DK201500273A1 - Todelt vægmonteret flad elektrisk brødrister - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a wall-mounted flatbed toaster (1), wherein the wall-mounted flatbed toaster (1) comprises a first part (2) adapted to be mounted to a wall (3) and a flatbed toaster (4), the wall-mounted flatbed toaster (1) further comprising a connect-ing means (10) for connecting the first part (2) to the flatbed toaster (4) so that the flatbed toaster (4) can be displaced from a closed position, where the first part (2) at least partly abuts a rack (5) or a bottom side (6) of the flatbed toaster (4), to an open position, where the rack (5) is arranged face-up on a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane on which the first part (2) is arranged.

Description

A wall-mounted toaster Field of the invention

The invention relates to the technical field of toasters, particularly to flatbed toasters. Background of the invention A toaster normally takes quite a lot of space together with other domestic appliances such as coffee machines and tea boilers on a kitchen worktop. A typical solution is to store it in a cabinet and take it out only when needed (in particular, during these activities the toaster’s cable is of considerable hindrance). Thus, it either occupies useful worktop space or storage space. Hence, there is a long-felt need in the technical field of flatbed toasters of overcoming the abovementioned drawback of the solution in current use.

Aspects of the invention

The first aspect of the invention is to provide an improvement to the state-of-the-art. The second aspect of the invention is to solve the aforementioned drawback of the prior art by providing a solution that avoids occupying worktop/storage space when the flatbed toaster is not in use and, at the same time, enables an immediate use of the flatbed toaster without the need to search for it, take it out from a storage space and put it back after use, which is time consuming, thus also overcoming the difficulties caused by the toaster’s cable.

Description of the invention

The aforementioned aspects of the invention are achieved by a wall-mounted flatbed toaster, wherein the wall-mounted flatbed toaster comprises a first part (e.g., a panel) adapted to be mounted to a wall (e.g., by means of screws applied at the comers of the panel) and a flatbed toaster (i.e., a toaster with a flat rack over a heating element), the wall-mounted flatbed toaster further comprising a connecting means for connecting the first part to the flatbed toaster so that the flatbed toaster can be displaced from a closed position, where the first part at least partly abuts a rack or a bottom side of the flatbed toaster, to an open position, where the rack is arranged face-up on a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane on which the first part is arranged.

The technical effect of the invention is that of holding the flatbed toaster in a closed position (e.g., with the rack abutted by the first part or held close to the wall) when not in use. Hence, the invention solves the problem of how to provide a flatbed toaster that avoids occupying worktop or storage space when not in use.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the wall-mounted toaster further comprises an integrated power supply means adapted to be connected to the mains power supply. Advantageously, a cable may be connected to the mains and run through the first part and the connecting means to provide electricity to the heating element of the flatbed toaster. This embodiment has the advantage of avoiding hanging cables and plugs to be plugged in the wall outlet while enabling to activate the toaster instantly.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the connecting means comprises at least one hinge including a hinge shaft, wherein the flatbed toaster is adapted to rotate about the hinge shaft for being displaced in the open position. This embodiment has the advantage of enabling the manual displacement of the flatbed toaster from the first part when the toaster shall be used.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the connecting means comprises an axle adapted to be connected to an electrical motor, wherein the flatbed toaster is adapted to rotate about the axle for being displaced in the open position. This embodiment has the advantage of enabling the automatic displacement of the flatbed toaster from the first part when the toaster shall be used.

Note that the toaster may also be mounted to another surface than a wall such as a lateral side or the bottom side of a wall-mounted cabinet. Advantageously, if mounted on the bottom side of a wall-mounted cabinet, the connecting means may comprise displacing means so that in the open position the rack is arranged on a plane substantially parallel to and at a distance from the plane on which the first part is arranged.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the wall-mounted flatbed toaster further comprises a mechanism adapted to maintain the wall-mounted flatbed toaster in the open and/or closed positions. In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the mechanism comprises a torsion spring arranged about the hinge shaft or the axle, wherein the spring torque of the torsion spring is configured so as to hold the wall-mounted flatbed toaster in the open and/or closed positions. Alternatively, the mechanism may comprise an arrangement around the hinge, where portions of the first part and the flatbed toaster are brought into resilient contact with each other, which creates friction against movement, thus maintaining the flatbed toaster in the closed position. At the same time, an appropriate design of said arrangement will, in conjunction with the gravitational force, effectively limit the flatbed toaster in the open position. Alternatively or in combination with the torsion spring or the abovementioned arrangement, the mechanism may comprise one or more magnets arranged at the first part so as to aid maintaining the flatbed toaster in the closed position.

Hereafter, the invention will be described in connection with drawings illustrating non-limiting examples of wall-mounted flatbed toasters.

Brief description of the drawings FIG.l: A wall-mounted flatbed toaster according to the invention.

FIG.2: A transparent view of the wall-mounted flatbed toaster.

FIG.3: The wall-mounted flatbed toaster in a closed position.

FIG.4: The wall-mounted flatbed toaster in an open position.

Notations 1: Wall-mounted flatbed toaster.

2: Panel.

3: Wall.

4: Flatbed toaster.

5: Rack.

6: Bottom side of the flatbed toaster.

7: Top side of the panel.

8: Lateral side of the panel.

9: Through-hole.

10: Hinge.

Preferred embodiments of the invention FIG.l shows a wall-mounted flatbed toaster 1 comprising a panel 2 (i.e., the first part) mounted to the wall 3 thanks to, e.g., screws inserted through openings 9, a flatbed toaster 4 and a connecting means (not visible in FIG.l) pivotally connecting the panel 2 to the flatbed toaster 4 so that the flatbed toaster 4 can be pivoted from a closed position, where the panel partly abuts a rack 5 of the flatbed toaster 4 (cf. FIG. 3), to an open position, where the rack 5 is arranged in a horizontal plane (cf. FIG. 4).

FIG.2 shows the wall-mounted flatbed toaster 1 of FIG.l where the hinges 10 and the through-holes 9 are visible.

FIGs.3-4 show the toaster 1 of FIG.l mounted to a wall 3 at the panel 2, where the toaster 1 is respectively in a closed and an open position. Note that other configuration than that shown in FIGs.2-3 are also encompassed by the invention. For example, the bottom side 6 of the flatbed toaster 4 may face the panel 2 in the closed position and the connecting means may be placed at the top side 7 of the panel 2 so that the flatbed toaster 4 can be displaced in the open position thanks to a movement upwards. For example, the rack 5 or the bottom side 6 of the flatbed toaster 4 may face the panel 2 in the closed position and the connecting means may be placed at one of the lateral sides 8 of the panel 2 so that the flatbed toaster 4 can be displaced in the open position thanks to a first lateral movement and a second rotational movement.

Claims (6)

1. A wall-mounted flatbed toaster (1), characterized in that the wall-mounted flatbed toaster (1) comprises a first part (2) adapted to be mounted to a wall (3) and a flatbed toaster (4), the wall-mounted flatbed toaster (1) further comprising a connecting means (10) for connecting the first part (2) to the flatbed toaster (4) so that the flatbed toaster (4) can be displaced from a closed position, where the first part (2) at least partly abuts a rack (5) or a bottom side (6) of the flatbed toaster (4), to an open position, where the rack (5) is arranged face-up on a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane on which the first part (2) is arranged.

2. The wall-mounted flatbed toaster (1) according to claim 1, wherein the wall-mounted flatbed toaster (1) further comprises an integrated power supply means adapted to be connected to the mains power supply.

3. The wall-mounted flatbed toaster (1) according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the connecting means (10) comprises at least one hinge including a hinge shaft, wherein the flatbed toaster (4) is adapted to rotate about the hinge shaft for being displaced in the open position.

4. The wall-mounted flatbed toaster (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the connecting means (10) comprises an axle adapted to be connected to an electrical motor, wherein the flatbed toaster (4) is adapted to rotate about the axle for being displaced in the open position.

5. The wall-mounted flatbed toaster (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the wall-mounted flatbed toaster (1) further comprises a mechanism adapted to maintain the wall-mounted flatbed toaster (1) in the open and/or closed positions.

6. The wall-mounted flatbed toaster (1) according to claim 5, wherein the mechanism comprises a torsion spring arranged about the hinge shaft or the axle, wherein the spring torque of the torsion spring is configured so as to hold the wall-mounted flatbed toaster in the open and/or closed positions.