CONVECTION OVEN HAVING REMOVABLE AIR PLENUMS

• US 20160356505A1
• Filed: 06/08/2015
• Published: 12/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alto-Shaam Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Appliance Innovation, Inc.
• Inventors: McKee, Philip R., VanLanen, Lee Thomas, Coleman, Todd
• Granted Patent: US 9,677,774 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A21B 1/245 with a plurality of air nozzles to obtain an impingement effect on the food
• CPC Class Codes: A21B 1/26 by hot air
• CPC Class Codes: A21B 3/04 Air-treatment devices for ovens, e.g. regulating humidity
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/00 Details
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/007 Removable panels
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/16 Shelves, racks or trays inside ovens; Supports therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/166 with integrated heating means
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/18 Arrangement of compartments additional to cooking compartments, e.g. for warming or for storing utensils or fuel containers; Arrangement of additional heating or cooking apparatus, e.g. grills
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/32 Arrangements of ducts for hot gases, e.g. in or around baking ovens
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/322 with forced circulation
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/327 with air moisturising

Abstract

A convection oven is disclosed. The convection oven comprises a housing having an oven cavity and an oven door for access to the oven cavity, at least one air blower for generating heated air, one or more air channels for directing the heated air from the air blower toward the oven cavity, and one or more removable air plenums, wherein each removable air plenum is connected to one of the one or more air channels, comprises an air intake edge for receiving the heated air from the air channel, defines the top or the bottom of a cooking chamber within the oven cavity, and comprises a plurality of air vents for directing the heated air into the cooking chamber. The convection oven may further comprise a control panel for separately and independently controlling each of the cooking chambers defined by the removable air plenums.

Claims

1. A convection oven comprising:

a housing having an oven cavity and an oven door for access to the oven cavity;

at least one air blower for generating heated air;

one or more air channels for directing the heated air from the air blower toward the oven cavity;

one or more removable air plenums, wherein each of the one or more removable air plenums is configured to be removably connected to one of the one or more air channels;

comprises an air intake edge for receiving the heated air from the one of the one or more air channels;

defines the top or the bottom of a cooking chamber within the oven cavity when the removable air plenum is connected to the air channel; and

comprises, on its top or bottom surface, a plurality of air vents for directing the heated air into the cooking chamber; and

one or more flaps, wherein each of the one or more air channels is associated with one of the one or more flaps and is configured to be covered by the associated flap if the air channel is not connected to one of the one or more removable air plenums.

3. The convection oven of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more removable air plenums comprises a tab configured to open the flap associated with one of the one or more air channels when the removable air plenum is connected to the air channel.

5. The convection oven of claim 1, further comprising a sensor for detecting the oven door being kept opened during a cook cycle.

6. The convection oven of claim 5, further comprising a controller for re-adjusting a cooking parameter for at least one of the cooking chambers defined by the one or more removable air plenums based on the amount of time the oven door is kept opened during the cook cycle.

7. The convection oven of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more removable air plenums is configured to direct the heated air upward.

8. The convection oven of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more removable air plenums is configured to direct the heated air downward.

9. The convection oven of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more removable air plenums is configured to support a food rack within the corresponding cooking chamber.

10. The convection oven of claim 1, wherein the one or more air channels are located on a rear wall of the oven cavity.

11. The convection oven of claim 1, further comprising one or more pairs of parallel rails located on left and right side walls of the oven cavity to support the one or more removable air plenums.

12. The convection oven of claim 1, further comprising return air openings located on both left and right sides of the cooking chamber.

2. (canceled)

4. (canceled)

13. A convection oven comprising:

a housing having an oven cavity and an oven door for access to the oven cavity;

at least one air blower for generating heated air;

one or more air channels for directing the heated air from the air blower toward the oven cavity;

one or more removable air plenums, wherein each of the one or more removable air plenums is configured to be removably connected to one of the one or more air channels;

comprises an air intake edge for receiving the heated air from the one of the one or more air channels;

defines the top or the bottom of a cooking chamber within the oven cavity when the removable air plenum is connected to the air channel; and

comprises, on its top or bottom surface, a plurality of air vents for directing the heated air into the cooking chamber; and

a control panel for separately and independently controlling each of the cooking chambers defined by the one or more removable air plenums.

14. The convection oven of claim 13, further comprising a sensor for detecting the oven door being kept opened during a cook cycle.

15. The convection oven of claim 14, further comprising a controller for re-adjusting a cooking parameter for at least one of the cooking chambers defined by the one or more removable air plenums based on the amount of time the oven door is kept opened during the cook cycle.

16. The convection oven of claim 13, wherein at least one of the one or more removable air plenums is configured to direct the heated air upward.

17. The convection oven of claim 13, wherein at least one of the one or more removable air plenums is configured to direct the heated air downward.

18. The convection oven of claim 13, wherein at least one of the one or more removable air plenums is configured to support a food rack within the corresponding cooking chamber.

19. The convection oven of claim 13, wherein the one or more air channels are located on a rear wall of the oven cavity.

20. The convection oven of claim 13, further comprising one or more pairs of parallel rails located on left and right side walls of the oven cavity to support the one or more removable air plenums.

21. The convection oven of claim 13, further comprising return air openings located on both left and right sides of the cooking chamber.

22. A convection oven comprising:

a housing having an oven cavity and an oven door for access to the oven cavity;

at least one air blower for generating heated air;

one or more air channels for directing the heated air from the air blower toward the oven cavity; and

one or more removable air plenums, wherein each of the one or more removable air plenums is configured to be removably connected to one of the one or more air channels;

comprises an air intake edge for receiving the heated air from the one of the one or more air channels;

defines the top or the bottom of a cooking chamber within the oven cavity when the removable air plenum is connected to the air channel; and

comprises, on its top or bottom surface, a plurality of air vents for directing the heated air into the cooking chamber,

wherein;

the one or more air channels comprise a top air channel and a bottom air channel;

the one or more removable air plenums comprise an upper removable air plenum removably connected to the top air channel and a lower removable air plenum removably connected to the bottom air channel;

the upper removable air plenum defining the top of the cooking chamber within the oven cavity and comprising a plurality of air vents on its bottom surface to direct the heated air downward into the cooking chamber; and

the lower removable air plenum defining the bottom of the cooking chamber within the oven cavity and comprising a plurality of air vents on its top surface to direct the heated air upward into the cooking chamber.

23. The convection oven of claim 22, further comprising a diverter to separate the heated air exiting from the air blower into a top airstream directed to the top air channel and a bottom air stream directed to the bottom air channel.

24. The convection oven of claim 22, further comprising a sensor for detecting the oven door being kept opened during a cook cycle.

25. The convection oven of claim 24, further comprising a controller for re-adjusting a cooking parameter for at least one of the cooking chambers defined by the one or more removable air plenums based on the amount of time the oven door is kept opened during the cook cycle.

26. The convection oven of claim 22, wherein the lower removable air plenum is configured to support a food rack within the corresponding cooking chamber.

27. The convection oven of claim 22, wherein the one or more air channels are located on a rear wall of the oven cavity.

28. The convection oven of claim 22, further comprising one or more pairs of parallel rails located on left and right side walls of the oven cavity to support the one or more removable air plenums.

29. The convection oven of claim 22, further comprising return air openings located on both left and right sides of the cooking chamber.