# US 8,464,635 B1 · Frying system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,464,635 B1 - Document ID: US8464635B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 12/015,657 - Filed: 2008-01-17 - Granted: 2013-06-18 - Earliest claimed: 2008-01-17 - Assignees: Alkar-RapidPak-MP Equipment, Inc. - Applicants: Robert Jeffrey Sprinkle; Jason M. Jeong; Donald A. Mather; Mark W. Taylor; Steven M. Harrington - Inventors: Robert Jeffrey Sprinkle; Jason M. Jeong; Donald A. Mather; Mark W. Taylor; Steven M. Harrington - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8464635B1 ## CPC - A47J 37/1214: {the food being transported through an oil-bath} - A47J: KITCHEN EQUIPMENT; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES ## Abstract A frying system for frying a food product is disclosed having an endless conveyor system for cooking product in a bath of hot cooking oil. The endless conveyor system includes a submerging conveyor, a main conveyor, and a sediment conveyor, permanently, successively linked to one another. The endless conveyor system is also permanently linked to a hood portion of the housing. The sediment conveyor includes a heat exchanger constantly connected thereto for heating the bath of hot cooking oil. The heat exchanger includes a plurality of elongated elliptical shaped conduits and further may include a baffle that may operate as an elongated fluid flow optimization member to re-direct the flow of fluid. The hood portion of the housing of the frying system is capable of being raised and lowered from a closed, operative position to an open, inoperative position, and to intermediate positions therebetween. Since the components of the conveyor system are permanently successively linked together and to hood, as the hood is raised, the components of the conveyor system may be removed from the bath or, alternatively, may remain in the bath while other portions are removed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A fryer comprising a housing having a tank for holding a bath of cooking oil, a conveyor system carrying food product through the bath, a drive system driving the conveyor system, a heat exchanger heating the bath, said tank having a bottom surface and left and right sidewalls extending upwardly therefrom on laterally distally opposite sides of said conveyer system therebetween, said tank having an in-feed end and a discharge end, and comprising left and right pocket cut-outs in said left and right sidewalls, respectively, said left and right pocket cut-outs being intermediate said in-feed and discharge ends, and extending laterally outwardly away from said tank, such that said left pocket cut-out extends laterally outwardly away from said left sidewall and receives a portion of said bath of cooking oil therein, and said right pocket cut-out extends laterally outwardly away from said right sidewall and receives another portion of said bath of cooking oil therein. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The fryer according to claim 1 wherein said left and right pocket cut-outs are symmetrical and enable symmetrical thermal expansion and contraction of said left and right sidewalls. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The fryer according to claim 1 wherein said left and right pocket cut-outs are adjacent said bottom surface of said tank. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The fryer according to claim 3 wherein: said left pocket cut-out extends laterally outwardly from said left sidewall at the junction of said left sidewall and said bottom surface; said left pocket cut-out extends upwardly from said junction of said left sidewall and said bottom surface; said right pocket cut-out extends laterally outwardly from said right sidewall at the junction of said right sidewall and said bottom surface; said right pocket cut-out extends upwardly from said junction of said right sidewall and said bottom surface. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The fryer according to claim 1 wherein one or more of said left and right pocket cut-outs also includes a sediment removal port, providing dual functionality in allowing thermal expansion and contraction and in allowing sediment removal. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The fryer according to claim 1 wherein the housing has a hood covering the tank, the conveyor system comprises a submerging conveyor, a main conveyor and a sediment conveyor, and comprising a lift mechanism that lifts the hood and the conveyor system upwardly to an inoperative position above the bath, and lowers the hood and conveyor system downwardly to an operative position, wherein the hood, the submerging conveyor, the main conveyor and the sediment conveyor are successively coupled such that when the lift mechanism lifts the conveyor system, the submerging conveyor, the main conveyor, and the sediment conveyor are successively extracted from the bath, wherein the heat exchanger rests on top of the sediment conveyor so as to allow for independent thermal expansion of both the sediment conveyor and the heat exchanger during heating of the bath, wherein the heat exchanger is carried by the sediment conveyor into and out of the bath when the lift mechanism lifts the sediment conveyor into and out of the bath. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The fryer according to claim 6 comprising a first sediment removal port that is centrally located with respect to the conveyor system along a bottom surface of the tank; wherein the sediment removal port is cylindrically shaped so as to accommodate said thermal expansion of the tank; and wherein the tank is seamless such that when the seamless tank is subjected to extreme temperatures from heating of the bath, the seamless tank undergoes thermal expansion and the sediment removal port provides a location of said thermal expansion of the seamless tank. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The fryer according to claim 7 wherein the tank comprises a sloped bottom portion leading towards the first sediment removal port. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The fryer according to claim 8 comprising a second sediment removal port, wherein the sloped bottom portion comprises a first slope running upwardly away from the first sediment removal port to the second sediment removal port, and a second slope running upwardly away from the second sediment removal port towards a discharge end of the tank. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The fryer according to claim 9 comprising at least two sediment removal augers that are integral to the sediment conveyor, one of said at least two sediment removal augers disposed at each of the first and second sediment removal ports, the first and second sediment removal ports being the only holes or cut-outs present in the tank. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The fryer according to claim 10 comprising at least one sediment removal belt that is integral with the sediment conveyor. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The fryer according to claim 11 wherein the sediment removal belt drags along the sloped bottom portion of the tank to move sediment towards the first and second sediment removal ports. ### Claim 13 (depends on 6) The fryer according to claim 6 comprising a programmable logic controller that is programmed so that the lift mechanism does not lift the conveyor system upwardly to a position wherein the heat exchanger is out of the bath unless the heat exchanger is below a predetermined safe temperature. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The fryer according to claim 13 wherein the controller operates the sediment conveyor at a slower speed than the main conveyor. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The fryer according to claim 1 wherein the heat exchanger comprises a plurality of elliptical-shaped heating conduits extending in the direction of product flow through the bath, each conduit being disposed in the tank such that the respective conduit has a major axis disposed vertically with respect to the direction of product flow and has a minor axis disposed horizontally with respect to the direction of product flow, wherein each conduit has an inlet end coupled to an inlet manifold and an outlet end coupled to an outlet manifold for circulating heated liquid through the heat exchanger to heat the bath, and comprising a baffle disposed in each conduit and redirecting the flow of liquid therethrough, the baffle comprising an elongated insert that is vertically disposed in the conduit and extends in the direction of product flow, the baffle further comprising a plurality of vanes that extend perpendicularly radially outwardly from the insert and are angled with respect to the major axis, and the baffle further comprising a plurality of orifices in the insert between each vane in the plurality of vanes, wherein the baffle is configured to redirect fluid flow into a helical path as it passes through the respective conduit to thereby achieve an internal swept surface heat transfer condition of fluid flow. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The fryer according to claim 15 wherein the heat exchanger further comprises a plurality of flow deflectors, the plurality of flow defectors extending horizontally with respect to the direction of product flow so as to slow turbulence of the bath caused by conveyor system movement. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The fryer according to claim 15 wherein each conduit comprises a seamless, formed channel devoid of longitudinal welds. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The fryer according to claim 15 wherein the plurality of vanes includes a first group of vanes that extend at a first angle with respect to the major axis and a second group of vanes that extend at a second, different angle with respect to the minor axis. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The fryer according to claim 18 wherein the first angle is equal and opposite of the second angle with respect to the major axis. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The fryer according to claim 19 wherein the first group of vanes extend perpendicularly outwardly from only a first side of the elongated insert and wherein the second group of vanes extend perpendicularly outwardly from only a second, opposite side of the elongated circuit. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The fryer according to claim 19 wherein the plurality of orifices comprises a first group of orifices located adjacent a vertically lower end of the first group of vanes and a second group of orifices located adjacent a vertically upper end of the second group of vanes. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The fryer according to claim 21 wherein the first group of orifices includes three orifices and wherein the second group of orifices includes three orifices. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The fryer according to claim 21 wherein the plurality of orifices is circular. ### Claim 24 (depends on 15) The fryer according to claim 15 wherein vanes in the plurality of vanes are angled differently with respect to other vanes in the plurality of vanes to thereby differently affect temperature of fluid flow though the heat exchanger along the conduits. ### Claim 25 (depends on 15) The fryer according to claim 15 wherein the elongated insert bisects the conduit.