The Frymaster Corporation

John M Kinch

John R Davis

James T Grob

Ralph L Macy, Jr

Lynn L Stark

An automated deep fat frying apparatus comprises a plurality of cooking vats in a housing having a filter pan pump assembly. The apparatus has an oil distribution system and a control system having a computer programmed to operate and control oil transfer functions. Motor operated drain and return valves with position sensors are installed on each vat in the oil distribution system and operated by the control system to provide an automatic filter function and an oil transfer function whereby oil is drained from a first vat and transferred to a second vat according to selection inputs from the operator. The system includes operator selectable automated fill and dispose functions. In addition to valve position sensors, the system includes oil level sensors in the vats and filter pan, a pan position sensor and may include level sensors in a supply or dispose tank tied in to the control system which prevent mishaps during oil transfer operations. An error routine signals the opertor and aborts the process if a malfunction is detected that might result in danger resulting from hot oil transfer.

Deep fat frying apparatus with automated oil management and methods

An automated deep fat frying apparatus comprises a plurality of cooking vats in a housing having a filter pan pump assembly. The apparatus has an oil distribution system and a control system having a computer programmed to operate and control oil transfer functions. Motor operated drain and return valves with position sensors are installed on each vat in the oil distribution system and operated by the control system to provide an automatic filter function and an oil transfer function whereby oil is drained from a first vat and transferred to a second vat according to selection inputs from the operator. The system includes operator selectable automated fill and dispose functions. In addition to valve position sensors, the system includes oil level sensors in the vats and filter pan, a pan position sensor and may include level sensors in a supply or dispose tank tied in to the control system which prevent mishaps during oil transfer operations. An error routine signals the operator and aborts the process if a malfunction is detected that might result in danger resulting from hot oil transfer.

Deep fat frying apparatus with automated oil management

The present invention relates to a system to warn of early removal of food from a cooking medium. The system is a combination of a frypot, a basket sensor and an alarm where the frypot is a container holding a cooking medium such as oil or shortening. Food items to be cooked are placed in a control zone in the cooking medium and held by a basket that holds the food submersed in the cooking medium. The basket sensor is installed to detect the presence of a basket in the container. The basket sensor is monitored by a cooking computer that controls the alarm, activating the alarm if there is no basket in the frypot when a cook cycle is initiated or when the basket is removed before the cook cycle is completed. The cooking computer monitors the cooking cycle by using a preprogrammed cook time and adjusting the time based on variations measured in the cooking medium temperature or other factors.

Early product removal alarm

A deep fat fryer structure includes a floor mounted housing having an upper internal portion in which a side-by-side pair of large capacity metal frypots are operatively supported, each of the frypots having an upper, heated cooking portion from which an unheated well depends. Cooking liquid may be drained from the wells for filtration purposes by a valved drainage conduit system having an open outlet end. Filtered cooking liquid may be returned to the upper frypot portions, or their depending cold wells, through a valved supply conduit system connected to the outlet of a height-adjustable filtration pump disposed within a lower rear portion of the housing. An open-topped, wheel supported overflow pan nestingly receives an open-topped cooking liquid receiving container and may be rolled into the housing directly beneath the frypots to receive cooking liquid drained therefrom, the receiving container having a filtration structure supported on its bottom wall. Aligned outlet openings in the bottom walls of the overflow pan in the receiving container are sealingly communicated by interenagable O-ring slip fitting members which permit cooking liquid downflow through the outlet openings into a drain sump secured to the bottom of the overflow pan. Secured to the drain sump is a transfer pipe having an outer end provided with a quick disconnect fitting member which, when the overflow pan is rolled into the housing, is brought into automatic coupling engagement with a mating quick disconnect fitting on the filtration pump inlet. When the cooking filtration process is completed, the overflow pan may be rolled out of the housing, and the receiving container lifted out of the overflow pan to permit easy access to the filter structure for cleaning thereof. The entire filtration system requires no more floor space than that occupied by the frypot housing.

Deep fat frying apparatus with improved under-fryer cooking liquid

A multi-frypot, deep fat frying assembly is formed by operatively interconnecting a filtered, multiple frypot cooking module with one or more nonfiltered, multiple frypot cooking modules, each module having headered cooking fluid supply and drain piping systems disposed within its outer housing. To form the ganged frypot assembly, the module housings, with appropriate side panels removed, are placed in a side-by-side orientation and the adjacent headered piping systems are connected to one another to form in the assembly common supply and drain headers. The filtered module is provided with a roll-out, self-contained filter unit which may be moved into and out of the filtered module housing directly beneath its frypots, the filter unit having a cooking fluid receiving container which carries a filter pump that may be quick-connected to the supply header. The drain header in the filtered module has a pivotally mounted outlet tube which may be pivoted rearwardly to operatively position it over the receiving container, or pivoted forwardly to position its over a suitable disposal container positioned at the front of the filtered module's housing. A spring loaded detent member is used to releasably lock the outlet tube in either its forwardly or rearwardly pivoted position. The outlet side of the filter pump is provided with the diverter valve operative to circulate cooking oil through the pump and filter to provide the assembly with a cooking oil 'polishing' cycle.

Deep fat frying apparatus having an improved cooking fluid filtration

A deep fat fryer structure includes a floor mounted housing having an upper internal portion in which a side-by-side pair of large capacity metal frypots are operatively supported, each of the frypots having an upper, heated cooking portion from which an unheated cold well depends. Cooking fluid may be drained from the wells for filtration purposes by a valved drainage conduit system having an open outlet end. Filtered cooking fluid may be returned to the upper frypot portions through a valved supply conduit system having a flexible inlet end portion extendable below the frypots. An open-topped, wheel-supported container may be rolled into the housing directly beneath the frypots to receive cooking fluid drained therefrom, and has a cooking fluid filtration element supported on its bottom wall directly over a drain sump depending therefrom. Externally mounted on a front side portion of the container is a motor-driven pump with an inlet communicating with the drain sump, and an outlet provided with a quick-disconnect fitting securable to the flexible inlet end of the supply conduit system. During pump operation, cooking fluid is drained from a selected frypot into the container, filtered therein, and then pumped upwardly into the selected frypot. In this manner, the entire filtration system requires no more floor space than that occupied by the frypot housing, and the container may be rolled outwardly therefrom for cleaning purposes and to provide very convenient access to the motor-driven pump.

Growing community of inventors

Shreveport, LA, United States of America

John M Kinch