U.S. patent application number 13/078501 was filed with the patent office on 2012-10-04 for ice bagging apparatus and methods.
This patent application is currently assigned to Ice House America, LLC. Invention is credited to Kevin Thomas Coppack, Daniel LaDon Dunn, Danny Leroy Dunn, John Willis Edwards, JR., Jerry Paul James, Thomas Benjamin James, Ernest Chip Venet, III, Steven Alan Weeks.
Application Number | 20120247066 13/078501 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46925415 |
Filed Date | 2012-10-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120247066 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dunn; Daniel LaDon ; et
al. |
October 4, 2012 |
ICE BAGGING APPARATUS AND METHODS
Abstract
An ice vending apparatus adapted to remove moisture from ice
pieces during dispensing, which apparatus includes a ramp having a
lower lip and being adapted to transfer a quantity of ice pieces
from a holding vessel to a container; and a channel having an
upwardly facing opening that is in operative association with the
ramp and arranged so that moisture is adapted to flow around the
lower lip of the ramp into the channel while excluding the ice
pieces so as to separate at least a portion of the moisture from
the ice pieces as the ice pieces are transferred to the container.
Methods of providing ice pieces, particularly with reduction of
associated moisture to a consumer, are also described.
Inventors: |
Dunn; Daniel LaDon;
(Moultrie, GA) ; Dunn; Danny Leroy; (Moultrie,
GA) ; James; Thomas Benjamin; (Moultrie, GA) ;
James; Jerry Paul; (Moultrie, GA) ; Edwards, JR.;
John Willis; (Moultrie, GA) ; Venet, III; Ernest
Chip; (Moultrie, GA) ; Weeks; Steven Alan;
(Norman Park, GA) ; Coppack; Kevin Thomas;
(Hartsfield, GA) |
Assignee: |
Ice House America, LLC
Jacksonville
FL
|
Family ID: |
46925415 |
Appl. No.: |
13/078501 |
Filed: |
April 1, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
53/428 ; 53/111R;
53/266.1; 53/284.7; 53/505; 53/507 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25C 5/20 20180101 |
Class at
Publication: |
53/428 ;
53/111.R; 53/505; 53/507; 53/266.1; 53/284.7 |
International
Class: |
B65B 1/04 20060101
B65B001/04; B65B 43/26 20060101 B65B043/26; B65B 43/42 20060101
B65B043/42; B65B 57/00 20060101 B65B057/00; B65B 57/18 20060101
B65B057/18 |
Claims
1. An ice vending apparatus adapted to remove moisture from ice
pieces during dispensing, which comprises: a ramp having a lower
lip and being adapted to transfer a quantity of ice pieces from a
holding vessel to a container; and a channel having an upwardly
facing opening that is in operative association with the ramp and
is arranged so that moisture is adapted to flow around the lower
lip of the ramp into the channel while excluding the ice pieces so
as to separate at least a portion of the moisture from the ice
pieces as the ice pieces are transferred to the container.
2. The ice vending apparatus of claim 1, which further comprises a
rotatable door in operative association with the ramp, the door
being adapted to rotate between a closed position where the ice
pieces are restricted from transfer to the container and an open
position that allows the transfer of the ice pieces to the
container.
3. The ice vending apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ramp is
rotatable between a storage position and a dispensing position to
transfer the ice pieces to the container.
4. The ice vending apparatus of claim 1, wherein the channel is at
least partially covered.
5. The ice vending apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ramp is
inclined at about 60 degrees to 85 degrees with respect to the
horizontal.
6. The ice vending apparatus of claim 1, wherein the container
comprises a flexible plastic material.
7. The ice vending apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ramp further
comprises one or more chevron-shaped grooves adapted to further
separate moisture from the ice pieces when the ice pieces are
dispensed over the ramp.
8. The ice vending apparatus of claim 1, which further comprises a
bagging apparatus to collect a pre-selected quantity of ice pieces
in a container to deliver to a consumer.
9. The ice vending apparatus of claim 8, wherein the bagging
apparatus comprises an interlock system constructed and arranged to
receive the container, the interlock system comprising a pair of
vertically-oriented inner and outer doors arranged in association
with a pair of side walls to define a chamber therebetween, wherein
the interlock system is adapted to close the inner door to inhibit
or prevent access to additional containers while the outer door is
adapted to be opened by a consumer.
10. The ice vending apparatus of claim 9, wherein the doors are
spaced from about 6 inches to about 24 inches apart and arranged to
support opposing portions of the container adapted to receive the
ice pieces.
11. The ice vending apparatus of claim 9, wherein the interlock
system further comprises at least one container-holding extension
located adjacent to one of the doors and adapted to support a
portion of the container during filling.
12. The ice vending apparatus of claim 8, wherein the bagging
apparatus comprises a bag detection sensor to detect the presence
or absence of a container positioned to catch the ice pieces
therein.
13. The ice vending apparatus of claim 8, wherein the bagging
apparatus comprises an ice detection sensor to signal when ice
pieces reach a predetermined height in a container.
14. An ice vending apparatus adapted to fill a portion of a
container with ice pieces upon demand by a consumer, which
comprises: a plurality of containers stored inside a housing
associated with an ice dispensing portion adapted to containerize
ice pieces in successive containers upon demand by one or more
consumers; and an interlock system constructed and arranged to
receive each container one at a time, the interlock system
comprising a pair of inner and outer doors arranged in association
with a pair of side walls to define a chamber therebetween, wherein
the interlock system is adapted to close the inner door to inhibit
or prevent access to additional containers while the outer door is
adapted to be opened by a consumer to retrieve a container that has
received ice pieces.
15. The ice vending apparatus of claim 14, wherein the interlock
system further comprises at least one container-holding extension
located adjacent to one of the doors and adapted to support a
portion of the container during filling thereof with the ice
pieces.
16. The ice vending apparatus of claim 14, wherein the doors are
spaced from about 6 inches to about 24 inches apart and arranged to
support opposing portions of the container that has been prepared
to receive the ice pieces.
17. The ice vending apparatus of claim 14, which further comprises
a container-opening device adapted to open an end of a container
disposed in the chamber so as to facilitate receipt of the ice
pieces.
18. The ice vending apparatus of claim 17, wherein the
container-opening device comprises a blower to blow a gas into the
end at the top of the container so as to separate a top of each
opposing portions of the container and thereby partially open the
container so it is adapted to be at least partially filled with ice
pieces.
19. The ice vending apparatus of claim 18, which further comprises
one or more fasteners disposed inside the chamber so that a
consumer can close a partly filled container therewith.
20. A method for providing ice pieces to a consumer, which
comprises: rotating a ramp zone between a storage position and a
transferring position so as to direct a plurality of ice pieces
from a holding zone over the ramp zone to a container in the
transferring position; and removing a portion of moisture from the
dispensed ice pieces as they move through and past the ramp zone to
the container, wherein the removed moisture is directed away from
the container.
21. The method of claim 20, further comprising detecting the
presence of a container in position to receive the plurality of ice
pieces before the rotating of the ramp zone from the storage
position to the transferring position.
22. The method of claim 20, wherein the ramp zone is arranged to
direct the flow of moisture exiting the ramp zone away from the ice
pieces and the container.
23. The method of claim 20, wherein the container comprises a
flexible plastic material.
24. The method of claim 23, which further comprises partially
opening the container at a top end before ice pieces are disposed
through the ramp zone into the container.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein the partial opening comprises
blowing a gas in a pre-determined direction at the top end of the
container to facilitate partially opening the container.
26. The method of claim 23, which further comprises supporting the
container on at least one front, back, or side surface.
27. The method of claim 20, which further comprises providing an
interlock system that inhibits or prevents a consumer from
tampering with a supply of the containers.
28. The method of claim 27, which further comprises directing ice
pieces into the container in a filling zone and operating the
interlock system to close at least one barrier between the filled
container and additional containers to be filled.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The invention disclosed herein encompasses ice vending
apparatuses adapted to remove moisture from ice pieces during
dispensing. Also encompassed are ice vending apparatus that fill a
portion of a container with ice pieces upon demand by a consumer
including a plurality of containers stored inside a housing to
containerize ice pieces in successive containers upon demand and an
interlock system constructed and arranged to receive each container
one at a time. Methods of providing ice pieces to a consumer by
rotating a ramp zone between a storage position and a transferring
position and removing a portion of moisture from the dispensed ice
pieces as they move through and past the ramp zone to the container
are also included.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Ice is used in many situations in everyday life, from
cooling beverages and preserving food to treating injuries. Ice
that is accessible, fresh, and easily transported has thus become a
commodity and may become more of one due to global warming.
[0003] Basic ice bagging machines and ice vending machines of
various kinds have been commercialized. These machines, however,
typically fail to keep ice sufficiently dry as it is delivered to
consumers, such as before it is bagged, to inhibit ice from
clumping together. Often, an individual purchasing a bag of ice
cubes finds that the ice cubes from such ice vending machines have
undesirably frozen together, so that instead of finding individual
ice cubes within the bag the individual finds one or more large
masses or chunks of ice that prevent pouring the cubes or even
prevent ready use of the cubes because the ice chunks are too large
to fit in a drinking container. This is a major shortcoming of
bagging ice cubes and then storing the bagged ice cubes.
[0004] Various attempts have been made in the past to provide ice
cube bagging and vending machines that bag ice cubes on demand
rather than in advance. In this way, ice cubes are promptly bagged
and/or delivered rather than being stored in a bag long enough to
cause the formation of masses of ice in the bag or other container.
On the other hand, many ice cube bagging and vending machines are
not sanitary, dispense inaccurately metered amounts of ice cubes,
and/or do not provide efficient and fault-free operation. Moreover,
many machines fail to incorporate drainage mechanisms to assist in
the channeling away of melting ice, which results in unwanted
bridging/fusing of ice pieces. Furthermore, because such machinery
may bag ice based on weight of the collected ice, fused clumps of
ice are often deposited into the bags that cause excess ice
delivery after when the required weight of ice, clumped or not, has
been met. As a result, bags of ice from these machines generally
contain fused clumps of ice particles/cubes/pieces, which
inconvenience the purchaser/customer by requiring him/her to break
apart the chunks of ice into smaller useable pieces if possible,
and which may result in delivery of more ice than ordered because
smaller discrete amounts cannot be delivered due to such
bridging/fusing.
[0005] Although some establishments may be equipped with ice-making
machinery, most are typically not equipped with efficient and
automated ice-bagging machinery. Notably, the devices typically
cannot operate autonomously for long periods of time without human
intervention. Additionally, these devices are typically unreliable
in their attempts to automate the ice bagging process due to the
numerous cooperating components. Such a method is often awkward, as
bags and other soft containers can easily collapses before a
sufficient amount of ice can be put therein, or successive bags are
stuck together. The top of the bag must therefore be opened
reliably with a device during every filling stroke, or a second
operator may be required to hold the bag open.
[0006] Therefore, it is readily apparent that there is a need for
an ice-bagging apparatus that provides an establishment with the
ability to automatically and continuously produce and bag discrete
ice pieces without the need of manual labor and/or continuous human
monitoring or checking of the ice vending machinery.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0007] The present invention encompasses an ice vending apparatus
adapted to remove moisture from ice pieces during dispensing. The
apparatus includes a ramp having a lower lip that is adapted to
transfer a quantity of ice pieces from a holding vessel to a
container and a channel having an upwardly facing opening that is
in operative association with the ramp and arranged so that
moisture is adapted to flow around the lower lip of the ramp into
the channel while excluding the ice pieces so as to separate at
least a portion of the moisture from the ice pieces as the ice
pieces are transferred to the container. In one embodiment, the
channel is at least partially covered. In another embodiment, the
ramp is rotatable between a storage position and a dispensing
position to transfer the ice pieces to the container.
[0008] Preferably, the apparatus further includes a rotatable door
in operative association with the ramp. The door is adapted to
rotate between a closed position where the ice pieces are
restricted from being transferred to the container and an open
position that allows the transfer of the ice pieces to the
container.
[0009] In one embodiment, the ramp is inclined at about 60 degrees
to 85 degrees with respect to the horizontal. In another
embodiment, the container comprises a flexible plastic material.
Typically, the ramp further includes one or more chevron-shaped
grooves adapted to further separate moisture from the ice pieces
when the ice pieces are dispensed over the ramp.
[0010] In an exemplary embodiment, the ice vending apparatus
further includes a bagging apparatus to collect a pre-selected
quantity of ice pieces in a container to deliver to a consumer. The
bagging apparatus preferably includes an interlock system
constructed and arranged to receive the container. The interlock
system generally includes a pair of vertically-oriented inner and
outer doors arranged in association with a pair of side walls to
define a chamber therebetween, wherein the interlock system is
adapted to close the inner door to inhibit or prevent access to
additional containers while the outer door is adapted to be opened
by a consumer. The doors are preferably spaced from about 10 inches
to about 24 inches apart and arranged to support opposing portions
of the container that has been prepared to receive the ice pieces.
In one embodiment, the interlock system further includes at least
one container-holding extension located adjacent to one of the
doors and adapted to support a portion of the container during
filling.
[0011] In another embodiment, the bagging apparatus includes a bag
detection sensor to detect the presence or absence of a container,
which is preferably sufficiently opened. In yet another embodiment,
the bagging apparatus includes an ice detection sensor to detect
and signal when sufficient ice is present, e.g., when ice pieces
reach a predetermined height in a container.
[0012] The present invention also encompasses an ice vending
apparatus adapted to fill a portion of a container with ice pieces
upon demand by a consumer. The apparatus includes a plurality of
containers stored inside a housing for dispensing containerized ice
pieces in succession upon demand by one or more consumers and an
interlock system. The interlock system is constructed and arranged
to receive one of the containers, and includes a pair of
vertically-oriented inner and outer doors arranged in association
with a pair of side walls to define a chamber therebetween. The
interlock system is adapted to close the inner door to inhibit or
prevent access to additional containers while the outer door is
adapted to be opened by a consumer to retrieve a filled
container.
[0013] In one embodiment, the interlock system further comprises at
least one container-holding extension located adjacent to one of
the doors and adapted to support a portion of the container during
filling. In another embodiment, the doors are spaced from about 6
inches to about 24 inches apart and arranged to support opposing
portions of the container that has been prepared to receive the ice
pieces.
[0014] Preferably, the ice vending apparatus further includes a
container-opening device adapted to open an end of a container
disposed in the chamber so as to receive ice pieces. In an
exemplary embodiment, the container-opening device comprises a
blower to blow gas into the end at the top of the container so as
to separate the tops of opposing portions of the container and
thereby partially open the container so it is adapted to be filled
with ice pieces. The apparatus can also include a plurality of
fasteners disposed inside the chamber so that a consumer can close
a filled container.
[0015] The present invention further relates to a method for
providing ice pieces to a consumer. The method includes rotating a
ramp zone from a storage position to a transferring position so as
to direct a plurality of ice pieces from a holding zone over the
ramp zone to a container and removing moisture from the dispensed
ice pieces as they move through the ramp zone to the container. The
removed moisture is directed away from the container.
[0016] Preferably, the method further includes detecting the
presence of a container before rotation of the ramp zone from the
storage position to the transferring position. In one embodiment,
the ramp zone is arranged to direct the flow of moisture exiting
the ramp zone away from the ice pieces and the container. In
another embodiment, the container comprises a flexible plastic
material.
[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the method further includes
partially opening the container at a top end before ice pieces are
disposed through the ramp zone into the container. The partial
opening preferably includes blowing a gas in a pre-determined
direction at the top end of the container.
[0018] The method typically further includes supporting the
container on at least one front, back, or side surface. Generally,
the method further includes providing an interlock system that
inhibits or prevents a consumer from taking more than one bag at a
time. In an exemplary embodiment, the method further includes
filling the container in a filling zone and operating the interlock
system to close at least one barrier between the filled container
and additional containers to be filled.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[0019] The present disclosure is best understood from the following
detailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It is
emphasized that various features are not drawn to scale. In fact,
the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased
or reduced for clarity of discussion. It is to be expressly
understood that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of
illustration and description only and is not intended as a
definition of the limits of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 1 is a partial cutaway view of a preferred embodiment
of an ice vending apparatus according to the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a
ramp apparatus according to the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 3 is a preferred embodiment of a ramp design with
chevron grooves according to the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 4 is a top view of a preferred embodiment of an
interlock system according to the present invention; and
[0024] FIGS. 5A-5D illustrate different embodiments of the
container-holding extension according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0025] The present invention relates to ice vending machines that
inhibit or prevent bridging and sticking together of the ice pieces
by removing a portion of the moisture in the form of water or
melting ice from ice pieces before or as they are directed to a
container associated therewith. The ice vending machines of the
present invention advantageously operate autonomously to provide
bagged ice to consumers while minimizing or avoiding containers
sticking together, ice pieces sticking together, and preferably
both.
[0026] Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary ice vending machine 10 is
illustrated. An ice making machine 12 makes ice that is dropped
into a holding vessel 14 of desired size. In one embodiment, the
holding vessel is such that the entire apparatus fits into the size
of a standard vending machine, e.g., 50''W.times.41''D.times.8'1H.
In another embodiment, the holding vessel is sized to fit in a
smaller space for use in environments such as a floor of a hotel.
From the holding vessel 14, the ice is transported to a ramp 16,
and the rotatable door 52 reversibly rotates from a closed storage
position to an open dispensing position to transfer the ice to a
container 24. In the illustrated embodiment, an attachment 54 is
moved by an actuator (not shown) to rotate the door from the closed
to the open position. In another embodiment, the ramp 16 itself is
rotatable between a storage position and dispensing position. In
this embodiment, the ramp 16 can act as a door to the holding
vessel to inhibit or prevent ice pieces from passing through the
aperture, or a separate door 52 and ramp 16 may be used. When
separate door 52 and ramp are used, these may be operatively
associated so that both rotate into position concurrently or
simultaneously, or the ramp 16 may be fixed and the door 52 may
rotate as needed. The door 52 is preferably configured and
positioned to inhibit or prevent ice pieces from passing through an
aperture in the holding vessel so as to retain the ice pieces until
they are dispensed. As used herein, "ramp zone" refers to the ramp
16 in combination with the door 52 or alternatively, the rotatable
ramp on its own.
[0027] The ramp apparatus also includes a channel 18 that has an
upwardly facing opening 28 that is in operative association with
the ramp 16. The channel 18 includes a trough or bottom that is
preferably inclined to facilitate water drainage through drain 48.
FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the ramp apparatus in
connection with the channel. In this embodiment, the ramp 16
includes raised edges, but the ramp 16 may be U-shaped or concave
to minimize the need for such raised edges. The ramp 16
advantageously has a lower lip 30 sized and shaped so that moisture
is directed to flow around a portion of the lower lip 30 and into
the channel 18 when ice pieces 32 are transferred to the container
24. The arrows in FIG. 2 show the flow of moisture, while the path
of the ice is shown by the ice pieces 32. The lower lip 30 is
preferably curved or otherwise shaped in such a way that the
moisture curves around the lower lip and away from the path of the
ice pieces 32 moving towards the container 24. The lower lip 30
facilitates the removal of water from the path of the ice pieces
32, and redirects the flow of moisture away from the path of the
ice pieces 32 and preferably into the channel 18 so as to separate
the moisture from the ice pieces 32 and into the drain 48. This
separation typically occurs as the ice pieces are falling from the
ramp preferably into the container below. The lower lip 30 and
channel 18 are arranged so that at least a portion of the moisture
from the ice flows into the channel 18, but the ice pieces 32 are
excluded or at least substantially excluded. In one embodiment, the
channel 18 is at least partially covered, and the covered part may
be as small an area as that which passes underneath the lower lip
30 of the ramp 16. The lower lip 30 may be a straight run of the
ramp at a selected angle to help divert a portion of the moisture
passing thereover, but in a preferred embodiment the lower lip 30
can be curved or otherwise formed of a variety of angled flat
portions to cause an overall curved effect, or a combination
thereof.
[0028] The channel 18 includes an opening 28 that is sized and
positioned to allow moisture to enter, but substantially or
entirely excludes the ice pieces 32. The opening 28 may be about 1
inch to 0.1 inches, preferably 0.5 inches to 0.2 inches, and more
preferably, 0.3 inches to 0.25 inches at its widest point. The
opening 28 is preferably connected via the channel 18 to a drain 48
for eliminating excess moisture collected therein. In one
embodiment, the melt water is recycled to form a portion of the
feed water to the ice making machine 12 (not shown).
[0029] Another mechanism to minimize entry of the ice pieces into
the opening and channel 18 is to cover a portion of the channel 18
below the lower lip 30. The partial cover is intended to serve as a
deflector of ice pieces 32 so that they fall or are otherwise
directed into an associated container 24 while allowing the excess
moisture to be directed over the outer edge of the cover and into
the opening 28 for collection and disposal. The channel 18,ramp 16,
and door 52 can be formed from one or more of the various
well-known food-safe materials, including but not limited to metals
such as copper, aluminum alloy, stainless steel, or the like, as
well as from a plastic, or any combination of the foregoing.
[0030] The ramp 16 may in an optional but preferred embodiment
include a plurality of shapes or grooves, or both, in any pattern,
that facilitates removal of moisture or separation of moisture from
ice pieces as the ice pieces traverse the ramp 16. The shapes may
shake loose the moisture to flow down the ramp and be directed by
the lower lip away from the containers, while any grooves may
include one or more apertures through which such moisture can be
diverted downwards to the channel or a secondary channel without
flowing down the remainder of the ramp 16. In one such preferred
embodiment, the ramp 16 includes one or more chevron-shaped grooves
34 adapted to further separate moisture from the ice pieces when
the ramp is in the dispensing position by agitating or vibrating
the ice pieces as they pass thereover so as to help shake excess
moisture off the ice piece(s). FIG. 3 shows a preferred embodiment
of the ramp design that includes a plurality of such chevron
grooves and raised edges or lips to prevent keep the ice on the
ramp. By "chevron" is meant having generally an angled shape such
as the shape of an L, V, or U or an inverted L, V, or U or any
triangular shape directed upward or downward. For example, chevron
patterns include any pattern with a closed L, open L, closed V,
open V, C shaped, or Y type profiles. In the embodiment in FIG. 3,
the grooves are shown pointing in one direction, but it should be
understood that the grooves may point in the other direction, i.e.,
the grooves are U or V shaped instead of inverted U or V shaped as
shown.
[0031] The ramp 16 is preferably inclined at an angle that allows
the moisture to flow into the channel 18 and allows ice pieces 32
to fall down the ramp and into the container 24 with the help of
gravity, although the ramp 16 may be mechanically agitated through
an operatively associated shaking or vibrating device and the ice
pieces may be forcibly directed down the ramp to provide assistance
to the gravity if either or both are desired. The channel 18, on
the other hand, may be at any angle with respect to the horizontal,
as long as it is positioned to catch moisture that flows down the
ramp 16 and either through grooves 34 or over the lower lip 30.
Thus, the ramp 16 may preferably be inclined at about 35 to 89
degrees with respect to the horizontal, preferably about 50 degrees
to 87 degrees, and more preferably about 60 degrees to 85 degrees
with respect to the horizontal.
[0032] The ice pieces are dispensed into containers 24 that are
transportable by the consumer. Suitable containers include bags,
coolers, boxes, drums, trash cans, kegs, or the like, any of which
can be stored within the apparatus of the invention, filled with
the desired amount of ice pieces, sufficiently sealed to inhibit
escape of ice pieces until the container is desired to be opened
(if desired), and delivered to the consumer. In a preferred
embodiment, the delivery occurs first and the consumer may if
desired seal the container by closing a lid, knotting the top of a
bag, or applying a twist tie or other closure device to the
container. Preferably, the container 24 includes a flexible plastic
material such as a plastic bag. Plastic bags can be any shape or
size, and can include logos or other writing thereon.
[0033] The ice vending apparatus 10 preferably further includes a
bagging apparatus 22 to collect a pre-selected quantity of ice
pieces in a container to deliver to a consumer. In an exemplary
embodiment, a plurality of bags are supported by a pair of parallel
rods or prongs and stored in a housing associated with a filling
zone. The rods preferably extend through holes in one side of the
bag that is taller than the other side of the bag. Thus, the prongs
pass over the top of the other side of the container and only the
one side contains a pair of holes for the rods or prongs to hold
the container before it is further opened to receive ice pieces. In
this embodiment, the plastic bag is made up of two plastic sheets
affixed together, thereby forming a bag sufficient to hold about 1
to about 60 lbs. of ice. Each sheet is of approximately the same
width. One sheet is preferably a larger height than the other
sheet. The larger sheet, i.e., the taller sheet when the bag is
upright, includes two or more holes through which corresponding
rods or prongs may hold the bag while flat and optionally as the
filling process begins. The prongs may be angled in a downward
direction to facilitate the delivery of a bag to an area underneath
the rotatable ramp, and in a preferred embodiment may have an
upward slant at the tip to inhibit or prevent the container from
falling off the prongs until the consumer removes the container
after receipt of the desired ice pieces.
[0034] The bagging apparatus 10 in one optional but preferably
embodiment typically includes an interlock system 22 constructed
and arranged to receive the container 24. FIG. 4 provides a top and
side view of a preferred interlock system in more detail. The
interlock system 22 includes a pair of vertically-oriented inner 36
and outer 38 doors arranged in association with a pair of side
walls 42, 44 to define a chamber 40 therebetween. By "inner" is
meant the door adjacent to the container supply, and by "outer" is
meant the door more adjacent to the consumer. The interlock system
22 is adapted to close the inner door 36 to inhibit or prevent
access to additional containers while the outer door 38 is adapted
to be opened by a consumer. The outer door may be vertical or
inclined for ease of access and lifting of the heavy ice-laden
container from the filling zone. The interlock system 22 restricts
the opening of the inner door 36 when the outer door 38 is open,
and vice versa. This inhibits or prevents the consumer from
reaching in to grab extra containers, or otherwise undesirably
modifying the flow of the containers, and helps ensure that only
one bag receives ice at a time.
[0035] The doors 36, 38 can be opened in any suitable manner,
including by sliding horizontally or vertically or by the use of
hinges. The doors 36, 38 can be two doors that split in the middle
like an elevator. The doors 36, 38 are preferably made of glass or
clear plastic so that a consumer can see the container as it is
being filled and so it is clear when the container is ready to be
removed. In a preferred embodiment, the inner door 36 is slidable,
and the outer door 38 opens on hinges or otherwise pivots open.
More preferably, the interlock 22 system also locks the inner door
36 during filling of a container so that both doors can act as
supports for a flexible container as it is partly filled. It should
be understood that completely filling a container is often not
desirable, as it would then be impossible to close and ice pieces
at the top would be likely to spill out either into the floor of
the filling zone or the floor near the outer door, thereby causing
a safety hazard.
[0036] The doors 36, 38 may be spaced from about 3 inches to 36
inches apart, preferably about 6 inches to about 30 inches apart,
more preferably about 10 inches to about 24 inches apart, to fit
the corresponding containers. Of course, if a larger ice vending
apparatus is desired, larger containers and a larger distance
between doors in the filling zone would be used. The doors 36, 38
are preferably arranged to support opposing portions of the
container, particularly after it has been prepared to receive the
ice pieces, so that the container remains upright with the open end
directed upwards to receive ice pieces while being at least
partially filled.
[0037] The filling zone 46 preferably further includes at least one
container-holding extension 26 located adjacent to at least one of
the doors 36, 38. The extension 26 is adapted to support a portion
of the container 24 during filling. The container 24 is generally
supported on at least one front, back, or side surface, and
preferably on multiple sides. The container-holding extension 26
may take any form that can be used to support a portion of the
container 24. For example, as shown in FIGS. 5A-5D, the
container-holding extensions 26 can be triangular-shaped (FIG. 5A),
curved concavely with rounded points (FIG. 5B), made up of a
plurality of smaller extensions (FIG. 5C), or include an extension
or plurality of extensions associated with an extension of any
suitable shape (FIG. 5D). In the preferred embodiment in FIGS. 1
and 4, there are two extensions 26 convexly bowed outwards in the
middle towards the opposing side wall. There may, however, be only
one, or three or even four extensions 26 to help support the
container 24. It is possible for one or more of these extensions to
be disposed on the floor directed upwards like a stalagtite, as
well. These extensions 26 are preferably fixed, but can also be
retractable or extendable, and can be curved pieces like a camera
lens. The extensions 26 can be made of any suitable food-grade
material or combination of materials, but they are preferably
sufficiently rigid to support the container, even when 95% filled
with ice pieces. In one embodiment, the extensions 26 can form a
lensed aperture that can be adjusted. The extensions 26 leave a
sufficient gap for an unopened container to be passed therebetween
from the container storage zone to the filling zone, at which point
they can be opened. Alternatively, the containers can be partially
opened before being disposed in the container-filling zone 46 or
partially opened so as to cause the container to bulge open past or
through the extension(s) 26 and so as to extend into the filling
zone 46.
[0038] The ice vending apparatus 10 preferably includes a
container-opening device 20 adapted to open an end of a container
24 disposed in the chamber, or filling zone, so as to receive
preferably moisture-depleted ice pieces from the associated
dispensing ramp. The container-opening device 20 may be in the form
of one or more robotic fingers, or a curved piece of metal, rubber,
or other rigid material to grip a top part of the container 24 to
open it, but preferably it is a blower 20 to blow gas, e.g., air or
nitrogen, into the container 24 to at least partially open the
upward facing end of the container 24 by separating the tops of the
container 24 so as to prepare the container 24 for receipt of ice
pieces.
[0039] Preferably, in one embodiment, a blower 20 is used to open a
top end of a bag 24 prior to ice being deposited in the bag 24. The
blower 20 may be approximately U-shaped to channel a stream of air
from the device to the inside surface of the bag 24 adjacent the
top of the high side of the bag 24 held by the prongs or rods.
Programmable logic control or other actuation may be used in this
preferred embodiment to energize the blower 20 to direct an air
stream into a bag 24 to at least partially fill the bag 24 with air
sufficiently quickly to thereby cause the bag 24 to open at the
top.
[0040] In a preferred embodiment, when a bag 24 is sufficiently
opened and in place beneath the rotatable ramp 16, the bag 24 or
other container is detected by a bag detection sensor (not shown).
One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the bag
detection sensor may be any poly-detector, such as a Cutler Hammer
clear object detector or an equivalent thereof. When the bag 24 is
open, the shorter side of the bag 24 is preferably moved away from
the longer side by the gas blast from the blower 20. Ice pieces are
then delivered into the sufficiently or preferably fully open bag
24, and the blower 20 is de-energized typically promptly after
sufficient ice pieces have been received to ensure the bag remains
open on its own. In any event, the bag detection sensor preferably
detects the presence or absence of a bag 24, preferably that is
sufficiently opened, so as to control when the rotatable ramp is
then positioned in the dispensing position to dispense ice pieces
towards the bag filling area and the preferably open container. The
bag detection sensor may be a capacitance or reflective sensor, or
any other suitable mechanism or sensor and associated control logic
or software. When the bag detection sensor does not detect a bag
24, the inner door may be reopened and the blower 20 may be
automatically or manually activated again, or remain activated, to
attempt to open a bag 24 and hold the bag 24 open beneath rotatable
ramp 16.
[0041] During filling, ice pieces are disposed into the bag 24.
Preferably, an ice detection sensor (not shown) detects when ice
pieces reach a predetermined height in the bag 24, or
alternatively, that a sufficient weight or volume of ice pieces are
present in the bag. The sensor then signals that the delivery of
ice pieces should stop, such as by signaling a motor to cease
delivery of ice pieces to a bag 24, preferably by at least rotating
the ramp into a storage position whereby ice pieces are no longer
delivered to a bag 24. The ice vending apparatus 10 is preferably
filled based on calculated volume of ice in the bag 24, rather than
a measured weight. This can be achieved based on a known or
calculated volume or cross-sectional area of each container 24
being used, coupled with the height of the ice detection sensor.
Alternatively, weight measurement could be used by installing a
measuring device or any other convention weighing device available
in the art, e.g., in the floor of the filling zone such as a
pressure plate, or multiple forms of measurement could be used as a
check-and-balance to ensure a fair transaction where the customer
receives sufficient ice for the payment made yet not so much ice
that it becomes unfair to the ice vending apparatus owner. The
containers are preferably sufficiently light that their weight need
not be accounted for, although it can be subtracted or the ice
detection sensor calibrated to account for the standard containers
being used
[0042] Both the bag 24 and ice detection sensor may be
electro-optically sensor based. These operate by automatically
detecting fill height by both transmitted and reflected light
means. In a preferred embodiment, each bag 24 may have a special
marking, such as dot or bar code, or a line, which is positioned on
the bag 24 in a location to signal that the desired height of ice
has been reached to the ice detection sensor. When this desired
height, and therefore calculated amount, of ice has been reached,
the ice vending device can be shut off by rotating the ramp back
into the storage position to cease the depositing of ice in the
container. At that point, the interlock system 22 can lock the
inner door if it has not already done so to support the container
being filled, and can unlock the outer door for consumer pickup of
the container.
[0043] To assist a consumer in closing a filled container, the
apparatus 10 typically further includes a plurality of fasteners
disposed inside the chamber 40. After the bag 24 is filled, the
outer door 38 automatically opens or is opened by the consumer, the
consumer reaches inside, retrieves a fastener if desired, and
closes the sufficiently filled bag 24. Suitable fasteners include,
for example, rubber band, twist ties, staples, making a knot in the
top end of the flexible bag container, etc.
[0044] A preferred method of providing ice pieces to a consumer
will now be described with respect to FIG. 1. A consumer inserts
the required amount of money in the ice vending apparatus 10 and,
optionally, selects an appropriate sized bag 24 if multiple sizes
are provided. Typically, only a single sized bag will be provided
in the ice vending apparatus of the invention, but multiple sizes
could be used and a carousel or other mechanism to insert the
proper size container into the filling zone could be used if
desired. The outer door adjacent the customer is preferably locked
in a closed position before the vending apparatus will properly
operate, and the inner door is unlocked and may be opened. Ice is
transferred from the holding vessel 14 to the ramp 16. The inner
door opens, and a bag 24 is deposited in the chamber defined by the
interlock system 22. The bag detection sensor detects the presence
of the bag 24, and the blower 20 blows the bag open. The inner door
closes to cut off the extra bags and to support a portion of the
bag and optionally but preferably locks the inner door. The door 52
rotates from the closed position to the open position. Ice is
transferred across the ramp 16 to the container 24, while a portion
of the moisture is removed by the lower lip of the ramp 16, by
shapes and or grooves, or both, and by the operatively associated
channel 18, until the ice detection sensor detects the appropriate
height of ice in the bag 24. Once the bag 24 is filled with
sufficient ice pieces to comply with the ordered ice, the outer
door may be unlocked and opened, but the inner door remains shut
and locked. The consumer may then close the bag 24 with a fastener.
Once the consumer closes the outer door again, the inner door may
be unlocked and opened to prepare the apparatus for the next
order.
[0045] The term "about," as used herein, should generally be
understood to refer to both numbers in a range of numerals.
Moreover, all numerical ranges herein should be understood to
include each whole integer and each tenth of a number within the
range.
[0046] Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been
described in the foregoing description, it will be understood that
the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed
herein but is capable of numerous modifications by one of ordinary
skill in the art. It will be understood that the materials used and
the mechanical details may be slightly different or modified from
the descriptions herein without departing from the methods and
devices disclosed and taught by the present invention.
* * * * *