GRAVITY BIASED GRILL WIRES

• US 20040000238A1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hamilton Beach Brands Incorporated (Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Co.)
• Original Assignee: Hamilton Beach/Proctor-Silex Incorporated (Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Co.)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Nhiem Viet
• Granted Patent: US 6,708,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 99/389
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/08 Bread-toasters

Abstract

A toaster including a housing with a toasting compartment, a heater located in the housing, a food cage movably supported in the toasting compartment for movement between a gripping position and a receiving position and a carriage movably supported in the housing. The carriage is permitted movement between a toasting position adjacent a lower portion of the toasting compartment and a loading position adjacent an upper portion of the toasting compartment. The carriage may receive and support a food item to be toasted in the loading position. The food cage is positioned in the receiving position when the carriage is positioned in the loading position and is positioned in the gripping position when the carriage is positioned in the toasting position. The food cage is urged toward the gripping position by gravitational forces as the carriage moves toward the toasting position.

Claims

1. A toaster comprising:

a housing including a toasting compartment;

a heater located in the housing;

a food cage movably supported in the toasting compartment for movement between a gripping position and a receiving position; and

a carriage movably supported in the housing for movement between a toasting position adjacent a lower portion of the toasting compartment and a loading position adjacent an upper portion of the toasting compartment, the carriage configured to receive and support a food item to be toasted in the loading position, the food cage being positioned in the receiving position when the carriage is positioned in the loading position and the food cage being positioned in the gripping position when the carriage is positioned in the toasting position, the food cage being urged toward the gripping position by gravitational forces exerted by the food item as the food item on the carriage moves toward the toasting position.

2. The toaster of claim 1 wherein the housing is comprised of a base, a pair of side walls, a pair of end walls and a cover including a bread slot and where the food cage is pivotally supported by the end walls at pivot points adjacent the base.

3. The toaster of claim 2 wherein the food cage is comprised of a pair of opposed cage assemblies, each cage assembly comprising an upper support rod, a lower support rod, at least one L-shaped support wire and at least one Z-shaped support wire, the upper and lower support rods being positioned generally parallel to a support surface of the toaster and the L-shaped and Z-shaped support wires being positioned generally perpendicular to the support surface, the L-shaped and Z-shaped support wires being secured to the upper and lower support rods.

4. The toaster of claim 3 wherein ends of the lower support rods extend through the pivot points of the end walls and a center of gravity of the food cage is offset toward the toasting compartment from a plane defined by the pivot points and a line extending perpendicularly between a support surface and a pivot point.

5. The toaster of claim 3 wherein a first end of each of the Z-shaped wires extends into the toasting compartment and supports the food item when the carriage is in the toasting position.

6. The toaster of claim 5 wherein the carriage is positioned adjacent the base when in the toasting position while the food cage supports the food item above the carriage.

7. The toaster of claim 5 wherein the carriage has a generally sine-wave shape permitting the carriage to travel through the toasting compartment without contacting the first ends of the Z-shaped rods extending into the toasting compartment.

8. The toaster of claim 2 further comprising stoppers extending from the end walls that provide limits on the movement of the food cage in the receiving position.

9. The toaster of claim 1 wherein the carriage moves the food cage to the receiving position as the carriage moves toward the loading position through contact between contact surfaces of the carriage and the food cage.

10. The toaster of claim 3 wherein the carriage holds the food cage in the receiving position through contact between contact surfaces of the carriage and the L-shaped support wires.

11. A method of gripping and centering a food item in a toasting compartment of a toaster comprising the steps of:

a) inserting the food item onto a carriage that is positioned in a receiving position within the toasting compartment;

b) urging the carriage toward a toasting position; and

c) depositing the food item onto a food cage such that gravitational forces exerted by the food item urge the food cage to grip and center the food item within the toasting compartment.

12. The method of gripping and centering a food item in a toasting compartment of a toaster of claim 11 further comprising the step of:

a) urging the carriage toward the food item at a conclusion of a toasting cycle to return the food item to the receiving position.

13. The method of gripping and centering a food item in a toasting compartment of a toaster of claim 11 wherein at the conclusion of step (c) the carriage is positioned adjacent a base of the toaster, which initiates a heater to energize and heat the food item during a predetermined toasting cycle.