GB2083208A - A smoke collecting and exhausting system for & cooking apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A smoke collecting and exhausting system for a cooking apparatus, such as a roaster 1 comprises a smoke collecting duct (D), which communicates with a smoke exhaust passage 9 via a smoke exhausting cylindrical member S. The roaster has a gas burner 6, and smoke produced when cooking food on the net-like plate 3 is evacuated by suction means attached to the duct (D) through the smoke exhaust passage (9), the smoke exhaust cylindrical member(s) and a filter (14) to the outside. The ducting (D) is arranged below floor level and fins (10) are provided to balance suction forces around the cooking apparatus. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A smoke collecting and exhausting system for a cooking apparatus This invention relates to a smoke collecting and exhausting system for a cooking apparatus.

Cooking apparatuses, such as roasters, which roast food such as meat and sea food on an iron plate or a net-like plate, are used in restaurants or households. In the prior art, smoke produced from meat or seafood, when it is roasted, is exhausted by smoke suction means provided on a ceiling or a wall of a room where the roaster is installed. However, in the prior art, the room is filled with smoke, because there is a substantial distance between the roaster and the smoke suction means. Thus, the smoke cannot be effectively exhausted from the room, and oil particles contained in the smoke tends to stick to clothes or to interior installations such as the ceiling, the curtains and so on, and to damage them. Also, there are sanitary problems due to the smoke.If the smoke suction means is close to the roaster, then the effectiveness of exhausting the smoke will be improved, but it is difficult to cook the food in a smooth manner. Filling the room of a restaurant with smoke gives an unfavourable impression to customers and, furthermore, the room has to be often refurbished.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a smoke collecting system for a cooking apparatus comprising a smoke collecting duct under a floor and communicating with a smoke exhaust passage in said roaster so as to collect smoke from said roaster; a filter being provided in said smoke collecting duct to remove oil particles from said smoke; and smoke suction means connected to said smoke collecting duct.

Preferably, the invention provides a smoke collecting and exhausting system for a cooking apparatus wherein smoke from the cooking apparatus never fills a room, and oil particles can be effectively removed from the smoke.

Preferably, the invention also provides a smoke collecting and exhausting system for a cooking apparatus, wherein an oil particle filter can be easily changed when it is damaged.

Preferably, the invention also provides a cooking apparatus in combination with a smoke collecting and exhausting system, wherein smoke can be effectively introduced into the smoke collecting and exhausting system.

Preferably, the invention also provides a cooking apparatus in combination with a smoke collecting and exhausting system, in which a resistance of smoke stream can be decreased in the cooking apparatus.

Preferably, the invention further provides a cooking apparatus in combination with a smoke collecting and exhausting system wherein heat from a burner is never lost from a smoke collecting and exhausting system.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates a smoke collecting and exhausting system in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a table having a cooking apparatus provided thereon; Figure 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the cooking apparatus in accordance with the invention; Figure 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a smoke collecting duct; Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the cooking apparatus of Figure 3; Figure 6 is an enlarged plan view of the cooking apparatus having fins; and Figure 7 is a perspective view of fins of the cooking apparatus.

Figure 1 shows a room layout of a roast meat restaurant R having a plurality of tables T. The tables are heat resistant in the convention manner. Cooking apparatuses, in particular roasters, are mounted in the respective tables Tand communicate with respective smoke exhaust cylindrical member S which, in turn, comminicate with two smoke collecting ducts D provided under the floor or ground L.

The smoke collecting ducts Dterminate at conventional smoke suction means H provided outdoors. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the roasters B comprise a rectangular roaster body 1 mounted in the respective tables, T, an upper cover 2 mounted in the roaster body 1, a net-like plate 3 and a juice receiver 4 removably provided in the roaster body 1, an inner body 5 secured to the roaster body 1, and burners 6 provided in the inner body 5.

The roaster body 1 has a cylindrical body 7 extending from the bottom of the roaster body 1 and communicating with the smoke exhaust cylindrical member S. There is a space 8 provided at the top of the roaster body 1. A smoke exhaust passage 9 is provided betwwen the inner wall of the roaster body 1 and the outer wall of the inner body 5 and communicates with fins 10 which are provided at the bottom of the roaster body 1 for dividing the smoke.

The burners 6 are disposed in two burner chambers 11, one on each side of the inner body 5. The burner chambers have openings 12 for directing flames from the burners 6 to the net-like plate 3.

Combustion air passes through a gap in each burner chamber.

Figure 4 shows a filter 14, which is provided in the smoke exhaust passage 13 in each of the smoke collecting ducts D for removing oil particles from the smoke. The filter 14 is preferably held in a holder 16 which can be removably inserted into a recess 15 in the smoke exhaust passage 13. It can be seen that the filter 14 can be removed out of the smoke exhaust passage 13 by opening an upper cover 17 pivotally mounted on the smoke collecting duct D. A fire- proof damper 18 is provided in the smoke exhaust passage 13.

Once the gas burner 6 is ignited, food M, such as meat and sea food, can be roasted. At that time, oil drops and roasting juices produced from the food drop into water in the juice receiver 4, while smoke is produced from burning the oil in the food. Combustion air can be supplied from the outside of the roaster body 1 through the gaps in the burner chambers 11.

Since the smoke exhaust passage 9, the smoke exhausting cylindrical member Sand the smoke collecting ducts Dare evacuated by the suction of the smoke suction means H, the smoke produced at the burner 6 never fills the room R. The smoke is filtered through the filter 14 and exhausted through the smoke exhaust passage 9, the smoke exhaust cylindrical member Sand the smoke collecting duct D out of the room R. As described below, the fin 10 balances an out-of-balance suction force, which occurs in the case of the area of the bottom of the roaster body 1 being not identical to the inner diameter of the smoke exhaust cylindrical member 7. The fin also improves the smoke exhaust ability.

It will be noted that the smoke produced during the roasting of the food, such as meat and sea food, is exhausted out of the roaster body 1 through the smoke collecting ducts under the floor or the ground, by the smoke suction means H in a forced manner, and thus the room R is never filled with smoke. As a result, clothes, the ceiling and the walls of the room Rare never damaged by the smoke. It will be understood that the air in the room R is never contaminated by the smoke. It has been found that there is an improvement in the smoke exhaust ability of the system of five times that of the prior art in which the smoke exhuast system is provided in the ceiling of the room. It should be noted that the roasting operation by the customers is never prevented by the system and is simpler.

Since the smoke is filtered by the filter 14, it never damages the smoke suction means H. In addition thereto, since the filter 14 can be easily removed from the ducts D, it can be cleaned in a simple manner.

The fin 10 which is shown in Figures 6 and 7 comprises first wings 20 and 20a having edges facing the smoke exhaust cylindrical member 7, second wings 21, 21 a, 21 band 21 c having edges hook-shaped and provided adjacent to the first wings 20 and 20a and third wings 22 and 22a disposed between the second wings 21 and 21 a and between the second wings 21 b and 21 c, respectively, and formed in a straight manner. As can be seen from Figure 7, spaces 23, 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d, 23e, 23f and 239 formed between the opposing wings communicate with the top opening of the smoke exhaust cylindrical member 7.

The fin 10 causes the smoke flow from the smoke exhaust passage 9 to be divided through the spaces 23 to 239 in a uniform manner and to be supplied to the smoke exhaust cylindrical member S. Thus, it will be noted that the out-of-balance smoke exhaust streams, which occur in the case of the area of the smoke exhaust passage 9 being not identical to that of the opening of the smoke exhaust cylindrical member 7 are uniformed in a preferable manner.

This prevenfts the room R from being filled with smoke. As a result, the smoke can be exhausted out of the room in a smooth manner.

As shown in Figure 3, the smoke exhaust passages 9 are preferably curved, which causes the smoke to flow in a smooth manner as indicated by the arrows in Figure 3 because the smoke has little resistance in passing through the passages. This prevents the oil contained in the smoke from sticking to the surface roaster body 1. It should be noted that the net-like plate 3, which is planar and on which the food such as meat is placed, is preferably not exposed to the top surface of the roaster B. It is surrounded by the top portion of the inner body as a raised wall, because the temperature of the atmosphere suitable for roasting the food can be maintained in spite of heat lost to some degree through the smoke collecting and exhausting system. Furthermore, the atmosphere serves to hold the roasted food at a predetermined temperature without any effect from the ambient temperature.

Claims (8)

1. A smoke collecting and exhausting system for a cooking apparatus comprising a smoke collecting duct under a floor and communicating with a smoke exhaust passage in said roaster so as to collect smoke from said roaster; a filter being provided in said smoke collecting duct to remove oil particles from said smoke; and smoke suction means connected to said smoke collecting duct.

2. A smoke collecting and exhausting system for a cooking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein an opening is provided in said smoke collecting duct while said opening is normally closed by a cover, and said filter being removably disposed in said smoke collecting duct at a position corresponding to said opening in said smoke collecting duct.

3. A roaster apparatus in combination with a smoke collecting and exhausting system, comprising a smoke exhaust passage into which smoke from said cooking apparatus is introduced, and said smoke exhaust passage communicating with said smoke collecting and exhausting system, and a fin being provided in said smoke exhaust passage to divide a stream of said smoke in a uniform manner.

4. A cooking apparatus in combination with a smoke collecting and exhausting system, comprising a smoke exhaust passage into which smoke from said cooking apparatus is introduced, and said smoke exhaust passage communicating with said smoke collecting and exhausting system, and at least a portion of said smoke exhaust passage includes a curved surface.

5. A cooking apparatus in combination with a smoke collecting and exhausting system, comprising a smoke exhaust passage into which smoke from said cooking apparatus is introduced, and said smoke exhaust passage communicating with said smoke collecting and exhausting system, and burners being disposed in two opposing burner chambers under a net-like plate on which food such as meat and sea food are placed, a gap being provided in said burner chambers to pass combustion air therethrogh and an opening being provided in said burner chambers to direct flames from said burners toward each other.

6. A cooking apparatus in combination with a smoke collecting and exhausting system, comprising a smoke exhaust passage into which smoke from said cooking apparatus is introduced, and said smoke exhaust passage communicating with said smoke collecting and exhausting system, and at least one burner being disposed in a burner chamber under a net-like plate, on which food such as meat and sea food is placed, and a raised wall being provided to surround said net-like plate.

7. A smoke collecting and exhausting system for a cooking apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. A cooking apparatus in combination with a smoke collecting and exhausting system substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.