Creator, Inc.

Cucina, Inc.

James Brinkman

Alexandros Vardakostas

Michael Balsamo

Steven Frehn

Noe Esparza

Thomas C Hanson

Taylor Nicholson

Oshin Nazarian

Abigail Elizabeth Soong

Jaylyn Daugherty

A system includes a food dispenser, a cooking surface, and an arm assembly. The arm assembly is configured to receive a food product from the food dispenser and transport the food product to the cooking surface. The arm assembly includes an arm portion, an actuator, a cylinder, and a piston. The actuator drives rotation of the arm portion about a first rotational axis. The cylinder is attached to the arm portion and is rotatable relative to the arm portion about a second rotational axis. The piston is axially movable within the cylinder. The piston includes multiple stages. At least one of the stages is movable axially relative to another of the stages between a first position and a second position.

System and method for grinding a food product

An automated food preparation system includes a conveyance system configured to move a foodstuff into a sauce position. The automated food preparation system includes multiple sauce reservoirs each having a pump and each configured to contain a respective one of multiple sauces. The automated food preparation system includes multiple tubes, each in fluid communication with the pump of a respective one of the sauce reservoirs. The automated food preparation system includes a scanning head including multiple openings each coupled with a respective one of the tubes. The automated food preparation system includes a motor drivingly coupled to the scanning head and operable to move the scanning head relative to the foodstuff in the sauce position to position a selected one or more of the openings over a selected one or more regions of the foodstuff.

Systems and methods for precisely dispensing food items

An automated food preparation system includes a sauce-dispensing system with sauce reservoirs, a scanning head, and tubes. Each of the sauce reservoirs is configured to contain a respective sauce. The scanning head includes openings each coupled with a respective sauce reservoir via a respective tube. A conveyance system transports a foodstuff between first and sauce positions. The scanning head is movable to dispense a selected sauce onto one or more regions of the foodstuff. A motor assembly is mounted to a mounting structure. The motor assembly is drivingly coupled to the scanning head and rotates the scanning head relative to the mounting structure. The scanning head includes a plate and a cylindrical shroud fixed relative to the plate. The openings extend through the plate. The plate is disposed within a cavity defined by the cylindrical shroud. The motor assembly rotates the plate and the cylindrical shroud about a longitudinal axis.

System and method for dispensing sauces on foodstuffs

A tray apparatus includes an elongated platform and a tray mechanism. The tray mechanism includes a plate disposed onto the platform and an arm assembly coupled to the plate and including a post and an arm. The post is coupled to the plate and extends upwardly therefrom. The arm is rotatably coupled to the post between a first position and a second position. The plate receives a box containing foodstuffs from a conveyance apparatus. The plate moves in a first direction when moving from a first state toward a second state. The arm is configured to contact the box and rotate from the first position toward the second position when the plate is moving in the first direction. The arm is configured to contact and move the box in a second direction opposite the first along the platform when the plate moves from the second state toward the first state.

Tray apparatus

Systems and method for grinding a food product

An automated food preparation system includes a seasoning-dispensing system, a sauce-dispensing system, and a conveyance system. The seasoning-dispensing system includes a plurality of vessels, a dispersion nozzle, and a conduit coupled to the dispersion nozzle. Each vessel contains one of a plurality of seasonings. The vessels are in selective communication with the conduit. The sauce-dispensing system includes a plurality of sauce reservoirs, a scanning head, and a plurality of tubes. Each sauce reservoirs contains one of a plurality of sauces. The scanning head includes openings each coupled with one of the sauce reservoirs via one of the tubes. The conveyance system transports a foodstuff between a seasoning position in which the foodstuff is disposed below the dispersion nozzle and a sauce position in which the foodstuff is disposed below the openings. The scanning head is movable to dispense one or more sauces onto the foodstuff.

System and method for dispensing spices on foodstuffs

One variation of a system for forming a meat patty includes: a cylinder operable in a upright position and an inverted position; a piston running within the cylinder and defining a set of gas ports; a grinder configured to grind meat and to dispense a quantity of ground meat into the cylinder, in the upright position, during a grind cycle; an actuator system configured to transition the cylinder from the upright position to the inverted position during a dispense cycle to dispense the quantity of ground meat from the cylinder; and a gas supply configured to supply gas to the cylinder behind the piston at a first pressure during the grind cycle to limit ingress of ground meat into the gas ports and at a second pressure greater than the first pressure during the dispense cycle to dislodge the quantity of ground meat from the piston.

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South San Francisco, CA, United States of America

James Brinkman