Patent ID: 8087407

Claim:
A conveyor oven for cooking food product, the conveyor oven comprising: a tunnel; a conveyor extending into and movable within the tunnel to convey food product within the tunnel; a heating element operable to generate heat to be provided to the tunnel; a fan operable to move air in the tunnel; a sensor positioned to detect at least one of a temperature within the oven and the presence of food product upon the conveyor; and a controller that controls at least one of the fan, the heating element, and the conveyor, and changes operation of the oven to an energy saving mode, in which the fan moves air in the tunnel at a reduced speed, in response to (i) detection of the absence of food product in the tunnel based at least in part upon operation of the sensor and (ii) passage of a period of time indicating the absence of food product from the tunnel wherein in the energy saving mode the controller changes operation of the heating elements to generate heat to be provided to the tunnel at a reduced level of intensity while substantially maintaining a cooking temperature of the oven.