Speed cooking oven and control apparatus

• US 6,528,772 B1
• Filed: 01/11/2000
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Graves, Todd Vincent, Head, Jesse Spalding, Kill, Dennis Patrick, Smith, Charles Ray
• Primary Examiner(s): Leung; Philip H.
• Application Number:
  US09/481,271
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 219/681,680,685,702,704,710,719,720,506,482,492,486,487 99/451,325 392/411,416
• US Class Current: 219/680
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/6435 Aspects relating to the user interface of the microwave heating apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/6482 combined with radiant heating, e.g. infrared heating

Abstract

The present invention relates to an oven that includes both radiant cooking elements and a microwave cooking element. The cooking elements are controlled to provide reduced cooking time as compared to known radiant ovens, yet a wide variety of foods can be cooked in the oven. The oven is operable in a speed cooking mode wherein both radiant and microwave cooking elements are utilized, a microwave only cooking mode wherein only the magnetron is utilized, and a radiant only cooking mode wherein only the lamps are utilized.

Claims

1. A speed cooking oven comprising:

a cooking cavity;

a microwave cooking unit for delivering microwave energy into said cooking cavity;

a plurality of radiant lamps for delivering radiant energy into said cooking cavity; and

a control panel operatively connected to said microwave cooking unit and said plurality of radiant lamps, said control panel adapted to receive user input of selected power levels to enable operation of said plurality of radiant lamps and said microwave cooking unit in a speed cooking mode.

2. A speed cooking oven in accordance with claim 1, said control panel further adapted to receive user adjustment of selected power levels of said microwave cooking unit and said plurality of radiant lamps during said speed cooking mode.

3. A speed cooking oven in accordance with claim 2 wherein said power levels of said microwave cooking unit and said plurality of radiant lamps are independently adjustable during operation of said oven.

4. A speed cooking oven in accordance with claim 1 wherein said speed cooking oven further comprises:

a shell comprising an upper panel and a lower section;

an upper cooking unit comprising at least one upper radiant lamp mounted to said upper panel; and

a lower cooking unit comprising at least one radiant lamp mounted to said lower section.

5. A speed cooking oven in accordance with claim 4 wherein said upper cooking unit comprises an upper center lamp and an upper exterior lamp.

6. A speed cooking oven in accordance with claim 4 wherein said cooking cavity comprises a bottom surface, said lower radiant lamp mounted at an angle relative to said bottom surface.

7. A speed cooking oven in accordance with claim 4 wherein said radiant lamps comprise halogen lamps with a color temperature of approximately 2300 K.

8. A speed cooking oven in accordance with claim 4 wherein said lamps are electrically coupled to electronic switching devices for soft start operation.

9. A speed cooking oven in accordance with claim 1 wherein said control panel is selectively operable between a microwave only cooking mode, a radiant only cooking mode, and a speed cooking mode.

10. A speed cooking oven in accordance with claim 9, said oven further comprising a damper adjacent to said microwave cooking unit, said damper adapted to be open in said microwave only mode and closed in said speed cooking and radiant only modes.

11. A speed cooking oven in accordance with claim 1 wherein said control panel comprises rubber tactile switch covers.

12. A speed cooking oven in accordance with claim 1 wherein said control panel is further adapted for user input and adjustment of a cooking time.

13. A speed cooking oven in accordance with claim 1 wherein said control panel is coupled to a microcomputer, said microcomputer programmed to operate said microwave cooking unit and said plurality of heating lamps for a pre-selected target on-time corresponding to a selected power level.

14. A speed cooking oven in accordance with claim 13 wherein said oven further comprises a rotary dial coupled to said control panel, said power levels and said cooking time adjustable with said rotary dial.

15. A speed cooking oven in accordance with claim 13 wherein said microcomputer is programmed to operate said microwave cooking unit and said plurality of radiant lamps at a duty cycle of about 32 seconds.

16. A speed cooking oven in accordance with claim 13 wherein said microcomputer is programmed to energize one of said plurality of radiant lamps for a pre-selected time to illuminate said cooking cavity.

17. A method for operating a speed cooking oven including a microcomputer, a plurality of radiant lamps coupled to the microcomputer and a microwave cooking unit coupled to the microcomputer, said method comprising the steps of:

accepting a power level input for each of the radiant lamps and the microwave cooking unit;

accepting a cooking time input for a cooking mode; and

energizing the microwave cooking unit and the plurality of lamps at the selected power levels for the selected cooking time.

18. A method in accordance with claim 17, further comprising the step of accepting a user adjustment of the power level input for the microwave cooking unit and plurality of lamps during operation of the oven.

19. A method in accordance with claim 18, further comprising the step of accepting a user adjustment of cooking time during operation of the oven.

20. A method in accordance with claim 19 wherein said oven further includes a rotary dial input, said step of accepting an adjustment of cooking time comprises the steps of:

sensing whether the rotary dial has been rotated beyond a predetermined increment, thereby indicating a desired cooking time adjustment;

determining whether the indicated cooking time adjustment is within an acceptable limit;

incrementing the cooking time by one second for each rotated increment of the dial in a first rotational direction when the indicated cooking time adjustment is within acceptable limits;

decrementing the cooking time by one second for each rotated increment of the dial in a second rotational direction when the indicated cooking time adjustment is within acceptable limits; and

preventing adjustment of the cooking time when the indicated cooking time is not within acceptable limits.

21. A method in accordance with claim 19 wherein said microcomputer increments a respective power counter for each second of energization of each radiant lamp, said step of energizing the plurality of lamps comprises the steps of:

comparing the power counter to an on time for each of the plurality of lamps corresponding to the input power levels;

de-energizing each lamp when the respective power count exceeds 20 the respective on time; and

energizing each lamp that is not energized when the respective power counter is less than the respective on time.

22. A method in accordance with claim 21 wherein the step of energizing each lamp comprises the steps of:

incrementing a soft start count;

determining whether the soft start is complete;

executing soft start energization when the soft start is incomplete; and

de-activating soft start energization and resetting the soft start count once the soft start is complete.

23. A speed cooking oven comprising:

a microcomputer;

a cooking cavity;

an upper cooking unit for delivering radiant energy into said cooking cavity and operatively connected to said microcomputer;

a lower cooking unit for delivering radiant energy into said cooking cavity and operatively connected to said microcomputer;

a microwave cooking unit for delivering microwave energy into said cooking cavity and operatively connected to said microcomputer; and

a control panel operatively connected to the said microcomputer for user manipulation of a power level for each of said upper cooking unit, lower cooking unit, and microwave cooking unit and further for user manipulation of a cooking time;

said microcomputer programmed to operate said oven in a microwave only cooking mode, a radiant only cooking mode, and a speed cooking mode for a cooking time in accordance with user input to said control panel.

24. A speed cooking oven as recited in claim 23, further comprising a rotary dial input operatively connected to said control panel for user adjustment of respective power levels of said upper cooking unit, said lower cooking unit, and said microwave cooking unit and for user adjustment of selected cooking time during operation of said oven.