Premark Feg L.l.c.

Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Richard W Cartwright

Eric A Soller

Joshua B Murphy

David Charles Edelmann

Jeffrey T DeBord

Joseph C Huang

Brian E Bader

Walter J Boryca

Richard A Kice

Damon C Childers

Nigel G Mills

Charles E Warner

Gary V Hoying

Thomas Alan Grueser

Al D Smith

Raymond M Lepore

Brett J Beaty

Joseph A Lang, Jr

Kevin L Stover

James M Straughn

Jennifer L Smith

Carl St-Laurent

Stephen R Willoughby

John Joseph Everhart

Jeffrey T Debord

An oven may include a cooking chamber, a user interface, a first energy source, a second energy source and a cooking controller. The cooking chamber may be configured to receive a food product. The user interface may be configured to display information associated with processes employed for cooking the food product. The first energy source may provide primary heating of the food product placed in the cooking chamber. The second energy source may provide browning for the food product. The cooking controller may be operably coupled to the first and second energy sources. The cooking controller may include processing circuitry configured to enable an operator to make a browning control selection via the user interface by providing operator instructions to a selected control console rendered at the user interface. The selected control console may be selected based on a cooking mode of the oven. The browning control selection may provide control parameters to direct application of heat to the food product via the second energy source.

Browning control for an oven

A method for enabling network communication relating to a food preparation asset may include receiving, from a third party participant, a registration request to join a community including asset operators that operate at least one food preparation asset, registering the third party participant as a community member, providing the third party participant with access to a communication network for sharing information related to the asset, receiving data indicative of asset related activity, providing the third party participant with data indicative of asset related activity, and enabling the third party participant to establish communications with the asset or asset operators via the communication network based on the data indicative of asset related activity.

Data usage and aggregation in a food product asset related network

An oven includes a cooking chamber configured to receive a food product, a user interface configured to display information associated with processes employed for cooking, first and second energy sources, and a cooking controller. The first energy source provides primary heating and the second energy source provides secondary heating for the food product. The cooking controller may be operably coupled to the first and second energy sources. The cooking controller may include processing circuitry configured to enable an operator to make a browning control selection via the user interface by providing operator instructions to a selected control console rendered at the user interface. The selected control console may be selected based on a cooking mode of the oven. The browning control selection may provide control parameters to direct application of heat to the food product via the second energy source.

A content distribution platform may include processing circuitry having a processor and memory. The memory may store a plurality of content items associated with at least one content library. The processor may be configured to enable assignment of tags to the food preparation assets. Each tag may define an association between a respective one of the assets and a characteristic of the respective one of the assets to enable the content distribution platform to distribute the content items on the basis of the tags.

Tagging of assets for content distribution in an enterprise management system

An oven includes a cooking chamber configured to receive a food product, a user interface configured to display information associated with processes employed for cooking, first and second energy sources, and a cooking controller. The first energy source provides primary heating and the second energy source provides secondary heating for the food product. The cooking controller executes instructions associated with a cooking program directing application of energy to the food product via the first or second energy sources. The cooking controller includes processing circuitry configured to monitor energy added to the food product via the first energy source in accordance with the cooking program, receive an indication of a change to a cooking parameter associated with a second energy source, and determine a modification to the cooking program by employing a modification algorithm based on the cooking parameter change.

Adaptive cooking control for an oven

A content distribution platform may include processing circuitry having a processor and memory. The memory may store a plurality of content items associated with at least one content library. The processor may be configured to enable distribution of the content items to at least a selected asset among a plurality of food preparation assets via a network. The content items may include at least visible content descriptive of a food item preparable using the selected asset and invisible content including non-human readable instructions for enabling the selected asset to prepare the food item.

Cloud based recipe distribution in an enterprise management system

An oven includes a cooking chamber configured to receive a food product, a user interface configured to display information associated with processes employed for cooking, first and second energy sources, and a cooking controller. The first energy source provides primary heating and the second energy source provides secondary heating for the food product. The cooking controller executes instructions directing application of energy to the food product via the first or second energy sources. The cooking controller may include processing circuitry configured to receive an indication of cooking parameters defining at least a food product category of the food product and select a cooking signature corresponding to the food product category. The cooking signature may include information descriptive of inherent properties of the food product category and input response properties defining one or more sets of instructions associated with a cooking sequence for the food product based on the cooking parameters.

Signature cooking

A system and method of selectively extending a wash cycle duration of a warewasher beyond a set minimum duration provides suitable cleaning of wares while at the same time seeking to increase the number of wash cycles per unit time. A system and method for detecting water level in a wash chamber or other tank provides the ability to identify a progressively fouling electrode. A system and method of automatically priming one or more chemical feed lines of a warewasher is also described.

Systems and methods for controlling warewasher wash cycle duration, detecting water levels and priming warewasher chemical feed lines

A chiller includes a chilling compartment for receiving food products to be chilled and a chilling system for delivering chilled air to the chilling compartment during chilling operations. A controller effects operation of the chilling system and includes associated memory storing a plurality of food product data entries. Each food product data entry includes a food product name and at least one associated chilling operation setting for the food product. A user input device is associated with the controller. The controller is operable in conjunction with the user input device to permit a user to select a particular food product data entry such that the controller retrieves at least one chilling operation setting of the particular food product data entry for use in a subsequent chilling operation. The chiller may also include a label printing mechanism for printing chilling operation summary labels which can be applied to food product containers.

Chiller control system

In a chiller, an apparatus and method for automatically identifying a temperature probe for use in a chilling operation is provided in order to reduce user error. In the place of manual selection by a user, automatic selection of the appropriate temperature probe is accomplished by comparing the temperature of the given temperature probe to a threshold temperature. An additional apparatus and method for filtering a displayed compartment temperature is provided to reduce user confusion. The responsiveness of the displayed temperature to temperature changes in the compartment is reduced when the compartment door is opened.

Chiller with automatic probe detection and filtered temperature display

A food slicer for automatic operation having a staged dynamic brake for bringing the slicer carriage to rest at a predetermined location in a smooth manner. A sensor or system of sensors are utilized to detect the slicer carriage location. The sensor output is fed through a microprocessor which controls a dynamic brake which in turn acts upon the slicer carriage. The brake acts upon the carriage in two or more stages, so as to bring the carriage to rest in a smooth manner. The invention may also operate to as to bring the carriage to rest in a predetermined location.

Slicer with staged dynamic braking system

A food slicer for automatic operation having a staged dynamic brake for bringing the slicer carriage to rest at a predetermined location in a smooth manner. A sensor or system of sensors are utilized to detect the slicer carriage location. The sensor output is fed through a microprocessor which controls a dynamic brake which in turn acts upon the slicer carriage. The brake acts upon the carriage in two or more stages, so as to bring the carriage to rest in a smooth manner. The invention can also operate to as to bring the carriage to rest in a predetermined location.

A method for rinsing ware in a warewashing machine comprising the steps of: adding fresh rinse water to a wash chamber of the warewashing machine to rinse said ware in a rinse cycle; detecting the water level in the wash chamber; upon detecting a level below a predetermined volume, continuing to add rinse water to said chamber; and upon detecting a level of water equal to said predetermined volume, discontinuing the step of adding rinse water to said chamber.

Method for adjusting the rinse cycle of a warewasher

The invention relates to a method for operating a warewasher drain valve having a valve cover and a drain. The method comprises the step of rapidly reciprocating the valve cover from a first position closing the drain to a second position in which the drain is opened.

Method of operating a warewasher drain valve

An oil fryer control system simultaneously controlling oil temperature and cooking time. A proportional, integral and derivative temperature control is used to maintain the oil temperature below and above a predetermined set point temperature. In addition, a cooking time control varies the cooking time within a predetermined range of temperature error as a function of a stored time-temperature relationship. The invention provides the capability of cooking different products having different cooking parameters in the same or different oil vats.

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Piqua, OH, United States of America

Richard W Cartwright