Patent Application
20140352549
The invention relates to toasters and more particularly to improvements in user control over toasting functions and toaster safety.
The invention has been developed primarily for use as a bread toaster and will be described hereinafter with reference to this application. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to this particular field of use.
Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field.
Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field.
For the purpose of this specification, it will be understood that a wide variety of foods may be cooked in a toaster. Such foods include breads such as wholemeal breads, bagels, pastries, conventional sliced breads as well as frozen versions of all of the aforesaid examples.
It is sometimes the case that a toasting cycle results in a toasted food that is, to the taste of the user, undercooked. In such circumstances, a user will typically leave the food in the toaster, initiate another toasting cycle and then manually interrupt that cycle in order that the food not be burnt. However, if the user forgets or becomes distracted the already toasted food will go through a second full cycle and may burn.
Toasters are known to have a reheat cycle. The purpose of a reheat cycle is to bring food that has gone cold in the toaster to a temperature approximating the temperature that is normally achieved at the end of a normal toasting cycle. The purpose of a reheat cycle is to increase the temperature of the food but not to change the shade or amounts of brownness on the surface of the food. It is also known to provide a toaster with a timer that measures the amount of time since the completion of a full toasting cycle. A subsequent toasting cycle may be shortened in accordance with that measurement to account for heat in the cavity when the cycle starts.
Bread toasters are well known. The various aspects of the present invention seek to provide greater user control over the qualities of the finished toasted product. Safety enhancements are also proposed.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.
It is an object of the invention in its preferred form to provide a bread toaster having improved user control over toasting functions.
It is an object of the invention in another preferred form to provide a toaster apparatus with a secondary toasting cycle.
According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a toaster, having a body and one or more internal platforms for carrying bread.
Preferably, the platform is coupled to a handle that extends out of the body of the toaster and that can be manipulated by a user.
Preferably, the toaster can include two toasting slots. More preferably, the heating element are individually enabled or disabled.
Preferably, the toaster can include three toasting slots. More preferably, the heating element are individually enabled or disabled.
Preferably each toasting cavity is associated with a centering mechanism. More preferably, guide-wires are inclined.
According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a method of operating a toaster that allows for the input selection of an individual profile and two or more parameter values.
Preferably, the parameter values include time and/or power (or wattage).
According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a method of operating a toaster to indicate to a user when to clean a crumb tray in a toaster.
According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a method of selectively disabling a toasting cavity.
Preferably, the method includes the step of receiving feedback from each respective toast carriage, indicative of a food product being presented at that carriage. Alternatively, the method includes the step of receiving user selection for each respective toast carriage, indicative of a food product being presented at that carriage.
According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a method of activating an egg synchronizing timer delay when initiating (or before commencing) a toasting operation.
According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a user access interface for a processor device, the interface comprising: a control program adapted to perform a method as herein disclosed.
Preferably, the interface comprises one or more user inputs and a display. More preferably, the display is configured to provide visual feedback on various toasting functions. Most preferably, the display provides a list of bread types. The interface, preferably enables operational parameters of the toaster to be adjusted by a user.
Preferably, the interface enables selection and operation of a secondary toasting mode. Most preferably, timing for each of the selectable toasting modes is calculated from timing data maintained in a predetermined lookup table. Most Preferably, the timing for operating the heating elements of the toaster is calculated from timing data maintained in a predetermined lookup table and the user selected mode setting and darkness setting.
A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
As shown in
In the illustration of
A toasting cycle is initiated in accordance with
Once the latch 22 begins contact with the contact's arm 29, a portion or extension of a contact's arm 30 begins a motion toward the element circuit contact 25. In this orientation, the carriage circuit contact 28 is still open.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
However, if with reference to the orientation depicted in
At the end of the toasting cycle and as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The graphic display 43 also contains numeric segments 48 for displaying the time remaining in a toast cycle. It may also include a numeric segment 49 for indicating a user. Because a toaster of this kind allows for the selection of various bread types, 44, each having an independent toast darkness and moisture content, the ability to discriminate between users by allowing a user to identify themselves to the toaster allows for the storing of “favourites” or preset values for each independent user of the toaster.
As shown in
In another embodiment, various user values for toast are selected using a rotating knob 56, as shown in
A single graphic display 64 can be toggled between serving as an indicator for toast darkness and for crispness or moisture content. In this embodiment, a single user input 65 is used to input the values for both darkness and crispness. A toggle switch alters the function of the selector 65 and the display provided 64. In an alternative embodiment, vertical segments 66 in the display area 64 are subdivided by a horizontal interruption 67. Accordingly, an upper segment 68 can be used to indicate one value and a lower segment 69 used to indicate the other value.
As shown in
A graph depicting the relationship between toast darkness, toasting time, moisture content and heating element wattage is depicted in
It will be appreciated that a similar toast colouration can be achieved using different power settings, by suitably adjusting the toasting time. By adjusting the toasting time, the relative dryness (or moisture) of the resultant toast can be accordingly adjusted.
Further, a multi stage toasting cycle can also be implemented, by substantially independently establishing toast dryness and colour. For example, toast dryness can be established using a lower power setting for a longer time period, and the toast colour can be established by a higher power setting for a shorter time period. The independent phases can be cycled multiple times and in any desired order based on predetermined operating characteristics to form an optimised toasting cycle.
Bread and other foods that are commonly toasted vary in vertical height. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a toast slot with considerable depth. However, shorter objects might not protrude far enough or taller objects might protrude too far when the reciprocating toasting rack is in its upper most position. Similarly, it would be preferably to avoid the lower most area in a toasting slot unless the full height of the slot was required for a particular food. Accordingly, and as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The arrangement depicted in
As shown in
As illustrated in
As shown in
As suggested by
Alternatively, by way of example only, activation of the egg synchronizing timer can initiate a toasting cycle and indicate a egg start delay—being an interval equal to the difference between the stored cooking time for the selected egg style and the toasting duration associated with the parameter selections made by the user.
Throughout the specification, the term “food” will be used to designate all appropriate comestible products, unless otherwise specified. For example, such foods include breads such as wholemeal breads, bagels, pastries, conventional sliced breads as well as frozen versions of all of these aforesaid examples. Use will also be made of the term “toasting cycle”. A toasting cycle is a process that begins with the presence of food in the toasting cavity and ends with the extinguishing of the heating elements and ejection of the food in those toasters that act to eject the food (some toasters do not eject the food). The term “toasting cycle” may also refer to defrosting. The use of the term “toasting cycle” is made without reference to the initial temperature of the toaster or the toasting cavity. The phrase “supplemental cycle” refers to both the lengthening of a toasting cycle or a second new cycle that supplements a first or initial cycle.
Reference will be made throughout the specification to the word “shade”. For the purpose of the examples provided in the specification, the range of toasting times is divided into five “shades”. The lowest degree of toasting or browning is referred to as “shade 1”. The longest duration toasting and thus the most brown is designated as “shade 5”. The display of a toaster may only indicate, say, five basic intended shades, but additional shades for a given food may be available when a user positions a sliding adjustment lever, mechanism or adjustment knob to a position between any two of the five basic shades.
Referring to
A toaster's display element 450 may feature an array of indicators such as LED lights that may be used for a variety of purposes. The term “array” is intended to include linear or other abstract graphical arrays or alpha numeric arrays. The array may be used to provide a visual feedback of the initial toast cycle setting, more lights or different alphanumeric characters in the array being illuminated to indicate a higher setting. By way of example, the display element 450 may also be used as the display of a countdown timer, wherein the lights flash (or otherwise change) while a cycle is in progress and being extinguished or altered (e.g. alphanumerically), in an orderly way, to indicate the amount of time remaining in the cycle. In other example embodiments, the display element 450 may be used mid-cycle to indicate that an adjustment to the cycle time has been requested by the user. In a count down mode, the appearance of additional lights or different alphanumeric characters indicates (that owing to one of a variety of schemes) additional time has been requested by the user.
Referring to
Referring to
As best shown in
By way example only, the “supplemental cycle” button (or “A bit more”™ button) 435 can operate in either of two ways. Firstly, if the “supplemental cycle” button 435 is depressed during a toasting cycle, current toasting cycle time is increased or lengthened, as will be explained. Secondly, if the “supplemental cycle” button 435 is depressed after the termination of a toasting cycle, a new cycle or after-cycle will be initiated and carried out, as will be explained.
By way of example only, the one or more “special food” buttons 436, 437 can enable selective specification of special cycles such as a sweet bread (such as fruit loaf) cycle, a bagel cycle or crumpet cycle, a defrost cycle or the like. It would be appreciated that a single special food button could be coupled to the processor element and be used to cycle between a plurality of special food modes or settings. The special food mode selected could then be indicated, by way of example only, by either a display element (such as a peripheral LED) associated with the selector button or the display array.
By way of example only, a mid-cycle inspection button 438 can enable visual inspection of the toast without interrupting the operation of the heating elements. For example, in a motorised toaster apparatus, the motor can elevate the racks that carry the food, such that the food emerges from the slots for user inspection, the food then being lowered by the motor back into the toasting cavity without undue delay—wherein use of the mid-cycle inspection button 438 does not affect the duration of the toasting cycle. For example, in a manual toasters, a mid-cycle inspection cycle can be achieved by lifting the handle 480 mid-cycle, thereby to elevate the partially toasted food for user inspection, and then allowing the lever to return to its lowered position—wherein use of the mid-cycle inspection cycle in a manual toaster does not affect the duration of the toasting cycle.
It will be appreciated that the teachings of the present invention, apart from the specific methods of electromechanically implementing them are equally applicable to both manual and motorised toasters.
Various embodiments illustrating the use of a supplemental cycle will now be disclosed by way of example only.
By way of example only, a fixed supplemental cycle can be initiated. In the most basic embodiments, depression of the supplement button 435 results in the delivery of a toasted food that is approximately one half shade darker than the shade originally requested.
In a manual toaster, and in the most basic form of the invention, activation of the supplemental heat button or activator 435 can have two results. If the button or activator is activated during a toasting cycle, a fixed amount of time is added to the duration of the cycle in progress, regardless of what shade the user had initially requested. For example, activation of the button during the toasting cycle might add seconds to the duration of the cycle. Where the supplemental heat button is depressed after the completion of a toasting cycle, a supplemental toasting cycle will be initiated after the user depresses the activation lever of the toaster. This supplemental cycle is shorter than the initial or first requested cycle but calculated to darken the food already in the toaster. In this example, if twenty seconds is added during a mid-cycle supplement, then operation of the supplemental heat button after that initial toasting cycle might result in a forty second supplemental cycle being initiated the next time the activation lever is depressed. Less time is required mid-cycle because the toaster is already hot. If the supplemental heat button were depressed again before the activation lever were operated, the supplemental heat function would be cancelled and the user would be initiating a new normal cycle rather than a supplemental cycle on the next use.
In a manual toaster, and in the most basic form of the invention, use of the supplemental heat button or activator 435 causes an indicator to be illuminated by the processor. The indicator may be an annular light 510 surrounding the activator 435 or an illuminated indication (graphical or alphanumeric) provided by the display array 450. The indicator is not extinguished by the processor until the supplemental cycle is completed or the activator is again depressed by the user to cancel the supplemental cycle or the request for same.
In a motorised toaster, activation of the supplemental heat button or activator 435 during a toasting cycle can be similarly used to add a fixed amount of time to a given toasting cycle. Activation of the supplemental heat button or activator after the completion of a toasting cycle causes the food to descend once again into the toasting cavity 414 under the influence of the toaster's motor 442. This can happen as soon as the button 435 is depressed or may require the depression, in turn, of both the supplemental heat button 435 and the activation or “on” button 434. The supplemental heat cycle thus initiated will last a fixed amount of time regardless of the previous toast cycle setting. The display array LED indicator 450 may be used to display the progress of the initial as well as the supplemental toasting cycles.
In a motorised toaster, use of the supplemental cycle button or activator 435 causes an indicator to be illuminated by the processor. The indicator may be an annular light 510 surrounding the activator 435 or an illuminated indication (graphical or alphanumeric) provided by the display array 450. The indicator is not extinguished by the processor until the supplemental cycle is completed or the activator is again depressed by the user to cancel the supplemental cycle or the request for same.
Fixed Supplemental with Adjustment Cycle
By way of example only, a fixed supplemental with adjustment cycle can be initiated.
In either a manual or a motorised toaster, use of the supplemental heat button 435 can be augmented by giving the user additional control over the duration of the supplemental cycle. This can be done by having the toaster's microprocessor recognise an input from the toast cycle selection lever or knob or mechanism 422 as a modification to a heat supplement. For example, a mid-cycle extension of twenty seconds, initiated by the use of the heat supplement button, can be varied by, say, ten seconds either way by using the toast selection lever or knob after the supplemental heat button has been pressed. This may be accompanied by a visual display on the LED array display 450 that is representative of the adjustment requested by the user. The toast cycle selection lever can also be used as an adjustment to an after-cycle or a “new” supplemental cycle by adjusting the toast cycle selection lever of knob after an initial toasting cycle has been completed and after the supplemental heat button has been depressed.
Again, use of the supplemental cycle button or activator 435 causes an indicator to be illuminated by the processor. The indicator may be an annular light 510 surrounding the activator or an illuminated indication (graphical or alphanumeric) provided by the array display 450. The indicator is not extinguished by the processor until the supplemental cycle is completed or the activator is again depressed by the user to cancel the supplemental cycle or the request for same.
It will be appreciated that the increase in the duration of a cycle referred to above can be a fixed duration regardless of the initial toast cycle selection setting, or can be initially fixed, then modified by user input. It should also be appreciated that the extent of the fixed increase (either mid-cycle or after-cycle) can be different depending on the food in the toaster and whether or not it is frozen, for example, whereas a fixed mid-cycle extension of time may be twenty seconds, it might be fifteen seconds if the bagel button had been depressed or thirty seconds if a defrost button had been depressed. Thus, the use of the supplemental heat button can result in different fixed extensions of toasting time being applied, in different circumstances (mid-cycle or after-cycle) and result in different times being applied depending upon the toasting regime (normal, bagel or defrost).
By way of example only, an algorithmic supplemental cycle can be initiated. Examples have been provided above that show how a fixed period extension of time can be applied during or after a normal toasting cycle. In alternate embodiments, rather than apply a fixed interval, the mid-cycle extension, new or after-cycle supplemental cycle is determined by an algorithm related to the initial toast cycle selection setting and optionally other input factors as well. Input factors that the algorithm may consider include e.g. the type of food in the toaster, the shade setting, the actual or inferred temperature in the toasting cavity, whether frozen food is in the toaster etc. For example, a user may have set the toast cycle selection lever or knob 422 to ‘shade 3’ and determined, by using the mid-cycle inspection feature 438 that the bagel was, to their liking, under toasted. Subsequent depression of the supplemental heat button 422, in this example, causes the processor element 440 to run an algorithm that determines that the normal duration (for example, 156 seconds) should be extended (for example, by 20%). This results in the microprocessor adding an additional toast term (for example, 31 seconds) to the cycle time, thus resulting in a total cycle time (for example, 186 seconds). Similarly a new or after-cycle supplemental cycle can be adjusted in its duration by a time period determined by an algorithm that takes into account one or more input factors.
In accordance with the above teachings, an increase can also be modified by the user by adjustment of the toast cycle selection lever 422, in the way indicated above. The user modification to the supplemental heating period can be done by adding a fixed time, a fixed percentage or a situation dependent variable period to the supplemental time.
By way of example only, a supplemental cycle adjustment based on delay can be initiated.
With reference only to the use of the supplemental heating button 435 as a means of initiating a new and supplemental toasting cycle (in either a manual or motorised toaster) adjustment of the supplemental cycle duration (based on any of the above methods) can be made by taking into account the delays since the last time the heating elements of the toaster were switched off. The toaster's microprocessor can determine the time interval since the elements were last switched off. This interval in time can be interpreted as an indication of the toaster's internal temperature. When the interval is short, the toaster will be hotter than when the interval is long. Thus, the supplemental cycle can be adjusted to account for the extrapolated (or directly measured) internal temperature of the toaster. The cycle will be shortened when the aforementioned delay is shorter and may be lengthened when the delay is longer.
Various embodiments illustrating special cycles (or special cycle modes of operation) will now be disclosed by way of example only.
By way of example only, the one or more “special food” buttons 436, 437 can enable selective specification of special cycles such as a sweet bread (such as fruit loaf) cycle, a bagel cycle or crumpet cycle, a defrost cycle or the like —thereby each defining a respective secondary toasting cycle. It will be appreciated that, in some embodiments, one or more of the “special food” buttons 436, 437 can be simultaneously enabled—thereby creating further secondary toasting cycles.
In an embodiment, selectable special toasting cycles can include a sweet bread cycle for selectively specifying toasting of a sugar rich food such as a fruit loaf slice. In the a sweet bread cycle a secondary toast duration is configured to define a secondary toasting cycle. In the special secondary toasting cycle configured for cooking a sugar rich food, the toast duration is decreased or reduced from that indicated by the toast shade selection element using a primary toasting cycle (i.e. a primary toast duration when special toasting cycles are not selected). The secondary toast duration can be calculated from the primary toast duration or obtaining from a lookup of a toast duration table, as discussed below. In this embodiment, all heating elements are active when toasting. It will be appreciated that an alternative a secondary toasting cycle may require an increased or longer cooking time to be calculated or looked-up, and alternative heating elements configurations are enabled.
Referring to
In an embodiment, selectable special toasting cycles can further include a bagel cycle. In the bagel cycle, only the elements between adjacent slots are activated. A user will normally be instructed to use specific adjacent slots for toasting a bagel, with the cut faces of the bagel facing one another in the adjacent slots.
In an embodiment, selectable special toasting cycles can further include a defrost cycle. In the defrost cycle, the heating element may operate at a reduced power for an initial period or for the entire toasting cycle. The toast duration can be calculated by adding a fixed term or a adding a term proportional to a primary toast duration. Operation of the defrost cycle can be active separately or in combination with another “special food” buttons.
By way of example only,
It would be appreciated that a single special food button could be coupled to the processor element and be used to cycle between a plurality of special food modes or settings. The special food mode selected could then be indicated, by way of example only, by either a display element (such as a peripheral LED) associated with the selector button or the display array.
The housing 710 has an end panel 716 comprising a slot in it through which protrudes a toast shade selection element (or slider) 750 with which the user can adjust the duration of the toasting cycle. Information relating to the slider position is transmitted to or gathered by the processor element.
Under the control of the processor element 730, the motor 740 and its gearbox 742 cause a rotating motor arm 744 to influence the motion of a reciprocating toast carriage 746. The motor arm is coupled to the carriage in such a way that the toast carriage can be lowered at the inception of a toasting cycle and elevated at the end of a toasting cycle without the need for user intervention.
The apparatus is further adapted to provide a user with an automated visual inspection feature. With the toast carriage in a lowered position that corresponds with the toaster's heating elements 760 being energised or “on”. The carriage is lowered into this position by the action of the motor under the control of the processor element. It may remain in this lower position for the full duration of the toasting cycle. At the end of the cycle, the processor element causes the motor to elevate the carriage back to the raised position.
However, by way of example only, at any time during the toasting cycle, a user may initiate an inspection subroutine. The user pushes or otherwise activates an electronic control 720 to initiate the subroutine. Activating the control causes the processor element to elevate the carriage to the raised position for a relatively short period of time. While the carriage is in this raised position, the heating elements preferably remain on. In this upper position, the user can visually inspect the toast. Typically, the inspection subroutine lasts about seven seconds. That is to say that the carriage is elevated from its lower-most (or lowest) position and returns to this lower-most position in about seven seconds and without user intervention. In preferred embodiments, the duration of the inspection subroutine is added to the duration of the toasting cycle. In the previous example, this will result in a toasting cycle being extended by the seven seconds that were consumed by the inspection subroutine.
If during the inspection subroutine, a user observes that the toast is done to satisfaction, they can simultaneously terminate both the subroutine and the toasting cycle by depressing a cancel button or control 720. This will have the effect of turning off the heating elements and elevating the toast carriage to (or leaving it in) the fully raised position.
In some embodiments, the user controls 720 comprise a toasting cycle extension button. In preferred embodiments, extension of the toasting cycle may only be requested by a user after a regular toasting cycle ends. The depression of this button starts the toasting cycle extension and causes a series of events. Firstly it causes the processor element to move the carriage to the lowered position. The processor element then switches on the heating element for approximately forty seconds of toasting. It will be appreciated that the toasting duration can alternatively be determined as any time period provided by a table and/or calculated using one or more algorithms. Lastly the processor element elevates the carriage back to the raised position, thus ending the toasting cycle extension.
In particularly preferred embodiments, the toaster has user controls for both the inspection subroutine and the toasting cycle extension. In these embodiments, the inspection subroutine may be activated during the toasting cycle extension. The activation of the inspection subroutine interrupts the toasting cycle extension in the manner previously described. This interruption lengthens the overall duration of the toasting cycle extension by the amount of time the inspection subroutine requires. However, the toasting cycle extension cannot typically be activated during the inspection subroutine.
In this embodiment, the heating element 860 can comprise of two or more separate wire elements. The elements can be enabled (powered) individually or concurrently.
By way of example, the heating element 860 can comprise two separate wire elements 862, 864, which can be enabled (or powered) individually or concurrently—thereby providing different power configurations. In this example, the two separate wire elements 862, 864, are each constructed with different numbers of wire winds (or wire runs)—and thereby each provide a different power output. By enabling (or powering) these separate wire elements 862, 864 individually or concurrently—three different power configurations can be defined.
It will be appreciated the heating element 860 can be used in combination with any of the embodiments disclosed herein.
In further embodiments, by way of example only, a user interface can include operating a “supplemental cycle” button (or “A bit more”™ button). It will be appreciated that a user interface can comprising on of a plurality of input elements in combination with any one of a plurality of display elements.
A toaster's display element or area may feature an array of indicators such as LED lights that may be used for a variety of purposes. The term “array” is intended to include linear or other abstract graphical arrays or alpha numeric arrays. The array may be used to provide a visual feedback of the initial toast cycle setting, more lights or different alphanumeric characters in the array being illuminated to indicate a higher setting. The array may also be used as the display of a countdown timer, the lights flashing or otherwise changing while a cycle is in progress and being extinguished or altered (e.g. alphanumerically), in an orderly way, to indicate the amount of time remaining in the cycle. In other embodiments, the array can be used mid-cycle to indicate that an adjustment to the cycle time has been requested by the user. In a count down mode, the appearance of additional lights or different alphanumeric characters indicates (that owing to one of a variety of schemes) additional time has been requested by the user.
A supplemental cycle was described both herein and in United States Patent Publication No. US 2008/0203085, which is incorporated herein by reference.
It will be appreciated that a display element(s) can be configured to indicate changes in supplements cycle selection by visually flashing or changing colour. An auditory sound may also be used.
It will be appreciated that the number of selectable supplements cycles can be associated with selecting a supplemental operating period between zero and one standard setting period (for example darkness setting). For example, in the above examples, where the display elements show one of three possible supplemental cycle setting, the supplemental operating period can be a quarter, a half and three quarters of the standard setting period. In other embodiments alternative ranges/configurations are also possible.
Referring to
It will be appreciated that, by way of example only, selection of a supplemental cycle period (or increasing a supplemental cycle period) can be made by holding down an input button, repeated pressing of an input button, rotation of an input button, or sliding of an input button. The input button can be input to select a desired supplemental cycle period after or during a primary cycle.
The presence of the toast can be monitored using a sensor 1030 (for example, a weight sensor or switch sensor or capacitive sensor 1031, or an optical sensor or infra-red sensor 1032). Further the location of the toast carriage can be monitored through use of a sensor 1040 (for example, weight sensor, switch sensor, capacitive sensor, optical sensor or infra-red sensor).
It will be appreciated that, in an embodiment, automatic operation of the keep warm cycle allows for the automatic lowering of the toast during a nominal cycle. When toast is placed on the carriage the toast may be lowered after a predetermined time and or once the chamber has reached a sufficient cooking temperature.
It will be appreciated that the keep warm function can monitor the presence or persistence of the toast for a pre-determined time after completion of a toasting cycle before commencing the keep warm operation. Alternatively, the keep warm function can monitor the estimated temperature of the toast to estimate temperature of the toast having dropped below a pre-determined limit, before commencing a keep warm operation. Temperature of the toast can be directly measured or estimated indirectly through monitoring the residual temperature in the toasting chamber.
Upon moving the carriage into the lowered configuration, with the toast in the toasting chamber, the toasting elements can be activated to reheat (or keep warm) the toast.
The keep warm operation can operate over a predetermined time period, and/or having a predetermined power setting for the toasting elements being activated, before concluding a keep warm operation. Alternatively, the temperature of the toast being kept warm can be monitored (directly or indirectly) to estimate temperature of the toast having reached a pre-determined keep warm limit, before concluding a keep warm operation. The keep warm operation will be typically performed only once. In some embodiments, the keep warm operation can be repeatedly performed to a predetermined limit. In some embodiments, the keep warm operation can be repeatedly performed. The keep warm cycle may be cancelled at any time by preferably pressing a cancel button, or other recognised input by the user to cancel the cycle.
In some embodiments, by way of example, during the keep warm cycle the keep warm icon or switch may be illuminated to indicate to the user the status of the toaster apparatus. The icon or switch may flash and/or provide an assortment of acoustic alerts to indicate to the user the status of the toaster to indicate the start or completion of a cycle.
It will be appreciated that the automatic commencement of a keep-warm cycle can cause activation of the toasting elements having variable power settings or switchable power settings. Such operations of toasting elements are described herein.
An embodiment toaster apparatus can further include a pre-heating function. Prior to lowering bread into the toasting chamber, a pre-heat function can be selected or activated. The pre-heat function can be automatically activated.
A pre-heat operation can be achieved by activating the toasting elements for a predetermined time prior to commencement of a toasting cycle. Alternatively, a pre-heat operation can be achieved by activating the toasting elements until the chamber reaches a predetermined temperature. After a pre-heat operation, a toasting cycle can commence
The pre-heat operation can be automatically activated, upon monitoring the time period since a previous toasting cycle, and/or monitoring the current toasting chamber temperature.
The toasting elements can operate with a variable or switched power output. A pre-heat operation may avoid overdying of the toast during the first cycle when the additional time is typically required to get the chamber up to temperature and achieve the desired toast colouring. This can allow for more repetitive toasting results between the first and second cycle.
In an embodiment, during the pre-heat operation a display icon or discreet switch or array of illuminated indicators (for example on a on a user interface) may be used to visually communicate to the user that the chamber in a pre-heat status. An acoustic alert may also be used to indicate the status to the user.
It will be appreciated that by controlling the toasting chamber temperature, a substantially consistent or optimal or repeatable toast colouring (or brownness) and moisture can be achieved.
It will be appreciated that other forms of the screw lift or scissor lift configurations can be used in raising and lowering the toast carriage.
The high lift feature can enable a user (during a toast cycle or upon conclusion of a toast cycle) to extend the lift of the carriage for providing more complete observation of the toast—which is useful for short or small pieces of breads or toast.
By way of example, this feature could be activated by holding down a lift and look button for an extended period.
Sensors can be used (for example optical sensors) in determining the bread height (for example relative to a known location of the carriage).
It will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments teach alternative toaster configurations.
While the present invention has been disclosed with reference to particular details of construction, these should be understood as having been provided by way of example and not as limitations to the scope or spirit of the invention.
It would be appreciated that, some of the embodiments are described herein as a method or combination of elements of a method that can be implemented by a processor of a computer system or by other means of carrying out the function. Thus, a processor with the necessary instructions for carrying out such a method or element of a method forms a means for carrying out the method or element of a method. Furthermore, an element described herein of an apparatus embodiment is an example of a means for carrying out the function performed by the element for the purpose of carrying out the invention.
In alternative embodiments, the one or more processors operate as a standalone device or may be connected, e.g., networked to other processor(s), in a networked deployment, the one or more processors may operate in the capacity of a server or a client machine in server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer or distributed network environment.
Thus, one embodiment of each of the methods described herein is in the form of a computer-readable carrier medium carrying a set of instructions, e.g., a computer program that are for execution on one or more processors.
Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the following discussions, it is appreciated that throughout the specification discussions utilizing terms such as “processing”, “computing”, “calculating”, “determining” or the like, can refer to the action and/or processes of a computer or computing system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulate and/or transform data represented as physical, such as electronic, quantities into other data similarly represented as physical quantities.
In a similar manner, the term “processor” may refer to any device or portion of a device that processes electronic data, e.g., from registers and/or memory to transform that electronic data into other electronic data that, e.g., may be stored in registers and/or memory. A “computer” or a “computing machine” or a “computing platform” may include one or more processors.
The methodologies described herein are, in one embodiment, performable by one or more processors that accept computer-readable (also called machine-readable) code containing a set of instructions that when executed by one or more of the processors carry out at least one of the methods described herein. Any processor capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken is included.
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise”, “comprising”, and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to”.
Similarly, it is to be noticed that the term “coupled”, when used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being limitative to direct connections only. The terms “coupled” and “connected”, along with their derivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. Thus, the scope of the expression a device A coupled to a device B should not be limited to devices or systems wherein an output of device A is directly connected to an input of device B. It means that there exists a path between an output of A and an input of B which may be a path including other devices or means. “Coupled” may mean that two or more elements are either in direct physical or electrical contact, or that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other but yet still co-operate or interact with each other.
As used herein, unless otherwise specified the use of the ordinal adjectives “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., to describe a common object, merely indicate that different instances of like objects are being referred to, and are not intended to imply that the objects so described must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in any other manner.
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but may refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments.
Similarly it should be appreciated that in the above description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the Detailed Description are hereby expressly incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.
Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some but not other features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form different embodiments, as would be understood by those in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.
In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description. Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.
It will be appreciated that an embodiment of the invention can consist essentially of features disclosed herein. Alternatively, an embodiment of the invention can consist of features disclosed herein. The invention illustratively disclosed herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element which is not specifically disclosed herein.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011905256 | Dec 2011 | AU | national |
| 2012904053 | Sep 2012 | AU | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/AU2012/001532 | 12/17/2012 | WO | 00 | 6/16/2014 |
