A cooking oven with an oven cavity and an oven door

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cooking oven ( 10 ) including an oven cavity ( 12 ) and an oven door ( 14 ) for opening and closing a front opening of said oven cavity ( 12 ). The cooking oven ( 10 ) comprises at least one air duct ( 18 ) enclosing at least partially the oven cavity ( 12 ), wherein at least a part of the air duct ( 18 ) extends directly above a top wall ( 30 ) of the oven cavity ( 12 ). The cooking oven ( 10 ) comprises at least one fan ( 16 ) for generating an air stream ( 26 ) within the air duct ( 18 ) or at the air duct ( 18 ) and at least one ventilation flap ( 22 ) for deflecting downwards the air stream ( 26 ) leaving the air duct ( 18 ) above the oven cavity ( 12 ). The at least one opening ( 24 ) is formed in a horizontal front portion of the top wall ( 30 ) of the oven cavity ( 12 ), wherein said opening ( 24 ) connects the air duct ( 18 ) to the oven cavity ( 12 ). The opening ( 24 ) is closed by the ventilation flap ( 22 ) in the closed state of the oven door ( 14 ) and opened by the ventilation flap ( 22 ) in the opened state of the oven door ( 14 ), so that an air curtain ( 28 ) is formed within a front portion of the oven cavity ( 12 ) in the opened state of the oven door ( 14 ).

1 . A cooking oven including an oven cavity and an oven door for opening and closing a front opening of said oven cavity, wherein:
 the cooking oven comprises at least one air duct enclosing at least partially the oven cavity,   at least a part of the air duct extends directly above a top wall of the oven cavity,   the cooking oven comprises at least one fan for generating an air stream within the air duct or at the air duct, and   the cooking oven comprises at least one ventilation flap for deflecting downwards the air stream leaving the air duct above the oven cavity,   
       wherein at least one opening is formed in a horizontal front portion of the top wall of the oven cavity, wherein said opening connects the air duct to the oven cavity, and wherein the opening is closed by the ventilation flap in the closed state of the oven door ( 14 ) and opened by the ventilation flap in the opened state of the oven door, so that an air curtain is formed within a front portion of the oven cavity in the opened state of the oven door. 
     
     
         2 . The cooking oven according to  claim 1 , wherein the air duct includes at least one air outlet connecting said air duct to the surroundings of the cooking oven, wherein said air outlet is arranged above the front opening of the oven cavity and at a front side if the cooking oven. 
     
     
         3 . The cooking oven according to  claim 2 , wherein the air outlet is at least partially closed by the ventilation flap in the opened state of the oven door and opened by the ventilation flap in the closed state of the oven door. 
     
     
         4 . The cooking oven according to  claim 1 , wherein the air duct includes at least one air inlet connecting said air duct to the surroundings of the cooking oven, wherein said air inlet is arranged below the front opening of the oven cavity and at a front side of the cooking oven. 
     
     
         5 . The cooking oven according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one further opening is formed in a front portion of a bottom wall of the oven cavity, wherein said further opening connects the air duct to the oven cavity. 
     
     
         6 . The cooking oven according to  claim 5 , wherein the at least one further opening is closed by a further ventilation flap in the closed state of the oven door and opened by said further ventilation flap in the opened state of the oven door, so that the air curtain is sucked through the further opening into the air duct. 
     
     
         7 . The cooking oven according to  claim 1 , wherein at least a part of said air curtain exhausts through a gap between the opened oven door and the front opening of the oven cavity. 
     
     
         8 . The cooking oven according to  claim 1 , wherein the air stream in the air duct and the air curtain within the front portion of the oven cavity form a closed air circuit in the opened state of the oven door. 
     
     
         9 . The cooking oven according to  claim 1 , wherein the air stream in the air duct forms an open air circuit in the closed state of the oven door. 
     
     
         10 . The cooking oven according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one fan is arranged within the air duct and above the top wall of the oven cavity. 
     
     
         11 . The cooking oven according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one electronic circuit is arranged within the air duct and above the top wall of the oven cavity, wherein said electronic circuit forms at least a part of a control unit of the cooking oven. 
     
     
         12 . The cooking oven according to  claim 1 , wherein the oven door includes at least one further air duct formed inside said oven door, wherein said further air duct extends vertically in the closed state of the oven door, and wherein a further air stream is generated by a Venturi effect and moves bottom-up inside the oven door. 
     
     
         13 . The cooking oven according to  claim 6 , wherein actuation of the ventilation flap and/or the further ventilation flap is automatically controlled by the opening and closing of the oven door. 
     
     
         14 . The cooking oven according to  claim 6 , wherein actuation of the ventilation flap and/or the further ventilation flap is mechanically performed by at least one spring element. 
     
     
         15 . The cooking oven according to  claim 6 , wherein actuation of the ventilation flap and/or the further ventilation flap is performed by an electric and/or electromagnetic drive unit. 
     
     
         16 . A cooking oven comprising an oven cavity having a front opening that is closable by an oven door in a closed state of the door, an air duct at least partially enclosing said oven cavity and a fan for generating an air flow through said air duct, said air duct comprising an air inlet for drawing in air from an environment surrounding said oven and an air outlet for expelling air to said environment, said air outlet being arranged above the front opening of said oven cavity, an opening formed in a top wall of said oven cavity and providing fluid communication between said air duct and said oven cavity, a ventilation flap movable between a closed position and an open position for respectively closing and opening said opening in said top wall of said oven cavity, said ventilation flap being automatically moved to the closed position when said oven door is in the closed state and to the open position when said oven door is in an opened state, wherein in said opened state said ventilation flap at least partially closes said air outlet and redirects said air flow to exit said air duct via said opening in said top wall of said oven cavity, thereby forming an air curtain within a front portion of said oven cavity when the oven door is opened, said air curtain being effective to insulate a thermal state of said oven cavity, said air curtain exiting said oven cavity either through a further opening provided in a bottom wall of said oven cavity arranged vertically below said opening in said top wall, or through a gap between the oven door and the front opening of said oven cavity. 
     
     
         17 . The cooking oven according to  claim 16 , further comprising an electronic circuit arranged inside said air duct, said electronic circuit forming at least part of a control unit for the cooking oven, said air flow effective to cool said electronic circuit. 
     
     
         18 . The cooking oven according to  claim 16 , said door comprising a further duct therein to accommodate a second air flow through said door that moves from a bottom of said door upward inside said door in the closed state, a Venturi pipe formed by a door outlet at an upper end of said door located adjacent said air outlet in said closed state, wherein in operation air discharged from said air duct via said air outlet induces said second air flow through said door via a Venturi effect when said door is in the closed state. 
     
     
         19 . The cooking oven of  claim 16 , said opening in the top wall of said oven cavity being in a horizontal portion thereof, said ventilation flap being pivotable between said open and closed states about a pivot axis that extends horizontally along a width of said oven cavity, said axis being located between said opening in the top wall of the oven cavity and the front opening of the oven cavity.