FR2861275A1 - Bread toaster, has rotating handle that is placed on lateral wall of frame and locking unit positioning bread holder at level lower than toasting position, where axis of rotation of handle is parallel to longitudinal axis of holder - Google Patents

Abstract

The bread toaster has a rotating handle (20) that is placed on lateral wall of a frame (2). The axis of rotation of the rotating handle is parallel to the longitudinal axis of a bread holder. A locking unit positions the holder at a level lower than a toasting position. A shaft (22) is provided in contact with a cam device in order to transform rotation movement of the handle and the shaft into vertical movement of the holder.

Description

1 GRILLE-PAIN

  The present invention relates to the technical field of household appliances of the toaster type, and more particularly to the griddle whose carriage can be brought to a complementary position called "lift plus" position for the recovery of small slices of bread.

  In known manner, a toaster comprises a bread carrier, which is adapted to move within a frame, to allow to come to position the slices of bread to grill next to heating elements. The movement of the carriage can be effected under the effect of a force exerted by the user, or by a spring or a return element, or even by a motorized mechanism.

  Document EP 0 845 235 discloses a toaster having a return spring with contiguous turns having a flare at one of its ends supporting the carriage. This feature allows, with the aid of an actuating arm, a complementary displacement of the carriage towards a higher level of unloading of the bread.

  While certainly such a device makes it easy to recover small pieces of bread by reducing the risk of burns, it is necessary for the user to keep the actuating arm in the up position to access the pieces of bread.

  In addition, such a device allows only one position of elevation.

  In addition, a number of ergonomics studies have indicated that a significant number of consumers do not like to operate the control button of the cart in translation downwards and the significant effort that is necessary to exercise to come block the carriage in low position.

  Another disadvantage of these toasters with the control knob sliding vertically is the presence of a slot in the housing wall, which represents a possible entry of dirt or crumbs into the toaster.

  The present invention aims to remedy these disadvantages by proposing a toaster, comprising a frame inside which extends at least one heating chamber, provided in its vicinity with heating elements, and partially open upper frame, said toaster also comprising at least one bread carriage adapted to move in a reciprocating vertical movement relative to the frame, a locking means for positioning the carriage at a low level corresponding to a toasting position, a means for returning the carriage mounted between the frame and an extension of the carriage in order to return the carriage to an intermediate level corresponding to a bread unloading position, as well as a means for controlling the positioning of the bread carriage, characterized in that the control means comprises an associated rotary operating lever, according to its axis of rotation, at one end of a curved rod constit a lever arm, the other end of the bent rod being engaged in a slideway in the extension of the bread rack to transform the rotational movement of the handle and the bent pin into vertical movement of the bread rack. .

  The presence of a rotary joystick in the control of the trolley of the grid is a new architecture which notably confers a greater ease of use than the levers sliding vertically. In addition, relative to these same handles, the rotational movement of the control avoids providing a groove in the housing of the toaster for vertical sliding which is thus avoided. It follows less risk of malfunction related to the possible introduction of foreign elements by said groove, in order to keep the inside of the toaster as separated as possible from the outside.

  Moreover, the different positions of the joystick confer a greater readability as to the operation of the toaster.

  One of the preferred embodiments of the invention consists in associating, with the rotary handle, along its axis of rotation, one end of a bent rod constituting a lever arm, the other end of the bent rod being engaged in a slide formed in the extension of the bread carriage to transform the rotational movement of the handle and the bent rod in vertical movement of the bread carriage.

  Such an implementation is simple by requiring only a small number of components, a guarantee of its reliability.

  Advantageously, the return means is a spring whose axis is remote from the axis of rotation of the lever of a value r, the lever arm of the actuating rod having a length R, and the ratio r / R is less than 0.5.

  It seems important that the position of the spring is in line with the lever arm formed by the bent rod, so that the lever arm has a significant effect on the force required to lower the carriage bread. If the ratio r / R is too high, the effort required will be important and the lever arm ineffective.

  Advantageously, the slide has bearings for holding the bent rod and the bread carriage according to at least two levels of unloading bread.

  These bearings therefore make it possible to immobilize the control device and therefore the bread carriage in unloading levels of the bread, which in particular prevents the user from holding the control member in a given position with one hand. to seize, with the other hand, slices of bread. By this solution, the user has both hands to extract slices of bread from the toaster. This is especially important for the higher level of bread unloading, which is smaller bread slices, often more difficult to extract from the toaster.

  Advantageously, the slide has, at one of its ends, a sliding zone without bearing for the vertical sliding of the bread carriage between the toasting position and the first unloading position of the bread.

  By this construction, the bread carriage rises from the toasting position to the first unloading position of the bread simply by the biasing means, without interaction with the lift mechanism of the carriage at unloading positions of the bread, thus removing any constraint of the control device to the conventional operation of the toaster.

  According to a first variant embodiment, the slideway comprises a third bearing holding the bent rod and the bread carriage at a third unloading level of the bread, making it possible to provide an additional position for unloading the bread, which may be necessary for slices. bread or grilling products of low height.

  It may also be provided, according to the need and the local culinary customs, to provide a fourth bearing in the slide, to maintain the bent rod and the bread carriage in a fourth level unloading the bread, near the upper part from the toaster.

  Preferably, the return means is constituted by a spring with contiguous turns having, at one of its ends, a flare supporting the extension of the carriage bread.

  Such a flaring, obtained by widening the last contiguous turns of the spring, makes it possible to make a flange against which the extension of the bread carriage rests, without any other mechanical connection.

  Advantageously, the rest position of the spring with contiguous turns corresponds to the first unloading position of the bread. Thus, the extension of the bread carriage, resting solely on the flaring of the spring, it is possible to raise the bread carriage from its first unloading position to other unloading positions bread without having to force the means return, simply by mechanical engagement between the control means and the extension of the bread carrier.

  In order to facilitate and optimize the movement of the bread carriage, the toaster has a guide rod passing through a cylindrical portion in the extension of the bread rack.

  The manner of carrying out the invention, as well as the advantages thereof, are illustrated by the following description of an embodiment, with reference to the appended figures in which: FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a chassis of Toaster equipped with the present invention, Figure 2 is an exploded view of the mechanism of movement of the carriage carriage according to the invention, Figure 3 is a detail of the mechanism of the present invention, Figures 4, 5 and 6. are front views of the toaster frame according to various operating states.

  In the embodiment described in detail below, the toaster is only partially represented, the housing having been omitted in particular. Thus, as shown in Figure 1, the frame 2 is composed of side walls 3c, 3d, a front wall 3a, a rear wall 3b and a bottom wall 3e. The side walls form reflectors and are equipped with heating elements 10a, which, according to the proposed example, are quartz elements.

  The chassis is also equipped with a central heating element, in this case an extended planar element 10b, such as a samicanite plate on which is wound a resistive wire.

  Thus, the walls 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d and 3e, as well as the central heating element 10b, define two heating chambers 4. Inside each heating chamber are articulated grids 6 for clamping the bread, such as that he is known in the field. Between these clamps moves vertically a bread carriage 16, visible Figure 2. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, each bread rack 16 is connected to the outside of the heating chambers 4, a room 14 through vertical slots 8 formed in the wall 3a of the frame, thus allowing to manipulate the bread carriages out of the heating chamber.

  This extension piece 14 of the bread carts is slidably mounted on a vertical guide rod 12 arranged between the upper and lower parts of the frame 2.

  Furthermore, a return means is disposed between the upper portion 2861275 6 of the frame 2 and the extension piece 14. According to the proposed example, the biasing means is a spring 9 contiguous turns. The extension piece 14 then has a vertical cylindrical opening through which the spring 9 which ends, on this side, by a flare 90, as shown in FIG.

  This flaring, wider than the diameter of the opening, supports the extension piece 14.

  The advantages, interests and operation of such a spring are explained in more detail in patent EP 0 845 235.

  According to the invention, the toaster comprises an actuating mechanism of the bread carriage, comprising a pivoting lever 20 along an axis xx 'substantially perpendicular to the front face 3a of the frame 2. A rigid bent rod 22 is fixed by one of its ends, at the handle 20, substantially at the axis x-x ', the elbow being close to 90 and allowing the rod 22 to extend substantially parallel to the front face 3a over a distance A. In order that the pivoting of the handle 20 and the rod 22 is effected without translational movement, according to the embodiment example, the rod 22 leaves the casing of the toaster, not shown, by a simple opening, prohibiting and any movement, excluding a rotation along the axis xx 'Other arrangements can be envisaged to block the translational movement of the rod 22 and the lever 20 without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  The second end of the rod is housed in the groove of a slideway 18 integral with the extension piece 14. This slideway is generally defined in a circular arc having a substantially horizontal portion 19a located towards one of the ends of the rod. extension 14, and a curved portion extending to the other end. This slide has four bearings 19b, 19c, 19d, 19e, as shown in FIG.

  At rest, the end of the rod 22 is located in the horizontal portion 19a of the slideway 18, at the limit of the curved area, at the first bearing 19b, as shown in FIG. 5, the lever 20 being in a position noted b, substantially vertical. The bread carrier is then located at a level noted b '.

  According to one of the features of the invention, the spring 9 is a spring contiguous turns, and is disposed substantially vertically spaced from the x-x 'axis of rotation of the handle a distance r. The spring is however arranged on the same side as the bent portion of the rod 22. Indeed, a position on the opposite could block the bread carts by pivoting in the slots 8 of the part 14 following the actuation of the controller 20.

  This distance r is much shorter than the distance R representing the lever arm of the control device so that the torque applied to the slide and therefore to the carriage bread, is greater than the restoring torque of the carriage by the spring. According to the example presented, the ratio r / R is close to 0.25.

  Furthermore, in this rest position, the part 14 rests on the spring 9 without stress, that is to say that the turns of the spring are contiguous.

  In operation, when the user wishes to grill a slice of bread, he rotates the lever 20 in the clockwise direction of FIG. 5, in order to rotate the rod 22 which then slides in the horizontal part 19a while driving towards the down, through the slide, the extension 14 guided by the column 12, and the bread carriage, against the restoring force of the spring 9. This movement continues until a holding means , not shown, blocks the carriage carriage in the low position. This means may, for example, be an electromagnet, as known in the art.

  In this position shown in Figure 4, the handle 20 occupies a substantially horizontal position denoted a, the carriage carriage then being in the vicinity of a level denoted a '. A roasting cycle can then begin, by feeding the heating elements, for a predetermined time or according to a measurement of the toasting of bread, to the desired level.

  At the end of the cooking cycle, the supply of the heating elements is stopped and the holding means releases the bread carriage. The latter rises under the effect of return spring 9, to the rest position shown in Figure 5. The return force of the spring 9 induces a sliding of the rod 22 in the groove 19a of the slide with a rotational movement counterclockwise which then causes the same movement of the controller 20.

  In this unloading position bread, the user can rotate the handle in the counterclockwise direction, causing the end of the rod 22 in the slide 18, in the curved portion thereof. This has the effect of raising up the extension 14 and therefore the bread carrier.

  This additional movement is carried out with no other effort than that of supporting the bread carriages and the extension 14, since the latter then slides along the spring 9, in accordance with the teaching of EP 0 845 235.

  The presence of the bearings 19c, 19d, 19e makes it possible to keep the bent rod in stable positions, the bread carriage being then positioned respectively at levels c ', d', e 'and the corresponding rotary lever 20 being stopped. in the positions c, d, e.

  It is however desirable, given the orientation of the curvature of the slide with the bearings, that the position of the bent rod in the slide is close to the vertical position so that the rod does not slip in the bearings.

  These additional levels thus make it possible to successively bring the bread carriage 16 into stable positions closer and closer to the upper part of the roasting chambers, which makes it easy to extract any type of slices of bread stuck in the grating. bread without getting burned, while arranging with both hands to seize slices of bread.

  The rotary lever 20 therefore makes it possible not only to lower the carriage to the roasting position, but also to bring the carriage to high and stable positions of over-elevation relative to the unloading position of the bread, in order to be able to recover small slices or bread crumbs held in the roasting chambers.

Claims (1)

2861275 CLAIMS   1. Toaster, comprising a frame (2) inside which extends at least one heating chamber (4), provided in its vicinity with heating elements (10a, 10b), and partially open upper frame (2), said toaster also comprising at least one bread carriage (16) adapted to move in a reciprocating vertical movement relative to the frame (2), a locking means for positioning the carriage (16) at a low level corresponding to a toasting position, a return means (9) of the carriage (16) mounted between the frame (2) and an extension (14) of the carriage (16) in order to return the carriage to an intermediate level corresponding to a bread unloading position, as well as a means for controlling the positioning of the bread carriage, characterized in that the control means comprises an associated rotary operating lever (20), along its axis of rotation x- x ', at one end of a bent rod (22) constituting an arm lever, the other end of the bent rod (22) being engaged in a slide (18) in the extension (14) of the bread carriage (16) to transform the rotational movement of the handle (20). and the bent rod (22) in vertical movement of the bread carriage (16).   2. Toaster according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the return means is a spring whose axis is spaced from the axis xx 'of a value r, the lever arm of the actuating rod having a length R, and in that the ratio r / R is less than 0.5.   3. Toaster according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the slide (18) comprises bearings (19b, 19c, 19d, 19e) for maintaining the bent rod (22) and the bread carrier (16) according to at least two levels of bread unloading.   4. Toaster according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the slideway (18) comprises, at one of its ends, a sliding zone (19a) without bearing for the vertical sliding of the door trolley 2861275 10 bread (16) between the toasting position and the first unloading position of the bread.   5. Toaster according to one of claims 3 or 4, characterized in that the slide (18) comprises a third bearing holding the bent rod (22) and the bread carriage (16) in a third level of discharge of the bread.   6. Toaster according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the slide (18) has a fourth bearing maintaining the bent rod (22) and the bread carriage (16) at a fourth level of bread unloading.   7. Toaster according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the return means is constituted by a spring with contiguous turns (9) having at one of its ends, a flare (90) supporting the extension (14) of the bread carriage (16).   8. Toaster according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the rest position of the spring contiguous turns (9) corresponds to the first unloading position of the bread.   9. Toaster according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a guide rod (12) for optimizing the movement of the bread carriage (16), passing through a cylindrical portion formed in the extension ( 14) of the carriage (16).