Cooking Appliance Mounted in an Elevated Manner

Abstract

A cooking appliance which is mounted in an elevated manner and which comprises at least one muffle which defines a cooking area, whereby said muffle comprises an opening in the base thereof and which is surrounded by a muffle frame, a base door which is displaced by means of a drive device and which is used to close the muffle opening, at least one switch panel which is used to displace the base door in a directional manner. Said cooking appliance also comprises a memory unit which is used to memorise at least one target position of the base door, wherein the base door can be displaced in an automatic manner to the stored target position after the switch panel is actuated, until at least one target position is reached.

1 - 21 . (canceled) 
   
   
       22 . An elevated cooking appliance comprising:
 at least one muffle defining a cooking chamber, with the at least one muffle having a base side and a muffle opening formed on the base side;   a base door for moving into and out of a covering relationship with the muffle opening;   a drive device operatively associated with the base door, with the base door being movable by the drive device into and out of a covering relationship with the muffle opening;   at least one displacement switch for selectively moving the base door in a selected direction; and   a memory unit for storing at least one target position of the base door whereby upon storing a target position and actuation of the at least one displacement switch, the base door is automatically moved to a next selected target position present in the relevant displacement direction.   
   
   
       23 . The elevated cooking appliance as set forth in  claim 22  further including an actuation button; the at least one target position being stored by actuating the actuation button with the base door at the target position. 
   
   
       24 . The elevated cooking appliance as set forth in  claim 23  further including at least one optical and/or acoustic signaling device; the at least one optical and/or acoustic signaling device being activated when the actuation button has been actuated and a target position stored thereby. 
   
   
       25 . The elevated cooking appliance as set forth in  claim 22  further including a jamming protection device; the jamming-protection device being activated when a target position has been stored. 
   
   
       26 . The elevated cooking appliance as set forth in  claim 22  wherein the memory unit includes at least one volatile memory chip for storing the target position. 
   
   
       27 . The elevated cooking appliance as set forth in  claim 22  further including means for gently starting the movement of the base door and gently braking the base door when a target position has been stored. 
   
   
       28 . The elevated cooking appliance as set forth in  claim 22  whereby in the absence of a stored target position for a displacement direction, the base door can be displaced only by appropriately actuating at least one of the displacement switch panel continuously. 
   
   
       29 . The elevated cooking appliance as claimed in  claim 28  further including a second displacement switch panel whereby in the absence of a stored target position for a displacement direction, the base door can be displaced only by actuating both displacement switch panels continuously and simultaneously. 
   
   
       30 . The elevated cooking appliance as set forth in  claim 29  further including a housing; the displacement switch panels being attached to the front of the housing. 
   
   
       31 . The elevated cooking appliance as set forth in  claim 29  further including a housing; the displacement switch panels being attached to opposite sides of the housing. 
   
   
       32 . The elevated cooking appliance as set forth in  claim 28 , further including means for gently starting the movement of the base door and for abruptly stopping the moving of the base door in the absence of a stored target position. 
   
   
       33 . The elevated cooking appliance as set forth in  claim 25  further including means for deactivating the jamming-protection device in the absence of a stored target position. 
   
   
       34 . The elevated cooking appliance as set forth in  claim 22  further including a power-failure buffer; means for re-initializing travel measuring of the base door at the zero position, wherein travel measuring of the displacement path is carried out incrementally; and wherein the drive device includes a motor shaft; at least one sensor for travel measuring of the displacement path of the base door, with the sensor located on the motor shaft of the drive device. 
   
   
       35 . The elevated cooking appliance as set forth in  claim 37  wherein the sensor is a Hall sensor. 
   
   
       36 . The elevated cooking appliance as set forth in  claim 22  further including a main switch; the base door being displaceable with the main switch deactivated. 
   
   
       37 . The elevated cooking appliance as set forth in  claim 22  wherein automatic displacement of the base door can be deactivated when the displacement switch panel has been actuated for longer than a predetermined actuating time. 
   
   
       38 . The elevated cooking appliance as set forth in  claim 34  wherein said predetermined actuating time is 0.4 seconds. 
   
   
       39 . A method for operating an elevated cooking appliance having at least one muffle that delimits a cooking chamber, a base side, a muffle opening on the base side, a base door and a drive device with the base door being displaceable by the drive device for closing the muffle opening, at least one displacement switch panel for enabling the displacement of the base door direction-dependently, and a memory unit, comprising:
 storing at least one target position of the base door in the memory unit;   actuating the at least one displacement switch panel; and   automatically displacing the base door to the next target position present in the relevant displacement direction.   
   
   
       40 . The method as set forth in  claim 39  further including, in the absence of a stored target function for a direction, continuing to displace the base door in the relevant displacement direction only while at least one displacement switch panel is being actuated. 
   
   
       41 . The method as set forth in  claim 40  further including displacing the base door in the relevant displacement direction only while two (2) displacement switch panels are actuated simultaneously.