Abstract:
A reversible rack for an electric toaster oven that includes a frame and a plurality of support wires. At least some of the support wires have a plurality of projections on a first side of the rack. When the rack is positioned in the oven with the first side up, the projections carry food items placed on the rack substantially out of contact with the support wires. When the rack is positioned with the first side down the rack is arranged to support items on the substantially flat surface of the second side of the rack. The rack frame can have end members offset from the plane of the rack in the opposite direction of the projections. When the rack is positioned in the toaster oven with the projections up the rack is higher in the oven than when rack is positioned in toaster oven with the projections down.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a rack for an electric toaster oven and more particularly to a rack having a plurality of projections on one side of the rack to support food items substantially out of contact with the rack. 
     Electric toaster ovens are well known kitchen appliances that are used to toast bread and cook foods. Such toaster ovens conventionally have a wire form rack for supporting foods in the toaster oven cavity for toasting or cooking. One drawback of prior art toaster ovens is that when bread is toasted on a wire form rack the side of the bread resting on the rack will have a series of lines due to incomplete toasting of the bread in contact with the wires. 
     The invention is concerned with providing a rack for a toaster oven that solves the problem of achieving uniformly colored toast in a toaster oven. The invention is further concerned with providing a reversible rack for a toaster oven arranged to support bread substantially out of contact with the rack for toasting in one position, and when inverted for supporting items to be cooked on a substantially flat surface. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     The present invention can be summarized as a toaster oven rack having a frame and support wires wherein at least some of the support wires have a plurality of projections on a first side of the rack arranged to engage and support food substantially out of contact with the support wires. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toaster oven including a rack according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the toaster oven with a rack according to the present invention positioned in the oven with the side of the rack having projections up and supporting a piece of bread for toasting; 
     FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the toaster oven with a rack according to the present invention positioned in the oven with the side of the rack having projections down and supporting a container holding food items for cooking on the substantially flat surface of the rack; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rack removed from the toaster oven with the side of the rack having projections up; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the rack removed from the toaster oven with the side of the rack having projections down. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1-3, a toaster oven associated with the present invention is generally indicated at  70 . The toaster oven  70  includes a cabinet  11  having top, side, back and bottom walls. A front wall  12  includes a door frame and control panel area  13 . A door  14  having a window  15  is provided to close the toaster oven cavity. Door  14  is mounted to the cabinet  11  by conventional horizontal axis hinges, not shown. A conventional latch, not shown, is provided to hold the door  14  in the closed position. In the closed position a door switch, not shown, is closed to permit operation of the toaster oven when the door is closed. A handle  16  is provided on the door  14  to move the door  74  between its open and closed positions. In this embodiment handle  16  is dimensioned to support door  14  in a horizontal position when the door is fully open. Feet  17  can be provided to support cabinet  11  spaced from the surface on which the toaster oven is placed. 
     The toaster oven  10  has cavity defined by side walls  18 , a back wall  19 , a top wall  20  and a bottom wall  21  . As is well known in the art insulation, not shown, is positioned between the walls of the cavity and the cabinet  11 . Carried on bottom wall  21  is a conventional crumb tray  22  that can easily be removed from the toaster oven for cleaning. Side walls  18  and back wall  19  can be made of steel with a suitable non-stick coating as is known in the art for ease of cleaning. Bottom wall  21  can be made of galvanized steel. Top wall  20  and crumb tray  22  can be made of stainless steel for reflecting heat to food being cooked in the toaster oven. 
     Each side wall  18  carries a rack support  23 . Each rack support  23  has two vertically spaced channels  24  and  25  for supporting a rack  40  at two vertically spaced locations in the cavity. While two channels  24  and  25  are shown in this embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize that one channel or more than two channels can be provided in the rack supports in order to facilitate cooking of a variety of foods requiring greater or smaller spacing from the heating elements. 
     Located in the toaster oven cavity are a plurality of electric heating elements  27  positioned adjacent the top wall  20  and bottom wall  21 . In this embodiment there are three electric heating elements  27  positioned adjacent top wall  20  and three electric heating elements  27  adjacent the bottom wall  21 . As is well known in the art, more or fewer than three heating elements can be provided adjacent the top and bottom walls as desired. Also located adjacent the top wall  20  and bottom wall  21  are temperature sensors, not shown, which can be thermisters and connected to a controller, not shown, for controlling the temperature in the toaster oven. Located in the upper right rear corner is a light and cover assembly  28  for selectively illuminating the cavity such as when the toaster oven is operating and/or when the door  14  is opened. 
     On each side of the cabinet  11  there is a vent  26  to help keep the cabinet  17  and toaster oven controls cool. Located behind control area  13  in the space between cavity. right side wall  18  and the cabinet is a space for components such as a power supply, a controller, a cooling fan, a convection fan and the like as is well known in the art. In control area  13  there are provided a series of mode selection buttons  30 . In this embodiment mode selection buttons are included for Bake, Broil, Convection Bake, Toast, Dehydrate and Warm functions. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that more or less or different mode selections could be provided, and that a rotary selection knob could be used to select the operating mode instead of the push buttons shown. Located in control area  13  below the mode selection buttons  30  is a display  31 . In this embodiment display  31  is connected to the controller, not shown, to display the temperature selected and the cooking time. The controller and display could be configured to display different or additional information about the toaster oven operation as is well known in the art. Located below display  31  is a Set button  32  which, when pressed, allows the user to select and adjust the cooking time or temperature. Located adjacent to Set button  32  are an Up button  33  and a Down button  34  connected to the controller to allow the user to increase or decrease the time or temperature selected after the Set button  32  has been operated to initiate adjustment of cooking time or temperature. Located below the Set, Up and Down buttons are a Start button  35  and an End button  36 . After the mode, time and temperature have been selected operation of the Start button  35  initiates operation of the toaster oven in the selected mode. The End button  36  allows the user to stop the toaster oven before the selected operating time has elapsed. 
     Referring to FIG.  4  and FIG. 5, rack  40  is shown removed from the toaster oven  10 . The rack includes a four sided frame  41  having a front element  42 , a rear element  43 , and end elements  44 . In the embodiment shown in FIG.  4  and FIG. 5 the end elements  44  are offset from the plane of the rack defined by the front element  42  and the rear element  43 . While offset end elements  44  are shown in this embodiment, one skilled in the art will understand that, if so desired, the end elements can be provided in the plane of the rack as defined by the front element  42  and rear element  43 . Positioned across the front element  42  and rear element  43  are a plurality of support wires  45 . In this embodiment each of the support wires,  45  has a plurality of projections  46  formed along the length of the support wire. In this embodiment the projections are rounded at the peak  47  and have rounded transitions:  48  to the straight portions  49  of the support wires  45 . While the projections shown in this embodiment are rounded, other shapes such as rounded triangle or rounded rectangle shapes could be used instead. The rounded shape for projections  46  shown in this embodiment facilitates forming the rack  40 . The height of the projections  46  in this embodiment is sufficient to hold bread and the like away from the straight portions  49  of the support wires  45  to allow bread being toasted in the toaster oven to brown in the areas above the support wires  45 . Positioned along the rear element  43  are a plurality of wire loops  50  attached in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the rack defined by front element  42  and rear element  43 . When rack  40  is used in the position shown in FIG.  3  and FIG. 5 with the projections  46  down, the loops  50  function as a partial rear wall to prevent food items from sliding off the rear of the rack  40  as the rack is withdrawn from the toaster oven  10 . As will be obvious to one skilled in the art, loops  50  could be eliminated if desired. Rack  40  also has a center support wire  51  lying across support wires  45  to reinforce and stabilize the support wires  45 . In this embodiment center support wire  51  is a heavier gage wire than the support wires  45 . As is conventional in the art, rack  40  is constructed by forming the elements, assembling and welding the elements in place, and then chrome plating the rack for appearance and corrosion resistance. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other known rack forming methods could be used to manufacture the rack  40 . 
     The use of rack  40  in a toaster oven for toasting is shown in FIG.  2 . In FIG. 2 the rack  40  is positioned in cavity with projections  46  up. A piece of bread  60  is shown lying on rack  40 . The projections  46  are dimensioned so that the piece of bread  60  is generally supported above the surface of rack  40  and out of contact with straight portions  49  of rack  40 . By holding most of the piece of bread  60  out of contact with the rack  40  the portions of the piece of bread above the straight portions  49  will brown in the toasting process. When a rack having straight support wires is used for toasting bread unbrowned, often white, lines where the bread was in contact with the support wires are present at the end of the toasting process. Applicants have found that by providing projections on one side of the rack  40 , toast without the conventional toaster oven stripes can easily be prepared. Instead of white lines, applicants have found that, at most, unbrowned dots corresponding to projections  46  contacted by the piece of bread result when bread is toasted on the rack according to the invention. In this embodiment six projections  46  are shown on each support wire  45  in order to provide maximum flexibility is loading bread to be toasted into the oven, namely, different shapes and sizes. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that fewer than six projections  46  could be provided on each support wire  45 . Likewise, it will be appreciated that projections  46  need not be provided on each support wire  45  as shown in this embodiment, but rather projections could be provided on every other or every third support wire if desired. As mentioned above, providing six projections  46  on each support wire  45  provides flexibility is loading bread for toasting in the toaster oven. 
     The use of the toaster oven  10  for cooking food in a dish or container is shown in FIG.  3 . In FIG. 3 the rack  40  is positioned in the toaster oven  10  with the projections  46  down. Resting on rack  40  is a container  62  holding food to be cooked in the toaster oven. Container  62  rests on straight portions  49  of rack  40 . By providing a relatively flat surface, comprising straight portions  49 , a rigid container  62  is solidly supported on rack  40  without tipping. As mentioned above, when rack  40  is withdrawn from the cavity, loops  50  prevent container  62  from sliding off the rear of the rack  40 . 
     When FIG.  2  and FIG. 3 are compared the effect of providing offset end elements  44  can be seen. In FIG. 2 with the offset end elements down and the projections  46  up, bread to be toasted in near to the middle of the cavity. In FIG. 3 with the offset end elements  44  up and projections  46  down container  62  is low in cavity nearer to the bottom wall  27  to increase the vertical usable space in cavity. The position of bread to be toasted or a container of food to be cooked can be further adjusted in this embodiment by placing the rack  40  in the upper rack support channels  24  or the lower rack support channels  25  in rack supports  23 . 
     While the invention has been specifically described in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation, and the scope of the appended claims should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.