Overhead ventilation system incorporating a downwardly configured rear supply plenum with upward configured directional outlet and including baffle plates and dampeners incorporated into the plenum for evenly distributing an inlet airflow through the plenum outlet

Abstract

A ventilation system for use with a cooking appliance to maintain an atmospheric pressure balance existing within an enclosed space surrounding the cooking appliance. A hood establishes a three-dimensional and interiorly recessed configuration and which is supported above the appliance. A filter within the hood communicates with a vacuum driven exhaust extending from the enclosed space. A supply plenum secures in downwardly and opposing fashion relative to a side of the cooking appliance. An air intake communicates the supply plenum with an exterior environment, the plenum including a perforated plate mounted to an inside face thereof in proximity to a bottom closed edge of said plenum and in order to introduce intake air to a side location of the appliance in order to equalize internal pressure and to facilitate upward movement of heated air from the appliance.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This Application is a Continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 12 / 272,089 filed on Nov. 17, 2008, which in turn is a Continuation-in-part of Application Ser. No. 11 / 531,987 filed on Sep. 14, 2006.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates generally to an overhead ventilation system, such as is utilized in combination with commercial cooking appliances or industrial oven processes. More particularly, the present invention teaches a ventilation system, such as in use with a commercial pizza or other food related cooking process and by which products of such process include heated air, grease and / or other contaminants. The present invention is an improvement over prior art oven hood designs, and by which an associated inlet plenum is reconfigured to assist in introducing air from an exterior, this including the incorporation of interior baffling elements for slowing down an intake velocity of air into the supply plenum, in...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]The present invention discloses a supply plenum module incorporated into an improved filter and ventilation system associated with a cooking appliance and which maintains a desired pressure balance, or equilibrium, within an enclosed space in which the appliance is situated during filtration of the same. In particular, the module operates in cooperation with the associated ventilation system in order to introduce, from an exterior location, a volume of raw untreated air for subsequent conditioning and conveyance to the inner hood perimeter, the same balancing the outflow of exhaust air drawn through an associated filter and evacuated from the hood and in order to prevent or minimize the loss of other conditioned air (heated or cooled) existing within the enclosed space.

[0010]The downwardly extending passageway communicates with a second, shorter, and upturned passageway terminating in a lengthwise extending outlet. The extended length of the intake supply plenum, combined with the provision and arrangement of the balancing dampers and the baffle plates, establish a reduced velocity and evenly distributed inlet flow for introduction at the lengthwise and upturned outlet relative to the side of the cooking appliance.

[0011]The arrangement and configuration of the hood further serves to better warm and precondition the raw intake air for rising within the hood interior. The configuration and arrangement of the plenum results in a volume of intake air introduced generally equaling that exhausted from the hood and, by virtue of establishing a pressure equilibrium within the hood interior which is facilitated by the 1) heating, 2) slowed velocity and 3) more evenly distributed intake flow from the plenum, thereby preventing loss of additional volumes of quality AC or heat conditioned air, from within the enclosed space, and which may otherwise be vacuum drawn and expelled by the overhead hood.

[0012]The length and depth of the supply plenum, in cooperation with the balancing dampers and internal baffling plates, further assists in maintaining an air velocity (i.e., speed of air) out of the supply plenum. The maintenance of a desired air velocity out of the supply plenum does not affect the exhaust air drawn and evacuated. Further, the directional upward outlet of the present invention introduces air flow as the heated (thermal) air flow of the cooking device.

[0013]As is known, heated air rises naturally off cooking appliances, with the upwardly introduced air assisting in the removing of heat, odor, grease, and gas by-products more efficiently. In this fashion, the untreated air introduced by the present ventilation system does not affect the air temperature of the room and again further serves to reduce the need for mechanical makeup air treatment devices (e.g. again heaters or chillers) to replace other quality internal conditioned air associated with the environment within which the cooking appliance is maintained.

[0014]In a further variant, inlet airflow from the supply plenum passes through a vertically mounted perforated plate mounted proximate to a closed bottom of the inlet and so that the perforated plate is positioned to the side of the interior cooking appliance in length extending fashion and at some point between the top and bottom surfaces of the appliance. The exhaust ductwork is further moved to a forward most location of the hood, in communication with an upper outlet side of the baffle type grease filters and, in combination with the perforated inlet supported plate and the regulation of the operating speed of the inlet and exhaust fans, ensures that the flow patterns created by the exhaust do not interfere with the capture of thermal heat rising from the cooking equipment.

Problems solved by technology

A common problem in the prior art is the tendency of such devices to introduce significant volumes of untreated air, requiring further significant capacity from such as air conditioning and heated makeup air units.

The cost of maintaining a desired interior air temperature can therefore be greatly increased, both in terms of heating or conditioning volumes of makeup introduced.

A further problem associated with the prior art is the tendency of the makeup air to be unevenly introduced through its associated supply plenum, such as in terms of intake velocity as well as lateral distribution (or spread) across the width of the plenum and prior to introduction into the interior environment at which the cooking equipment is located.

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