Food cooking apparatus and heat storage member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12096884-B2
Application number	US-202318302343-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2023
Priority date	Oct 6, 2017
Publication date	Sep 24, 2024
Grant date	Sep 24, 2024

Abstract

An air fryer comprises an air flow passage provided between an inner shell and an outer shell; a first cooking chamber having a first cooking fan in air flow communication with the first cooking chamber and a first heating element in thermal communication with the first cooking chamber. A cooling fan, when actuated, circulates air within the airflow passage. A common motor is drivingly connected to each of the cooking fan and the cooling fan, wherein a first axle portion drivingly connects the common motor to the cooking fan, a second axle portion drivingly connects the common motor to the cooling fan and, when the air fryer is positioned with the bottom on a horizontal surface, the first axle portion extends upwardly from an upper side of the common motor and the second axle portion extends downwardly from a lower side of the common motor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A portable air fryer comprising, when positioned on a horizontal surface, a top, a bottom, a front having an openable door, a rear and, when viewed from the front, a left side and an opposed right side, the portable air fryer having a chamber that is operable as a unitary cooking zone, wherein a descending wall descends from an upper end of the chamber and terminates above a lower wall of the chamber wherein, when the portable air fryer is positioned on a horizontal surface, the descending wall descends to an elevation below a first heating element and the descending wall includes a rail mount whereby the unitary cooking zone is sub-dividable by the insertion of first and second cooking containers when the openable door is in an open position to provide two smaller first and second cooking volumes,
wherein the first cooking container is slidably insertable through the front of the portable air fryer into the chamber and the second cooking container is slidably insertable through the front of the portable air fryer into the chamber, each of the first and second cooking containers is individually slideably insertable into the chamber,
wherein each cooking container has a lower wall, sidewalls extending upwardly from the lower wall and an open top and, when each of the cooking containers is positioned in the portable air fryer, the first cooking volume is provided in the first cooking container and the second cooking volume is provided in the second cooking container, wherein the first cooking volume has the first heating element positioned at an upper end thereof and physically spaced from the first cooking container and the second cooking volume has a second heating element positioned at an upper end thereof and physically spaced from the second cooking container and wherein the first cooking volume has a first fan associated with the first heating element, the second cooking volume has a second fan associated with the second heating element,
wherein, when each of the cooking containers is positioned in the chamber and when viewed from the front, the first cooking container is positioned on the right side of the chamber, the second cooking container is positioned on the left side of the chamber and a portion of a left side of the first cooking container is spaced from and directly faces a portion of a right side of the second cooking container, and
wherein the first and second heating elements are individually controllable whereby, when the first and second cooking containers are positioned in the chamber, cooking conditions in each of the first and second cooking volumes are individually controllable and, when each of the cooking containers is absent from the chamber and the openable door is in the closed position, the chamber is operable as a unitary cooking zone.

2. The portable air fryer of claim 1 wherein each of the cooking containers is separately supported in the chamber.

3. The portable air fryer of claim 1 wherein, when each of the cooking containers is positioned in the chamber, an open volume is provided between the left side of the first cooking container and the right side of the second cooking container.

4. The portable air fryer of claim 1 wherein, when the cooking containers are removed from the chamber, the chamber defines a single contiguous volume.

5. The portable air fryer of claim 1 wherein, when each of the cooking containers is positioned in the chamber, the lower wall of each cooking container is spaced from a lower wall of the chamber.

6. The portable air fryer of claim 1 wherein the chamber has an upper wall, the first heating element is positioned below the upper wall of the chamber, the second heating element is positioned below the upper wall of the chamber and each cooking volume and a descending wall descends from the upper wall of the chamber and terminates above a lower wall of the chamber.

7. The portable air fryer of claim 6 wherein the descending wall extends to an elevation that is proximate an upper end of the sidewall of the first cooking container when the first cooking containers is positioned in the chamber.

8. The portable air fryer of claim 7 wherein the descending wall includes a rail mount.

9. The portable air fryer of claim 1 wherein the first cooking volume has a first fan positioned above the first heating element, the second cooking volume has a second fan positioned above the second heating element, a descending wall descends from an upper wall of the chamber and terminates above a lower wall of the chamber wherein, when the portable air fryer is positioned on a horizontal surface, the descending wall descends to an elevation below the first heating element.

10. The portable air fryer of claim 8 wherein the descending wall includes a rail mount.

11. A portable air fryer comprising, when positioned on a horizontal surface, a top, a bottom, a front, a rear and, when viewed from the front, a left side and an opposed right side, the front having an openable door that is moveable between a closed position and an open position and the portable air fryer having a unitary cooking zone,
wherein, when the openable door is in the open position, a first cooking container is slidably insertable through the front of the portable air fryer into the portable air fryer and a second cooking container is slidably insertable through the front of the portable air fryer into the portable air fryer, each of the first and second cooking containers is individually slideably insertable into the portable air fryer,
wherein each cooking container has a lower wall, sidewalls extending upwardly from the lower wall and an open top and, when each of the cooking containers is positioned in the portable air fryer, a first cooking volume is provided in the first cooking container and a second cooking volume is provided in the second cooking container whereby, when each of the first and second cooking containers is inserted into the unitary cooking zone, the first and second cooking containers subdivide the unitary cooking zone into the first and second cooking volumes,
wherein the first cooking volume has a first heating element positioned at an upper end thereof and a first fan is positioned above the first heating element, the first heating element is physically spaced from the first cooking container the second cooking volume has a second heating element positioned at an upper end thereof and a second fan is positioned above the second heating element, the second heating element is physically spaced from the second cooking container,
wherein, when each of the cooking containers is positioned in the portable air fryer and when viewed from the front, the first cooking container is positioned on the right side of the portable air fryer, the second cooking container is positioned on the left side of the portable air fryer and a left side of the first cooking container is spaced from a right side of the second cooking container,
a descending wall descends from an upper wall of the portable air fryer and terminates above a lower wall of the first and second cooking volumes, the descending wall includes a rail mount wherein, when the portable air fryer is positioned on a horizontal surface, the rail mount is at an elevation below the first heating element, and
wherein the first and second heating elements are individually controllable whereby, when each of the cooking containers is positioned in the unitary cooking zone, cooking conditions in each of the first and second cooking volumes are individually controllable and, when each of the cooking containers is absent from the unitary cooking zone and the openable door is in the closed position, the unitary cooki

Assignees

• Omachron Intellectual Property Inc

Inventors

• Conrad Wayne Ernest
• Petersen Dave
• Conrad Nina

Classifications

• F24C15/026

  stowing of door in open position · CPC title

• A21B1/26

  by hot air · CPC title

• A47J37/0754

  with blowers providing forced air circulation · CPC title

• F24C15/327

  with air moisturising · CPC title

• F24C7/08

  Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices · CPC title