Cooking apparatus

• US 5,455,404 A
• Filed: 02/15/1995
• Issued: 10/03/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sakai, Masayuki, Kume, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Simone, Timothy F.
• Application Number:
  US08/389,027
• Time in Patent Office: 230 Days
• Field of Search: 99/325, 99/451, 99/331-333, 99/DIG. 14, 219/705, 219/707, 219/708, 219/730, 219/754, 219/518, 219/492, 177/144, 177/244, 177/245, 177/256, 426/233, 426/243, 426/524
• US Class Current: 219/708
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/6435 Aspects relating to the user interface of the microwave heating apparatus

Abstract

A cooking apparatus provided with a weight unit changing key for changing a weight unit and an operation detection means for detecting that the weight unit changing key has been operated plural times, wherein when the operation detection means detects that the weight unit changing key has been operated plural times, the apparatus is placed in a standby state for the weight unit changing operation, and the weight unit can be changed by the subsequent operation so that a user not familiar with the apparatus can easily change the weight unit without a failure.

Claims

1. A cooking apparatus capable of cooking an object to be cooked based on a weight of said object, a weight unit and a heating sequence for said object which have been set in said cooking apparatus, comprising:

a heating chamber which houses said object;

a heating unit for heating said object housed in said heating chamber;

a key unit having numerical keys for entering the weight of said object and a weight unit changing key for changing the weight unit;

weight unit storage means for storing the weight unit that has been set;

heating control means for controlling said heating unit according to the weight entered with said numerical keys and the weight unit stored in said weight unit storage means;

operation detection means for detecting whether or not said weight unit changing key has been operated plural times; and

a weight unit changing means for changing the weight unit stored in said weight unit storage means when said operation detection means detects that said weight unit changing key has been operated plural times.

2. A cooking apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said key unit includes a start key for driving said heating unit and an automatic cooking setting key for reading the heating sequence that has been set, and

one of the keys provided in said key unit is used as said weight unit changing key as well as for another function.

3. A cooking apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said key unit includes a start key for starting a cooking operation and an automatic cooking setting key for reading the heating sequence that has been set,

a plurality of the keys provided in said key unit are used as said weight unit changing key as well as for other functions, and

said operation detection means detects whether or not said plurality of the keys are operated at the same time.

4. A cooking apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said key unit includes a start key for starting a cooking operation and an automatic cooking setting key for reading the heating sequence that has been set,

a plurality of the keys provided in said key unit are used as said weight unit changing key as well as for other functions, and

said operation detection means detects whether or not said plurality of the keys are operated sequentially.

5. A cooking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said weight unit changing means changes the weight unit stored in said weight unit storage means every time said weight unit changing key is operated after said operation detection means detects that said weight unit changing key has been operated plural times.

6. A cooking apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said weight unit changing means changes the weight unit stored in said weight unit storage means every time said weight unit changing key is operated after said operation detection means detects that said weight unit changing key has been operated plural times.

7. A cooking apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said weight unit changing means changes the weight unit stored in said weight unit storage means every time said weight unit changing key is operated after said operation detection means detects that said weight unit changing key has been operated plural times.

8. A cooking apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said weight unit changing means changes the weight unit stored in said weight unit storage means every time said weight unit changing key is operated after said operation detection means detects that said weight unit changing key has been operated plural times.

9. A cooking apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a timer,

wherein said weight unit changing means is inhibited from changing the weight unit after said timer has counted a predetermined time.

10. A cooking apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a timer,

wherein said weight unit changing means is inhibited from changing the weight unit after said timer has counted a predetermined time.

11. A cooking apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a timer,

wherein the weight unit changing means is inhibited from changing the weight unit after said timer has counted a predetermined time.

12. A cooking apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a timer,

wherein said weight unit changing means is inhibited from changing the weight unit after said timer has counted a predetermined time.

13. A cooking apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a timer,

wherein said weight unit changing means is inhibited from changing the weight unit after said timer has counted a predetermined time.