Electric heating – Heating devices – With power supply and voltage or current regulation or...
Reexamination Certificate
2003-03-11
2004-05-25
Paschall, Mark (Department: 3742)
Electric heating
Heating devices
With power supply and voltage or current regulation or...
C219S429000, C219S435000, C219S436000, C219S494000, C099S340000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06740855
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Time and convenience are in short supply for homemakers wishing to supply a home-cooked meal to family members. Some appliances, such as slow-cooker appliances, attempt to meet this need by providing all-day cooking while a homemaker is absent. Such appliances, however, tend to be of the type where only one temperature and all day cooking is possible, regardless of the food item, and thus potentially subjecting the food item to over- or under-cooking. Another option may be to use a cooking unit with, a controller, where a user may set a time or temperature desired. These units, however, tend to be quite a bit larger and more expensive than slow-cooker appliances. If these units are of more reasonable size, they also suffer because the controller inevitably must be placed near the heating element.
What is needed is a cooking appliance in which the user retains control over the time and temperature of cooking, but which is small enough to be convenient. What is needed is a slow-cooker unit in which the controller does not become overheated and damaged by the heating element.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One embodiment of invention is a programmable slow-cooker appliance, including a heating unit, which includes upstanding sidewalls and a bottom wall. The sidewalls and bottom encompass a heating area. The appliance includes a heating element mounted on the inner surface of the interior wall of the heating unit. In one embodiment, the cooking area may also encompass a cooking unit inside the heating unit, suitable for holding food to be cooked. The appliance includes a programmable controller mounted thereto via a controller housing, which acts to insulate the controller from the heat of the appliance, preferably via a unique system of ventilation. The housing utilizes ventilation holes on its bottom and top to encourage a chimney effect, in which air from the surroundings is drawn through the housing. This air cools the controller, and the air is then exits from ventilation holes near the top of the housing, convecting heat away from the controller.
Another aspect of the invention is a method of using the programmable controller to ensure that food is cooked according to the desires of a user. The user provides a food item and places the food item into the slow-cooker appliance, as described above. The user sets a cooking time and temperature for the programmable slow-cooker unit, using the controls to set both the time and the temperature. The cooking time according to one embodiment may not be set less than four hours, and the temperature may not be set for less than 150 degrees Fahrenheit (66 degrees Celsius). This prevents a user from accidentally setting the cooker to a “warm” temperature, in which food would only be warmed but not cooked thoroughly before consumption. In one embodiment, if the user sets no time or temperature, but merely turns the cooker on, the cooker defaults to a particular time and temperature, set by the user or the factory, such as a default setting of four hours and 175 degrees Fahrenheit or eight hours and 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3681663 (1972-08-01), Albers
patent: 4313051 (1982-01-01), Aoshima
patent: 4345145 (1982-08-01), Norwood
patent: 4535386 (1985-08-01), Frey, Jr. et al.
patent: 4551590 (1985-11-01), Mahon
patent: 4566802 (1986-01-01), Koehler
patent: 4668878 (1987-05-01), Wyss
patent: 4674890 (1987-06-01), Kojima et al.
patent: 4695683 (1987-09-01), Wingler et al.
patent: 4695710 (1987-09-01), Yamashita et al.
patent: 4742864 (1988-05-01), Duell et al.
patent: 4749874 (1988-06-01), Meisner et al.
patent: 4764715 (1988-08-01), Kowalewski et al.
patent: 4789761 (1988-12-01), Malone et al.
patent: 4835349 (1989-05-01), Weber
patent: 4841496 (1989-06-01), Adams et al.
patent: 4857758 (1989-08-01), Rigazio et al.
patent: 4959512 (1990-09-01), Cole et al.
patent: 5191231 (1993-03-01), Berry
patent: 5430598 (1995-07-01), Rodolfo et al.
patent: 5477029 (1995-12-01), Skutt et al.
patent: 5539185 (1996-07-01), Polster
patent: 5596552 (1997-01-01), Lim
patent: 5615604 (1997-04-01), Chenglin
patent: 5734149 (1998-03-01), Skutt et al.
patent: 5771207 (1998-06-01), Muroi et al.
patent: 5834718 (1998-11-01), Amonett
patent: 6191393 (2001-02-01), Park
patent: 6229507 (2001-05-01), Nakamura et al.
patent: 6362459 (2002-03-01), Schmidt
patent: 6570139 (2003-05-01), Levy et al.
patent: 6573483 (2003-06-01), DeCobert et al.
patent: 05-317164 (1993-12-01), None
patent: 06-327553 (1994-11-01), None
patent: 07-051158 (1995-02-01), None
patent: 07-136059 (1995-05-01), None
patent: 07-241236 (1995-09-01), None
patent: 08-140833 (1996-06-01), None
patent: 10-225373 (1998-08-01), None
patent: 11-137419 (1999-05-01), None
patent: 11-313761 (1999-11-01), None
patent: 2001-070139 (2001-03-01), None
patent: 2001-297865 (2001-10-01), None
patent: 2002-039546 (2002-02-01), None
patent: 2003-045630 (2003-02-01), None
Rival Crock-Pot® Slow Electric Stoneware Cooker instruction manual.
Faberware® Millennium® Use & Care Instructions Manual (1999).
DeCobert James E.
Hlava Lorens G.
Thrasher, Jr. Charles T.
Marino Francis E.
Paschall Mark
The Holmes Group, Inc.
LandOfFree
Programmable slow-cooker appliance does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Programmable slow-cooker appliance, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Programmable slow-cooker appliance will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3262176