# US 2012/0073558 A1 · Conveyor oven apparatus and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2012/0073558 A1 - Document ID: US20120073558A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/306,832 - Filed: 2011-11-29 - Published: 2012-03-29 - Earliest claimed: 2004-03-23 - Assignees: The Middleby Corporation - Inventors: John H. Wiker; Mohan K. Panicker; Magdy A. Albert; William S. Schjerven, SR. - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20120073558A1 ## CPC - A21B 1/40: characterised by the means for regulating the temperature - A21B 1/48: with surfaces in the form of an endless band - A21B 1/33: Ovens heated directly by combustion products (A21B1/04 takes precedence) - A21B: BAKERS' OVENS; MACHINES OR EQUIPMENT FOR BAKING (domestic baking equipment A47J37/00) ## Abstract An oven according to some embodiments includes an oven chamber in which food is cooked, a heating element, a fan, a sensor for sensing the temperature of the oven chamber, a remote input device, and a controller configured to receive a signal from the remote input device and to change the fan or heating element based at least in part upon the signal received from the remote input device. In a method of operating the oven according to some embodiments, the oven enters an operating mode from an energy-savings mode responsive to receiving an signal from a remote device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A conveyor oven for cooking food product wherein the conveyor oven has a cooking mode and an energy saving mode, the conveyor oven comprising: an oven chamber in which food product is cooked; a conveyor for moving food product through the oven chamber; a heating element operable to generate heat to be provided to the oven chamber; a fan operable to move air in the oven chamber; and at least one controller that controls at least one of the fan and the heating element, is responsive to a signal associated with an absence of food product from the oven chamber, and in response to the signal changes operation of the fan to the energy saving mode in which the fan moves air in the oven chamber at a reduced speed from the cooking mode, wherein in the energy saving mode the output of the heating element is adjusted to maintain the oven substantially at a measured steady state temperature. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The conveyor oven of claim 1, further comprising at least one input device operatively associated with the oven by which the signal is transmitted. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The conveyor oven of claim 2, wherein the at least one input device is user-maniputable. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The conveyor oven of claim 1, wherein the controller changes the operation of the fan to the energy saving mode after the passage of a first period of time indicating the absence of food product from the oven chamber. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The conveyor oven of claim 4, wherein in the energy saving mode the controller turns the fan off after the passage of a second period of time indicating the absence of food product from the oven chamber. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The conveyor oven of claim 4, wherein in the energy saving mode the controller reduces the output of the heating element to lower the temperature in the cooking chamber after the passage of a second period of time indicating the absence of food product from the oven. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The conveyor oven of claim 4, wherein in the energy saving mode the controller turns the fan off and reduces the output of the heating element to lower the temperature in the cooking chamber after the passage of a second period of time indicating the absence of food product from the oven. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The conveyor oven of claim 1, wherein the temperature at which the oven is maintained in the energy saving mode is substantially a cooking temperature. ### Claim 9 A method of operating a conveyor oven for cooking food product, the method comprising: measuring a period of time indicating the absence of food product from the oven; changing operation of the oven, after passage of the period of time indicating the absence of food product from the oven, from a cooking mode to an energy saving mode, in which a fan moves air in the oven at a reduced speed from the cooking mode; and adjusting the output of a heating element after the oven enters the energy saving mode in response to a change in the temperature of the oven to maintain the oven substantially at a temperature. ### Claim 10 A method of operating a conveyor oven for cooking food product, the method comprising: operating a fan in a cooking mode to move air in an oven chamber at a first speed; operating a heating element in the cooking mode to generate heat to be provided to the oven chamber at a first temperature; changing operation of the oven, based at least in part upon the absence of food product from the oven, from the cooking mode to an energy saving mode in which the fan moves air in the oven chamber at a second speed reduced from the first speed; and adjusting the output of the heating element after the oven enters the energy saving mode in response to a change in the temperature of the oven to maintain the oven substantially at the first temperature. ### Claim 11 A conveyor oven for cooking food product wherein the conveyor oven has a cooking mode and an energy saving mode, the conveyor oven comprising: an oven chamber in which food product is cooked; a conveyor for moving food product through the oven chamber; a heating element operable to generate heat to be provided to the oven chamber; a fan operable to move air in the oven chamber, wherein in the energy saving mode the fan moves air in the oven chamber at a reduced speed from the cooking mode in response to a first signal associated with the absence of food product from the oven chamber and the output of the heating element is adjusted in response to a change in the temperature of the oven to maintain the oven substantially at a temperature; and at least one input device operatively associated with the oven by which a second signal indicating food product to be cooked is transmitted and operation of the fan is changed from the energy saving mode to the cooking mode in response to the second signal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The conveyor oven of claim 11, wherein the at least one input device is a user-manipulatable device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The conveyor oven of claim 11, wherein the at least one input device is at least one sensor positioned adjacent at least one of an entrance of the oven chamber and an exit of the oven chamber. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The conveyor oven of claim 11, wherein operation of the fan changes to the energy saving mode after the passage of a first period of time indicating the absence of food product from the oven chamber. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The conveyor oven of claim 14, wherein in the energy saving mode the fan turns off after the passage of a second period of time indicating the absence of food product from the oven chamber. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The conveyor oven of claim 14, wherein in the energy saving mode the output of the heating element is reduced to lower the temperature in the cooking chamber after the passage of a second period of time indicating the absence of food product from the oven chamber. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The conveyor oven of claim 14, wherein in the energy saving mode the fan turns off and the output of the heating element is reduced to lower the temperature in the cooking chamber in response to the passage of a second period of time indicating the absence of food product from the oven. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The conveyor oven of claim 11, wherein the temperature at which the oven is maintained in the energy saving mode is substantially a cooking temperature. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The conveyor oven of claim 11, wherein the at least one input device is at least one sensor positioned to detect at least one of a temperature in the oven and the presence of food product on the conveyor. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The conveyor oven of claim 11, wherein the at least one input device is an optical sensor. ### Claim 21 (depends on 11) The conveyor oven of claim 11, wherein the at least one input device detects the location of food product with respect to the oven chamber. ### Claim 22 A conveyor oven for cooking food product wherein the conveyor oven has a cooking mode and an energy saving mode, the conveyor oven comprising: an oven chamber in which food product is cooked; a conveyor for moving food product through the oven chamber; a heating element operable to generate heat to be provided to the oven chamber; a fan operable to move air in the oven chamber; and at least one controller that controls at least one of the fan and the heating element, and changes operation of the fan, after passage of a period of time indicating the absence of food product from the oven, to an energy saving mode, in which the fan moves air in the oven chamber at a reduced speed from the cooking mode, wherein in the energy saving mode the output of the heating element is adjusted to maintain the oven substantially at a measured steady state temperature. ### Claim 23 A method of operating a conveyor oven for cooking food product, the method comprising: operating a fan in a cooking mode to move air in an oven chamber at a first speed; operating a heating element in the cooking mode to generate heat to be provided to the oven chamber at a first temperature; changing operation of the oven from the cooking mode to an energy saving mode in response to a signal associated with the absence of food product from the oven chamber, wherein in the energy saving mode the fan moves air in the oven at a second speed reduced from the first speed; and adjusting the output of the heating element after the oven enters the energy saving mode to maintain the oven substantially at a measured steady state temperature. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The conveyor oven of claim 23, wherein operation of the oven is changed from the cooking mode to the energy saving mode after the passage of a period of time indicating the absence of food product from the oven chamber. ### Claim 25 (depends on 23) The conveyor oven of claim 23, wherein the temperature at which the oven is maintained in the energy saving mode is substantially the first temperature.