Apparatus for the baking of bread and other bakery products with infra-red rays

Claim 1

AN OVEN FOR THE BAKING OF BREAD AND LIKE BAKERY PRODUCTS WHICH COMPRISES, IN COMBINATION: AN ELONGATED HOUSING DEFINING A STREAM-TIGHT, TUNNEL SHAPED BAKING CHAMBER, SAID HOUSING HAVING A SEALABLE INLET OPENING AT ONE END THEREOF AND A SEALABLE DISCHARGE OPENING AT THE OTHER END THEREOF; CONTINUOUSLY DRIVEN CONVEYOR MEANS MOUNTED IN THE CHAMBER AND HAVING AN UPPER RUN FOR ADVANCING THE PRODUCTS IN A DIRECTION FROM THE INLET OPENING TO THE DISCHARGE OPENING; A SUPPORTING PLATE FOR THE UPPER RUN OF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS, SAID PLATE HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED APERTURES AND DIVIDING THE BAKING CHAMBER INTO AN UPPER CHAMBER AND A LOWER CHAMBER; CARRIER MEANS OF INSULATING MATERIAL MOUNTED IN THE HOUSING AND CONSTITUTING THE UPPER WALL OF SAID UPPER CHAMBER; A PLURALITY OF LAMPS FOR PRODUCING SHORT-WAVE INFRA-RED RAYS EACH MOUNTED IN SAID CARRIER MEANS AND EACH EXTENDING INTO SAID UPPER CHAMBER; A PLURALITY OF PARTITIONS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID CARRIER MEANS FOR SUBDIVIDING THE UPPER CHAMBER INTO A SERIES OF FIRST COMPARTMENTS, THE NUMBER OF LAMPS IN THE COMPARTMENTS CLOSER TO SAID INLET OPENING BEING GREATER THAN THE NUMBER OF LAMPS IN THE COMPARTMENTS CLOSER TO SAID DISCHARGE OPENING; MEANS LOCATED IN THE LOWER CHAMBER FOR HEATING THE UNDER SIDES OF THE BAKERY PRODUCTS ADVANCING WITH THE CONVEYOR MEANS; MEANS FOR SUBDIVIDING THE LOWER CHAMBER INTO A SERIES OF SSECOND COMPARTMENTS, EACH OF SAID MEANS COMPRISING A CHUTE CONNECTED TO AND COMMUNICATING WITH AN APERTURE IN SAID SUPPORTING PLATE FOR RECEIVING AND CONVEYING SOLID IMPURITIES ENTRAINED BY THE UPPER RUN OF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS ALONG SAID SUPPORTING PLATE; AND MEANS FOR INTRODUCING WATER VAPORS INTO AT LEAST ONE FIRST AND SECOND COMPARTMENT ADJACENT TO SAID INLET OPENING.