Prince Castle Inc.

Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Don Van Erden

Frank Anthony Agnello

Constantin Burtea

Sanda Burtea, Legal Representative

Loren Jay Veltrop

Randall Scott Koplin

Michael J McMahon

Kent Jeffrey Kallsen

Douglas S Rodenkirch

Robert G Kobetsky

Manuel C Enriquez

Robert C Long

Michael M Maciejewski

Ronald L Smith

A strap having increased column stiffness includes a leading edge and a trailing edge forming a length of the strap, a first outer edge and second outer edge defining a width of the strap, and a first side and a second side defining a thickness of the strap. A crush region is formed in the first or second side, between and generally parallel to the first and second outer edges. The crush region is defined by a thickness that is less than the thickness of the strap adjacent to the crush region. The crush region forms a line along which a bend may be formed in the strap. The bend increases the column stiffness of the strap at least about 67 percent over that of a comparable flat strap. The bend defines an acute angle and an obtuse angle in the strap as viewed in cross-section.

Strap with improved column stiffness

A steamer for sandwich buns, bagels, croissants, cakes, vegetables, pastas, and other foods delivers fixed amounts of water onto a hot, dry platen through a vertically-oriented water conduit which is also thermally insulated from the hot platen and made from thermally insulating materials. The vertically-oriented water conduit retains water after a water supply is shut off at the beginning or end of a steam generating cycle. Orienting the conduit vertically reduces the surface area of liquid water exposed to air. Insulating the water conduit from the hot platen reduces the rate at which water standing in the conduit evaporates. Tubes used in the water conduit are insulating and easily removed from the water conduit assembly and flexible. Minerals that precipitate out of solution and become deposited onto the flexible tube are easily removed by flexing the flexible tube.

Food product steamer

A dispenser for viscous liquids effectuates sequential operations by hydrostatic pressure on an assembly of two pistons separated from each other in a cylinder by a separation spring. When the piston assembly is embedded in material to be dispensed, the space between the pistons fills with material to be dispensed. Pressuring the reservoir by squeezing it or by the addition of pressurized gas, forces the piston assembly down the cylinder at the end of which is an opening from which material in the piston assembly can escape. One of the pistons moves toward the other end by pressure from the reservoir, causing material in the piston assembly to be dispensed. The volume inside the piston assembly defines and limits the volume of material that can be dispensed.

Fixed-volume liquid dispenser

A wire mesh burner plate for use in large, gas burners for large ovens is comprised of spaced-apart wire mesh plates. The spacing between the wire mesh plates defines an air/fuel mixture space. The fuel passes through the lower or first mesh, experiences a pressure drop, mixes with air and passes through a second wire mesh. The gas combusts after passing through the second wire mesh. The fine gauge of the mesh prevents combustion from flowing backwardly into the fuel/air mixture space. Several individual wire mesh burner plates can be flexibly attached to each other such that a very wide space can be covered. Thermal stresses are reduced by being distributed across multiple burners.

Burner plate assembly for a gas oven

Cooking food in a hybrid conveyor with both electric and gas-fired infrared heaters. The heat output from the gas fired infrared heater is controlled by cycling or pulsing the gas supply to one or more burners that emit infrared heat by heating a nichrome screen wire. The electric power supplied to electrically powered heaters is also controlled.

Method of controlling an oven with hybrid heating sources

A conveyor oven is provided with both electric and gas-fired infrared heaters. The heat output from the gas fired infrared heater is controlled by cycling or pulsing the gas supply to one or more burners that emit infrared heat by heating a nichrome screen wire.

Growing community of inventors

Wildwood, IL, United States of America

Don Van Erden