Patent ID: 8307756

Claim:
An apparatus for use with a popcorn popping machine, the popcorn popping machine comprising a cabinet with a closable interior, a ventilation filter for removing cooking vapors from the interior, a kettle mounted in the closable interior for popping popcorn, a heater for heating the kettle, a temperature sensor providing a feedback signal representing the temperature of the kettle and a thermal controller for controlling the heater in response to the temperature feedback signal, the apparatus comprising: an indicator system producing a sensory perceptible signal representing an instruction to clean the ventilation filter, the signal being produced in response to the indicator system detecting a predetermined number of popping cycles processed in the popcorn popping machine since a prior cleaning of the ventilation filter, wherein the indicator system comprises a popping cycle detector responsive to the temperature feedback signal provided by the temperature sensor and providing an output signal in response to each cycle of operation of the heater representing a popping cycle and a popping cycle counter connected to the popping cycle detector and being responsive to the output signal provided by popping cycle detector to count the number of popping cycles.