US20100276446A1 - Oil delivery system for a popcorn popping machine - Google Patents
Oil delivery system for a popcorn popping machine Download PDFInfo
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- US20100276446A1 US20100276446A1 US12/839,809 US83980910A US2010276446A1 US 20100276446 A1 US20100276446 A1 US 20100276446A1 US 83980910 A US83980910 A US 83980910A US 2010276446 A1 US2010276446 A1 US 2010276446A1
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- oil
- quick connect
- container
- delivery system
- containers
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
- A23L—FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES A21D OR A23B-A23J; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OF NUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL
- A23L7/00—Cereal-derived products; Malt products; Preparation or treatment thereof
- A23L7/10—Cereal-derived products
- A23L7/161—Puffed cereals, e.g. popcorn or puffed rice
- A23L7/174—Preparation of puffed cereals from wholegrain or grain pieces without preparation of meal or dough
- A23L7/183—Preparation of puffed cereals from wholegrain or grain pieces without preparation of meal or dough by heating without using a pressure release device
- A23L7/187—Discontinuously-working apparatus
Abstract
An oil delivery system for a popcorn popping machine to deliver cooking oil to a kettle of the popping machine. In one embodiment, the oil delivery system includes more or more containers of oil which are supported within a cabinet of the popping machine so that the outlet of each container is facing downwardly so as to be oriented along a vertical axis. Flexible tubing is provided to connect the outlets of the containers to a pump of the oil delivery system. Each container may comprise a flexible bag which is enclosed in a rectangular box. The outlets of the flexible bags include quick connect/disconnect connectors which are connected with quick connect/disconnect connectors provided on the flexible tubing. The oil delivery system is provided with a flow sensor to detect when a container of oil is empty and provide an alert to an operator to remove and replace the container with a filled container. An electronic valve is provided in the oil delivery system to control the flow of oil from the containers.
Description
- The present invention relates generally to popcorn popping machines and, more particularly, to an oil delivery system for delivering cooking oil to a kettle of the popping machine.
- Popcorn is mass-produced for sale at movies and other events in commercial popcorn popping machines which include an enclosed transparent cabinet containing a tiltable kettle suspended above a catch area or platform. The kettle is heated and uncooked popcorn kernels are placed therein with oil delivered to the kettle from an oil pump system to be cooked and popped. Once the kernels are popped, the kettle is either manually or automatically tilted to dump the popped popcorn onto the platform to be scooped up, packaged and sold to customers.
- The delivery of the proper amount of cooking oil to the kettle for each popping cycle is critical to ensure that the popcorn is consistently and properly cooked in consecutive batches. If too little oil, or worse yet no oil, is delivered to the kettle at the beginning of the popping cycle, the popped popcorn and uncooked popcorn kernels will burn within the heated kettle. In addition to the waste of burned popcorn and uncooked corn kernels, the aroma of the burned popcorn is not attractive to customers and may actually discourage purchases. Furthermore, if the operator inadvertently dumps the burned popcorn and uncooked kernels onto the platform, it will contaminate the usable popcorn which has already been produced and may render the entire batch inedible and thus unusable.
- Known popping systems generally rely on an operator to observe when no oil is being delivered at the beginning of the popping cycle. When this occurs, the operator knows that the container of oil is empty and needs to be replaced with a filled container. However, an operator may be busy with other duties when this occurs and therefore not be aware the container of oil is empty before the next popping cycle is started.
- In the past, cooking oil has been supplied in large buckets or pails. The oil is pumped to the kettle of the popping machine through a pump which is submerged into the oil within the bucket. A heater is provided with the pump to heat and liquefy the oil which otherwise tends to solidify at room temperature. The pump is connected through a passageway to an oil outlet located above the kettle. When the pump is activated, it draws oil from the bucket and delivers the oil to the kettle in measured amounts for the consecutive popcorn popping cycles.
- One known drawback of this method of oil delivery is that the buckets of oil, which may weigh as much as fifty pounds, are difficult to handle. Also, when the bucket is empty of oil, the pump must be withdrawn from the bucket and then submerged into another filled bucket. During the changeover of buckets, the oil may drip from the pump onto the floor around the area of popping machine and the oily pump is messy for the operator to handle.
- It is known to provide cooking oil in flexible plastic bags which are enclosed in a rectangular cardboard box, commonly referred to as “bag-in-a-box” containers. Such containers of oil are much easier to handle since the pump is mounted in the cabinet of the popping machine and therefore separate from the container of oil. The container of oil is connected to the pump through a flexible tubing. The flexible tubing has a quick connect/disconnect connector provided on one end which connects with a quick connect/disconnect connector provided on the flexible bag of the container.
- In known popcorn popping systems that use this type of “bag-in-a-box” container of oil, the container is supported on an inclined shelf so that the container of oil is tilted at an angle. While this tilting of the container improves movement of the oil toward the outlet of the container, there is still an area within the flexible bag in which the oil can become trapped. While the oil is drawn from the flexible bag by the pump, the bag collapses within the cardboard box. However, the drawing capacity of the pump is typically not sufficient to completely collapse the bag so that some of the oil becomes trapped below the outlet of the tilted container. This results in some waste of the cooking oil which can be relatively costly over time.
- Therefore, there is a need for an oil delivery system for use in a popcorn popping machine to deliver cooking oil to a kettle which addresses these and other known shortcomings and drawbacks of known oil delivery systems.
- The present invention overcomes the foregoing and other shortcomings and drawbacks of oil delivery systems heretofore known for delivering cooking oil to a kettle of a popcorn popping machine. While the invention will be described in connection with certain embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention includes all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
- In accordance with the principles of the present invention, an oil delivery system is provided to deliver cooking oil to the kettle of a popcorn popping machine. In one embodiment, the oil delivery system includes one or more containers of oil which are supported within a cabinet of the popping machine so that the outlet of each container is facing downwardly so as to be oriented along a vertical axis. Flexible tubing is provided to connect the outlets of the containers to a pump of the oil delivery system. The pump is provided to draw the oil from the containers and deliver the oil to the kettle at the beginning of each popping cycle. The inverted position of the containers assures that essentially all of the oil will be withdrawn from the containers since there is no area within the containers in which the oil can become trapped.
- According to another aspect of the present invention, the containers comprise flexible bags filled with oil which are enclosed in a rectangular cardboard box. The outlets of the flexible bags include quick connect/disconnect connectors which are connected to quick connect/disconnect connectors provided on the flexible tubing. The quick connect/disconnect connection scheme of present invention allows the containers of oil to be inverted and loaded into the popping machine without spillage of oil so that other connections of the flexible tubing can be made. The quick connect/disconnect connection scheme of the present invention simplifies loading and unloading of the containers with minimal spillage of oil and facilitates easy handling of the containers in both their upright and inverted positions.
- According to another aspect of the present invention, the oil delivery system is provided with a flow sensor to detect when a container of oil is essentially empty. The flow sensor is coupled to an alarm so that when a container is detected to be empty, the flow sensor activates the alarm to alert an operator to remove and replace the empty container with a filled container. The alarm may be provided to an operator in the form of a visual or audible alarm, or both. In this way, the operator is alerted when a container of oil is empty so that the likelihood of wasted batches of popcorn due to insufficient amounts of oil is greatly reduced.
- In one embodiment, the containers of oil are placed in front-and back or side-by side relationship within the cabinet of the popcorn popping machine. The containers are fluidly connected together and also to the pump through the flexible tubing to deliver oil to the kettle. A normally closed electronic valve is provided so that the pump only draws from one of the containers at a time. The electronic valve is coupled to the flow sensor so that valve opens when the flow sensor detects that one of the containers is empty. In this way, one of the containers functions as a primary source of oil and the other container functions as a temporary oil reserve to reduce or eliminate interruptions in the supply of oil to the kettle during the popping cycles.
- The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention shall be made apparent from the accompanying drawings and the description thereof.
- The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with a general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
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FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary popcorn popping machine incorporating an oil delivery system according to a first embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the delivery system shown inFIG. 1 with the containers of oil removed; -
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the delivery system ofFIG. 1 showing the delivery system disassembled; -
FIG. 4A is a view similar toFIG. 3 showing the delivery system assembled; -
FIG. 4B is a side elevational view showing an oil delivery system according to a second embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of a delivery system according to a third embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the delivery system shown inFIG. 1 ; and -
FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view of the delivery system shown inFIG. 4B . - Referring now to the figures, and to
FIG. 1 in particular, an exemplarypopcorn popping machine 10 is shown incorporating anoil delivery system 12 according to one embodiment of the present invention. It will be appreciated that poppingmachine 10 is operable to cook or to pop popcorn and is particularly useful for cooking consecutive batches of popcorn for sale by concessionares at movie theaters, sports events, fairs and the like. - The popping
machine 10 includes acabinet 14 having transparent walls including twosidewalls rear wall 20,front wall 22 and a service platform (not shown) for catching popped popcorn from thekettle 24.Front wall 22 includes twodoors 26, 28 which can be opened to gain access both to the popped popcorn on the platform of thecabinet 14 and to thekettle 24.Sidewalls rear wall 20, as well as thefront wall 22 includingdoors 26, 28, are all made preferably of transparent glass or plastic material so that the interior of thecabinet 14 can be viewed from the exterior. Thecabinet 14 may also include various operating switches and light indicators on an operating panel (not shown) for turning ON kettle heat, the dump motor, a warmer (not shown) under the platform and lights inside thecabinet 14. The operating switches also turn on theheater 30 and pump 32 (seeFIGS. 2-3 , 4A and 4B) of theoil delivery system 12 for delivering cooking oil to thekettle 24 during a popping cycle as will be described in greater detail below. - The popping
kettle 24 is of any suitable variety having a heater 34 (FIG. 1 ) interconnected by aline 36 to a power plug (not shown) mounted inside the top of thecabinet 14. It will be appreciated that thekettle 24 is tiltable to dump popped popcorn onto the service platform at the completion of a popping cycle. The tilting of thekettle 24 may be automatically controlled by a dump motor (not shown) or, alternatively, thekettle 24 may be manually dumped by an operator. As is well known in the art,kettle 24 is provided with a pair of covers (not shown) which are pivoted on thekettle 24. When the corn is popped, it pushes the covers (not shown) open and falls out the sides of thekettle 24 onto the platform. One of the covers (not shown) is located over a so-called “dump section” or side of thekettle 24. When thekettle 24 is tilted, the one cover (not shown) pivots open to facilitate dumping of the popped popcorn onto the platform. - Positioned between the pair of covers (not shown) is an oil funnel 38 (
FIG. 1 ) which has a flaredfunnel mouth 40. When the kettle is upright as shown inFIG. 1 , thefunnel 38 aligns with anoil outlet 42 which is fluidly connected via adelivery tube 44 to thepump 32 of theoil delivery system 12. Oil is pumped up by thedelivery system 12 to be delivered into thefunnel 38 andkettle 24 during a popping cycle as described in greater detail below. - The
delivery system 12 is the focus of the present invention and is illustrated and described in detail below in connection with delivering oil from one or more containers of oil to thekettle 24 for use in a popping cycle. According to one aspect of the present invention, as shown inFIGS. 1-3 , 4A and 6, thedelivery system 12 includes a pair ofcontainers housing 50 located in thecabinet 14 below the service platform. Thehousing 50 includes a pair of opposingsidewalls 52, atop wall 54, abottom wall 56 and arear wall 58. Thecontainers housing 50 and define anelongated cavity 62 therebetween. Eachsupport rail 60 has a generallyhorizontal leg 64 which extends inwardly from asidewall 52 of thehousing 50 and a generallyvertical leg 66 which extends from an inner edge of thehorizontal leg 64 to thebottom wall 56 of thehousing 50. - In one embodiment, each of the
containers flexible bag 68, 70 (FIG. 3 ) which is filled with cooking oil and arectangular box 72, 74 which encloses thebag boxes 72, 74 may be formed of cardboard or other suitable material which is sufficiently strong to contain the filledbags kettle 24. The present invention is therefore not limited to flexible bags in a box but rather contemplates a variety of oil containers which are suitable for use with thedelivery system 10. - Further referring to
FIG. 3 , eachcontainer outlet container bag outlet disconnect connector FIG. 3 ) when thecontainers housing 50 as shown inFIG. 3 . The inverted position of thecontainers containers containers - The top ends of the
containers connectors cavity 62 formed between the support rails 60 and are spaced above thebottom wall 56. In this way, thecontainers arrow 84 inFIG. 3 , into thehousing 50. Thecavity 62 provides a clearance for theconnectors containers housing 50. - In one embodiment, the
heater 30 is provided on thetop wall 54 of thehousing 50 and is operable to force heated convection air, shown diagrammatically by numeral 86 inFIG. 4A , into the interior of thehousing 50 and around thecontainers heated convection air 86 is required to liquefy the oil within theflexible bags kettle 24. Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other methods of heating thecontainers - Further referring to
FIGS. 1-3 , 4A and 6, thepump 32 of thedelivery system 12 is also provided on thetop wall 54 of thehousing 50 and includes an inlet 88 (FIG. 2 ) in fluid communication with thecontainers FIG. 2 ) in fluid communication with theoil outlet 42 for delivering oil to thekettle 24.Flexible tubing 92 is provided to fluidly connect theoutlets containers inlet 88 of thepump 32, andflexible tubing 94 is provided to fluidly connect theoutlet 90 of thepump 32 to theoil outlet 42. Oil filters 96, 98 are provided in fluid communication with theflexible tubing oil filter 98 also reduce bubbles which may form in theflexible tubing 94 as a result of operation of thepump 32. Also, it will be appreciated that heated coils (not shown) may be provided on theflexible tubing tubing - According to another aspect of the present invention, the
tubing 92 hasmultiple tubing sections 92 a-c which are interconnected to define a passageway between theoutlets containers inlet 88 of thepump 32. Eachtubing section disconnect connector tubing section disconnect connector FIGS. 3 , 4A and 7, the quick connect/disconnect connector 100 a provided at the one end oftubing section 92 a is fluidly connected with the quick connect/disconnect connector 80 provided on theflexible bag 68 ofcontainer 46. When the connection is made, theconnector 80 provided on theflexible bag 68 opens so that oil fills thetubing section 92 a but theconnector 102 a prevents the oil from exiting thetubing section 92 a until further connections are made as described below. Likewise, the quick connect/disconnect connector 100 b provided at the one end oftubing section 92 b is fluidly connected with the quick connect/disconnect connector 82 provided on theflexible bag 70 ofcontainer 48. This connection opens theconnector 82 provided on theflexible bag 70 so that oil fills thetubing section 92 b but theconnector 102 b prevents the oil from exiting thetubing section 92 b in a similar fashion to theconnector 102 a. In this way, thetubing sections outlets containers containers containers housing 50 with their tops facing downwardly without any spillage of oil from eithercontainer flexible tubing 92 can be easily made for delivery of oil to thekettle 24. -
Tubing section 92 c is generally T-shaped and has a pair of quick connect/disconnect connectors tubing section 92 c and its opposite end is fluidly connected with theinlet 88 of thepump 32. As shown inFIGS. 3 , 4A and 6, the pair of quick connect/disconnect connectors tubing section 92 c are fluidly connected with the quick connect/disconnect connectors tubing sections connectors tubing sections outlets containers inlet 88 of thepump 32. It will be appreciated that the quick connect/disconnect connection scheme of the present invention simplifies loading and unloading of thecontainers containers - According to another aspect of the present invention as shown in
FIGS. 2 , 3, 4A and 6, aflow sensor 106 is provided in fluid communication with thetubing section 92 a. Theflow sensor 106 is operable to detect an absence of flow of oil in thetubing section 92 a such as when thecontainer 46 is essentially empty of oil. Theflow sensor 106 is electrically coupled to anindicator 108 to provide a visual or audible alarm, or both, to an operator when an absence of oil flow in thetubing section 92 a is detected by theflow sensor 106. The alarm is provided to alert the operator to remove and replace theempty container 46 with a filled container. The visual alarm may be a flashing or steady light indicator mounted on thecabinet 14. The audible alarm may be an intermittent or steady tone generated by a speaker (not shown) supported by thecabinet 14. Onesuitable flow sensor 106 for use in the present invention is the Model 197092 flow sensor commercially available from Gems Sensors of Plainville, Conn., although other suitable flow sensors are possible as well without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. As used herein, the terminology “absence of flow” is intended to mean that either no flow of oil is detected or the flow rate of the oil is detected to be below a predetermined flow rate threshold. It will be appreciated that the detection of the oil flow rate may be detected either mechanically or electrically as will be understood by those skilled in the art. - In one embodiment as shown in
FIG. 6 , theflow sensor 106 is electrically coupled to thealarm 108 through arelay 110 and adelay timer 112. Thedelay timer 112 is provided so that theflow sensor 106 does not generate an alarm through thealarm 108 when thepump 32 is initially turned on and is not yet drawing oil from thecontainer 46 at its predetermined draw capacity. In this way, false alarms are avoided which may otherwise be distracting to an operator of the popping system. - According to another aspect of the present invention, an
electronic valve 114 is provided in fluid communication with thetubing section 92 b and is electrically coupled to theflow sensor 106 as shown inFIGS. 2 , 3, 4A and 6. Theelectronic valve 114 is normally closed so that thepump 32 only draws oil from thefront container 46 when theflow sensor 106 is not activated (i.e., oil is flowing in thetubing section 92 a). However, when thefront container 46 is empty of oil as detected by theflow sensor 106, theflow sensor 106 activates theelectronic valve 114 to open so that a passageway is established through thetubing section 92 b and theflow sensor 106 activates thealarm 108 to alert an operator to replace thefront container 46 with another filled container of oil. Thepump 32 now draws oil from therear container 48 so that the supply of oil is not interrupted while theempty front container 46 is being replaced. - When the
front container 46 has been removed and replaced with a filled container, theelectronic valve 114 is deactivated to its normally closed position so that thepump 32 resumes to draw oil only from thefront container 46. In this way, thefront container 46 functions as a primary source of oil and therear container 48 functions as a temporary oil reserve to reduce or eliminate interruptions in the supply of oil to thekettle 24 during the popping cycles. Thus, it will be appreciated that therear container 48 will need to be replaced much less frequently than thefront container 46. - As shown in
FIG. 6 , theflow sensor 106 is coupled to theelectronic valve 114 through therelay 110 and thedelay timer 112. In this way, theelectronic valve 114 will not be prematurely opened when thepump 32 is initially turned on and is not yet drawing oil from thecontainer 46 at its predetermined draw capacity. It will be appreciated that while thecontainers containers oil delivery system 10 of the present invention. - Referring now to
FIGS. 4B and 7 , anoil delivery system 200 is shown according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention where like numerals represent like parts to thedelivery system 10 ofFIGS. 1-3 , 4A and 6. In this embodiment, the pair ofcontainers housing 202 so that thecontainers container 46 supported above theother container 48. Thehousing 202 includes a pair of opposing sidewalls 204 (one shown), atop wall 206, abottom wall 208 and arear wall 210. Ashelf 212 is connected to thesidewalls 204 and supports theupper container 46 while thebottom wall 208 supports thelower container 48. Heaters (not shown) may be provided to heat theshelf 212 and thebottom wall 208. Alternatively, heated convection air may be used as described in detail above or any other method suitable for heating thecontainers - In this alternative embodiment,
flexible tubing 214 is provided to fluidly connect theoutlets lower containers inlet 88 of thepump 32, andflexible tubing 216 is provided to fluidly connect theoutlet 90 of thepump 32 to theoil outlet 42. Thetubing 214 hasmultiple tube sections 214 a-c which are interconnected to define a passageway between theoutlets containers inlet 88 of thepump 32. Oil filters 96, 98 are provided in fluid communication with theflexible tubing flexible tubing -
Tubing section 214 a has one quick connect/disconnect connector 218 a provided at one end of thetubing section 214 a and another quick connect/disconnect connector 218 b provided at its opposite end. As shown inFIGS. 4B and 7 , the quick connect/disconnect connector 218 a provided at the one end oftubing section 214 a is fluidly connected with the quick connect/disconnect connector 80 provided on theflexible bag 68 ofcontainer 46. When the connection is made, theconnector 80 provided on theflexible bag 68 opens so that oil fills thetubing section 218 a but theconnector 218 b prevents the oil from exiting thetubing section 214 a until further connections are made as described below. -
Tubing section 214 b has a pair of quick connect/disconnect connectors tubing section 214 b and another quick connect/disconnect connector 220 c provided between the pair of quick connect/disconnect connectors FIGS. 4B and 7 , the quick connect/disconnect connector 220 c provided between the pair of quick connect/disconnect connectors disconnect connector 82 provided on theflexible bag 70 ofcontainer 48. When the connection is made, theconnector 82 provided on theflexible bag 70 opens so that oil fills thetubing section 214 b but theconnectors tubing section 214 b at either end until further connections are made as described below. Tubing section 214 c has a quick connect/disconnect connector 222 provided at one end and its opposite end is fluidly connected with theinlet 88 of thepump 32. - As shown in
FIGS. 4B and 7 , the quick connect/disconnect connector 220 a on the end oftube section 214 b is fluidly connected with the quick connect/disconnect connector 218 b provided on the one end of thetubing section 214 a. When this connection is made, theconnectors tubing sections outlets containers upper container 46 gravity feeds into thelower container 48. - The quick connect/
disconnect connector 220 b provided on the other end of thetubing section 214 b is fluidly connected to the quick connect/disconnect connector 222 provided on the one end of tubing section 214 c. When this connection occurs, theconnectors tubing sections 214 b, 214 c open so that a passageway is established between theoutlets containers inlet 88 of thepump 32. During operation of thepump 32, oil is drawn from thelower container 48 while theupper container 46 gravity feeds oil to thelower container 48. - In this embodiment, a
flow sensor 106 is provided in fluid communication with thetubing section 214 a. Theflow sensor 106 is operable to detect an absence of flow of oil in thetubing section 214 a such as when theupper container 46 is essentially empty of oil. Theflow sensor 106 is operable to generate a visual or audible alarm, or both, to an operator as described in detail above to alert the operator to remove and replace the emptyupper container 46 with a filled container. In this way, theupper container 46 functions as a primary source of oil and thelower container 48 functions as a temporary oil reserve to reduce or eliminate interruptions in the supply of oil to thekettle 24 during popping cycles. Thus, it will be appreciated that thelower container 48 will need to be replaced much less frequently than theupper container 46. Of course, more than two containers are possible with theoil delivery system 200 of the present invention. - Referring now to
FIG. 5 , an oil delivery system 300 in accordance with another aspect of the present invention is shown where like numerals represent like parts to thedelivery system 10 ofFIGS. 1-3 , 4A and 6. In this embodiment, asingle container 46 of oil is mounted in a housing (not shown) either in an inverted position with its top facing downwardly or on its side as described in detail above. - In this alternative embodiment,
flexible tubing 302 is provided to fluidly connect theoutlet 76 of thecontainer 46 to theinlet 88 of thepump 32, and flexible tubing 304 is provided to fluidly connect theoutlet 90 of thepump 32 to theoil outlet 42. Thetubing 302 hasmultiple tube sections 302 a, 302 b which are interconnected to define a passageway between theoutlet 76 of thecontainer 46 and theinlet 88 of thepump 32. As in the other embodiments,oil filters flexible tubing 302, 304 to clean the oil and reduce bubbles which may form in the flexible tubing 304 as a result of operation of thepump 32. Also, heated coils (not shown) may be provided on theflexible tubing 302. -
Tubing section 302 a has a quick connect/disconnect connector 306 a provided at one end of thetubing section 302 a and another quick connect/disconnect connector 306 b provided at its opposite end. As shown inFIG. 5 , the quick connect/disconnect connector 306 a provided at the one end oftubing section 302 a is fluidly connected with the quick connect/disconnect connector 80 provided on theflexible bag 68 ofcontainer 48. When the connection is made, theconnector 80 provided on theflexible bag 48 opens so that oil fills thetubing section 302 a but the connector 306 b prevents the oil from exiting thetubing section 302 a until further connections are made as described below. Tubing section 302 b has a quick connect/disconnect connector 308 provided at one end and its opposite end is fluidly connected with theinlet 88 of thepump 32. Alternatively, thetubing section 302 a may be dispensed with and the one end of the tubing section 302 b may be provided with the quick connect/disconnect connector 306 a for direct fluid connection with the quick connect/disconnect connector 80 provided on thecontainer 46. - In this embodiment, a
flow sensor 106 is provided in fluid communication with the tubing section 302 b. Alternatively, theflow sensor 106 may be provided in fluid communication with thetubing section 302 a. Theflow sensor 106 is operable to detect an absence of flow of oil in the tubing section 302 b (ortubing section 302 a in an alternative embodiment) such as when thecontainer 46 is empty of oil. Theflow sensor 106 is operable to generate a visual or audible alarm, or both, to an operator as described in detail above to alert the operator to remove and replace theempty container 46 with a filled container. - While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of an exemplary embodiment thereof, and while the embodiment has been described in considerable detail, it is not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the scope or spirit of Applicants' general inventive concept.
Claims (7)
1-11. (canceled)
12. In a popcorn popping machine, an oil delivery system configured to deliver oil used during a popping cycle to a kettle of the popping machine, comprising:
a flexible bag of oil having a quick connect/disconnect connector in fluid communication with an interior of said bag containing the oil;
a pump having an inlet and an outlet and being configured to withdraw oil from said flexible bag and deliver the oil to the kettle;
a first conduit having a quick connect/disconnect connector provided at each end thereof, said quick connect/disconnect connector provided on one end of said first conduit being configured to fluidly connect with said quick connect/disconnect connector provided on said flexible bag such that a fluid flow path is established through said quick connect/disconnect connector provided on said flexible bag only when said quick connect/disconnect connector provided on the one end of the first conduit is fluidly connected thereto;
a second conduit having a quick connect/disconnect connector provided at one end thereof and the other end of said second conduit being in fluidly communication with said inlet of said pump, said quick connect/disconnect connector provided at the one end of said second conduit being configured to fluidly connect with said quick connect/disconnect connector provided on the other end of said first conduit such that a fluid flow path is established through said quick connect/disconnect connector provided on the other end of said first conduit only when said quick connect/disconnect connector provided on the one end of the second conduit is fluidly connected thereto; and
a third conduit configured to convey oil from said outlet of said pump and deliver the oil to the kettle.
13. The delivery system of claim 12 , further comprising a flow sensor in fluid communication one of said first and second conduits and being configured to detect an absence of flow of oil in said one of said first and second conduits.
14. The delivery system of claim 13 further comprising an indicator electrically coupled to said flow sensor, said indicator being activated when said flow sensor detects an absence of flow of the oil in said one of said first and second conduits.
15. The delivery system of claim 14 , wherein said indicator is configured to provide a visual indication to an operator of the popcorn popping system when said indicator is activated.
16. The delivery system of claim 14 , wherein said indicator is configured to provide an audible indication to an operator of the popcorn popping system when said indicator is activated.
17-41. (canceled)
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US12/839,809 US20100276446A1 (en) | 2004-10-22 | 2010-07-20 | Oil delivery system for a popcorn popping machine |
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US10/971,640 US7814825B2 (en) | 2004-10-22 | 2004-10-22 | Oil delivery system for a popcorn popping machine |
US12/839,809 US20100276446A1 (en) | 2004-10-22 | 2010-07-20 | Oil delivery system for a popcorn popping machine |
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US10/971,640 Continuation US7814825B2 (en) | 2004-10-22 | 2004-10-22 | Oil delivery system for a popcorn popping machine |
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US12/839,809 Abandoned US20100276446A1 (en) | 2004-10-22 | 2010-07-20 | Oil delivery system for a popcorn popping machine |
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US20090133585A1 (en) * | 2007-11-27 | 2009-05-28 | Gold Medal Products Co. | Remaining popping oil gauge and methods |
US8899144B2 (en) * | 2010-02-01 | 2014-12-02 | Gold Medal Products Company | Popcorn popping machine with overhead oil pump |
US20120240789A1 (en) * | 2011-03-21 | 2012-09-27 | Hohler Melissa M | Systems and methods for melting and maintaining temperature of semi-solid cooking media |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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US7814825B2 (en) | 2010-10-19 |
US20060086257A1 (en) | 2006-04-27 |
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Legal Events
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |