Cooking oven with improved heat distribution manifold system
AssigneeFMC Technologies, Inc.
InventorsRobert M. Stacy, Scott M. Kane, Charles McVeagh, Ramesh M. Gunawardena
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cooking oven manifold system includes a conveyor extending through a housing and a plurality of air manifolds positioned above and below the conveyor, each air manifold having a pair of sidewalls extending between a back wall and an inlet. A pair of outlet nozzles extend along a length of each air manifold. An angled surface between each pair of outlet nozzles extends along a length of the air manifold. Each air manifold is additionally spaced apart from each adjacent air manifold to create an air gap between sidewalls of adjacent air manifolds.
Claims20
A cooking oven manifold system comprising:
- a conveyor extending through a housing;
- a plurality of air manifolds positioned above and below the conveyor, each air manifold having a pair of sidewalls extending along a length of each air manifold between a back wall and an inlet;
- a pair of outlet nozzles, each outlet nozzle of the pair of outlet nozzles extending toward the conveyor and along the length of each air manifold;
- and
- each air manifold spaced apart from each adjacent air manifold to create an air gap between sidewalls of adjacent air manifolds.
A method of cooking using a manifold system extending around a conveyor, the method comprising the steps of:
- arranging a plurality of air manifolds above the conveyor, each air manifold having a pair of sidewalls extending along a length between a back wall and an inlet;
- forcing conditioned air through a pair of outlet nozzles toward the conveyor, each outlet nozzle of the pair of outlet nozzles extending along the length of each air manifold;
- heating food product on the conveyor with the conditioned air;
- and
- delivering return air from the conveyor through a plurality of air gaps between sidewalls of adjacent air manifolds of the plurality of air manifolds.
A cooking oven manifold system comprising:
- a conveyor extending through a housing;
- a plurality of air manifolds positioned above the conveyor, each air manifold having a pair of sidewalls extending along a length between a back wall and an inlet;
- a pair of outlet nozzles, each outlet nozzle of the pair of outlet nozzles extending along the length of each air manifold, wherein air flow into the inlet and out of the pair of outlet nozzles of each air manifold generally flows in a common plane perpendicular with the conveyor and in opposite directions;
- each air manifold spaced apart from each adjacent air manifold to create an air gap between sidewalls of adjacent air manifolds;
- and
- a plurality of louvers controlling the air flow through the plurality of air manifolds.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.