Abstract:
An air flow chamber for cooking or chilling using alternating horizontal air flow has an air heating or cooling apparatus and an air recirculating flow control mechanism for forcing heated or cooled air through an enclosure wherein said air is alternatingly directed horizontally through said enclosure in a first cycle in one horizontal direction and in a second cycle in the opposite direction.

Description:
This is a division of U.S. patent application No. 08/717,554, filed Sep. 23, 1996, U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,845. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an air flow chamber for cooking or chilling using alternating horizontal air flow. More particularly, the present invention especially relates to an oven having an improved air flow system using alternating horizontal air flow. 
     Ovens have been in common use for many years to cook or heat food products with a plurality of heat ducts directing the flow of heated air against the food product. Food products, of course, are generally preferably heated uniformly within the cooking chamber. However, uniform heating remains a problems. Thus, there is a need for an improved oven having a cooking chamber with improved air flow for more even application of heat to food products in the cooking chamber. 
     Examples of U.S. patents directed to apparatus having more uniform heating include U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,141, issued Jul. 24, 1979 to West for “Variable Air Flow Oven;” and U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,043, issued Dec. 3, 1985 to Bratton for “Air Delivery System For An Impingement Food Preparation Oven Including A Conceal Air Deflector.” 
     There remains a need, however, for further improvements in ovens with respect to uniform application of heated air to food products therein. Accordingly, the present invention provides a cooking oven having a cooking chamber for containing food products to be heated, a plenum in which air is heated and an air delivery system providing alternating horizontal air flow through the cooking chamber. Further understanding of the present invention will be had from the following disclosure and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of an alternating horizontal air flow oven of the present invention with the door thereof illustrated in an open position. 
     FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the oven of FIG. 1 taken along line  2 — 2  in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the oven of FIG. 1 taken along line  3 — 3  in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the oven of FIG. 1 taken along line  4 — 4  in FIG.  1  and illustrating horizontal air flow in a first direction. 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional view analogous to FIG. 4 but showing horizontal air flow in a second direction. 
     FIG. 6 is a plan view of the oven of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Now referring to the figures, a preferred embodiment of an alternating horizontal air flow oven of the present invention is shown and indicated generally by the numeral  10 . It will be appreciated that, while the preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown and described herein as an oven, the broad concept of the present invention includes chillers as well as ovens. Oven  10  comprises an enclosure  12  having top and bottom walls  14  and  16 , respectively; front and rear walls  18  and  20 , respectively; and side walls  22  and  24 , respectively. Vertically sliding doors  26  and  27  are provided for access to the interior  28  of enclosure  12 . Positioned on and projecting above top  14  are a pair of housings  30  and  32  which enclose air plenums  34  and  36 . As is described in greater detail below, means for heating and alternating the direction of air flow are provided in plenums  34  and  36  and interior  28  of enclosure  12  to obtain the advantageous heating or cooking of comestibles or other materials within the alternating horizontal air flow of the oven  10  of the present invention. 
     As is best shown in FIGS. 4 to  6 , the interior  28  of enclosure  12  is adapted to contain one or more trucks  42  which are movable through door  26  and  27  and which are adapted to support meat or other comestibles to be heated or cooked within oven  10 . Thus, each truck  42  can have a plurality of shelves  44  and wheels  46  to facilitate transport of trucks  42  into and out of the interior  28  of oven  10 . 
     Interior top wall  48  and interior side walls  50  and  52  are spaced from adjacent top  14  and side walls  22  and  24  to provide air flow as set forth in more detail hereinafter. Interior side walls  50  and  52  have a plurality of apertures  54  therein to allow air flow therethrough. Spacers  56  and  58  support side walls  50  and  52 , respectively, and also have a plurality of apertures  60  therein to allow airflow therethrough. 
     The preferred embodiment of an alternating horizontal air flow oven  10  has a pair of air plenums  34  and  36  which are analogous in construction. Thus, the following description of plenum  34  is also applicable to plenum  36 . 
     Plenum  34  includes an air heating apparatus comprising a heating means  62  for heating air which is then directed by flow control means  64  through appropriate duct work into enclosure  12  to heat the contents therein Heating means  62  includes a steam coil  66 . Steam coil  66  preferably includes steam atomizing nozzles (not shown in the figure) as is conventional in the art. Thus, steam coil  66  can provide dry steam or wet steam as desired. Optionally, other means can be provided to apply heat, for example, a gas burner or electric coils could be substituted for the steam coils of the preferred embodiment shown in the figures. Furthermore, and as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, where the present invention is a chiller, the air heating means  62  will be replaced by a suitable air cooling apparatus, such as air cooling means. Thus, refrigeration coils could be substituted for steam coil  66 . 
     Air flow control means  64  includes dampers  68 ,  70 ,  72  and  74  and recirculating fan  76  driven by belt  78  connected to motor  80 . Dampers  68 ,  70 ,  72  and  74  are connected by a suitable linkage mechanism  82  which selectively opens and closes the dampers as described in further detail below. Thus, dampers  68 ,  70 ,  72  and  74  are pivotally connected at  84 ,  86 ,  88  and  90 , respectively, to respective pivot arms  92 ,  94 ,  96  and  98 . The respective pivot arms are connected by rods  100 ,  102  and  104 . Thus, actuation of control cylinder  106  selectively changes respective dampers between open and closed positions. 
     Plenum  34  also includes exhaust duct  108  and fresh air make up duct  110 . Temperature control dampers  112  and  114  adjust the amount of fresh air make up and exhaust air to control a temperature within oven  10  in a conventional manner. 
     In operation, alternating horizontal air flow oven  10  of the present invention operates in accordance with the following. Oven  10  operates cyclically to alternate air flow horizontally through enclosure  12 . Each cycle may continue for a time ranging from a few seconds to several minutes, depending upon the desired effect. Generally, suitable cycle times are from about one minute to about thirty minutes. However, the exact time of the cycle is dependent upon the temperature of the heating air and the comestible or other material to be heated. 
     Now referring to FIG. 4, the air flow of a first cycle through interior  28  is illustrated therein by arrows  116 . Thus fan  76  operates to draw air upwardly as shown by arrow  118  and rightwardly as viewed in FIG. 4 as indicted by arrow  120  through damper  74  which is in an open position. The heated air then flows downwardly as shown by arrow  122  along side  24  of enclosure  12  and then horizontally leftwardly as viewed in FIG.  4  through apertures  54  in interior side wall  52 . The heated air then proceeds through trucks  42  as indicated by arrows  116  and then through apertures  50  in side wall  52  and upwardly as indicated by arrows  122  and then rightwardly through open damper  70  as indicated by arrow  124  and again upwardly through fan  76  as indicated by arrows  118 . Dampers  68  and  72  are in a closed position while dampers  70  and  74  are in an open position, thus directing the air as indicated. 
     In cycle 2, dampers  68 ,  70 ,  72  and  74  are moved from their respective open and closed positions to respective closed and open positions to redirect the air as shown in FIG.  5 . Thus, and now referring to FIG. 5, air is again drawn upwardly through fan  76  as shown by arrows  124  and leftwardly as shown by arrow  126  through open damper  68  and downwardly as indicated by arrow  128  along the side wall  52  to flow then horizontally as indicated by arrows  130  through apertures  54  in interior side wall  52  through trucks  42  and then through apertures  54  in side wall  52  upwardly as indicated by arrows  132  and then through damper  72  and again upwardly into fan  76 . 
     Thus, in accordance with the present invention, alternating heated air flow is provided through a heating chamber to cook or heat comestibles or other materials therein. Of course, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention is subject to modification and variation within the broad scope of the invention. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein as the present invention is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.