US20200329909A1 - Food cooking apparatus and heat storage member - Google Patents

Abstract

A cooking apparatus includes a cooking chamber having one or more cooking zones. One or more of a heating element, an air mover, and a steam generator may be associated with one or more of the cooking zones.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
• This application claims benefit of 35 U.S.C. 371 based on co-pending International Patent Application No. PCT/CA2018/051252, filed Oct. 4, 2018, which itself claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/569,057, filed on Oct. 6, 2017, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD
• This disclosure relates to the field of food cooking apparatus and heat storage members.
INTRODUCTION
• A food cooking apparatus is a device that has a compartment to receive food for cooking, and that heats the food through one or more of conduction, convection, and radiation.
SUMMARY
• In accordance with one aspect of this disclosure, there is provided a hot air oven or fryer having multiple cooking zones. For example, the cooking apparatus may have 2, 3, 4 or more cooking zones. The cooking zones may be formed by first and second cooking containers that are removably receivable in a cooking chamber, each of the cooking containers defining a cooking volume. Optionally, cooking conditions in each cooking volume are individually controllable. For example, each cooking volume may have its own heating (IR) heating element or elements, one or more air moving members (e.g., a fan) to provide a directed airflow in the cooking volume and/or one or more steamers.
• In accordance with another aspect, a cooking apparatus comprises ducting providing forced airflow into a cooking chamber. One or more IR heating elements may be provided inside the ducting. Accordingly, there may be provided a cooking chamber having an openable door provided on the front of the cooking apparatus and a cooking volume. A heating duct, which has a plurality of openings, is located above the cooking volume and an IR heating element is provided in the heating duct with the IR heating element overlying at least some of the openings. A fan assembly upstream of the IR heating element. Alternately, or in addition, one or more IR heating elements may be provided between the ducting. Accordingly, there may be provided a cooking chamber having an openable door provided on the front of the cooking apparatus and a cooking volume. A plurality of spaced apart heating ducts may be provided above the cooking volume, the heating ducts having a plurality of openings located above the cooking volume with an IR heating element provided between adjacent heating ducts and a fan assembly upstream of the IR heating element.
• In accordance with another aspect, the cooking apparatus may be operated such that, during a cooking cycle, the cooking apparatus draws, e.g., at least 75%, 80%, 90%, 100% of the rated power of the cooking apparatus for at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 85%, 90%, 95% or 100% of the cooking time. This may be achieved by varying the power drawn by one or more of the energy consuming elements (e.g., fan, IR heating element, steamer). For example, to reduce the amount of IR radiation emitted, the power delivered to the fan may be increased to increase the rate of airflow. An increased flow of air over an IR heating element may be used to reduce the amount of IR radiation emitted by the IR heating element (as the temperature of the IR heating element is reduced) while still providing heat (e.g., in the form of forced convection). Alternately, or in addition, more energy may be provided to a steamer to increase the amount of moisture in a cooking volume. Accordingly different cooking regimes may be produced which draw the same or a similar amount of power. For example, at the start of a cooking cycle, more power may be provided to the IR heating element to brown the outside of food in the cooking volume. Once the food is sufficiently browned (which may be pre-programmed based on the duration of this first stage in the cooking cycle), a reduced amount of energy may be provided to the IR heating element and some or more energy may be provided to one or more of a steamer (to provide moisture in the cooking volume) and a fan to produce forced convection or increased forced convection in a cooking volume. Alternately, once the food is sufficiently browned (which may be pre-programmed based on the duration of this first stage in the cooking cycle), the energy provided to the IR heating element may be maintained at the same or a similar level and some or more energy may be provided to one or more of a steamer (to provide moisture in the cooking volume) and a fan to produce forced convection or increased forced convection in a cooking volume
• In accordance with this aspect, there may be provided a cooking apparatus having a controller operable to adjust the energy provided to a fan assembly wherein the fan assembly is operable at a first power level for a first portion of a cooking cycle and the fan assembly is operable at a second power level for a second subsequent portion of the cooking cycle wherein the second power level is higher than the first power level, whereby operation of the fan assembly at the second power level causes an increase in airflow over an IR heating element and a reduction in IR radiation emitted by the IR heating element.
• In accordance with this aspect, there may also be provided a cooking apparatus having a controller operably connected to an IR cooking element and a steamer, wherein the controller has a pre-set cooking setting that represents a cooking regime and, when the pre-set cooking setting is in operation, the controller is operable adjust the distribution of energy to the IR cooking element and the steamer while the cooking apparatus operates at 75% or more of a rated power draw of the cooking apparatus for 70% or more of the pre-set cooking setting.
• In accordance with this aspect, there may also be provided a cooking apparatus having a controller operably connected to an IR cooking element and a lower cooking element, wherein the controller has a pre-set cooking setting that represents a cooking regime and, when the pre-set cooking setting is in operation, the controller is operable adjust the distribution of energy to the IR cooking element and the lower cooking element while the cooking apparatus operates at 75% or more of a rated power draw of the cooking apparatus for 70% or more of the pre-set cooking setting.
• In accordance with another aspect, a cooking apparatus has at least one, and preferably a plurality of cooking zones. The cooking zones are defined by cooking containers that are removably receivable in a continuous volume defining a cooking chamber. The cooking zones may have cooking conditions that are individually controllable. The cooking chamber has an openable door wherein the openable door has a transparent panel (e.g., one or more layers of glass). The transparent panel of such a multizone cooking apparatus may have a double glass wall with vacuum insulation. Alternately, air may be blown between the layers of glass. Alternately, the transparent panel may comprise a single glass wall with air blown over the glass.
• In accordance with another aspect, an energy storage member may be provided. The energy storage member may store energy in the form of heat that is stored for later use. For example, a standard electrical outlet provides a set amount of current. This limits the energy (heat) that may be used to, e.g., cook food and therefore this limits the cooking time. Similarly, the amount of energy that may be provided to an electric kettle is limited and this limits the time required to bring water to a boil in an electric kettle. In accordance with this aspect, an energy storage member may draw electricity (e.g., by plugging the energy storage member into a household electrical outlet) and a heat sink (e.g., a block of metal such as aluminum) may be heated. The heat sink is insulated so as to store the heat for an extended amount of time. An appliance, such as a cooking apparatus (e.g., a cooking apparatus that may be plugged into a household electrical outlet and may be a countertop cooking apparatus as exemplified herein), an electric kettle, a pod coffee maker or a coffee maker may use the heat stored in the heat sink concurrently with heat produced using electricity drawn from a household electrical outlet. Accordingly, the cooking time may be reduced. For example, a cooking apparatus may draw heat from an energy storage member by flowing air through the heat sink to thereby heat or further heat the air. A kettle of coffee maker may flow water through the heat sink to heat or further heat water. It will be appreciated that the energy storage member may be built into an appliance or may be a standalone appliance. In the latter case, the energy storage member may be used with multiple different appliances.
• In accordance with this aspect, there may be provided a cooking apparatus comprising a cooking chamber, a first heating member operable to provide heat to the cooking chamber and a heat storage member.
• In accordance with this aspect, there may also be provided a portable heat storage member comprising a thermally insulated heat sink, a heating member in thermal communication with the heat sink, a fluid flow path extending through the heat sink, the fluid flow path having an inlet end and an outlet end, the outlet end is connectable in flow communication with a domestic appliance and, an electrical cord connectable with a domestic power outlet.
• In accordance with another aspect, a cooking apparatus is provided with a double walled construction over part or all of the exterior shell of the cooking apparatus. Cooling airflows through a space between the double walls, e.g., when the cooking apparatus is in use or when the temperature of, e.g., the outer surface exceeds a predetermined value. An advantage of this design is that it may maintain the exterior surface of part of all of the cooking apparatus at a lower temperature. Alternately, or in addition, insulation may be provided, e.g., adjacent the outer shell of part or all of the cooking apparatus or, if a double wall construction is used, in the space between the double walls. The use of insulation may limit heat loss. This enables more energy to be input to cook the food. If heat is lost through the walls of the cooking apparatus, then the lost heat must be replaced to maintain the temperature in the desired range. By using insulation, the energy that would have been used to replace the lost heat is used to provide more IR, steam or forced convection.
• In accordance with this aspect, there may be provided a cooking apparatus having an outer shell, an inner shell spaced from and facing at least a portion of the outer shell with an airflow passage provided between the inner shell and the outer shell, the airflow passage having a cooling air inlet and an exhaust outlet. The cooking apparatus has a cooking chamber having an openable door wherein the cooking chamber is isolated from airflow communication with the airflow passage. A cooling fan assembly is in airflow communication with the airflow passage.
• In accordance with this aspect, there may also be provided a cooking apparatus having an air flow passage having a cooling air inlet and an exhaust outlet, a cooking chamber having an openable door, the cooling chamber being isolated from air flow communication with the air flow passage and, a cooling fan assembly in air flow communication with the air flow passage, wherein the exhaust outlet directs cooling air at the openable door.
• It will be appreciated that one or more of these aspects may be used in any particular cooking apparatus.
DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cooking apparatus in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cooking apparatus ofFIG. 1 with a door in an open and extended position;
• FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cooking apparatus ofFIG. 1 with the door in an open and retracted position;
• FIGS. 4-5 are cross-sectional views taken along line4-4 inFIG. 3;
• FIG. 6 is the cross-sectional view ofFIG. 4, with cooking vessels removed;
• FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line7-7 inFIG. 1;
• FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a cooking vessel removed from a cooking receptacle in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 9A is a top elevation view of an IR shield overlaying a heating element in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken alongline9B-9B inFIG. 9A;
• FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the cooking apparatus ofFIG. 1 with a cooking vessel and cooking receptacle removed from one cooking zone;
• FIGS. 11-12 are perspective views of the cooking apparatus ofFIG. 1 with both cooking vessels and cooking receptacles removed from both cooking zones;
• FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of a cooking apparatus in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 14A-D are schematic illustrations of heating elements associated with cooking zones in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIGS. 14E-14J are schematic illustrations of heating elements in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 15 is a schematic illustration of a cooking apparatus in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIGS. 16-17 are schematic views of a cooking receptacle partially overlaid by an IR shield in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 18 is a schematic illustration of a cooking apparatus having an IR shield in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 19 is a top plan view of a IR shield panel in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIGS. 20-21 are schematic illustrations of a cooking apparatus including IR shields in accordance with various embodiments;
• FIGS. 22-23 are schematic illustrations of a cooking apparatus including air movers in accordance with various embodiments;
• FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view taken along line24-24 inFIG. 1;
• FIG. 25 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line25-25 inFIG. 24;
• FIGS. 26-27 are schematic illustrations of steam generators in accordance with various embodiments;
• FIG. 28 is an enlargement of the steam generator of the apparatus ofFIG. 1,
• FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view taken along line29-29 inFIG. 2 with both cooking vessels positioned inside the cooking chamber;
• FIG. 30 is a schematic illustration of an arrangement of heating elements, air mover, and steam generator in accordance with an embodiments;
• FIG. 31 is a perspective view of a steam generator in accordance with another embodiment;
• FIG. 32 is a perspective view of the cooking apparatus ofFIG. 1 with the door in an open and retracted position, and both cooking receptacles and cooking vessels removed, and including the steam generator ofFIG. 31;
• FIGS. 33-34 are schematic illustrations of a cooking apparatus including steam generators in accordance with various embodiments;
• FIG. 35 is a schematic illustration of a cooking apparatus including a controller communicatively coupled to cooking devices associated with multiple cooking zones, in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 36 is a schematic illustration of a circuit including heating elements configured in a low power mode;
• FIG. 37 is a schematic illustration of the circuit ofFIG. 37 with the heating elements configured in a high power mode;
• FIG. 38 is a perspective view of a cooking vessel in a cooking receptacle, in which a handle is not connected to the cooking vessel;
• FIG. 39 is a perspective view of the cooking vessel and cooking receptacle ofFIG. 38, in which a handle is connected to the cooking vessel;
• FIGS. 40-42 are schematic illustrations of a cooking apparatus including lighting in accordance with various embodiments;
• FIG. 43 is a schematic illustration of a cooking apparatus including a self-cleaning function, in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 44 is a schematic illustration of a cooking apparatus including a cooking additive distributor in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 45 is a schematic illustration of a cooking apparatus including a cooling fan in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 46 is a schematic illustration of a cooking apparatus including a common motor driving multiple motor-driven devices in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIGS. 47A-47B are schematic illustrations of a cooking apparatus including a gas cleaner in accordance with various embodiments;
• FIGS. 48-50 are schematic illustrations of gas cleaners in accordance with various embodiments;
• FIG. 51 is a schematic illustration of a cooking apparatus in a tall orientation in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 52 is a schematic illustration of the cooking apparatus ofFIG. 51 in a wide orientation in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 53 is a schematic illustration of a cooking apparatus in a compact configuration in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 54 is a schematic illustration of the cooking apparatus ofFIG. 53 in an expanded configuration in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 55 is a schematic illustration of a cooking apparatus in a compact configuration in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 56 is a schematic illustration of the cooking apparatus ofFIG. 55 in an expanded configuration in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIGS. 57-60 are schematic illustrations of a cooking apparatus having one or more vertical heating elements in accordance with various embodiments;
• FIG. 61 is a schematic illustration of a cooking apparatus having one or more vertical heating elements, and that is rotatable from a tall orientation (left) to a wide orientation (right);
• FIG. 62 is the schematic illustration of a cooking apparatus configured as a top-loaded toaster in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIGS. 63-65 are schematic illustrations of a hot water heater in accordance with various embodiments;
• FIG. 66 is a perspective view of a cooking apparatus in accordance with another embodiment;
• FIG. 67 is a perspective view of the cooking apparatus ofFIG. 66 with a cooking chamber door opened and wire rack removed;
• FIG. 68 is another perspective view of the cooking apparatus ofFIG. 66 with the cooking chamber door and wire rack removed;
• FIG. 69 is a schematic illustration of a cooking apparatus in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 70 is a cross-sectional view taken along line70-70 inFIG. 66 in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 71 is a schematic illustration of a cooking apparatus in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 72 is a cross-sectional view taken along line70-70 inFIG. 66 in accordance with another embodiment;
• FIG. 73 is a schematic illustration of a cooking apparatus in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 74 is a cross-sectional view taken along line70-70 inFIG. 66 in accordance with another embodiment;
• FIG. 75 is a perspective view of the cooking apparatus ofFIG. 66 in accordance with another embodiment;
• FIG. 76 is a schematic illustration of a cooking apparatus in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 77 is a perspective view of a cooking apparatus in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 78 is a cross-sectional view taken along line78-78 inFIG. 77;
• FIG. 79 is a schematic illustration of a cooking apparatus in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 80 is a perspective view of a cooking apparatus in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 81 is a cross-sectional view taken along line81-81 inFIG. 66, in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 82 is a cross-sectional view taken along line81-81 inFIG. 66, in accordance with another embodiment;
• FIG. 83 is a perspective view of a cooking apparatus having a cooking chamber door shown partially cut away, in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 84 is a cross-sectional view taken along line81-81 inFIG. 66, in accordance with another embodiment;
• FIG. 85 is a perspective view of a cooking apparatus in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 86 is a cross-sectional view taken along line86-86 inFIG. 85, in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 87 is a cross-sectional view taken along line87-87 inFIG. 85, in accordance with another embodiment;
• FIG. 88 is a cross-sectional view taken along line87-87 inFIG. 85, in accordance with another embodiment;
• FIG. 89 is a cross-sectional view taken along line87-87 inFIG. 85, in accordance with another embodiment;
• FIG. 90 is a cross-sectional view taken along line87-87 inFIG. 85, in accordance with another embodiment;
• FIG. 91 is a cross-sectional view taken along line87-87 inFIG. 85, in accordance with another embodiment;
• FIG. 92 is a cross-sectional view taken along line87-87 inFIG. 85, in accordance with another embodiment;
• FIG. 93 is a cross-sectional view taken along line87-87 inFIG. 85, in accordance with another embodiment;
• FIG. 94 is a perspective view of the cooking apparatus ofFIG. 93 with cooking chamber panels and a wire rack removed;
• FIG. 95 is a perspective view of a cooking apparatus having a cooking chamber door open and a wire rack removed, in accordance with another embodiment;
• FIG. 96 is a perspective view of the cooking apparatus ofFIG. 95 having the cooking chamber door open, and the wire rack and two cooking chamber panels removed;
• FIG. 97 is a perspective view of the cooking apparatus ofFIG. 95 having the cooking chamber door open, and the wire rack and five cooking chamber panels removed;
• FIG. 98 is a perspective view of a cooking apparatus having a cooking chamber door open, and a wire rack and heating duct portion removed, in accordance with another embodiment;
• FIG. 99 is a cross-sectional view taken along line87-87 inFIG. 85, in accordance with another embodiment;
• FIG. 100 is a perspective view of the cooking apparatus ofFIG. 99 having a cooking chamber door open, and a wire rack and two cooking chamber panels removed;
• FIG. 101 is a cross-sectional view taken along line87-87 inFIG. 85, in accordance with another embodiment;
• FIG. 102 is a cross-sectional view taken along line86-86 inFIG. 85, in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 103 is a cross-sectional view taken along line87-87 inFIG. 85, in accordance with another embodiment;
• FIG. 104 is a schematic illustration of a heat storage member connected to a domestic appliance, in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 105 is a schematic illustration of a heat storage member disconnected from a domestic appliance, in accordance with an embodiment;
• FIG. 106 is a perspective view of a heat storage member connected to a cooking apparatus; and
• FIG. 107 is a cross-sectional view taken along line107-107 inFIG. 106.
DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS
• The terms “an embodiment,” “embodiment,” “embodiments,” “the embodiment,” “the embodiments,” “one or more embodiments,” “some embodiments,” and “one embodiment” mean “one or more (but not all) embodiments of the present invention(s),” unless expressly specified otherwise.
• The terms “including,” “comprising” and variations thereof mean “including but not limited to,” unless expressly specified otherwise. A listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms “a,” “an” and “the” mean “one or more,” unless expressly specified otherwise.
• As used herein and in the claims, two or more parts are said to be “coupled”, “connected”, “attached”, “joined”, “affixed”, or “fastened” where the parts are joined or operate together either directly or indirectly (i.e., through one or more intermediate parts), so long as a link occurs. As used herein and in the claims, two or more parts are said to be “directly coupled”, “directly connected”, “directly attached”, “directly joined”, “directly affixed”, or “directly fastened” where the parts are connected in physical contact with each other. As used herein, two or more parts are said to be “rigidly coupled”, “rigidly connected”, “rigidly attached”, “rigidly joined”, “rigidly affixed”, or “rigidly fastened” where the parts are coupled so as to move as one while maintaining a constant orientation relative to each other. None of the terms “coupled”, “connected”, “attached”, “joined”, “affixed”, and “fastened” distinguish the manner in which two or more parts are joined together.
• Further, although method steps may be described (in the disclosure and/or in the claims) in a sequential order, such methods may be configured to work in alternate orders. In other words, any sequence or order of steps that may be described does not necessarily indicate a requirement that the steps be performed in that order. The steps of methods described herein may be performed in any order that is practical. Further, some steps may be performed simultaneously.
• As used herein and in the claims, a first element is said to be ‘communicatively coupled to’ or ‘communicatively connected to’ or ‘connected in communication with’ a second element where the first element is configured to send or receive electronic signals (e.g. data) to or from the second element, and the second element is configured to receive or send the electronic signals from or to the first element. The communication may be wired (e.g. the first and second elements are connected by one or more data cables), or wireless (e.g. at least one of the first and second elements has a wireless transmitter, and at least the other of the first and second elements has a wireless receiver). The electronic signals may be analog or digital. The communication may be one-way or two-way. In some cases, the communication may conform to one or more standard protocols (e.g. SPI, I²C, Bluetooth™, or IEEE™ 802.11).
• As used herein and in the claims, a group of elements are said to ‘collectively’ perform an act where that act is performed by any one of the elements in the group, or performed cooperatively by two or more (or all) elements in the group.
• Some elements herein may be identified by a part number, which is composed of a base number followed by an alphabetical or subscript-numerical suffix (e.g.112a, or112₁). Multiple elements herein may be identified by part numbers that share a base number in common and that differ by their suffixes (e.g.112₁,112₂, and112₃). All elements with a common base number may be referred to collectively or generically using the base number without a suffix (e.g.112).
General Description of a Cooking Apparatus
• FIGS. 1-3 exemplify acooking apparatus100 in accordance with an embodiment. As shown,cooking apparatus100 includes achamber104 havingsidewalls108 that collectively define a contiguousinterior volume112. Chamber sidewalls108 may include an openable wall116 (also referred to as a door116).Chamber door116 is openable to provide user access to insert food intocooking chamber104 and to remove food fromcooking chamber104.FIG. 1 showschamber door116 in a closed position to retain heat withincooking chamber104.FIGS. 2 and 3show chamber door116 in open positions.
• Turning toFIGS. 4-5,chamber104 can have any configuration suitable for receiving and holding food for cooking. In some embodiments,chamber104 may be substantially parallelepiped. For example,chamber104 may be substantially cuboid. This may provide a compact configuration that promotes space efficiency when organized with other similarly shaped appliances, e.g. on a kitchen countertop. In the illustrated example, chamber sidewalls108 include top andbottom walls108₁and108₂, left andright walls108₃and108₄, and front andrear walls108₅and108₆, which are collectively joined together.Front wall108₅is shown includingcooking chamber door116. In other embodiment, anothersidewall108, such asleft wall108₃,right wall108₄, ortop wall108₁may includechamber door116 or another chamber door to provide access to insert and remove food from chamberinterior volume112 in other directions.
• In other embodiments,cooking chamber104 may have a different configuration ofchamber sidewalls108. For example,cooking chamber104 may be cylindrical, domed (e.g. semi-spherical), or another regular or irregular shape.
• Still referring toFIGS. 4-5,cooking chamber104 may include any number (i.e. one or a plurality) ofheating elements120 to provide heat to food contained within chamberinterior volume112.Heating elements120 may be of any type suitable for delivering heat to food. For example,heating elements120 may include any one or more (or all) of resistive heating elements (i.e. that produce heat through electrical resistance), flame heating elements (i.e. that produce heat by burning fuel, such as natural gas, propane, or butane for example), and infrared heating elements (e.g. including quartz, calrod, or nichrome wire).Heating elements120 may include a ceramic or mica board insulating support. One or more (or all) ofheating elements120 may extend within chamberinterior volume112 as shown (i.e. may be positioned wholly or partially within chamber interior volume112), or may be positioned wholly outside of chamberinterior volume112.
• When activated (e.g. powered or fueled), heating element(s)120 may be collectively capable of heating food and/or the air withincooking chamber104 to at least common food cooking temperatures (e.g. to at least 200° F., such as 200° F. to 800° F.). Temperatures at the lower end of this range (e.g. 200° F.-350° F.) may be suitable for defrosting frozen foods and for slow-cooking techniques that produce tender meats and the like. Temperatures at the higher end of this range (e.g. 350° F.-800° F.) may be suitable for searing foods and fast-cooking techniques that produce crispy pizza crusts and the like.
• Cooking apparatus100 may provide forced convection functionality. When enabled, forced convection employs an air mover to move the air withincooking chamber104 to disrupt (e.g. displace) the layer of cool gas that forms around exposed surfaces of food under natural convection conditions. Consequently, forced convection may allow food to cook faster and with greater energy efficiency (e.g. consume less electricity and/or fuel usage), all else being equal.Cooking apparatus100 may include any number (e.g. one or a plurality of)air movers124.Cooking apparatus100 may include anyair movers124 suitable for circulating air within chamberinterior volume112 and promoting forced convective heat transfer. For example,air movers124 may include amotor128 that drives an air impeller132 (e.g. a radial flow, mixed flow, or axial flow impeller). When rotated, theair impeller132 accelerates air within or into chamberinterior volume112.Air impellers132 may be located within chamberinterior volume112 as shown (e.g. to circulate air within chamber interior volume112), or may be located outside of chamber interior volume112 (e.g. within a conduit fluidly connected to chamber interior volume112) to recirculate air that exits chamberinterior volume112 back into chamberinterior volume112.
• In some embodiments,cooking apparatus100 may permit the forced convection function to be selectively user-activated and user-deactivated. This can allow the user to activate forced convection (e.g. to cook food faster and more energy efficiently), and to deactivate forced convection (e.g. to follow the time and temperature directed by a recipe, which was not intended for forced convection). When forced convection is activated, air mover(s)124 may be powered on, and when forced convection is deactivated, air mover(s)124 may be powered off.
• In other embodiments,cooking apparatus100 may not provide forced convection functionality. For example,cooking apparatus100 may not include anair mover124 associated with chamberinterior volume112. This may simplify the design ofcooking apparatus100, which may reduce the cost and complexity ofmanufacturing cooking apparatus100.
• Referring toFIG. 5,cooking apparatus100 may provide steam generating functionality. For example,cooking apparatus100 may produce steam withincooking chamber104 or deliver steam intocooking chamber104. When air is heated, such as occurs incooking chamber104, the moisture capacity of the air rises, which causes the relative humidity to fall. As the relative humidity falls, the rate at which moisture is removed from food into the surrounding air accelerates. Thus, higher air temperatures can lead to food drying out more rapidly. For many foods, such as meats for example, drying is often an undesirable byproduct of cooking that users wish to avoid. By providing steam tocooking chamber104,cooking apparatus100 may raise the air humidity withincooking chamber104 and thereby slow, stop, or reverse the dehumidification (i.e. drying out) of the food being cooked.
• Cooking apparatus100 may include any number (e.g. one or a plurality of)steam generators136.Cooking apparatus100 may include anysteam generator136 suitable for producing high humidity air to interact with food cooking within chamberinterior volume112.Steam generator136 may generate steam within chamberinterior volume112 as shown. Alternatively,steam generator136 may generate steam outside of chamberinterior volume112, and the generated steam may be directed (e.g. by natural or forced flow) into chamberinterior volume112.
• In some embodiments,cooking apparatus100 may permit the steam generation function (also referred to as the ‘humidification function’) to be selectively user-activated and user-deactivated. This can allow the user to activate steam generation (e.g. to prevent foods from drying during cooking), and to deactivate steam generation (e.g. to allow foods, such as French fries and chicken wings, to crisp).
• In other embodiments,cooking apparatus100 may not include asteam generator136. This may simplify the design ofcooking apparatus100, which may reduce the cost and complexity ofmanufacturing cooking apparatus100.
Cooking Containers
• Turning toFIG. 6,cooking apparatus100 may include any number (e.g. one or a plurality) ofcooking receptacles140 that may be removably receivable in a cooking apparatus, each of which may removably receive acooking vessel160.
• The features in this section may be used by themselves in any cooking apparatus or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features described herein. For example, the feature of the cooking receptacle and the cooking vessel described herein may be used with any of the features of multiple cooking zones, subdividable cooking zones, forced convection, steam generation, dynamic energy utilization, heating element power modes, door transparency, removable handle, retractable door, removable handle, retractable door, lights, self-cleaning, cooking additive distribution, insulation and air cooling, heating ducts, common motor drive, smoke and/or odor control, reorientation and expansion, vertical cooking, toaster, heat storage members, and other features described herein.
• Cooking apparatus100 may include anycooking receptacle140 sized fit in (e.g., be removably receivable in) chamberinterior volume112 and suitable for holding food that is cooking within chamberinterior volume112. As shown,cooking receptacles140 may be cookingcontainers having sidewalls148 that define aninterior volume144 for holding food. In some embodiments, areceptacle140 may be substantially parallelepiped. For example,receptacle140 may be substantially cuboid as shown. In the illustrated example,receptacle140 includesbottom walls148₁, left andright walls148₂and148₃, and front and rear walls148₄(FIG. 3) and148₅which are collectively joined together.
• Referring toFIG. 3, one or more sides ofreceptacle140 may be partially or completely open to accommodate the insertion and removal of food, and/or the passage of heat to food contained in thereceptacle140. In the illustrated embodiment,receptacle140 includes an at least partiallyopen side152 that is aligned withopenable chamber sidewall108 to accommodate the passage of food (i.e. insertion of food) into cooking receptacleinterior volume144. Referring toFIG. 6, food may be placed directly intocooking receptacle140. For example, food may rest on, and in contact with cookingreceptacle bottom wall148₁.
• Returning toFIG. 3, in some embodiments cooking receptacle may include afront wall148₄that may inhibit food, including liquids (e.g. oil, sauces, rendered fat, expelled liquid, or other drippings), from spilling out of the openfront end152. As shown,front wall148₄may be shorter than left andright walls148₂and148₃to allow food to be inserted into cooking receptacleinterior volume144 through the vertical space betweenfront wall148₄and cooking receptacleupper side156. As shown inFIG. 6,cooking receptacle140 may have anopen side156 that is aligned withheating elements120 and/orair mover124 so that heat and/or convective air can pass through theopen side156 into contact with food contained withincooking receptacle140. In the illustrated example,open side156 is an upper side ofreceptacle140 and bothheating elements120 andair mover124 are positioned abovecooking receptacle140. In other embodiments,open side156 may be a different side ofcooking receptacle140, such as for example, left, right, orrear side148₂,148₃,148₄.
• In other embodiments,cooking receptacle140 does not includefront wall148₄. This may enlarge the opening infront side152, which may allow taller food to be inserted intocooking receptacle140 throughfront side152, all else being equal.
• Turning toFIGS. 2 and 4, alternatively or in addition to supporting food directly on surfaces ofcooking receptacle140, food may be held withincooking receptacle140 in or on acooking vessel160.Cooking vessel160 may be any vessel sized to fit within cooking receptacleinterior volume144, and suitable for carrying food during cooking. For example,cooking vessel160 may be a cooking container such as a pan as shown, a pot, or a fryer basket, or a cooking sheet such as a baking sheet or a wire rack.
• It is desirable when cooking some foods (e.g. French fries and chicken wings) to obtain a crispy exterior when cooked. However, some such foods expel liquids as they cook, and if the liquid is allowed to pool in contact with the food, the liquid will inhibit a crispy crust (e.g. will make the contacted food surfaces soggy). In some embodiments,cooking vessel160 may be supported incooking receptacle140 with at least a portion (or all) of the cookingvessel bottom wall164 spaced apart from cookingreceptacle bottom wall148₁, and cookingvessel bottom wall164 may be liquid pervious. This can allow expelled liquids to pass throughbottom wall164 and collect incooking receptacle140 out of contact with the remainder of the food incooking vessel160. This can promote better and faster crisping of food exteriors that might have otherwise been softened by contact with the expelled liquids.
• Cooking vesselbottom wall164 may have any liquid pervious construction suitable to allow passage of liquids expelled from foods to exitcooking vessel160. For example, cookingvessel bottom wall164 may have a plurality of apertures (e.g. perforated apertures as in a pizza pan, or voids between wires as in a cooling rack or fryer basket), or may be made of liquid pervious material (e.g. liquid pervious paper, cloth, mesh, or other fabric).
• Referring toFIGS. 7 and 8,cooking vessel160 may be supported incooking receptacle140 in any manner that spaces at least a portion (or all) of cookingvessel bottom wall164 from cookingreceptacle bottom wall148₁. For example,cooking receptacle140 may have one ormore supports168 as shown, and/orcooking vessel160 may have one or more legs (not shown) that can hold cookingvessel bottom wall164 spaced above cookingreceptacle bottom wall148₁. In the illustrated example,cooking receptacle140 includes a plurality of spaced apart supports168 upon whichcooking vessel160 is supported when received incooking receptacle140. As shown,cooking receptacle140 includes afront support168₁connected to cooking receptaclefront wall148₄, and arear support168₂connected to cooking receptaclerear wall148₅. Alternately, or in addition, some or all of the sidewalls of the cooking vessel may be spaced from the sidewalls of thecooking receptacle140. For example, if the sidewalls of thecooking vessel160 are pervious to airflow (e.g., they are made of a wire or mesh material), then spacing the sidewalls of thecooking vessel160 from the sidewalls of thecooking receptacle140 may permit airflow through the sides of the cooking vessel. This may be desirable if cooking, e.g., French fries of chick wings. Optionally, if thecooking vessel160 is a basket, then the sides and the bottom may be spaced from cookingreceptacle140 when placed therein.
• Turning toFIG. 7, cookingvessel bottom wall164 may be supported at anyheight172 above cookingreceptacle bottom wall148₁suitable for providing a collection space (i.e. a collection volume) for an accumulation of liquids from the food as it cooks. Preferably,height172 is at least 5 mm, such as 5 mm to 30 mm, to provide adequate volume for liquids to pool betweenbottom walls148₁and164. A relatively small height172 (e.g. 5 mm to 15 mm) may allowcooking receptacle140 to hold a relativelytall cooking vessel160. A relatively tall height172 (e.g. 15 mm to 30 mm) may allowcooking receptacle140 to collect a relatively large volume of liquids.
• In some embodiments,cooking vessel160 may be receivable incooking receptacle140 withbottom walls148₁and164 in flush contact. This can allow for efficient conductive heat transfer from cookingreceptacle bottom148₁to cookingvessel bottom wall164. An advantage of this design is that it can promote desirable browning of food surfaces in contact with cookingvessel bottom wall164. In many foods, browning results from a Maillard reaction, which also produces desirable flavors and aromas.
• In some embodiments,cooking vessel160 may have a liquidimpervious bottom wall164. This can allow the food to be partially submerged in fluid within cooking vessel160 (e.g. for braising), or to be fully submerged in fluid (e.g. for stewing). A fluidimpervious bottom wall164 may also allow for different food to be cooked incooking receptacle140 betweenbottom walls148₁and164 in isolation from the food incooking vessel160. For example, meat may cook withincooking vessel160 while vegetables may cook withincooking receptacle140 belowcooking vessel160.
• Cooking apparatus100 may include or be compatible with bothcooking vessels160 with liquid impervious and liquid perviousbottom walls164. For example,cooking apparatus100 may include, or there may be available as an accessory, a plurality ofcooking vessels160 of differing configurations (e.g. shapes, sizes, and construction), including at least onecooking vessel160 having a liquidimpervious bottom wall164 and at least onecooking vessel160 having a liquidpervious bottom wall164. This can allowcooking apparatus100 to cook foods in very different ways according to thecooking vessel160 selected to carry the food being cooked.
• Turning toFIG. 2,cooking vessel160 may be removable from cookingreceptacle140. For example,cooking vessel160 may be conveniently removed prior to cooking to deposit food intocooking vessel160 for cooking, may be replaced to cook the deposited food, and may be removed after cooking to empty/serve the cooked food. Removingcooking vessel160 may also make cleaningcooking vessel160 andcooking receptacle140 more convenient.
• Cooking vessel160 may be removable from cookingreceptacle140 in any manner. In the illustrated embodiment,cooking vessel160 is movable (e.g. slidable) relative tocooking receptacle140 through cooking receptacleopen side152 andcooking chamber door116 for removal from cookingchamber104. As shown,cooking vessel160 may include ahandle176 that a user can grasp to safely handlecooking vessel160 when removing and replacingcooking vessel160.
Multiple Cooking Zones
• Reference is now made toFIG. 4. In some embodiments,cooking chamber104 may include a plurality ofcooking zones180. As used herein, each “cooking zone” is a distinct volumetric region withincooking chamber104 that can be selectively subjected to different cooking conditions from the other cooking zone(s), such as heating conditions (e.g. set temperature, heating rate, and/or heating direction), convection conditions (e.g. air circulation speed, and/or air circulation direction), and humidity conditions (e.g. set relative humidity, and/or humidification rate) for example. An advantage of this design is that it can allow food located in different cooking zones to be simultaneously cooked in different cooking conditions.
• The features in this section may be used by themselves in any cooking apparatus or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features described herein. For example, the feature of multiple cooking zones described herein may be used with any of the features of the cooking receptacle and the cooking vessel, subdividable cooking zones, forced convection, steam generation, dynamic energy utilization, heating element power modes, door transparency, removable handle, retractable door, self-cleaning, cooking additive distribution, insulation and air cooling, heating ducts, common motor drive, smoke and/or odor control, reorientation and expansion, vertical cooking, toaster, heat storage members, and other features described herein.
• The cooking conditions of eachcooking zone180 may be varied (i.e. controlled) substantially independently of theother cooking zones180 in any manner, such as by operation of one or more electronic or electromechanical cooking devices (e.g. heating elements120,air movers124, and/or steam generators136). As used herein, a cooking condition (e.g. temperature) of afirst cooking zone180₁is said to be varied (i.e. controlled) “substantially independently” of the same cooking condition (e.g. temperature) in asecond cooking zone180₂, where the action taken to affect the change in cooking condition (e.g. power heating element(s)120) predominantly affects the cooking condition in the first cooking zone180₁(e.g. most of the generated heat goes to first cooking zone180₁), or where the action taken or other actions taken (e.g. disabling heating element(s) associated with second cooking zone180₂) lessen the change in cooking condition of thesecond cooking zone180₂. In other words,cooking apparatus100 has one or more electronic or electromechanical devices that can be coordinated to provide individually controllable cooking conditions in two ormore cooking zones180.
• Referring toFIGS. 4-5, eachcooking zone180 may be defined by acooking receptacle140 or acooking vessel160.Cooking apparatus100 may include any number ofcooking receptacles140 and/orcooking vessels160 to provide any number ofcooking zones180. In the illustrated embodiment,cooking apparatus100 includes twocooking receptacles140 simultaneously positioned withincooking chamber104. As shown,cooking chamber104 defines a single contiguous volume while cookingreceptacle140₁definesfirst cooking zone180₁, andsecond cooking receptacle140₂definessecond cooking zone180₂within the cooking chamber14. When acooking vessel160 is positioned in acooking receptacle140, thecooking vessel160 may be located in thecooking zone180 defined by thecooking receptacle140, or thecooking vessel160 may define thecooking zone180.
• Turning toFIG. 5, eachcooking zone180 may have associated with it one or more distinct cooking devices (e.g. heating elements120,air movers124, and/or steam generators136). This allows the cooking conditions in each zone to be substantially independently controlled. Eachcooking zone180 may have the same or different cooking devices. In the illustrated embodiment, eachcooking zone180 has above it arespective heating element120,air mover124, andsteam generator136. Within eachcooking zone180, these cooking devices may be selectively activated and deactivated according to a cooking program (e.g. set temperature, humidity, convection speed) independently of the cooking devices in theother cooking zone180.
• Still referring toFIG. 5, activating a cooking device (e.g. heating element120) associated with onecooking zone180 may impact cooking conditions (e.g. temperature) in anothercooking zone180. For example, imperfect thermal isolation may allow some heat from aheating element120₁infirst cooking zone180₁to transmit intosecond cooking zone180₂. Moreover,first cooking zone180₁may be in fluid communication with second cooking zone180₂(e.g., the sidewalls of thecooking receptacles140 may terminate before the top wall of the cooking volume104) such that there is some gas (e.g. air) exchange between thecooking zones180₁,180₂. However,cooking apparatus100 may mitigate the impact of such effects by operation of cooking devices associated with thesecond cooking zone180₂. For example,heating element120₂may be turned down or turned off to compensate for the heat enteringcooking zone180₂fromheating element120₁. This can allow thecooking zones180₁and180₂to maintain substantially independent cooking conditions.
• The cooking device(s) associated with acooking zone180 may be positioned anywhere within or outside of thecooking zone180. In the illustrated embodiment, aheating element120, anair mover124, and asteam generator136 are positioned above eachcooking zone180. In other embodiments, one or more (or all) of the cooking devices may be positioned below, to one side, or inside thecooking zone180.
• Eachcooking zone180 may have the same or different cooking device(s). This can allow eachcooking zone180 to be tailored to cooking the same or different foods, in the same or different quantities, or to producing the same or different cooking conditions. For example, eachcooking zone180 may have associated with it the same or different types of cooking devices (e.g. heating, air moving, or humidifying device), and/or may have associated with it the same type of cooking device as is associated with another zone but of a different configuration (e.g. size, power, or principle of operation).FIG. 5 depicts eachcooking zone180 having associated with it cooking devices of the same types—aheating element120, anair mover124, and asteam generator136. Theheating elements120₁and120₂of the first andsecond cooking zones180₁and180₂may have the same or different configuration. For example,heating elements120₁may have the same or different size, power, or principle of operation (e.g. resistive heater vs. infrared heater). Similarly, for theair movers124 andsteam generators136.
• Referring toFIG. 4,cooking apparatus100 may include one or more cooking devices that may be associated simultaneously with two ormore cooking zones180. In the illustrated example, aheating element120₃is positioned beneathcooking zones180₁and180₂and provides heat to both. Alternatively or in addition,cooking apparatus100 may include anair mover124 positioned to circulate air through a plurality ofcooking zones180, and/or asteam generator136 positioned to humidify air within a plurality ofcooking zones180.
• In some embodiments, a dividingwall184 may be positioned betweencommon heating element120₃, andcooking zones180₁and180₂. The dividingwall184 may help prevent liquid and/or solid food from falling down fromcooking zones180 ontoheating element120₃and rapidly burning and/or smoking. Dividingwall184 may underlie at least a portion of two ormore cooking zones180 above. In the illustrated embodiment, dividingwall184 extends over the entire area beneathcooking zones180. Dividingwall184 may have any structure suitable for preventing liquid and/or solid food from falling down fromcooking zones180 ontoheating element120₃. For example, dividingwall184 may be a continuous sheet of material (e.g. metal), a perforated sheet of material, or a wire/mesh rack.
• Someheating elements120, such as infrared and fire basedheating elements120₃may generate heat unevenly over the area belowcooking zones180₁and180₂, with the heat being concentrated in regions nearest the heat source. Alternatively or in addition to helping to prevent food from falling ontoheating element120₃, dividingwall184 may help to more evenly distribute heat emitted bycommon heating element120₃over the area of dividingwall184. For example, dividingwall184 may include high conductivity material (e.g. metal, such as aluminum or copper) to distribute heat laterally across the area of dividingwall184. Whereheating element120₃is an infrared heater, or generates infrared heat, dividingwall184 may include infrared absorbent material. In this case, dividingwall184 may be referred to as an ‘IR absorber’. This can allow dividingwall184 to absorb the infrared energy emitted byheating element120₃that strikes dividing walllower surface188, and re-emit the energy (as infrared or other form of heat radiation) from a majority of (e.g. at least 50%) or substantially the entire (e.g. at least 85% of) dividing wallupper surface192.
• Optionally, the portions of dividingwall184 that are immediately above (overlie) the heating element may be made of a less conductive material so as to produce a dividing wall having a more uniform temperature during operation of the cooking apparatus. Such a design is exemplified inFIGS. 9A-9B, which show aninfrared absorber184 overlaying aninfrared heating element120. Dimensions in these figures are exaggerated for illustration purposes. In this example, dividingwall184 includes infrared absorbing material that absorbs infrared radiation fromheating element120 and re-radiates heat (infrared or otherwise) from dividing wallupper surface192. In some embodiments, dividingwall184 may have less infrared absorptive capacity per unit area in region(s)196 closer to (e.g. directly overlying)heating element120 than in region(s)204 farther from heating element120 (e.g. laterally spaced from heating element120). Because the heating from infrared radiation is a function of distance (indeed, distance cubed),region196 closest toheating element120 may receive more radiation than aregion204 located farther fromheating element120. By providing thefarther region204 with greater infrared absorptive capacity, theinfrared absorber184 may be able to more evenly re-radiate heat across the closer andfarther regions196 and204 of dividing wallupper surface192.
• Infrared absorber184 may be configured to provideregions196 and204 with different infrared absorptive capacity per unit area in any manner suitable for providing more even heat radiation across dividing wallupper surface192. In some embodiments, the infrared absorptive capacity per unit area may be varied by varying athickness208 ofinfrared absorber184. The illustrated example showsinfrared absorber184 having athickness208 of infrared absorbent material that is greater infarther regions204 than incloser region196. The change inthickness208 may be gradual as shown, or may change in step-wise fashion for example. Alternatively or in addition to varyingthickness208,infrared absorber184 may have intermittent strips of infrared absorbent material that are more densely arranged infarther regions204 than incloser region196. Alternatively or in addition to varyingthickness208 and using intermittent strips of infrared absorbent material,infrared absorber184 may include a first infrared absorbent material with lower infrared absorptivity incloser region196, and include a second infrared absorbent material with higher infrared absorptivity infarther regions204.
• Reference is now made toFIGS. 3 and 10.Cooking apparatus100 may be reconfigurable to resizecooking zones180, to divide acooking zone180 into two ormore cooking zones180, and/or to merge two ormore cooking zones180 into a singlelarger cooking zone180.Cooking apparatus100 may include any number of (e.g. one or multiple)cooking receptacles140 and cooking vessels160 (FIG. 5) simultaneously housed withincooking chamber104. As discussed above,cooking receptacles140 and/or cooking vessels160 (FIG. 5) may define acooking zone180 when positioned incooking chamber104. One or more (or all) ofcooking receptacles140 and cooking vessels160 (FIG. 5) may be removable from cookingchamber104 to reconfigure thecooking zones180 ofcooking apparatus100. For example,FIG. 10 illustrates acooking apparatus100 having one of twocooking receptacles140 removed from cookingchamber104. In one aspect, thecooking receptacle140 when removed from cookingchamber104 may be more easily cleaned (e.g. in the sink). Moreover, the removal of thecooking receptacle140 has enlargedcooking zone180₂, which now extends downward to dividingwall184. Food may be placed on dividing wall184 (e.g. directly, or within a cooking vessel supported on dividing wall184) to cook by itself, or alongside other food inside the remainingcooking receptacle140₁.
• FIGS. 11-12 illustratecooking apparatus100 having no remaining cooking receptacles positioned incooking chamber104, which results in the first andsecond cooking zones180₁and180₂combining to form a unitary orcontiguous cooking zone180. Theunitary cooking zone180 may be re-divided by reinserting one or more cooking receptacles or cooking vessels. Theenlarged cooking zone180 may provide greater surface area (e.g. horizontal surface area) to cook larger items, such as a pizza, pie, or cake, which may be supported directly in contact with dividingwall184, or within a cooking vessel (e.g. pizza pan, pie dish, or cake pan) supported on dividingwall184.
• Referring toFIGS. 10-11,cooking receptacles140 may be removably receivable incooking chamber104 in any manner. For example,cooking receptacles140 may be sat directly on (i.e. in contact with) dividing wall184 (i.e. dividingwall184 may function as a shelf). In the illustrated example,cooking receptacles140 are suspended above, in spaced apart relation to, dividingwall184 when positioned incooking chamber104. As shown,cooking chamber104 may include one or more mounts208 (e.g. rails as shown, or brackets) that supportcooking receptacles140 above dividingwall184.Mounts208 may extend from anycooking chamber sidewall108, such as left andright walls108₃and108₄as shown.
• Turning toFIG. 7, cookingreceptacle bottom wall148₁may be spaced anydistance212 from dividingwall184 suitable to provide an air-gap between cooking receptacle and dividingwall184. The air-gap may substantially eliminate heat conduction betweencooking receptacle140 and dividingwall184, so that heat is predominantly transferred by radiation and convection. This may allow dividingwall184 to more efficiently absorb and distribute heat fromheating element120₃across dividingwall184, and more evenly transmit heat from dividingwall184 to cookingreceptacle bottom wall148₁.Distance212 is preferably greater than 3 mm (e.g. 3 mm to 50 mm). In some embodiments,distance212 is greater than 20 mm (e.g. 20 mm to 50 mm), which may permit food to be cooked in direct contact with dividingwall184 simultaneously as food is cooked within cooking receptacle(s)140 above. In this case, a third cooking zone may be defined in the space betweencooking receptacles140 and dividingwall184.
• FIG. 13 shows a schematic illustration ofcooking apparatus100 in accordance with an embodiment. As shown,cooking apparatus100 may include acontroller216 which is communicatively coupled to the cooking devices (e.g. heating elements120, air movers,124, and steam generators136) associated with the plurality of cooking zones (e.g. first andsecond zones180₁and180₂) defined withincooking chamber104.Controller216 may include one or more electrical or electro-mechanical devices (e.g. processor(s), memory, relay(s), switch(es), etc.) that are configured (e.g. wired and programmed) to regulate the operation of the cooking devices ofcooking apparatus100 to execute a cooking program (e.g. selected by the user).
• As shown,cooking apparatus100 may includefood220₁withinfirst cooking zone180₁, andfood220₂withinsecond cooking zone180₂.Controller216 may direct the operation of the cooking devices withincooking apparatus100 according to a cooking program in order to cookfoods220₁and220₂. In one embodiment,foods220₁and220₂are different foods that if cooked under identical conditions would require substantially different cooking times to complete their cooking to a desired doneness (e.g. browned and not burnt). For example,food220₁infirst cooking zone180₁may be raw French fries, andfood220₂incooking zone180₂may be raw chicken wings.
• In some embodiments,controller216 may direct the operation of the cooking devices according to a cooking program, which aims to cookfoods220₁and220₂so that they finish cooking at approximately the same time. This may involve producing different cooking conditions (temperature, convective air speed, and/or humidity) in the twocooking zones180. For example,controller216 may directheating element120₁to produce relatively less heat thanheating element120₂to slow the cooking ofFrench fries220₁infirst cooking zone180₁and to allowchicken wings220₂insecond cooking zone180₂more time to finish cooking, and in the result allow bothfoods220₁and220₂to finish cooking at the same time. In another example,controller216 may delay the activation ofheating element120₁as compared toheating element120₂to start the cooking ofFrench fries220₁infirst cooking zone180₁so thatchicken wings220₂insecond cooking zone180₂are cooked for a long period of time, whereby bothfoods220₁and220₂finish cooking at the same time.
• In some embodiments,controller216 may execute a cooking program intended to complete the cooking offoods220₁and220₂in sequence (e.g. spaced apart in time sufficiently to allow onefood220 to be plated and served before thesecond food220 finishes cooking, or spaced apart in time sufficiently to allow onefood220 to finish resting contemporaneously as thesecond food220 finishes cooking). For example,controller216 may direct the operation of the cooking devices so that two identical batches ofchicken wings220₁and220₂, which started cooking at the same time, finish several minutes apart (e.g. by modulating the heat ofheating elements120, the air speed ofair movers124, and/or the humidity generated by steam generators136).
• Eachheating element120 can include a single heating device or a plurality of heating devices having any shape and arranged in any pattern.FIGS. 14A-14D illustrate someexemplary heating elements120 that are associated withdiscrete cooking zones180.FIG. 14A shows an example ofheating elements120₁and120₂each having two linear heating devices arranged in parallel.FIG. 14B shows an example ofheating elements120₁and120₂each having a round (e.g. circular) heating device.FIG. 14C shows an example ofheating elements120₁and120₂, each including a plurality of round (e.g. circular) heating devices.FIG. 14D illustrates another example ofheating elements120₁and120₂, each having a plurality of linear heating devices in a different orientation than shown inFIG. 14A.
• FIGS. 14E-14J illustrate someexemplary heating elements120₃that may be common to a plurality of cooking zones.FIG. 14E shows an example of aheating element120₃including a singlelinear heating element120₃.FIG. 14F shows an example of aheating element120₃including a plurality oflinear heating elements120₃in parallel.FIG. 14G shows an example of aheating element120₃including a plurality of round (e.g. circular) heating devices side by side.FIG. 14H shows an example of aheating element120₃including a plurality of nested heating devices.FIG. 14I shows an example of aheating element120₃including a plurality of linear heating devices arranged in a different orientation than inFIG. 14F.FIG. 14J shows an example of aheating element120₃including a heating element having an irregular shape.
Subdividable Cooking Zones
• Reference is now made toFIGS. 15-16. In some embodiments, a cooking zone180 (e.g. defined by acooking receptacle140, or a cooking vessel) may be subdivided intoaddition cooking zones180. This can allow the number of cooking zones withincooking chamber104 to be increased. Eachcooking zone180 can have different cooking conditions for cookingdifferent foods220.
• The features in this section may be used by themselves in any cooking apparatus or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features described herein. For example, the feature of subdividable cooking zones described herein may be used with any of the features of the cooking receptacle and the cooking vessel, multiple cooking zones, forced convection, steam generation, dynamic energy utilization, heating element power modes, door transparency, removable handle, retractable door, self-cleaning, cooking additive distribution, insulation and air cooling, heating ducts, common motor drive, smoke and/or odor control, reorientation and expansion, vertical cooking, toaster, heat storage members, and other features described herein.
• In some embodiments, acooking zone180 heated by aninfrared heating element120 may be subdivided by positioning an infrared-opaque barrier224 (also referred to as an IR shield224) between theheating element120 and thecooking zone180.FIGS. 15-16 illustrate an example in whichsecond cooking zone180₂is subdivided intosub-zones180_2Aand180_2Bby overlaying anIR shield224 over a portion (e.g. one-half) ofcooking receptacle140₂. This can reduce the IR radiation that strikesfood220_2Binsub-zone180_2Bas compared withfood220_2Ainsub-zone180_2A. As a result, twodifferent foods220_2Aand220_2Bcan be cooked under different cooking conditions within thesame cooking receptacle140₂under thesame heating element120₂or inseparate receptacles140 placed in onecooking vessel160.IR shield224 may be permanently or removably connected tocooking receptacle140. Aremovable IR shield224 may permitcooking receptacle140 to be selectively divided or undivided intosub-zones180 as desired. IR shield may be moveable mounted from a retracted position (e.g., in which it is moved to about a sidewall of chamber140) to a deployed position as exemplified inFIG. 17.
• IR shield224 may be made of any material effective to block or resist/reduce the transmission of infrared radiation. For example,IR shield224 may be made of aluminum, aluminized steel, or low iron glass.IR shield224 may cover an entirety of asub-zone180 below, or may be deployed to cover only part of the sub-zone180 or may include open area(s) (e.g. formed by slots orperforations228 as shown). Open area(s)228 may allowIR shield224 to reduce but not completely block IR radiation fromheating elements120 to thesub-zone180 below.
• Referring toFIG. 17, in some embodiments azone subdividing wall232 may be provided to create greater isolation between the sub-zones180_2Aand180_2B. In some embodiments, subdividingwall232 may be air impervious or air flow resistant to reduce air exchange betweensub-zones180_2Aand180_2B, so thatsub-zones180_2Aand180_2Bcan maintain distinct air temperatures. Alternatively or in addition, subdividingwall232 may be liquid impervious to reduce liquid exchange, so that the flavors offoods220_2Aand220_2Bdo not mix. Moreover, subdividingwall232 may be permanently or removably connected tocooking receptacle140₂. A permanently connected subdividingwall232 may allow subdividingwall232 to more reliably resist liquid and air exchange betweensub-zones180_2Aand180_2B. A removably connected subdividingwall232 may be selectively inserted or removed, and may be sized to fit into a cooking vessel.
• Reference is now made toFIG. 18. In some embodiments,IR shield224 may be formed as a shutter that is movable between an open position, in which IR radiation fromheating element120 is unobstructed or less obstructed byIR shield224, and a closed position (shown) in which IR radiation fromheating element120 is completely or more obstructed byIR shield224. As shown,IR shield224 may include anupper shield panel236₁and alower shield panel236₂. As shown inFIG. 19, upper andlower shield panels236₁and236₂may include open area(s)228 (e.g. formed by perforations, slots, or spaces between wires) positioned betweenclosed areas240. Returning toFIG. 18, in the closed position shown, theclosed areas240 of eachshield panel236 at least partially overlie (i.e. overlap) and align with theopen areas228 of theother shield panel236 to provide complete (or greater) obstruction to IR radiation into thesub-zone180_Bbelow. In the open position, theopen areas228 of eachshield panel236 at least partially overlie (i.e. overlap) and align with theopen areas228 of theother shield panel236 to provide less obstruction to IR radiation into thesubarea180_Bbelow.
• At least one of (i.e. one or both of)IR shield panels236 is movable relative to the otherIR shield panel236 to transition theIR shield224 between the open and closed positions. In the illustrated example, lowerIR shield panel236₁is horizontally movable relative to upperIR shield panel236₂between the open and closed positions. AnIR shield panel236 may be movable by manual (i.e. by hand) or automatic means. For example,IR shield panel236 may be drivingly connected to anactuator242, which may be an electromechanical actuator (e.g. solenoid) or a manual actuator (e.g. shaft connected to a handle or button). This may permit controller216 (FIG. 13) to activateactuator242 in accordance with a cooking program.
• Turning toFIG. 20,IR shield224 may include asingle panel236 movable between a closed position (shown) and an open position. As illustrated,IR shield224 provides greater obstruction to IR radiation in the closed position than in the open position.
• Referring toFIG. 21,IR shield224 may include apanel236 that is rotatable between a closed position and an open position, as in a louvre. Also, a plurality of IR shields224 may be associated with asingle cooking zone180. In the illustrated example, afirst IR shield224_Aoverlies sub-zone180_A, and asecond IR shield224_Boverliessub-zone180_B. EachIR shield224 may be independently actuated to move between an open position and a closed position. In the illustrated example,IR shield224_Bis shown in an open position, andIR shield224_Bis shown in a closed position.
• It will be appreciated that in each example including anIR shield panel236 movable between an open position and a closed position, theIR shield panel236 may also be movable to intermediate positions between the open and closed positions that may provide a degree of IR radiation obstruction in between that provided by the open and closed positions.
Forced Convection
• Referring toFIG. 5,cooking apparatus100 may include one ormore air movers124 that act to circulate air withincooking chamber104. Eachair mover124 may include animpeller132 driven by amotor128. Themotor128 rotates theimpeller132 about anaxis244 of rotation, and therotating impeller132 accelerates air to circulate within thecooking chamber104. In the illustrated example, adifferent air mover124 is associated with eachcooking zone180. This allowsdifferent cooking zones180 to experience different forced convection (including no forced convection when anair mover124 for a zone is disabled).
• The features in this section may be used by themselves in any cooking apparatus or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features described herein. For example, the feature of forced convection described herein may be used with any of the features of multiple cooking zones, the cooking receptacle and the cooking vessel, subdividable cooking zones, steam generation, dynamic energy utilization, heating element power modes, door transparency, removable handle, retractable door, self-cleaning, cooking additive distribution, insulation and air cooling, heating ducts, common motor drive, smoke and/or odor control, reorientation and expansion, vertical cooking, toaster, heat storage members, and other features described herein.
• In other embodiments, one ormore cooking zones180 may not have an associated air mover124 (e.g., thecooking zone180 may not feature forced convection). This may simplify the design ofcooking apparatus100, which may reduce the cost and complexity ofmanufacturing cooking apparatus100.
• In some embodiments, anair mover124 may be associated with two or more (or all)zones180. This allowsmore cooking zones180 to have forced convection functionality than the number ofair movers124, even if the degree of forced convection is not individually selectable as between some of those cookingzones180.
• In other embodiments, a plurality ofair movers124 may be associated with onecooking zone180. This allows for greater precision in the delivery of forced convection to acooking zone180. For example, this may allow the air flow direction to be selected based upon which of theair movers124 are activated. In another example, this may allow a sub-zone to be exposed to greater air flow velocity/turbulence than another sub-zone within thecooking zone180.
• Air mover124 may be positioned anywhere relative tocooking chamber104. As exemplified inFIG. 5, eachair mover124 includes amotor128 positioned above cooking chamberupper wall108₁, and an impeller positioned132 just below cooking chamberupper wall108₁above acooking zone180. In other embodiments, anair mover124 may be positioned at any of the othercooking chamber sidewalls108. In some embodiments,impeller132 may be located outside ofcooking chamber104 and oriented to force air intocooking chamber104 through an opening in one ofcooking chamber sidewalls108.
• Still referring toFIG. 5,air movers124 may haveimpellers132 configured to accelerate air in any direction suitable for circulating air withincooking chamber104. In the illustrated embodiment,impeller132 is configured to accelerate air laterally (e.g. horizontally normal to axis244) towards left, right, front and rear sidewalls108₃-108₆. This may create an airflow path that runs along the inside of cooking receptacle sidewalls148 below. As illustrated inFIG. 22, when acooking vessel160 is positioned in thecooking receptacle140 thelateral airflow path248 may run between thecooking vessel160 and thecooking receptacle140. This may allow for convective heat transfer into thecooking vessel160 through many or allsidewalls166 of cooking vessel160 (e.g., if the cooking vessel is a basket). As a result, this may accelerate the cooking offood220.
• Still referring toFIG. 22,air mover124 may be positioned and oriented to blow air acrossheating elements120, which may be infrared heating elements as discussed above. For example,air mover124 may be positioned and oriented to blow air laterally acrossheating elements120. Theheating elements120 may lose heat to theair flow248. Accordingly, theair flow248 is heated by interaction with theheating elements120. This allowsheating elements120 to simultaneously provide radiative heat to thefood220 below, and to supply the heating for convective heating to thefood220. By reducing the temperate of the heating element, the amount of radiant heating that is provided may be reduced. As shown,air mover impeller132 may be positioned at the same or higher elevation as an associatedheating element120.
• In operation, the speed ofair mover motor128 may be varied to adjust the ratio of radiative heating to convective heating offood220 incooking zone180. For example, the speed ofair mover124 may be increased to allow the air flow to capture additional heat fromheating element120, whereby the ratio of radiative heating to forced convective heating decreases, and vice versa. In some embodiments, the speed ofair mover124 may be varied from ‘off’ at which the ratio of radiative heating to forced convective heating is 100:0, to maximum speed (e.g. greater than 4,000 RPM) at which the ratio may be 50:50 or less. The total heat input intofood220 may be generally governed by the heat generation ofheating element120.
• In alternative embodiments,heating elements120 may not be located in the air flow path of anadjacent air mover124. This can avoid coolingheating elements120, which may reduce the radiative heating thatheating elements120 can provide to thefood220 in the associatedcooking zone180.
• Turning toFIG. 11, it will be appreciated that when the cooking receptacles have been removed to provide a combinedcooking zone180, the plurality ofair movers124 associated with the removed cooking receptacles may be operated concurrently to generate an airflow commensurate with the large volume of the combinedcooking zone180.
• Referring toFIG. 4,cooking chamber104 may include one or more (i.e. one or multiple)angular walls252 which interact with the airflow248 (FIG. 22) from air mover(s)124 to efficiently redirect the airflow248 (FIG. 22) downwards into thecooking zone180 below. This may help to better isolate forced convection generated by anair mover124 associated with onecooking zone180₁from impacting the forced convection experienced in anothercooking zone180₂. As exemplified, theangular walls252 are provided adjacent a location at which twocooking zones180 abut so as to direct air to flow generally downwardly into arespective cooking zone180 and not laterally into an adjacent cooking zone. In the illustrated embodiment,cooking chamber104 includes an angular wall252 (also referred to as an air flow deflector252) associated with eachcooking zone180, eachangular wall252 extending from cooking chamberupper wall108₁downwardly at a (non-zero) angle to vertical and horizontal (e.g. 20-70 degrees to horizontal). As shown,angular walls252 may be formed by aheader254 positioned at the interface betweenadjacent cooking zones180.
• FIG. 22 shows another embodiment including twoangular walls252 associated with thesame cooking zone180. This design may help improve forced convective air flow efficiency, which ultimately may allowcooking apparatus100 to use a smaller, lighter, less powerful, and lessexpensive air mover124 without sacrificing performance, all else being equal. As shown, theangular walls252 may be positioned at laterally opposed ends of thecooking zone180.Angular walls252 may be planar as shown inFIG. 4 or curved as shown inFIG. 22.
• Reference is now made toFIG. 23. In some embodiments,cooking apparatus100 may include one or more IR shields224 (as described above) as well as one ormore air movers124. The IR shields224 may be selectively positionable to reduce the IR radiation that passes fromheating elements120 intocooking zone180. Consequently, IR shields224 may be closed to further decrease the ratio of radiative heating to convective heating withincooking zone180. When IR shields224 are open andair mover124 is turned off, the ratio of radiative to convective heating may be 100:0, and when IR shields224 are closed and air mover is at maximum speed, the ratio may be for example 20:80 or less (e.g. 20:80 to 2:98).
Steam Generator
• Reference is now made toFIG. 24. In some embodiments,cooking apparatus100 may include one ormore steam generators136. As used herein, a “steam generator” can be any device that can convert liquid water into gas, vapor, or tiny airborne droplets, whether that conversion is achieved by heating, evaporating, or nebulizing water, or by another means.Steam generator136 can be any device that can humidify one ormore cooking zones180. In the illustrated embodiment, eachcooking zone180 has an associatedsteam generator136. This allows the humidity within eachcooking zone180 to be individually controlled. In other embodiment, one or more (or all)cooking zones180 may not have an associatedsteam generator136. This may simplify the design ofcooking apparatus100, which may reduce the cost and complexity ofmanufacturing cooking apparatus100. In some embodiments, asteam generator136 may be associated with two ormore cooking zones180. This allowsmore cooking zones180 to have humidification functionality than the number ofsteam generators136, even if the humidity in some of those cookingzones180 is not separately controllable.
• The features in this section may be used by themselves in any cooking apparatus or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features described herein. For example, the feature of steam generation described herein may be used with any of the features of multiple cooking zones, the cooking receptacle and the cooking vessel, subdividable cooking zones, forced convection, dynamic energy utilization, heating element power modes, door transparency, removable handle, retractable door, self-cleaning, cooking additive distribution, insulation and air cooling, heating ducts, common motor drive, smoke and/or odor control, reorientation and expansion, vertical cooking, toaster, heat storage members, and other features described herein.
• Turning toFIG. 25,steam generator136 may include awater reservoir256, asteaming plate260, and awater flow path264 from thewater reservoir256 to thesteaming plate260. Water is delivered from thewater reservoir256 to thesteaming plate260, where it is vaporized, such as by boiling or evaporation, to produce water vapor that humidifies the air withincooking zone180. Humidifying the air within acooking zone180 may help to prevent the food being cooked from drying out or burning from heat radiation generated by theheating elements120. It will be appreciated that instead of a reservoir, and/or in addition thereto,steam generator136 may be connectable in fluid flow communication with a source of water (e.g., it may be permanently or removably connected to a household water supply)
• Water may be directed fromwater reservoir256 alongwater flow path264 to steamingplate260 in any manner. In the illustrated example, apump268 is positioned in theflow path264, and selectively operable to control a flow rate of water to thesteaming plate260. For example, as shown inFIG. 13,controller216 may be communicatively coupled tosteam generator136. This can allowcontroller216 to direct the flow rate of water pumped onto the steaming plate, according to a cooking program.
• In another embodiment,FIGS. 26-27 illustratesteam generators136 in which water may travel fromwater reservoir256 to steamingplate260 by gravity alone, and avalve272 may be selectively opened or closed to regulate the flow rate. Thevalve272 may be manually operable (i.e. by hand) as seen inFIG. 26. Alternatively or in addition,valve272 may be communicably coupled tocontroller216 and movable been open and closed positions according to control signals fromcontroller216, as shown inFIG. 27.
• Returning toFIGS. 24-25, pump268 may be any device suitable for delivering water fromwater reservoir256 to steamingplate260. For example, pump268 may be a rotary pump, reciprocating pump, peristaltic pump, gear pump, or screw pump. As shown inFIG. 24, pump268 may include a motor276 to drive its operation. Motor276 has been omitted fromFIG. 25 to provide better visibility of other components.
• Referring toFIGS. 24 and 28,steam generator136 may include anupstream conduit280 in theflow path264 fromwater reservoir outlet284 to pumpinlet288, and adownstream conduit292 frompump outlet296 tooutlet nozzle304. As shown inFIG. 28,outlet nozzle304 may be positioned and oriented to direct the water flow (e.g. as a spray, stream, or droplets) onto steamingplate260.
• Still referring toFIG. 28, steamingplate260 may be any device suitable to accommodate the vaporization of water deposited thereon. In the illustrated example, steamingplate260 is a flat, horizontal plate upon which water fromoutlet nozzle304 is deposited (e.g., water may drip thereon). On contact, the deposited water may spread over the plateupper surface308, and vaporize. In some embodiments,steam generator136 may not include a heat source to vaporize liquid deposited on steamingplate260. Instead, steamingplate260 may be heated by radiation from one ormore heating elements120. For example, steamingplate260 may be positioned within close proximity (e.g. less than 10 cm, such as 0 cm to 10 cm) of one ormore heating elements120. Radiation fromheating elements120 may heat steamingplate260 above 100° C. so that water on steamingplate260 rapidly boils and/or vaporizes into gas and/or vapor.
• Steamingplate260 may be positioned anywhere withincooking chamber104. For example, steamingplate260 may be positioned above or at an upper end of acooking zone180, to one side of acooking zone180, or below or at a lower end of acooking zone180.FIG. 25 shows an example of steamingplate260 positioned abovecooking zone180. Where thecooking zone180 has an associatedair mover124, theair mover124 may blow air in proximity to steamingplate260 to mix the generated steam with the air in thecooking zone180.
• Steamingplate260 may be positioned at an elevation above, below, or level with one or more (or all)heating elements120 that radiate heat onto thesteaming plate260.FIG. 28 shows an example in which steamingplate260 is positioned above aheating element120. This allowsheating element120 to radiate upwardly upon steaming platelower surface312, without steamingplate260 providing any obstruction to the downward radiation fromheating element120 towards one or more cooking zones. In the illustrated example, steamingplate260 is positioned in the direction of air accelerated byair mover124. As shown, steamingplate260 may be positioned at the same or lower elevation asair mover124 so that the steam rising from steamingplate260 may be efficiently mixed into thecooking chamber104 by the air blown byair mover124.
• Turning toFIG. 29, steamingplate260 may be positioned anywhere relative toheating elements120 that allowssteaming plate260 to receive heat generated by theheating elements120. In some embodiments, asteaming plate260 associated with acooking zone180 may have a horizontal position that is between two ormore heating elements120 associated with thesame cooking zone180 as shown, or that is between two or more portions of aheating element120 associated with a cooking zone180 (e.g. in the case of a U-shaped or circular heating element). This may permit thesteaming plate260 to receive radiation from the two ormore heating elements120 or heating element portions. In the case ofmultiple heating elements120 as shown, when one or more of theheating elements120 is turned down or turned off by controller216 (FIG. 13) according to a cooking program, steamingplate260 may continue to receive radiation from the other heating element(s)120 so that water may continue to be vaporized.
• FIG. 29 shows an example in which steamingplate260 is positioned between twoheating elements120, in close proximity toair mover124. For example, adistance316 betweensteaming plate260 andair mover124 may be less than 2 times (e.g. equal to or less than) adistance320 betweensteaming plate260 and one or both ofheating elements120. An advantage of this design is that it can allowair mover124 to more effectively distribute the steam generated on steamingplate260 through thecooking zone180.FIG. 30 shows an example in which steamingplate260 is positioned between twoheating elements120, and spaced farther fromair mover124. For example,distance316 betweensteaming plate260 andair mover124 may be greater than two times (e.g. greater than four times)distance320 betweensteaming plate260 and one or both ofheating elements120. An advantage of this design is that it can mitigate theair mover124 from overcooling thesteaming plate260 which could undesirably reduce or cease steam production on steamingplate260.
• Turning toFIG. 5, eachcooking zone180 may have associated with it asteaming plate260. As shown, asteaming plate260₁is positioned abovecooking zone180₁, and asteaming plate260₂is positioned abovecooking zone180₂. Eachsteaming plate260 may receive water from acommon water reservoir256 as shown, or separate water reservoirs. An advantage of providing acommon reservoir256 is that neither steamingplate260 will run out of water supply while the other has water remaining in awater reservoir256, and only one water supply may require monitoring for water level and refilling. In other embodiments, a commonsteaming plate260 may be associated withmultiple cooking zones180. For example, the commonsteaming plate260 may be positioned to create steam in fluid communication with themultiple cooking zones180.
• Reference is now made toFIGS. 31-32, which shows asteam generator136 that includes aheater328 in accordance with another embodiment. An advantage of this design is that it decouples thesteam generator136 from reliance on the heating elements of a cooking zone for heat to generate steam. This can allow, for example,steam generator136 to continue generating steam even when all heating elements are turned off. As shown,steam generator136 may be formed as a heating container, having acavity324 to hold water, and aheater328 to boil the water in thecavity324. Theheater328 can be any device suitable to heat the contained water to boil. For example,heater328 may be an electric resistance heater, as shown. In some embodiments,mesh fabric330 may be positioned in or overcavity324 to reduce splashing from the boiling water.
• Reference is now made toFIG. 33, which shows acooking apparatus100 including asteam generator136 in accordance with another embodiment. As shown,steam generator136 may be an ultrasonic vaporizer including anebulizer332 that vibrates rapidly within a volume ofwater336 to vaporize water into water mist. An advantage of this design is that it can produce low temperature water mist that may not increase the air temperature withincooking zone180 in the way that steam might. This may avoid unduly increasing the air temperature withincooking zone180, such as when performing low temperature slow-cooking. A drop in air temperature withincooking zone180 can be easily rectified by activating heating element(s)120.
• FIG. 34 shows acooking apparatus100 including asteam generator136 in accordance with another embodiment. As shown,steam generator136 may be an evaporative humidifier, having a liquid absorbent material340 (e.g. wick) which receives water fromwater reservoir256, and allows the water to evaporate off the surface of theabsorbent material340. In some embodiments, anair mover124 may be positioned to direct air over the surface ofabsorbent material340 to accelerate the evaporation.
• Any of these alternate steam generators may be placed anywhere already discussed herein.
Dynamic Energy Utilization
• Reference is now made toFIG. 35, which shows a schematic illustration of electrical components of acooking apparatus100 in accordance with an embodiment. As shown,cooking apparatus100 may include two or more cooking devices (e.g. heating element(s)120, air mover(s)124, and steam generator(s)136) which are operated under the direction of acontroller216 according to a cooking program (e.g. set temperature, humidity, cooking end time, etc.). A cooking program may also be referred to herein as a ‘pre-set cooking setting’, which represents a cooking regime. Each of the cooking devices draws electrical power, which may be supplied by anelectrical connector342 connected to mains power.
• Cooking apparatus100 may have a rated power consumption (also referred to as “rated power”), such as 1,500 W for example, which may represent a maximum power input for which thecooking apparatus100 is designed to operate. In some embodiments,controller216 may regulate the operation of the cooking devices (e.g. devices120,124, and136) so that cooking apparatus consumes at least 75% (e.g. at least 80% or 90% or 100%) of the rated power during at least 50% (e.g. at least 60%, at least 70%, or at least 90%, or 100%) of the cooking time of a cooking program. The cooking program may includecontroller216 maintaining cooking condition(s) including one or more (or all) of a pre-determined temperature, humidity, radiative heating, convective heating, air speed, etc. An advantage of maintaining high power consumption during a large portion of the cooking time is that food may cook more quickly (e.g. byapparatus100 acting to consume additional power when available). To avoid overcooking food (e.g., by providing too much IR radiation and/or by the temperature of the air in the cooking chamber being too high), the cooking cyclone may be adjusted (such as by controller216) to direct energy from one or more of the heating elements to the fan and/or the steam generator. Thus, for example, when food is sufficiently browned, the humidity in the cooking chamber may be increased and/or forced convention may be created or the speed of air in the cooking chamber may be increased. In addition, during any portion of a cooking cycle, the amount of humidity in the cooking chamber may be increased by increasing (or providing) energy to the steam generator and reducing energy provided to, e.g., the heating element and/or the fan. Furthermore, this design may allowapparatus100 to operate more energy efficiently. In many cases,devices120,124, and136 achieve their highest energy efficiency when operating at 75% or more of their respective rated powers. Moreover, by cooking food more quickly, there may be less time during the cooking cycle forapparatus100 to experience heat loss to the environment.
• The features in this section may be used by themselves in any cooking apparatus or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features described herein. For example, the feature of dynamic energy utilization described herein may be used with any of the features of multiple cooking zones, the cooking receptacle and the cooking vessel, subdividable cooking zones, forced convection, steam generation, heating element power modes, door transparency, removable handle, retractable door, self-cleaning, cooking additive distribution, insulation and air cooling, heating ducts, common motor drive, smoke and/or odor control, reorientation and expansion, vertical cooking, toaster, heat storage members, and other features described herein.
• Cooking apparatus100 may vary one or more of (i) the heat output ofheating elements120, (ii) the air speed fromair movers124, (iii) the water flow rate to steamgenerators136, and (iv) the heat output of a heater of the steam generator, to regulate the power consumption ofcooking apparatus100. To maintain high power consumption while reducing temperature (or allowing temperature to drop) within acooking zone180,controller216 may increase the air speed fromair mover124 so that the circulating air coolsheating element120 and/orcontroller216 may increase water flow rate to steamgenerator136 so that energy is consumed to vaporize water.
• In some embodiments, in response to a reduction in power consumption from cooking devices associated with one cooking zone180 (e.g. cooking zone180₁),controller216 may direct cooking devices associated with one or more other cooking zones180 (e.g. cooking zone180₂or180₃) to consume additional power. This may permit the food in the other cooking zone(s)180 to be cooked more quickly when power becomes available. For example, whencontroller216 directsheating element120₁to draw less power (e.g. to maintain or reduce the temperature within cooking zone180₁),controller216 may also directheating elements120₂and120₃to consume additional power (e.g. to increase the temperature withincooking zones180₂and180₃). In the result, the foods within thecooking zones180 ofcooking apparatus100 may be cooked more quickly by maintaining a power consumption close to the rated power for a majority of the cooking time.
• Heating Elements with Power Modes
• Reference is now made toFIGS. 36-37. In some embodiments, two ormore heating elements120, associated with the same or different cooking zones, may be selectively configured between low and high power modes. In the low power mode, theheating elements120 may consume less power and emit less heat than when in the high power mode.FIGS. 36-37 illustrate an embodiment in whichheating elements120₁and120₂may be toggled between a lower power mode (FIG. 36) and a high power mode (FIG. 37). As shown, in the low power mode (FIG. 36),heating elements120 may be electrically connected in series. This reduces the voltage drop across eachheating element120 so that they consume less power and generate less heat, all else being equal. In the high power mode (FIG. 37),heating elements120 may be electrically connected in parallel. The parallel configuration increases the voltage drop acrossheating elements120 relative to the series configuration, so that they consume more power and generate more heat, all else being equal.
• The features in this section may be used by themselves in any cooking apparatus or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features described herein. For example, the feature of heating element power modes described herein may be used with any of the features of multiple cooking zones, the cooking receptacle and the cooking vessel, subdividable cooking zones, forced convection, steam generation, dynamic energy utilization, door transparency, removable handle, retractable door, self-cleaning, cooking additive distribution, insulation and air cooling, heating ducts, common motor drive, smoke and/or odor control, reorientation and expansion, vertical cooking, toaster, heat storage members, and other features described herein.
• Heating elements120 may be connected by anyelectrical circuit344 suitable for selectively reconfiguring theheating elements120 between parallel and series configurations. In the illustrated embodiment,electrical circuit344 is shown including a switch348 (e.g. a double throw double pole switch) having a first position (FIG. 36) in whichheating elements120 are electrically connected in parallel, and a second position (FIG. 37) in whichheating elements120 are electrical connected in series.Switch348 may be manually operated (i.e. by hand), or electrically operated as shown. For example, the position ofswitch348 may be directed bycontroller216 in accordance with a cooking program.
• Whatever circuit may be employed to provideheating elements120 with low and high power modes,controller216 may select the power mode of heating elements120 (e.g. toggle switch348 between the first and second positions) based on a cooking program (e.g. stored in memory within controller216), and signals from a temperature sensor350 (e.g. a thermocouple, thermistor, solid-state temperature sensor, or low hysteresis thermomechanical sensor) communicatively coupled to thecontroller216. Thetemperature sensor350 may be positioned anywhere withincooking apparatus100 suitable for determining the temperature inside one or more cooking zones180 (FIG. 4) (i.e.temperature sensor350 may be ‘thermally coupled’ to one or more cooking zones180 (FIG. 4)). For example,controller216 may directheating elements120 to operate in the high power mode whentemperature sensor350 indicates a temperature within a cooking zone that is below the temperature required by the cooking program, and vice versa.
• Referring toFIG. 13, in some embodiments,controller216 executes a cooking program (e.g. stored in memory withincontroller216, and selected by the user) that includes one or more (or all) of a prescribed temperature, humidity, and forced convection level for the entire cooking cycle, or for each of several portions of the cooking cycle. For example,controller216 may execute a cooking cycle that includes theair mover124 operating at a lower power level during a first portion of the cooking cycle (e.g. first or early 1-10 minutes), and operating at a higher power level during a subsequent second portion of the cooking cycle (e.g. next, later, or last 10-600 minutes).
• As described above, an increase in air flow overheating element120 may act to heat the air flow and cool theheating element120 whereby convective heating from the air flow may be increased and radiative heating from theheating element120 may be reduced, and vice versa. Accordingly, in embodiments where theair mover124 is positioned to cause air to pass overheating element120, a lower fan power level may allow heating element120 (e.g. an IR heating element) to radiate greater heat (e.g. IR radiation) onto the food, all else being equal.
• As an example, during a first or early portion of the cooking cycle,controller216 may operateair mover124 at a lower power level for a duration (e.g. 1-10 minutes) suitable for browning or searing the food by intense heat radiation. During a subsequent, later, or last portion of the cooking cycle,controller216 may operateair mover124 at a higher power level to reduce the temperature ofheating element120, whereby radiative heating may be reduced and convective heating may be increased, such as for the purpose of cooking the food to a desired doneness.
Power Consumption Balance Between Cooking Zones
• Reference is now made toFIG. 13. In some embodiments,controller216 may coordinate the power consumption by cooking devices associated withdifferent zones180 so thatcooking apparatus100 maintains a power consumption that is at least 75% (e.g. at least 80%, 90% or 100%) of the rated power of thecooking apparatus100 during cooking. In general, when power consumption bycooking zones180 is redistributed, a decrease in power consumption of acooking zone180 may slow the cooking of the food in thatcooking zone180, and an increase in power consumption of anothercooking zone180 may speed up the cooking of the food in thisother cooking zone180.
• The features in this section may be used by themselves in any cooking apparatus or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features described herein. For example, the feature of power consumption balance described herein may be used with any of the features of multiple cooking zones, the cooking receptacle and the cooking vessel, subdividable cooking zones, forced convection, steam generation, dynamic energy utilization, heating element power modes, door transparency, removable handle, retractable door, self-cleaning, cooking additive distribution, insulation and air cooling, heating ducts, common motor drive, smoke and/or odor control, reorientation and expansion, vertical cooking, toaster, heat storage members, and other features described herein.
• In one embodiment,controller216 executes a cooking program (e.g. stored in memory withincontroller216, and selected by the user) to cookfoods220 such thatfood220₁withincooking zone180₁completes cooking a predetermined period of time (e.g. 15 minutes) beforefood220₂withincooking zone180₂completes cooking. This can allow the foods220 (e.g. appetizers) to be finished cooking and served in sequence over a period of time (e.g. over the course of a banquet reception). In this case,controller216 may divide the rated power (or at least 75%, 80% or 90% of the rated power) between the cooking devices (e.g. heating elements120) of the first andsecond cooking zones180 to achieve the sequential cooking completion times prescribed by the cooking program. For example, wherefoods220₁and220₂are identical,controller216 may direct the cooking devices associated with cooking zone180₁(e.g. heating element120₁and steam generator136₁) to collectively consume more power than the collective power consumption of the cooking devices associated with cooking zone180₂(e.g. heating element120₂and steam generator136₂) so thatfood220₂completes cooking a set time afterfood220₁.
• Similarly,controller216 may execute a cooking program to cookfoods220 such thatfood220₁withincooking zone180₁completes cooking at approximately the same time (e.g. at exactly the same time, or within 1 minute) of thefood220₂withincooking zone180₂. This can allow the foods220₁(e.g. meat) and220₂(e.g. vegetables) to be plated and served at the same time. In this case,controller216 may divide the rated power (or at least 75%, 80% or 90% of the rated power) between the cooking devices (e.g. heating elements120) of the first andsecond cooking zones180 to achieve the substantially simultaneous cooking completion times prescribed by the cooking program. For example, wherefood220₁requires more heat to complete cooking thanfood220₂,controller216 may direct the cooking devices associated with cooking zone180₁(e.g. heating element120₁and136₁) to collectively consume more power than the collective power consumption of the cooking devices associated with cooking zone180₂(e.g. heating element120₂and steam generator136₂) so thatfoods220₁and220₂complete cooking at approximately the same time.
Transparent Door, Removable Handle, Retractable Door and Lights
• Reference is now made toFIG. 1. In some embodiments, asidewall108 ofcooking chamber104 may include acooking chamber door116.Cooking chamber door116 may define a wall of one or more (or all)cooking zones180. For example, a wall of thecooking chamber104. At least a portion of cookingchamber door116 may also be substantially transparent (e.g. at least 50% transparent to visible light) to allow the user to view into the one ormore cooking zones180 and determine the status of the foods cooking inside.Cooking chamber door116 may include any transparent material suitable to provide visibility of food insidecooking chamber104 and which is heat resistant (e.g. to at least 400° F.). For example, cookingchamber door116 may be made of transparent glass.
• The features in this section may be used by themselves in any cooking apparatus or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features described herein. For example, the feature of door transparency described herein may be used with any of the features of multiple cooking zones, the cooking receptacle and the cooking vessel, subdividable cooking zones, forced convection, steam generation, dynamic energy utilization, self-cleaning, cooking additive distribution, insulation and air cooling, heating ducts, common motor drive, smoke and/or odor control, reorientation and expansion, vertical cooking, toaster, heat storage members, and other features described herein.
• FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment in whichcooking chamber door116 defines a wall to both ofcooking zones180₁and180₂. As shown, cookingchamber door116 includes atransparent portion352 and anon-transparent portion356.Transparent portion352 may be sized and positioned so that when cookingchamber door116 is in the closed position shown, a user can see through thetransparent portion352 into the first andsecond cooking zones180. In the illustrated example,cooking vessels160₁and160₂are shown positioned incooking zones180 withsolid sidewalls162 that would block visibility to food within thecooking vessels160. In other embodiments, one or both ofcooking vessels160₁and160₂may be removed (see, e.g.FIGS. 10 and 11), and/or a front-facingvessel wall162 may be configured to provide visibility of the food inside when a user peers throughtransparent portion352 of cookingchamber door116. For example, a front-facingvessel wall162 may include a substantially transparent material (e.g. glass), or open area(s) (e.g. apertures or spacing between wires or bars). In some embodiments, front-facingvessel wall162 may have at least 30% open area to provide clear visibility to the food inside. For example, front-facingvessel wall162 may include a wire mesh material.
• Referring toFIGS. 1 and 2, cookingchamber door116 may be movable between a closed position (FIG. 1) and an open position (FIG. 2). In the open position (FIG. 2)cooking vessels160 may be inserted or removed from cookingchamber104 through cookingchamber front wall108₅. As shown, acooking vessel160 may include ahandle360 that a user may grasp to manipulate the position of thecooking vessel160. In some embodiments, handle360 may be removably connected tocooking vessel160. This may permit handle360 to be removed during cooking cycles when cookingchamber door116 is closed. An advantage of this design is that vessel handle360 can remain cool outside of thecooking chamber104, ready to be reconnected to thecooking vessel160 after the cooking cycle is complete. Another advantage of this design is that vessel handle360 does not occupy space withincooking chamber104 which may allowcooking chamber104 to accommodate a largervolume cooking vessel160, all else being equal.
• FIGS. 1 and 38 show acooking vessel160 with a handle removed, andFIGS. 2 and 39show cooking vessel160 with ahandle360 attached. Handle360 may have any configuration that can be grasped by a user to remove and insert acooking vessel160 intocooking chamber104. Further, handle360 may be removably connected tocooking vessel160 in any manner that allows handle360 to be connected to manipulate the position ofcooking vessel160 and disconnected after cookingvessel160 is moved into thecooking chamber104. In the illustrated example, front-facingvessel sidewall162 includes a connectingmember364, and handle360 includes a connectingmember368. Connectingmembers364 and368 are configured to mate as shown inFIG. 39, and while mated a user can manipulate handle360 to slidecooking vessel160 in and out ofcooking chamber104.
• Returning toFIG. 1, cookingchamber door116 may be movably connected tocooking apparatus100 in any manner that allows cookingchamber door116 to move between open and closed positions. For example, cookingchamber door116 may be slidably or pivotally connected tocooking apparatus100. In the illustrated embodiment, cookingchamber door116 is pivotally connected to anouter housing372 ofcooking apparatus100. As shown, cookingchamber door116 may include ahinge376 that connects thecooking chamber door116 tocooking apparatus100.
• Reference is now made toFIGS. 2 and 3. In some embodiments, when cookingchamber door116 is in the open position, thecooking chamber door116 may be moved between an extended open position (FIG. 2) and a retracted open position (FIG. 3). In the retracted position (FIG. 3), at least a portion of cooking chamber door116 (e.g. at least 25% or at least 50% of cooking chamber door116) may be positioned within astorage recess380. An advantage of this design is that the retracted open position may reduce the footprint ofcooking apparatus100, and preventcooking chamber door116 from being dirtied or damaged while manipulatingcooking vessels160 orcooking receptacles140.
• Storage recess380 may be positioned on any side ofcooking chamber104. In the illustrated example,storage recess380 is shown positioned below cookingchamber bottom wall108₂. In other embodiments,storage recess380 may be positioned above cooking chamberupper wall108₁, or to the left or right of cooking chamber left andright walls108₃and108₄. As shown,storage recess380 may be substantially parallel to an adjacentcooking chamber sidewall108. For example,storage recess380 is shown as a extending substantially horizontally parallel to cookingchamber bottom wall108₂.
• Cooking chamber door116 may be movable intostorage recess380 in any manner. In the illustrated embodiment, cookingchamber door116 is reoriented to parallel withstorage recess380 when moved from the closed position (FIG. 1) to the extended open position (FIG. 2). From the extended open position (FIG. 2), cookingchamber door116 may be translated rearwards intostorage recess380. As shown,storage recess380 may include one or more door guides384 that support cookingchamber door116 in the open retracted position and guidecooking chamber door116 intostorage recess380.
• In alternative embodiments, cookingchamber door116 may not have a retracted open position. Accordingly,cooking apparatus100 may not include astorage recess380, which may reduce the size ofcooking apparatus100 all else being equal.
• Referring toFIGS. 40-42,cooking apparatus100 may include one ormore lights388 configured to illuminate one ormore cooking zones180 withincooking chamber104. An advantage of this design is that the additional illumination can provide better visibility insidecooking chamber104 to a user peering throughtransparent portion352 of cookingchamber door116.
• Light388 can be any device suitable for illuminating acooking zone180. For example, light388 may include an incandescent light, a halogen light, a compact fluorescent light, an LED light, or another type of light. As shown inFIG. 40, light388 may be positioned withincooking chamber104. In this case, light388 may be heat resistant to at least the rated cooking temperatures inside cooking chamber104 (e.g. at least 400° F.). In other embodiments, light388 may be located outside ofcooking chamber104.FIG. 41 illustrates an example of a light388 positioned outside ofcooking chamber104 and oriented to shine light intocooking chamber104 throughcooking chamber door116. An advantage of this design is that it allows the use of more conventional, non-heatresistant lights388, which may be more economical and easier for a consumer to purchase.
• Referring toFIG. 42, in some embodiments, light388 is positioned exterior to cookingchamber104 and the illumination produced is routed intocooking chamber104 by a light transmitter392, such as a light pipe, fiber optics, or glass tube. Light transmitter392 may extend from afirst end396 located outside ofcooking chamber104 to asecond end404 located inside ofcooking chamber104.First end396 may be positioned to receive illumination produced bylight388, andsecond end404 may be positioned to emit the transmitted light into one or more (or all)cooking zones180.
Self-Cleaning
• Reference is now made toFIG. 43. In some embodiments,cooking apparatus100 may include a self-cleaning function. An advantage of this design is that it can make cleaningcooking apparatus100 less work for the user. As shown, cooking apparatus may include aliquid reservoir408, aspray nozzle412, and apump416 in aflow path420 that extends from theliquid reservoir408 to thespray nozzle412. Pump416 may be communicatively coupled tocontroller216, which may signal pump416 to activate and move liquid fromliquid reservoir408 tonozzle412 to spray intocooking chamber104. The liquid may act to remove dirt that has accumulated on the walls of thecooking chamber104 and/or other components inside cooking chamber104 (e.g. cooking receptacles140 and cooking vessels160).
• The features in this section may be used by themselves in any cooking apparatus or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features described herein. For example, the feature of self-cleaning described herein may be used with any of the features of multiple cooking zones, the cooking receptacle and the cooking vessel, subdividable cooking zones, forced convection, steam generation, dynamic energy utilization, door transparency, removable handle, retractable door, cooking additive distribution, insulation and air cooling, heating ducts, common motor drive, smoke and/or odor control, reorientation and expansion, vertical cooking, toaster, heat storage members, and other features described herein.
• Liquid reservoir408 may hold any liquid suitable for cleaning food-based accumulations (e.g. burnt or dehydrated food particles, oil residue, or other food matter) withincooking chamber104. For example,liquid reservoir408 may store water, detergent, or a mixture of water and detergent.Spray nozzle412 may be any device suitable to distribute liquid drawn bypump416 onto the surfaces insidecooking chamber104. In some embodiments,cooking apparatus100 includes a plurality ofspray nozzles412 that receive liquid from liquid reservoir408 (e.g. viapump416 or another pump) to provide more complete coverage over the surfaces withincooking chamber104.
• After making contact with the surfaces withincooking chamber104, the sprayed liquid may be collected in adisposal container424. For example, cookingchamber bottom wall108₂may be sloped to direct accumulated liquid by gravity into anoutlet port428 intodisposal container424.Disposal container424 may be removable fromcooking apparatus100 so that the collected dirty liquid can be discarded (e.g. into a drain).Outlet port428 ofdisposal container424 may be closeable so that the dirty liquid does not spill while carryingdisposal container424.
• In some embodiments,controller216 may be operable to execute a cleaning program. The cleaning program may be stored in memory withincontroller216, and may include instructions that configurecontroller216 to activatepump416 to deliver liquid to spraynozzle412 to spray intocooking chamber104. In some embodiments, the cleaning program may also include powering heating element(s)120 to heat cooking chamber104 (e.g. to a predetermined cleaning temperature). Depending on the composition of the cleaning liquid, the heating may improve the cleaning efficiency of the cleaning liquid.
Cooking Additive
• Reference is now made toFIG. 44. In some embodiments,cooking apparatus100 may include acooking additive distributor432.Cooking additive distributor432 may be any device operable to distribute cooking additive ontofood220 within acooking zone180. Cooking additive may be any human editable substance and may be liquid (e.g. cooking oil, stock, or wine), or solid (e.g. dried spices or herbs, natural or artificial, which may be flaked or powdered). An advantage of this design is that it can automate the addition of cooking additives to food at the start, finish, or intermediate portion of a cooking cycle, thereby relieving the user of taking this action. Moreover, the addition of cooking additives may take place without opening cooking zone180 (i.e. without opening the cooking chamber door) for user access tofood220, and therefore without venting the hot and/or humid atmosphere withincooking zone180.
• The features in this section may be used by themselves in any cooking apparatus or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features described herein. For example, the feature of cooking additive distribution described herein may be used with any of the features of multiple cooking zones, the cooking receptacle and the cooking vessel, subdividable cooking zones, forced convection, steam generation, dynamic energy utilization, door transparency, removable handle, retractable door, self-cleaning, insulation and air cooling, heating ducts, common motor drive, smoke and/or odor control, reorientation and expansion, vertical cooking, toaster, heat storage members, and other features described herein.
• As shown,cooking additive distributor432 may include one or more (i.e. one or multiple)additive reservoirs436, which may be connected to one or moreadditive spray nozzles440 by way of one or more conduits444. Aconveyor448 may be positioned in the additive flow path betweenadditive reservoir436 andadditive spray nozzle440 to force or admit (e.g. by gravity) additive fromadditive reservoir436 to discharge fromspray nozzle440.
• Additive conveyor448 may be any device suitable for forcing or admitting additive fromadditive reservoir436 to discharge fromspray nozzle440. In some embodiments,additive conveyor448 may include a pump (e.g. for liquid additive), a blower (e.g. for powdered conveyor), a belt conveyor (e.g. for larger solids), or a valve (e.g. for gravity feeding flowable additives) for example.
• Still referring toFIG. 44,controller216 may be communicatively coupled to cookingadditive distributor432 for directing the timing and quantities of additive to be introduced into thecooking zone180, according to a cooking program (e.g. stored in memory of the controller216). In one example,controller216 may have a cooking program for making cooked French fries from raw, fresh (i.e. not frozen), sliced potato sticks220. The cooking program may include:
• • i. activatingsteam generator136 for a duration (e.g. 1 to 15 minutes) sufficient to par-cook the potato sticks220,
  • ii. deactivatingsteam generator136,
  • iii. activatingcooking additive distributor432 to spray coat the potato sticks220 with cooking oil (e.g. vegetable oil),
  • iv. deactivatingcooking additive distributor432, and
  • v. activating heating elements120 (e.g. infra-red heating elements) to cook the potato sticks220 until the potato sticks220 are golden brown French fries (e.g. for a predetermined time period, such as 1 to 45 minutes).
Insulation and Air Cooling
• Reference is now made toFIG. 45. In some embodiments,cooking apparatus100 may haveinsulation452 surrounding at least a portion (e.g. at least 50%, or at least 70%) ofcooking chamber104. An advantage of this design is that it can reduce heat loss throughcooking chamber sidewalls108, whereby more heat is retained withincooking chamber104, and less power is required (e.g. to power cooking devices, such as air movers, steam generators, and heating elements) to replace the lost heat. Consequently, cooking apparatus100 (which may be a counter top, portable cooking appliance which has an electrical plug for insertion into a household electrical outlet) may operate more energy efficiently, and may be capable of increasing the temperature withincooking chamber104 more rapidly, all else being equal. Another advantage of this design is that it can help keep outer housing372 (also referred as ‘outer shell’372) cooler so thatouter housing372 may be safe to touch.
• The features in this section may be used by themselves in any cooking apparatus or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features described herein. For example, the features of insulation and air cooling described herein may be used with any of the features of multiple cooking zones, the cooking receptacle and the cooking vessel, subdividable cooking zones, forced convection, steam generation, dynamic energy utilization, door transparency, removable handle, retractable door, self-cleaning, cooking additive distribution, heating ducts, common motor drive, smoke and/or odor control, reorientation and expansion, vertical cooking, toaster, heat storage members, and other features described herein.
• Insulation452 may be any heat insulating material, such as for example a vacuum insulated panel, silica aerogel, polyurethane (e.g. rigid panel or spray foam), polystyrene, or fiberglass matting. Preferably,insulation452 has an insulation property of at least R-5. As shown,insulation452 may be laid betweencooking chamber sidewalls108 and applianceouter shell372.
• Still referring toFIG. 45, in someembodiments cooking apparatus100 may include a coolingfan456 positioned to introduce ambient air (i.e. air external to cooking apparatus100) into a space between cooking chamber104 (which may form an inner shell) and applianceouter shell372. For example, coolingfan456 may be positioned to blow air throughvacant space460 betweeninsulation452 and applianceouter shell372. The circulating ambient air may help to cool the applianceouter shell372 making the applianceouter shell372 safer to touch during cooking. In the illustrated example, coolingfan456 is positioned adjacent an air opening464 (also referred to as cooling air inlet464) in applianceouter shell372 through which coolingfan456 draws air intovacant space460. In other embodiments, the fan may be positioned betweeninsulation452 and applianceouter shell372 or at an exhaust air outlet.
• FIGS. 66-68 show acooking apparatus100 in accordance with an embodiment. As shown,cooking apparatus100 may include anouter shell372 having outer shell sides576.Outer shell sides576 may include a top576₁, a front576₂, a rear576₃, and transversely opposedsides576₄and576₅.Outer shell sides576 may be defined by one ormore panels580. For example,outer shell372 may include one or more (or all) of atop panel580₁, afront panel580₂, arear panel580₃, and transversely opposedside panels580₄and580₅. One or more ofshell sides576 may include anopening584 tocooking chamber104 that can be opened and closed by moving acooking chamber door116.
• Turning toFIGS. 69-70,cooking apparatus100 may include aninner shell588.Inner shell588 may include inner shell panels592 including one or more (or all) of a top panel592₁, a rear panel592₂, and transversely opposed side panels592₃and592₄. One or more (or all) of inner shell panels592 may be provided by acooking chamber sidewall108, or all of inner shell panels592 may be discrete from cookingchamber sidewalls108. In the schematic illustration ofFIG. 69, all of inner shell panels592 are provided by cookingchamber sidewalls108. In the example embodiment ofFIG. 70, a subset of inner shell panels592 (e.g. top panel592₁and one side panel592₃) is provided by cooking chamber sidewalls108 (e.g.top wall108₁, and left side wall108₃), and at least one inner shell panel592 (e.g. side panel592₄) is discrete from cooking chamber sidewalls108 (e.g. discrete from right side wall108₄).
• Still referring toFIGS. 69-70,inner shell588 may be spaced from and facing at least a portion of (e.g. some or all of)outer shell372. For example, one or more (or all) of inner shell panels592 may be spaced from and facing a correspondingouter shell panel580. In the illustrated embodiment, outer shell top andside panels580₁,580₃,580₄, are shown spaced from and facing corresponding inner shell top and side panels592₁,592₃,592₄respectively.
• Anair flow passage596 may be defined in thespace460 between inner andouter shells588,372. As shown,air flow passage596 may extend from a coolingair inlet604 to anexhaust outlet608. A coolingfan assembly456 may be positioned to move ambient air (i.e. air external to cooking apparatus100) intoair flow passage596 through coolingair inlet604, and out ofair flow passage596 throughexhaust outlet608. The cool ambient air flowing throughair flow passage596 may help reduce the temperature ofouter shell372, which may makeouter shell372 safe for users to touch.
• As shown,cooking chamber104 may be isolated from air flow communication withair flow passage596. This may mitigate the ambient air flow coolingcooking chamber104 during a cooking cycle. In the illustrated embodiment,air flow passage596 is bounded by (e.g. in contact with)inner shell588.FIGS. 71-72 show an alternative embodiment includingoptional insulation452 between inner andouter shells588,372.Insulation452 may overlie at least a portion of one or both ofinner shell588 andouter shell372. In the illustrated embodiment,insulation452 is shown overlyinginner shell588, wherebyair flow passage596 extends betweenouter shell372 andinsulation452. In this configuration,insulation452 may reduce heat loss from cookingchamber104 to the cooling air flow withinpassage596. It will be appreciated that the insulation may be adjacent the inner shell and/or the outer shell.
• Still referring toFIGS. 71-72, coolingfan assembly456 may be located anywhere that allows coolingfan assembly456 when activated to move air withinair flow passage596 from coolingair inlet604 toexhaust outlet608. For example, coolingfan assembly456 may be located internal toair flow passage596 as shown, or external toair flow passage596.FIGS. 69-72 show examples in which coolingfan assembly456 is located at coolingair inlet604. This may reduce hot air exposure to coolingfan assembly456 as compared with positioning coolingfan assembly456 atexhaust outlet608 where the air flow is hottest.FIGS. 73-74 show alternative embodiments in which coolingfan assembly456 is located atexhaust outlet608. This may help to blow hot air exitingexhaust outlet608 farther fromouter shell372, which may mitigate the exhausted hot air accumulating aroundouter shell372 where it can burn users.
• In alternative embodiments, coolingfan assembly456 may be located withinair flow passage596 between coolingair inlet604 andexhaust outlet608. In some embodiments,cooking apparatus100 includes two or morecooling fan assemblies456. For example,cooking apparatus100 may include one coolingfan assembly456 at coolingair inlet604 and one coolingfan assembly456 atexhaust outlet608.FIG. 75 shows an embodiment in which coolingfan assembly456 includes at least twofan assemblies456, both of which are located at a cooling air inlet or outlet (e.g. depending on the configured flow direction of the fan assemblies456). This may provide greater cooling capacity (e.g. cooling airflow rates) without adding substantially to the size (e.g. outside dimensions) ofcooking apparatus100.
• Referring toFIGS. 71-72, coolingair inlet604 andexhaust outlet608 may be positioned anywhere onouter shell372. For example, coolingair inlet604 andexhaust outlet608 may be located at opposed sides576 (e.g. opposed panels580) ofouter shell372. This may allow theair flow passage556 which extends from coolingair inlet604 toexhaust outlet608 to provide cooling for several sides576 (e.g. panels580) ofouter shell372. Moreover, this may provide separation between coolingair inlet604 andexhaust outlet608, which may mitigate coolingair inlet604 recirculating hot air discharged fromexhaust outlet608.
• In the illustrated embodiment, coolingair inlet604 is located at one outer shell side576₅(e.g. outer shell panel580₅), andexhaust outlet608 is located at a transversely opposed outer shell side576₄(e.g. outer shell panel580₄). As shown,air flow passage596 may extend over (and thereby provide cooling for) transversely opposedouter shell sides576₄,576₅(e.g.outer shell panels580₄,580₅) and outer shell top side576₁(e.g. outer shell top panel580₁). In use, transversely opposedsides576₄,576₅, andtop side576₁may be the most commonly exposed to user contact, and therefore obtain the greatest benefit from forced air cooling. In some embodiments,air flow passage596 may also extend along outer shell lower side576₆(e.g. outer shell lower panel580₆) as shown. This may mitigate heat damage to a counter-top surface on whichcooking apparatus100 is supported.
• Referring toFIGS. 76-78, in some embodiments a coolingair flow passage596 extends primarily (e.g. exclusively) along one outer shell side576 (e.g. one outer shell panel580). There may be one or many such coolingair flow passages596 extending along different outer shell sides576. One or morecooling fan assembly456 may be associated with each suchair flow passage596. This may allow the cooling provided by each coolingair flow passage596 to differentouter shell sides576 to be individually controlled. In the illustrated example, anair flow passage596 is shown extending primarily alongouter shell side576₅betweenfront side576₁andrear side576₃. As shown, the coolingair inlet604 andexhaust outlet608 may be provided in the front andrear sides576₂,576₃(e.g. front andrear panels580₂,580₃).
• Referring toFIGS. 79-80, in some embodiments one or morecooling fan assemblies496 may be positioned to blow external air over an exterior surface ofouter shell372. This may simplify the design ofcooking apparatus100 by eliminating the need for providing an air flow passage between outer and inner shells. This may also makefan assembly456 more easily accessed for cleaning, repair, or replacement, and may allowfan assembly456 to be removed to makecooking apparatus100 more compact. The cooling fan assembly (or assemblies)456 may be positioned to direct exterior air over an exterior of any one or more of outer shell sides576 (e.g. over any one or more outer shell panels580). In the illustrated example,cooking apparatus100 includes coolingfan assemblies456 positioned to direct exterior air over transversely opposedsides576₄,576₅(e.g. overouter shell panels580₄,580₅).
• Returning toFIG. 69, coolingfan assembly456 may be activated in any manner that allows coolingfan assembly456 to provide air cooling to one or more of outer shell sides576 (e.g. to one of more of outer shell panels580). In some embodiments, coolingfan assembly456 may be activated whenever cookingapparatus100 is activated. For example, coolingfan assembly456 andcooking apparatus100 may be directly connected to a common power circuit, whereby coolingfan assembly456 is powered on to provide cooling whenever cookingapparatus100 is powered on or whenever cookingapparatus100 is performing a cooking cycle. This may simplify the activation logic for coolingfan assembly456, which may reduce the cost and complexity ofmanufacturing cooking apparatus100.
• In some embodiments, coolingfan assembly456 is communicatively coupled tocontroller216. This allowscontroller216 to provide control signals that direct when coolingfan assembly456 is activated (e.g. powered and providing air cooling), and inactive (e.g. powered off). As an example, coolingfan assembly456 may be configured, according to a cooking program, to direct coolingfan assembly456 to remain active for a predetermined duration (e.g. 1 minute to 30 minutes) after a cooking cycle is completed. This may allow coolingfan assembly456 to coolouter shell372 after the cooking cycle is completed, thereby mitigating outer shell becoming hot due to residual heat from cookingchamber104.
• In some embodiments, coolingfan assembly456 remains active until atemperature sensor610 senses a temperature below a predetermined temperature. This can allow coolingfan assembly456 to operate only as long as required for the temperature ofouter shell372 to become safe to touch (e.g. a predetermined threshold less than 50° C.), or safe for adjacent equipment (e.g. a predetermined threshold less than 75° C.). This may reduce the energy consumption and noise produced by coolingfan assembly456. For example,controller216 may direct coolingfan assembly456 to deactivate in response to receiving signals fromtemperature sensor610 indicative of a temperature below the predetermined threshold.
• As shown,temperature sensor610 may be thermally coupled toouter shell372. For example,temperature sensor610 may be located interior ofouter shell372 as shown (e.g. within air flow passage596), or exterior ofouter shell372. In some embodiments, there may beseveral temperature sensors610. For example, eachtemperature sensor610 may be associated with different positions onouter shell372.
• Alternatively or in addition to deactivating coolingfan assembly456 after a predetermined during following a cooking cycle, or aftertemperature sensor610 senses a temperature below a predetermined temperature, coolingfan assembly456 may be activated in response totemperature sensor610 sensing a temperature exceeding a predetermined temperature. This can delay activating coolingfan assembly456 untilouter shell372 approaches or exceeds a temperature that is unsafe to touch (e.g. with a predetermined temperature of 40° C. or more), or that is unsafe for adjacent equipment (e.g. with a predetermined temperature of 60° C. or more). For example,controller216 may direct coolingfan assembly456 to activate in response to receiving signals fromtemperature sensor610 indicative of a temperature exceeding the predetermined threshold.
• Reference is now made toFIG. 81. Alternatively or in addition to providing cooling forouter shell372,cooking apparatus100 may provide cooling to cookingchamber door116. This may help makecooking chamber door116 safe to touch during cooking cycles, which may mitigate users burning themselves upon contact with cookingchamber door116.
• As shown, coolingair flow passage596 may extend across cookingchamber door116. This allows the cool ambient air moving through coolingair flow passage596 to provide cooling to cookingchamber door116. In the illustrated example, cookingchamber door116 includes an inner panel612 (also referred as inner layer612) at least partially spaced from an outer panel616 (also referred to as outer layer616) to define avacant space620 between the inner andouter panels612,616.Vacant space620 may be positioned in theair flow passage596 between coolingair inlet604 andexhaust outlet608.
• FIG. 81 shows an example in whichcooking door panels612,616 are opaque panels (e.g. made of metal, such as stainless steel or aluminum).FIG. 82 shows an example in whichcooking door panels612,616 each include atransparent potion352, andtransparent portions352 are aligned to provide visibility intocooking chamber104.
• Referring toFIG. 83, in some embodiments anair flow passage596 extends predominantly (e.g. exclusively) across cookingchamber door116. This may avoid the cost and complexity of positioning an openablecooking chamber door116 in the same air flow passage that coolsouter shell372. As shown, cookingchamber door116 may include a coolingair inlet604, anexhaust outlet608, and anair flow passage596 from coolingair inlet604 toexhaust outlet608 throughvacant space620. In the illustrated example, a coolingfan456 is provided on cooking chamber door116 (e.g. withinair flow passage596 as shown, or outside of air flow passage596) to move air throughair flow passage596 from coolingair inlet604 toexhaust outlet608.
• Reference is now made toFIG. 84. In some embodiments, cookingchamber door116 includes anexhaust outlet608₂that discharges cooling air fromair flow passage596 into contact with (e.g. across) cookingchamber door116. This can help to cool an outer surface of cookingchamber door116 to help makecooking chamber door116 safe to touch during cooking cycles. For example, this may help to cool a portion (e.g. transparent portion) ofcooking chamber door116 that has only a single layer, and therefore cannot support anair flow passage596.
• Exhaust outlet608₂may be located anywhere on cookingchamber door116 suitable to discharge gas fromair flow passage596 into contact with (e.g. across) cookingchamber door116. In the illustrated example, cookingchamber door116 includes a transparent panel352 (e.g. a glass panel) bordered by aframe356. As shown,frame356 may include interiorvacant space620 positioned in theair flow path596 downstream of coolingair inlet604.Frame356 may include anexhaust outlet608 formed by one or a plurality ofoutlet openings624 oriented to discharge cooling air at cookingchamber door116. For example,outlet openings624 may be located along an inner side628 offrame356. As shown, this may permitexhaust outlet608 to partially or completely surrounddoor panel352. This may help to provide more even cooling across the surface ofdoor panel352, and thereby mitigate hotspots that can burn users on contact.
• It will be appreciated that, in another embodiment, cooling air may be blown downwardly over the outer surface of the door when the door is in a closed position. For example, the exhaust outlet may be provided above the openable door when the door is in a closed position.
Heating Ducts
• In some embodiments, the cooking apparatus may include heating ducts that distribute hot air into the cooking chamber. The heating ducts may receive pressurized air from an upstream fan, and include numerous outlet perforations of a size and number to product high velocity air streams (e.g. jets) that impinge on food within the cooking chamber. The high velocity may allow the hot air streams to make direct contact with the food before diffusing into the cooking chamber. This may expose surfaces of the food to higher temperature air, which may accelerate cooking. The high velocity air streams may also be effective for displaying humid air masses settled around surfaces of the food, and thereby accelerate dehydration such as for the purpose of crisping the food (e.g. French fries, chicken wings, or pizza crust).
• The features in this section may be used by themselves in any cooking apparatus or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features described herein. For example, the feature of heating ducts described herein may be used with any of the features of multiple cooking zones, the cooking receptacle and the cooking vessel, subdividable cooking zones, forced convection, steam generation, dynamic energy utilization, door transparency, removable handle, retractable door, self-cleaning, cooking additive distribution, insulation and air cooling, common motor drive, smoke and/or odor control, reorientation and expansion, vertical cooking, toaster, heat storage members, and other features described herein.
• Reference is now made toFIGS. 85-86. As shown,cooking apparatus100 may include a plurality ofheating ducts644 located downstream of an air mover124 (e.g. a fan).Air mover124 andheating ducts644 may be positioned in anair flow path648, which extends from anair inlet656 tooutlet openings660. As shown,air inlet656 may be provided on asidewall108 of cooking chamber104 (e.g.right sidewall108₄as shown, or any othercooking chamber sidewall108 such as the upper wall) to allowair mover124 to pull hot air from cookingchamber104 intoair flow path648.Outlet openings660 may be provided inheating ducts644 to allow re-entry of the recirculated hot air back intocooking chamber104 as high velocity air streams.
• Heating ducts644 may be positioned above, below, and/or to one or more side(s) ofcooking chamber104. The location(s) ofheating ducts644 relative to cooking chamber104 (e.g. above, below, and/or to the side) may depend on the intended use(s) ofcooking apparatus100. For example,heating ducts644 may be positioned above cooking chamberinterior volume112 to allow the air streams652re-entering cooking chamber104 to strike food held in containers (e.g. cooking receptacles140 (FIG. 2), or cooking vessel160 (FIG. 2)), which may shield the food from air streams entering from other sides ofcooking chamber104. As another example,heating ducts644 may be positioned below cooking chamberinterior volume112 to allow the air streams652re-entering cooking chamber104 to strike exposed lower surfaces of foods (e.g. the crust of a pizza).
• The illustrated embodiment shows a plurality ofheating ducts644 positioned abovecooking volume112, and a plurality ofheating ducts644 positioned belowcooking volume112. This allowscooking apparatus100 to adapt to different foods that have different cooking requirements and that different exposed surfaces while cooking.Heating ducts644 may extend in a lateral (i.e. side-to-side, or left-right) direction as shown, or in a forward-rearward direction as inFIGS. 95-96.
• Reference is now made toFIG. 87. In some embodiments, one ormore heating elements120 may be positioned in theair flow path648. This allows the diffuse air pulled into theair flow path648 byair mover124 to be heated to a higher temperature withinair flow path648 before re-enteringcooking chamber104 throughair outlet openings660.
• Heating element(s)120 may be positioned anywhere alongair flow path648. For example, aheating element120 may be positioned within one or more (or all) ofheating ducts644. This positionsheating elements120 immediately upstream ofair outlet openings660, whereby air heated byheating elements120 immediatelyre-enters cooking chamber104 throughair outlet openings660. As compared with positioningheating elements120 upstream ofheating ducts644, this design may help reduce heat loss (and thus improve energy efficiency) as the air flow travels fromheating elements120 toair outlet openings660.
• Alternatively or in addition, aheating element120 may be positioned inair flow path648 upstream ofair outlet openings660. This may permit relatively few heating elements120 (e.g. a single heating element120) to heat all of the air that ultimately exitsair outlet openings660. In some embodiments, this may reduce the number ofheating elements120 incooking apparatus100 and thereby reduce the cost and complexity ofmanufacturing cooking apparatus100.
• Still referring toFIG. 87,air mover124 may be sized to produce a flow rate (e.g. in cubic feet per minute, CFM) of air sufficient to produceair streams652 atair outlet openings660 with an air velocity suitable for rapid cooking and/or crisping of foods incooking chamber104. In some embodiments,air mover124 may have a rated flow rate capable of producingair streams652 with a velocity of between 2 MPH and 25 MPH (e.g., 5-25, 5-20, 10-20, 10-15 MPH). The lower portion of this range (e.g. 2 MPH to 8 MPH) may be suitable for creating more gentle air streams652 (e.g. for delicate foods, such as fish). The upper portion of this range (e.g. 8 MPH to 25 MPH) may be suitable for creating more rapid air streams652 (e.g. for robust foods, such as pizza, French fries, and chicken wings).
• Theair outlet openings660 may be sized so thatmultiple air streams652 may strike one item of food. This may provide a more even distribution of hot air streams over a surface of the food item, and mitigate a hot spot that may lead to isolated burning. In some embodiments,air outlet openings660 may be sized between 0.02 in²and 0.5 in²(e.g., 0.02-0.25; 0.05-0.25; 0.05-0.1; 0.0.5-0.75 in²). Eachheating duct644 may include numerous suchair outlet openings660, such as between 25 and 500air outlet opening660.
• Moreover,cooking apparatus100 may include any number ofheating ducts644. For example,cooking apparatus100 may include between 1 and 25heating ducts644, which may be collectively positioned above, below, and/or to a side ofcooking volume112. In the illustrated example,cooking apparatus100 includes 5heating ducts644 located abovecooking volume112.
• Still referring toFIG. 87, in someembodiments heating elements120 are IR heating elements, and at least a portion (or all) ofheating ducts644 may be permeable to infrared radiation emitted byIR heating elements120. For example, at least aportion668 located between theIR heating element120 andcooking volume112 may allow at least 30%, and more preferably at least 50% (e.g. 50%-100%, 60%-90%, 60%-80%) of IR radiation emitted byIR heating elements120 towardsportion668 to pass through intocooking volume112. IR permeability ofheating duct portion668 may be provided byair outlet openings660, and/or the material ofheating duct portion668. For example, heating duct portions668 (or an entirety of heating ducts644) may be made of stainless steel.
• Reference is now made toFIGS. 88-89. Alternatively or in addition to providing one ormore heating elements120 withinair flow path648,cooking apparatus100 may include one ormore heating elements120 outside ofair flow path648. For example, one ormore heating elements120 may be provided above, below, and/or to one or more sides ofcooking volume112.Such heating elements120 may produce heat (e.g. IR radiation) less affected (e.g. unaffected) by the rate of air flow throughair flow path648, and with an unimpeded line of sight to food or a cooking container withincooking volume112. This may make it easier to regulate the radiative heat emitted byheating elements120, and may allowheating elements120 to radiate more heat (e.g. for searing food) whenair mover124 is activated and moving air withinair flow path648, all else being equal.
• In the illustrated examples,heating elements120 are located betweenadjacent heating ducts644. As shown, eachheating element120 may be flanked by (e.g. horizontally aligned with)adjacent heating ducts644. For example,heating elements120 andheating ducts644 may be arranged in an alternating pattern. This may help to evenly distribute both the radiative heating provided byheating elements120 and the high velocity air heating providing byheating ducts644.FIG. 88 shows an example in whichheating elements120 andheating ducts644 are located abovecooking volume112.FIG. 89 shows an example in whichheating elements120 andheating ducts644 are located above and belowcooking volume112.
• Referring toFIG. 90, in some embodiments aheating element120 may be located between anIR reflector672 andcooking volume112. TheIR reflector672 may help to reflect, towardscooking volume112, IR radiation that was emitted byheating elements120 away from cookingvolume112. This may improve the heat efficiency ofcooking apparatus100 by directing a greater portion of IR radiation, emitted byheating elements120, towards food withincooking volume112, all else being equal, while reducing heating of the exterior of the appliance.
• IR reflector672 may have any configuration suitable for reflecting IR radiation emitted byheating elements120. For example,IR reflector672 may be composed of a material having a reflectivity to IR radiation of at least 50% and preferably at least 70%. In some embodiments,IR reflector672 may include aluminum or an aluminum coated substrate, which may have a polished surface finish to increase IR reflectivity.
• Aheating element120 and an associatedIR reflector672 may be located inside or outside of aheating duct644. In the illustrated embodiment, pairs ofheating elements120 andIR reflectors672 are located outside ofheating ducts644. As shown, aheating element120 and acorresponding IR reflector672 may be positioned betweenadjacent heating ducts644.
• Still referring toFIG. 90, eachheating element120 is illustrated as being uncovered. This provides eachheating element120 with line of sight intocooking volume112, whereby IR radiation from eachheating element120 directed towardscooking volume112 is unimpeded.FIG. 91-92 show examples in which acover panel676 is positioned betweenheating elements120 andcooking volume112. As compared with theuncovered heating elements120 ofFIG. 90,cover panel676 may help to shieldheating elements120 from food spatter that may burn and smoke onheating elements120.Cover panel676 may be easily cleaned.
• Cover panel676 may be permeable to IR radiation emitted byIR heating element120. For example,cover panel676 may be free of openings as inFIG. 91 and made of IR permeable material, or may includeopenings680 as inFIG. 92 and be made of any material.
• Reference is now made toFIGS. 93-94. In some embodiments, at least aportion668 of one ormany heating ducts644 may be part of acooking chamber panel108. For example, a substantially planar cooking chamber panel108 (e.g.top panel108₁and/or bottom panel108₂) may cover inside ends ofheating ducts644 and includingportions668 that haveair outlet openings660. This design may make it easier to cleancooking chamber104 includingportion668 ofheating ducts644 that may be exposed to spatter from food.
• Cooking chamber panel108 may allow much or all of IR radiation emitted byIR heating elements120 to entercooking volume112.FIGS. 93-94 show an example in whichcooking chamber panels108 havelarge openings684, which align withheating elements120, such thatheating elements120 effectively remain uncovered by cookingchamber panels108. This may help to increase the proportion of IR radiation, emitted byheating elements120, that enterscooking volume112 and contributes to cooking food. Accordingly, this may improve the energy efficiency ofcooking apparatus100. In some embodiments,heating elements120 may be overlaid by acover panel676. As shown,chamber panel openings684 may avoid introducing a second layer of impedance to the passage of IR radiation fromIR heating elements120 intocooking volume112.
• FIGS. 95-96 show another example in whichcooking chamber panels108 includeheating duct portions668 havingair outlet openings660. In this example,heating elements120 are shown positioned inheating ducts644. The material of the cooking chamber panels108 (e.g. top andbottom panels108₁,108₂) may be permeable to IR radiation on account of the material ofcooking chamber panels108 and/orair outlet openings660. As shown,cooking chamber panels108 may not include large panel openings that avoid thepanels108 overlayingheating elements120. Accordingly,cooking chamber panels108 have a lower percentage open area for spatter to bypass thecooking chamber panels108. For this reason,cooking chamber panels108 may makecooking chamber104 easier to clean and may provide better support for cooking accessories (e.g. wire racks, containers, etc.). In the illustrated embodiment,cooking apparatus100 includes anoptional wire rack688 that is removably positionable incooking chamber104 to support food and food containers abovebottom panel108₂.
• Referring toFIGS. 94, 96, and 97, one or morecooking chamber panels108 may be removable fromcooking apparatus100. This may permit thecooking chamber panels108 to be cleaned (e.g. in a sink with water and soap). Further, this may provide access behindcooking chamber panels108 to clean any food spatter that may have bypassed thecooking chamber panel108 through anopening660,680. In some embodiments, acooking chamber panel108, which includes aheating duct portion668 withair outlet openings660, may be removed for the duration of a cooking cycle to provide convective air flow usingair mover124 without creating high velocity air streams. This may permitcooking apparatus100 to selectively provide high velocity air streams or slow convective air flow depending on the cooking technique a user may choose for the food being cooked.
• Referring toFIG. 98, in some embodiments one or more (or all) ofheating ducts644 has arespective duct portion668 that is individually removable. This can allowcooking apparatus100 to produceair streams652 along only a subset ofheating ducts644 that have theirduct portion668 still in place. For example, when cookingchamber104 is divided into several cooking zones as described above,heating ducts644 associated with one cooking zone may haveduct portions668 in place to produce high velocity air streams, whileheating ducts644 associated with another cooking zone may haveduct portions668 removed to produce low velocity convective heating.
• FIGS. 94 and 96 show an example in which thepanels108₁,108₂that overlieheating ducts644 are removable.FIG. 97 shows an example in which allcooking chamber panels108 are removable. Preferably,removable panels108 can be removed from cookingchamber104 and replaced without the use of tools (e.g. without removing any screws or similar fasteners). For example,FIGS. 94 and 96 showcooking chamber panels108₁,108₂that are slideably removable and insertable intocooking chamber104. As used herein and in the claims, an element described as removable can be removed and replaced without causing any damage.
• Referring toFIGS. 99-100, in some embodiments,cooking chamber104 may include one or moreremovable panels108 that when positioned incooking chamber104 cover (e.g. close)air outlet openings660 and obstruct air streams from exitingoutlet openings660. In use, acover panel108 may be positioned to obstructair outlet openings660 of a subset ofheating ducts644 so that air moving through air flow path648 (FIG. 86) is directly primarily or entirely through theother heating ducts644 whoseair outlet openings660 remain unobstructed. Furthermore, theair outlet openings660 that remain unobstructed may generate higher velocity air streams as compared to if allair outlet openings660 were unobstructed. This design allows a user to select which ofheating ducts644 produces high velocity air streams. For example, abottom cover panel108₂may be removed from cookingchamber104, and atop cover panel108₁may be positioned incooking chamber104 so that high velocity air streams are produced only fromheating ducts644 located below cooking volume112 (e.g. to crisp a bottom crust of a pizza). The reverse situation may be applied to produce high velocity air streams only fromheating ducts644 located above cooking volume112 (e.g. where a cooking container allows access to the food being cooked only from above).
• Reference is now made toFIGS. 101-102. In some embodiments, aheating element120 may be located inwardly (i.e. relative to cooking volume112) ofadjacent heating ducts644. This may allowheating elements120 to radiate heat with greater intensity upon a region of food below. In some cases, this may allow greater air flow aroundheating elements120, wherebyheating elements120 may provide greater contributions to the air temperature withincooking chamber104.FIG. 101 shows an example in which anIR reflector672 is provided behind eachheating element120 to reflect stray IR radiation towardscooking volume112.FIG. 102 shows an example in whichheating elements120 are located in front ofcooking chamber panels108.
• Returning toFIGS. 87-88,cooking chamber104 may be divided into a plurality ofcooking zones180 having individually controllable cooking conditions, as described in detail above. For example, eachcooking zone180 may include one or more respective cooking devices, such asheating elements120,heating ducts644, andsteam generators136. As shown inFIG. 103, acooking zone180 may include asteam generator136 positioned withincooking chamber104, and that receives water from awater reservoir256. Cookingzones180 may be further isolated by positioning a cooking container, such as cooking receptacles140 (FIG. 2) and/or cooking vessels160 (FIG. 2) withincooking chamber104 as described in detail above.
Common Motor Drive
• Reference is now made toFIG. 46. In some embodiments, two or more of the same or different motor driven devices withincooking apparatus100 are driven by acommon motor468. An advantage of this design is that it can reduce the number of motors used to operatecooking apparatus100, which may thereby reduce the cost, weight, and size ofcooking apparatus100, all else being equal.
• The features in this section may be used by themselves in any cooking apparatus or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features described herein. For example, the feature of using a common motor drive described herein may be used with any of the features of multiple cooking zones, the cooking receptacle and the cooking vessel, subdividable cooking zones, forced convection, steam generation, dynamic energy utilization, door transparency, removable handle, retractable door, self-cleaning, cooking additive distribution, insulation and air cooling, heating ducts, reorientation and expansion, vertical cooking, toaster, heat storage members, and other features described herein.
• The illustrated embodiment shows examples of steam generator pumps268,air mover impellers132, and coolingfan456 as motor driven devices. As shown, any two or more (or all as shown) of these devices can be driven by acommon motor468.Common motor468 may be connected to motor-drivendevices268,132, and456 in any manner suitable formotor468 to drive their operation. In the illustrated example, each ofdevices268,132, and456 is connected tocommon motor468 by atransmission member472. Eachtransmission member472 may include one or more (or all) of gears, belts, chain, pulleys, and rods, which may cooperate to transmit the rotation ofcommon motor468 to therespective device268,132, or456. Further, eachtransmission member472 may have the same or different transmission ratio, which is the ratio of the output speed ofcommon motor468 to the rotation speed of thedevice268,132, or456 when that device is connected tocommon motor468 by thetransmission member472. The ratio may be less than 1, in which case the device is driven at a speed less than the motor output speed; equal to 1, in which case the speeds are the same; or greater than 1, in which case the device is driven at a speed greater than the motor output speed.
Smoke/Odor Control
• Reference is now made toFIGS. 47A-47B. In some embodiments,cooking apparatus100 may include agas cleaner476.Gas cleaner476 may act upon gases circulating within or discharging fromcooking apparatus100 to remove smoke and/or odor particles. An advantage of this design is that it can reduce the quantum of undesirable smoke and/or odors emanating from cookingapparatus100, which may be used on a countertop without range hood to capture exhaust gases.FIG. 47A shows an example of gas cleaner476 positioned withincooking chamber104, andFIG. 47B shows an example of gas cleaner476 positioned outside of cooking chamber104 (e.g. within an exhaust conduit).
• The features in this section may be used by themselves in any cooking apparatus or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features described herein. For example, the feature of smoke and/or odor control described herein may be used with any of the features of multiple cooking zones, the cooking receptacle and the cooking vessel, subdividable cooking zones, forced convection, steam generation, dynamic energy utilization, door transparency, removable handle, retractable door, self-cleaning, cooking additive distribution, insulation and air cooling, heating ducts, common motor drive, reorientation and expansion, vertical cooking, toaster, heat storage members, and other features described herein.
• Gas cleaner476 can be any device suitable for removing smoke and/or odor particles from gases circulating within or discharging fromcooking apparatus100. In some embodiments,gas cleaner476 may include a wet scrubber, an ozone deodorizer, an electrostatic precipitator, or combinations thereof.FIG. 48 shows an example of agas cleaner476 that includes a wet scrubber. As shown,gas cleaner476 may include a liquid (e.g. water)reservoir480, aspray nozzle484, and aliquid flow path488 from the chargedliquid reservoir480 to thespray nozzle484. Apump490 may be positioned in theliquid flow path488 to force liquid from thereservoir480 to spray from thespray nozzle484.Spray nozzle484 may spray a charged liquid (e.g. water) mist over dirty/odorous gas492, so that the charged liquid droplets attach to smoke and/orodor particles496 in thegas492, and collect on or in acollector504, and clean/fresh gas507 free of the collectedparticles496 exitsgas cleaner476.
• The liquid mist fromspray nozzle484 may be charged in any manner. In the illustrated example, a chargedneedle506 is positioned in the flow path of the liquid mist to impart a charge upon the liquid mist, thereby producing electrostatically charged mist.
• Collector504 may be any device that can collect the charged mist withparticles496 attached. For example,collector504 may include one or more plates or wires that are oppositely charged compared to the liquid mist.
• FIG. 49 shows an example of agas cleaner476 including an ozone deodorizer. As shown,gas cleaner476 may include anozone generator508, and anozone destroyer512. In use,ozone generator508 may emit ozone particles that mix with the dirty/odorous gas492 so that theozone molecules514 attach to theparticles496, then theozone molecules514 carrying theparticles496 are destroyed by interaction with the ozone destroyer512 (depositing theparticles496 on ozone destroyer512), and clean/fresh gas507 free of the collectedparticles496 exitsgas cleaner476.
• Ozone destroyer512 can be any device that can destroy ozone molecules, such as by converting the ozone molecules to other forms (e.g. to02 oxygen). In some embodiments,ozone destroyer512 includes a catalytic ozone destroyer, a thermal ozone destroyer, or combinations thereof.
• FIG. 50 shows an example of agas cleaner476 including an electrostatic precipitator. As shown,gas cleaner476 may include a chargedneedle506 upstream from acollector504.Charged needle506 may have a large charge (e.g. negative 5,000 to negative 10,000 volts, or positive 5,000 to positive 10,000 volts), and may be positioned in agas flow path516. Dirty/odorous gas492, or at least theparticles496 therein, is charged as it passes over chargedneedle506. The chargedgas492deposits particles496 as it passes over, between, or throughcollector504. A clean/fresh gas507 exits fromgas cleaner476, free of the collectedparticles496.
• Collector504 may be any device that can collectparticles496 from the chargedgas492 asgas492 passes over, between, or throughcollector504.Collector504 has an electrostatic potential difference from theparticles496 such that it attractsparticles496 to separate fromgas492. For example,collector504 may be an oppositely charged (compared to gas492) or grounded sponge (wet or dry), metal plate(s), metal mesh, paper or plastic covered conductors, conductive paper or plastic, wool, stream of atomized liquid (e.g. water), or liquid pool.
Reorientation and Expansion
• Reference is now made toFIGS. 51-52. In some embodiments,cooking apparatus100 may be rotatable between a tall orientation (FIG. 51) and a wide orientation (FIG. 52). In the tall orientation (FIG. 51),cooking apparatus100 may have one ormore cooking zones180 stacked vertically and occupy a relatively small footprint. In the wide orientation (FIG. 52),cooking apparatus100 may have one ormore cooking zones180 horizontally side-by-side and occupy a relatively larger footprint. An advantage of this design is that it can allowcooking apparatus100 to occupy less counter space in the tall orientation (FIG. 51) when cooking one orseveral foods220 having relatively smaller horizontal widths, and allowcooking apparatus100 to selectively transition to the wide orientation (FIG. 52) to accommodate foods220 (e.g. pizza) having a relatively larger horizontal width. In such a case, heating elements may be positioned for use when the appliance is vertically oriented as inFIG. 51 or horizontally oriented as inFIG. 52, or they may be repositionable.
• The features in this section may be used by themselves in any cooking apparatus or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features described herein. For example, the feature of reorientation and expansion described herein may be used with any of the features of multiple cooking zones, the cooking receptacle and the cooking vessel, subdividable cooking zones, forced convection, steam generation, dynamic energy utilization, door transparency, removable handle, retractable door, self-cleaning, cooking additive distribution, insulation and air cooling, heating ducts, common motor drive, smoke and/or odor control, vertical cooking, toaster, heat storage members, and other features described herein.
• Turning toFIGS. 53-56, in some embodiments,cooking apparatus100 may be horizontally expandable. As shown,cooking apparatus100 may be movable between a compact configuration (FIGS. 53 and 55), and an expanded configuration (FIGS. 54 and 56). An advantage of this design is thatcooking apparatus100 can have a smaller footprint that occupies less counter space, until and unless alarger cooking chamber104 is required to cook more or larger food than the compact configuration can accommodate.
• Cooking apparatus100 may be expandable in any manner that increase the horizontal dimension ofcooking chamber104.FIGS. 53-54 show an example in which cooking chamber sidewalls108 include expandable (e.g. accordion)portions520 that move between a compact configuration (FIG. 53) and an expanded configuration (FIG. 54).FIGS. 55-56 show an example in whichcooking chamber104 includessidewalls108 that can nest in the compact configuration (FIG. 55), and move farther part in the expanded configuration (FIG. 56).
Vertical Cooking
• Reference is now made toFIG. 57. In some embodiments,cooking apparatus100 may include acooking chamber104 with vertically oriented heating element(s)120 extending along at least onevertical sidewall108 of thecooking chamber104. As shown,cooking chamber104 may have aheight524 that is greater than (e.g. at least 1.5 times, or at least 2 times) awidth528 of thecooking chamber104. An advantage of this design is that it can allow for cooking tall food items and can deliver relatively even heating across the height of thecooking chamber104.
• The features in this section may be used by themselves in any cooking apparatus or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features described herein. For example, the feature of vertical cooking described herein may be used with any of the features of multiple cooking zones, the cooking receptacle and the cooking vessel, subdividable cooking zones, forced convection, steam generation, dynamic energy utilization, door transparency, removable handle, retractable door, self-cleaning, cooking additive distribution, insulation and air cooling, heating ducts, common motor drive, smoke and/or odor control, reorientation and expansion, toaster, heat storage members, and other features described herein.
• Still referring toFIG. 57, in some embodiments thecooking apparatus100 may include asteam generator136 positioned inside or outside ofcooking chamber104, and configured to humidify the air insidecooking chamber104.
• In some embodiments,cooking apparatus100 may include a rotating spit532 for rotisserie cooking. As shown, adrip tray536 may be positioned below spit532 to catch food drippings.
• Turning toFIG. 58, the vertically orientedcooking chamber104 may be permanently or selectively divided into two or more vertically stackedcooking zones180. As shown, one or more of thecooking zones180 may include adrip tray536. The stackedcooking zones180 may be separated by anIR shield224.IR shield224 may be removably insertable intocooking chamber104 so that cookingchamber104 can be selectively configured into one ormany cooking zones180.IR shield224 may optionally be IR reflective to reflect IR radiation that strikes theIR shield224 back into thecooking zones180.
• As shown inFIGS. 59-60, in addition to one or morevertical heating elements120,cooking apparatus100 may include aheating element120 overlying one or more (or all) vertically stackedcooking zones180. The overlying heating element(s)120 may radiate heat from an additional direction onto food within the cooking zone(s)180 for more even cooking.FIGS. 59-60 also illustrate thatcooking zones180 may be used with or withoutcooking receptacles140. InFIG. 60, an IR shield or other divider is not positioned betweencooking zones180. Instead, cookingreceptacles140 are relied upon to isolate thecooking zones180.
• As shown inFIGS. 57-58,cooking apparatus100 may include one ormore air movers124 to provide forced convection to one or more associatedcooking zones180.FIGS. 57 and 59 illustrate that one ormore steam generators136 may be provided to generate humidity in one or more associatedcooking zones180.FIG. 60 illustrates an example in which steamgenerator136 is an evaporative humidifier including an absorbent material (e.g. wick) that is provided on or defines avertical sidewall108 of thecooking chamber104.
• Turning toFIG. 61, in some embodiments,cooking apparatus100 may be rotated between a tall orientation and a wide orientation. As shown, in the tall orientation, heating element(s)120 may be vertically oriented along vertical cooking chamber sidewall(s)108. The tall orientation may be preferable for cooking tall foods, such as to rotisserie cook a vertically suspended portion of meat. In the horizontal orientation, heating element(s)120 may be horizontally oriented (e.g. above and belowcooking zone180 as shown). This orientation may be preferable for cooking wide foods, such as a pizza.
Toaster
• Reference is now made toFIG. 62, which shows acooking apparatus100 configured as a top-loading toaster. As shown,cooking apparatus100 may include two or more thermally isolatedcooking zones180. Anopening538 aligned with eachcooking zone180 may be provided in cooking chamberupper wall108₁for inserting and removing food fromcooking zones180. One or more or all ofcooking zones180 may have an associatedcooking chamber door116 to selectively close thecooking zone180 for better control over the cooking conditions in thecooking zone180.
• The features in this section may be used by themselves in any cooking apparatus or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features described herein. For example, the feature of a toaster described herein may be used with any of the features of multiple cooking zones, the cooking receptacle and the cooking vessel, subdividable cooking zones, forced convection, steam generation, dynamic energy utilization, door transparency, removable handle, retractable door, self-cleaning, cooking additive distribution, insulation and air cooling, heating ducts, common motor drive, smoke and/or odor control, reorientation and expansion, heat storage members, and other features described herein.
• Eachcooking zone180 may have at least one associated heating element120 (e.g. IR heating element), which may extend along a height of thecooking zone180 as shown. In some embodiments, one or more (or all)cooking zones180 may have an associatedsteam generator136 to humidify the air in thecooking zone180.Cooking zone180₁is shown having no associated steam generator,cooking zone180₂is shown having an associatedsteam generator136₂positioned outside thecooking zone180₂, andcooking zone180₃is shown having asteam generator136₃that is provided on or defines a wall of thecooking zone180₃.
Heat Storage Member
• Reference is now made toFIG. 63, which shows a fluid heater540 (also referred to as a heat storage member or energy storage member) in accordance with an embodiment. As shown,fluid heater540 may include an energy storage member544 (e.g. large block of metal, such as aluminum, also referred to as a ‘heat sink’), afluid inlet548, afluid outlet552, and aflow path556 that extends from thefluid inlet548 across or through theenergy storage member544 to thefluid outlet552. Fluid, such as water or air, may be quickly heated by drawing heat fromenergy storage member544 as the fluid flows along theflow path556 from thefluid inlet548 to thefluid outlet552. An advantage of this design is that it can provide nearly instant hot fluid (e.g. hot water or hot air). In the case of liquid, such as water, the hot fluid may be dispensed, e.g. into a cup, or used to supply another device, such as a kettle or pod coffee maker for example.
• The features in this section may be used by themselves in any cooking apparatus or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features described herein. For example, the feature of a heat storage member described herein may be used with any of the features of multiple cooking zones, the cooking receptacle and the cooking vessel, subdividable cooking zones, forced convection, steam generation, dynamic energy utilization, door transparency, removable handle, retractable door, self-cleaning, cooking additive distribution, insulation and air cooling, heating ducts, common motor drive, smoke and/or odor control, reorientation and expansion, toaster, and other features described herein.
• Still referring toFIG. 63,fluid heater540 may include a heating element560 (e.g. resistance heater) that draws power from anelectrical cord568 with a mains power connector for example (e.g., it may be removably plugged into a household electrical outlet).Heating element560 may be thermally connected (e.g. in contact with or embedded within)energy storage member544 for heatingenergy storage member544.Energy storage member544 may be of a material and size that can quickly store large amounts of energy fromheating element560, and quickly release that heat to fluid flowing along flow path556 (e.g., a metal block such as aluminum). As shown,energy storage member544 may be partially or complete surrounded ininsulation564 to mitigate the loss of heat to the environment.Insulation564 may include physical insulation, vacuum insulation, or both. Preferably,insulation564 has an insulation rating of at least R-5.
• Energy storage member544 may define anyflow path556 betweenfluid inlet548 andfluid outlet552 that is suitable for efficiently delivering heat to fluid.FIG. 63 shows an example of aflow path556 that is tortuous to provide a greater residency time and surface area for the fluid to receive heat fromheating element560.FIG. 64 shows a less tortuous C-shapedflow path556.FIG. 65 shows an example of anenergy storage member544 including a plurality offins572 across which theflow path556 extends.Fins572 increase the surface area of contact betweenenergy storage member544 and fluid in theflow path556 for a more rapid and efficient exchange of heat. Baffles may be provided in the flow path. It will be appreciated that the energy storage member554 may be made of a single piece of substrate (metal) or several pieces secured together to provide theflow path556.
• Reference is now made toFIG. 104, which showsheat storage member540 connected to anappliance696.Appliance696 may be an electric kettle, a coffee maker, or any embodiment ofcooking apparatus100 described herein. As shown,heat storage member540 includes a thermally insulatedheat sink544, aheating member560 in thermal communication withheat sink544, and afluid flow path556.Fluid flow path556 is shown including aninlet end548 connected, preferably removably connectable, in fluid communication withappliance fluid outlet704, and anoutlet end552 connected, preferably removably connectable, in fluid communication withappliance fluid inlet708.
• In use,heat sink544 may be pre-heated prior toappliance696 initiating a hot fluid operation (e.g. brewing or cooking cycle), and then an appliance fluid mover712 (e.g. pump for liquids, or fan for air) may be activated to circulate fluid (e.g. water or air) fromappliance696 throughheat storage member540 where the fluid is heated by receiving heat fromheat sink544, and then returned as hot fluid back toappliance696. The hot fluid may be further heated by an appliance heating member716 as part of the hot fluid operation. It will be appreciated thatheat sink544 may be pre-heated prior to or subsequent to heat sink being fluidic ally connected to an appliance.
• An advantage of this design is that it can allowappliance696 to add heat to the circulating fluid at a higher rate (i.e. wattage) than capable byappliance696 alone. During the hot fluid operation, the circulating fluid may be concurrently heated by appliance heating member716 and heat stored inheat storage member540. This allowsheat storage member540 to supplement the heat supplied by heating member716. In some cases,heat storage member540 may be turned off during the hot fluid operation so that the supplemental heat is provided without placing additional burden on the power circuit to whichappliance696 is connected (i.e. avoids blowing a fuse).
• In some embodiments,heat storage member540 may be a portableheat storage member540 that is removably connectable toappliance696. This can allowheat storage member540 to be connected to anappliance696 only when required for supplemental heating. In some embodiments,heat storage member540 may be selectively connected to any one of numerousdifferent appliances696. This allows a singleheat storage member540 to be selectively connected to one of the numerous different domestic appliances696 (e.g. electric kettle, coffee maker, or cooking apparatus) to provide supplemental fluid heating for a hot fluid operation.
• Alternately, the heat sink may be part of an appliance (it may be provided as a unitary appliance). In such a case, the heat sink may be heated by flowing a heated fluid therethrough. Accordingly, the heat storage member may not have a heating element.
• Referring toFIGS. 104-105,heat storage member540 may be removably connected toappliance696 in any manner. As shown,appliance696 may include inlet andoutlet connectors720₁,720₂, andheat storage member540 may include inlet andoutlet connectors724₁,724₂. Inlet andoutlet connectors720₁,720₂may be connected to inlet andoutlet connectors724₁,724₂as shown inFIG. 104 to fluidly connectheat storage member540 todomestic appliance696.Connectors720,724 may be disconnected to fluidly disconnectheat storage member540 fromdomestic appliance696. When disconnected,appliance connectors720 may be left disconnected pending a reconnection to heatstorage member connectors724, may be closed (e.g. by end-caps), or may be connect to each other to allowappliance fluid mover712 to recirculate fluid across appliance heating member716 when disconnected fromheat storage member540 as shown inFIG. 105.
• In some embodiments,appliance696 does not have a heating member716. For example,heat storage member540 may be the primary or sole source of fluid heating forappliance696, andappliance696 may require a connection to heatstorage member540 to execute a hot fluid operation. An advantage of this design is that it may allow a singleheat storage member540 to provide fluid heating for two or moredomestic appliances696. This may make thosedomestic appliances696 more compact and less expensive.
• Referring toFIG. 104, optionallyheat storage member540 may include atemperature sensor728 that is thermally coupled toheat sink544. In some embodiments,heating element560 may be activated or deactivated based on temperature readings fromtemperature sensor728. For example,heating element560 may be activated whentemperature sensor728 senses that heatsink544 has a temperature below a predetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold may correspond with a temperature to whichheat sink544 is preheated before a hot fluid operation. For hot fluid operations involving liquid, such as water, the predetermined temperature may be less than 200° C., such as between 75° C. and 200° C. For hot fluid operations involving gas, such as air, the predetermined temperature may be less than 500° C., such as between 200° C. and 500° C.
• Reference is now made toFIG. 106, which shows an example in whichheat storage member540 is connected to a domestic appliance, which may be any embodiment ofcooking apparatus100 described herein. As shown,airflow path556 may include anoutlet end552 in fluid communication withcooking chamber104, and aninlet end548 in fluid communication withcooking chamber104.Air mover124 may draw air from cookingchamber104 intoinlet end548 ofairflow path556, and the air may exitoutlet end552 back intocooking chamber104.
• Heat storage member540 may be pre-heated prior to initiating a cooking cycle withincooking chamber104. In some embodiments, pre-heatingheat storage member540 may include activatingheating element560 for a pre-determined duration, or until temperature sensor728 (FIG. 104) senses that a temperature ofheat sink544 exceeds a pre-determined temperature. Alternatively or in addition, pre-heatingheat storage member540 may include activatingheating element120 to generate hot air thatair mover124 draws intoheat storage member540. In this case, the hot air may be responsible for, or contribute to, pre-heating heat sink544 (e.g. for the predetermined duration or to the predetermined temperature). An advantage of this design is that it may allowheat storage member540 to include a lesspowerful heating element560 or noheating element560 at all. This may reduce the cost ofheat storage member540.
• In use,cooking apparatus100 may execute a cooking cycle that includesair mover124 circulating air throughheat storage member540, such that the circulating air may be heated byheat storage member540 alone or concurrently with one ormore heating elements120. In the latter case, concurrent heating byheat storage member540 and heating element(s)120 may allowcooking apparatus100 to produce greater temperature for prolonged duration, which may otherwise have consumed energy at a rate (e.g. watts) exceeding an energy rating ofcooking apparatus100 and/or a domestic power circuit (e.g. fuse) from whichcooking apparatus100 draws power.
• As described above in connection withFIG. 105,heat storage member540 may be removably connected tocooking apparatus100.
• While the above description provides examples of the embodiments, it will be appreciated that some features and/or functions of the described embodiments are susceptible to modification without departing from the spirit and principles of operation of the described embodiments. Accordingly, what has been described above has been intended to be illustrative of the invention and non-limiting and it will be understood by persons skilled in the art that other variants and modifications may be made.
CLAUSESSet 1
• • 1. A cooking apparatus having a front, a rear and transversely opposed sides, the cooking apparatus comprising:
    • a. a cooking chamber having an openable door provided on the front of the cooking apparatus and a cooking volume;
    • b. a heating duct provided above the cooking volume, the heating duct having a plurality of openings located above the cooking volume, an IR heating element provided in the heating duct overlying at least some of the openings; and,
    • c. a fan assembly upstream of the IR heating element.
  • 2. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein air exits the openings at a velocity from 10 to 25 MPH.
  • 3. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein a portion of the heating duct positioned between the IR heating element and the cooking volume is IR permeable.
  • 4. The cooking apparatus of clause 3 wherein the portion of the heating duct is made of stainless steel.
  • 5. The cooking apparatus of clause 3 further comprising moveable members that are moveable between a first position wherein the moveable members are positioned between the heating duct and the cooking chamber and a second retracted position, wherein the moveable members are made of an IR blocking material.
  • 6. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein a portion of the heating duct positioned between the IR heating element and the cooking volume is an IR absorbent material.
  • 7. The cooking apparatus of clause 6 further comprising moveable members that are moveable between a first position wherein the moveable members are positioned between the heating duct and the cooking chamber and a second retracted position.
  • 8. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the cooking apparatus has a plurality of heating ducts and a plurality of IR heating elements, wherein the ducts extend across the top of the cooking volume and one of the IR heating elements is provided in at least some of the heating ducts.
  • 9. The cooking apparatus of clause 8 wherein the heating ducts extend in a forward/rearward direction.
  • 10. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 further comprising a first and a second cooking container removably receivable in the cooking chamber, each of the cooking containers defining a cooking volume when installed in the cooking chamber, the cooking containers subdivide the cooking chamber into different cooking zones and each cooking zone is provided with at least one heating duct having an IR heater positioned therein.
  • 11. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the velocity of air passing over the IR heating element is adjustable.
  • 12. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 further comprising a controller operatively connected to the fan assembly wherein the controller is operable to adjust an amount of IR radiation outputted by the IR heating element by adjusting a rate of rotation of the fan assembly.
  • 13. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein a portion of the heating duct having the openings is removable.
  • 14. A cooking apparatus having a front, a rear and transversely opposed sides, the cooking apparatus comprising:
    • a. a cooking chamber having an openable door provided on the front of the cooking apparatus and a cooking volume;
    • b. a plurality of spaced apart heating ducts provided above the cooking volume, the heating ducts having a plurality of openings located above the cooking volume;
    • c. an IR heating element provided between adjacent heating ducts; and,
    • d. a fan assembly upstream of the IR heating element.
  • 15. The cooking apparatus of clause 14 wherein air exits the openings at a velocity from 10 to 25 MPH.
  • 16. The cooking apparatus of clause 14 wherein the cooking apparatus has a plurality of heating ducts and a plurality of IR heating elements, wherein the ducts extend across the top of the cooking volume and one of the IR heating elements is provided in at least exterior of the heating ducts.
  • 17. The cooking apparatus ofclause 16 wherein the heating ducts extend in a forward/rearward direction.
  • 18. The cooking apparatus of clause 14 further comprising a first and a second cooking container removably receivable in the cooking chamber, each of the cooking containers defining a cooking volume when installed in the cooking chamber, the cooking containers subdivide the cooking chamber into different cooking zones and each cooking zone is provided with at least one heating duct having an IR heater positioned therein.
  • 19. The cooking apparatus of clause 14 wherein the velocity of air passing over the IR heating element is adjustable.
  • 20. The cooking apparatus of clause 14 further comprising a controller operatively connected to the fan assembly wherein the controller is operable to adjust an amount of IR radiation outputted by the IR heating element by adjusting a rate of rotation of the fan assembly.
  • 21. The cooking apparatus of clause 14 wherein a portion of the heating duct having the openings is removable.
Set 2
• • 1. A cooking apparatus comprising:
    • a. a cooking chamber having an openable door provided on the front of the cooking apparatus and a cooking volume;
    • b. an upper IR heating element;
    • c. a fan assembly upstream of the IR heating element whereby the fan assembly causes air to pass over the IR element; and,
    • d. a controller operable to adjust the energy provided to the fan assembly wherein the fan assembly is operable at a first power level for a first portion of a cooking cycle and the fan assembly is operable at a second power level for a second subsequent portion of the cooking cycle wherein the second power level is higher than the first power level,
    • whereby operation of the fan assembly at the second power level causes an increase in airflow over the IR heating element and a reduction in IR radiation emitted by the IR heating element.
  • 2. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the first portion of the cooking cycle has a duration for browning food in the cooking volume.
  • 3. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the cooking apparatus operates at 75% or more of a rated power draw of the cooking apparatus for 70% or more of the cooking cycle.
  • 4. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the cooking apparatus operates at 75% or more of a rated power draw of the cooking apparatus for 80% or more of the cooking cycle.
  • 5. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the cooking apparatus further comprises a lower cooking element and the controller is adjustable to vary the energy provided to the upper IR element and the lower cooking element.
  • 6. The cooking apparatus of clause 5 wherein the cooking apparatus further comprises a steamer and the controller is adjustable to vary the power provided to the steamer.
  • 7. The cooking apparatus of clause 6 wherein the controller is operable to produce a pre-determined cooking temperature in the cooking volume while the cooking apparatus operates at 75% or more of a rated power draw of the cooking apparatus for 70% or more of the cooking cycle.
  • 8. The cooking apparatus of clause 6 wherein the controller is operable to produce a pre-determined cooking temperature in the cooking volume and a pre-determined humidity level in the cooking volume while the cooking apparatus operates at 75% or more of a rated power draw of the cooking apparatus for 70% or more of the cooking cycle.
  • 9. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the cooking apparatus further comprises a steamer and the controller is adjustable to vary the power provided to the steamer.
  • 10. The cooking apparatus of clause 9 wherein the controller is operable to adjust the temperature in the cooking volume while the cooking apparatus operates at 75% or more of a rated power draw of the cooking apparatus for 70% or more of the cooking cycle.
  • 11. The cooking apparatus of clause 9 wherein the controller is operable to adjust a temperature in the cooking volume and a humidity level in the cooking volume while the cooking apparatus operates at 75% or more of a rated power draw of the cooking apparatus for 70% or more of the cooking cycle.
  • 12. A cooking apparatus comprising:
    • a. a cooking chamber having an openable door provided on the front of the cooking apparatus and a cooking volume;
    • b. an IR heating element;
    • c. a steamer;
    • d. a forced convection fan assembly in flow communication with the cooking volume; and,
    • e. a controller operably connected to the IR cooking element and the steamer,
    • wherein the controller has a pre-set cooking setting that represents a cooking regime and, when the pre-set cooking setting is in operation, the controller is operable adjust the distribution of energy to the IR cooking element and the steamer while the cooking apparatus operates at 75% or more of a rated power draw of the cooking apparatus for 70% or more of the pre-set cooking setting.
  • 13. The cooking apparatus of clause 12 wherein the cooking apparatus operates at 75% or more of a rated power draw of the cooking apparatus for 80% or more of the pre-set cooking setting.
  • 14. A cooking apparatus comprising:
    • a. a cooking chamber having an openable door provided on the front of the cooking apparatus and a cooking volume;
    • b. an upper IR heating element;
    • c. a lower heating element
    • d. a steamer;
    • e. a forced convection fan assembly in flow communication with the cooking volume; and,
    • f. a controller operably connected to the IR cooking element and the lower heating element,
    • wherein the controller has a pre-set cooking setting that represents a cooking regime and, when the pre-set cooking setting is in operation, the controller is operable adjust the distribution of energy to the IR cooking element and the lower cooking element while the cooking apparatus operates at 75% or more of a rated power draw of the cooking apparatus for 70% or more of the pre-set cooking setting.
  • 15. The cooking apparatus of clause 14 wherein the cooking apparatus operates at 75% or more of a rated power draw of the cooking apparatus for 80% or more of the pre-set cooking setting.
  • 16. The cooking apparatus of clause 14 further comprising a steamer, the controller is also operably connected to the steamer and the controller is operable adjust the distribution of energy to the IR cooking element, the lower cooking element and the steamer while the cooking apparatus operates at 75% or more of a rated power draw of the cooking apparatus for 70% or more of the pre-set cooking setting.
  • 17. The cooking apparatus of clause 17 wherein the cooking apparatus operates at 75% or more of a rated power draw of the cooking apparatus for 80% or more of the pre-set cooking setting.
  • 18. The cooking apparatus of clause 17 wherein the cooking apparatus operates at 85% or more of a rated power draw of the cooking apparatus for 85% or more of the pre-set cooking setting.
Set 3
• • 1. A cooking apparatus having a front, a rear and transversely opposed sides, the cooking apparatus comprising:
    • a. a cooking chamber having an openable door and a cooking chamber depth extending from a front end of the cooking chamber to a rear end of the cooking chamber; and,
    • b. a first cooking container removably receivable in the cooking chamber, the first cooking container defining a cooking volume, the first cooking containers having a cooking container depth extending from a front end of the cooking container to a rear end of the cooking container, wherein the openable door has a transparent panel.
  • 2. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the first cooking container has a removable handle.
  • 3. The cooking apparatus ofclause 2 wherein a depth of the handle and the cooking container depth is greater than the cooking chamber depth, whereby the handle is removed from the first cooking container prior to the openable door being closed when the cooking container is in the cooking volume.
  • 4. The cooking apparatus of clause 3 further comprising a second cooking container, when installed in the cooking chamber, the first and second cooking containers subdivide the cooking chamber into different cooking zones that are in fluid flow communication with each other.
  • 5. The cooking apparatus of clause 4 wherein, when the first and second cooking containers are removed from the cooking chamber, the cooking chamber defines a single contiguous volume.
  • 6. The cooking apparatus of clause 4 wherein each cooking container is individually removable from the cooking chamber.
  • 7. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein at least a portion of the front end of the first cooking container is see-through.
  • 8. The cooking apparatus of clause 8 wherein the portion of the front end of the first cooking container is made of a transparent material or a wire mesh.
  • 9. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the openable door is retractable to a retracted position when opened.
  • 10. The cooking apparatus of clause 9 wherein, when the openable door is in the retracted position and the first and second cooking containers are in the cooking volume, the openable door is positioned below the first and second cooking containers.
  • 11. The cooking apparatus of clause 10 wherein, when the openable door is pivotally and slideably mounted whereby the openable door first pivots to an open position and then slides inwardly to the retracted position.
  • 12. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the transparent panel is made of glass.
    • 13. A cooking apparatus comprising a cooking chamber having an openable door wherein the openable door is retractable to a retracted position when opened.
  • 14. The cooking apparatus of clause 13 wherein, when the openable door is in the retracted position and a cooking container is in the cooking chamber, the openable door is positioned below the cooking container.
  • 15. The cooking apparatus of clause 14 wherein, when the openable door is pivotally and slideably mounted whereby the openable door first pivots to an open position and then slides inwardly to the retracted position.
  • 16. The cooking apparatus of clause 13 wherein the openable door has a transparent panel.
Set 4
• • 1. A cooking apparatus comprising:
    • a. a cooking chamber;
    • b. a first heating member operable to provide heat to the cooking chamber; and,
    • c. a heat storage member.
  • 2. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the heat storage member is external to the cooking apparatus.
  • 3. The cooking apparatus ofclause 2 wherein the heat storage member is removably connectable in thermal communication with the cooking apparatus.
  • 4. The cooking apparatus of clause 3 wherein the heat storage member comprises a thermally insulated heat sink, the heat sink having an air flow path therethrough wherein an outlet end of the air flow path is in air flow communication with the cooking chamber.
  • 5. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the first heating member is operable to heat the heat storage member prior to heating the cooking chamber.
  • 6. The cooking apparatus of clause 5 wherein the heat storage member comprises a thermally insulated heat sink, the heat sink having an air flow path therethrough wherein an inlet end of the air flow path is in air flow communication with a hot air stream produced by the first heating member.
  • 7. The cooking apparatus of clause 6 wherein an outlet end of the airflow path is in airflow communication with the cooking chamber.
  • 8. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the heat storage member comprises a second heating member that is operable to heat the heat storage member.
  • 9. The cooking apparatus of clause 8 wherein the second heating member is operable to heat the heat storage member prior to the cooking chamber being heated.
  • 10. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the cooking chamber is concurrently heated by the first heating member and heat stored in the heat storage member.
  • 11. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the heat storage member comprises a thermally insulated heat sink, the heat sink having an air flow path therethrough wherein an outlet end of the air flow path is in air flow communication with the cooking chamber.
  • 12. The cooking apparatus of clause 11 wherein the heat storage member comprises a second heating member that is operable to heat the heat sink.
  • 13. The cooking apparatus of clause 12 wherein the heat storage member is removably connectable with the cooking apparatus.
  • 14. A portable heat storage member comprising:
    • a. a thermally insulated heat sink;
    • b. a heating member in thermal communication with the heat sink;
    • c. a fluid flow path extending through the heat sink, the fluid flow path having an inlet end and an outlet end, the outlet end is connectable in flow communication with a domestic appliance; and,
    • d. an electrical cord connectable with a domestic power outlet.
  • 15. The portable heat storage member of clause 14 wherein the domestic appliance is one of an electric kettle, a coffee maker and a cooking apparatus.
  • 16. The portable heat storage member of clause 14 wherein the outlet end is removably connectable in flow communication with a domestic appliance.
  • 17. The portable heat storage member of clause 14 wherein the outlet end is selectively connectable in flow communication with at least two domestic appliances.
  • 18. The portable heat storage member of clause 14 further comprising a temperature sensor wherein the heating element is operated to heat the heat sink when the temperature sensor senses that the heat sink is below a pre-determined temperature.
Set 5
• • 1. A cooking apparatus having a top, a front, a rear and transversely opposed sides the cooking apparatus comprising:
    • a. an outer shell;
    • b. an inner shell spaced from and facing at least a portion of the outer shell;
    • c. an air flow passage provided between the inner shell and the outer shell, the air flow passage having a cooling air inlet and an exhaust outlet; and,
    • d. a cooking chamber having an openable door, the cooking chamber is isolated from air flow communication with the air flow passage; and,
    • e. a cooling fan assembly in air flow communication with the airflow passage.
  • 2. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the cooling fan assembly is actuated when the cooking apparatus is actuated.
  • 3. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the cooling fan assembly operates after the end of a cooking cycle for a predetermined period of time.
  • 4. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 further comprising an outer shell temperature sensor wherein the cooling fan assembly operates after the end of a cooking cycle until the outer shell temperature sensor senses a temperature below a predetermined temperature
  • 5. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 further comprising an outer shell temperature sensor wherein the cooling fan assembly is actuated when the outer shell temperature sensor senses a temperature above a predetermined temperature.
  • 6. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the outer shell comprises a top panel and a plurality of side panels and the inner shell comprises a top panel spaced from and facing the top panel of the outer shell and a plurality of side panels spaced from and facing the side panels of the outer shell.
  • 7. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 further comprising insulation overlying at least a portion of at least one of the inner shell and the outer shell.
  • 8. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 further comprising insulation provided between at least a portion of the inner shell and the outer shell.
  • 9. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the air inlet passage is provided on one of the transversely opposed sides and the exhaust outlet is provided on the other transversely opposed side.
  • 10. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the cooling fan assembly is provided internal of the airflow passage.
  • 11. The cooking apparatus of clause 10 wherein the cooling fan assembly is at the exhaust outlet.
  • 12. The cooking apparatus of clause 1 wherein the exhaust outlet directs cooling air over the openable door.
  • 13. The cooking apparatus of clause 12 wherein the openable door comprises a single layer of glass.
  • 14. The cooking apparatus of clause 12 wherein the openable door comprises two spaced apart layers of glass.
  • 15. The cooking apparatus of clause 12 wherein the openable door comprises two spaced apart layers of glass and the airflow passage extends between the layers of glass.
  • 16. A cooking apparatus having a top, a front, a rear and transversely opposed sides the cooking apparatus comprising:
    • a. an air flow passage having a cooling air inlet and an exhaust outlet; and,
    • b. a cooking chamber having an openable door, the cooling chamber is isolated from air flow communication with the air flow passage; and,
    • c. a cooling fan assembly in air flow communication with the air flow passage wherein the exhaust outlet directs cooling air at the openable door.
  • 17. The cooking apparatus ofclause 16 wherein the openable door comprises a single layer of glass.
  • 18. The cooking apparatus ofclause 16 wherein the openable door comprises two spaced apart layers of glass.
  • 19. The cooking apparatus ofclause 16 wherein the openable door comprises two spaced apart layers of glass and the airflow passage extends between the layers of glass.
  • 20. The cooking apparatus ofclause 16 wherein the exhaust outlet directs cooling over the openable door.

Claims (19)

We claim:

1. A cooking apparatus comprising:

a. a cooking chamber having an openable door; and,

b. at least a first and a second cooking container removably receivable in the cooking chamber, each of the cooking containers defining a cooking volume wherein, when each of the cooking containers is positioned in the cooking chamber, cooking conditions in each cooking volume are individually controllable.

2. The cooking apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein, when installed in the cooking chamber, the cooking containers subdivide the cooking chamber into different cooking zones that are in fluid flow communication with each other.

3. The cooking apparatus ofclaim 2 wherein, when the cooking containers are removed from the cooking chamber, the cooking chamber defines a single contiguous volume.

4. The cooking apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein each cooking container is individually removably from the cooking chamber.

5. The cooking apparatus ofclaim 2 wherein each cooking zone has its own heating element.

6. The cooking apparatus ofclaim 5 wherein each cooking zone has at least one infrared heating element positioned above or below the cooking zone.

7. The cooking apparatus ofclaim 2 wherein each cooking zone has at least one infrared heating element positioned above the cooking zone and a common heating element is positioned below at least two cooking zones.

8. The cooking apparatus ofclaim 7 wherein an IR absorber is provided between the cooking zones and the common heating element.

9. The cooking apparatus ofclaim 8 wherein the IR absorber has portions that have differing rates of IR absorption.

10. The cooking apparatus ofclaim 8 wherein the IR absorber has an upper surface on which food is positionable for cooking.

11. The cooking apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein at least one of the cooking volumes is provided with steam.

12. The cooking apparatus ofclaim 2 wherein at least one of the cooking zones is in fluid communication with a source of steam.

13. The cooking apparatus ofclaim 2 wherein at least one of the cooking zones has a steam generator.

14. The cooking apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the first and second cooking containers have a different cooking volume.

15. The cooking apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the first and second cooking containers have a different shape.

16. The cooking apparatus ofclaim 1 further comprising a controller wherein the controller is operable to control the cooking conditions in the cooking volume of the first cooking container and the controller is also operable to separately control the cooking conditions in the cooking volume of the second cooking container.

17. The cooking apparatus ofclaim 16 wherein the controller is programmable to individually control the cooking conditions in each of the first and second cooking containers.

18. The cooking apparatus ofclaim 16 wherein the controller is operable such that cooking of different food in different cooking containers is completed at a common time.

19. The cooking apparatus ofclaim 16 wherein the controller is operable such that cooking of different food in different cooking containers is completed is a particular sequence.

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