Baking apparatus and process

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is therefore an object of this invention to avoid the above noted drawbacks and to provide a baking apparatus and process which enables automatic and uniform baking of a large quanitiy of dough and requires only a small installation space.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a baking apparatus and a process therefor which is simple to operate, economic, and provides onlookers with a view of the baking process.
Accordingly, this invention provides a baking apparatus which includes an oven having an inlet through which pans carrying the dough are introduced into the oven and an outlet through which pans carrying the completely baked confections are taken out of the oven.
Stationary pan receiving members are vertically arranged in multiple layers in the oven.
The stationary pan receiving members are adapted to guide the pans laterally and support them.
First and second vertical feed members are provided on each side of the stationary multiple-layer pan receiving members.
The first and second vertical feed members are adapted to move vertically, in opposite directions, a distance equal to the interval between the stationary pan receiving members.
Movable pan receiving members are rigidly secured in multiple layers to the first and second vertical feed members at intervals twice as large as those of the stationary pan receiving members.
Lateral feed members are provided to feed the pans laterally when the movable pan receiving members are aligned horizontally with the stationary pan receiving members.
Heat sources are arranged between the stationary pan receiving members whereby the pans are made to move up or down in zigzag and pass the heat sources while they are moving horizontally.
This process enables the oven to be designed having a vertical structure, while still allowing even baking of the cakes or cookies, thus enabling reduction in the installation area.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the accompanying drawings, which disclose several embodiments of the invention