NEW KITCHEN APPLIANCE

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a new kitchen appliance comprising an extraction hood and a storage cabinet, wherein said storage cabinet has means for maintaining a constant temperature and humidity inside the cabinet.

Background Household cooking has become less frequent due to the convenience of fast food restaurants and disinterest in learning home cuisine. This development, and the negative effects of unhealthy eating habits, has led to new trends in eating and the preparation of food. This includes a trend for natural, slow living, and the appreciation for quality over quantity.

The healing powers of herbs and spices are generally overlooked in the preparation of foods. Rather than relying on medications, or vitamin and mineral supplements, eating healthy food prepared using the correct ingredients can help people stay healthy.

It is common for people to store their spices over their stove, where the atmosphere is often hot and humid, even though spices should be stored in a cool, dry, dark place.

Summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a new kitchen appliance which provides optimal storage conditions for spices and other foodstuff, while still providing easy access to the spices and other foodstuff during cooking.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a spice storage cabinet which also works as an extraction hood.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a spice storage cabinet which provides automated dispensation of spices.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a spice storage cabinet which provides the user with information about the spices stored in said cabinet.

Detailed description of the invention

The above mentioned objects, as well as further objects of the invention, which should be apparent to a person skilled in the art after having studied the description below, are accomplished by the different aspects of the present invention as described herein.

The present invention provides a kitchen appliance comprising an extraction hood and a storage cabinet, wherein said storage cabinet has means for maintaining a constant temperature and humidity inside the cabinet.

In an embodiment thereof, the kitchen appliance according to the invention, further comprises means for dispensing spices stored in said cabinet.

In another embodiment, said means for dispensing spices comprise a rotatable spice carousel, on which at least one spice canister is arranged.

In another embodiment, said means for maintaining a constant humidity inside the cabinet comprise a dehumidifier . In another embodiment, said means for maintaining a constant temperature inside the cabinet comprise a cooling system.

The new kitchen appliance according to the invention provides a combined storage cabinet and extraction hood, wherein the storage cabinet is arranged to maintain goods, for example spices, stored therein at a desired temperature and relative humidity. It is also

contemplated that the storage cabinet may be used for storage of other foodstuff as well. The invention thus solves the problem of keeping spices and other foodstuff easily accessible while keeping them protected from the hot, humid and bright atmosphere close to a conventional kitchen extraction hood. The storage cabinet may be arranged on or inside the housing of the kitchen extraction hood. In a preferred embodiment the storage cabinet and the kitchen extraction hood are arranged inside a common housing, thus forming a new type of kitchen appliance. The storage cabinet preferably comprises a door, which can be opened to allow access to the inside of the cabinet. The door of the storage cabinet may preferably be arranged on one of the front or side walls of the kitchen appliance, allowing direct access to the inside of the storage cabinet when the door is open.

The combined kitchen extraction hood and storage cabinet comprises a housing designed to be mounted for example on a wall or in the ceiling above a kitchen stove. The housing of the inventive kitchen appliance may have a front panel which can be opened to expose the inside of the storage cabinet. The storage cabinet may further comprise a rotatable spice dispensing carousel having a plurality of spice canisters arranged on it.

The storage cabinet may comprise means for maintaining a substantially constant temperature and relative humidity inside the cabinet. These means may comprise a fan capable of providing the cabinet with ambient air from a place where the temperature and relative humidity is substantially constant and suitable for the storage of spices. Said means may also comprise an inlet for cool dry air from the extraction hood of the device, which will be described in more detail hereinbelow. These means may also be combined in order to allow the temperature and relative humidity inside the cabinet to be controlled. These means should only be

considered as non-limiting examples. Any suitable means known in the art for providing air conditioning, cooling, dehumidification or ventilation may also be considered. The storage cabinet may also comprise sensing elements, such as a thermometer, a thermostat, and/or a moisture sensor. An embodiment of the inventive kitchen appliance may further comprise a CPU, which can be used in combination with other components to control the different functions of the cabinet. At least one of the walls of the storage cabinet may comprise a thermally insulating material. Dividing walls within the storage cabinet, allowing storage of different foodstuff in different compartments are also contemplated.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a spice carousel is arranged inside the storage cabinet.

The spice carousel comprises a carousel wheel arranged to accommodate a number of spice canisters. The spice carousel may further comprise means for allowing the wheel to rotate around its own axis. In an embodiment the spice carousel is arranged vertically on the back wall inside the storage cabinet, such that access to the spice carousel is allowed through the front panel opening. The spice carousel may be rotated manually, but it may also be rotated by electrical means. If the carousel is rotated by electrical means, the rotation may preferably be controlled using a CPU.

The carousel wheel may comprise means for attachment of a number of spice canisters. The spice canisters may be attached to and detached from the carousel wheel manually through the front panel opening. The carousel wheel may further comprise means for dispensing spice from the spice canisters. The means for dispensing spice may for example comprise a pin on the carousel wheel, capable of depressing a button on a spice canister in the spice carousel, thereby creating an opening in the spice canister through which the spice may exit the canister. Spice may be dispensed in portions or continuously. The

spice may be dispensed into a separate carrier, for example a spoon or a cup, it may be dispensed directly out from the storage cabinet, for example via an opening in the storage cabinet side or bottom wall and be collected in a separate container, or it may be dispensed into a detachable dispense drawer integrated in the storage cabinet construction. The spice dispensing may preferably be effected by the force of gravity. Dosage of the amount of dispensed spice may be controlled through any suitable measuring method. Examples of suitable measuring methods are for example any methods known in the art of automated measuring of powders or granulates. The spice portion dispensing can be controlled by the CPU in combination with the spice dispensing means. When automatic spice dispensation using the CPU is applied, a graphic display unit and an input terminal as described in greater detail hereinbelow may be used to allow the user to select the type and amount of spice to be dispensed. The spice canisters of the invention are preferably arranged to be releasably attached to the carousel wheel. In an embodiment of the invention the spice canisters are arranged around the perimeter of the carousel wheel. The spice canisters may for example be arranged around the perimeter of the carousel wheel and substantially perpendicular to the axis of the wheel. In an embodiment of the invention, the carousel wheel is arranged on the back wall inside the cabinet, such that the axis of the carousel wheel is essentially horizontal, and the spice canisters are then arranged around the perimeter of the carousel wheel. The spice canisters may be provided with a closure which may be opened and closed by the spice dispensing means of the carousel wheel. The spice canisters may advantageously be designed in a fashion that allows them to be removed from the storage cabinet and used manually if this is desirable.

Information about the status of the storage cabinet may advantageously be conveyed to a user by means of a graphic display unit. The graphic display unit may for example be arranged on or in the openable portion of the cabinet front panel . The storage cabinet may further comprise an input terminal, using which the user can interact with the CPU by providing desired temperature and relative humidity, spice and spice amount, etc. In an embodiment the graphic display unit and the input terminal are combined in the form of a touch screen. In another embodiment the graphic display unit may be viewed both when the front panel is opened and when it is closed. In this case the storage cabinet may comprise two graphic display units, one on the inside and one on the outside of the front panel. The storage cabinet may also comprise means for storing digital information, which can be accessed by the CPU and displayed to the user on the graphic display unit. Such information may for example include information about the spices present in the cabinet, relevant recipes using the different spices, the amount of spice remaining in each canister, etc.

The extraction hood of the present invention may be any type of extraction hood or fan suitable for placement in a kitchen environment. A person skilled in the art of ventilation and sanitation engineering will readily be able to determine which kind of extraction hood construction principle that would be suitable for use with the present invention. The extraction hood of the present invention may preferably be customized to fit in the extraction hood compartment of the kitchen appliance of the present invention, but it may also be a commercially available extraction hood built into the kitchen appliance of the present invention. The storage cabinet may also be placed inside the housing of a commercially available extraction hood, which has been modified to accommodate the cabinet.

In an embodiment of the present invention the extraction hood comprises a fan for drawing in hot and humid air, a grease filter, a charcoal filter, and a condensation chamber. The condensation chamber works as a dehumidifier and comprises means for cooling the hot air and condensating the moisture present in the air. The resulting cool, dry air may in a preferred embodiment of the invention be directed into the storage cabinet and used to adjust the temperature and relative humidity therein. The condensed water may be collected in a container designated therefore, or drained from the extraction hood, for example using a hose. The extraction hood further comprises an air outlet, through which purified air may be recirculated back to the room, or removed via a connection to a ventilation duct.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 shows a front view of an embodiment of a kitchen appliance of the invention with the front panel in the open position.

Figure 2 shows a front view of the spice carousel of an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 shows the extraction hood function of an embodiment of the invention. Figure 4 shows an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments

The embodiments described in the present application are provided as illustrative examples only, and should not be construed as limiting to the scope of the invention in any way.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the kitchen appliance comprises a housing divided into two compartments, wherein one compartment houses a storage cabinet 1, as shown in figures 1 and 2, and the other compartment houses an extraction hood, as shown in figure

3.

The storage cabinet comprises heat insulated walls and means for maintaining a desired temperature and relative humidity inside the cabinet. The storage cabinet further comprises a spice carousel 2 arranged vertically on the back wall inside the storage cabinet, such that access to the spice carousel is allowed through the front panel opening, the spice carousel being comprised of a carousel wheel 3 arranged to be rotatable around its own axis, 18 spice canisters 4 arranged around the carousel wheel perimeter, and means for spice dispensation 5, allowing for spice to be dispensed from each of the spice canisters individually. Dispensed spices are collected in a spice dispense drawer 6. Rotation of the carousel and operation of the spice dispensation means is effected by electrical means. The storage cabinet also comprises a

CPU which is used to control the rotation of the carousel and operation of the spice dispensation means, and a user interface capable of interacting with the CPU comprised of a touch screen display 7. The extraction hood compartment, as shown in figures 3 and 4, comprises an air inlet 8, a fan 9 for drawing in hot and humid air, a grease filter 10, a charcoal filter 11, and a condensation chamber 12. The condensation chamber comprises cooling coils for cooling the hot air and condensating the moisture present in the air. The extraction hood further comprises an air outlet 13, through which purified air may be recirculated back to the room. The extraction hood compartment of the embodiment further comprises an outlet 14 for cool dry air from the condensation chamber leading to the spice storage cabinet.