Food preparation system and method

• US 5,132,914 A
• Filed: 04/30/1990
• Issued: 07/21/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Restaurant Technologies Incorporated (Goldman Sachs Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Restaurant Technologies Incorporated (Goldman Sachs Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hollingsworth, Al, Carroll, David W., Hanson, Robert A., Cahlander, Robert L., Reinertsen, John O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Macdonald, Allen R.
• Application Number:
  US07/516,888
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 364/513, 364/400, 364/477, 364/557, 364/478, 364/479, 99/403, 99/407, 99/325
• US Class Current: 700/211
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 27/14 Cooking-vessels for use in hotels, restaurants, or canteens
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/1228 Automatic machines for frying and dispensing metered amounts of food
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0078 Food articles which need to be processed for dispensing in a hot or cooked condition, e.g. popcorn, nuts
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0085 Food articles which for processing need cooking in a liquid, e.g. oil, water

Abstract

A fully automated robotized system and method is provided for cooking food products. The system and method is especially useful for use in a quick service or fast food restaurant and, in one embodiment, is capable of cooking, on a fully automated basis, french fries, chicken nuggets, fish filets and chicken patties. In one embodiment, the system includes a robot, a bulk uncooked food dispensing station, a cooking station and a cooked food storage station. The system can be controlled by a computer operating and control station that controls and directs the robot to obtain bulk food from the dispensing station, place it in cooking position at the cooking station and when cooked, remove the food and deliver it to the storage station, at a rate required to fill anticipated customer orders.

Claims

1. A robotized system for cooking food products comprising:

(a) a robot capable of working in an area that determines a work area;

(b) food dispensing means for dispensing uncooked food pieces into a moveable container located in said work area;

(c) at least one cooking means in said work area cooking food products;

(d) storage means adjacent said work area for receiving and storing cooked food delivered by said robot from said cooking means; and

(e) an end of arm robot tool forming part of said robot, said robot capable of, in conjunction with said end of arm tool, selectively engaging, disengaging and moving said container to desired locations in said work area and for placing said food pieces in cooking position with respect to said cooking means, said desired locations including an uncooked food dispensing position for receiving food into said container from said food dispensing means, a cooking position at said cooking means for cooking said food pieces and an unloading location where cooked food is unloaded from said container into said storage means.

2. The robotized system of claim 1 wherein said cooking means comprises at least one fry vat for cooking food in a cooking fluid.

3. The system of claim 2 further comprising skimming means, operable by said robot for skimming surface impurities of said fry vat.

4. The system of claim 2 further comprising liquid level measuring means operable by said robot, for determining the level of cooking fluid in said fry vat.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said measuring means comprises an ultrasonic liquid level detector.

6. The system of claim 2 further comprising filling means, operable by said robot, for adding cooking fluid to said fry vat.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said filling means comprises a cooking fluid reservoir moveable by said robot.

8. The robotized system of claim 1 wherein said cooking means comprises first and second fry vats.

9. The robotized system of claim 1 wherein said container comprises at least one fry basket.

10. The robotized system of claim 9 wherein said container comprises a plurality of fry baskets.

11. The robotized system of claim 1 wherein said food dispensing means comprises a first food dispenser that is a french fry dispenser and a said second food dispenser that is a chicken nugget dispenser.

12. The robotized system of claim 11 further comprising a third food dispenser for dispensing fish filets.

13. The robotized system of claim 12 further comprising a fourth food dispenser for dispensing chicken patties.

14. The robotized system of claim 13 wherein said cooking means comprises at least four fry vats, at least one fry vat each for cooking chicken nuggets, french fries, chicken patties and chicken nuggets.

15. The robotized system of claim 12 further comprising storage means for storing cooked french fries and chicken nuggets.

16. The robotized system of claim 11 further comprising separate storage means for storing cooked french fries and chicken nuggets.

17. The robotized system of claim 11 further comprising storage means for storing french fries and chicken nuggets.

18. The robotized system of claim 1 wherein said food dispensing means can dispense at least one type of uncooked foods selected from the group consisting of french fries, chicken nuggets, fish filets and chicken patties.

19. The robotized system of claim 1 wherein said food dispensing means is capable of dispensing a preselected amount of food into said container.

20. The robotized system of claim 1 further comprising computer operating and control means for controlling and directing said robot to engage and transport said container in sequence to and from said food dispensing means and to and from said cooking means at a frequency based on an anticipated volume of customer orders.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein said anticipated volume of customers orders is based on stored data stored in said computer operating and control means.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein at least part of said stored data is based on data collected on a real time basis from customer orders for that day.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein at least a portion of said data is based on historical data.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein said stored data contains the anticipated volume of customer orders based on food type on an hourly basis.

25. The system of claim 20 wherein said computer operating and control means includes conflict determining means for determining whether a proposed system operation would conflict with any current or future system operation already set in motion by dispensing food for said current or future operation.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein said computer operating and control means includes means for determining when a proposed system operation can be started and completed without conflict with any current or future system operation already set in motion by dispensing food for said current or future operation.