Abstract:
An apparatus for toasting and broiling a food item in an aircraft galley includes: a heating element that heats a food item; a lower rack upon which the food item sits; an upper rack disposed above the lower rack to contain the food item in position between the lower rack and the upper rack while the heating element heats the food item; and an oven compartment in which the heating element, lower rack, and upper rack are disposed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This Application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/869,386, filed Aug. 23, 2013, entitled, “Toaster Broiler for Aircraft Galley.” The above-referenced application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Embodiments relate to food preparation equipment on an aircraft. More specifically, embodiments relate to a toaster broiler for an aircraft galley. 
         [0003]    Use of conventional toaster ovens onboard an aircraft or other vehicle could result in the spilling of food inside the toaster oven due to movement of the toaster oven in response to dynamic events such as vibrations, turbulence, and motion of the aircraft or other vehicle. This could result in spilled food coming into contact with radiant heating elements in the toaster oven. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    According to an embodiment, an apparatus for toasting and broiling a food item in an aircraft galley includes: a heating element that heats a food item; a lower rack upon which the food item sits; an upper rack disposed above the lower rack to contain the food item in position between the lower rack and the upper rack while the heating element heats the food item; and an oven compartment in which the heating element, lower rack, and upper rack are disposed. 
         [0005]    According to another embodiment, a method of toasting and broiling a food item includes: providing a toaster broiler comprising within an oven compartment a heating element, a plurality of first rack guides disposed on a first side wall of the oven compartment, and a plurality of second rack guides disposed on a second side wall of the oven compartment opposite the first side wall; securing a lower rack on a lower first rack guide and on a lower second rack guide; placing the food item on the lower rack; securing an upper rack on an upper first rack guide and on an upper second rack guide, the upper rack positioned above the lower rack to contain the food item in position between the lower rack and the upper rack; and operating the heating element to heat the food item. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    Exemplary embodiments will be explained in more detail with reference to the attached drawings in which the embodiments are illustrated as briefly described below. 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a toaster broiler for an aircraft galley, according to an embodiment. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart for operating the toaster broiler, according to an embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0009]      FIG. 1  illustrates a toaster broiler  100  for an aircraft galley, according to an embodiment. The toaster broiler  100  incorporates dedicated toasting and broiling functions into an oven for an aircraft galley. The toaster broiler  100  prepares toasted bread, including bread slices, buns, bagels, English muffins, and the like as well as appetizers and meal starters including bruschettas and crostinis. The toaster broiler  100  also features an ergonomic user interface and harmonization with other appliances in the aircraft galley. 
         [0010]    The toaster broiler  100  includes safety mechanisms that overcome the unique difficulties in providing toaster and broiler functions onboard an aircraft. In a conventional toaster oven when used onboard an aircraft, food can spill, become dislodged, and touch a radiant heating element of the toaster oven when the toaster oven vibrates, jostles, turns, and moves in response to dynamic events such as vibrations, turbulence, and motion of the aircraft. In contrast, the toaster broiler  100  incorporates an upper and lower rack system  130  that constrains motion of food during motion of the toaster broiler  100 , for example, during dynamic events of the aircraft. The upper and lower rack system  130  thus prevents the food in the toaster broiler  100  from spilling, becoming dislodged, and touching a heating element of the toaster broiler  100  during dynamic events. The upper and lower rack system  130  also facilitates ease of loading food items into and removing food items from the toaster broiler  100 . 
         [0011]    The toaster broiler  100  includes an outer housing  105  and a door  110  defining the boundaries of an oven compartment  115 . The door  110  includes a seal  120  that seals the door  110  against front edges of the outer housing  105  to close the oven compartment  115 . The door  110  includes hinges  125  that attach the door  110  to the outer housing  105  and facilitate the door  110  opening and closing the oven compartment  115 . The door  110  also includes a vent for ventilation of the oven compartment  115 . 
         [0012]    The oven compartment  115  includes an upper and lower rack system  130  that constrains motion of food during motion of the toaster broiler  100 , for example, during dynamic events of the aircraft. The rack system  130  includes rack guides  135 ,  140 ,  145 , and  150  at different heights on either side of the oven compartment  115 . In various embodiments, there are more or fewer lower rack guides than the lower rack guides  135 ,  140 , and  145  arranged in a vertical direction. A rack  155  may be placed on any one of the lower rack guides  135 ,  140 , and  145  to facilitate a desired vertical spacing between the rack  155  and a rack  160  supported by a higher rack guide, e.g., one of the lower rack guides  140  and  145  or the upper rack guide  150 . The desired vertical spacing may be sufficiently large to facilitate food  165  and  170  to be placed on the rack  155  and constrained from moving, tipping, or spilling by the rack  160  above the food  165  and  170 . 
         [0013]    The food  165  and  170  may be a sandwich, sub, bun, Panini, baguette, or other food product desired to be heated or toasted in the toaster broiler  100 . The food  165  and  170  may also include various spreads and toppings. 
         [0014]    A user may place the racks  155  and  160  on different rack guides  135 ,  140 ,  145 , and  150  using an oven mitt or a tool that protects the user from physically touching the pair of the rack guides  135 ,  140 ,  145 , and  150 , or any racks  155  or  160  situated on the pair of the rack guides  135 ,  140 ,  145 , and  150 . The user may move one or both of the racks  155  and  160  from one set of rack guides to another set of rack guides to change the spacing between the racks  155  and  160 , or to change a distance of the food  165  and  170  from heating elements  190 . 
         [0015]    The racks  155  and  160  and upper and lower rack guides  135 ,  140 ,  145 , and  150  are constructed of a material resistant to high temperatures and easy to clean. The racks  155  and  160  and upper and lower rack guides  135 ,  140 ,  145 , and  150  are also constructed to be relatively low in weight, while being capable of withstanding large weight food products being placed on the racks. The racks  155  and  160  and upper and lower rack guides  135 ,  140 ,  145 , and  150  are also constructed of a material with a low heat capacity to facilitate the racks  155  and  160  and upper and lower rack guides  135 ,  140 ,  145 , and  150  cooling down quickly to prevent burns by a user inadvertently touching the racks  155  and  160  and upper and lower rack guides  135 ,  140 ,  145 , and  150 , for example when removing food  165  and  170  from the racks  155  and  160  after a toasting or broiling cycle, or placing new food  165  and  170  on the racks  155  and  160  for another toasting or broiling cycle. 
         [0016]    The racks  155  and  160  and upper and lower rack guides  135 ,  140 ,  145 , and  150  are held in place in the oven compartment  115  to prevent being dislodged and coming out of the oven compartment  115  during dynamic events of the aircraft. The racks  155  and  160  may be tight fitting in the rack guides  135 ,  140 ,  145 , and  150  and the oven compartment  115  in order to prevent noise from rattling and reduce wear and tear on the racks  155  and  160 , rack guides  135 ,  140 ,  145 , and  150 , and the interior surfaces of the oven compartment  115 . 
         [0017]    The racks  155  and  160  may be constructed of wire mesh, grill, or plates. A plate may prevent dripping from the racks  155  and  160  for ease of cleaning and prevention of food sitting on one rack  155  from spilling over to food on a lower rack  155 . In addition, a plate may exhibit a mirror effect and be used to limit heating from the heating elements  190  to a region above the plate and not to regions below the plate. Use of a plate as a rack  155  may enhance ease of cleaning of the toaster broiler  100 . 
         [0018]    Below the upper and lower rack system  130 , the oven compartment  115  includes a crumb tray  180 . The crumb tray  180  catches any crumbs, grease, drippings, and spills from the food  165  and  170 . The crumb tray  180  is easily removable and cleanable by pulling the crumb tray  180  out of the oven compartment  115 . The crumb tray  180  may include a crumb tray handle  185  or other means for removing the crumb tray  180  from the oven compartment  115 . The crumb tray  180  is held in place when the oven door  110  is open to prevent falling out of the oven compartment  115  during dynamic events of the aircraft, for example. The crumb tray  180  fits tightly within the oven compartment  115  to prevent noise from rattling, etc., during dynamic events, and to prevent excessive wear and tear on the interior surfaces of the oven compartment  115  and the crumb tray  180  during operation in a high vibration and turbulence aircraft environment. 
         [0019]    The oven compartment  115  includes one or more heating elements  190 , which, according to the illustrated embodiment, may be located above the upper and lower rack system  130 . According to an alternative embodiment, heating elements may be located below the upper and lower rack system  130 , and, according to yet a further embodiment, heating elements may be located both above and below the upper and lower rack system  130 . The oven compartment may include a heating element screen  195  that prevents the food  165  and  170 , users&#39; hands, and other foreign objects from touching the heating elements  190 . The heating element screen  195  may be touched by the food  165  and  170 , the users&#39; hands, and other foreign objects without burning the food  165  and  170 , the users&#39; hands, and other foreign objects. 
         [0020]    The heating elements  190  may be electrical heating elements that operate by heating when electrical current passes through the heating elements  190 . In various embodiments, the heating elements  190  may be tubular, may be mica wound heating elements, or may be other types of heating elements known in the art. The heating elements  190  may be thermally isolated from an exterior of the oven compartment  115  and an exterior surface of the outer housing  105  in order to prevent excessive temperatures on the exterior surface of the outer housing  105  and exterior of the oven compartment  115 . The thermal isolation may prevent temperature transmission due to a thermal bridge between the heating elements  190  and the exterior of the oven compartment  115  and exterior surface of the outer housing  105 . 
         [0021]    The heating elements  190  may be configured for use in a multiple-phase alternating current (AC) power system such as that onboard an aircraft. In an embodiment, the heating elements  190  are phase balanced. There may be one heating element  190  dedicated to each phase of a three-phase AC power system. In another embodiment, there are multiple heating elements  190  which operate together using a single phase. 
         [0022]    The back of the oven compartment  115  also includes a vent connection  175  to facilitate venting of air in the oven compartment  115 . The vent connection  175  may facilitate air circulation within the oven compartment  115 . 
         [0023]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for using S 200  the toaster broiler  100 . Initially, the lower rack is checked to see if it is secured S 210 . If so S 210 :Yes, and if it is in the desired position S 220 :Yes, then a food item is placed on the lower rack S 250 . If the lower rack is in the wrong position S 220 :No, then the lower rack is removed S 230  and placed in the proper position. The non-secured rack S 210 :No is then secured S 240 . 
         [0024]    Then, the upper rack is checked to see if it is secured S 260 . If so S 260 :Yes, and if it is in the desired position S 270 :Yes, then the heating element is operated S 300 . If the upper rack is in the wrong position S 270 :No, then the upper rack is removed S 280  and placed in the proper position. The non-secured rack S 270 :No is then secured S 290 . 
         [0025]    All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein. 
         [0026]    For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference has been made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language has been used to describe these embodiments. However, no limitation of the scope of the invention is intended by this specific language, and the invention should be construed to encompass all embodiments that would normally occur to one of ordinary skill in the art. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing the particular embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of exemplary embodiments of the invention. In the description of the embodiments, certain detailed explanations of related art are omitted when it is deemed that they may unnecessarily obscure the essence of the invention. 
         [0027]    The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. Numerous modifications and adaptations will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in this art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined not by the detailed description of the invention but by the following claims, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the invention. 
         [0028]    No item or component is essential to the practice of the invention unless the element is specifically described as “essential” or “critical”. It will also be recognized that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” and “having,” as used herein, are specifically intended to be read as open-ended terms of art. The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In addition, it should be understood that although the terms “first,” “second,” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms, which are only used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein.