Modular cooking appliance having a hot air oven with a built-in magnetron and a dual function heater

Abstract

A modular cooking device includes a first interchangeable cooking module that accommodates an impingement oven, a second interchangeable cooking module that accommodates a hot air oven with a built-in magnetron, and a single power connector for receiving three-phase power. Each oven has a base load and a boost load. A first multiplexer is configured to direct power from a first phase pair of the three-phase power to the base load or the boost load of the first oven. The second multiplexer is configured to direct power from the first phase pair to the boost load of the first oven or the boost load of the second oven. The modular cooking device is configured so that the first multiplexer or the second multiplexer can direct power from the first phase pair to the boost load of the first oven.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates generally to cooking appliances, and more particularly to a modular cooking appliance having multiple ovens capable of simultaneously cooking various food types. Background Art

[0002] In order to cook and serve a variety of food items, such as pizza, baked goods, breakfast sandwiches, protein, etc., food service operators usually have to have different types of ovens in the same store location. Different operating skills are usually required to cook with different types of ovens, and multiple ovens often take up valuable countertop space and require multiple power plugs.

[0003] The present disclosure provides an improved cooking appliance that can simplify the cooking task of food service operators of food items. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a modular cooking device that can greatly simplify the cooking tasks of food service operators, save valuable work surface space, and save the number of power plugs used.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solutions:

[0006] A modular cooking device comprising:

[0007] a housing having a first interchangeable cooking module, a second interchangeable cooking module, and a single power connector for receiving three-phase power from a wall outlet;

[0008] a first oven housed within the first interchangeable cooking module, the first oven having a base load and at least one boost load;

[0009] a second oven housed within the second interchangeable cooking module, wherein the second oven is a different type of oven than the first oven, the second oven having a base load and at least one boost load;

[0010] a first multiplexer configured to direct power from a first phase pair of the three-phase power to the base load of the first oven or the at least one boost load of the first oven; and

[0011] a second multiplexer configured to direct power from the first phase pair of the three-phase power to the at least one boost load of the first oven or the boost load of the second oven;

[0012] Wherein, the modular cooking device is configured such that the first multiplexer or the second multiplexer is capable of directing power from the first phase pair to the at least one boost load of the first oven.

[0013] Preferably, the second multiplexer is operable to direct power from the first phase pair to the at least one boost load of the first oven when the first multiplexer directs power from the first phase pair to the base load of the first oven.

[0014] Preferably, the first multiplexer is capable of directing power from the first phase pair to the at least one boost load of the first oven when the first multiplexer is not directing power from the first phase pair to the base load of the first oven.

[0015] Preferably, a logic gate is further included, the logic gate having a first input coupled to the first multiplexer, a second input coupled to the second multiplexer, and an output coupled to the at least one boost load of the first oven.

[0016] Preferably, the logic gate comprises an OR gate.

[0017] Preferably, the first oven comprises a hot air oven having at least one magnetron.

[0018] Preferably, said base load comprises said at least one magnetron.

[0019] Preferably, the at least one boost load comprises a boost heater.

[0020] Preferably, the boost heater is switched on when the hot air oven having at least one magnetron is cooking a food item using the at least one magnetron.

[0021] Preferably, the at least one boost heater is switched on when the hot air oven with at least one magnetron is not cooking a food item using the at least one magnetron.

[0022] Preferably, the first oven comprises a control module, and the first multiplexer is comprised in the control module.

[0023] Preferably, a common control board is further included, and the second multiplexer is included in the common control board.

[0024] Preferably, both the base load and the at least one boost load of the second oven are assigned to a second phase pair of the three-phase power.

[0025] Preferably, the housing further comprises a third interchangeable cooking module housing a third oven having a base load and at least one boost load; and

[0026] The base load and the at least one boost load of the third oven are both assigned to a third phase pair of the three-phase power.

[0027] A modular cooking device comprising:

[0028] a housing having a first interchangeable cooking module, a second interchangeable cooking module, and a single power connector for receiving three-phase power from a wall outlet;

[0029] a first oven housed within the first interchangeable cooking module, the first oven having a base load and at least one boost load;

[0030] a second oven housed within the second interchangeable cooking module, wherein the second oven is a different type of oven than the first oven, the second oven having a base load and at least one boost load;

[0031] a first multiplexer configured to direct power from a first phase pair of the three-phase power to the base load of the first oven or the at least one boost load of the first oven; and

[0032] a second multiplexer configured to direct power from the first phase pair of the three-phase power to the at least one boost load of the first oven or the at least one boost load of the second oven;

[0033] Wherein, the modular cooking device is configured such that it can use power from the first phase pair to switch on the at least one boost load of the first oven regardless of whether power from the first phase pair is being used to switch on the base load of the first oven.

[0034] Preferably, the first oven comprises a hot air oven having at least one magnetron.

[0035] Preferably, said base load comprises said at least one magnetron.

[0036] Preferably, the at least one boost load comprises a boost heater.

[0037] Preferably, said at least one boost heater is switched on when said hot air oven having at least one magnetron is cooking a food item using said at least one magnetron.

[0038] Preferably, the at least one magnetron is turned off; and

[0039] The at least one boost heater is turned on and provides the base load for the hot air oven having at least one magnetron.

[0040] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a modular cooking device includes a housing having a first interchangeable cooking module, a second interchangeable cooking module, and a single power connector for receiving three-phase power from a wall outlet. The first interchangeable cooking module accommodates a first oven, and the second interchangeable cooking module accommodates a second oven. The second oven is a different type of oven from the first oven. The first oven and the second oven each have a base load and at least one boost load. The first multiplexer is configured to direct power from a first phase pair of three-phase power to the base load of the first oven or the boost load of the first oven. The second multiplexer is configured to direct power from a first phase pair of three-phase power to the boost load of the first oven or the boost load of the second oven. The modular cooking device is configured so that the first multiplexer or the second multiplexer can direct power from the first phase pair to the boost load of the first oven.

[0041] Compared with the prior art, the modular cooking appliance provided by the present invention has a hot air oven with a built-in magnetron and a dual-function heater, which has the following beneficial effects: through the interchangeable cooking module design and circuit design, the cooking appliance of the present invention has multiple ovens that can cook various types of food at the same time, saving valuable work surface space and power socket reservation, and simplifying the cooking tasks of food service operators of food items.

[0042] All features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] The invention itself, as well as its preferred mode of use, additional objects and advantages, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0044] Figure 1 is an isometric view of a modular cooking appliance according to one embodiment;

[0045] Figure 1A is an isometric view of the structure of a modular cooking appliance according to an alternative embodiment;

[0046] Figure 1B According to an embodiment Figure 1A An isometric view of interchangeable cooking modules within a modular cooking appliance;

[0047] Figure 1C According to an embodiment Figure 1B an isometric view of a rear wall within an interchangeable cooking module;

[0048] Figure 1D According to one embodiment, the Figure 1B A top view of a grease shield within an interchangeable cooking module;

[0049] FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C According to an embodiment Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of an impingement oven within a modular cooking appliance;

[0050] Figure 3 According to an embodiment FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C Schematic diagram of the heating and airflow system in the impingement oven;

[0051] Figure 4 According to an embodiment Figure 1 An isometric view of a convection oven within a modular cooking appliance;

[0052] Figure 5 According to an embodiment Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the heating and airflow system within a convection oven; and

[0053] Fig. 6A According to one embodiment Figure 1 A front cross-sectional view of a hot air oven with a built-in magnetron within a modular cooking appliance;

[0054] Figure 6B yes Fig. 6A An enlarged isometric view of a cooking rack within a hot air oven having a built-in magnetron;

[0055] FIG. 6C to FIG. 6E According to an embodiment Fig. 6A A cross-sectional view of a food delivery system within a hot air oven having a built-in magnetron;

[0056] Fig. 7A According to one embodiment, a method for controlling Figure 1 A block diagram of a controller for various oven modules within a modular cooking appliance;

[0057] Figure 7B According to another embodiment, a method for controlling Figure 1 A block diagram of a controller for various oven modules within a modular cooking appliance;

[0058] Fig. 8A Shows Figure 1 An example of a food entry table within a modular cooking appliance;

[0059] Figure 8B Shows Figure 1 Example of a maximum current draw table within a modular cooking appliance;

[0060] Figure 8C Shows Figure 1 An example of a current draw history table within a modular cooking appliance; and

[0061] Fig. 9 According to one embodiment, Figure 1 A flow chart of a method of cooking a food item with a modular cooking appliance. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] Ⅰ. Configuration of modular cooking appliances

[0063] Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to the Figure 1 , depicts an isometric view of a modular cooking appliance according to one embodiment. As shown, the modular cooking appliance 10 is defined by a housing 11 that houses a plurality of interchangeable cooking modules. For this embodiment, the housing 11 includes interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c, but those skilled in the art will appreciate that the number of interchangeable cooking modules within the housing 11 may be more or less than three.

[0064] Each of the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c is configured to receive an oven. The ovens housed within the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c may be the same or different from one another. For the present embodiment, the interchangeable cooking module 12a houses an impingement oven that may be used to cook pizza, the interchangeable cooking module 12b houses a convection oven that may be used to cook more delicious yeast-raised food items such as cinnamon rolls, and the interchangeable cooking module 12c houses a microwave oven that may be used to cook hot dogs.

[0065] Alternatively, the interchangeable cooking module 12a can house a first convection oven, the interchangeable cooking module 12b can house a second convection oven, and the interchangeable cooking module 12c can house an impingement oven. Essentially, the modular cooking appliance 10 can house any combination of ovens based on the preferences of the food service operator of the food items. Any of the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c housed within the modular cooking appliance 10 can be replaced by field service personnel without disturbing other aspects of the modular cooking appliance 10.

[0066] For this 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 the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c may differ from one another, depending on the type of oven housed therein. For example, a convection oven for cooking yeast-raised products may be taller than an impingement oven for cooking pizza. Thus, the height of the housing 11 will correspond to the total height of the oven housed therein.

[0067] The interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c include openings 16a-16c, respectively, to allow food items to be transferred into an oven located within the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c.

[0068] The modular cooking appliance 10 includes a common control panel 17 for controlling all of the various ovens and food loading mechanisms housed within the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c. Each of the food loading mechanisms allows a food item to be loaded into the cooking chamber of a corresponding oven. After the food item has been placed on the food loading mechanism, an operator can input operating parameters such as cooking temperature, cooking time, blower speed, etc. via the control panel 17 to exercise cooking control of the food item to be cooked, and the food loading mechanism will automatically deliver the food item to the oven to begin cooking.

[0069] Alternatively, without using a food loading mechanism or when no food loading mechanism is attached to the oven, the food items may be manually placed within the cooking chamber of the oven by an operator.

[0070] The control panel 17 is preferably implemented with a touch screen, but may also be implemented with a keyboard and a liquid crystal display (LCD) as is known in the art.

[0071] Reference now Figure 1A , depicts an isometric view of the structure of a modular cooking appliance 10 according to an alternative embodiment. As shown, the modular cooking appliance 10' is defined by a housing 11' that houses interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c. Each of the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c is used to house an oven, such as a microwave oven, a convection oven, an impingement oven, etc.

[0072] Each of the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c is associated with one of the forward slots 14a-14c, respectively. The openings 16a-16c allow food items to be transported between the ovens located in the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c and the forward slots 14a-14c associated with them. For example, each of the forward slots 14a-14c can accommodate a food loading mechanism that is used to transport food placed thereon to the ovens contained in the adjacent interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c, respectively, via the corresponding openings 16a-16c. Specifically, food placed on the food loading mechanism contained in the forward slot 14a will be transported to the oven contained in the interchangeable cooking module 12a, food placed on the food loading mechanism contained in the forward slot 14b will be transported to the oven contained in the interchangeable cooking module 12b, and food placed on the food loading mechanism contained in the forward slot 14c will be transported to the oven contained in the interchangeable cooking module 12c. After the food has been cooked, the food may be returned by the food loading mechanism to the forward slot from which it entered the associated oven.

[0073] The modular cooking appliance 10' includes a common control panel 17' for controlling all of the various ovens and food loading mechanisms housed within the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c and forward slots 14a-14c, respectively.

[0074] A. Interchangeable cooking modules

[0075] The basic construction of the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c is substantially identical to one another. Therefore, only the basic construction of the interchangeable cooking module 12a will be described in further detail.

[0076] Reference now Figure 1B , illustrates an isometric view of an interchangeable cooking module 12a according to one embodiment. As shown, the interchangeable cooking module 12a includes a space for accommodating an oven (not shown) and two openings, such as openings 16a and 16a', located at either end of the space for accommodating the oven. Along the longitudinal 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 depending on the orientation of the interchangeable cooking module 12a within the housing 11, either opening 16a or opening 16a' can be used to pass food items. During assembly, after the orientation of the interchangeable cooking module 12a within the housing 11 has been determined, one of the openings 16a and 16a' can be closed with a rear wall (see Figure 1C ).

[0077] The top and bottom of the interchangeable cooking module 12a are formed by insulating surfaces 18. The insulating surfaces 18 include a fill envelope that can be filled with a high specific heat substance. For example, after the oven has been placed within the interchangeable cooking module 12a, a liquid containing a suspended high specific heat substance (such as sand or salt suspended in silicone) can be injected into the fill envelope within the insulating surfaces 18 until the insulating surfaces 18 fully expand into the space between the insulating surfaces 18 and the oven. When the oven is heated, thermal energy is stored in the high specific heat substance.

[0078] Reference now Figure 1C , illustrating an embodiment of Figure 1B An isometric view of a rear wall within an interchangeable cooking module 12a. As shown, the rear wall includes a set of connectors 15-1 to 15-6. During assembly, the oven module to be placed within the interchangeable cooking module 12a is fully seated therein in order to achieve 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 that mate with corresponding ones of connectors 15-1 to 15-6 to enable the appropriate electrical and control network for the operation of the oven. For example, an impingement oven includes electrical connectors for mating with connectors 15-1 and 15-4, a convection oven includes electrical connectors for mating with connectors 15-2 and 15-5, and a microwave oven includes electrical connectors for mating with connectors 15-3 and 15-6.

[0079] Reference now Figure 1D , illustrates a top view of an oil shield according to one embodiment. As shown, the oil shield S1 includes a left wall S1a, a right wall S1b, and a rear wall S1c, all of which are connected to each other to form a U-shaped shield. At least one of the left wall, the right wall, and the rear wall S1a-S1c includes a plurality of small openings for return air to pass through. The left wall S1a and the rear wall S1c of the oil shield S1 are connected at an angle θ between 90° and 105°. Similarly, the right wall S1b and the rear wall S1c of the oil shield S1 are connected at an angle θ between 90° and 105°.

[0080] The oil shield S1 can be placed on an interchangeable cooking module (such as Figure 1B The purpose of the grease shield S1 is to prevent the grease on the food from hitting the wall on the oven chamber during cooking. Therefore, before cooking begins, the grease shield S1 should be placed inside the oven chamber located in the interchangeable cooking module. The grease shield S1 can be removed from the oven chamber for cleaning at any time.

[0081] B. Impingement Oven

[0082] Reference now FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C, depicting an embodiment according to Figure 1 1 is a cross-sectional view of an impingement oven within an interchangeable cooking module 12a of a modular cooking appliance 10. As shown, the impingement oven 20 includes a housing 21 for providing a cavity 29 and a cavity opening 28. The impingement 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 impingement oven 20 is initially placed on the cooking plate 25 or the food loading platform 23. Figure 2C As shown, the food loading platform 23 and cooking plate 25 are positioned within the cooking cavity 29 when cooking a food item.

[0083] In addition, the housing 21 also houses a top plenum 35 and a bottom plenum 38. The top plenum 35 is connected to the top air inlet plate 34. The bottom plenum 38 is connected to the bottom air inlet plate 37. The top air inlet plate 34, the top plenum 35, the bottom air inlet plate 37, and the bottom plenum 38 are part of the heating and airflow system of the impingement oven 20, so that the hot air in the top plenum 35 and the bottom plenum 38 is in gaseous communication with the cavity 29 through the top air inlet plate 34 and the bottom air inlet plate 37, respectively. The top air inlet plate 34 and the bottom air inlet plate 37 include a plurality of openings for directing the hot pressurized air flow toward any food item placed on the food loading platform 23 located within the cavity 29. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the top plenum 35 or the bottom plenum 38 can be in gaseous communication with the cavity 29 via various air opening configurations, such as circular openings, nozzles, tubes, rectangular openings, etc. In addition, air can enter the cavity 29 through only one of the top plenum 35 or the bottom plenum 38.

[0084] The impingement 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 bracket c1 via a connector 27. The food loading platform 23 can be conveyed in and out of the cooking chamber 29 by a belt drive mechanism including a belt b1, a belt drive pulley w1 driven by a belt drive motor m1, and an opposing pulley w2. The belt b1 is connected to the bracket c1 via belt locks BL1 and BL2. The bracket c1 is connected to a bracket slide s1. For this embodiment, there are four bracket slides connected to the bracket c1, namely, Figure 2A The two front bracket rails s1 shown in FIG. 1 and the two rear bracket rails (not shown) located on the opposite side of the bracket c1. The belt b1 moves between the front bracket rails s1 and the rear bracket rails. Figure 2B As shown, when the belt drive motor m1 is engaged, the belt b1 moves the carriage c1 , thereby conveying the food loading platform 23 through the opening 28 and into and out of the cooking cavity 29 .

[0085] During the cooking process, the food loading platform 23 can move back and forth about one inch to promote uniform cooking of the food. In order to allow the food loading platform 23 to move back and forth during the cooking process without allowing air to escape through the opening 28, the door d1 must be thick enough to substantially prevent air from escaping through the opening 28 at either extreme of the back and forth motion.

[0086] The control panel 17 (see Figure 1 ) inputs operating parameters of the impingement oven 20, which are used to cook any food items placed on the cooking plate 25 to be transported to the cooking cavity 29.

[0087] Reference now Figure 3 , depicts a schematic diagram of the heating and airflow system within the impingement oven 20 according to one embodiment. Air within the cooking cavity 29 is initially pumped into the heater plenum 31 via the air inlet 30. The heater plenum 31 includes a base heater 39a and a boost heater 39b. After the air has been sufficiently heated by the base heater 39a and the boost heater 39b, the hot air is then directed to the top plenum 35 via the top blower 32, and to the bottom plenum 38 via the bottom blower 33. During cooking, the base heater 39a is typically turned on, and the boost heater 39b is activated only when necessary. The pressurized hot air formed within the top plenum 35 is then directed to the cavity 29 (see FIG. 2 ) via a plurality of openings located on the top air inlet plate 34. FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C Similarly, the pressurized hot air formed in the bottom plenum 38 is then directed to the cavity 29 via a plurality of nozzles located on the bottom air intake plate 37 (see FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C ). Although the hot air is shown as being delivered to the top air plenum 35 and the bottom plenum 38 via separate blowers, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the hot air may be delivered to the top plenum 35 and the bottom plenum 38 via a single blower.

[0088] C. Convection oven

[0089] Reference now Figure 4 , depicting an embodiment according to Figure 1 1 isometric view of a convection oven within an interchangeable cooking module 12b of a modular cooking appliance 10. As shown, the convection oven 40 includes a housing having a cooking cavity 49 defined by a top air intake plenum 41, a bottom air intake plenum 42, a rear wall 43, and two side walls 44a, 44b. Located on one or more of the side walls 44a, 44b and the rear wall 43 are return air openings, such as opening 45a, for returning air to a blower system (not shown). Preferably, the convection oven 40 also includes a fan similar to FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C The food loading mechanism of the food delivery system 22 is shown.

[0090] Reference now Figure 5 , depicts a cross-sectional view of a heating and airflow system within a convection oven 40 according to one embodiment. As shown, a blower 51 is preferably located at the rear of the convection oven 40. Hot air from a heater (not shown) is directed by the blower 51 through a triangular air splitter 52, which divides the air leaving the blower 51 into a top airflow and a bottom airflow, which flow through the top and bottom air intake plenums 41, 42, and into the cooking cavity 49 through the top and bottom convection plates 45, 46. After transferring heat from the hot air to food placed in the cooking cavity 49, the air is drawn in through a return air path.

[0091] The operator can control the Figure 1 ) input commands such as cooking temperature, cooking time, fan speed, etc. to implement cooking control for any food item placed in the cooking cavity 49 of the convection oven 40.

[0092] D. Hot air oven with built-in magnetron

[0093] Reference now Fig. 6A , illustrating an embodiment of the Figure 1 1 is a cross-sectional view of a hot air oven with a built-in magnetron within an interchangeable cooking module 12c of a modular cooking appliance 10. As shown, the hot air oven 60 includes a cooking chamber 69 and at least one magnetron 81, which is configured to generate microwave radiation for the cooking chamber 69. The hot air oven 60 may also include a second magnetron (not shown), which may be activated simultaneously or independently with the magnetron 81. In some embodiments, the hot air oven 60 also includes a waveguide 82, which is configured to guide and / or distribute the microwave radiation generated by the magnetron 81 into the cooking chamber 69.

[0094] In addition, the hot air oven 60 includes a blower 83 for providing air flow to promote hot air cooking in the cooking chamber 69. In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of air guides 84a guide hot air through a horizontal plenum 84b in a horizontal direction as depicted by arrows a1, wherein a portion of the air is directed through openings 84c in a jet plate 84d, and the remaining air is directed through a vertical plenum 84e and a bottom air opening 84f located at the bottom of the cooking chamber 69. The air passing through the bottom air opening 84f moves in an opposite horizontal direction of the air passing through the horizontal plenum 84b, as depicted by arrows a2, below a cooking rack 85 that supports food and includes a plurality of air guide plates 86 having different lengths. Figure 6B An enlarged isometric view of a cooking rack 85 is shown.

[0095] The air moves in the horizontal direction under the cooking rack 85. The angle between the air guide plate 86 and the cooking rack 85 is less than 90° with respect to the oncoming horizontally moving air. The length of the air guide plate 86 farther from the horizontally moving air source is greater than the length of the air guide plate 86 closest to the horizontally moving air source. The air passing through the air guide plate 86 is directed upward as depicted by arrow a3, and then returns to the blower 83 through the return air port 84i.

[0096] Reference now FIG. 6C to FIG. 6E , illustrates a cross-sectional view of a food conveying and cooking uniformity mechanism for a hot air oven 60 according to one embodiment. As shown, a platform 63 is connected to a food conveying bracket c1 via a connector 67. The platform 63 can be conveyed in and out of a cooking chamber 69 by a belt drive mechanism including a belt b1, a belt drive pulley w1 driven by a belt drive motor m1, and an opposing pulley w2. The bracket c1 is connected to a bracket rail s1. For this embodiment, there are four bracket rails connected to the bracket c1, namely, Figure 6B The two front bracket rails s1 shown in FIG. 1 and the two rear bracket rails (not shown) located on the opposite side of the bracket c1. The belt b1 moves between the front bracket rails s1 and the rear bracket rails. Figure 6B As shown, when the belt drive motor m1 is engaged, the belt b1 moves the carriage c1 , thereby transporting the platform 63 into and out of the cooking cavity 69 through the opening 68 .

[0097] The food surface 64a is connected to and supported by a slide rail 65 that rests on the platform 63. Food can be placed directly on the food surface 64a, or preferably on a plate or plate (not shown) and then placed on the food surface 64a. The food surface 64a is connected to the crank cam mechanism 62 via the rod 64b of the outer cover 66a and the inner cover 66b.

[0098] like FIG. 6C to FIG. 6DAs shown, during cooking, the food surface 64a can move back and forth in the cooking chamber 69 to promote uniformity of food cooking. In order to move the food surface 64a back and forth in the cooking chamber 69, a motor 61 and a crank cam mechanism 62 are used to move the rod 64b connected to the food surface 64a. The motor 61 is located outside the oven door formed by the outer cover 66a and the inner cover 66b. The outer cover 66a and the inner cover 66b are specially designed to prevent microwave radiation from escaping through the opening 68 during the cooking process. Two small concentric openings with a diameter of about 0.3 inches are provided in the outer cover 66a and the inner cover 66b to allow the rod 64b to pass through. The wavelength of microwaves is about 12cm, and the diameter 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 cam mechanism 62 converts the rotational movement from the motor 61 into a linear reciprocating movement to move the food surface 64a back and forth in the cooking chamber 69. Food surface 64a may be moved on top of platform 63 via slide rails 65 .

[0099] For this embodiment, the motor 61 and the crank cam mechanism 62 are used to convert the rotary motion into the linear reciprocating motion. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that other mechanisms can be used to convert the rotary motion into the linear reciprocating motion, or directly provide the linear reciprocating motion.

[0100] You can use the control panel 17 ( Figure 1 ) input operating parameters for cooking any food item placed in the cooking cavity 69 by the hot air oven 60.

[0101] II. Controller

[0102] The modular cooking appliance 10 can include a variety of oven types, but it can also be powered by a single-phase 50-amp outlet as the sole power source via a single power plug. Therefore, the modular cooking appliance 10 can be adopted by any food item food service establishment without additional modifications to the common single-phase 50-amp outlet.

[0103] Reference now Fig. 7A , depicts a block diagram of a controller for controlling various ovens in a modular cooking appliance 10 according to one embodiment. As shown, the controller 70 includes a processor 71, a multiplexer 72, a memory 73, and control modules 74a-74c. The control modules 74a-74c are Fig. 7A70 to indicate that the control modules 74a-74c are part of the control system of the modular cooking appliance 10. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the control modules 74a-74c need not be located within the housing 11 of the modular cooking appliance 10 or be part of the corresponding interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c. According to embodiments of the present invention, each control module of the oven may be included as part of the oven.

[0104] The memory 73 includes non-erasable and electrically programmable random access memory and read-only memory. Software and data related to the operation of the modular cooking appliance 10 are stored in the memory 73. The control module 74a is inserted into the interchangeable cooking module 12a (see Figure 1A ), control module 74b is associated with the oven inserted into interchangeable cooking module 12b, and control module 74c is associated with the oven inserted into interchangeable cooking module 12c.

[0105] During operation, the control modules 74a-74c monitor the real-time current consumption of the ovens inserted into the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c, respectively, and distribute current from the power supply 75 to the ovens inserted into the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c as needed.

[0106] All ovens that cook only with hot air in the modular cooking appliance 10, such as the impingement oven 20 and the convection oven 40, are provided with a base heater and at least one boost heater. For example, the impingement oven 20 includes a base heater 39a and a boost heater 39b (see Figure 3 ). All ovens that utilize microwave cooking within the modular cooking appliance 10 (such as a microwave oven or a hot air oven 60 with a built-in magnetron) are provided with at least one magnetron. For example, the hot air oven 60 includes at least a magnetron 81 (see Figure 6). If the microwave oven or hot air oven 60 with a built-in magnetron is provided with a second magnetron, the second magnetron can be activated independently of the first magnetron (e.g., magnetron 81). Like other ovens that utilize hot air cooking within the modular cooking appliance 10, the hot air oven 60 also includes at least one boost heater. The hot air oven 60 with a built-in magnetron may also include a base heater. If it includes a base heater, the base multiplexer switches between the base heater and the magnetron. The base heater is typically unavailable when the oven is cooking a food item and the magnetron(s) are being used.

[0107] According to an additional exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the modular cooking appliance 10 may be powered by a three-phase 50 amp outlet as its sole power source via a single power plug. Figure 7BDepicted is a block diagram of a portion of a controller for controlling the various ovens within the modular cooking appliance 10 in accordance with such additional embodiments.

[0108] like Figure 7B As indicated, three-phase power is provided to the modular cooking appliance 10 by phase pairs L1 / L2, L2 / L3, L1 / L3. The control module 74c' is inserted into the interchangeable cooking module 12c (see Figure 1A ), a control module 74a' is associated with the hot air oven 60 with a built-in magnetron inserted into the interchangeable cooking module 12a, a control module 74b' is associated with the convection oven 40 inserted into the interchangeable cooking module 12b. During operation, the control modules 74a'-74c' monitor the real-time current consumption of the ovens inserted into the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c, respectively, and distribute the current from the three-phase power supply to the ovens inserted into the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c as needed.

[0109] The base load of the hot air oven 60 with built-in magnetrons is provided by two magnetrons, and its size is about 17 amps (at 208V). Its boost load is provided by two boost heaters A, B. The base load of the impingement oven 20 is provided by the base heater, and its boost load is provided by two boost heaters A, B. Likewise, the base load of the convection oven 40 is provided by the base heater, and its boost load is provided by two boost heaters A, B.

[0110] As shown in Section III below, the base load of the hot air oven 60 is provided by two magnetrons and is sized at about 17 amps (at 208V). The impingement oven 20 and the convection oven 40 each have a base heater with a load of about 15-17 amps. Thus, the base loads of the three ovens 20, 40, 60 are approximately equal, and as shown in FIG. Figure 7B As shown, each oven is wired to a separate phase pair (i.e., phase pairs L1 / L2, L2 / L3, and L1 / L3). Thus, when all three ovens 20, 40, 60 are used simultaneously (and regardless of oven type and location in the modular cooking appliance 10), a balanced three-phase load is created.

[0111] The remaining available power capacity from the phase pairs L1 / L2, L2 / L3, L1 / L3 is shared by the ovens 20, 40, 60 using boost multiplexers 72'a, 72'b, 72'c (ie, one boost multiplexer is provided for each phase pair). Figure 7BAs depicted, each boost multiplexer 72'a, 72'b, 72'c can direct power to one of the two ovens, and each oven has two equal boost loads (A and B) and can access two boost multiplexers. Specifically, the control module 74c' for the hot air oven 60 can access boost multiplexers 72'c and 72'b, the control module 74a' for the impingement oven 20 can access boost multiplexers 72'a and 72'c, and the control board 74b' for the convection oven 40 can access boost multiplexers 72'a and 72'b.

[0112] A person of ordinary skill in the art of three-phase power distribution would assign boost multiplexers 72'a, 72'b, 72'c to ovens in interchangeable cooking modules 12a, 12b, 12c of a modular cooking appliance 10 having different phase pairs than the base load to achieve the best phase pair balance when a single oven is operating. An example of such assignment of boost multiplexers to ovens in interchangeable cooking modules 12a, 12b, 12c in a modular cooking appliance 10 is shown in the following table:

[0113] Interchangeable cooking modules Base Boost A Boost B 12a (impact oven 20) L1 / L2 L2 / L3 L1 / L3 12b (convection oven 40) L2 / L3 L1 / L2 L1 / L3 12c (hot air oven 60) L1 / L3 L1 / L2 L2 / L3

[0114] Table I

[0115] As discussed above, as indicated in Section III below, in an embodiment, the base load of the hot air oven 60 may include only one or more (e.g., two) magnetrons, and may not include a base heater. In an exemplary embodiment according to the invention, one of its two boost heaters is safely used as a "dual function" heater. This is achieved by assigning the boost heater to a boost multiplexer with the same phase pair as the base load (i.e., the magnetron).

[0116] refer to Figure 7B , the boost heater A of the hot air oven 60 (which is controlled by the control module 74c') is assigned to the phase pair L1 / L2, which is the same as the phase pair that powers the magnetron (i.e., the base load) of the hot air oven 60. The phase pair L1 / L2 is provided to the boost multiplexer 72'c and the base multiplexer 76. The base multiplexer 76 is used to enable the hot air oven 60 to switch between its boost heater A and its magnetron. The output 77 of the base multiplexer 76 and the output 78 of the boost multiplexer 72'c are provided to the OR gate 79. The output 80 of the OR gate 79 is then provided to the input on the control module 74c', which corresponds to the boost heater A of the hot air oven 60. Therefore, when power is not needed elsewhere, the boost multiplexer 72'c or the base multiplexer 76 can turn on the boost heater A of the hot air oven 60.

[0117] In this manner, the boost heater A of the hot air oven 60 advantageously functions as a "dual function" heater, i.e., as a boost heater when the phase pair L1 / L2 is provided to the boost heater A via the boost multiplexer 72'c, and as a usable "base" heater when the phase pair L1 / L2 is provided to the boost heater A via the base multiplexer 76 as needed (when power is not needed elsewhere) (e.g., when the hot air oven 60 is not using its built-in magnetron to cook food items). The dual functions performed by the boost heater A of the hot air oven 60, made possible by the base multiplexer 76 and the OR gate 79 in the controller 70, save space and reduce the cost of the hot air oven 60 by eliminating a dedicated base heater for the hot air oven 60 and its associated solid-state relays and wiring.

[0118] like Figure 7B As shown, the boost heater A of the impingement oven 20 (controlled by the control module 74a') is assigned to the phase pair L2 / L3, which is the same phase pair that powers the base heater of the impingement oven 20. Similarly, the boost heater A of the convection oven 40 (controlled by the control module 74b') is assigned to the phase pair L1 / L3, which is the same phase pair that powers the base heater of the heater of the convection oven 40. Therefore, as with the hot air oven 60, the boost heater A of each of the impingement oven 20 and the convection oven 40 is assigned to the same phase pair that powers the base load of the oven, as shown in Table II below.

[0119] Interchangeable cooking modules Base Boost A Boost B 12a (impact oven 20) L2 / L3 L2 / L3 L1 / L2 12b (convection oven 40) L1 / L3 L1 / L3 L2 / L3 12c (hot air oven 60) L1 / L2 L1 / L2 L1 / L3

[0120] Table II

[0121] In an embodiment, the boost multiplexers 72'a, 72'b, 72'c may be disposed on a common control board of the modular cooking appliance 10. An exemplary common control board for the modular cooking appliance 10 is described in related U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 094,438, filed on November 10, 2020, entitled "Modular Cooking Appliance," the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. In an embodiment, the base multiplexer 76 and the OR gate 79 may be disposed on the control modules 74a', 74b', 74c'. In this regard, as discussed above, a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that each control module of the oven may be included as part of the oven. Thus, the control module 74c' may be included as part of the hot air oven 60, the control module 74a' may be included as part of the impingement oven 20, and the control module 74b' may be included as part of the convection oven 40.

[0122] III. Adaptive Power Management

[0123] As described above, for this embodiment, the modular cooking appliance 10 is configured with an impingement oven 20, a convection oven 40, and a hot air oven 60 with a built-in magnetron, wherein all of the ovens are operated from a three-phase 50-amp outlet commonly found in commercial kitchens. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the modular cooking appliance 10 may have any number and type of ovens all powered by a single power plug. For an exemplary embodiment using a single-phase 50-amp outlet, the maximum current drawn by each of the impingement oven 20, the convection oven 40, and the hot air oven 60 is as follows:

[0124]

[0125] Likewise, for the exemplary embodiment using a three-phase 50 amp outlet, the maximum current drawn by each of the impingement oven 20, the convection oven 40, and the hot air oven 60 is as follows:

[0126]

[0127] Additionally, the baseline current drawn by all auxiliary components within the modular cooking appliance 10 during operation (such as the processor 71, multiplexer 72, memory 73, etc.) is 5 amps. Thus, for a 50 amp power supply, at any given time, a maximum of (50-5=) 45 amps is available to power the oven.

[0128] Needless to say, there would be many benefits if more than one oven within the modular cooking appliance 10 could be used to cook a food item simultaneously. However, as shown above, the maximum current drawn by the impingement oven 20 is (8+12+12=)32 amps, and the maximum current drawn by the convection oven 40 is (4+12+12=)28 amps. Therefore, it is not possible to use both the impingement oven 20 and the convection oven 40 to cook a food item simultaneously because the total current drawn by both ovens (and all ancillary components) would exceed the 50 amp limit.

[0129] To overcome the 50 amp barrier, the modular cooking appliance 10 uses Adaptive Power Management TM (APM) technology to intelligently distribute current to each oven so that multiple ovens can be used to cook food items simultaneously during some time. APM has two control modes, namely, temperature control mode and time control mode.

[0130] A. Temperature control mode

[0131] When cooking a food item in the temperature control mode, the oven temperature is monitored and a temperature control feedback loop is utilized to control the oven temperature for cooking the food item. Specifically, when the measured oven temperature drops below a set cooking temperature, the base heater and boost heater in the associated oven are turned on, and when the measured oven temperature is at or above the set cooking temperature, the base heater and boost heater in the associated oven are turned off.

[0132] During the temperature control mode, the amount of time the oven is turned on and the associated current drawn during the cooking cycle is recorded and stored in a current draw history table (more details below) for use when necessary in the time control mode described below.

[0133] B. Time control mode

[0134] When cooking a food item in the time control mode, the oven temperature and the time to cook the food item are guided by information previously stored in the current draw history table (more details below). Specifically, the base heater and boost heater within the associated oven are allocated power during each time unit that would be consumed by cooking the same food item when the oven was operating in the temperature control mode, as recorded in the current draw history table.

[0135] IV. Control Table

[0136] The modular cooking appliance 10 utilizes the following three control tables to perform APM during various cooking cycles. The control tables may be stored in the memory 73 (see FIG. 7 ), and the information in some of the control tables will be updated throughout the operation of the modular cooking appliance 10 .

[0137] A. Food Entry Table

[0138] Before the modular cooking appliance 10 can be deployed for cooking 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) within the memory 73. The FET contains a list of all food items that can be cooked via the various ovens within the modular cooking appliance 10 and their corresponding optimal cooking settings. Basically, for each food item that is intended to be cooked via the modular cooking appliance 10, the operator needs to enter the food item name, oven type, and cooking settings (such as cooking time, blower speed, cooking temperature, etc.) associated with the food item into the FET.

[0139] Reference now Fig. 8A, depicting an example FET according to one embodiment. In this FET example, four types of food items are listed, namely pizza, sandwiches, cookies, and hot dogs. In addition, three independent cooking stages are shown, and each cooking stage contains cooking settings, such as start time and stop time, cooking temperature, blower speed, and magnetron power level. Specifically, item one and item two include cooking settings for cooking pizza and sandwiches, respectively, in an impingement oven (such as impingement oven 20). Item three includes cooking settings for cooking cookies in a convection oven (such as convection oven 40), and item four includes cooking settings for cooking hot dogs in a microwave oven (or a hot air oven 60 with a built-in magnetron).

[0140] For each of items one through three, when the corresponding cooking setting is deployed, the oven will engage in hot air cooking, as indicated by the associated air temperature and blower speed. For item four, when the cooking setting is deployed, the microwave oven (or hot air oven with a built-in magnetron) will engage in microwave cooking, as indicated by a magnetron setting greater than zero in stages 1 and 3.

[0141] B. Maximum Current Draw Table

[0142] Corresponding to the list of food items stored in the FETs, the maximum current draw table contains the maximum current required by each of the impingement oven, convection oven, and microwave oven to cook the various food items.

[0143] Reference now Figure 8B , depicts an example maximum current draw table. As shown, the maximum current draw table includes an oven module column, a food name column, and a plurality of cooking stage columns. In this example, entry one includes the maximum current drawn by the impingement oven 20 cooking a pizza for 90 seconds, which corresponds to Fig. 8A Entries 1 and 2 include the maximum current drawn by the impingement oven 20 cooking a sandwich for 70 seconds, which corresponds to Fig. 8A Entry two for the FET in . Entry three includes the maximum current drawn by a convection oven 40 cooking cookies for 120 seconds, which corresponds to Fig. 8A Entry three includes the maximum current drawn by a microwave oven cooking a hot dog for 90 seconds, which corresponds to Fig. 8A FET entry four.

[0144] When two or more ovens are called upon to cook a food item in temperature control mode, the information stored in the maximum current draw table will be used to help determine whether the cooking process should be started (as will be done in Fig. 9 further explained in ).

[0145] C. Current Draw History Table

[0146] The current draw history table contains the current drawn by each of the impingement oven 20 and the convection oven 40 while engaged in cooking each type of food item in the temperature control mode during each cooking cycle.

[0147] Reference now Figure 8C , depicts an example of a current draw history table. As shown, the current draw history table includes an oven module column, a food name column, and a plurality of time unit columns. Each of the time units (time unit 1 to time unit 8 in this example) is identical in length of time, and each time unit may be one second, two seconds, etc., depending on the desired time resolution and the memory available within the modular cooking appliance 10. As each of the impingement oven 20 and the convection oven 40 engages in cooking a particular food item, the current drawn by it is recorded and thus stored in different time units throughout its cooking cycle.

[0148] The current draw value recorded in each time unit may be a running average of the current drawn for the last 10 cooks of each food item. For example, the current draw value of 3.2 amps in time unit 1 is a running average of the current drawn by the impingement oven 20 for the last 10 cooks of pizza in time unit 1. The operator may vary the number of cooks used to calculate the running average, and more than 10 cooks may be used to calculate the running average depending on the accuracy desired.

[0149] Basically, when cooking in the temperature control mode, the modular cooking appliance 10 learns how much current was recently required per time unit to cook each food item type in each of the impingement oven 20 and the convection oven 40 .

[0150] It is expected that the current draw values ​​recorded in each time unit may be significantly different even for the same oven, depending on the geographic location of the oven. For example, the current draw value for an oven located in Denver, Colorado is expected to be significantly higher than the same oven located in Dallas, Texas. Therefore, before the current draw history table can be fully deployed for regular day-to-day operation, it must be initialized and populated with some actual historical current draw values ​​by performing a minimum number of pre-cooks (such as three) in the field.

[0151] When two or more ovens are called upon to cook a food item, the information stored in the current draw history table will be used to help determine whether the cooking process should be started (as will be done in Fig. 9 further explained in ).

[0152] Additionally, for each time unit, the activation status of the associated base heater and boost heater (not shown) may also be recorded and stored in corresponding entries of the current draw history table.

[0153] IV. Cooking process

[0154] Reference now Fig. 9 , depicts a flow chart of a method of cooking a food item via a modular cooking appliance 10 according to one embodiment. The ovens within the modular cooking appliance 10 depend on the user configuration, but for this embodiment, the ovens are an impingement oven 20, a convection oven 40, and a hot air oven 60 with a built-in magnetron. After the operator has selected a desired item from the display 17 (see Figure 1 ) after selecting the food item to be cooked from the list of food items shown on (i.e., the food items stored in the FET of FIG. 8 ) (as shown in box 90), it is determined whether any oven is currently involved in cooking the food item (as shown in box 91).

[0155] If no oven is currently involved in cooking a food item, the temperature control mode will be used to control the oven temperature of the selected oven to cook the selected food item throughout the cooking process, as depicted in box 92. The cooking cycle will be guided by the information stored in the FET.

[0156] However, if one (or more) ovens are currently participating in cooking a food item, another determination is made as to whether the total current demand by the selected oven and participating ovens (and auxiliary components) to cook the corresponding food item in the temperature control mode will exceed the 50 amp limit at any time during their respective cooking cycles, as shown in block 93. This determination is made by looking up a maximum current draw table to determine whether the sum of the current drawn by the selected oven and participating ovens (and auxiliary components) for cooking their respective food items will exceed the 50 amp limit at any time unit for the same oven cooking the same food type. If not, the selected oven is allowed to cook the selected food immediately, and the temperature control mode can be used to control the oven temperatures of both ovens continuously throughout the cooking cycle, as depicted in block 92.

[0157] If the total current demand of the selected oven and participating ovens (and auxiliary components) to cook the corresponding food item exceeds the 50 amp limit, all ovens will be set to use the time control mode to control the oven temperature throughout the cooking cycle, as depicted in box 94. In other words, any oven that is currently using the temperature control mode will be switched to use the time control mode to complete the cooking process.

[0158] For example, if a pizza is currently being cooked in the impingement oven 20, and the operator wants to cook cookies in the convection oven 40 at the same time, the controller 70 checks the maximum current drawn by the impingement oven 20 when cooking the pizza and the maximum current drawn by the convection oven 40 when cooking the cookies by using the maximum current draw table. In this example, the maximum current drawn by the impingement oven 20 when cooking the pizza is 32 amps, and the maximum current drawn by the convection oven 40 when cooking the cookies is 28 amps, where the total maximum current drawn is (32+28=)60 amps, which means that the cooking control in the impingement oven 20 will be switched to the time control mode.

[0159] Next, a determination is made as to whether the total current demand of the selected oven and participating ovens (and accessories) to cook the corresponding food item in the time control mode in any time unit during their respective overall cooking processes will exceed the 50 amp limit, as indicated at block 95. This determination is made by looking up a current draw history table to determine whether the total current drawn by the selected oven and participating ovens (and accessories) in each time unit throughout the cooking cycle does not exceed the 50 amp limit.

[0160] If the total current demand required by the selected oven and the participating ovens (and auxiliary components) to cook the corresponding food item during their respective entire cooking processes exceeds the 50 amp limit at any time unit in the time control mode, the selected oven must wait until the total historical current drawn in each subsequent time unit is 50 amps or less before commencing its cooking process. Otherwise, if the total current demand does not exceed the 50 amp limit at any time unit, the selected oven and the participating ovens both cook accordingly in the time control mode.

[0161] For example, Table III (a portion of the current draw history table) shows that the impingement oven 20 takes five time units to cook a pizza, and the current drawn during the first to fifth time units is 20 amps, 32 amps, 32 amps, 32 amps, and 8 amps, respectively. On the other hand, the convection oven 40 takes three time units to cook cookies, and the current drawn during the first to third time units is 28 amps, 16 amps, and 16 amps, respectively.

[0162]

[0163] Table III

[0164] In this example, convection oven 40 may begin cooking cookies in time unit 5 while a pizza is cooking in impingement oven 20. This is because if the cookies began cooking in any of time units 1-4, but not in time unit 5, the current drawn by both ovens and the auxiliary components would exceed the 50 amp limit.

[0165] V. Unified operation steps for operators

[0166] The operating procedures of all ovens within the modular cooking appliance 10 are identical.

[0167] For the present embodiment, the modular cooking appliance 10 enters the operation mode when the oven startup is completed, during which each of the impingement oven 20, the convection oven 40 and the hot air oven 60 is preheated to their preset operating temperatures. Once in the operation mode, a list of various food items for which operating parameters have been input via the control panel 17 is displayed on the control panel 17. The operator can select a food item to be cooked from the items displayed on the control panel 17 and place the food on the food loading mechanism of the corresponding oven. The food is then conveyed to the heated oven cavity for cooking.

[0168] After the cooking process has been completed, the cooked food is transported from the oven cavity back to where the food entered the associated oven. The food loading mechanism itself is not heated, and once the food leaves the heated oven cavity, the cooking process is effectively over. However, because the food loading mechanism is adjacent to the heated oven cavity housed in the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c, residual heat from the heated oven cavity housed in the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c serves to reduce the rate of heat loss experienced by the recently cooked food.

[0169] Food items may be cooked simultaneously in the impingement oven 20, the convection oven 40, and the hot air oven 60 of the modular cooking appliance 10. Similar food items may be cooked sequentially in the impingement oven 20, the convection oven 40, and the hot air oven 60 of the modular cooking appliance 10. For example, pizzas may be cooked back-to-back in the impingement oven 20, while cinnamon rolls are cooked back-to-back in the convection oven 40, and breakfast sandwiches are cooked back-to-back in the hot air oven 60. In order for the amount of thermal energy delivered to similar food items cooked sequentially in the various ovens to be the same in each back-to-back cooking, the volume of the cooking cavity maintained within the interchangeable cooking modules 12a-12c is no greater than 1.5 cubic feet for a convection oven, no greater than 1.25 cubic feet for an impingement oven, and no greater than 1 cubic foot for a microwave oven when the modular cooking appliance 10 is powered by a circuit having a wattage no greater than a typical single-phase 50 amp outlet.

[0170] As described above, the present invention provides a modular cooking appliance having a plurality of ovens.

[0171] While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A modular cooking device, characterized in that: include: a housing having a first interchangeable cooking module, a second interchangeable cooking module, and a single power connector for receiving three-phase power from a wall outlet; a first oven housed within the first interchangeable cooking module, the first oven having a base load and at least one boost load; a second oven housed within the second interchangeable cooking module, wherein the second oven is a different type of oven than the first oven, the second oven having a base load and at least one boost load; a first multiplexer configured to direct power from a first phase pair of the three-phase power to the base load of the first oven or the at least one boost load of the first oven; and a second multiplexer configured to direct power from the first phase pair of the three-phase power to the at least one boost load of the first oven or the boost load of the second oven; Wherein, the modular cooking device is configured such that the first multiplexer or the second multiplexer is capable of directing power from the first phase pair to the at least one boost load of the first oven.

2. The modular cooking device according to claim 1, characterized in that The second multiplexer is capable of directing power from the first phase pair to the at least one boost load of the first oven when the first multiplexer directs power from the first phase pair to the base load of the first oven.

3. The modular cooking device according to claim 1, characterized in that The first multiplexer is capable of directing power from the first phase pair to the at least one boost load of the first oven when the first multiplexer is not directing power from the first phase pair to the base load of the first oven.

4. The modular cooking device according to claim 1, characterized in that Also included is a logic gate having a first input coupled to the first multiplexer, a second input coupled to the second multiplexer, and an output coupled to the at least one boost load of the first oven.

5. The modular cooking device according to claim 4, characterized in that The logic gate comprises an OR gate.

6. The modular cooking device according to claim 1, characterized in that The first oven comprises a hot air oven having at least one magnetron.

7. The modular cooking device according to claim 6, characterized in that The base load includes the at least one magnetron.

8. The modular cooking device according to claim 7, characterized in that The at least one boost load includes a boost heater.

9. The modular cooking device according to claim 8, characterized in that The boost heater is turned on when the hot air oven having at least one magnetron is cooking a food item using the at least one magnetron.

10. The modular cooking device according to claim 8, characterized in that The at least one boost heater is turned on when the hot air oven with at least one magnetron is not cooking a food item using the at least one magnetron.

11. The modular cooking device according to claim 1, characterized in that The first oven includes a control module, and the first multiplexer is included in the control module.

12. The modular cooking device according to claim 1, characterized in that A common control board is also included, and the second multiplexer is included in the common control board.

13. The modular cooking device according to claim 1, characterized in that The base load and the at least one boost load of the second oven are both assigned to a second phase pair of the three-phase power.

14. The modular cooking device according to claim 1, characterized in that The housing further includes a third interchangeable cooking module housing a third oven having a base load and at least one boost load; and The base load and the at least one boost load of the third oven are both assigned to a third phase pair of the three-phase power.

15. A modular cooking device, characterized in that: include: a housing having a first interchangeable cooking module, a second interchangeable cooking module, and a single power connector for receiving three-phase power from a wall outlet; a first oven housed within the first interchangeable cooking module, the first oven having a base load and at least one boost load; a second oven housed within the second interchangeable cooking module, wherein the second oven is a different type of oven than the first oven, the second oven having a base load and at least one boost load; a first multiplexer configured to direct power from a first phase pair of the three-phase power to the base load of the first oven or the at least one boost load of the first oven; and a second multiplexer configured to direct power from the first phase pair of the three-phase power to the at least one boost load of the first oven or the at least one boost load of the second oven; Wherein, the modular cooking device is configured such that it can use power from the first phase pair to switch on the at least one boost load of the first oven regardless of whether power from the first phase pair is being used to switch on the base load of the first oven.

16. The modular cooking device according to claim 15, characterized in that The first oven comprises a hot air oven having at least one magnetron.

17. The modular cooking device according to claim 16, characterized in that The base load includes the at least one magnetron.

18. The modular cooking device according to claim 17, characterized in that The at least one boost load includes a boost heater.

19. The modular cooking device according to claim 18, characterized in that The at least one boost heater is turned on when the hot air oven having at least one magnetron is cooking a food item using the at least one magnetron.

20. The modular cooking device of claim 17, wherein: The at least one magnetron is turned off; and The at least one boost heater is turned on and provides the base load for the hot air oven having at least one magnetron.

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