A fryer and method for cooking food products is provided that automates the movement of baskets carrying the food products. The fryer) includes a cooking chamber with a heating element located therein for heating cooking medium in the cooking chamber. The fryer also includes at least one vertical transport assembly that selectively engages with and moves the basket vertically into and out of the cooking medium. A horizontal transport assembly selectively engages with and moves the basket horizontally between different positions. The horizontal transport assembly hands off the basket to and from the vertical transport assembly, and first and second hooks on the horizontal transport assembly engage with front and rear receiving mechanisms on the basket to continuously maintain at least two points of contact with the basket. This allows for controlled pivotal movements of the basket when food products are to be added or removed from the basket.

A system for automatically folding a box for fast food delivery is disclosed. The system includes a wall, a track within the wall, a conveyer channel located adjacent to the wall. The panels are initially arranged within the channel, so a first panel is positioned above and in front of the second panel. The panels will move in a series of five positions. The first position having the first panel and second panel adjacent to one another. The second position shifting the second panel downward to a height lower than the first. The third position moving the first panel so that it is substantially vertical creating an angle near 90 degrees between the first and second panel. The fourth position returning the first panel proximate to its original position. And a fifth position having a portion of the first panel extended over the second panel.

An automated food-fryer system is configured to automatically move a food-fryer basket (4) from a food dispense (1)r to a cooking well (3) and then to a food dump (5); the system includes a basket transport system (2) that is made up of several, separate transport modules that are configured to automatically move baskets (4), and in which the movements (i) between the food dispenser (1) to the cooking well (3) and (ii) down into and up from a cooking well (3), are independent of, or asynchronous from, each other.

A product dispenser, preferably for frozen food product, having a storage hopper, a rotatable drum having paddles on a periphery thereof located at a bottom of the storage hopper, and a drive motor connected to the rotatable drum. Rotation of the drum causes the product to be delivered to a weighing/dispensing assembly having a load cell and one or more dump doors on which product to be dispensed is adapted to accumulate. A controller receives a signal from the load cell and determine a weight of the product accumulating on the one or more dump doors, and upon a product weight target preset value being reached, starts a pulsing algorithm to achieve the desired weight of the accumulated product prior to dispensing.

Systems, devices, and methods are directed to automated preparation of food or consumable items, such as for preparation of fried foods. An example cooking apparatus may include processing devices for the consumable items. In some examples, a robot arm is provided that extends from a moveable base. Locators may define a relative position of the moveable base relative to processing device(s) of the cooking apparatus, such that the robot arm is configured to determine robot arm movements to move the consumable items to and from the processing device(s). In some examples, one or more zones may be used to detect movement near a robot arm, with one or more restrictions being placed upon robot arm and/or base movement in response. In some examples, a cooking apparatus provides automated transport of food ingredients for preparation of food or other consumable items.

A smart cooking machine comprises a machine body, which comprises a cooking apparatus and an upper cover apparatus positioned right above the cooking apparatus and comprising a lower hopper, a connecting box, a sliding mechanism, and an underplate equipped with a window right above the pot body of the cooking apparatus. The sliding mechanism is positioned above the window. The connecting box is fixedly connected to the underplate and of a hollow structure in which the lower hopper is placed, with the discharge hole of the lower hopper being located right above the window on the underplate, and the sliding mechanism slides on the underplate to uncover or cover the window and is connected to the main controller through electrical connection. This machine is highly automated and simple in structure.

An automated food patty cooking apparatus comprising a horizontal rotating griddle with dividers which automatically fries hamburger/sandwich patties. A dispensing component loaded with various patties comprises horizontal trays stacked on top of one another that moves vertically up and down and dispenses a desired patty. The patties keep on rotating and after being cooked on one side, flipped over one by one and cooked on the opposite side using a flipper capable of moving either direction. After the patties are cooked, the flipper lifts them off the griddle and tilts them up, to slide them down a chute onto a conveyor belt or storage bin. The apparatus utilizes a real time Artificial Intelligence control module capable of predicting future demands, prepares patties in advance and optimizes cooking temperature, rotational speed, number of rotations, flipping action, and is fed orders electronically from customers online or from kiosks.

An automatic ingredient feeding apparatus (1) comprises a machine frame (100), a feeder mechanism (11), a flipping mechanism (12) and a plurality of compartment door control mechanisms (13). The feeder mechanism comprises a shell (111), the shell is provided therein with a receiving space (114) for receiving a multi-compartment container (110) and is provided therein with a multi-compartment ingredient-dropping chamber (113) facing the receiving space. The flipping mechanism (12) is used for mounting the feeder mechanism (11) on the machine frame (110) and for controlling the feeder mechanism (11) to implement a 180-degree flip. Each of the plurality of compartment door control mechanisms (13) controls an opening/closing of a compartment door (115) of the individual compartment of the multi-compartment ingredient-dropping chamber (113). The flipping mechanism (12) and the plurality of compartment door control mechanisms (13) are all connected to a master control device (7).

A food processing apparatus includes a pressure vessel defining a compartment having an inlet end for receiving food product and an outlet end for discharging food product, an open-top screen mounted within the compartment and movable relative to the compartment between a first position, for food processing, and a second position, to facilitate cleaning, a rotatable auger mounted such that at least a portion of the auger is within the screen, the auger being operable to advance food product within the compartment from the inlet end of the pressure vessel toward the outlet end, and a transfer mechanism including a conduit in communication with the compartment, a fluid discharge positioned substantially within the conduit, and a pressurized fluid source in communication with the fluid discharge and operable to propel a fluid through the fluid discharge to move food product through the conduit.

A modified product dispenser unit and a batch product lift or elevator unit adjacent to an automatic fryer. Fries (or other forms of batch product) are dispensed into an angled chute, and thence into the lift or elevator batch product holder at the bottom or loading position in a batch product elevator in the batch product elevator unit. The holder is raised by motorized chains, cables, or the like to a top or release position in the batch product lift or elevator, where the fries are then delivered to an exit chute which drops the fries into the automatic fryer. The batch product lift or elevator unit may comprise a pair of holders and corresponding lifting mechanism and exit chutes, corresponding to the pair of hoppers.