Foods and beverages: apparatus – Cooking – Slice toaster or broiler
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-06
2001-02-27
Alexander, Reginald L. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Cooking
Slice toaster or broiler
C099S391000, C099S385000, C219S521000, C219S537000, C219S540000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06192790
ABSTRACT:
This application is the national phase of international application PCT/FR98/00253 filed Feb. 10, 1998.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an electric appliance for toasting or heating for a flat slice of food, notably a toaster for toasting a slice of bread simultaneously on its two faces.
PRIOR ART
The most modem toaster comprises a housing with a slot permitting access to a normally vertical parallelepiped internal toasting chamber delimited by two parallel grids opposite each other for holding the slice. Two subassemblies for heating by radiation are arranged in the housing respectively at a certain distance behind each grid. A subassembly can be constituted by one or several radiating elements associated with a reflector. A radiating element can be a sheathed electric resistance in the shape of a hair pin, or a filament at the interior of a quarts tube or a filament rolled on an insulating bar. The uniformity of toasting along a plane parallel to the grid is as much as possible achieved by the arrangement of the radiating elements, the form of the reflector and the spacing with respect to the slice. Alternatively, and as illustrated for example in the document U.S. Pat. No. 2,285,156, the subassembly can be constituted by a plate of glass or mica supporting a planar resistive wire or receiving a printed resistive pattern. The temperature of the radiating elements brought to red-hot is then of the order of 800° C. to 1100° C.
A horizontal slice-carrying carriage slides vertically in the slot along guides against one or several springs between an upper position for reception of the slice and a lowered toasting position opposite the heating subassemblies. This carriage is usually lowered manually with the aid of an external button passing through a slot of the housing, and is latched in lowered position by an electromechanical device for supplying electric power to the subassemblies. This electromechanical device is moreover linked to a setting means or to devices with sensors for temperature or color in order to liberate the carriage once the desired amount of toasting has been performed.
Simple and above all robust, this type of toaster has first of all the drawback of being rather voluminous. Moreover, the reflectors being between 10 and 15 millimeters from the radiating elements are heated equally and can transmit a party of their heat to the housing. In addition, certain subassemblies of electric resistances and reflectors produce a heating anyway which is rather unequal in the plane leaving on the slices of bread zones more toasted than others. The thermal yield between the quantity of heat theoretically necessary for toasting and that effectively furnished is then found to be rather low. Finally, certain consumers claim that internal moisture of the slice has a tendency to evaporate before the surfaces are browned and caramelized.
There are equally known, for example from the documents U.S. Pat. No. 3,524,404, EP 187 492, sandwich makers, for example, to cook a toasted cheese sandwich with ham, comprising a housing furnished with a slot opening into an internal chamber with two toasting subassemblies of which at least one is mounted to be relatively displaceable in moving away from or in approaching with respect to the other in order to come to be applied directly at one side and the other against the faces of the flat food and to grill it by conduction. These subassemblies thus delimit a toasting slot having a variable width able to be adapted to the thickness of the food to be toasted. Such sandwich makers thus comprise, in addition, a device associated with that for displacement of the carriage to advance and apply the subassembly or subassemblies against the flat food product with a certain pressure, then move them back.
A toasting subassembly is then constituted rather by a heating plate bought to a temperature lower than of the order of 250° C. For example, the plate can be of glass, or of a technical plastic such as a polyamide, or of a metal such as aluminum isolated from the rear by a polyamide layer. The heating resistance in the form of a serpentine can be drawn or silkscreen printed on the external face with a metal powder bonded or mixed with polyamide and silver flakes. The internal contact layer is then preferably covered with a food quality and non-adherent layer, such as a Teflon compound. As a variant, the document U.S. Pat. No. 2,285,156 describes a slice support constituted of two openwork plates which are articulated at their lower longitudinal edge capable of being installed between the grids delimiting the radiation toasting chamber in order to permit a main heating by conduction coming from the plates themselves overheated by the radiation, and partially by directed radiation traversing the plate openings.
These sandwich makers generally come in a manner which is more compact and operate at a temperature which is lower, thus less dangerous. However, the uniformity, the quality and the speed of toasting obtained are generally insufficient. In addition, certain consumers believe that the bread slice is then heated within to the point of loosing all flexibility and becomes rigid like melba toast.
Whether this is for toasters or sandwich makers, another shortcoming arrives from the fact that the appliance must remain connected to the electrical power mains during its use causing it to rarely be present at the dining table where its large electric power cord would be cumbersome. The appliance is then usually placed on a separate table. But then, either the consumer prepares in advance a series of pieces of toast which become cold at the moment of their ultimate consumption, or the consumer balks at the going back and forth in the morning during his breakfast. The appliance is then too often forgotten in a cupboard.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is an electric radiation toasting appliance which is effective in that it toasts in a uniform manner to the desired browning of the surface of the food, and this rapidly to avoid a drying of the interior. Preferably, the appliance must be able to be made in a compact manner, and be able to function at a lower temperature in order to present fewer risks of burns and a better thermal efficiency.
Another object of the present invention is a toasting appliance which can be installed more easily on the table in order to be able to toast foods, notably bread slices, comfortably at the moment of their consumption.
According to a first aspect of the invention, the appliance for toasting a flat slice of food comprises a housing with a slot permitting access to a parallelepiped toasting chamber in the main opposed faces of which are respectively arranged facing one another two heating subassemblies, one at least of these subassemblies comprising a substantially homogeneous radiation plate heated by heating means, and noteworthy by the fact that the radiation face of this plate is completed by means for maintaining a predetermined spacing less than 1 cm with the slice, this face and/or slice being in contact with these spacing means along surfaces less than 1 millimeters wide.
For example, the appliance can comprise a horizontal parallelepiped chamber whose lower face comprises a subassembly with a radiation plate furnished with means for maintaining the spacing on which the slice rests, the upper face comprising a conventional subassembly, for example a radiation element associated with a reflector, or equally a plate for radiating from a distance.
Knowing that the intensity of radiation decreases with the square of distance, the breakthrough according to the invention consists in arranging punctiform or elongate means permitting to assure a small but very precise spacing in order to venture to bring the food very close to a homogeneous plate at high temperature from which the radiation is intrinsically uniform, and this in order to obtain a significant, regular and rapid surface toasting essentially by radiation, residual heating by conduction through the spacing means bei
Alexander Reginald L.
Browdy and Neimark
Seb S.A.
LandOfFree
Electric appliance for grilling or heating a flat slice of food does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Electric appliance for grilling or heating a flat slice of food, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Electric appliance for grilling or heating a flat slice of food will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2584282