Deep fat frying apparatus with automated oil management and methods

A method of automatically operating oil transfer functions of a commercial deep fat frying apparatus having a floor mounted housing, a plurality of cooking vats in the housing, a heating system and cooking control for heating cooking oil in the vats and controlling the cooking function of the apparatus, an oil filter pan assembly receivable in the housing below said vats, comprising a filter pan capable of holding the contents of a vat, an associated filter pump fluidly connected to the filter pan, having an outlet for pumping cooking oil under pressure from the filter pan through a transfer line, said transfer line being fluidly coupled to an inlet manifold having a return line connected to each vat;

• a drain manifold having a drain line connected to each vat and an outlet adapted for draining cooking oil into the filter pan in the housing;
• comprising the steps of:
• providing electric motor operated valves for the drain line and return line of each vat, said valves having a closed position, an open position and a position indicating switch;
• providing a control system having circuits connected to said motor operated valves and said filter pump, comprising a programmed oil management computer having an interface with operator selectable oil transfer functions for receiving operator selection inputs and converting these inputs to signals effective for operating the motor operated valves and filter pump in sequence to accomplish a selected transfer of oil to or from the filter pan assembly;
• establishing an initial condition of said valves in reliance upon the position indicating switches of all motor operated valves whereby all of said valves are closed before an oil transfer function is attempted;
• selecting an oil transfer function from a selection of oil transfer functions of said interface which requires transfer of oil to and from the filter pan assembly and to or from one or more of said vats;
• opening or closing at least one of said motor operated valves;
• operating said filter pump in a sequence in response to the selection of an oil transfer function and the selection of one or more of said vats involved in said oil transfer function;
• and
• returning said at least one motor operated valves in a sequence to said initial condition and shutting off said filter pump when said selected oil transfer function is completed.

A method of automatically operating oil transfer functions of a commercial deep fat frying apparatus having a floor mounted housing, a plurality of cooking vats in the housing, a heating system and cooking control for heating cooking oil in the vats and controlling the cooking function of the apparatus, an oil filter pan assembly receivable in the housing below said vats, comprising a filter pan capable of holding the contents of a vat, an associated filter pump fluidly connected to the filter pan, having an outlet for pumping cooking oil under pressure from the filter pan through a transfer line, said transfer line being fluidly coupled to an inlet manifold having a return line connected to each vat, a supply line leading from an oil supply container and a supply pump fluidly connected thereto, a drain manifold having a drain line connected to each vat and an outlet adapted for draining cooking oil into the filter pan in the housing;

• comprising the steps of:
• providing electric motor operated valves for the drain line and return line of each vat and the supply line, said valves having a closed position, an open position and a position indicating switch;
• providing a control system having circuits connected to said motor operated valves and said pumps, comprising a programmed oil management computer having an interface with operator selectable oil transfer functions for receiving operator selection inputs and converting these inputs to signals effective for operating the motor operated valves, supply pump and filter pump in sequence to accomplish a selected transfer of oil to or from a selected vat;
• establishing an initial condition of said valves in reliance upon the position indicating switches of all motor operated valves whereby all of said valves are closed before an oil transfer function is attempted;
• selecting an oil transfer function from a selection of oil transfer functions of said interface which requires transfer of oil to or from the filter pan assembly, to or from one or more of said vats or from the supply line;
• opening or closing at least one of said motor operated valves;
• operating one of said pumps in a sequence in response to the selection of an oil transfer function and the selection of one or more of said vats involved in said oil transfer function;
• and
• returning said motor operated valves in a sequence to said initial condition and shutting off said one pump when said selected oil transfer function is completed.

In a deep fat frying apparatus of the type having a supportable housing having a pair of opposite sidewalls, a front wall, an open lower end, a lower internal portion, an upper internal portion position directly above said lower internal portion, and a horizontally facing access opening through said front wall into said lower internal portion, for receiving an oil filter pan assembly, said housing including one or more frypots for holding heated oil for cooking and an oil distribution system suitable for draining oil from said one or more frypots and delivering said oil through a drain line having a drain outlet positioned in the lower internal portion of the housing behind the horizontally facing access opening over the inlet of a filter pan assembly when a filter pan assembly is received in said housing;

• the improvement comprising a leak-free oil filter pan assembly comprising a wheeled carriage adapted to roll backwardly and forwardly through said horizontally facing access opening;
• an oil filter pan having a top opening, a bottom wall from which a drain line depends, front and rear side portions and opposed side walls forming a reservoir sized to receive an hold the entire content of a frypot mounted in said housing;
• a drive motor and filter pump mounted on said carriage, the inlet of the filter pump being connected to said drain line from the oil filter pan and the outlet of said filter pump being connected to a flexible oil transfer line in fluid communication with the oil distribution system, said flexible oil transfer line having sufficient excess length to permit rolling the carriage into the housing to an operative position with the inlet of the oil filter pan in line with the outlet of the drain line and permitting the oil filter-assembly to be rolled outwardly from the housing for access to the filter pan while still being constrained by the flexible line;
• whereby the filtered pan is easily accessed for cleaning and maintenance without disconnecting any fittings or connections that would permit residual oil to drip on the floor and a hot oil hazard is reduced because the hot filter pan cannot be rolled around the working area.