Adjustable fan for a microwave appliance

Abstract

A microwave appliance includes a casing with a fan assembly positioned within the casing. The fan assembly includes a discharge housing that includes a plurality of discharge ports, and a fan housing mounted within the discharge housing. The fan housing is selectively rotatable within the discharge housing, and includes an outlet configured to align with a selected one of the plurality of discharge ports. The fan assembly includes a fan wheel rotatably mounted within the fan housing. The fan wheel is configured to circulate air through the outlet of the fan housing and the selected one of the plurality of discharge ports. An auxiliary motor is positioned adjacent to the discharge housing. The auxiliary motor is configured to rotate the fan housing.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A microwave appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction and a transverse direction, the vertical, lateral, and transverse directions being mutually perpendicular, the microwave appliance comprising:
 a casing that defines a cooking chamber and a circulation conduit, the cooking chamber configured for receipt of food items for cooking and the circulation conduit having an inlet and an outlet;   a door mounted to the casing and configured for permitting selective access to the chamber of the casing;   a controller disposed within the microwave appliance, the controller in communication with an external device; and   a fan assembly positioned within the circulation conduit of the casing, the fan assembly in signal communication with the controller, the fan assembly comprising:
 a discharge housing comprising a plurality of discharge ports; 
 a fan housing comprising an outlet and a toothed gear, the fan housing mounted within the discharge housing, the fan housing selectively rotatable within the discharge housing to align the outlet with a selected one of the plurality of discharge ports; 
 a fan wheel rotatably mounted within the fan housing, the fan wheel configured to circulate air through the outlet of the fan housing and the selected one of the plurality of discharge ports; and 
 an auxiliary motor positioned adjacent the discharge housing, the auxiliary motor mechanically coupled to the toothed gear, thereby rotating the toothed gear and the fan housing, 
   wherein the controller of the microwave appliance is in operable communication with the auxiliary motor.   
     
     
         2 . The microwave appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the toothed gear is mounted on a side of the fan housing. 
     
     
         3 . The microwave appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the toothed gear is semi-circular. 
     
     
         4 . The microwave appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising a rack and pinion assembly, wherein the toothed gear comprises a rack of the rack and pinion assembly and the auxiliary motor comprises a pinion of the rack and pinion assembly, the pinion of the auxiliary motor mechanically coupled to the rack. 
     
     
         5 . The microwave appliance of  claim 4 , wherein the toothed gear comprises a curved rack. 
     
     
         6 . The microwave appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the toothed gear defines a pair of mounting holes, the toothed gear coupled to the fan housing via fasteners through the pair of mounting holes. 
     
     
         7 . The microwave appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the external device is one or more of a database, a smartphone, and a temperature sensor. 
     
     
         8 . The microwave appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of discharge ports comprises three discharge ports facing in three different directions. 
     
     
         9 . The microwave appliance of  claim 8 , wherein the discharge housing is defined between a top side, a bottom side, a first side wall, a second side wall, a front side, and a back side. 
     
     
         10 . The microwave appliance of  claim 9 , wherein one of the three discharge ports is positioned on the top side, one of the three discharge ports is positioned on the front side, and one of the three discharge ports is positioned on the back side. 
     
     
         11 . A fan assembly configured to be positioned within a casing of an appliance, the fan assembly comprising:
 a discharge housing comprising a plurality of discharge ports;   a fan housing comprising an outlet, the fan housing mounted within the discharge housing, the fan housing selectively rotatable within the discharge housing to align the outlet with a selected one of the plurality of discharge ports;   a fan wheel rotatably mounted within the fan housing, the fan wheel configured to circulate air through the outlet of the fan housing and the selected one of the plurality of discharge ports; and   an auxiliary motor positioned adjacent to the discharge housing, the auxiliary motor configured to rotate the fan housing.   
     
     
         12 . The fan assembly of  claim 11 , further comprising a toothed gear mounted on a side of the fan housing. 
     
     
         13 . The fan assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the toothed gear is semi-circular. 
     
     
         14 . The fan assembly of  claim 12 , further comprising a rack and pinion assembly, wherein the toothed gear comprises a rack of the rack and pinion assembly and the auxiliary motor comprises a pinion of the rack and pinion assembly, the pinion of the auxiliary motor mechanically coupled to the rack. 
     
     
         15 . The fan assembly of  claim 14 , wherein the toothed gear comprises a curved rack. 
     
     
         16 . The fan assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the toothed gear defines a pair of mounting holes, the toothed gear coupled to the fan housing via fasteners through the pair of mounting holes. 
     
     
         17 . The fan assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of discharge ports comprises three discharge ports facing in three different directions. 
     
     
         18 . The fan assembly of  claim 17 , wherein the discharge housing is defined between a top side, a bottom side, a first side wall, a second side wall, a front side, and a back side. 
     
     
         19 . The fan assembly of  claim 18 , wherein one of the three discharge ports is positioned on the top side, one of the three discharge ports is positioned on the front side, and one of the three discharge ports is positioned on the back side. 
     
     
         20 . The fan assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary motor is configured to rotate the fan housing with precise angular control.