CONVEYOR-TYPE GRILLING APPLIANCE FOR COOKING OR RE-THERMALIZING FOOD
A grilling appliance is disclosed for preparing various different types of food wherein the food is conveyed through the appliance, from a food insert end of the appliance to a food removal end of the appliance, by means of continuously movable flow-through upper and lower cooperating conveyors operatively associated with platen-type heating members over which the upper and lower conveyors are conveyed so as to be heated by the platen-type heating members and thereby, in turn, heat, brown, or carmelize the food as desired or required.
This patent application is a non-provisional patent application conversion of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/240,553 which was filed on Oct. 13, 2015, the priority benefits of which are hereby claimed.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to food preparation apparatus, equipment, or appliances, and more particularly to a grilling appliance for preparing various different types of food wherein the food is conveyed through the appliance, from a food insert end of the appliance to a food removal end of the appliance, by means of continuously movable flow-through upper and lower cooperating conveyors operatively associated with platen-type heating members over which the upper and lower conveyors are conveyed so as to be heated by the platen-type heating members and thereby, in turn, heat, brown, or carmelize the food as desired or required.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn the food preparation industry, particularly within the fast-food industry, various types of apparatus, equipment, or appliances are utilized to cook or prepare various different types of food such as, for example, burritos, Panini sandwiches, crunch wraps, and the like. The apparatus, equipment, or appliances that are conventionally employed are either flat grills which effectively cook or toast one side of the food, and then they cook or toast the other side of the food when the food is flipped or turned over onto its other side upon the flat grill. Alternatively, clam-shell apparatus or appliances have also been employed which can effectively cook or toast both sides of the food simultaneously as a result of the food being placed upon a lower food support cooking platform or grill when the clamshell apparatus is disposed at its open position, and then the clamshell apparatus is pivotally moved to its closed position so as to bring the upper food cooking grill portion into contact with the food. The operational drawback or disadvantage of such apparatus, equipment, or appliances, however, is the fact that the cooking time is effectively monitored and necessarily controlled by means of the personnel doing the grilling or cooking, with the result that sometimes, the food is undercooked, overcooked, or even burned, neither one of which operations and resulting conditions produces a satisfactory and tasty end food product.
A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved grilling appliance for cooking food wherein the aforenoted disadvantages or operational drawbacks characteristic of conventional cooking apparatus, equipment, or appliances are effectively overcome or eliminated. More particularly, a need exists in the art for a new and improved grilling appliance wherein the cooking process or procedure is effectively controlled in such a manner that the food being cooked or prepared cannot be undercooked, overcooked, or burned. Still more particularly, a need exists in the art for a new and improved grilling appliance wherein the entire cooking procedure or process is automatically controlled from the beginning of the cooking cycle to the end of the cooking cycle and is predeterminedly controlled in light of the particular food product that is being cooked or re-thermalized.
Overall Objectives of the InventionThe overall objectives of the present invention are to provide a new and improved grilling appliance for cooking food which will overcome and eliminate the various disadvantages and drawbacks characteristic of conventional grilling apparatus, equipment, or appliances for cooking food, to provide a new and improved grilling appliance for cooking food which will effectively overcome and eliminate the poor cooking results often encountered with conventional grilling appliances, apparatus, or equipment for cooking food, to provide a new and improved grilling appliance which will enhance the efficiency of the food-cooking procedure or process, and to provide a new and improved grilling appliance which will automatically control the food-cooking procedure or process, from the beginning of the food-cooking cycle to the end of the food cooking cycle, so as to provide a properly cooked or re-thermalized and tasty end food product.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe foregoing and other objectives are achieved in accordance with the teachings and principles of the present invention through the provision of a new and improved grilling appliance for cooking food wherein the grilling appliance comprises upper and lower endless conveyor belts which are routed over and around upper and lower heated platens and which are fabricated, for example, from PTFE, polytetrafluoroethylene, which are adapted to be disposed in contact with the food articles being cooked, and yet the food articles will not adhere or stick to the conveyor belts. The conveyor belts are flow-through conveyor belts, that is, they extend from a first food-insert end of the appliance toward a second oppositely disposed food-output end of the appliance, and consequently, depending upon the speed of the conveyor belts, which can be optimally controlled, the time during which the food articles are exposed to the heated conveyor belts, which are heated by means of the heated platens, is predetermined such that the food articles are not in fact undercooked or overcooked but are properly cooked so as to result in a very satisfactorily cooked and tasty end food product. It is further noted that the disposition of the upper platen, around which the upper conveyor belt is routed, can be adjusted with respect to the lower platen and the lower conveyor belt so as to effectively adjust the gap defined between the upper and lower platens and the upper and lower conveyor belts. In this manner, the grilling appliance can accommodate different foods having different height dimensions such as, for example, burritos, Panini sandwiches, crunch wraps, and the like. Still further, the appliance provides for the easy removal of the conveyor belts for cleaning, maintenance, or exchange of the belts.
Various other features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to
With reference being made to
With reference being made to
It is lastly noted that the disposition of the upper platen, around which the upper conveyor belt is routed, can be adjusted with respect to the lower platen and the lower conveyor belt so as to effectively adjust the gap defined between the upper and lower platens and the upper and lower endless conveyor belts. In this manner, the grilling appliance can accommodate different foods having different height or thickness dimensions such as, for example, burritos, Panini sandwiches, crunch wraps, and the like. Still further, the appliance provides for the easy removal of the upper and lower endless conveyor belts 104,106 for cleaning, maintenance, or exchange of the conveyor belts 104,106 as may be needed or required. With reference therefore being made to
In addition to the aforenoted components, a rack 136, having gear teeth 138 formed upon an upper arcuate edge portion thereof, is provided for engagement with gear teeth 140 formed upon the outer circumferential peripheral surface of the pinion 134, the rack 136 and pinion 134 assembly being biased toward their uppermost position by spring-biasing means, not shown. Still further, a pilot pin locator plate 142 is provided with a multitude of pilot pin locator holes 144 which are defined within an arcuate array covering an angular extent of approximately 45° extending from a leftmost or western position upon the pilot pin locator plate 142 to a lowermost or southern position upon the pilot pin locator plate 142. The pilot pin 130 is a spring-biased pull-pin that is capable of being moved in a direction along the axis around which the pilot pin 130 is defined. The pilot pin 130 is thus pulled axially outwardly so as to effectively be disengaged from one of the pilot pin locator holes 144 defined within the pilot pin locator plate 142 whereby the pilot pin 130 can then be moved toward another pilot pin locator hole 144 defined within the pilot pin locator plate 142, and is permitted to be moved axially inwardly under the biasing force of its biasing spring, not shown, so as to permit the locking pin 130 to be inserted into another or different pilot pin locator hole 144 in order to effectively lock the upper heated platen and the upper endless conveyor belt 104 at a particular vertical position with respect to the lower heated platen and the lower endless conveyor belt 106 when the vertical adjustment of the upper heated platen and the upper endless conveyor belt 104 relative to the lower heated platen and the lower endless conveyor belt 106 is to be achieved.
Each pilot locator hole 144 permits the upper heated platen and the upper endless conveyor belt 104 to be moved one quarter of an inch (0.25″), vertically upwardly or vertically downwardly, with respect to the lower heated platen and the lower endless conveyor belt 106. As disclosed within
Lastly, with reference being made to
With reference lastly being made to
Accordingly, the upper conveyor belt side cover panel 168 can now be removed from the interior side wall portion 160 of the appliance as shown in
Obviously, many variations and modifications of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.
KEY TO REFERENCE NUMBERS IN THE DRAWINGS
- 100—Conveyor type grilling appliance
- 102—Housing of 100
- 104—Upper endless conveyor belt
- 106—Lower endless conveyor belt
- 108—Food product input/entrance end of housing 102
- 110—Food product output or exit/discharge end of housing 102
- 112—First movable platform region of lower conveyor belt 106
- 114—Second movable platform region of lower conveyor belt 106
- 116—Food product discharge tray at food product discharge end of 102
- 118—Lower endless conveyor belt sup-port and drive assembly 118
- 120—Lower heated platen
- 121—Platen platform
- 122—Lower front tensioned conveyor belt idler roller
- 124—User interface/control panel upon side wall portion of housing 102
- 126—First base polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) component
- 128—Second polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sealed atop 126
- 130—Adjustment pilot pin
- 132—Pilot pin mounting arm
- 134—Pinion of upper platen/conveyor belt adjustment system
- 136—Rack of upper platen/conveyor belt adjustment system
- 138—Gear teeth of rack 136
- 140—Gear teeth of pinion 134
- 142—Pilot pin locator plate
- 144—Pilot pin locator holes defined within pilot pin locator plate 142
- 146—Side wall of housing 102
- 148—Linkage plate
- 150—Lower door of housing 102
- 152—Lower front tensioned conveyor belt idler roller
- 154—Idler roller lock mechanism
- 156—Slot for accommodating idler roller lock mechanism in its up position
- 158—Linkage members connecting the rack/pinion to upper heated platen
- 160—Interior side wall of appliance 100
- 162—Pivotal attachment of linkages 158 to 160
- 164—First set of pull-pins connecting linkage members 158 to rack 136
- 166—Second set of pull-pins connecting linkage members 158 to upper platen
- 168—Upper conveyor belt side cover panel
- 170—Arcuate slots within side cover panel 168
- 172—Access door of appliance 100
- 174—Upper conveyor belt idler roller
Claims
1. A conveyor-type grilling appliance for cooking or re-thermalizing food, comprising:
- a housing;
- a food insert entrance portion defined within a first end portion of said housing for inputting food, to be cooked, into said housing;
- a food extraction exit portion defined within a second opposite end portion of said housing for extracting food, that has been cooked, out from said housing;
- an upper endless conveyor belt and a lower endless conveyor belt disposed within said housing and cooperating with each other for propelling the food, to be cooked, from said food insert entrance portion of said housing to said food extraction exit portion of said housing; and
- a pair of heated platens respectively associated with said upper and lower endless conveyor belts for heating said pair of upper and lower conveyor belts whereby said heated upper and lower conveyor belts cook the food within said housing while the food is transported through said housing from said food insert entrance portion of said housing to said food extraction exit portion of said housing.
2. The grilling appliance as set forth in claim 1, wherein:
- said upper endless conveyor belt is wholly disposed internally within said housing while opposite end portions of said lower endless conveyor belt are disposed externally of said housing so as to define food insert and food output platforms upon which the food to be cooked, and the cooked food, are respectively disposed.
3. The grilling appliance as set forth in claim 1, wherein:
- a cooked food tray is fixedly attached to said exit end portion of said housing for capturing cooked food products discharged from said appliance housing by said lower endless conveyor belt.
4. The grilling appliance as set forth in claim 1, wherein;
- said upper and lower endless conveyor belts are respectively disposed around said pair of heated platens so as to be heated by said heated platens.
5. The grilling appliance as set forth in claim 1, wherein:
- the speed of said upper and lower endless conveyor belts is adjustable so as to alter the time during which the food to be cooked is exposed to and heated by said upper and lower endless conveyor belts which are respectively heated by said pair of heated platens.
6. The grilling appliance as set forth in claim 1, wherein:
- the speed of said upper and lower endless conveyor belts is the same so as to synchronously convey the food to be cooked through said appliance housing.
7. The grilling appliance as set forth in claim 1, wherein:
- said upper and lower endless conveyor belts are fabricated from polytetrafluoroethylene so as to prevent the food to be cooked from sticking to said upper and lower endless conveyor belts.
8. The grilling appliance as set forth in claim 7, wherein:
- at least one of said upper and lower endless conveyor belts, fabricated from said polytetrafluoroethylene, comprises a composite fabric wherein first linear portions of said composite fabric are fabricated from polytetrafluoroethylene, are thicker than second linear portions of said composite fabric fabricated from polytetrafluoroethylene such that grill lines are effectively impressed upon the cooked food so as to simulate the food having been cooked upon a charcoal grill.
9. The grilling appliance as set forth in claim 8, wherein:
- said at least one of said upper and lower endless conveyor belts, fabricated from said composite fabric, comprises both of said upper and lower endless conveyor belts.
10. The grilling appliance as set forth in claim 1, wherein:
- the temperature of said pair of upper and lower heated platens is adjustable.
11. The grilling appliance as set forth in claim 1, wherein:
- said upper endless conveyor belt and said upper heated platen are disposed at a predetermined distance from said lower endless conveyor belt and said lower heated platen which is adjustable so as to permit different food, having different thickness dimensions, to be cooked within said housing of said grilling appliance.
12. The grilling appliance as set forth in claim 11, wherein:
- said distance defined between said upper endless conveyor and said upper heated platen, with respect to said lower endless conveyor and said lower heated platen, is adjustable by a rack and pinion gear assembly operatively connected to said upper heated platen.
13. The grilling appliance as set forth in claim 12, further comprising:
- a pilot pin locator plate operatively associated with said rack and pinion gear assembly;
- a pilot pin operatively connected to said pinion of said rack and pinion gear assembly; and
- a plurality of pilot pin holes defined within said pilot pin locator plate so as to permit adjustment of said rack and pinion gear assembly, and adjustment of said upper heated platen operatively connected to said rack and gear assembly, as a result of said pilot pin being engaged within a predetermined one of said pilot pin holes defined within said pilot pin locator plate.
14. The grilling appliance as set forth in claim 13, wherein:
- said plurality of pilot pin locator holes defined within said pilot pin locator plate are disposed within an arcuate array.
15. The grilling appliance as set forth in claim 14, wherein:
- said plurality of pilot pin locator holes, defined within said pilot pin locator plate, are spaced apart from each other a predetermined distance such that when said pilot pin is moved from a particular one of said plurality of pilot pin locator holes to an adjacent one of said plurality of pilot pin locator holes, the distance between said upper heated platen and said upper endless conveyor belt, with respect to said lower heated platen and said lower endless conveyor belt, will be approximately one quarter of an inch (0.25″).
16. The grilling machine as set forth in claim 4, wherein:
- said upper and lower heated platens are respectively disposed upon upper and lower platen platforms; and
- drive and idler rollers are disposed upon opposite ends of said upper and lower platen platforms.
17. The grilling machine as set forth in claim 4, wherein:
- said upper and lower endless conveyor belts are respectively disposed around said drive and idler rollers and are disposed above and below said upper and lower platen platforms so as to effectively encircle said drive and idler rollers, and said upper and lower platen platforms.
18. The grilling appliance as set forth in claim 17, wherein:
- said upper and lower endless conveyor belts are respectively removable from said upper and lower platen platforms.
19. The grilling machine as set forth in claim 18, wherein:
- said upper and lower idler rollers are spring biased so as to properly tension said upper and lower endless conveyor belts disposed around said upper and lower drive and idler rollers, and said upper and lower heated platens.
20. The grilling machine as set forth in claim 19, wherein:
- said upper and lower idler rollers can movable inwardly toward the interior portion of said housing so as to reduce the tension impressed upon said upper and lower endless conveyor belts so as to permit said upper and lower endless conveyor belts to be removed from said upper and lower platen platforms.
21. The grilling machine as set forth in claim 20, further comprising:
- an idler roller locking mechanism operatively associated with said lower idler roller and movable between a first position at which said idler roller locking mechanism prevents said idler roller from being moved inwardly so as to in turn prevent the removal of said lower endless conveyor belt from said lower platen platform, and a second position at which said idler roller locking mechanism permits said idler roller to be moved inwardly so as to in turn permit the removal of said lower endless conveyor belt from said lower platen platform.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 16, 2016
Publication Date: Apr 13, 2017
Inventors: DIPAN PATEL (HOFFMAN ESTATE, IL), BHUPENDRA R. PATEL (CAROL STREAM, IL), JIGNESH PATEL (BARTLETT, IL), JAMES R. BUCHLER (ORLAND PARK, IL), FRANCISCO VEGA (CHICAGO, IL), IGNACIO VEGA (COUNTRYSIDE, IL), CHERYL L. PANASIK (ELBURN, IL), ROBERT LEWIS CUCCHI (MEDINAH, IL)
Application Number: 15/267,172