Automated Pizza Assembly System

Abstract

An apparatus is provided for assembling a pizza, including a pizza sauce spreading station, a cheese spreading station and a pepperoni applying station. A robot including a stationary base and an articulating arm having a gripper attached to the end is operable to grip a pizza pan having pizza dough therein to allow said robot to move the pan throughout the pizza sauce spreading station, and to a rotary dial system including the cheese spreading station and the pepperoni applying station. The robot arm manipulates the pizza pan in the sauce spreading station and the rotary dial system manipulates the pizza pan in the cheese station and the pepperoni applying station to properly distribute the cheese and pepperoni on the pizza.

1 - 44 . (canceled) 
     
     
         45 . An apparatus for assembling a pizza, comprising:
 a platform driven by a motor, the platform holding a pan, the pan configured to hold dough;   a pizza sauce spreading station configured to disperse a sauce;   a cheese spreading station configured to disperse a cheese; and   wherein the platform is configured to move the pan to the pizza sauce spreading station and the cheese spreading station.   
     
     
         46 . The apparatus according to  claim 45 , wherein said the platform is rotatable underneath the sauce spreading station and the cheese spreading station, the sauce station and the cheese spreading station operable to distribute the sauce and the cheese onto the dough as the platform rotates the pan. 
     
     
         47 . The apparatus according to  claim 45 , further including a pepperoni applying station configured to disperse a pepperoni slice. 
     
     
         48 . The apparatus according to  claim 47 , wherein the platform is movable to the pepperoni applying station. 
     
     
         49 . The apparatus according to  claim 48 , wherein the platform is rotatable underneath the pepperoni applying station. 
     
     
         50 . The apparatus according to  claim 47 , wherein the sauce spreading station, the cheese spreading station, and the pepperoni applying station are disposed in a refrigerated enclosure. 
     
     
         51 . The apparatus according to  claim 49 , wherein the platform is rotated at the pizza sauce spreading station and the cheese spreading station by the motor. 
     
     
         52 . The apparatus according to  claim 47 , wherein the pepperoni applying station includes at least one guide member configured to hold a pepperoni stick and a slicing blade configured to slice the pepperoni stick to form the slice of pepperoni that falls onto the dough. 
     
     
         53 . The apparatus according to  claim 45 , wherein the pizza sauce spreading station includes a nozzle. 
     
     
         54 . The apparatus according to  claim 45 , further including a controller configured to actuate the motor so as to move the pan to the pizza sauce spreading station and the cheese spreading station. 
     
     
         55 . The apparatus according to  claim 54 , wherein the controller is further configured to rotate the pan when the pan is at the pizza sauce spreading station and the cheese spreading station. 
     
     
         56 . The apparatus according to  claim 47 , further including a controller configured to actuate the motor so as to move the pan to the pizza sauce spreading station, the cheese spreading station, and the pepperoni applying station. 
     
     
         57 . A pepperoni applying station configured to disperse a pepperoni slice from a stick of pepperoni; the pepperoni applying station comprising:
 a guide member configured to hold the pepperoni stick and a slicing blade configured to slice the pepperoni stick to form the slice of pepperoni that falls onto a pizza dough.   
     
     
         58 . The pepperoni applying station according to  claim 57 , wherein the guide member is a cylindrical member having a top opening configured to receive the pepperoni stick and a bottom opening opposite of the top opening. 
     
     
         59 . The pepperoni applying station according to  claim 58 , further including a plate having an upper surface, the upper surface disposed beneath the guide member, wherein the pepperoni stick rests on the upper surface of the plate. 
     
     
         60 . The pepperoni applying station according to  claim 59 , wherein the plate includes an aperture having a dimension slightly larger than the dimension of the slicing blade so as to define a gap therebetween, the slice of pepperoni falling through the gap. 
     
     
         61 . The pepperoni applying station according to  claim 57 , further including a refrigerated enclosure, the guide member is disposed within the refrigerated enclosure. 
     
     
         62 . The pepperoni applying station according to  claim 57 , further including a slicing motor configured to rotate the slicing blade so as to slice the pepperoni stick. 
     
     
         63 . The pepperoni applying station according to  claim 59 , wherein the plate is rotatable about a post, the slicing blade is rotatable within an aperture of the plate. 
     
     
         64 . The pepperoni applying station according to  claim 63 , wherein the plate includes an upper surface configured to support an end of the pepperoni stick.