Apparatus for controlling toast color in a toaster oven
AssigneeToastmaster Inc.
InventorPeter E. Huggler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for controlling the heating of toast in a toaster oven broiler. The adjustment shaft for the thermostat which controls the baking and broiling modes receives a circular dial having toast color indications thereon corresponding to light, medium and dark toast colors. The dial is rotatable on the thermostat shaft under the control of a bimetal strip which responds to temperature changes in the oven cavity. As the oven temperature increases during each successive toasting cycle, the dial rotates and at the end of the cycle indicates the thermostat setting that will achieve the desired toast color for the next toasting cycle.
Claims7
In a toaster oven having an oven cavity for receiving food including bread to be toasted, means for heating the oven cavity, a thermostat for controlling said heating means, a temperature scale, a manually operated control member for setting the thermostat, and an indicator mark on said control member for indicating on said temperature scale the temperature setting of the thermostat, the combination therewith of:
- a movable toast color scale located adjacent said temperature scale and movable independently of said control member along a preselected path corresponding to the path of movement of said control member when same is adjusted to vary the thermostat setting;
- temperature sensitive means for effecting movement of said toast color scale along said preselected path in a first direction when the oven cavity temperature increases and in a second direction opposite said first direction when the oven cavity temperature decreases, said first direction corresponding to movement of said control member in a direction to increase the temperature setting of the thermostat;
- and
- a plurality of toast color indications on said color scale each indicating a different desired toast color, each color indication moving with said color scale along the temperature scale and being located thereon to align with a temperature indication on the temperature scale that will effect toasting of the bread to the corresponding color when said control member is moved to set said indicator mark at the color indication and the thermostat is subsequently satisfied to deenergize the heating means.
In a toaster oven having an oven cavity for receiving food including bread to be toasted, means for heating the oven cavity, a thermostat for controlling said heating means, a rotary knob for varying the thermostat setting, a temperature scale around the knob and an indicator mark on the knob for indicating the thermostat setting on the temperature scale, the combination therewith of:
- a toast color dial adjacent said knob and supported for rotary movement about said knob;
- means independent of said thermostat for sensing the oven temperature cavity;
- means for effecting rotary movement of said dial about said knob in one rotational direction when said sensing means senses increasing temperature in the oven cavity and in the opposite rotational direction when said sensing means senses decreasing temperature in the oven cavity, said one rotational direction corresponding to the direction said knob is turned to increase the thermostat setting;
- and
- a plurality of toast color indications on said dial spaced apart thereon in an arcuate pattern and each indicating a different desired toast color, each color indication being located, when the oven cavity is at room temperature, in a position corresponding to a temperature indication on said temperature scale to which the oven cavity must be heated to effect the corresponding toast color,
- whereby successive loads of bread can be toasted to the desired color by turning the knob to set said indicator mark at the corresponding color indication and removing the toast when the thermostat is satisfied to deenergize said heating means before loading the next load of bread into the oven cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.