Abstract: An oven for heating foodstuffs, i.e. cooking pizza, has a heated enclosure substantially L-shape in plan to leave an exposed sector. A rotor is turned intermittently by power to carry pizzas from the exposed sector, through the heated enclosure and back to the exposed sector. In the heated enclosure the pizzas are baked by a stream of heated and reheated air circulated in a closed path.

Abstract: A frame supports a cross-bar conveyor for advancement over a hamburger patty feeding plate and between upper and lower heated platens. The upper platen is raised by actuators and falls by gravity against adjustable stops in time with advancement of the conveyor. At the discharge end of the conveyor a guide assists in directing a discharging hamburger patty onto a receiving grate.

Abstract: On the frame of a broiler having a chain conveyor with cross rods rounding some end sprockets, there are provided brackets affording transversely aligned, loose bearing notches open to the top. A doctor blade has transversely aligned intermediate shoulders operating in the bearing notches and has a depending skirt urged by gravity and serving as a counterweight to move the blade in the notches so as to urge the transverse upper edge of the doctor blade, and contact fingers extending therefrom, toward the chain conveyor cross rods and so to dislodge patties advancing on the chain conveyor.

Abstract: A bun section toaster, in the usual case, has a frame supporting several parallel chain conveyors, each conveyor being effective to advance a related bun section through the frame in physical and thermal contact with a heating element on the frame to toast the top of the adjacent bun section. At least one of the conveyors, especially for a bun section from the bun center, receives and advances a tray having an aperture over which the bun center section lies. A radiant heating element on the frame is in position to radiate upwardly through the aperture onto the bottom of the center bun section so both sides of the section are toasted simultaneously. In the usual case, the toaster simultaneously accommodates a bun top section, center section and bottom section, although in some instances there is but a single conveyor and but the center section is handled.

Abstract: A broiler especially for hamburger patties has an endless conveyor arranged on a frame with the horizontal upper run of the conveyor subjected to the usual supply of heat from above. A stack of initially frozen hamburger patties is arranged above the initial or entry portion of the conveyor upper run, all but the lower patty being confined. Extra heat is supplied from below to the spaced-apart metal rods of the conveyor upper run and to the lower patty lower surface so that the rods burn into the lower portion of the patty. Sufficient interengagement results so that the conveyor readily withdraws the lower patty from the stack.

Abstract: A hamburger bun storage device has a supporting frame on which a bun-toasting and heating element is disposed. The heating element is preferably a planar member superposed above a parallel planar conveyor mounted on the frame to advance in a predetermined direction. The heating element is movable up and down; i.e. toward and away from the associated conveyor. A drawer enclosure is disposed on the heating element on the side thereof opposite the conveyor and is open only in a direction transverse to the predetermined direction and at the side of the frame. A drawer is slidable in the drawer enclosure between an open position and a closed position in which a drawer end plate is in abutment with the frame.

Abstract: A staging cabinet and tray combination especially for use with hamburger buns has an open front cabinet including solid metallic top, bottom, back and side walls abutting each other at right angles and having a plurality of horizontal ledges secured to the side walls at selected vertical intervals, the ledges on one side wall being at the same height as the corresponding ledges on the other side wall. Cooperating with the ledges are trays each supportable at a selected height in the cabinet by a pair of the ledges. Each tray includes a rectangular metallic sheet having downturned flanges along opposite side edges of the sheet, the flanges being slidable on the ledges and being bottom notched to reduce heat transfer and allow air flow. The rectangular sheet itself has ribs along the transverse front and rear edges, each rib having an inner wall upstanding from the sheet and then having an outer wall extending downwardly from the inner wall far enough to afford a gripping portion.

Abstract: A patty broiler has a frame on which an openwork patty conveyor is arranged around pulleys to have an upper run and a lower run. Heaters are arranged on the frame above and below the upper run, and multiple reflectors are arranged on the frame above and below the conveyor. A doctor assists in dislodging patties from the far end of the upper run of the conveyor to fall onto a patty slide on the frame leading the patties by gravity toward the feed end of the frame. A bun conveyor is arranged on the frame beneath the patty conveyor. A bun heater transmits heat to buns on that conveyor and to the patty slide. The warmed bun halves are returned toward the feed end of the machine by a bun slide. An enclosing and vented jacket assists in retaining and diverting the heat and fumes and protects the machinery.

Abstract: Some commercial broilers have a conveyor extending through the broiler from an entrance opening to an exit opening and have a plurality of burner housings, including end burner housings, arranged above the conveyor and spaced apart with respect to each other and particularly with respect to the entrance opening and the exit opening to leave gaps. To conserve heat, the passageway through the broiler above the conveyor is herein restricted by baffles including an entrance shield of heat-reflecting material formed as a channel frictionally fitting over the entrance burner housing and having a baffle sheet extending from the entrance burner housing through most of the gap toward the entrance opening. Also included is an exit shield of similar material formed as a similar channel fitting over the exit burner housing and having a baffle sheet extending from the exit burner housing through most of the gap toward the exit opening.

Abstract: A frozen patty feeder for a group of individual patties and especially for use with a broiler having a horizontal conveyor run advancing in a predetermined direction includes a first upstanding wall extending transversely of the direction of conveyor advance with the lower margin of the first wall spaced above the conveyor run an amount only slightly more than the thickness of an individual frozen patty. The feeder also includes a second wall extending transversely of the direction of conveyor advance and disposed between a level about even with that of the conveyor and a somewhat higher level, the second wall being inclined in the direction of conveyor advance when considered from the top of the wall downwardly, the first and second walls being spaced apart far enough in the direction of advance to admit of patties of a predetermined diameter when the patties are superimposed upon each other in a staggered, shingled or offset fashion.

Abstract: A shaft mounting on a frame includes a strap with an opening in it through which slidably projects a plunger also guided in an aperture in a clip joined to the strap. The plunger is pressed in one direction by a spring. A shaft lying across the strap is seated in a partially open, arcuate groove in a rectangular block. The groove has a surface curved about the axis of the shaft and is located at different distances from the various flat sides of the block. The block, in engagement with the shaft, is rolled between different positions against the strap and a position against the plunger and a bracket on the strap below the block.

Abstract: A cooking and assembly unit is primarily for use in the quantity production of sandwiches, such as hamburger sandwiches including a patty, a bun crown and a bun heel. The unit includes a storage compartment for a number of individual trays each carrying one or more bun heels or bun crowns. The storage compartment is related to a bun grill including a conveyor for trays carrying heels and another conveyor for trays carrying crowns. Both conveyors advance in a predetermined direction and deliver the heel trays and the crown trays to a downstream, exit end of the bun grill. From there the loaded trays are received on an entrance table at the upstream end of a product conditioning tunnel mounted on a straddle frame. The conditioning tunnel is heated and is supplied with steam to hold its contents in a selected atmosphere. A freezer compartment having an access opening to patties stored therein is disposed beneath the straddle frame and adjacent the entrance to the conditioning tunnel.

Abstract: A broiler for hamburger patties and the like has a partially enclosed frame with a feeding opening therein. An endless conveyor on the frame has a generally horizontal upper run accessible through the opening and passing a predetermined distance below a first gas burner on the frame. A radiant energy shield is disposed between the gas burner and the opening. A second gas burner is on the frame below the upper run substantially the same predetermined distance, the lower run of the conveyor running in a path arched upwardly over the second gas burner. Another radiant energy shield is disposed between the second gas burner and the opening. There are also trays on the frame to receive patties from the first conveyor and also to receive buns from a second, separately heated bun conveyor on the frame.

Abstract: An automatic patty feeder advances a frozen meat patty across a support table having a longitudinal slot therein from a position at the bottom of a stack of patties all but the lowest one of which is longitudinally confined. Below the table is an upper, short, horizontal track overlying a lower, long, horizontal rail. A carrier reciprocates longitudinally and moves a pusher link having a bearing adapted to ride on the track and on the rail and having a pusher adapted to move through the slot and to abut the lowest patty. The bearing can fall from one end of the track onto the rail and can be lifted from the other end of the rail up to the level of the track by a solenoid.

Abstract: A controlled atmosphere broiler has a horizontal tunnel mounted on a frame and enclosing one run of a continuous, open-work conveyor traveling from an inlet end toward an outlet end. An air fan near the inlet end supplies air through a supply air duct to nozzles near the outlet end and discharging into the tunnel, both from above and from below, toward the conveyor. The supply air duct air is heated and provided with hot water vapor. The air is further heated by infrared heaters in the tunnel above and below the conveyor. Infrared radiation is reflected toward the conveyor by a reflector, preferably a common wall between the tunnel and the supply air duct. Air from the tunnel is aspirated through a return air duct by the fan. There is a damper control vent from the tunnel to the atmosphere, and air flow in the supply air duct is also controlled by a damper. The conveyor is supported by water-cooled cross tubes, and there is a drain pan below the conveyor.

Abstract: A device for cooking meatballs has a frame supporting an open-ended drum for rotation on the frame about a substantially horizontal axis. The drum is open at both its inlet end and its outlet end and has for part of its length an outer wall together with the inner wall forming a jacket. Heating oil is brought into the jacket through an axial rotary joint and discharged from the jacket through a similar axial rotary joint. Within the drum is a plurality of helical fins spaced apart circumferentially. The fins are of a sufficient height to propel axially of the drum meatballs introduced thereto through the inlet end and to carry the meatballs to the outlet end for discharge therethrough. Extending axially a short distance away from the inner wall and preferably carried by adjacent portions of the fins are tumbling bars. These are effective to lift and release the meatballs.

Abstract: A cooker for meatballs and the like has a semi-cylindrical trough mounted on a frame for rotation about its own substantially horizontal but slightly inclined axis. The trough is rocked to and fro by a controlled driving device to swing between extreme positions and optionally to stop between the extreme positions. The trough has a meatball inlet at one end and a meatball outlet at the other end. Between those ends the trough has interrupted, interior, helical vanes staggered with respect to each other on opposite sides of the center of the trough to impell the meatballs from one end to the other as the trough rocks. The trough includes a jacket having inlet and outlet connections for heating oil and may also have radiant heaters directed toward the inside of the trough.

Abstract: A splicer for a heat cohering belt has a base supporting a lower platen frame. A heated lower platen is vertically liftable in the lower platen frame by means of an expansible envelope therebetween. An upper platen frame on the base supports a heated upper platen for movement toward and away from the lower platen. A rotatable cam on the base is effective to lift the upper platen, and a bail on the base is effective to hold the upper platen against lifting above a chosen point. Both platens are centrally supported for expansion in two directions away therefrom, and the lower platen is made flexible by a number of transverse gaps therein.

Abstract: A meatball cooker has a frame on which a pair of generally cylindrical rollers are mounted alongside each other to extend horizontally with their axes parallel to each other. At least one of the rollers, and preferably both, includes a helical groove concentric with the respective axis, the groove being of a character to engage the customary meatball. The rollers are heated internally, and preferably externally also, and are rotated relative to each other about their respective axes and preferably in the same directions with the helical grooves of the same hand to advance and turn the meatballs. There is an enclosure around the rollers and a grease pan beneath. Conveniently there is a feeding chute for introducing the meatballs to the device and a receiving chute for carrying away processed meatballs.