Microwave oven with a toaster and method for controlling a heater of the toaster

Abstract

A microwave oven with a toaster includes a toaster casing, a heating chamber inserted in the toaster casing, a bread receiver slidably inserted in the toaster casing, and a toaster door attached to a front side of the bread receiver. The bread receiver is selectively placed in the heating chamber. The microwave oven further includes a crumb tray slidably inserted in the toaster casing for collecting crumbs of bread and a holding unit for holding bread put in the bread receiver. The crumb tray is placed under the bread receiver. Further, there is provided a process for controlling a heater of the toaster, which is capable of properly baking bread even when the toaster is continually operated.

1 . A method for controlling a heater of a toaster incorporated in a microwave oven, the method comprising the steps of: 
 (a) setting a heater ON time and a heater OFF time;    (b) actuating the heater for the heater ON time after the heater OFF time has elapsed;    (c) determining whether or not the toaster is repeatedly operated, and if yes, resetting the heater OFF time by adding a predetermined time thereto and the heater ON time by subtracting a predetermined time therefrom; and    (d) repeating the steps (b) and (c).    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein in the step (c), the toaster is determined to be repeatedly operated when the toaster is again operated within a predetermined time after the heater ON time has elapsed in the step (b).  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein in the step (c), the toaster is determined to be repeatedly operated when a continual operation button is pushed.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein in the step (c), if the toaster is repeatedly operated, a continual toaster operation number is increased, and wherein when the continual toaster operation number is equal to or greater than a predetermined critical operation number, the heater OFF time and the heater ON time are not reset in the step (c), and the steps (b) and (c) are repeated under a condition that the heater OFF time and the heater ON time are kept unchanged.