U.S. patent application number 14/089291 was filed with the patent office on 2014-08-07 for high efficiency infra-red cooking oven.
The applicant listed for this patent is R. Edward Moreth, II, R. Edward Moreth, III. Invention is credited to R. Edward Moreth, II, R. Edward Moreth, III.
Application Number | 20140216434 14/089291 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51258208 |
Filed Date | 2014-08-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140216434 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Moreth, III; R. Edward ; et
al. |
August 7, 2014 |
High Efficiency Infra-Red Cooking Oven
Abstract
A high efficiency cooking system includes a thermal enclosure
having an open mouth at its front, the mouth in communication with
the ambient atmosphere, the enclosure having hinged frontal doors
below the open mouth, an interior of doors defining an upward air
path provided by an air blower for blowing air upwardly through
vertical channels within the doors, across the open mouth, into an
exhaust assembly above the top of the mouth, and an exhaust
assembly for expelling air into the atmosphere. Also included is a
horizontal high thermal conductivity panel formed of a stone-like
material, positioned on a complemental support, axially journaled
on a rigid shaft, rotated by a gear motor. Further included are a
pair of hydrocarbon gas or electrical powered infrared OR)
emitters.
Inventors: |
Moreth, III; R. Edward;
(Fort Lauderdale, FL) ; Moreth, II; R. Edward;
(Fort Lauderdale, FL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Moreth, III; R. Edward
Moreth, II; R. Edward |
Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale |
FL
FL |
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
51258208 |
Appl. No.: |
14/089291 |
Filed: |
November 25, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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29444972 |
Feb 6, 2013 |
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14089291 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
126/21A ;
126/92AC |
Current CPC
Class: |
A21B 1/44 20130101; A21B
2/00 20130101; F24C 15/322 20130101; F24C 15/025 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
126/21.A ;
126/92.AC |
International
Class: |
F24C 3/04 20060101
F24C003/04; F24C 15/32 20060101 F24C015/32 |
Claims
1. A high efficiency cooking system, comprising: (a) a thermal
enclosure having an open mouth at front thereof, said mouth in
communication with the ambient atmosphere, said enclosure having
hinged frontal doors below said open mouth, an interior of said
doors defining an upward air path therein powered by an air blower
beneath said enclosure, blowing air upwardly through vertical
channels within said doors and across said open mouth, above said
open doors, to a ceiling of said enclosure, and into an exhaust
assembly above a top of said enclosure, said exhaust assembly
expelling said air into ambient atmosphere; (b) a horizontal high
thermal conductivity panel formed of a stone-like material, said
panel positioned in a complemental support axially journaled on a
rigid shaft, said shaft rotated by a gear motor; (c) a pair of
hydrocarbon gas powered infrared (IR) emitters, one located upon
said ceiling of said enclosure and or beneath said panel; and (d) a
flicker flame burner situated at a rear surface of interior of said
enclosure and above but proximally to said conductive panel.
2. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising: a gas
manifold having an input of a pressurized hydrocarbon gaseous fuel
and output channels directed to inputs to each of said upper and
lower IR emitters, said inputs having orifices and an output
channel directed to an input to said flicker flame burner.
3. The system as recited in claim 1, in which said ceiling of said
enclosure comprises the color black.
4. The system as recited in claim 2, further comprising gas flow
solenoids proximally to inputs to each of said IR emitter channels
and said flicker flame channel.
5. The system as recited in claim 2, further comprising: means for
adjusting a ratio of gas flow of said upper IR emitter orifice to
that of said lower IR emitter orifice.
6. The system as recited in claim 3, in which said ceiling of said
enclosure pitches from a higher level at its rear to a lower level
as said ceiling approaches said open mouth of the system.
7. The system as recited in claim 6, in which said enclosure
defines a substantially circular horizontal cross-section.
8. The system as recited in claim 7, in which a polar extent of
said mouth relative to an entire circumference of said enclosure
defines a range of between about 90 degrees and about 180
degrees.
9. The system as recited in claim 8, in which a rotational speed of
said panel defines a range of about 0.25 to about 2.0 revolutions
per minute.
10. The system as recited in claim 9, in which a greatest height of
said open mouth defines about 30 percent of an entire height of
said thermal enclosure.
11. The system as recited as in claim 10, further comprising: means
for adjusting a ratio of gas flow to said upper IR orifice to that
of said lower IR orifice.
12. The system as recited in claim 10, further comprising: a gas
manifold having an input of a pressurized hydrocarbon gaseous fuel
and output channels directed to inputs to each of said upper and
lower IR emitters, said inputs having orifices and an output
channel directed to an input to said flicker flame burner.
13. The system as recited in claim 10, in which said ceiling of
said enclosure pitches from a higher level at its rear to a lower
level as said ceiling approaches said open mouth of the system.
14. The system as recited in claim 1, in which said infrared
emitters are situated proximally to the rear of the ceiling and of
the floor respectively of said thermal enclosure.
15. A high efficiency infrared oven for cooking food items.
comprising: (a) a housing having a housing wall including a
proximal permanent food access opening for inserting and removing
food products to be processed to thereby provide a continuous and
uninterrupted fluid communication with ambient atmosphere; (b) a
high thermal storage capacity food product support panel
horizontally and rotationally mounted within said housing; and (c)
IR radiant emitters for heating of said support panel for
delivering heat above and below said panel to, therefrom,
conducively transfer stored heat into food products placed upon
said panel, said emitters oriented to deliver heat as the panel
rotates to provide a region of intensified cooking, into and out of
which food items pass as said food product support panel is
rotated.
16. The oven as recited in claim 15, further comprises a flicker
flame burner at a rear of an interior of said housing.
17. The oven as recited in claim 16, in which said panel heating
means are oriented between an axis of rotation of said support
panel and a periphery thereof.
18. The oven as recited in claim 17, further comprising: means for
effecting circulation throughout oven interior thermal values of
said IR emitters not transferred to said rotating panel or items
therein.
19. The oven as recited in claim 15, further comprising:
thermostatic or control means for balancing temperature and thermal
output of said upper and lower IR sources.
20. The oven as recited in claim 18, further comprising: a black
surface comprising an interior of said oven to thereby utilize
phenomenon of black body radiation to contain in oven interior
radiant energy from said IR heating sources not utilized within
said region of intensified heating.
Description
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of Invention
[0002] The instant invention relates to area of ovens for
commercial and or large volume cooking, such as restaurant ovens.
More particularly, the invention relates to an oven for high
efficiency cooking of pizzas or food items at same time.
[0003] 2. Description of Prior Art
[0004] There have long been ovens for cooking food items, such as
pizzas, in large quantities. A problem with se ovens has been that
persons operating same must periodically rotate and reposition
items to achieve even and uniform cooking. Also, and even more
importantly, has been fact that pizza ovens and like, as known in
prior art, require between ten and fifteen minutes to accomplish
satisfactory and complete cooking thereof. Accordingly, a
restaurant or so-called pizza parlor has been inherently limited in
its capacity to furnish completed pizzas to customers by period
required for cooking of a pizza therein; resulting in revenue and
income of a typical pizza restaurant being more a limitation
related to cooking speed of IR ovens than customer base itself. In
addition, prior art pizza ovens do not utilize available heat
efficiently and, resultantly, significant thermal values escape
from door of such prior art units thereby diminishing cooking
capacity of oven, and increasing energy demands thereof, increasing
cooling requirements for restaurant, and causing undue
discomfort.
[0005] The prior art, as is best known to the inventor, is
represented by U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,055 (1996) to Nevin, et al,
entitled Pizza Oven. Such art however does not combine overhead and
underside radiant heating with underside conductive heating through
use of a rotating heat reservoir as is set forth herein.
[0006] Various cooking ovens have a permanent front access opening
for frequent input and retrieval of food items from access opening.
open view of cooking in a restaurant also gains customers'
appreciation of genuine food preparation process. However, the heat
and exhaust exiting from access opening are undesirable, which
elevate surrounding environment temperature and release smoke, dust
and smell into surrounding area. Consequently, it is required in
the United States that a hood has to be installed in front of
access opening of an oven to vent out exhaust exiting from access
opening.
[0007] Therefore, it is desirable to have an oven which has a
structure or a mechanism to inhibit the heat and exhaust from
exiting from access opening. The present invention is also an
improvement over the ovens of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,250,210 and
7,357,131, both of which are incorporated herein in their
entirety.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0008] A high efficiency cooking system, comprises: (a) a thermal
enclosure having an open mouth at front thereof, said mouth in
communication with ambient atmosphere, said enclosure having hinged
frontal doors below said open mouth, an interior of said doors
defining an upward air path therein powered by an air blower
beneath said enclosure, blowing air upwardly through vertical
channels within said doors and across said open mouth, above said
open doors, to a ceiling of said enclosure, and into an exhaust
assembly above a top of said enclosure, said exhaust assembly
expelling said air into ambient atmosphere; (b) a horizontal high
thermal conductivity panel formed of a stone-like material, said
panel positioned in a complemental support axially journaled on a
rigid shaft, said shaft rotated by a gear motor; (c) a pair of
hydrocarbon gas or electrically powered infrared (IR) emitters, one
located upon said ceiling of said enclosure and or beneath said
panel; and (d) a flicker flame assembly situated at a rear surface
of interior of said enclosure and above but proximally to said
conductive panel.
[0009] The present inventive system also makes use of heating by
convection through the provision of a geometry at a rear or distal
region of the oven which, in combination with said infrared
element, creates a region of high temperature which is optimal for
high efficiency cooking of food types such as pizza. Further
integral to the present method, and associated with the use of such
a region of high temperature cooking, is the passing, at a rate of
0.5 to 2.5 rpm of the food item into and out of such region to
preclude scorching thereof while gaining benefits of taste. Further
heating by convection is accomplished by circulating otherwise
unused heat, beneath the rotating panel, radially outwardly and
then upwardly beyond the periphery of the panel and into the region
thereabove. This is further accomplished through internal venting
and circulation means within the top of the oven. As such, three
forms of heat transfer, namely, conduction, radiation and
convection are employed in a balanced fashion in the context of
open cavity fluid communication with the atmosphere in order to
provide the within objects the advantages thereof, set forth
below.
[0010] In another embodiment, the present invention is directed to
a method of inhibiting heat and exhaust in an oven from exiting
from an access opening thereof. method includes installing instant
door panel described above to front of a heating chamber; providing
an air supply means near lower end of door panel, and interfacing
air supply means with air inlet opening on door panel to provide
air supply into a hollow chamber with door panel; and providing an
exhaust venting assembly at interior side of door panel, adjacent
to an upper end of door panel, wherein exhaust venting assembly
pulls air exiting from air outlet slot of mantle into exhaust
venting assembly, and forms an air curtain covering access opening
at interior side of door panel; wherein air curtain inhibits heat
and exhaust inside heating chamber from exiting from access
opening.
[0011] It is accordingly an object of present invention to provide
an improved system of cooking, having particular application in
commercial pizza service establishments, which operates at improved
efficiency, providing increased food access, improved taste, and
reduces energy consumption for both oven itself and cooling of the
ambient work station.
[0012] It is another object to provide a food item cooking oven for
cooking of each food item relatively evenly and without need of
opening a door or entrance thereof to rotate or reposition food
items and wherein efficiency of the oven is not compromised when
food items are removed from or repositioned therein.
[0013] It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel
system of heating to provide a cooking oven which is reliable and
relatively inexpensive to manufacture.
[0014] It is yet a further object to provide a system of cooking
which employs a rotating thermal reservoir as a cooking substrate
and, in combination therewith, balanced means of conduction heating
of the bottom of said panel, heating the top of food items to be
cooked, and heating by convection throughout oven, this inclusive
of a region of high temperature cooking into which food
periodically passes in and out of to thereby obtain benefits of
high temperature cooking without risk that food items to be cooked
may become scorched or overcooked.
[0015] The above and yet or objects and advantages of present
invention will become apparent from hereinafter set forth Brief
Description of Drawings, Detailed Description of Invention and
Claims appended herewith.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the inventive high
intensity IR oven.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the oven of FIG.
1.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a front view of the IR oven.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a radial cross-sectional view taken along Line 4-4
of FIG. 3.
[0020] FIG. 5 is a radial cross-sectional view taken along Line 5-5
of FIG. 3.
[0021] FIG. 6 is a radial cross-sectional view taken along Line 6-6
of FIG. 3.
[0022] FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the inventive oven.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0023] In thermal enclosure 10 (see FIG. 2), a food opening 14 (see
also FIG. 1) provides for open cavity fluid communication between
the oven interior and atmosphere. As may be noted in FIG. 2, oven
14 may, if desired, be mounted upon a plurality of legs 16 which
may or may not include swivel wheels 18 thereon. Alternatively,
oven 10 may be placed upon any stable surface within the
establishment making use thereof.
[0024] With further reference to structure of oven 10, it may (see
FIG. 2) be seen that housing 10 includes an insulative floor 20 and
an internal ceiling 22 which slopes upwardly from proximal access
opening 14 to a rear surface 24 of oven at a pitch of about five
percent, that is, one unit of increase in height for each twenty
units of distance from front to back of oven, to define slope of
internal ceiling 22. At left of FIG. 2 is defined a focused region
26 of high temperature or intense cooking (see also FIG. 5), which
is more fully described below.
[0025] A notable feature within the interior of the housing is that
of a preferably circular cooking panel 28, formed of a material for
such as calcium aluminate and concrete, which is able to store
large quantities of heat and to withstand temperatures of at least
2200 degrees F., although this specific tolerance level is not
required for proper oven operation. Panel 28 is therefore formed of
a high thermal capacity stone-like material, the measurement of
which is about 0.235 BTU/LB/degree. F. or 75,000 BTU's.
[0026] The panel 28 is rotatably mounted upon a complemental
receiver 29 which is mounted upon an axle 30 which includes gear
and journal means 32 having a gear motor 34. As may be noted with
reference to FIG. 2, heating cooling panel 28 exhibits a diameter
relative to diameter of the oven such that an annular area 34
exists between an outer periphery of panel 28 and the inner
dimension of the oven 14.
[0027] As may be seen in FIGS. 2 and 4-6, there are provided upper
and lower IR emitters 36 and 38 which are powered by a pressurized
hydrocarbon gas (see FIG. 7) through manifold 40, solenoids 42 and
44, and conduits 46 and 48 to orifices at the input to the IR
emitters 36 and 38 which provide intense thermal radiation above
and below cooking panel 28. The emitters may also be electrically
powered.
[0028] At the rear of enclosure 10 is a flicker flame burner 50
(see FIG. 2) which is preferably gas powered through conduit 52
(see FIG. 7) and solenoid 54 which controls the input of
pressurized gas from manifold 40.
[0029] A space 56 beneath panel 28 is relatively small so that
minimal heat is spent in this region. Resultingly, most of the
energy output of IR emitter 38 is directed to the bottom of panel
28 which, after the oven is started for a given day's activity,
acts to eventually fill the thermal panel to a considerable percent
of its thermal capacity. In view of the above, it may be
appreciated that by virtue of IR radiation against the lower
surface of panel 28, heat will be stored in the panel and
communicated by conduction to the bottom of any pizza or food item
upon surface of panel. As such, crust heating occurs from the
bottom of the pizza through this process. Because of the
substantial thermal capacity of panel 28, continuous and uniform
heating is provided until panel 28 reaches a temperature of about
700 degrees Fahrenheit at which temperature a thermostat causes
cycling of the upper emitter 36.
[0030] Through use of upper infrared radiant (IR) emitter 36, a
temperature of about 1750 degrees F. is applied within the focused
region 26 (see FIG. 2) on panel 28 which is the region of
intensified heating. While the temperature radiated by emitter 36,
added to that of flicker flame 50, to pizza crust is substantially
higher than the 700 degree F. temperature of panel 28, the quantity
(BTU's) of heat applied to topping side of the pizza is lower than
the quantity of heat applied at bottom of crust side by IR emitter
38. Such high temperature cooking of the topping of the pizza is
highly desirable in accelerating the cooking process without
scorching of the topping, this in combination with a continuous
slow rotation of panel 28 and its associated pizzas in and out that
region 26 of intensified heating.
[0031] It is to be noted that IR emitter 36 may be adjusted to
higher or lower energy levels relative to IR emitter 38 to enable
cooking of food items other than pizza. Further, solid state
ignition, or an entirely solid state IR element may be employed in
lieu of the use of perforated ceramic modules or surfaces which
emit a gas-air mixture which combusts on a surface of a burner so
that heating of ceramic elements causes infrared radiation to be
emitted. Other forms of IR heating may be employed.
[0032] It is noted that the interior surface 22 of the heating
region of the oven is provided with an entirely black finish as,
for example, may be effected through application of a black
protective layer to a metallic material of which the housing is
formed. Such a black interior surface is important in terms of
uniform heating and efficient use of energy. This is achieved
through the use of phenomenon known as black body radiation which
dictates that an enclosed black surface will absorb more infrared
energy relative to the amount of radiation reflected back in the
direction from which the radiation was received. This phenomenon
increases efficiency of use of radiant IR emitter 36 described
above, this by containing energy within the oven interior and not
reflecting it out through mouth 12 thereof.
[0033] At the rear of region 26 is provided a flicker flame
assembly 50 (see FIGS. 2 and 5) which extends vertically across the
rear 24 of the oven interior and serves not only to provide a
pleasing wood burning appearance, but also to furnish additional
heat within the rear of the oven housing, that is, to region 26 of
intensified heating to thereby increase cooking efficiency, through
radiation, to the entire system. Flicker flame 50 burns at
approximately 1000 degrees F. It is however to be understood that
instant inventive system will function, although at a slightly
reduced efficiency, without use of the flicker flame assembly.
Alternatively to the use of gas as a source of energy for flicker
flame 55, solid state means of intermittently activated phosphorus
within an inert gas filled tube or flame-shaped glass envelope may
be employed. Either alternative means for the flicker flame may be
electrically powered.
[0034] Further to the above, it is to be appreciated that three
distinctive forms of heat transfer are employed in present method,
i.e., baking of pizza crust by conduction underneath from panel 28,
top and bottom heating by radiation from radiant elements 36 and
38, and through convection of heat values which are not
communicated to panel 28 and which, thereby, pass around lower
region 56 thorough annular area 34 of the oven, into the upper
cooking region 59 (see FIG. 4) and, therefrom, into region 26 of
high temperature heating. The relative intensity of all three of
the above forms of heat transfer must be carefully balanced for a
particular type of food item to be cooked to obtain optimal
results. Such balancing is controlled through the use of a
thermostatic probe and/or electrical control of gas inputs 44 of
gas quantity to each of the IR infrared heat sources. See FIG.
7.
[0035] As above noted, yet additional heating by convection is
obtained by regulation of the output of flicker flame 50. It is
noted that through use of region 26 of intensified heating, the
otherwise adverse effect of open cavity entrance 12 and its fluid
communication with the atmosphere, is overcome. In other words, by
providing said region 26 at said distal or rear part 24 of the
housing 14, the effect of the continuously open food access opening
12 is compensated for. Therewith, many benefits of flavor
associated with such atmospheric communication cooking as, for
example, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,285 is effected. In
addition, through such design, the exterior of the oven housing 12
remains relatively cool, with only two inches of housing
insulation. Also, the only heat which necessarily must be exhausted
from the system is in connection with flicker flame 50. Cooking and
energy efficiency are thereby maintained, this particularly through
control of convected air by means of blower 58 and its input 57,
and therefrom to ducts 66, 67, 60 and 72 (see FIG. 7), and then to
upper region 59, as is shown in FIG. 2. A flue 62 and chimney 63
are provided to exhaust heat from the system, effectively
discharging unused combustion gases are effectively removed thru
flue 62 and chimney 63.
[0036] More particularly control of convected air from blower 58
feeds into ducts 66 and 67, through ports 68 and, into air channels
60 inside of doors 70 (see also FIG. 7), assisting combustion and
efficiency of the radiant emitters. An air stream is obtained by
collecting excess gases and distributing them in part to radiant
emitter 36 and in part to flue 62 to be exhausted. That is, input
57 exerts control over and directs air into blower 58 (see FIGS. 2
and 7) into lower air ducts 66 and 67, hollow front doors 70 and
vertical channel 72 (see also FIGS. 5 and 6). The combined effect
of regions 60 and 72 provide an air curtain effect across mouth 12,
below described in greater detail. Before air escapes through
proximal opening 14, flue 62 then divides air by injecting one air
stream to radiant emitter 36. Unused air is then exhausted outside
through flue 62 and outer chimney 63.
[0037] Pieces of wood may be optionally placed near the center of
panel 28 to smolder, adding flavor to cooking pizza and food items
located outwardly from the axis of rotation.
[0038] With reference to the view of FIG. 2, it may be seen that
axle 32 is rotated by a shaft sprocket 64 connected to a drive
motor 34 through a gearbox by means of a chain 65. The oven is
preferably equipped with control means (not shown) to momentarily
stop panel 28 from rotation for ease of introduction or removal of
pizza and food items from the oven by a novice.
[0039] Using the above system, one may cook at a temperature of
1000 degrees F. within region 26 because the topping of the pizza
is heated by the overhead IR emitter 36. Additionally, such a high
temperature may be employed within region 36 because continuous
rotation of the pizza or food item ensures it will only momentarily
be exposed to such high heat and, thereby, will not scorch the top
thereof. One thereby avoids the well known problem with prior art
pizza ovens which requires that the cook reach into the oven to
move pizza therein into hotter or cooler spots because of lack of
uniform temperature therewithin. Prior art ovens are limited to a
450-500 degree F. internal temperature due to such
restrictions.
[0040] Also, as above noted, the lack of any door or permanent
closure to oven affords the benefits of atmospheric communication
heating above set forth. FIGS. 1 and 5 indicate that panels 70 may
be opened for cleaning and service using hinges 71.
[0041] Inasmuch as the system is provided with an internal
thermostatic probe there is no need to turn the system off during
the slow periods during the business day. In terms of construction,
housing 14 preferably includes inner and outer walls or shells
which are spaced about two inches apart from each other with two
one-inch layers of insulation therebetween. The inner shell
(interior surface of which is subject to the above-referenced
coating) is optionally made of a 12 gauge A36 mild steel, but can
be made of or forms of steel and or materials as well.
[0042] Summarizing the thermodynamics of baking a pizza in
accordance with the invention, firstly, the crust has to bake;
secondly, the cheese has to melt; and thirdly, the toppings need to
be heated and amalgamated with the cheese to make the pizza a
palatable and pleasant looking and tasting food. In this process,
by virtue of fact that panel 28 is very hot, baking of the crust
can be accomplished in less than two minutes. To manage the problem
of melting cheese and heating toppings, the invention employs
infrared energy which is line-of-site specific and, for a very
short time, as the pizza on deck rotates through line-of-site, and
the pizza passes through intensive heat region 26 and under IR
element 36 which causes cheese to melt rapidly and toppings to
become heated. Using this method, the time necessary for the cheese
and topping integration is less than two minutes. Because this is
so quickly accomplished, one obtains the benefit of having a higher
panel temperature to thereby bake the crust much quicker than the
normal pizza oven which uses a 450 to 500 degree F. panel and
ambient temperature within region 26. This would normally be a
restricting factor because at such temperatures the cheese and
toppings require twelve to fifteen minutes to become fully cooked
and ready for serving. However, with the use of temperatures
herein, one achieves an increase in panel temperature to achieve a
baking time of the crust of two minutes while simultaneously
melting the cheese and cooking toppings, this allowing one to cook
product in a much reduced time. In addition, the quality of
product, including flavors and tastes of toppings, are much higher
than occur from slower cooking conventional pizza ovens.
[0043] In the housing 14, the high thermal storage capacity food
support panel 28, and other heating means for heating the food
support panel 28 have been fully described in U.S. Pat. Nos.
5,560,285, 6,146,677 and 6,250,210 B1, which are herein
incorporated by reference in their entirety. Using IR emitters 36
and 38, the efficiency of fuel gas, typically natural gas, is
improved, and waste material from combustion is reduced. The use of
electrical energy is also efficient. Therefore, from this aspect,
the cooking oven of the present invention is also energy and
environmentally more compatible.
[0044] It is noted that the term "oven" used herein denotes a
closed heating chamber or heating device with an access opening.
The access opening can be a permanent opening without a cover as
that shown in FIG. 1, however, can also be an opening with a cover
such as a door. (see FIG. 5). Although the utility of the air
curtain door system of the present invention is illustrated herein
in one embodiment, should be understood that the air curtain door
system can also be used for an oven or a heating device which has a
door covering the front opening. air curtain door system can be
installed behind a door of an oven or a heating device. When the
door is opened, the air curtain door system can prevent releasing
heat, smoke or exhaust waste from the area. In this situation, or
the opening of the air curtain door system can be configured to
meet the specific structural requirements of the ovens or heating
devices.
[0045] An air curtain door system and oven incorporating the air
curtain door system of the present invention also have other
advantages. Using the instant air curtain door system, the
environment temperature in front of the oven is not elevated by the
heat released through the mouth 12. This provides a comfortable
working area immediately outside the opening for the workers and
also results in a saving of energy required for environmental
cooling in the surrounding area. The air curtain door system also
provides controlled heat and smoke venting to the outside of a
building or exhaust venting assembly. Therefore, it reduces air
pollution in the surrounding area of the oven. In fact, a cooking
oven equipped with the air curtain door system of the present
invention has obtained the permit from Applied Research Laboratory
licensed by OSHA, (Miami, Fla.), for use inside restaurants in
United States without requiring installation of a hood at front of
oven for venting.
[0046] While there has been shown and described above, the
preferred embodiment of the instant invention it is to be
appreciated that the invention may be embodied otherwise than is
herein specifically shown and described and that, within said
embodiment, certain changes may be made in form and arrangement of
parts without departing from underlying ideas or principles of this
invention as set forth in Claims appended herewith.
* * * * *