Foods and beverages: apparatus – Cooking – With drip segregating – receiving or directing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-20
2003-01-07
Alexander, Reginald L. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Cooking
With drip segregating, receiving or directing
C099S444000, C099S400000, C099S401000, C099S447000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06502504
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an apparatus for preparing food, such as a grilling or baking device, comprising a device for heating the air and optionally a grill. Above the unit for heating air, hollow profiles are arranged which can be flowed through by a coolant and whose upper sides are provided with a groove-like arrangement and form run-off grooves for the juices of the food being prepared.
In previously known apparatuses of this kind, the coolant flowing through the hollow profiles, which helps avoid any overheating and the resulting charring of the juices of the food, is either not moved, as a result of which only a low cooling effect is obtained, or there is a forced movement by the hollow profiles which depends on an external energy source such as a battery-operated coolant pump. The latter leads to the consequence that the preparing apparatus will only function correctly when suitable batteries or at least a mains connection are available. Moreover, the installation of a coolant pump leads to additional efforts in production and maintenance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus of the kind mentioned above in which a forced movement of the coolant can be realized without any external energy source.
This is achieved in accordance with the invention in that the hollow space within the hollow profiles are formed by at least one, preferably two, chamber(s) which extend continuously in the longitudinal direction of the hollow profiles, whereby the chamber(s) are or can be flowed through by a coolant by means of at least one apparatus to form a coolant flow by using a pressure difference produced in the preparing apparatus.
In this way one or several chambers of the hollow profiles can be flowed through by the coolant without requiring any dependence on any external energy source. The production and maintenance of an apparatus in accordance with the invention is also simplified by the fact that a coolant moving apparatus which is operated by an external energy source can be omitted. The apparatus for forming the coolant flow produces a coolant movement by way of a pressure difference which is produced for example as a result of combustion, a difference in height, difference in density or the like, so that the energies converted in the preparing apparatus for heating for example are used not only for heating the food to be prepared.
A particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention provides that the coolant is a gas, preferably air. As a result, the air sucked in from the ambient environment can be used as a coolant.
A particularly efficient apparatus for forming a coolant flow can be achieved according to a variant of the invention by a suction draft apparatus which allows a relatively strong coolant movement.
It may be provided for in a further embodiment of the invention that the suction draft apparatus is formed by a suction opening of the heating device, that the chamber, or one thereof, of the hollow profiles is in connection at a face-side end with the suction opening via a connecting conduit, and that the opposite other face side of the chamber(s) is open.
Every heating device produces an air movement by the heat emitted by the same. Particularly the suction draft produced during combustion, produces an air flow towards the source of combustion. This suction effect produced during the combustion can therefore also be used for the suction draft effect through the hollow profiles. Moreover, during the supply of a gaseous fuel, the negative pressure produced around the fuel flow can be applied to the coolant movement.
It may be provided in a further embodiment of the invention that the heating device consists of several, preferably rod-shaped gas burners whose gas supply lines extend through the associated connecting conduits, with the air suction opening being disposed within the connecting conduit in the gas supply line.
The gas burners allow a planar heating of the food to be prepared without producing any disturbing combustion exhaust gases.
The gas burner can be provided with gas outlet nozzles which are spaced from one another along the length of the burner, so that gas combustion is obtained which is evenly distributed over the length of the gas burner and an even heating of the food to be prepared is achieved.
In order to prevent any dripping of juices from the food to be prepared onto the gas burner, it can be provided in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention that the rod-shaped gas burners extend parallel to the hollow profiles.
It can be provided according to a further variant of the invention that the suction draft apparatus is formed by an upwardly extending (in the used position) chimney-like flue conduit, that the chambers, or one thereof, of the hollow profiles are connected with the flue conduit at their face-sided end, which flue conduit is open at its upper end, and that the opposite other face-sided end of the chamber(s) is open.
In this way it is possible to use the difference in height between the air inlet position at the hollow profile ends and the upper end of the flue conduit in order to produce a respective suction draft effect on the air flowing through the hollow profiles.
In order to provide a further increase in the flue draft it may be provided according to a further embodiment of the invention that the chimney-like flue conduit is provided with laterally provided air inlet slots. In this way, the warm air of low density which rises from the heating device can enter the flue conduit and reinforce the suction draft acting on the air flowing through the hollow profile chambers.
A preferable further development of the invention provides that the chimney-like flue conduit is provided with a rectangular cross section.
A particularly even distribution of the warm air rising from the heating device can be achieved according to a further variant of the invention in such a way that the hollow profiles, as seen in the used position, are arranged horizontally and the run-off grooves are arranged inclined against the horizontal.
In can be provided for in a further embodiment of the invention that the chamber(s) is or are additionally connected with an apparatus for forced cooling, e.g. an air fan, a coolant pump, or the like. A forced cooling can be achieved in addition to the coolant flow produced by the pressure difference, which forced cooling can be activated in the case of insufficient cooling performance.
Hollow profiles which are easy to produce in a constructional sense and are used to connect with the suction draft apparatus can be achieved in such a way that the two chambers are provided with a superimposed arrangement.
According to a further variant of the invention it can be provided that the heating device is formed by a combustion chamber for filling with charcoal and the suction opening by an air supply opening for the primary air supply into the combustion chamber for the combustion of the charcoal.
The air sucked in from the outside during the combustion of the charcoal flows first through the hollow profiles and thus achieves a measurable reduction in the temperature of the food to be prepared.
The invention relates further to an apparatus for preparing food such as a grilling or baking device, comprising a device for heating air and optionally a grill. Above the device for heating the air several run-off grooves for the juices of the food being prepared are arranged at a distance from one another and preferably in one plane.
Run-off grooves for devices such as grills and baking ovens have long been used to collect the juices of food being prepared and to discharge the same so as to prevent them from reaching the heating device and burning there, as otherwise the vapors produced during the combustion could contaminate the food being prepared with carcinogenic substances.
The run-off grooves are located directly above the heating device and therefore require additional cooling since the juices running off on the grooves could
Alexander Reginald L.
Feiereisen Henry M.
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