# US 11,439,153 B2 · Conveyor tunnel oven > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,439,153 B2 - Document ID: US11439153B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/803,621 - Filed: 2020-02-27 - Published: 2020-06-18 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2020-02-27 - Assignees: Wolfe Electric, Inc. - Applicants: Wolfe Electric, Inc. - Inventors: Ronald D. Wolfe; Jayson S. Rohrback; Morgan M. Breth; James L. Vasher - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11439153B2 ## CPC - A21B 1/48: with surfaces in the form of an endless band - A21B 3/07: Charging or discharging ovens (A21B3/18 takes precedence) - B65G 15/54: Endless load-carriers made of interwoven ropes or wires - B65G 39/00: Rollers, e.g. drive rollers, or arrangements thereof incorporated in roller-ways or other types of mechanical conveyors (driving gear for rollers of roller-ways B65G13/06) - B65G 47/56: to or from inclined or vertical conveyor sections - B65G 47/64: Switching conveyors - B65G 47/902: {provided with drive systems incorporating rotary and rectilinear movements} - A21B: BAKERS' OVENS; MACHINES OR EQUIPMENT FOR BAKING (domestic baking equipment A47J37/00) - B65G: TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS (packaging B65B; handling thin or filamentary materials, e.g. paper sheets or thread, B65H; cranes B66C; portable mobile or lifting or hauling appliances, e.g. hoists, B66D; devices for lifting or lowering goods for loading or unloading purposes, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/00; emptying bottles, jars, casks, barrels or similar containers, not otherwise provided for, B67C9/00; delivering or transferring liquids B67D; filling or discharging vessels for liquefied, solidified or compressed gases F17C; pipe-line systems for fluids F17D) ## Abstract A conveyor tunnel oven incorporating a baking case opened by longitudinal and oppositely longitudinal food passage ports; a first conveyor extending through the at least baking case, the first conveyor being adapted for carrying the food item therethrough, a second conveyor supported at the oppositely longitudinal end of the baking case, the second conveyor being adapted for carrying the food item longitudinally toward or away from the food passage port; a third conveyor carried by the second conveyor, the third conveyor being adapted for carrying the food item laterally toward or away from the food passage port; a fourth conveyor carried by the third conveyor, the fourth conveyor being adapted for orbiting the food item; and a fifth conveyor carried by the fourth conveyor, the fifth conveyor having food item engaging arms and being adapted for moving the food item upwardly or downwardly. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A conveyor tunnel oven for baking a food item, the conveyor tunnel oven comprising: (a) at least a first baking case having upward and downward ends, having lateral and oppositely lateral ends, and having longitudinal and oppositely longitudinal ends, the at least first baking case being opened by longitudinal and oppositely longitudinal food passage ports respectively positioned at said longitudinal and oppositely longitudinal ends; (b) a first continuous loop conveyor extending through the at least first baking case, the first continuous loop conveyor being adapted for carrying the food item from one of the ports among the longitudinal and oppositely longitudinal food passage ports to the other port among said ports; (c) a longitudinally moveable carriage operatively supported at the oppositely longitudinal end of the at least first baking case, the longitudinally moveable carriage being adapted for carrying the food item longitudinally or oppositely longitudinally with respect to the oppositely longitudinal food passage port; (d) a laterally moveable carriage carried by the longitudinally moveable carriage, the laterally moveable carriage being adapted for carrying the food item laterally or oppositely laterally with respect to the oppositely longitudinal food passage port; (e) a vertical shaft carried by the laterally and longitudinally moveable carriages, the vertical shaft extending vertically along an axis and being adapted for carrying the food item orbitally about the axis; and (f) a vertically moveable carriage carried by the vertical shaft, the vertically moveable carriage being adapted for carrying the food item upwardly or downwardly with respect to the oppositely longitudinal food passage port. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The conveyor tunnel oven of claim 1 comprising a second baking case underlying the at least first baking case, the second baking case being opened by oppositely longitudinal and longitudinal food passage ports, and further comprising a plurality of second continuous loop conveyor extending through one of the second baking case, the second continuous loop conveyor being adapted for alternatively carrying the food item within the second baking case. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The conveyor tunnel oven of claim 2 wherein each continuous loop conveyor comprises a wire grate belt. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The conveyor tunnel oven of claim 3 wherein the longitudinally moveable carriage comprises a roller carriage. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The conveyor tunnel oven of claim 4 wherein the laterally moveable carriage comprises another roller carriage. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The conveyor tunnel oven of claim 5 wherein the vertical shaft has an upper end mounted rotatably upon the laterally moveable carriage. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The conveyor tunnel oven of claim 6 wherein the vertically moveable carriage supports at least a first arm. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The conveyor tunnel oven of claim 7 further comprising a second arm fixedly attached to the vertically moveable carriage. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The conveyor tunnel oven of claim 7 further comprising a plurality of linear motion actuators, each linear motion actuator being connected operatively to one of the carriages. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The conveyor tunnel oven of claim 9 wherein each linear motion actuator comprises a drive mechanism selected from the group consisting of chain drives, belt drives, ball screw actuators, jack screw actuators, and rack and pinion gear drives. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The conveyor tunnel oven of claim 9 further comprising a plurality of roller and roller track combinations, each such combination being mounted operatively to one of the carriages. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The conveyor tunnel oven of claim 11 further comprising a plurality of stepper or servo motors, each motor among the plurality of stepper or servo motors being connected operatively to the vertical shaft or to one of the linear motion actuators. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The conveyor tunnel oven of claim 12 further comprising a programmable digital control unit operatively communicating with the stepper or servo motors. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The conveyor tunnel oven of claim 1 further comprising a pair of cantilevering beams, said beams providing the operative support of the longitudinally moveable carriage.