Method of popping popcorn
AssigneeValley Popcorn Company, Inc.
InventorsDale M. Cherney, Richard D. Sorenson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of popping popcorn in batches/cycles. A sensor on a popcorn popping machine senses pops of popcorn in the kettle. A system computer controller monitors the rate of popping sensed by the sensor and uses the beginning of the decline in the rate of popping as a basis for controlling heat to the kettle during a given cycle/batch. Activation of the dump mechanism, which terminates the popping cycle/batch, is initiated when the computer controller detects a predetermined programmed minimum count rate after the heat has been turned OFF.
Claims17
A method of popping popcorn, comprising:
- (a) using a heater, heating popcorn in a kettle;
- (b) using an audio sensor, positioned in sufficient proximity to the kettle, to sense popping sounds of the popcorn popping inside the kettle, thus to identify sounds of popcorn popping in the kettle, and generating a series of pop signals where each pop signal represents a time when the sound of at least one kernel of popcorn popping is sensed;
- and
- (c) a programmable computer controller receiving such pop signals sensed by the audio sensor and issuing a command based on changes in the times between such poppings as represented by respective ones of the pop signals.
A method of popping popcorn, comprising:
- (a) using a heater, heating popcorn in a kettle;
- (b) using an audio sensor, positioned in sufficient proximity to the kettle, to sense popping sounds of the popcorn popping inside the kettle, thus to identify sounds of popcorn popping in the kettle, and generating a series of pop signals where each pop signal represents a time when the sound of at least one kernel of popcorn popping is sensed;
- and
- (c) a programmable computer controller receiving such pop signals sensed by the audio sensor and issuing a heat control command to turn OFF the heater, the computer controller continuing to sense such pop signals until the times between pop signals declines to a predetermined popping rate, and wherein, when the popping rate has declined to the predetermined popping rate, the computer controller initiates dumping the popped popcorn from the kettle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.