Vertical cooking system

Abstract

An automated vertical grill system includes a food storage unit having laminated food product therein; a food dispensing unit; a vertical grill; a conveyor; and a staging bin. The food dispensing unit includes a delamination trolley, which moves horizontally above the vertical grill and delaminates laminated food product into a cooking unit of the vertical grill.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An automated food product dispensing system comprising:
 a food storage unit having laminated food product therein; and   a food dispensing unit;   said food dispensing unit including a delamination trolley;   said delamination trolley including a delamination unit for receiving laminated food product from said food storage unit and delaminating the received laminated food product;   said delamination trolley moving horizontally above a cooking unit to position said delamination unit over the cooking unit;   said delamination unit delaminating the laminated food product into the cooking unit.   
     
     
         2 . The automated food product dispensing system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said food storage unit includes an inversion curve to enable the laminated food product to travel downwardly towards said food dispensing unit located over the cooking unit. 
     
     
         3 . The automated food product dispensing system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said food dispensing unit includes a diverter that travels in conjunction with travel of said delamination trolley, said diverter preventing laminated food product from falling upon the cooking unit as said delamination trolley traverses horizontally. 
     
     
         4 . The automated food product dispensing system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said food storage unit includes a removable food module having laminated food product therein. 
     
     
         5 . An automated food product staging system comprising:
 a conveyor;   a first-in first out staging bin; and   a fork having prongs;   said conveyor conveying the food product to said staging bin;   said staging bin having a food product receiving surface and a food product backstop surface;   said food product receiving surface having channels therein to receive said prongs of said fork.   
     
     
         6 . The automated food product staging system as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein said food product backstop surface has channels therein to receive said prongs of said fork. 
     
     
         7 . The automated food product staging system as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein said fork is configured to lift previously received food product above said food product receiving surface such that food product being newly received from said conveyor is positioned beneath the previously received food product. 
     
     
         8 . The automated food product staging system as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein said fork is configured to place the previously received food product on top of the newly received food product to create a stack of food product. 
     
     
         9 . The automated food product staging system as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein said fork is configured to disengage from said first-in first out staging bin upon place the previously received food product on top of the newly received food product and re-positioning said prongs of said fork under the stack of food product.