US 5,413,032 A · Restaurant type griddle with modular construction and which is load sensitive

Abstract

A multi-zone restaurant type of griddle is modularly constructed so that all maintenance may be done at the front of the griddle housing. The griddle plate is only three-eights of an inch thick with heat being spread uniformly by an aluminum plate in intimate contact with the bottom of the griddle plate. A thermocouple temperature sensing element is located at the bottom of a hole in the underside of the griddle plate so that the element is very near the cooking surface and is sensitive to the temperature of the load on the cooking surface, as distinguished from being sensitive to the temperature of the heating element below the griddle plate. With the modular construction, the front access, and light weight, all of the repairable parts of the griddle may be removed and replaced by one man as distinguished from most prior art griddles where two-man service teams were routinely required because they had to lift and invert a very heavy griddle which had a very thick steel griddle plate.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A griddle comprising a griddle plate having a cooking surface on a top side of a steel plate, a second plate made of a metal having a good heat spreading characteristic in intimate contact with a bottom side of said steel plate, at least one heating module comprising a housing containing an electrically and thermally insulating block of material having electrically conductive heating element wires embedded therein, said second plate being a top member of said module housing and in intimate contact with said block of insulating material contained in said housing, and a blanket of thermal insulating material in close proximation with the underside of said block of insulating material.

A modular restaurant type of griddle comprising a griddle plate having a multizone cooking surface, each of said zones having equipment individually associated therewith;

each equipment comprising:
a load sensitive means for detecting an instantaneous load sensitive temperature on said cooking surface in a corresponding one of said zones;
a modular heating element means having a unitary construction with a cross section from top to bottom in the order named:
a heat spreader means made of a material having a high thermal conductivity, a heating element in intimate contact with said heat spreader means, said heating element being a block of material having a high level of thermal and electrical insulating quality with heat producing wires laid out in a pattern to producing a uniform distribution of heat over said cooking surface, said wires being embedded in said insulating material and positioned close to said head spreader means;
an insulation blanket in a blanket frame adapted to clamp said modular heating element means in intimate contact against a side of said griddle plate which is opposite said cooking surface;
and
solid state control means responsive to said load sensitive detecting means for automatically regulating the heat output of said modular heating element means.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Restaurant type griddle with modular construction and which is load sensitive

Life of this patent

Restaurant type griddle with modular construction and which is load sensitive

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20