Patent ID: 6376817
Filing Date: 2002-04-23
Classification: A21B,F24C,H05B,Y02B

Abstract:
A compact quick-cooking convection oven for cooking a food product, comprising:(A) a compact housing defining a quick-cooking chamber having a top, a bottom and a support means therebetween and spaced above said chamber bottom for receiving and supporting a food product for cooking, and conduit means for providing gaseous communication outside of said cooking chamber upwardly from said chamber bottom to said chamber top; (B) associated with said cooking chamber, adjacent said chamber top, directing means for directing gas flow from said conduit means downwardly onto a top of the food product on said support means, and, adjacent said chamber bottom, return means for directing the gas flow from said cooking chamber into said conduit means; (C) flow means for causing gas flow from said directing means into said return means and from said return means into said directing means via said conduit means; (D) control means for independently varying without human intervention at least one of the effective volumetric flow rate of the gas flow into said cooking chamber and the temperature of the gas flow into said cooking chamber, without regard to humidity and without human intervention; and (E) cooking means selected from the group consisting of microwave radiant heating, non-microwave radiant heating, convection heating, and combinations thereof; (i) said microwave radiant heating, when present, including at least one microwave radiant heating element selected from the group consisting of: (a) a microwave heating system including a waveguide, a magnetron connected to said waveguide and a microwave antenna centrally disposed beneath said food support and mounted in said waveguide, (b) a microwave heating system including a waveguide, a magnetron connected to said waveguide and at least one Â½&lgr;(free space) slot opening disposed beneath said food support and mounted in said waveguide, and (c) combinations thereof; (ii) said non-microwave radiant heating, when present, including at least one non-microwave radiant heating element selected from the group consisting of: (a) an upper non-microwave radiant heating element disposed adjacent and below said directing means, (b) a lower non-microwave radiant heating element disposed in said return means and distributed along the area below said food support such that at least a portion of the gas entering said return means is initially reheated by one said non-microwave radiant heating element prior to flow under the remainder of said food support, and (c) combinations thereof; (iii) said convection heating, when present, including at least one convection heating element selected from the group consisting of: (a) a convection heating element disposed in said return means; (b) a gas combustion burner disposed below said food support, and (c) combinations thereof.