▁ ▁The ▁automatic ▁pop - up ▁to aster , ▁which ▁e ject s ▁the ▁to ast ▁after ▁to ast ing ▁it , ▁was ▁first ▁pat ented ▁by ▁Charles ▁Str ite ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 1 . ▁In ▁ 1 9 2 5 , ▁using ▁a ▁red es igned ▁version ▁of ▁Str ite ' s ▁to aster , ▁the ▁W aters ▁G enter ▁Company ▁introduced ▁the ▁Model ▁ 1 - A - 1 ▁Toast master , ▁the ▁first ▁automatic , ▁pop - up , ▁household ▁to aster ▁that ▁could ▁brown ▁bread ▁on ▁both ▁sides ▁simultaneously , ▁set ▁the ▁he ating ▁element ▁on ▁a ▁timer , ▁and ▁e ject ▁the ▁to ast ▁when ▁finished . ▁ ▁Toast ing ▁technology ▁after ▁the ▁ 1 9 4 0 s ▁By ▁the ▁middle ▁of ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century , ▁some ▁high - end ▁U . S . ▁to aster s ▁featured ▁automatic ▁to ast ▁lower ing ▁and ▁raising , ▁without ▁the ▁need ▁to ▁operate ▁le vers   — ▁simply ▁dro pping ▁the ▁bread ▁into ▁one ▁of ▁these ▁" e lev ator ▁to aster s ", ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁Sun be am ▁Rad i ant ▁Control ▁to aster ▁models ▁made ▁from ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 4 0 s ▁through ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s , ▁begins ▁the ▁to ast ing ▁cycle . ▁These ▁to aster s ▁use ▁the ▁mechan ically ▁multip lied ▁thermal ▁expansion ▁of ▁the ▁resistance ▁wire ▁in ▁the ▁center ▁element ▁assembly ▁to ▁lower ▁the ▁bread ; ▁the ▁inserted ▁slice ▁of ▁bread