Electric heating – Heating devices – Combined with container – enclosure – or support for material...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-03
2001-11-06
Pelham, Joseph (Department: 3742)
Electric heating
Heating devices
Combined with container, enclosure, or support for material...
C219S412000, C219S491000, C099S338000, C335S020000, C335S166000, C335S179000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06313445
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical appliances and, more particularly, to a control for an electrical appliance.
2. Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,889,259 discloses a toaster oven comprising a user actuated push button, an electrical switch assembly, and a solenoid connected to a printed circuit board for moving a lever to open a switch of the electrical switch assembly and turning OFF a toast cycle of the oven. A potential problem with the oven disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,889,259 is that, in the event of a power failure during a toast cycle and subsequent reactivation of the power supply, the oven could come ON without a user being present. It is desired to prevent the oven from automatically coming back ON in the event of reconnection to a power supply after a power supply disruption.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one feature of the present invention, an electric appliance control is provided comprising an electromagnet; an electrical switch assembly; a ferromagnetic section movable with a contact of the switch assembly towards the electromagnet; and a user actuated member adapted to move the ferromagnetic section and the contact towards the electromagnet. When the electromagnet is energized and the ferromagnetic section and contact are moved by the user actuated member to an actuated position, the electromagnet can retain the contact at the actuated position by magnetically holding the ferromagnetic section at the actuated position.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, an electric toaster oven is provided comprising a housing; heating elements connected to the housing; and a control for controlling the heating elements. The control comprises a ferromagnetic member connected to an electrical contact of a switch assembly, the switch assembly being connected to the heating elements. The ferromagnetic member is biased by the contact towards a deactuated position. The contact is movable with the ferromagnetic member towards an actuated position. The oven further comprises an electromagnet having a magnet field which, when the ferromagnetic member is located at the actuated position and the electromagnet is energized, magnetically attracts the ferromagnetic member towards the electromagnet. The field is insufficient to move the ferromagnetic member to the electromagnet when the ferromagnetic member is at the deactuated position. When the ferromagnetic member is located at the actuated position and supply of electricity to the toaster oven is interrupted, the ferromagnetic member is moved to the deactuated position and, if the supply of electricity to the toaster oven is subsequently re-established, the electromagnet cannot automatically move the ferromagnetic member back to the actuated position.
In accordance with one method of the present invention, a method is provided for preventing automatic re-energization of an electrical appliance after an interruption in supply of electricity to the appliance. The method comprising steps of biasing a ferromagnetic section by a biasing force towards a deactuated position, the ferromagnetic section being adapted to move a contact of an electrical switch assembly, the ferromagnetic section being movable between the deactuated position wherein a portion of the switch assembly is OFF and an actuated position wherein the portion of the switch assembly is ON; applying an electromagnetic force by an electromagnet to the ferromagnetic section when the ferromagnetic section is moved towards the actuated position to hold the ferromagnetic section at the actuated position; and moving the ferromagnetic section by the biasing force, when the supply of electricity to the appliance is interrupted, to move the ferromagnetic section to the deactuated position. The deactuated position is sufficiently far enough away from the electromagnet to prevent the electromagnet from automatically moving the ferromagnetic section back to the activated position when the supply of electricity is reactivated.
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Garneau Paul F.
Krasznai Charles Z.
Sandor James P.
Deutsch Barry E.
HP Intellectual Corp.
Pelham Joseph
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