Patents Examined by Philip H. Leung
  • Patent number: 7053347
    Abstract: A microwave oven, having a humidity sensor and a voltage detecting unit for detecting a change in an output voltage of the humidity sensor, includes: a control unit for receiving a compensated voltage according to a change in temperature supplied from the humidity sensor and a detected voltage supplied from the voltage detecting unit, and determining a cooking time based on a voltage difference between the detected voltage and the compensated voltage. With this configuration, an optimal cooking time based on a being cooked can be calculated by use of the humidity sensor, and the cooking time can be controlled in a stable manner relative to external noise or irregular changes in humidity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2006
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Won-woo Lee, Gun-su Kim, So-hyun Lee, Jong-chull Shon, Kum-chul Hwang
  • Patent number: 7049566
    Abstract: A cooking device includes a first waveguide portion to make a microwave emitted into a heating chamber propagate radially in the directions almost parallel with the bottom face of the heating chamber and to guide the microwave propagated in the almost parallel directions into the heating chamber, and a second waveguide portion to make the microwave guided into the heating chamber by the first waveguide portion further propagate radially in directions almost parallel with the bottom face and to guide the propagated microwave into the heating chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kato, Seiji Kanbara
  • Patent number: 7049569
    Abstract: Disclosed is a microwave oven with an air cleaning function. The microwave oven includes an air cleaning button formed on a control panel of the microwave oven, a controller for determining an input signal from the air cleaning button and generating a driving signal, and a fan driving part for operating a fan disposed in the microwave oven to allow intake air to pass through a filter, thereby removing pollutants contained in the intake air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Seog Tae Kim
  • Patent number: 7049567
    Abstract: A wall-mounted type microwave oven selectively changes a discharging direction of air from a cooking chamber to the outside of a room and to the inside of the room. The microwave oven includes an oven body having a cooking chamber and an electric component compartment, an exhaust flow path which communicates with a lower portion of the oven body and an upper portion of the oven body to exhaust air existing under the oven body to the outside, a ventilation flow path which communicates with the inside of the cooking chamber and a front air outlet to ventilate the cooking chamber, a communicating flow path which is provided in the oven body and allows the exhaust flow path to communicate with the ventilation flow path, and a path-converting device which is provided in the communicating flow path and selectively discharges the air exhausted from the cooking chamber toward either the front air outlet or the exhaust flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Gong-Soo Kim
  • Patent number: 7049564
    Abstract: The present invention offers an induction heating apparatus in which the infrared sensor performs stable temperature detection without undergoing the influence of leakage magnetic flux from the induction heating means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoyoshi Takada, Naoaki Ishimaru, Tamotsu Izutani
  • Patent number: 7049563
    Abstract: An electric conductor provided for decreasing a lifting force exerted on an object being heated has an aperture of a small diameter in the center thereof, which leaves a large surface area to enhance reduction of the lifting force. The electric conductor is also provided with a comb section around the aperture for preventing a circling current induced in the electric conductor from flowing into an area around the aperture. This structure can thus alleviate excessive heating around the aperture, and allow the heating coil to produce a high output power for a long duration of time even when an inwardly concaved pan is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihiro Keishima, Akira Kataoka, Izuo Hirota
  • Patent number: 7045749
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a device including a body to be heated to which a magnetic field is supplied to generate heat and which heats a developer on a material to be recorded, a plurality of coil bodies which generate an induced heat in the body to be heated from the outside of the body to be heated and which include litz wires having cross sections formed in rectangular shapes and which are disposed in a longitudinal direction of the body to be heated, and a pressure applying member which contacts the body to be heated in a predetermined position and which fixes the developer on the material to be recorded passing between the pressure applying member and the body to be heated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba TEC Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Kinouchi, Osamu Takagi, Yoshinori Tsueda, Toshihiro Sone
  • Patent number: 7041949
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a microwave oven, which is provided with a toasting cavity in addition to a microwave cooking cavity, thus making well-toasted breads. The microwave oven includes a cabinet which is partitioned into a microwave cooking cavity, a toasting cavity, and a machine room. A microwave generating unit is installed in the machine room to irradiate microwaves into the microwave cooking cavity. A heating unit is installed in the toasting cavity to heat the toasting cavity. A ventilating unit functions to ventilate the toasting cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoon Gon Kim
  • Patent number: 7041946
    Abstract: An induction heat treating process with a remote sensor for monitoring the duration of energization of an induction heating coil each time the induction heating coil is consecutively cycled. An identifying tag is preferably attached to, embedded within the induction heating coil or within the surrounding area of the induction coil and transmits a signal to a remote counting sensor that is preferably triggered by and responds to the change in voltage generated as the coil is energized. Alternative means of measuring a cycle may be implemented. The output data from the sensor provides useful information for determining the lifespan of an induction heating coil. Predicting the lifespan of a coil optimizes production by anticipating failure and replacement of a coil during a predetermined down time, limiting on-site inventory, and revolutionizing the billing cycle based on a per cycle cost while decreasing overall production costs and improving inductor coil quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Inventor: Kathleen M. Bartz
  • Patent number: 7041948
    Abstract: A microwave oven with a toaster includes a toaster casing, a heating chamber inserted in the toaster casing, a bread receiver slidably inserted in the toaster casing, and a toaster door attached to a front side of the bread receiver. The bread receiver is selectively placed in the heating chamber. The microwave oven further includes a crumb tray slidably inserted in the toaster casing for collecting crumbs of bread and a holding unit for holding bread put in the bread receiver. The crumb tray is placed under the bread receiver. Further, there is provided a process for controlling a heater of the toaster, which is capable of properly baking bread even when the toaster is continually operated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: Daewoo Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Jae Hyun Lee, Gil Ju Jung, Yun Ho Cho
  • Patent number: 7038178
    Abstract: The image heating apparatus includes a heating member, a first coil unit having a first holder in which a first excitation coil is sealed, the first excitation coil being provided for generating a magnetic field to induce an eddy current in the heating member, and a second coil unit having a second holder in which a second excitation coil is sealed, the second excitation coil being provided for generating a magnetic field to induce an eddy current in the heating member. The image heating apparatus having such structure enables easy assembly work while being capable of conducting nonuniform heating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hitoshi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7038179
    Abstract: An electrical oven and method of controlling the same includes a heater heating unit to heat food using an electric heater; an induction heating unit to heat the food using a high-frequency current, and a control unit to drive the heater heating unit and the induction heating unit simultaneously in a preheating cooking mode. The electric oven of the present invention carries out heating by the electric heater and induction heating by high-frequency current, so preheating time required for an inner temperature of a cooking cavity to reach a preheating temperature is decreased, thereby reducing a total cooking time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tae-Soo Kim, Young-Won Cho, Kyung-Hee Hahm
  • Patent number: 7038181
    Abstract: A microwave beverage and food preparation apparatus that, in one embodiment, converts a common fluid vessel such as a cup, mug, or bowl into a whistling kettle. A user places a lid having an alarm on a vessel containing liquid to be heated in a microwave. A member made of, or containing, nucleation-site-rich material on the underside of the lid extends into the liquid to activate boiling, thereby assuring a safe transition of the liquid to a normal boiling state. Steam escapes through an integrated whistle in the lid, alerting the user to the boiling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: Megadex Corporation
    Inventor: John Thomas Edmark
  • Patent number: 7038182
    Abstract: A microwave dry-fry cooking process includes the steps of providing a food product in or on a microwave cooking vessel and exposing the food product in or on the microwave cooking vessel to microwave energy in a microwave oven. The food product includes a food load and a coating composition coated on the food load, where the coating composition comprises at least one microwave-absorbing oil or fat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Inventors: Robert C. Young, Johan Kools
  • Patent number: 7034267
    Abstract: Circuit for operating a microwave oven including a DC voltage source, a switching part having at least two switching devices electrically connected to the DC voltage source for switching a voltage from the DC voltage source, controlling part for controlling the switching part, a magnetron for generating a microwave, and a converting part for converting the voltage from the DC voltage source to a voltage for operating the magnetron by switching of the switching part, thereby permitting operation of the microwave oven by using a car battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Wan Soo Kim, Sung Jin Han
  • Patent number: 7034261
    Abstract: The image heating apparatus includes a heating member, a first coil unit having a first holder in which a first excitation coil is sealed, the first excitation,coil being provided for generating a magnetic field to induce an eddy current in the heating member, and a second coil unit having a second holder in which a second excitation coil is sealed, the second excitation coil being provided for generating a magnetic field to induce an eddy current in the heating member. The image heating apparatus having such structure enables easy assembly work while being capable of conducting nonuniform heating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hitoshi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7034266
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for tuning a microwave apparatus. The chamber volume of the microwave apparatus can be changed by moving a flexible portion of a flexible wall while a perimeter portion of the flexible wall remains fixed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Dennis J. DeGroot, James A. Boldra, Keith R. Haen
  • Patent number: 7034264
    Abstract: Heating systems and methods for inductive heating or a combination of resistive and inductive heating. A heater coil is inductively coupled to an article and a current signal is supplied to the heater coil. The heater coil generates a magnetic flux, based on the applied current signal, for inductively heating the article. Current pulses of a certain profile are used to enhance the rate, intensity and/or power of inductive heating delivered by the heating element or coil and/or to enhance the lifetime or reduce the cost of the inductive heating system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: iTherm Technologies, LP
    Inventor: Valery Kagan
  • Patent number: 7034263
    Abstract: A system and method for inductive heating, in which a power source provides current pulses with high-frequency harmonics to a heater coil, the coil generating a magnetic flux for inductive heating of an article. The high-frequency harmonics enhance a relative proportion of inductive heating, compared to resistive heating of the heater coil. Providing these high-frequency harmonics, occurring above the border frequency of the heating system, enables the system to deliver an increased proportion of inductive heating, compared to resistive heating, without requiring an increase in the Root Means Square (RMS) current in the coil. Providing better coupling between the coil and the core, such as by embedding the coil wholly or at least partially in the core, and providing a magnetic yoke to close the loop with the core, can provide a significantly decreased border frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: iTherm Technologies, LP
    Inventor: Val Kagan
  • Patent number: 7030346
    Abstract: A moisture-adding microwave food cover apparatus, comprising of a capped (not absolutely essential, but part of the current implementation of the design) conical or dome-like structure, with an upper liquid reservoir, cool fin handle, removable top center cap, and a lower condensed moisture reservoir. The apparatus may be manufactured from any microwaveable material and it is efficient in preventing spatter, retaining heat, retaining moisture, and adding moisture to food that is heated or cooked using a microwave oven. The apparatus is easy to use, easy to clean, easy to manufacture, and reduces the time required to cook or heat food in a microwave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Inventor: Wen Miao