Foods and beverages: apparatus – Cooking – Slice toaster or broiler
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-06
2001-10-23
Sherrer, Curtis (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Cooking
Slice toaster or broiler
C099S389000, C099S401000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305273
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to toasters, and in particular, to toasters which can provide a number of pieces of warm, freshly toasted bread products at each serving.
Toasters are well known, and have been used for many years to toast bread and other products. Typically, a toaster for use in the home can make two or four slices of toast at a time. However, if there are more than two persons at the meal, or if several sandwiches with toasted bread are being prepared at once, more than four pieces of toasted bread are needed. However, current toasters cannot deliver more than two or four pieces of warm toasted bread at once. Although toasters can be made to toast six, eight, or more pieces of toast, they become too large for use in the home kitchen. Further, such toasters are relatively expensive, both in the cost to purchase the toaster and in the operation of the toaster.
Bread is porous, and thus, sliced bread (from which toast is made) has a very large surface area. Toasted bread thus cools very quickly. As toast cools, it looses much of its moisture. Inasmuch as the moisture content of a food product is important to the sense of taste, toast which has lost a significant portion of its moisture is generally less palatable. Bun warmers have been used to keep toast warm. Because bun warmers enclose toast in a cloth napkin, or the like, neither the heat nor the moisture of the toast escape very quickly, and the toast remains somewhat more palatable. However, it would be desirable to provide a toaster which will keep toasted bread warm while other pieces of bread are being toasted.
Additionally, the side walls of toasters can become hot. If, for example, plastic containers or electrical cords are in contact with the sides of some toasters during use of the toaster, the containers or cords can become damaged. It is thus also desirable to provide a toaster in which the side walls of the toaster are well insulated and thus safe to touch.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly stated, I have developed a new toaster which will keep toasted food items warm while additional food items are being toasted. The toaster includes a toaster body having a top wall, at least one toasting well in the top wall, a bottom wall, side walls, and end walls. A ledge or seat extends along at least a portion of one of the side walls (and preferably along both of the side walls). Toast can be placed on the ledge or seat so that the toast will be in contact with the wall of the toaster to be kept warm by heat radiating through the toaster wall. In one embodiment, the seat is simply an exposed shelf. In another embodiment, the seat forms the bottom surface or wall of an enclosed warming chamber. The warming chamber is defined by an outer wall which is spaced from the toaster body side wall, a top wall, a front wall, a back wall, and the seat. A door or access panel is provided to allow access to the chamber. Preferably, the door can be removed from the toaster so that the warming chamber can be cleaned.
When the toaster includes the exposed shelf, previously toasted food items will be kept warm by heat which is conducted through the side wall of the toaster while the toaster is being operated to toast additional pieces of toast. The toast will be placed on the shelf to be in heat transfer relationship with the wall so that the heat conducted through the wall will reach the toast.
When the toaster includes a warming chamber, the chamber will retain the latent heat or residual warmth of the toast. Additionally, because the chamber is closed, and because the chamber is only slightly larger than the toast, the toast will substantially retain the moisture in the toast even if no further toasting is undertaken. If the toaster is operated while toast is in the warming chamber, heat will be conducted through the toaster body wall to help keep the food item warm.
Whether to toaster includes the shelf or the chamber, the toaster can also be used to warm chilled products (i.e., bread from the refrigerator) without baking or toasting the product. The toaster will warm such products more quickly and effectively than an oven, and at less operating cost than if an oven were used.
The toaster additionally includes oversized controls (a start lever and a darkness control lever) to allow the controls to be easily seen by someone who has limited or impaired vision or reduced dexterity. To further make the controls stand out, the controls are preferably a different color than the toaster.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 310004 (1990-08-01), Storsberg
patent: 2113697 (1938-04-01), Lang
patent: 2853936 (1958-09-01), Parr
patent: 3587907 (1971-06-01), Okuda
patent: 3603242 (1971-09-01), Murphy, Sr.
patent: 3866525 (1975-02-01), Oxel
patent: 3906848 (1975-09-01), Gow
patent: 4346651 (1982-08-01), Schickedanz
patent: 4396825 (1983-08-01), Cox et al.
patent: 5427017 (1995-06-01), Cheung
patent: 5746115 (1998-05-01), Yip
Mai Hao
Polster Lieder Woodruff & Lucchesi
Sherrer Curtis
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