APARELHO PARA COZIMENTO MODULAR

Abstract

A modular cooking appliance is disclosed. The modular cooking appliance includes a housing to contain a first and a second interchangeable cooking module. The first interchangeable cooking module contains a first oven, and the second interchangeable cooking module contains a second oven. The second oven is different from the first oven. The modular cooking appliance also includes a control panel to receive cooking inputs, a controller to control the first and second interchangeable cooking modules, and a simple power outlet to receive electrical power from a wall outlet.

Description

1 / 26 DESCRIPTIVE REPORT “MODULAR COOKING APPLIANCE” CROSS-REFERENCE AT RELATED REQUEST

[001] This application claims the benefit and priority of Patent Application No. US 16 / 838,540, filed on April 2, 2020, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. RELATED ORDERS

[002] This request refers to 1. Patent Application No. US 16 / 838,563, entitled “METHOD FOR COOKING IN A MODULAR COOKING APPLIANCE”, filed on April 2, 2020; and 2. Patent Application No. US 16 / 838,589, entitled MODULAR COOKING APPLIANCE HAVING AN AUTO-LOADING MICROWAVE OVEN, filed on April 2, 2020. FIELD OF TECHNIQUE

[003] The present invention relates to cooking equipment in general and, in particular, to modular cooking equipment that has multiple ovens capable of cooking various types of food simultaneously. BACKGROUND

[004] To cook and serve a wide variety of food items, such as pizzas, baked goods, breakfast sandwiches, proteins, etc., foodservice operators often have to have different types of ovens in the same shop location. Typically, different operational skills are required to use each of the different types of ovens for cooking, and multiple ovens tend to occupy valuable counter space and require multiple electrical power outlets.

[005] The present disclosure provides an improved cooking equipment that can speed up the cooking task of a food service operator. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 150 / 195 2 / 26

[006] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a modular cooking apparatus includes a housing for containing a first and a second interchangeable cooking module. The first interchangeable cooking module contains a first oven, and the second interchangeable cooking module contains a second oven. The second oven is different from the first oven. The modular cooking apparatus also includes a control panel for receiving cooking inputs, a controller for controlling the first and second interchangeable cooking modules, and a simple power outlet for receiving electrical power from a wall outlet.

[007] All the features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the detailed description that follows. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[008] The invention itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, additional purposes and advantages thereof, will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in combination with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an isometric view of a modular cooking equipment, according to one modality; Figure 1A is an isometric view of the structure of a modular cooking equipment, according to an alternative embodiment; Figure 1B is an isometric view of an interchangeable cooking module within the modular cooking equipment of Figure 1A, according to one embodiment; Figure 1C is an isometric view of a rear wall within the interchangeable cooking module of Figure 1B, according to one embodiment; Figures 2A-2C are cross-sectional views of an impact furnace within the modular cooking equipment of Figure 1, according to one embodiment; Figure 3 is a diagram of the heating and airflow system in the furnace. Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 151 / 195 3 / 26 of the impact of Figures 2A-2C, according to one embodiment; Figure 4 is an isometric view of a convection oven within the modular cooking equipment of Figure 1, according to one embodiment; Figure 5 is a diagram of a heating and airflow system inside the convection furnace of Figure 4, according to one embodiment; and Figure 6A is a front cross-sectional view of a microwave oven within the modular cooking equipment of Figure 1, according to one embodiment; Figures 6B-6D are cross-sectional views of a food loading system inside the microwave oven of Figure 6A, according to one embodiment; Figure 7 is a block diagram of a controller for controlling various oven modules within the modular baking equipment of Figure 1, according to one embodiment; Figure 8A shows an example of a Food Input Table within the modular cooking equipment of Figure 1; Figure 8B shows an example of a Maximum Electrical Current Consumption Table within the modular cooking equipment of Figure 1; Figure 8C shows an example of a Current Consumption History Table within the modular cooking equipment of Figure 1; and Figure 9 is a flow diagram of a method for cooking food items using the modular cooking equipment of Figure 1, according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED MODALITY I. MODULAR COOKING EQUIPMENT CONFIGURATION

[009] With reference now to the drawings and in particular to Figure 1, an isometric view of a modular cooking equipment, according to one embodiment, is shown. As shown, a modular cooking equipment 10 is defined by a housing 11 containing multiple modules of Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 152 / 195 4 / 26 Interchangeable cooking modules. For the present embodiment, housing 11 includes interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c, but it is understood by those skilled in the art that the number of interchangeable cooking modules in housing 11 may be greater or less than three. Each of the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c is to receive an oven. The ovens contained in the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c may be identical or different from each other. For the present embodiment, interchangeable cooking module 12a contains an impact oven that can be used to cook pizzas, interchangeable cooking module 12b contains a convection oven that can be used to cook more delicate fermented food items such as cinnamon rolls, and interchangeable cooking module 12c contains a microwave oven that can be used to cook hot dogs.

[010] Alternatively, interchangeable cooking module 12a may contain a first convection oven, interchangeable cooking module 12b may contain a second convection oven, and interchangeable cooking module 12c may contain an impact oven. Basically, modular cooking equipment 10 may contain any combination of ovens based on the preferences of foodservice operators. Any of the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c contained in modular cooking equipment 10 may be exchanged by field service personnel without disrupting other aspects of modular cooking equipment 10.

[011] For the present embodiment, the heights of the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c are identical, so that the height of the housing 11 corresponds to the total number of interchangeable cooking modules installed. Alternatively, the heights of interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c may vary from one another, depending on the type of oven contained therein. For example, a convection oven that cooks fermented products may be taller than an impact oven that cooks pizzas. Consequently, the height of the housing 11 will correspond to the total height of the ovens contained therein. Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 153 / 195 5 / 26

[012] The interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c include openings 16a-16c, respectively, to allow food items to be transported to ovens located within interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c.

[013] The modular cooking equipment 10 includes a common control panel 17 for controlling all the various ovens and food loading mechanisms contained in the interchangeable cooking module 12a-12c. Each of the food loading mechanisms allows food to be loaded into a cooking chamber of a respective oven. After the food items are placed in a food loading mechanism, an operator can enter operating parameters such as cooking temperature, cooking time, fan speed, etc., via the control panel 17 to effect cooking controls on the food items to be cooked, and the food loading mechanism will automatically transport the food items to the oven to begin cooking.

[014] Alternatively, food items may be placed manually into a cooking chamber of an oven by an operator, without using a food loading mechanism or when there is no food loading mechanism fixed to an oven.

[015] The control panel 17 is preferably implemented with a touch screen, but it can also be implemented with keyboards and liquid crystal displays (LCDs) that are well known in the art.

[016] With reference now to Figure 1A, an isometric view of the modular cooking equipment structure 10 is represented, according to an alternative embodiment. As shown, a modular cooking equipment 10' is defined by a housing 11' containing interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c. Each of the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c is to receive an oven, such as a microwave oven, a convection oven, an impact oven or similar.

[017] Each of the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c is associated Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 154 / 195 6 / 26 to one of the forward-facing slots 14a-14c, respectively. The openings 16a-16c allow food items to be transported between ovens located within interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c and their associated forward-facing slots 14a-14c. For example, each of the forward-facing slots 14a-14c may contain a food loading mechanism to transport food placed in it to ovens contained in adjacent interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c via corresponding openings 16a-16c, respectively.Specifically, food placed in a food loading mechanism contained in the forward-facing slot 14a will be transported to an oven contained in the interchangeable cooking module 12a, food placed in a food loading mechanism contained in the forward-facing slot 14b will be transported to an oven contained in the interchangeable cooking module 12b, and food placed in a food loading mechanism contained in the forward-facing slot 14c will be transported to an oven contained in the interchangeable cooking module 12c. After the food is cooked, it can be returned by the food loading mechanism back to the forward-facing slot from which it entered the associated oven.

[018] The modular cooking equipment 10' includes a common control panel 17' to control all the various ovens and food loading mechanisms contained in the interchangeable cooking module 12a-12c and the forward-facing slot 14a-14c, respectively. A. INTERCHANGEABLE COOKING MODULE

[019] The basic construction of the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c are substantially identical to each other. Thus, the basic construction of the single interchangeable cooking module 12a will be described in detail.

[020] With reference now to Figure 1B, an isometric view of the interchangeable cooking module 12a is illustrated, according to one embodiment. As shown, the interchangeable cooking module 12a includes a space to contain Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pages 155 / 195 7 / 26 an oven (not shown) and two openings, such as openings 16a and 16a', at both ends of the space to contain an oven. Along the longitudinal geometric axis, the upper half of the interchangeable cooking module 12a is substantially identical to the lower half of the interchangeable cooking module 12a, so that both opening 16a and opening 16a' can be used for passing food items, depending on the orientation of the interchangeable cooking module 12a within the housing 11. During assembly, one of the openings 16a and 16a' can be closed with a back wall (see Figure 1C), after the orientation of the interchangeable cooking module 12a within the housing 11 has been decided.

[021] The top and bottom of the interchangeable cooking module 12a are formed by insulating surfaces 18. The insulating surfaces 18 include a filling envelope that can be filled with a high specific heat substance. For example, after an oven has been placed inside the interchangeable cooking module 12a, a liquid containing a high specific heat substance in suspension, such as sand or salt suspended in silicone, can be injected into the filling envelope within the insulating surfaces 18 until the insulating surfaces 18 are fully expanded into the space between the insulating surfaces 18 and the oven. Thermal energy is stored in the high specific heat substance when the oven is heated.

[022] With reference now to Figure 1C, an isometric view of a rear wall within the interchangeable cooking module 12a of Figure 1B is illustrated, according to one embodiment. As shown, a rear wall includes a set of connectors 15-1 to 15-6. During assembly, an oven module to be placed within the interchangeable cooking module 12a is fully seeded into it to obtain a connection between a subset of connectors 15-1 to 15-6 and the oven module. Each oven type includes a specific set of electrical connectors to be coupled to the corresponding connectors 15-1 to 15-6 to activate the appropriate electrical and control network for oven operation. By Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 156 / 195 8 / 26 For example, an impact oven includes electrical connectors for coupling with connectors 15-1 and 15-4, a convection oven includes electrical connectors for coupling with connectors 15-2 and 15-5, and a microwave oven includes electrical connectors for coupling with connectors 15-3 and 15-6. B. IMPACT FURNACE

[023] With reference now to Figures 2A-2C, cross-sectional views of an impact oven within the interchangeable cooking module 12a of the modular cooking equipment 10 of Figure 1 are represented, according to one embodiment. As shown, an impact oven 20 includes a housing 21 to accommodate a cavity 29 and a cavity opening 28. The impact oven 20 also includes a substantially flat food loading platform 23. The food loading platform 23 is configured to receive a cooking plate 25. Any food item intended to be cooked by the impact oven 20 is initially placed on the cooking plate 25 or on the food loading platform 23. When the food items are being cooked, the food loading platform 23 and the cooking plate 25 are located within the cooking cavity 29, as shown in Figure 2C.

[024] Additionally, housing 21 also contains a top filled space and a bottom filled space 38. The top filled space 35 is connected to the top air inlet plate 34. The bottom filled space 38 is connected to a bottom air inlet plate 37. The top air inlet plate 34, the top filled space 35, the bottom air inlet plate 37, and the bottom filled space 38 are part of the heating and airflow system for the impact furnace 20, so that the heated air in the top filled space 35 and bottom filled space 38 is in gaseous communication with the cavity 29 through the top air inlet plate 34 and bottom air inlet plate 37, respectively. The top air inlet plate 34 and the bottom air inlet plate 37 include multiple openings to direct the pressurized hot air stream to any food items. Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 157 / 195 9 / 26 placed on the food loading platform 23 located within the cavity 29. It is understood by those skilled in the art that the top-filled space 35 or the bottom-filled space 38 may be in gaseous communication with the cavity 29 by means of a variety of air opening configurations, such as circular openings, nozzles, tubes, rectangular openings and the like. Furthermore, air may enter the cavity 29 through only a top-filled space 35 or bottom-filled space 38.

[025] The impact oven 20 is also associated with a food conveying system 22. As shown, the food conveying system 22 includes a food loading platform 23 connected to a food conveying cart c1 by means of a connector 27. The food loading platform 23 can be transported into and out of the cooking cavity 29 by a belt drive mechanism that includes a belt b1, a belt drive wheel w1 that is driven by a belt drive motor ml, and an opposing belt wheel w2. The belt b1 is connected to the cart c1 by means of belt locks BL1 and BL2. The cart c1 is connected to the cart sliding units s1.For the present embodiment, there are four sliding cart units connected to cart c1, with two front sliding units s1, as shown in Figure 2A, and two rear sliding units (not shown) on the opposite side of cart c1. The belt b1 moves between the front sliding units s1 and the rear sliding units. When the belt drive motor m1 is engaged, the belt b1 moves cart c1, thus transporting the food loading platform 23 into and out of the cooking cavity 29 through the opening 28, as shown in Figure 2B.

[026] During the cooking process, the food loading platform 23 can be moved with a reciprocating motion, approximately 2.54 cm (1 inch), to promote even cooking of the food. To achieve the reciprocating motion of the food loading platform 23 without air Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 158 / 195 10 / 26 escape through opening 28 during the cooking process, the dl door must be thick enough to substantially block air from escaping through opening 28 at both ends of the reciprocating motion.

[027] The operating parameters for the impact oven 20 for cooking any food items placed on the cooking plate 25 to be transported to the cooking cavity 29 can be entered via the control panel 17 (of Figure 1).

[028] With reference now to Figure 3, a diagram of the heating and airflow system within the impact furnace 20 is represented, according to one embodiment. The air within the cooking cavity 29 is initially pumped into a heating space 31 through an inlet opening 30. The heating space 31 includes a base heater 39a and a booster heater 39b. After the air has been sufficiently heated by the base heater 39a and booster heater 39b, the heated air is then directed to the top heating space 35 through a top fan 32 and to a bottom heating space 38 through a bottom fan 33. During cooking, the base heater 39a is usually switched on and the booster heater 39b is activated only when necessary.The pressurized hot air formed within the top-filled space 35 is subsequently directed to the cavity 29 through multiple openings located in the top air inlet plate 34 (from Figures 2A-2C). Similarly, the pressurized hot air formed within the bottom-filled space 38 is subsequently directed to the cavity 29 through multiple nozzles located in the bottom air inlet plate 37 (from Figures 2A-2C). Although it is shown that the heated air is sent to the top air-filled space 35 and bottom air-filled space 38 by means of separate fans, it is understood by those skilled in the art that the heated air can be sent to both the top air-filled space 35 and the bottom air-filled space 38 through a single fan. C. Convection Oven Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 159 / 195 11 / 26

[029] With reference now to Figure 4, an isometric view of a convection oven is represented within slot 12b of the modular cooking equipment 10 in Figure 1, according to one embodiment. As shown, a convection oven 40 includes a housing that has a cooking cavity 49 defined by a top air inlet filled space 41, a bottom air inlet filled space 42, a rear wall 43 and two side walls 44a, 44b. Located in one or more side walls 44a, 44b and rear wall 43 are return air openings, such as openings 45a, for return air to a fan system (not shown). Preferably, the convection oven 40 also includes a food loading mechanism similar to the food loading mechanism 22 shown in Figures 2A-2C.

[030] With reference now to Figure 5, a cross-sectional view of a heating and airflow system within the convection oven 40 is represented, according to one embodiment. As shown, a fan 51 is preferably located at the rear of the convection oven 40. Heated air from a heater (not shown) is directed by the fan 51 over the triangular air diverter 52 which separates the air exiting the fan 51 into top and bottom air streams that flow through the top and bottom air inlet spaces 41 and 42 and into the cooking cavity 49 via the top and bottom convection plates 45 and 46. After transferring heat from the heated air to the food placed in the cooking cavity 49, the air is drawn out through an air return path.

[031] An operator can enter commands, such as cooking temperature, cooking time, fan speed, etc., via the control panel 17 (of Figure 1) to perform cooking controls on any food items placed inside the cooking cavity 49 of the convection oven 40. D. Microwave Oven

[032] With reference now to Figure 6A, a front cross-sectional view of a microwave oven within the cooking module is illustrated. Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 160 / 195 12 / 26 interchangeable 12c of the modular cooking equipment 10 of Figure 1, according to one embodiment. As shown, a microwave oven 60 includes a cooking chamber 69 and at least one magnetron 61 configured to generate microwave radiation for the cooking chamber 69. The microwave oven 60 may also include a second magnetron (not shown) that may be activated simultaneously or independently of the magnetron 61. The microwave oven 60 may further include one or more fans 62 to cool the magnetron 61 and / or generate airflow for more uniform heat distribution within the cooking chamber 69. In some embodiments, the microwave oven 60 also includes a waveguide 63 configured to direct and / or distribute the microwave radiation generated by the magnetron 61 in the cooking chamber 69.

[033] With reference now to Figures 6B-6D, cross-sectional views of a food transport and cooking uniformity mechanism for a microwave oven 60 are illustrated, according to one embodiment. As shown, a platform 63 is connected to a food transport cart c1 by means of a connector 67. The platform 63 can be transported into and out of the cooking cavity 69 by a belt-driven mechanism that includes a belt b1, a belt-driven wheel w1 that is driven by a belt-driven motor m1, and an opposing belt wheel w2. The cart c1 is connected to the cart sliding units s1. For the present embodiment, there are four cart sliding units connected to the cart c1, with two front sliding units s1, as shown in Figure 6B, and two rear sliding units (not shown) on the opposite side of the cart c1.Belt b1 moves between the front sliding units s1 and the rear sliding units. When the belt drive motor m1 is engaged, belt b1 moves the cart c1, thus transporting the platform 63 into and out of the cooking cavity 69 through the opening 68, as shown in Figure 6B.

[034] The food surface 64a is connected and supported by units Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 161 / 195 13 / 26 sliding 65 resting on platform 63. Food may be placed directly onto the food surface 64a or preferably onto a dish or plate (not shown) which is then placed onto the food surface 64a. The food surface 64a is connected to the crank-and-cam mechanism 62 by means of rod 64b which penetrates the gate 66a and the gate branch 66b.

[035] During cooking, as shown in Figures 6C-6D, the food surface 64a can be moved with a reciprocating motion into the cooking chamber 69 to promote uniformity of food cooking. In order to move the food surface 64a with a reciprocating motion into the cooking chamber 69, a motor 61 and a crank and cam mechanism 62 are used to move a rod 64b connected to the food surface 64a. The motor 61 is located outside an oven door formed by an outer cover 66a and an inner cover 66b. The outer cover 66a and the inner cover 66b are specifically designed to prevent microwave radiation from escaping through the opening 68 during the cooking process. Two small concentric openings, approximately 7.62 cm (0.3 inches) in diameter, are provided in the outer cover 66a and the inner cover 66b to allow passage of the rod 64b.The microwave wavelength is approximately 12 cm, and the diameter of each of the two small concentric openings needs to be small enough to prevent microwave radiation from escaping through the openings. During the cooking process, the crank and cam mechanism 62 translates the rotational motion of the motor 61 into a linear reciprocating motion to move the food surface 64a with a reciprocating motion into the cooking chamber 69. The food surface 64a can be moved on top of the platform 63 by means of sliding units 65.

[036] For the present embodiment, the motor 61 and the crank-and-cam mechanism 62 are used to translate a rotational motion into a linear alternating motion. It is understood by those skilled in the art that other mechanisms may be used to translate a rotational motion. Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 162 / 195 14 / 26 for a linear alternating motion or to provide a linear alternating motion directly.

[037] The operating parameters of the microwave oven 60 for cooking any food items placed in the cooking cavity 69 can be entered via the control panel 17 (of Figure 1). II. CONTROLLER

[038] The modular cooking appliance 10 can include various types of oven, but it can also be powered by a single-phase 50-ampere outlet as the sole power source via a single power outlet. Thus, the modular cooking equipment 10 can be used by any food service establishments without additional modification to the single-phase 50-ampere outlets.

[039] With reference now to Figure 7, a block diagram of a controller for controlling various oven modules within the modular cooking equipment 10 is represented, according to one embodiment. As shown, a controller 70 includes a processor 71, a multiplexer 72, a memory 73, and control modules 74a-74c. The memory 73 includes random access memories and read-only memories that are not erasable, as well as being electronically programmable. The software and data related to the operations of the modular cooking equipment 10 are stored in the memory 73. The control module 74a is associated with the interchangeable cooking module 12a (of Figure 1A), the control module 74b is associated with the interchangeable cooking module 12b, and the control module 74c is associated with the interchangeable cooking module 12c.During operation, control modules 74a-74c monitor the real-time electrical current consumption of the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c, respectively, and distribute the electrical current from a power supply 75 to the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c and associated ovens as needed.

[040] All ovens within the modular cooking equipment 10 that Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 163 / 195 15 / 26 cook with hot air, as do the impact oven 20 and the convection oven 40, and are equipped with a base heater and at least one booster heater. For example, the impact oven 20 includes base heater 39a and booster heater 39b (see Figure 3). All ovens within the modular cooking equipment 10 that cook with microwaves, such as the microwave oven 60, are equipped with at least one magnetron. For example, microwave oven 60 includes magnetron 61 (see Figure 6). If microwave oven 60 is equipped with a second magnetron, it can be activated independently of magnetron 61. III. Adaptive Power Management

[041] As mentioned above, the modular cooking equipment 10 is configured with an impact oven 20, a convection oven 40, and a microwave oven 60, for the present embodiment, with all ovens operating from a single-phase 50-ampere outlet commonly found in commercial kitchens. However, those skilled in the art will observe that the modular cooking equipment 10 can have any number and types of ovens, all powered by a single power outlet. For the present embodiment, the maximum electrical current consumption for each impact oven 20, convection oven 40, and microwave oven 60 is as follows: Maximum electrical current consumption of the component: impact furnace 20 amperes, base heater 8 amperes, first booster heater 8 amperes, second booster heater 8 amperes, convection furnace 40 amperes, base heater 4 amperes. Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 164 / 195 16 / 26 first heater amp booster second heater amp booster microwave oven 60 first magnetron 8 amps second magnetron 8 amps

[042] Furthermore, the baseline electrical current consumption by all auxiliary components (such as processor 71, multiplexer 72, memory 73 etc.) within the modular cooking equipment 10 during operation is 5 amperes. Thus, with a 50 amp power supply, a maximum electrical current of (50-5=) 45 amperes is available to power the ovens at any time.

[043] Needless to say, there are many benefits if more than one oven within the modular cooking equipment 10 can be used to cook food items at the same time. However, as shown above, the maximum electrical current consumption by the impact oven 20 is (8+12+12=) 32 amperes, and the maximum electrical current consumption by the convection oven 40 is (4+12+12=) 28 amperes. Thus, it is not possible to use the impact oven 20 and the convection oven 40 to cook food items at the same time because the total electrical current consumption by the two ovens (and all auxiliary components) would exceed the 50 ampere limit.

[044] In order to overcome the aforementioned 50 amp barrier, the modular cooking equipment 10 employs Adaptive Power Management™ (APM) technology to intelligently allocate electrical current to each of the ovens, so that multiple ovens can be used to cook food items simultaneously for a period of time. There are two control modes in APM, namely, control mode Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pages 165 / 195 17 / 26 temperature and time control mode. A. TEMPERATURE CONTROL MODE

[045] When cooking a food item in temperature control mode, the oven temperature is monitored and a temperature control feedback loop is used to control the oven temperature to cook the food item. Specifically, the base and booster heaters within an associated oven are switched on when the measured oven temperature falls below a set cooking temperature, and the base and booster heaters within the associated oven are switched off when the measured oven temperature is equal to or above the set cooking temperature.

[046] During temperature control mode, the amount of time an oven is switched on and the associated electrical current consumption during the cooking cycle are recorded and stored in an Electrical Current Consumption History Table (more details below) to be used in the time control mode described below, when necessary. B. TIME CONTROL MODE

[047] When cooking a food item in time control mode, the oven temperature and cooking time are guided by information previously stored in a Current Consumption History Table (more details below). Specifically, the base and booster heaters within an associated oven receive the power during each unit of time that was consumed by that oven to cook the same food item while operating under temperature control mode, as recorded in the Current Consumption History Table. IV. CONTROL TABLES

[048] The following three control tables are used by the modular cooking equipment 10 to perform APM during various cooking cycles. The control tables can be stored in memory 73 (of Figure 7), and the information within some of the control tables will be updated throughout the Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 166 / 195 18 / 26 operation of the equipment for modular cooking 10. A. FOOD ENTRY TABLE

[049] Before the modular cooking appliance 10 can be deployed to cook different types of food items, information about these food items must be entered and stored (i.e., pre-programmed) in a Food Entry Table (FET) in memory 73. The FET contains a list of all food items that can be cooked using the various ovens within the modular cooking appliance 10 and their respective ideal cooking settings. Basically, for each food item intended to be cooked using the modular cooking appliance 10, an operator needs to enter into the FET a food item name, an oven type, and cooking settings (such as cooking time, fan speed, cooking temperature, etc.) that are associated with the food item.

[050] With reference now to Figure 8A, an example of a FET is represented, according to one embodiment. In this example of a FET, four types of food items are listed, namely, pizza, sandwich, biscuits, and hot dogs. Additionally, three separate cooking stages are shown, and each cooking stage contains cooking settings such as start and stop times, cooking temperature, fan speed, and magnetron power level. Specifically, input one and input two include the cooking settings for cooking pizza and sandwiches, respectively, in an impact oven (such as impact oven 20). Input three includes the cooking settings for cooking biscuits in a convection oven (such as convection oven 40), and input four includes the cooking settings for cooking hot dogs in a microwave oven (such as microwave oven 60).

[051] For each of the inputs one through three, when the corresponding cooking settings are deployed, the ovens will be activated in hot air cooking mode, as indicated by the associated air temperatures and fan speeds. For input four, when this setting of Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 167 / 195 19 / 26 cooking is implemented, the microwave oven will be activated in microwave cooking mode, as indicated by a magnetron setting greater than zero in stages 1 and 3. B. TABLE OF MAXIMUM ELECTRICAL CURRENT CONSUMPTION

[052] The Maximum Electrical Current Consumption Table contains the maximum electrical current required for each impact oven 20, convection oven 40 and microwave oven 60 to cook various food items, which correspond to the list of food items stored in the FET.

[053] With reference now to Figure 8B, an example of a Maximum Electrical Current Consumption Table is represented. As shown, the Maximum Electrical Current Consumption Table includes an oven module column, a food name column, and multiple cooking stage columns. In this example, entry one includes the maximum electrical current consumption by the impact oven 20 for cooking pizza for a duration of 90 seconds, which corresponds to entry one of the FET in Figure 8A. Entry two includes the maximum electrical current consumption by the impact oven 20 for cooking sandwiches for a duration of 70 seconds, which corresponds to entry two of the FET in Figure 8A. Entry three includes the maximum electrical current consumption by the convection oven 40 for cooking cookies for a duration of 120 seconds, which corresponds to entry three of the FET in Figure 8A.Input four includes the maximum electrical current consumption by the microwave, 60 ohms, to cook a hot dog for a duration of 90 seconds, which corresponds to input four of the FET in Figure 8A.

[054] The information stored in the Maximum Current Consumption Table Electrical data will be used to assist in determining whether or not a cooking process should be initiated when two or more ovens are called upon to cook food items in temperature control mode (as will be further explained in Figure 9). C. TABLE OF HISTORICAL ELECTRIC CURRENT CONSUMPTION

[055] The Electric Current Consumption History Table contains the current Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 168 / 195 20 / 26 electrical consumption by each impact oven 20 and convection oven 40 when involved in cooking for each type of food in temperature control mode per cooking cycle.

[056] With reference now to Figure 8C, an example of an Electrical Current Consumption History Table is shown. As shown, the Electrical Current Consumption History Table includes an oven module column, a food name column, and multiple time unit columns. Each of the time units (time unit 1 to time unit 8 in this example) is identical in duration, and each time unit can be one second, two seconds, etc., depending on the time resolution required and the memory available in the modular cooking equipment 10. The electrical current consumption by each impact oven 20 and convection oven 40 when involved in cooking a specific food item is consequently recorded and stored in various time units throughout its cooking cycle.

[057] The electrical current consumption value recorded in each time unit may be a run average of the electrical current consumption of the 10 most recent cooking cycles of each food item. For example, the electrical current consumption value of 3.2 amperes in time unit 1 is a run average of the electrical current consumption of the 10 most recent pizza cooking cycles in time unit 1 by impact oven 20. An operator may change the number of cooking cycles to calculate the run average, and more than 10 cooking cycles may be used to calculate the run average, depending on the required accuracy.

[058] Basically, the modular cooking equipment 10 learns how much electrical current was recently required in each unit of time to cook each type of food item in each impact oven 20 and convection oven 40 when cooking in temperature control mode.

[059] It is expected that the value of electrical current consumption recorded in each unit of time may be drastically different even for the same oven, Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 169 / 195 21 / 26 depending on the geographical location of the oven. For example, the electrical current consumption values ​​for an oven located in Denver, Colorado, are expected to be significantly higher than the same oven located in Dallas, Texas. Thus, before the Electrical Current Consumption History Table can be fully deployed for regular day-to-day operations, it must be initialized and populated with some actual historical electrical current consumption values ​​by performing a minimum number of pre-cooks, such as 3, on-site.

[060] The information stored in the Consumption History Table of Electrical current will be used to assist in determining whether or not a cooking process should be initiated when two or more ovens are required to cook food items (as will be further explained in Figure 9).

[061] Additionally, for each unit of time, the activation status of the associated base heater and booster heater (not shown) can also be recorded and stored in the corresponding entry of the Electrical Current Consumption History Table. IV. COOKING PROCESS

[062] With reference now to Figure 9, a flow diagram of a method for cooking food items using modular cooking equipment 10 is depicted, according to an embodiment. The ovens in the modular cooking equipment 10 depend on the user configuration, but for the present embodiment, the ovens are an impact oven 20, a convection oven 40, and a microwave oven 60. After an operator has selected a food item to be cooked from a list of food items (i.e., food items stored in a FET of Figure 8) shown on the display 17 (of Figure 1), as shown in block 90, a determination is made independently of whether or not any of the ovens are currently involved in cooking food items, as shown in block 91. Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 170 / 195 22 / 26

[063] If none of the ovens are currently involved in cooking food items, then the temperature control mode will be used to control the oven temperature of the oven selected to cook the selected food item throughout the entire cooking process, as depicted in block 92. The cooking cycle will be guided by the information stored within the FET.

[064] However, if one (or more) oven is currently involved in cooking food items, then another determination is made as to whether the total electrical current demand by the selected oven and the oven involved (as well as the auxiliary components) to cook the respective food items exceeds the 50 amp limit at any time during the entire respective cooking cycle in temperature control mode, as shown in block 93. This determination is made by looking up the Maximum Electrical Current Consumption Table to determine whether the sum of the electrical current consumption by the selected oven and the oven involved (as well as the auxiliary components) to cook their respective food items will exceed the 50 amp limit in any of the time units, for the same ovens cooking the same types of food.Otherwise, the selected oven is allowed to cook the selected food immediately, and the temperature control mode can be continuously used to control the oven temperature of both ovens throughout the entire cooking cycle, as depicted in block 92.

[065] If the total electrical current demand by the selected oven and the oven involved (as well as the auxiliary components) to cook the respective food items exceeds the 50 amp limit, then all ovens will be set to use the time control mode to control the oven temperature throughout the entire cooking cycle, as depicted in block 94. In other words, any oven that is currently using the temperature control mode will be switched to using the time control mode to complete the cooking process.

[066] For example, if a pizza is being cooked in an impact oven 20 and a Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 171 / 195 23 / 26 operator wants to bake a biscuit in convection oven 40 at the same time, controller 70 checks the maximum electrical current consumption by impact oven 20 when baking a pizza and the maximum electrical current consumption by convection oven 40 when baking a biscuit, using the Maximum Electrical Current Consumption Table. In this example, the maximum electrical current consumption by impact oven 20 when baking a pizza is 32 amperes, and the maximum electrical current consumption by convection oven 40 when baking a biscuit is 28 amperes, where a total maximum electrical current consumption is (32+28=) 60 amperes, which means that the baking control in impact oven 20 will be switched to time control mode.

[067] Next, a determination is made whether the total electrical current demand of the selected oven and the oven involved (as well as the auxiliary components) to cook the respective food items exceeds the 50 amp limit at any time in any of the time units during the entire cooking process in time control mode, as shown in block 95. This determination is made by searching the Electrical Current Consumption History Table to determine whether the sum of the electrical current consumption by the selected oven and the oven involved (as well as the auxiliary components) does not exceed the 50 amp limit in each and every time unit throughout the entire cooking cycle.

[068] If the total electrical current demand of the selected oven and the involved oven (as well as the auxiliary components) to cook the respective foods exceeds the limit of 50 amperes, in any of the time units during the entire respective cooking process in time control mode, the oven must wait until the total electrical current consumption history in each subsequent time unit is 50 amperes or less before it can start its cooking process. Otherwise, if the total electrical current demand does not exceed the limit of 50 amperes, in any of the time units, both the selected oven and the involved oven proceed with their respective cooking. Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 172 / 195 24 / 26 cooking time in time control mode.

[069] For example, Table I (a portion of a History Table of Electrical Current Consumption) shows that five time units are needed for the impact oven 20 to cook a pizza, and the electrical current consumption during the first to fifth time units are 20, 32, 32, 32, and 8 amperes, respectively. On the other hand, three time units are needed for the convection oven 40 to cook a biscuit, and the electrical current consumption during the first to third time units are 28, 16, and 16 amperes, respectively. Cookie pizza time unit 1 time unit 2 time unit 3 time unit 4 time unit 5 20 32 32 32 8 28 16 16 TABLE I

[070] In this example, the convection oven 40 can start cooking the biscuit in time unit 5 while the pizza is being cooked in the impact oven 20. This occurs because the electrical current consumption by the two ovens and auxiliary components exceeds the 50 amp limit if the biscuits start cooking in any of the time units 1-4, but not in time unit 5. V. UNIFORM OPERATIONAL STEPS FOR OPERATORS

[071] The operating procedure is the same for all ovens within the modular cooking equipment 10.

[072] For the present embodiment, the modular cooking equipment 10 enters operating mode after the oven initialization is complete, during which each impact oven 20, convection oven 40 and microwave oven 60 heats up to their predefined operating temperatures. Once in operating mode, a list of the various food items for which the operating parameters Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 173 / 195 25 / 26 were entered via control panel 17. This is required on control panel 17. An operator can select the food item to be cooked from the items displayed on control panel 17 and places the food into a corresponding oven food loading mechanism. The food is then transported into the heated oven cavities to be cooked.

[073] After the cooking process has been completed, the cooked food is transported from the oven cavities back to where the food entered the associated oven. The food loading mechanisms are not heated, effectively completing the cooking process as soon as the food exits the heated oven cavities. However, because the food loading mechanisms are adjacent to the heated oven cavities contained in the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c, the residual heat from the heated oven cavities contained in the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c serves to reduce the rate of heat loss exhibited by the freshly cooked food.

[074] Food items can be cooked simultaneously in the impact oven 20, the convection oven 40 and the microwave oven 60 of the modular cooking equipment 10. Similar food items can be cooked consecutively in the impact oven 20, the convection oven 40 and the microwave oven 60 of the modular cooking equipment 10. For example, pizzas can be cooked consecutively in the impact oven 20 while cinnamon rolls are cooked consecutively in the convection oven 40 while breakfast sandwiches are cooked consecutively in the microwave oven 60.In order that the amount of thermal energy distributed to similar food items cooked consecutively in the various ovens is the same in each cooking when the modular cooking equipment 10 is powered by an electrical circuit with a voltage no greater than a typical 50-ampere single-phase outlet, wherein the volumes of the cooking cavities held in the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c are no greater than 0.042 cubic meters (1.5 cubic feet) for the convection oven, 0.035. Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 174 / 195 26 / 26 cubic meters (1.25 cubic feet) for the impact furnace and 0.028 cubic meters (1 cubic foot) for the microwave furnace.

[075] As described, the present invention provides a modular cooking apparatus with multiple ovens.

[076] Although the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made to it without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Petition 870220088290, dated 09 / 27 / 2022, pp. 175 / 195

Claims

1 / 6 CLAIMS 1. Modular cooking apparatus (10, 10'), characterized by: a housing (11, 11') having a first interchangeable cooking module (12a, 12b, 12c) and a second interchangeable cooking module (12a, 12b, 12c); a first oven (20, 40, 60) contained in said first interchangeable cooking module (12a, 12b, 12c); a second oven (20, 40, 60) contained in said second interchangeable cooking module (12a, 12b, 12c), wherein said second oven is different from said first oven; a control panel (17, 17') in said housing (11, 11') for receiving cooking inputs; a controller (70) within said housing to control said first interchangeable cooking module (12a, 12b, 12c) and said second interchangeable cooking module (12a, 12b, 12c);wherein: said controller (70) includes a memory (73) for storing: a food input table containing a list of types of food items to be cooked within said modular cooking equipment (10, 10') and their respective cooking settings; and a current consumption history table, which includes a plurality of time units and which contains electrical currents consumed by said first oven (20, 40, 60) in said plurality of time units, when said first oven is cooking a type of food item listed in said food input table and electrical currents consumed by said second oven (20, 40, 60) in said plurality of time units when said second oven is cooking a type of food item listed in said food input table;and said controller (70) is configured to control furnace temperatures of said first furnace (20, 40, 60) and said second furnace (20, 40, 60) using said Petition 870250112362, dated 08 / 12 / 2025, page 18 / 23 2 / 6 electrical currents contained in said plurality of time units of said electrical current consumption history table; and a simple power outlet to receive electrical power from a wall socket.; 2. Modular cooking apparatus (10, 10'), according to claim 1, characterized in that said first interchangeable cooking module (12a, 12b, 12c) is associated with a first food loading mechanism (22) for transporting food into and out of said first oven (20, 40, 60).

3. Modular cooking apparatus (10, 10'), according to claim 2, characterized in that said first food loading mechanism (22) includes a belt drive mechanism having a belt (b1), a belt drive motor (m1), a belt drive wheel (w1) driven by said belt drive motor and an opposing belt wheel (w2).

4. Modular cooking apparatus (10, 10'), according to claim 2, characterized in that said second interchangeable cooking module (12a, 12b, 12c) is associated with a second food loading mechanism (22) for transporting food into and out of said second oven.

5. Modular cooking apparatus (10, 10'), according to claim 4, characterized in that said second food loading mechanism (22) includes a belt drive mechanism having a belt (b1), a belt drive motor (m1), a belt drive wheel (w1) driven by said belt drive motor and an opposing belt wheel (w2).

6. Apparatus for modular cooking (10, 10'), according to claim 1, characterized in that said first oven is an impact oven (20) and said second oven is a convection oven (40). Petition 870250112362, dated 08 / 12 / 2025, page 19 / 23 3 / 6 7. Modular cooking apparatus (10, 10'), according to claim 1, characterized in that said first oven is an impact oven (20) and said second oven is a microwave oven (60).

8. Modular cooking apparatus (10, 10'), according to claim 1, characterized in that said first oven is a convection oven (40) and said second oven is a microwave oven (60).

9. Modular cooking apparatus (10, 10'), according to claim 1, characterized in that said first interchangeable cooking module (12a, 12b, 12c) includes a first heating and airflow system (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38, 39a, 39b).

10. Modular cooking apparatus (10, 10'), according to claim 9, characterized in that said second interchangeable cooking module (12a, 12b, 12c) includes a second heating and airflow system (41, 42, 45, 46, 51, 52).

11. Modular cooking apparatus (10, 10'), according to claim 1, characterized in that said first interchangeable cooking module (12a, 12b, 12c) is symmetrical along a longitudinal geometric axis.

12. Modular cooking apparatus (10, 10'), according to claim 11, characterized in that said second interchangeable cooking module (12a, 12b, 12c) is symmetrical along a longitudinal geometric axis.

13. Modular cooking apparatus (10, 10'), according to claim 1, characterized in that said first interchangeable cooking module (12a, 12b, 12c) includes at least two thermally insulated surfaces (18) filled with sand or salt held in silicone.

14. Modular cooking apparatus (10, 10'), according to claim 13, characterized in that said second interchangeable cooking module (12a, 12b, 12c) includes at least two surfaces with thermal insulation filled with sand or salt held in silicone.

15. Apparatus for modular cooking (10, 10'), according to claim 1, characterized in that said controller (70) includes a multiplexer (72) for selectively directing electric current to said first and second interchangeable cooking modules (12a, 12b, 12c).

16. Apparatus for modular cooking (10, 10'), according to claim 15, characterized in that said controller (70) includes a processor (71) for controlling said multiplexer (72).

17. Modular cooking apparatus (10, 10'), according to claim 1, characterized in that said electric current consumed by said first oven (20, 40, 60) and / or said second oven (20, 40, 60), in said plurality of time units, comprises an average electric current consumption by said first oven and / or said second oven in said plurality of time units for a predetermined number of the most recent cookings of said type of food item listed in said food entry table.

18. Modular cooking apparatus (10, 10'), according to claim 1, characterized in that each of said first oven and said second oven includes a different set of electrical connectors (15-1, 15-2, 15-3, 15-4, 15-5, 15-6) for connecting to corresponding connectors (15-1, 15-2, 15-3, 15-4, 15-5, 15-6) within said first interchangeable cooking module (12a, 12b, 12c) and said second interchangeable cooking module (12a, 12b, 12c).

19. Modular cooking apparatus (10, 10'), according to claim 1, characterized in that said single power outlet receives a single-phase electric current of 50 amperes.

20. Apparatus for modular cooking, according to claim 1, characterized by: the housing (10, 10') having a third interchangeable cooking module (12a, 12b, 12c); a third oven (20, 40, 60) contained in said third cooking module. Petition 870250112362, dated 08 / 12 / 2025, page 1.21 / 23 5 / 6 interchangeable (12a, 12b, 12c), wherein said third oven is different from said first and second ovens; the controller (70) controls said third interchangeable cooking module (12a, 12b, 12c), wherein: the maximum current consumption history table included in the memory (73) of said controller (70) stores electrical currents of said third oven (20, 40, 60) in said plurality of time units when said third oven is cooking a type of food item listed in said food input table; and said controller (70) is configured to control oven temperatures of said third oven (20, 40, 60) using said electrical currents contained in said plurality of time units of said current consumption history table.

21. Modular cooking apparatus (10, 10'), according to claim 20, characterized in that said third interchangeable cooking module (12a, 12b, 12c) includes a third food loading mechanism (22) for transporting food into and out of said third oven (20, 40, 60).

22. Modular cooking apparatus (10, 10'), according to claim 21, characterized in that said third food loading mechanism (22) includes a crank and cam mechanism (62).

23. Modular cooking apparatus (10, 10'), according to claim 20, characterized in that said third oven is a microwave oven (60).

24. Apparatus for modular cooking (10, 10'), according to claim 20, characterized in that said electric current consumed by said third oven (20, 40, 60), in said plurality of time units, comprises an average consumption of electric current consumed by said first oven, said second oven and / or said third oven in said plurality of time units Petition 870250112362, dated 08 / 12 / 2025, page 22 / 23 6 / 6 for a predetermined number of most recent cookings of said type of food item listed in said food entry table.

25. Modular cooking apparatus (10, 10'), according to claim 20, characterized in that said third oven (20, 40, 60) includes a different set of electrical connectors (15-1, 15-2, 15-3, 15-4, 15-5, 15-6) for connecting to corresponding connectors (15-1, 15-2, 15-3, 15-4, 15-5, 15-6) within said interchangeable third cooking module (12a, 12b, 12c). Petition 870250112362, dated 08 / 12 / 2025, p. 23 / 23

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