Continuous product conveyor having a brick baking hearth

Abstract

A method and apparatus for merging the processes of hearth baking and conveyor baking to offer the benefits of the two processes while eliminating many of the shortcomings. In one aspect, the present invention is a horizontal food-grade product conveyor to transport and support food substances within or through a cooking chamber in a continuous motion. The product conveyor comprises a frame, a support structure, a drive mechanism, and rotating segments of ceramic, brick, firebrick, stone, baked clay, transite, quarry tile, or other non-metallic material which form an endless baking hearth. Each hearth segment interacts with the next adjacent hearth segment to facilitate turning around a radius while forming and maintaining a continuous, flat product support surface and preheated baking hearth. The continuous flat hearth formed by the segments allows transportation and baking of the food substances in one direction while permitting temperature recovery of the segments during the return travel underneath the formed baking hearth.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.