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US 2012/0234826 A1Published application
Continuing timer for microwaves and ranges
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorDimitrios Iordanoglou
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus and methods are disclosed for an oven timer of microwave ovens or hybrid ranges. The timer counts down to a zero time according to a programmed time entered at a control panel. The timer counts up for a cooling time that may be programmed for a precise cooling time or continue until a stop input is received when retrieving the item being cooked.
Claims20
A cooking appliance, comprising:
- a cooking cavity for heating an item therein;
- a source of energy for heating items in the cooking cavity;
- a control panel comprising a user actuable interface for inputting cooking instructions including the desired cooking time and a display;
- a controller that is coupled to the control panel and the source of energy and operative to control the amount of heat and the duration of the heating cycle according to cooking instructions received at the user interface;
- a timer coupled to the controller and configured to count down from the desired cooking time to a zero time and count up from the zero time when the zero time is reached the controller being operative to end the heating cycle upon the timer counting down to zero;
- whereby, the count of the timer represents the remaining cooking time when counting down and the elapsed cooling time since the end of the heating cycle when counting up.
3 more elements
An oven, comprising:
- a cooking cavity;
- an energy generation module configured to deliver microwave energy into the cooking cavity;
- a timer that is configured to provide a count down from a programmed time to a zero time for cooking and a count-up to a cooling time starting at the zero time, wherein the timer is configured to count up until a stop input is received at the controller;
- a controller that is coupled to the timer and controls the RF generation module according to cooking instructions received at a panel having a display;
- and
- a power source operatively associated with the controller and the energy generation module, the power source is configured to receive a signal from the controller and transmit the signal to the energy generation module to cause the oven to have microwave energy in the cooking cavity during the count-down of the timer and to not have microwave energy during the count-up,
- wherein the display displays the count-down from the programmed time and the count-up for a cooling time.
4 more elements
A method for operating an oven having a controller and a memory for executing method, comprising:
- upon initiating a programmed time received at a panel of the oven, energizing a magnetron to provide radiation into a heating cavity for cooking an item;
- displaying a count-down from the programmed time to a zero time while the magnetron provides radiation into the heating cavity for cooking the item;
- upon a timer reaching a zero time to complete the count-down, displaying a first count-up to a first cooling time without energizing the magnetron;
- and
- displaying a total time that includes the first cooling time and the first programmed time upon receiving a total time display input;
- wherein the count up continues until a stop input is received to stop the count up and determine the cooling time in which the magnetron has not been energized with the item in the heating cavity.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.