Salton, Inc.

Mcgraw-Edison Company

Toastmaster, Inc.

Peter E Huggler

Charles B Martin

Leon Gurevich

Rex L Notbohm

Lawrence Lile

Willard J Spotts

Donald L Townsend

Harold Wayne Rice

Folding griddle

A device that heats food quickly by using more than one power level during a heating cycle, and a method of toasting including the step of heating a food item at more than one power level during a toasting cycle.

Methods and systems for quickly heating items

A unitary shell for a heating appliance is formed having first and second side panels and first and second end panels. The first end panel has first and second sub panels, each sub panel having a vertical edge and the vertical edges of the first and second sub panels being spaced apart to form an opening between the vertical edges. The first end panel allows the insertion of components through the opening during assembly of the heating appliance. An assembly for a heating appliance may also be formed including the unitary shell and a first heating element attached on the inside of the first side panel. A second heating element is attached on the inside of the second side panel. Each heating element includes at least one terminal adapted to receive a power signal and operates responsive to power being applied to the terminal to generate heat. Furthermore, a method of manufacturing an assembly for a toaster includes providing a shell having first and second side panels and first and second end panels. The first end panel has an opening. A first outer heating element is inserted through the opening and attached to the first side panel. A second outer heating element is inserted through the opening and attached to the second side panel. A center heating element is inserted through the opening and attached to the second end panel.

Shell structure for a heating appliance, and method of manufacturing heating appliance including same

A switching mechanism is utilized in a heating appliance, such as a toaster, that includes a bread support that supports a food item to insert and remove the food item from a cooking cavity of the appliance. The appliance includes an electronic circuit that controls operation during a heating cycle. The switching mechanism includes a switch having a first terminal adapted to receive a power signal and a second terminal coupled to the electronic circuit. The switch operates responsive to an applied switching force to couple the first terminal to the second terminal and thereby apply power to the electronic circuit. A switch actuator has a first end, a second end, and a retaining member near the second end. The second end is attached to the appliance to rotate about an axis. The switch actuator operates responsive to a force being applied to the bread support to rotate about the axis to a first position and apply the switching force to the switch so power is applied to the electronic circuit. A retaining force is applied to the first end of the actuator to secure the actuator in the first position responsive to power being applied to the electronic circuit and the retaining member engages the bread support to hold the bread support with the food item positioned in the cooking cavity when the actuator is in the first position. The switch actuator operates responsive to the retaining force being removed to rotate about the axis to remove the switching force and thereby remove power from the electronic circuit to terminate the heating cycle. Various other aspects of the present invention are directed, for example, to contacts formed on a printed circuit board and switch blades formed separate from the printed circuit board, heat-staking of the switch blades, and crimp details on the switch blades that eliminates the need for wire terminals.

Appliance switching mechanism and method

A springless adjustable bread guard for a heating appliance requires no springs for returning the guard to a desired position. The heating appliance includes a fixed structure relative to the bread guard, and the bread guard includes a resilient bread guard arm having a longitudinal axis and at least one cross member. Each cross member is attached to the bread guard arm spaced apart from a first end of the cross member and at a point along the longitudinal axis of the bread guard arm. The bread guard arm is attached to the fixed structure to rotate about the longitudinal axis. The bread guard operates responsive to a force applied to the arm to rotate a first direction about the longitudinal axis so that one of the cross members contacts a portion of the fixed structure and thereby applies a force to the cross member that causes the arm to bow placing the bread guard in an inward position. The bread guard operates when the applied force is removed to rotate a second direction about the longitudinal axis to an outward position responsive solely to a return force generated by the bowed bread guard arm.

Springless adjustable bread guard, and heating appliance including same

A temperature sensitive timing assembly for a toaster appliance includes a single bimetallic element having a first portion connected to a support bracket, which in turn is mounted on a mounting bracket for pivotal movement relative to the mounting bracket. A spring is positioned between the mounting bracket and the support bracket to bias the support bracket toward the mounting bracket. A stop is mounted to the mounting bracket which locks the support bracket in a fixed position when actuated by the toaster carriage assembly at the beginning of a toasting cycle. The bimetallic element has a second portion which operatively activates the toaster lock release assembly at the end of a toasting cycle. The bimetallic element also has a third portion which operatively allows the support bracket to reposition at the end of a toasting cycle so as to provide virtually immediate initiation of the next toasting cycle providing substantially the same toast color as the previous toasting cycle.

Temperature sensitive timing assembly for toaster appliance

A toaster having a movable bakery product shield for enhanced toasting quality. A wide slot cavity to receive bakery goods for toasting is defined on one side thereof by an upstanding, stationary product retainer spaced apart from a heating element and, on the other side thereof, by a movable product retainer having a deflector shield connected along its upper edge. Interiorally of the toaster, a carriage mechanism is mounted on an end wall for vertical reciprocal movement between an up position and a down position. Connected to the carriage mechanism and extending longitudinally through the slot cavity is a bread support shelf which is inclined toward the stationary product retainer to cause the lower edge of a bread slice placed in the toaster slot to engage the stationary product retainer. Depressing the carriage mechanism to the down position simultaneously causes the movable product retainer to bias the upper edge of the bread slice to the stationary product retainer and operates a switch to energize the heating element to effect toasting. For bakery goods having a thickness less than the full width of the toaster slot, the deflector shield along the upper edge of the movable product retainer reduces the opening of the toaster slot to enhance toasting quality.

Toaster with bakery product shield

A toaster having an automatic shut-off. The toaster includes a cavity to receive bread and which includes a heating element which may be selectively energized by a switch to cause toasting of the bread. The toaster also includes a carriage mechanism to move the bread between up and down positions. The carriage mechanism includes a bread support extending into the cavity. The bread support is connected to a support frame which rides upon a vertical slide rod. Also mounted upon the slide rod is a lock frame mounted to allow limited movement with respect to the support frame. A spring is connected to the lock frame to bias it into an up position, and the lock frame includes a lock mechanism to releasable maintain it in a down position. The switch for activating the heating elements is activated when the lock frame is in this down position. A release mechanism is provided to release the lock mechanism. In use, the release mechanism will release the lock mechanism, causing the lock frame to travel upward, deactivating the switch for the heating elements. This upward travel of the lock frame is prior to any movement of the support frame, such that the heating elements are deactivated even if the support frame is held in its down position due to jamming or weight of the bread.

Toaster with safety shut-off

A method and apparatus for controlling the heating of toast in a toaster oven broiler. The adjustment shaft for the thermostat which controls the baking and broiling modes receives a circular dial having toast color indications thereon corresponding to light, medium and dark toast colors. The dial is rotatable on the thermostat shaft under the control of a bimetal strip which responds to temperature changes in the oven cavity. As the oven temperature increases during each successive toasting cycle, the dial rotates and at the end of the cycle indicates the thermostat setting that will achieve the desired toast color for the next toasting cycle.

Apparatus for controlling toast color in a toaster oven

Portable electric heater

A toaster chassis assembly for supporting heating element cards in an upstanding position in parallel relation, to define a bread-receiving slot therebetween, includes a horizontal base and end walls extending vertically upwardly from opposite ends of the base. The base defines a plurality of spaced slots for receiving tabs formed along the lower edges of the heating element cards for mounting the cards between the end walls and a plurality of tabular hooks extending from the base. Wire bread guards each comprising a plurality of vertical elements and an upper and lower horizontal element to form a grid, are mounted adjacent to the heating element cards to prevent engagement of bread slices being toasted with the heating element cards. The lower horizontal elements of the wire bread guards are received in the tabular hooks and the upper horizontal elements are received in slots formed along the upper edges of the end walls for supporting the bread guards. The upper horizontal elements of the wire bread guards are offset for engagement with tabs formed along the upper edges of the heating element cards, on opposite sides thereof, to provide support thereto along the upper ends thereof.

Toaster chassis assembly

A temperature sensitive timing control device for a toaster appliance includes a main bimetal element and a compensating bimetal element, both mounted on a support member mounted for pivotal movement in first and second directions, but biased toward the first direction. The main bimetal element includes a trigger arm normally engaging a latch release member to maintain the member in a set position. The latch release member when released by the trigger arm, in turn releases the bread carrier latch mechanism. The free end of the compensating bimetal element rests on a limiting screw which determines the extent of movement of the support member in the first direction. A locking member, operated by the toaster bread carrier when the latter is moved into a toasting position, engages the support member to secure it against movement in the first direction. When the bread carrier is moved to the toasting position, the bimetal elements are heated. The main bimetal element moves the trigger arm in a direction opposite the first direction of movement of the support member, out of engagement with the latch release member, permitting the latter to release the bread carrier latch mechanism for movement of the bread carrier to the nontoasting position and to cause the locking member to be disengaged from the support member. The compensating bimetal when heated, moves away from the limiting screw to permit the released support member to move in the first direction, repositioning the trigger arm of the main bimetal into engagement with the latch release member which is reset by the bread carrier as it returns to the nontoasting position, thereby permitting virtually immediate initiation of the next toasting cycle.

Temperature sensitive timing device for toaster appliance

A portable electric space heater has a case that surrounds separate electric heating elements, and the case has separated upper and lower airflow openings. A control switch allows manual selection of two different operating cycles, respectively suited for heater use in a large room requiring heater outputs approximately 65 to 100% of maximum to maintain a comfort level, and in a small room requiring heater outputs of only 20 to 100% of maximum. Thermostatic controls respond to the sensed ambient air temperatures to shift the heater operation automatically, in either operating cycle, for maximum heat output, for a lower modulated heat output, and for no heat output. Simultaneously with this modulated heat output, air moving means located in the case is operated at different speeds, at maximum speeds for the high heat outputs and lesser speeds or is even stopped for the lower or no heat outputs. The operating air moving means causes the air heated to discharge from the heater case out the lower openings; whereas the air moving means does not operate in a preferred lowest heat output condition to have convective heated air discharge out the upper case openings. Specific control circuits utilize the heating elements as voltage dividers to alter the output speeds of a single speed motor powering the air moving means as indicated, and also to modulate the heat outputs.

Growing community of inventors

Columbia, MO, United States of America

Peter E Huggler