Conveyor-type grilling appliance for cooking or re-thermalizing food with multiple independently controlled sets of conveyors defining multiple independently controlled conveyor cooking lanes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional grilling appliances lack automated control over cooking time and temperature, often resulting in undercooked, overcooked, or burned food products, and are unable to simultaneously cook different types of food requiring varying cooking parameters.
Innovation Solution
A grilling appliance featuring upper and lower endless conveyor belts made from PTFE, routed over and around heated platens, allowing for precise control over cooking time and temperature, with adjustable platen gaps to accommodate different food heights and independently controlled conveyor lanes for simultaneous cooking of multiple food types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional flat grills or clam-shell apparatus are used, then food can be cooked on both sides, but cooking time and temperature cannot be precisely controlled, resulting in undercooked, overcooked, or burned food
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical cooking control with an automated conveyor system that uses continuous motion to precisely control cooking time and temperature. The conveyor belts mechanically transport food through heated zones, substituting human judgment and timing with automated mechanical control for consistent results.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the cooking parameters from static (fixed position on flat grill) to dynamic (continuous motion on conveyor). By controlling conveyor speed and heating zone temperature, the system precisely adjusts cooking parameters to achieve consistent cooking quality without undercooking or burning.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional grilling apparatus are used, then simple structure is maintained, but multiple different food types requiring different cooking parameters cannot be cooked simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the cooking chamber into multiple independent conveyor lanes, each capable of handling different food types with different cooking requirements. This segmentation allows simultaneous cooking of multiple food varieties while maintaining relatively simple individual conveyor mechanisms in each lane.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor system is designed with universal applicability to handle various food types (sandwiches, burgers, wraps, etc.) through a single integrated system. Each conveyor lane can be independently controlled to accommodate different cooking parameters, providing multi-functionality without requiring separate cooking devices for each food type.
3Manufacturing precision
If manual cooking monitoring is used, then simple operation is maintained, but cooking time varies leading to poor cooking results
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is designed to be self-regulating, where the continuous motion of the conveyor belts automatically controls the duration of food exposure to heat. The system serves itself by maintaining consistent conveyor speed and positioning, eliminating the need for constant manual monitoring while achieving precise cooking time control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures consistent, properly cooked food products by predetermining cooking time and temperature, preventing undercooking or overcooking, and allows for the simultaneous preparation of various foods with different cooking requirements.
Implementation Method 1
heated by means of the heated platens
Data Source
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AI summary
A grilling appliance is disclosed for preparing various different types of food wherein the food is conveyed through the appliance, from a food insert end of the appliance to a food removal end of the appliance, by means of continuously movable flow-through upper and lower cooperating conveyors operatively associated with platen-type heating members over which the upper and lower conveyors are conveyed so as to be heated by the platen-type heating members and thereby, in turn, heat, brown, or carmelize the food as desired or required. Multiple independently controlled conveyor sets define multiple independently controlled conveyor cooking lanes within the appliance.