Middleby Marshall, Incorporated

Thomas C Hotard

Kurt S Creamer

Richard W Hartzell

Murray Van Johnson

Robert C Vroom

Joseph Mark Suchecki

Robert D Morrison

A gas-fired cooking device includes a braising cavity defined on its lower side by a heated surface. A more uniform heating of the heated surface is provided by a plurality of heating chambers disposed below the heated surface, with each of the heating chambers heated by at least one naturally fed gas burner. A portion of the hot combustion gases rise into upper zones associated with each heating chamber that have relatively low average front-to-back air flow therein. The upper zones have sidewalls and downwardly extending dam walls that cooperate to create the low flow zones beneath the heated surface. The relatively low flow rates within the low flow zones allow a more uniform layer of hot combustion gases to be formed along the underside of the heated surface, thereby more evenly delivering heat to the heated surface. There may be two or more such heating chambers.

Gas-fired cooking device with braising cavity having surface heated by heat bank

A pressure regulator and steamer oven for cooking food at low pressure includes heating elements and a cooking cavity having a pool for holding water to be turned into steam. A pressure sensor is disposed in a steam outlet passage connected to the cooking cavity. The pressure sensor is operable to turn off the heating elements when the pressure in the steam outlet passage exceeds a pre-determined level. The pressure sensor may be a float switch monitoring the water level in the steam outlet passage. The condensing steam in the steam outlet conduit may be routed back to the pool in the cooking cavity via an overflow.

Pressure regulator for steam oven

A pressure regulator and steamer oven for cooking food at low pressure is provided which conserves water and space. The oven includes heating elements and a cooking cavity having a pool for holding water to be turned into steam. A pressure regulator mechanism attached to the rear of the steamer includes a reservoir and a float switch. A steam outlet conduit connects the cooking cavity to the reservoir and extends below the normal water level in the reservoir. The lower end of the conduit is blocked by water in the reservoir. The float switch is operable to turn off the heating elements when the pressure in the conduit exceeds a pre-determined level. Thus, the pressure regulator employs a water seal and float switch to help indirectly measure the pressure in the cooking cavity and control the heating elements accordingly. The reservoir is connected to the pool via an overflow which allows condensate to be recirculated to the cooking cavity. The steamer optionally includes a fill trough disposed above and in front of the cooking cavity and connected to the fluid reservoir for ease of filling. Further, the steamer optionally includes a pool cover with steam directing flow holes for promoting steam flow in the cooking cavity and a vent hole in the steam outlet conduit to help purge cold air on start-up.

A pressure regulator and steamer oven for cooking food at low pressure is provided which conserves water and space. The oven includes heating elements and a cooking cavity having a pool for holding water to be turned into steam. A pressure regulator mechanism attached to the rear of the steamer includes a reservoir and a float switch. A steam outlet conduit connects the cooking cavity to the reservoir and extends below the normal water level in the reservoir. The lower end of the conduit is blocked by water in the reservoir. The float switch is operable to turn off the heating elements when the pressure in the conduit exceeds a pre-determined level. Thus, the pressure regulator employs a water seal and float switch to help indirectly measure the pressure in the cooking cavity and control the heating elements accordingly. The reservoir is connected to the pool via an overflow which allows condensate to be recirculated to the cooking cavity. The steamer optionally includes a fill trough disposed above and in front of the cooking cavity and connected to the fluid reservoir for ease of filling.

A convection oven includes a plurality of modular control panels which can be interchanged with one another to change the functional capability of the oven. The base unit contains the basic structural and mechanical components of the convection oven including a heating element and blower. Each of the individual control panels can control the operation of the heating element and blower in the base unit. Each control panel will include a different group of controls. All of the available control panels plug into a standard interface on the base unit. Therefore, the functional capabilities of the oven can be changed by removing the existing control panel on the base unit and reinstalling a different control panel.

Convection oven with modular control panel

A convection oven having an insulated oven chamber bounded by a front access door, a floor, a ceiling, two side walls, and a rear wall. An inlet air passageway, which includes a heating element, delivers heated air to the oven chamber, and an exhaust passageway exhausts air from the oven chamber. A baffle plate spaced from the rear wall divides the oven chamber into a blower compartment and a baking compartment, which are connected by a return air opening in the baffle plate and at least one peripheral opening outwards of the return air opening. A blower fan in the blower compartment draws heated air into the oven chamber, mixes the heated air with air already inside the even chamber, circulates the mixed air throughout the oven chamber, and expels air through the exhaust passageway. To alleviate problems caused by high and low pressure zones created in diagonally opposing corners of the blower compartment by rotation of the blower fan, two pairs of diverter plates are disposed around the blower fan. These diverter plates are configured so as to reduce the air pressure in the otherwise high pressure corners and to increase the air pressure in the otherwise low pressure corners. Additionally, the diverter plates create negative pressure to draw air from the combustion chamber into the oven chamber. Each pair of diverter plates is disposed along separate diametrical axes that are perpendicular to each other. In addition, one pair of diverter plates is disposed closer to the blower fan than the other. The diverter plates cooperate with one another in such as way as to mimic air pumps that divert air away from the high-pressure corners and into the low-pressure corners. Thus, the diverter plates tend to equalize the air pressure among the corners of the blower compartment. This helps equalize the air pressure throughout the oven chamber, which in turn ensures even cooking of food.

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Fuquay-Varina, NC, United States of America

Thomas C Hotard