Patent ID: 8291813
Filing Date: 2012-10-23
Classification: A47J

Abstract:
1. A toaster comprising: a slot-like chamber for receiving foodstuffs to be toasted, the chamber a permanent part of the toaster and being flanked by heating elements, the heating elements enclosed within a guard; a carriage permanently-retained within said toaster and having a substantially planar foodstuff-supporting surface; a support structure for said carriage configured to permit the carriage to be latched in a lower position at which foodstuffs are exposed to said heating elements for toasting, for automatically releasing said carriage on completion of a toasting cycle, and for automatically raising the carriage in a vertical direction to an upper presentation position in which toasted foodstuffs can be removed from the toaster, leaving the carriage in place within said toaster; and user-operable means for varying a width dimension of the chamber to accommodate foodstuffs of differing thickness; wherein said carriage comprises: first and second elongate members extending horizontally in a direction substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction along a full length dimension of said slot-like chamber and disposed respectively to one and an other side of said chamber; linking means including a plurality of linking members distributed along substantially an entire length of the elongate members from one end to another end, the members linking said elongate members and pivotally mounted to each, said linking members collectively presenting at least a substantial part of the substantially planar foodstuff-supporting surface of the carriage; and control means maintaining said elongate members in contact with opposing sides of the chamber such that said elongate members move laterally toward or away from one another when the width dimension of the chamber is varied by the user; such movement of the elongate members being accommodated by pivotal movement of said linking members, whereby said carriage adapts automatically to variations in the width dimension of said chamber.