Apparatus for heating food

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR HEATING TO A DEFINITE ELEVATED TEMPERATURE FOOD HELD IN RECEPTACLES OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME SIZE COMPRISING: (A) A CASING HAVING OPPOSING SIDE WALLS AND TOP AND BOTTOM WNE WALLS DEFINING AN UPRIGHT HEATING SPACE, (B) STRUCTURE FOR OPENLY STACKING A PLURALITY OF THE RECEPTACLES ONE ABOVE ANOTHER IN VERTICALLY SPACED RELATION IN THE HEATING SPACE, SAID STACKING STRUCTURE COMPRISING VERTICALLY SPACED APERTURED SHELVES DISPOSED ONE ABOVE ANOTHER FOR SUPPORTING THE RECEPTACLES IN THE STACK, (C) THE OPPOSING SIDE WALLS HAVING VERTICALLY SPACED SLOTS AND RESPECTIVELY DEFINING AN AIR INLET SIDE AND AN AIR OUTLET SIDE OF THE HEATING SPACE, (D) A CIRCUIT FOR CIRCULATION OF AIR INCLUDING THE HEATING SPACE AND CONDUIT STRUCTURE HAVING ONE END COMMUNICATING WITH THE AIR INLET SIDE OF THE HEATING SPACE AND THE OPPOSITE END COMMUNICATING WITH THE AIR OUTLET SIDE THEREOF, (E) MEANS IN THE CONDUIT STRUCTURE FOR HEATING AIR FLOWING TO THE AIR INLET SIDE OF THE HEATING SPACE, (F) MEANS IN THE CONDUIT STRUCTURE FOR FORCIBLY CIRCULATING THE AIR AT A SUFFICIENTLY HIGH VELOCITY FOR THE HEATED AIR FLOWING TO THE AIR INLET SIDE TO BE DIVIDED AT THE SLOTS THEREIN TO PRODUCE A PLURALITY OF AIR STREAMS WHICH FLOW CONTIGUOUS TO AND IN PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH ONE ANOTHER AND HORIZONTALLY ONE ABOVE ANOTHER FROM THE AIR INLET SIDE TO THE AIR OUTLET SIDE OF THE HEATING SPACE AND DISCHARGE THROUGH THE SLOTS IN THE AIR OUTLET SIDE EXTERIROLY OF THE HEATING SPACE, (G) THE CONDUIT STRUCTURE COMPRISING THE SLOTTED AIR INLET SIDE OF THE HEATING SPACE TO PROVIDE A VERTICALLY EXTENDING AIR DELIVERY CHANNEL WITH SUCCESSIVE ZONES THEREOF IN THE DIRECTION OF AIR FLOW HAVING INCREASINGLY SMALLER CROSS-SECTIONAL AREAS, AND (H) DISTRIBUTING MEANS EMBODIED IN THE AIR DELIVERY CHANNEL WHICH INCLUDES DISTRIBUTING AT THE AIR INLET SIDE A PLURALITY OF THE SLOTS HAVING A TOTAL CROSSSECTIONALY AREA WITHIN A RANGE FROM ABOUT FORTY-FIVE TO SEVENTY PERCENT OF THE MAXIMUM CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE AIR DELIVERY CHANNEL FOR DISTRIBUTING THE HEATED AIR AND INTRODUCING EACH DISTRIBUTED PART OF THE HEATED AIR INTO THE SLOTS AT THE AIR INLET SIDE AT AN INLET PRESSURE TO CAUSE ALL OF THE AIR STREAMS TO FLOW SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE SAME SPEED ACROSS THE HEATING SPACE FROM THE AIR INLET SIDE TO THE OPPOSITE AIR OUTLET SIDE, WHEREBY THE AIR STREAMS COLLECTIVELY WILL FORM A CONTINUOUSLY MOVING BODY OF AIR IN THE HEATING SPACE WHICH ENVELOPS ALL SIDES OF THE RECEPTACLES IN THE STACK WITH SUCCESSIVE PORTIONS THEREOF PASSING ONLY ONCE FROM THE AIR INLET SIDE TO THE AIR OUTLET SIDE TO RAPIDLY HEAT ALL OF THE FOOD IN THE RECEPTACLES IN THE STACK UNIFORMLY AND FOR THE FOOD IN ALL OF THE RECEPTACLES TO REACH THE DEFINITE ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME TIME.