System and method for pausing or terminating a smoking process of an indoor smoker
AssigneeHaier US Appliances Solutions, Inc.
InventorsTomas Garces, Samuel Vincent DuPlessis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An indoor smoker includes a cabinet including an exhaust duct, a smoking chamber, a firebox, and a bypass duct extending between the firebox and the exhaust duct. The indoor smoker further includes a system of dampers and check valves to regulate the flow of smoke and air within the indoor smoker. A controller may regulate these features to terminate a smoking process by asphyxiating the combustible material and evacuating the smoking chamber, to pause a process by evacuating the smoking chamber while permitting bleed air into the smoldering chamber, or to continue a normal smoking operation.
Claims20
An indoor smoker defining a vertical, a lateral, and a transverse direction, the indoor smoker comprising:
- a cabinet including an exhaust duct;
- an air handler operably coupled with the exhaust duct for urging a flow of smoke through the exhaust duct;
- a firebox defining a primary outlet, a bypass outlet, a firebox inlet, and a smoldering chamber for receiving combustible material;
- a bypass duct providing fluid communication between the bypass outlet and the exhaust duct;
- a smoking chamber positioned within the cabinet and defining a chamber inlet in fluid communication with the primary outlet, a chamber outlet in fluid communication with the exhaust duct, and an air inlet;
- and
- a controller operably coupled to the air handler, the controller being configured for:
- receiving a command to evacuate the smoking chamber;
- closing the primary outlet of the firebox;
- and
- operating the air handler to evacuate the smoking chamber by urging a flow of air through the air inlet, into the smoking chamber, and out of the exhaust duct.
A method of operating an indoor smoker, the indoor smoker comprising a firebox defining a primary outlet, a bypass outlet, a firebox inlet, and a smoldering chamber for receiving combustible material, a bypass duct providing fluid communication between the bypass outlet and an exhaust duct, a smoking chamber having a chamber inlet in fluid communication with the primary outlet, a chamber outlet in fluid communication with an exhaust duct, and an air inlet, and an air handler operably coupled with the exhaust duct for urging a flow of smoke through the exhaust duct, the method comprising:
- receiving a command to evacuate the smoking chamber;
- closing the primary outlet of the firebox;
- and
- operating the air handler to evacuate the smoking chamber by urging a flow of air through the air inlet, into the smoking chamber, and out of the exhaust duct.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.