US 4,377,109 AGranted

Apparatus for baking food products such as pizzas and the like

AssigneeWolverine Corporation

InventorsErnest C. Brown, Walter E. Buske

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Abstract

A product conveyor that has a predominately open area transports food substances such as pizzas and the like to be cooked through a thermally insulated treatment zone. An array of nozzles disposed below the conveyor across the width and along the length of the treatment zone discharges streams of heated air upwardly through the conveyor against the bottom surfaces of the food products on the conveyor for primary heat exchange treatment. A reflection surface forms an upper boundary of the treatment zone, and the portion of the upwardly flowing air streams that is not deflected by the food products on the conveyor impinges against the deflection surface and is transformed into downward flowing relatively low velocity air for flow against and across the top surfaces of the food products. After those heat exchange interactions the air is drawn downwardly between the nozzles for exhaust at a point located below the conveyor.

Claims8

Dependent claims

An oven system for cooking food products and the like comprising

a thermally insulated chamber defining a treatment zone,
a conveyor for supporting products to be treated in said treatment zone,
means for moving said conveyor to transport products through said treatment zone,
said conveyor being substantially open to permit flow of air therethrough,
an array of nozzles below said conveyor and disposed along the length and across the width of said treatment zone,
a deflection surface above said conveyor forming an upper boundary of said treatment zone,
exhaust port means below said conveyor, heating means, and
means for flowing gas heated by said heating means to said nozzle array for discharge with substantial upward velocity for flow through said conveyor against bottom surfaces of food products on said conveyor with a portion of said upwardly flowing gas that bypasses said products flowing upwardly through said treatment zone for impact against said deflection surface and drawing the deflected gas downwardly in countercurrent flow for impingement on the top surfaces of products being transported through said treatment zone in supplemental low velocity heat exchange treatment and flow through said conveyor for exhaust from said treatment zone through said exhaust port means.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.