Systems and methods for managing ice levels in a beverage dispenser
AssigneeThe Coca-Cola Company
InventorsEric Barbely, David Mulcahey
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sensor (105) is placed into the ice bin (110) of a beverage dispenser (180). The sensor can measure the current level (102) of ice in the ice bin and can provide the measured level to a control component (115) of the beverage dispenser. The control component of the beverage dispenser can record the measured level and may selectively activate or deactivate an associated ice maker based on the measured levels (300). When the current level is below a minimum threshold (315), the control component may send a signal to the ice maker that causes it to make ice (320). When the current level is above a maximum threshold (330), the control component may send a signal to the ice maker that causes it to stop making ice (335).
Claims18
A beverage dispenser comprising:
- a computing device comprising a sensor engine, a control engine, and a prediction engine;
- a sensor;
- and
- an ice bin, wherein the sensor engine is adapted to receive sensor data from the sensor and determine a current ice level in the ice bin using the sensor data,
- wherein the control engine is adapted to generate an instruction for an ice maker to being making ice when the determined current ice level is below one or more thresholds and to generate an instructions for the ice maker to stop making ice when the determined current ice level is above the one or more thresholds,
- wherein the control engine is adapted to record ice usage statistics based on the sensor data, wherein the ice usage statistics include ice levels determined by the sensor engine and a date and time that each ice level was determined,
- wherein the prediction engine is adapted to generate a predicted future ice demand of the beverage dispenser using the ice usage statistics, and
- wherein the control engine is adapted to increase or decrease the one or more thresholds based on the predicted future ice demand.
A method for operating an ice maker comprising:
- receiving, via a sensor engine, sensor data from a sensor and determining, via the sensor engine, a current ice level in an ice bin using the sensor data;
- generating, via a control engine, an instruction for the ice maker to begin making ice when the determined current ice level is below one or more thresholds and generating, via the control engine, an instruction for the ice maker to stop making ice when the determined current ice level is above one or more thresholds;
- recording, via the control engine, ice usage statistics based on the sensor data, wherein the ice usage statistics include ice levels determined by the sensor engine and a data and time that each ice level was determined;
- generating, via a prediction engine, predicted future ice demand of the ice maker using the ice usage statistics;
- and
- increasing or decreasing, via the control engine, the one or more thresholds based on the predicted future ice demand.
A beverage dispenser comprising:
- a computing device comprising a sensor engine, a control engine, and a prediction engine;
- a sensor;
- and
- an ice bin,
- wherein the sensor engine is adapted to receive sensor data from the sensor,
- wherein the control engine is adapted to record ice usage statistics for an ice maker based on the sensor data, wherein the ice usage statistics comprise ice level measurements taken by the sensor and a date and a time that each ice level was determined;
- wherein the prediction engine is adapted to generate predicted future ice demand of the beverage dispenser using the ice usage statistics, and
- wherein the control engine is adapted to generate an instruction for the ice maker to activate or deactivate based on the predicted future ice demand.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.