Heating apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020305243-A1
Application number	US-202016821732-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 17, 2020
Priority date	Mar 22, 2019
Publication date	Sep 24, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A heating apparatus includes a heating circuit configured to heat a product to be heated; a door; a door lock mechanism configured to lock the door with the door closed; and a processor configured to control the heating circuit and the door lock mechanism, wherein based on an indication of a heating time period and a “settling” time period, the processor causes the door lock mechanism to lock the door, with the door closed, from a beginning of the heating until an end of the “settling” time period.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A heating apparatus comprising:
a heating circuit configured to heat a product to be heated; a door; a door lock mechanism configured to lock the door with the door closed; and a processor configured to control the heating circuit and the door lock mechanism, wherein based on an indication of a heating time period and a “settling” time period, the processor causes the door lock mechanism to lock the door, with the door closed, from a beginning of the heating until an end of the “settling” time period.

2 . The heating apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising
a bar-code reader configured to read information from a label attached to the product, the information indicating the “settling” time period.

3 . The heating apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:
a memory configured to store a plurality of combinations of the heating time period and the “settling” time period; and
an input unit configured to receive an input of information for indicating a combination included in the plurality of combinations.

4 . The heating apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:
a sensor configured to detect whether the door is open or closed; and
a display, wherein
the processor causes the display to present that the “settling” time period has not ended until the end of “settling” time period, and that the “settling” time period has ended until the door is open after the end of the “settling” time period.

5 . The heating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor causes the door lock mechanism to unlock the door when receiving a predetermined operation even before the end of the “settling” time period.

6 . The heating apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising
a communication interface, wherein
from the beginning of the heating until the end of the “settling” time period, the processor causes the communication interface to transmit information including at least one of: a time period remaining until an end of the heating; and a time period remaining until the end of the “settling” time period.

7 . The heating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the heating circuit includes: a power source; a matching circuit; and an electrode, and the heating circuit utilizes dielectric heating.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Fukumori Atsutada
• Iijima Akio

Classifications

• H05B6/46

  Dielectric heating (H05B6/64 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A47J27/004 Primary

  with integral electrical heating means (drinking cups with integral heating means A47J36/2466) · CPC title

• F24C15/022

  Latches · CPC title

• H05B6/6441

  allowing the input of coded operation instructions, e.g. bar code reader · CPC title

• H05B6/6417 Primary

  Door interlocks of the microwave heating apparatus and related circuits · CPC title