POWERED COOKING ACCESSORY FOR AN OVEN CAVITY

• US 20160095469A1
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Published: 04/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Gregory, Christopher A., Wier, Nathan C.
• Granted Patent: US 10,524,614 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/32 Time-controlled igniting mechanisms or alarm devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/041 with food supports rotating about a horizontal axis A47J37/042 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/06 Roasters; Grills; Sandwich grills
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/166 with integrated heating means
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/06 Arrangement or mounting of electric heating elements

Abstract

A powered cooking accessory for use in an oven includes a body receivable within an interior of the oven and a first electronic device received within a portion of the body. The accessory further includes a device coupling extending from the body and having a power coupling exposed thereon and electrically connected with the electronic device. The device coupling has an identification element encoded with information regarding at least one characteristic of the accessory and is coupleable with the oven to receive electrical power from the oven and to communicate the information encoded with the identification element to the oven.

Claims

1. A powered cooking accessory for use in an oven, comprising:

a body receivable within an interior of the oven;

a first electronic device received within a portion of the body; and

a device coupling extending from the body and having a power coupling exposed thereon and electrically connected with the electronic device, the device coupling having an identification element encoded with information regarding at least one characteristic of the accessory and being coupleable with the oven to receive electrical power from the oven and to communicate the information encoded with the identification element to the oven.

2. The powered cooking accessory of claim 1, wherein:

the body defines a body type;

the electronic device defines one of a device type or a device configuration; and

the at least one characteristic of the accessory includes at least one of the body type, the device type, and the device configuration.

3. The powered cooking accessory of claim 2, wherein:

the body type is such that the body defines a cooking surface;

the device type includes a heating element; and

the device configuration includes the heating element being positioned beneath the cooking surface.

4. The powered cooking accessory of claim 2, wherein:

the body type is such that the body defines a cooking vessel;

the device type includes a heating element; and

the device configuration includes the heating element being positioned within the cooking vessel.

5. The powered cooking accessory of claim 2, wherein:

the body type is such that the body defines a rotisserie; and

the device type includes a motor; and

the device configuration includes the motor being operatively coupled with the rotisserie to drive rotation thereof.

6. The powered cooking accessory of claim 2, wherein:

the body type is such that the body defines a grill grate; and

the device type includes a heating element; and

the device configuration includes the heating element being positioned beneath the grill grate.

7. The powered cooking accessory of claim 1, wherein the device coupling comprises a plurality of pins, at least some of the pins being included within the power coupling, at least some of the plurality of pins being included within the identification element and having respective lengths thereof configured to encode the information regarding the at least one characteristic of the accessory.

8. The powered cooking accessory of claim 7, wherein the plurality of pins are distributed among a first group of pins and a second group of pins, the pins included within the power coupling being in the first group and the pins included within the identification element being within the second group of pins.

9. The powered cooking accessory of claim 1, wherein the identification element includes a wireless communication element.

10. A cooking system, comprising:

an oven defining an interior cavity and including a connection port on a surface of the interior cavity; and

a powered cooking accessory, including;

a body receivable within an interior of the oven;

a first electronic device coupled with the body; and

a device coupling extending from the body and having a power coupling exposed thereon and electrically connected with the electronic device, the device coupling further having an identification element encoded with information regarding at least one characteristic of the accessory;

wherein the device coupling is receivable by the connection port, the connection port providing electrical power to the power coupling and receiving the information encoded with the identification element.

11. The cooking system of claim 10, wherein the oven includes electronic circuitry programmed to provide a selected list of cooking program options corresponding to an electronic device type included within the information communicated by the identification element.

12. The cooking system of claim 10, wherein:

the body of the powered cooking accessory defines a body type;

the electronic device of the powered cooking accessory defines one of a device type or a device configuration; and

the at least one characteristic of the accessory includes at least one of the body type, the device type, and the device configuration.

13. The cooking system of claim 12, wherein the oven, when the device coupling is received with the connection port, the oven provides electrical power to the electronic device through the power coupling, the oven operating within an output range at which the electrical power is provided based on the at least one characteristic of the accessory.

14. The cooking system of claim 10, wherein the connection port includes a power connection and at least one communication element, the connection port coupling with the power coupling when the device coupling is received within the connection port and the communication element receiving the information from the identification element.

15. The cooking system of claim 14, wherein:

the device coupling comprises a plurality of pins, at least some of the pins being included within the power coupling and at least some of the plurality of pins further being included within the identification element and having respective lengths thereof;

the connection port includes at least one power connection receiving the pins included within the power coupling and is configured to determine the respective lengths of the pins included within the identification element to receive the information regarding the at least one characteristic of the accessory.

16. A method for operating a cooking system, comprising:

receiving information from a powered cooking accessory positioned within an interior cavity of an oven, the powered cooking accessory including a body receivable within an interior of the oven, a first electronic device coupled with the body, and a device coupling extending from the body;

determining at least one characteristic of the powered cooking accessory; and

providing electrical power to the electronic device by an electrical coupling between the device coupling and a connection port within the interior cavity of the oven at a predetermined output level based on the at least one characteristic thereof.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the powered cooking accessory defines a cooking accessory type;

the electronic device of the powered cooking accessory defines at least one of a device type or a device configuration; and

the at least one characteristic of the accessory includes at least one of the cooking accessory type, the device type, and the device configuration

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the device coupling further includes an identification element encoded with information regarding the at least one characteristic of the accessory;

and

the step of receiving the information from the accessory includes receiving the information from the identification element.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

the device coupling includes a plurality of pins, at least some of the pins being included within the identification element and having respective lengths thereof; and

the information is received from the identification element by determining the respective lengths of the pins included within the identification element and comparing the respective lengths to data reflecting a relationship between the respective lengths of the pins and the information regarding the at last one characteristic of the accessory.

20. The method of claim 16, further including providing a selected list of cooking program options corresponding to at least one characteristic of the powered cooking accessory.