Automated condiment dispensing system with precisely controlled dispensed quantities

An automated condiment dispensing system to be disposed at at least one condiment dispensing station located along a food preparation line, comprising:

• a hopper for containing a supply of a condiment;
• a vertically oriented condiment holding chamber, fluidically connected at its upper end to said hopper, for holding a predetermined amount of the condiment to be deposited onto a food item;
• a conveyor operatively disposed within said hopper for conveying a supply of the condiment from said hopper into said condiment holding chamber;
• a horizontally movable valve mechanism operatively associated with a lower end of said vertically oriented condiment holding chamber for horizontal movement between OPEN and CLOSED positions so as to permit a predetermined amount of condiment to be accumulated within said condiment holding chamber as a result of the condiment being deposited upon an upper surface portion of said horizontally movable valve mechanism when said horizontally movable valve mechanism is disposed at said CLOSED position, and to then be discharged from said condiment holding chamber, in order to deposit the predetermined amount of the condiment onto a food item, when said horizontally movable valve mechanism is moved horizontally to its OPEN position, and to permit a new predetermined amount of condiment to be contained within said condiment holding chamber and upon said upper surface portion of said horizontally movable valve mechanism for deposition onto another food item when said valve mechanism is again moved horizontally to said CLOSED position;
• and
• a scraper assembly operatively associated with said valve mechanism so as to be disposed in constant contact with said upper surface portion of said valve mechanism as said valve mechanism is moved from said CLOSED position to said OPEN position so as to ensure that all condiment disposed in contact with said upper surface portion of said valve mechanism is removed from said upper surface portion of said valve mechanism and forced into said condiment holding chamber for discharged deposition onto the food item.