This invention relates to apparatus utilized in food preparation. Such apparatus include, but are not limited to, apparatus utilized in the heating of food products such as bread-type food products, including buns, rolls, croissants, bagels, muffins, and the like, as well as pasta, vegetables, cakes, pastries, and so forth.
Restaurants often heat bread-type food products, referred to hereinafter as bread products, ranging from bread slices to buns, rolls, croissants, bagels, and the like. Such heating may include warming, toasting or browning (also known as a Maillard reaction), and steaming.
At times, it may be desired to process different parts of a food product differently, although the food product is desired to be completed or assembled at the same time. For example, a club-type sandwich typically includes a bun with a top, a center, and a bottom. Such a sandwich often requires the center to be toasted on both sides, while the top and bottom need only be toasted on one side.
Accordingly, there is a need for a heating device that can heat multiple parts of a food product so that all components are heated in substantially the same amount of time.
The following describes an apparatus for and method of heating, also known as heat processing, food products, such as bread-type food products, including buns, rolls, croissants, bagels, muffins, flatbread, pitas, and the like, as well as pasta, vegetables, cakes, pastries, and so forth.
Various embodiments of platens are disclosed that heat one and/or both sides of a food product. Several embodiments include multiple platens. Each platen advantageously comprises one or more heating elements. The heating elements are utilized to heat, including, for example, to heat process, warm, toast or brown (also known as a Maillard reaction), steam, grill, defrost, and/or thaw. The platens are typically planar and may be disposed horizontally, vertically, or a combination thereof. The platens shown in the drawings are not necessarily shown proportional to their actual size. The platens are ideally comprised of a material with good heat transfer properties, such as aluminum, steel, ceramic, and/or other thermally conductive materials, and advantageously have a smooth, non-stick surface. The length, width, and temperature of the platen(s) are selected to provide the desired heating when used in conjunction with one or more conveyors, whose speed may also be variable.
A partially exploded perspective view of a heating device 100 having a platen with a guide is shown in
A conveyor 103 is disposed on each side of the platen 101. Each conveyor 103 advantageously transports one or more food products in the same direction, e.g., vertically downward, along each side of the platen 101 by use of a belt that keeps the platen 101 in contact with the food product as it slides along the platen 101. The food product is static relative to the belt of the conveyor 103, which is dynamic relative to the platen 101. As a result, the heat transfer rate is higher and food sticking is reduced. The conveyors 103 may be conventional conveyors including rollers and wire or silicone belts intended for use in the food industry. The conveyors herein may be components of a single conveyor system, having a single shared conveyor belt among multiple conveyors, or each conveyor may be separate, where each conveyor has its own conveyor belt. The claims and claim limitations should be construed accordingly. Brackets, stands, and electrical connections for the conveyors and platen (not shown) are known in the art.
A side view of the heating device 100 is shown in
A front view of platen 101 with internal heating elements is shown in
A side view of a heating device 500 comprising a pair of vertically disposed platens 501 with a pair of conveyors 503 is shown in
A perspective view of an alternative heating device 700 having a platen is shown in
A side view of an additional embodiment of a heating device 800 has a pair of horizontally disposed platens with four conveyors is shown in
The heating device as set forth herein has many advantages, including heating all sides of the food products as required in the same, or nearly the same, time period. Various embodiments minimize the counter space necessary for the heating device. The conveyors may be optimally used to reduce the size of the heating device. By use of a conveyor belt that keeps the platen in contact with the food product, the food product is static relative to the belt of the conveyor, which is dynamic relative to the platen, the heat transfer rate is higher and food sticking is reduced.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
1519176 | Troger et al. | Dec 1924 | A |
1533075 | Lindemann | Apr 1925 | A |
1538551 | Harris | May 1925 | A |
1551183 | Vollbrecht | Aug 1925 | A |
1617559 | Wolcott | Feb 1927 | A |
1624017 | Shields | Apr 1927 | A |
1746698 | Galer | Feb 1930 | A |
1828542 | Padelford | Oct 1931 | A |
1927786 | Hunter | Sep 1933 | A |
2120829 | Bolling | Jun 1938 | A |
2257351 | Silver | Sep 1941 | A |
2281271 | Cullomer | Apr 1942 | A |
2477814 | MacDonald | Aug 1949 | A |
2529253 | Hoffman et al. | Nov 1950 | A |
2593151 | Johnson | Apr 1952 | A |
2598866 | Warp | Jun 1952 | A |
2643495 | Doering et al. | Jun 1953 | A |
2745363 | Balton | May 1956 | A |
2756459 | Kellner | Jul 1956 | A |
2949869 | Leeuwrik | Aug 1960 | A |
2989932 | Egee et al. | Jun 1961 | A |
3078169 | McCadam | Feb 1963 | A |
3078170 | Leber | Feb 1963 | A |
3107391 | Zebarth et al. | Oct 1963 | A |
3371595 | Peters | Mar 1968 | A |
3456578 | Pinsly | Jul 1969 | A |
3494278 | Chaudoir | Feb 1970 | A |
3517605 | Weiss et al. | Jun 1970 | A |
3587446 | Gardner | Jun 1971 | A |
3611913 | McGinley | Oct 1971 | A |
3646880 | Norris | Mar 1972 | A |
3669007 | Pulici | Jun 1972 | A |
3677171 | Le Van | Jul 1972 | A |
3683793 | Garnett | Aug 1972 | A |
3689276 | Kummer et al. | Sep 1972 | A |
3693452 | McGinley et al. | Sep 1972 | A |
3712207 | McGinley et al. | Jan 1973 | A |
3718487 | Brunner | Feb 1973 | A |
3734740 | Zenos | May 1973 | A |
3739712 | Duning | Jun 1973 | A |
3785276 | Noor | Jan 1974 | A |
3835760 | Rekesius | Sep 1974 | A |
3861289 | Baker et al. | Jan 1975 | A |
3952643 | Wolfelsperger et al. | Apr 1976 | A |
3987718 | Lang-Ree et al. | Oct 1976 | A |
4009775 | Wolfelsperger et al. | Mar 1977 | A |
4126946 | Buffington et al. | Nov 1978 | A |
4164591 | Ahlgren et al. | Aug 1979 | A |
4179985 | Baker et al. | Dec 1979 | A |
4188866 | Baker et al. | Feb 1980 | A |
4189631 | Baker et al. | Feb 1980 | A |
4207810 | Noel | Jun 1980 | A |
4246290 | Haas et al. | Jan 1981 | A |
4254697 | Lang-Ree et al. | Mar 1981 | A |
4261257 | Henderson et al. | Apr 1981 | A |
4266920 | Hayashi et al. | May 1981 | A |
4281594 | Baker et al. | Aug 1981 | A |
4286509 | Miller et al. | Sep 1981 | A |
4444094 | Baker et al. | Apr 1984 | A |
4453457 | Gongwer et al. | Jun 1984 | A |
4455929 | Goudarzi et al. | Jun 1984 | A |
4508025 | Schultz | Apr 1985 | A |
4513656 | Fay | Apr 1985 | A |
4530276 | Miller | Jul 1985 | A |
4535687 | Antpohler | Aug 1985 | A |
4567819 | Adamson | Feb 1986 | A |
4569851 | Schultz | Feb 1986 | A |
4583451 | Kanagy | Apr 1986 | A |
4586430 | Tichy et al. | May 1986 | A |
4664359 | Hertwich | May 1987 | A |
4711166 | Chen | Dec 1987 | A |
4784869 | Bishop | Nov 1988 | A |
4914277 | Guerin et al. | Apr 1990 | A |
5044264 | Forney | Sep 1991 | A |
5048403 | Haas et al. | Sep 1991 | A |
5060561 | Campo | Oct 1991 | A |
5077072 | Sieradzki | Dec 1991 | A |
5088391 | Anderson | Feb 1992 | A |
5172328 | Cahlander et al. | Dec 1992 | A |
5180898 | Alden et al. | Jan 1993 | A |
5189948 | Liebermann | Mar 1993 | A |
5206045 | Stuck | Apr 1993 | A |
5441755 | Haggstrom | Aug 1995 | A |
5481963 | Sesona et al. | Jan 1996 | A |
5588354 | Stuck et al. | Dec 1996 | A |
5673610 | Stuck | Oct 1997 | A |
5687640 | Sala | Nov 1997 | A |
5960704 | March et al. | Oct 1999 | A |
5983785 | Schreiner et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
6153860 | Weng | Nov 2000 | A |
6177654 | Schackmuth | Jan 2001 | B1 |
6192789 | Agcaoili et al. | Feb 2001 | B1 |
6201218 | Chandler et al. | Mar 2001 | B1 |
6223650 | Stuck | May 2001 | B1 |
6267044 | Friel, Sr. | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6281478 | Chandler et al. | Aug 2001 | B2 |
6322832 | Schiffmann | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6367371 | Ni | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6401600 | Schleh | Jun 2002 | B1 |
6558725 | Giraldo et al. | May 2003 | B2 |
6595117 | Jones et al. | Jul 2003 | B1 |
6629493 | Schaible et al. | Oct 2003 | B1 |
6676986 | Huttenbauer, Jr. | Jan 2004 | B1 |
6717111 | Sands et al. | Apr 2004 | B2 |
6789465 | Sands et al. | Sep 2004 | B2 |
6817283 | Jones et al. | Nov 2004 | B2 |
6915734 | Torghele et al. | Jul 2005 | B2 |
6930296 | Chen | Aug 2005 | B2 |
7067769 | Sands et al. | Jun 2006 | B2 |
7285755 | Kingdon et al. | Oct 2007 | B1 |
7297903 | March et al. | Nov 2007 | B1 |
7306444 | Heinzen et al. | Dec 2007 | B2 |
7325483 | Szymanski | Feb 2008 | B2 |
20010001462 | Chandler et al. | May 2001 | A1 |
20030056658 | Jones et al. | Mar 2003 | A1 |
20040009253 | Hayashi et al. | Jan 2004 | A1 |
20040177769 | Kobayashi | Sep 2004 | A1 |
20040211323 | Heinzen et al. | Oct 2004 | A1 |
20050006204 | Behymer et al. | Jan 2005 | A1 |
20050072311 | Szymanski | Apr 2005 | A1 |
20050109216 | Jones et al. | May 2005 | A1 |
20050115418 | Sands et al. | Jun 2005 | A1 |
20050155495 | Nevarez | Jul 2005 | A1 |
20060236872 | Nordberg et al. | Oct 2006 | A1 |
20060246199 | Fletcher | Nov 2006 | A1 |
Entry |
---|
Club Toaster Model CTX-200L Manual, A.J. Antunes & Co., P/N. 1010993, Rev. D 06/09, © McDonald's Corporation. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20100143556 A1 | Jun 2010 | US |