US 2025/0017420 A1 · AUTOMATED COOKING SYSTEM AND METHOD USING BASKET-GANTRY INTERFACE

Abstract

An automated cooking system for adding time and labor efficiencies in food production environments such as restaurants. The automated cooking system includes at least a fryer, a dispensing freezer, a hot holding station, a plurality of baskets, and a gantry system. The gantry system includes a gantry control for a gantry, configured to engage and move each of the baskets. The basket and gantry include interface elements for enabling precise movements and rapid opening and closing of baskets at the system. Aspects of an automated cooking system and a corresponding method for discharging cooked food product help to avoid the problems associated with manually operating a cooking system. Specifically, the system described herein provides for apparatuses and methods to cook and dispense food product in a more efficient manner with regard to both time and labor considerations within food production environments.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An automated cooking system comprising:

a fryer basket, comprising:
a pickup point operatively connected to the basket, wherein the pickup point is configured to be gripped to enable the basket to be moved;
and
a product discharge mechanism coupled to the basket, the product discharge mechanism biased to maintain the basket in a closed state until the product discharge mechanism is actuated, at which point the basket is moved to an open state;
and
a gantry, comprising:
a clamping gripper configured to clamp a pair of jaws into engagement with the pickup point of the basket to move the basket within the automated cooking system;
and
an actuator arm configured to interact with the product discharge mechanism to cause the basket to discharge its contents while the basket is suspended in place by the clamping gripper,
wherein the actuator arm rotates and moves upwardly with a force to actuate the product discharge mechanism.

7 more elements

A method of discharging food product from a fryer basket of an automated cooking system, the basket including a frame defining a storage space within the basket, a pickup point operatively connected to the frame, two angled panels that are coupled to and extend from the frame, wherein each of the angled panels pivots between a closed position and an open position, and a product discharge mechanism positioned adjacent the frame and operatively coupled to the angled panels, the automated cooking system including a gantry attached to a gantry system, the gantry including a clamping gripper and an actuator arm configured to interact with the basket, the method comprising:

gripping the pickup point of the basket with the clamping gripper;
transporting, via the gantry system, the basket to a location within the automated cooking system where the basket is to discharge its contained food product;
actuating the product discharge mechanism of the basket with the actuator arm of the gantry, thereby causing the angled panels of the basket to pivot to an open position, creating an opening in the bottom of the basket;
and
discharging food product contained within the basket through the opening in the bottom of the basket,
wherein the actuator arm rotates and moves upwardly with a force to actuate the product discharge mechanism.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Automated cooking system and method using basket-gantry interface

Life of this patent

Automated cooking system and method using basket-gantry interface

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18