Patent Publication Number: US-10786115-B2

Title: Food service equipment comprising a multiple-pass feeder conveyor and toaster with floating platen to accommodate different food products having different thickness dimensions

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This patent application is a Continuation-in-Part (CIP) of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/585,615 which was filed on May 3, 2017, the priority benefits of which are hereby claimed. 
    
    
     TITLE OF THE INVENTION 
     FOOD SERVICE EQUIPMENT COMPRISING A MULTIPLE-PASS FEEDER CONVEYOR AND TOASTER WITH FLOATING PLATEN TO ACCOMMODATE DIFFERENT FOOD PRODUCTS HAVING DIFFERENT THICKNESS DIMENSIONS 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to food service equipment, and more particularly to a new and improved food service equipment for preparing tortillas or similar food products wherein, in lieu of food preparation personnel having to infeed the food products, to be cooked, toasted, or the like, in an individual or one-by-one manner, the food service equipment of the present invention enables multiple food products to be inserted into the food service equipment in an essentially simultaneous manner whereby the multiple food products will be conducted in a first direction, as may be considered to extend from the rear of the appliance toward the front of the appliance, as a result of the food products being disposed upon the upper run of a first upper endless conveyor belt which is moving in the first direction extending from the rear of the equipment toward the front of the equipment. The upper run of the first upper endless conveyor belt will then feed the multiple food products toward an arcuately configured semi-circular self-return product feeder, which extends transversely across the entire lateral extent of the upper run of the first upper endless conveyor belt, such that the arcuately configured semi-circular self-return product feeder will effectively reverse the direction in which the food products are being conveyed so as to now convey the food products in a second opposite direction, that is, in the direction extending from the front of the equipment toward the rear of the equipment, and into a space or bite defined between the lower run of the first upper endless conveyor belt and the upper run of a second lower endless conveyor belt, wherein the first and second endless conveyor belts comprise synchronized conveyor belts. A first upper heated platen is disposed above the lower run of the first upper endless conveyor belt, while a second lower heated platen is disposed beneath the upper run of the second lower endless conveyor belt, wherein the first and second heated platens effectively impart heat to their respectively associated lower and upper runs of the first and second conveyor belts. The second heated platen is fixed within the equipment, while the first heated platen is movably mounted within the equipment so as to permit the lower run of the first upper endless conveyor, and the first upper heated platen, operatively associated therewith, to move upwardly and downwardly in a floating manner thereby permitting different food products, have different thickness dimensions, to nevertheless be conveyed by the pair of cooperative endless conveyor belts through the equipment. Still yet further, an additional set or sets of endless conveyors may be utilized in conjunction with the aforenoted set of first and second endless conveyors order to extend the operational cycle time by means of which particular food products need to be properly cooked or toasted. All of the sets of endless conveyors are effectively stacked within a vertical array whereby the footprint of the equipment remains small, so as to minimize the workspace required to house the equipment, while simultaneously extending the overall length of the conveyor system as needed. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Traditional food service equipment which prepares, cooks, or toasts various different food products such as, for example, tortillas or the like, for various food establishments, usually require food preparation personnel to feed the food products, to be cooked or toasted, individually, or one at a time, into the equipment. Obviously, this is very inefficient and time consuming, particularly for a fast-food type food establishment where quick, rapid, or shortened cooking or preparation times are required in order to produce the cooked or toasted food products within the shortened service times which effectively define one of the more important at-tractive features or characteristics of fast-food establishments. 
     A need therefore exists in the art for new and improved food service equipment. An additional need exists in the art for new and improved food service equipment which is adapted to prepare, cook, or toast specific food items. A still additional need exists in the art for new and improved food service equipment which is adapted to prepare, cook, or toast tortillas or similar type food items. A yet additional need exists in the art for new and improved food service equipment which can be utilized in various different food establishments. A still yet additional need exists in the art for new and improved food service equipment which can be utilized in various different food establishments, such as, for example, fast food restaurants. A further need exists in the art for new and improved food service equipment which can be utilized in various different food establishments to prepare, cook, or toast different food products which exhibit different thickness dimensions. A yet further need exists in the art for new and improved food service equipment which can be utilized in various different food establishments, such as, for example, fast food restaurants wherein quick turnaround time for cooking or preparing food item orders is a highly sought-after feature or characteristic. A still further need exists in the art for new and improved food service equipment which can be utilized in various different food establishments, such as, for example, fast food restaurants wherein the equipment is very compact yet efficient in providing the cooked food products. A still yet further need exists in the art for new and improved food service equipment which can be utilized in various different food establishments, such as, for example, fast food restaurants wherein the appliance is very compact, efficient in providing the cooked food products, and can be operated by means of a minimum number of food preparation personnel. A yet still further need exists in the art for new and improved food service equipment which can be utilized in various different food establishments, such as, for example, fast food restaurants wherein the equipment is very compact, efficient in providing the cooked food products, can be easily operated by means of a minimum number of food preparation personnel, and can be utilized to prepare, cook, or toast numerous food items substantially simultaneously as opposed to being constrained to process the food items singly, or in a one-by-one fashion. 
     OVERALL OBJECTIVES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     An overall objective of the present invention is to provide new and improved food service equipment. An additional overall objective of the present invention is to provide new and improved food service equipment which is adapted to prepare, cook, or toast specific food items. A still additional overall objective of the present invention is to provide new and improved food service equipment which is adapted to prepare, cook, or toast tortillas or similar type food items. A yet additional overall objective of the present invention is to provide new and improved food service equipment which can be utilized in various different food establishments. A still yet additional overall objective of the present invention is to provide new and improved food service equipment which can be utilized in various different food establishments, such as, for example, fast food restaurants. A further overall objective of the present invention is to provide new and improved food service equipment which can be utilized in various different food establishments to prepare, cook, or toast different food products which exhibit different thickness dimensions. A yet further overall objective of the present invention is to provide new and improved food service equipment which can be utilized in various different food establishments, such as, for example, fast food restaurants, wherein quick turnaround time for cooking or preparing food item orders is a highly sought-after feature or characteristic. A still further overall objective of the present invention is to provide new and improved food service equipment which can be utilized in various different food establishments, such as, for example, fast food restaurants wherein the equipment is very compact yet efficient in providing the cooked food products. A yet still further overall objective of the present invention is to provide new and improved food service equipment which can be utilized in various different food establishments, such as, for example, fast food restaurants wherein the appliance is very compact, efficient in providing the cooked food products, and can be operated by means of a minimum number of food preparation personnel. A still yet further need exists in the art for new and improved food service equipment which can be utilized in various different food establishments, such as, for example, fast food restaurants wherein the equipment is very compact, efficient in providing the cooked food products, can be easily operated by means of a minimum number of food preparation personnel, and can be utilized to prepare, cook, or toast numerous food items substantially simultaneously as opposed to being constrained to process the food items singly, or in a one-by-one fashion. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The foregoing and other objectives are achieved in accordance with the teachings and principles of the present invention through the provision of new and improved food service equipment for preparing tortillas or similar food products wherein, in lieu of food preparation personnel having to infeed the food products, to be cooked, toasted, or the like, in an individual or one-by-one manner, the food service equipment of the present invention enables multiple food products to be inserted into the food service equipment in an essentially simultaneous manner whereby the multiple food products will be conducted in a first direction, as may be considered to extend from the rear of the appliance toward the front of the appliance, upon the upper run of a first upper endless conveyor belt which is moving in the first direction extending from the rear of the equipment toward the front of the equipment. The upper run of the first upper endless conveyor belt will then feed the multiple food products toward an arcuately configured semi-circular self-return product feeder, which extends transversely across the entire lateral extent of the upper run of the first upper endless conveyor belt, such that the arcuately configured semi-circular self-return product feeder will effectively reverse the direction in which the food products are being conveyed so as to now convey the food products in a second opposite direction, that is, in the direction extending from the front of the equipment toward the rear of the equipment, and into a space or bite defined between the lower run of the first upper endless conveyor belt and the upper run of a second lower endless conveyor belt, wherein the first and second endless conveyor belts comprise synchronized conveyor belts. 
     A first heated platen is disposed above the lower run of the first upper endless conveyor belt, while a second heated platen is disposed beneath the upper run of the second lower endless conveyor belt so as to effectively impart heat to their respectively associated lower and upper runs of the first and second conveyor belts. In this manner, as the food products are conveyed in the second direction and pass through the space or bite defined by the cooperating lower run of the first upper conveyor belt and the upper run of the second lower conveyor belt, the food products will be cooked or toasted as desired. The first and second endless conveyor belts then discharge the cooked or toasted food products onto a horizontally oriented finished food product platform from which food preparation personnel can remove the food products in order that the finished food products can be served to diners. It is to be noted that the second lower heated platen, operatively associated with the upper run of the second lower endless conveyor, is fixed within the equipment, while the first heated platen, operatively associated with the lower run of the first upper endless conveyor, is movably mounted within the equipment so as to permit the lower run of the first upper endless conveyor, and the first upper heated platen operatively associated therewith, to move upwardly and downwardly in a floating manner thereby permitting different food products, have different thickness dimensions, to nevertheless be conveyed by the pair of cooperative endless conveyor belts through the equipment. Alternatively, or supplementally, an inclined food product infeed ramp may be operatively associated with the upper run of the first endless conveyor belt so as to feed the multiple food products onto the upper run of the first endless conveyor belt, while still further, an inclined food product discharge ramp may be disposed beneath the second lower endless conveyor belt so as to conduct the cooked and toasted food products onto the finished food product platform. Still yet further, an additional set or sets of end-less conveyors may be utilized in conjunction with the aforenoted set of first and second endless conveyors order to extend the operational cycle time by means of which particular food products need to be properly cooked or toasted. All of the sets of endless conveyors are effectively stacked within a vertical array whereby the footprint of the equipment remains small, so as to minimize the workspace required to house the equipment, while simultaneously extending the overall length of the conveyor system as needed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various other features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of a first embodiment of new and improved food service equipment which has been constructed in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention and which shows the corresponding parts thereof; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the new and improved food service equipment as illustrated within  FIG. 1  and as viewed along the section line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1  so as to illustrate the various operative components of the food service equipment more clearly; 
         FIG. 3  is a front, side, top perspective view of the new and improved food service equipment as illustrated within  FIGS. 1 and 2  and illustrates the various component parts of the food service equipment from a perspective which is different from that which can be obtained from  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view, similar to that of  FIG. 2 , showing, however, a second embodiment of the equipment of the present invention wherein multiple sets of endless conveyors can be arranged within a vertically stacked array such that food products to be cooked can be conveyed along an ex-tended conveyor system while maintaining the footprint of the equipment the same as that of the first embodiment as illustrated within  FIGS. 1-3 ; and 
         FIG. 5  is a detailed view disclosing how the upper and lower heated platens are mounted within the equipment so as to enable the upper heated platen, operatively associated with the lower run of the first upper endless conveyor, to move upwardly and downwardly so as to always cooperate with the upper run of the second lower endless conveyor, and its heated platen, so as to prepare, cook, or toast different food products, having different thickness dimensions, to be conveyed through the equipment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to  FIGS. 1-3  thereof, a first embodiment of new and improved food service equipment is disclosed and is generally indicated by the reference character  100 . More particularly, the new and improved food service equipment  100  has been developed for preparing or cooking or toasting tortillas or similar food products wherein, in lieu of food preparation personnel having to infeed the food products, to be cooked, toasted, or the like, in an individual or one-by-one manner, the food service equipment  100  of the present invention enables multiple food products to be inserted into the food service equipment  100  in an essentially simultaneous manner. More specifically, and as can best be seen or appreciated from  FIG. 3 , the new and improved food service equipment  100  is seen to comprise an upper food product infeed ramp  102  which is oriented at an angle of approximately 45° with respect to the upper run  104  of a first horizontally oriented endless conveyor belt  106 , as can best be seen or appreciated from  FIG. 2 . The upper food product infeed ramp  102  has a plurality of elongated glide members or rails  108  which, again, as can best be seen or appreciated from  FIG. 2 , comprise a plurality of elongated bars which are respectively disposed within a plurality of elongated slots  110  defined within the upper food product infeed ramp  102 , and are disposed parallel to one another, such that the plurality of elongated glide members or rails  108  project outwardly from the plurality of elongated slots  110  and above the upper surface portion of the upper food product infeed ramp  102 . 
     In this manner, when multiple food products are placed upon the upper food product infeed ramp  102 , they will be conducted or conveyed downwardly as a result of effectively sliding or gliding upon or along the plurality of elongated glide members or rails  108  of the food product infeed ramp  102  so as to be deposited onto the upper run  104  of the first horizontally oriented endless conveyor belt  106 . As can also be best seen or appreciated from  FIGS. 2 and 3 , opposite side edge portions  116  of the upper food product infeed ramp  102  are respectively provided with support tabs  116 , only one of which is visible in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , which are adapted to rest upon or be affixed to oppositely disposed upper surface portions  118 , 120  of the equipment housing  122 , and a first horizontally oriented support rod  124 , which extends transversely across the equipment  100  so as to be fixedly connected within oppositely disposed side wall portions  126 ,  128 , as can best be seen in  FIG. 1 , of the equipment housing  122 , is disposed beneath the food product infeed ramp  102  such that the first horizontally oriented support rod  124  can be accommodated within a horizontally oriented, transversely extending slotted portion  130  formed within the undersurface portion of the upper food product infeed ramp  102 . In this manner, the upper food product infeed ramp  102  is properly supported in its inclined position upon the equipment  100 . 
     Continuing further, and as can best be appreciated from  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the lower end portion  132  of the upper food product infeed ramp  102  terminates immediately adjacent to and just above the upper run  104  of the first upper endless conveyor belt  106  which is moving in a first direction D 1  extending from the rear end portion  112  of the equipment  100  toward the front end portion  114  of the equipment  100 . The upper run  104  of the first upper endless conveyor belt  106  will then feed the multiple food products toward an arcuately configured substantially semi-circular self-return product feeder  134  which extends transversely across the entire lateral extent of the upper run  104  of the first upper endless conveyor belt  106  so as to effectively partially surround the left drive roller  136  of the first upper conveyor belt  106 . The arcuately configured, substantially semi-circular self-return product feeder  134  will thus effectively reverse the direction in which the food products are being conveyed so as to now convey the food products in a second opposite direction D 2 , that is, in the direction extending from the front end portion  114  of the equipment  100  toward the rear end portion  112  of the equipment  100 , and into a space or bite  138  defined between the lower run  140  of the first upper endless conveyor belt  106  and the upper run  142  of a second lower endless conveyor belt  144 , wherein the first and second endless conveyor belts  106 , 144  comprise synchronized conveyor belts. It is also to be noted that a food product drive roller  145  is disposed above the terminal end portion of the upper run  104  of the first upper endless conveyor  106  so as to operatively cooperate with the upper run  104  of the first upper endless conveyor  106  in effectively securing the food products upon the upper run  104  of the first upper endless conveyor  106  as the conveyed food products are about to encounter the arcuately configured, substantially semi-circular self-return product feeder  134 . The food product drive roller  145  may be a vertically movable roller mechanism wherein the end portions of the same, not shown, are disposed within vertically oriented, slots, not shown, defined within the side wall portions  126 , 128  of the equipment housing  122  such that the food product drive roller  145  may move upwardly under the biasing force of a food product when the food product pass beneath the same and will move downwardly back toward its disposition in engagement with the upper run  104  of the first upper endless conveyor  10  under gravitational forces. 
     With reference continuing to be made to  FIG. 2 , it is also seen that a first upper heated platen  146  is disposed above the lower run  140  of the first upper endless conveyor belt  106 , while a second lower heated platen  148  is disposed beneath the upper run  142  of the second lower endless conveyor belt  144  so as to effectively impart heat to their respectively associated lower and upper runs of the first and second conveyor belts  106 , 144 . Suitable heating coils or rods  150 , 152  are incorporated within the first and second heated platens  146 , 148  as can best be seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . In this manner, as the food products are conveyed in the second direction D 2  and pass through the space or bite  138  defined between the cooperating lower run  140  of the first upper conveyor belt  106  and the upper run  142  of the second lower conveyor belt  144 , the food products will be cooked or toasted as desired. The first and second endless conveyor belts  106 , 144  will then discharge the cooked or toasted food products onto an inclined food product discharge ramp  154  which is disposed beneath the second lower endless conveyor belt  144  and which is disposed substantially parallel to the inclined food product infeed ramp  102 . 
     Accordingly, the cooked or toasted food products will effectively be conducted or conveyed in a third reversed direction D 3  which extends from the rear end portion  112  of the food service equipment  100  toward the front end portion  114  of the food service equipment  100  or, in other words, in a direction which is substantially parallel to the first direction D 1  along which the uncooked food items were initially conveyed. It is noted that the inclined food product discharge ramp  154 , in a manner similar to the food product infeed ramp  108 , contains a plurality of elongated glide members or rails  156  so as to facilitate the sliding or gliding conveying movement of the finished food products downwardly along the inclined food product discharge ramp  154  and onto a horizontally oriented finished food product platform  158  from which food preparation personnel can remove the food products in order that the finished food products can be served to diners. In a manner similar to the fixation or disposition of the inclined food product infeed ramp  108  within the upper region of the equipment  100 , it is noted that the lower end portion of the inclined food product discharge ramp  154  is provided with a lip member  160  which is adapted to rest upon or be affixed to the finished food product platform  158 , while the upper rear end portion of the second inclined food product discharge ramp  154  is provided with a hooked portion  162 , as can best be seen in  FIG. 2 , which is adapted to be secured around a horizontally oriented, transversely extending support rod  164  which is similar to support rod  124  utilized in conjunction with the upper inclined food pro-duct infeed ramp  102 . 
     It is additionally noted that the first and second, upper and lower heated platens  146 , 148  may be fabricated from any suitable metal, such as, for example, aluminum, while the first and second, upper and lower, endless conveyor belts  106 , 144  may likewise be fabricated from any suitable material, such as, for example, PTFE or polytetrafluoroethylene. Still further, as can best be appreciated as a result of additional reference being made to  FIG. 5 , the second lower heated platen  148  is adapted to be fixedly mounted within the oppositely disposed side walls  118 , 120  of the equipment housing  122  by means of suitable fasteners, such as, for example, a plurality of shoulder bolts  149 , 149 , while electrical connectors  151 , 151  are provided for electrical connection to the heating coils  152  of the second lower heated platen  148 . 
     To the contrary, however, the first upper heated platen  146  is adapted to be movably mounted upon the oppositely disposed side walls  118 , 120  of the equipment housing  122  such that the first upper heated platen  136  is effectively able to move upwardly and downwardly with respect to the equipment housing  122 . More particularly, it is seen that, in a manner similar to the mounting of the second lower heated platen  148  within the oppositely disposed side walls  118 , 120  of the equipment housing  122 , the first upper heated platen  146  is mounted within the oppositely disposed side walls  118 ,  120  of the equipment housing  122  by means of suitable fasteners, such as, for example, shoulder bolts  153 , 153 , only one of which is actually able to be seen in  FIG. 5 , however, it is noted that the shoulder bolts  153 , 153  are adapted to be mounted within vertically oriented slots  155 , 155 . Electrical connectors  157 , 157  are provided for electrical connection to the heating coils  150  of the first upper heated platen  146 , and it is seen that the electrical connectors  157 , 157  pass through vertically oriented slots  159 , 159 . In this manner, when food products, having different thickness dimensions pass between the lower run  140  of the first upper endless conveyor  106 , and the upper run  142  of the second lower endless conveyor  144  as the first upper and second lower conveyors  106 , 144  convey the food products through the food equipment  100  in the direction D 2 , the upper platen  146  is effectively permitted to float upwardly and downwardly so as to in fact accommodate the different food products having different thickness dimensions. 
     It is lastly noted in connection with the embodiment of the equipment as illustrated within  FIGS. 1-3 , and as can best be seen in  FIG. 3 , that a horizontally oriented connecting rod  166  extends transversely across the front end portion of the equipment  100  at an elevation above the upper run  104  of the first upper endless conveyor belt  106 , wherein the oppositely disposed end portions of the connecting rod  166  are fixedly secured within the side wall portions  118 , 120  of the equipment housing  122 . In addition, a plurality of louvers  168  are fixedly mounted within the upper region of a rear wall member  170  of the equipment housing  122  so as to provide exhaust air ventilation for the interior of the equipment  100  whereby heat emitted from the heated platens  146 , 148  and the first and, second upper and lower endless conveyor belts  106 , 144  can be exhausted from the interior portion of the equipment housing  122  to atmosphere. Still yet further, it is also noted that a user interface  172  is provided upon a left front face portion  174  of the equipment housing  122 . The user interface  172  can comprise various different operative controls for operating the equipment  100  such as, for example, the speed of the synchronized upper and lower endless conveyor belts  106 , 144 , the temperature level of the upper and lower heated platens  146 , 148 , and ON and OFF power switch, and the like. A drive motor  176  is illustrated for driving the first and second endless conveyors  106 , 144 , and a power source  178  is illustrated for providing power to the drive motor  176 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , a second embodiment of new and improved service equipment is disclosed and is generally indicated by the reference character  200 . It is to be noted that component parts of the second embodiment food service equipment which correspond to component parts of the first embodiment food service equipment  100  will be provided with corresponding reference numbers except that they will be in the 200 series. More particularly, the significant difference between the first embodiment food service equipment  100  and the second embodiment food service equipment  200  resides in the number of sets of synchronized conveyor belts. More particularly, in some food establishments, and in connection with the cooking or toasting of different food products, the food products need to be exposed to the heat from the heated platens for a greater period of cooking or toasting time than can be achieved by means of the passage of the food products between the lower run of the first upper endless conveyor belt  106  and the upper run of the second lower endless conveyor belt  144 . 
     One might immediately believe that the lengths of the endless conveyors  106 , 144  simply need to be extended, however, increasing the length of the conveyors  106 , 144  requires additional floor space, or additional countertop space, because longer conveyors occupy a larger footprint of floor space. Therefore, in accordance with the principles and teachings of the second embodiment of the present invention, the food service equipment  200  comprises a first upper set of upper and lower endless conveyor belts  206 ,  244 , and a second lower set of upper and lower endless conveyor belts  206 ′,  244 ′ wherein, as can be readily seen from  FIG. 4 , the sets of endless conveyor belts are effectively stacked atop each other in a vertical array. In this manner, the effective footprint of the second embodiment food service equipment  200  remains the same as that of the first embodiment food service equipment  100 , and yet the effective length of the conveyor is effectively tripled as a result of the food products passing between the lower run  240  of the first upper endless conveyor  206  and the upper run  242  of the first lower endless conveyor  244  in the direction D 2  which extends from the front of the equipment  200  to the rear of the equipment  200 , the food products subsequently passing between the lower run  243  of the first lower endless conveyor  244  and the upper run  204 ′ of the second lower endless conveyor  206  in the direction D 3 ′ which extends from the rear of the equipment  200  to the front of the equipment  200 , and lastly as a result of the food pro-ducts passing between the lower run  240 ′ of the second upper endless conveyor belt  206 ′ and the upper run  242 ′ in the direction D 4 ′ which extends from the front of the equipment  200  to the rear of the equipment  200 . Of course, appropriate semi-circular self-return product feeders  234 ,  234 ′, and  234 ″, similar to semi-circular self-return product feeder  134 , are provided in connection with the various conveyors so as to smoothly and efficiently convey the food products between the different upper and lower runs of the conveyors. It is noted still further that in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention, even more additional sets of end-less conveyors can be incorporated within the food service equipment than as illustrated either in accordance with the first embodiment food service equipment  100  or the second food service equipment  200 . 
     Obviously, many variations and modifications of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. 
     NUMBER KEY REFERENCE 
     
         
           100 —Equipment 
           102 —First inclined food product infeed conveyor 
           104 —Upper run of first endless conveyor  106   
           106 —First endless conveyor 
           108 —Glide rails defined within first inclined food product infeed conveyor 
           110 —Slots defined within first inclined product infeed conveyor for accommodating glide rails  108   
           112 —Rear end portion of equipment  100   
           114 —Front end portion of equipment  100   
           116 —Tabs connecting first inclined food product infeed conveyor  102  to side wall portions  118 , 120  of equipment  100   
           118 , 120 —Side wall portions of equipment  100   
           122 —Equipment housing 
           124 —Support rod for first inclined food product infeed conveyor  102   
           126 , 128 —Oppositely disposed side walls of housing  122   
           130 —Slot defined within undersurface of first inclined food product infeed conveyor  102  for accommodating rod  124   
           132 —Lower end edge portion of first inclined food product infeed conveyor  102   
           134 —Self-return product feeder 
           136 —Left drive roller of first upper endless conveyor  106   
           138 —Space or bite defined between the upper and lower endless conveyors  106 , 144   
           140 —Lower run of first endless conveyor  106   
           142 —Upper run of second endless conveyor  144   
           144 —Second endless conveyor 
           145 —Product drive roller operatively associated with upper run  142  of endless conveyor  106   
           146 —First upper platen associated with lower run  140  of endless conveyor  106   
           148 —Second lower platen associated with upper run  142  of endless conveyor  144   
           149 —Shoulder bolt fasteners for second lower heated platen  148   
           150 —Heating coil/rods disposed within first upper platen  146   
           151 —Electrical connectors for heating coils  152  of heated platen  148   
           152 —Heating coil/rods disposed within second lower plate  148   
           153 —Shoulder bolt fasteners for first upper heated platen  146   
           154 —Second inclined food product discharge conveyor 
           155 —Vertically oriented slots for accommodating shoulder bolts  153   
           156 —Rails within second inclined food product discharge conveyor  154   
           157 —Electrical connectors for heating coils  150  of heated platen  146   
           158 —Platform for finished food products 
           159 —Vertically oriented slots for accommodating electrical connectors  157   
           160 —Lower edge portion of second inclined food product discharge conveyor  154   
           162 —Fastening hook of second inclined food product discharge conveyor  154  for accommodating support rod  164   
           164 —Support rod for second inclined food product discharge conveyor  154   
           166 —Horizontally oriented transversely extending connecting rod of equipment  100   
           168 —Ventilation louvers mounted in rear wall  170  of equipment housing  122   
           170 —Rear wall of equipment housing  122   
           172 —User interface 
           174 —Front wall of housing  122   
           176 —Drive motor for the upper and lower endless conveyors  106 , 144   
           178 —Power source for drive motor  176   
           200 —Second embodiment new food service equipment 
           204 —Upper run of first upper endless conveyor  206   
           206 —First upper endless conveyor of first set of endless conveyors 
           206 ′—Second upper endless conveyor of second set of endless conveyors 
           234 —Self-return product feeder 
           234 ′—Self-return product feeder 
           234 ″—Self-return product feeder 
           240 —Lower run of first upper endless conveyor  206   
           240 ′—Lower run of second upper endless conveyor  206 ′ 
           242 —Upper run of first lower endless conveyor  244   
           242 ′—Upper run of second lower endless conveyor  244 ′ 
           243 —Lower run of first lower endless conveyor  244   
           243 ′—Lower run of second lower endless conveyor  244 ′ 
           244 —First lower endless conveyor of first set of endless conveyors 
           244 ′—Second lower endless conveyor of second set of endless conveyors