Electric oven toaster control mechanism

Claim 2

An electric cooking appliance comprising: a. wall means forming a cooking chamber having a front opening; b. a door for closing said front opening; c. a horizontal food supporting rack located in said cooking chamber; d. electric heating means mounted in said chamber and spaced from said rack; e. first electrical switch means having normally open contacts connected in series electric circuit relationship with said heating means for energizing said heating means when said first switch means is in its closed position; f. a switch operating member for moving said switch to its closed position; g. a movable latch member having a latch surface for holding said switch operating member in a switch closed position; h. an electrical control means for controlling a cooking period; i. a solenoid including an electrical solenoid coil and a movable core member, said core member being directly connected to said movable latch member for moving said member to release said switch operating member from said latch surface to thereby permit said switch to be moved to its open position upon energization of said solenoid; and j. second electrical switch means connected in electric circuit relationship with said solenoid and operably connected to said control means for operating said second switch to energize said solenoid upon movement of said control means at the end of a cooking period.

Claim 3

An electric cooking appliance as defined in claim 1 wherein said movable latch member includes an arm having a slot formed therein and said solenoid core includes a reduced portion for receiving said slot between the core main body portion and its head portion for directly connecting said solenoid core to said movable member.

Claim 4

An electric cooking appliance comprising: a. wall means forming a cooking chamber having a front opening; b. a door for closing said front opening; c. a horizontal food supporting rack located in said cooking chamber; d. electric heating means mounted in said chamber and spaced from said rack; e. an electrical control means for controlling a cooking period; f. first electrical switch means having normally open contacts connected in series electric circuit relationship with said heating means for energizing said heating means when said first switch means is in its closed position; g. a switch operating member for moving sAid switch to a closed position; h. a movable latch member having a latch surface for holding said switch operating member in a closed position and a stop surface for preventing said switch operating member from closing said switch contacts; i. a solenoid including an electric solenoid coil and a movable core member, said core member being directly connected to said movable latch member for moving said latch surface to release said switch operating member from said latch surface to thereby permit said switch to be moved to its open position upon energization of said solenoid; j. second electrical switch means connected in electric circuit relationship with said solenoid and operably connected to said control means for operating said second switch to energize said solenoid upon movement of said control means at the end of a cooking period; k. a door lever pivotally mounted on said cooking appliance between said door and said movable latch member; l. spring means connected to said door lever for moving said door lever in a direction to move said movable member to release said latch surface from said switch operating member to open said first switch means; and m. an actuating member connected to said door for moving said door lever against the force of said spring means for preventing said door lever from opening said first switch means.

Claim 5

An electric cooking appliance comprising: a. wall means forming a cooking chamber having a front opening; b. a door for closing said front opening; c. a horizontal food supporting rack located in said cooking chamber; d. electric heating means mounted in said chamber and spaced from said rack; e. an electrical control means for controlling a cooking period; f. first electrical switch means having normally open contacts connected in series electric circuit relationship with said heating means for energizing said heating means when said first switch means is in its closed position; g. a switch operating member for moving sAid switch to a closed position; h. a movable latch member having a latch surface for holding said switch operating member in a closed position and a stop surface for preventing said switch operating member from closing said switch contacts; i. a solenoid including an electric solenoid coil and a movable core member, said core member being directly connected to said movable latch member for moving said latch surface to release said switch operating member from said latch surface to thereby permit said switch to be moved to its open position upon energization of said solenoid; j. second electrical switch means connected in electric circuit relationship with said solenoid and operably connected to said control means for operating said second switch to energize said solenoid upon movement of said control means at the end of a cooking period; k. a door lever pivotally mounted on said cooking appliance between said door and said movable latch member; l. spring means connected to said door lever for moving said door lever in a direction to move said movable member to release said latch surface from said switch operating member to open said first switch means; and m. an actuating member connected to said door for moving said door lever against the force of said spring means for preventing said door lever from opening said first switch means.

Claim 6

An electric cooking appliance as defined in claim 3 wherein said movable latch member includes an outwardly extending arm having a slot formed therein and said solenoid core includes a reduced portion for receiving said slot for directly connecting said solenoid core to said movable member, and said door lever includes an arm for abutting an upper surface of said solenoid core for moving said movable latch member to thereby open said first switch means when the door is moved to its open position.

Claim 7

An electric cooking appliance as defined in claim 4 wherein a second spring is connected to said movable latch member for moving said movable latch member in a counterclockwise direction for engaging said switch operating arm with said latch surface, and said solenoid core is directly connected to said movable member for moving said member against the force of said second spring means to open the first switch means and position the switch operating arm on top of the stop surface of said movable member.

Claim 8

An electric cooking appliance as defined in claim 5 wherein the force applied to said movable latch member by said door lever spring means is greater than the force applied to said movable member by said second spring means so that when the door is in its open position the door lever abuts the upper surface of the solenoid core to move said movable member to release the latch surface of the movable member from said switch operating arm to open said first switch means.

Claim 9

An electric cooking appliance as defined in claim 6 wherein a coil of said solenoid coil is located below the outwardly extending arm of the movable latch member, the solenoid core extends upwardly from the solenoid coil and is directly connected to the outwardly extending arm of said movable latch member, and the door lever includes an arm which is positioned above the outwardly extending arm of the movable latch member so that the arm of said door lever abuts the upper surface of the solenoid to move the solenoid core downwardly and move the movable latch member in a clockwise direction to open the switch contacts.

Claim 10

An electric cooking appliance comprising: a. wall means forming a cooking chamber having a front opening; b. a door for closing said front opening; c. a control panel including an upper wall located below said door and in front of said cooking chamber; d. a horizontal food supporting rack located in said cooking chamber; e. electric heating means mounted in said chamber and spaced from said rack; f. first electrical switch means having normally open contacts connected in series electric ciRcuit relationship with said heating means for energizing said heating means when said first switch means is in its closed position; g. a switch operating member for moving said switch to its closed position; h. a movable latch member having a latch surface for holding said switch operating arm in a switch closed position and a stop surface for preventing said switch operating arm from closing said switch contacts; i. an aperture formed in the upper wall of said control compartment above said switch operating arm; and j. a push button positioned in said aperture on top of said switch operating member for moving said switch operating member downwardly to close the first switch contacts.

Claim 11

An electric cooking appliance comprising: a. wall means forming a cooking chamber having a front opening; b. a door for closing said front opening; c. a control panel including an upper wall located below said door and in front of said cooking chamber; d. a horizontal food supporting rack located in said cooking chamber; e. electric heating means mounted in said chamber and spaced from said rack; f. first electrical switch means having normally open contacts connected in series electric ciRcuit relationship with said heating means for energizing said heating means when said first switch means is in its closed position; g. a switch operating member for moving said switch to its closed position; h. a movable latch member having a latch surface for holding said switch operating arm in a switch closed position and a stop surface for preventing said switch operating arm from closing said switch contacts; i. an aperture formed in the upper wall of said control compartment above said switch operating arm; and j. a push button positioned in said aperture on top of said switch operating member for moving said switch operating member downwardly to close the first switch contacts.

Claim 12

An electric cooking appliance as defined in claim 8 wherein a guide member formed of plastic electrical insulating material is positioned within said aperture for guiding said push button, said guide member including a plurality of walls extending upwardly from the upper wall of the control compartment for partially surrounding said push button to thereby prevent it from being accidentally actuated.

Claim 13

An electric cooking appliance as defined in claim 8 wherein said push button is formed of plastic insulating material and includes a generally centrally positioned downwardly extending finger for engagement with an upper surface of the switch operating member.

Claim 14

An electric cooking appliance as defined in claim 10 wherein said push button includes a plurality of outwardly extending fingers for limiting upward movement of said push button.