GB1335497A - Computer for determining the cooking periods of meat items - Google Patents

Abstract

1335497 Timing cooking ROBERTSHAW CONTROLS CO 2 Feb 1972 [3 Feb 1971] 4923/72 Heading A4D [Also in Divisions G4 and H1] A device, for determining the time for which a meat item is to be cooked at a predetermined temperature, comprises a disc bearing an outer arcuate weight scale 28 and an inner arcuate time scale 31, the disc being rotatable by a knob 26 to align the value on scale 28, corresponding to the weight of the item to be cooked, with an appropriate mark on a fixed scale 30A or 30B alongside window 29, the required time then appearing alongside pointer 33 in window 32. Scales 30A, 30B graduate types of meat and/or degrees to which it is desired the meat should be cooked. The scales may be such that the indicated time equals a constant times the square root of weight plus a factor, the latter depending on the type of meat and/or desired degree of cooking. A shaft on which the scale disc and the knob 26 are mounted, a shaft carrying hour and minute hands 84 and 83 of a continuously driven clock 24, and a gear wheel coupled to a cooking starting time hand 93 and settable by means of a knob 94 are coupled together by mechanism, Figs. 2, 4-10 and 12 (not shown), which ensures the following operational cycle:- When the hand 93 is set to a desired starting time, a flag 106 appears in window 107. When the actual time reaches the set starting time, an actuator is moved to close a plunger switch in a control circuit operative to energize the cooker heating element, and the clock mechanism is coupled to the scale disc to drive the latter backwards, so that pointer 33 in window 32 indicates the cooking time yet to elapse. At a predetermined time before expiry of the cooking time, the plunger switch is reopened to cause the oven temperature to drop from its cooking value of 325‹F. to a hold value of 170‹F. Cooking continues during the fall in temperature to 170‹F.