Patent ID: 7351943

Claim:
An independently actuated turntable assembly for use with a microwave cooking device having an access door provided with a planar front edge registered along a front face of the microwave cooking device, said turntable assembly comprising: an anchor member nested to a bottom surface of the microwave cooking device and extending upwardly within a cavity thereof; an annular drive gear concentrically journaled about said anchor member and freely rotatable along a counter clockwise direction; an annular body directly seated on said drive gear and statically coupled thereto, said body being disposed at an initial position prior to operating conditions; means for independently rotating said drive gear after a cooking time of the microwave cooking device has lapsed such that said annular body terminates at a position identical to said initial position and thereby insuring that an item placed on said body remains identically oriented at a beginning and an ending of the cooking time; wherein said drive gear rotating means comprises a mobile first sensor mounted to said drive gear and traveling along the counter clockwise direction during the cooking time; a second sensor directly and statically coupled to the access door and medially positioned along a lateral width thereof, said second sensor being disposed at a fixed position defining said initial and terminal positions respectively; a motor directly connected to said drive gear; a switch electrically coupled to said motor respectively; and a logic gate electrically coupled to said first and second sensors and said switch respectively; wherein said first and second sensors generate and transmit respective input signals to said logic gate when said first and second sensors become aligned, said logic gate interpreting said input signals and transmitting an output signal to said switch that toggles said switch to an open position and thereby interrupts power to said motor such that said drive gear and said body stop at the initial position.