US 11,390,308 B2 · Automated dish drop

Automated dish drop

OwnerTimothy Young Lee, Jacob Conor Dooris +8inventors

InventorsTimothy Young Lee, Jacob Conor Dooris, Kent Michael Anderson, Abigail Elizabeth Soong, Edward Joseph Menard, Thomas Ettore De Candia, Michael William Tschudy, Paul Michael Birkmeyer, Katrina Bell Sheehy, Taylor Joseph Cone

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Abstract

A dish cart includes a top with a slot for receiving a lift arm that may be lifted up through the slot to raise or lower dishes. Lobe openings emanating from the slot receive lobes of a lift paddle secured to the lift arm. The cart may define a gap below the top for permitting insertion of the lift paddle and the lift arm. The cart may be adjusted to receive differently sized dishes by means of rails of different sizes or adjustable vanes. A dish drop station includes the lift arm and lift paddle and a lift mechanism for raising and lower the lift arm. The dish drop station may include a cart present sensor and include a lock for retaining the cart. The controller may be programmed to the lower the lift arm to an unlock position that disengages the cart lock.

Claims29

Dependent claims

An apparatus comprising:

a housing defining an opening;
an actuator mounted below the opening;
a lift paddle mounted to the actuator and extending below the opening, the actuator configured to move the lift paddle vertically subject to an upper limit position and configured to support stacked items;
an upper limit sensor mounted at the opening;
a lower limit sensor mounted at the opening below the upper limit sensor, the upper limit sensor and lower limit sensor both being positioned above the upper limit position;
and
a controller coupled to the actuator, the upper limit sensor, and the lower limit sensor, the controller being programmed to operate in a first mode in which the controller causes the actuator to maintain a height of the lift paddle such that the lower limit sensor is obstructed and the upper limit sensor is not obstructed.

4 more elements

A method comprising:

providing a dish drop including
a housing defining an opening;
an actuator mounted below the opening;
a lift paddle mounted to the actuator and extending below the opening, the actuator configured to move the lift paddle vertically subject to an upper limit position;
an upper limit sensor mounted at the opening;
and
a lower limit sensor mounted at the opening below the upper limit sensor, the upper limit sensor and lower limit sensor both being positioned above the upper limit position;
and
a controller coupled to the actuator, the upper limit sensor, and the lower limit sensor;
and
in response to sensing obstruction of both the upper limit sensor and the lower limit sensor, instructing, by the controller, the actuator to lower the lift paddle such that the upper limit sensor is not obstructed and the lower limit sensor is obstructed and the lift paddle remains above a lower limit position.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

16/295,670Filed 7 Mar 2019

Published

US 2020/0283043 A110 Sep 2020

Granted

19 Jul 2022

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification17 codes

B62B 3/006
Hand carts having more than one axis carrying transport wheels; Steering devices therefor; Equipment therefor: for stacking objects like trays,…
B62B 5/0495
Locking against movement by contacting the floor or a wall: by contacting a wall
B65H 31/3063
By moving the surface supporting the lowermost article of the pile, e.g. by using belts or rollers: by special supports like carriages,…
A47B 31/00
Service or tea tables, trolleys, or wagons