Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a cooling rotisserie spit in which a coolant (air, gas, liquid, nano fluid, etc.) is circulated along the nested tubes in the form of a closed circuit and a cooling unit comprising a hollow casing spit which is affixed to the said rotisserie spit for cooling thereof and on which the food items (doner kebap, etc.) are mounted.

Background of the Invention

The said rotisserie (doner kebap) spits generally work together with a heat emitting member (grill, etc.) to heat, cook and roast the food items, which are mounted on the spit from outside.

The doner spits are generally placed vertically on the grill machines, and the pieces of meat are skewered on a vertically positioned spit body one by one to be stacked on top of each other. Upon completion of the stacking process, the rotisserie spit, which is connected to a heat emitting element such as a grill on the machine, begins to be rotated for cooking the food item thereon. The meat layer, which starts to be roasted on the outer surface, is cut (shaved off) with the help of a knife from top to bottom. After the top layer is shaved off, the meat layer under it which is not yet cooked is heated and starts to be cooked.

Due to its rich nutritional content, meat is an ideal medium for growth and proliferation of microorganisms. Especially, storing meats that are marinated with additives such as spices at inappropriate conditions, and keeping them wait for a long period of time while being exposed to the cooker during cooking cause the temperature in the inner parts of the doner meat close to the main body of the spit to reach an ideal level for the microorganisms.

United States Patent document no US5918534, an application known in the state of the art, discloses a cooking spit with a hollow interior. A heat transfer medium is passed through the hollow part in the spit. In the present invention, by means of the heat transfer medium, heat is transferred to the food item (doner, meat, etc.) that is mounted on the spit to be roasted in order to reduce the cooking time of the food item. When the doner mounted on the spit is left to cool, the heat in the food item is transferred outside by means of the heat transfer medium. However, when the said document is examined, the fact that the food item intended to be cooked is not mounted on the spit but onto the hooks positioned on the spit causes reduction of the amount of food item to be mounted. Another negative feature is that the spit disclosed in the document is not suitable for every rotisserie machine. In addition, the cooling system continuously operates with the same performance; and since the amount of meat on the spit cannot be determined, the performance does not vary according to the amount of meat, which causes futile operation of the system.

The Problems Solved with the Invention

The objective of the present invention is to provide an innovative portable cooling system to prevent loss of the microbiological quality the doner meat. Cooling and freezing is the most common method used for healthy storage of the meat products. With the rotisserie spit that is developed, the doner meat will be directly cooled, thus the efficiency of the invention will be higher compared to non-direct cooling systems.

Another objective of the present invention is to solve the problem that more than one doner kebap mounted on a spit having a cooling mechanism are required in enterprises such as restaurants where a large amount of doner kebap is consumed, however this causes a problem of additional cost. In the present invention, the casing spits which are designed to be hollow and on which doner kebap is mounted are kept ready. When the doner kebap is finished, the empty casing spit affixed over the cooling spit on the machine is removed, and a casing spit on which doner kebap is mounted is affixed over the cooling spit. This way, use of cooling spits in restaurants with large amounts of doner kebap consumption is made convenient and low cost.

Detailed Description of the Invention

An innovative cooling rotisserie spit developed to fulfill the objective of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying figures wherein:

Figure 1. is a front view of the cooling rotisserie spit which is partially inclined in angular manner.

Figure 2. is a front view of the cooling rotisserie spit which is completely inclined at a right angle.

Figure 3. is a front view showing mounting of the casing spit over the main body.

Figure 4. is a schematic view of the circulation pat of the coolant.

Figure 5. is a schematic view of re-cooling of the coolant that exits circulation. Figure 6. is a schematic view of the flow of the drive from the motor.

Figure 7. is a schematic view of the signal flow between the scale, control unit, valve and compressor.

The components shown in the figures are each given reference numbers as follows:

1. Innovative Cooling Rotisserie Spit

2. Main Tube

2.1. Inner Tube

2.2. Outer Tube

3. Lower Chamber 4. Upper Chamber

5. Joint Group

5.1. Slot

5.2. Pin

6. Centering Shaft

7. Supporting base

7.1. Centering Shaft Housing

7.2. Motor Shaft

8. Tray

8.1. Motor

8.2. Compressor

8.3. Coolant Inlet Hose

8.4. Coolant Outlet Hose

9. Casing Spit

K. Control unit

T. Scale

V. Valve

An innovative cooling rotisserie spit (1) essentially comprises

at least one main tube (2) comprising an inner tube (2.1) including coolant passage holes thereon and an outer tube (2.1) including coolant passage holes thereon,

at least one upper chamber (3) for passing the coolant that will be sent in between the outer tube (2.2) and the inner tube (2.1),

at least one lower chamber (4) for preventing mixing of the coolant, which has completed its circulation and is returning through the inner tube (2.1), with the coolant that will be supplied for circulation,

at least one fixed supporting base (7) which is connected to the lower chamber

(4),

a joint group (5) which is used for coupling the lower chamber (4) and the main tube (2) that is connected to the lower chamber (4) to the supporting base (7) and enabling movement thereof, and which comprises at least one slot (5.1) having an angled geometry and at least one pin (5.2) moving within the slot (5.1),

at least one centering shaft (6) for ensuring alignment (centering) during arrangement of the lower chamber (4) on the supporting base (7) and for the rotational movement of the main tube (2),

at least one centering shaft housing (7.1) which corresponds to the centering shaft (6) and is used for aligning the lower chamber (4) and the supporting base (7),

at least one tray (8) for placing the supporting base (7) thereon,

at least one motor (8.1) which is located under the tray (8) and which generates the power required for the rotational movement of the main tube (2), at least one motor shaft (7.2) for transmitting the drive received from the motor (8.1) to the main tube (2) by means of the centering shaft (6), at least one cooling compressor (8.2) which is located under the tray (8) and which is used for cooling the coolant that will be supplied for circulation, at least one coolant inlet hose (8.3) for transferring the coolant from the cooling compressor (8.2) to the upper chamber (3),

at least one coolant outlet hose (8.4) for transferring the coolant which has completely the circulation cycle from the lower chamber (4) to the cooling compressor (8.2).

A main tube (2) and a casing spit (9) affixed over the main tube (2), which are included by the innovative cooling rotisserie spit (1) of the present invention are disclosed. There are provided an inner tube (2.1) and an outer tube (3) within the main tube (2). There is provided an upper chamber (3) around the said outer tube (2.2), and the upper chamber (3) is connected to the cooling compressor (8.2) via a coolant inlet hose (8.2). Air, gas, liquid, nano fluid, etc. can be used as the coolant. The coolant transferred from the cooling compressor (8.2) to the upper chamber (3) via the coolant inlet hose (8.3) enter in between the outer tube (2.2) and the inner tube (2.1) through the holes provided on the outer tube (2.2). The coolant rises between the outer tube (2.2) and the inner tube (2.1) until the uppermost point of the main tube (2). When the coolant reaches the uppermost point of the main tube (2), it enters into the inner tube (2.1) and moves downwards.

There is provided a lower chamber (4) surrounding the inner tube (2) and the coolant, which has completed its circulation cycle, is transmitted to the lower chamber (4) via the holes provided on the inner tube (2.1). The coolant in the lower chamber (4) is transmitted to the cooling compressor (8.2) which is connected to the lower chamber (4) via the coolant outlet hose (8.4). After being re-cooled there, it is fed back to circulation via the coolant inlet hose (8.3). Since the circulation cycle is designed as a closed circuit, there is no possibility of a leakage.

Thanks to its hollow design, the casing spit (9) can be fitted over the main tube (2) and heat transfer can be performed between them. This way, the central parts (inner core) of the food items (doner kebap, etc.) mounted on the casing spits (9) can be kept below a certain predetermined temperature.

The lower chamber (4) is connected to the supporting base (7) by means of a joint group (5) which comprises a slot (5.1) having an angled geometry and a pin (5.2) moving within the slot (5.1). By means of this connection, together with the lower chamber (4), the main tube (2) is also enabled to perform an angular inclination movement via the said joint group (5). When the doner kebap on the casing spit (9) is consumed, a new casing spit (9) on which doner kebap is mounted should be affixed to the main tube (2) for roasting, however the casing spit (9) on which doner kebap is mounted cannot be affixed to the main tube (2) that is in vertical position due to its weight. For this reason, the main tube (2) should be inclined in an angular manner via the joint group (5). This way, the empty casing spit (9) is removed and the new casing spit (9) on which doner kebap is mounted is affixed onto the main tube (2) and the replacement is completed.

When the casing spit (9) on which doner kebap is mounted is affixed onto the main tube (2), the main tube (2) is again lifted in an angular manner. When a centering shaft (6), which is located at the lower chamber (4) and at the end part of the main tube (2) closer to the lower chamber (4), is fitted into a centering shaft housing (7.1) provided in the supporting base (7), the main tube (2) is aligned with the supporting base (7).

In the supporting base (7), there is provided a motor shaft (7.2), one end of which is connected to the centering shaft housing (7.1). Through the other end thereof, the said motor shaft (6) is connected to a motor (8.1) located under a tray provided at the bottom of the supporting base (7), and it starts to rotate by means of the power it receives from the motor (8.1), and transmits the rotational movement to the main tube (2) via the centering shaft (6). This way, the main tube (2) enables the casing spit (9) affixed thereto to rotate, and thus each and every surface of the doner kebap mounted on the casing spit (9) is enabled to be roasted evenly.

There is provided a scale (T) below the main tube (2) for determining the amount of the meat mounted on the casing spit (9). The information of the amount of meat determined by the scale (T) is transferred to a control unit (K) provided in the system. By altering the operation intervals of the compressor (8.2) in accordance with the signal transmitted from the control unit (K); the amount, temperature and pressure of the coolant to be delivered for circulation can be changed according to the amount of meat mounted on the spit (1).

An electronically or mechanically operated valve (V) is provided at the inlet or outlet point of the coolant or at both points. In accordance with the signal received by the valve (V) from the control unit (K), the flow is stopped or after being stopped, it is restored. Prior to removal of the main tube (2), the valve (V) is closed unilaterally and the coolant in the main tube (2) is vacuumed and drawn into the compressor (8.2), and thus, the coolant is ensured to remain in the compressor (8.2) thereby saving the coolant. Additionally, when another unilateral closing is performed, when the main tube (2) is installed, the air therein is vacuumed, and presence of air in the coolant supplied to the main tube (2) is completely prevented.