Henny Penny Corporation

Douglas A Burkett

Gary L Mercer

Tim A Landwehr

Robert W Stirling

James W Meeks

Craig Vagedes

Robert T Wood

David B Winter

Joseph J Tiszai

Manouchehr Shirali

Edmond L Phillipps, Jr

Thomas Lee Gort

Melissa M Hohler

Edward J Florkey

Peter J Koopman

John Hill

William M Casey

Mark Gogel

Michael Manzella

Charles B Leader

Ned M Mote

Brian K Brooks

Rick Baden

Chuck Tomecek

Dave Casler

William Casey

Brian Brooks

Edmond L Phillips

An automatic fryer apparatus and method of frying food products includes a cooking chamber, a heating mechanism disposed in the cooking chamber, and a pump disposed at an end of the cooking chamber to circulate cooking medium within the cooking chamber. Food product is added to the cooking chamber and flows along with the cooking medium in a flow direction. A controller controls a plurality of gates by individually actuating each gate. The controller stores data regarding predetermined time periods, which regulate when to raise and lower each gate. Food product moves downstream of each gate along a flow direction when each respective gate is raised. Food product is automatically transferred to a holding station when it reaches an outlet end of the cooking chamber.

Automatic fryer

An automatic cooking medium level control system for a cooking apparatus, e.g., a fryer, may include a cooking vessel having a first temperature sensor at a first level of the cooking vessel and a second temperature sensor at a second level of the cooking vessel. A reservoir holding a cooking medium, such as cooking oil, may be in fluid communication with the cooking vessel. A controller may monitor temperature data from the first and second temperature sensors to determine whether the level of cooking oil in the cooking vessel has lowered. Upon determining that the cooking oil level has lowered, the controller may actuate a supply mechanism, such as a pump, which may be disposed on a fluid communication path between the reservoir and cooking vessel, which may enable the introduction of cooking medium from the reservoir to the to the cooking vessel.

Automatic cooking medium level control systems and methods

A holding cabinet includes a body defining a holding space and a holding compartment disposed within the holding space for holding a product therein. The holding cabinet further includes a heating source, a steam generator, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a product detector, and a controller. The controller is configured to regulate environmental conditions of the holding compartment according to a determined setpoint, which corresponds to a predetermined temperature and relative humidity. The controller regulates such environmental conditions by acquiring the sensed air temperature, relative humidity, and the detected type of product, and activating and deactivating the heating source and the steam generator in accordance with the acquired air temperature, relative humidity, and the determined setpoint corresponding to the type of product detected and a holding time of the product, to maintain the air temperature and the relative humidity within a predetermined range based on the determined setpoint.

Holding cabinets, methods for controlling environmental conditions in holding cabinets, and computer-readable media storing instructions for implementing such methods

A cooking medium filter system determines a quality of a cooking medium. The cooking medium filter system includes a filter container, a filter medium, a pump, a sample chamber, and a controller. The filter container receives the cooking medium from a cooking vessel. The filter medium is disposed in the filter container and removes contaminants from the cooking medium. The pump conveys the cooking medium along a filter path from the filter container to the cooking vessel. The sample chamber is disposed in the filter path downstream from the filter medium. The sample chamber includes an electrode disposed therein. The sample chamber receives therein a quantity of the cooking medium that is sufficient to immerse the electrode therein. The controller controls operations of the filter pump and controls the electrode to measure a property of the cooking medium that is associated with the quality of the cooking medium.

Systems and methods for single-sensor oil quality measurement

A fryer measures cooking medium quality, and includes a cooking vessel configured to store a cooking medium, an electrode plate completely immersed in the cooking medium, an insulator comprising a first side and a second side, wherein the first side of the insulator is fixed to the electrode plate, and a second side of the insulator is attached to a wall of the cooking vessel, a guard ring fixed to the cooking vessel and surrounding the electrode plate and insulator. The guard ring extends further away from the wall of the cooking vessel than the electrode plate. A size of a gap between the guard ring and the electrode plate is based on a height, a width, and a thickness of the electrode plate and substantially defines a gain of the electrode. A signal conditioning circuit measures the conductivity of the cooking medium applied to the electrode.

Systems and methods of implementing an electrode for cooking medium quality measurement

An automatic filtering system for filtering a cooking medium in a fryer, includes a frypot; a filter manifold having removable filter; a pump, that supplies cooking medium from the filter manifold to the frypot; a pressure sensor that senses a pressure of the cooking medium supplied by the pump; and a controlling mechanism that controls an operation of the pump in response to the sensed pressure data. The control mechanism halts the operation of the pump after sensing a drop in the pressure of the cooking medium pressure that is greater than or equal to a predetermined pressure drop threshold. The systems and methods of the invention provide automatic filtering that may reduce or eliminate an incorrect refilling operation after the filtering of cooking medium, so that the filtering process may be performed correctly each time.

Automatic cooking medium filtering systems and methods

A fryer includes a cooking vessel, and the cooking vessel includes a wall and contains a cooking medium. The fryer also includes a heater for heating the cooking medium, and a first temperature sensor which determines a first temperature. The first temperature is a temperature of the cooking medium or is a temperature of air within the cooking vessel, depending on a level of the cooking medium within the cooking vessel. The first temperature sensor also generates a first signal indicating the first temperature. The fryer also includes a second temperature sensor, which determines a second temperature of the wall. The second temperature sensor also generates a second signal indicating the second temperature. Moreover, the fryer includes a controller which is electrically coupled to the first temperature sensor and to the second temperature sensor. Specifically, the controller receives the first signal and receives the second signal. The controller also deactivates the heater when the second temperature is greater than or equal to a particular predetermined temperature, or when a difference between the second temperature and the first temperature is greater than or equal to a predetermined temperature difference, or both.

Fryers which deactivate before a level of a cooking medium falls below a minimum level, and methods of deactivating such fryers

A holding cabinet with closed-loop humidity control system and method for controlling humidity in a holding cabinet are disclosed. According to an embodiment, the method comprises determining a relative humidity set point; activating a heater in a fluid pan; determining if a fluid is present in the fluid pan; measuring the relative humidity in the cabinet; and maintaining the relative humidity within a predetermined range. According to another embodiment, a holding cabinet with a closed-loop humidity control system includes a holding cabinet; an air temperature probe for measuring an air temperature within the holding cabinet; a humidity sensor for measuring a humidity within the holding cabinet; a heater for heating air within the holding cabinet to a predetermined temperature; an air fan for circulating the air and for introducing air from outside the holding cabinet; and a water pan for holding water within the holding cabinet.

Holding cabinet with closed-loop humidity control system and method for controlling humidity in a holding cabinet

A fluid fill system includes at least one sensor for indicating whether a fluid level in a reservoir is equal to or greater than a predetermined fluid level and a process control. The process control obtains a reading from the at least one sensor at a predetermined interval and increments a counter if the reading indicates that the fluid level is equal to or greater than the predetermined fluid level and decrements the counter if the reading indicates that the fluid level is less than the predetermined fluid level. Process control operates a fluid supply mechanism when a value of the counter moves beyond a predetermined value.

Humidity cabinet with automatic fluid fill system

A system and method for AC line voltage analysis is disclosed. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a system for AC line voltage analysis on an AC line includes a transformer that steps down the AC line voltage, a rectifier that rectifies the stepped down AC line current, a filter that filters the rectified AC line current, a voltage divider that reduces the AC line voltage; and an A/D converter that converts the reduced AC line voltage to digital bits. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method for AC line voltage analysis of an AC line includes the steps of (1) calibrating equipment for measuring AC line voltage analysis, (2) adjusting for at least one load, (3) filtering an adjusted measurement; and (4) determining an actual line voltage.

System and method for AC line voltage analysis

A system and method for identification of a medium in a cooking vessel is disclosed. The system includes a cooking vessel, a heat source for heating a medium within the cooking vessel, and a temperature sensor within the cooking vessel for measuring the medium temperature. A process controller is in communication with the temperature sensor and controls the heat source, and includes a processing unit and a storage unit. Data is input to the process controller through an input unit, and the temperature sensor sends a signal representing the medium temperature to the process controller. The process controller controls the heat source and applies heat to the medium, and also monitors the medium temperature in order to determine whether the medium is substantially water. The method first determines the temperature of a medium in a cooking vessel and initiates a cool detection process if the temperature of the medium is less than a predetermined temperature. If the temperature of the medium is above at least a predetermined temperature, the warm detection process is initiated. Next, the method determines if the medium includes water and provides an alarm if the media is substantially water.

System and method for determining cooking system medium

An apparatus and method for optical sensing of liquid level in cooking vessels are disclosed. The apparatus comprises: a first sensor (P1) for detecting a liquid and generating a first signal indicating a vessel level of the detected liquid above a desired liquid level (110) in the cooking vessel (102); a second sensor (P2) for detecting the liquid and generating a second signal indicating the vessel level of the detected liquid below the desired liquid level (110) in the cooking vessel (102); a third sensor (P3) for detecting the liquid and generating a third signal indicating the vessel level of the detected liquid (110) at the bottom of the cooking vessel (102); and a controller (108) for receiving the signals and for determining the vessel level in the cooking vessel (102). The method for optically sensing liquid level in a cooking vessel comprises the following steps: first, sensing a vessel level of the liquid at a plurality of locations with a plurality of sensors positioned within the cooking vessel; second, generating at least one analog signal indicating a vessel level of the liquid at at least one of the sensors; third, processing the at least one analog signal; fourth, determining the vessel level of the liquid within the cooking vessel; and fifth, displaying the vessel level within the cooking vessel.

Growing community of inventors

Eaton, OH, United States of America

Douglas A Burkett