Patent ID: 7285755

Claim:
A vertically oriented roller oven for processing food comprising: an oven housing forming an oven cavity, the oven housing having top, bottom, first, second, third and fourth side portions, one or more food product inlet openings, an internal heating portion distinguishably separated by first and second series of centrally disposed vertically aligned and axially displaced rollers and an exit opening each in communication with the oven cavity; first and second backing plates respectively positioned opposite each of the first and second series of centrally disposed vertically aligned and axially displaced rollers to frictionally engage and capture a food product once introduced to the inlet opening(s) of the oven cavity, the frictional engagement causing the food product to descendingly traverse the internal portion of the oven cavity between the plurality of vertically aligned and axially displaced rollers and the respectively positioned first and second backing plates; a conveying means including a continuously linked chain motivated by an electric motor connected to a sprocket mountably affixed to a roller seating bracket and an engagement gear located on an end of at least one vertically aligned and axially displaced roller within the first or second roller series; a first heating zone disposed within the oven cavity and positioned between the first backing plate and the first series of centrally disposed vertically aligned and axially displaced rollers; a second heating zone disposed within the oven cavity and positioned between the second backing plate and the second series of centrally disposed vertically aligned and axially displaced rollers; an exiting path positioned below the first and second heating zones and in communication with the exit opening.