BREAD MAKER WITH AUTOMATIC CONTROLS

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/690,433 filed on June 14, 2005, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a bread maker and, more particularly, to a convection bread maker with automatic controls, especially of the type enabling a user to easily make breads such as low-carb bread, gluten-free bread or artisan dough bread.

Description of Related Art

It is known in the art to use a convection bread maker to enable a user to make fresh, homemade bread at virtually any location. In many cases, ingredients are added to the bread maker and a menu option is selected for one of a variety of breads.

The bread maker then proceeds through various cycles. The first cycle for most bread types is the knead cycle in which the ingredients will be mixed. There will then be a rise cycle in which the dough rises and is said to be "at work." The dough then bakes for a specific amount of time at a specific temperature. There is sometimes then a warm cycle, which allows one to leave the finished bread in the machine to serve warm and keeps the crust from becoming soggy if not removed from the machine immediately after baking.

While various known bread making devices exist generally, there is a need for a bread maker that can enable a user to simply add ingredients and select a menu option to have the bread maker automatically proceed through the various bread making cycles

from start to finish, especially for certain types of bread, such as low-carb bread, gluten- free bread or artisan dough bread, for example. Other known devices do not allow for the automatic control of such a wide variety of bread types.

OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art mentioned above. These and other objects are achieved by the present invention described herein.

The present invention achieves at least the above-listed objectives by utilizing a bread maker that has a removable lid that may be selectively opened and closed by a user and has a viewing window that will allow a user to see the contents within the bread maker throughout the bread making process. Within a baking chamber are a selectively removable baking pan and kneading paddle for holding and mixing the various bread making ingredients.

Located adjacent the removable lid is a control panel with push button controls to enable a user to easily operate the bread maker. An LCD display within the control panel indicates various program selections and baking cycles. The bread maker can be programmed by a user to automatically make many different types of breads from start to finish without any intervention necessary from the user throughout the various cycles of preheating, kneading, rising, baking and warming. These types even include certain specialty breads that may be more challenging to make, such as low-carb bread, gluten- free bread and artisan dough bread.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment with the drawings identified below.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the bread maker in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a partial exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the bread maker in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a magnified view of a control panel for the preferred embodiment of the bread maker in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to Fig. 1, the preferred embodiment of the present invention for a bread maker 10 is shown. The bread maker 10 contains a housing 12 with side handles 14 for lifting or moving the bread maker 10. The bread maker 10 has a removable lid 16 that may be selectively opened and closed by a user. The lid 16 can be pivoted open through the use of hinges or any other suitable method. Within the lid is a viewing window 17 that will allow a user to see the contents within the bread maker 10 throughout the bread making process.

Located adjacent the removable lid 16 is a control panel 18 with push button controls to enable a user to easily operate the bread maker 10. An LCD display 20 within the control panel 18 indicates various program selections and baking cycles.

Fig. 2 shows a partially exploded view of the bread maker 10. With the removable lid 16 in its opened position, a bread pan 22 can be selectively removed from a baking chamber 24 within the housing 12. The bread pan 22 can be used to hold the

ingredients to be baked. When the ingredients are finished baking into a loaf of bread, the loaf can be easily removed from the bread pan 22. The bread pan contains a bread pan handle 26 to assist in the transferring of the bread pan 22 to and from the baking chamber 24.

A kneading paddle 28 rotates within the bread pan 22 to mix the ingredients for the bread. This kneading paddle 28 can be made to be selectively removable from within the bread pan 22. The bread maker also contains any type of heater (not shown) known to those skilled in the art for heating the heating chamber 24, as well as a power cord (not shown) to provide power to the bread maker 10.

Fig. 3 shows a magnified view of an example of the control panel 18 for the bread maker 10. The display window 20 indicates a user's menu selection, current baking cycle, loaf size, crust color and baking time. The control panel 18 can offer a multitude of different menu selections for choosing one of a many types of breads to be baked, such as white bread, French bread, or whole wheat bread, for example. A user can press a menu button 30 to scroll though many options. Numbers shown on the LCD display 20 would correspond with the numbers on the control panel 18.

The bread maker can have a delay start time feature 32 to allow a user to delay start of baking time for a particular amount of time. This feature can be facilitated through the use of an electronic circuit known to those skilled in the art. An audible signal can also be used to alert a user when to add extra ingredients such as fruits and nuts during a kneading cycle. The LED display 20 can also indicate when this feature is activated.

The bread maker 10 can also include a Crust button 34 to enable a user to select a

desired crust color, such as light, medium or dark, for example. The bread maker 10 can also include a Loaf button 36 to enable a user to select a desired loaf size, such as 1 LB, 1.5 LB or 2 LB, for example. The control panel 18 can also include a Start button 38 to start the program selected and resume after Pause. A Stop/Pause button 40 can be pressed to pause the cycle or held to stop the cycle. Other combinations of buttons and/or features can be implemented to accomplish various baking goals.

The bread maker 10 can make many different types of bread from start to finish without any intervention necessary throughout the various cycles of preheating, kneading, rising, baking and warming. These types even include certain specialty breads that may be more challenging to make, such as low-carb bread, gluten-free bread and artisan dough bread.

Low-carb baking is unique in its ingredients. Because low/lower-carb breads are low in sugar, the baking time is different. It is also important not to over-mix or over- knead when preparing these breads. The bread maker 10 can be set to assure proper kneading and baking times.

Gluten-free bread can be a valuable option, since one in approximately 100 people has an allergy or sensitivity to gluten. Since gluten is found in most flours used in traditional bread baking, the ingredients to create gluten-free breads are unique. While they are "yeast breads," the doughs are generally wetter and more like a batter. It is also important not to over-mix or over-knead gluten-free doughs. There is only one rise, and due to the high moisture content, baking time is increased. The gluten-free setting on the bread-maker 10 makes it easy for a user to obtain the right results for gluten-free bread.

Another setting on the bread maker 10 is for artisan dough. This cycle allows the

preparation of artisan breads. There are several long, slow cool rises that will enhance the development of texture, taste and crust in the final shaped and baked bread.

Though extensive experimentation, optimum cycle times have been found for making various types of bread, including these more challenging specialty types of bread. Various effective combinations of cycle times are shown in the following tables:

AUDIBLE TONES ¹

'Audible tones rail sound at specSed time listed in chart above as a reminder to add Mix-ins or remove paddle.

'Audible tones mil sound at specified lime listed In chart above as a reminder Io add Mix-ins or remove paddle.

The bread maker 10 enables a user to, simply by making a selection on the menu, make these specialty types of bread automatically from start to finish. This allows a user to simply program in one of these bread types and allow the bread maker IO to prepare the bread without any intervention necessary from the user. The bread maker 10 operates according to these specially timed cycles of the tables.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been herein disclosed and described, it is understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.