Automatic french fryer

Claim 2

An automatic French fryer comprising a tank for containing a pool of hot cooking oil; a basket for containing food to be cooked and having a cooking position in the tank for submerging the food in the pool of oil; a cooked-food receiver outside said tank; support means for supporting the basket in a dumping position relative to said receiver, power-drive lift means having a disengageable connection with the basket and having an operating cycle in which it lifts the basket to a drainage position over the tank and thereafter tips of basket outward from above the tank to its dumping position over the receiver to empty the food from the basket to the receiver, and then disengages the basket and returns to its starting position, leaving the basket supported by said support means in said dumping position; and means to automatically activate said lift means for operation through its operating cycle when the food is cooked done.

Claim 3

An automatic French fryer as in claim 1 in which said lift means comprises a lift element on the basket adapted to be engaged by a movable lift member; a movable lift member having a rest position and movable therefrom in an operative path in engagement with said basket lift element; guide means for guiding the movement of the basket as it is moved by the lift member; and drive means connected to drive said lift member in said path, said guide means and lift member being operative, as said lift member is driven through said operative path, to lift said basket to a drainage position above the tank and thereafter to tip the basket outward from above the tank to its dumping position over the receiver to empty the food from the basket to the receiver.

Claim 4

An automatic French fryer comprising a tank for containing a pool of hot cooking oil; a basket for containing food to be cooked and having a cooking position in the tank for submerging the food in the pool of oil; a cooked-food receiver outside said tank; a lift element on the basket adapted to be engaged by a movable lift member; a flexible metal strip having a basket-engaging lift member at its free end and mounted in a track, said lift member having a rest position and being movable therefrom in an operative path in engagement with said basket lift element and guided by said track, said track having an upward extending section to guide the lift member to lift said basket to a drainage position above the tank and a curved section to thereafter guide the hook in an outward curved path to tilt the basket outward to a dumping position over the receiver to empty the food from the basket to the receiver.

Claim 5

An automatic French fryer comprising a tank for containing a pool of hot cooking oil; a basket for containing food to be cooked and having a cooking position in the tank for submerging the food in the pool of oil; a cooked-food receiver outside said tank; a lift element on the basket adapted to be engaged by a movable lift member; a flexible metal strip having a basket-engaging lift member at its free end and mounted in a track, said lift member having a rest position and being movable therefrom in an operative path in engagement with said basket lift element and guided by said track, said track having an upward extending section to guide the lift member to lift said basket to a drainage position above the tank and a curved section to thereafter guide the hook in an outward curved path to tilt the basket outward to a dumping position over the receiver to empty the food from the basket to the receiver.

Claim 6

An automatic French fryer as in claim 3 in which said track is formed against an outward curving lip having a fixed position relative to the tank.

Claim 7

An automatic French fryer as in claim 3 in which said lifT element and lift member comprise a hook and a hook-engaging part which, when the basket is in cooking position, are freely disengageable whereby the basket can be lifted manually from and returned to cooking position in the tank.

Claim 8

A French fryer comprising a tank for holding a quantity of cooking oil and for receiving in cooking position a basket containing food product to be fried, said tank having an upwardly convex lip extending across the top of one of the walls thereof; heating means for maintaining the oil at cooking temperature; adjustable timing means for selectively controlling the product cooking time; a flexible strip having a lift member thereon for releasably engaging the basket in said cooking position and extending therefrom over said lip and outside said tank; basket support means mounted on said lip; and drive means responsive to said timing means and connected to said flexible strip for moving said lift element upward out of said tank and over a portion of said lip to lift the basket from its cooking position in said tank to a partially inverted position over said lip and supported by said support means to cause the food product to tumble out of the basket to a predetermined position outside said tank.

Claim 9

A French fryer comprising a tank for holding a quantity of cooking oil and for receiving in cooking position a basket containing food product to be fried, said tank having an upwardly convex lip extending across the top of one of the walls thereof; heating means for maintaining the oil at cooking temperature; adjustable timing means for selectively controlling the product cooking time; a flexible strip having a lift member thereon for releasably engaging the basket in said cooking position and extending therefrom over said lip and outside said tank; basket support means mounted on said lip; and drive means responsive to said timing means and connected to said flexible strip for moving said lift element upward out of said tank and over a portion of said lip to lift the basket from its cooking position in said tank to a partially inverted position over said lip and supported by said support means to cause the food product to tumble out of the basket to a predetermined position outside said tank.

Claim 10

A French fryer as set forth in claim 6 wherein said drive means is operative to return said strip to its original position after the basket is supported by said support means.

Claim 11

A French fryer as set forth in claim 7 with the addition of switch means operative to deactivate said drive means when said strip returns to its original position.

Claim 12

A French fryer as set forth in claim 6 wherein a track is mounted on said lip, and said flexible strip is received in and slidably guided over said lip in said track.

Claim 13

A French fryer as set forth in claim 6 wherein said lift member comprises an upwardly open hook which releasably engages an element on the basket.

Claim 14

A French fryer as set forth in claim 6 wherein said basket support means comprises a pair of hooks mounted on said lip for supporting the basket in a partially inverted position.

Claim 15

A French fryer as set forth in claim 6 wherein said drive means comprises an electric motor coupled through mechanical linkage to said flexible strip.

Claim 16

A French fryer as set forth in claim 6 wherein the tank wall having said convex lip is inclined outward from the tank bottom, and the lifting movement of the basket carries the basket upward and outward along said inclined wall.

Claim 17

A French fryer comprising a housing; a tank received in said housing for holding a quantity of cooking oil and for receiving a basket containing food product to be fried, said tank having one wall inclined outward from the tank bottom and terminating at its upper end in a transversely extending and upwardly convex lip; heating means for maintaining the oil at cooking temperature; timing means for controlling the product cooking time; a flexible strip slidably received in a track mounted on said lip, said strip extending from outside said tank over said lip and into said tank and having basket-engaging means adjacent its end within said tank for releasably engaging the basket; drive means connected to said strip and mounted within said housing, said drive means being actuated in response to said timing means and being operative to move said basket-engaging means upward out of said tank and over a portion of said lip to lift the basket upward from a cooking position in said tank and to tilt the same to a partially inverted position atop said lip, whereby the food product contained therein tumbles out of the basket and to a receiving station, said drive means returning said basket-engaging means to its original position; and support means for retaining said basket in said partially inverted position atop said lip.

Claim 18

A French fryer comprising a housing; a tank received in said housing for holding a quantity of cooking oil and for receiving a basket containing food product to be fried, said tank having one wall inclined outward from the tank bottom and terminating at its upper end in a transversely extending and upwardly convex lip; heating means for maintaining the oil at cooking temperature; timing means for controlling the product cooking time; a flexible strip slidably received in a track mounted on said lip, said strip extending from outside said tank over said lip and into said tank and having basket-engaging means adjacent its end within said tank for releasably engaging the basket; drive means connected to said strip and mounted within said housing, said drive means being actuated in response to said timing means and being operative to move said basket-engaging means upward out of said tank and over a portion of said lip to lift the basket upward from a cooking position in said tank and to tilt the same to a partially inverted position atop said lip, whereby the food product contained therein tumbles out of the basket and to a receiving station, said drive means returning said basket-engaging means to its original position; and support means for retaining said basket in said partially inverted position atop said lip.

Claim 19

A French fryer as set forth in claim 14 wherein the inclined wall of said tank is inclined at an angle of about 70* from the horizontal.

Claim 20

A French fryer as set forth in claim 14 wherein said drive means comprises an electric motor connected through mechanical linkage to said strip, and further comprising a switch operative to deactivate said drive means upon return of said strip to its starting position.

Claim 21

A French fryer as set forth in claim 14 wherein said support means comprises a pair of laterally spaced hooks mounted on said lip.

Claim 22

A French fryer as in claim 14 with the addition of a basket for containing food product to be fried and having a cooking position within said tank, said basket having an outwardly inclined wall adjacent the inclined tank wall and generally parallel therewith.