Conveyor toaster oven

A conveyor toaster oven comprising a housing having at least outer housing panels;

• an open throat at an entrance to said housing;
• an air flow chamber located on opposite sides of said housing;
• a top cooling chamber located at the top of said housing, said top cooling chamber ending with deflectors at one end of said top cooling chamber and over said open throat, said deflectors being aimed somewhat toward said open throat of said housing;
• means for driving air into said housing at a starting location for an air flow path extending from bottoms of said air flow chambers, up through said air flow chambers and into said top cooling chamber, and on through said top cooling chamber toward said deflectors for directing an air curtain downwardly over said open throat at the entrance of said housing, said air flow washing inside surfaces of housing panels which may be touched by workers, means for conveying food products from said throat through said oven, and means for toasting said food products while being conveyed through said oven.

A conveyor toaster oven comprising a housing containing an oven, an open input throat at a front of said housing for giving entrance into said oven;

• said housing having air flow chambers on each side of said oven, a top cooling chamber above said oven;
• a fan on the bottom of said oven for directing a stream of air into said oven, out said oven through said air flow chambers, and on into said top cooling chamber;
• means at said front of said oven for directing said stream of air out said top cooling chamber and downwardly as an air curtain over the front of said open throat for retaining heat within said oven;
• a pair of spaced parallel shafts extending traversely across a front and rear, respectively, of said oven, an endless wire link belt trained over said pair of shafts;
• an exit rack at the back of said oven for returning said food products to the front of said oven;
• means for driving said endless belt in order to convey food products entering said oven at said open throat through said oven to said exit rack;
• means in said oven for toasting said food products while they are being conveyed through said oven;
• means for supporting said toasting means at a selected height above said conveyor, whereby said selected height may be adjusted in order to accommodate physical characteristics of said food products;
• and means for either batch loading or continuously loading said food products onto said endless wire link conveyor belt.