Method and system for portioning and dispensing ice
AssigneeEnodis Corporation
InventorsRoberto Nevarez, William E. Smith, Jan Claesson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ice portion control module includes an ice bin for storing ice. A base in the ice bin has one or more portion control compartments. The one or more portion control compartments has an interior volume to hold a predetermined portion of the ice. An actuator moves the one or more portion control compartments between a fill position wherein the one or more portion control compartments holds the ice, and a dispense position wherein the predetermined portion of the ice is dispensed out of the one or more portion control compartments.
Claims33
An ice portion control module comprising:
- an ice bin for storing ice;
- a base in said ice bin having one or more portion control compartments, said one or more portion control compartments having an interior volume to hold a predetermined portion of said ice;
- an actuator which moves said one or more portion control compartments between a fill position wherein said one or more portion control compartments holds said ice, and a dispense position wherein said predetermined portion of said ice is dispensed out of said one or more portion control compartments;
- and
- a controller that counts a number of said one or more portion control compartments moved to said dispense position and deactivates said actuator from moving said one or more portion control compartments after said controller counts up to a predetermined number of said one or more portion control compartments moved to said dispense position to dispense a predetermined total amount of said ice.
A method for portioning ice, the method comprising:
- filling an interior volume of a portion control compartment in a base with a predetermined portion of ice when said portion control compartment is in a fill position, said base being in an ice bin for storing said ice;
- moving said portion control compartment between said fill position and a dispense position by an actuator;
- counting a number of said one or more portion control compartments moved to said dispense position;
- and
- deactivating said actuator from moving said one or more portion control compartments after counting up to a predetermined number of said one or more portion control compartments moved to the dispense position to dispense a predetermined total amount of said ice.
An ice portion control module comprising:
- an ice bin for storing ice that has at least one sloped wall to direct said ice into one or more portion control compartments, said one or more portion control compartments having one or more dispensing ports;
- and
- one or more actuators that move one or more devices to open and close said one or more portion control compartments and one or more dispensing ports, wherein said one or more portion control compartments holds said ice when said one or more dispensing ports is closed, and whereby said ice in said one or more portion control compartments is dispensed out of said one or more dispensing ports when opened by an actuation of said one or more actuators,
- wherein said one or more actuators are in communication with a controller that counts a number of actuations to determine a portion as required by a menu recipe or beverage formula.
An ice portion control module comprising:
- an ice bin for storing ice from which said ice is directed into one or more portion control compartments, said one or more portion control compartments having one or more dispensing ports;
- an agitator that moves in said ice bin;
- and
- one or more actuators that move one or more devices to open and close said one or more portion control compartments and one or more dispensing ports, wherein said one or more portion control compartments holds said ice when said one or more dispensing ports is closed, and whereby a predetermined portion of said ice in said one or more portion control compartments is dispensed out of said one or more dispensing ports when opened by an actuation of said one or more actuators,
- wherein said agitator moves independently from said one or more devices.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.