1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the area of toasters.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various prior art patents attempt to solve the problem of keeping items warm after they have been toasted. However, none of these patents exhibit the features of the present invention, nor do they match its functionality and versatility.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,862,441 to Schmall; 2,465,577 to Cox; 6,205,911 to Ochoa; 6,595,118 to Gould; 4,404,898 to Chaudoir; 6,305,273 to Sherman; 5,694,831 to Haroun; and 6,265,695 to Liebermann discuss the problem of keeping toast or other baked items warm after the toasting is finished. However, their approaches to solving the problem are all different than that of the invention. Schmall's device uses the same heating element to toast and warm, with flaps that direct heat alternatively into the toaster or the warming oven. But the toasting and warming chambers are separate, and the toast or other item must be moved from one chamber to the other. This is a distinct disadvantage in terms of ease of use.
Cox's device automatically moves the toast from the toasting area to separate warming chambers, and has separate heating elements for toasting and warming—unlike the invention which uses the toasting element to both toast and keep warm, in the same chamber. The devices of Ochoa, Gould, Chaudoir, and Sherman all have separate warming drawers, chambers, or racks that the toast is transferred to after toasting—unlike the invention which keeps the toast in place within the toaster.
Haroun's device is a combination toaster and cooking/warming oven, but the toasting and warming chambers are separate and use different heating elements. Finally, Liebermann's device is primarily a food heater/warmer with an additional browning oven. Liebermann's device could be used to toast items and then keep them warm—but as with several of the other prior art devices, the toasting and warming chambers are separate, and the toast or other item must be moved from one chamber to the other.
One other patent that discusses the problem of keeping of keeping toast warm after toasting is of general relevance—U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,458 to Turner. This device is only a warmer, however, and does not also have a toasting function.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,439 to Finesman discloses a toaster with programmable toasting cycles—but doesn't discuss programming the heating element to first toast at a high temperature and then keep warm at a lower temperature. Instead, the programmability is related to personal taste (the desired lightness or darkness of toast) or variety of baking products (toasting bread vs. pastries). U.S. Pat. No. 6,380,521 to Fanzutti discloses a coffeemaker with improved heating element control, but Fanzutti's heating element is not suitable for use in a toaster.
The invention is a toaster with a warming function that operates after the toasting cycle is complete, thereby keeping the toast warm in the toasting chamber until the user is ready to remove it. The warming function is accomplished via a warming cycle timing circuit which is interposed between the conventional toast cycle timing circuit and the electromagnet that holds the toast down within the toaster. Instead of the toast being released at the end of the toasting cycle as in a conventional toaster, the invention releases the toast when the desired warming time has expired. During the warming cycle, the toasting element operates at reduced power and produces less heat.
Several objects and advantages of the invention are:
It is an object of the invention to provide a device and method that keeps toast or other items warm after they have been toasted, without having to move the items out of the toasting chamber into a warming chamber.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a device that uses the toasting element during the warming cycle.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a device in which the warming time can be adjusted from zero (no warming, just toasting) to a maximum time.
It is another object of the invention to provide a device in which the warming temperature can be adjusted from a relatively low temperature to a relatively high temperature.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a device that can be effectively incorporated into conventional electronic magnetic hold-down toasters, as well as toaster ovens and other toasting devices that do not eject the toast or other item.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a device that is relatively easy and cost-effective to manufacture.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.
The following provides a list of the reference characters used in the drawings:
In the invention, however, when the toasting is complete a warming cycle timing circuit is powered up. The length of the warming cycle is controlled by the warming time control switch, and the temperature of the warming cycle (i.e., the amount of power supplied to the heating elements during warming) is controlled by the warming temperature control switch. The heating elements stay on at a lower power for the duration of the warming cycle, and the toast is thereby kept warm in the toasting chamber. Only when the warming cycle is complete are the heating elements and the electromagnet powered off, thus stopping the warming and releasing (popping-up) the toast.
Zener diode 18, also labeled Zener2 on the schematic, clamps the output voltage of bridge rectifier 13 at about 20 volts. Zener diode 18 also acts to stabilize the voltage Vcc as the timing circuits are switched on and off. Capacitor 19, also labeled C1 on the schematic, helps to smooth out the voltage ripples which result from the conversion of the a.c. voltage to d.c. voltage. The connection 20, also labeled Vcc on the schematic, provides the power which operates most of the electronics of the system. It should be understood that everywhere the Vcc symbol appears, this voltage is being applied, and that all of the Vcc symbols are connected to each other by wires which for convenience's sake do not explicitly appear on the schematics.
The d.c. voltage (Vcc) is applied through a resistor 21, also labeled R3 on the schematic, to the parallel combination of a resistor 22, also labeled R4 on the schematic, and a Zener diode 23, also labeled Zener on the schematic, to provide a voltage, Vzener, of about 13 volts which is used as the reference voltage for the timing circuits. It should be understood that everywhere the Vzener symbol appears, this voltage is being applied, and that all of the Vzener symbols are connected to each other by wires which for convenience's sake do not explicitly appear on the schematic. The power supply also contains a common terminal 24 of the circuit. It should be understood that all of the common terminals 24 are connected to each other by wires which for convenience's sake do not explicitly appear on the schematics.
The regulated voltage, Vzener, is also applied to a second voltage divider consisting of a resistor 31, also labeled R5 on the schematic, and a Thermistor 32 in series with a resistor 33, also labeled R6 on the schematic, and a resistor 34, also labeled R15 on the schematic. Because the resistances of resistor 31 and resistor 33 are much larger than the resistances of resistor 25 and resistor 26, and because the capacitance of a capacitor 35, also labeled C2 on the schematic, is much larger than the capacitance of capacitor 30; capacitor 35 charges very slowly. The time constant, τ, of the charging rate is given by the product of R, resistance, and C, capacitance, (i.e., τ=R×C).
Capacitor 35 slowly charges (i.e., the voltage across the capacitor slowly increases) until it reaches a level of about 0.5 volts above the reference voltage held on capacitor 30. At this point a transistor 36, also labeled TR1 on the schematic, begins to conduct (turns on) causing a transistor 37, also labeled TR2 on the schematic, to supply a voltage Vrelay to a relay 38, which ends the toasting cycle.
As will be further discussed below, the voltage Vrelay also powers a second timing circuit which controls the warming cycle and controls the indicator lights. It should be understood that all of the symbols Vrelay are connected to each other by wires which for convenience's sake do not explicitly appear on the schematics.
The relay voltage Vrelay (which was generated and applied to the relay to end the toasting cycle), is applied to a fourth voltage divider consisting of a resistor 43, also labeled R26 on the schematic, and a resistor 44, also labeled R35 on the schematic. Because the resistances of resistor 43 and resistor 44 are much larger than the resistances of resistor 39 and potentiometer 40, and because the capacitance of a capacitor 45, also labeled C22 on the schematic, is much larger than the capacitance of capacitor 42; capacitor 45 charges very slowly. The time constant, τ, of the charging rate is given by the product of R, resistance, and C, capacitance, (i.e., τ=R×C).
Capacitor 45 slowly charges (i.e., the voltage across the capacitor slowly increases) until it reaches a level of about 0.5 volts above the reference voltage held on capacitor 42. At this point a transistor 46, also labeled TR5 on the schematic, begins to conduct (turns on) causing a transistor 47, also labeled TR4 on the schematic, to turn off a transistor 48, also labeled TR3 on the schematic, which supplies the power to an electromagnet 59 that holds the basket down. This ends the heating cycle, releases the toast, and breaks the main power connection.
The end of the toasting cycle is marked by the voltage Vrelay becoming much larger (approximately 20 volts when the toasting element is being used as part of the warming system rather than toasting). When the voltage Vrelay increases, transistor 51 is turned off, extinguishing indicator 49. At the same time, the increasing voltage Vrelay turns on transistor 52 lighting indicator 50.
It should be understood that for convenience's sake, not all of the conventional parts of a typical electronic magnetic hold down toaster are shown; for example, the spring-loaded baskets that hold the bread or other item to be toasted. These conventional parts are well known in the art, and are assumed to be employed in the invention. In addition, the actual physical appearance of some components—for example, the toasting element—are different than the simplistic appearance used for the schematics and diagrams.
While the above descriptions contain many specificities, these shall not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of embodiments thereof. Many other variations are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. Examples of just a few of the possible variations follow:
The invention can be used to toast and then keep warm a variety of food items, including but not limited to bread, bagels, English muffins, and breakfast pastries. Therefore, when “bread” or “toast” is used for convenience in the foregoing description, it should be understood that the invention's use is not restricted to just bread or toast. Rather, it can be used with a wide variety of items.
The slots or openings at the top of the toaster can be differently-sized, to handle items having different shapes or sizes. The invention may have any number of toasting chambers, not just the two toasting chambers on the toaster shown in
The toasting/warming circuitry can also be used with toaster ovens that do not eject the toast when done, but rather have a door that the user opens to insert the bread or remove the toast, or some other means of controlling the toasting cycle. In other words, the invention is not limited to pop-up toasters. Used in a toaster oven, for example, the circuitry of the invention would simply power off the heating elements upon completion of the warming cycle, rather than also powering off a magnet so that the toast could be ejected.
Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
This application claims priority from, and the benefit of, applicant's provisional U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60/661,574, filed Mar. 14, 2005 and titled “Electronic Warming Feature To Add To A Toaster”. The disclosures of said application and its entire file wrapper (including all prior art references cited therewith) are hereby specifically incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as if set forth fully herein. Furthermore, a portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60661574 | Mar 2005 | US |