Speed cooking oven and control apparatus
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsTodd Vincent Graves, Dennis Patrick Kill, Jesse Spalding Head, Charles Ray Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to an oven that includes both radiant cooking elements and a microwave cooking element. The cooking elements are controlled to provide reduced cooking time as compared to known radiant ovens, yet a wide variety of foods can be cooked in the oven. The oven is operable in a speed cooking mode wherein both radiant and microwave cooking elements are utilized, a microwave only cooking mode wherein only the magnetron is utilized, and a radiant only cooking mode wherein only the lamps are utilized.
Claims24
A speed cooking oven comprising:
- a cooking cavity;
- a microwave cooking unit for delivering microwave energy into said cooking cavity;
- a plurality of radiant lamps for delivering radiant energy into said cooking cavity;
- and
- a control panel operatively connected to said microwave cooking unit and said plurality of radiant lamps, said control panel adapted to receive user input of selected power levels to enable operation of said plurality of radiant lamps and said microwave cooking unit in a speed cooking mode.
A method for operating a speed cooking oven including a microcomputer, a plurality of radiant lamps coupled to the microcomputer and a microwave cooking unit coupled to the microcomputer, said method comprising the steps of:
- accepting a power level input for each of the radiant lamps and the microwave cooking unit;
- accepting a cooking time input for a cooking mode;
- and
- energizing the microwave cooking unit and the plurality of lamps at the selected power levels for the selected cooking time.
A speed cooking oven comprising:
- a microcomputer;
- a cooking cavity;
- an upper cooking unit for delivering radiant energy into said cooking cavity and operatively connected to said microcomputer;
- a lower cooking unit for delivering radiant energy into said cooking cavity and operatively connected to said microcomputer;
- a microwave cooking unit for delivering microwave energy into said cooking cavity and operatively connected to said microcomputer;
- and
- a control panel operatively connected to the said microcomputer for user manipulation of a power level for each of said upper cooking unit, lower cooking unit, and microwave cooking unit and further for user manipulation of a cooking time;
- said microcomputer programmed to operate said oven in a microwave only cooking mode, a radiant only cooking mode, and a speed cooking mode for a cooking time in accordance with user input to said control panel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.