US 5,458,051 AGranted

Belt cooking apparatus

AssigneeG. S. Blodgett Corporation

InventorsLorne B. Alden, Richard H. Chapman, Greg M. Sterling

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A belt grill is described herein for continuously cooking fast food products on a conveyor formed of counter-rotating heat conductive belts. The belts are heated by platens disposed above and below whereby a run of the belts passes in heat conductive relationship between the platens, and the food to be cooked is placed in the nip between the rotating belts. The device further includes means for tensioning the belts which can be automatically released by increasing the distance between the platens whereby when the distance exceeds a predetermined maximum, all tension on both belts will be released so that the belts can be quickly removed for cleaning or replacement. The belts are preferably Teflon coated fiberglass and may be disposed at an angle to the horizontal to facilitate grease removal from the cooking process.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A belt grill for cooking food comprising:

an upper frame assembly and a lower frame assembly disposed in registration thereon, each assembly including a heated platen and a continuous belt surrounding said platen in heat conductive relationship therewith, said platens having, respectively, lower and upper heating surfaces mutually spaced a predetermined distance apart and said belts being rotatably mounted with at least a portion of a lower run of said upper belt and an upper run of said lower belt extending between the heating surfaces of said platens, said belts being mutually spaced to form a nip between the lower portion of said upper belt and the upper portion of said lower belt adapted to receive food to be cooked;
means coupled to said belts for driving said belts simultaneously in opposite directions;
means coupled between said frames for spacing the heating surfaces of said platens a predetermined distance apart;
means coupled between each frame and belt for applying tension to said belt;
and
means coupled between said spacer means and said tension means for simultaneously releasing the tension on said belts.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.