Patent Publication Number: US-2016245438-A1

Title: Device for draining liquids and fats from chambers of cooking ovens, particularly ovens for food use

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a device for draining liquids and fats from cooking chambers of ovens, particularly in ovens for food use. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In this specific technical field there is a known way of providing a drainage line for liquids from cooking chambers of ovens, in particular in ovens for food use of the professional type, such a line being suitable for draining liquids and fats generated during cooking, as well as washing liquids used in oven maintenance cycles. 
     During the operation of an oven, cooking liquids and fats are generally deposited in the cooking chamber, these liquids and fats being typically carried along the drainage line of the oven and collected in suitable containers or tanks for proper disposal, thus preventing the discharge of cooking fats into the conventional sewerage system. However, the liquids generated in the process of washing the cooking chamber are generally sent to the sewerage system via the oven drainage line. It is therefore necessary to control the drainage correctly, according to the nature of the liquids generated in the phases of operation and maintenance of the oven, where cooking fats may or may not be present. 
     SUMMARY 
     The main object of the invention is to provide a device for draining liquids and fats from cooking chambers of ovens which is structurally and functionally designed for ease of drainage and cleaning, simplicity of construction at low cost, and efficient maintenance, relative to the known solutions. 
     This object and others which will be more fully apparent below are achieved by means of a drainage device made in accordance with the claims below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other features and advantages of the invention will become clear from the following detailed description of a preferred example of embodiment thereof, illustrated purely for guidance and in a non-limiting way with reference to the attached drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view in front elevation of a device according to the invention, 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the device of  FIG. 1 , 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of a detail of the device of the preceding figures, and 
         FIG. 4  is a partial view on an enlarged scale of a further detail of  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to the aforesaid drawings, the number  1  indicates the whole of a device for draining liquids and fats from a cooking chamber of an oven  2  for food use, made according to the invention, the oven being only partially shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     The number  3  indicates the cooking chamber of the oven, which is shown only partially and schematically, the bottom surface  3   a  of which is provided with an aperture  3   b  connected in fluid communication with the drainage device  1 . 
     The device comprises a three-way pipe element  4 , with a first portion  4   a  of pipe extending between a pair of axially opposed end ports  5   a ,  5   b  and a second portion  4   b  extending as a branch from the portion  4   a , being rotated relative to the latter and carrying an end port  5   c . The pipe element  4  is conveniently T-shaped, with the portions  4   a ,  4   b  placed perpendicularly to one another. 
     The pipe element  4  is also designed to be connected to the drain of the cooking chamber, in which the port  5   a  is connected in a fluid-tight way and in fluid communication with the drainage aperture  3   b  of the cooking chamber, so that all the liquids and fats collected on the bottom  3   a  of the chamber are directed to the drainage via the port  5   a  of the T-shaped pipe. 
     According to a main distinctive feature of the invention, provision is made for the pipe element  4  to be designed for connection to the drain of the cooking chamber with the axial portion  4   a  orientated in the vertical direction of the gravitational flow of liquids from the drainage aperture of the cooking chamber, as clearly shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     The number  6  indicates a two-way valve means, made in the form of an on-off shut-off valve for example, provided on the drainage line downstream of the port  5   b  of the pipe element  4  relative to the axial direction of drainage of the flow. The valve  6  can selectively shut off or free the flow passage through the second port  5   b  of the T-shaped element  4 , and is provided with a valve body delimiting a conduit in which is provided a shutter (not shown) of a conventional type (such as a ball type). Preferably, the valve conduit extends axially between the two opposing end paths or sections  6   a ,  6   b , in vertical alignment with the portion  4   a  of pipe  4 . 
     The shutter can be moved between an operating position in which the flow is shut off between the two paths of the valve means  6  and an inoperative position in which the flow between these paths is allowed, a control rod  8  being associated with the shutter to operate the shutter in angular rotary travel between the two aforesaid positions. An operating member  9  is provided at the free end of the rod  8  for the manual rotation of the rod. 
     A pair of limit microswitches  10   a ,  10   b  are provided on the device, outside the valve body  6 , to interact with the actuator rod  8  at the operative end position (with the valve open) and at the opposite inoperative end position of the shutter (with the valve closed), respectively. 
     In a variant embodiment of the invention, the valve means  6  may be of the power-operated type, or may be made in the form of a solenoid valve. 
     Downstream of its outlet section  6   b , the valve body  6  is connected to a terminal tubular portion  12 , designed to connect the drainage device in fluid communication with a collecting container or tank, indicated by  13 . On the portion  12 , which is also elongated in rectilinear prolongation of the conduit  6  and of the portion  4   a  of the pipe  4 , there is slidably fitted a sleeve formation  14 , the outer shell  14   a  of which can be inserted at least partially and sealingly into a mouth  15  of the tank. The sleeve formation  14  is manually movable (its weight is sufficient to make it descend into the closing position and to keep it there) along the tubular portion  12 , between an inserted position of sealed coupling with the mouth  15  of the tank (acting as a “plug”) and a position of separation from the mouth, for freeing the movement of the tank relative to the drainage device to allow the tank to be emptied. In this position, it should be noted that the tank  13  can be moved transversely relative to the vertical direction without interference with the terminal part of the tubular portion  12 . 
     The operation of the device is as follows. 
     During the operation of the oven, in the execution of the specified cooking cycles, when the cooking fats and liquids are to be drained from the cooking chamber, the valve  6  is made to open so that the liquids and fats flow vertically downwards by gravity and are collected in the tank  13  (and therefore do not enter the portion  4   b  of the T-shaped pipe). 
     In the phases of washing the cooking chamber, however, the valve is made to close, causing the port  5   b  of the T-shaped pipe to be shut off. When the washing liquids (water, detergent and washing residues) have been directed to the drain of the cooking chamber they are then conveyed along the portion  4   b  of the T-shaped pipe, which is conveniently connected to the conventional sewerage system. 
     By actuating the microswitches  10   a ,  10   b  it is also possible to signal the operating state (open or closed, respectively) of the valve to the oven control logic, for the purpose of controlling consent to the drainage of the liquids and fats from the cooking chamber towards the tank or towards the conventional sewerage system. 
     According to another distinctive feature of the invention, the drainage device can be made as a unit which can be handled individually for easy connection to the drain of the oven cooking chamber. In one embodiment, the drainage device is made in the form of a kit of separate parts; in other words, all of its components are supplied loose so that they can be assembled, for example, by the oven installer. 
     Alternatively, the drainage device can be made in an integrated form; in other words, a structure is supplied with the whole drainage system installed, on which the oven is positioned and in which it is simply necessary to make the connections to the oven drain and to the sewerage system. 
     Thus the invention achieves the proposed objects while yielding numerous advantages by comparison with the known solutions. 
     A principal advantage lies in the fact that the device according to the invention provides substantially vertical drainage of the cooking fats, allowing easy cleaning, and making the device less subject to clogging. 
     Another advantage lies in the simplification of construction, which reduces production costs.