U.S. patent application number 14/688961 was filed with the patent office on 2015-10-22 for countertop oven with thin-film heating element.
The applicant listed for this patent is Spectrum Brands, Inc.. Invention is credited to Victor Tenorio Chamixaes Cavalcanti, David William Everett, JR., Matthew Arthur Christian Guckenberger, Charles Nelson, Jacob Daniel Smith.
Application Number | 20150305093 14/688961 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54320894 |
Filed Date | 2015-10-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150305093 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Smith; Jacob Daniel ; et
al. |
October 22, 2015 |
COUNTERTOP OVEN WITH THIN-FILM HEATING ELEMENT
Abstract
A cooking appliance includes an inner housing with an inner wall
defining an interior space, an outer housing that includes an outer
wall having an inner surface opposed to and spaced from an outer
surface of the inner wall to define an insulating layer
therebetween, and at least one thin-film heating element coupled to
the outer surface of the inner wall.
Inventors: |
Smith; Jacob Daniel;
(Madison, WI) ; Everett, JR.; David William;
(Verona, WI) ; Cavalcanti; Victor Tenorio Chamixaes;
(Madison, WI) ; Nelson; Charles; (Minneapolis,
MN) ; Guckenberger; Matthew Arthur Christian;
(Oconomowoc, WI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Spectrum Brands, Inc. |
Middleton |
WI |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
54320894 |
Appl. No.: |
14/688961 |
Filed: |
April 16, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61980468 |
Apr 16, 2014 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
219/391 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H05B 3/265 20130101;
H05B 3/46 20130101; A23L 5/13 20160801; H05B 3/68 20130101; H05B
3/84 20130101; A23L 5/10 20160801; D06F 75/38 20130101; A47J
37/0611 20130101; H05B 2203/021 20130101; H05B 3/74 20130101; D06F
75/18 20130101; H05B 3/26 20130101; A47J 37/0676 20130101; D06F
79/026 20130101; H05B 1/0269 20130101; H05B 3/141 20130101; H05B
2203/013 20130101; A23V 2002/00 20130101; A47J 31/542 20130101;
H05B 1/0255 20130101; H05B 3/681 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H05B 3/68 20060101
H05B003/68; H05B 3/26 20060101 H05B003/26 |
Claims
1. A cooking appliance comprising: an inner housing enclosing an
interior space, the inner housing comprising an inner wall having
an outer surface; an outer housing comprising an outer wall having
an inner surface opposed to and spaced from the outer surface of
the inner wall to define an insulating region therebetween; and at
least one thin-film heating element coupled to the outer surface of
the inner wall.
2. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein each of the at least
one thin-film heating elements comprises a resistive film extending
between a pair of electrical bus bars.
3. The cooking appliance of claim 2 wherein the resistive film is
coupled to the outer surface of the inner wall.
4. The cooking appliance of claim 2 wherein the first resistive
film comprises a metal oxide.
5. The cooking appliance of claim 4 wherein the metal oxide
comprises tin oxide.
6. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the inner wall is
constructed of at least one of: ceramic, clay, stone, glass,
concrete, brick, and porcelain.
7. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the inner wall
comprises a substantially transparent material.
8. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the outer housing
comprises a substantially transparent material.
9. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the at least one
thin-film heating element comprises an upper thin-film heating
element situated on a top portion of the inner housing.
10. The cooking appliance of claim 9, wherein the at least one
thin-film heating element further comprises a lower thin-film
heating element situated on a bottom portion of the inner
housing.
11. The cooking appliance of claim 10, further comprising a
controller configured to operate the at least one thin-film heating
element in accordance with a selected mode of a plurality of
selectable modes, wherein operating parameters for the at least one
thin-film heating element varies between the plurality of
selectable modes, the selectable modes comprising modulation of the
upper thin-film heating element and the lower thin-film heating
element to maintain a predetermined temperature in the interior
space.
12. A toaster oven comprising: an outer housing enclosing an
interior space, the outer housing comprising a top wall defining an
aperture passing therethrough; a thin-film heating element situated
within the aperture and coupled to the top wall; a panel positioned
over the thin-film heating element and spaced from the thin-film
heating element to define an insulating region therebetween.
13. The toaster oven of claim 12, wherein the thin-film heating
element comprises a resistive film coupled to an outer surface of
an electrically non-conductive substrate, the resistive film
extending between a pair of electrical bus bars.
14. The toaster oven of claim 13 wherein the resistive film
comprises a metal oxide.
15. The toaster oven of claim 14 wherein the metal oxide comprises
tin oxide.
16. The toaster oven of claim 13, wherein the electrically
non-conductive substrate and the panel comprise a substantially
transparent material.
17. A pizza oven comprising: an inner housing enclosing an interior
space, the inner housing comprising a transparent inner top panel
having an outer surface; an outer housing comprising a transparent
outer top panel having an inner surface opposed to and spaced from
the outer surface of the inner top panel to define an insulating
region therebetween; and a first thin-film heating element coupled
to the outer surface of the inner top panel.
18. The pizza oven of claim 17, wherein the thin-film heating
element comprises a resistive film extending between a pair of
electrical bus bars.
19. The pizza oven of claim 18, wherein the resistive film is
coupled to the outer surface of the inner wall.
20. The pizza oven of claim 17, further comprising a lower heating
element situated on a bottom portion of the inner housing.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/980,468 filed Apr. 16, 2014, which is
incorporated herein in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present invention relates generally to cooking
appliances used for baking foods, and more particularly to an oven
capable of cooking different types of food products relatively
quickly and properly.
[0003] Cooking appliances such as portable or tabletop cooking
appliances including, e.g., pizza ovens and toaster ovens are used
for baking various foods including, but not limited to,
crusted-type foods, e.g., breads, pizzas, calzones, and the like.
One drawback associated with at least some known cooking appliances
is that they may be designed for only cooking a single type of food
product. To cook a single type of food product, an oven may be
designed to provide heat energy (e.g., infrared, convection, etc.)
in a manner that facilitates optimizing cooking of that single type
of food product, but that is inefficient and/or ineffective in
cooking different types of food products.
[0004] For example, a cooking appliance may be designed to only
cook a first type of food product (e.g., frozen pizza).
Accordingly, if the same cooking appliance is used to cook a second
type of food product (e.g., deep dish pizza), the second type of
food product may be cooked improperly (e.g., unevenly heated,
underheated, burned, soggy, etc.) in the cooking appliance.
[0005] Moreover, at least some known cooking appliances may have
relatively long pre-heat times (e.g., 15 minutes or longer). This
results in relatively long overall cook times, which are generally
undesirable.
[0006] There is a need, therefore, for countertop cooking appliance
that is capable of cooking different types of food products quickly
and properly.
SUMMARY
[0007] In one embodiment, a cooking appliance generally comprises
an inner housing enclosing an interior space, with the inner
housing generally comprising an inner wall having an outer surface.
An outer housing generally comprises an outer wall having an inner
surface opposed to and spaced from the outer surface of the inner
wall to define an insulating region therebetween. At least one
thin-film heating element is coupled to the outer surface of the
inner wall.
[0008] In another embodiment, a toaster oven generally comprises an
outer housing enclosing an interior space, with the outer housing
comprising a top wall defining an aperture passing therethrough. A
thin-film heating element is situated within the aperture and
coupled to the top wall. A panel is positioned over the thin-film
heating element and spaced from the thin-film heating element to
define an insulating region therebetween.
[0009] In yet another embodiment, a pizza oven generally comprises
an inner housing enclosing an interior space, with the inner
housing generally comprising a transparent inner top panel having
an outer surface. An outer housing generally comprises a
transparent outer top panel having an inner surface opposed to and
spaced from the outer surface of the inner top panel to define an
insulating region therebetween. A first thin-film heating element
is coupled to the outer surface of the inner top panel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance in
accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a front view of the cooking appliance shown in
FIG. 1 with the outer front panel removed to view the interior;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cooking appliance shown
in FIG. 1 with the outer door and inner door opened to view the
interior;
[0013] FIG. 4 a perspective view of the cooking appliance shown in
FIG. 1 with the outer door and inner door opened to view the
interior;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a front view of the cooking appliance shown in
FIG. 1 with the outer front panel removed to view the interior
containing a food item;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a toaster oven in accordance
with one embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0016] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a pizza oven embodiment of
the cooking appliance in accordance with one embodiment of the
present disclosure; and
[0017] FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a pizza oven
embodiment shown in FIG. 7.
[0018] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding
parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] With reference now to the drawings and in particular to
FIGS. 1-5, a cooking appliance according to one embodiment of the
present disclosure is generally indicated as 100. In this
embodiment, the cooking appliance 100 is an oven for cooking food
products, such as crusted foods (e.g., breads, pizzas, calzones,
and the like). By way of non-limiting example, the cooking
appliance 100 may be a pizza oven. In other embodiments, the
cooking appliance 100 may be what is commonly referred to as a
toaster oven. The cooking appliance 100 includes an outer housing
200 enclosing an inner housing (not shown) having an interior space
602 defined therein. To cook a food product 606, the food product
606 is placed within the interior space 602, as described
herein.
[0020] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the outer housing 200 includes
an outer top 202, an outer bottom 208, an outer front 210, an outer
back 212, and two outer sides 204/206. The outer back 212 and/or
the outer sides 204/206 may include outer vents (not illustrated)
for dissipating heat generated during operation of the cooking
appliance 100. A set of outer legs 214 extend from the outer bottom
208 to support the outer housing 200 on a surface (e.g., a
countertop, not illustrated). The outer housing 300 is configured
to enclose the inner housing 200 and additionally an insulating
region 220 situated between the outer housing 200 and the inner
housing 300. The insulating region 220 may contain a
non-electrically conductive and thermally insulating material
surrounding the inner housing 300 to inhibit heat losses from the
interior space 602 during use, to inhibit the heating of the outer
housing 200, and to effectuate the function of the thin-film
heating elements 400 and/or 500 as described herein below. In
alternative embodiments, the insulating region 220 may be filled in
whole or in part by a non-electrically conductive insulating
material. Non-limiting examples of suitable insulating materials
contained within the insulating region 220 include: air or other
gas layers; a foam insulative material, a fibrous insulative
material such as fiberglass, a shredded insulative material such as
cellulose insulation, and any other known non-electrically
conductive insulating material.
[0021] Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the inner housing 300
includes an inner top 302, an inner bottom 308, an inner front 310,
an inner back 312, and two inner sides 304/306. The inner back 312
and/or the outer sides 304/306 may include inner vents (not
illustrated) for dissipating heat generated during operation of the
cooking appliance 100.
[0022] Referring to FIG. 3, at least a portion of the outer front
210 may be pivotably coupled or hinged to an element of the outer
housing 200 to facilitate access to the inner housing 300 of the
cooking appliance 100, thereby functioning as an outer door 216. In
this aspect, the outer door 216 is pivotable between an open
position (as shown in FIG. 3) and a closed position (as shown in
FIG. 1). In the open position, the inner housing 300 is exposed to
facilitate inserting and removing a food product 606 from the
interior space 602 within the inner housing 300 of the cooking
appliance 100.
[0023] Referring again to FIG. 3, at least a portion of the inner
front 310 may be pivotably coupled to an element of the inner
housing 300 to facilitate access to the inner housing 300 of the
cooking appliance 100, thereby functioning as an inner door 316. In
this aspect, the inner door 316 is pivotable between an open
position (as shown in FIG. 3) and a closed position (as shown in
FIG. 1). In the open position, the inner housing 300 is exposed to
facilitate inserting and removing a food product 606 from the
interior space 602 within the inner housing 300 of the cooking
appliance 100. In other embodiments, the inner door 316 and outer
door 216 may be assembled together as a single unit for conjoint
pivoting to open and close the cooking appliance 100.
[0024] During cooking, the inner door 316 and the outer door 216
are placed in the closed position to facilitate heating the
interior space 602. Referring to FIG. 1, the outer door 216 may
include an outer handle 218 to facilitate moving the door 216
between the open and closed positions during use. Similarly, the
inner door 316 may include an inner handle 318 to facilitate moving
the door 316 between the open and closed positions during use. In
this embodiment, the outer door 216 is pivotably coupled proximate
to one outer side 206 and the inner door 316 is pivotably coupled
proximate to one inner side 206. Alternatively, the outer door 216
may be coupled proximate to another outer side 204, the outer
bottom 208, and/or the outer top 202 using any suitable coupling
mechanism that enables the outer door 216 to function as described
herein. In addition, the inner door 316 alternatively may be
coupled proximate to another inner side 304, the inner bottom 308,
and/or the inner top 302 using any suitable coupling mechanism that
enables the inner door 316 to function as described herein. In
various embodiments, the outer door 216 and the inner door 316 may
be hinged proximate to similar regions of the cooking appliance 100
including, but not limited to: the left front, as illustrated in
FIG. 3, the top front, the bottom front, the right front, and any
other suitable region of the cooking appliance 100 without
limitation. In various other embodiments, the outer door 216 and
inner door 316 may by hinged proximate to different regions of the
of the cooking appliance 100. By way of non-limiting example,
illustrated in FIG. 4, the outer door 216 may be hinged to the
outer bottom 208 and the inner door 316 may be hinged to one inner
side 306.
[0025] As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the food product 606 may be supported
within the interior space 602 of the cooking appliance 100 by a
bottom tray 604 resting on the bottom surface 320 defined by the
inner bottom 308 of the inner housing 300. In other embodiments, as
illustrated in FIG. 2, the food product 606 may be supported by one
or more trays 612 affixed between the inner sides 304/306 of the
inner housing 300. In these other embodiments, the cooking
appliance 100 may further include one or more paired tray supports
608 affixed to the side surfaces 322 and 324 defined by the sides
304 and 306, respectively, of the inner housing 300, as illustrated
in FIG. 2. Each pair of tray supports 608 defines a support means
610 for receiving a tray (not shown), as described in detail herein
below. In various embodiments (not shown), the cooking appliance
100 may include two or more paired tray supports 608 to provide two
or more support means 610 situated at two or more different heights
above the bottom surface 320 within the interior space 602.
Non-limiting examples of suitable tray support means 610 include a
groove, a slot, a shelf, and the like.
[0026] In various embodiments, the cooking appliance 100 further
includes at least one thin-film heating element. As used herein, a
thin-film heating element refers to an electrically conductive
material (e.g., a conductive film) deposited on a substrate for
heating the substrate. The heating element is said to be a
"thin-film" heating element in the sense that the substrate and the
electrically conductive material have a collective thickness that
is only marginally greater than the substrate itself (i.e., the
material forms a thin film on the substrate).
[0027] The thin-film heating element may include, for example, a
metal oxide (e.g., tin oxide) resistive film bounded on opposing
edges by electrical bus bars. By applying a voltage between the bus
bars, current flows through the resistive film, heating the
resistive film and a substrate on which the resistive film is
deposited. Using a thin-film heating element improves power
efficiency, heating uniformity, and speed of heating. Further, the
thinness and conductive heat directionality of a thin-film heating
element also permit a cooking appliance to have a thinner profile.
In various embodiments, thin-film heating elements may instead or
additionally be applied to baking plates, cooking racks (e.g.,
metallic or glass racks), and/or any other heating surface.
[0028] Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cooking appliance 100
in one embodiment may include an upper thin-film heating element
400 and/or a lower thin-film heating element 500. The upper
thin-film heating element 400 is coupled to the exposed outer
surface 326 of the inner top 302, which serves as an electrically
insulating substrate. In other embodiments (not shown) thin-film
heating elements may be instead or additionally situated on the
exposed outer surfaces of one or more of the sides of the inner
housing 300 including, but not limited to, the inner top 302, the
inner bottom 308, the inner front 310, the inner back 312 and/or
the inner sides 304 and/or 306.
[0029] Referring to FIG. 2, the upper thin-film heating element 400
may be positioned between the outer top 202 of the outer housing
200 and the inner top 302 of the inner housing 300 with the
insulating region 220 situated between the outer top 202 and the
inner top 302, thereby forming an insulative air gap. Heat
generated by the upper thin-film heating element 400 radiates
downward, through the inner top 302. Notably, the heat generated by
the upper thin-film heating element 400 is substantially
unidirectional, and little to no heat generated by the upper
thin-film heating element 400 is radiated upward, through the outer
top 202. The outer top 202 also prevents a user from accidentally
coming into contact with the thin-film heat element 400 during
operation.
[0030] Similarly, the lower thin-film heating element 500 may be
positioned between the outer bottom 208 of the outer housing 200
and the inner bottom 308 of the inner housing 300 with the
insulating region 220 situated between the outer bottom 208 and the
inner bottom 308, thereby forming an insulative air gap. Heat
generated by the lower thin-film heating element 500 radiates
upward, through the inner bottom 308. Notably, the heat generated
by the lower thin-film heating element 500 is substantially
unidirectional, and little to no heat generated by the lower
thin-film heating element 500 is radiated downward, through the
outer bottom 208. The outer bottom 208 also prevents a user or
countertop from accidentally coming into contact with the thin-film
heat element 500 during operation.
[0031] The upper thin-film heating element 400 includes an upper
resistive film 402 extending between a first upper bus bar 404 and
a second upper bus bar 406. The lower thin-film heating element 500
is coupled to the exposed surface 328 of the inner bottom 308,
which serves as an electrically insulating substrate. The lower
thin-film heating element 500 includes a lower resistive film 502
extending between a first lower bus bar 504 and a second lower bus
bar 506.
[0032] In this embodiment, the resistive films 402 and 502 of the
upper and lower thin-film heating elements 400 and 500 are sputter
coated onto the respective exposed upper and lower surfaces 326 and
328. Thin-film heating elements 400 and 500 may each have an output
power of approximately 1500 Watts.
[0033] The upper heating element 400 may have a maximum power
output of, for example, up to 2200 Watts (W). For example, in one
embodiment, the upper heating element 400 has a maximum power
output of 450 W. Further, in some embodiments, the maximum power
output may be more than 2200 W.
[0034] The lower heating element 500 may have a maximum power
output of, for example, up to 2200 Watts (W). For example, in one
embodiment, the lower heating element 500 has a maximum power
output of 450 W. Further, in some embodiments, the maximum power
output may be more than 2200 W.
[0035] The thin-film heating elements 400 and 500 may have a
combined maximum power output of, for example, up to 2200 W. For
example, in one embodiment, each of the thin-film heating elements
400 and 500 has a maximum power output of 750 W, for a combined
output power of 1500 W. In some embodiments, at least some of the
thin-film heating elements 400 and 500 have different maximum power
outputs from each other. For example, the thin-film heating element
400 may have a higher maximum power output than the remaining upper
heating elements 160.
[0036] In the embodiment shown, the thin-film heating elements 400
and 500 are substantially planar. Alternatively, the heating
elements 400 and 500 may have any suitable shape. For example, ribs
(i.e., substantially parallel bars) may be formed on the heating
elements 400 and 500 to facilitate forming sear marks on cooked
food products. Notably, in this embodiment, the lower thin-film
heating element 500 and inner bottom 308 form a non-scratch
surface. Accordingly, once a food product is cooked using the
cooking appliance 100, the food product may be cut while resting on
the inner bottom 308.
[0037] Notably, the thin-film heating elements 400 and 500 and
associated substrates (inner top 302 and inner bottom 308) may be
substantially transparent. At least a portion of the remaining
outer housing 200 and inner housing 300 may be substantially
transparent. Accordingly, as seen in FIGS. 1-4, during cooking, a
user may view the food product inside of the cooking appliance 100
by looking through the essentially transparent portions of the
inner and outer housings 200 and 300. This allows a user to view
the food product without needing to open the cooking appliance 100,
which would generate in a loss of heat within the cooking appliance
100.
[0038] Because of the thin-film heating elements 400 and/or 500,
the cooking appliance 100 may heat up faster than at least some
known cooking appliances, and may also provide improved thermal
recovery and temperature stabilization. Further, the thin-film
heating elements 400 and 500 cook food products using a combination
of infrared and conduction cooking. Moreover, because the food
product cooked within the cooking appliance 100 is not squeezed
between the lower heating element 500 and the upper heating element
400, the food product may retain more moisture during cooking as
opposed to if the food product was cooked in at least some known
cooking appliances. The cooking appliance 100 may be powered using
direct current (DC) power or alternating current (AC) power.
[0039] In an additional embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 6, the
cooking appliance 100 may be a toaster oven 100A. FIG. 6 is a
perspective view of one embodiment of a toaster oven 100A that
includes one or more thin-film heating elements 1002. The toaster
oven 100A includes a housing 200 defining an interior space 1024.
The housing 200 includes a top wall 1004, a bottom wall 1006, two
opposing side walls 1008, and a back wall 1010. A plurality of legs
1012 extend downward from the bottom wall 1006.
[0040] As shown in FIG. 6, the top wall 1004 includes an aperture
1014 defined therethrough. The thin-film heating element 1002 is
sized to fit in the aperture 1014 and couple to the top wall 1004.
In some embodiments, aperture 1014 may be defined by a ledge (not
shown) that supports the thin-film heating element 1002.
[0041] In this embodiment, the thin-film heating element 1002
includes a resistive film 1020 applied to a substantially
transparent substrate 1022 (e.g., ceramic glass). Running a current
through resistive film 1020 causes heat to be emitted downward
through the substrate 1022 into an interior space 1024 where a food
product (not shown) is located.
[0042] To prevent a user from contacting the heating element 1002
during operation of the toaster oven 100A, a substantially
transparent panel 1030 is positioned above the thin-film heating
element 1002 and separated from the thin-film heating element 1002
by an insulating region 220 (not shown). The panel 1030 may be, for
example, ceramic glass. Because the thin-film heating element 1002
and the panel 1030 are substantially transparent, the user can view
the food product from above during cooking.
[0043] To insert and remove the food product from the toaster oven
100A, a door 1040 is rotatably coupled at least one of the bottom
wall 1006 and the side walls 1008. In this embodiment, the door
1040 includes a handle 1042 and a substantially transparent window
1044 that allows the user to view the food product during cooking.
The toaster oven 100A includes vents 1046 to facilitate cooling the
toaster oven 100A, and includes one or more control knobs 1048 to
allow the user to control operation of the toaster oven.
[0044] In this embodiment, the side walls 1008 do not include
heating elements. Alternatively, at least one of the side walls
1008 may include a heating element and transparent panel, such as
the thin-film heating element 1002 and the panel 1030. Accordingly,
in such embodiments, at least a portion of the side walls 1008 may
be substantially transparent. In other embodiments, the side walls
1008 may include a transparent panel, such as the panel 1030,
without including a heating element.
[0045] In an additional embodiment, illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8,
the cooking appliance 100 may be a pizza oven 100B. The pizza oven
100B may include an outer housing 200 enclosing an inner housing
300 having an interior space 602 defined therein. In this
embodiment, the outer housing 200 may include an outer top 202 in
which a transparent outer top panel 203 is inset. The inner top 302
similarly includes a transparent inner top panel 303 situated
directly beneath the transparent outer top panel 203 and separated
from the transparent inner top panel 303 by an insulating region
220. An upper thin-film heating element 400 similar to the upper
thin-film heating element 400 described herein previously is
coupled to the transparent inner top panel 303 on the outer surface
326 facing the overlying transparent outer top panel 203. In this
embodiment, the upper thin-film heating element 400 includes an
upper resistive film 402 extending between a first upper bus bar
404 and a second upper bus bar 406.
[0046] Referring again to FIGS. 7 and 8, a lower heating element
500 may be situated at the inner bottom 308 to generate heat from
below into the interior space 602. In one embodiment, the lower
heating element 500 may be any known suitable heating element
including, but not limited to: a quartz-type heating element, a
ceramic-type heating element, a halogen-type heating element, a
calrod-type heating element, a thin-film heating element 500, and
any combination thereof. In one embodiment, the lower heating
element 500 may be a thin-film heating element coupled to the inner
bottom 308 as described herein previously. In another embodiment,
the lower heating element 500 may be a thin-film heating element
coupled to the inner bottom 308 in combination with one other
heating element situated at the bottom of the interior space 602.
In this other embodiment the one other heating element may be
selected from a quartz-type heating element, a ceramic-type heating
element, a halogen-type heating element, or a calrod-type heating
element.
[0047] Referring again to FIGS. 7 and 8, the outer front 210 may
include a rack front face 209 and a pan front face 211 that fit
against a front opening 213 to form a continuous outer front 210
and a continuous inner front 310 (not shown) when the rack 616 and
pan 614 of the tray 612 are inserted into the interior space 602.
The inserted pan 614 and the tray 612 may be supported by the
support means 610 defined within each pair of tray supports 608
attached to the inner side surfaces 322 and 324. In one embodiment,
the rack front face 209 and pan front face 211 may include an
attached rack handle 215 and tray handle 217, respectively, to
facilitate the insertion and removal of the rack 616 and pan 614 of
the tray 612 in and out of the interior space 602, and to provide
relatively cool regions for grasping by the user during use.
[0048] With reference back to FIG. 3, any of the cooking appliances
100, 100A, 100B described herein may include one or more input
devices 600 including, but not limited to a mode selection knob 602
and a timer knob 604. The mode selection knob 602 and timer knob
604 shown in FIG. 3 are non-limiting examples of suitable input
devices 600 for selecting a mode and setting a cook time.
Alternative input devices 600 usable with the cooking appliance 100
may include, for example, slide switches, buttons, toggle switches,
touch screens, user interfaces, and/or any other type of suitable
input device. Further, in some embodiments, a user may select a
mode and/or set a cooking time using a computing device (e.g., a
tablet, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a mobile phone,
etc.) as the input device, where the computing devices communicates
remotely with the oven over a wired and/or wireless network, such
as the Internet, or any other communications medium (e.g.,
Bluetooth.RTM.). For example, the user may use a software
application on a computing device that enables the user to input a
selected mode and/or set a cooking time, where the input
information is communicated from the computing device to the
cooking appliance 100. Further, the cooking appliance 100 may
communicate information to the computing device (e.g., remaining
cook time) to notify the user.
[0049] In various embodiments, the one or more input devices may be
located anywhere upon the outer housing 200 accessible to the user
during use including, but not limited to the outer top 202, outer
back 204, outer sides 204 (illustrated in FIG. 3) or 206, and/or
outer front 210.
[0050] Referring again to FIG. 3, by rotating the mode selection
knob 602, a user can select different modes of operation for the
cooking appliance 100 based on the type of food product to be
cooked. Specifically, the operations of the upper thin-film heating
element (e.g. element 400 in FIG. 5) and the lower heating element
(e.g. element 500 in FIG. 5) are modulated in a coordinated manner
based on the selected mode, according to known modes of operation.
For example, the cooking appliance 100 may include a broil mode,
where the lower heating element (e.g. element 500 in FIG. 5) is off
and the upper thin-film heating element (e.g. element 400 in FIG.
5) is on (i.e., either fully or partially on).
[0051] In this embodiment, a controller (e.g., a microcontroller),
controls the operation of the upper thin-film heating element 400
and lower heating element 500 based on the mode selected using the
mode selection knob 602. The cooking appliance 100 may also include
an indicator 606 (e.g., an LED) that indicates when the cooking
appliance 100 is on. At least one input device (e.g., the mode
selection knob 602) enables a user to select a cooking mode from a
plurality of selectable cooking modes for the cooking appliance
100. Each of the selectable modes may correspond to, for example,
cooking a different type of food product. Those of skill in the art
will appreciate that the cooking appliance 100 may include any
suitable number of selectable modes.
[0052] Each mode includes an associated set of operating
parameters. These operating parameters are designed to facilitate
optimizing the cooking of a particular type of food product (i.e.,
the type of food product corresponding to the mode having the
associated operating parameters). Although specific modes and
associated operating parameters are described herein, those of
skill in the art will appreciate that the cooking appliance 100 may
include other modes and/or other operating parameters than those
specifically described herein.
[0053] Referring back to FIG. 2, the inner housing 300 includes a
means 610 configured to receive a substantially planar tray 612.
The means 610 may include, for example, a slot, a shelf, a groove,
and/or other structure for receiving the tray 612.
[0054] FIG. 2 further shows a bottom tray 604 standing on the
bottom 320 within the interior space 602 of the cooking appliance
100. The bottom tray 604 may catch crumbs, grease, fat, and the
like that drops from the food product during cooking. In addition,
the bottom tray 604 may provide support to larger food items during
cooking. Further, the bottom tray 302 is removable from the cooking
appliance 100 for easy disposal of the contents of the bottom tray
604. The bottom tray 604 or the inner bottom 308 of the inner
housing 300 may form the bottom surface 320 within the interior
space 602.
[0055] As described above, the means 610 receive a tray 612. FIG. 2
shows a tray 612 fully inserted into the cooking appliance 100. The
tray 612 supports the food product during cooking and facilitates
uniform heating of the food product, as described herein. The tray
612 may be any known essentially planar support structure suitable
for use in a cooking appliance 100 including, but not limited to: a
tray, a sheet, a rack, a pan, a grill, and any other suitable
essentially planar support structure.
[0056] In one embodiment, the tray 612 may be metallic (e.g.,
aluminum, steel, and the like). Alternatively, the tray 612 may be
made of any suitable thermally conductive material. For example, in
some embodiments, the tray 612 may be aluminum, steel, copper,
ceramic, or glass. The tray 612 should both be resistant to
relatively high temperatures. Further, the tray 612 should have a
sufficiently rigid structure and structural integrity to support
the food item.
[0057] As compared to at least some known cooking appliances, the
cooking appliances described herein cook a food product more
quickly, and more uniformly. The thin-film heating elements within
the cooking appliances described herein enable more rapid heating
of the interior space and quicker adjustments of the cooking
temperature during use. In addition, the thin footprint of the
thin-film heating elements within the cooking appliances described
herein enable a more compact overall size compared to other known
cooking appliances. Further, the inclusion of thin-film heating
elements enable the use of essentially transparent walls to form
the cooking appliance described herein, thereby providing enhanced
visual inspection and/or monitoring of the food product during
cooking.
[0058] The cooking appliances described herein provide multiple
heating modes for cooking different types of food products (e.g.,
different types of pizza). By selecting a mode that corresponds to
a type of food product to be cooked, the cooking appliances
described herein are able to adjust upper and lower heating
elements to facilitate improved cooking of that type of food
product. By using different modes for different food product (e.g.,
by controlling upper and lower thin-film heating elements
independently), the amount of heat energy emitted to the food
product can be controlled, improving cooking results. That is, in
the embodiments described herein, the cooking mode of the cooking
appliance can be modified to address differences in the type of
food product being cooked by changing the configuration of energy
(e.g., convection, infrared, etc.) being delivered to the food
product.
[0059] Moreover, by controlling energy delivery to a food product
as described herein, the cooking appliances disclosed have
substantially reduced pre-heat times, relative to at least some
known cooking appliances. Accordingly, unlike at least some known
cooking appliances, the systems and methods described herein enable
cooking different types of food products efficiently and properly
using the same cooking appliance.
[0060] When introducing elements of the present invention or the
preferred embodiment(s) thereof, the articles "a", "an", "the", and
"said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the
elements. The terms "comprising", "including", and "having" are
intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional
elements other than the listed elements.
[0061] As various changes could be made in the above constructions
without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended
that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the
accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not
in a limiting sense.
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