Quadlux, Inc.

Veeco Instruments Inc.

Ag Processing Technologies, Inc.

Sri International

Ag Associates, Inc.

Eugene R Westerberg

Donald W Pettibone

William H Sehestedt

Robert I Beaver, Ii

Thomas E Thompson

Max K Yoshimoto

David W Laituri

Gilbert Y Wong

Gerard A Furbershaw

Joe R Suarez

Michael H Kellicutt

Marc J Madou

Christopher E Holland

Takaaki Otagawa

Ivor Brodie

Donald R Cone

Julius J Muray

Gay L Winterringer

William P Minnear

John W O'Neal

William H Schestedt

Jan C Terry

Jay G Romiti

Anita S Gat

Robert I Beaver, IIl

The present invention is a lightwave oven that includes an oven chamber, a food support within the oven chamber, and a lightwave cooking lamp moveably mounted within the oven chamber between a first position in which the lamp is positioned to direct radiant energy onto a first area of the food support and a second position in which the lamp is positioned to direct radiant energy onto a second, separate, area of the food support. The lamp is illuminated and made to scan, preferably multiple times, across the food so as to cook the food.

Scanning lightwave oven and method of operating the same

A lightwave oven for cooking with light having wavelengths in the visible, near visible, and infra-red spectral ranges uses one or more quartz halogen tungsten lamps or quartz arc bulbs positioned above and below the food item and delivers light energy in select ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum during select portions of the cooking cycle.

Apparatus and method for cooking food with a controlled spectrum

A lightwave oven that includes an oven cavity housing enclosing a cooking chamber therein, and first and second pluralities of elongated high power lamps. The oven cavity housing includes a top wall with a first non-planar reflecting surface facing the cooking chamber, a bottom wall with a second non-planar reflecting surface facing the cooking chamber, and a sidewall with a third reflecting surface that surrounds and faces the cooking chamber. The sidewall has a cross-section that is either circular, elliptical, or polygonal having at least five planar sides. The first plurality of elongated high power lamps provide radiant energy in the visible, near-visible and infrared ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum and are disposed adjacent to and along the top wall. The second plurality of elongated high power lamps provide radiant energy in the visible, near-visible and infrared ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum and are disposed adjacent to and along the bottom wall. The first and second reflecting surfaces are at least 90% reflective of the radiant energy of the first and second pluralities of lamps, and the third reflecting surface is at least 95% reflective of the radiant energy of the first and second pluralities of lamps. The top and bottom walls include novel reflecting channels or cups that reflect the output from the lamps in a manner to maximize the efficiency and the uniformity of illumination of the cooking chamber.

High efficiency lightwave oven

A lightwave oven cooking method and apparatus uses pulsed power applied to a plurality of high-power lamps which provides radiant energy in the electromagnetic spectrum and having wavelengths including the visible and near-visible ranges. Irradiation is applied to the food by applying power to the lamps for a specified period of time without vaporizing all of the surface water on the food, and then applying reduced irradiation to the food to complete the cooking cycle without producing an overly browned surface which inhibits deep penetration of radiation in the near-visible and visible ranges. The reduced power can be at a reduced duty cycle which can be done in a sequence of one or more reducing steps in the duty cycle or a continuous reduction of the duty cycle of the power applied to the lamps. A change in color, in water vapor concentration emitted from the surface, in the food temperatures and/or in the generation of steam to a predetermined degree can be sensed to reduce power.

Method and apparatus of cooking food in a lightwave oven

An lightwave oven and method of cooking therewith for cooking food with radiant energy in the visible, near-visible and infrared ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum from a first plurality of high power lamps positioned above the food and a second plurality of high power lamps positioned below the food. The first plurality of lamps are sequentially operated at a first average power level by applying power thereto in a staggered manner so that not all of the first plurality of lamps are on at the same time, and the second plurality of lamps are sequentially operated at a second average power level by applying power thereto in a staggered manner so that not all of the second plurality of lamps are on at the same time. The stagger can be varied to change the time average power level of the first and/or second pluralities of lamps without adversely affecting the spectral outputs thereof. The first and second pluralities of lamps can be operated in one of several different modes. In one mode, the first and second pluralities of lamps are sequentially operated simultaneously. In another mode, the first plurality of lamps is sequentially operated while the second plurality of lamps are turned off. In yet another mode, the second plurality of lamps is sequentially operated while the first plurality of lamps are turned off.

Lightwave oven and method of cooking therewith having multiple cook

A lightwave oven and method of cooking therewith that cooks food contained in cookware having a given reflectivity, and automatically changes the lightwave oven cooking sequence to compensate for the reflectivity of the cookware. The lightwave oven includes an oven cavity housing that encloses a cooking region therein. A first plurality and a second plurality of high power lamps provide radiant energy in the visible, near-visible and infrared ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum. The first plurality of lamps is positioned above the cooking region and the second plurality of lamps is positioned below the cooking region. An optical sensor measures an amount of the radiant energy produced by at least one of the second plurality of lamps that is reflected by the cookware in the cooking region. A controller changes an average power level of the second plurality of lamps based upon the amount of radiant energy measured by the optical sensor.

Lightwave oven and method of cooking therewith with cookware

An oven for cooking with light having wavelengths in the visible, near visible, and infra-red spectral ranges uses one or more quartz halogen tungsten lamps or quartz arc bulbs positioned above and below the food item. Uniform cooking of the food item is achieved by positioning the lamps asymmetrically with respect to the midline of the oven and by rotating the food item on a rack during the cooking cycle.

Apparatus and method for uniformly cooking food with asymmetrically

A lightwave oven cooking method and apparatus using power and pulsed power applied to a plurality of high-power lamps which provide radiant energy in the electromagnetic spectrum and having wavelengths including the visible and near-visible ranges wherein irradiation is applied to the food by applying power to the lamps for a specified period of time without vaporizing all of the surface water on the food, and then applying reduced irradiation to the food to complete the cooking cycle without producing an overly browned surface which inhibits deep penetration of radiation in the near-visible and visible ranges. The reduced power can be at a reduced duty cycle which can be done in a sequence of one or more reducing steps in the duty cycle or a continuous reduction of the duty cycle of the power applied to the lamps. A change in color, in water vapor concentration emitted from the surface, in the food temperature and/or in the generation of steam to a predetermined degree can be sensed to reduce power.

A lightwave oven cooking method and apparatus using power and pulsed power applied to a plurality of high-power lamps which provide radiant energy in the electromagnetic spectrum and having a wavelengths including the visible and near-visible ranges wherein irradiation is applied to the food by applying power to the lamps for a specified period of time without vaporizing all of the surface water on the food, and then applying reduced irradiation to the food to complete the cooking cycle without producing an overly browned surface which inhibits deep penetration of radiation in the near-visible and visible ranges. The reduced power can be at a reduced duty cycle which can be done in a sequence of one or more reducing steps in the duty cycle or a continuous reduction of the duty cycle of the power applied to the lamps. A change in the generation of steam or in the food temperatures to a predetermined degree can be sensed to reduce power.

An oven for cooking with light having wavelengths in the visible, near visible, and infra-red spectral ranges cooks food items for periods that are predetermined for given food items. When prolonged use of the oven increases the oven temperature, a thermistor detects the temperature increases and delivers a signal representing the increase to a microprocessor. The microprocessor is programmed to compensate for increases in the oven temperature by lowering the cooking time for a given food item below the predetermined period. Some of the heated air that accumulates in the oven is withdrawn by an evacuation device.

Apparatus and method for regulating cooking time in a radiant energy oven

A lightwave oven cooking method and apparatus using power and pulsed power applied to a plurality of high-power lamps which provide radiant energy in the electromagnetic spectrum and having wavelengths including the visible and near-visible ranges wherein irradiation is applied to the food by applying power to the lamps for a specified period of time without vaporizing all of the surface water on the food, and then applying reduced irradiation to the food to complete the cooking cycle without producing an overly browned surface which inhibits deep penetration of radiation in the near-visible and visible ranges. The reduced power can be at a reduced duty cycle which can be done in a sequence of one or more reducing steps in the duty cycle or a continuous reduction of the duty cycle of the power applied to the lamps. A change in the food temperatures can be sensed to reduce power.

A lightwave oven cooking method and apparatus using power and pulsed power applied to a plurality of high-power lamps which provide radiant energy in the electromagnetic spectrum and having wavelengths including the visible and near-visible ranges wherein irradiation is applied to the food by applying power to the lamps for a specified period of time without vaporizing all of the surface water on the food, and then applying reduced irradiation to the food to complete the cooking cycle without producing an overly browned surface which inhibits deep penetration of radiation in the near-visible and visible ranges. The reduced power can be at a reduced duty cycle which can be done in a sequence of one or more reducing steps in the duty cycle or a continuous reduction of the duty cycle of the power applied to the lamps. A change in water vapor concentration emitted from the surface can be sensed to reduce power.

A lightwave oven cooking method and apparatus using power and pulsed power applied to a plurality of high-power lamps which provide radiant energy in the electromagnetic spectrum and having wavelengths including the visible and near-visible ranges wherein irradiation is applied to the food by applying power to the lamps for a specified period of time without vaporizing all of the surface water on the food, and then applying reduced irradiation to the food to complete the cooking cycle without producing an overly browned surface which inhibits deep penetration of radiation in the near-visible and visible ranges. The reduced power can be at a reduced duty cycle which can be done in a sequence of one or more reducing steps in the duty cycle or a continuous reduction of the duty cycle of the power applied to the lamps. A change in color, in water vapor concentration emitted from the surface, in the food temperatures and/or in the generation of steam to a predetermined degree can be sensed to reduce power.

Method of cooking food in a lightwave oven using visible light without

An oven for cooking a food item with radiant energy typically having a significant portion of radiant energy in the visible light range of the electromagnetic spectrum is disclosed. The desired cooking time for the given food item is set in or already stored in the oven controller, and radiation is initiated for cooking the food item for that desired cooking time. At a given time before the end of the desired cooking time, a signal is triggered indicating that a determination must be made as to whether the food item is cooked to the desired degree. Once the food item is cooked to the desired degree, the radiation is either stopped before the end of the desired cooking time, terminated at the end of desired cooking time or maintained beyond the desired cooking time. The previously set or stored cooking time may also be automatically reduced by the amount of time the actual cooking time was shortened from the stored cooking time or by the amount of time the actual cooking time was extended beyond the stored cooking time.

Cooking method and apparatus controlling cooking cycle

An oven using one or more quartz tungsten light bulbs capable of producing 1.5 kW of radiant energy of which a significant portion is light energy in the 0.4 to 0.7 .mu.m wavelength range impinges high intensity visible light wave radiation directly onto a food item. Light sources can be positioned above and below the food item and the inner walls of the oven are preferably highly reflective to reflect light energy onto the food. The intensity of the visible light source is automatically controllable and can be varied throughout the cooking cycle.

Growing community of inventors

Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Eugene R Westerberg