Microwave oven heating member

Claim 2

For use in a microwave oven, an improved heating member comprising: a microwave-reflective, heat-conductive body with at least one obverse surface which shields, from exposure to microwave energy, an adjacent portion of an article when located in contact thereon, means to permit microwave energy to selectively heat an area of said article remote from said obverse surface when said article is located in said contact with said obverse surface, a reverse surface of said microwave-reflective, heat-conductive body, complementary to said obverse surface, which shields, from exposure to microwave energy, liquid received in surface contact thereon, a microwave-permeable, liquid-absorptive body disposed to absorb liquid from surface contact with at least a portion of said complementary reverse surface and traNsfer said liquid to a location exposed to microwave energy, and where said heat conductive body is a heat exchanger to exchange the cold of said article when in said contact with said obverse surface for the heat evolved from vapor condensing to a liquid on said complementary reverse surface.

Claim 3

A heating member, according to claim 1, which includes: salt crystals disposed with said liquid-absorptive body.

Claim 4

A heating member, according to claim 1, which includes: a microwave-permeable second body which mates with said microwave-permeable, liquid-absorptive body to completely contain said microwave-reflective body.

Claim 5

A heating member, according to claim 1, which includes: where said microwave-permeable, liquid-absorptive body is porous ceramic.

Claim 6

A heating member, according to claim 1, which includes: where said microwave-permeable body defines a chamber, said chamber containing said microwave-reflective, heat-conductive body, and access means, located in at least one wall of said microwave-permeable bodys chamber, to permit access to said microwave-reflective, heat-conductive body.

Claim 7

A heating member, according to claim 5, which includes: sealing means for said access means.

Claim 8

A heating member, according to claim 5, which includes: water-proofing means located on at least a part of the exterior of said chamber.

Claim 9

A heating member, according to claim 5, which includes: where said means to permit microwave energy to selectively heat an area of said article remote from said obverse surface is an opening in said microwave-reflective, heat-conductive body, and a microwave-permeable lid covering said opening.

Claim 10

A heating member, according to claim 5, which includes: a predetermined amount of a lossy liquid selectively placed within said microwave-permeable body''s chamber.

Claim 11

A heating member, according to claim 6, which includes: a second heating member where said two independent heating members are joined by an abutment of at least one principal exterior surface of said microwave-permeable, liquid-absorptive body of each member so that, during an exposure to microwave energy, said two heating member''s chambers are combined by heated vapor intermingling through said abutment of said liquid-absorptive bodies.

Claim 12

A heating implement to improve the heating of a microwave-lossy, at-least-partially liquid article inside a microwave oven''s chamber by a means for emitting microwave energy which comprises: a microwave-reflective, heat-conductive first member with at least one obverse surface, which receives said article in contact thereupon, and a complementary reverse surface to said obverse surface, a microwave-permeable, second member where at least a portion of said second member is liquid absorptive and where said second member forms a chamber enclosing said first member, access means in a wall of said second member to permit access to said first member from a location external to said second member, and where said absorptive portion of said second member is disposed in a spaced relationship with said reverse surface to receive at least part of any condensation of liquid which can occur on said reverse surface and transfer said received condensation to a location where said condensation can be heated to a vapor by said means for emitting microwave energy.

Claim 13

A heating implement to improve the heating of a microwave-lossy, at-least-partially liquid article inside a microwave oven''s chamber by a means for emitting microwave energy which comprises: a microwave-reflective, heat-conductive first member with at least one obverse surface, which receives said article in contact thereupon, and a complementary reverse surface to said obverse surface, a microwave-permeable, second member where at least a portion of said second member is liquid absorptive and where said second member forms a chamber enclosing said first member, access means in a wall of said second member to permit access to said first member from a location external to said second member, and where said absorptive portion of said second member is disposed in a spaced relationship with said reverse surface to receive at least part of any condensation of liquid which can occur on said reverse surface and transfer said received condensation to a location where said condensation can be heated to a vapor by said means for emitting microwave energy.

Claim 14

For use in a microwave oven, an improved heating member comprising: a microwave-reflective, heat-conductive body with at least one obverse surface which shields, from exposure to microwave energy, an adjacent portion of an article when located in thermal contact therewith, means to permit microwave energy to selectively heat an area of said article remote from said obverse surface when said article is located in said thermal contact with said obverse surface, said means comprising an opening in said microwave-reflective, heat-conductive body, a microwave-permeable lid coverIng said opening where said lid receives said article on said lid''s upper surface and said article is covered by said microwave-reflective, heat-conductive body, a reverse surface of said microwave-reflective, heat-conductive body, complementary to said obverse surface, which shields from exposure to microwave energy, liquid received in surface contact thereon, a microwave-permeable, liquid-absorptive body, which defines a chamber, said chamber containing said microwave-reflective, heat-conductive body, disposed to absorb liquid from surface contact with, at least, a portion of said complementary reverse surface and transfer said liquid to a location exposed to microwave energy, access means, located in at least one wall of said microwave-permeable body''s chamber, to permit access to said microwave-relfective, heat-conductive body, and where said heat-conductive body is a heat exchanger to exchange the cold of said article when in said thermal contact with said obverse surface for the heat evolved from vapor condensing to a liquid on said complementary reverse surface.

Claim 15

For use in a microwave oven, an improved heating member comprising: a microwave-reflective, heat-conductive body with at least one obverse surface which shields, from exposure to microwave energy, an adjacent portion of an article when located in thermal contact therewith, means to permit microwave energy to selectively heat an area of said article remote from said obverse surface when said article is located in said thermal contact with said obverse surface, said means comprising an opening in said microwave-reflective, heat-conductive body, a microwave-permeable lid coverIng said opening where said lid receives said article on said lid''s upper surface and said article is covered by said microwave-reflective, heat-conductive body, a reverse surface of said microwave-reflective, heat-conductive body, complementary to said obverse surface, which shields from exposure to microwave energy, liquid received in surface contact thereon, a microwave-permeable, liquid-absorptive body, which defines a chamber, said chamber containing said microwave-reflective, heat-conductive body, disposed to absorb liquid from surface contact with, at least, a portion of said complementary reverse surface and transfer said liquid to a location exposed to microwave energy, access means, located in at least one wall of said microwave-permeable body''s chamber, to permit access to said microwave-relfective, heat-conductive body, and where said heat-conductive body is a heat exchanger to exchange the cold of said article when in said thermal contact with said obverse surface for the heat evolved from vapor condensing to a liquid on said complementary reverse surface.

Claim 16

In a microwave oven comprising an enclosure for receiving an article and means for emitting microwave energy to said article, for use in said oven, an improved microwave-permeable heating member defining a heating chamber for processing said article therein, access means both to said enclosure and said heating chamber to permit the insertion and removal of said article, said improved heating member comprising in combination: a microwave-reflective, heat-conductive container with at least one surface designed to shield from exposure to microwave energy a first area of said article when said article is located in contact thereon, means to permit microwave energy to selectively heat a second area of said article remote from said surface when said article is located on said surface, and where said heating member completely encloses said container.

Claim 17

In a microwave oven comprising an enclosure for receiving an article and means for emitting microwave energy to said article, for use in said oven, an improved microwave-permeable heating member defining a heating chamber for processing said article therein, access means both to said enclosure and said heating chamber to permit the insertion and removal of said article, said improved heating member comprising in combination: a microwave-reflective, heat-conductive container with at least one surface designed to shield from exposure to microwave energy a first area of said article when said article is located in contact thereon, means to permit microwave energy to selectively heat a second area of said article remote from said surface when said article is located on said surface, and where said heating member completely encloses said container.

Claim 18

For use in a microwave oven, an improved heating member which comprises: a microwave-permeable first body, a microwave-reflective, heat-conductive second body which mates with said first body to form a first heating chamber designed to heat an article therein and where said second body includes means both, when said heating member is exposed to microwave energy, to shield a first area of said article from direct exposure to said microwave energy and to permit a second area of said article to be subjected to direct exposure to microwave energy, a microwave-permeable third body which defines a second heating chamber which contains said first and second bodies, first chamber sealing means designed to initially confine heated vapor evolving from said article on exposure to microwave energy and so enable said vapor to condense on said first area of said article, and second heating chamber sealing means designed to initially confine heated vapor escaping from said first heating chamber to enable said heated vapor to condense on cool portions of said second body.

Claim 19

For use in a microwave oven, an improved heating member which comprises: a microwave-permeable first body, a microwave-reflective, heat-conductive second body which mates with said first body to form a first heating chamber designed to heat an article therein and where said second body includes means both, when said heating member is exposed to microwave energy, to shield a first area of said article from direct exposure to said microwave energy and to permit a second area of said article to be subjected to direct exposure to microwave energy, a microwave-permeable third body which defines a second heating chamber which contains said first and second bodies, first chamber sealing means designed to initially confine heated vapor evolving from said article on exposure to microwave energy and so enable said vapor to condense on said first area of said article, and second heating chamber sealing means designed to initially confine heated vapor escaping from said first heating chamber to enable said heated vapor to condense on cool portions of said second body.