Automatic cooking apparatus

Claim 2

Cooking apparatus comprising: a housing having a top, bottom, sidewalls, frontwall, backwall, and first and second outlet openings extending through said top; a partition in said housing forming a cooking compartment and a fire box compartment; a duct extending between said fire box compartment and said cooking compartment, said duct having an inlet passage communicating with said fire box compartment, a first outlet passage communicating with said first outlet opening extending through the top of the housing, and a second outlet passage communicating with said cooking compartment adjacent the top of the housing; a first damper in said first passage; a second damper in said second passage; a rack in said cooking compartment supported intermediate said top and bottom; and means having an exhaust passage formed therein, said exhaust passage communicating with said cooking compartment below said rack and with said second outlet opening in the top of the housing.

Claim 3

The combination called for in claim 1 wherein said first outlet opening in the top of the housing is adapted to receive a cooking vessel.

Claim 4

The combination called for in claim 1 with the addition of a fire box in said fire box compartment, said fire box comprising spaced sidewalls, a top having an outlet opening extending therethrough, and a backwall, said side walls of said fire box being spaced from a sidewall of the housing and from said partition in said housing, said top of said fire box being spaced from the top of the housing, and said backwall of the firE box being spaced from the backwall of the housing.

Claim 5

The combination called for in claim 3 wherein the frontwall of the housing has an intake opening extending therethrough; an intake damper moveably secured to the frontwall of the housing; temperature sensing means in said cooking compartment, and temperature responsive actuating means connected between said temperature sensing means and said intake damper arranged such that said intake damper is moved to a position closing said intake opening when temperature in said cooking compartment exceeds a predetermined temperature, and said intake damper is moved to a position spaced from said intake opening when temperature in said cooking compartment is less than a predetermined temperature.

Claim 6

The combination called for in claim 4 wherein said temperature responsive actuating means comprises a shaft; means to rotatably secure said shaft in said housing; actuated means drivingly secured to said shaft; means to connect the temperature responsive actuating means to the actuated means; a crank secured to said shaft; and connector means secured between said crank and said intake damper.

Claim 7

The combination called for in claim 1 wherein the frontwall of the housing has intake opening extending therethrough communicating with said fire box compartment; and intake damper moveably secured to said front wall adjacent said intake opening; a shaft rotatably secured in said housing; a solenoid having a core moveably disposed therein; means to connect said core to said shaft such that said shaft is rotated upon the extension and retraction of said core; a first crank on said shaft; connector means between said first crank and said first damper; a second crank on said shaft; connector means between said second crank and said intake damper; temperature sensing means in said cooking compartment; and thermostatically controlled switching means connected between said temperature sensing means and said solenoid arranged such that said intake damper and said first damper are closed when temperature in said cooking compartment exceeds a predetermined temperature and said dampers are opened when temperature in said cooking compartment is less than the predetermined temperature.