Foods and beverages: apparatus – Cooking – Boiler or deep fat fryer type
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-05
2002-01-08
Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Cooking
Boiler or deep fat fryer type
C099S336000, C099S403000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06336395
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to an apparatus for raising or lowering a fryer lifting lid, such as a pressure fired fryer lifting lid. In particular, the present invention relates to a lifting lid assembly for raising or lowering a fryer lifting lid including a plurality of shafts secured to a first and second side of a lifting lid, respectively; a platform connected to each shaft; and means for raising or lowering the lifting lid connected to the platform.
2. Description of Related Art
A large capacity pressure cooker or pressure fired deep fat fryer generally includes a vat or cooking vessel of a sufficient size to receive a wire basket or tray carrier, in which the food product to be cooked is held. A suitable tray carrier may be configured to receive a plurality of food product trays. Such tray carriers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,640, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The basket or tray carrier is thereafter submersed in a cooking medium, such as melted shortening or cooking oil, which is contained in the vat or the cooking vessel. The cooking vessel may be closed by a lid, which makes a seal with an upper edge of the cooking vessel. The seal may maintain pressure within the vat or cooking vessel and prevent spillage and splashing of a cooking medium.
Alternatively, a large capacity cooker may be of an open-well design, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,712, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In such cookers, the lid of the cooker is an open frame permitting direct access to the cooking vessel and to the food products submersed therein. The frame may support a wire basket for holding food products or a food tray carrier for carrying a plurality of trays containing food products. Although the frame does not form an air-tight seal with the upper edge of the cooking vessel, the frame also may reduce spillage and splashing of the cooking medium from the cooking vessel during cooking.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, in one known configuration, the lid lifting assembly includes a support frame
100
vertically oriented and secured to a rearward end of the pressure cooker. Support frame
100
includes a pair of vertical guide rails
102
and
104
, each having a U-shaped cross-section and opening toward each other. Guide rails
102
and
104
are joined together at their upper and lower ends by top and bottom horizontal frame members
106
and
108
. The front, rear, sides, and top of the support frame may be enclosed by panels, eg., stainless steel panels forming a lid lifting device housing, which forms a portion of a cooker cabinet or a cooker transfer cart. A frame-like carriage
120
is mounted vertically within support frame
100
. Carriage
120
has rollers
122
a
-
b
and
124
a
-
b
which are adapted to be received within support frame guide rails
102
and
104
, respectively. Consequently, carriage
120
may be positioned vertically within support frame
100
. A pair of horizontal arms
126
and
128
may be affixed to carriage
120
. Each of arms
126
and
128
extend from carriage
120
toward the cooker lid through a vertical slot (not shown) in the panel covering the front of support frame
100
or between the front and side panels. The cooking vessel lid of the fryer is mounted on horizontal arms
126
and
128
.
A cable drum
130
may be driven by an electric motor
132
mounted on top horizontal frame member
106
. In a further known configuration, a pair of cables
134
and
136
are provided, each cable having one end attached to drum
130
and the other end attached to carriage
120
. One of the cables may be slightly longer than the other and, consequently, the longer cable does not bear the weight of carriage
120
. The longer cable serves as a back-up cable if the primary cable fails. Drum
130
is rotatable in a first direction by electric motor
132
to raise carriage
120
within support frame
100
and consequently raising arms
126
and
128
and the lid therewith. Drum
130
is rotatable in the opposite direction by electric motor
132
to lower carriage
120
within support frame
100
and to lower arms
126
and
128
and the lid therewith. In this manner, the lid of the pressure cooker is shifted between its lowered position seated upon the upper edge of the cooking vessel and its raised position.
In yet another known configuration, the cooker lid may be pivotally mounted to a support brace for pivotally mounting the cooker lid on a monorail lifting device, and the lid also may be manually raised and lowered with the assistance of a counterbalance weight supported in the lid lifting device housing, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,955, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
In a closed lid cooker or a pressure fired fryer, the food product is cooked for the desired length of time under both elevated heat and pressure. Following the cooking cycle, an operator may relieve the pressure in the vat or cooking vessel and then may open the lid in order to remove the wire basket or fryer tray carrier or may simply remove the food product from the wire basket or fryer tray carrier.
Regardless whether an open or closed lid fryer is used, the lid may include a wire basket or a tray carrier loaded with trays and food product covered with residual cooking medium and may be heavy and may be difficult to raise and lower. Further, because the lid must be of sufficiently heavy construction to properly withstand the pressure within the cooking vessel during the cooking cycle, it may be difficult for some operators to lift the lid to load or unload the cooker, or remove the wire basket or fryer tray carrier. To overcome this problem, operators have employed various types of automatic apparatus for opening and closing the cooker lid. In some instances, these various apparatus are used to additionally hold the lid down and in a sealed position during the pressurized operation of the cooker.
Some known lid raising and lowering apparatus require powerful power train means. The positioning of the lid lifting apparatus behind the vat or cooking vessel makes maintenance and repair awkward. Further, lid lifting creates additional torque on the lid lifting apparatus when raising or lowering a full or partially full wire basket or tray carrier. Electro-mechanical or hydraulic systems have been used for opening and closing the lid, but these systems have experienced significant maintenance problems and resultant down-time. In addition, some of the raising and lowering means are sufficiently complex to require a skilled operator. As a result, efforts to mechanize the operation of large capacity pressure cookers by means of electro-mechanical or hydraulic controls for raising and lowering the lids of the cooking vessels have on occasion produced more problems than they have solved. In addition, the more complex and the more exposed the raising and lowering apparatus, the more susceptible the apparatus is to the adverse effects due to contamination of operating components with dust, dirt, and cooking medium residue.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thus, a need has arisen for a lifting lid assembly that is sufficiently strong to support a lifting lid during a covering and uncovering of a cooking vessel, but which also may be compact and of light weight.
A further need has arisen for a lid lifting apparatus that avoids excess torque when raising or lowering a fall or partially full wire basket or tray carrier. It is an advantage of the present invention that it utilizes the mechanically advantageous positioning of the lifting shafts at or near the center of gravity of the lifting lid.
Still a further need has arisen for a lid lifting apparatus the components of which are positioned at opposite sides of the vat or cooking vessel. It is a feature of this design that the shafts, shaft/lid connections, and lifting apparatus are readily accessible from the sides or front of the fryer. It is an advantage of this positioning of the lifting apparatus that it m
Baker & Botts L.L.P.
Henny Penny Corporation
Simone Timothy F.
LandOfFree
Lateral fryer lid lifting apparatus does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Lateral fryer lid lifting apparatus, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Lateral fryer lid lifting apparatus will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2817399