Foods and beverages: apparatus – Cooking – Slice toaster or broiler
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-20
2001-06-26
Alexander, Reginald L. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Cooking
Slice toaster or broiler
C099S3290RT, C099S393000, C426S520000, C426S523000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250212
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a kitchen appliance for toasting bread and other food items. In particular, the invention relates to a slotted, upright bread toaster having a bread carriage liftable from a loading position to a raised position to facilitate the removal of items to be toasted from the toasting slots.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventional electric bread toasters are devices configured to simplify the toasting of bread slices or other generally flat food items. These toasters generally comprise an upright housing having rectangularly shaped toast-receiving slots defined in the top surface of the housing. Bread slices are inserted through these slots and rest on a spring-biased bread carriage inside a toasting chamber. In this loading position, the bread slices are held partially within the toasting chamber and are allowed to project partially from the slots to facilitate the loading and removal of the bread slices. The toasting chamber is surrounded by electric heating elements. A manual toasting lever connected to the carriage allows the user to push the carriage toward the bottom of the unit, thereby lowering the bread completely into the toasting chamber. Typically, a solenoid device holds the carriage and lever in this toasting position and a microswitch circuits power to the heating elements. When the toasting cycle is completed, the solenoid releases the carriage and the spring returns the carriage to the loading position.
These conventional toasters do have shortcomings, however. Most significantly, when the toasting of comparatively small bread slices or other smaller food items is desired, such items may be too short to project from the toasting slots when the carriage is in the loading position. Thus, a user may be forced to insert his or her fingers, or an object such as a fork, into the toasting chamber to retrieve the toasted bread slices. This may lead to burns from the hot heating elements or even electric shock from contact with other hazardous electrical components within the chamber.
These shortcomings have been addressed in various patents in the industry. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,662 to Yip discloses an electric toaster having a pair of interengaging brackets to allow a bread carriage to be positioned in a first toast-removal position and a second toast-removal position higher than the first position. U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,814 to Ott et al. discloses a toaster having a toasting rack and a separate lift device to elevate the rack relative to the carriage. The mechanisms disclosed in these patents require two-handed operation, however, in that the user must hold the bread carriage in the second toast-removal position while removing the toast from the toaster. Furthermore, the mechanisms disclosed in both of these patents utilize many parts arranged in a complex fashion. These mechanisms therefore add significantly to the manufacturing cost of the units.
Therefore, there is a need for a toaster that allows smaller bread slices to be removed more easily by the user without the implementation of complex and costly bread-removal mechanisms.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a toaster that substantially obviates one or more of the above problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
To achieve these and other advantages, and in accordance with the purposes of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, a toaster is provided having a housing frame having an upper portion defining at least one opening for receiving an item to be toasted. A carriage for supporting the item is mounted to the frame and movable relative to the frame to at least three positions: a toasting position, a loading position and a raised position which is located vertically higher than the loading position. Means for releasably holding said carriage in the raised position are provided to facilitate removal and loading of items to be toasted.
In another aspect of the invention, a heater is also provided for toasting the item when the carriage is in the toasting position. A flange is fixed to either the carriage or the frame, and an abutment member is provided for engagement with the flange. The member includes a slot defining at least a portion of a first flange-receiving area adjacent one end of the slot and a second flange-receiving area adjacent another end of the slot. When the carriage is positioned in the loading position, the flange is positioned outside the second flange-receiving area or within the first flange-receiving area. When the carriage is positioned in the raised position, the flange is positioned within the second flange-receiving area.
In another aspect of the invention, the flange-receiving areas of the abutment member are separated by an abutment formation that hinders movement of the flange throughout the full length of the slot. When moving the carriage from the loading position to the raised position, the flange is forcibly slidable within the slot from the first flange-receiving area past the abutment formation to the second flange-receiving area to correspondingly move the carriage.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the abutment member is mounted to the frame. The member includes an elongated slot having an open end for receiving the flange and defines an abutment formation that hinders upward movement of the flange throughout the full length of the slot. The flange and slot cooperate to hinder movement of the carriage between the loading position and the raised position.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a method for toasting a food item is provided. The method includes the steps of providing an electric toaster having a housing frame, the frame having an upper portion defining at least one opening for receiving an item to be toasted. The toaster also includes a carriage for supporting the item which is movable relative to the frame to at least a toasting position, a loading position and a raised position. The carriage is biased toward the loading position when in the toasting position, and a flange is preferably fixed to the carriage for movement therewith. The frame preferably includes an abutment member defining a slot for slidable engagement with the flange. The sides of the slot define an abutment formation. A food item to be toasted is next placed within the slot and on the carriage when the carriage is in the loading position. The carriage is manually lowered to the toasting position wherein the food item is toasted. After the item is toasted, the carriage is automatically released into the loading position wherein the flange engages the abutment member and movement of the flange is upwardly hindered by the abutment formation. The carriage is then manually raised from the loading position to the raised position by moving the flange around the abutment formation, and the item to be toasted is removed from the bread carriage. The carriage may be left in the raised position or manually lowered by the user.
The invention, together with further objects and attendant advantages, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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paten
Marino Francis E.
Yeung Pat Hok-Kwong
Alexander Reginald L.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
The Rival Company
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