Abstract:
A reflector oven has at least two sets of ventilation holes which double as holes for pan and oven support. The oven may be set for use with either a cookie sheet or similar flat sheet or a muffin tin or similarly constructed pan. Placing support rods through on set of holes allows for one pan while placing them through the other set allows for the other pan.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This Application claims priority as a non-provisional perfection of prior filed U.S. application No. 62/195,219, filed Jul. 21, 2015, and incorporates the same by reference in its entirety herein. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to the field of cooking equipment and more particularly relates to a reflector oven used with a radiant heat source, such as a campfire. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The reflector oven is a well-known item of camping equipment. The principle of a reflector oven is simple: collect radiant heat from a source, like a campfire, and reflect it onto a baking surface or food item in the middle of the oven. The collected heat is usually enough, assuming sufficient size of the heat source, to bake food or any other item desired to be heated. Prior art reflector ovens typically have top and bottom panels which primarily collect and direct heat, and some form of rack structure to hold food, or some other item, in the center of the top and bottom panels, thus allowing most efficient cooking and heating. They may or may not have two side panels or a frame to help support the top and bottom panels. 
         [0004]    While adequate for basic purposes, prior art reflector ovens tend to be flimsy, as a concession to the fact they are most used while a person is camping or backpacking and thus have a limited amount of material they can carry. They also feature few parts, for easy construction and to reduce the possibility of part loss. Reflector ovens tend to not be very deep, and thus can only hold small portions of food for cooking. They also tend to not cook evenly, requiring movement of the oven or the food for adequate cooking of the food. The present invention is a reflector oven which addresses these issues. 
         [0005]    A reflector oven represents a departure from the prior art if it allows for a greater height and depth so as to allow greater volumes of food to be cooked and if it provides ventilation holes to foster more even cooking without manipulating the oven itself. Such an oven must still be reasonably easy to carry and feature few parts so that it may be ported, assembled, disassembled, and have disassembled parts easily collected to inhibit loss. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of reflector ovens, a new reflector oven with a more effective structure is provided. As such, the reflector oven&#39;s general purpose is to cook food in a more efficient manner, allowing more food to be cooked in a more even fashion. 
         [0007]    To accomplish these objectives, a reflector oven may comprise top and bottom panels which feature a curved back fin. When assembled the curved back fins of these panels will join, creating more volume in the oven. It may also comprise side panels, which also join with the top and bottom panels, and rods which may hold the panels together and also double as a rack for cooking food. Holes in the side panels may be provided for both the rods and for ventilation. Placement of the holes and choosing which ones to use with the rods may allow for two types of pans to be used in the reflector oven and also still accommodate ventilation. Cut-out handles may be provided in the side panels for easier manipulation of the oven. 
         [0008]    The more important features of the invention have thus been outlined in order that the more detailed description that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may better be appreciated. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter and will form the subject matter of the claims that follow. 
         [0009]    Many objects of this invention will appear from the following description and appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views. 
         [0010]    Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
         [0011]    As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of two embodiments of a reflector oven of the present invention in use. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of one of the embodiments of the reflector oven in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of the reflector oven of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is an alternate front perspective view of the reflector oven of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is the reflector oven of  FIG. 4 , with the cookie sheet removed. 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of the reflector oven of  FIG. 2 , assembled for use with a muffin tin. 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is the reflector oven of  FIG. 6 , with the muffin tin removed. 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is an exploded view of the reflector oven of  FIG. 6 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0020]    With reference now to the drawings, the preferred embodiments of the reflector oven are herein described. It should be noted that the articles “a,” “an,” and “the,” as used in this specification, include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. While the purpose of a reflector oven is primarily to cook food, it is to be understood that any suitable item could be heated within a reflector oven, much like a conventional oven. Therefore, this Specification has used and will continue to use the terms “food” and “cook” for simplicity, but the terms should be understood to include any item suitable for heating in an oven and the action of doing so, respectively. 
         [0021]    With reference to  FIG. 1 , two possible embodiments of a reflector stove are shown in use. The first,  10 , is being use to cook bacon and eggs on a cookie sheet  150  held within the oven. It features hand holes  128  to facilitate grabbing and adjusting the position of the reflector oven. The second,  20 , is being used to bake muffins in a muffin tin  160  and does not have the hand holes. Other than the presence of hand holes  128  and set-up, these ovens are identical in every respect. 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  shows the first oven  10  set-up for using a cookie sheet  150 . The oven features two identical top and bottom panels  120  which interface with two side panels  110 . The interface is through two tabs  122  on each top and bottom panel  120  fitting through provided angled slots  116  ( FIG. 7 ). The placement of the slots  116  corresponds to an angle made with the back fins  124  of the top and bottom panels ( FIG. 3 ) so that the back fins  124  will be roughly vertical when assembled and the top and bottom panels will form an acute angle with each other. The panels are secured together by rods  130  which are slid through one set of vent holes  112 ,  114  ( FIG. 7 ), of the side panels  110  and secured. Any means of securing the rods  130  may be utilized. The preferred embodiment utilizes a hook  132  on one end of the rod  130  and a threaded end  134  on the other. The rod  130  is slid through a hole such that a hook  132  abuts and will not pass through the hole. The threaded end passes through a corresponding hole in the other side panel  110  and is secured by a wingnut  140 . This construction is preferred as it minimizes both the possibility of lost items (such as with using wing nuts  140  on both ends of the rods  130 ) and minimizes the need for tools as wingnuts may be easily hand tightened. Of course, other means are possible, such as using wingnuts on both ends, using a bulbous head or permanently fixed nut or some other obstruction on one end of the rod, or regular nuts on the threaded end. All that is required is that the rods are firmly connected to the oven. 
         [0023]    Rods  130  also form the rack upon which the cooking surface, such as cookie sheet  150 , is placed ( FIGS. 2 and 5 ). As such, the holes for rods  130  are positioned slightly off the center of the side panels  110  as this facilitates central placement of the food. Another useful cooking surface is a muffin tin  160  ( FIGS. 6 and 7 ). The oven of the present invention is designed to accommodate this surface. As seen in the Figures, there are two sets of holes  112 ,  114 . The first set,  112 , is a set of three holes in line to support a flat surface like cookie sheet  150 . The second set,  114 , is a set of two holes, set slightly higher, for use with a muffin tin  160 . When assembled as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 6 , the muffin tin  160  sits on the two rods  130  with the central column of muffin cavities between the rods. This arrangement keeps the muffin tin  160  secure while cooking. 
         [0024]    In use, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the reflector oven is assembled as desired and placed in front of a heat source, such as a campfire. It may then be moved closer or further from the heat source so as to increase or decrease temperature. Hand holes  128  may be provided to facilitate grasping the oven and moving it, but these are not necessary. Ideally, there should be enough mass in the oven to allow the back edges of the side plates  110  to remain cool during use. Heat emanating from the heat source is collected by the oven and concentrated and reflected by the top and bottom plates towards the food. It should also be noted that the oven may be used right-side up or upside-down, depending on the desired location of the food in the oven. 
         [0025]    A metal construction is preferred for the oven, with a particular preference for aluminum alloys as they tend to reflect heat well, are relatively light for their durability and do not conduct heat well through the structure itself. Whatever metal chosen, it should be rigid, durable, reflective, and be slow to transmit heat. The angle θ between the top and bottom panels  120  may be almost any angle so long as it is open enough to gather heat and allow food to be places within the confines of the oven. It must also not be open so much as to not allow heat to escape. As such, both height and depth must be considered. The inventor has found that an angle θ that is 90° or lower is sufficient for most needs. The lower range of the angle would be dependent upon the length of the panels as longer panels would necessarily create a wider opening, regardless of the angle θ chosen. The ultimate size of the oven is variable. It may be made for a standard twelve-cavity muffin pan or an 11×16 inch cookie sheet, as shown in the figures, or it can be made for smaller standard size pans (10×15 or 9×13 inches), including smaller muffin tins, such as a six-cavity tin, or it may be made even smaller using specialized pan sizes. Reducing the size of the oven makes it more useful in a backpacking situation where all equipment must be ported. The oven may also be made larger, for family or large gathering camping scenarios, however added size would tend to require a larger heat source and probably more holes for ventilation and convection. Hinges may be utilized to movably connect pieces together, and thus reduce the number of separate parts necessary to manage during assembly and disassembly while also providing the appropriate interaction between the component parts. 
         [0026]    Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, numerous modifications and variations can be made and still the result will come within the scope of the invention. No limitation with respect to the specific embodiments disclosed herein is intended or should be inferred.