FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The following description relates generally to a hinge assembly for an appliance, and more specifically, to body-mounted component of a hinge assembly for an appliance.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

Conventional household cooking appliances typically have a “uni-body” construction in which the load-carrying, structural aspects are provided by the same elements that provide the architectural or aesthetic features of the appliance. An example of such a prior art construction is illustrated inFIG. 1in which the principal structural components of a cooking appliance, such as an oven, are illustrated. The oven10comprises a housing12assembled from a front panel14, a rear panel16, and a pair of side panels18,20. A pair of base rails22,24extend between the front and rear panels14,16and mount a plurality of foot assemblies26that support the housing12relative to the floor. A cooktop panel28for use with a plurality of conventional burners (not shown) is attached to the top of the housing12. An oven housing32defining a cooking chamber34is sandwiched between and supported by the front panel14and rear panel16.

The front panel14, rear panel16, and side panels18,20are typically large, planar elements, and must not only serve as an aesthetically pleasing enclosure, but must also provide structural support for the oven housing32, the cooktop panel28, the burners, a control panel, a drawer, and other such elements typically found in a conventional household cooking range. For example, an oven door is typically coupled to the front panel14by a hinge assembly (not shown). The hinge assembly includes a hinge mounted to the door and a receiver attached to the front panel14. Thus, the thin sheet metal that comprises the front panel14substantially carries the full load of the door.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of the embodiments described herein. This summary is not an extensive overview nor is it intended to identify key or critical elements. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

According to one embodiment, a hinge assembly for an appliance is provided. The hinge assembly includes: an elongated housing comprising a base wall, a first sidewall, and a second sidewall opposite the first sidewall, the elongated housing further comprising a first end portion and a second end portion opposite the first end portion; at least one tab extending outward from and substantially perpendicular to one of the first sidewall or the second sidewall at the first end portion of the elongated housing; and at least one tab extending from the first sidewall or the second sidewall at a second end portion of the elongated housing.

According to another embodiment, an oven is provided. The oven includes: at least one vertical support column; an elongated bead provided on a face of the at least one vertical support column, the elongated bead being a recess with opposing lateral edges; and a hinge assembly comprising a hinge and a receiver, wherein one of the hinge or the receiver is secured to body of the oven such that a portion of the hinge or a portion of the receiver is positioned within the recess of and between the lateral edges of the elongated bead.

According to another embodiment, an oven is provided. The oven includes: a housing having opposed first and second side panels; first and second vertical support columns, the first vertical support column positioned at a front portion of the first side panel and the second vertical support column positioned at a front portion of the second side panel; and first and second hinge assemblies, each hinge assembly comprising a body-mounted component and a door-mounted component, wherein the body-mounted component of the first hinge assembly is directly engaged with the first vertical support column and the body-mounted component of the second hinge assembly is directly engaged with the second vertical support column, and wherein the door-mounted component of the first hinge assembly is secured to a first side of a door the door-mounted component of the second hinge assembly is secured to a second side of the door.

Other features and aspects will be apparent from the following detailed description, the drawings, and the claims.

