US3734740A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Continuous food cooking device
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1971-05-24
•
Granted: 1973-05-22
•
Expires: 1991-05-24
Abstract
Abstract A conveyor moves a train of food items, particularly meat items mounted on skewers, at a substantially constant rate past a heat source of substantially constant intensity toward a discharge point where the food items are collected. The conveyor has indicia marked along the path it traverses indicating predetermined starting points on the conveyor for the food items. The indicia correlate the distances from the starting points to the discharge point with an identifying characteristic of a food item first entered on the conveyor at such starting points, for example, the type of food to be cooked, the extent it is to be cooked, and the like. Preferably, detachable skewer means support the food items on the conveyor and have indicia cooperating with the indicia spaced along the path of travel of the conveyor.
Inventors
- 👤 S Zenos
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 20:52
CPC Classifications
A; A47; A47J; A47J37/00; A47J37/04; A47J37/044
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
28 words
The food cooking apparatus of claim 1 in which said food-carrying means includes skewer means adapted to receive and support said food items with respect to the conveyor.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
21 words
The food cooking apparatus of claim 2 in which said skewer means comprises a spit adapted to pierce a food item.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
The food cooking apparatus of claim 1 in which said food-carrying means are detachably mounted with respect to the conveyor.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
41 words
The food cooking apparatus of claim 1 in which said food-carrying means is pivotally carried on the conveyor, and turning means along said path is adapted to engage and pivot the food-carrying means as said means is carried by the conveyor.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
The food cooking apparatus of claim 1 in which said food-carrying means comprises basket means adapted to contain a food item.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
36 words
The food cooking apparatus of claim 1 in which said food-carrying means comprises a portion containing the food and adapted to be separated from the remainder of the food-carrying means for serving with the food item.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
54 words
The food cooking apparatus of claim 1 in which said food-carrying means is releasably mounted on the conveyor to receive and support said food items, said conveyor being adapted to release said food-carrying means at the discharge station, said discharge station having means to collect said food-carrying means after its release from the conveyor.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
35 words
The food cooking apparatus of claim 8 including a warming oven mounted adjacent said discharge station to maintain a food item carried by the collected food-carrying means in a warm condition prior to its distribution.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
The food cooking apparatus of claim 1 in which said heat source comprises refractory rocks disposed adjacent the conveyor, and fuel-fired burner means to heat the rocks.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
The food cooking apparatus of claim 1 in which said identifying characteristic of a food item so correlated by the indicia along said path is the extent to which it is cooked.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
The food cooking apparatus of claim 1 in which said identifying characteristic of a food item so correlated by the indicia along said path is an identification of the type of food item.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
22 words
The food cooking apparatus of claim 1 in which said indicia of the food-carrying means indicates a customer-identification of a food item.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
58 words
The food cooking apparatus of claim 1 in which said food-carrying means has two sets of indicia, each cooperating with the indicia along said path, one set cooperating with said path indicia to identify a characteristic of the food item, and the second set of indicia cooperating with said path indicia to provide customer-identification of the food item.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
53 words
The food cooking apparatus of claim 1 in which said indicia along said path comprises color indicia, and said indicia of the food-carrying means comprises color indicia cooperating with said color indicia of said path, predetermined color combinations of the two sets of indicia serving to identify a characteristic of the food item.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
57 words
The food cooking apparatus of claim 15 in which said food-carrying means has two color indicia cooperating with color indicia along said path, one color indicium on the food-carrying means indicating the type of food item being cooked, and the other color indicium on the food-carrying means indicating the extent to which said food item is cooked.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
119 words
In the process of cooking sequentially supplied food items by moving a train of the items seriatim along a path past a heat source to a discharge point; the improvements comprising moving the food items at a substantially uniform rate, maintaining the heat source at a substantially constant intensity, marking indicia along said path at varying distances from said discharge point to define a plurality of predetermined starting points for said food items, said indicia correlating the distance from said predetermined starting points to the discharge point with a desired identifying characteristic of the food item, and introducing a food item into said train at a starting point having an indicium indicating a characteristic desired for said food item.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 17 including providing said food items with indicia having a cooperating relation with said indicia along said path.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 18 in which said cooperating relation of the indicia indicates the extent to which a food item is cooked.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
20 words
The process of claim 18 in which said cooperating relation of the indicia indicates the type of food item cooked.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
20 words
The process of claim 18 in which said cooperating relation of the indicia indicates a customer-identification of the food item.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-05-21 | 1976-11-20 | 1977-05-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-05-21 | 1980-11-20 | 1981-05-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-05-21 | 1984-11-20 | 1985-05-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |