Oscillating air dispensers for microwave oven
AssigneePatentsmith II, Inc.
InventorsDonald P. Smith, Michael J. Dobie, Alden B. Sparman, Sr., John R. Norris
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus for transferring heat between temperature controlled air dispensed from a pair of oscillating ducts and a food product in a cabinet having an interior compartment bounded by front, side and rear walls. A foraminous partition, having a central portion and extremities, is mounted to divide the interior of the cabinet into a cooking chamber and an air conditioning chamber. It is configured to encircle a portion of the cooking chamber such that the air conditioning chamber extends around a major part of the periphery of the cooking chamber wherein air is drawn along multiple paths toward side walls and toward the rear wall from the cooking chamber.
Claims19
A method for transferring heat between temperature controlled air and a food product comprising:
- providing a volume of temperature controlled air;
- delivering temperature controlled air substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of an air dispensing mean which includes an elongated hollow duct having an interior and positioning parallel to said longitudinal axis;
- dispensing a stream of air from said duct toward the food product in a direction generally transverse to said longitudinal axis;
- and
- reciprocating said duct about a reciprocating axis that is parallel to said longitudinal axis whereby said stream of air impinges on discrete areas on the surface of the food product as said duct reciprocates.
Apparatus for transferring heat between temperature controlled air and a food product comprising:
- a plenum having an air return opening;
- a substantially circular outlet on said plenum having a central axis;
- an elongated duct having a substantially circular entrance opening and an outlet opening;
- means supporting said duct for reciprocal movement about said central axis;
- and
- a substantially circular coupler having a longitudinal axis for placing said substantially circular entrance opening in said duct in fluid communication with said substantially circular outlet on said plenum whereby air is delivered substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis from said plenum into said duct, said central axis and said longitudinal axis are substantially being parallel.
Apparatus for transferring heat between temperature controlled air and a food product comprising:
- a cabinet having an interior compartment;
- front, side and rear walls on said cabinet extending around said compartment;
- a plenum wall in said compartment having an opening, said plenum wall forming a plenum in said compartment;
- partition means spaced from said plenum wall dividing the interior of the cabinet into a cooking chamber and an air conditioning chamber;
- air circulating means drawing air from said cooking chamber to pressurize said plenum;
- temperature control means in said air conditioning chamber for controlling temperature of air in said air conditioning chamber;
- air dispenser means having a longitudinal axis;
- means mounting said air dispenser means such that pressurized air from said plenum is delivered substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis into said air dispenser means and whereby spaced streams of air are dispensed transversely of said longitudinal axis toward a food product in said cooking chamber;
- and
- means for reciprocating said air dispenser means about a reciprocating axis that is parallel to said longitudinal axis for causing said air streams to sweep over the surface of the food product.
Apparatus for transferring heat between temperature controlled air and a food product comprising:
- a plenum having an air return opening;
- a foraminous member having substantially planar portions and having deflected portions forming passages permitting flow of air through said passages in a direction generally parallel to said planar portion of said foraminous member whereby the direction of air flowing generally perpendicular to said foraminous member enroute to said air return opening in said plenum is changed from a first direction generally perpendicular to said foraminous member to a second direction generally parallel to said foraminous member and then to a third direction generally perpendicular to said foraminous member;
- an outlet on said plenum having a central axis;
- an elongated duct having an entrance opening and an outlet opening;
- means supporting said duct for reciprocal movement about said axis;
- and
- coupler means having a longitudinal axis for placing said entrance opening in said duct in fluid communication with said outlet opening on said plenum whereby air is delivered substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis from said plenum into said duct.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.