of these rollers and guides 16 is such that the compartment is always level and out of contact with housing base 8, whether the compartment be at its innermost or outermost position. The cooperat- ¹²⁵mg stop or limiting means 17 and 44 are clearly seen in Figs. 1 and 2, where it is shown how the outward movement of the drawer 23 is arrested.

In order that the broiler compartment· 23

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position, the free end of the hooked arms 46 secured thereto, catch in pins 47 and hold the door, as illustrated. During opening and closing movement of the door, the arms . 46 ride on pins 47. In this construction a greater leverage is afforded for supporting bur dens placed on the- door. It is understood that the modification just described is provided on each side of the broiler compartment, _7J{one side only being shown m Fig. 3 for convenience in illustration. . .

In the.embodiment illustrated in Tigs, 4 and 6, the hinge construction comprises arms 50 pivotally mounted on each side ot the broiler compartment at 51. Said arms are of right angled form, as illustrated, and have their forward ends pivotally connected o door 28 at 52. As illustrated, the arms aO are disposed on the inner faces of the. compartment sides so that downward pivotal movement of said arms about pivot 51 wdt ® limited and the arms arrested in horizontal position by reason of contact between tie arms and the compartment bottom, lhe _wmanner of releasing the door from hook p3 and pin 54is illustrated in dotted lines (lug. 4). After such release, door 28 is swung outwardly about pivot 52 until hook 53 is clear o pin 54, after which; downward swinging of floor 28 about pivot 52 and arms 50 about pivot 51 permit the door, to approach and extend in horizontal position. The door 28 is held in such position by reason of arms 50 contacting the compartment bottom and also by the lower edge of the door contacting the under surface of the compartment or;reinforcement means 33. Any other suitable means may be provided if desired, for. arresting the swinging door and holding it in non zontal position, as for example, a chain or means similar to those illustrated with respect to Figs. 1 and 3., .

In Fi*. 5, the hinge construction comprises arms Sl^pivotally connected to the compartment 23 and door 28 at 58 and 59 respectively. The releasing and swinging of the door is accomplished in the manner previously described, said door being arrested and held in horizontal position by contact between the lower edge of the door and the compartment bottom as set forth with respect to the description of Fig. 4. Any other suitable means may be provided, if desired, for an esting the swinging door and holding it in nonzontal position, as for example, a chain or means similar to those illustrated with respect to Figs. 1 and 3, or by a conveniently mounted segment. It is obvious that the form of hook and pin illustrated in Tigs. 1, 2 and 5 is equally applicable for use in the. other modifications. Furthermore, the ie’ · I. When the door reaches horizontal wara swinging mv mav always be properly aligned with the housing 7 and thus prevent sticking or wedg. in* of the slidable compartment for any. reason. the alignment means 18 are provided. In the assembled position, the upper flanges . ⁶ 19 extend over the. top side edges of the compartment 23 and prevent any up and down movement of same about its own horizontal axis Likewise the shorter lower flanges 20 contact the sides 24, 25 of the compartment ¹⁰ 23 and prevent any lateral movement thereot about its own vertical axis. Thus it is obvious that when the compartment 23. is pulled longitudinally outwardly beyond, its center of gravity it is rigidly supported m horizon¹⁵ tai position by flanges 19, rollers 21, 22 and rollers 43 contacting the upper flanges ot roll; er guides 16. Similarly, whenpushedmward? ly beyond its center of gravity, the coinpar., ment is rigidly supported in horizontal posi^j0 tion by flanges 19, rollers 21, 22 and rollers 43. contacting the lower flanges of roller *uides 16. In all positions, however, the rollers 21, 22 and 43 function to facilitate movement of the compartment. By reference to ²⁵ Fig 2 it is clear from the position of stop means 17 and 44, rollers 22 and 43 and flange 19, that no sagging of the extended compartment is possible.

„_n It is important to note that the compartment 23 is somewhat smaller than housing 7 and occupies only the lower portion thereot. However, door 28 is much larger than the open end of compartment 23 and serves as o.-, well to close and seal the opening 13 of the housing 7 by fitting in recess 14. This, construction affords ample space for broiling, as well as an individual closed broiler compartment, presenting a neat appearance and conserving heat. ,.,

Should it be desirable to completely remove the compartment 23 from the housing 7 the former is pulled out as far as it will go (see Fig. 2) and then canted upwardly by lifting handle 42 until stop 44 is clear of stop 17 and then withdrawing the compartment. Reinsertion of the compartment may be accomplished similarly. The upper guide members 18 are shorter, as described, and therefore permit the above described move^m All details of construction in the modification in Fig. 3 are the same as those of the form previously described except the·, door and hinge arrangement. In this construction the upward movement of the door 28 as it is being unhooked is permitted by the horizontally disposed lever 45^a which has one end pivotally mounted on the wall of the broiler drawer at 45 and the other end pivotally connected to door 28 at 45”. Upon opening the door 28, handle 42 is gripped and raised vertically vers until the. hook and pin. are ™ .

obvious.

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It will thus be seen from the foregoing description that the present improvements provide a rugged and durable broiler construction, easy to operate and handle, and secluded fi om the balance of the range of Avhich it “ forms a part.