Bread producing machine

• US 4,951,559 A
• Filed: 01/30/1989
• Issued: 08/28/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Shibata, Morio, Arao, Yuzuru, Yamaguchi, shigeru, Nakakura, Hirofumi, Shibata, Tsuneo, Kunihiro, Yukitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Simone, Timothy F.
• Application Number:
  US07/340,093
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 99/348, 99/352, 99/353, 99/483, 99/484, 99/486, 99/328, 99/329 R, 99/331, 99/467, 99/468, 366/69, 366/98, 366/144-146, 426/504, 426/512
• US Class Current: 99/348
• CPC Class Codes: A21B 3/04 Air-treatment devices for ovens, e.g. regulating humidity
• CPC Class Codes: A21B 7/005 in combination with mixing or kneading devices

Abstract

A bread producing machine comprises a baking case for accommodating bread materials, a baking chamber for accommodating the baking case, a mixing, kneading means for mixing, kneading the bread materials within the baking case, a heating means for heating the baking case, an air inlet route and an exhaust route including the baking chamber a fan for compulsory blast use is disposed in the course of the exhaust rate. The exhaust route is located at its one end above the baking case so as to confront the upper portion side wall of the baking chamber as an air inlet port, and confronts at its other end an outer side exhaust port provided in an outer cover. The ventilation by the driving operation of the fan becomes a suction type, such that the baking chamber is set in the negative pressure region so that the steam venting step after the bread baking step positively and quickly exhausts the steam existing not only on the top surface of the bread, but also in the gap between the bread periphery and the bread baking case.

Claims

1. An apparatus for producing bread, comprising

an outer case;

a baking chamber within said outer case, said baking chamber having at least one side wall;

a baking case detachably securable within said baking chamber for receiving bread raw materials;

means for kneading the bread raw materials within said baking case;

means disposed within said outer case for heating said baking case;

air inlet means allowing communication between the atmosphere and said baking chamber and therefore said baking case; and

air exhaust means allowing communication between said baking chamber, and therefore said baking case, and the atmosphere, said air exhaust means including an exhaust air inlet port located in said side wall of said baking chamber at a position at least partially above said baking case, an exhaust air exhaust port on said outer case, exhaust duct means providing air communication between said inlet port and said exhaust port, and fan means disposed within said exhaust duct means for drawing a flow of air into said inlet port and blowing the air out of said exhaust port, whereby the air pressure within said baking chamber, and therefore said baking case, is reduced during operation of said fan means.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising control means operatively connected to said means for heating said case and to said fan means, said control means causing operation of both said means for heating said case and said fan means during a steam venting operation.

3. An apparatus as in claim 2, wherein said control means causes the energization ratio of both said means for heating said case and said fan means to be reduced with time during said steam venting operation.

4. An apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising control means operatively connected to said means for kneading and to said fan means, said control means causing operation of said fan means during operation of said means for kneading, said control means initiating operation of said fan means a set period of time after initiating operating of said means for kneading.