Semiautomatic food frying apparatus

Semiautomatic food frying apparatus is disclosed which provides apparatus which may be easily and safely operated to prepare small portions of various food products. In one embodiment, the food frying apparatus includes an upright cabinet with a fan assembly mounted to exhaust air through the top of the cabinet while drawing air in, through and from the lower portion of the cabinet. A removable one-piece filter unit is positioned in the path of air flow to remove odors, gases, smoke, etc. . . . from the air before the air is exhausted back into the room. The removable filter includes a paper filter together with activated charcoal particles configured as an integral unit. In another embodiment, the fan assembly and filter unit are replaced by a closed-loop air cleaning system which does not discharge the internal air of the apparatus into the room. A container for holding a supply of cooking oil is located in the lower portion of the cabinet. Mechanism is provided for automatically lowering a cooking basket, with food therein, into the cooking oil for a predetermined time and then raising the cooking basket from the cooking oil.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention p The present invention relates in general to 
food preparation. More particularly, this invention relates to apparatus 
for the deep-fat frying of food and specifically is directed to 
semiautomatic deep-fat frying apparatus for the frying of food in a retail 
environment while essentially eliminating the introduction of smoke and/or 
odor into the surrounding environment. 
Although the present invention is applicable for deep-fat frying of 
numerous types of food products, it has been found to be particularly 
useful in the frying of frozen french-fry cut potato pieces or 
breaded-type snack foods in a bar or fast-food counter environment. 
Therefore, without limiting the applicability of the invention to "frying 
of frozen french-fry cut potato pieces", the invention will be described 
in this environment. 
Deep-fat fryers or french fryers are widely used in the restaurant business 
for cooking various food products such as french-fried potatoes, fish and 
chicken. Typically, such french fryers comprise a deep tank containing a 
pool of cooking oil in the lower part of the tank with the cooking oil 
being heated by an immersed electric heating element or by gas flame. The 
uncooked food product is placed in a basket which is lowered into the 
heated oil for the desired cooking period. When the product is done, as 
determined by visual inspection by the restaurant employee or the sound of 
an audio timer, the basket should be removed from the oil by the employee 
and the product served to a customer or transferred to a holding station 
where it is kept warm by heat lamps until served. 
With the advent of convenience stores, self-service stations which also 
handle convenience store items, etc., the need for apparatus to provide 
hot food products such as french-fried potatoes, fish and chicken has 
increased. Since there is normally only one employee for such businesses, 
the apparatus must be of the type which is easily and safely operated by 
the employee. The apparatus must also be reasonable in cost to the 
business proprietor, be reliable in its operation and not pollute the 
surrounding environment. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
In the prior art, various machines are known for processing and dispensing 
small batches or individual servings of a food product, such as 
french-fried potatoes. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,667,373 discloses an automated coinoperated fried potato 
machine containing a removable multiple bin supply tray to hold a 
predetermined quantity of potatoes in each bin and a mechanism to feed the 
potatoes from successive bins to a hopper which empties into a basket 
positioned within a cooking bowl. The cooking bowl is pivotally mounted 
above a storage vessel containing hot cooking oil. An oil lift assembly 
supplies oil from the storage vessel to the cooking bowl for each batch of 
potatoes and after the potatoes are fried, the basket is pivoted to dump 
the fried potatoes into a serving tray fed from a supply stack. The 
cooking bowl is pivoted to dump the oil through a removable and 
replaceable filter member and into the storage vessel. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,818,820 discloses an automatic machine for preparing fried 
potato products which contains a food hopper for storing the potatoes to 
be fried. A slidably mounted ejection scoop at the bottom of the food 
hopper dispenses the right amount of potatoes into a basket immersed into 
a vat of cooking oil. At the end of a predetermined time, the basket is 
pivoted to drop the fried potatoes into a waiting container. The machine 
also contains a fan to extract the fumes via a replaceable charcoal filter 
unit. An automatic fire extinguisher unit is mounted near the fume outlet 
to extinguish the oil if it should catch fire. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,232 discloses a free standing fryer having a fat fryer 
located within the interior of a cabinet. The cabinet includes a roof 
section which houses a fan means for extracting air and fumes from the 
cabinet and forcing the same through filter means which includes charcoal. 
A fire extinguisher is also disclosed. 
Graham (U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,307) discloses a deep fat fryer including a 
front-mounted control panel spanning the gap between two 
forwardly-extending arms of a generally H-shaped tubular frame which forms 
an opened-topped hinged lid for the fat reservior. The H-shaped tubular 
frame is hinged at the rear portion thereof, opposite of the front-mounted 
control panel. A submersible heating element is attached to the 
front-mounted control panel and extends downwardly into the cooking oil. 
When the H-shaped tubular frame is raised upwardly, the heating element is 
raised out of the cooking oil and moves with the tubular frame. 
The present invention as claimed is intended to provide a solution to 
various prior art deficiencies including the reliability problems 
associated with the complex automated mechanisms. Also the high initial 
cost of daily operation and mantenance. In addition, the unacceptable 
service requirements associated with the highly automated mechanisms. 
There is also the problem of air pollution by the odor and smoke emitted 
from some of the machines. Some machines also tend to allow small amounts 
of cooking oil to exit from the machine. Also, the relative large physical 
size of the automated units can limit the location of the mechanism as 
well as the need for an external exhaust. In some prior art devices which 
store the food, there is a risk of spoilage and contamination of the food. 
In some units, it is inconvenient and difficult to clean the parts in 
contact with the oil and oily foods because of the complex automated 
mechanisms. In addition, many machines are of a design which does not 
allow for fast and easy removal and replacment of parts and units. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides food frying apparatus which may be easily 
and safely operated to prepare small portions of various food products. 
The apparatus is a small unit for placement on a counter top without a 
requirement for an exhaust duct external to the room or for special wiring 
supplying 220 volt service. Emphasis is placed on ease of use, ease of 
cleaning and ease of replacement of parts, if needed. The food frying 
apparatus includes an upright cabinet which is rectangular-shaped in side 
profile. In one embodiment, a fan assembly is mounted in the upper-most 
portion of the cabinet and exhausts air through the top of the cabinet 
while drawing air in, through and from the lower portion of the cabinet. 
In this embodiment, a removable filter unit is positioned in the path of 
air flow upstream from the fan assembly to remove odors, gases, smoke, 
etc. from the air before the air is exhausted back into the room. The 
removable filter includes a paper filter together with activated charcoal 
particles configured as an integral unit. In a second embodiment, a unique 
closed-loop air cleaning system is provided to remove smoke, water vapors, 
gases, etc. from the air internal to the food frying apparatus and does 
not exhaust the internal air into the room. 
A container for holding a supply of cooking oil is located in the lower 
portion of the cabinet and is positioned in an insulative shroud with a 
resulting decrease in BTU's required to operate the apparatus. The heater 
element is embedded in the bottom portion of the container and does not 
directly contact the cooking oil. A fire extinguisher is automatically 
activated in case of fire in the apparatus. Means are provided for 
supporting a cooking basket out of the oil when not being used for 
cooking. Safety means are provided for removing power to the unit when a 
fire occurs or when the air within the lower portion of the apparatus 
exceeds a predetermined temperature. Safety means are provided for 
removing power to the heater element when the cooking oil exceeds a 
predetermined temperature or when the container for the cooking oil 
exceeds a predetermined temperature. Means are provided for automatically 
lowering the cooking basket (containing the food) into the cooking oil for 
a predetermined time and then raising the cooking basket out of the 
cooking oil. Means are included in the apparatus to provide a signal when 
a predetermined cooking time has elapsed and/or the cooking basket is 
raised out of the oil. 
Among the advantages offered by the present invention is the compactness, 
high reliability and safety features provided by the apparatus. The 
present invention allows the cooking to occur in an inside area without 
need for an external exhaust and without the need to provide special 
wiring, such as 220 volt. The present invention allows the simultaneous 
cooking of two separate batches of food. The present invention provides 
food frying apparatus which may be disassembled, without use of tools, for 
easy cleaning and replacement. The physical size of the invention is small 
so that it is capable of being placed in a large number of locations. 
Another advantage of the present invention is the low cost of daily 
operation of the apparatus. 
Examples of the more important features of this invention have thus been 
summarized rather broadly in order that the detailed description thereof 
that follows may be better understood, and in order that the contribution 
to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional 
features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which 
will also form the subject of the claims appended hereto. Other features 
of the present invention will become apparent with reference to the 
following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment thereof 
in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference 
numerals have been applied to like elements, in which:

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the drawing and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2 
semiautomatic food frying apparatus according to the present invention is 
generally referred to by reference numeral 10. The semiautomatic food 
frying apparatus 10 includes an upright cabinet 12 which is generally 
rectangular in shape in side profile. Access to the inside portions of 
upright cabinet 12 is provided by various means which includes a top cover 
portion 14, a removable front portion 16 and an opening 18 in the lower 
portion of front portion 16. Opening 18 is coverable by a pivotal tray or 
door 20 which is attached by hinge means (not shown) to front portion 16 
such that tray or door 20 may pivot downwardly to a generally horizontal 
position as shown (partially) in phantom. Tray or door 20 is supported in 
the generally horizontal position by two support rods 22 (only one being 
shown), one support rod 22 being at each end of tray or door 20. The upper 
end of each support rod 22 is mounted for sliding movement through 
aperture 24 of support bracket 26 (only one being shown) with each support 
bracket 26 being mounted to the flange 28 defining opening 18. Positioned 
below opening 18 is an air inlet opening 30 covered by mesh or screen 32. 
Control box 38 is held against the inside surface of side panel 40 by cover 
42 and fasteners 44 and includes on/off switch 46, power indicator light 
48, timer switch 49 and the input connector 50 for power cord 52. 
Top cover portion 14 is pivotable upwardly and includes air outlet opening 
54 covered by mesh or screen 56. Top cover portion 14 is pivotally 
attached to rear panel 58 by hinge means 60 and is supportable in the 
raised position by support bracket 62. Support bracket 62 is attached 
between top cover portion 14 and side panel 64. Fan assembly 66 is 
attached to the underside of the top cover portion 14 such that the 
exhaust opening of fan assembly 66 is aligned with air outlet opening 54. 
Shelf 68 comprising angle-iron bracket material is located at a 
predetermined height above floor panel 72 and is attached to side panels 
40 and 64 and rear panel 58. In the embodiment which uses a removable 
filter unit 70 (see FIG. 6) and exhausts the air from the semiautomatic 
food frying apparatus 10 back into the room, shelf 68 supports removable 
filter means 70 and essentially divides the semiautomatic food frying 
apparatus 10 into two basic areas. The first or upper area being one where 
the air contained in the semiautomatic food frying apparatus 10 is cleaned 
before it is exhausted to the surrounding air through air outlet opening 
54. The second or lower area being the food preparation or frying area. 
Fire extinguisher 74 is attached to rear panel 58 by fastening means 76 
and is located in the first or upper area with the head and sensor portion 
78 extending through an aperture 80 into the second or lower area. When 
the head and sensor portion 78 senses a fire, the fire extinguisher 74 is 
automatically activated to extinguish the fire. In the embodiment which 
uses the closed-loop air cleaning system (to be discussed below) apertures 
75 and 77 are formed in rear panel 58 in predetermined locations such as 
to be aligned with portions of the closed-loop air cleaning system. In the 
embodiment which uses the closed-loop air cleaning system, fan assembly 66 
is not used and will be removed and air outlet opening 54 and air inlet 
opening 30 will be closed. 
Container or vat 82 sits or fits down into holder or shroud 84 which sits 
on floor panel 72. Container or vat 82 comprises a material such as an 
aluminum alloy which readily conducts heat while holder or shroud 84 
comprises a material such as a high temperature plastic or material which 
acts as an insulator and does not conduct heat. Holder or shroud 84 is 
held in place by tabs 86 with a tab 86 being located at each corner of 
holder or shroud 84 and being attached to floor panel 72. Aperture or 
cutout 88 is formed in one wall of holder or shroud 84 to allow the heater 
and temperature control unit 90 to operatively engage container or vat 82. 
Power and control cable 92 is operatively connected between circuitry in 
control box 38 and the heater and temperature control unit 90. Heat sensor 
94 is positioned in container or vat 82 such that the heat sensor 94 is 
covered with cooking oil 96. Heat sensor 94 is held in position by clip or 
keeper 98 which attaches to the corner of container or vat 82 and holder 
or shroud 84 and holds the capillary tubing 100 in position against the 
wall of container or vat 82. Capillary tubing 100 is operatively connected 
between heat sensor 94 and circuitry within control box 38. 
With reference to FIG. 3 cooking basket 104 is generally rectangular in 
shape and formed of predetermined lengths of wire. Handles 106, one 
embodiment, are formed as part of the wire forming the periphery of the 
open or top portion of the cooking basket 104. Cooking basket 104 is 
shaped to be placed or rested in the cooking oil 96 contained in container 
or vat 82. Insulation material 108 is formed around each handle 106 so the 
cooking basket 104 may be handled without the operator/employee's hand or 
hands being burned. It will be appreciated that cooking basket 104 could 
be essentially one-half the size shown in FIG. 3 such that two separate 
cooking baskets 104, with only one handle 106 on each cooking basket 104, 
could be used to prepare smaller portions of food, either simultaneously 
or at different times. 
With reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, the means for holding cooking basket 104 
and automatically lowering the cooking basket 104 down into the cooking 
oil 96 for a predetemined time and then raising the cooking basket 104 out 
of the cooking oil 96 is disclosed. Shaft 170 is positioned across and 
near the front of holder or shroud 84 and is supported for rotational 
movement of fifteen to thirty degrees. One end of shaft 170 is inserted in 
coupler 172 and retained therein by fastening means 174. The opposite end 
of shaft 170 is supported by a bearing journal (not shown) attached either 
to floor panel 72 or side panel 64. Attached at predetermined locations 
along shaft 170 (by conventional means such as welding) are handle guides 
and holders 176 which include a handle guide and support portion 178 and a 
handle stop portion 180. For ease of explanation, the particular 
embodiment of handle 106 is shown as having three distinct sections: first 
section 182, second section 184 and third section 186. Shaft 170 and 
attached handle guides and holders 176 are shown in the position which 
places basket 104 down into the cooking oil 96. First section 182 is 
placed in the handle guide and support portion 178 (which comprises a 
U-shaped channel section) until end portion 188 of first section 182 
protudes below handle stop portion 180. Handle stop portion 180 comprises 
a U-shaped portion with the open section being positioned under shaft 170. 
With reference to FIG. 4, cooking basket 104 produces a clockwise torque 
with respect to handle guides and holders 176 which is offset by handle 
stop portion 180 (which prevents end portion 188 from rotating clockwise) 
and handle guide and support portion 178 (which prevents first section 182 
from moving or rotating clockwise). The cooking basket 104 is positioned 
by and follows the rotational movement of shaft 170. When the cooking 
basket 104 is positioned down into the cooking oil 96, as shown in FIG. 4, 
.theta. is approximately 15 to 20 degrees and represents the approximate 
angle from the vertical of first section 182. 
To remove the weight of the cooking basket 104 and the food contained 
therein (when the semiautomatic means for lowering and raising the cooking 
basket is not being used) the cooking basket 104 may be supported out of 
the cooking oil 96 by the basket hanger or holder 102 by placing the 
upper-forward edge 110 of cooking basket 104 up into the turned-over edge 
portion 112 (an inverted U in shape) of the basket hanger or holder 102 
and resting the lower-forward edge 114 of cooking basket 104 on shelf or 
ledge portion 116. 
With reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the basket hanger or holder 102 is 
removably attached to holder or shroud 84 in one of the two ways. In FIG. 
5A, the basket hanger or holder 102 includes a lower portion 118, below 
shelf or ledge portion 116, which is formed into a C-shaped section of 
such dimensions that it clamps to the rear wall 119 of holder or shroud 
84. A foot portion 120 (which extends from lower portion 118) of basket 
hanger or holder 102 extends beneath holder or shroud 84. In FIG. 5B, 
basket hanger or holder 102 includes a straight lower portion 122 which is 
inserted in sleeve or pocket 124. sleeve or pocket 124 is formed as an 
integral part of the rear wall 119 of holder or shroud 84 or comprises a 
separate structure which is attached to the rear wall 119 by conventional 
means. 
With reference to FIG. 6, the removable filter unit 70 is disclosed. The 
removable filter unit 70 comprises a one-piece unit which (in the 
embodiment in which it is employed) rests on and is supported by shelf 68. 
The outer edges 132a, 132b and 132c rest on shelf 68 with turned-down edge 
133 being pressed against or touching the inside surface of front portion 
16 of upright cabinet 12. 
With reference to FIG. 7, filter means 70 comprises a solid floor portion 
126 with apertures 128 formed therein at predetermined locations. A 
pleated paper filter element 130, cyclindrical in shape, is positioned 
between the solid floor portion 126 and a flat top portion 132. A 
cylindrical screen 134 is positioned between the solid floor portion 126 
and the flat top portion 132 and coaxial with the pleated paper filter 
element 130 and the aperture 138 formed in the central area of flat top 
portion 132. Flange 136 may be attached to one end of cylindrical screen 
134 so a large area will be present for flat top portion 132 to rest 
against or flange 136 may be used to attach cylindrical screen 134 to flat 
top portion 132 by conventional means. Activated charcoal particles 140 
are placed in and fill the volume formed and defined by floor portion 126, 
aperture 142 of pleated paper filter element 130, flat top portion 132 and 
cylindrical screen 134. Fastening means 144 (see FIG. 6) are passed 
through apertures 128 of floor portion 126 and apertures 146, which are in 
alignment with apertures 128, to hold the elements comprising filter means 
70 together as a removable unit which rests on shelf 68. The filter means 
70 may be easily and readily replaced and the pleated paper filter element 
130 and the activated charcoal particles 140 are easily replaced in the 
filter means 70 when they become dirty or clogged. 
With reference to FIG. 8, container or vat 82 (partially in section) is 
shown with two different embodiments of holder or shroud 84. Holder or 
shroud 84a comprises 16 gauge stainless steel with the stainless steel 
folded over to provide a chamber between the inside wall 148 and the 
outside wall 150 which is filled with insulating material 85. Holder or 
shroud 84b comprises a high temperature plastic. Terminals 152 and 154 are 
connected to the ends of heater unit 156 which is formed within the body 
of container or vat 82. Aperture 158 provides means for insertion of a 
temperature probe 160 (see FIG. 9) used to monitor the temperature of the 
container or vat 82. 
With reference to FIG. 9, the heater and temperature control unit 90 is 
shown and includes temperature probe 160 and temperature setting means 
162. Terminals 164 and 166 operatively contact terminals 152 and 154 in 
container or vat 82 to allow power to be applied to the heater unit 156 in 
container or vat 82. Indicator light 168 provides an indication of when 
power is being applied to heater unit 156. 
With reference to FIG. 10, means for rotating shaft 170 and automatically 
lowering the cooking basket 104 (containing the food) into the cooking oil 
96 for a predetemined time and then raising the cooking basket 104 out of 
the cooking oil 96 is disclosed and comprises gear box 190 containing a 
predetermined number of reduction gears (not shown) operatively connected 
between a reversible DC motor 192 and coupler 172. The reversible DC motor 
192 is attached to the side of gear box 190, as are two microswitches 194 
and 196. Protruding through the wall of gear box 190 and operatively 
positioned with respect to microswitches 194 and 196 is rotatable shaft 
198 which is driven by the reduction gears in gear box 190. Mounted on 
rotatable shaft 198 to rotate therewith are sleeves 200 and 202. Sleeves 
200 and 202 include cutouts or depressions 204 and 206 respectively. The 
depression and release of switch reeds or levers 208 and 210 by sleeves 
200 and 202 and cutouts or depressions 204 and 206 result in microswitches 
194 and 196 being activated and/or inactivated. Microswitches 194 and 196 
control the polarity of the DC drive voltage applied to the reversible DC 
motor 192 to determine the direction of rotation thereof. The electrical 
operation will be explained below. 
With reference to FIG. 11, the electrical portion of the semiautomatic food 
frying apparatus 10 for activating various elements and for removing power 
for safety reasons under predetermined conditions is shown. Switch means 
212 is associated with the fire extinguisher 74 and is normally closed. 
Switch means 212 is opened when the head and sensor portion 78 senses a 
fire in the semiautomatic food frying apparatus 10 and power is removed 
from the apparatus. Switch means 214 is associated with air temperature 
sensor 174 (see FIG. 2) and is normally closed. Switch means 214 is opened 
when the internal air temperature of the semiautomatic food frying 
apparatus 10 exceeds a predetermined temperature and power is removed from 
the apparatus. On/off switch 46 provides the manual means for applying 
power to or removing power from the semiautomatic food frying apparatus 
10. Power indicator light 48 lets the operator know when power is applied 
to the semiautomatic food frying apparatus 10. Motor 216 is in fan 
assembly 66. Switch means 218 is associated with temperature probe 160 and 
temperature setting means 162 and is normally closed. When the temperature 
of container or vat 82 just meets or exceeds the temperature set by the 
operator on temperature setting means 162, switch means 218 will open to 
remove the power to heater unit 156. When the temperature of container or 
vat 82 drops to a predetermined amount below the value set on temperature 
setting means 162, switch means 218 will close to apply power to heater 
unit 156, etc. Switch means 220 is associated with heat sensor 94 
positioned in the cooking oil 96 to sense the temperature of the oil. 
Switch means 220 is normally closed but will open to remove power from 
heater unit 156 if the temperature of the cooking oil 96 exceeds a 
predetermined temperature. If the cooking oil 96 becomes too hot, a fire 
could result. Timer switch 49 is operatively connected to timer circuitry 
224 and buzzer 226; their operation will be discussed below. 
With reference to FIG. 12, the electrical portion of the mechanism to 
automatically lower and raise the cooking basket of the semiautomatic food 
frying apparatus 10 is shown. Input voltage of 110 volts is applied to the 
primary of transformer 232 via terminals 228 and 230 of FIG. 11. The 
output (approximately 14 volts AC) of transformer 232 is applied to a 
full-wave bridge rectifier 234 whose DC output is applied across filter 
capacitor 236. The positive output of full-wave bridge rectifier 234 is 
applied to switch means 238 via lead 240, to terminal 242 of microswitch 
194 and to terminal 244 of microswitch 196 via lead 246. The negative 
output of full-wave bridge rectifier 234 is applied to one side of coil 
248 of relay switch 250 via lead 251 to terminals 252 and 254 of relay 
switch 250 via lead 256 and to terminal 258 of microswitch 194 and 
terminal 260 of microswitch 196 via lead 262. The other side of coil 248 
is tied to switch means 238 via lead 264. Reversible DC motor 192 is tied 
to wiper 266 of relay switch 250 via lead 268 and to wiper 270 via lead 
272. Wiper 274 of microswitch 194 is tied to terminal 276 of relay switch 
250 via lead 278. Wiper 280 of microswitch 196 is tied to terminal 282 of 
relay switch 250 via lead 284. 
The semiautomatic food frying apparatus 10 is a small compact unit which 
can easily be placed on a counter top in a convenience store or a bar 
establishment. The food frying apparatus can be plugged into any 
convenient outlet since it operates from 110 volt and does not require 220 
volts. At the start of the business period, an employee would check the 
level of the cooking oil 96 in container or vat 82 and add cooking oil 96 
if any was needed. With reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 11 and 12, the on/off 
switch 46 would be placed in the "on" position which would apply power to 
heater unit 156, motor 216 in fan assembly 66, power indicator light 48 
and indicator light 168 in the heater and temperature control unit 90. Fan 
assembly 66 would draw air into the second or lower area of the 
semiautomatic food frying apparatus 10 through air inlet opening 30. The 
air would then be drawn through the pleated paper filter element 130, then 
through the activated charcoal particles 140, then through cylindrical 
screen 134 and out aperture 135 into the first or upper area of the 
semiautomatic food frying apparatus 10. Filter means 70 removes the smoke 
particulates, fumes and odors from the cooking oil 96, food etc . . . from 
the air before the air is discharged backed into the room. From the first 
or upper area of the semiautomatic food frying apparatus 10, the air is 
discharged back into the room through air outlet opening 54 by fan 
assembly 66. When indicator light 168 was cycled off indicating the 
cooking oil 96 had reached the desired temperature, then the semiautomatic 
food frying apparatus 10 would be ready to fry food. The operator would 
place the food to be fried in the cooking basket 104 (either the small or 
the large double size), open tray or door 20, place the cooking basket 104 
into the interior of upright cabient 12 and position the handle or handles 
106 into the handle guides and holders 176 and close tray or door 20. 
Cooking basket 104 is being held out of the cooking oil 96. The employee 
would turn the timer knob 51 to the desired time of cooking (which is 
usually less than five minutes) which closes switch means 238 and 
energizes coil 248. Wiper 266 is pulled down to contact terminal 254 and 
connects the negative terminal of the full-wave bridge rectifier 234 to 
lead 268 of reversible DC motor 192. Wiper 270 is pulled down to contact 
terminal 276 and connects the positive terminal of the full-wave bridge 
rectifier 234 through terminal 242 and wiper 274 of microswitch 194 to 
lead 272 of reversible DC motor 192. Reversible DC motor 192 will now 
start to rotate in a desired first direction to cause cooking basket 104 
to be lowered into the cooking oil 96. When the reversible DC motor 192 
starts to rotate, so do sleeves 200 and 202 and cutout or depression 206 
moves, causing switch read or level 210 to be depressed by the surface of 
sleeve 202 and therefore moving wiper 280 from terminal 260 to terminal 
244 resulting in terminal 282 being connected to the positive output of 
the full-wave bridge rectifier 234. The reversible DC motor 192 continues 
to run until depression 204 allows switch reed or lever 208 to be removed 
from the surface of sleeve 200 which moves wiper 274 from terminal 242 to 
terminal 258 which connects terminal 276 to the negative output of the 
full-wave bridge rectifier 234 and stops the reversible DC motor 192. When 
the timer switch 49 times-out, then switch means 238 opens and 
de-energizes coil 248. Wiper 266 goes up to and contacts terminal 282 and 
wiper 270 goes up to and contacts terminal 252. Lead 268 now has a 
positive voltage applied to it and lead 272 has a negative voltage applied 
to it, so the reversible DC motor 192 is energized to run in a second and 
opposite direction and cooking basket is lifted from the cooking oil 96. 
When cutout or depression 206 is positioned to allow switch reed or lever 
210 to be removed from the surface of sleeve 202, wiper 280 is moved from 
terminal 260 to terminal 244 and the reversible DC motor 192 is stopped. 
Cooking basket 104 is out of the cooking oil 96 and buzzer 226 is 
activated to notify the employee that the food is ready. If the employee 
is busy at that movement, the food will remain hot since it is positioned 
over the hot cooking oil 96. If the small cooking basket 104 was used, the 
employee could remove the cooking basket 104 from the handle guide and 
holder 176 and place the cooking basket 104 on the basket hanger or holder 
102 and cook another or different serving of food in another small cooking 
basket 104. Sleeves 200 and 202 are adjustable in a rotational position 
with respect to rotatable shaft 198 so both the upper limit position and 
the lower limit position of cooking basket 104 may be adjusted 
independently of each other. 
In another embodiment of the semiautomatic food frying apparatus 10, filter 
means 70 and fan assembly 66 are removed and air inlet opening 30 and air 
outlet opening 54 are closed. A closed-loop air cleaning system 286 is 
provided to be used in conjuction with apertures 75 and 77. With reference 
to FIG. 13, the concept is disclosed. The closed-loop air cleaning system 
286 comprises an interior or inside housing 288 having an inlet means 290 
connected to a first blower means 292 whose exit opening is connected to 
the lower portion of interior or inside housing 288 and whose upper 
portion is connected to outlet means 296. Inlet means 290 is configured 
and positioned to operatively interface with aperture 77 of cabinet 12. 
Outlet means 296 is configured and positioned to operatively interface 
with aperture 75 of cabinet 12. At the lower portion of interior or inside 
housing 288 is collector 298 with a drain means 300 formed therein. Drain 
means 300 is configured to allow a container 301 to mount thereon. The hot 
internal air in cabinet 12 is circulated from cabinet 12 through the 
interior or inside housing 288 and back to cabinet 12 by first blower 
means 292 and is not allowed to exit into the room where cabinet 12 is 
located. An exterior or outside housing 294 surrounds interior or inside 
housing 288 except on the bottom surface or area where exterior or outside 
housing 294 is open. Exterior or outside housing 294 includes inlet means 
302 to a second blower means 304. 
With reference to FIG. 14, further details of the closed-loop air cleaning 
system 286 are disclosed. The generally rectangular portion of interior or 
inside housing 288 includes cooling fins or protrusions 306 extending 
inwardly from the inside surface of walls 308 and 309 to increase the 
inside surface area of walls 308 and 309. Also included are cooling fins 
or protrusions 310 extending outwardly from the outside surface of walls 
308 and 309 to increase the outside surface area of walls 308 and 309. 
In operation of the closed-loop air cleaning system 286, first blower means 
292 circulates the air from cabinet 12 through the interior or inside 
housing 288 and back to cabinet 12. This air includes smoke, water vapor 
given off by the food as it cooks, odors and oil vapor given off by the 
cooking oil 96. Second blower means 304 draws in the air-conditioned air 
from the bar or convenience store where the semiautomatic food frying 
apparatus 10 is located and passes that very cool air over cooling fins 
310 and then the air exits the bottom of the exterior or outside housing 
294. Cooling fins 306 and 310 are made from a material which has a high 
coefficient of thermal conductivity so that the very cool air passing over 
cooling fins 310 will cause cooling fins 306 to be much cooler than the 
hot air (from cabinet 12) which is passing over cooling fins 306. This 
results in the water and oil particles being condensed out of the water 
and oil vapor. Also, when the smoke and vapors strike the interior 
surfaces of the interior or inside housing 288 and the surfaces of cooling 
fins 306, the smoke and oil particles will be separated from the air 
stream. The water, smoke and oil particles will be deposited in collector 
298 and/or container 301 due to gravity and the washing effect of the 
condensed water. 
With reference to FIG. 15, the electrical portion of the embodiment of the 
semiautomatic food frying apparatus 10 with the closed-loop air cleaning 
system 286 is the same as that shown in FIG. 11 except motor 216 is 
removed. First blower means 292 and second blower means 304 are connected 
in parallel between terminals 215 and 217 so they will be energized 
whenever the semiautomatic food frying apparatus 10 is turned "on" by 
on/off switch 46. 
With reference to FIGS. 16 and 17 manual food frying apparatus 11 is shown. 
Since most of FIG. 16 is like FIG. 11 and most of FIG. 17 is like FIG. 2 
and like elements have like reference numerals, only elements which have 
not been discussed with regard to FIGS. 1 and 2 will be discussed now in 
order to avoid repetition. Timer switch 49 and timer knob 51 are deleted, 
while timer switches 34 and 36 are added and positioned in one end of 
control box 38. The means for automatically lowering and raising the 
cooking basket 104 is deleted and included shaft 170, coupler 172, 
fastening means 174 and handle guides and holders 176. The operation of 
the manual embodiment is the same from turn-on by the employee up through 
the step when indicator light 168 is cycled off indicating the cooking oil 
had reached the desired temperature and that the apparatus 11 was ready to 
fry food. Then the operation would be as follows. The operator would place 
the food to be fried in the cooking basket 104 (either the small or the 
large double size), open tray or door 20, place the cooking basket 104 
into the cooking oil 96 in container or vat 82. Then the operator would 
close tray or door 20 and push either time switch 34 or 36; timer switch 
34 for the small basket and timer switch 36 for the large basket or for 
two small baskets. Timer switch 34 activates timer circuitry 182 for 
approximately two minutes while timer switch 36 activates timer circuitry 
182 for approximately four minutes. These times are adjustable for 
different settings during manufacture. The front of each timer switch 34 
and 36 will light when turned on. When the alloted time has passed, timer 
circuitry 182 causes buzzer 184 to sound for a predetermined time to alert 
the operator that it is time to remove the cooking basket 104 (containing 
the cooked food) from the cooking oil 96. The operator opens tray or door 
20, removes the cooking basket 104 from the cooking oil 96 and places the 
cooking basket 104 on basket hanger or holder 102 for a short time to make 
certain all the cooking oil 96 has drained from the cooking basket 104 and 
the food contained therein. Then the operator removes the cooking basket 
104, serves the food to the customer, places the cooking basket 104 back 
on basket hanger or holder 102 and closes tray or door 20 until more food 
needs to be cooked. 
With reference to FIG. 18, the electrical portion of the manual food frying 
apparatus with the closed-loop air cleaning system 286 incorporated is 
shown. FIG. 18 is very similar to FIGS. 11 and 15. The main difference 
being that timer switches 34 and 36 replace timer switch 49. 
Thus it is apparent that there has been provided in accordance with this 
invention, three different embodiments of food frying apparatus which 
substantially incorporates the advantages set forth above. One embodiment 
is a semiautomatic food frying apparatus with a removable one-piece filter 
means. Another embodiment is a semiautomatic food frying apparatus with a 
closed-loop air cleaning system. Another embodiment is a manual food 
frying apparatus with a closed-loop air cleaning system. Although the 
present invention has been described in conjunction with specific forms 
thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and 
variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the 
foregoing disclosure. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as 
illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the 
art the manner of carrying out the invention. It is understood that the 
forms of the invention herewith shown and described are to be taken as the 
presently preferred embodiments. Various changes may be made in the shape, 
size and arrangement of parts. For example, equivalent elements may be 
substituted for those illustrated and described herein, parts may be 
reversed, and certain features of the invention may be utilized 
independently of other features of the invention. It will be appreciated 
that various modifications, alternatives, variations, etc. may be made 
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in 
the appended claims.