VENTILATION SYSTEM AND METHOD
Embodiments of the invention provide a ventilation system comprising a housing that includes a plurality of panels. At least one socket can be defined through at least one of the panels and the socket can be coupled to an electricity source. In some embodiments, the ventilation system can include at least one illumination system that can include a socket interface, an extension member, and at least one illumination device. The socket interface can be configured to engage the socket and the extension member can be capable of moving in a plurality of directions.
A conventional outdoor ventilation system can be useful for the removal of cooking effluent arising from cooking episodes in outdoor and/or partially enclosed spaces. At least some of the outdoor and/or partially enclosed spaces can include one or more cooking appliances that emit cooking effluent during a cooking episode, similar to an indoor cooking configuration. For example, some of these outdoor cooking configurations can include a permanent roof structure, with at least some uncovered and/or screened perimeter supports, such as walls. As a result, without an outdoor ventilation system, cooking effluent will accumulate within the local environment.
SUMMARYSome embodiments of the invention provide a ventilation system that can include a housing comprising a plurality of panels. In some embodiments, at least one socket can be defined through at least one of the plurality of panels and the at least one socket can be capable of being coupled to an electricity source. In some embodiments, the ventilation system can comprise at least one illumination system. In some embodiments, the illumination system can include a socket interface, an extension member, and at least one illumination device. In some embodiments, the socket interface can be configured and arranged to engage the socket. In some embodiments, the extension member the extension member can be capable of moving in a plurality of directions.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings.
The following discussion is presented to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use embodiments of the invention. Various modifications to the illustrated embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles herein can be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from embodiments of the invention. Thus, embodiments of the invention are not intended to be limited to embodiments shown, but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. The following detailed description is to be read with reference to the figures, in which like elements in different figures have like reference numerals. The figures, which are not necessarily to scale, depict selected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of embodiments of the invention. Skilled artisans will recognize the examples provided herein have many useful alternatives and fall within the scope of embodiments of the invention.
By way of example only, as shown in
As shown in
Additionally, in some embodiments, the ventilation system 10 can be electrically coupled to an electricity source (e.g., a battery, the structure's electrical network, or any other electricity source) so that one or more elements of the ventilation system 10 can receive electricity for operations. Moreover, in some embodiments, as described in further detail below, the ventilation system 10 can be coupled to one or more ducts 24 so that at least a portion of the effluent or other fluid received from the grille 22 can be transported, via the duct 24, outside of the local area (e.g., outside of the outdoor kitchen).
As shown in
In some embodiments, one or more electrical sockets 28 can be at least partially coupled to and/or supported by the housing 12, as shown in
In some embodiments, the electrical sockets 28 can be configured and arranged to receive one or more of the illumination systems 16. In some embodiments, the ventilation system 10 can comprise a plurality of illumination systems 16. For example, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In some embodiments, the illumination systems 16 can provide benefits compared to the conventional lighting systems of grilles 20 and other cooking surfaces. Although conventional illumination devices can be needed to provid the user of a grille 20 or other cooking surface with adequate illumination to view the food being cooked, these conventional illumination devices and systems have several shortcomings. For example, as shown in
Moreover, as shown in
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In some embodiments, the ventilation assembly 14 can be at least partially positioned within and/or supported by the housing 12. For example, as shown in
In some embodiments, the ventilation assembly 14 can provide benefits relative to some conventional ventilation systems. Some conventional ventilation systems offer inadequate levels of fluid flow through the system and, accordingly, an inadequate effluent capture rate. Some of these drawbacks to conventional ventilation systems occur because of the size and positioning of the capture surface 42 and other elements of the ventilation assembly 14. For example, as shown in
As shown in
Furthermore, in some embodiments, the extension 22 can be configured and arranged to further improve effluent and thermal capture. For example, as previously mentioned and as shown in
In some embodiments, the ventilation system 10 can comprise a secondary ventilation assembly 46, as shown in
In some embodiments, the secondary ventilation assembly 46 can be in communication (e.g., wired, as shown in
Moreover, in some embodiments, the secondary ventilation assembly 46 can comprise one or more sensors (e.g., thermal sensors, particulate sensors, infrared sensors, etc.) that can automatically activate the secondary ventilation assembly 46 during an occurrence of a cooking episode. In some embodiments, the secondary ventilation assembly 46 can be manually controlled via one or more switches on the control panel or remotely positioned on a wall in the outdoor kitchen.
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As previously mentioned, the primary and/or secondary ventilation assemblies 14, 46 can be configured to aid in removal of cooking effluent from the local environment that arises from a cooking episode. In some conventional ventilation systems, after removal of a portion of the effluent from polluted air or other fluids, the removed effluent can accumulate within the filters 44 and eventually lead to clogging of the filters 44 and overflow effluent draining downward toward the grille 20. For example, some conventional ventilation systems can comprise effluent collection systems (e.g., baffle filters, mesh filters, centrifugal grease wheels, etc) that can be configured to retain grease and other effluent as it passes through the system. These conventional effluent collection systems can become quickly overwhelmed, which can lead to an accumulation of grease and other effluent that can overflow out of the collection system.
In some embodiments, the extension 22 can be configured and arranged to improve effluent clearance through the ventilation assembly 10, relative to the conventional effluent collection systems. In some embodiments, the extension 22 can comprise at least one reservoir 49 that is at least partially movably positioned within the extension 22. For example, as shown in
In some embodiments, the reservoir 49 can be configured for the ease of the user. For example, the reservoir 49 can comprise a volume sufficient to receive a significant volume of effluent so that the user does not have to frequently empty the reservoir 49. In some embodiments, the reservoir 49 can comprise one or more handles 48 or other features that can enable a user to readily remove the reservoir 49 from the extension 22, as shown in
Additionally, in some embodiments, the ventilation system 10 can comprise one or more indicator members (not shown). In some embodiments, the indicator member can be configured and arranged to provide a signal (e.g., visual, audio, or other suitable signal) to the user the reservoir 49 is in need of being emptied and/or cleaned. In some embodiments, the indicator member can comprise a mechanical configuration, an electrical configuration, an electro-mechanical configuration, an aperture through a portion of the ventilation system 10 through which a user can visualize the effluent levels within the reservoir 49, a timer, or any other suitable configuration.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while the invention has been described above in connection with particular embodiments and examples, the invention is not necessarily so limited, and that numerous other embodiments, examples, uses, modifications and departures from the embodiments, examples and uses are intended to be encompassed by the claims attached hereto. The entire disclosure of each patent and publication cited herein is incorporated by reference, as if each such patent or publication were individually incorporated by reference herein. Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
Claims
1. A ventilation system configured to be arranged above a cooking device, the ventilation system comprising:
- a housing;
- a filter configured to remove at least a portion of cooking effluent from a polluted airflow, wherein the cooking effluent is at least one of a solid and a liquid;
- a rail arranged below the filter and the filter is angled downward from a top of the filter to a bottom of the filter to direct at least a portion of the cooking effluent removed by the filter onto the rail;
- a reservoir arranged below the rail and the rail is angled downward toward the reservoir to guide at least a portion of the cooking effluent received from the filter into the reservoir.
2. The ventilation system of claim 1 further comprising a handle being coupled to the reservoir.
3. The ventilation system of claim 1, wherein the ventilation assembly comprises at least one blower assembly capable of generating a fluid flow through at least some portions of the filter.
4. The ventilation system of claim 1, wherein the cooking effluent comprises grease.
5. The ventilation system of claim 1 further comprising an indicator member configured to provide notice to a user when the reservoir needs to be emptied.
6. The ventilation system of claim 5, wherein the indicator member comprises at least one of a mechanical sensor, an electrical sensor, an electro-mechanical sensor, a timer, and a window member disposed through at least one of the housing extension and the housing.
7. The ventilation system of claim 1, wherein the cooking effluent is directed from the top of the filter to the bottom of the filter by gravity.
8. The ventilation system of claim 1, wherein the cooking effluent is directed from the filter to the rail by gravity.
9. The ventilation system of claim 1, wherein the cooking effluent is directed from the rail to the reservoir by gravity.
10. An effluent collection assembly configured to be arranged above a cooking device, the effluent collection assembly comprising:
- a housing;
- a filter to remove at least a portion of cooking effluent from polluted air, wherein the cooking effluent is at least one of a solid and a liquid;
- a rail arranged below the filter and the filter is angled downward from a top of the filter to a bottom of the filter to direct at least a portion of the cooking effluent removed by the filter onto the rail;
- a reservoir arranged below the rail and the rail is angled downward toward the reservoir to guide at least a portion of the cooking effluent received from the filter into the reservoir.
11. The effluent collection assembly of claim 10 further comprising a handle being coupled to the reservoir.
12. The effluent collection assembly of claim 10, wherein the cooking effluent comprises grease.
13. The effluent collection assembly of claim 10 further comprising an indicator member configured to provide notice to a user when the reservoir needs to be emptied.
14. The effluent collection assembly of claim 13, wherein the indicator member comprises at least one of a mechanical sensor, an electrical sensor, an electro-mechanical sensor, a timer, and a window member disposed through at least one of the housing extension and the housing.
15. The effluent collection assembly of claim 10, wherein the cooking effluent is directed from the top of the filter to the bottom of the filter by gravity.
16. The effluent collection assembly of claim 10, wherein the cooking effluent is directed from the filter to the rail by gravity.
17. The effluent collection assembly of claim 10, wherein the cooking effluent is directed from the rail to the reservoir by gravity.
18. A ventilation system configured to be arranged above a cooking device, the ventilation system comprising:
- a housing;
- a contact surface to collect at least a portion of cooking effluent from a polluted airflow, wherein the cooking effluent is at least one of a solid and a liquid;
- a rail arranged below the contact surface and the contact surface is angled downward from a top of the contact surface to a bottom of the contact surface to direct at least a portion of the cooking effluent collected on the contact surface onto the rail;
- a reservoir arranged below the rail and the rail is angled downward toward the reservoir to guide at least a portion of the cooking effluent received from the contact surface into the reservoir.
19. The ventilation system of claim 18 further comprising a handle being coupled to the reservoir.
20. The ventilation system of claim 18, wherein the ventilation assembly comprises at least one blower assembly capable of generating a fluid flow over the contact surface.
21. The ventilation system of claim 18, wherein the cooking effluent comprises grease.
22. The ventilation system of claim 18 further comprising an indicator member configured to provide notice to a user when the reservoir needs to be emptied.
23. The ventilation system of claim 22, wherein the indicator member comprises at least one of a mechanical sensor, an electrical sensor, an electro-mechanical sensor, a timer, and a window member disposed through at least one of the housing extension and the housing.
24. The ventilation system of claim 18, wherein the cooking effluent is directed from the top of the contact surface to the bottom of the contact surface by gravity.
25. The ventilation system of claim 18, wherein the cooking effluent is directed from the contact surface to the rail by gravity.
26. The ventilation system of claim 18, wherein the cooking effluent is directed from the rail to the reservoir by gravity.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 30, 2021
Publication Date: Jul 15, 2021
Inventors: Eric Williams (Cedarburg, WI), Jesse Allen Hollingsworth (West Bend, WI), Richard R. Sinur (West Bend, WI), Brian R. Wellnitz (Grafton, WI)
Application Number: 17/216,812