GB2600851A - Ice dispensing system - Google Patents
Ice dispensing system Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2600851A GB2600851A GB2201311.4A GB202201311A GB2600851A GB 2600851 A GB2600851 A GB 2600851A GB 202201311 A GB202201311 A GB 202201311A GB 2600851 A GB2600851 A GB 2600851A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- ice
- container
- belt
- channel
- dispensing channel
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 claims abstract 3
- 238000000151 deposition Methods 0.000 claims 2
- 238000007599 discharging Methods 0.000 claims 2
- BHMLFPOTZYRDKA-IRXDYDNUSA-N (2s)-2-[(s)-(2-iodophenoxy)-phenylmethyl]morpholine Chemical compound IC1=CC=CC=C1O[C@@H](C=1C=CC=CC=1)[C@H]1OCCNC1 BHMLFPOTZYRDKA-IRXDYDNUSA-N 0.000 claims 1
- 241000518994 Conta Species 0.000 claims 1
- 230000000903 blocking effect Effects 0.000 claims 1
- 238000011534 incubation Methods 0.000 claims 1
- 229920001296 polysiloxane Polymers 0.000 claims 1
- 230000001960 triggered effect Effects 0.000 claims 1
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
- F25C5/00—Working or handling ice
- F25C5/20—Distributing ice
Abstract
In an ice dispensing system (100), ice produced by ice producing machines (121, 122, 123, 124) is delivered to a user through an ice transferring subsystem (140). In the ice transferring subsystem (140), an ice container (142) is vertically moved to reach a selected machine for receiving ice therefrom. Advantageously, a vertical position of the ice container (142) is adjusted for adjusting an inner depth thereof allowable for storing ice such that a selected quantity of ice for delivery to the user is loaded into the ice container (142). The loaded ice container (142) is vertically moved to an ice dispensing channel (180) and unloads the ice thereto for dispensing to the user. In particular, the loaded ice container (142) is elevated to the ice dispensing channel (180) when the selected machine is positioned lower than the ice dispensing channel (180), thereby providing user convenience in procuring the ice from the ice dispensing channel (180) without installing the selected machine at a higher position than the ice dispensing channel (180) in utilizing gravity for ice delivery.
Claims (27)
1. An ice dispensing system for delivering a selected quantity of ice to a us er, the system comprising: one or more ice producing machines; and an ice transferring subsystem comprising an ice container and an ice dispe nsing channel, the ice transferring subsystem being configured to: vertically move the ice container to reach a selected ice producing machin e selected from the one or more ice producing machines for subsequently re ceiving ice from the selected ice producing machine and depositing the rec eived ice into the ice container; vertically move the ice container loaded with the ice to reach the ice dis pensing channel; unload the ice from the ice container to the ice dispensing channel for de livering the ice to the user; and in vertically moving the ice container to reach the selected ice producing machine, adjust a vertical position of the ice container so as to adjust an inner depth of the ice container allowable for storing the ice, wherein the inner depth is determined such that a predicted load of ice c arried by the ice container under the determined inner depth is the select ed quantity of ice.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the ice transferring subsystem further comprises: a belt for vertically moving the ice container, the ice container being connected to the belt; and a motor for driving the belt.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the ice transferring subsystem further comprises: a first wheel and a second wheel positioned higher than the first wheel, the belt being engaged with the first and second wheels and being rotatab le synchronously with rotation of each of the first and second wheels, the first wheel being coupled to the motor such that the motor is arranged to indire ctly drive the belt.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein: each of the first and second wheels is a gear; and the belt is a geared belt.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the ice container is a bowl.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the ice container is rectangular in shape.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the ice transferring subsystem further comprises: one or more light detecting modules each for detecting whether a bulk of a ccumulated ice in the ice container has a height reaching the determined i nner depth, an individual light detecting module comprising a light source and a phot odetector.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the light source is a light emitting diode (LED) or a laser diode.
9. The system of claim 1 further comprising: one or more ice transferring slides configured such that ice generated by the selected ice producing machine slides along a respective ice transferr ing slide to drop into the ice container.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more ice transferring slides include a multi-input sin gle-output slide for collecting ice individually from plural ice producing machines and dropping the collected ice into the ice container.
11. The system of claim 9, wherein the respective transferring slide comprises: an outlet for outputting the ice received from the selected ice producing machine to the ice container; and a plurality of bendable fingers located at the outlet for decelerating the ice before dropping into the ice container.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of bendable fingers is made of rubber or silicone r ubber.
13. The system of claim 2, wherein the ice transferring subsystem further comprises: an extended arm rigidly attached to the belt and pivotally connected to th e ice container such that the ice container is indirectly, rotatably attached to the belt.
14. The system of claim 2, wherein the ice transferring subsystem further comprises: a platform on which the ice container is fixed; and an extended arm rigidly attached to the belt and pivotally connected to th e platform such that the ice container is indirectly, rotatably attached to the belt.
15. The system of claim 2, wherein: the ice transferring subsystem further comprises a hinge, an extended arm and a knob; the ice container is divided into an upper part and a lower part, the upper part being attached to the belt through the hinge such that the upper part is rotatable about the hinge, the lower part being rigidly attached to the belt such that the lower par t is not rotatable, the upper part being hollow for storing ice, the upper part having an opening on a bottom side of the upper part to th ereby allow the ice to be unloaded through the opening, the lower part being used for blocking the opening when the upper and low er parts are aligned; the knob is located around an inlet of the ice dispending channel; and the knob, the extended arm and the ice container are arranged such that when the ex tended arm and the ice container are upwardly moved by the belt and when t he extended arm is blocked by the knob, the upper part is rotated about the hinge to reveal the opening, causing the ice loaded in the upper part to be unloaded into the inlet of the ice dispensing channel through the opening.
16. The system of claim 1, wherein the ice transferring subsystem further comprises: a strip mounted on the ice container; and a switch configured to be triggered by the strip, the switch being installed at a location defining a reference start-up le vel for the ice container, whereby the ice container is determined to be located at the reference start-up level when the strip triggers the switch.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein the switch is a mechanical switch.
18. The system of claim 16, wherein the switch is a photoelectric switch.
19. The system of claim 18, wherein the strip is made of plastic.
20. The system of claim 1, wherein the ice transferring subsystem further comprises one or more ultr aviolet (UV) light sources arranged to irradiate the ice container for discouraging pa thogen incubation inside the ice container.
21. The system of claim 1 further comprising: a control and power module for controlling the system and supplying electr ical power thereto.
22. The system of claim 1 further comprising: one or more computing processors for controlling the one or more ice produ cing machines and the ice transferring subsystem.
23. The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more computing processors are housed in a control and power module used for controlling the system and supplying electrical powe r thereto.
24. The system of claim 1 further comprising: a shaved ice machine for shaving ice into crushed form, the shaved ice machine having an ice-receiving slide for receiving ice, and an ice-discharging slide for outputting ice in crushed form; wherein the ice transferring subsystem is further configured to: after the ice received from the selected ice producing machine is deposite d into the ice container, vertically move the ice container to reach the ice-receiving slide and un load the ice from the ice container to the shaved ice machine via the ice- receiving slide; and vertically move the ice container from the ice-receiving slide to reach th e ice-discharging slide for allowing the ice in crushed form to be deposit ed from the shaved ice machine into the ice container before the ice conta iner is vertically moved to reach the ice dispensing channel.
25. The system of claim 1, wherein the ice transferring subsystem is formed with a plurality of indi vidual ice dispensing channels for delivering the ice to different locatio ns, the ice dispensing channel being user-selectable and being selected from the plurality of individual ice dispensing channels.
26. The system of any of the preceding claims, wherein: the ice transferring subsystem is further configured to: in vertically moving the ice container loaded with the ice to reach the ic e dispensing channel, elevate the loaded ice container from the selected ice producing machine to the ice dispensing channel when the selected ice producing machine is p ositioned lower than the ice dispensing channel, thereby allowing the user to conveniently procure the ice from the ice di spensing channel without a need to install the selected ice producing mach ine at a higher position than the ice dispensing channel in utilizing grav ity for ice delivery; and at least one of the one or more ice producing machines is lower than the i ce dispensing channel in position.
27. An ice dispensing system for delivering a selected quantity of ice to a us er, the system comprising: one or more ice producing machines; and an ice transferring subsystem comprising an ice container and an ice dispe nsing channel, the ice transferring subsystem being configured to: vertically move the ice container to reach a selected ice producing machin e selected from the one or more ice producing machines for subsequently re ceiving ice from the selected ice producing machine and depositing the rec eived ice into the ice container; vertically move the ice container loaded with the ice to reach the ice dis pensing channel; unload the ice from the ice container to the ice dispensing channel for de livering the ice to the user; and in vertically moving the ice container loaded with the ice to reach the ic e dispensing channel, elevate the loaded ice container from the selected ice producing machine to the ice dispensing channel when the selected ice producing machine is p ositioned lower than the ice dispensing channel, thereby allowing the user to conveniently procure the ice from the ice di spensing channel without a need to install the selected ice producing mach ine at a higher position than the ice dispensing channel in utilizing grav ity for ice delivery; wherein at least one of the one or more ice producing machines is lower th an the ice dispensing channel in position.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US202063032748P | 2020-06-01 | 2020-06-01 | |
| PCT/CN2020/112981 WO2021243864A1 (en) | 2020-06-01 | 2020-09-02 | Ice dispensing system |
Publications (3)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB202201311D0 GB202201311D0 (en) | 2022-03-16 |
| GB2600851A true GB2600851A (en) | 2022-05-11 |
| GB2600851B GB2600851B (en) | 2024-04-24 |
Family
ID=78831663
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB2201311.4A Active GB2600851B (en) | 2020-06-01 | 2020-09-02 | Ice dispensing system |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2600851B (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2021243864A1 (en) |
Citations (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KR100765196B1 (en) * | 2006-07-20 | 2007-10-09 | 삼성전자주식회사 | A refrigerator |
| CN101059296A (en) * | 2007-05-29 | 2007-10-24 | 南通四方冷热机械设备有限公司 | Shelf-lifting belt type ice conveyer |
| US20090145158A1 (en) * | 2004-10-26 | 2009-06-11 | Whirlpool Corporation | Ice making and dispensing system |
| CN101514858A (en) * | 2007-10-19 | 2009-08-26 | 弗里蒙特公司 | Machine for the production and distribution of ice particles |
| CN102395845A (en) * | 2009-04-23 | 2012-03-28 | Lg电子株式会社 | Refrigerator |
| CN102997536A (en) * | 2011-09-09 | 2013-03-27 | Lg电子株式会社 | Refrigerator |
| US20190219319A1 (en) * | 2018-01-16 | 2019-07-18 | Manitowoc Foodservice Companies, Llc | Dispensing ice bin with sliding sleeve metering device |
Family Cites Families (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2006083047A1 (en) * | 2005-02-01 | 2006-08-10 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator with icemaker |
-
2020
- 2020-09-02 WO PCT/CN2020/112981 patent/WO2021243864A1/en active Application Filing
- 2020-09-02 GB GB2201311.4A patent/GB2600851B/en active Active
Patent Citations (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US20090145158A1 (en) * | 2004-10-26 | 2009-06-11 | Whirlpool Corporation | Ice making and dispensing system |
| KR100765196B1 (en) * | 2006-07-20 | 2007-10-09 | 삼성전자주식회사 | A refrigerator |
| CN101059296A (en) * | 2007-05-29 | 2007-10-24 | 南通四方冷热机械设备有限公司 | Shelf-lifting belt type ice conveyer |
| CN101514858A (en) * | 2007-10-19 | 2009-08-26 | 弗里蒙特公司 | Machine for the production and distribution of ice particles |
| CN102395845A (en) * | 2009-04-23 | 2012-03-28 | Lg电子株式会社 | Refrigerator |
| CN102997536A (en) * | 2011-09-09 | 2013-03-27 | Lg电子株式会社 | Refrigerator |
| US20190219319A1 (en) * | 2018-01-16 | 2019-07-18 | Manitowoc Foodservice Companies, Llc | Dispensing ice bin with sliding sleeve metering device |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB202201311D0 (en) | 2022-03-16 |
| WO2021243864A1 (en) | 2021-12-09 |
| GB2600851B (en) | 2024-04-24 |
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