Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to an electric oven toaster, and
more particularly, to a simplified linking mechanism between
an oven toaster door and a switch for closing the switch when
the door is closed and opening the switch when the door is
opened.
In a prior United States Patent No. 3,684,861 dated
August 15, 1972 to Harold A. DeRemer, assigned to the same
assignee as the present invention, there is disclosed an
arrangement for controlling operation of an oven toaster.
With particular reference to FIG. 1, a push-button 60 may
be moved upwardly from an OFF position to an OVEN position,
or downwardly from the OFF position to a TOAST position.
A main switch 40 is provided for controlling energization of
heating elements 22, 23, 24 and 25, and a linking mechanism
3, 72 - 80 is provided between a door 16 and the main switch
40. With the push-button 60 in either the TOAST position or
the OVEN position the linking mechanism 3, 72 - 80 functions
to close the main switch when the door is closed and open
the main switch 40 when the door is opened.
The push-button 60 is directly connected to lever 154,
and as shown more particularly in FIG. 4, operation of the
lever 154 moves cam 162 and levers 71 and 74 to actuate the
switch 40. With reference to FIGS. 1, 16 and 4, the door
16 is connected to a movable carriage 3 that has a roller
70 mounted thereon so that when the carriage has been
moved rearwardly to the position illustrated in FIG. 4 the
roller 70 abuts an end 72 of the lever 74 to move lever 80
to the switch closed position. When the door 16 is opened,
the carriage 3 is moved forwardly to move the roller 70 to the
position illustrated in FIG. 5 to open the switch contacts.
My invention is concerned with such an oven toaster
control rnechanism, and more particularly, to an improved
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simplified linking mechanism between an oven toaster door
and an oven toaster main switch for moving the main switch
to a closed position whenever the door is closed and open-
ing the switch whenever the door is opened.
Accordingly, it is a particular object of my invention
to provide an improved simplified linking mechanism between
an oven toaster door and an oven toaster main switch having
relatively few parts which may be readily manufactured
and assembled to each other.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a
rugged and reliable linking mechanism between an oven
toaster door and an oven toaster main switch which may be
readily operated over and over again without breaking or
becoming ineffective.
In accordance with one of the aspects of this invention
an electric oven toaster includes a front door for opening
and closing an enlarged opening in a front wall, a heating
means for supplying heat to a toasting chamber, and a switch
for energizing and de-energizing the heating means. A
single link is positioned between the front door and the
switch for opening the switch when the door is opened and
closing the switch when the door is closed. One end portion
of the door link is inserted through an aperture that is
provided on the door and the other end portion of the door
link is conveniently inserted in an aperture that is provided
in a switch actuating member. A spring is connected to the
door link and to a rear wall of the oven toaster for biasing
the switch to a switch closed position and the door to a
door closed position. Thus, when the door is opened the
door link and the switch actuating member are moved for-
wardly asgainst the force of the spring to open the switch,
and when the door is closed the spring assists in urging
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- the door and the switch to a closed position and holds -the
door and the switch in their closed positions.
Accordingly, with my improved construction arrangement
relatively few parts are required for providing a linking
mechanism between an oven toaster door and a switch for
closing the switch when the door is closed and opening the
switch the door is opened. A single link is provided between
the door and a switch actuating member and a single spring
is provided for holding the parts in their closed positions.
The apertures in the door and the switch actuating member
are readily formed during the manufacture of the door and the
switch. Thus, an exceedingly simple and reliable linking
mechanism has been achieved.
Moreover, with this unique construction the parts may
be readily assembled to each other. One end of the door
link may be readily hooked through the aperture in the
door, the other end of the link may be inserted through
the aperture in the door, the other end of the link may be
inserted through the aperture within the switch actuating - -~
member, and the single spring may be readily hooked over the
door link and the rear wall of the oven toaster. Accordingly,
the parts may be readily and easily assembled to each other.
Other objects and attendant advantages of the invention
will be apparent from the following description taken in
connection with the accompanying drawing in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric oven toaster
embodying my improved door linking mechanism;
-) FIG. 2 is a fragmentary ee~-sectional view of a portion
of the oven toaster taken substantially on the plane of
2-2 of FIG. 1 illustrating the positions of the parts after
the door and the switch have been closed;
FIG. 3 is cross-sectional view of the oven toaster
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similar to FIG. 2 showing the positions of the parts after
the door and the switch have been opened; and
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of my unique door link
rod and spring.
Referring now to the drawing and first particularly
to FIGS. 1 and 2 there is shown an electric oven toaster
which includes a toasting and oven chamber 2 in which is
mounted a generally horizontal rack 4 for holding food to
be cooked or bread to be toasted. The oven toaster includes
a generally vertical front wall 6, a generally horizontal top
wall 8, generally parallel vertical side walls 10 and 12,
a bottom wall 14 and a rear wall 16.
An enlarged front opening 20 is provided in the front
wall of the oven toaster to provide access to the inside
of the toaster, and a front door 22 is provided for closing
the front opening. The door is pivotally mounted at 24 to
the lower portion of the oven toaster, and as shown in FIG.
1, a handle 26 is provided for opening the door.
The electric oven toaster includes a main switch 30
for energizing heating elements 32 and 34 and other heating
elements not shown. ~s illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4,
the toaster main switch 30 is located at a lower rear portion
of the oven toaster, and includes a fixed contact or contacts
36 and a movable contact or contacts 38. While the details
of the switch 30 do not form a part of my invention, and
are described and illustrated in greater detail in my
prior U.S. Patent No. 3,529,534 dated September 22, 1970
to Reznik et al, assigned to the same assignee as the
present invention, a brief description of the switch is
desirable for an understanding of the instant invention.
It should be appreciated that the housing of switch 30 is formed
from phenolic plastic or other suitable insulating material,
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and an actuating cam lever 40 is integrally formed with a
shaft member 42 which is mounted for rotation within recesses
that are formed in the plastic switch housing. Thus, when
the shaft member 42 is rotated from the position illustrated
in FIG. 2 to the position illustrated in FIG. 3 the cam
member 40 acts against the upper switch blade 44 to move
the switch blade upwardly to open the switch contacts 36
and 38.
The overall toaster control mechanism of the oven -
toaster illustrated in FIG. 1 does not form a part of this
invention and is described and illustrated in greater
detail in my Canadian Patent No. 1,111,472 dated October 27,
1981, assigned to the same assignee as the present
invention.
In accordance with my invention a switch actuating
lever 50 is integrally molded with the switch actuating cam 40
and shaft 42. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the actuating
lever 50 extends radially from the shaft 42 at an acute
angle with respect to the cam 40. An aperture 52 is formed
in the upper end portion of the actuating lever 50 for
receiving my unique door link rod 60.
With particular reference to FIGS. 4, 2 and 3 it can
be appreciated that my unique link rod 60 may be readily
shaped from a piece of wire. As shown, the link wire rod
60 may be positioned generally horizontally within the
oven toaster and shaped to have suitable clearance between
other portions of the oven toaster. For example, the central
portion 62 may include an upwardly extending bend 64 for
spacing the link 60 from a mounting tab 66. A rearward
portion 68 of the rod extends in a generally transverse
direction with respect to the central portion 62 of the rod
for convenient insertion within the aperture 52 that is formed
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in the switch actuating lever 50. The forward portion 70
of the rod link may extend transversely to the left for in-
sertion within an aperture 72 that may be formed in a
conveniently positioned door tab 74. The forward portion
70 of the link may also include an upwardly extending portion
76 for positively hooking the link to the door tab 74.
With particular reference to FIG. 2, it can be appre-
ciated that a readly available coil spring 80 having two
hooked end portions 8~ and 84 may be utilized for holding
the door and the switch in their closed positions. End
portion 84 may be simply hooked through an aperture in a
tab 86 that is provided in the rear wall 16 of the oven
toaster, while the forward hooked portion 82 may be placed
over the transverse end portion 68 of the door link in
order to urge the parts in the position illustrated in
FIG. 2.
With this unique construction it can be appreciated
that the parts may be easily assembled to each other in a
very simple manufacturing operation. The forward end 76 -
70 of the link may be simply inserted through the aperture
72 in the door tab 74 and turned so that end 76 extends
upwardly. Then the transverse rear portion 68 of the link
may be inserted through the aperture 52 that is formed in
the switch actuating lever 50. The assembly is completed
by simply hooking the spring 80 to the rear wall of the
oven toaster and the transverse portion 68 of the link.
In operation when the door is opened from the posi-
tion illustrated in FIG. 2 to the position illustrated in
FIG. 3 the door pivots about pivot 24 and the door tab 74
is moved forwardly from the position illustrat~d in E'IG.2
to the position illustrated in FIG. 3. During this opera-
tion, the link rod 60 is also moved forwardly against the
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force of spring 80, and the switch actuating lever 50 i5
moved forwardly and counterclockwise to rotate the shaft
42 and the cam member 40 from the position illustrated in
FIG. 2 to the position illustrated in FIG. 3 to open the
switch contacts. When the door is closed, the spring 80
assists in closing the door and closing the switch con-
tacts 36 and 38 and holds the door in the closed position
illustrated in FIG. 2.
From the foregoing description it will be appreciated
that my improved simplified switch and door linking mecha- -
nism has been achieved with relatively few parts. A single
easily formed wire rod 60 is positioned between a switch
operating lever 50 and a door tab 74. A readily available
coil spring 80 is provided for urging the switch and the
door to their closed positions. Thus, an exceedingly
simple and reliable mechanism is achieved with the use of
relatively few parts.
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