DEVICE FOR REGISTERING THE TEMPERATURE INSIDE A FOOTSTUFF PLACED IN AN OVEN

ENREGISTEUR DE TEMPERATURE INTERNE D'UN PRODUIT ALIMENTAIRE AU FOUR

English Abstract

An electronic device, suitable for registering the temperature of a foodstuff
in a oven
provided with a door with a handle, comprises a casing with a user interface
and a
temperature probe suitable for being inserted into said food. The casing
comprises
hook-like means for connecting the device to the oven door, preferably to its
handle.

Claims

Claims
We Claim:
1) An electronic device (D) suitable for registering the temperature of a
foodstuff in
an oven provided with door with a handle comprising a casing (1) with a user
interface (3) and a temperature probe (5a) suitable for being inserted into
said
food, characterised by the fact that said casing (1) comprises means (2) for
connecting the device to the oven door, preferably to the handle (M) of the
oven.
2) The device according to Claim 1 characterised by the fact that the upper
part of
said casing (2) is substantially C-shaped in order to allow said device to
hook
on to the handle (M) of the oven.
3) The device according to Claim 1 characterised by the fact that part of said
casing (1) comprises magnetic material in order to allow connection between
said device and a metallic element of the oven door.
4) The device according to any one of claims 1 through 3 characterised by the
fact
that a switch (3) is provided for selecting the temperature display in degrees
Fahrenheit or degrees centigrade.
5) The device according to any one of claims 1 through 4 characterised by the
fact
that said temperature probe (5a) comprises a first sensor suitable for
registering the temperature inside the food and a second sensor suitable for
registering the temperature within the oven, display means (6, 7) being
provided in order to display said temperatures simultaneously or alternately
on
the user interface (3).
6) The device according to any one of claims 1 through 5, characterised by the
fact that it comprises an electronic control unit (9) suitable for allowing
the
desired internal temperature of the food to be set.
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7) The device according to Claim 6, characterised by the fact that it
comprises an
alarm suitable for informing the user when said desired temperature has been
reached.
8) The device according to any one claims 1 through 7, characterised by the
fact
that the casing (1) comprises a front shell (A1) and a rear shell (A2) that
can be
connected together.
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Description

CA 02638080 2008-07-17
Title
Device For Registering The Temperature Inside A Foodstuff Placed In An Oven
Field Of The Invention
The present invention concerns an electronic device suitable for registering
temperature, and in particular a device suitable for monitoring the
temperature of a
foodstuff placed inside an oven provided with a door with a handle.
Background Of The Invention
It is particularly useful to include in a conventional domestic oven a device
suitable
for monitoring the temperature inside said oven and registering the effective
temperature of a foodstuff placed inside it, and to be able to display said
temperatures on a user interface at the same time.
The use of electronic devices suitable for monitoring the internal temperature
of food
during cooking is well known in the field of domestic ovens. An example of a
system
suitable for monitoring the cooking of the food inside an oven is known from
EP 1275945, which describes a device comprising a first temperature sensor to
be
inserted into the food, a second sensor for monitoring the temperature of the
air
inside the oven and a user interface connected to said sensors by a cable or
by
wireless transmission. No reference is provided either as to the location of
the
device or to the system for fixing the same to the oven.
Summary Of The Invention
The aim of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive electronic
device of the
type specified at the beginning of the description that is easy to connect to
and
remove from said oven, in order to facilitate cleaning and/or maintenance.
This aim
is achieved through the characteristics specified in the attached claims. In
particular
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CA 02638080 2008-07-17
the device according to the invention comprises a user interface provided with
a
casing and a temperature probe suitable for being inserted into the food, said
casing
further comprising fixing means for a mobile connection for the device to the
handle
of the oven.
The presence of a electrical connection lead necessary for transmitting data
from the
temperature sensor to the user interface (the preferred solution because of
its cost,
which is less than a wireless solution) makes it convenient, in order to
reduce the
length of said lead, to locate the user interface the shortest possible
distance from
said oven. The present invention provides for the user interface to be
provided with a
casing with a portion being substantially C-shaped in order to allow said
device to
hook on to the oven door and preferably to the horizontal handle of the oven.
Another embodiment of the device according to the invention provides for part
of
said casing to comprise magnetic material in order to allow connection between
said
device and a metallic element of the oven door.
According to a variant embodiment of the device a switch can be provided for
selecting the temperature display in degrees Fahrenheit or degrees centigrade.
Another example embodiment of the device according to the invention provides
for
said temperature probe to comprise a first sensor suitable for registering the
temperature inside the food and a second sensor suitable for registering the
temperature within the oven, and for the temperatures to be displayed
simultaneously or alternately on the user interface.
Brief Description of The Drawings
Further advantages and characteristics of a device according to the invention
will be
obvious from the following detailed description, provided purely by way of non-
restrictive example, with reference to the attached drawings in which:
- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device according to the invention,
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CA 02638080 2008-07-17
- Figure 2 is a front view of the device in Figure 1,
- Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the device,
- Figure 4 is a perspective view that illustrates the closure of the battery
compartment of the device, and
- Figure 5 is a front view of a traditional oven provided with a door with a
handle to
which the device according to the invention is applicable.
Description Of The Preferred Embodiment
Figure 1 illustrates a device D according to the invention comprising a
parallelepipedal-shaped casing 1 having a substantially C-shaped upper part 2
for
the purpose of allowing said device to hook on to an oven handle M (Figure 5),
a
user interface 3 ("display"), a button panel 4, an electrical connection lead
5, and a
temperature probe 5a.
In Figure 2 the user interface 3 provides for the simultaneous display of a
first
temperature 6 transmitted from the probe 5a suitable for registering the
temperature
inside the food (for example a roast joint of meat) and a second temperature 7
transmitted from a second sensor of the probe 5a suitable for registering the
temperature within the oven.
Figure 3 clearly shows the casing 1 which, in its upper part 2, is
substantially
C-shaped in order to allow said device to hook on to the oven handle M.
Alternatively, the upper part 2 can be shaped in such a way as to allow the
device D
to hook directly on to an upper edge K (Figure 5) of the oven door.
Figure 4 is an exploded view of the device according to the invention
comprising an
outer front shell Al, a switch 8 for selecting the temperature display in
degrees
Fahrenheit or degrees centigrade (Figure 4), an electronic control unit 9, a
removable battery B, a glass plate V and an outer rear shell A2, which also
acts as a
battery cover. The outer rear shell A2 (Figure 4) can be clicked on to the
device D.
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CA 02638080 2008-07-17
The electronic control unit 9 also provides a function of presetting the
desired
temperature. This function allows the user to select the desired internal
temperature
of the food; when this value is reached an acoustic signal integrated into the
device
will inform the user that the desired value has been reached.
An examination of the characteristics of the device according to the invention
will
make apparent the ease, for the user, either of applying the device to the
oven door,
or of removing it from said door for cleaning, replacing flat batteries and
ordinary
maintenance. Moreover, the hook-type configuration of a portion of the device
also
allows it to be securely supported even when the oven door is in its open
configuration, at the same time allowing continuous display of the temperature
of the
food even when the door is open.
Another advantage of the device according to the invention is that it can be
used on
any type of electric or gas oven, irrespective of the type of temperature
control used
in the oven.
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Representative Drawing