Patent ID: 8584579

Claim:
A fryer basket for frying food products, comprising, a basket having opposite side and front and rear walls and a bottom panel which are joined by at least a bottom frame, a least one portion of the bottom panel being movable from a closed position relative to the side walls to an open position relative to the bottom frame, a handle mounted to the basket so as to extend rearwardly of the rear wall thereof and having a handgrip portion extending therefrom, a latch mechanism mounted to the basket adjacent the rear wall and including a lever member movable from a first position to a second position, the lever member having a lower portion from which a latch plate extends to a first locking position beneath the at least one portion of the bottom panel when the lever member is in the first position to thereby retain the at least one portion in the closed position thereof, the lever member having an upper end extending from the basket toward the handgrip of the handle so that the upper end of the lever member may be manually engaged to thereby pivot the lever member to the second position wherein the latch plate is moved to an unlocked position spaced from the at least one portion of the bottom panel so that the at least one portion will open relative to the side walls of the basket to thereby define a discharge opening through which food product within the fryer basket will be discharged, and a blocking member carried by the at least one portion of the bottom panel for engaging the latch plate to retain the latch plate in the unlocked position as the at least one portion of the bottom panel pivots between its closed to its open position and back to its closed position, and spring means for automatically moving the latch plate to its closed position as soon as the at least one portion of the bottom panel returns to its closed position.