Cooking oil distribution and grease collection and dispensing apparatus and method

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention provides a cooking oil delivery and grease reclamation apparatus and method which overcomes and alleviates the foregoing described difficulties in the prior art methods of collecting and storing frying oil or grease for delivery to and removal from a restaurant for cooking and recycling.
The invention eliminates safety concerns associated with having personnel manually handle large quantities of hot liquids and prevents theft of the valuable reusable commodity.
The invention further eliminates spillage and health hazards.
Spilled grease on a floor attracts insects such as cockroaches and produces slick spots where a person could fall and suffer injury.
The apparatus of the invention may include a holding tank connected by suitable piping to each frying vat in a restaurant.
The holding tank may be located at any elevation from the fryer so that opening a valve permits used oil or grease from the frying vat to flow into the holding tank.
In some cases the flow of used oil from the frying vats into the holding tank may be assisted by a pump.
A pipe extends from the holding tank to a location accessible for connection to a hose for input to a tank transported by a vehicle, such as a truck.
The truck preferably has a vacuum pump attached thereto for pumping the liquid oil or grease from the holding tank into the truck tank.
The outlet of the holding tank may conveniently be in a secure location to alleviate theft problems associated with storing the used oil in containers that may be easily removed from refuse areas.
The invention may also include a distribution tank mounted at an elevation above or below the frying vat.
If necessary, a pump may be used to transfer the new oil into the frying vat.
The truck operator, while the used oil or grease is being pumped into the truck tank, connects a hose from a second tank on the truck to pump new, fresh oil or grease into the distribution tank.
The distribution tank includes a valve, which when opened, permits the new oil or grease to flow under the force of gravity from the distribution tank into the frying vat