Food processing apparatus

Claim 1

An oven comprising a baking chamber having an inlet which communicates with a lower region of the chamber, an outlet which communicates with an upper region of the chamber, an endless conveyor extending through the chamber and directed to follow a generally serpentine path which includes a plurality of horizontal passes at successively higher levels in the chamber, product support trays carried by the conveyor at spaced intervals along the length of the conveyor, a bank of horizontally disposed electric heating elements located at a level between each of the horizontal passes of the conveyor, means for sensing the temperature level in various regions of the chamber, means associated with the sensing means for controlling current flow to the heating elements whereby the temperature level in the various regions may be maintained substantially constant at selected levels, and a horizontally extending first tunnel located in the lowermost region of the chamber and connecting the inlet to the chamber by way of a horizontally extending second tunnel which is located immediately above the first tunnel and which extends in a direction opposite to that of the first tunnel, first and second heat shields which are constituted by roof portions of the first and second tunnels respectively, the heat shields being disposed to prevent heat from being radiated downwardly onto the product support trays during their conveyance through the tunnels, and a lowermost said bank of heating elements located in the second tunnel below the level of the horizontal pass made through the second tunnel by the conveyor.