Gas Research Institute

US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Tiax LLC

Texas Research International, Inc.

Anthony Patti

Mimmo Elia

James Timothy Cole

William E Lyle

David H McFadden

Steven J Savage

Anthony F Reale

David W Tucci

Darrell J King

Frank Zeller

Robert Philip Brushaber

David L Richardson

Neal S Cooper

Michael Jay Dobie

A continuous mode conveyor cooking appliance utilizing hot air jet impingement and microwave energy for cooking prepared foods. The approach envisions a central microwave unit with a hot air jet impingement oven unit on each side of the microwave section and a conveyor system to carry the food items completely through the appliance from one end to the other and with the two hot air jet impingement ovens equipped with a designed combination of hot air jet impingement jets and solid pins to act as a microwave attenuation system to reduce microwave exposure to cooking personnel to completely safe levels.

Continuous mode conveyor cooking utilizing hot air jet impingement and microwave energy

A multiple panel cooking oven having individual controls for combined conductive and radiant heating. Each panel comprises an upper heating element for conductive heating and a lower heating element for radiant heating to obtain uniform baking within a zone between panels in the oven. A control panel having displays and keypads interfaces with a processor which provides control signals for adjusting the temperature of the heating elements of the panels. Cooking energy efficiency is increased through the use of radiative and conductive heat transfer, to reduce bake times by significantly increasing heat transfer to the food products. Independent cook zones allow preparation of multiple products simultaneously under different cooking conditions. The oven, in one embodiment may include a convection heating mode of operation. In an alternative embodiment no convection mode is provided and the sole source of heat is provided by the conductive/radiant panels.

Multiple panel oven having individual controls for combined conductive and radiant heating panels

An oven assembly having oppositely disposed first and second wall structures enclosing a cooking chamber, each wall structure having a plurality of spaced apart openings for passage of air therethrough. A rotating valve is provided, which is in heated air receiving communication and return air communication with a heat source and in heated air distributing communication with the first wall structure and in return air communication with the second wall structure whereby heated air is passed through the spaced apart openings in the first wall structure into the cooking chamber and return air from the cooking chamber is passed through the spaced apart openings in the oppositely disposed second wall structure and to the rotating valve for return to the heat source. The rotating valve is rotatable to be in heated air distributing communication with the second wall structure and in return air communication with the first wall structure.

Food oven with even heat distribution

The cooking chamber is defined at least in part by at least two pairs of oppositely disposed first and second wall structures, each of the wall structures including at least one slot opening for the passage of air therethrough. The rotating valve is in heated air distributing communication with the first wall structure and in return air communication with the second wall structure of only one of the two pairs of oppositely disposed first and second wall structures at a selected point in time such that heated air is passed through the slot opening in the first wall structure into the cooking chamber and return air from the cooking chamber is passed through the slot opening in the oppositely disposed second wall structure and to the rotating valve for return to the heat source. The rotating valve is capable of rotation to be in heated air distributing communication with the first wall structure and in return air communication with the second wall structure of the other of the two pairs of oppositely disposed first and second wall structures at a subsequent selected point in time.

A natural draft combustion system having a housing enclosing at least a portion of a material heating container and at least one combustion space in heat exchange relation with the material heating container and extending from a heat inlet side of the housing to a heat outlet side of the housing. A downward angled burner having a burner outlet in fluid communication with a heat inlet to the at least one combustion space is disposed on the heat inlet side. A natural draft combustion products exhaust conduit in fluid communication with the at least one combustion space is disposed proximate the heat outlet of the housing. As a result, a flame produced by the burner is introduced into the combustion space with a downward velocity component, which, in turn, results in improved efficiency over comparable conventional systems.

Fluid heating apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Wakefield, MA, United States of America

Anthony Patti