In-n-out Burgers Corporation

Other

Stearns Product Development, Inc.

Howard Jay Frantz

John L Boyer

Steve Raio

Mark Courtney

Christopher Paul Lojacono

A conveyorized contact toaster includes a toasting platen and a conveyer mechanism. The toasting platen includes a planar toasting surface. The conveyer mechanism is arranged in a loop and includes a bun interface portion and a return portion. The bun interface portion is in opposed relation to the planar toasting surface and comprises a base including a pair of lateral edges, and a plurality of gripping bodies extending from the base. The gripping bodies may be resilient and independently compressible. The plurality of gripping bodies are positioned along a plurality of gripping axes, with each gripping axis extending orthogonal to the pair of lateral edges and having at least two of the plurality of gripping bodies residing thereon.

Contact toaster including independent compressible gripping members

Toasting apparatus for preparing food products, e.g., buns, are provided for a griddle including a flat griddle surface onto which food products may be placed for cooking, as well as methods for using such apparatus. The apparatus includes a rigid frame movable between a raised position to place food products on or remove food products from the griddle surface and a lowered position wherein a lower surface of the frame is positioned above the griddle surface. The frame includes a plurality of flexible members, e.g., elongate strips, including intermediate regions extending from the lower surface to contact food products on the griddle surface such that the flexible members conform to shapes of food products placed on the griddle surface when the frame is placed in the lowered position to apply pressure to the food products.

Apparatus for accelerating heat transfer on flat griddles and methods for using such apparatus

A relatively compact cooking assembly includes means for selectively positioning a cooking element above several cooking zones of a lower grill. In addition to a lower heated metal surface having several cooking zones, which may be delineated by vertical barriers or splash plates, the system includes an upper assembly comprising an upper member in which a radiant heating element is positioned, said assembly being adapted to fit over the back splash plate of the grill and extending the depth (back to front) of the grill, and further adapted to be raised or lowered and selectively raised or lowered as well as positioned by a sliding motion above a designated zone in predetermined sequence.

Top cooker apparatus

A device for simultaneously and evenly toasting articles of differing contours and dimensions arranged upon a heated griddle. A clamshell plate, positioned in stand-off relationship above said griddle-arranged articles, has a plurality of slideably moveable fingers or pins mounted therein which float, that is, are brought into contacting and resting relation with the upper surfaces of said articles to provide a gentle pressure thereon to urge the lower surfaces into more intimate contact with the griddle until the toasting process is completed, thereby accelerating the toasting process without undesirable side effects such as distortion of, and condensation on, the upper surfaces and caramelization of the lower surfaces of said articles.

Floating clamshell griddle toaster

An ergonomically-designed, operator manipulated scraper means for contacting a cooking surface for the purpose of dislodging and/or removing unwanted material therefrom. A griddle scraper has a platform member, the downwardly distending forward portion of which comprises a cleaning means terminating in a blade edge, and the rear portion of which extends in an upwardly direction. A support member connects at its lower end to said platform and extends upwardly, having a rearwardly inclined end portion. A &ldquo;handshake grip&rdquo; handle positioned above said platform interconnects the support member to said upwardly extending rear portion of said platform. A knob handle is mounted on the support member upper end. In operation, the operator positions the blade edge to engage the griddle surface, the platform being elevated above the grill in a non-touching relationship, the scraper is moved in a forward direction by exertion of normal force by the operator on both the grip handle and the knob until static friction is overcome, after which the device continues in a gliding motion propelled by tangential force as the rear portion of the platform descends downwardly until in substantially touching relationship to the griddle surface, during which motion the operator removes one hand from the knob, and the device is guided by the remaining hand on the handle until it reaches the end of its travel, whereby the cleaning operation is completed.

Ergonomic griddle scraping tool

This present invention comprises an apparatus and method for checking the accuracy of a customer's food order when ordering food to go from a quick-service restaurant. This is done by checking the contents of a bagged order by means of a weight check of the total weight of the bagged order so as to determine the correct order and/or contents thereof prior to the customer leaving the quick service restaurant. Accordingly, the order is logged into a computer system that is programmed to check the contents of the order by means of weighing the total items packaged in the bag, whereby the restaurant employee is alerted when the bagged order is either overweight or underweight with respect to the actual predetermined weight of the total items ordered.

Growing community of inventors

Irvine, CA, United States of America

Howard Jay Frantz