초록 ▼

A hood is provided for use over pizza ovens in pizza preparation and delivery vehicles. The hood comprises two intake air fans and one inline exhaust fan. The intake air fans are each disposed adjacent a side wall of the vehicle and direct air from the sides toward the center of the hood. The exhaus

A hood is provided for use over pizza ovens in pizza preparation and delivery vehicles. The hood comprises two intake air fans and one inline exhaust fan. The intake air fans are each disposed adjacent a side wall of the vehicle and direct air from the sides toward the center of the hood. The exhaust fan is disposed adjacent a back wall of the vehicle between the two intake air fans. The exhaust fan exhausts the air from which the vehicle. A back draft damper is disposed downstream the exhaust fan. Hinged louvers on the back draft damper can be adjusted with a threaded rod to balance the air flow within the system. Vents adjacent the intake air fans have fixed louvers shaped to impede water droplet flow from entering the vehicle.

대표청구항 ▼

1. In a pizza preparation and delivery vehicle having first and second spaced side walls and a back wall adjoining said side walls and extending substantially perpendicular thereto, the improvement comprising: a hood, comprising: first and second intake air vents disposed at the respective firs

1. In a pizza preparation and delivery vehicle having first and second spaced side walls and a back wall adjoining said side walls and extending substantially perpendicular thereto, the improvement comprising: a hood, comprising: first and second intake air vents disposed at the respective first and second side walls of the vehicle such that air can be drawn from outside the vehicle to inside the vehicle through the first and second intake air vents; first and second intake air fans positioned adjacent to the first and second intake air vents respectively and operative to draw air into the hood through the first and second intake air vents; and an exhaust fan positioned between said first and second intake air fans, operative to exhaust air out of the hood; said first and second intake air fans and said exhaust fan cooperating to form an air flow from the first and second side walls and through the back wall of the vehicle. 2. The improvement of claim 1, further comprising a housing disposed in the vehicle between the first and second spaced side walls and the back wall, wherein: the first and second intake air vents are defined by the housing; the first and second intake air fans are mounted in the housing; the exhaust fan is mounted centrally in the housing adjacent the back wall of the vehicle; and the housing defines an exhaust vent at the back wall of the vehicle, downstream the exhaust fan. 3. The improvement of claim 2, further comprising: first and second intake air filters disposed downstream the respective first and second intake air fans and operative to form respective first and second intake air plenums between the respective first and second intake air fans and the respective first and second intake air filters; at least one intermediate mixing zone disposed between the first and second intake air filters and the exhaust fan; and at least one exhaust filter panel disposed between the at least one intermediate mixing zone and the exhaust fan. 4. The improvement of claim 3, further comprising: means for directing the air drawn into the hood by the first and second intake air fans to the at least one intermediate mixing zone. 5. The improvement of claim 4 wherein the means for directing the air drawn into the hood by the first and second intake air fans comprises first and second upwardly curved directing panels, defined by the housing adjacent the first and second side walls of the vehicle, and disposed downstream the respective first and second intake air plenums. 6. The improvement of claim 1 wherein the first and second intake air vents each comprise a plurality of fixed louvers, each of said louvers having an upwardly inclined ramp section and an upwardly curved lip integral with the upwardly inclined ramp section, such that each of said plurality of fixed louvers are operative to impede water droplet flow from outside the vehicle. 7. The improvement of claim 2, further comprising a back draft damper defined by the exhaust vent, which damper comprises a plurality of hinged louvers. 8. The improvement of claim 7 wherein the back draft damper comprises a plurality of hinged louvers. 9. The improvement of claim 7 further comprising adjustment means to limit opening movement of the hinged louvers such that an air flow rate is established in cooperation with the first and second intake air fans such that about 90 to about 95% of the exhausted air comprises air drawn into the hood by the first and second intake air fans. 10. In a pizza preparation and delivery vehicle having first and second spaced side walls and a back wall adjoining said side walls and extending substantially perpendicular thereto, the improvement comprising: a hood, comprising: a housing disposed in the vehicle between the first and second spaced side walls and the back wall; first and second intake air vents disposed respectively adjacent the first and second side walls and defined by the housing; first and second intake air fans mounted in the housing and disposed adjacent the first and second respective intake air vents, said first and second intake air fans operative to draw air from outside the vehicle to inside the housing; first and second intake air filters mounted in the housing and disposed downstream the respective first and second intake air fans, operative to form respective first and second intake air plenums between the respective first and second intake air fans and the respective first and second intake air filters; an exhaust vent disposed adjacent the back wall and defined by the housing; an exhaust fan, centrally disposed in the housing between the first and second intake air fans, operative to exhaust air through the exhaust vent from inside the hood to outside the hood; at least one exhaust filter panel, disposed upstream the exhaust fan, operative to form an exhaust plenum between the at least one exhaust filter panel and the exhaust fan; at least one intermediate mixing zone disposed between the first and second intake air plenums and the exhaust plenum; first and second directing panels, disposed downstream and adjacent the respective first and second intake air plenums, operative to direct air drawn into the hood by the respective first and second intake air fans into the at least one intermediate mixing zone; said first and second intake air vents, said first and second intake air fans, said first and second intake air filters, said first and second directing panels, said at least one intermediate mixing zone, said at least one exhaust filter panel, said exhaust fan and said exhaust vent cooperating to draw air across the hood from the side walls of the vehicle and to exhaust the air, along with additional heated oven air, through the back wall of the vehicle. 11. A hood for ventilating a pizza oven in a pizza preparation and delivery vehicle, said hood comprising: a housing including first and second spaced side walls disposed at respective first and second sides of the hood, a rear portion adjoining said side walls and extending substantially perpendicular thereto, said housing partially enclosing at least one intermediate mixing zone disposed between the side walls; first and second intake air vents defined by the first and second side walls respectively; first and second intake air fans positioned to draw air from the first and second intake air vents, each of said fans operative to direct air in an inward direction from each of the side walls to the at least one intermediate mixing zone; an exhaust fan, disposed adjacent the rear portion of the housing, operative to exhaust air from the at least one intermediate mixing zone inside the hood to outside the hood; and an exhaust vent, disposed downstream the exhaust fan, through which air is exhausted by the exhaust fan; said first and second intake air fans and said exhaust fan cooperating to draw air from the first and second sides of the hood, to direct the air to the at least one intermediate mixing zone of the hood, and to exhaust said air from the at least one intermediate mixing zone of the hood through the exhaust vent. 12. The invention of claim 11, further comprising: first and second intake air filters, disposed respectively adjacent the first and second intake fans, operative to filter air directed by said fans as said air is directed in an inward direction from each of the side walls to the at least one intermediate mixing zone; and at least one exhaust filter, disposed upstream the exhaust fan, operative to filter any air passing through said said filter and into the exhaust fan. 13. The invention of claim 11, further comprising first and second insulated intake chambers disposed adjacent the intake air vents for housing the first and second intake air fans respectively. 14. The invention of claim 11 wherein said first and second intake air vents each include a plurality of fixed louvers each having an upwardly inclined ramp section and an upwardly curved lip integral with the upwardly inclined ramp section, wherein said plurality of fixed louvers are operative to impede water droplet flow from outside to inside the hood. 15. The invention of claim 11 further comprising means for adjusting air flow rate such that about 90 to about 95% of the exhausted air comprises air drawn in by the first and second intake air fans. 16. The invention of claim 11, further comprising a back draft damper having hinged louvers disposed downstream of the exhaust fan. 17. The invention of claim 16, further comprising adjustment means to limit opening movement of the hinged louvers. 18. A hood for ventilating a conveyor oven in a pizza preparation and delivery vehicle said hood comprising: a housing having first and second opposed side walls and a back wall adjoining and substantially at right angles to said side walls; first and second intake air vents, defined by the first and second side walls respectively; first and second intake air fans, mounted in the housing, respectively adjacent the first and second intake air vents, operative to draw air from outside the vehicle to inside the vehicle, and to direct the air in an inward direction from the first and second side walls to respective first and second intermediate mixing zones; first and second intake air filters mounted in the housing, disposed respectively downstream the first and second intake air fans, operative to form a first and second plenum between respective first and second intake air fans and intake air filters upstream the respective first and second intermediate mixing zones; an exhaust fan having a first side facing the first side wall and a second side facing the second side wall, disposed centrally in the housing adjacent the back wall and operative to exhaust air from inside the vehicle to outside the vehicle; and first and second exhaust filters, disposed upstream the exhaust fan adjacent to respective first and second sides thereof and downstream the respective first and second intermediate mixing zones, operative to filter the air directed to the respective first and second intermediate mixing zones by the respective first and second intake air fans along with additional air rising into the first and second intermediate mixing zones from the conveyor oven. 19. The invention of claim 18, further comprising a plurality of fixed louvers defined by each of the first and second intake air vents, each fixed louver having an outer substantially vertically disposed baffle, an intermediate inclined ramp section and an inner upwardly curved lip such that water droplet flow will be substantially prevented from entering the vehicle through the first and second intake air vents. 20. The invention of claim 19, further comprising a back draft damper disposed downstream the exhaust fan. 21. The invention of claim 20, further comprising a plurality of adjustable hinged louvers, defined by the back draft damper, for controlling air flow through the back draft damper to thereby adjust the ratio between the air which has been drawn through the intake air fans and the total amount of air exhausted. 22. The invention of claim 21 wherein the ratio is about 9 to 10.