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AssigneeManitowoc Foodservice Companies, Inc.
InventorsJerry Landers, Gregory Thompson, William Slone, Greg Glass, John Grady
Estimating the term…
An ice crusher is attached to an ice dispenser or to a combined ice and beverage dispenser. The ice crusher occupies minimal space in order to fit the dispenser into an existing space on a serving counter or in a beverage dispensing area. The ice crusher may also elevate the ice. In embodiments using this technique, the outlet of the ice from the ice crusher is higher than the ice inlet. As the ice flows from a source of ice, such as an ice bin, the ice is elevated while it is being crushed. The ice then flows from the outlet of the ice crusher down an ice chute or other outlet of the ice crusher, into a cup or container as desired. Other embodiments convey the ice without lifting it, and still other embodiments dispense either crushed or cubed ice, as the consumer may select. In one embodiment the selected crushed ice or cubed ice are both dispensed though the same ice dispensing chute. A retrofit kit may be used to add an ice crusher to an existing ice dispenser, or to an existing combined ice and beverage dispenser.
A combination of a beverage dispenser and an ice crusher, the combination comprising:
A combination of an ice dispenser with an ice crusher, the combination comprising:
A method for crushing and dispensing ice from an ice dispenser, the method comprising:
A method of operating a beverage dispenser with an integrated ice dispenser, the beverage dispenser having at least one mixing and dispensing valve for mixing a syrup and water and dispensing a beverage, comprising:
A method of operating a combined ice and beverage dispenser, wherein the beverage dispenser comprises at least one mixing and dispensing valve for mixing a syrup and water and dispensing a beverage, and wherein the ice dispenser is equipped with an ice crusher, comprising:
A combined ice and beverage dispenser having at least one mixing and dispensing valve for mixing a syrup and water and dispensing a beverage, an ice bin, first and second openings out of the ice bin, an ice crusher and a selector for selecting whether the dispenser will deliver cubed ice or crushed ice.
A combined ice and beverage dispenser having at least one mixing and dispensing valve for mixing a syrup and water and dispensing a beverage, an ice bin, first and second openings out of the ice bin, an ice crusher and two dispensing chutes, one for cubed ice and one for crushed ice.
A retrofit kit for adding an ice crusher to an existing ice dispenser comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.