MXPA99004869A - Blown air distributor for a convection oven - Google Patents

Abstract

The blown air distributor (34) is suitable for use with a convection oven (2) of the type comprising a baking chamber (6) and a convection system including a blower (30) to draw air from the baking chamber (6), a source of heat (82) to heat the air drawn from the baking chamber (6) and a plenum (32) in open communication and downstream from the blower (30) to recirculate heated air into the baking chamber (6). The blown air distributor (34) is characterized in that it comprises a plurality of finger ducts (42) mounted in parallel on a single plate (36) removable from the baking chamber (6). Each finger duct (42) has an air inlet (44) to receive the heated air from the plenum (32) and a plurality of air outlets (38) to dispense the heated air in the baking chamber (6). The single plate (36) has opposites side edges (39) each slidably receivable in a guide way (37) provided on a corresponding side wall (16) of the baking chamber (6). The single plate (36) is also provided with a plurality of air inlets (40) to receive the air from the baking chamber (6) and drawn by the blower (30). The blown air distributor, thanks to the fact that all the finger ducts are mounted on a single plate slidable into the baking chamber, is very easy and rapid to install without mixing up the respective emplacement of each finger ducts in the baking chamber. It is also very simple to dismount for cleaning up.

Description

BLOWED AIR DISTRIBUTOR FOR A CONVECTION OVEN FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improved blown air distributor suitable for use with a convection oven that cooks food by shock or incidence.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Incidence ovens for food are mainly used in fast food restaurants to quickly cook foods such as pizzas, precooked foods, seafood soufflé, cookie baking, etc., by air currents that impinge on the surface of the food. the food products. An example of an incubator for food of the prior art is described by way of example in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,584,237 in the name of the applicant; 5,423,248; 4,965,435; 4,462,383; and 4,753,215. There is also the reference EP-0286759, which discloses a convection oven comprising a plurality of branched ducts mounted in parallel in the oven cooking chamber. Each of the branched ducts has an air inlet to receive the hot air coming from a chamber of P1328 / 99 X distribution and a plurality of air outlets to distribute the heating air in the cooking chamber. Most of the prior art food-grade ovens comprises branched ducts mounted in the oven cabinet above and below a conveyor to form hot and forced air streams, which are directed towards the product on the conveyor. In general, branched ducts quickly get dirty or incrusted and should be cleaned regularly. In the prior art, the branched ducts are independent of each other, so that they are assembled or disassembled one by one by sliding each of these on the guide rails adapted to receive the corresponding branched duct. As can be easily understood, the cleaning of all branched ducts is a time-consuming and expensive task because each of these branched ducts has to be removed, cleaned and placed back in the furnace, one after the other. In addition, often branched ducts are not repositioned in their own place, causing improper cooking of the products. There is thus the present need for an incubating convection oven provided with branched ducts which can be easily and quickly disassembled from the furnace or installed therein.

P1328 / 99MX Another drawback frequently encountered with the elongated ramified ducts of the incineration ovens for foods of the prior art is that the hot air exiting the distribution chamber and being forced towards each branched duct moves directly towards the opposite end of the branched duct, due to its high speed and causes the food to be cooked unevenly. Attempts to solve this problem by using baffles mounted inside the branched duct in order to spread the incoming air flow therein have been proposed in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,462,383 and 5,423,248. However, the design of the deflectors proposed in the prior art documents have not shown satisfactory results and often do not provide uniform firing between the product of the front portion of the conveyor and the rear portion. Thus, there is also a need for an incidence convection oven consistently showing uniform cooking throughout the oven.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to propose a blown air distributor suitable for use with a convection oven that satisfies the aforementioned need P1328 / 99MX to have branched ducts that can be disassembled easily or quickly from the furnace or installed in it. Another object of a preferred embodiment of the invention is to provide a blown air distributor for a convection oven which shows a very good distribution of hot air throughout the cooking chamber. A further object of a preferred embodiment of the invention is to provide a convection oven that is very economical in terms of the energy required for its operation or operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The blown air distributor according to the present invention is suitable for use with a convection oven of the type comprising a cooking chamber and a convection system including a blower for sucking air from the cooking chamber , a source of heat for heating the air sucked from the cooking chamber and a distribution chamber in open communication and downstream of the blower to recirculate the hot air to the cooking chamber, the blown air distributor comprises: - a plurality of branched ducts, mounted in parallel in the cooking chamber, each branched duct has an air inlet to receive the P1328 / 99Mr hot air from the distribution chamber and a plurality of air outlets to dispense or distribute hot air in the cooking chamber: the blown air distributor is characterized by: - the branched ducts are mounted on a single removable plate of the cooking chamber; and - the single plate has opposite side edges, each can be slidably received in a guide or slider provided in the corresponding side wall of the cooking chamber, the single plate is also provided with a plurality of air inlets for receiving the air coming from the cooking chamber and sucked by the blower, thus providing a communication between the cooking chamber and the blower. A convection oven may advantageously be provided with only a blown air distributor, in accordance with the present invention or, preferably with two, one for installation on the food to be cooked and the other for installation under the food . According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the blown air distributor is characterized in that it comprises an adjustable baffle in each branched duct to control the hot air flow therein. Preferably, each P1328 / 99 X one of the adjustable baffles comprises an inclined baffle wall having two opposite lateral edges secured to a corresponding side wall of the branched duct. The baffle wall has a rear end that extends toward the entrance of the branched duct and a front end that extends toward a front end wall of the branched duct. A controllable plate having an end hinged to the rear or rear end of the baffle wall is provided. This controllable plate can be pivoted between a downward position, where the majority of the heated air received through the inlet of the branched duct goes towards the wall of the forward end of the branched duct, and an upward position, where most of the of the hot air received through the inlets of the branched duct is generally directed below the baffle wall. The plate can be controllable by means of an operating handle mounted on an external surface of the branched duct and operatively connected to the controllable plate for pivoting the plate between the down position and the up position. Another object of the present invention is also to propose a combination of a blower distributor with a convection oven as described P1328 / 99MX above. According to a preferred embodiment of said combination, the convection oven is characterized in that it comprises an aerodynamically shaped duct defining the oven distribution chamber. The aerodynamically shaped duct has an entrance in open communication with the blower and an exit in open communication with the entrance of each of the branched ducts. As can be appreciated, the blown air distributor according to the present invention, thanks to the fact that all the branched ducts are mounted on a single plate that can slide in the cooking chamber, it is very easy and quick to install without mistake the placement or respective location of each of the branched ducts in the cooking chamber. It is also very simple to disassemble it for cleaning. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention comprising an adjustable baffle within the branched ducts, the blown air dispenser allows the user to easily and quickly adjust the degree of cooking required in the cooking chamber. The baffle can be adjusted to obtain uniform cooking throughout the cooking chamber or it can also be adjusted to obtain different degrees of cooking. A non-restrictive description of a P1328 / 99MX preferred mode will be provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a front perspective view of an incident convection oven incorporating two blown air distributors, in accordance with the invention; Figure 2a is a cross-sectional view of the furnace of Figure 1 taken along line II-II where the legs and conveyor have been removed, showing a blown air distributor mounted above the conveyor and another distributor of blown air mounted below the conveyor and also shows the flow path of the circulating air in the furnace; Figure 2b is an enlarged partial view of Figure 2a showing an adjustable baffle; Figure 3 is a rear perspective view of the furnace of Figure 1, where the rear panel and legs have been removed, showing the shape of the distribution chamber; Figure 4 is a top view of the furnace of Figure 1 where the top wall has been removed; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the furnace of Figure 1 taken along the line V-V; P1328 / 99MX Figure 6 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a blown air distributor, a branched duct is illustrated which is illustrated after removing the top plate to better observe the adjustable baffle therein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODE Referring to Figure 1, the convection oven (2) for food includes an enclosure (4), also called a cabinet, which defines a cooking chamber (6) best observed in Figures 2 and 5. the mode shown, the oven (2) is supported on legs (8) mounted on wheels (10). It is also intended that the oven suitable for the invention be stackable and not be provided with these legs. The enclosure (4) is delimited by an upper wall (12), a lower wall (14), two opposite side walls (16), a front end wall (18) and a rear end wall (20), as shows in Figure 2a. Two opposite openings (22) through which a conveyor (24) which receives the food to move or move the food to be baked at a certain speed inside the chamber can be provided in the side walls (16). of cooking (6). Advantageously, the oven (2) may comprise an access door (26) for P1328 / 99MX easily load fast-cooking foods, such as precooked meat. Like the incubating convection ovens for foods of the prior art, the oven (2), according to the invention, comprises an air circulation system for circulating air inside the cooking chamber (6). Referring to Figures 2 to 5, the general principle of air circulation in this convection oven (2), which will be explained in more detail hereinafter, is that the oven (2) comprises a blow chamber (28) which finally remains in open communication with the cooking chamber (6) which includes a blower (30), shown in Figure 4, designed to suck air from the cooking chamber (6) where it will be reheated and recirculated. A distribution chamber (32) is generated downstream of the blower (30) which reinjects the high speed hot air back into the cooking chamber (6) by means of the blown air distributors (34) in open communication with the air chamber. distribution (32) and the cooking chamber (6). The arrows in Figures 2 to 5 show the path of air flow in the furnace. Referring more particularly to the Figures 4 to 6, the blown air distributors (34) in accordance with the present invention comprise a P1328 / 99 X plurality of branched ducts (42), mounted in parallel on a single plate (36) that is removable from the cooking chamber (6). Each branched duct (42) has an air inlet (44) to receive the high velocity hot air from the distribution chamber (32) and a plurality of air outlets (38) to distribute the hot air in the air chamber. cooking (6) in the form of jet streams. The single plate (36) of the blown air distributor (34) has opposite lateral edges (39), each of which can be slidably received in a guide or slide (37) provided on the corresponding side wall (16) of the cooking chamber (6). The single plate (36) is also provided with a plurality of air inlets (40) to receive the air coming from the cooking chamber (6) which has been sucked by the blower (30) and, thus, to supply a communication between the blow chamber (28) and the cooking chamber (6). As shown in the preferred embodiment illustrated, with the furnace (2) two blown air distributors (34) can be used, the first (34a) so that it extends practically in parallel in the upper wall (12) above the conveyor (24) for cooking the upper surface of the food and the second (34b) so that it extends practically parallel to the lower wall (14) below the P1328 / 99MX conveyor (24) to cook the lower surface of the food. As can be seen in Figure 5, around a branched duct (42) is defined a passage or suction chamber (46). This suction chamber (46) is in open communication with the cooking chamber (6) by a corresponding set of inlets (40) in the main plate (36). Referring more particularly to Figures 2 to 4, the blowing chamber (28) of the oven mentioned above, is in open communication with the distribution chamber (32) and with the suction chamber (46). The blow chamber (28) includes a blower (30) for sucking air from the cooking chamber (6) and, subsequently, through the suction chamber (46) and into the distribution chamber (32). A heat source (82) is coupled to the blower chamber (28) to heat the air extracted from the cooking chamber (6) prior to recirculation thereto. Preferably, the heat source (82) is a gaseous fuel burner, mounted through the blow chamber (28) and which produces a flame (not shown) inside the blow chamber (28). As illustrated in Figures 2 and 4 the air sucked from the cooking chamber (6) through the suction chamber (46), passes through the chamber of P1328 / 99MX blown (28) to be heated. In this preferred embodiment, the blow chamber (28) extends below the rear end wall (20) of the furnace (2). The distribution chamber (32) of the hot air is generated downstream of the blower (30). Starting from the distribution chamber (32), the hot air is injected back into the cooking chamber (6) by means of the blown air distributors (34), which are in open communication with the chamber of air. cooking (6). Referring to Figure 6, each branched duct (42) comprises a lower side (48) provided with a corresponding set of outlet openings (38) and two opposite side plates (50a, 50b), each of which has an edge (52) secured to the main plate (36). The branched duct (42) further comprises an upper plate (54) received in slidable form between the two side plates (50a, 50b). The branched ducts (42) may be gradually reduced or may have a uniform rectangular cross section according to the preferred embodiment illustrated. The blown air distributors (34a, b) preferably comprise an adjustable baffle means in each branched duct (42) to control the flow of hot air therein.

P1328 / 99MX Referring to Figures 2 and 6, the adjustable baffle means comprises a first adjustable baffle (58) in each branched duct (42) comprising a first inclined deflecting wall (60), mounted within the branched duct (42) and having two opposite side edges (62) secured to the corresponding side plate (50) of the branched duct (42). The baffle wall (60) comprises a rear end (64) extending towards the inlet (44) of the branched duct (42) and a front end (66) separated from the lower side (48) and extending toward the wall of the duct (42). front end (56) of the branched duct (42). The first baffle (58) further comprises an adjustable plate (68) having one end (70) hinged to the rear end (64) of the baffle wall (60), as best seen in Figure 6. This adjustable plate (68) ) can be pivoted between a downward position where the majority of the hot air received through the inlet (44) is directed towards the front end wall (56) of the branched duct (42) and one upward position, in where most of the hot air received through the inlet (44) of the branched duct (42) is generally directed below the first deflecting wall (60). A first operating handle (71) is mounted on the outer surface of a side plate P1328 / 99 X (50) of the branched duct (42). This first operating handle (71) is operatively connected to the first adjustable plate (68) to pivot between its upward position and its downward position. Advantageously, the deflecting means of each branched duct (42) may also be provided with a second deflector comprising a second deflecting wall (74), mounted within the branched duct (42) near the inlet (44) thereof. This second baffle wall (74) has a free end (76) opposite the other end (78) hinged directly to the underside (48) of the branched duct (42). The second baffle wall (74) is pivotable between a closed position, where it closes the entrance (44) of the branched duct (42) and an open position where it extends practically parallel to the lower side (48), in such a way that the inlet (44) of the branched duct (42) is fully open. In this case, a second operating handle (80) is mounted on the outer surface of a side plate (50) of the branched duct (42). This second operative handle (80) is operatively connected to the second baffle wall (74) to pivot the wall between its closed position and its open position. Depending on the food product to be cooked or the required degree of cooking, this second baffle (74) may be more or less open. By P1328 / 99MX example, if someone wants their pizza to have the softer bottom side, the pizza will be cooked with the second baffle (74) almost closed. On the other hand, if someone wants the lower side more crispy, the pizza will be cooked with the second deflecting wall (74) more open.

P1328 / 99MX

Claims (3)

1. NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION Having described the present invention, it is considered as a novelty and, therefore, the content of the following CLAIMS is claimed as property: 1. A blown air distributor for a convection oven of the type comprising a chamber of cooking and a convection system that includes a blower to suck air from the cooking chamber, a heat source to heat the sucked air from the cooking chamber and a distribution chamber in open communication and downstream of the blower, to recirculate the hot air towards the cooking chamber; the blown air distributor comprises: - a plurality of branched ducts mounted in parallel in the cooking chamber, each branched duct has an air inlet for receiving the hot air from the distribution chamber and a plurality of air outlets for distributing the air hot air in the cooking chamber: the distributor of the blown air ducts is characterized in that: - the branched ducts are mounted on a single plate that can be removed from the cooking chamber; and - this single plate has opposite side edges, each can be slidably received in a slide provided in the corresponding wall P1328 / 99MX side of the cooking chamber, the single plate is also provided with a plurality of air inlets to receive the air coming from the cooking chamber and sucked by the blower.
2. 2. A blown air distributor according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises: an adjustable baffle means in each branched duct to control the flow of hot air therein. A blown air distributor according to claim 2, characterized in that each of the adjustable deflecting means comprises: a deflecting wall having two opposite side edges secured to a corresponding side plate of the branched duct, a rear end extending to the entrance of the branched duct and a front end extending towards the front end wall of the branched duct; a controllable plate having an end hinged to the rear end of the baffle wall and pivotable between a downward position, where most of the hot air received through the inlet of the branched duct is directed towards the front end wall of the branched duct, and an upward position, where most of the hot air received through the entrance of the branched duct is directed in general P1328 / 99MX below the baffle wall; and an operating handle mounted on the external surface of the branched duct and operatively connected to the controllable plate for pivoting the plate between the up and down position. A blown air distributor according to claim 3, characterized in that the adjustable deflecting means further comprises: an additional deflecting wall mounted within the branched duct, near the entrance thereto, the additional deflecting wall has a free end opposite to an end articulated to an inner wall of the branched duct and which is pivotable between a closed position, wherein the additional baffle wall closes the entrance to the branched duct, and an open position, wherein the additional baffle wall extends practically parallel to the wall internal of the branched duct, in such a way that the entrance of the branched duct is completely open; - an additional operative handle mounted on the external surface of the branched duct and operably connected to the additional baffle wall to pivot the additional baffle wall between the open position and the closed position. 5. The combination of a convection oven, comprising: a cooking chamber P1328 / 99MX a convection system associated with the cooking chamber and including a blower to suck the air from the cooking chamber; a source of heat to heat the air sucked from the cooking chamber; and a distribution chamber in open and downstream communication of the blower, for recirculating the high velocity hot air to the cooking chamber, with a blown air distributor according to any of claims 1 to 4. 6. The combination according to claim 5, characterized in that the convection oven comprises an aerodynamically shaped duct defining the oven distribution chamber, the aerodynamically shaped duct has an entrance in open communication with the blower and an outlet in open communication with the inlet of the oven. each of the branched ducts.
3. 3. A combination according to claim 6, characterized in that the convection oven comprises a conveyor for supporting the food to be cooked. 8. A combination according to the claim 7, characterized in that the convection oven comprises opposite side walls provided with an opening through which the conveyor passes to move the food to be baked. P1328 / 99MX SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The blown air distributor (34) is suitable for use with a convection oven (2) of the type comprising a cooking chamber (6) and a convection system including a blower (30) for sucking the air from the cooking chamber (6), a heat source (82) for heating the sucked air from the cooking chamber (6) and a distribution chamber (32) in open communication and downstream of the blower ( 30) to recirculate hot air to the cooking chamber (6). The blown air distributor (34) is characterized in that it comprises a plurality of branched ducts (42), mounted in parallel on a single plate (36) that can be removed from the cooking chamber (6). Each branched duct (42) has an air inlet (44) to receive the hot air from the distribution chamber (32) and a plurality of air outlets (38) to distribute the hot air in the cooking chamber (6). ). The single plate (36) has opposite lateral edges (39), each of which can be slidably received in a slide (37) provided in the corresponding side wall (16) of the cooking chamber (6). The single plate (36) is also provided with a plurality of air inlets (40) to receive the air coming from the cooking chamber (6) and which is sucked by the blower (30). P1328 / 99MX Thanks to the fact that all the branched ducts are mounted on a single sliding plate in the cooking chamber, it is very easy and quick installation of the blown air distributor, without confusing the respective location of each of the branched ducts in the cooking chamber. It is also easy to disassemble for cleaning. P1328 / 99MX