Patent Publication Number: US-6981531-B1

Title: Method and apparatus for waste oil management

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional application Ser. No. 60/517,330, filed Nov. 4, 2003, and is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 10/664,650, filed Sep. 19, 2003, now abandoned, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional application Ser. No. 60/412,089, entitled Method and Apparatus for Waste Oil Management, filed Sep. 19, 2002. 

   I. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   A. Field of Invention 
   This invention relates to the art of waste oil management and collection, and particularly to a system for collecting and storing spent cooking oil. 
   B. Description of the Related Art 
   Currently, waste oil is stored in drums or other temporary receptacles, often outside the back door of the premises. This presents an unsightly and dangerous hazard, which is compounded by spills causing slippery areas that are almost impossible to clear, creating odors and mess. 
   The present invention provides a new and improved waste oil management system, and overcomes certain difficulties inherent in the related inventions while providing better overall results. 
   II. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a waste oil management system for use with multiple associated fryers includes a remote oil holding tank, the tank being located in a different room than the fryers, stainless steel tubing, the tubing being coated interiorally with a non-stick coating, the tubing connecting the fryers to the tank, and at least one pumping mechanism, the pumping mechanism enabling used oil to be transported from the fryer to the tank. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a waste oil management system for use with at least one associated food grade oil utilizing apparatus includes at least one remote oil holding tank, transport tubing, the tubing connecting the apparatus to the tank, and transferring means for transferring used oil through the tubing from the apparatus to the tank. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the transport tubing has non-stick interior coating. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the transferring means is a pumping mechanism. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a waste oil storage caddy includes a first container, a second container for holding filtered oil, a motor, a pump, a handle, a power cord, first tubing, the first tubing connected to the motor and the first container, second tubing, the second tubing connected to the motor and the second container, and a filter. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the caddy further comprises wheels. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the first tubing is flexible tubing. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the power cord is detachable. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an oil containment device includes a top, a bottom, a body, an oil level measurement device, an oil shut-off device, the shut-off device connected to the containment device, and a control panel, the control panel including a display monitor, the monitor displaying the oil level in the containment device, means for relaying a shut-off signal to the oil shut-off device, and a power supply. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the control panel further includes means for allowing manual pumping from an associated oil containment device. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the shut-off device is a solenoid valve. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the solenoid opens to shut off flow of oil. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the monitor further includes means for informing a user that the containment device is approximately ¾ full and means for informing the user that the containment device is substantially full. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the device further includes an insulation housing, the insulation housing being of sufficient thickness to allow use of the containment device in temperatures down to approximately −10° F. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the body is wrapped with a stainless steel skin, wherein a space between the body and the skin is approximately ½ inch. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, no insulation is used between the skin and the body. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a waste oil storage caddy having a motor, a pump, and a power cord, the caddy including a body, an oil container, a filter, the filter located within the container, first tubing, the first tubing connected to the associated motor, second tubing, the second tubing connected to the motor and the oil container, and a cover for the container, the cover having a cut-out portion. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method for converting an oil filtration caddy, the caddy having a motor, a pump, a body, an oil container, a cover with a cut-out portion, and a filter, the method including the steps of rotating the pump approximately 90°, filtering used oil through the filter, and pumping the filtered oil into an associated fryer. 
   Still other benefits and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding of the following detailed specification. 

   
     III. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     The invention is illustrated in the following drawings: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the inside direct plumbed system; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the outside direct plumbed system; 
       FIGS. 3A–C  show a perspective view of the storage caddy and filtration system; 
       FIG. 4  is a top view of the top of the storage tank; 
       FIG. 5  is a side view of the storage tank; 
       FIG. 6  is a top view of the bottom of the storage tank; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the foot of the storage tank; 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the basket; 
       FIG. 9  is top, front, side, and perspective views of the storage caddy; 
       FIG. 10  is a lay-out of the filter screen; 
       FIG. 11  is front, side, and top views of the storage caddy; 
       FIG. 12  is a top view of the cover for the storage caddy; 
       FIG. 13  is a front view of the control panel; and, 
       FIG. 14  is a top view of the outside tank and insulation wall. 
   

   IV. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention includes several different strategies for waste oil containment. For example, an inside system is designed for when plenty of interior floor space is available in the building, and outside system is designed where insufficient interior floor space is available, but has exterior non-public wall space available, and custom solutions can be designed for specific needs. 
   The following is description of some of the components used in the present invention: 
   Inside Tank—30″ diameter tank, heated, insulated, stainless steel sides, top and bottom, vented, level sensing switch, electronic control panel designed to control all phases of the operation. 
   Remote Tank—same as inside tank with the ability to be placed anywhere in a building due to the unique abilities of the control panel and pumping station. Additionally, an insulated building can be placed around the tank to put it outside. 
   Storage Caddy—Stainless steel cart used to shuttle the used oil from the fryer to the tank. The caddy has a filter basket to protect the pump and prevent buildup in the tank, four castors, of which two are locking, a motor with a separate on/off switch, and a break-away cord. The caddy can interface with control panel listed above. The caddy may be used as the only method of placing oil in the tank or, if a “direct connect system” is installed, no caddy is necessary. 
   Direct connect system—Allows fryers to be hooked directly to a pipe manifold and pump oil directly into the tank via overhead plumbing which can be rigid or flexible. The tank has additional solenoid valves added to stop the flow of oil and ensure that the tank does not overfill. All connections are made with quick-disconnects. 
   Note that the system is modular and upgradeable. By modular and upgradeable, it is meant that a caddy system can be installed and later upgraded to a direct connect with the appropriate kit and installation. 
   With reference now to  FIG. 1 , the inside direct plumbed system is shown. An associated oil utilizing apparatus  12 , which in this particular embodiment is a deep fryer (it is to be understood that any device which uses food grade oil can be used with this invention), is located in a building. The fryer  12  is connected to a remote storage tank  10  by tubing  18 . The direct plumbed system works best if the fryer  12  is equipped with a filtration system to filter the used oil before being pumped to the tank  10 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the tank  10  can be located on the other side of a wall  14  from the fryer  12 , and the tubing  18  can travel through the wall  14  and a ceiling  16 . It is to be understood that this is merely one embodiment of the invention, and the particular design and hook-up of the tubing  18  is not intended to limit the invention in any manner. Any tubing  18 , tank  10 , and fryer  12  design can be used, as long as chosen using sound engineering judgment. The tank  10  has a control panel  36 , which allows the user to control the flow of oil from the fryer  12  into the tank  10 . The system has a pumping mechanism (not shown) to pump the oil. The tank  10 , as mentioned above has a sensing device (not shown), which enables the tank  10  to ensure that it is not overfilled. The control panel  36  and the tubing  18 , allow the tank  10  to be set up anywhere in the building, as the pumping of the oil can be controlled remotely. 
   With reference now to  FIG. 2 , the outside direct plumbed system is shown. The outside direct plumbed system is similar to the inside direct plumbed system, except that the storage tank  10  is located outside the building. In  FIG. 2 , a multiple fryer  12 ,  12 ′,  12 ″ embodiment of the invention is shown as well (this embodiment can be used with both the inside and outside storage tanks  10 ). The fryers  12 ,  12 ′,  12 ″ are connected to the outside tank  10  via stainless steel tubing  18 . The tubing  18 , in this embodiment, is Teflon®-lined stainless steel hose. With the multiple fryers  12 ,  12 ′,  12 ″, a manifold bracket  38  is used to allow proper flow of oil to the tank  10 . 
   With reference now to  FIGS. 3A–C , a storage caddy  20  is shown. The storage caddy  20  is used to receive oil from the fryer  12  and transport the oil to a storage tank  10 . In this embodiment, the caddy  20  is used in place of the direct plumbed systems. The caddy  20  has a handle  24 , a detachable power cord  26 , a motor/pump  22 , a first container  32 , a second container  34 , a first tube  32 , a second tube  30 , and a filter  28 . The first container  32  holds the used, non-filtered oil. Using a pumping mechanism  22  powered by the motor  22 , the non-filtered oil is pulled up through the first tube  32  and into the second tube  30 . The oil then passes over the filter  28 . Any filter  28 , or filtration system, can be used as long as chosen using sound engineering judgment. In this particular embodiment either Magnesol® XL, by The Dallas Group of Liberty Corner, New Jersey, or the Britesorb™ Oil Purifier, provided by The PQ Corporation of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, is used. The storage caddy  20  allows the oil to be quickly and efficiently transported from the fryer  12  to the storage tank  10 . 
   In another embodiment of this invention, an in-ground storage tank can be used. The design of the transport of the oil from the fryer to the tank is the same as any of the other embodiments, but the storage tank is located in the ground. 
   With reference now to  FIGS. 1–7 ,  13 , and  14  the storage tank  10  also has a top  40 , opening  42 , bottom  44 , and foot  46 . The control panel  36  has a power on light  58 , a tank full light  60 , a call for pickup light  62 , a manual pump button  64 , and an outlet  66 . The control panel  36  can be used with the remote system, the storage caddy  20 , and the direct plumb system. The fact that the control panel  36  is the same for all the systems allows for upgrades and interchange between the systems. The control panel  36  allows for the automatic shut-off of oil when the tank  10  becomes full. The flow of oil, in this embodiment, is stopped by a solenoid valve (not shown). The remote system can allow use of the storage tank  10  outside the associated facility. In this embodiment, the tank  10  has an insulated building  70 , which surrounds the tank  10  and allows operation of the tank at temperatures of down to approximately −10° F. With the insulated building  70 , the oil still maintains the necessary viscosity. It is to be understood that the solenoid valve is used to shut off the flow of oil in the direct plumb and remote systems, but when the oil is being pumped into the tank  10  directly through the spigot  74 , the flow of oil is shut off via power interruption. 
   In this embodiment, the tank  10  has a stainless steel skin wrapped around the body  72  of the tank  10 . There is approximately a ½ inch gap between the body  72  and the skin, thereby eliminating the need for insulation. Also, the stainless steel skin retains reflective heat as well. 
   With reference now to  FIGS. 8–12 , the storage caddy  20  has a basket assembly  34 , a basket frame  48 , a filter  28 , a handle  50 , wheels  52 , a cover  54 , and a cut-out portion  56  on the cover  54 . The manual pump button  64  is used with the storage caddy  20  when pumping oil from the caddy  20 . This prevents the pump  22  from being burned out. The storage caddy  20  can be upgraded to operate as a portable oil filter. This allows the user to filter and re-use the oil on site, near the fryer  12 . The pump  22  is rotated approximately 90°, from a vertical position to a horizontal position. The oil is then pumped from the fryer  12  into the caddy  20 . The oil is then filtered using the filter  28 . In this particular embodiment, the filter  28  is stainless steel. It is to be understood, however, that a paper filter could be used as well. The oil filtration caddy  20  can be attached to the remote system or directly to the tank  10  or fryer  12 . 
   It is to be understood that the dimensions provided within this application are merely intended to represent one embodiment of this invention, and are not intended to limit the invention in any manner.