US2503959A - Control structure for electrically heated devices - Google Patents

Description

April 11, 1950 P. J. MOCULLOUGH Filed Jan. a, 1945 CONTROL STRUCTURE FOR ELECTRICALLY HEATED DEVICES 37 FIGS.

INVENTOR; PAUL J. MC CULLOUGH BY @1 M ATTORNEY 'ltllllll Patented Apr. 11, 1950 CONTROL STRUCTURE FOR ELECTRICALLY HEATED DEVICES Paul J. McCullough, St. Louis, Mo., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to The Toastswell Company, Incorporated, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application January 8, 1943, Serial No. 471,686 3 Claims. (Cl. 219-19) The invention relates to apparatus for controlling the operations of electric toasters or other cookers, and more particularly to such apparatus which is setfor a heating operation during a predetermined period only and then acts automatically to terminate the heating operation.

One object of the invention is to simplify the construction of the device by segregating the parts for connecting the device to an electric supply current from the parts forming the timing mechanism and the parts for manually setting and regulating the timing mechanism.

An incidental object is to decrease the expense of the construction by avoidin the use of substantial bus bars or corresponding lengths of wiring usually required in like devices for leading the current from the supply circuit connection at one end of the device to the control mechanism at the other end of the device.

Another object is to simplify the control of the device by utilizing a single manually operated member for closing the electric circuit, energizing the timing mechanism and determining the setting of the latter, 1. e. the timing period.

These and other detail objects of the invention as will appear below are attained by the structure shown in the accompanying drawings, which .structure is intended to be illustrative and not handle and associated control member at the front or left hand end of the toaster.

The toaster body includes a base I. a housing 2 and end plates 3 and 4 forming the toasting chamber 5. These parts also comprise framing upon which the resistance heaters, the timing mechanism, the switch and other elements are carried. The body base, housing and end plates may be constructed and assembled as illustrated and described in an application. Serial No. 470,191,

filed by the present inventor December 26, 1942,

now Patent No. 2, 404,915, July 30, 1946.

Each of the heating units 6 consists of resist- 'ance'wires I wound upon a sheet of insulation Three of-such units are shown; therebeing a 2 space between the middle unit and each side unit for a slide of bread to be toasted.

End plate 4 mounts spaced uprights 9, and a channel-shaped carriage I0 has apertured flanges I I slidable along the uprights. Slice supports I2, rigid with carriage I0, extend through slots I3 in plate 4. A tension coil sprin I4 has its lower end secured to the lower flange II of carriage I0 and has its upper end anchored to a bracket I5 on plate 4. The spring yieldingly supports the carriage I0, and the parts mounted thereon, in the elevated position indicated in Figures 1 and 2.

The timing mechanism unit includes a clock Work escapement, indicated generally at I6, which has a main gear I! driven by a friction disc I8 provided with an arm I 9 which carries a latching and trip lever 20 pivoted to the arm at 2| and tilted in a clockwise direction by a tension coil spring 22. A coil spring l9a is anchored to bracket I5 and pulls arm I9 upwardly.

A bracket 23, rigid with carriage I0, extends through a slot in the front wall of the housing and mounts a handle 24 by which the carriage may be moved manually from the elevated position shown in Figure 1 to a lowered position in which a lug 25 on the upper flange I I of carriage ID will engage a notch 26 on lever 20 to hold carriage I0 and the parts mounted thereon against upward movement by spring I 4 except as permitted slowly by clock work escapement I6 and as released by the tripping of lever 20 by a link 21 pivoted at 28 and slotted to receive the tail of lever 20 and limit its upward movement with carriage I0, thereby swinging notch 26 to the left. Link 21 may be controlled by a thermostat '29 to trip lever 20 at different intervals of time upon the initial downward movement of the car riage by handle 24, This downward movement is limited by the engagement of a stop 30 on body base I by a piece 3I slidable along the rear face of handle 24 and having a horizo'ntalfinger' 32 projecting through a horizontal slot S extend ing transversely of the handle; A fiat spring 33 seated against a shoulder 34 on bracket 23 thrustsline by a cord 36 having the usual fitting (not shown) at its outer end for plugging into a suitable outlet. One of the cordwir'es'is secured to a binding post 31 which is connected by a wire 38 to one end of the resistance heating unit consisting of elements 7. The other end of this unit is connected by a wire 39 to a contact 40 adjacent to but spaced from 'a contact 4! on the other binding post 42 to which the other cord wire is attached.

Contacts 40 and 4| are connected and discon-. nected electrically by the movement towards and away from them .of a disc-like member 43 carflea on the outer end of an arm 44 extending transversely of the toaster from a shaft 45 journall'ed in notches Njin plates 3 and 4 and having anarm 46 at the forward end of the toaster extending upwardly through a slot in lower flange H on plate I0. A wire spring 41 is anchored to plate 4 at its ends and intermediate its ends bears against shaft 45 to hold the same to its seat in the adjacent notch l T.

When handle 24, bracket 23 and plate ID are moved downwardly th'eyfserve as an actuator to energize the timing mechanism, arm 46 being swung downwardly to rotate shaft 45 and to lower arm 44 and disc 43 to class the circuit. Elements 46, 4| and 43 form a switch structure for the heating element circuit. 7 Normally this switch will be closed during the early downward movement of handle 24 and plate In and elements 44, '45 and 45 will be formedof spring wire which will be distorted during the further downward movement of plate I!) after disc 43 engages contacts 44 and 4!. Hence the shaft and its arms will contribute to the energizing of the timing mechanism. Also the spring structure of elements 44 45 and 4B accommodates maintenance of a closed switch during most of the upward movement of plate '10 by the springs under the control of the clock work. The circuit will be opened suddenly upon tripping of lever latch 26 and not before.

I Member 43 and its mounting on arm 44 are detailed in Figure 4. The member body consists initially of a cup-shaped part 51 having an annularv groove 52 receiving aring 53 of silver or similar high-conductive material. An insulation washer '54 overliesthe bottom of cup 5!. A collar button-shaped element C has its base 55 seated on insulation 54 and is covered by an insulation washer fifii and is clamped between these washers by the bending inwardly and downwardly of the upper portion 5! of the cupwall. A shank 58 Xi dsimW vir ba .1 nd has an larged head 59. The end ofyarrn 44 is loosely coiled around shanle58 beneath head 59 and member 43 is fre'eftc tilt about an axis extending With a device constructed as described, the cord connection to the source of current supply is at the rear of the device and the part manipulated by the user is at the front of the device, as is desirable and as is customary in devices of like nature, butthe switch in the device itself is also at -the rear of the device but is operated by the manually manipulated parts at the front of the device. This provides for the segregation "of the switch parts and the timing and setting mechanism, although they are operatively connected, and eliminates a substantial amount of wiring, or bus bars, as is customary to carry the current from the. rear of the device to a switch located 'at the front of the device. The switch is closed and the timing mechanism is energized and the device set for terminating the operation at the end of a predetermined period by the manual manipulation of a single part, namely the handle 24, and the timing period may be variedby an element of this same part, namely the finger 32 which is slidable transversely of the handle. In othenwords, the user. needs to observe but a single restricted part of thetoaster. It will be understoodthat the features referred to may be embodied in devices other than bread toasters and in detailed structure differing substantially from that illustrated and. described without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the exclusive useof modifications comme; within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is; I

1. In an electric circuit control for an apparatus, a pair of spaced terminals, an element for engaging both of said termiea a manually operable part spaced afsubstantial distance from said terminals and slidable from a non-operating position to a selected one of successive operating positions to vary the operation of the apparatus and to close a circuit and slidable from said operating positions toopen the circuit, an elongated member journalled near itsv endsinfstationary bearings and having arms extending transversely of its length, one of saidarms being secured to said terminal engaging element and the other of said arms being connected to said part, said part rotating said member to engage said element with said terminals when said part reaches the first of said positions. and said member yielding upon engagement of said terminals by said element to accommodate further movement of said part to successive positions. v

2. In an apparatus including a timing device and an electric circuit switch oontrolled thereby,

a manually operated part 'slidable from an inoperative point to one of several successive operative positions to energize the timing device for different periods of operation according to the selected position to which the part is moved, and movable from the selected operative position to the inoperative point as the timing'device' functions; a switch actuator comprising a r e'jcurnanea'm stationary bearings and havinga resilient crank arm at one end c nne tedte neinevabieby said part to rotate the a's-the'p'art-is; moved between said pcint and the first-of'said positions; an offset arm on the other end'bf said rod, and'a switch member connected thereto adapted to close and open the switch by said movementsoi said actuator, said actuator yielding independently-of movement of 3. In a device of the classdescribed; an elec trically energized unit having a compartment with substantially spaced ends and substantially spaced sides, a switch opening and closing member near the center of one end of the unit, a manually operated part near the center of the other end of the unit, an elongated U-shaped rod connected at one end to said part and extending therefrom alongside the corresponding end of the unit to one side of the unit, then alongside said side of the unit to the other end of the unit and then alongside of the first-mentioned end of the unit to said switch member, said part being mounted to slide on a stationary mounting in a substantially straight line from a non-operating position to a selected one of several operating positions, a device varying the time said member holds the switch closed according to the operating position of said part, said rod being actuated by said part to move said member to switch closing position as said part is movable to the first of said operating positions and then yielding to accommodate further movement of said part and the end of said rod connected thereto.

PAUL J. McCULLOUGH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Hawes July 14, 1896 Sundh et al June 20, 1905 McIntire July 30, 1907 Wright June 27, 1911 Warner Dec. 9, 1913 Garros May 11, 1915 Duncan Jan. 2, 1917 De Khotinsky Apr, 26, 1921 Klopsteg et a1 May 24, 1927 Randolph Jan. 7, 1930 Mafioni June 24, 1930 Bowie Aug. 11, 1931 Bowie May 2, 1933 Manley Aug. 23, 1938. Lodge Mar. 7, 1939 Sardeson Sept. 5, 1939 Sardeson May 21, 1940 Crabbs July 16, 1940 Gough Oct. 7, 1941 Henry Oct. 28, 1941 Valkenburg July 7, 1942 Lucia 1- Aug. 25, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Number Great Britain Aug. 7, 1919

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