Rotisserie oven with lifting wash arm

• US 8,752,538 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2008
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Premark FEG LLC (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Premark FEG LLC (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Inventors: Valentine, Richard D., Weber, Matthew A., Heiser, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAVANI, AVINASH A
• Application Number:
  US12/323,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20090178664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,029 Days
• Field of Search: 126/21.A, 126/19.R, 126/1.R, 994/21.H, 219/400, 134/24, 134/172
• US Class Current: 126/21.A
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/042 with food supports arranged on wheels or spiders rotating about a horizontal axis
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 14/005 using a cleaning liquid

Abstract

A rotisserie oven with a self-cleaning mechanism in the form of a lifting wash arm. The wash arm is driven to lift and rotate when washing the oven by the action of the pressure from the wash water used therein. By lifting, the wash arm negates the sealing action of fatty build-up around its base which would otherwise impede its rotation.

Claims

1. A oven, comprising:

a cooking compartment;

a convection system including a heating element and ventilation system configured to heat the cooking compartment;

a spray arm assembly within the cooking compartment, the spray arm assembly including an elongated rotatable spray arm mounted for rotation about an axis, the elongated rotatable spray arm having and an internal channel leading to multiple nozzle openings located on the spray arm for rotation therewith and configured to spray liquid into the cooking compartment, the elongated rotatable spray arm and nozzle openings located thereon configured to be in a lowered position when not spraying liquid, the elongated rotatable spray arm and nozzle openings located thereon configured to move axially upward along the axis into a raised position when spraying liquid, in both the lowered position and the raised position the elongated rotatable spray arm and nozzle openings are within the cooking compartment.

2. The oven of claim 1, wherein the elongated rotatable spray arm rotates due to pressure from sprayed liquid ejected from nozzles of the elongated rotatable spray arm, and wherein the elongated rotatable spray arm and nozzle openings located thereon move from the lowered position to the raised position due to pressure from liquid passing through the spray arm assembly.

3. The oven of claim 2, wherein the spray arm assembly includes a bearing journal defining an upper seat and a lower seat, a bearing mounted for rotational and axial movement with respect to the bearing journal such that in the lowered position a bottom portion of the bearing engages the lower seat and a top portion of the bearing is spaced from the upper seat and in the raised position the top portion of the bearing engages the upper seat and the bottom portion of the bearing is spaced from the lower seat.

4. The oven of claim 3, wherein axial movement of the arm and bearing between the lowered position and the raised position is between about 0.04 inch and 0.125 inch.

5. The oven of claim 4, further comprising a drain along a bottom portion of the cooking compartment.

6. The oven of claim 1, the spray arm assembly further including:

a stationary bearing journal through which the liquid flows, the journal including a first stop at a first end and a second stop at a second end, the second stop proximate to where the liquid exits the journal;

a bearing surrounding the stationary bearing journal, the bearing axially shorter than the bearing journal such that the bearing can move axially along the bearing journal;

a spray arm hub connected to the bearing to move along with the bearing;

wherein the journal, bearing, and hub are configured such that the bearing rests against the first stop in the lowered position when the elongated rotatable spray arm is not in operation; and

wherein the journal, bearing, and hub are configured such that water flowing through the journal will exert pressure on the hub which will push the hub and bearing axially upward along the journal, resulting in the bearing resting against the second stop in the raised position when the elongated rotatable spray arm is in operation.

7. The oven of claim 6, wherein the force of gravity acts to pull the hub and bearing down into the lowered position when the elongated rotatable spray arm is not in operation, and wherein the pressure from the wash water acts against the force of gravity to hold the hub and up into the raised position when the elongated rotatable spray arm is in operation.

14. The rotisserie oven of claim 1, wherein the movement of the spray arm and multiple nozzle openings thereon from the lowered position to the raised position is sufficient to break up grease that acts to inhibit spray arm rotation.

8. A self-cleaning oven, comprising:

a cooking compartment;

a heating system configured to heat the cooking compartment; and

a spray arm assembly within the cooking compartment, the spray arm assembly including a rotatable sera arm with multiple nozzle openings thereon configured to sera liquid into the cooking compartment, the rotatable spray arm mounted for rotation about an axis and configured to be in a lowered position when not spraying liquid, the rotatable spray arm configured to move axially upward along the axis into a raised position when spraying liquid, the multiple nozzle openings also move upward with the rotatable spray arm, the spray arm assembly further including;

a stationary bearing journal through which the liquid flows, the journal including a first stop at a first end and a second stop at a second end, the second stop proximate to where the liquid exits the journal;

a bearing surrounding the stationary bearing journal, the bearing axially shorter than the bearing journal such that the bearing can move axially along the bearing journal;

a spray arm hub connected to the bearing journal to move along with the bearing;

wherein the journal, bearing, and hub are configured such that the bearing rests against the first stop in the lowered position when the rotatable spray arm is not in operation; and

wherein the journal, bearing, and hub are configured such that water flowing through the journal will exert pressure on the hub which will push the hub and bearing axially upward along the journal, resulting in the bearing resting against the second stop in the raised position when the rotatable spray arm is in operation.

15. The self-cleaning oven of claim 8, wherein the spray arm assembly includes a bearing journal defining an upper seat and a lower seat, a bearing mounted for rotational and axial movement with respect to the bearing journal such that in the lowered position a bottom portion of the bearing engages the lower seat and a top portion of the bearing is spaced from the upper seat and in the raised position the top portion of the bearing engages the upper seat and the bottom portion of the bearing is spaced from the lower seat.

16. The self-cleaning oven of claim 15, wherein axial movement of the arm and bearing between the lowered position and the raised position is between about 0.04 inch and 0.125 inch.

9. A self-cleaning oven, comprising:

a cooking compartment and a spray arm assembly within the cooking compartment, the spray arm assembly including;

a rotatable spray arm with multiple nozzle openings located thereon and configured to spray liquid out of the arm and into the cooking compartment, the rotatable spray arm mounted for rotation about an axis and configured to be in a lowered position when not spraying liquid and configured to move axially upward along the axis into a raised position when spraying liquid, the multiple nozzle openings move upward with the rotatable spray arm;

a bearing journal extending upward within the cooking compartment and defining an upper seat and a lower seat, the bearing journal including a flow channel therethrough for delivering liquid to the spray arm for spraying; and

a bearing operably connected for rotation with the spray arm, the bearing mounted about the bearing journal for rotational and axial movement with respect to the bearing journal such that in the lowered position a bottom portion of the bearing engages the lower seat and a top portion of the bearing is spaced from the upper seat, and such that in the raised position the top portion of the bearing engages the upper seat and the bottom portion of the bearing is spaced from the lower seat.

10. The oven of claim 9, wherein axial movement of the arm and bearing between the lowered position and the raised position is between about 0.04 inch and 0.125 inch.

11. A method of cleaning a rotisserie oven including a rotor located within a cooking compartment of an oven having a convection system including a heating element and ventilation system configured to heat the cooking compartment, the method comprising:

utilizing an elongated spray arm within the cooking compartment, the spray arm rotatable about an axis during a cleaning operation, the spray arm including multiple nozzle openings thereon that move with the spray arm, the spray arm vertically movable between a lowered position in which the spray arm and nozzle openings are within the cooking compartment and a raised position in which the spray arm and nozzle openings are within the cooking compartment;

moving the spray arm and multiple nozzle openings thereon axially upward along the axis into the raised position when spraying liquid, which spraying effects a rotating of the spray arm and nozzle openings thereon; and

moving the spray arm and multiple nozzle openings thereon axially downward along the axis to the lowered position when not spraying liquid; and

wherein the step of moving the spray arm and multiple nozzle openings thereon axially upward along the axis into the raised position when spraying liquid acts to break up grease that acts to inhibit spray arm rotation.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of rotating the spray arm includes rotating the spray arm due to pressure from sprayed liquid ejected from nozzles of the spray arm, and wherein the step of moving the spray arm and multiple nozzle openings axially upward includes moving the spray arm from the lowered position to the raised position due to pressure from liquid passing through the spray arm assembly.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the spray arm assembly includes a bearing journal defining an upper seat and a lower seat, a bearing mounted for rotational and axial movement with respect to the bearing journal such that in the lowered position a bottom portion of the bearing engages the lower seat and a top portion of the bearing is spaced from the upper seat and in the raised position the top portion of the bearing engages the upper seat and the bottom portion of the bearing is spaced from the lower seat.