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Steam cooking oven and method

  • US 10,208,964 B2
  • Filed: 12/05/2014
  • Issued: 02/19/2019
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2014
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method of meeting Energy Star applicable cooking efficiency requirements in a steam cooker that includes a steam cooking cavity having a door moveable between opened and closed positions for enabling access to the steam cooking cavity, a steam generator external of the steam cooking cavity and defining a volume for holding water and having a water inlet, a steam outlet and an associated heating unit for heating water in the volume so as to generate steam, and a steam path fluidly connecting the steam outlet to the steam cooking cavity, the method comprising:

  • (a) utilizing a cavity outlet for excess steam to exit the steam cooking cavity, the cavity outlet fluidly connected via a first flow path to a steam vent stack and via a second flow path to a drain;

    (b) sensing temperature within the vent stack;

    (c) utilizing sensed temperature within the vent stack to regulate power level of the heating unit to produce steam within the steam generator in a controlled manner that reduces flows of excess steam into the steam cooking cavity via the steam path and subsequently out of the steam cooking cavity via the vent stack, including;

    (i) utilizing sensed temperature within the vent stack to identify when little or no excess steam is passing through the vent stack and responsively operating the heating unit at its full power level resulting in a maximum steam production rate; and

    (ii) utilizing sensed temperature within the vent stack to identify increasing flow of steam through the vent stack and responsively operating the heating unit at a reduced non-zero power level, which is less than the full power level, so as to reduce steam production within the steam generator to a reduced rate that is less than the maximum steam production rate and thereby reduce steam flow into the steam cooking cavity and subsequent steam outflow through the vent stack.

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