Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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AUTOMATIC FOOD COOKTNG MACHINE
Related At~plication
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an automatic food cooking
machine.
Background of the Invention '
Heretofore, automatic food cooking machines which
use a continuous conveyor system for carrying food
products, load and unload the food products from the same
end. Such food cookers are disclosed in U.S. Patents
3,499,380; 2,'190,380; and 4,103,606. Such cookers are
unacceptable to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
for cooking food for mass human consumption. The USDA
requires that such food be loaded and removed in separate
locations by separate personnel. Further, USDA
regulations require the food product be protected from
direct exposure to the heat source.
A variety of food cookers have been patented in
which the food product is loaded at one end and ramovc~d
at an apposite or remote end. Such cookers are
illustrated in U.S. Patents 2,238,304; 3,271,178; and
4,188,868. ~aah of these patents disclose a tanking
2g trtacktina wharain the food is placed an a conveyor, passed
avax or through a heaC~,ng element and dapositecl in an and
aantainar. The pxobar~m associated with this type of
cooker is that the food product makes only anc~ pass aver
th4 heat source before exiting the machine, This is
unact~ptabla for the proper preparation of poultry ar . '
other meats requiring a longer cooking time,
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Summary of the Invention
The automatic food cooker of this invention
eliminates or at least mitigates the problems discussed
above by providing a cooker which provides access doors
located at both ends of a cooker and which has a
continuous food product conveyor. The conveyor is
oriented such that food product carriers may be attached
to the conveyor at one end of the cooker and removed at
the other end of the cooker after several rotations of
the conveyor within the cooker to assure the food product
is properly prepared. '
A metal plate extends between the heat source and
the conveyor which carries the food product, The plats
is angled slightly from front to back so as to cause any
drippings from the food product to flow tc a collection
point at one end of the plate. A plurality of
restraining bars may be connected to the cooker to extend
over and adjacent the plate. The restraining bars allow
the use of a thinner or lighter weight metal plate by
minimizing buckling and bending of the plate. Use of a
lighter weight plate is often desirable as heat transfer
through the plate is increased' which would accordingly
reduce energy consumed by the cooker. Vent openings are
formed in the top of the cooker housing near the cooker
doors to allow air to flow into the interior of the
cooker and insure proper functioning of the heating
elements. By locating the vents near tha cooker doors,
steam and heat generated within the cooker during
operation is vented safely away from the user's body when
the doors are opened.
To flavor the food product, a tank containing a
basting sauce is positioned near each end of the cooker
under the conveyor. The conveyor is arranged so that its
carriers enclosed food product are immersed into each
tank with every conveyor rotation. The use of two
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basting tanks enhances the flavor of the food product ar~d
also prevents the food product skin from sticking to the
carriers.
Accordingly, this invention provides a novel
automatic food cooker fn 'which the food product is loaded
and unloaded at separate ends of the cooker.
This invention also provides
an automatic,f~ood cooker having vents formed over the
cooker doors to provide safe ventilation fox the heat and
steam within the cooker. !
The invention also provides a food
cooker having' a lightweight metal plate positioned
between the heat source and food carriers.
Further provided is a food cooker
having restraining bars overlying the metal plate to
minimize buckling of the plate when heated.
This invention will become apparent
upon a reading of the following description taken with '
the accompanying drawings.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the food cooker of . yA~~. _ ,
this invention.
Fig. 2 is a fragmented perspective view of the
unloading end of the cooker.
Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of
Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-
4 of Fig. 3,
Fig. 5 is a fragmented cross-sectional view taken
along line 5-5 of Fig. 3.
Fig. 6 is a fragmented perspective view of the
loading end of the cooker with the doors closed,
Fig, 7 is a fragmented perspective view of the
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uxiload:ing end of the cooker with the doors closed.
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Fig. 8 is a fragmented sectional view of an
alternative cooker embodiment having restraining bars
held over a lightweight plate.
Fig. 9 is a fragmented cross-sectional view taken
along line 9-9 of Fig. 8.
Fig. 10 is an enlarged view of the circled area of
Fig. 8 designated by numeral 90.
Fig. 12 is a fragmented perspective view of 'the
alternative cooker embodiment of Fig. 8.
Fig. 12 is an exploded view of a restraining bar and
bracket.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment
The preferred embodiments herein disclosed are not
intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to
the precise forms disclosed. Rather they are chosen and
described to illustrate 'the principles involved tv enable
others skilled in the art to utilize their 'teachings.
Referring now to Figs . 1-? , automatic food cooker 10
includes a housing 12 having side walls 14, 16 and
interconnecting top and bottom walls 1B, 20. Housing 12
further includes a removable back end wall 22, and a
removable front end wall 2~1. Side walls 14, 16 include
a plurality of panels ar gates 26 removably supported by
channel mambers 28. Houeing 12 includes a 'trough-shaped
a~afon 80 which may ba auppox~ted above the ground ox' :~loax~
by a etandax~d set o~ lag~a or Frame (na~t shaven) .
An endl,c~ss convr~yar 32 axtends about apravkets 31
with9,n housing 12. A ~~arl.as o~ detachable wiry ma:~h ~aac~
carriers 39, are detaehably connected to conveyor runs 33 ,
thxaughavtt the interior aP 'the cooker housing 12. A more
namplete undexatand:lng o~ -the construction and operation
of Conveyor 32 and food product carriers 3~ may be had
upon a reading of U.S. Patent No. 3,A99,380, issue~'l 'to
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Gongwer on March 10, 1978.
A heat source such as gas burners 36 are positioned
within housing 12 and supported adjacently above housing
bottom 20 by brackets 3Z, 35 as illustrated in the Figs.
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4 and 5. Burners 36 are adapted for connection to a
pressurized fuel gas supply (not shown) as is common in
the industry.
A metal plate 38 is positioned above burners 36 and
supported by brackets 40, 41 connected to housing side
walls 14, 16. As illustrated 1n Figs. 3-5, plate 38
substantially spans the width and length of housing 12 to
separate the food products (not shown) contained in food
carriers 34 from the gas flames of burners 36. Plate 38
includes an upwardly angled front end portior. 42 which is
positioned adjacent to a rear edge of food dip tank 44 as
illustrated. Plate 38 is downwardly inclined from its
front end portion 42 toward housing back end wall 22 so
as to cause food drippings to drain toward the back of
cooker 10. A pair of side rails 46 extend the length
plate 38 to strengthen the plate against buckling and
prevent food drippings from running over the sides of the
plate and onto burners 36.
A water conduit 48 having a plurality of small
openings is positioned along each side wall 14, 16 of
housing 12 and supported above plate 38 by brackets 49
attached to frame 29. Water conduits 48 are adapted to
be mutually connected to an external valve and water
source (not shown) by conventional connections. Water is
sprayed from the conduits upon the hot plate 38 during
cooking. This generates steam to moisten the food
product within the cooker.
A pair of food product dip tanks 44, 45 are
positioned beneath the sprockets 31 of food conveyor 32.
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As food carriers 34 are pulled around sprockets 31 the
food products are immersed in a flavored sauce 47
contained in tanks 44, 45. Tank 45 is slidably supported
by brackets 51 on side rails 46 of plate 38 as
illustrated best in Fig. 5 and is removable for cleaning.
Tank 44 is supported upon transverse rods 53 and is also
removable fox cleaning.
A rear door 52 is connected by hinge 54 to housing
back end wall 22 to close food carrier removal opening
23. Door 52 contacts extension plate 63 when in its
closed position of Figs. 3 and T.
Side by side front doors 58 and 60 are connected to
housing side walls 14, l6,respectively by hinges 62, 64
t
to close food carrier loading opening 25. Dc~rs 58 and
60 contact extension plate 61 at top 18 of cooker 10 when
in their closed position of Figs. 3 and 6.
As illustrated in Figs. 6 and Z, cooker top 18 is
inset at each end to provide a vent opening 70 above each
of the doors 52, 58 and 60 when closed.
In operation, with dip tanks 44, 45 filled to an
appropriate level with sauce 47, burners 36 are connected 1
to an appropriate source of fuel (not shown), water
conduits 48 are connected to an appropriate water source
(not shown) and the fuel exiting burners 36 is ignited to
heat plate 38.- As further detailed in U.S.
Patent no. 3,499,380, a plurality of poultry parts or
other food products are loaded into food carriers 34.
The loaded carriers 34 are then attached to conveyor 32
through front opening 25 at end 24 of the cooker as the
conveyor is manually rotated by handle 66.
After attaching all the food carrier to the conveyor
an electric motor (not shown) is actuated to turn
sprockets 31. As the food carriers 34 travel along
conveyor 32 over sprockets 31, the food is dipped in food
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tanks 44, 45 to coat the food with sauce 4Z. By dipping
the food products into sauce at each end of conveyor 32
as shown, the flavor of the food product is enhanced.
Further, the use of the second dip tank 45 coats the food '
product sufficiently to prevent the skin from sticking to
carriers 34 thus enhancing the a~=sthetic quality of the
food product to a consumer and making cleaning of thN
food carriers easier.
After the food product is cooked and the electric
motor is turned off, door 52 is opened and food carriers
34 are removed from the conveyor 32 through opening 23 at
end 22 of cooker 10. The method of attaching and
removing carriers 34 to conveyor 32 is detailed in
U.S. Patent No. 3,499,380. '
During cooking of the food product it should be
understood that doors 52, 58, 60 are normally in the
closed position illustrated in Fig. 3 and are opened only
for checking tha status of the food product, adding sauce
4? to tanks 44, 45 or loading and removing carriers 34.
In this position the internal temperature of the cooker
may be better controlled.
Vent openings ?0 provide the dual functions of
allowing proper ventilation for the heat source and
allowing a safe escape of steam and heat away from the
user when the doors are opened.
If during cooking th~a user desires additional
moisture, a water valve (not shown) may be opened to
spray the heated plate 38 with water to generate steam
within the interior of cooker l0. Excess steam and heat
exits cooker 10 via vent openings ?0. Further any sauce
dripping from the food will contact plate 38 and create
steam to moisten and add flavor to the food product.
Such drippings are confined on plate 38 by side rails 46
and angled end 42.
A second embodiment of the invention is illustrated
in Figs. 8-12. The second embodiment of 'the invention
varies only in the inclusion of restraining bar
assemblies 80 and plate 82 which is used as a replacement
for plate 38 of Figs . 1-? . A.l1 other component parts and
their functions remain constant with 'the first embodiment
and a similar numbering scheme is used wherein a prime
number indicates identical form and function between the
two embodiments. Therefore the basic cooker construction
and operation as previously described need not be
reiterated here.
As illustrated in Figs. 8-12, cooker 10' carries a
thin or lightweight metal plate 82 on brackets 40', 41'.
Thin metal plate 82 is of a generally lighter metal than
plate, 38 of the first embodiment and therefore, exhibits
greater heat transfer characteristics. However, the thin
metal plate 82 under condi tions of high heat found in the
cooker exhibits a greater tendency to wrap and buckle.
Therefore, restraining bar assemblies 80 are included to
span the interior of cooker 10' and ad;Jacently overlie
thin metal plate 82 to restriafi or minimize buckling of
the plate.
As illustrated in Fig. 12, a restraining bar
assembly 80 includes a pair of brackets 84 in facing
2& al:lgnment and a restxain.ing bar 86. Each bracket 84
inaauda.~ a genex'ally u~px~.icdht suppor t 88 and an lever ted
V-shaped arm 89 extending as 1, ll,ua~tra ted from sLtppox~t 88
and cannea ted there to as by welding . As .i 7, l,ua tx~a tad bar,
8E~ ~,s oleo farmed in a general ~.nvex ted V~-~rtaape and
a0 inc~,udas a pair of openings 90 (only one shown) formed
near each longitudinal end. Arms 89 includes a pair of
slots 92 (only one shown) which align with openings 90 in
bar 86. Fasteners 94 traverses slot 92 axed openings 5)U
to secure the bar to the brackets with a nut (not shown).
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Tn use 'the support 88 of a bracket 8.4 is connected
as by welding to each trough 40' , 41' as :illustrated and ,
also to the vertical frame supports 94 of the cooker, A
pair of brackets 84 are connected to the cooker in
alignment and have arms 89 pas:itioned above 'thin metal
plate 82. Bar 86 is connected to brackets 84 by
fasteners 94 as mentioned previously, iBar 86 extends
traversely across and slightly above thin metal plate 82,
Tn the preferred embodiment, as illus~trat~~d, a number of
restraining bar assemblies 80 are used within cooker 10'
spaced along thin metal plate 82. ~
To remove thin metal plate 82 from cooker 01' for
cleaning or replacement, it is necessary to remove bars
86 from brackets 84 as a typically buckled plate will nit
slide under bars 86.
Therefore, use of restraining bar assemblies 80
allows the use of a thinner lighter metal plate which
.improves heat transfer from the heating source. Use of
a thinner metal plate promotes energy conservation and
lower cooking costs by its improved heat transfer
characteristics.
Tt should be understood that the :invention is not
limited to the details above but may be modified within
the scope of the appended claims.
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