JP7680335B2 - Exhaust vent cover - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an exhaust vent cover that covers the exhaust vent to prevent it from getting dirty.

Grills such as fish grills and ovens installed in system kitchens are equipped with exhaust vents to release the cooking heat, and these exhaust vents are usually located on the kitchen countertop, adjacent to a stove such as a gas range or induction cooker.
Therefore, when cooking on the stove, food scraps and some of the seasonings will fly out toward the exhaust port.
The exhaust vent is covered with a mesh lid to prevent food ingredients and other objects from falling in, but there is a risk that dirt scattered from the stove will adhere to this mesh lid.

In order to prevent such contamination of the exhaust port, exhaust port covers for covering the exhaust port have been proposed, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-233999 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-233999.
The exhaust vent covers in Patent Documents 1 and 2 consist of a panel body made by molding aluminum foil or the like, and the panel body is placed over the exhaust vent so that it faces the stove.

Food scraps and seasonings that fly from the stove toward the exhaust port are caught by this front-facing panel, preventing them from sticking to the mesh cover and contaminating the exhaust port.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-89273 JP 2011-179691 A

Incidentally, when using a grill, some manufacturers recommend removing the exhaust vent cover to prevent heat from building up around the exhaust vent, but it is a hassle to remove and attach the exhaust vent cover every time you use the grill, and in reality, in households, the grill is often used with the exhaust vent cover still in place over the exhaust vent.

Here, in a typical exhaust port cover, the entire area on the rear side of the exhaust port cover is open.
For this reason, even when the grill is used with the exhaust vent cover installed, heat can be dissipated primarily from the large opening on the back side, and secondarily from the smaller openings on the left and right sides, so the structure is designed to prevent heat from accumulating.

However, when using a grill with a conventional exhaust vent cover installed, the smoke from the food is directed toward the back side because the front side is closed, and is exhausted from the back side, which is entirely open. Since the kitchen wall is usually located behind the exhaust vent, the smoke rises over a wide area of the wall, which easily gets dirty.
In addition, because the entire rear side of the exhaust vent cover was open, smoke spread over a wide area and was not efficiently exhausted to the outside using a kitchen exhaust fan, etc.

Therefore, even if the manufacturer recommends using the grill with the exhaust vent cover removed from the exhaust vent, measures should still be taken to prevent use with the cover still attached to the exhaust vent.

The problem to be solved by this invention is to prevent kitchen walls from becoming dirty with smoke from the grill even when the grill is used without removing the exhaust vent cover from the exhaust vent, and to allow the smoke to be efficiently exhausted to the outside using a ventilation fan or the like.

In order to solve the above problems, the exhaust vent cover of the invention is composed of an outer panel with a front plate that can face the stove and a longitudinal direction in the left-right direction, and an inner panel with a front plate that can face the stove and a longitudinal direction in the left-right direction, the outer panel and the inner panel are overlapped so that they can slide relatively along their longitudinal direction, with the outer panel on the outside and the inner panel on the inside, and the back of either the outer panel or the inner panel is closed by a back plate, while the back of the other panel is open.

In this way, since only the rear side of one of the outer and inner panels is open on the rear side of the exhaust vent cover, the path of smoke exhaust from the grill is restricted compared to when the rear side is completely open.
Therefore, even if the emitted smoke travels down the kitchen wall, the area of the smoke can be narrowed, and dirt on the wall caused by the smoke can be suppressed.
In addition, the spread of smoke can be suppressed, and the smoke can be efficiently exhausted to the outside through a kitchen exhaust fan, etc.

In the exhaust vent cover of the invention, the outer panel has a back plate and an upward guide groove on the inner surface of the back plate, the back surface of the inner panel is open and has a fitting piece that hangs down from the upper edge of the opening and fits into the guide groove, and the guide groove of the outer panel can be configured so that the lower end of the front edge of the front plate does not fit into it even if the front-to-rear direction of the inner panel is reversed.

With this configuration, even if the front-to-back direction of the inner panel is mixed up and an attempt is made to assemble it to the outer panel, the lower front edge of the front panel cannot fit into the guide groove of the outer panel, making it possible to align the front-to-back directions of the outer panel and inner panel and perform the assembly work accurately.

In the exhaust vent cover of the present invention, it is preferable to adopt a configuration in which the surfaces of the outer panel and the inner panel are coated with an acid- and alkali-resistant resin.

With this construction, the outer and inner panels can be prevented from corroding or discoloring during cleaning. In particular, the effects of detergents used in dishwashers are noticeable, so it is preferable that the panels be coated with an acid- and alkali-resistant resin.
In addition, the coating improves the slipperiness of the panel surface, preventing the outer and inner panels from damaging the installation surface or mesh cover when they come into contact with them. This allows the two panels to slide smoothly and prevents the panels from rubbing against each other and being damaged.

In the exhaust vent cover of the present invention, it is preferable that the outer panel and the inner panel are made of aluminum.

With this construction, the panel becomes easy to handle since aluminum is lightweight, the panel becomes less likely to be damaged since aluminum is strong, and the manufacturing costs of the panel can be reduced since aluminum is inexpensive.
In addition, because it has high heat dissipation properties, heat retention around the exhaust port is also suppressed.

The exhaust vent cover of the invention is constructed as described above, so even if the grill is used without being removed from the exhaust vent, it is possible to prevent the kitchen walls from becoming dirty with smoke from the grill, and to efficiently exhaust the smoke to the outside using a ventilation fan or the like.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exhaust port cover according to an embodiment; 1A is an exploded perspective view of an exhaust port cover according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a side view of the exhaust port cover, and FIG. 1A and 1B are a longitudinal sectional view and a perspective view showing an installation state of an exhaust port cover according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 13 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing an installation state of the exhaust port cover according to the embodiment; 1A is a vertical cross-sectional view showing another installation mode of the exhaust port cover of the embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a plan view showing the same.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The exhaust vent cover 1 of the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2 is installed to cover the exhaust vent P attached to the grill G in the kitchen K, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, and prevents food scraps, seasoning liquid, etc. scattered from the stove S from adhering to and contaminating the exhaust vent P.
The exhaust port cover 1 of the embodiment includes a panel body 10 having a longitudinal direction in the left-right direction, and a magnet 20. The panel body 10 includes an outer panel 11 and an inner panel 12.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, when the exhaust vent cover 1 is installed, the outer panel 11 has a front panel 11a facing the stove S and a back panel 11b on the opposite side to the stove, and dirt scattered from the stove S is mainly received by the front panel 11a.
The upper edges of the front plate 11a and the rear plate 11b are connected to each other, and the front plate 11a and the rear plate 11b are inclined downward toward their respective lower edges. The angle of inclination of the front plate 11a is gentler than that of the rear plate 11b.
Moreover, the front plate 11a is slightly curved so as to be convex upward as a whole, and the rear plate 11b is slightly curved so as to be convex downward as a whole.
The outer panel 11 has a longitudinal direction in the left-right direction, and has left and right side surfaces that are open. The outer panel 11 is closed at its front and rear ends by a front plate 11a and a rear plate 11b, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 2B, an L-shaped receiving portion 11c is provided on the inner surface of the back plate 11b of the outer panel 11.
The receiving portion 11c is continuous in the left-right direction of the outer panel 11. As a result, a guide groove into which a fitting piece 12c of the inner panel 12 described below is fitted is formed between the back panel 11b and the receiving portion 11c.

The rear edge 11d of the back panel 11b of the outer panel 11 has a circular cross section perpendicular to the left-right direction of the outer panel 11, and this shape continues in the left-right direction, forming an elongated cylindrical shape overall.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the inner panel 12 has a front plate 12a that faces the stove S when the exhaust port cover 1 is installed, and dirt scattered from the stove S is received by the front plate 12a.
The front plate 12a slopes gently downward toward the front edge, and is slightly curved so as to be convex upward as a whole.
The inner panel 12 has a longitudinal direction in the left-right direction, and has open left and right side surfaces. In the front-rear direction, the front of the inner panel 12 is closed by a front plate 12a, and the rear surface has an opening 12d.

An insert portion 12b is connected to the lower end of the front edge of the front panel 12a. The insert portion 12b has a circular cross section perpendicular to the left-right direction of the inner panel 12, and this cross section continues in the left-right direction to form an elongated cylindrical shape as a whole.
The diameter (thickness) of the insertion portion 12b is larger than the thickness of the front plate 12a. The thickness of the insertion portion 12b is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1 to 4 mm, and more preferably 2 to 3 mm. The thickness of the outer panel and the inner panel excluding the insertion portion 12b is roughly the same, and in this embodiment, the thickness can be exemplified as about 1 to 1.5 mm, but may be appropriately set in the range of about 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm.

Furthermore, a hanging fitting piece 12c is provided continuously to the rear edge of the front plate 12a of the inner panel 12. The fitting piece 12c is continuous in the left-right direction of the inner panel 12. The amount of hanging of the fitting piece 12c is small, about a few millimeters, so it does not interfere with the opening state of the back surface of the inner panel 12.
The thickness of the fitting piece 12c is approximately equal to the width of the groove formed between the back plate 11b of the outer panel 11 and the receiving portion 11c, and is smaller than the thickness of the insertion portion 12b.
The thickness of the fitting piece 12c (groove width of the groove of the outer panel 11) is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, about 1 to 1.5 mm, and may be appropriately set within the range of about 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the outer panel 11 and the inner panel 12 are overlapped with each other so that the outer panel 11 faces outward and the inner panel 12 faces inward.
As shown in FIG. 2(c), the outer panel 11 and the inner panel 12 are capable of sliding relative to each other along the longitudinal direction.
By sliding the outer panel 11 and the inner panel 12, the left and right dimensions of the panel body 10 can be adjusted according to the dimensions of the exhaust port in which the panel body 10 is installed.

As shown in Figure 2 (b), with the outer panel 11 and the inner panel 12 overlapping each other, the mating piece 12c of the inner panel 12 is fitted into the guide groove formed between the back plate 11b and the receiving portion 11c of the outer panel 11.
This prevents the outer panel 11 and the inner panel 12 from coming apart.
Furthermore, as described above, the groove width of the groove formed between the back panel 11b and the receiving portion 11c of the outer panel 11 is smaller than the thickness of the insertion portion 12b of the inner panel 12. Therefore, even if one attempts to assemble the inner panel 12 to the outer panel 11 with the front-to-back direction of the inner panel 12 reversed, the insertion portion 12b cannot be fitted into the groove of the outer panel 11.
Therefore, it is possible to align the outer panel 11 and the inner panel 12 in the front-to-rear direction and perform the assembly work accurately.

The surfaces of the outer panel 11 and the inner panel 12 are coated with an acid- and alkali-resistant resin.
This prevents the outer panel 11 and the inner panel 12 from corroding or becoming discolored when washed in a dishwasher or the like.
Furthermore, since the sliding properties of the panel surfaces are improved, the sliding operation of the outer panel 11 and the inner panel 12 can be performed smoothly, and the two panels are prevented from rubbing against each other and damaging their surfaces.
In addition, even if the outer panel 11 or the inner panel 12 comes into contact with the exhaust vent P or fixtures in the kitchen K, damage to these is suppressed.
Such acid- and alkali-resistant resins are not particularly limited, but examples thereof include acrylic resins and fluororesins.
When the outer panel 11 and the inner panel 12 are made of aluminum, it is preferable that they are anodized to increase the surface strength.
In this case, if an acrylic resin or fluororesin coating is further applied on top, the corrosion resistance will be further improved due to the synergistic effect.

Here, the material of the outer panel 11 and the inner panel 12 is not particularly limited, and examples include metal and synthetic resin. The outer panel 11 and the inner panel 12 can be made of different materials, but it is preferable that both panels are made of metal, which has high strength and heat resistance.
Furthermore, aluminum is more preferable as it is lightweight and has high heat dissipation properties suitable for releasing heat from the exhaust port.

The outer panel 11 and the inner panel 12 can be integrated after the front panels 11a, 12a, the back panel 11b, the insert portion 12b, etc. are produced separately, but molding them as a single unit is preferable in terms of strength and cost. In this embodiment, the integral molding is performed by extrusion molding.

The length, width, and height dimensions of the outer panel 11 and the inner panel 12 are not particularly limited, but examples of dimensions that are not bulky and are sufficient to cover an exhaust port of general dimensions without excess or deficiency include a front-to-back length of 70 to 80 mm, a left-to-right length of 300 to 400 mm, and a maximum height of 15 to 20 mm.
The relative dimensions of the outer panel 11 and the inner panel 12 are not particularly limited, so long as they can be overlapped with the outer panel 11 on the outside and the inner panel 12 on the inside, but it is preferable to align the dimensions in the left and right directions so that they can be overlapped completely.
The thickness of the outer panel 11 and the inner panel 12 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 1 to 1.5 mm, which provides sufficient strength and is not too heavy.

The configuration of the exhaust port cover 1 of the embodiment has been described above. Next, the manner of use thereof will be described with reference to Figs.
As shown in FIG. 1(a), first, the outer panel 11 and the inner panel 12 are appropriately slid in their longitudinal direction so that the dimensions of the panel body 10 match the dimensions of the exhaust port P of the grill G to be installed, and then the panel body 10 is placed from above to cover the exhaust port P.

1(a) and 3(a), a step is formed between the top plate T of the stove S and the exhaust port P so that the top plate T of the stove S is higher and the exhaust port P is lower. In addition, a mesh cover M is placed over the exhaust port P. As a result, a groove C is formed between the edge of the top plate T of the stove S and the edge of the mesh cover M.
As shown in FIG. 3(a), the panel body 10 is placed so as to cover the exhaust port, and is attached by inserting the insertion portion 12b at the lower end of the front edge of the inner panel 12 into the groove C described above.
Since the groove width of the groove C is usually about 3 to 4 mm, if the thickness of the insertion portion 12b is set to a smaller dimension, for example, about 2 to 3 mm, the insertion operation can be performed smoothly.
Since the insertion portion 12b has a rounded shape, even if it comes into contact with the stove top or net cover during the insertion operation into the groove C, it will not damage them.

As shown in FIG. 3(b), the side of the exhaust port P facing the stove S is covered by the front plate 11a of the outer panel 11 and the front plate 12a of the inner panel 12, so that food scraps and seasoning liquid scattered from the stove S are received by these front plates 11a, 12a and do not adhere to the mesh cover M of the exhaust port P, thereby preventing the exhaust port P from getting dirty.
In particular, by inserting the insertion portion 12b into the groove C, no gap is created between the top plate T of the stove S and the lower edge of the panel body 10, so that seasoning liquid or the like does not enter through the gap, and thorough prevention of the exhaust port P from becoming dirty can be ensured.

When the front-rear length of the panel body 10 and the front-rear length of the exhaust port P are approximately equal, the rear edge 11d of the outer panel 11 can be fitted into the grooves C on both the front and rear sides of the exhaust port P. In other words, depending on the structure of the kitchen K, the rear edge 11d can also function as an insertion portion.
In this case, the exhaust port cover 1 is firmly attached, and is prevented from coming off unintentionally from above the exhaust port P.
If the above lengths do not match, the airbag is placed on a flat area outside the net cover M so as to straddle the exhaust port P and the net cover M, as shown in FIG. 3(a).
In any case, the rear edge 11d is rounded, thereby preventing the kitchen K from being damaged during the installation work.

3(b) and 4, the rear side of the outer panel 11 of the exhaust port cover 1 is closed by a rear plate 11b, and the rear side of the inner panel 12 is open by an opening 12d. The left and right side surfaces of the outer panel 11 and the inner panel 12 are also open. As shown in the figures, the open area of the rear surface is much larger than the left and right side surfaces.
Therefore, when the grill G is used with the exhaust vent cover 1 installed, the exhaust air from the grill G is released to the outside mainly through the opening 12d of the inner panel 12, and secondarily through the left and right side surfaces, as shown by the arrows in the figure, thereby preventing heat and smoke from building up inside.

In particular, the exhaust vent cover 1 is not entirely open on the rear side, but rather only the rear side of the inner panel 12 is open through the opening 12d, so the route for smoke exhaust is restricted compared to when the rear side is completely open.
Therefore, even if the emitted smoke travels down the kitchen wall, the area of the smoke can be narrowed, and dirt on the wall caused by the smoke can be suppressed.
In addition, by narrowing the area from which the smoke rises, the smoke can be efficiently exhausted to the outside through a kitchen exhaust fan, for example.

If the structure of the kitchen K is special, such as the groove width of the groove C being extremely narrow, and the insertion portion 12b of the inner panel 12 cannot be inserted into the groove C, the panel body 10 is attached using a magnet 20, as shown in Figure 5 (a) or (b).
As shown in the figure, the magnet 20 comprises a magnet body 21 and a plate-shaped yoke 22 in which the magnet body 21 is housed, and an engagement portion 23 cut and raised into a U-shape is attached to the edge of the yoke 22.
By engaging this engagement portion 23 with the insertion portion 12b of the inner panel 12 and the rear edge portion 11d of the outer panel 11, and then attracting the magnet main body 21 to the exhaust port P and its surroundings, the exhaust port cover 1 can be installed to cover the exhaust port P via the magnet 20.

The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and not restrictive in all respects.
The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and includes all modifications and alterations within the scope and equivalent meanings.

In the embodiment, the panel body 10 is made up of an outer panel 11 and an inner panel 12, but is not limited to this and may have a three-layer structure of an outer panel, a middle panel, and an inner panel. Also, in the embodiment, the number of inner panels 12 is one, but there may be more than one. There may be two inner panels 12, one on the left and one on the right, so that they can be pulled out from the right and left sides of the outer panel 11, respectively.

In the embodiment, the back surface of the outer panel 11 is closed by a back plate 11b, and the back surface of the inner panel 12 is opened by an opening 12d, but the reverse may also be true, in which the back surface of the outer panel 11 is opened by an opening, and the back surface of the inner panel 12 is closed by a back plate.
The shapes of the outer panel 11 and the inner panel 12 are not limited to those in the embodiment. For example, in the case where the outer panel 11 has a back panel 11b, a horizontal top panel can be interposed between the front panel 11a and the back panel 11b.

In the embodiment, the outer panel 11 and the inner panel 12 are integrated by fitting the mating piece 12c into a groove formed between the back panel 11b and the receiving portion 11c, but the receiving portion 11c and the mating piece 12c can be omitted and the structure can be simply that of overlapping the panels.
Additionally, the rear edge 11d of the outer panel 11 may be non-rounded.

In the embodiment, the insert portion 12b of the inner panel 12 has a rounded shape, but the shape is not limited to this, and the insert portion 12b may be omitted. A separate member made of a soft material such as heat-resistant rubber may be fitted into the position of the insert portion 12b. In this case, the insert portion 12b does not need to have a rounded shape.
In the embodiment, the insertion portion 12b is provided only on the inner panel 12, but it is also possible to provide an insertion portion on the lower edge portion of the front plate 11a of the outer panel 11 as well.

1 Exhaust vent cover of the embodiment 10 Panel body 11 Outer panel 11a Front plate 11b Back plate 11c Receiving portion 11d Rear edge portion 12 Inner panel 12a Front plate 12b Insertion portion 12c Fitting piece 12d Opening 20 Magnet 21 Magnet body 22 Yoke 23 Engagement portion K Kitchen S Stove T Top plate G Grill P Exhaust vent M Mesh cover C Groove

Claims (4)

An exhaust vent cover that covers a grill exhaust vent installed adjacent to a kitchen stove,
An outer panel having a front panel that can face the stove and a left-right direction being a longitudinal direction;
An inner panel having a front panel that can face the stove and a left-right direction as a longitudinal direction,
The outer panel and the inner panel are overlapped with each other so that the outer panel is on the outside and the inner panel is on the inside so that they can slide relatively along the longitudinal direction.
The rear surface of one of the outer panel and the inner panel is closed by a rear plate, and the rear surface of the other panel is open. The outer panel has a back plate and an upward guide groove on the inner surface of the back plate,
The rear surface of the inner panel is open and has a fitting piece that hangs down from an upper edge of the opening and fits into the guide groove,
2. The exhaust vent cover according to claim 1, wherein the guide groove of the outer panel is configured so that the lower end of the front edge of the front panel will not get caught in the guide groove even if the front-to-rear direction of the inner panel is reversed. The exhaust vent cover according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the surfaces of the outer panel and the inner panel are coated with an acid- and alkali-resistant resin. An exhaust vent cover according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the outer panel and the inner panel are made of aluminum.

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