GB2316291A - Loading rack ovens - Google Patents

Abstract

A rack assembly is provided for use with a rack oven, the rack assembly comprising a first rack insertable into the rack oven 26 to remain in the oven during a baking process, and a second rack, insertable into the rack oven temporarily to mate with the first rack such that products to be baked can readily be transferred from the second rack to the first rack. The invention enables baking to be carried out with greater safety. With known ovens, a single rack has to be removed from the oven after baking, and because it has remained in the oven during the baking process, it is very hot. There is therefore a risk that oven operatives could come into contact with the hot racks and receive burns. With the invention, the products to be baked are transported into the oven, and removed from the oven, on the second rack, which never gets heated to a dangerous temperature.

Description

OVENS. PARTS THEREOF AND METHODS OF BAKING The invention relates to ovens, parts thereof and methods of baking.

The invention relates to ovens, and particularly to ovens known as rack ovens, in which a rack bearing a plurality of products to be baked is inserted into the oven and is then removed from the oven after baking.

The invention provides a rack assembly for use with a rack oven, the rack assembly comprising a first rack insertable into the rack oven to remain in the oven during a baking process, and a second rack insertable into the rack oven temporarily to mate with the first rack such that products to be baked can readily be transferred from the second rack to the first rack.

The invention enables baking to be carried out with greater safety.

With the known ovens, a single rack has to be removed from the oven after baking, and because it has remained in the oven during the baking process, it is very hot. There is therefore a risk that oven operatives or other personnel in the vicinity of the oven can come into contact with the hot racks and receive burns. With the invention, the products to be baked are transported into the oven, and removed from the oven on the second rack, which never gets heated to a dangerous temperature.

The racks may be arranged to support baking trays, the trays being readily transferrable from the second rack to the first rack.

The racks are preferably such that when the first rack is lifted with respect to the second rack, the trays are transferred from the second rack to the first rack.

The first rack may have at least a first pair of spaced apart support members to support a tray extending between the members, the second rack having at least a second pair of spaced apart support members to support a tray between the members, the spacing between the first pair being different to the spacing between the second pair so that when relative upward movement takes place between the pairs, one pair can take over the support of a tray from the other pair.

The second rack may have wheels, rollers or the like, to facilitate movement of the rack into and out of the oven.

The first rack may also have wheels, rollers or the like, to facilitate occasional removal of the first rack from the oven, for example for cleaning, repair or replacement.

The invention includes a rack oven provided with a rack assembly according to the invention.

Preferably the oven is provided with means to lift the first rack with respect to the second rack.

Some known rack ovens already have apparatus to lift the existing racks, for the purpose of rotating the racks during the cooking process, to facilitate even baking. The first rack of the invention can readily be designed to be lifted by the existing lifting apparatus, thus making it possible to apply the benefit of the invention to known ovens, without modification of the ovens themselves.

The invention includes a method of baking using a rack oven, comprising providing a first rack, inserting the first rack into the rack oven, placing a plurality of products to be baked on a second rack, inserting the second rack into the oven temporarily to mate with the first rack, transferring products from the second rack to the first rack, and removing the second rack from the oven.

The invention includes products baked using apparatus according to the invention or using the method of the invention.

By way of example, specific embodiments of the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : Figure 1 is a side view of an embodiment of internal oven rack according to the invention; Figure 2 is an end view of the rack shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan view of the rack shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the rack loaded with baking trays; Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2 but again showing the rack loaded with baking trays; Figure 6 is a side view of an external rack for cooperation with the rack of Figure 1; Figure 7 is an end view of the rack shown in Figure 6; Figure 8 is a plan view of the rack shown in Figure 6; Figures 9 and 10 are views similar to Figures 6 and 7 but showing the external rack loaded with baking trays; Figure 11 is a front view of an embodiment of oven according to the invention; Figure 12 is a plan view of the oven shown in Figure 11, with the top removed to show the racks within the oven; Figures 13A to 13E show five stages in the operation of the racks; and Figures 14 and 15 are views similar to Figures 6 and 7, but showing an alternative embodiment of external rack according to the invention.

The most important part of this embodiment of cooking apparatus according to the invention is the internal rack shown in Figures 1 to 3.

This rack comprises a wheeled base 10 which has a pair of uprights 11, 12, one at each side, and an upper frame 13 interconnecting the uprights.

Each upright 11, 12 supports fourteen spaced apart prongs 15. A pair of spaced apart channel members 16 is mounted on the upper frame 13.

Although the internal rack normally remains within the oven shown in Figures 11 and 12, the rack has to be removed occasionally for cleaning, and this is the reason for the wheels 17 on the base 10. For the same reason a vertical tubular handle 18 is provided.

The prongs 15 are positioned such that each opposite pair of prongs can be used to support a flat generally rectangular baking tray 19 as shown in Figures 4 and 5. The internal rack shown in Figures 1 to 3 is designed to cooperate with an external rack as shown in Figures 6 to 8. This rack also has a wheeled base 20 which supports a tubular framework including four uprights 21. Each pair of front and back uprights 21 support between them fourteen spaced apart rails 22.

The external rack also has a vertical tubular handle 23.

The rack oven shown in Figures 11 and 12 comprises a tall rectangular cabinet 24 having a door 25. The internal cooking compartment 26 of the oven is large enough to receive both racks, in a manner which will be described in detail with reference to Figures 13A to 13E, the internal cooking compartment 26 being illustrated diagrammatically in each of these figures.

In Figure 13A, the internal rack is positioned inside the cabinet 26 and the external rack is positioned outside the cabinet. The external rack can be wheeled into the cabinet to dock or interdigitate with the inner rack, an intermediate engaging position being shown in Figure 13B and the fully engaged position being shown in Figure 13C.

The spacing of the internal rack prongs 15 and the external rack rails 22 is such that each prong 15 is positioned immediately underneath the rails 22 but spaced slightly inwardly therefrom such that baking trays lying on the rails become supported not only by the rails, at the edges of the trays, but also by the prongs, at points spaced slightly from the edges of the trays.

The inner rack can then be lifted slightly by a mechanism (not shown) within the oven, to the intermediate position shown in Figure 13D. Because the prongs 15 are spaced slightly inwardly with respect to the rails 22, the prongs are able to pass upwardly between the rails to take over the entire support function of the baking trays, lifting the baking trays slightly clear of the support rails of the external rack.

In this position, the external rack can then be wheeled back out of the oven. The oven door can then be closed and the internal rack can be lifted to the final position shown in Figure 13E, in which it can be rotated by the lifting mechanism to give even cooking to all the products on the baking trays.

Rack ovens already exist which have a mechanism for raising a single rack from a position in which it rests on the floor of the oven into an upper cooking position. These known mechanisms are also arranged to rotate the racks.

Thus the invention can be put into use with known ovens by modifying the lifting mechanism to provide not only a lower loading position and an upper cooking position, but also an intermediate position in which the two racks can be disengaged. It may for example only be necessary to fit an additional microswitch.

Once cooking is complete, the process can be reversed. The internal rack is first lowered to the intermediate position shown in Figure 13D and then the external rack, which has remained cold, is wheeled into the position shown in Figure 13D. The internal rack is then lowered to its bottom position such that the baking trays once again rest on the support rails of the external rack. The external rack can then be wheeled out of the oven.

Thus the only hot items removed from the oven are the baking trays and the products thereon, and the oven operative is protected from these hot parts by the external rack. The invention thus provides a much safer arrangement.

Furthermore, there is a reduction in heat loss. With the known ovens, a hot rack is removed from the oven after each baking session and the energy that has been used to heat up that rack is then lost to the surroundings. With the invention, although the internal rack is heated up initially, it remains within the oven for future baking sessions and does not have to be reheated.

The external rack is not heated at all.

Figures 14 and 15 show an alternative embodiment of external rack which has seven pairs of vertically spaced side rails 22, instead of fourteen, so that larger products can be accommodated. This external rack would of course be used with a correspondingly designed internal rack having seven pairs of prongs instead of fourteen pairs of prongs.

It will be apparent that many other combinations and size variations may be made, while still employing the basic principle of using mating internal and external racks.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims (12)

1. A rack assembly for use with a rack oven, the rack assembly comprising a first rack insertable into the rack oven to remain in the oven during a baking process, and a second rack insertable into the rack oven temporarily to mate with the first rack such that products to be baked can readily be transferred from the second rack to the first rack.

2. A rack assembly as claimed in Claim 1, in which the racks are arranged to support baking trays, the trays being readily transferrable from the second rack to the first rack.

3. A rack assembly as claimed in Claim 2, in which the racks are such that when the first rack is lifted with respect to the second rack, the trays are transferred from the second rack to the first rack.

4. A rack assembly as claimed in Claim 3, in which the first rack has at least a first pair of spaced apart support members to support a tray extending between the members, the second rack having at least a second pair of spaced apart support members to support a tray between the members, the spacing between the first pair being different to the spacing between the second pair so that when relative upward movement takes place between the pairs, one pair can take over the support of a tray from the other pair.

5. A rack assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the second rack has wheels, rollers or the like, to facilitate movement of the rack into and out of the oven.

6. A rack assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the first rack has wheels, rollers or the like, to facilitate occasional removal of the first rack from the oven, for example for cleaning, repair or replacement.

7. A rack assembly constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. A rack oven provided with a rack assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

9. A rack oven as claimed in Claim 8, provided with means to lift the first rack with respect to the second rack.

10. A method of baking using a rack oven, comprising providing a first rack, inserting the first rack into the rack oven, placing a plurality of products to be baked on a second rack, inserting the second rack into the oven temporarily to mate with the first rack, transferring products from the second rack to the first rack, and removing the second rack from the oven.

11. A method of baking substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. Products baked when using apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, Claim 10 or Claim 11.