Patent Application
20140246418
The present disclosure relates generally to appliances, and more particularly to toaster ovens.
Toaster ovens are well known. Toaster ovens are multi-purpose appliances that may be used to toast bread products or cook food items, to name just two uses. Conventional toaster ovens typically comprise a housing with a generally cuboid shape. A cooking cavity is defined within the housing. A generally rectangular opening is defined in the front wall of the housing to enable access to the cooking cavity. A generally rectangular door is hingedly affixed to the housing to selectively enable access (when the door is in an open position) or block access (when the door is in a closed position) to the cooking cavity. The door is typically either hinged at the top edge such that the door opens up, or hinged at the bottom edge such that the door opens down. The door typically comprises either a metallic frame surrounding a clear glass window or comprises a clear glass door to which metallic hinge(s) and a handle are affixed. A metallic cooking grid is selectively mountable within the cooking cavity, often at more than one level. Heating elements are typically mounted at the top of the cooking cavity (i.e., above the food) and the bottom of the cooking cavity (i.e., below the food).
Toaster ovens often have cooking cavities wide and deep enough to hold four or even six slices of bread lying flat (in a 2×2 or 2×3 arrangement), and as such are commonly termed “four slice” or “six slice” toaster ovens. However, it is known to cook many different types of foods in a toaster oven.
The relatively deep size of the cooking cavity, coupled with the relatively low and narrow access to the cooking cavity afforded by the door opening, can make it difficult to access food that is positioned toward the rear of the cooking cavity. Such food may need to be accessed, for example, to remove the item(s) in the rear that has finished cooking before the item(s) in the front, or to perform an additional cooking step (e.g., topping with cheese or adding seasonings) to the item(s) in the rear. During toasting or cooking, the housing, door (except the handle), and cooking grid all become extremely hot and dangerous to touch. Thus, a user who reaches into the cooking cavity risks burning his/her hand if a hot surface is inadvertently touched. It is possible to slide the cooking grid partially out of the cooking cavity to facilitate access to the food item(s) toward the rear of the cavity, however a utensil, pot holder, or the like must be used to slide the cooking grid due to the high temperature of the cooking grid.
It has heretofore not been discovered how to create a toaster oven that is capable of toasting a bread product and cooking other food products, while providing improved access to the cooking cavity to safely increase access to the rear portion of the cooking cavity.
The toaster oven of the following disclosure accomplishes the above and other objectives and overcomes at least the above-described disadvantages of conventional toaster ovens.
A kitchen appliance for toasting bread products and the like and for cooking food products is disclosed herein. In one embodiment of the subject appliance, the toaster oven comprises a housing, an opening defined in the housing, a door, a cooking grid, and upper and lower heating elements within the housing. The housing comprises an upper panel, a bottom panel, and opposing side panels together defining a food cavity. The opening defined in the housing enables access to the food cavity. The door is movably affixed to the housing and selectively movable between a closed position closing off the opening thereby blocking access to the food cavity and an open position enabling access to the food cavity. The door has a front panel and opposing side panels. The cooking grid is selectively mountable within the housing. The upper heating element is positioned above the cooking grid and the lower heating element is positioned below the cooking grid. A portion of a front edge of at least one side panel of the housing is recessed back from the front panel of the door when the door is in the closed position. The recessed portion of the front edge of at least one side panel of the housing is enclosed by the corresponding side panel of the door when the door is in the closed position.
The upper panel of the housing may comprise a rounded panel, and the front panel of the door may have a correspondingly rounded shape. Each side panel of the door may be pivotably affixed to a corresponding side panel of the housing, such that the door pivots about the rounded panel of the housing when the door moves between the open and closed positions.
The upper panel of the housing may comprise a planar top panel and a planar back panel joined thereto at an angle. The front panel of the door may comprise a planar front panel and a planar top panel joined to the front panel of the door at an angle. A portion of the top panel of the housing may be recessed back from the front panel of the door when the door is in the closed position. The recessed portion of the top panel of the housing may be enclosed by the corresponding top panel of the door when the door is in the closed position.
The door may be removably affixed to the housing. Each side panel of the door may be selectively pivotably affixed to a corresponding side panel of the housing. Each housing side panel and corresponding door side panel may comprise corresponding ones of a male pivot member and a female pivot member. The male pivot member may comprise a mounting base for mounting the male pivot member to the housing side panel or the door side panel, a planar insertion member that is parallel to the housing side panel or door side panel when the male pivot member is mounted thereto, and a spacer therebetween such that the insertion member is spaced apart from the mounting base. The insertion member may have a first pair of opposing sides that are a first distance apart and a second pair of opposing sides that are a second distance apart, the first distance being greater than the second distance. The female pivot member may comprise a mounting base for mounting the female pivot member to the door side panel or the housing side panel, a cylindrical perimeter wall affixed to the mounting base, and an end wall closing off at least a portion of an end of the perimeter wall opposite the mounting base, thereby defining an internal chamber. The internal chamber may be sized to enable the corresponding insertion member to rotate freely when inserted therein. An opening may be defined in the perimeter wall of the female pivot member to enable insertion and removal of the insertion member into and from the internal chamber of the female pivot member, the size of the opening being less than the first distance and greater than the second distance.
Each housing side panel may comprise a female pivot member and each corresponding door side panel may comprise a male pivot member.
Each female pivot member may be affixed to an outer surface of the respective housing side panel, and each male pivot member may be affixed to an inner surface of the respective door side panel.
The respective orientations of the male and female pivot members may be configured such that the door may be removed or replaced only when the door is in the open position.
In addition to the toaster oven, as described above, other embodiments include at least a toaster oven comprising a housing, an opening defined in the housing, a door, a cooking grid, and upper and lower heating elements within the housing. The housing comprises an upper panel, a bottom panel, and opposing side panels together defining a food cavity. The opening defined in the housing enables access to the food cavity. The door is movably affixed and removably affixed to the housing and selectively movable between a closed position closing off the opening thereby blocking access to the food cavity and an open position enabling access to the food cavity. The door has a front panel and opposing side panels, each side panel of the door being selectively pivotably affixed to a corresponding side panel of the housing. The cooking grid is selectively mountable within the housing. The upper heating element is positioned above the cooking grid and the lower heating element is positioned below the cooking grid. Each housing side panel and corresponding door side panel comprise corresponding ones of a male pivot member and a female pivot member. The male pivot member comprises a mounting base for mounting the male pivot member to the housing side panel or the door side panel, a planar insertion member that is parallel to the housing side panel or door side panel when the male pivot member is mounted thereto, and a spacer therebetween such that the insertion member is spaced apart from the mounting base. The insertion member has a first pair of opposing sides that are a first distance apart and a second pair of opposing sides that are a second distance apart, the first distance being greater than the second distance. The female pivot member comprises a mounting base for mounting the female pivot member to the door side panel or the housing side panel, a cylindrical perimeter wall affixed to the mounting base, and an end wall closing off at least a portion of an end of the perimeter wall opposite the mounting base, thereby defining an internal chamber. The internal chamber is sized to enable the corresponding insertion member to rotate freely when inserted therein. An opening is defined in the perimeter wall of the female pivot member to enable insertion and removal of the insertion member into and from the internal chamber of the female pivot member, a size of the opening being less than the first distance and greater than the second distance.
Each housing side panel may comprise a female pivot member and each corresponding door side panel may comprise a male pivot member.
Each female pivot member may be affixed to an outer surface of the respective housing side panel, and each male pivot member may be affixed to an inner surface of the respective door side panel.
Respective orientations of the male and female pivot members may be configured such that the door may be removed and replaced only when the door is in the open position.
The upper panel of the housing may comprise a rounded panel, and the front panel of the door may have a correspondingly rounded shape. Each side panel of the door may be pivotably affixed to a corresponding side panel of the housing, such that the door pivots about the rounded panel of the housing when the door moves between the open and closed positions.
A portion of a front edge of at least one side panel of the housing may be recessed back from the front panel of the door when the door is in the closed position. The recessed portion of the front edge of at least one side panel of the housing may be enclosed by the corresponding side panel of the door when the door is in the closed position.
The upper panel of the housing may comprise a planar top panel and a planar back panel joined thereto at an angle. The front panel of the door may comprise a planar front panel and a planar top panel joined to the front panel of the door at an angle. A portion of at top panel of the housing may be recessed back from the front panel of the door when the door is in the closed position. The recessed portion of the top panel of the housing may be enclosed by the corresponding top panel of the door when the door is in the closed position.
Having thus described the disclosure in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale. The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the disclosure, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. It should be understood, however, that the disclosure is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown, wherein:
Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The words “lower,” “bottom,” “back,” “front,” “upper,” and “top” designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “left,” “up,” and “down” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the device, and designated parts thereof, in accordance with the present disclosure. Unless specifically set forth herein, the terms “a,” “an” and “the” are not limited to one element, but instead should be read as meaning “at least one.” The terminology includes the words noted above, derivatives thereof and words of similar import.
Embodiments of the appliance disclosed herein provide a toaster oven capable of toasting a bread product and cooking other food products, while providing improved access to the cooking cavity to safely increase access to the rear portion of the cooking cavity.
Referring now to
Each side panel 22 of the door 18 is pivotably affixed to a corresponding side panel 16 of the toaster oven housing (described in more detail below). In the closed position, the door 18 closes off the opening thereby blocking access to the food cavity. In the open position, access to the food cavity is enabled. The door 18 comprises a front panel 20 and opposing side panels 22 (only one side panel is seen in
A cooking grid 32 is selectively mountable within the housing, typically at two or more different levels within the cooking cavity. A cooking pan 38 (shown only in
The upper panel 12 of the housing of toaster oven 10 of
Advantageously, a portion 36 of the front edge of at least one side panel of the housing is recessed back from the front panel of the door when the door is in the closed position. In
As mentioned above, the door 18 is easily removable from the rest of the toaster oven 10.
The female pivot member 40 comprises a mounting base 42 for mounting the female pivot member 40 to the door side panel 16, a cylindrical perimeter wall 44 affixed to the mounting base 42, and an end wall 46 closing off at least a portion of the end of the perimeter wall 44 opposite the mounting base 42. As such, the mounting base 42, cylindrical perimeter wall 44, and end wall 46 define an internal chamber 48. The internal chamber 48 is sized to enable the corresponding insertion member 66 to rotate freely when inserted therein. An opening 50 is defined in the perimeter wall 44 of the female pivot member 40 to enable insertion and removal of the insertion member 66 into and from the internal chamber 50 of the female pivot member 40. The width of the opening 50 is greater than the distance between the longer sides (dimension B in
In the embodiment of
Referring now to
A handle 128 is affixed to the door to enable a user to easily open and close the door. A cooking grid 132 is selectively mountable within the housing, typically at two or more different levels within the cooking cavity. A cooking pan 138 may also be placed in the cooking cavity. A user interface 130 may have a variety of user input and output elements, such as a temperature control, a timer, and a power light. The toaster oven 10 typically comprises two or more heating elements (not illustrated)—typically an upper heating element positioned at or near the top of the cooking cavity and a lower heating element positioned at or near the bottom of the cooking cavity.
Advantageously, a portion 136 of the front edge of at least one side panel of the housing is recessed back from the front panel of the door when the door is in the closed position. In
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description herein has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the appliance in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the disclosure and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the disclosure for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
