Bread maker

Details Bread maker Bread maker

2003-06-12

2004-08-24

Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)

Foods and beverages: apparatus

Cooking

With stirring

C099S353000, C099S426000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06779439

ABSTRACT:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 2002-42768, filed Jul. 20, 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 to a bread maker having a barcode reader.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a bread maker automatically performs kneading, leavening and baking of dough, and provides fresh bread to a user, so that the user just places raw materials (ingredients) in the bread maker. Various bread makers have been developed.
For example, as shown in
FIG. 5
, a bread maker disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2000-86022 includes a main body
100
divided into an oven compartment
102
and a component compartment
106
accommodating a plurality of electric components, a door
103
opening and closing the oven compartment
102
, rotatable knobs
105
in the front of the component compartment
106
allowing a user to control the bread maker, and a display panel
107
displaying an operating state of the bread maker. On a rear wall of the oven compartment
102
and inside the door
103
are heaters
112
for heating the inside of the oven compartment
102
. Inside the oven compartment
102
is a baking tray
109
for containing the dough therein.
Inside the oven compartment
102
, upper and lower kneading drums
104
and
119
are provided in parallel, each having a plurality of projections
116
and
118
used to attach to opposite ends of a mixing bag (not shown) filled with raw materials for the bread.
Behind the upper kneading drum
104
is a barcode reader
120
protruding inwardly from the rear wall of the oven compartment
102
that reads a barcode printed on the mixing bag. The mixing bag connects to the projections
116
and
118
of the upper and lower kneading drums
104
and
119
, and is wound on the upper and lower kneading drums
104
and
119
. The barcode reader
120
is a pen type of barcode reader, and is moved across the barcode, thereby reading information represented by the barcode.
FIG. 6
is a perspective view of the barcode reader
120
in FIG.
5
. As shown therein, the barcode reader
120
includes an optical sensor
121
scanning the barcode, and a sensor body
122
movably accommodating a part of the optical sensor
121
therein and supporting the optical sensor
121
. Inside the sensor body
122
is a spring (not shown) elastically pushing the optical sensor
121
to contact the upper kneading drum
104
.
The barcode reader
120
is supported by a reader supporting member
123
that includes a supporting lever
124
extending from the sensor body
122
to support the barcode reader
120
, and a slider
125
that extends toward the door
103
and is perpendicularly coupled to the supporting lever
124
. A spring support
127
is partially formed on a part of the slider
125
, and a rear end of the slider
125
is slidingly coupled with a stopper
128
. A compression spring
126
is placed on the slider
125
between the spring support
127
and the stopper
128
and is prevented from breaking away from the slider
125
by the spring support
127
and the stopper
128
.
The stopper
128
is fastened to the rear wall of the oven compartment
102
, so that the compression spring
126
provided between the spring support
127
and the stopper
128
elastically pushes the slider
125
toward the door
103
.
At a front part of the component compartment
106
adjacent to the door
103
when closed, is a slider hole
130
through which the slider
125
of the barcode reader supporting member
123
passes. On the rear wall of the oven compartment
102
is a barcode reader hole (not shown). Inside the component compartment
106
is a slider guiding part (not shown) for guiding a sliding movement of the slider
125
.
In the conventional bread maker, as the door
103
is opened and closed, the slider
125
forwardly and backwardly moves inside the component compartment
106
, thereby moving the barcode reader
120
. However, because the slider
125
is in contact with the slider hole
130
of the main body
100
and moves inside the component compartment
106
, a complicated inner-structure of the component compartment
106
may interfere with the sliding movement of the slider
125
. Further, because a part of the optical sensor
121
and the spring (not shown) inside the sensor body
122
are movably accommodated in the sensor body
122
, the sensor body
122
may interfere with the contacting movement of the optical sensor
121
, so that the barcode reader
120
cannot scan the barcode smoothly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a bread maker in which a barcode reader can smoothly move across and scan a barcode.
Additional objects 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 other objects according to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a bread maker having a main body forming an oven compartment, a door opening and closing the oven compartment, a pair of parallel kneading drums inside the oven compartment on which opposite ends of a mixing bag filled with bread ingredients are respectively attached, a barcode reader to read a barcode printed on the mixing bag, a hinge supporting part attached to a rear wall of the oven compartment, and a reader holder inside the main body. The reader holder includes a holder body, a sensing lever adjacent to one of the kneading drums and having one end connected to one end of the holder body and the other end protruding from the main body towards the door, the sensing lever being pushed back by the door when the door is closed and moving towards a front of the main body when the door is opened, a hinge part at the other end of the holder body and rotatably connected to the hinge supporting part, and a reader supporting part extending from the holder body towards the door and supporting the barcode reader, wherein the barcode reader moves into a reading position near the adjacent kneading drum when the door is opened and moves into a releasing position distant from the adjacent kneading drum when the door is closed.
The bread maker further includes a spring member elastically pushing the reader holder toward the reading position.
The spring member is an extension spring having a first end, distant from the hinge supporting part, coupled to the reader holder, and a second end coupled to the hinge supporting part.
The hinge supporting part includes a hinge pin combined with the hinge part of the reader holder, and hinge arms rotatably supporting each end of the hinge pin.
To achieve the above and other objects according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a barcode reader holder for a bread maker having a main body forming an oven compartment, a door opening and closing the oven compartment, a pair of parallel kneading drums inside the oven compartment on which opposite ends of a mixing bag filled with bread ingredients are respectively attached, and a barcode reader to read a barcode printed on the mixing bag, including a holder body; a hinge supporting part attached to a rear wall of the oven compartment; a sensing lever adjacent to one of the kneading drums and having one end connected to one end of the holder body and the other end protruding from the main body towards the door, the sensing lever being pushed back by the door when the door is closed and moving towards a front of the main body when the door is opened; a hinge part combined with the other end of the holder body and rotatably connected to the hinge supporting part; and a reader supporting part extending from the holder body towards the door and supporting the barcode reader, wherein the barcode reader moves into a reading position near the adjacent kneading drum when the door is opened a

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