Combination oven with three-stage water atomizer

• US 6,188,045 B1
• Filed: 04/03/2000
• Issued: 02/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alto-Shaam Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Alto-Shaam Incorporated
• Inventors: Raghavan, Jembu K., Hansen, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): PELHAM, JOSEPH MOORE
• Application Number:
  US09/541,167
• Time in Patent Office: 316 Days
• Field of Search: 219/400, 219/401, 126/369, 126/20, 126/214, 994/76, 239/461, 239/498, 239/499, 239/500, 239/504
• US Class Current: 219/401
• CPC Class Codes: F22B 27/16 involving spray nozzles for sprinkling or injecting water particles on to or into hot heat-exchange elements, e.g. into tubes F22B1/287 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/327 with air moisturising

Abstract

A combination convection and steam oven having a three stage atomizer for breaking up supply water prior to vaporization. The atomizer includes a motor-driven fan having an atomizer cup at its hub which revolves with the fan about an axis of rotation. The atomizer cup has rectilinear or concave walls defining pockets having lengthwise slots at their corners. As the atomizer cup is rotated, supply water is fed into the cup so as to impact the inner surfaces and shear as it exits through the slots under centrifugal force, which directs the water through the fan blades. The supply water thereby is broken up by three separate actions prior to vaporization.

Claims

1. An atomizer for use in a combination steam and convection oven for the preparation of food having a heating element and a water line delivering water, the atomizer comprising:

a fan rotating about an axis to dispel air radially therefrom and positioned to be surrounded by the heating elements in a path of the dispelled air, the fan having an open face providing access to a fan interior; and

a cup attached at the axis to the fan within the fan interior to rotate therewith, the cup having an open face providing access to a cup interior defined by axially extending cup walls receiving the water from the water line, wherein at least one cup wall includes an opening through which the water in the cup interior may pass and the cup walls vary in distance from the axis as a function of an angle about the axis;

whereby the cup walls provide impact surfaces striking and atomizing water introduced through the open face of the cup to the cup interior and whereby edges of the opening causes shearing of the water so as to further break up the water passing through the opening before contacting blades of the fan.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the cup walls are rectilinear.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein there are four cup walls forming essentially right angles therebetween.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the cup walls have an N-sided cross-section transverse to the axis, wherein N is between 3 and 10.

5. The device of claim 2, wherein the cup walls extend radially outward so that adjacent walls define water receiving pockets.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the cup walls are concave inward joined at axially edges to define concave water receiving pockets.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the opening is a slot.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the opening is disposed along the union of adjacent cup walls.

9. The device of claim 8, having a slot at the union of each set of adjacent cup walls.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the cup walls define an inwardly projecting rim at the open face.

11. A convection food oven having steam generating capabilities, comprising:

an oven enclosure containing a water line and at least one heating element;

a radial fan positioned proximate the at least one heating element having a hub and rotating about a rotation axis; and

an atomizer cup attached at the hub and rotating about the rotation axis, the atomizer cup having a plurality of rectilinear walls extending parallel to the rotation axis and having slotted edges;

whereby water from the water line is atomized in three stages, the first stage being water impinging the atomizer cup at inner surfaces of the plurality of walls, the second stage being water passing through the slots and the third stage being water contacting blades of the fan.

12. A combination convection and steam food cooking oven, comprising:

an oven housing defining a cooking chamber and an electronics cabinet;

heating elements disposed in the cooking chamber;

a water line;

a fan rotating about an axis to dispel air radially therefrom and positioned to be surrounded by the heating elements in a path of the dispelled air, the fan having an open face providing access to a fan interior and a hub at the axis; and

an atomizer cup fixed at the fan hub having cup walls defining a plurality of substantially concave inward surfaces.