US3051559A

US3051559A - Oven cleaning article

Info

Publication number: US3051559A
Application number: US801355A
Authority: US
Inventors: Alan D Brite
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-03-23
Filing date: 1959-03-23
Publication date: 1962-08-28
Anticipated expiration: 1979-08-28

Description

1952 A. D. VBRITE 3,051,559

OVEN CLEANING ARTICLE Filed March 23, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 28, 1962 A. D. BRlTE OVEN CLEANING ARTICLE 2 Sheets-Sheefil 2 Filed March 23, 1959 INVENTOR'R. ALA/V .0. BP/T 3,051,559 OVEN CLEANING ARTICLE Alan I). Brite, 335 S. liently, Los Angeles, Calif. Filed Mar. 23, 1959, Ser. No. 801,355 8 Claims. c1. 23-282) This invention relates to the art of cleaning and has particular reference to a process and article for cleaning grease and food stained surfaces such as those found in household cooking ovens.

One of the most difficult and poorly performed tasks which faces the modern housewife is that of cleaning the soiled interior surfaces of the oven. Many preparations have been devised and sold specifically for purpose, but all those that are effective to any degree in removing the food and grease stains contain caustic or other corrosive chemicals which are difficult and even dangerous to "apply. A primary object of the present inveution is to provide a novel process and article for cleaning the interior surfaces'of ovens or the like, which are not subject to the above and other disadvantages of the methods and materials heretofore proposed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel article for cleaning ovens -and the like, which is non-corrosive, non-toxic, and non-inflammable, yet which is highly effective in use.

Other objects and advantages of this invention it is believed will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Referring now to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of the article of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view illustrating the article in place in an oven and ready for use.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view of the article.

FIGURE 3a is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 3a-3a of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of a modified form of the invention. FIGURE 5 is a bottom plan view thereof. FIGURE 6 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the manner of use of the article of FIGURES 4 and 5.

Referring now to the drawings, a preferred form of the article of the present invention is generally indicated 10, including a generally cylindrical container 11 which may be of metal or formed of resindmpregnated cardboard having a metal bottom 12 and top 13, the top being provided with a central opening and a closure 14. Positioned within the container is a cone-shaped cup member 15 formed of resin-impregnated paper or other material suitably treated to render it resistant to cold water. The cup member 15 is open at the top and is provided with a pair of relatively small openings adjacent the bottom or apex thereof, the openings being.

covered with a plug or layer of a low-melting material such as paraflin waxor the like. The top of the cup member extends just short of the underside of the container top 13 and the apex of the cupmember is positioned .on the container bottom .12. Stiifeners or ribs 27 of cardboard or the like are positioned inside the cup member, the top edges 28 thereof extending just short of the upper edge of the cup member and the lower edges 29 of the ribs terminating above the openings 20.

A chemical mixture 30 is contained in the volume of the container between the. outer surf-ace of the cup member and the inner surfaces of the container side wall and bottom. The mixture 30 comprises calcium oxide in lump form and an ammonium salt such as the chloride, sulfate, nitrate,.carbonate, etc, in granular or powder form. Preferably the mixture 36 comprises about 400 FIGURE 2. The oven should be cold and therefore if, of the type having a pilot light, the oven door should be left open for almost an'hour prior to use of the articleof this invention.

After placing the article 10 in the oven, the oven door is closed. The hot water in the cup member melts the wax plug 25,"permitting the water to slowly seep into contact with the ammonium chloride and calcium oxide mixture. Since the bulk of the ammonium chloride is positioned in the lower portion of the container it is first contacted by the water, causing it to dissolve readily. The water progressively moves upwardly through the mixture, contacting the calcium oxide with the usual exothermic reaction, forming steam. Simultaneously,

ammonia gas is liberated from the ammonium chloride.

. The steam tends to soften the upper portion of the cup member and cause it to collapse inwardly as indicated by the phantom lines of FIGURE 3.

The mixture of ammonia gas and steam thus formed rises out of the container opening into the oven and contacts the cold walls thereof, condensing the steam and depositing the ammonia thereon in the form of ammonium hydroxide which exerts its cleaning and dissolving action on the grease and other foreign matter on the oven walls. The reaction is completed in 10-15 minutes and after this period of time the oven door may be opened and the container removed. The oven wall surfaces are then easily wiped clean with a wet cloth or sponge.

A modified form of the invention is illustrated in FIG URES 4, 5 and 6. As shown, the modified article comprises a container 61, preferably of metal, having a cylindrical side wall 62, a bottom wall 63 and a top closure 64. The top closure is provided with a plurality of small openings 65 covered by a removable cover 66 of pres- 1 sure-sensitive adhesive tape or the like. The bottom wall 63 is provided with a single central aperture 68, and a similar cover 68a. An indicator mark 69 is provided on the outer surface of the side wall 62.

Resting on the upper surface of the bottom wall 63 is a square sheet 70 of paper or like material, the diagonal dimension thereof being approximately equal to the inside diameter ofthe cylindrical wall 62. Overlying the sheet 70 and bottom wall 63 is 'a layer 72 of paraffin wax or other low melting material. The chemical mixture 30a, of the same composition as the mixture 30 described above, fills substantially all of the container above the paraflin layer 72.

In use of the article of FIGURES 4-6, it is placed in a pan 8% or other suitable container and the pan filled with cold water to the indicator mark 69. The article is then removed from the pan and the water heated to a boil. The pan and its contained hot water is then placed in the cold oven, the

covers

66 and 68a are removed from the container top and bottom walls and the article is placed in the pan of hot water. The hot water raises the temperature of the container 61 sufficiently to melt the wax, permitting the Water to seep into the container through the aperture 68, under the sheet 70 and thence into contact with, the mixture 36a with the resultant formation of ammonia gas and Patented Aug. 28, .1962

aoersea 3 steam in the same manner and with the same results as described above. It will be seen that the sheet 70 functions as a valve to permit only a relatively slow inflow of water, the outflow of steam and ammonia gas being controlled by the size and number of openings 65.

It is to be understood that the specific proportions of calcium oxide and ammonium salt recited above are not critical and that the proportions may be varied within rather wide limits, so long as suflicient calcium oxide is present to react with the ammonium salt and form the ammonia and steam.

From the above description it will be understood that a novel and highly effective article and process for cleaning ovens and the like has been provided by the present invention. The article is highly effective in use, yet eliminates the disadvantages inherent in the use of conventional cleaning compositions. It will further be understood that a subsidiary, yet important feature of the invention resides in providing the calcium oxide in lump form and the ammonium salt in finer particle size form so that the latter gravitates to the bottom of the container. This, combined with the structure whereby the water is admitted into the bottom of the container so that it first contacts the ammonium salt rather than the calcium oxide, permits most eflicient dissolving of the ammonium salt and utilization of the steam produced by the slaking of the calcium oxide.

Having fully described my invention, it is to be un- I derstood that I do not wish to be limited to the details set forth, but my invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture for cleaning ovens and the like, a small disposable container adapted to be bodily inserted into a household oven or like apparatus and to be thrown away after use, said container having an opening in its top portion, a removable closure member for said opening, a partition of fibrous material in said container forming a cup portion in said container having an opening at its top at least as large as the opening in the top of said container and in registry therewith whereby water can be poured into said cup portion when said closure is removed, said partition being at least partially spaced from the bottom of said container so as to provide a compartment separated from the interior of said cup portion, a supply of steam and ammoniagenerating material disposed in said compartment and positioned to be contacted by water poured into said cup portion, said partition having means for slowly passing water through its wall at the bottom of the cup portion into said compartment and said partition including a portion operable by pressure generated in said compartment to release gases and steam from said compartment and out of the opening in the top of said container.

2. The article defined in claim 1 wherein said partition is formed by a cup member having an open top terminating just below the container top, the top of said cup member and the walls of the container being in unsealed relation to permit discharge of gas and steam from-said compartment around the top of. said cup member and out of the container opening, and wherein said steam and ammonia-generating material comprises calcium oxide and an ammonium salt.

3. As an article of manufacture for cleaning ovens and the like, a small, disposable container adapted to be .bodily inserted into a household oven or like apparatus,

said container having walls and an opening in one wall thereof, a removable closure member for said opening, a supply of steam and ammonia-generating material disposed'in said container, means operably associated with said container for slowly admitting liquid to at least a portion of said steam and ammonia-generating material, whereby ammonia gas and steam are generated, and means, including said walls', operably associated with said container for discharging said gas and steam through said opening.

4. As an article of manufacture for cleaning ovens and the like, a small, disposable container adapted to be bodily inserted into a household oven or like apparatus, said container having walls and an opening in one wall thereof, a removable closure member for said opening, a fluid permeable member disposed in said container, said fluid permeable member being so disposed that a compartment separated from the remainder of the interior of the container is formed, said opening being in registry with the interior of the container, a supply of steam and ammonia-generating material disposed in said container, said fluid permeable member being adapted to permit the passage of liquid into said compartment whereby steam and ammonia may be generated, and means, including said walls, operably associated with said container for discharging said ammonia and steam through said opening.

5. The article of claim 3 wherein the steam and ammonia-generating material comprises calcium oxide an an ammonium salt.

6. The article of claim 5 wherein said ammonium salt is ammonium chloride and wherein said container is generally cylindrical and said means for slowly admitting liquid comprises a cup member which is generally conical in shape, the apex of said cone being located toward the bottom of said container and being provided with a small opening for slowly passing water therethrough, said small opening being closed by means of a low-melting material.

7. The article as defined in claim 5 wherein the calcium oxide is in lump form and the ammonium salt is in the form of relatively smaller particle sizes, whereby said ammonium salt particles gravitate toward the bottom of said container with the main portion of said calcium oxide lumps being above said ammonium salt, and wherein the liquid admitting means is so positioned as to cause the Water to first contact the ammonium salt.

8. The article as defined in claim 4 wherein the steam and ammonia-generating material comprises calcium oxide and an ammonium salt.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS RE. 8,812 Brown et al July 15, 1879 90,644 Dunderdale June 1, 1869 181,268 Kayser Aug. 22, 1876 382,322 Parsons May 8, 1888 709,846 Young Sept. 23, 1902 1,170,953 Banks Feb. 8, 1916 1,315,268 Wise Sept. 9, 1919 1,342,148 Armstrong June 1, 1920 1,962,150 Mohler June 12, 1934 2,008,489 Cousins July 16, 1935 2,166,277 Adams July 18, 1939 2,317,647 Petering Mar. 20, 1945 2,409,402 Thompson Oct. 15, 1946 2,463,862 Gibaldo Mar. 8, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 853,664 France Dec. 7, 1939 OTHER REFERENCES Ephraim: Inorganic Chemistry, Sixth English Edition, Oliver and Boyd, London, 1954. Page 637.

Claims

1. AS AN ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE FOR CLEANING OVENS AND THE LIKE, A SMALL DISPOSABLE CONTAINER ADAPTED TO BE BODILY ISERTED INTO A HOUSEHOLD OVER OVEN OR LIKE APPARATUS AND TO BE THROWN AWAY AFTER USE, SAID CONTAINER HAVING AN OPENING IN ITS TOP PORTION, A REMOVABLE CLOSURE MEMBER FOR SAID OPENING, A PARTITION OF FLBOUS MATERIAL IN SAID CONTAINER FORMING A CUP PORTION IN SAID CONTAINER HAVING AN OPENING AT ITS TOP AT LEAST AS LARGE AS THE OPENING IN THE TOP OF SAID CONTAINER AND IN REGISTRY THEREWITH WHEREBY WATER CAN BE POURED INTO SAID CUP PORTION WHEN SAID CLOSURE IS REMOVED, SAID PARTITION BEING AT LEAST PARTIALY SPACED FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID CONTAINER SO AS TO PROVIDE A COMPARTMENT SEPARATED FROM THE INTERIOR OF SAID CUPS PORTION,A SUPPLY OF STEAM AND AMMONIAGENERATING MATERIAL DISPOSED IN SAID COMPARTMENT AND POSITIONED TO BE CONTACTED BY WATER POURED INTO SAID CUP PORTION, SAID PARTION HAVING MEANS FOR SLOWLY PASSING WATER THROUGH ITS WALL AT THE BOTTON OF THE CUP PORTION INTO SAID COMPARMENT: AND SAID PARTITION INCLUDING A PORTION OPERABLE BY PRESSURE GENERATED IN SAID COMPARTMENT TO RELEASE GASES AND STEAM FROM SAID COMPARTMENT AND OUR OF THE OPENING IN THE TOP OF SAID CONTAINER.