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US 4,616,123 AGranted
Shrink oven
OwnerDimiter S. Zagoroffinventor
Life of this patent
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OwnerDimiter S. Zagoroffinventor
Estimating the term…
A shrink oven which limits loss of heated air by controlled movements of the load and the door at the opening through which the load enters or leaves the oven. By automatically stopping the load in a flow-blocking relationship to the opening as it approaches and leaves the opening, and moving the door only when the load is in such a flow-blocking relationship, loss of heated air can be substantially reduced. Preferably further arrangements enable the air volume of the oven to be maintained constant as heated loads are removed and new loads are introduced. In an oven in which loads are introduced through a side entry door, move on a conveyor through the oven, and exit through another door, exiting and entry loads are synchronized in spacing and movement so that the rate of load displacment out of the oven at the exit is compensated by the rate of load displacement into the oven at the entry. Special arrangements prevent hot air loss around the sides of the oven during the exit and introduction phases. These include close-lying passage walls above and on both sides of the doors, for limiting the air conductance of the gaps about the loads. In another oven shown, a boundary wall of the oven, a movable top as shown, moves in synchronism with an entering or leaving load to increase and decrease air volume in opposite effect to that of an entering or exiting load, respectively.
A shrink oven for heating and shrinking, in a shrink cycle, plastic film disposed about a load, said oven having an exterior, an interior and at least one opening for entry or exit of the load from the interior of said oven, a closure for said opening and conveyor means for conveying said load through the opening between the exterior and the interior of said oven, said oven characterized in having first load position control means operable when said load approaches said opening with said closure closed for stopping said conveyor means to position said load immediately preceding said closure, in a first blocking position to block flow of heat air out of said oven to the exterior, means operable while said load is in said first blocking position to open said closure, second position control means operable when said load passes through said opening for stopping said conveyor means after said load transits said opening to position said load immediately following said opening in a second blocking position to block flow of heated air out of said oven to the exterior, and means operable while said load is in said second blocking position to close said closure thereby to conserve energy during movement of the load between the exterior and the interior of said oven and to enable improvement in the shrink cycle.
A shrink oven for heating and shrinking, in a shrink cycle, plastic film disposed about a load, said oven having an exterior, an interior and at least one opening for entry or exit of the load from the interior of said oven, a closure for said opening and conveyor means for conveying said load through the opening between the exterior and the interior of said oven, said oven defining an interior volume and being arranged to remove said load from said oven;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.