Various cooking appliances used in the home, e.g., ranges, cooktops, ovens, etc., can affect the environment within a home during their operation. Cooking appliances often generate heat, steam, moisture and/or odors as byproducts of the cooking process. Many homes and commercial kitchens may for example, be equipped with hoods or vents that are positioned over or adjacent to a cooking appliance to draw in air in the immediate vicinity of the cooking appliance in an attempt to address these cooking byproducts. Some hoods or vents are vented to the exterior of the home, while others merely recirculate the air in the immediate vicinity of the cooking appliance. However, these hoods or vents have limited effect due to their location; for example many of these hoods or vents are positioned approximately 30 inches above the cooktop, so their ability to capture cooking byproducts emanating from a particular location on a cooking appliance (e.g., from a specific pot or pan placed on the cooking appliance) is limited. Moreover, conventional hoods and/or vents are generally operated manually by a user via separate controls from the cooking appliance.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds