Electric heating – Heating devices – Combined with container – enclosure – or support for material...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-01
2002-09-24
Pelham, Joseph (Department: 3742)
Electric heating
Heating devices
Combined with container, enclosure, or support for material...
C219S214000, C222S146500, C126S33700R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06455816
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for warming and controlling the drying of previously baked dough products to retain their originally baked characteristics over time. In particular, the apparatus and method control the moisture in the previously, frozen, baked good, such as a cookie or other baked dough product, to provide a desired drying profile over an increased period of time in order to maintain its originally baked dual texture.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In order for previously baked products to maintain a high quality during display for sale, they have to be handled under precise conditions during their storage. They are usually heated throughout the vast majority of their display period to provide a warmed baked product ready for sale and consumption. This has significant consequences for textural characteristics, including bite and mouthfeel.
Previously baked dough products are displayed for sale in many different ways. Many such products are sold in sealed boxes or bags to retain the moisture content. Such sealed containers, however, result in the equilibration of moisture in the baked products over a period of time. Any moisture gradient that exists after baking is eliminated over time as the moisture migrates from the portion(s) having more moisture to the portions having less. This tends to result in a baked product that is soggy or, at best, uniformly moist and soft, such that it will not have a fresh baked character, i.e., crisp and chewy, after storage for a period of time.
Other previously baked products are sold in a large glass display case that is often open to the air on at least one side. Such displays typically result in significant or even complete loss of moisture from the previously baked product over time, as the moisture evaporates into the air. The products become hard due to the drying out of the moisture. This is particularly true of heated displays, and such heating can occur simply from long-term exposure to incandescent illumination used in many such displays to make the baked products more attractive to the consumer.
Existing devices to simultaneously heat and display baked products using conduction and convection are available for pizzas and operate at temperatures high enough to keep cheese in a soft and at least partially molten form, i.e., from 145° F. to 160° F. Also, many of these conventional heated devices for warming baked products typically dispose these products on a wire rack or a round pizza pan that exactly fits the product. At least some such prior art devices have a thermometer placed near the heat source and use a heat source at the top of the enclosure to directly heat at least the top pizza. Several such devices of this type are sold by Wisco Industries, Inc.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,132,520 discloses an apparatus used to toast bread and buns, which then hot-holds the toasted bread and buns.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,098,529 and 6,159,514 disclose a heated merchandiser for displaying prepared donuts using both hot and cold light sources. The reference discloses that some heating occurs to temperatures of 85° F. to 110° F.
In sum, there is no existing apparatus or method to facilitate the display of a previously baked product that can maintain its fresh baked profile over a period of time to entice the consumer to purchase and consume the product. Despite the difficulties of retaining the fresh baked profile of previously baked products over time, retailers and their customers desire such products. For added convenience, economic reality, and for culinary delight, it is therefore desirable to have available previously baked products that retain their fresh baked character over time without deterioration of desired organoleptic properties.
Thus, there remains a need for equipment and methods to provide such a stable baked product that retains the character of a fresh baked product. The present invention teaches such equipment and methods without the aforementioned disadvantages of existing equipment and methods.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a merchandiser for displaying and warming previously baked dough products under controlled drying conditions. This merchandiser includes an enclosure having one or more wall members that define an interior space, with at least a portion of one of the wall members being transparent, an aperture for access into the interior space, at least one support surface for supporting one or more previously baked dough products that contain a predetermined average moisture level therein, at least one mounting structure associated with the enclosure for mounting and positioning each support surface at a user accessible location in the interior space of the enclosure, and a heat source for providing heated air in the enclosure. The support surface contacts at least a portion of the previously baked products so that those portions are shielded from direct contact with the heated air such that the drying of moisture in the baked products is controlled to maintain the organoleptic and/or texture properties of the products at essentially the same level as those of freshly baked products for a period of at least about 2 hours.
Advantageously, the baked products have a relatively flat base portion and a top portion, and wherein each support surface includes a tray member having a flat upper surface that supports and contacts the base portions of the baked products so that those base portions are shielded from heated air in the enclosure and dry at a rate that is different from that of the top portions of the baked products.
For convenience in placing the tray members into the enclosure, the tray members include a lip extension on at least one side thereof. This lip also assists in preventing baked products from sliding off the tray member. Thus, the tray member may be removably mounted upon the mounting structure to facilitate product placement thereon and cleaning thereof.
The enclosure preferably includes front and rear walls, and the heat source comprises electrical illumination which generates light to illuminate the baked products as well as heat to warm the air in the enclosure. The electrical illumination may be light bulbs that are arranged symmetrically within the enclosure to direct light and heated air substantially uniformly toward the tray member and the baked products thereon. These light bulbs generally have a total wattage of about 75 W to 130 W and are placed about 14 cm from the tray member.
If desired, the heat source may be a heating element for heating the air in the enclosure. Although direct conduction heating of the products can be at least in part accomplished by disposing a heat source in the tray, it is preferred that the heating element be located sufficiently away from the baked products and tray such that direct heating of the products on the tray by the element is substantially avoided. Such direct heating can overcook and dry out the baked products. Also, the heat source should operate to maintain the interior space of the enclosure at a set temperature of about 95° F. to about 150° F. so that the baked product retains its organoleptic and/or texture properties for a period of at least about 6 hours. In preferred embodiments, the temperature is within about 10° F., or within about 5° F. of the desired set temperature throughout the entire enclosure.
For better heat control in the enclosure, the merchandiser further includes a temperature control system capable of maintaining the heated air to within about 5° F. of a desired temperature at a given point over time. Preferably, the temperature is maintained at a constant to within about 2° F. of the desired temperature at a given point over time. This can be achieved by use of a proportional controller that provides an error signal that is proportional to the differential of actual temperature from the set point. Generally, the proportional temperature control system comprises a solid-state rectifier controlled by a proportional circuit and a thermistor sensor to provide the exact am
Foster Mark O.
Gaj Mark A.
Gutierrez Antonio
Reddy Balakrishna
Roehr Eileen
Nestec S.A.
Pelham Joseph
Winston & Strawn
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