Electronically controlled cooking apparatus

An electronically controlled cooking apparatus comprising:

• means defining a cooking chamber having an opening;
• a door for opening and closing said cooking chamber opening;
• a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of food to be cooked in said cooking chamber;
• heating energy supply means;
• control means for controlling said heating energy supply means;
• said control means including
• information input means for determining the operation of said control means, said information input means receiving the output of said temperature sensor, said information input means also having defined therein a fixed average cooking time period and including means for setting a cooking completion time, means for setting a cooking temperature for the food to be cooked and means for setting a user determinable auxiliary time period, said information input means operating said control means to first cause said heating energy supply means to start supplying energy at a cooking start time which is the cooking completion time minus the sum of the auxiliary time and said fixed average cooking time period, then to control said heating energy supply means until the output from the temperature sensor corresponds to the preset cooking temperature for the food to be cooked, and then to operate said heating energy supply to maintain the food to be cooked at a warm temperature.

An electronically controlled cooking apparatus comprising:

• means defining a cooking chamber having an opening;
• a door for opening and closing said opening;
• heating energy supply means for said chamber;
• numerical information display means;
• microprocessor means having a control portion, an arithmetic logic unit, a read only memory and a random access memory, said read only memory having a fixed average cooking time period stored therein;
• information input means for setting into said memory portion of said microprocessor internal temperature information of the food to be cooked, cooking completion time information and an auxiliary time period and for displaying at least said completion time on said display means;
• a temperature sensor for supplying to said microprocessor information regarding the temperature of the food being cooked,
• said arithmetic logic unit of said microprocessor determining from the stored information a cooking start time which is the cooking completion time minus the sum of the fixed average cooking time period and said auxiliary time period,
• said control portion of said microprocessor supplying a start signal to said heating energy supply means at said cooking start time,
• said arithmetic logic unit of the microprocessor determining if the temperature of the food being cooked as sensed by said temperature sensor means corresponds to the temperature as set by said input means,
• and said control portion of said microprocessor controlling said heating energy supply means to keep the temperature of the food to be cooked at a warm temperature during the auxiliary time period.

An electronically controlled cooking apparatus comprising:

• means defining a cooking chamber having an opening;
• a door for opening and closing said opening;
• detection means for detecting the opening and closing of said door;
• heating energy supply means;
• control means for controlling said heating energy supply means, said control means including cooking completion time setting means which operates to cause said heating energy supply means to start supplying energy at a suitable cooking start time to complete cooking at approximately said cooking completion time;
• said control means further including delay cycle interrupt means responsive to said detection means, for:
• a. starting the supply of energy from said heating energy supply means at said cooking start time after detecting the opening and closing of the door prior to the start of said cooking start time, without further input to said control means, and
• b. to stop said heating energy supply means from supplying energy upon detection of said door being opened after said cooking start time.

An electronically controlled cooking apparatus comprising:

• means defining a cooking chamber having an opening;
• a door for opening and closing said opening;
• detection means for detecting the opening of said door;
• heating energy supply means;
• control means for controlling said heating energy supply means, said control means including information input means for determining the operation of said control means, said information input means having defined therein a fixed average cooking time period and including means for setting a cooking completion time, means for setting a cooking temperature for the food to be cooked, and means for setting a user determinable auxiliary time period, said information input means operating to cause said heating energy supply means to start supplying energy at a cooking start time which is the cooking completion time minus the sum of the auxiliary time and said fixed average cooking time period;
• said control means further including delay cycle interrupt means responsive to said detection means for:
• a. starting the supply of energy from said heating energy supply means at said cooking start time after detecting the opening and closing of the door prior to the start of said cooking start time, without further input to said information input means, and
• b. to stop said heating energy supply means from supplying energy upon detection of said door being opened after said cooking start time.

An electronically controlled cooking apparatus comprising:

• heating energy supply means;
• means for controlling the operation of said heating energy supply means including means for setting a cooking start time at which the control means is to operate said heating energy supply means to supply energy to the food to be cooked;
• audible notifying means for altering the user that a change of operational mode of the operation of said heating energy supply means, to supply energy to food to be cooked, is imminent;
• detection means for detecting a signalling time which is just prior to said cooking start time, said control means responding to the output of said detection means upon detection of said signalling time to actuate said audible notifying means for a period of time, whereby the user will receive positive notification of said cooking start time.

An electronically controlled cooking apparatus comprising:

• means defining a cooking chamber;
• heating energy supply means;
• means for setting a desired cooking completion time;
• control means for starting said heating energy supply means at a suitable cooking start time to complete a cooking process near said cooking completion time;
• audible notifying means for alerting the user that a change of operational mode for said energy supply means is imminent;
• said control means further including a cooking start time signaling means to cause said notifying means to operate just prior to said cooking start time, whereby the user will receive positive notification of said cooking start time.

An electronically controlled cooking apparatus comprising:

• means defining a cooking chamber;
• heating energy supply means for said chamber;
• numerical information display means;
• microprocessor means including a memory portion for starting said heating energy supply means at a suitable cooking start time to complete a cooking process near a desired preset cooking completion time;
• information input means for setting into said memory portion of said microprocessor said cooking completion time information, and for displaying at least said completion time on said display means;
• means for audibly notifying the user that a change in the operational mode of said heating energy supply means is imminent;
• said microprocessor supplying a start signal to said heating energy supply means at said cooking start time and for actuating said alerting means just prior to said cooking start time, whereby the user will receive positive notification of said cooking start time.

An electronically controlled cooking apparatus comprising:

• heating energy supply means;
• control means for controlling said heating energy supply means;
• said control means including
• information input means for determining the operation of said control means, said information input means including means for setting a cooking completion time, means for setting a cooking temperature for the food to be cooked, and means for setting a user determinable time period, said control means further comprising means for starting said heating energy supply means at a cooking start time which is the cooking completion time minus the user determinable time period, and operating said heating energy supply means at least until the food to be cooked reaches said preset cooking temperature.