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A device is provided for uniformly heating chilled pizza within an oven by supporting the pizza in a horizontal position, directing a stream of hot air upwardly onto the center of the pizza while shielding its periphery from radiation emanating from the oven heat source. An oven appliance is provide

A device is provided for uniformly heating chilled pizza within an oven by supporting the pizza in a horizontal position, directing a stream of hot air upwardly onto the center of the pizza while shielding its periphery from radiation emanating from the oven heat source. An oven appliance is provided including a grill composed of openwork for supporting the pizza and a base spaced below the grill and composed of a baffle having a central vent opening for funneling a stream of hot air upwardly onto the middle of the lower surface of the pizza. The baffle also acts as a shield interposed between the infrared radiating heat source and the periphery of the pizza.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An oven appliance for heating pizza comprising a base including a baffle with a vent opening having a diameter between about one-half and four-fifths the diameter of the pizza, a grill mounted upon the base in a position to center a pizza thereon directly over the vent opening in the baffle, the

1. An oven appliance for heating pizza comprising a base including a baffle with a vent opening having a diameter between about one-half and four-fifths the diameter of the pizza, a grill mounted upon the base in a position to center a pizza thereon directly over the vent opening in the baffle, the grill having openings therein to allow air to flow freely across the lower surface of the pizza and said grill supporting the pizza throughout its width and breadth, said grill comprising elongated members sufficient in number and spacing to provide support for the pizza at its center and to prevent any portion from sagging, said baffle defining shield means surrounding the vent opening and positioned below the grill to shield the peripheral edge of the pizza from infrared radiation arising from beneath the shield, said grill being unobstructed at its periphery so that hot air is free to flow upwardly at its outer edge around the periphery of the pizza whereby hot air arising through the vent opening will strike the center of the lower surface of the pizza and the pizza will be heated uniformly thereby. 2. An oven appliance for heating a pizza within a baking oven comprising a base including a flat horizontally disposed baffle composed of sheet material and having a vent opening in the center thereof, a grill mounted upon the base in spaced relationship thereabove and in a position to center the pizza thereon directly over the vent opening in the base, the grill having openings therein distributed uniformly thereacross to allow air to flow freely across the lower surface of the pizza and to uniformly support the pizza throughout its width and breadth, said baffle also serving as a shield member surrounding the vent opening and being located below the outer edge of the grill to shield the peripheral edge of the pizza from infrared radiation arising from beneath the shield, both a peripheral edge around the baffle and the edge of the vent opening being turned upwardly whereby the baffle serves as a catch pan for collecting drippings, grill support surface means on said baffle for holding the grill in place on the baffle, and means for shifting the grill toward or away from the baffle to selected positions whereby the spacing therebetween can be changed. 3. The appliance of claim 2 wherein one or more concentric rings formed from sheet material are placed concentrically within the vent opening and supported by the edge thereof for changing the crossectional dimension of said vent opening to provide a rising column of hot air with a crossectional dimension that is a selected fraction of the distance across a pizza of any selected size. 4. The appliance of claim 2 wherein the grill has legs and an equal number of stepped leg support ledges are distributed circumferentially around the edge of the baffle for holding the grill at different selected elevations above the vent opening. 5. An oven appliance for heating pizza comprising a base including a baffle formed from a sheet of material adapted to be placed in a horizontal position within said oven, said baffle having a vent opening, said appliance having a peripheral edge around the outside thereof and said vent opening being spaced centrally from the peripheral edge, said vent opening having a smaller crossectional dimension than the diameter of the pizza to be heated, a raised support ledge around the periphery of the baffle and a vertically extending circular side wall extending downwardly from the inside edge of the support ledge, a circular flange extending upwardly from the ledge around the periphery of the baffle, a grill mounted above the base in position to center the pizza directly over the vent opening in the baffle, the grill having openings therein to allow air to flow freely across the lower surface of the pizza, said grill having base engaging members thereon and adapted to rest on the support ledge, said circular flange preventing the members of the grill engaged on the ledge from sliding off the base when the grill is in use, said grill having grill members therein spaced with sufficient uniformity and close enough to one another to provide uniform support for the pizza and prevent portions thereof from sagging when the pizza becomes hot, the baffle defining a shield means surrounding the vent opening and positioned below the grill to shield the peripheral edge of the pizza from infrared radiation arising from beneath the shield, the baffle being deflected upwardly around the vent to provide an upwardly turned central flange at the vent opening and at least one removable circular ring having a hole therein of predetermined crossection and a downwardly turned peripheral lip at the outer edge of the ring adapted to be engaged over the central flange of the baffle and the hole in the ring and the vent opening being between about one-half and four-fifths times the diameter of a pizza of predetermined size whereby hot air rising through the vent opening or hole will strike the center of the lower surface of the pizza to heat it uniformly. 6. An oven appliance for heating pizza comprising a base including a baffle formed from a sheet of material adapted to be placed in a horizontal position within said oven, said baffle having a vent opening, said appliance having a peripheral edge around the outside thereof and said vent opening being spaced centrally from the peripheral edge, said vent opening having a smaller crossectional dimension than the diameter of the pizza to be heated, a raised support ledge around the periphery of the baffle and a vertically extending circular side wall extending downwardly from the inside edge of the support ledge, a grill mounted above the base in position to center the pizza directly over the vent opening in the baffle, the grill having openings therein to allow air to flow freely across the lower surface of the pizza, a plurality of circumferentially distributed downwardly extending legs rigidly connected to the grill at the periphery thereof and being engagable with the raised support ledge to hold the grill in vertical spaced relationship above the base with predetermined spacing therebetween and means on the base engagable with the legs for holding the grill in position thereon to thereby prevent the grill from sliding off the base, said grill having grill members therein spaced with sufficient uniformity and close enough to one another to provide uniform support for the pizza and prevent portions thereof from sagging when the pizza becomes hot, the baffle defining a shield means surrounding the vent opening and positioned below the grill to shield the peripheral edge of the pizza from infrared radiation arising from beneath the shield, the baffle being deflected upwardly around the vent to provide an upwardly turned central flange at the vent opening and at least one removable circular ring having a hole therein of predetermined crossection and a downwardly turned peripheral lip at the outer edge of the ring adapted to be engaged over the central flange of the baffle and the hole in the ring and the vent opening being between about one-half and four-fifths times the diameter of a pizza of predetermined size whereby hot air rising through the vent opening or hole will strike the center of the lower surface of the pizza to heat it uniformly. 7. An oven appliance for heating a pizza having a flat body comprising a base including a baffle formed from a sheet of material adapted to be placed in a horizontal position within said oven, said baffle having a vent opening, said appliance having a peripheral edge around the outside thereof and said vent opening being spaced centrally from the peripheral edge, said vent opening having a smaller crossectional dimension than the diameter of the flat body of the pizza to be heated, an upwardly extending circular side wall around the periphery of the baffle, a grill mounted above the base, said grill supporting the pizza such that the flat body of the pizza rests on the grill during use and extends completely across the center of the grill directly over the vent opening in the base in the path of gas rising therethrough and the body of the pizza thereby closing the center of the grill so that no gas can flow upwardly through the grill during use, said grill comprising an openwork formed from a plurality of spaced apart horizontally disposed elongated rod-like grill members sufficient in number and close enough in spacing to one another to provide uniform support for the center of the pizza to thereby prevent portions of the pizza body from sagging when it becomes hot, the openings in the grill between the elongated rod-like members allowing air to flow freely across and in contact with the lower surface of the pizza, leg means extending between the grill and the base for supporting the grill on the base with a predetermined spacing therebetween, said grill being unobstructed at its outer edge so that gas flowing up through the vent opening is free to flow outwardly and upwardly around the peripheral edge of the pizza, the baffle defining a shield means surrounding the vent opening and positioned below the grill to shield the peripheral edge of the pizza from infrared radiation arising from beneath the shield, the baffle being directed upwardly around the vent to provide an upwardly turned central flange at the vent opening and the vent opening being about one-half to four-fifths times the diameter of a pizza of a predetermined size whereby hot air rising through the vent opening will strike the center of the lower surface of the pizza and then spread radially outward thereby removing stagnant boundary layer air from the lower surface of the pizza to heat it uniformly.