Patent ID: 8309893

Claim:
A heating appliance for elevating a temperature of a food item, the heating appliance comprising: an electric heating element that generates heat in response to conducting an alternating electric current; a support to be coupled to the heating appliance adjacent to the electric heating element for supporting the food item within a suitable proximity to the electric heating element to expose the food item to heat from the electric heating element; a relay disposed within an electrically-conductive pathway to connect the heating element to an alternating power supply that supplies the alternating electric current delivered to the electric heating element, wherein the relay comprises an inductive actuator that is energizable to control a switching state of the relay; a switch that interrupts a supply of electric current from a power source to the inductive actuator of the relay for adjusting the switching state of the relay; a selective conductor electrically connected to the inductive actuator for establishing a flyback path that conducts a decaying electric current after interruption of the electric current being supplied to the inductive actuator, wherein the selective conductor interferes with conduction of the electric current from the power source through the flyback path while the electric current is being supplied to the inductive actuator; a voltage regulator for maintaining a flyback voltage across the inductive actuator at a level above a minimum flyback voltage in response to interruption of the electric current being supplied to the inductive actuator of the relay; and a controller for transmitting a control signal that controls operation of the switch to cause interruption of the alternating electric current being conducted to the heating element through the conductive pathway established by the relay after the alternating electric current being conducted through the relay falls below a peak value during a half cycle of the alternating electric current.