Temperature controlled forge furnace or the like and method of operating same

Claim 1

A TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED FORGE FURNACE OR THE LIKE, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A COMMON FURNACE ENCLOSURE HAVING A COMMON HEARTH AND AN OPENING FOR INGRESS AND EGRESS OF WORKPIECES PLACED ON AND REMOVED FROM SAID HEARTH, A PLURALITY OF LATERALLY SPACED RADIANT BURNERS IN CORRESPONDING HEATING ZONES OF SAID HEARTH PRINCIPALLY OVERLYING CORRESPONDINGLY LATERALLY SPACED AREAS OF SAID HEARTH, LATERALLY ADJACENT RADIANT BURNERS REGULATING LATERALLY ADJOINING AREAS OF HEARTH RESPECTIVELY TO PROVIDE CORRESPONDING HEATING ZONES OF SAID HEARTH PRINCIPALLY CONTROLLED BY SAID BURNERS RESPECTIVELY, EACH SAID BURNER DURING OPERATION AT ANY LEVEL SUPPLYING RADIANT HEAT WITH ITS GREATEST INTENSITY TO ITS CORRESPONDING HEATING ZONE, TIMER MECHANISM FOR THE RADIANT BURNERS OF SAID ZONES RESPECTIVELY TO PROVIDE A SELECTED PERIOD FOR A HIGHER RATE OF RADIANT HEATING OF WORKPIECES ON SAID HEARTH IN EACH RESPECTIVE ZONE TO RAISE THE TEMPERATURE OF WORKPIECES THEREIN, AND MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID TIMER MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATICALLY ENDING SAID HIGHER RATE OF RADIANT HEATING IN A PARTICULAR ZONE TO MAINTAIN THE WORKING TEMPERATURE OF SUCH WORKPIECES UPON THE EXPIRATION OF SAID PERIOD IN THAT PARTICULAR ZONE.