Importance

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Abstract

An electric automatic pop-up toaster has a carriage and a pivotably connected manually operative arm for moving the carriage to a lowermost position for toasting in well-known manner. At the beginning of each toasting cycle, the arm is horizontal and a latching plate is magnetically held down to hold the arm and the carriage in a lowermost position. The arm presses against a wire spring to hold closed a power switch (not shown) that supplies power to heating elements of the toaster. The latching plate is (magnetically) released at the end of each toasting cycle by a timer. This allows the carriage to move upwards to pop-up toasted bread in a usual way. However should the carriage fail to move upwards when the latching plate is released, the arm is pivoted by a spring and tilted to the position shown in the Figure. The wire is therefore released and enters a slot in a bracket mounted to the carriage. The switch opens and remains open to prevent power being re-instated to the heating elements. Even if the arm is thereafter pushed down, the switch cannot be closed because no downward pressure can be applied to the spring until the carriage has moved upwards beyond an intermediate position.

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First Claim