Toaster

• US 5,018,437 A
• Filed: 04/09/1990
• Issued: 05/28/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Antonio B. San Juan
• Original Assignee: Antonio B. San Juan
• Inventors: San Juan, Antonio B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Simone, Timothy F.
• Application Number:
  US07/506,337
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 99/327, 99/329 P, 99/329 RT, 99/329 R, 99/332, 99/389, 99/391, 99/399, 99/402, 219/385, 219/502, 219/492
• US Class Current: 99/327
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/0821 with mechanical clockwork timers

Abstract

Toaster comprising a housing (1), a heating resistance controlled by a switch (2) associated with a timer, a breed carriage (3) guided within the housing and adapted to occupy at least two positions, namely a toasting position in which the carriage (3) closes the switch (2) actuating the timer, and in which the carriage (3) is moved by the user and maintained during the toasting cycle by a catch (5) operated by an electromagnet (6) which comes into engagement with an abutment (7) of the carriage (3), or a rest position into which the carriage (3) is moved by a return spring (8), at the end of the toasting cycle, when the catch (5) frees the abutment (7). The toaster also has a hot-keeping device for the toast which comprises a movable latch (9) adapted to occupy two positions, namely a hot-keeping position in which at the end of the toasting cycle the carriage (3) being displaced slightly toward its rest position so as to open the switch (2), the movable latch (9) is in engagement with a hook (11) carried by the carriage (3)to prevent further displacement of the carriage thereby to retain the toast in the toaster, or an automatic ejection position in which the latch (9) is withdrawn and does not prevent the displacement of the carriage (3) to eject the toast from the toaster.

Claims

1. Toaster comprising a housing (1), a switch (2) for controlling electric power supply to the toaster, a bread carriage (3) guided within the housing and adapted to occupy either a toasting position in which the carriage (3) closes the switch (2), and in which the carriage (3) is moved by the user and maintained during the toasting cycle by a catch (5) operated by an electromagnet (6) which comes into engagement with an abutment (7) of the carriage (3), or a rest position into which the carriage (3) is moved by means of a return spring (8), at the end of the toasting cycle, when the catch (5) frees the abutment (7), a hot-keeping device for the toast comprising a latch (9) movably mounted between a hot-keeping position in which at the end of the toasting cycle the carriage (3) being displaced slightly toward its rest position so as to open the switch (2), the movable latch (9) is in engagement with a hook (11) carried by the carriage (3) to prevent further displacement of the carriage thereby to retain the toast in the toaster, and an automatic ejection position in which the latch (9) is withdrawn and does not prevent the displacement of the carriage (3) to eject the toast from the toaster, wherein the movable latch (9) is slidably mounted in the toaster, and manipulating means (A-B) for sliding the movable latch (9) in a direction (F) transverse to the movement of the carriage (3).

2. Toaster according to claim 1, wherein the sliding of the movable latch (9) toward the carriage (3) in a latching direction (F), is effected by resilient means (13).

3. Toaster according to claim 2, wherein the means for moving the movable latch (9) comprise two push buttons (A, B) arranged to be manipulated alternatively and slidably mounted transversely to said latching direction (F) in contact with elastic members (15), said push buttons (A, B) comprising a first hot-keeping button (A) which can occupy a blocking position in which it blocks the latch (9) in its automatic ejection position, and an engagement position in which it permits the latch (9) to occupy it hot-keeping position, and a second automatic ejection button (B) which can occupy an unblocking position in which it acts on the latch (9) to return the latch (9) to its automatic ejection position and permits said hot-keeping button (A) to move from its engagement position to its blocking position, and a disengagement position in which the latch (9) permits the said hot-keeping button (A) to pass from its blocking position to its engagement position.

4. Toaster according to claim 3, wherein the latch (9) has the form of a plate having two openings (16, 17) traversed by the push buttons (A, B), the hot-keeping button (A) comprising a recess (18) opening opposite to said latching direction (F), into which in the engagement position a corresponding edge (19) of the first opening (16) comes into engagement, while the automatic ejection button (B) comprises a cam (2) directed oppositely to the direction of latching (F), and adapted in unblocking position to bear against a corresponding edge (21) of the second opening (17) so as to cause the latch (9) to slide from its hot-keeping position to its automatic ejection position.

5. Toaster according to claim 1, wherein the hook (11) has, opposite a surface (23) which comes into engagement with an active end (10) of the latch (9) when said latch is in the hot-keeping position, a surface (24) inclined such that, the latch (9) being in the hot-keeping position during displacement of the carriage from the rest position to the toasting position, the inclined surface (24) comes to bear on an active end (10) of the latch (9) which latch thereupon slides toward its automatic ejection position.