US3824916A — Bacon cooker

Claim 1

Independent Claim 378 words

In an apparatus for cooking, the combination of: a frame; a hollow tray for receiving foodstuffs to be cooked said tray having a removable upper foodstuff holding surface adapted to permit the passage therethrough into the tray''s interior of grease cooked from said foodstuff; cooking means disposed in the upper portion of the frame and including a foodstuff contacting, horizontal cooking surface facing downwardly toward the bottom of the frame; support means connecting the frame, the tray and the cooking means so as to permit limited movement of said cooking means and independent relative movement of the tray with respect to the cooking means between: a. a first position, in which the tray is remote from the cooking surface for receiving a foodstuff to be cooked and holding same after cooking, and b. a second position, in which the tray is disposed under and immediately adjacent to the cooking surface positioning the foodstuff in direct contact with the cooking surface for cooking of said foodstuff, said support means including pivotal linkage means connected between said tray and said frame for moving said tray inwardly and upwardly toward and downwardly and outwardly from said cooking means to each of the said two positions while maintaining said tray horizontally disposed at and in between both said positions such that, when the apparatus is in the second position, the cooking surface is supported directly and primarily by the foodstuff to be cooked and, when in the first position, the foodstuff which has been cooked is retained on said tray but is remote with respect to the cooking surface to stop further cooking; means including pivoted means connected to and actuated by movement of said pivotAl linkage means operable in response to the change in tray disposition from the first position to the second position to initiate heating of the cooking surface to cook said foodstuff; means for releasably retaining said support means and said tray in said second position; means automatically operable in response to expiration of a preselected period of controlled heating to release said retaining means to enable said pivotal linkage means to move the tray from its first position to its second position and thus terminate cooking of the foodstuff while retaining the cooked foodstuff on the tray.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 378 words

In an apparatus for cooking, the combination of: a frame; a hollow tray for receiving foodstuffs to be cooked said tray having a removable upper foodstuff holding surface adapted to permit the passage therethrough into the tray''s interior of grease cooked from said foodstuff; cooking means disposed in the upper portion of the frame and including a foodstuff contacting, horizontal cooking surface facing downwardly toward the bottom of the frame; support means connecting the frame, the tray and the cooking means so as to permit limited movement of said cooking means and independent relative movement of the tray with respect to the cooking means between: a. a first position, in which the tray is remote from the cooking surface for receiving a foodstuff to be cooked and holding same after cooking, and b. a second position, in which the tray is disposed under and immediately adjacent to the cooking surface positioning the foodstuff in direct contact with the cooking surface for cooking of said foodstuff, said support means including pivotal linkage means connected between said tray and said frame for moving said tray inwardly and upwardly toward and downwardly and outwardly from said cooking means to each of the said two positions while maintaining said tray horizontally disposed at and in between both said positions such that, when the apparatus is in the second position, the cooking surface is supported directly and primarily by the foodstuff to be cooked and, when in the first position, the foodstuff which has been cooked is retained on said tray but is remote with respect to the cooking surface to stop further cooking; means including pivoted means connected to and actuated by movement of said pivotAl linkage means operable in response to the change in tray disposition from the first position to the second position to initiate heating of the cooking surface to cook said foodstuff; means for releasably retaining said support means and said tray in said second position; means automatically operable in response to expiration of a preselected period of controlled heating to release said retaining means to enable said pivotal linkage means to move the tray from its first position to its second position and thus terminate cooking of the foodstuff while retaining the cooked foodstuff on the tray.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 36 words

The combination of claim 1 and including manually actuated control override means, said override means being operable when actuated to terminate cooking and initiate relative movement of the apparatus from its second to its first position.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 27 words

The combination of claim 2, and including a layer of grease absorbent material covering the tray surface and upon which the material to be cooked is placed.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 364 words

An automatic bacon cooker comprising: a frame; a bacon support tray having a hollow interior and a removable upper surface on which the bacon to be cooked is laid in flat strip form, said upper surface having a plurality of grease drainage passages to permit flow of bacon drippings through said surface into the interior of said tray; pivoted, parallel means connected between the frame and said tray for supporting the bacon tray in a horizontally disposed first position to receive bacon to be cooked and to hold cooked bacon in a position for removal from the cooker after cooking thereof, and in a second horizontally disposed position above the said first position for cooking; a cooking means, said means including heating elements and a downwardly facing, horizontal cooking surface disposed below said heating elements for direct contact with bacon strips on said upper surface of said tray; means for supporting said cooking means in the frame for limited vertical movement relative thereto to permit movement of the cooking tray toward a position adjacent to the cooking means with said bacon strips being placed in direct contact with the downwardly facing cooking surface so that the cooking means is supported primarily by bacon strips to be cooked on said tray when the tray is in said second position, said cooking being supported solely by the frame remote from the tray when the tray is in said first position; control means actuated by said pivoted parallel supporting means for said tray upon movement of said tray to the second position to energize the heating elements to heat said cooking surface, said control means including manually settable means for continuing energization of said heating elements for a controlled time interval and, further including releasable latch means connected between said pivoted parallel supporting means for said tray and said frame holding said tray in said second position automatically operable upon passage of said, controlled time interval and means operably connecting said latch means and said settable means to release said latch means and thereby permit movement of the tray and cooked bacon from its second position to its first position simultaneously with de-energization of said heating elements.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 364 words

An automatic bacon cooker comprising: a frame; a bacon support tray having a hollow interior and a removable upper surface on which the bacon to be cooked is laid in flat strip form, said upper surface having a plurality of grease drainage passages to permit flow of bacon drippings through said surface into the interior of said tray; pivoted, parallel means connected between the frame and said tray for supporting the bacon tray in a horizontally disposed first position to receive bacon to be cooked and to hold cooked bacon in a position for removal from the cooker after cooking thereof, and in a second horizontally disposed position above the said first position for cooking; a cooking means, said means including heating elements and a downwardly facing, horizontal cooking surface disposed below said heating elements for direct contact with bacon strips on said upper surface of said tray; means for supporting said cooking means in the frame for limited vertical movement relative thereto to permit movement of the cooking tray toward a position adjacent to the cooking means with said bacon strips being placed in direct contact with the downwardly facing cooking surface so that the cooking means is supported primarily by bacon strips to be cooked on said tray when the tray is in said second position, said cooking being supported solely by the frame remote from the tray when the tray is in said first position; control means actuated by said pivoted parallel supporting means for said tray upon movement of said tray to the second position to energize the heating elements to heat said cooking surface, said control means including manually settable means for continuing energization of said heating elements for a controlled time interval and, further including releasable latch means connected between said pivoted parallel supporting means for said tray and said frame holding said tray in said second position automatically operable upon passage of said, controlled time interval and means operably connecting said latch means and said settable means to release said latch means and thereby permit movement of the tray and cooked bacon from its second position to its first position simultaneously with de-energization of said heating elements.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 34 words

A cooker as described in claim 4, and including a tray lower surface spaced from the tray upper surface and fixed with respect thereto so as to form a grease receiving tray portion therebetween.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 16 words

A cooker as described in claim 5, and in which the tray upper surface is resilient.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 37 words

A cooker as described in claim 6, and in which the tray upper surface is rigid, and the cooking surface is supported by the bacon on the cooking tray when the cooker is in its second position.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 29 words

A cooker as described in claim 7, and including at least one layer of absorbent material on the surface of the tray, upon which the bacon rests during cooking.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 29 words

A cooker as described in claim 8, and in which the absorbent material is paper, and is removable from the tray for disposal and replacement after each cooking cycle.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1977-07-22	1978-01-21	1978-07-23	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1981-07-22	1982-01-21	1982-07-23	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1985-07-22	1986-01-21	1986-07-23	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Bacon cooker

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