A.j. Antunes & Company

Bhupendra Patel

Ignacio Vega

Francisco Vega

Jignesh Patel

Dipan Patel

Chad Elliott

Cheryl L Panasik

Joseph R Clark

Steve Gauger

Scott P March

Joe Carone

James R Buchler

Robert Cucchi

Robert Jonelis

An automatic food preparation line for automatically preparing bread products for making sandwiches or burgers comprises an automatic bread product handling system containing a plurality of different types of bread products, an automatic toaster appliance for toasting the bread products, an automatic packaging system for automatically dispensing both box and wrapping paper packaging, an automatic sauce dispensing system for dispensing a plurality of different sauces onto the bread product, an automatic non-sauce condiment dispensing system for dispensing one or more different condiments onto the bread product, and an automatic conveyor system for conveying the bread product between the various systems. The entire automatic food preparation line is under the control of a suitable computer, such as, for example, a programmable logic controller (PLC), and a patron may select the type of bread product, the type of sauce, and the type of non-sauce condiment by inputting such selections into a user interface (UI) located at a point-of-sale (POS) location.

Automatic food preparation line

Damper mechanisms are provided in conjunction with housings of various different appliances and are disposed at first positions at which the dampers effectively close off or seal the interior regions of the appliances within which various heated, refrigerated, or frozen environments have been established. Such damper mechanisms can be moved to second positions so as to permit food items to be inserted into, or extracted from, the various housings of the appliances, but will automatically return to their first positions so as to again close off or seal the interior regions of the appliances. In this manner, thermal energy is preserved whereby the appliances are enabled to operate at peak energy efficiency.

Energy conservation damper mechanisms for use in conjunction with food preparation or food storage equipment

A food cooking appliance which utilizes both steam and heat for rapidly cooking food products is disclosed. The food products are disposed within a food cooking housing and a steam generator is provided within a steam generator housing so as to generate steam which is fluidically conducted into the food cooking housing. In this manner, the food products are cooked as a result of the steam being conducted into upper regions of cooking chambers defined within the food cooking housing while the heat generated from the heated grills or platens impart heat to the lower regions of the cooking chambers thereby cooking the food in an accelerated manner which is extremely desirable by commercial fast-food establishments. The steam generator housing is wholly separate and apart from the food cooking housing but fluidically connected to the food cooking housing by a fluid conduit which may rigid or flexible. In this manner, the food cooking housing and the steam generator housing may be located at different locations within a kitchen facility in order that the kitchen facility be capable of accommodating both the food cooking housing and the steam generator housing. The steam generator housing may also be provided with multiple fluid conduits such that a single steam generator can supply steam to a plurality of different appliances.

Food cooking appliance utilizing both steam and heat for rapidly cooking food products

Food service equipment comprises a multiple-pass feeder conveyor and toaster which comprises an upper inclined food product infeed conveyor ramp for causing the food products to proceed in a first direction extending from the rear of the appliance toward the front of the appliance and onto the upper run of a first upper endless conveyor. The upper run of the first upper endless conveyor conveys the food products into a semi-circular return product feeder which causes the food products to be conveyed in a second opposite direction extending from the front of the appliance toward the rear of the appliance and into an entry space defined by means of the lower run of the first upper endless conveyor and the upper run of a second lower endless conveyor, the two conveyors being synchronized together. The pair of conveyors convey the food products between heated platens respectively associated with the two conveyors whereby the food products are cooked or toasted. Additional pairs of conveyors can also be incorporated within the system, in a vertically stacked array, so as to effectively increase the length of travel experienced by the multiple food products without increasing the footprint of the equipment. In addition, upper and lower heated platens are operatively associated with the first and second upper and lower endless conveyors, and the upper heated platen is movably mounted within the food service equipment so as to move upwardly and downwardly and thereby permit different food products, having different thickness dimensions, to be conveyed through the food service equipment.

Food service equipment comprising a multiple-pass feeder conveyor and toaster with floating platen to accommodate different food products having different thickness dimensions

A food cooking appliance which utilizes both steam and heat for rapidly cooking food products is disclosed. The food products are disposed within food containers which are effectively formed as openings within one or more plates or templates, wherein the openings may have different geometrical configurations and size dimensions, and the one or more plates or templates are pivotally movable between upper or raised non-cooking positions and lower cooking positions at which the food products, disposed within the openings, are disposed atop one or more heated grills or platens. One or more covers are also utilized to cover the plates or templates such that the food products are cooked within covered cooking chambers. A steam generator is also provided so as to generate steam which is fluidically conducted into the covered cooking chambers. In this manner, the food products are cooked as a result of the steam being conducted into the upper regions of the covered cooking chambers while the heat generated from the heated grills or platens impart heat to the lower regions of the covered cooking chambers thereby cooking the food in an accelerated manner which is extremely desirable by commercial fast-food establishments.

Food service equipment comprises a multiple-pass feeder conveyor and toaster which comprises an upper inclined food product infeed conveyor ramp for causing the food products to proceed in a first direction extending from the rear of the appliance toward the front of the appliance and onto the upper run of a first upper endless conveyor. The upper run of the first upper endless conveyor conveys the food products into a semi-circular return product feeder which causes the food products to be conveyed in a second opposite direction extending from the front of the appliance toward the rear of the appliance and into an entry space defined by means of the lower run of the first upper endless conveyor and the upper run of a second lower endless conveyor, the two conveyors being synchronized together. The pair of conveyors convey the food products between heated platens respectively associated with the two conveyors whereby the food products are cooked or toasted. The cooked or toasted food products are discharged onto a lower inclined food product discharge ramp which is disposed substantially parallel to the first inclined food product infeed ramp such that the finished food products are conveyed in a third direction, parallel to the first direction, toward a finished food product platform from which the finished food products may be removed for serving to diners. Additional pairs of conveyors can also be incorporated within the system, in a vertically stacked array, so as to effectively increase the length of travel experienced by the multiple food products without increasing the footprint of the equipment.

Food service equipment comprising a multiple-pass feeder conveyor and toaster

A super steam cup cooking appliance, for cooking various food products, comprises a housing, a steam generator, and an individually-sized serving cup removably attached from the appliance housing. The steam generated by the steam generator flows into a steam manifold, a steam delivery conduit, and a steam discharge pipe. A steam flux director can be removably attached to the steam discharge. Steam, generated by means of the steam generator, can thus flow into the steam manifold, through the steam delivery conduit, through the steam discharge pipe, and out from the steam flux director so as to be conducted onto the food product disposed within the individually-sized serving cup such that the food product is cooked by the steam exiting from the steam flux director. The appliance can operate either with the steam flux director attached to the steam discharge pipe, or without the steam flux director being attached to the steam discharge pipe.

Food cooking appliance utilizing super-heated steam for cooking food

Food service equipment for effectively making a hollowed-out dough product from bread or another dough product is disclosed wherein the hollowed-out dough product can then be used in connection with the housing or containment of salads, soups, hamburgers, sandwiches, desserts, or the like. The hollowed-out dough products are formed from bread or other dough products as a result of being placed atop and compressed downwardly upon a pair of platens. Concomitantly with the formation of the bread or dough products into the desired hollowed-out dough products, the interior portions of the hollowed-out dough products are also toasted by means of the platens which are heated internally. Still further, two hollowed-out dough products are formed at the same time such that, for example, they can be utilized in connection with the serving of hamburgers or sandwiches, which require top and bottom hollowed-out dough products, or alternatively, the two hollowed-out dough products can be utilized to serve a diner a pair of open-face sandwiches, or still further, the serving of multiple salads, soups, desserts, or other foods to multiple diners.

Food service equipment for making a hollowed-out dough product from bread or other dough product for serving salads, soups, hamburgers, sandwiches, desserts, and the like

A grilling appliance is disclosed for preparing various different types of food wherein the food is conveyed through the appliance, from a food insert end of the appliance to a food removal end of the appliance, by means of continuously movable flow-through upper and lower cooperating conveyors operatively associated with platen-type heating members over which the upper and lower conveyors are conveyed so as to be heated by the platen-type heating members and thereby, in turn, heat, brown, or carmelize the food as desired or required. Multiple independently controlled conveyor sets define multiple independently controlled conveyor cooking lanes within the appliance.

Conveyor-type grilling appliance for cooking or re-thermalizing food with multiple independently controlled sets of conveyors defining multiple independently controlled cooking lanes

A cooking assembly, and a cooking station employing the cooking assembly, is disclosed. The cooking assembly comprises a flexible ring which is conformable to any one of a plurality of different predeterminedly structured templates, any one of which can be interchangeably utilized upon a food station, in order to provide cooked foods with predeterminedly different shapes or configurations as may be desired.

Cooking assembly comprising a flexible ring conformable to predeterminedly shaped templates of a cooking station for providing cooked foods with predeterminedly different shapes, and the cooking station employing the cooking assembly

Growing community of inventors

Carol Stream, IL, United States of America

Bhupendra Patel