Food preparation system and method

• US 5,172,328 A
• Filed: 01/08/1992
• Issued: 12/15/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Restaurant Technologies Incorporated (Goldman Sachs Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Restaurant Technologies Incorporated (Goldman Sachs Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Koehler, Richard O., Carroll, David W., Hanson, Robert A., Cahlander, Robert L., Hollingsworth, Alfred C., Reinertsen, John O.
• Primary Examiner(s): MacDonald, Allen R.
• Application Number:
  US07/819,575
• Time in Patent Office: 342 Days
• Field of Search: 364/478, 364/479, 364/400, 364/477, 364/557, 99/403, 99/407, 99/325, 395/82
• 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. In one embodiment, the cooking station is a clamshell grill and the robot deposits on and retrieves from the grill hamburger patties in a predetermined horizontal array with a novel end of arm tool.

Claims

1. A robotized fry cell for processing at least one type of bulk food comprising:

(a) a dispensing station comprising a food dispenser for each type of bulk food, each dispenser capable of dispensing an amount of food into a container;

(b) a cooking station comprising at least one fry vat for frying food contained in the container;

(c) a robot capable of working in an area that determines a work area said robot capable of horizontal linear movement in said work area;

(d) an end of arm robot tool for said robot, said robot capable of, in conjunction with said end of arm tool, selectively engaging, disengaging and moving, in said work area to said stations while engaged, said container for holding a quantity of food from said dispensing station;

(e) said dispensing station and said cooking station being located with respect to said work area so that said robot can place said container means in a food receiving position with respect to any of said plurality of food dispensers, and in a cooking position with respect to said fry vat; and

(f) a cooked food receiving station.

2. The fry cell of claim 1 further comprising basket rocking means associated with said fry vat for selectively rocking the container during cooking in said fry vat.

3. The fry cell of claim 1 further comprising stir means associated with said fry vat for stirring the food in the container during cooking in said fry vat.

4. The fry cell of claim 1 wherein said dispensing station comprises a separate food dispenser for chicken nuggets, fish filets and chicken patties.

5. The fry cell of claim 4 further comprising dump means for dumping cooked food from-said container into said cooked food receiving station.

6. The fry cell of claim 5 wherein said dump means comprises at least one pivotable platform capable of pivoting from a horizontal position for loading cooked food thereon to a relatively upright position for dumping food thereon into said cooked food receiving station.

7. The fry cell of claim 6 wherein said dump means comprises two of said pivotable platforms, one locked at each end of said cooking station.

8. The fry cell of claim 7 wherein said cooked food receiving station comprises an area adjacent one end of said cooking station for receiving food from one of said pivotable platforms and another area adjacent the other end of said cooking station for receiving food from the other of said pivotable platforms.

78. The automated system of claim 7 wherein said second subfixtures is located above said first subfixture when said subfixtures are in vertical registry with each other.

79. The automated system of claim 78 wherein said operator can transport said second subfixture without said first subfixture and said operator can also transport said first and second subfixtures in vertical registry with each other.

80. The automated system of claim 79 further comprising means for selectively moving said second spatula from a first position where said second spatula is located beneath said second hoop for supporting food patties in said second hoop to a second position where said second spatula is retracted from said hoop for permitting food patties to be discharged from said second hoop.

81. The automated system of claim 80 further comprising means for selectively moving said first spatula from a first position where said first spatula is located beneath said first hoop for supporting food patties in said first hoop to a second position wherein said first spatula is retracted from said first loop for permitting food patties to be discharged from said first hoop.

82. The automated system of claim 79 further comprising a horizontal transfer shuttle for horizontally transporting said first subfixture to and from said operator and said food dispensing station.

9. An automated system for cooking food products comprising:

(a) a robot capable of working in an area that determines a work area, said robot capable of horizontal linear movement in said work area;

(b) at least one bulk uncooked food dispenser for dispensing uncooked food pieces into a moveable container located in said work area;

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

(d) storage means in or adjacent said work area for receiving and storing cooked food;

(e) discharge means for discharging into said storage means food cooked by said cooking means; and

(f) said robot including an end of arm tool, 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 plurality of food pieces in cooking position with respect to said cooking means while said food pieces are contained in said container, said desired locations including an uncooked food dispensing position for receiving food into said container from said food dispenser, at least one cooking position at said cooking station for cooking said food pieces and an unloading location where cooked food is unloaded from said container.

10. The automated system of claim 9 wherein said container means comprises at least one fry basket.

11. The automated system of claim 9 wherein said bulk uncooked food dispenser is a french fry dispenser.

12. The automated system of claim 11, said system further comprising a second food dispenser that is a chicken nugget dispenser.

13. The robotized system of claim 12 wherein said storage means comprise separate storage locations for cooked french fries and chicken nuggets.

14. The automated system of claim 9 wherein said bulk uncooked food dispenser is a chicken nugget dispenser.

15. The automated system of claim 14, said bulk uncooked food dispenser further comprises a second food dispenser for dispensing chicken patties and a third food dispenser for dispensing fish filets.

16. The robotized system of claim 15 wherein said storage means comprise separate storage location for cooked chicken patties and chicken nuggets.

17. The robotized system of claim 9 wherein said food dispensing station can dispense at least one type of uncooked foods selected from the group consisting of french fries, chicken nuggets, fish filets and chicken patties.

18. The robotized system of claim 9 wherein each of said food dispensers is capable of dispensing a preselected amount of food into said container.

19. The automated system of claim 9 wherein said cooking station comprises a grill surface for grilling food.

20. The automated system of claim 19 wherein said grill is a clamshell grill.

21. The automated system of claim 19 wherein said robot is moveable horizontally along a linear substantially horizontal track.

22. The automated system of claim 9 wherein said moveable container forms part of said end of arm tool and comprises a fixture for dispensing and retrieving food on a grill surface.

23. The automated system of claim 22 wherein said bulk uncooked food dispenser is a food patty dispenser.

24. The automated system of claim 23 wherein said fixture comprises a first subfixture for receiving uncooked food patties from said food patty dispenser and delivering and depositing with said robot said uncooked food patties on said grill surface and a second subfixture for retrieving cooked food patties from said grill surface and for delivering them by said robot to said storage means.

25. The automated system of claim 24 wherein said first subfixture includes a first hoop member and a first selectively moveable spatula member locatable beneath said hoop member, for containing and depositing food patties in a spaced apart horizontal array.

26. The automated system of claim 25 wherein said second subfixture includes a second hoop member and a second selectively moveable spatula member locatable beneath said second hoop member for retrieving from said grill surface and depositing at said storage means cooked food patties in said horizontal array.

27. The automated system of claim 26 wherein said horizontal array is a linear horizontal array composed of rows and columns.

28. The automated system of claim 26 further comprising means for selectively coupling an decoupling said first and second subfixtures in vertical registry with each other.

29. The automated system of claim 28 wherein said second subfixtures is located above said first subfixture when said subfixtures are in vertical registry with each other.

30. The automated system of claim 29 wherein said robot can transport said second subfixture without said first subfixture and said robot can also transport said first and second subfixtures in vertical registry with each other.

31. The automated system of claim 30 further comprising means for selectively moving said second spatula from a first position where said second spatula is located beneath said second hoop for supporting food patties in said second hoop to a second position where said second spatula is retracted from said hoop for permitting food patties to be discharged from said second hoop.

32. The automated system of claim 31 further comprising means for selectively moving said first spatula from a first position where said first spatula is located beneath said first hoop for supporting food patties in said first hoop to a second position wherein said first spatula is retracted from said first loop for permitting food patties to be discharged from said first hoop.

33. The robotized system of claim 9 further comprising computer operating and control means for controlling and directing said robot to engage and transport said food container in sequence to and from said food dispensing station and to and from said cooking means at a frequency based on an anticipated volume of customer orders.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein said anticipated volume of customers orders is based on stored data stored in said computer operating and control means.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein at least part of said stored data is based on data collected on a real time basis from customer orders for that day.

36. The system of claim 34 wherein at least a portion of said data is based on historical data.

37. The system of claim 34 wherein said stored data contains the anticipated volume of customer orders based on food type on an hourly basis.

38. The system of claim 33 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.

39. The system of claim 38 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.

40. The automated system of claim 9 further comprising an at least substantially horizontal linear track along which track the robot is moveable horizontally.

41. The robotized system of claim 40 wherein said bulk uncooked food dispenser, said cooking station and said storage means are in a linear array with respect to each other.

42. An automated system for grilling food products comprising:

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

(b) at least one bulk uncooked food dispenser for dispensing uncooked food pieces into a moveable container located in said work area;

(c) at least one cooking station in said work area having a cooking surface for cooking a plurality of pieces of food therein;

(d) said robot including an end of arm tool comprising a fixture assembly for dispensing and retrieving in a predetermined horizontal planar array a plurality of pieces of food on said cooking surface.

43. The automated system of claim 42 wherein said cooking surface is a grill surface.

44. The automated system of claim 43 wherein said grill is a clamshell grill.

45. The automated system of claim 42 wherein said uncooked food dispenser is a food patty dispenser.

46. The automated system of claim 45 wherein said fixture assembly comprises a first subfixture for receiving uncooked food patties from said food patty dispenser and delivering and depositing with said robot said uncooked food patties on said grill surface and a second subfixture for retrieving cooked food patties from said grill surface and for delivering them by said robot to a storage means.

47. The automated system of claim 46 wherein said first subfixture includes a first hoop member and a first selectively moveable spatula member locatable beneath said hoop member, for containing and depositing food patties in a spaced apart horizontal array.

48. The automated system of claim 47 wherein said second subfixture includes a second hoop member and a second selectively moveable spatula member locatable beneath said second hoop member for retrieving from said grill surface and depositing at said storage means cooked food patties in said horizontal array.

49. The automated system of claim 48 wherein said horizontal array is a linear horizontal array composed of rows and columns.

50. The automated system of claim 48 wherein said comprising means for selectively coupling an decoupling said first and second subfixtures in vertical registry with each other.

51. The automated system of claim 50 wherein said second subfixtures is located above said first subfixture when said subfixtures are in vertical registry with each other.

52. The automated system of claim 51 wherein said robot can transport said second subfixture without said first subfixture and said robot can also transport said first and second subfixtures in vertical registry with each other.

53. The automated system of claim 52 wherein said comprising means for selectively moving said second spatula from a first position where said second spatula is located beneath said second hoop for supporting food patties in said second hoop to a second position where said second spatula is retracted from said hoop for permitting food patties to be discharged from said second hoop.

54. The automated system of claim 53 further comprising means for selectively moving said first spatula from a first position where said first spatula is located beneath said first hoop for supporting food patties in said first hoop to a second position wherein said first spatula is retracted from said first hoop for permitting food patties to be discharged from said first hoop.

55. The automated system of claim 52 further comprising shuttle means for horizontally transporting said first subfixture to and from a position beneath said robot to a position adjacent said patty dispenser.

56. The automated system of claim 55 wherein said cooking station comprises a clamshell grill, the system further comprising means for closing said clamshell grill after uncooked patties have been deposited therein for cooking.

57. The automated system of claim 56 further comprising means for opening said clamshell grill after said uncooked patties have been cooked.

58. The automated system of claim 42 further comprising an at least substantially horizontal linear track along which said robot is moveable horizontally.

59. The robotized system of claim 42 further comprising computer operating and control means for controlling and directing said system to engage and transport said end of arm tool in sequence to and from said food dispensing station and to and from said cooking station at a frequency based on an anticipated volume of customer orders.

60. The system of claim 59 wherein said anticipated volume of customers orders is base on stored data stored in said computer operating and control means.

61. The system of claim 60 wherein at least a part of said stored data is based on data collected on a real time basis from customer orders for that day.

62. The system of claim 60 wherein at least a portion of said data is based on historical data.

63. The system of claim 60 wherein said stored data contains the anticipated volume of customer orders based on food type on an hourly basis.

64. The system of claim 59 wherein said computer operating and control means includes conflict determining means.

65. The system of claim 64 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.

66. A robotized fry cell for processing at least one type of bulk food comprising:

(a) a dispensing station comprising a food dispenser for each type of bulk food, each dispenser capable of dispensing an amount of food into a container;

(b) a cooking station comprising at least one fry vat;

(c) a robot capable of working in an area that determines a work area said robot capable of horizontal linear movement in said work area;

(d) an end of arm robot tool for said robot, said robot capable of, in conjunction with said end of arm tool, selectively engaging, disengaging and moving, in said work area to said stations while engaged, said container for holding a quantity of food from said dispensing station;

(e) said dispensing station and said cooking station being located with respect to said work area so that said robot can place said container means in a food receiving position with respect to any of said plurality of food dispensers, and in a cooking position with respect to said fry vat;

(f) a cooked food receiving station; and

(g) dump means for dumping cooked food from said container into said cooked food receiving station.

67. The fry cell of claim 66 wherein said dump means comprises at least one pivotable platform capable of pivoting from a horizontal position for loading cooked food thereon to a relatively upright position for dumping food thereon into said cooked food receiving station.

68. The fry cell of claim 67 wherein said dump means comprises two of said pivotable platforms, one located at each end of said cooking station.

69. The fry cell of claim 68 wherein said cooked food receiving station comprises an area adjacent one end of said cooking station for receiving food from one of said pivotable platforms and another area adjacent the other end of said cooking station for receiving food from the other of said pivotable platforms.

70. An automated system for cooking food products comprising:

(a) a work area containing food dispensing, cooking and storage stations and defining a work area in which an operator can interface with said stations;

(b) fixture means in said work area for transporting, dispensing and retrieving food in a horizontal array, moveable by the operator to and from said dispensing, cooking and storage stations;

(c) said food dispensing station for dispensing food and comprising at least one food dispenser for dispensing uncooked food pieces in the horizontal array onto said food transporting, dispensing and retrieving fixture located in said work area;

(d) said cooking station comprising at least one grill surface for grilling said food pieces;

(e) said storage station for receiving and storing cooked food;

(f) said operator comprising automated means for automatically transferring said fixture means from said dispensing station to said cooking station where said food pieces can be dispensed by said fixture means in the array and subsequently retrieved by said fixture means manipulated by said operator after cooking by said cooking station in the array.

71. The system of claim 70 wherein said food dispenser is a hamburger patty dispenser.

72. The system of claim 71 wherein said operator is a mechanical device for transporting and operating said fixture comprising a vertically disposed cylinder for vertical movement of said fixture, a horizontal linear track for horizontal movement of said fixture.

73. The automated system of claim 72 wherein said fixture means comprises a first subfixture for receiving uncooked food patties from said food patty dispenser and delivering and depositing with said operator said uncooked food patties on said grill surface and a second subfixture for retrieving cooked food patties from said grill surface and for delivering them by said robot to said storage means.

74. The automated system of claim 73 wherein said first subfixture includes a first hoop member and a first selectively moveable spatula member locatable beneath said hoop member, for containing and depositing food patties in a spaced apart horizontal array.

75. The automated system of claim 74 wherein said second subfixture includes a second hoop member and a second selectively moveable spatula member locatable beneath said second hoop member for retrieving from said grill surface and depositing at said storage means cooked food patties in said horizontal array.

76. The automated system of claim 75 wherein said horizontal array is a linear horizontal array composed of rows and columns.

77. The automated system of claim 75 further comprising means for selectively coupling and decoupling said first and second subfixtures in vertical registry with each other.

83. The system of claim 70 further comprising computer operating and control means for controlling and directing the operator to engage and transport said fixture means in sequence to and from said food dispensing station and to and from said cooking station at a frequency based on an anticipated volume of customer orders.

84. The system of claim 83 wherein said anticipated volume of customers orders is base on stored data stored in said computer operating and control means.

85. The system of claim 84 wherein at least part of said store data is based on data collected on a real time basis from customer orders for the day.

86. The system of claim 83 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.

87. The system of claim 86 wherein said computer operation 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.

88. The system of claim 70 wherein said cooking station comprises a clamshell grill having upper and lower grill platens.

89. The system of claim 88 further comprising scraper means for periodically scraping the upper and lower grill platens to remove cooking residue from the grill platens.

90. The system of claim 88 further comprising upper and lower platen scrapers mounted for movement across the surface of said upper and lower grill platens, each of said respective grill platen, said upper platen scraper mounted to said lower platen scraper.

91. The system of claim 90 further comprises a cylinder for moving said upper and lower platen scrapers across said grill platens.