Capacity-limited ice machine
OwnerJohn Allen Broadbentinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of controlling an ice making machine such that the ice production is electronically limited and can be upgraded, either permanently or temporarily, by purchasing and transferring that upgrade, either electronically or manually, into the machine. The method comprising: having an ice production limit stored in memory, using the ice machine's controller to estimate the quantity of ice that has been produced by the ice machine during the current time period, using the controller to limit the ice production from the machine to the ice production limit for the current time period, where ice production limit is locked and can only be changed if an upgrade is purchased and transferred into the ice machine.
Claims12
A method of electronically limiting the amount of ice produced by an ice machine wherein the ice machine consists of a refrigeration system, a water system and a controller to control the refrigeration system and the water system, the method comprising the steps of:
- having an ice production limit value stored in controller memory or otherwise accessible to the controller that controls the maximum quantity of ice that will be produced by the ice machine in a designated time period,
- using the controller to determine if the production limit has been reached during the current time period,
- using controller to stop ice production from the machine if the ice production limit for the current time period has been reached or exceeded,
- where said ice production limit is locked.
A method of electronically limiting the amount of ice produced by an ice machine wherein the ice machine consists of a refrigeration system, a water system and a controller to control the refrigeration system and the water system, the method comprising the steps of:
- having an ice production limit value stored in controller memory or otherwise accessible to the controller that specifies the maximum quantity of ice that will be produced by the ice machine in a designated time period,
- using the controller to regulate the ice production to match the ice production limit for the current time period,
- where said ice production limit is locked.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.