Automated countertop egg cooker
AssigneeBridge Appliances, Inc.
InventorsLance Lentini, Ivan Galic, Keller Waldron, Connor White, Thomas M. O'Brien
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided are kitchen devices for cooking eggs using various cooking methods. For example, kitchen devices provided herein comprise a storage component configured to store a plurality of raw eggs, a cracking component configured receive a raw egg of the plurality of raw eggs from the storage component and crack the raw egg, forming a cracked egg, a cooking component configured to receive the cracked egg from the cracking component and cook the cracked egg, forming a cooked egg, and a warming component configured to receive the cooked egg from the cooking component and warm the cooked egg.
Claims27
A kitchen device for cooking eggs comprising:
- a storage component comprising a plurality of cups configured to store a plurality of raw eggs;
- a cracking component configured to receive a raw egg of the plurality of raw eggs from the storage component via a ramp configured to transfer the raw egg from a cup of the plurality of cups of the storage component to the cracking component, the cracking component comprising:
- an arm extending in a first direction relative to the raw egg, and
- a sharp object configured to move in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, such that the sharp object cracks the raw egg to form a cracked egg;
- a cooking component configured to receive the cracked egg from the cracking component and cook the cracked egg to form a cooked egg;
- and
- a warming component configured to receive the cooked egg from the cooking component and warm the cooked egg.
A method of cooking an egg comprising:
- transferring, via a ramp, a raw egg from a storage component of a kitchen device to a cracking component of the kitchen device;
- positioning the raw egg in an optimal cracking position by moving an arm of the cracking component in a first direction relative to the raw egg;
- cracking the raw egg in the optimal cracking position by advancing a sharp object of the cracking component into the raw egg to form a cracked egg, wherein the sharp object advances along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
- separating a shell of the cracked egg from an egg white and a yolk of the cracked egg;
- and
- cooking the egg white and the yolk of the cracked egg on a temperature-controlled hot plate of the kitchen device.
A kitchen device for cooking eggs comprising:
- a storage component comprising a cup configured to store a raw egg;
- a cracking component configured to receive a raw egg of the plurality of raw eggs from the storage component via a ramp configured to transfer the raw egg from a cup of the plurality of cups of the storage component to the cracking component, the cracking component comprising:
- an arm extending in a first direction relative to the raw egg, and
- a sharp object configured to move in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, such that the sharp object cracks the raw egg to form a cracked egg;
- a cooking component;
- a warming component;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- receive a request for a cooked egg type;
- in response to receiving the request for the cooked egg type:
- move the raw egg from the storage component to the cracking component via the ramp;
- crack the raw egg by advancing the sharp object along the second direction into the raw egg to form a cracked egg, such that the cooking component receives the cracked egg;
- cook the cracked egg in the cooking component to form a cooked egg;
- and
- move the cooked egg to the warming component for warming.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.