Compact quick-cooking convectional oven

• US 6,262,406 B1
• Filed: 12/17/1999
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TurboChef Technologies Incorporated (Middleby Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TurboChef Technologies Incorporated (Middleby Corporation)
• Inventors: McKee, Philip R., Winkelmann, Earl R., Pool, James K. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Leung, Philip H.
• Application Number:
  US09/465,739
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• Field of Search: 219/681, 219/682, 219/683, 219/685, 219/710, 219/702, 219/720, 219/400, 219/401, 126/21.A, 994/51, 994/68, 994/74, 994/67, 993/25, 993/30
• US Class Current: 219/681
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/322 with forced circulation
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/6476 the refrigerating air being used for convection
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/666 Safety circuits emergency protective circuits in general H02H
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/687 for cooking

Abstract

An oven for cooking a food product, at least partially by hot gas flow and at least partially by microwave energy, includes a housing defining a cooking chamber for receiving a food product for cooking, and a conduit for providing gaseous communication outside of the cooking chamber, between the chamber bottom and the chamber top, the conduit also serving as a hot gas plenum. Preferably the conduit has a free volume of space less than the free volume of space of the cooking chamber, and the oven has custom cooking and/or custom finishing capabilities.

Claims

1. In a compact quick-cooking conventional oven for cooking a food product at least partially by hot gas flow, comprising:

(A) a compact housing defining a quick-cooking cooking chamber having a top, a bottom and means therebetween for receiving a food product for cooking, and conduit means for providing gaseous communication outside of said cooking chamber, between said chamber bottom and said chamber top, said conduit means also serving as a hot gas plenum;

(B) associated with said cooking chamber, directing means for directing gas from said conduit means onto the food product in said cooking chamber, and return means for causing return of at least a portion of the gas from said cooking chamber into said conduit means;

(C) associated with said conduit means, a thermal energy source for heating gas disposed in said conduit means;

(D) flow means for causing a flow of gas from said return means to said directing means via said conduit means;

(E) control means for independently varying at least one of the effective volumetric flow rate of said gas flow into said cooking chamber and the temperature of said gas flow into said chamber;

(F) microwave means for at least partially cooking the food product in said cooking chamber by microwave energy;

(G) user-operable means for generically identifying to said control means the food product placed in said cooking chamber to be cooked; and

(H) means for translating the user-operable means of identification into a generic cooking formula specifying cook parameters for all events in the cooking cycle, including the cook time for each event, the percentage of the cook time hot gas energy is used, and the percentage of the cook time microwave energy is used;

the improvement wherein said oven further comprises;

user-operable custom finishing means connected to said control means for causing custom finishing of an already cooked food product after completion of the cooking cycle according to said generic cooking formula-specified cook parameters to further heat the food product, to further brown the food product, or a combination thereof.

2. The oven of claim 1 additionally including a first temperature sensor disposed in or adjacent said cooking chamber, said control means being responsive to said first temperature sensor.

3. The oven of claim 2 additionally including a second temperature sensor disposed in or adjacent said thermal energy source, said control means being responsive to said second temperature sensor.

4. The oven of claim 1 further including user-operable custom cooking means for causing custom cooking of any only partially cooked food product by reducing further heating of the food product, reducing further browning of the food product, or a combination thereof.

5. The oven of claim 1 wherein said conduit means has a free volume of space less than the free volume of space of said cooking chamber.

6. In a compact quick-cooking conventional oven for cooking a food product at least partially by hot gas flow, comprising:

(A) a compact housing defining a quick-cooking cooking chamber having a top, a bottom and a support therebetween for receiving a food product for cooking, and a conduit for providing gaseous communication outside of said cooking chamber, between said chamber bottom and said chamber top, said conduit also serving as a hot gas plenum;

(B) associated with said cooking chamber, a director for directing gas from said conduit onto the food product in said cooking chamber, and a return for causing return of at least a portion of the gas from said cooking chamber into said conduit;

(C) associated with said conduit, a thermal energy source for heating gas disposed in said conduit;

(D) a blower for causing a flow of gas from said return to said director via said conduit;

(E) a control unit for independently varying at least one of the effective volumetric flow rate of said gas flow into said cooking chamber and the temperature of said gas flow into said chamber;

(F) microwave means for at least partially cooking the food product in said cooking chamber by microwave energy;

(G) user-operable means for generically identifying to said control unit the food product placed in said cooking chamber to be cooked; and

(H) means for translating the user-operable means of identification into a generic cooking formula specifying cook parameters for all events in the cooking cycle, including the cook time for each event, the percentage of the cook time hot gas energy is used, and the percentage of the cook time microwave energy is used;

the improvement wherein said oven further comprises;

a user-operable custom finishing means connected to said control means for causing custom finishing of an already cooked food product after completion of the cooking cycle according to said generic cooking formula-specified cook parameters to further heat the food product, to further brown the food product, or a combination thereof.