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US 6,093,312 AGranted
Ice dispenser with an air-cooled bin
AssigneeEntre Pure, Inc.
InventorRoger Phillip Boulter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A combination water-purification and ice-dispensing system features an air cooler on the ice bin to prevent the congealing of ice. Four slanted agitator blades also break up chunks of ice back into ice cubes. Excess water from the ice maker is recycled into the ice maker. Double shutters prevent the dispensing of contaminated ice. An ice-bag dispenser and taper are included. A single kiosk can have both a purified water and an ice dispenser.
Claims27
A purified water and ice dispenser comprising:
- a housing having a vend window and a machine room having a filtration system;
- the filtration system further comprising:
- a means for pre-filtering city water;
- a means for piping a portion of the pre-filtered water forming a driving fluid into a space substantially enclosed by an inner bladder of a diaphragm storage tank, thereby providing a driving pressure in the inner bladder of the diaphragm storage tank;
- a means for feeding an RO pump and filter membrane with a blend of the stored pre-filtered water in the inner bladder and the pre-filtered city water thereby reclaiming the driving fluid, functioning to feed the RO pump and filter membrane using city water pressure, thereby providing a further filtering of the water, functioning to provide a pure water supply;
- a means for storing the pure water supply in a pure water storage side of the diaphragm storage tank under a pressure, functioning to store the pure water supply between an outer shell of the diaphragm storage tank and the inner bladder;
- a means for dispensing the pure water supply in the pure water storage side of the diaphragm storage tank, functioning to respond to a demand from a user;
- a means for measuring the volume of a quantity of dispensed water demanded by a user;
- and
- a means for controlling the RO pump by the means for measuring so as to maintain a selected minimum volume of the pure water supply in the pure water side of the diaphragm storage tank;
- an ice-maker supply line tapped into the pure water side of the diaphragm storage tank;
- an ice-maker supply tank receiving water from the ice-maker supply line;
- an ice-cube maker receiving water from the ice-maker supply tank;
- a bin receiving ice cubes from the ice-cube maker;
- and
- a coin-operated ice-cube dispenser having an ice controller to dispense ice cubes from the bin.
13 more elements
An ice dispensing system comprising:
- an ice maker having an outlet to fill an ice bin;
- said ice bin having an insulated top, an insulated bottom, and insulated walls;
- said ice bin having an air cooler ducted to an interior ice storage area of the ice bin to cool and recirculate air inside the ice bin to prevent a congealing or thawing of the ice;
- and
- wherein said insulated top has an inlet port and an outlet port opposed from one another, thereby circulating the air across the insulated top.
2 more elements
An ice bin in an ice-cube dispenser, said ice bin comprising;
- insulated walls, an insulated top and an insulated bottom;
- an agitator blade;
- a feed auger;
- an air cooler ducted to an interior ice storage area of the ice bin to cool and circulate air in the ice bin;
- and
- wherein said insulated top has an inlet port and an outlet port opposed from one another, thereby circulating the air across the insulated top.
3 more elements
An ice dispensing system comprising:
- an ice maker having an outlet to fill an ice bin;
- said ice bin having an insulated top, an insulated bottom, and insulated walls;
- and wherein
- said ice bin has two shutter doors, a first shutter door to control a flow of ice, and a second shutter door which closes gently, thereby functioning as a safety door.
1 more element
An ice dispensing system comprising:
- an ice maker having an outlet to fill an ice bin;
- said ice bin having an insulated top, an insulated bottom, and insulated walls;
- and wherein
- said ice bin has a delivery trough at a bottom of the ice bin;
- an auger in the delivery trough;
- a delivery hole in the trough;
- and
- a bridge over the delivery hole to prevent ice from falling through the delivery hole unless the auger is turning.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.