Bread maker

Details Bread maker Bread maker

2003-03-12

2004-05-04

Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)

Foods and beverages: apparatus

Cooking

With stirring

C099S353000, C099S426000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06729227

ABSTRACT:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2002-55993 filed on Sep. 14, 2002 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a bread maker and, more particularly, to a bread maker with a sensor that senses whether the baking tray is mounted.
2. Description of the Related Art
A bread maker is an apparatus that makes bread using, for example, a mixing bag containing bread ingredients. The bread maker can automatically make a variety of breads depending on the types of the bread ingredients.
FIG. 1
is a sectional view showing the structure of a conventional bread maker. As shown in
FIG. 1
, the conventional bread maker includes a housing
1
defining the outer structure of the bread maker. The housing
1
contains an oven chamber
2
, and a door
3
is mounted on the front of the housing
1
that is selectively opened and closed. Other parts used to make bread are mounted inside the housing
1
.
Upper and lower rollers
5
and
6
hold the upper and lower ends of a mixing bag
4
and raise and lower the mixing bag
4
to mix the bread ingredients and form a dough. The upper and lower rollers
5
and
6
can be rotated in both forward and reverse directions. A baking tray
7
forms a bread making space to accommodate the mixing bag
4
and fits in the lower part of the oven chamber
2
. The baking tray
7
has a front half
7
a
and a rear half
7
b
that can separate from each other.
A slit
9
is formed in the center of a scraper
10
to allow the upper portion of the mixing bag
4
to pass therethrough. Accordingly, when the mixing bag
4
is moved upwardly by the rotation of the upper and lower rollers
5
and
6
, the mixing bag
4
passes through the slit
9
, but the bread ingredients are scraped downward and do not move upward through the slit
9
. Another slit
11
, which has the same function as that of the slit
9
, is formed in the center of the baking tray
7
.
Accordingly, when the mixing bag
4
moves downwardly by the rotation of the upper and lower rollers
5
and
6
, the mixing bag
4
passes through the slit
11
, but the bread ingredients remain in the baking tray
7
to form the dough. After forming the dough, the mixing bag
4
moves in the direction of the lower roller
6
and tears, leaving the dough in the baking tray
7
as the mixing bag leaves the baking tray
7
through the slit
11
.
A plurality of heaters
12
a
,
12
b
,
12
c
are mounted on the inner surface of the oven chamber
2
, which is inside the housing
1
, and the inner surface of the door
3
to bake the dough with appropriately supplied heat.
When making bread using the conventional bread maker of
FIG. 1
, the rear half
7
b
of the baking tray
7
is placed in the oven chamber
2
. The mixing bag
4
, which contains the dry bread ingredients
110
, is positioned by placing upper and the lower portions of the mixing bag
4
through the slit
9
of the scraper
10
and the slit
11
of the baking tray
7
. The upper and lower rollers
5
and
6
hold the upper and lower ends of the mixing bag
4
. After mounting the front half
7
a
of the baking tray
7
in the oven chamber
2
and closing the door
3
, the bread maker is ready to be operated.
However, with the conventional bread maker, users mistakenly tend to turn on the bread maker without mounting the front half
7
a
of the baking tray
7
when installing the mixing bag
4
. In this case, the conventional bread maker operates as usual, causing the mixing bag
4
to explode. Thus, the ingredients of the mixing bag
4
are spread all over the oven chamber
2
, resulting in the oven chamber
2
needing to be cleaned.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an aspect of the present invention to provide a bread maker with a sensor that senses whether the baking tray is correctly mounted and prevent operation of the bread maker when the baking tray is incorrectly mounted.
Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows, and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
To achieve the above and/or other aspects according to the present invention, there is provided a bread maker including a housing forming an oven chamber; a door mounted to a front of the housing that is selectively opened and closed; a baking tray detachably mounted in the oven chamber; and a sensor sensing whether the baking tray is mounted.
The sensor includes a sensing member attached to at least one of the housing and the door and moving back and forth a predetermined distance depending upon contact with the baking tray, and a sensing switch sensing movement of the sensing member.
The door comprises an inner panel and an outer panel spaced apart from the inner panel a predetermined distance.
The sensor further comprises an operating lever made of an elastic material that makes a seesaw movement in a space between the inner panel and the outer panel.
One end of the sensing member contacts one end of the operating lever, and the other end of the sensing member penetrates the inner panel and extends into the oven chamber toward the baking tray.
The sensing switch is mounted in a space between the inner panel and the outer panel of the door and is contacted by another end of the operating lever.
To achieve the above and/or other aspects according to the present invention, there is provided a sensor for a bread maker having a housing forming an oven chamber, a door attached to the housing with an inner panel and an outer panel, and a baking tray detachably mounted within the oven chamber, the sensor including a sensing member extending from between the outer panel and the inner panel, through the inner panel, to the oven chamber, and having a first end between the outer panel and the inner panel and a second end within the oven chamber; a sensing switch attached to the inner panel; and an operating lever between the inner panel and the outer panel and having a top end and a bottom end connected to the first end of the sensing member, wherein when the baking tray is mounted in the oven chamber and the door is closed, the second end of the sensing member contacts the baking tray and is pushed back in the direction of the door, the first end pushing back the operating lever to cause the top end of the operating lever to tilt toward and contact the sensing switch to sense whether the baking try is mounted in the oven chamber.
These, together with other aspects and advantages that will be subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4550653 (1985-11-01), Hedenberg
patent: 4550654 (1985-11-01), Hedenberg
patent: 4590850 (1986-05-01), Hedenberg
patent: 4803086 (1989-02-01), Hedenberg
patent: 5146840 (1992-09-01), Hedenberg
patent: 5947009 (1999-09-01), Hedenberg
patent: 6029563 (2000-02-01), Nakagawa et al.
patent: 6053096 (2000-04-01), Kakimoto et al.
patent: 6321641 (2001-11-01), Wang
patent: 2213698 (1989-08-01), None
patent: 99/25467 (1999-05-01), None
English language Abstract of JP 02 126026, undated.
International Search Report and Annex, undated.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Bread maker does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Bread maker, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Bread maker will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3259094