Gregory Richards

Title: Gregory Richards: Inventor of Restaurant Automation and Ventilation Systems.

Introduction

Gregory Richards is an inventor based in Deerfield, Illinois, whose patent work addresses restaurant operations, including automated food delivery and responsive kitchen ventilation. He is associated with Franke Technology and Trademark Ltd. His listed portfolio includes 2 patents.

Latest Patents

Richards’s listed patents include “System for Receiving, Loading, Queuing, and Delivery of Goods.” The invention describes a track-guided transport system that moves orders on carrier racks from a loading station to an unloading station. Powered fingers transfer the orders to a sequencing arrangement, where conveyors can accumulate orders or product batches before delivery. The design supports flexible layouts for moving food horizontally or vertically, including delivery to a customer pickup location near a second drive-through lane.

His other listed patent, “Cooking Hood Vent with Predictive Event Recognition,” describes an exhaust hood system that adjusts airflow based on the observed status of cooking appliances. A camera captures images of an appliance surface, and an image-processing controller compares them with stored images to determine the appliance’s status. The resulting signal guides an exhaust-fan controller in adjusting ventilation.

Career Highlights

The two inventions reflect a focus on practical systems for restaurant environments. One coordinates the movement and sequencing of orders, while the other uses image-based status recognition to control kitchen exhaust airflow. Richards is associated with Franke Technology and Trademark Ltd.

Collaborations

The provided information identifies Mark Ashley and Alan Greer as Richards’s coworkers. It does not specify their roles in the listed inventions or patents.

Conclusion

Gregory Richards’s listed patent work combines automated order handling with image-guided ventilation control, addressing distinct operational needs in restaurant settings.