Intermediate Member Condition Responsive Patents (Class 219/625)
  • Publication number: 20090095736
    Abstract: An apparatus, system and method for warming food by controlled heating of heat retention objects such as cookware items or pellets located on a trivet positioned on a countertop, using heating control units, such as induction heating units, remotely located beneath the countertop. The preferred trivet insulates the countertop against damages, and also includes circuitry enabling the indication or display of its proper positioning on the countertop, and also indicating whether the heating unit is heating the heat retention object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2007
    Publication date: April 16, 2009
    Applicant: COOKTEK, LLC
    Inventors: Warren S. Graber, Reinhard Metz
  • Patent number: 7504607
    Abstract: A frequency converter circuit has at least two outputs that are respectively connected to a load, in particular an induction coil. A first output is operated at a first switching frequency and a second output is simultaneously operated at a second switching frequency that is different from the first, in such a way that noise having a frequency generated by the superposition of the first switching frequency and the second switching frequency is produced. The frequency converter circuit is operated in such a way that the frequency of the noise is lower than a first cutoff frequency and/or is higher than a second cutoff frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2009
    Assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete GmbH
    Inventors: Luis Angel Barragan Perez, Jose Miguel Burdio Pinilla, Pablo Jesus Hernandez Blasco, Sergio Llorente Gil, Alfonso Lorente Perez, Fernando Monterde Aznar
  • Publication number: 20090001072
    Abstract: An induction heating cooker including a top plate where a pan is placed; a heating coil for induction heating the pan; an inverter circuit for supplying a high frequency current to the heating coil; an infrared sensor, which is arranged under the heating coil and detects an infrared light radiated from the pan; a light guiding part including an upper opening formed at an upper end facing the top plate and a lower opening formed at a lower end, and guiding the infrared light from the pan to the infrared sensor; and a control unit for controlling an output of the inverter circuit according to an output from the infrared sensor; wherein the light guiding part includes a nonmetallic material part in which the upper opening is formed upper than a lower surface of the heating coil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2007
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tominaga, Kenji Watanabe, Masaharu Ohashi, Shintaro Noguchi, Tomoya Fujinami
  • Patent number: 7151242
    Abstract: An excitation system for heating food, water, or both in airplanes uses induction heating. The system includes at least one load circuit including an inductor that is excited with a load circuit AC voltage, a load circuit alternating current, or both the load circuit AC voltage and the load circuit alternating current. The load circuit AC voltage, the load circuit alternating current, or both the load circuit AC voltage and the load circuit alternating current are generated from an AC voltage signal that is amplitude-modulated with a frequency of a mains AC voltage from a voltage supply. The frequency of the AC voltage signal can be predetermined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2006
    Assignee: Huettinger Elektronik GmbH + Co. KG
    Inventor: Ansgar Schuler
  • Patent number: 7105784
    Abstract: In a fixing device according to this invention, a coil bobbin around which coils are formed into a predetermined shape is formed at an induction heating portion including a plurality of coils. To minimize the axial temperature difference of a heating roller, the coil bobbin has a shape with which the interval between coils is held at a predetermined interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2006
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Kikuchi, Akihiro Wasai, Osamu Takagi
  • Patent number: 7041945
    Abstract: An induction-heating cooking device includes a light-transmissive cooking board on which a cooking container to be heated is to be placed; a heating coil for heating the cooking container; light emission means for emitting a light beam; and light-transmissive light conducting means for allowing the light beam emitted by the light emission means to be propagated therethrough. The light beam lights up an outer peripheral portion of the light conducting means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Aihara, Hirofumi Nakakura, Kazuichi Okada, Kouichi Hosoi, Shigezou Oonishi
  • Patent number: 7016744
    Abstract: A man-machine interface is provided for a domestic appliance in which remotely sensed buttons, slider bars, marker pucks and a knob are used. The sensing coils for remotely sensing the positions of the buttons, slider bars, marker pucks and the knob are formed on a printed circuit board which is located behind a sealed surface such that there is no risk of contaminants accessing the printed circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2006
    Assignee: Scientific Generics Limited
    Inventors: Mark A. Howard, Richard A. Doyle, Alice Richard
  • Patent number: 6936799
    Abstract: An induction heating cooker capable of accurately discriminating whether the material of a cooking container placed in the induction heating cooker is magnetic or non-magnetic, using a phase change in a resonant capacitor voltage of an inverter circuit and a switching pulse signal of the inverter circuit, irrespective of the load of the cooking container, and a method for operating the induction heating cooker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2005
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Eui Sung Kim, Seung Hee Ryu, Byeong Wook Park, Dong Myung Shin
  • Patent number: 6727482
    Abstract: An induction heating method and device comprise an inductive heat source (120) having a controller (130), a resonant converter (125) and an induction coil (80). The controller (130) generates a variable frequency variable duty cycle control voltage in response to a power setting. The variable duty cycle of the control voltage decreases in response to an increase in the variable frequency of the control voltage. In response to the control voltage, the resonant power converter (125) generates an output between a first node (126) and a second node (128). Coupled between the first and second nodes (126, 128), the induction coil (80) varies the amount of heat it produces in response to the output power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2004
    Inventors: Nicholas Bassill, Jih-Sheng Lai
  • Patent number: 6498326
    Abstract: An arrangement for controlling electrically controllable appliances, such as electric cookers, has at least one manually operable control element placed on an outside of a plate, e.g. a glass ceramic plate of an electric cooker, which is secured by a magnetic holding device in non-contacting magnetic manner on the plate. A sensor device determines the position and/or position change of the control element and an associated control device, in order to set different operating modes of the appliance. The control element is constructed as a sliding key automatically returning to a rest position and which is displaceable in at least one displacement direction along the plate. Such sliding keys can be operated in a particularly easy manner and are well adapted to an at least partial digital processing of the sensor signals to controlling signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2002
    Assignee: E.G.O. Elektro-Geratebau GmbH
    Inventor: Gerd Knappe
  • Patent number: 6028297
    Abstract: A rice cooker does not cause malfunction if the operation unit is touched by mistake when closing the lid, and is capable of preventing boil-over without lowering the rice cooking performance. The rice cooker includes a main body, a lid for covering the top of the main body, an inner pan detachably accommodated in the main body, a heater for induction heating of the inner pan, a controller for controlling the supply of high frequency power to the heater, an operating unit, and a lid opening and closing detector or a rice gruel detector disposed in a steam tube of the lid. The controller inhibits operation signal input of the operating unit when detecting an open state of the lid, and controls the power supply to the heater when detecting a rise in the rice gruel. Therefore, the rice cooker prevents a wrong input in rice cooking when opening or closing the lid, and prevents boil-over of the rice gruel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2000
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hironori Hamada, Megumi Arihisa, Mitsuru Takechi, Masahiro Koyama
  • Patent number: 6018154
    Abstract: A high-frequency inverter having a simple circuit construction capable of executing a constant-frequency operation and a zero-volt switching operation and an induction heating cooker using the high-frequency inverter are disclosed. The high-frequency inverter is comprised of an inverter circuit for converting a direct current from a DC power source into a high-frequency current and a control circuit for controlling the inverter circuit. The inverter circuit is comprised of: a one-transistor inverter constructed of a heating coil whose one terminal is connected to one terminal of a DC power source, a first switching element connected in series between the other terminal of the heating coil and the other terminal of the DC power source, and a first resonance capacitor connected so as to form a resonance circuit with the heating coil; and a series circuit connected in parallel with the heating coil and constructed of a second switching element and a second resonance capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2000
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Izaki, Hideki Omori, Hidekazu Yamashita, Taizo Ogata, Takeshi Kitaizumi, Kamli Mokhtar
  • Patent number: 5920131
    Abstract: An arrangement for the control of electrically controllable appliances, particularly electric cookers proposes for each cooking point an operating element magnetically held in contactless manner on the top or front of a plate, e.g. a glass ceramic plate. Below or behind the plate is located a magnet, which magnetically secures the operating element, which can in this position be rotated in contactless manner sensors are operated, which are used for changing the control of the cooking point. Both the control and the fixing of the operating element take place in contactless manner. The plate requires no openings, passages, depressions, etc. The operating elements can be removed on overcoming the magnetic holding force. This removal can be utilized for the complete disconnection of the cooker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1999
    Assignee: E.G.O. Elektro-Geratebau GmbH
    Inventors: Nils Platt, Wilhelm Perrin, Wilfried Schilling
  • Patent number: 5914066
    Abstract: Circuits for high frequency energy supply for cooking pots, etc. utilize resonant circuits in which the coil for the energy transfer forms a part. Furthermore circuits of the inverter type are used. It has turned out to be advantageous to use an extra circuit which gives the current feed from the rectifier of the power supply unit to the inverter a period of oscillation which is less than or equal to the period of oscillation of the resonant circuit. In this manner an efficient control of the supplied power is obtained, and the losses are reduced. Furthermore measuring signals may be derived which may be used for increasing the safety with respect to incorrect use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 22, 1999
    Assignee: Aktiebolaget Electrolux
    Inventor: Jan E. Dahl
  • Patent number: 5847369
    Abstract: A delay timer incorporated into an induction cooking cartridge permits the use of the induction cooking cartridge with conventional modular cooktops including bi-metal power switches without damage to the induction circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1998
    Assignee: Maytag Corporation
    Inventor: William D. Barritt
  • Patent number: 5665263
    Abstract: An induction cooking heater includes at least one inductor, a high-frequency current generator and a magnetic circuit located beneath the inductor. The reluctance of the magnetic circuit is calibrated so that the magnetic circuit gets saturated from a predetermined temperature lower than the maximum permissible temperature for the inductor. A plate made of non-magnetic, electrically conductive material located beneath the magnetic circuit, gives rise to an increase in current in the inductor when the magnetic circuit starts getting saturated. The generator is then controlled by a regulator for limiting the value of the current in the inductor to deliver lower power to the inductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Assignee: C E P E M
    Inventor: Jean-Yves Gaspard
  • Patent number: 5643485
    Abstract: A cooking utensil with improved heat retention includes an inner pot received within an outer pot and separated in a closely spaced-apart relationship to form a volume or chamber therebetween. The chamber is evacuated and sealed with foil leaves at the upper edges of the inner and outer pot. The vacuum created between the inner and outer pot, along with the minimum of thermal contact between the inner and outer pot, and the reduced radiative heat transfer due to low emissivity coatings on the inner and outer pot, provide for a highly insulated cooking utensil. Any combination of a plurality of mechanisms for selectively disabling and re-enabling the insulating properties of the pot are provided within the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 1, 1997
    Assignee: Midwest Research Institute
    Inventors: Thomas F. Potter, David K. Benson, Steven D. Burch
  • Patent number: 5622643
    Abstract: This invention relates to a process and a device for controlling power for a circuit comprising a resonant inverter intended to supply a variable impedance load comprising an inductive component. The invention renders the active power consumed by the load independent of the nature of the load by producing an error signal that is a function of an average value of a current passing through power transistors of the inverter, this error signal being used to control a power modulator controlling the switching of the power transistors. Such a process and device finds particular application to a circuit for controlling power supplied to an inducer and a cooking utensil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 22, 1997
    Assignee: Compagnie Europeenne pour l'Equipment Menager Cepem
    Inventors: Gerard Morizot, Gerard Rilly, Sean Carthy
  • Patent number: 5571438
    Abstract: In a switching device of an induction heating cooker, an oppositely poled diode for conducting a reverse current is coupled across the collector-emitter portion of a switching element provided in the first switching device, and turn-ON operation of the switching devices does not OCCUR in normal operation of the DUTY FACTOR T.sub.2 /T.sub.1 .apprxeq.0.5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 5, 1996
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Izaki, Hideki Omori, Kenji Hattori, Hirofumi Noma
  • Patent number: 5536920
    Abstract: An inverter power control circuit for a high-frequency heating apparatus of a half-bridge type which comprises an inverter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 16, 1996
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Kyoung A. Kwon
  • Patent number: 5490450
    Abstract: An inverter cooker with a high voltage/low voltage separating device, which can protect the user from accident and prevents the inverter cooker from malfunctioning by separating a low voltage circuit portion from high voltage circuit portion regardless of the performance of signal transmission. According to the inverter cooker, the signal intercommunicating between the high voltage circuit portion such as an inverter controller or a current detector and the low voltage circuit portion such as a function key input device or a system controller is performed through the high voltage/low voltage separating device which has a plurality of photo-couplers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 13, 1996
    Assignee: Gold Star, Ltd.
    Inventor: Min G. Lee
  • Patent number: 5319174
    Abstract: An induction heating cooker has a rectifier (13) for producing pulsating DC current, an inverter (14) which receives the pulsating current given from the rectifier (13) and produces a high frequency output current and a load circuit (15) including an output coil (21) and a resonance capacitor (22) connected in series to each other to receive high frequency output signal from the inverter, and the variation or adjustment of output electromagnetic power is made by changing duty ratio of the high frequency output current of the inverter by giving variable duty ratio setting signals to switching elements (Qa, Qb) in the inverter 14; the frequency of the high frequency output current of the inverter 14 is fixed, and therefore, unpleasant interference sound is not generated at parallel simultaneous operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 7, 1994
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideki Omori, Hirofumi Noma, Hideyuki Kominami, Toshiaki Iwai, Kazuhiko Asada