Device and method for controlling the filling of a cup by a vending machine
AssigneeNestec S.A.
InventorsMatthieu Ozanne, Alexandre Kollep, Ralph Piguet, Grégoire Terrien, Xavier Greppin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device for controlling the filling of a receptacle with liquid by a drink vending machine. The device includes visual marking device for marking the liquid fill level in the receptacle, a device for emitting a signal towards the receptacle, a device for receiving an incident signal and which receives the incident signal returning from the receptacle and a controlling device configured for commanding the stoppage of filling on the basis of a variation of the incident signal.
Claims26
A device for controlling the filling of a receptacle with liquid by a drink vending machine comprising:
- means for filling the receptacle with liquid;
- means for controlling the means for filling acting so as to command stopping of the means for filling;
- means for visually marking a desired liquid fill level in the receptacle;
- means for emitting a signal towards the receptacle to generate an incident signal;
- and
- means for receiving the incident signal returning from the receptacle;
- wherein the means for controlling is configured to process the incident signal by measuring from this signal at least one variable representative of the fill level in the receptacle, and to stop the filling means when the variable reaches or exceeds a certain predefined threshold;
- wherein the visual marking means is arranged for indicating a user-visible mark on a side of the receptacle, with the user-visible mark on the receptacle corresponding to the desired liquid fill level in the receptacle, with the control means being arranged to stop the filling means when the liquid reaches the desired fill level set by the visual marking means, and with the visual marking means being user-adjustable to displace on the side of the receptacle the user-visible mark and the corresponding level of fill to a modified user-chosen level of fill.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.