1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to stove top and oven range exhaust hood ventilation systems for removing airborne grease and smoke fumes from the area above cooking appliances, and more particularly, to an apparatus that utilizes a novel air-track system to be used in conjunction with existing exhaust systems for more efficient disposal of the fumes.
2. Description of the Related Art
A considerable amount of heat, air-borne grease, fumes and odor are dispersed into the air as a common result of most household or commercial range or stove-top cooking. A number of methods and apparatuses have been devised to help eliminate these troublesome by-products, including the ubiquitous hooded vent system, including in some cases a vortex liner, adapted to be mounted above a cooking appliance in a cooking area. A fan or plurality of fans, mounted within the hood chamber, force air into the vortex liner, adapted to break down heavy grease particles before the fume and odor permeated air passes through a grease filter which is communicably conjoined between the vortex liner and the exhaust duct. The movement of this air creates a negative static charge in the area immediately behind the blowers and above the cooking area, thereby drawing the fumes upward into the exhaust plenum where it is eventually forced to the exterior of the cooking environment.
There are, however, a number of shortcomings associated with conventional hood exhaust systems. For example, in spite of the negative static charge associated with the air flow into the exhaust plenum, much of the air-borne grease, fumes and odors escape into the ambient cooking environment and beyond into other areas of the enclosed structure where such by-products are not desired. In order to prevent the excessive fumes from escaping, some existing hoods are equipped with side-wall extensions that are affixed to the lateral edges of the underside of the hood, where they hang downward in a relationship that is perpendicular to the cooking plane with the intent to act as a barrier between the area directly above a cooking appliance and the ambient cooking environment. One of the problems associated with the above solution is that the extensions are only a few inches in length, and therefore only marginally decrease the amount of fumes that escape into the ambient cooking environment and beyond. Also, the longer the hood extensions, the further down they hang, and therefore obstruct the view and accessibility of counter space to one standing directly in front of the cooking appliance. Furthermore, no means for preventing fumes from escaping below the reach of the hood extensions or into the area directly in front of the cooking appliance has been addressed by this solution.
Another existing solution which attempts to address the same problem is the free-standing splatter shield, designed to rest on the adjacent countertops and act as a barrier where the hood extensions do not reach. As is the case with the hood extensions, these barriers act as an obstruction to the adjacent counter tops and accumulate a considerable amount of grease build-up that requires frequent cleaning and/or disposal.
One objective of the present invention is to provide a system wherein fumes and grease particles are more efficiently prevented from escaping into the ambient cooking environment and beyond into other areas of the enclosed structure without the use of hood extensions or free-standing splatter shields. Another objective of this invention is to provide a system for containing fumes and grease particles in such a way so as not to obstruct the view or accessibility of the adjacent counter space. A third objective of the present invention is to provide a system for containing fumes and grease particles around the entire perimeter or the cooking appliance, including both lateral edges and the frontal areas of the appliance.