AU2014101099A4 - Oil carrying and dispensing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An oil carrying apparatus including a reusable, resealable container for oil and a wheeled frame. The oil carrying apparatus can be fitted with a pump assembly to 5 form an oil dispensing assembly to discharge the oil. The oil carrying apparatus and oil dispensing assembly have particular application for carrying and storing cooking oil and replenishing the cooking oil in fryers in commercial kitchens. 40 Fig. 3 42

Description

- 1 OIL CARRYING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates to apparatus for carrying oil. The apparatus can 5 be used in conjunction with dispensing apparatus to form an oil dispensing assembly. The present invention has particular but not exclusive application for transporting and dispensing cooking oil for use in deep fryers and cookers in commercial kitchens. 0 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Deep fry cooking of foods is a popular method of cooking take-away or fast foods. The cooking of the food in a fryer of hot cooking oil is relatively quick compared with other types of cooking. The food is generally coated with breadcrumbs or batter to protect the food from the hot oil. 5 A portion of the oil is consumed during the frying process as it is absorbed by the coating on the food. It is usually necessary to top up the oil to the required level in the fryer with fresh oil. In addition, the quality of cooking oil degrades with use, therefore the cooking oil in the fryer must be replaced periodically. Cooking oil for commercial kitchens is typically supplied in containers such as 0 20-25 litre metal drums or 10-15 litre bag-in-box packaging comprising a plastic bag in a cardboard box. A container of fresh oil must be manually raised above the fryer to pour the fresh oil into the fryer. The full cooking oil containers can weigh up to 20 to 25 kilogrammes making them too heavy for many operators to lift. There is a high risk that, during lifting and 25 pouring, cooking oil may be spilled or splashed on floor surfaces leading to slip hazards. The addition of fresh oil to a fryer partially filled with hot oil can also lead to hazardous splashing of hot oil, or even dropping of the oil container into the fryer. Larger establishments with higher volume usage of oil can utilise large metal 30 storage tanks or metal storage drums to store cooking oil for filling the fryers. The storage tanks can be plumbed to the food preparation area, whereas drums can be moved to the vicinity of the fryer for charging the fryer with oil. Storage drums and tanks are refilled periodically from a tanker delivery vehicle.

-2 The metal tanks and drums are susceptible to damage by denting, creasing and rusting. Stock control is difficult as there is no visible indicator of the oil levels in a metal storage container. Furthermore the metal tanks and drums are not easy to clean, so represent a potential risk to health and hygiene. 5 OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative means for supplying fresh oil to the cookers and fryers of commercial kitchens and overcoming at least in part one or more of the abovementioned disadvantages. 0 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one aspect the present invention broadly resides in a portable oil carrying apparatus, including: a container having a sealable opening in a top wall, said sealable opening is 5 adapted to accommodate a tamper evident seal; and a wheeled frame wherein the container is mountable on the wheeled frame and the wheeled frame has locating means to securely position the container on the frame. Preferably the container is cuboid or rectangular box-shaped including a top 0 wall, a bottom wall and four side walls. Preferably the container is reusable. More preferably the container is reusable and resealable. Preferably the container is constructed from material that is durable and is easy to wash, sanitise and dry for reuse. Preferably the container is made from plastic material. More preferably the container is made from plastic 25 material that is translucent or transparent to light. More preferably the container is made from polypropylene. Most preferably the container is made from uncoloured, translucent polypropylene. Preferably the container has a vertical scale marked on a wall. Preferably the container walls have a thickness of approximately 10 mm. 30 Preferably the sealable opening is sealable with a cap. When the cap is sealed in position on the opening, preferably it can be fitted with a tamper evident seal. Preferably the tamper evident seal is a cable tie.

-3 Preferably the cap seals the sealable opening with a camlock fitting. In an alternative embodiment, the cap seals the sealable opening with a screw threaded fitting. Preferably the base wall of the container has a sump. Preferably the sump is 5 substantially vertically aligned with the opening on the top wall of the container. Preferably the sump is an indentation or recessed portion in the base wall of the container. In one embodiment, preferably the container has a total capacity of 180 to 220 litres. In another embodiment, the container preferably has a capacity of 50 to 180 0 litres, more preferably 80 to 90 litres. Preferably the wheeled frame is a metal frame. More preferably the wheeled frame is made from steel. Preferably the wheeled frame has a base portion and a handle portion. Preferably the wheeled frame has three or more wheels attached to the base 5 portion. In one embodiment, the trolley has four wheels. In another embodiment the wheeled frame has three wheels. Preferably the wheeled frame has one or more swivel mount wheels to provide manoeuvrability. In one form the wheeled frame preferably has relatively large diameter wheels mounted at the rear of the base portion of the wheeled frame to assist in moving the wheeled frame up and down 0 steps or stairs. Preferably the wheeled frame has a brake system to prevent the frame and container from rolling away. Preferably the brake system is a foot operated friction brake system. Preferably the locating means is a lip on the base portion of the wheeled 25 frame to assist in locating the container on the frame. Preferably the base portion has an upwardly directed lip. Preferably there is a lip on each side of the base portion. Preferably the base portion and the handle portion of the wheeled frame are strengthened by one or more braces. Preferably there are two diagonal braces 30 connecting the base portion with the handle portion forming side supports. Preferably there is a brace located at either side of the wheeled frame.

-4 Preferably the container and the wheeled frame are substantially complementary in shape such that the container contacts the handle portion and sides and is thus supported in the frame. The apparatus of the present invention can be used in conjunction with a 5 pump assembly to dispense the cooking oil from the container to a fryer. Accordingly, in a further aspect the present invention provides a cooking oil dispensing assembly including: oil carrying apparatus as hereinbefore defined; and a pump assembly for pumping oil from the container and discharging the oil 0 into a fryer. Preferably the pump assembly includes a pump unit, an intake tube to convey oil from the container to the pump unit and a flexible discharge hose to discharge oil into a fryer. Preferably the pump unit is mounted or mountable on the container. Preferably, in use, the pump unit is mounted on the container. 5 Preferably the flexible discharge hose is fitted with a discharge nozzle. Preferably the intake tube is of sufficient length to substantially reach the base of the container when the pump unit is mounted on the container. Preferably the intake tube is substantially rigid. Preferably the pump unit houses an electrical pump. Preferably the pump unit 0 includes an electrical pump, an electrical power supply and a control unit. Preferably the power supply includes one or more rechargeable batteries. Preferably there is recharging means to charge and maintain the one or more batteries. Preferably the pump operates on direct current (DC) sourced from a battery. In an alternative embodiment the apparatus includes a power supply modulator to 25 allow the DC pump to be operated directly by mains electricity. Preferably there is an electrical power supply for supplying electrical power to the electrical pump. Preferably the electrical pump is cordless. Preferably the electrical pump and an electrical supply to power the pump are 30 housed in an enclosed pump unit. Preferably, in use, the pump unit can be mounted on the top surface of the container over the opening. Preferably the opening of the container acts as locating means for the pump unit. Preferably, when mounted on the container, the intake tube enters the container through the opening and an inlet -5 of the intake tube is located adjacent the base of the container. More preferably, the container has a sump and an inlet of the intake tube is located in the sump. The portable oil carrying apparatus preferably has a reusable container which can be cleaned by washing, sanitising and drying prior to re-use. After cleaning, the 5 container can then be refilled with fresh cooking oil before being closed and fitted with a tamper evident seal. Accordingly, in a further aspect, the present invention also provides a method for providing cooking oil to a commercial kitchen including the use of oil carrying apparatus as hereinbefore defined wherein the oil carrying apparatus includes a o reusable and resealable container, said method including: discharging cooking oil from the container; cleaning the container; refilling the container with fresh cooking oil; and resealing the container. 5 Preferably the container is cleaned by washing, sanitising and drying prior to refilling. Preferably the container is dismounted from the wheeled frame prior to cleaning. Preferably the cleaned container is mounted on the wheeled frame prior to refilling with cooking oil. Preferably the container is resealed after filling, and fitted 0 with a tamper evident seal. In a further aspect, the invention broadly resides in a method for providing cooking oil to fryers said method including: locating a cooking oil dispensing assembly as hereinbefore defined adjacent a fryer; 25 positioning a discharge opening of the pump assembly over the fryer; and operating the pump to discharge oil into the fryer through the discharge opening. The process of cooking food in hot cooking oil results in a portion of the oil being consumed due to absorption of oil by the food. In addition, with use, the oil 30 becomes contaminated with food debris such as batter particles and breadcrumbs. The presence of food debris can accelerate degradation of the oil, thus reducing its operational lifetime. Periodic removal of food debris from the cooking oil can extend the useful lifetime of the oil. Debris is suitably removed from the oil by filtration.

-6 The cooking oil dispensing assembly as hereinbefore defined can be used as part of a method for managing and maintaining cooking oil in a commercial kitchen. The oil dispensing assembly can be used to maintain the level of the cooking oil. The oil dispensing assembly can be used in combination with oil filtration to maintain 5 the oil level and oil quality in a fryer. In particular, the oil dispensing assembly can be used in combination with an oil filter machine to maintain the quality and quantity of oil in the fryer. Oil filter machines are known in the art, and include those described in, for example, Australian Patent No. 2004100793 and Australian Patent No. 2010100489. 0 Accordingly, in a further aspect, the present invention provides a method for managing cooking oil in a commercial kitchen including: charging the fryer with fresh oil from an oil dispensing assembly as hereinbefore defined; using the fryer to fry food; 5 filtering the used oil to remove food particles; returning the filtered oil to the fryer; and topping up the oil to the desired level in the fryer with fresh cooking oil from the oil dispensing assembly. Preferably the oil is filtered through an oil filter machine whilst hot. 0 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the present invention can be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings wherein: 25 Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side view of a preferred embodiment of the cooking oil dispenser assembly showing a pump unit and an oil carrying assembly; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic front view of the embodiment of Figure 1 indicating hidden features with broken lines; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic rear side view of the embodiment of Figure 1; 30 Figure 4 is a diagrammatic side view of another preferred embodiment of an oil carrying assembly; Figure 5 is a diagrammatic front view of the embodiment of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a diagrammatic rear side view of the embodiment of Figure 4; -7 Figure 7 is a diagrammatic top side view of a sealable container of the oil carrying assembly of the embodiment of Figure 1; Figure 8 is a diagrammatic bottom side view of the container of Figure 7; Figure 9 is a vertical cross section view of the container of Figure 7; 5 Figure 10 is a diagrammatic top side view of the housing of the pump unit of the embodiment of Figure 1; and Figure 11 is a diagrammatic bottom side view of the housing of Figure 10, shown with the base plate removed. 0 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to Figures 1 to 3 there is shown a portable cooking oil dispensing assembly 10 including a portable cooking oil carrying apparatus 20 and a pump unit 40. Figure 2 shows a front view of the cooking oil carrying apparatus 20 with hidden features indicated by broken lines. The portable oil dispensing 5 apparatus 10 can be used to transport cooking oil and discharge the oil into a fryer. With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the portable cooking oil carrying apparatus 20 includes a wheeled frame 21 and a rectangular box-shaped sealable container 30. The wheeled frame 21 has a handle portion 24 and a base portion 22 made of steel. There is a lip 23 around the base portion 22. The lip 23 is formed from angle 0 iron. There are two diagonal steel braces 25 joining a handle portion 24 and the base portion 22 to form side supports. A horizontal brace 29 forms support on the handle portion 24. There are two fixed front wheels 26 and two rear wheels 27 located on the base portion 22. The two rear wheels 27 are swivel mounted to provide mobility and manoeuvrability. The rear wheels 27 are each fitted with a foot 25 operated locking brake (not shown) to prevent the wheeled frame from moving. With reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, 7, 8 and 9 there is shown the sealable container 30. The container 30 is cuboid with a top wall 31, a front wall 36, a back wall 37, two side walls 33 and a base wall 38. The container 30 is made from colourless translucent polypropylene. The walls 31, 36, 37, 33 and 38 are each 30 approximately 10mm thick. In one embodiment the container measures approximately 500 mm wide x 550 mm deep x 800 mm high and holds approximately 200 litres of cooking oil. The dimensions of the base wall 38 are such that it fits within the lip 23 of the wheeled frame 21.

-8 When located in the wheeled frame 21, the base of the container 30 fits within the confines of the lip 23 of the base portion 22 of the wheeled frame 21 with the two side walls 33 in close proximity to the two diagonal braces 25. The top wall 31 has a sealable opening 32 fitted with a camlock closure 35. The camlock closure 35 can 5 be fitted with a tamper evident seal such as a cable tie (not shown). There is a sump 34 in the base of the container 30. The sump 34 is vertically aligned with the sealable opening 32. In use, the base of the empty container 30 is placed inside the lip 23 on the base portion 22 of the wheeled frame 21. The container 30 is then charged with 0 cooking oil through the opening 32. As the container 30 fills with oil, the vertical walls 33, 36 and 37 bow slightly in an outward direction due to the pressure of the oil. As the two side walls 33 bow out they contact the two side braces 25, thus providing additional securing mechanism holding the container 30 on the wheeled frame 21. The camlock closure 35 is then sealed with a cap (not shown) and a 5 tamper evident seal is attached. With reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3 there is shown a pump assembly 40 for pumping oil from the container and discharging the oil into a fryer. The pump assembly 40 includes a pump unit 41, an intake tube 45 with an inlet 46 to convey oil from the container to the pump unit 41 and a flexible plastic discharge hose 43 fitted 0 with a discharge nozzle 44 to discharge cooking oil into a fryer. The intake tube 45 is of sufficient length such that the inlet 46 of the intake tube 45 can reach the base of the container 30 when the pump unit 41 is resting on the top of the container 30. In use, the pump unit 41 is mounted on the surface of the top wall 31 of the container 30 over the opening 32. The camlock 35 acts as locating means for the pump unit 25 41. When the pump unit 41 is in position resting on top of the container 30, the oil intake tube 45 enters the container 30 through the opening 32 and camlock 35 with the inlet 46 located in the sump 34. Preferably the intake tube 45 is substantially rigid metal or plastic tubing. With particular reference to Figures 10 and 11 there is shown the housing 50 30 of the pump unit 41. The pump unit 41 houses an electrical pump, an electrical power supply and a control unit (not shown). The housing 50 is substantially rectangular box shaped and is made from steel sheet. It has two handles 42 for lifting and moving. The housing 50 has a lid 51, two end walls 47, 48, two side walls -9 49 and a base plate (not shown). The lid 51 is attached to an end wall 48 by a hinge 56 and is securable by a hasp and staple closure 52 to the opposite end wall 47. With particular reference to Figures 1 and 11 there is shown part of the internal structure of the housing 50 including a battery compartment 57, a pump 5 compartment 59 and a motor mounting plate 58 which forms the base of a motor compartment (not shown). The base plate of the housing 50 (not shown) has an aperture (not shown) adjacent compartment 59 which is of sufficient size to accommodate the inlet tube 45 and camlock 35. The aperture fits over the camlock 35 when the pump unit 41 is located in position on the top wall 31 of the oil carrying 0 apparatus 20. The pump unit 41 has sufficient weight to retain it in the correct position on top of the container 30 during operation of the pump to discharge oil. The power supply preferably includes one or more rechargeable batteries and recharging means to charge and maintain the batteries. Preferably the pump operates on direct current (DC) sourced from a battery. In an alternative 5 embodiment the pump unit may also include a power supply modulator to allow the DC pump to be operated directly by mains electricity. Preferably electrical pump is cordless during use. There is a battery recharger to allow the battery pack to be recharged by connecting to mains electricity, and without need to remove it from the pump unit 41. 0 There is an aperture 55 to allow connection of the pump unit 41 to mains electricity to allow recharging of batteries. The lid 51 has an aperture 53 to accommodate an on/off switch (not shown) for operating a pump (not shown). There is an aperture 54 to accommodate the connection of the discharge hose 43 to the pump (not shown). In an alternative embodiment the pump unit 41 may include a power supply 25 modulator to allow the DC motor to be operated directly from the mains. This allows the pump unit 41 to be used even if the battery has been allowed to discharge. With reference to Figures 4, 5 and 6, there is shown a second embodiment of the portable cooking oil carrying apparatus 60. Oil carrying apparatus 60 has several features in common with oil carrying apparatus 20 including a wheeled frame 30 61 and a rectangular box-shaped sealable container 70. The wheeled frame 61 has a handle portion 62 at the rear, a base portion 63 and an upwardly directed lip 64 around the edge the base portion 63. There are two diagonal steel braces 65 forming side supports. There are two rear wheels 67 located towards the rear of the - 10 base portion 63. There are two swivel mounted wheels 66 located underneath the front of the base portion 63 to provide mobility and manoeuvrability. The rear wheels 67 have a relatively larger diameter than the diameter of the front wheels 66. This allows the wheeled frame 61 to be pulled backwards up steps. 5 The sealable container 70 has a sealable opening 71 fitted with a camlock closure 72. A tamper evident seal (not shown) can be used in conjunction with the camlock closure 72. There is a sump 74 at the base. The container 70 is made from colourless translucent polypropylene. The walls are each approximately 10 mm thick. The container measures approximately 300 mm wide x 400 mm deep x 800 0 mm high and holds up to 90 litres of cooking oil. ADVANTAGES The oil carrying apparatus of the preferred embodiment has the advantage that it allows the operator to transport fresh cooking oil to a fryer or cooker without 5 having to carry an oil container manually. When the oil carrying apparatus is fitted with the pump apparatus, the resulting oil dispensing assembly allows the operator to dispense oil into the fryer without any lifting of oil containers. This prevents an operator from having to pour unused oil from a heavy oil box or drum directly into a vat or fryer of hot oil. This greatly reduces the potential for splashing of hot oil 0 causing burns and oil spillages. It also prevents the risk of the oil box or drum being dropped into the hot oil when topping up. The electrical pump can be powered by a battery located in the pump unit, thus allowing for cordless operation. The pump unit is demountable from the oil carrying apparatus, so can be used with other oil carrying apparatus units if required. 25 In a preferred embodiment the container is made from polypropylene and has a sealable opening with a tamper evident seal. The polypropylene container is easy to clean, making it reusable. After cooking oil has been discharged from the container, the empty container can be cleaned by washing, sanitising and drying. It can then be refilled with fresh oil, and resealed with a tamper evident seal. 30 A colourless polypropylene container has a sufficient degree of to allow an operator to see how much oil remains in the container, thus allowing efficient oil management.

- 11 5 VARIATIONS It will of course be realised that while the foregoing has been given by way of illustrative example of this invention, all such and other modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is herein set forth. o Throughout the description and claims this specification the word "comprise" and variations of that word such as "comprises" and "comprising", are not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.

Claims (5)

1. A portable oil carrying apparatus, including: a container having a sealable opening in a top wall, said sealable opening is 5 adapted to accommodate a tamper evident seal; and a wheeled frame wherein the container is mountable on the wheeled frame and the wheeled frame has locating means to securely position the container on the frame. 0

2. An oil carrying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the container is made from polypropylene.

3. An oil carrying apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the sealable opening is a camlock sealable with a cap and, when the cap is sealed in position, it 5 can be fitted with a tamper evident seal.

4. A cooking oil dispensing assembly including: oil carrying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3; and a pump assembly for pumping oil from the container and discharging the oil 0 into a fryer.

5. A method for providing cooking oil to a commercial kitchen including the use of oil carrying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the oil carrying apparatus includes a reusable and resealable container said method 25 including: discharging oil from the container; cleaning the container; refilling the container with fresh cooking oil; and resealing the container.