Patent ID: 6595111
Filing Date: 2003-07-22
Classification: A47J

Abstract:
An electric toaster comprising:a housing including a toasting compartment; an electric heating unit disposed in said toasting compartment; a carriage mounted in said toasting compartment and movable vertically among a lower limit position, an upper limit position, and a toasting position between the lower limit and upper limit positions and located closer to the lower limit position as compared to the upper limit position, whereby a food item to be toasted is adapted to be loaded in and unloaded from said carriage when said carriage is in the upper limit position, and whereby the food item is adapted to be toasted when said carriage is in the toasting position; a biasing device disposed in said housing for biasing said carriage to the upper limit position; a magnetically-attracted retaining mechanism including a support seat movably supported by said carriage so as to be movable together with said carriage among the upper limit position, the lower limit position and the toasting position, said support seat being further movable relative to said carriage between an upper releasing position and a lower retaining position, a biasing member provided on said support seat for biasing said support seat to the upper releasing position, a magnetically-attracted plate mounted on said support seat, and a switch actuator provided on said support seat; a control unit connected electrically to said electric heating unit, said control unit including a power switch unit disposed in said housing and switched by said switch actuator from an OFF-mode, where electric power to said electric heating unit is cut-off, to an ON-mode, where electric power is supplied to said electric heating unit, when said carriage is moved from the upper limit position to the lower limit position upon application of an external force against biasing action of said biasing device; and an electromagnet disposed in said housing adjacent to said carriage and connected electrically to said control unit said electromagnet being energized by said control unit when said power switch unit is switched from the OFF-mode to the ON-mode to attract said magnetically-attracted plate so that, once the external force applied for moving said carriage to the lower limit position is relieved, said biasing device biases said carriage to move from the lower limit position to the toasting position, thereby holding said support seat in the lower retaining position against biasing action of said biasing member and thereby holding said carriage in the toasting position.