Hot air popcorn popper
AssigneeGreenfield World Trade, Inc.
InventorsMichael R. Mastroianni, Rong Liu, Bikram Sohi, William A. Bucklew
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A popcorn popping unit has a heating element and a blower fan, and a cooking surface adapted to receive kernels of corn. The popping unit is configurable for two flow paths of pressurized air through the popping unit. In the first path, pressurized air is configured to flow over the heating element, flow over the cooking surface, cook the kernels of corn, and move the cooked kernels of corn to a serving dispenser. In a second path, pressurized air is configured to flow over the cooking surface, and move un-popped seeds into a seed collection bin.
Claims25
A popcorn popping unit having:
- a housing including:
- (i) a heating element and a blower fan, (ii) a cooking surface adapted to received kernels of corn, (iii) a popping chamber into which popcorn enters after being popped, the popping chamber having an inlet and an outlet, the popping chamber inlet being adjacent to the cooking surface, the popping chamber outlet being spaced from the popping chamber inlet, the popping chamber having a bypass selectively movable between a first and a second positions within the popping chamber to establish two flow paths of pressurized air through the popping unit, and (iv) a seed collection bin disposed in the housing separate from the popping chamber;
- and
- wherein in the first position of the bypass for one of the flow paths, the bypass is positioned within the popping chamber to allow pressurized air to flow over the heating element, flow over the cooking surface, and flow from the popping chamber inlet through the popping chamber outlet, and to move popped kernels of popcorn from the popping chamber outlet to a serving dispenser;
- wherein in the second position of the bypass for the other of the flow paths, the bypass is positioned within the popping chamber to block the popping chamber outlet such that pressurized air flows over the cooking surface, flows from the popping chamber inlet into the popping chamber and to the seed collection bin, and moves un-popped seeds into the seed collection bin.
A popcorn popping unit with a blower unit and a popping chamber, the blower unit having a heating element and a blower fan, the blower unit being adapted to direct pressurized air into the popping chamber, the popping chamber having a hollow interior with a proximal end receiving the pressurized air from the blower unit and a distal end opposite the proximal end, the popping unit having a bypass, the bypass being selectively movable between a first and a second positions within the popping chamber to establish first and second flow paths of pressurized air through the popping unit;
- wherein in the first position of the bypass for the first flow path, the bypass cooperates with the popping chamber to allow the pressurized air to flow to the through the popping chamber to the popping chamber distal end;
- and
- wherein in the second position of the bypass for the second flow path, the bypass obstructs the pressurized air flowing through the popping chamber to the popping chamber distal end, and redirects the pressurized air to a seed collection bin disposed in the blower unit separate from the popping chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.