Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
WO 2021/195774
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1 ELEVATED COUNTERTOP COOKING APPARATUS, SYNCHRONIZED MULTI-BAY
2
COOKING APPARATUS, AND METHOD FOR SYNCHRONIZED MULTI-BAY COOKING
3 TECHNICAL FIELD
4 [0001] The following relates generally to cooking apparatuses, and more
specifically, to an
elevated countertop cooking apparatus, a synchronized multi-bay cooking
apparatus, and a
6 method for synchronized multi-bay cooking.
7 BACKGROUND
8 [0002] Countertop cooking apparatuses are useful devices to cook food
items without having to
9 engage large, energy expensive, apparatuses like full ovens. Countertop
cooking apparatuses
are generally portable and more energy efficient, especially for cooking
smaller food items.
11 However, in many kitchens and cooking establishments, countertop area is
at a premium, and
12 thus the use of countertop cooking apparatuses may be limited.
Additionally, especially for
13 unexperienced home cooks, timing the cooking processes of multiple
cooking apparatuses,
14 each having a separate foodstuff, can be very challenging: and often
results in food finishing at
suboptimal times.
16 SUMMARY
17 [0003] In an aspect, there is provided a cooking apparatus for cooking
food items, the cooking
18 apparatus dimensioned to be placed on a kitchen countertop, the cooking
apparatus
19 comprising: a housing comprising a top side, a bottom side, a front
side, a rear side, a first
elevated side, and a second elevated side; a plurality of cooking compartments
each defining a
21 cooking cavity and comprising a heating element, each cooking
compartment defining an
22 opening to the cooking cavity for receiving one or more of the food
items to be cooked by the
23 respective heating element, the respective openings of the cooking
compartments are vertically
24 spaced along the front side in a stacked arrangement and a cooking
control to control operation
of the cooking compartments.
26 [0004] In a particular case, the area of the bottom side is less than
the area of the front side.
27 [0005] In another case, the bottom side is equal to or less than half
the area of the front side.
28 [0006] In yet another case, a door is affixed to each opening to
restrict access to the cooking
29 compartment
[0007] In yet another case, each cooking compartment comprises an automated
turntable to
31 rotate food items.
1
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1 [0008] In yet another case, each cooking compartment comprises an urging
mechanism for
2 urging the food item towards the opening.
3 [0009] In yet another case, the heating element comprises at least one of
radiant heating coils,
4 a ceramic heater, a halogen cooking lamp, and a sheath heater.
[0010] In yet another case, each cooking compartment comprises a convection
fan directed to
6 blow air over the heating element or the food item, or both.
7 [0011] In another aspect, there is provided a cooking apparatus for
cooking multiple food items,
8 the cooking apparatus comprising: a housing comprising multiple separate
cooking bays, each
9 cooking bay comprising a compartment with a heating element for cooking
food items; a control
module communicatively linked to each of the cooking bays to receive or
determine a cooking
11 time and cooking temperature for the food item received by the
respective cooking bay; and a
12 coordination module configured to: determine a total cooking time for
each of a plurality of the
13 cooking bays; determine the cooking bay with the longest associated
cooking time; determine
14 an offset of the start of the cooking process for each of the other
cooking bays such that the
cooking times of all the cooking bays end approximately simultaneously; and at
each
16 determined offset, direct the respective cooking bay to start the
cooking process at the cooking
17 temperature.
18 [0012] In a particular case of the cooking apparatus, the cooking times
for each of the cooking
19 bays are received from a user.
[0013] In another case of the cooking apparatus, each of the cooking times can
be determined
21 by retrieving the cooking times from a database of predetermined cooking
times, based on a
22 food item to be cooked in the respective cooking bay and based on a
cooking type for the
23 respective cooking bay.
24 [0014] In yet another case of the cooking apparatus, the cooking times
of the cooking process
comprise time to preheat the cooking bay and time to complete cooking of a
food item in the
26 cooking bay.
27 [0015] In another case of the cooking apparatus, the cooking apparatus
further comprising an
28 output device, and wherein the output device outputs an indication to a
user that preheating has
29 finished for the user to insert the food item into the respective
cooking bay.
[0016] In another case of the cooking apparatus, approximately simultaneously
comprises end
31 times of cooking times of the cooking bays being within one minute of
each other.
2
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1 [0017] In another case of the cooking apparatus, the cooking apparatus
further comprising a
2 temperature probe associated with one or more cooking bays, and wherein
the control module
3 adjusts the cooking time for each cooking bay based on the rate of
increase of temperature of
4 the food item in the respective cooking bay.
[0018] In another aspect, there is provided a method for cooking multiple food
items in a single
6 cooking apparatus comprising multiple cooking bays, the method
comprising: receiving or
7 determining a cooking time and cooking temperature for the food item
received by each
8 respective cooking bay; determining a total cooking time for each of a
plurality of the cooking
9 bays; determining the cooking bay with the longest associated cooking
time; determining an
offset of the start of the cooking process for each of the other cooking bays
such that the
11 cooking times of all the cooking bays end approximately simultaneously;
and at each
12 determined offset, directing the respective cooking bay to start the
cooking process at the
13 cooking temperature.
14 [0019] In a particular case of the method, the method further comprising
receiving the cooking
times for each of the cooking bays from a user.
16 [0020] In another case of the method, the method further comprising
retrieving the cooking
17 times from a database of predetermined cooking times, based on a food
item to be cooked in
18 the respective cooking bay and based on a cooking type for the
respective cooking bay.
19 [0021] In yet another case of the method, the cooking times of the
cooking process comprise
time to preheat the cooking bay and time to complete cooking of a food item in
the cooking bay.
21 [0022] In yet another case of the method, the method further comprising
adjusting the cooking
22 time for each cooking bay based on a rate of increase of temperature of
the food item in the
23 respective cooking bay.
24 [0023] These and other aspects are contemplated and described herein. It
will be appreciated
that the foregoing summary sets out representative aspects of the embodiments
to assist skilled
26 readers in understanding the following detailed description.
27 DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
28 [0024] A greater understanding of the embodiments will be had with
reference to the Figures, in
29 which:
[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates a front perspective view of an embodiment of an
elevated countertop
31 cooking apparatus;
3
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1 [0026] FIG. 2 illustrates a front elevation view of the elevated
countertop cooking apparatus of
2 FIG. 1;
3 [0027] FIG. 3 illustrates a rear elevation view of the elevated
countertop cooking apparatus of
4 FIG. 1;
[0028] FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of the elevated countertop cooking
apparatus of FIG_ 1;
6 [0029] FIGS. 5A to 5G illustrate front elevation views of other
respective embodiments of the
7 elevated countertop cooking apparatus;
8 [0030] FIG. 6A illustrates a front perspective view of an embodiment of
synchronized multi-bay
9 cooking apparatus with cooking bay compartment doors closed;
[0031] FIG. 6B illustrates a front perspective view of the synchronized multi-
bay cooking
11 apparatus of FIG. 6A with cooking bay compartment doors open;
12 [0032] FIG. 7 illustrates a cutaway front perspective view of the
synchronized multi-bay cooking
13 apparatus of FIG. 6A;
14 [0033] FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart for a method for synchronized
multi-bay cooking, in
accordance with an embodiment; and
16 [0034] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a coordination module, in
accordance with the
17 synchronized multi-bay cooking apparatus of FIG. 6A.
18 DETAILED DESCRIPTION
19 [0035] Embodiments will now be described with reference to the figures.
For simplicity and
clarity of illustration, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may
be repeated
21 among the Figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In
addition, numerous
22 specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough
understanding of the embodiments
23 described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary
skill in the art that the
24 embodiments described herein may be practised without these specific
details. In other
instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have not been
described in detail
26 so as not to obscure the embodiments described herein. Also, the
description is not to be
27 considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein.
28 [0036] Various terms used throughout the present description may be read
and understood as
29 follows, unless the context indicates otherwise: "or" as used throughout
is inclusive, as though
written "and/or; singular articles and pronouns as used throughout include
their plural forms,
31 and vice versa; similarly, gendered pronouns include their counterpart
pronouns so that
4
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1 pronouns should not be understood as limiting anything described herein
to use,
2 implementation, performance, etc. by a single gender; "exemplary" should
be understood as
3 "illustrative" or "exemplifying" and not necessarily as "preferred" over
other embodiments.
4 Further definitions for terms may be set out herein; these may apply to
prior and subsequent
instances of those terms, as will be understood from a reading of the present
description.
6 [0037] The following relates generally to cooking apparatuses, and more
specifically, to an
7 elevated countertop cooking apparatus, a synchronized multi-bay cooking
apparatus, and a
8 method for synchronized multi-bay cooking.
9 [0038] The cooking apparatus of the embodiments described herein
advantageously provides
multiple cooking compartments in an elevated arrangement. This arrangement
significantly
11 reduces countertop footprint, while allowing multiple food items to be
cooked simultaneously,
12 and in some cases, independently. In many kitchens and cooking
establishments where
13 countertop area is at a premium, the present embodiments provide a
substantially
14 advantageous solution for applications that require multiple cooking
chambers.
[0039] Turning to FIG. 1, a front perspective view of an embodiment of an
elevated countertop
16 cooking apparatus 100 is illustrated. FIG. 2 illustrates a front
elevation view, FIG. 3 illustrates a
17 rear elevation view, and FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of the elevated
countertop cooking
18 apparatus 100.
19 [0040] The cooking apparatus 100 includes a housing 110 having a front
side 112, a rear side
114, a first elevated side 116, and a second elevated side 118, a top side
120, and a bottom
21 side 122. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4, the bottom side 122 has an
area that is slightly
22 larger than the top side 120 due to tapering as the elevation increases;
however, in further
23 cases, the top side 120 can be the same area, or have a greater area,
than the bottom side 122.
24 In the present embodiments, the area of the bottom side 122 is less than
the area of the front
side 112; as an example, the bottom side 122 can be approximately half the
area of the front
26 side 112, three-quarters the area of the front side 112, or the like. In
this way, the countertop
27 area required by the cooking apparatus 100, defined by the area of the
bottom side 122, is less
28 than the area required to provide multiple cooking compartments, which
are located on the front
29 side 112. The present embodiments can have any suitable width, depth,
and height as long as
the cooking apparatus is dimensioned to be suitably placeable on a kitchen
countertop.
31 [0041] The front side 112 includes multiple cooking compartments 130. In
the embodiments of
32 FIGS. 1 to 4, there are six cooking compartments 130a to 130f,
respectively. The cooking
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1 compartments 130 are arranged in a vertically stacked arrangement, where
each cooking
2 compartment 130 is spaced relative to other cooking compartments 130
along the vertical. In
3 this way, multiple cooking compartments 130 can be included without
increasing the countertop
4 footprint.
[0042] Each cooking compartment 130 includes an opening on the front side 112
for receiving a
6 food item to be cooked, and for retrieving such food item after cooking.
In some cases, a door or
7 flap (not shown) can be affixed to the opening to restrict access to the
cooking compartment
8 130, such as while the food is cooking. The cooking compartments 130, and
by extension the
9 respective openings, can be any suitable size; for example, the
embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4
includes two sizes of cooking compartments 130, a first size of compartments
130a, 130b, 130c,
11 130d, 130e and a larger second size of compartment 130f. In some cases,
the size of the
12 cooking compartments 130, and their respective openings, can be sized
for particular food items
13 to be cooked (for example bread slices) or sized for certain cooking
utensils (for example, an
14 associated baking tray).
[0043] The cooking compartments 130 can have any suitable interior
construction, for example,
16 constructed out of aluminum, stainless steel, or heat resistant polymer.
In some cases, the
17 cooking compartments 130 can include an automated turntable for rotating
food items inside the
18 cavity. In some cases, the cooking compartments 130 can include an
urging mechanism, for
19 example a spring releasable carriage, for urging the food item towards
the opening after the
cooking process has completed.
21 [0044] The cooking compartments 130 can heat and cook food items using
any suitable heating
22 element or heating approach. For example, including radiant heating
coils inside or adjacent to
23 the cooking compartment 130. In further cases, a ceramic heater, halogen
cooking lamp, sheath
24 heater, or the like, can be used. In some cases, a convection fan can be
provided in the cooking
compartment 130 directed to blow air over the heating element and/or the food
items. In some
26 cases, multiple types of heating elements can be used for each cooking
compartment 130.
27 [0045] In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4, each cooking compartment 130
is controlled by a
28 separate cooking control 140a to 140f. Each cooking control 140 controls
the operation of the
29 respective cooking compartment 130, such as operation status, duration,
temperature, and the
like. In some cases, each cooking control 140 can include an output device,
such as LED lights,
31 an LED display, or a touchscreen, to indicate to a user the status, or
aspects, of the cooking
32 process. In some cases, each cooking control 140 can include an input
device, such as buttons
33 or a touchscreen, to allow the user to initiate the cooking process and,
in some cases, control
6
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1 aspects of the cooking process. In further cases, a single cooking
control 140 can control
2 multiple, or all, cooking compartments 130. In further cases, other
cooking controls 140 can be
3 used; for example remote control of the cooking compartments using an app
on a smartphone
4 communicating with a receiver or computing device associated with control
over each, or all, of
the cooking compartments 130.
6 [0046] FIGS. 5A to 5G illustrate front elevation views of other
respective embodiments of the
7 elevated countertop cooking apparatus 500, 510, 520, 530, 540, 550, and
560 respectively. As
8 illustrated, different quantities, types, and configurations of cooking
compartments 130 are
9 contemplated as part of the various embodiments. While the present
embodiments illustrate
between two and eight cooking compartments 130, any suitable quantity of
vertically separated
11 cooking compartments 130 can be used.
12 [0047] In another embodiment, the cooking apparatus with multiple
compartment arrangement
13 advantageously allows the cooking apparatus to provide a compact
arrangement with
14 coordinated and/or synchronized cooking times and/or completion times
for each cooking bay.
Thus, such embodiments, having a single apparatus with multiple cooking bays,
eliminate the
16 substantial difficulty of getting multiple separate cooking devices to
communicate and
17 coordinate with each other effectively.
18 [0001] Turning to FIGS. GA and 6B, front perspective views of an
embodiment of synchronized
19 multi-bay cooking apparatus 1000 are illustrated, shown with cooking bay
compartment doors
closed and open, respectively_ FIG_ 7 illustrates a cutaway view of the
interior of the
21 synchronized multi-bay cooking apparatus 1000 exemplified in FIGS. 6A
and 6B.
22 [0002] The synchronized multi-bay cooking apparatus 1000 includes a
housing 1010 having a
23 front side 1012 with multiple cooking bays 1030; in this embodiment,
there are three cooking
24 bays 1030a, 1030b, 1030c. The cooking bays 1030 are arranged in a
vertically stacked
arrangement, where each cooking bay 1030 is spaced relative to other cooking
bays 1030 along
26 the vertical. In this way, multiple cooking bays 1030 can be included
without increasing the
27 countertop footprint. In further embodiments, the synchronized multi-bay
cooking apparatus
28 1000 can have any suitable number and arrangement of cooking bays.
29 [0003] In the present embodiment of FIGS. 6A and 6B, the area of the
bottom of the housing
1010 is less than the area of the front side 1012, such that the countertop-
area/floorspace
31 required by the synchronized multi-bay cooking apparatus 1000, defined
by the area of the
32 bottom side, is less than the area required to provide multiple cooking
compartments, which are
7
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1 located on the front side 1012. However, any suitable dimensioning of the
synchronized multi-
2 bay cooking apparatus 1000 can be used.
3 [0004] Each cooking bay 1030 includes an opening for receiving a food
item to be cooked, and
4 for retrieving such food item after cooking. In some cases, a door or
flap can be affixed to the
opening to restrict access to the cooking bay 1030, such as while the food is
cooking. The
6 cooking bays 1030, and by extension the respective openings, can be any
suitable size. In
7 some cases, the size of the cooking bays 1030, and their respective
openings, can be sized for
8 particular food items to be cooked (for example bread slices) or sized
for certain cooking
9 utensils (for example, an associated baking tray).
[0005] The cooking bays 1030 can have any suitable interior construction, for
example,
11 constructed out of aluminum, stainless steel, or heat resistant polymer.
In some cases, the
12 cooking bays 1030 can include an automated turntable for rotating food
items inside the cavity.
13 In some cases, the cooking bays 1030 can include an urging mechanism,
for example a spring
14 releasable carriage, for urging the food item towards the opening after
the cooking process has
completed.
16 [0006] The cooking bays 1030 can heat and cook food items using any
suitable heating
17 element or heating approach. For example, including radiant heating
coils inside or adjacent to
18 the cooking bay 1030. In further cases, a ceramic heater, halogen
cooking lamp, sheath heater,
19 or the like, can be used. In some cases, a convection fan can be
provided in the cooking bay
1030 directed to blow air over the heating element and/or the food items. In
some cases,
21 multiple types of heating elements can be used for each cooking bay
1030.
22 [0007] It is contemplated that the synchronized multi-bay cooking
apparatus 1000 can comprise
23 different quantities, types, and configurations of cooking bays 1030 as
part of various
24 embodiments.
[0008] In the embodiment of FIGS. 6A and 6B, each cooking bay 1030 is
controlled by a
26 respective cooking control module 1040a to 1040c; an example of which is
illustrated in greater
27 detail in FIG. 9. Each cooking control module 1040 controls aspects of
operation of the
28 respective cooking bay 1030. Each cooking control module 1040 can
include an output device,
29 for example LED lights, an LED display, LCD display, or a touchscreen,
to indicate to a user the
status, or aspects, of the cooking process. In some cases, each cooking
control 1040 can
31 include an input device, such as buttons or a touchscreen, to receive
input from a user to
32 determine at least some of the aspects of operation. In further cases, a
single cooking control
8
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1 module 1040 can control multiple, or all, cooking bays 1030. In further
cases, other cooking
2 control modules 1040 can be used; for example remote control of the
cooking compartments
3 using an app on a smartphone communicating with a receiver or computing
device associated
4 with control over each, or all, of the cooking bays 1030.
[0009] In an example, the aspects of operation can include cooking type, for
example, bake,
6 roast, broil, toast, and the like. In another example, the aspects of
operation can include
7 temperature of cooking and/or cooking time. In another example, the
aspects of operation can
8 include starting and stopping of the cooking.
9 [0010] In the embodiment of FIGS. 6A and 6B, the synchronized multi-bay
cooking apparatus
1000 includes a coordination module 1042; an example of which is illustrated
in greater detail in
11 FIG. 9. The coordination module 1042 can communicate with the cooking
bays 1030 and be
12 used to synchronize cooking of the separate cooking bays 1030, and in
some cases, to delay
13 the cooking process in one or more of the cooking bays 1030. In further
cases, the coordination
14 module 1042 can be combined with, or part of, one or more of the cooking
control modules
1040. Advantageously, the synchronization can address the substantial problem
for many home
16 and professional cooks of to control multiple different cooking times
and multiple different
17 temperatures in order to produce different cooked products at the same
time.
18 [0011] The coordination module 1042 and the cooking control modules 1040
can comprise any
19 suitable electronic architecture, for example, a central-processing
unit, a microprocessor, a
microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field
programmable gate array
21 (FPGA), or the like. In some cases, a centralized electronic
architecture can execute the
22 functions of each of the cooking control modules 1040 and the
coordination module_ The
23 electronic architecture generally includes an associated data store; for
example, volatile data
24 storage and/or a non-volatile data storage_ During operation, the
modules, and the related data
may be retrieved from the non-volatile storage and placed in volatile storage
to facilitate
26 execution. The modules can communicate with each other, and/or a
centralized architecture
27 and data store, using any suitable communication scheme, interface, or
architecture.
28 [0012] In some cases, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the coordination module
1042, the cooking
29 control modules 1040, or both, can include a user interface that enables
a user to provide input
via an input device, for example, physical buttons or a touchscreen. The user
interface can also
31 output information to output devices to the user, such as a display
and/or speakers. In some
32 cases, the modules 1042, 1040 can include a network interface to permit
communication with
33 other systems, such as a user's smartphone or other computing devices.
9
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1 [0013] Turning to FIG. 8 shown therein is a method 3000 for synchronized
multi-bay cooking,
2 in accordance with an embodiment. At block 3002, the synchronized multi-
bay cooking
3 apparatus 1000 receives aspects of operation of for two or more of the
cooking bays 1030, from
4 each cooking bay's respective control module 1040. The aspects of
operation received include,
at least, cooking time and cooking temperature for each cooking bay 1030.
6 [0014] At block 3004, the coordination module 1042 receives an input from
the user indicating
7 synchronization of the cooking bays 1030 is requested. At block 3006, the
coordination module
8 1042 receives the cooking times and cooking temperature from each of the
control modules
9 1040 which received input from the user. At block 3008, for each of such
cooking bays 1030,
the coordination module 1042 determines a preheating time to reach the
received cooking time
11 using a predetermined reference or database of preheating times. The
coordination module
12 1042 determines a total cooking time by combining the preheating time
with the received
13 cooking time. At block 3010, the coordination module 1042 determines the
cooking bay 1030
14 with the longest associated total cooking time, and starts preheating
that cooking bay first. The
coordination module 1042 subtracts the total cooking time associated with each
other cooking
16 bay 1030 from the longest total cooking time to determine an associated
time offset. Each of the
17 other cooking bays 1030 start preheating after the associated time
offset. In this way, each of
18 the food items in each of the cooking bays 1030 finishes cooking at
approximately or around the
19 same time. An acceptable difference in end times for the cooking bays
can be based on the
preciseness of the user's requirements; for example, in a home setting, having
the cooking bays
21 finish within a minute of each other_ In some cases, each cooking
control 1040 can output an
22 indication to the user when the associated cooking bay 1030 has finished
preheating such that
23 the user can insert the food item into the cooking bay 1030 at that
time.
24 [0015] At block 3012, the cooking control 1040 for each cooking bay 1030
can cease cooking
and the cooking controls 1040 and/or the coordination module 1042 can indicate
to the user that
26 the cooking process has finished such that they can remove their cooked
food items.
27 [0016] In further cases, the cooking bays 1030 can be preheated at the
same time, and
28 accordingly, the total cooking time for each cooking bay 1030 will only
comprise the received
29 cooking time. In these cases, the cooking time for each cooking bay 1030
starts after all the
cooking bays 1030 have preheated.
31 [0017] In further cases, the cooking controls 1040 and/or the
coordination module 1042 can
32 store a database of food items and their associated approximate cooking
times according to a
33 particular preparation or recipe. In this way, the user can input the
cooking item to the cooking
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1 control 1040, in some cases with a preparation and/or doneness, and the
cooking control 1040
2 and/or the coordination module 1042 will look up the associated cooking
temperature and
3 cooking time in the database.
4 [0018] In further cases, the coordination module 1042 can delay the
preheating process, and/or
the cooking time start, by a set delay received as input from the user.
6 [0019] In further cases, the coordination module 1042 can determine the
cooking time using a
7 temperature probe in the food item, and make cooking time adjustments
accordingly. In an
8 example, a food item in one of the cooking bays 1030a can be a chicken
breast that the user
9 inputs they would like to reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit and a food item in
another cooking bay
1030b can be a potato that user inputs they would like to reach 210 degrees
Fahrenheit.
11 Initially, the coordination module 1042 can predict the cooking time for
both items using a
12 database of cooking times for chicken and potato, using a user's
inputted initial cooking time
13 estimate, or using a known temperature rate of change for each cooking
bay 1030. The
14 coordination module 1042 can delay starting of the cooking bay 1030 with
the shorter cooking
time by a time offset as described for the method 3000. As the temperature of
each food item
16 rises, the coordination module 1042 can use the rate of change of each
food item to adjust the
17 prediction for the end of cooking time. The coordination module 1042 can
then reduce or
18 increase the temperature of the respective cooking bay 1030 in order to
slow or increase the
19 rate of temperature rise such that the two food items will arrive at
their desired temperature at
around the same time. This feedback control loop, comprising modifying the
cooking
21 temperatures, can be repeated periodically to ensure that the cooking
times of the cooking bays
22 1030 end at around the same time.
23 [0020] In some cases, a load-balancing module 1050 can be used to ensure
that the total
24 electrical load of the bays do not exceed capacity of an electrical
supply circuit. In an example, if
the multi-bay cooking apparatus 1000 is plugged into a 15-amp circuit, the
load-balancing
26 module 1050 can continuously or periodically measure the amperage draw
from each of heating
27 elements of each cooking bay 1030. When the total amperage draw
approaches the 15-amp
28 limit, for example when it reaches 13 amps, the load-balancing module
1050 instructs the
29 cooking control module 1040 associated with one or more of the cooking
bays 1030 (for
example, to the cooking bay 1030 that is currently drawing the most current)
to turn off or
31 reduce the amount of electrical current used. In some cases, the
coordination module 1042 can
32 adjust the associated cooking time for the load-balanced cooking bays
1040 for the purposes of
33 synchronization.
11
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1 [0021] In some cases, each cooking bay 1030 can include a variable
element control mode,
2 controlled by the coordination module 1042, the respective cooking
control 1040, or both. This
3 variable element control mode allows for programming of different cooking
techniques within
4 each cooking bay 1030. In an example, one or more of the bays can have
two different heat
modes, a baking mode with a top and underside heating element active and a
broil mode with
6 only the top heating element active. In this example, an illustrative
cooking cycle could start in
7 broil mode at 450 F to sear the food for ten minutes, then go to bake
mode at 350 F for forty
8 minutes to slow cook for a longer period of time. In it understood that
other heat modes can be
9 used as appropriate; for example, convection modes, warming modes,
proofing modes, modes
with other selections of heating elements active, and the like. The
coordination module 1042 will
11 take into consideration the time for each mode when coordinating syncing
of the multiple
12 cooking bays 1030.
13 [0022] In some cases, the variable element control mode can be based on
input received from
14 the user with respect to temperature, time, and order of each of the
modes. In other cases,
there can be pre-set modes to be selected by the user, as an example, a
"crispy pizza" pre-set
16 mode that bakes at 450 F for 15 minutes, then only the underside heating
element is active at
17 550 F to crisp up the bottom of the pizza.
18 [0023] Although the foregoing has been described with reference to
certain specific
19 embodiments, various modifications thereto will be apparent to those
skilled in the art without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as outlined in the
appended claims.
12
CA 03139744 2021-11-26
