U.S. patent application number 13/770081 was filed with the patent office on 2014-08-21 for scalable automated cooking system having small footprint and reduced labor cost.
This patent application is currently assigned to Zhengxu He. The applicant listed for this patent is Zhengxu He. Invention is credited to Zhengxu He.
Application Number | 20140230660 13/770081 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50072896 |
Filed Date | 2014-08-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140230660 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
He; Zhengxu |
August 21, 2014 |
SCALABLE AUTOMATED COOKING SYSTEM HAVING SMALL FOOTPRINT AND
REDUCED LABOR COST
Abstract
An automatic cooking system includes a computer system that
stores recipes, cooking stations each comprising a cooking
container that can cook food ingredients therein to produce a first
cooked food, wherein the computer system can assign and schedule a
plurality of dishes to be cooked at the cooking stations, storage
containers configured to hold food ingredients, mini vehicles each
carrying transport containers configured to hold the food
ingredients, wherein the computer system can control at least some
of movements of the mini vehicles in accordance to the recipes, a
loading apparatus configured to load food ingredients from the
storage stations to the transport containers on the mini vehicles,
and an unloading apparatus that can transfer food ingredients from
the transport containers on the mini vehicles to the cooking
container at one of the cooking stations.
Inventors: |
He; Zhengxu; (Reno,
NV) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
He; Zhengxu |
Reno |
NV |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
He; Zhengxu
Reno
NV
|
Family ID: |
50072896 |
Appl. No.: |
13/770081 |
Filed: |
February 19, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
99/325 ;
99/342 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A23L 5/10 20160801; A47J
27/14 20130101; A23L 5/11 20160801; A47J 44/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
99/325 ;
99/342 |
International
Class: |
A23L 1/00 20060101
A23L001/00 |
Claims
1. An automatic cooking system, comprising: a computer system
configured to store a list of recipes; one or more cooking stations
each comprising a cooking container configured to cook food
ingredients therein to produce a first cooked food, wherein the
computer system is configured to assign and schedule a plurality of
dishes to be cooked at the one or more cooking stations; one or
more storage containers configured to hold food ingredients; one or
more mini vehicles each carrying one or more transport containers
configured to hold the food ingredients, wherein the computer
system is configured to control at least some of movements of the
mini vehicles in accordance to the recipes; a loading apparatus
configured to load food ingredients from the one or more storage
stations to the transport containers on the one or more mini
vehicles, wherein the computer system is configured to control
loading of food ingredients from the one or more storage stations
to the transport containers on the one or more mini vehicles based
on the recipes; and an unloading apparatus configured to transfer
food ingredients from the transport containers on the one or more
mini vehicles to the cooking container at one of the one or more
cooking stations, wherein the computer system is configured to
control transfers of the food ingredients from the transport
containers on the one or more mini vehicles to the one or more
cooking apparatus in accordance to the recipes.
2. The automatic cooking system of claim 1, further comprising: a
cleaning apparatus configured to clean the one or more transport
containers on the one or more mini vehicles, wherein the computer
system controls timing when the cleaning apparatus to clean the one
or more transport containers.
3. The automatic cooking system of claim 1, wherein the computer
system is configured to control times for the food ingredients to
be transferred to the one or more cooking apparatus in accordance
to the recipes.
4. The automatic cooking system of claim 1, wherein the computer
system is configured to control the one or more mini vehicles using
wireless communications.
5. The automatic cooking system of claim 1, wherein at least one of
the one or more mini vehicles carries a plurality of transport
containers each configured to hold food ingredients, wherein the
computer system is configured to control the one of the one or more
mini vehicles to stop at two or more positions adjacent to the one
or more storage containers to load food ingredients.
6. The automatic cooking system of claim 1, wherein the one or more
cooking stations comprises a first cooking station configured to
cook part or all of the food ingredients in a recipe to produce
semi-cooked food, wherein the one or more cooking stations
comprises a second cooking station configured to cook the
semi-cooked food to produce a second cooked food, wherein the
semi-cooked food is transferred from the first cooking station to
the first cooking station under the control of the computer
system.
7. The automatic cooking system of claim 1, further comprising:
sensors configured to detect positions of the one or more vehicles
and send associated signals to the computer system, wherein the
computer system is configured to determine positions of the one or
more vehicles based on the signals.
8. The automatic cooking system of claim 7, wherein the sensors
include RFID or vision sensors.
9. The automatic cooking system of claim 1, further comprising: a
food preparation apparatus configured to conduct one or more of
operations to the food ingredient before transferred to the cooking
containers for cooking: cleaning, cutting, grinding, blending, or
mixing the food ingredient.
10. The automatic cooking system of claim 1, further comprising:
one or more rail tracks configured to connect the one or more
cooking apparatus and the one or more storage stations, wherein the
one or more mini vehicles configured to move along the one or more
rail tracks, wherein the computer system is configured to control
the movements of the one or more mini vehicles along the one or
more rail tracks in accordance to the recipe.
11. The automatic cooking system of claim 10, wherein the one or
more rail tracks comprise two rails or a mono rail.
12. The automatic cooking system of claim 10, wherein the one or
more mini vehicles are positioned on the one or more rail tracks or
hanging off the one or more rail tracks.
13. The automatic cooking system of claim 10, wherein the one or
more mini vehicles are configured to be driven by gravity along at
least a portion of the one or more rail tracks.
14. The automatic cooking system of claim 10, further comprising: a
track switch in association with two or more of the rail tracks,
wherein the computer system is configured to control the track
switch to direct the one or more mini vehicles to different route
along the one or more rail tracks.
15. The automatic cooking system of claim 14, wherein the track
switch comprises a frame; two or more connection tracks configured
to be mounted on the said frame; and a movement mechanism
configured to slide or rotate the said frame among two or more
positions.
16. The automatic cooking system of claim 1, wherein the computer
system is configured to track type and quantities of food
ingredients in the one or more storage containers, the one or more
transport containers, and the cooking containers at the one or more
cooking stations.
17. An automatic cooking system, comprising: a computer system
configured to store a recipe; one or more cooking stations each
comprising a cooking container configured to cook food ingredients
therein to produce a first cooked food, wherein the computer system
is configured to assign and schedule a plurality of dishes to be
cooked at the one or more cooking stations; one or more storage
containers configured to hold food ingredients; one or more
transport containers configured to hold the food ingredients,
wherein the computer system is configured to control at least some
of movements of the one or more transport containers in accordance
to the recipe; a loading apparatus configured to load food
ingredients from the one or more storage stations to the transport
containers, wherein the computer system is configured to control
loading of food ingredients from the one or more storage stations
to the transport containers based on the recipe; and an unloading
apparatus configured to transfer food ingredients from the
transport containers to the cooking container at one of the one or
more cooking stations, wherein the computer system is configured to
control transfers of the food ingredients from the transport
containers to the one or more cooking apparatus in accordance to
the recipe.
18. The automatic cooking system of claim 17, wherein the loading
apparatus and the unloading apparatus comprise one or more of a
tunnel, a funnel, a clipping device, a robotic arm, or a grabbing
device.
19. The automatic cooking system of claim 17, wherein the loading
apparatus comprises: a first object mounted below a storage
container configured to enclose a space configured to receive the
food ingredients contained from the storage container; and a second
object configured to slide in the first object, under the control
of the computer system, which adjusts volume of the space and
transfers at least a portion of the food ingredients to the cooking
container.
20. The automatic cooking system of claim 17, wherein the unloading
apparatus comprises: a support frame at the cooking station; a
first connector configured to connected to the support frame via a
first hinge joint; a first hook configured to be connected to the
first connector, wherein the first hook is configured to hook the
transport container at a certain position; a second connector
configured to be connected with the first connector via a second
hinge joint; a second hook configured to be connected to the second
connector; a wheel configured to be mounted on the second
connector, wherein the wheel is configured to rotate relative to
the second connector; a curved track mounted on the support frame,
wherein the free wheel is configured to slide along the curved
track; and a motor configured to drive the rotation of the first
connector around the axis of the first hinge joint under the
control of the computer system.
21. The automatic cooking system of claim 17, wherein the one or
more cooking stations comprises a first cooking station configured
to cook part or all of the food ingredients in a recipe to produce
semi-cooked food, wherein the one or more cooking stations
comprises a second cooking station configured to cook the
semi-cooked food to produce a second cooked food, wherein the
semi-cooked food is transferred from the first cooking station to
the first cooking station under the control of the computer
system.
22. The automatic cooking system of claim 17, wherein at least one
of the food ingredients is a liquid, the automatic cooking system
further comprising: a liquid dispensing device, wherein the
computer system is configured to control the a liquid dispensing
device to transfer the liquid from the plurality of storage
containers to the cooking container based on the recipe.
23. The automatic cooking system of claim 22, wherein the computer
system is configured to control the liquid dispensing device to
control start, stop, and duration of transfer of the liquid from
the plurality of storage containers to the cooking container based
on the recipe.
24. The automatic cooking system of claim 22, wherein the loading
mechanism comprises a liquid metering device in communication with
the computer system and configured to measure amount of a food
ingredient transferred from the plurality of storage containers to
the cooking container; wherein the computer system is configured to
control the liquid dispensing device in response to a signal
received from the liquid metering device.
25. The automatic cooking system of claim 22, wherein the liquid
dispensing device comprises a syringe tube and a syringe plunger
contained therein configured to pump the liquid to deliver the
liquid to the cooking container under the control of the computer
system.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present application relates to cooking system, and
specifically to cooking method and equipment capable of
automatically delivering food ingredients.
[0002] Considerable amount of research and experiments have been
conducted on automating cooking. A conventional cook apparatus
includes a full set of storage containers positioned above each
cooking container. A drawback of conventional cook apparatus is it
requires too many storage containers for each cooking container,
which takes too much space in a kitchen. For example, a kitchen in
a common fast food restaurant may include dozens of storage
containers. The problem becomes even worse when there are multiple
cooking containers in a kitchen; the kitchen must have large space
to host such systems with multi-cooking containers. In addition,
subdividing a same ingredient into more than one storage containers
disallows sharing by different cooking containers.
[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,950 teaches an automated cooking system
comprising a plurality of cooking containers and a conveyor means
for moving the cooking containers along a pre-determined path, as
to access the dispensers of food ingredients. One disadvantage of
this approach is that the cooking containers and the devices
connected with cooking containers can be big and heavy so moving
these can require a lot of space and a lot of power. Also, if the
heaters are connected with the cooking containers, then moving the
heaters together can create a fire hazard. Moreover, the technique
works best only if all food ingredients may be ordered along the
"pre-determined path", so that the order of their dispensing into
the cooking container may not be different for different dishes in
the menu. Even with this restriction satisfied, there are times
when a cooking container may have to idled as to wait for another
cooking container for the dispensing of food ingredients.
[0004] There is therefore a need for an automated cooking system
that provides efficient storage of food ingredients and a
dependable delivery of food ingredients from storage to the cooking
containers while minimizing space required, minimizing idle time of
the cooking apparatus, and reducing labor cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The presently disclosed automated cooking system is capable
of automatically delivering multiple food ingredients to cooking
containers during cooking. Some food ingredients are transported to
cooking apparatus using transport containers, without moving the
cooking apparatus to near storage containers, and without having a
full set of stationary storage containers (or dispensers of food
ingredients) positioned above cooking apparatus in conventional
cooking systems. The deliveries of food ingredients to the cooking
apparatus can be scheduled according to requirements of cooking
recipes. The disclosed cooking system is flexible to the types of
food ingredients, suitable for simple or complex recipes. The
disclosed cooking system can reduce food print and space
requirement in a kitchen, and reduce labor cost. The space and
labor savings are especially significant for kitchens comprising a
plurality of cooking apparatus because the food storage can be
shared among the cooking apparatus. The disclosed systems and
methods are thus especially beneficial to large scale kitchen
operations in restaurants, cafeteria for colleges or companies,
etc.
[0006] In one general aspect, the present invention relates to an
automated cooking system, comprising: a computer system that can
store a list of recipes; one or more cooking stations each
comprising a cooking container that can cook food ingredients
therein to produce a first cooked food, wherein the computer system
can assign and schedule a plurality of dishes to be cooked at the
one or more cooking stations; one or more storage containers that
can hold food ingredients; one or more mini vehicles each carrying
one or more transport containers that can hold the food
ingredients, wherein the computer system can control at least some
of movements of the mini vehicles in accordance to the recipes; a
loading apparatus that can load food ingredients from the one or
more storage stations to the transport containers on the one or
more mini vehicles, wherein the computer system can control loading
of food ingredients from the one or more storage stations to the
transport containers on the one or more mini vehicles based on the
recipes; and an unloading apparatus that can transfer food
ingredients from the transport containers on the one or more mini
vehicles to the cooking container at one of the one or more cooking
stations, wherein the computer system can control transfers of the
food ingredients from the transport containers on the one or more
mini vehicles to the one or more cooking apparatus in accordance to
the recipes.
[0007] Implementations of the system may include one or more of the
following. The automatic cooking system further includes a cleaning
apparatus that can clean the one or more transport containers on
the one or more mini vehicles, wherein the computer system controls
timing when the cleaning apparatus to clean the one or more
transport containers. The computer system can control times for the
food ingredients to be transferred to the one or more cooking
apparatus in accordance to the recipes. The computer system can
control the one or more mini vehicles using wireless
communications. At least one of the one or more mini vehicles can
carry a plurality of transport containers that each can hold food
ingredients, wherein the computer system can control the one of the
one or more mini vehicles to stop at two or more positions adjacent
to the one or more storage containers to load food ingredients. The
one or more cooking stations can include a first cooking station
that can cook part or all of the food ingredients in a recipe to
produce semi-cooked food, wherein the one or more cooking stations
comprises a second cooking station that can cook the semi-cooked
food to produce a second cooked food, wherein the semi-cooked food
is transferred from the first cooking station to the first cooking
station under the control of the computer system. The automatic
cooking system can further include sensors that can detect
positions of the one or more vehicles and send associated signals
to the computer system, wherein the computer system can determine
positions of the one or more vehicles based on the signals. The
sensors can include RFID or vision sensors. The automatic cooking
system can further include a food preparation apparatus that can
conduct one or more of operations to the food ingredient before
transferred to the cooking containers for cooking: cleaning,
cutting, grinding, blending, or mixing the food ingredient. The
automatic cooking system can further include one or more rail
tracks that can connect the one or more cooking apparatus and the
one or more storage stations, wherein the one or more mini vehicles
that can move along the one or more rail tracks, wherein the
computer system can control the movements of the one or more mini
vehicles along the one or more rail tracks in accordance to the
recipe. The one or more rail tracks comprise two rails or a mono
rail. The one or more mini vehicles can be positioned on the one or
more rail tracks or hanging off the one or more rail tracks. The
one or more mini vehicles can be driven by gravity along at least a
portion of the one or more rail tracks. The automatic cooking
system can further include a track switch in association with two
or more of the rail tracks, wherein the computer system can control
the track switch to direct the one or more mini vehicles to
different route along the one or more rail tracks. The track switch
can include a frame; two or more connection tracks that can be
mounted on the said frame; and a movement mechanism that can slide
or rotate the said frame among two or more positions. The computer
system can track type and quantities of food ingredients in the one
or more storage containers, the one or more transport containers,
and the cooking containers at the one or more cooking stations.
[0008] In another general aspect, the present invention relates to
an automatic cooking system that includes a computer system that
can store a recipe; one or more cooking stations each comprising a
cooking container that can cook food ingredients therein to produce
a first cooked food, wherein the computer system can assign and
schedule a plurality of dishes to be cooked at the one or more
cooking stations; one or more storage containers that can hold food
ingredients; one or more transport containers that can hold the
food ingredients, wherein the computer system can control at least
some of movements of the one or more transport containers in
accordance to the recipe; a loading apparatus that can load food
ingredients from the one or more storage stations to the transport
containers, wherein the computer system can control loading of food
ingredients from the one or more storage stations to the transport
containers based on the recipe; and an unloading apparatus that can
transfer food ingredients from the transport containers to the
cooking container at one of the one or more cooking stations,
wherein the computer system can control transfers of the food
ingredients from the transport containers to the one or more
cooking apparatus in accordance to the recipe.
[0009] Implementations of the system may include one or more of the
following. The loading apparatus and the unloading apparatus can
include one or more of a tunnel, a funnel, a clipping device, a
robotic arm, or a grabbing device. The loading apparatus can
include a first object mounted below a storage container that can
enclose a space that can receive the food ingredients contained
from the storage container; and a second object that can slide in
the first object, under the control of the computer system, which
adjusts volume of the space and transfers at least a portion of the
food ingredients to the cooking container. The one or more cooking
stations can include a first cooking station that can cook part or
all of the food ingredients in a recipe to produce semi-cooked
food, wherein the one or more cooking stations comprises a second
cooking station that can cook the semi-cooked food to produce a
second cooked food, wherein the semi-cooked food is transferred
from the first cooking station to the first cooking station under
the control of the computer system. At least one of the food
ingredients can be a liquid, the automatic cooking system can
further include a liquid dispensing device, wherein the computer
system can control the a liquid dispensing device to transfer the
liquid from the plurality of storage containers to the cooking
container based on the recipes. The computer system can control the
liquid dispensing device to control start, stop, and duration of
transfer of the liquid from the plurality of storage containers to
the cooking container based on the recipe. The loading mechanism
can include a liquid metering device in communication with the
computer system and configured to measure amount of a food
ingredient transferred from the plurality of storage containers to
the cooking container; wherein the computer system can control the
liquid dispensing device in response to a signal received from the
liquid metering device. The liquid dispensing device can include a
syringe tube and a syringe plunger contained therein configured to
pump the liquid to deliver the liquid to the cooking container
under the control of the computer system.
[0010] These and other aspects, their implementations and other
features are described in detail in the drawings, the description
and the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an implementation automated
cooking system in accordance with the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the process of delivering
food ingredients in the automated cooking system in accordance with
the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 3 shows details of a mini vehicle and a rail track
compatible with the automated cooking system in accordance with the
present invention
[0014] FIGS. 4A-4D illustrate implementations of track switching in
a network of rail tracks compatible with the automated cooking
system in accordance with the present invention.
[0015] FIGS. 5A-5E illustrate other implementations of track
switching in a network of rail tracks compatible with the automated
cooking system in accordance with the present invention.
[0016] FIGS. 6A-6D illustrate other implementations of track
switching in a network of rail tracks compatible with the automated
cooking system in accordance with the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 7 illustrates an implementation of a mini vehicle
suitable for transporting food ingredients in the automated cooking
system in accordance with the present invention.
[0018] FIGS. 8-9B illustrate details of an exemplified rail track
compatible with the automated cooking system in accordance with the
present invention.
[0019] FIGS. 10A-10B illustrate an exemplified transport container
compatible with the automated cooking system in accordance with the
present invention.
[0020] FIGS. 11A-11F illustrate an exemplified unloading mechanism
for a transport container on a mini vehicle compatible with the
automated cooking system in accordance with the present
invention.
[0021] FIGS. 12A-12B illustrate an exemplified cooking apparatus by
heated liquid compatible with the automated cooking system in
accordance with the present invention.
[0022] FIGS. 13A-13C illustrate an exemplified storage and loading
apparatus compatible with the automated cooking system in
accordance with the present invention.
[0023] FIGS. 14A-14C illustrate an exemplified storage and loading
apparatus compatible with the automated cooking system in
accordance with the present invention.
[0024] FIGS. 15A-15D illustrate an exemplified storage and loading
apparatus compatible with the automated cooking system in
accordance with the present invention.
[0025] FIGS. 16A-C, 17A-17D, 18A-18D, and 19A-19B respectively
illustrate other exemplified storage and loading apparatus
compatible with the automated cooking system in accordance with the
present invention.
[0026] FIGS. 20A-20B illustrate an exemplified clipping apparatus
compatible with the automated cooking system in accordance with the
present invention.
[0027] FIG. 21 illustrate an unloading apparatus compatible with
the automated cooking system in accordance with the present
invention.
[0028] FIGS. 22-24 illustrates exemplified liquid storage and
loading apparatus compatible with the automated cooking system in
accordance with the present invention.
[0029] FIG. 25 is a schematic view of another implementation of
automated cooking system in accordance with the present
invention.
[0030] FIG. 26 is a schematic view of another implementation of
automated cooking system in accordance with the present
invention.
[0031] FIGS. 27-32 illustrate exemplified transport apparatus
compatible with the automated cooking system in accordance with the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0032] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 1, an automated
cooking system 100 includes cooking stations 50, storage stations
70, a cleaning station 29. A network of rail tracks 30 links the
storage stations 70, the cooking stations 50 and the cleaning
station 29. The rail tracks 30 includes split track switch (i.e.,
one-to-two track switch) 31, a merging track switch (i.e.,
two-to-one track switch) 32, and two-to-two track switches 36. A
multiple of mini vehicles (not shown in FIG. 1) can move on the
rail tracks 30. Each mini vehicle carries one or more transport
containers configured to hold food ingredients. Each cooking
station 50 includes at least one cooking apparatus with a cooking
container 51, and a cart unloading apparatus to transfer food
ingredients from transport containers to the cooking container (not
shown in FIG. 1).
[0033] In the present disclosure, the term "cooking apparatus"
refers to the subsystem in the cooking system that is responsible
for heating, stirring, flipping, and/or mixing the food ingredients
to produce the dish and for transferring cooked food into some
holders of cooked food. The term "cooking system" refers to overall
system that includes the cooking apparatus, storage systems for
food ingredients, and transport systems for delivering the food
ingredients. It should also be noted that the term "rail track" can
exist in different configurations suitable for the presently
disclosed systems and methods. Examples of rail track include mono
rails, two parallel rails, etc. The mini vehicles can travel on top
of the rail tracks, or hanging below or on the side of rail tracks.
As described below, mechanisms can be configured accordingly for
transferring food ingredients into or out of transport containers
in the mini vehicles and for transferring cooked food from cooking
container to the mini vehicles.
[0034] Each storage station 70 includes one or more storage
containers of food ingredients and an apparatus to load the food
ingredients from the storage containers into the transport
containers on the mini vehicles. The cleaning station 29 includes a
turning apparatus which turns the transport containers on the mini
vehicles, and a controlled apparatus that can spray hot water or
steam into the inner surface of the transport containers. A
computer 80 can be connected via wires 81 to the cooking stations
50, the storage stations 70, the cleaning station 29, and the track
switches 31, 32, and 36. The computer 80 can store a list of
recipes, and control the movements and stops of the mini vehicle;
operations of the track switches 31, 32 and 36; loading of food
ingredients from storage containers to the transport containers on
the mini vehicles; quantity of food ingredients loaded from storage
containers to transport containers; transferring of food
ingredients from transport containers to cooking containers;
operation of the cleaning station 29; and operations of the cooking
apparatus.
[0035] The computer 80 can also control motors to drive the mini
vehicles through a one-way (from computer to the mini vehicles) or
two-way communications (between the computer and each mini vehicle)
through a wired or wireless communication. Here a wireless
communication may be established via a radio (e.g., ZigBee),
microwave (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi), light (e.g., infrared), sonic,
ultrasonic waves; or via electromagnetic induction short range
communication, etc.
[0036] An advantage of the disclosed automated cooking system is
that the storage stations, the cleaning system, the computer, etc.
can be shared among multiple cooking apparatus. In other words, a
storage station can supply a common food ingredient to several
cooking apparatus. This makes the automated cooking system scalable
without having to increasing footprint proportionally as in come
conventional systems.
[0037] Referring to FIG. 2, the process of the delivery of food
ingredients can include one or more of the following steps. A
computer stores recipes for cooking dishes in memory (step 201).
Upon receiving an order for new dishes, the computer assigns and
schedules dishes in the order to be cooked at one or more cooking
stations (step 202). Based on the recipes, the computer commands
the mini vehicles in waiting to move to some designated positions
at the designated storage stations (step 203). Food ingredients are
loaded onto the designated transport containers from the designated
storage containers (step 204). The amounts of food ingredients
loaded are determined by quantities specified in the recipe for the
dishes. If a mini vehicle has multiple transport containers (step
205), the mini vehicle can stop at several positions to allow all
designated transport containers on the mini vehicle to be loaded
with food ingredients (step 206). Then the mini vehicle is sent to
a designated position at a designated cooking station (step 207),
at which the food ingredients in the transport container is
unloaded into the cooking container at a designated time in
accordance to the recipe (step 208). If all food ingredients on the
mini vehicle are unloaded (step 209), the mini vehicle is sent to a
cleaning station which cleans the transport containers (step 210).
The cleaning can include spray water or spray steam. Then the mini
vehicle is in waiting, to be sent to storage stations again. If the
mini vehicle includes multiple loaded transport containers, it can
be moved to a new position at a designated cooking station to allow
next load of food ingredient to be unloaded into the cooking
container (step 211).
[0038] The computer may have logistics software that assigns and
schedules the dishes in a new order to different cooking apparatus
for cooking Examples of operations controlled by the computer
include: [0039] 1) start time of a cooking apparatus for cooking
each assigned dish; [0040] 2) times for unloading of the food
ingredients from transport containers to the cooking containers;
[0041] 3) times for the mini vehicles to arrive at designated
positions at the cooking stations; [0042] 4) times to loading food
ingredients from storage containers to transport containers; [0043]
5) times for the mini vehicles to arrive at designated positions at
storage stations; [0044] 6) times for the mini vehicles to arrive
at designated positions at the cleaning station.
[0045] The logistics software can store and control the following
exemplified operation parameters based on the recipes:
[0046] (a) time periods required to load the transport
containers;
[0047] (b) time periods required to load the quantities of food
ingredients from storage containers to the transport
containers;
[0048] (c) time periods required for a mini vehicle to travel from
positions to positions;
[0049] (d) time periods for the cooking apparatus for finish
cooking an assigned dish;
[0050] (e) time periods required to clean the transport containers
in a mini vehicle;
[0051] (f) time periods required to operate the track switches;
[0052] (g) the current status of the devices in the apparatus and
the unfinished tasks from the older orders, if any. In addition,
any pair of (successive) mini vehicles need to keep a certain
distance away from each other, so they do not collide with each
other.
[0053] The logistics software may need to adjust the start times
for cooking the dishes at the cooking apparatus, as to avoid
conflicts of different mini vehicles on the rail track. In some
cases, a cooking apparatus may have to be idled momentarily,
waiting for some designated mini vehicles carrying food ingredients
to arrive at unloading positions. Once the cooking at a cooking
apparatus is started, the food ingredients should arrive prior to
the designated unloading times, as waiting for food ingredients in
the middle of cooking may not be allowed. Thus, it is sometimes
desirable to have all food ingredients required for a dish to be
loaded into the transport containers of a single mini vehicle.
Moreover, food ingredients from different storage containers may be
loaded into the same transport container if according to the
recipe, these food ingredients are to be delivered into the cooking
container at the same time.
[0054] The assignment of different dishes in a new order to
different cooking apparatus, and the adjustment of start times for
cooking the dishes may be done by the computer, using an
optimization software which helps minimize the total idle time of
the cooking apparatus.
[0055] Examples of an automated cooking apparatus are disclosed in
pending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 13/607,712 and
13/490,523, filed by the same inventor, the content of which is
incorporated herein by reference.
[0056] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 3, a mini vehicle 300
includes a main frame 231, two frames 243, and wheels 244 whose
shafts are connected to the frames 243 by bearings 245. A motor
(not shown in Figure) may drive the rotation of one or more wheels.
The wheels 244 are designed to move along a rail track 30
consisting of a pair of rails 330. The rails 330 are mounted on the
support frames 331. The main frame 231 is connected with each of
the two frames 243 via a vertical hinge joint consisting of a shaft
242 in a sleeve 241. A multiple of basket shaped holders 221 are
fixedly connected atop the main frame 231. Each holder 221 holds a
transport container 261 which may contain food ingredients. The
transport containers 261 may be lifted up and detached from the
basket shaped holders 221.
[0057] It should be noted that the transport container 261 may be
directly connected with the main frame 231 via a properly
positioned hinge joint, so that the transport container may be
rotated (by a computer controlled motor) around the hinge joint and
be turned as to unload food ingredients container therein. The
hinge joint needs to be positioned a proper distance away on a side
of the mini vehicle. This may require more space along the rail
track for the hinge joint to travel with the mini vehicle.
[0058] It should also be noted that the transport containers may
also hang onto a frame of a mini vehicle from below, or from a
side.
[0059] In some embodiments, referring to FIGS. 4A-4D, a track
switch 400 includes a rail track 311 on the left, two rail tracks
312 and 313 on the right, and a frame 340 which may slide on a
sliding track 341. Each rail track as shown includes a pair of
rails, but this is not a requirement. (This also applies to FIGS.
5A-6D.) Two connection rail tracks 314 and 315 are mounted on the
frame 340 (FIG. 4D). The frame 340 may slide between two different
positions as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B: in the position as shown in
FIG. 4A, the pair of rail tracks 311 and 311 may be connected
through the connection rail track 314; in the position as shown in
FIG. 4B, the pair of rail tracks 311 and 313 may be connected by
the connection rail track 315.
[0060] We note that the track switch 400 may be used as a
two-to-one track switch if the mini vehicles move from right to
left, or as a one-to-two track switch if the mini vehicles move
from left to right. A motor (not shown in Figure) may drive the
sliding of the frame 340 along the track 341, and a computer (not
shown) may control the motor to slide the frame into a designated
position at a designated time.
[0061] In some embodiments, referring to FIGS. 5A-5E, a two-to-two
track switch 500 includes a pair of rail tracks 316 and 317 on the
left, a pair of rail tracks 318 and 319 on the right, and a frame
343 which may slide along a sliding track 344. Two connection rail
tracks 320 and 321, two curved connection rail tracks 322 and 323
are fixedly installed atop the frame 343 (FIG. 5E). The frame 343
may slide among three different positions as shown in FIGS. 5A-5C:
in FIG. 5A, the tracks 316 and 318 are joined by the connection
rail track 320 and the tracks 317 and 319 are joined by the
connection rail track 321; in FIG. 5B, the tracks 316 and 319 are
joined by the connection rail track 322; and in FIG. 5C, the tracks
317 and 318 are joined by the connection rail track 323. A motor
(not shown in Figure) may drive the sliding of the frame 343 along
344, and a computer (not shown) may control the motor as to slide
the frame into a designated position at a designated time.
[0062] The rails tracks 316, 317, 318, 319, 320 and 321 as shown in
FIGS. 5A-5E can be substantially parallel to each other, but this
is not a requirement.
[0063] In some embodiments, referring to FIGS. 6A-6D, a two-to-two
track switch 600 has a similar function as the track switch 500 and
has a rotational mechanism replacing the sliding mechanism. A main
frame 361 is fixedly connected to the sleeve 362 of a shaft 363;
and the shaft 362 is fixedly joined with a support frame 364. Three
frames 346, 347 and 348 are fixedly connected to the main frame
361. Two connection rail tracks 320 and 321 are fixedly installed
on the frame 346 (FIG. 6B). A curved connection rail track 322 is
fixedly installed on the frame 347 (FIG. 6C). A curved connection
rail track 323 is fixedly installed on the frame 348 (FIG. 6D). The
three mutually rigidly connected frames 346,247, 348 may rotate
simultaneously around the shaft 363. At a certain first angle, the
connection rail tracks 320 and 321 on the frame 346 join the tracks
316 and 318, and respectively the tracks 317 and 319, similarly as
in FIG. 5A. At a certain second angle, the connection rail track
322 on the frame 347 joins the rail tracks 316 and 319 similarly as
in FIG. 5B. At a certain third angle frame, the connection rail
track 323 on the frame 346 joins the rail tracks 317 and 318
similarly as in FIG. 5C. A motor (not shown) may drive the rotation
of the sleeve 362 around the shaft 363, and a computer (not shown)
may control the motor as to rotate the sleeve into a designated
position at a designated time.
[0064] In an exemplified implementation, referring to FIG. 7, a
mini vehicle 700 includes a main frame 413 and two frames 417 each
of which is joined with the main frame 413 via a hinge joint
consisting of a shaft 420 in a sleeve 4201; where the sleeves 4201
are rigidly connected with the main frame 413 and each shaft 420 is
rigidly connected with the respective frame 417. Two vertical
shafts 421 and a vertical shaft 422 are rigidly mounted below each
frame 417; and two horizontal shafts 423 are rigidly mounted each
frame 417, one on either side. A wheel 4211 is mounted on each
shaft 421 with ball bearings (hidden in the Figure) installed
between the shaft 421 and the corresponding wheel 4211. Two wheels
4221 are mounted on each shaft 422, with ball bearings installed
between the shaft 422 and the corresponding wheels 4221. A wheel
4231 is mounted on each shaft 423, with ball bearings installed
between the shaft 423 and the corresponding wheel 4231. A connector
426 rigidly connects the frame of a motor 425 with one of the
frames 417; and a gear 424 is mounted on the shaft of the motor
425. The axis of the gear 424 is the same as the axis of the shaft
of the motor 425, and it is vertical. Holders of transport
containers (not in Figure) may be mounted atop the main frame
413.
[0065] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 8, a rail track 800
includes a rail 4212 at the center, two rails 4232 and 4233 on
either side, and a gear track 4242 below the rail 4212. The rails
4212, 4232, 4233 and the gear track 4242 are fixedly mounted on a
multitude of support frames 431. Both vertical sides of the rail
4212 are smooth. The mini vehicle 700 may travel on the rail track
800 as in FIGS. 9A-9B: The wheels 4211 of the mini vehicle 700
touch a vertical side of the rail 4212, and the wheels 4221 touch
the other vertical side of the rail 4212. The gear 424 is engaged
with the gear track 4242. The wheels 4231 of the mini vehicle 700
touch the top surfaces of the rails 4232 and 4233. The motor 426
drives the rotation of the gear 424, hence moving the mini vehicle
700 along the track 800. A computer (not in Figure) may control the
direction and speed of movements and breaking (stops) of the motor
426, as to move the mini vehicle to the designated points at
designated times. An encoder may be installed to measure a
cumulative angle of rotations in the gear 424, and the information
of the encoder may be sent to a computer to determine the position
of the mini vehicle. The gear 424 instead of a usual wheel helps
with more precise positioning of the mini vehicle.
[0066] In some embodiments, referring to FIGS. 10A-10B, a transport
container 262 consists of a frame 511 and a box 519 that may hold
food ingredients. The box 519 is fixedly or elastically attached to
the frame 511. Food ingredients may drop to the box 519 from above.
Two holders 517 are attached to the frame 511 from a side; and two
bars 521 and 522 are mounted on the holders 517. It should be noted
that the frame 511 and the box 519 can be made as a unitary piece.
It should also be noted that the inner surface of the box 511 can
be made textured or rugged, or be covered by a net, so that the
food ingredients contained therein are less sticky to the inner
surface of the box.
[0067] In some embodiments, referring to FIGS. 11A-11D, a cart
turning apparatus 1100 consists of a base apparatus 1100A (in FIG.
11B) with a hinge joint 524, and a connector 513 which is connected
to the base apparatus 1100A via the hinge joint 524. The base
apparatus 1100A consists of a flat board 523 of some thickness that
is mounted on a support frame 527; and a curved strip 525 is carved
from the board 523, so that a wheel can fit inside and move along
the curved strip. Two hooks 5121 and 5122 are mounted on the
connector 513 as in FIG. 11A. A second connector 514 is connected
to the connector 513 via a hinge joint 516 so the two connectors
may rotate around each other. A third hook 5123 is mounted on an
end of the connector 514 and a shaft 515 is mounted on the other
end of the connector 515. A wheel (obstructed in FIG. 11A) is
mounted on the shaft 515 with bearings installed between the wheel
and the shaft 515, so that the wheel can freely rotate relative to
the shaft 515. The wheel on the shaft 515 can fit in and move along
the curved strip 525. The axes of the hinge joints 524 and 516, and
that of the shaft 515 are all parallel to each other. The hooks
5121 and 5122 face up, and the hook 5123 faces down. The cart
turning apparatus 1100 may be used to grab and turn the transport
container 262, as illustrated in FIG. 11C: the hook 5121 may hook
the bar 521 from below, the hook 5122 may hook the bar 522 from
below, and the hook 5123 may hook the bar 522 from above. A
computer controlled motor (not shown in Figures) may drive the
rotation of the connector 513 around the hinge joint 524. When the
connector 513 is rotated around the hinge joint 524, the wheel on
the shaft 515 may slide in the curved strip 525. Then the relative
distance between the hooks 5123 and 5122 may change, thus resulting
in closing or loosening of the pair of hooks, as illustrated in
FIGS. 11D-11F.
[0068] It should be noted that a cleaning station 29 may include a
cart turning apparatus 1100 which can grab and turn a transport
container 262 by an angle, and a computer controlled apparatus
which may spray heated water or steaming vapors onto the interior
surface of transport container 262 when the transport container is
turned by the apparatus 1100. The cart turning apparatus 1100 may
also be used as an unloading apparatus to unload food ingredients
from a transport container to a cooking container; and in this case
we may refer the cart turning apparatus 1100 as a cart unloading
apparatus. It should also be noted that a different cart unloading
mechanism may include a powered apparatus that grabs a transport
container of a matching design, and a rotation mechanism that turns
the powered apparatus around the axis of a hinge joint; where the
rotation mechanism may be driven by a motor. A benefit of the cart
turning apparatus 1100 is that there is no need for any powered
device other than the motor which drives the rotation of the
connector 513 around the axis of the hinge joint 524.
[0069] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 12A, an automated
cooking apparatus 1200 consists a container 667 of heated liquid,
such as water or oil, a porous basket 55 (e.g., a metal net) which
may hold food ingredients, and a connector 682 that is rigidly
connected with the basket 55 on one end, and is rigidly connected
with the sleeve 683 of a shaft 684. The shaft 684 is fixedly
connected to a support frame 686, and a computer controlled motor
(not shown in Figure) may drive the rotation of the sleeve 683
around the shaft 684. When the sleeve 683 and the basket 55 are
rotated in a certain direction (clockwise as shown in FIG. 12A),
the food ingredients contained in the basket 55 may be turned and
then dropped into a transport container 263 through a funnel 267 in
the shape of a truncated cone. It should be noted that when the
basket 55 is rotated out of fluid level in the container 840, the
computer controlled motor may drive the basket into a rotational
vibration as to shake out the liquid in the food ingredients in the
basket 55. In addition, the area underneath the path of the basket
may be protected by a cover so dripped liquid from the basket may
be gathered and drained out. A stove 668 may heat the liquid in the
container 667. It should be noted that a temperature sensor may be
used to measure the temperature of the liquid in the container 667,
and the power of the heater may be adjusted by an algorithm
according to the difference between the targeted temperature and
the measured temperature.
[0070] Referring to FIG. 12B, an automated cooking station 54
includes a cooking apparatus 1200 and a cart unloading apparatus
1100 positioned nearby. The food ingredients that need to be heated
in the liquid can be transported in a transport container 262 to a
certain position next to the cart unloading apparatus 1100. The
food ingredients in the transport container 262 are turned and
dropped into the basket 55 by a cart turning apparatus 1100. By a
rotation around the shaft 684, the basket 55 is then lowered into
the heated liquid in the container 667. After a duration of time
which is calculated based on recipe and/or liquid temperature, the
basket 55 is then lifted out of the heated liquid and be vibrated
to help drain out the liquid in the food ingredients in the basket
55. Then the food ingredients are turned with the basket, and
dropped into the transport container 263 through the funnel 267.
The food ingredients cooked by the apparatus 1200 may be
transported by the transport container 263 to a cooking container
of another automated cooking apparatus for further processing. It
should be noted that the two containers 262 and 263 could be the
same one (that is moved from one side of the automated cooking
apparatus 1200 to the other side, while the food ingredients is
cooked in the heated liquid), but this is not a requirement.
[0071] In some embodiments, referring to FIGS. 13A-13C, a storage
and loading apparatus 1300 includes a spiral blade 718 turned
around a shaft 7180, enclosed in a hollow cylinder 713. The shaft
7180 is partly enclosed in the hollow cylinder 713, while the
spiral blade 718 is fully enclosed in the hollow cylinder 713. The
hollow cylinder 713 is connected with a storage container 714 with
an opening at the bottom of the storage container 714, so that the
food ingredients contained in the storage container 714 may freely
drop down into the hollow cylinder 713. The shaft 7180 is a mating
part of a hinge joint with sleeve 717 so the shaft 7180 may freely
rotate relative to the sleeve 717. A ring-shaped board 719 rigidly
connects the sleeve 717 and a boundary of the hollow cylinder 713
(the right boundary as shown in FIG. 13A); the other boundary of
the hollow cylinder 713 (the left boundary as shown in FIG. 13A) is
open so the food ingredients may pass from inside of the hollow
cylinder to the outside. A motor 716 mounted on a support frame 710
may drive the rotation of the shaft 7180. The outer surface of the
hollow cylinder 713 is rigidly joined with the support frame 710.
As the shaft 7180 is rotated in a certain direction, the food
ingredients in the hollow cylinder 713 may be pushed by the spiral
blade 718 toward the opening (at the left boundary as shown in FIG.
13A) and be dropped into a transport container underneath (not
shown in Figure); and at the same time, more food ingredients from
the storage container 714 may be dropped to the hollow cylinder
713. Thus, the rotation of the shaft 7180 results in loading of
food ingredients from the storage container into a transport
container underneath. A computer (not in Figure) may control speed,
time, duration of the rotation of the motor 716 as to control the
estimated amount of food ingredients to be loaded, and the time
duration required for loading.
[0072] It should be noted a weighing device may be installed on a
second support frame (not in Figure) as to measure the total weight
of the storage and loading apparatus 1300, including the storage
container 714, the hollow cylinder 713 and the food ingredients
contained in them. The weighing device can measure the weights
prior to, and after a load of food ingredients; so as to determine
the weight of the food ingredients that has been loaded into a
transport container. The information of the weighing device may be
sent to a computer. If the weight of total loaded food ingredients
is less than a target amount, then the computer may order another
load of a calculated duration and speed. The speed or duration of
each load may be carefully designed as to make sure that the total
amount of food ingredients in the load does not exceed a certain
maximum weight. The weighing and loading process may be repeated
for a number of times, until the weight of total food ingredients
cumulatively loaded into the transport container is in a certain
range. Similar notes can be made for the storage and loading
apparatus disclosed in FIGS. 14A-21 below.
[0073] It should also be noted that the spiral blade 718 turned
around a shaft in the storage and loading apparatus 1300 may be
replaced by a screw rod or other similar device. Similar notes can
be made for the storage and loading apparatus disclosed in FIGS.
14A-18D below.
[0074] The hollow cylinder 713 in the storage and loading apparatus
1300 may be substituted by a hollow tunnel of other shape, such as
a hollow truncated cone; or a hollow tunnel 7131 in the storage and
loading apparatus 1400 as in FIGS. 14A-14C. The cross section of
the hollow tunnel 7131 is a contour formed by a circular arc
centered at the axis of shaft 7180 and an upside-down U shaped
curve (FIG. 14B). This helps with preserving the shapes of certain
food ingredients as they are transferred from the storage container
through the hollow tunnel into a transport container
underneath.
[0075] In some embodiments, referring to FIGS. 15A-15D, a storage
and loading apparatus 1500 includes a pair of spiral blades 741 and
742 respectively turned around shafts 7410 and 7420, enclosed in a
hollow tunnel 743. The spiral blades 741 and 742 are fully enclosed
in the hollow tunnel 743 and the shafts 7410 and 7420 are partly
enclosed in the hollow tunnel 743. The hollow tunnel 743 has the
topology of a cylinder and each cross section of the hollow tunnel
743 is a contour formed by two circular arcs centered at the axes
of the shafts 7410 and 7420 respectively. Two hinge joints connect
the shafts 7410 and 7420 with a board 740 that is rigidly connected
with a boundary of the hollow tunnel 743 (the right side boundary
as shown in FIG. 15A or 15B); so each shaft, 7410 or 7420, may
freely rotate relative to the board 740. A motor 748 mounted on a
support frame 744 drives the rotation of the shaft 7410. The other
boundary of the hollow tunnel 743 (the left boundary as shown in
FIGS. 15A-15B) is open. The hollow tunnel 743 is connected with a
storage container 747 with an opening at the bottom of the storage
container 747, so that food ingredients contained in the storage
container 747 may freely drop down into the hollow tunnel 743. The
outer surface on the wall of the hollow tunnel 743 is rigidly
connected with the support frame 744. Two gears of identical size
791 and 792, both outside of the hollow tunnel, are respectively
mounted on and are concentric with the shafts 7410 and 7420. The
two gears 791 and 792 are engaged, so the shafts 7410 and 7420 may
rotate in opposite direction with equal speed. One of the spiral
blades 741 and 742 is left-handed and the other one is
right-handed. As the shaft 7410 is rotated in a certain direction,
the food ingredients in the hollow tunnel 743 may be pushed by the
spiral blades 741 and 742 toward the left boundary and then be
dropped into a transport container underneath (not shown in
Figure); and at the same time, more food ingredients from the
storage container 747 may be dropped to fill the hollow tunnel 743.
Thus, the rotation of the shaft 7410 by the motor 748 results in a
load of food ingredients from the storage container to a transport
container underneath. A computer (not in Figure) may control speed,
time, duration of the rotation of the motor 748 as to control the
estimated amount of loaded food ingredients, and the time of the
loading.
[0076] It should be noted that the hollow tunnel 743 in the storage
and loading apparatus 1500 may be substituted by a hollow tunnel of
other shape, such as a hollow tunnel 7431 in the storage and
loading apparatus 1600, in FIGS. 16A-16C. The cross section of the
hollow tunnel 7431 is a contour made of a straight arc and two
circular arcs respectively centered at the axes of shafts 7410 and
7420 (FIG. 16B). This helps with preserving the shapes of certain
food ingredients that are transferred from the storage container
through the hollow tunnel into the transport containers
underneath.
[0077] In some embodiments, referring to FIGS. 17A-17D, a storage
and loading apparatus 1700 includes a storage and loading apparatus
1300B and a mixing apparatus consisting of an object 722 that can
be rotated by a motor 723, where the storage and loading apparatus
1300B can be implemented the same as the apparatus 1300 (FIGS.
13A-13C) except that the storage container 714 in the apparatus
1300 is substituted by a storage container 7141 of a different
shape. The frame of the motor 723 is fixedly installed on a cover
of the storage container 7141. A part of the inner surface of the
storage container 7141 may be rotationally symmetric around the
axis of the motor 723, although this is not a requirement. The
object 722 is inside the storage container 7141, and may stir and
mix the food ingredients in the container 7141 A computer (not in
Figure) may control the motor 723. As shown in Figures, the axis of
the motor 393 is vertical; but it should be noted that the axis of
the motor 723 may also be designed to be horizontal or in an
inclined direction. The object 722 can have a shape of a bent rod,
a spiral blade turned around a shaft, or a screw rod.
[0078] In some embodiments, referring to FIGS. 18A-18D, a storage
and loading apparatus 1800 includes the storage and loading
apparatus 1300 and a tube 752 which joins with the open boundary of
the hollow cylinder 863 by a hollow truncated cone 753. Food
ingredients contained in the storage container 714 may be dropped
into the hollow cylinder and then be pushed to the tube 752 and
eventually be dropped into a cooking container 754. A computer may
control the motor 716. It should be noted that a computer
controlled shut-off valve may be installed on the tube 752. The
storage and loading apparatus may be used to load different types
of sauces or semi-solid food ingredients directly into a cooking
container.
[0079] During time periods when the storage and loading apparatus
are not in use, the food ingredients contained in the storage
containers may need to be sealed as to keep them fresh. An
automated cap may be mounted near the outlet of the storage and
loading apparatus in 13A-18D, as to seal the food ingredients
contained in a storage container and the hollow tunnel. Some care
may be taken to design the cap, so that the cap never has to touch
the food ingredients, even if the food ingredients are sticky. The
cap may consist of a large enough horizontal plate (which may be
slid or rotated away using a mechanism and a computer controlled
motor) and be positioned at below the outlet of the hollow tunnel;
while the space between the hollow tunnel's open boundary and the
mating part of the horizontal cap gets enclosed and sealed.
[0080] In some embodiments, referring to FIGS. 19A-19B, a storage
and loading apparatus 1900 consists of a storage container 810 with
an outlet 811 at its bottom, and a sliding plate 812 which may open
or close the outlet 811 so the food ingredients in the storage
container 810 may or may not drop into the outlet 811. The plate
812 may slide through a slit 813 cut from a wall of the container
810, may be pulled or pushed by a rod 814 from outside of the
container 810 as to open or close the outlet 811. A computer
controlled, motorized lead screw mechanism 815 drives the rod 814
in a linear motion. A connector 816 joins the frame of the
motorized lead screw mechanism 815 and the support frame of the
storage container 810. Underneath the outlet 811, a curved panel
819 which is rigidly connected with the storage container 810, a
curved panel 821 and the plate 812 form a chamber 818 for food
ingredients (FIG. 19A). A flat section of the curved panel 821 may
slide along a flat section 817 of the outer surface of the storage
container 810, and at the same time, another section 822 of the
curved panel 821 may slide parallel along a section of the panel
819. The space between any of the sliding pairs is minimal so that
the food ingredients may not pass through in meaningful quantity. A
rod 823 is rigidly connected with the curved panel 821. A
computer-controlled, motorized lead screw mechanism 824 drives the
rod 823 in a linear motion, as to pull or push the curved panel 821
into parallel sliding relative to the sections of the storage
container 810 and the panel 819. A connector 825 joins the frame of
the motorized lead screw mechanism 824 and the support frame of the
storage container 810. When the plate 812 is slid to close the
outlet 811, and curved panel 821 is slid sufficiently downward,
then the chamber 818 opens up to the space below (FIG. 19B), and
then the food ingredients contained in the chamber 818 may drop
down from an opening 826 (directly or through a funnel) into a
transport container (not in FIGS. 19A and 19B) underneath. To load
a targeted volume of food ingredients, the curved panel 821 may be
slid into a calculated height as to adjust the volume of the
chamber 818. Then slide the plate 812 open as to let food
ingredients drop from the storage container 810 into the chamber
818. Afterwards, the plate 812 may be closed, and the curved panel
821 may be slid sufficiently downward so that the food ingredients
in the chamber may be dropped down into a transport container
underneath. It should be noted that a mixing apparatus similar to
the one in apparatus 117 may be mounted to mix the food ingredients
in the storage container 810 so the food ingredients may easily
fall down.
[0081] It should be noted that the storage and loading apparatus
1900 may also be used to dispense precise amounts of salt or other
dry ingredients of small diameters. The salt may also be
transferred directly from a storage container to the cooking
container, without using the transport containers.
[0082] In some embodiments, referring to FIGS. 20A-20B, a clipping
apparatus 2000 includes a tube 830 and a smaller tube 831 that may
slide inside the tube 830. The interior of the tube 831 is a nut
832. The ends of legs 841 are connected to the bottom ring of the
tube 831 via some hinge joints 843, one hinge joint for each leg,
so that each leg 841 may rotate relative to the tube 831 around the
axis of the respective hinge joint 843. A middle part of each leg
841 is joined to the end of a connector 842 via a hinge joint 844,
with the other end of the connector 842 joined to the outer surface
of the tube 830 via a hinge joint 845. The three hinge joints 843,
844 and 845 corresponding to a leg 841 have parallel axes. The axes
of the hinge joints 843, 844 and 845 may be perpendicular to the
axis of the tube 830, but this is not a requirement. A computer
controlled motor 835 drives the rotation of a screw rod 833 which
mates with the nut 832, and hence pushing or pulling the tube 831
to slide relative to the tube 830. The legs 841 then open or close
accordingly. The clipping apparatus can be used to catch food
ingredients from a container.
[0083] It should be noted a clipping apparatus may also include a
single rotatable leg 841 as in FIGS. 20A-20B, and one or more fixed
legs that are rigidly connected with the tube 830. The disclosed
systems and methods can be compatible with other implementations
for such clipping apparatus.
[0084] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 21, an loading
apparatus 2100 consists of a clipping apparatus 2000, a first screw
rod 836 that is rigidly connected with the tube 830 of the clipping
apparatus 2000 via a connector 835, a first motorized lead screw
mechanism 837 that can move the rod 836 along a vertical direction,
wherein a sliding pair restricts the rod and the screw mechanism
837 to vertically sliding. A second screw rod 838 is rigidly
connected to the frame of the first motorized lead screw mechanism
837. A second lead screw mechanism 839 mounted on a support frame
849 can move the screw rod 838 in a horizontal linear motion,
wherein a sliding pair restricts the rod 838 and the screw
mechanism 837 to horizontally sliding. Thus the clipping apparatus
2000 may be moved to inside a storage container 840 which may hold
food ingredients, or to above a transport container 264. The
loading apparatus 2100 works as follows. The clipping apparatus
2000 with its legs 841 opened, may be moved to inside the storage
container 840, until the legs touch some food ingredients. Then the
legs close, grabbing some food. Then the clipping apparatus 2000 is
moved to above the transport container 264, and the legs 841 open
wide and the food ingredients grabbed by the clipping apparatus
2000 drops into the transport container 264. It should be noted
that a pressure sensor may be mounted with the motorized lead screw
mechanism 837 as to stop it from pushing down the rod 836 when the
clipping apparatus 2000 meets with a higher than a certain
resistance force from the food ingredients in the container.
[0085] Alternatively, a robotic arm may also be used to grab and
transfer food ingredients from storage containers to transport
containers.
[0086] It should be noted that the loading apparatus discussed in
FIGS. 13A-17D, 19A-21 may be also used to dispense food ingredients
directly into the cooking containers. In fact, depending on the
menu and other factors, some food ingredients, especially some of
the liquid, powder, or some semi-solid food ingredients, may be
more conveniently dispensed into the cooking containers without the
use of any transport containers.
[0087] In some cases, food ingredients may stick together or stick
onto the interior surfaces of a storage container, and thus it can
be difficult to dispense the food ingredients from the storage
container. The mixing apparatus consisting of a rotating object
inside the storage container (similar to the object 722 in FIG.
17A-17D) can be used to facilitate the dispensing of food
ingredients from the storage container. Alternatively, a movement
mechanism may be mounted to vibrate, rotate, or otherwise move the
storage containers as to stir or shake the food ingredients.
[0088] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 22, a liquid storage
and loading apparatus 2200 consists of a storage tank 850 which may
contain liquid ingredients, a pipe 861 from the tank 850 to the
inlet of a valve 871, a second pipe 862 from the outlet of the
valve 871 to the inlet of a valve 872, and a third pipe 863 from
the outlet of the valve 872 to an outlet 863 above a cooking
container (not in FIG. 22). The valves 871 and 872 allow the liquid
to flow from their inlets to outlets when the liquid at the inlets
has a higher pressure (higher by a certain threshold) than the
liquid at the outlets, but never backward. A pipe 864 connects a
middle part of the pipe 862 to the tip 852 of a syringe tube 851. A
plunger 854 can be pushed and pulled by a rod 853, along inside the
tube 851, allowing the chamber 853 of the tube 851 to take in or
expel the liquid ingredient. A transport mechanism 855 can pull or
push the rod 853 via a lead screw or ball screw mechanism under the
computer system 80 (FIG. 1), while a sliding pair may restrict the
rod 853 to a parallel sliding (not shown in Figure). When the
plunger 854 is pulled outward (downward as in FIG. 22) by a certain
distance, a certain amount of liquid can be pulled into the tube
chamber 853, drawing liquid from the tank 850, but not from the
pipe 863 as the valve 872 never allows the liquid to flow backward.
When the plunger 854 is pushed inward by a certain distance, a
certain amount of liquid can be pushed out of the tube chamber 853
into the pipe 864 and 862, thus pushing the same amount of liquid
through the valve 872 into the pipe 863, and then to the cooking
container via the outlet 863; while the valve 871 never allows the
liquid to flow backward. Thus, the apparatus 2200 may transfer a
targeted amount of the liquid into the cooking container by pushing
the plunger 854 inward by a calculated distance.
[0089] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 23, a liquid storage
and loading apparatus 2300 consists of a storage tank 860 which may
contain liquid ingredients, a pipe 865 from the tank 860 to the
inlet of a valve 876, and another pipe 866 from the outlet of the
valve 876 to an outlet above a cooking container 890 (not scaled in
size). The computer 80 controls the valve 876. The valve may be
opened for a calculated period of time, as to allow a targeted
amount of liquid to pass the valve. The bottom of the storage tank
860 is positioned higher than the outlet of the tube 866, so the
liquid may flow from the storage tank to the outlet of the tube 866
when the valve 876 is opened.
[0090] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 24, a liquid storage
and loading apparatus 2400 consists of a storage tank 870 which may
contain liquid ingredients, a pipe 867 from the tank 870 to the
inlet of a pump 877, and another pipe 868 from the outlet of the
pump 877 to an outlet 869 above a cooking container (not in
Figure). The computer 80 controls the pump 877 so it can pump a
targeted amount of liquid to flow out through the outlet 869 in a
calculated time period.
[0091] It should be noted that the pump 877 in the liquid storage
and loading apparatus 2400 may be substituted by a submersible pump
that is positioned inside the storage tank 870, in which case the
pipe 867 may or may not be needed.
[0092] In each of the liquid storage and loading apparatus 2200,
2300 or 2400, a flow sensor may be installed at a point on a tube
in order to measure the total amount of liquid ingredients
transferred to the cooking container. The information of the flow
sensor may be sent to the computer as to monitor the amount of
liquid ingredients transferred to the cooking container.
[0093] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 25, an automated
cooking system 2500 includes a multiple of cooking stations 50 and
cooking stations 54, a multiple of storage stations 70, a cleaning
station 29. A network of rail tracks 301 links the storage stations
70, the cooking stations 50 and 54, the cleaning station 29. The
rail track network 301 includes split one-to-two track switches 31,
two-to-one track switches 32, and two-to-two track switches 36.
Each cooking station 50 includes a cooking apparatus which has one
or more cooking containers 51, a cart unloading apparatus 1100
which transfers food ingredients from the transport containers on
the mini vehicles to the cooking containers. Each storage station
70 includes one or more storage containers of food ingredients, a
loading apparatus to unload the food ingredients from the storage
containers into the transport containers of the mini vehicles. Each
cooking station 54 includes a cooking apparatus with a porous
basket 55 that may be immersed in a container of heated liquid, an
apparatus to unload food ingredients from the transport containers
of the mini vehicles on one side (the left side as in FIG. 12B) of
the liquid container 55 to the liquid container 55, an apparatus to
transfer cooked food from the basket 55 to transport containers on
the other side of the liquid container (see FIG. 12A-12B). The
cleaning station 29 includes an apparatus 1100 that turns the
transport containers by an angle, and a cleaning apparatus that can
spray hot water or steam into the inner surface of the transport
containers. A computer 80 is connected via wires 81 with the
cooking stations 50 and 54, the storage stations 70, the cleaning
station 29, and the track switches 31, 32 and 36. The computer 80
has a list of recipes stored in its memory and controls: movement
and stops of the mini vehicle at stations; loading of food
ingredients from storage containers to the transport containers of
the mini vehicles, quantity of food ingredients to be loaded from
storage containers to the transport containers; unloading of food
ingredients from transport containers to cooking containers 51 and
baskets 55; transfer of cooked food from cooking containers 51 to
holders of cooked foods; loading of cooked food from baskets 55 to
transport containers; the cleaning apparatus; and the cooking
apparatus.
[0094] Still referring to FIG. 25, the automated cooking system
2500 includes stations 75 each of which includes an automated
pre-processing apparatus 75 used to pre-process the food
ingredients before they are stored in storage containers or
directly transferred into transport containers in the mini
vehicles. Examples of pre-processing operations include washing,
cutting, chopping, grinding, blending, etc. The computer 80 is
connected to the stations 75 via wires 81 as to control the
operations therein.
[0095] In some cases, some food ingredients of a dish needs a round
of cooking in heated liquid (e.g., deep frying in heated oil, or
boiling in heated water) at a cooking station 54 before being
cooked at a cooking station 50. The food ingredients may be loaded
into a transport container of a mini vehicle, and then moved to a
position at a cooking station 54, and unloaded into the porous
basket 55 therein. After cooking in the heated liquid, the food
ingredients may be loaded into a transport container of a mini
vehicle (could be the same mini vehicle though not a requirement),
and then transported to another cooking station for further
processing. It is possible that, for example, a food ingredient of
a dish first needs to be boiled in heated water, then fried in
heated oil, and then boiled again in heated water, and then cooked
at a cooking station 51. The automated cooking system 2500 allows
such processes to be done, with one of the cooking stations 54
having heated oil and the other heated water. The transport of food
ingredients from a basket 54 to another basket 54, and from a
basket 54 to a cooking container 51, may be done using the
transport containers (or alternatively, by a local transfer
mechanism).
[0096] Each cooking station 50 may also include a transferring
apparatus which transfers cooked food from the cooking containers
into holders of cooked food. Moreover, a cooking apparatus may
include one or more liquid storage and loading apparatus 2200 (FIG.
22), 2300 (FIG. 23), 2400 (FIG. 24) that transfer liquid
ingredients from storage tanks directly to the cooking containers
51 or 55. A cooking apparatus may also include storage and loading
apparatus that directly transfer other ingredients into cooking
containers 51 or 55. The computer 80 may control the above
mentioned apparatus.
[0097] The computer 80 may further control: the time periods and
the variable power of a heating apparatus of the cooking container,
the transport mechanism that moves the cooking container for the
purpose of mixing or stirring, or other alternative mixing or
stirring apparatus.
[0098] It should be noted that the mini vehicles in 2500 (FIG. 25)
can be driven by motors. Alternatively, the mini vehicles in 2500
may be driven by gravitational force on some parts of the rail
track network 301.
[0099] In the automated cooking system 2500 (FIG. 25), the mini
vehicles may all go in one direction, as directed in the Figure,
although this is not a requirement. The transfers of food
ingredients from different storage containers to different
transport containers may occur at the same time or in otherwise
overlapped time.
[0100] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 26, an automated
cooking system 2600 includes a multiple of cooking stations 50, a
multiple of storage stations 70, and a cleaning station 29. A road
22 connects the storage stations 70, the cooking stations 50 and
the cleaning station 29. A multiple of mini vehicles 24 move on the
road 22. Each mini vehicle carries one or more transport containers
which may hold food ingredients. A multiple of RFID tags 23 are
laid and fixed on the road 22, and some sensors are installed on
mini vehicles 24 as to read the tags 23 for the purpose of
positioning. A master wireless device 82 is connected with a
computer 80 via wires 81, and communicates with some slave wireless
devices installed on the mini vehicles 24 so that the computer 80
may communicate with and control the mini vehicles 24. The
information read by the sensors on the mini vehicles 24 are sent to
the computer 80 by the wireless communication as to determine the
positions of the mini vehicles. Each cooking station 50 includes a
cooking apparatus which has one or more cooking containers 51, a
cart unloading apparatus which unloads food ingredients from the
transport containers on the mini vehicles to the cooking
containers. Each storage station 70 includes one or more storage
containers of food ingredients, a loading apparatus to transfer the
food ingredients from the storage containers into the transport
containers of the mini vehicles. The cleaning station 29 includes
an apparatus that turns the transport containers by an angle and/or
by a distance, and a cleaning apparatus that can spray hot water or
steam into the inner surface of the transport containers. The
computer 80 is connected via the wires 81 with the cooking stations
50, the storage stations 70, and the cleaning station 29. The
computer 80 has a list of recipes stored in its memory and
controls: movement and stops of the mini vehicle at stations;
loading of food ingredients from storage containers to the
transport containers of the mini vehicles 24, quantity of food
ingredients to be loaded from storage containers to the transport
containers; transferring of food ingredients from transport
containers to cooking containers 51; transferring of cooked food
from cooking containers 51 to holders of cooked foods; the cleaning
apparatus; and the cooking apparatus.
[0101] It should be noted that the RFID tags 23 in the automated
cooking system 2600 may be substituted with tags of images; and the
sensors on the mini vehicles are vision sensors that may read the
images. It should also be noted that instead of using RFID tags 23
and sensors, we may use an indoor positioning system or other
positioning system.
[0102] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 27, a transport
apparatus 2700 includes a track consisting of a pair of sharp rails
901, and a mini vehicle 2700A. The mini vehicle 2700A includes a
frame 915, two shafts 920 which are joined to the frame 915 by
bearings 923. Two wheels 921 are rigidly mounted on each shaft 920
and are positioned on the sharp rails 901, one wheel on each rail
(one shaft 920 and the corresponding wheels 921 are obstructed in
the Figure). The axes of the wheels 921 coincide with the axis of
the corresponding shaft 920. A gear 922 is mounted on one of the
shafts 920 and is concentric with the shaft. Another gear 925 is
mounted on the shaft of a motor 926 and is concentric with the
shaft of the motor 926. The gears 922 and 925 are engaged. The
frame of the motor 926 is rigidly connected to the frame 915. On
the other hand, a pair of straight rails 917 are mounted atop the
frame 915, forming a rail track. A sub-vehicle 2700B consisting of
a frame 916 and two pairs of wheels (not seen in Figure) whose
shafts are joined to the frame 916 by bearings, with two wheels
positioned on each of the rails 917. One or more holders (not in
Figure) mounted atop the frame 916 may hold transport containers of
food ingredients. A screw rod 919 is connected with the frame 915
via a pair of bearings 918, so the screw rod 919 may rotate freely
relative to the frame 915. A lead screw nut (obstructed) fixedly
mounted below the frame 916 is engaged with the screw rod 919, so
that a rotation of the screw rod 919 translates into a linear
movement of the sub-vehicle 2700B. The frame of a motor 928 is
fixedly connected with the frame 915; and the shaft of the motor
928 is fixedly connected and is concentric with the screw rod 919.
The rails 917 and (the axis of) the screw rod 919 are all parallel
to each other. As the motor 928 rotates the screw rod 919, the mini
vehicle 2700B moves linearly along the rails 917. A cable drag
chain 929 contains electric wires (not shown in Figure) that
connect the motors 926 and 928 to an electric source. The cable
drag chain may change shape and move along with the mini vehicle
2700A. A computer (not shown in Figure) may control the motors 926
and 928.
[0103] We note that the lead screw nut with the sub-vehicle 2700B
may be replaced by a ball screw nut. The sub-vehicle 2700B may go
two ways, and the mini vehicle 2700A may also go two ways.
[0104] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 28, a transport
apparatus 2800 includes a rail track 902, a mini train 906 which
may travel along the rail track 902. The mini train 906 includes a
frame 953, wheels 943 whose shafts are joined to the frame 953 by
bearings. The wheels 943 are restricted to travel on the rail track
902. The sleeve of a shaft 930 is fixedly connected with the frame
953. A connector 931 connects the shaft 930 and the basket shaped
holder 912 which holds a transport container 911. A computer
controlled motor (not in Figure) may drive the rotation of one or
more wheels 943; and another (computer controlled) motor may drive
the rotation of the shaft 930 around its sleeve.
[0105] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 29, a transport
apparatus 2900 includes rail track 902, a mini train 906 which may
travel along the rail track 902. The mini train 906 includes a
frame 953, wheels 943 whose shafts are joined to the frame 953 by
bearings. The wheels 943 are restricted to travel on the rail track
902. The sleeve of a shaft 930 is fixedly connected with the frame
953. A connector 931 connects the shaft 930 and the sleeve of a
shaft 938. Two belt wheels 941 and 942 of identical radii are
rigidly mounted on the shafts 930 and 938 respectively, so that the
belt wheel 941 is concentric with the shaft 930 and the belt 942 is
concentric with the shaft 938. A belt 940 wraps around the belt
wheels 941 and 942 so they may rotate synchronously. A basket
shaped holder 912 is rigidly connected with the shaft 938 and is
above the belt wheel 942. The holder 912 holds a transport
container 911 which may contain food ingredients. A computer
controlled motor (not in Figure) may drive the rotation of one or
more wheels 943; and another (computer controlled) motor may drive
the rotation of the shaft 930 around its sleeve.
[0106] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 30, a transport
apparatus 3000 includes rail track 902, a mini vehicle 906 which
may travel along the rail track 330. The mini vehicle 906 includes
a frame 953, and wheels 943 whose shafts are joined to the frame
953 by bearings. The wheels 943 are restricted to travel on the
rail track 330. The sleeves of two shafts 932 and 933 are fixedly
connected with the frame 953. A connector 934 joins the shaft 932
with a shaft 936; and another connector joins the shaft 933 with
another shaft 937. A frame 926 is rigidly connected with the
sleeves of the shafts 936 and 937. A basket shaped holder 912 is
mounted on the frame 926. The holder 912 holds a transport
container 911 which may contain food ingredients. A computer
controlled motor (not in Figure) may drive the rotation of one or
more wheels 943; and another (computer controlled) motor may drive
the rotation of the shaft 932 around its sleeve.
[0107] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 31, a transport
apparatus 3100 includes a support frame 968, a shaft 960 whose
sleeve is rigidly connected with the support frame 968, and a
connector 950 joining the shaft 960 and the sleeve of another shaft
961. Another connector 951 joins the shaft 960 with a basket shaped
holder 912. The holder 912 holds a transport container 911 which
can contain food ingredients. The axes of the shafts 960 and 961
may be parallel to each other, although this is not a requirement.
A computer controlled motor (not shown in Figure) can drive the
rotation of shaft 960 around its sleeve. Another computer
controlled motor (not shown in Figure) can drive the rotation of
shaft 961 around its sleeve.
[0108] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 32, a transport
apparatus 3200 includes a support frame 968, two shafts 962 and 963
whose sleeves are both rigidly connected with the support frame
968. A connector 952 connects the shaft 962 with a shaft 964; and
another connector 953 connects the shaft 963 with another shaft
965. A frame 954 rigidly joins the sleeves of the shafts 964 and
965 at the bottom, and the sleeves of another two shafts 966 and
964 at the top. A third connector 956 connects the shaft 966 with a
shaft 965; and a fourth connector 964 connects the shaft 964 with a
shaft 963. A frame 958 rigidly connects the sleeves of the shafts
965 and 963. A basket shaped holder 912 is mounted atop the frame
958. The holder 912 holds a transport container 911 which may
contain food ingredients. The axes of the shafts 962, 963, 964,
965, 966, 964, 965 and 963 can be designed to be parallel to each
other, although this is not a requirement. A computer controlled
motor (not shown in Figure) can drive the rotation of shaft 963
around its sleeve. Another computer controlled motor (not shown in
Figure) can drive the rotation of shaft 966 around its sleeve.
[0109] It should be noted that the holder 912 in FIGS. 28-32 may be
replaced by a holder that may hold two or more transport
containers.
[0110] While this document contains many specifics, these should
not be construed as limitations on the scope of an invention that
is claimed or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of
features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that
are described in this document in the context of separate
embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single
embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the
context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple
embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.
Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in
certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or
more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be
excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be
directed to a sub-combination or a variation of a
sub-combination.
[0111] Only a few examples and implementations are described. Other
implementations, variations, modifications and enhancements to the
described examples and implementations may be made without
deviating from the spirit of the present invention. For example,
the disclosed computer can store information for the food
ingredients in each storage container or liquid container,
including but not limited to: type, quality, grades, date of
manufacture, expiration date, time and temperature required to cook
them ripe, etc., etc. The disclosed computer can include input
devices such as a scanner that scans pairs of tags--one tag on the
storage container (or liquid container) and the other on the boxes
of food ingredients, when the food ingredients are transferred from
boxes of food ingredients to the storage containers (or liquid
containers). The tags scanned can be tags with printed barcodes, or
radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, or other types of
tags.
[0112] Measures may be taken as to guarantee that the storage
containers have enough food ingredients. Weighing apparatus or
other devices may be used to detect if the storage containers have
enough food ingredients for the next dish using the food
ingredients. Red lights should be lit or alarms should be sounded
if the quantity of food ingredients in a storage container is below
a certain threshold, as to call for reloading the storage
containers. If the automated cooking apparatus ran out of a certain
food ingredients, then the computer should alert the ordering
person that certain dishes that need the food ingredients may not
be ordered.
[0113] Depending on the types of food ingredients therein, groups
of storage containers may need to be kept at some temperature range
by refrigerators. Furthermore, the storage and loading apparatus in
the present application may be substituted by any dispenser of food
ingredients. For the purpose of present application, food
ingredients are meant to be any ingredients that may be used to
cook food dishes. Food ingredients can be solid, liquid,
semi-solid. Food ingredients may be raw or may require some
processing (cleaning, cutting, blending, or grinding, etc.) before
being transferred into the cooking container for cooking
[0114] For the purpose of present application, the term cooking
container is used to generally refer to a device for containing
food ingredients during cooking. Other words such as wok, cooking
pot, cooking pan, cooking ware, etc. can also be used to describe
the cooking device. The cooking is also not limited to any
particular ethnic styles such as stir fry, and the cooking of
Asian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, or European food.
* * * * *