PRESSURIZED COOKING OVEN
First Claim
1. An oven system for creating a pressurized cooking environment comprising:
- an oven enclosure having back, top, bottom and side walls, the side, top and bottom walls having front ends defining a front opening into the enclosure, a door hingedly attached to one of the ends of the walls for sealing the front opening in the enclosure;
a heating system connected to the enclosure for generating heat in the enclosure;
a pressure source connected to the enclosure for supplying a pressurized fluid into the enclosure so as to create an atmosphere inside the enclosure that is above atmospheric pressure;
a locking mechanism attached to enclosure and configured to lock the door to the enclosure so as to prevent the door from rotating about its hinge and restrict access to the interior from the front opening, the locking mechanism including a locked state where the locking mechanism is engaged with the door so as to maintain the door against the front opening and prevent rotation of the door about its hinge, and an unlocked state where the locking mechanism permits the door to rotate about its hinged attachment so as to permit access into the oven enclosure through the front opening;
a venting system connected to the enclosure and in communication therewith, the venting system providing controlled venting of air from inside the enclosure; and
a control system including at least one pressure sensor and at least one temperature sensor for monitoring and controlling the temperature and pressure within the enclosure, the control system connected to the locking mechanism and the venting system, the control system inhibiting opening of the door until the control system determines the pressure within the enclosure is below a threshold level, the control system controlling the pressure in the enclosure by venting air from within the enclosure through at least the venting system.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A pressurized cooking oven system is disclosed that includes an oven enclosure having front, back, top, bottom and side walls. A door is hingedly attached to one of the walls for sealing an opening in the walls. A heating system is connected to the enclosure for generating heat in the enclosure. The heating system may be a gas or electric heating system. A process is also disclosed for cooking a food item in an oven. The process involves generating heat within the oven; creating pressure within the oven enclosure above atmospheric pressure during at least a portion of the cooking process; maintaining the pressure within the oven enclosure during at least a portion of the heating process; and controlling the heating and pressure during the cooking process.
103 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An oven system for creating a pressurized cooking environment comprising:
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an oven enclosure having back, top, bottom and side walls, the side, top and bottom walls having front ends defining a front opening into the enclosure, a door hingedly attached to one of the ends of the walls for sealing the front opening in the enclosure; a heating system connected to the enclosure for generating heat in the enclosure; a pressure source connected to the enclosure for supplying a pressurized fluid into the enclosure so as to create an atmosphere inside the enclosure that is above atmospheric pressure; a locking mechanism attached to enclosure and configured to lock the door to the enclosure so as to prevent the door from rotating about its hinge and restrict access to the interior from the front opening, the locking mechanism including a locked state where the locking mechanism is engaged with the door so as to maintain the door against the front opening and prevent rotation of the door about its hinge, and an unlocked state where the locking mechanism permits the door to rotate about its hinged attachment so as to permit access into the oven enclosure through the front opening; a venting system connected to the enclosure and in communication therewith, the venting system providing controlled venting of air from inside the enclosure; and a control system including at least one pressure sensor and at least one temperature sensor for monitoring and controlling the temperature and pressure within the enclosure, the control system connected to the locking mechanism and the venting system, the control system inhibiting opening of the door until the control system determines the pressure within the enclosure is below a threshold level, the control system controlling the pressure in the enclosure by venting air from within the enclosure through at least the venting system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. (canceled)
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15. A process for controlling an oven for cooking a food item comprising the steps of:
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providing an oven comprising; an oven enclosure with defined by a plurality of walls defining an interior, the enclosure having a front opening permitting access to the into the enclosure, a door hingedly attached to the enclosure for sealing the front opening in the enclosure and thereby controlling access to the interior, a heating system connected to the enclosure for generating heat within the enclosure, a locking mechanism attached to the enclosure and configured to lock the door to the enclosure so as to prevent the door from rotating about its hinge and restrict access to the interior from the front opening, the locking mechanism including a motorized actuator for transitioning the door from a locked state where the locking mechanism is engaged with the door so as to maintain the door against the front opening and inhibit rotation of the door about its hinge, and an unlocked state where the locking mechanism permits the door to rotate about its hinged attachment so as to permit access into the oven enclosure through the front opening; a venting system connected to the enclosure and in communication therewith, the venting system including a motorized valve and a conduit communicating between the interior of the enclosure and the exterior of the oven, the valve providing controlled venting of air from the interior of the enclosure through the conduit, and an electronic control system including at least one pressure sensor and at least one temperature sensor for monitoring and controlling the temperature and pressure within the interior of the enclosure, the control system electrically connected to the motorized actuator of the locking mechanism and electrically connected to the valve of the venting system, the control system inhibiting opening of the door until the control system determines the pressure within the enclosure is below a threshold level, the control system controlling the pressure in the enclosure by venting air from within the oven enclosure through at least the valve of the venting system; placing a food item into the oven enclosure; maintaining the door in its locked state during a cooking process and while the pressure within the oven enclosure is above the threshold value with the controller; generating heat within the interior of the oven enclosure; causing pressure within the oven enclosure to increase above atmospheric pressure during at least a portion of the cooking process; monitoring the pressure within the oven enclosure during the cooking process with the controller so as to maintain the pressure above atmospheric pressure within the oven enclosure during at least a portion of the cooking process; controlling the heat and pressure during the cooking process with the controller; and opening the valve of the venting system with the controller to vent pressure from the interior of the oven enclosure and actuating the motorized actuator to unlock the door only when the pressure within the oven interior is below a threshold level.
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16. An oven system comprising:
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an oven enclosure having back, top, bottom and side walls, the top, bottom and side walls having front ends defining a front opening into an interior of the enclosure, a door hingedly attached to one of the ends of the walls for sealing the front opening in the enclosure; a heating system connected to the enclosure to generate heat in the interior of the enclosure during use; a locking mechanism attached to enclosure and configured to lock the door to the enclosure so as to prevent the door from rotating about its hinge and restrict access to the interior from the front opening, the locking mechanism including a motorized actuator for transitioning the door from a locked state where the locking mechanism is engaged with the door so as to maintain the door against the front opening and prevent rotation of the door about its hinge, and an unlocked state where the locking mechanism permits the door to rotate about its hinged attachment so as to permit access into the oven enclosure through the front opening; a venting system connected to the enclosure and in communication therewith, the venting system including a motorized valve and a conduit communicating between the interior of the enclosure and the exterior of the oven, the valve providing controlled venting of air from the interior of the enclosure through the conduit; and an electronic control system including at least one pressure sensor and at least one temperature sensor for monitoring and controlling the temperature and pressure within the interior of the enclosure, the control system electrically connected to the motorized actuator of the locking mechanism and electrically connected to the valve of the venting system, the control system controlling the pressure within the interior of the enclosure by maintaining the locking mechanism in its locked state and inhibiting venting of air through the valve of the venting system to allow the pressure within the interior of the enclosure to rise above ambient pressure, the control system controlling access to the interior of the oven by opening the valve of the venting system to vent air from the interior of the oven enclosure through the conduit and inhibiting actuation of the actuator to maintain the door in its locked state so as to prevent opening of the door until the control system senses the pressure within the interior of the enclosure is below a threshold level after which the control system actuates the actuator to unlock the locking mechanism and permit the door to be opened. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification