Bagged Ice Dispensing Apparatus

Abstract

An ice dispensing apparatus includes ice cube manufacturing means and conveying means for moving the ice cubes toward an ice delivery chute. A supply of empty bags are delivered along supporting tracks toward a position beneath the ice delivery chute. The tracks converge inwardly beneath the chute and the bottom member in the ice chute is downwardly swingable into a bag, and together, these form a means for opening an empty bag so ice cubes can drop through the chute and into the opened bag. When the bag has been filled with a predetermined quantity of ice cubes, the conveying means is de-activated and the chute bottom is swung upwardly to a closed position.

Description

This invention relates generally to ice dispensing machines and particularly it relates to dispensers which fill a bag with ice on demand.

Ice dispensing in the past has been characterized by having ice ready for distribution prior to the demand. For example, blocks of ice might be delivered by an iceman in the form desired by the customer. This form of ice delivery, however, has been outdated by the self-service approach wherein the customer purchases a bag of ice from a distributor who stores his previously bagged ice in large refrigerators. This arrangement is unsatisfactory, however, for persons who are located at any distance from the distributor.

A more generally accepted form of ice dispensing, in recent times, has been the coin-operated ice dispensing machine which is located at various remote locations and which requires no attendant. Such coin-operated ice machines have generally been of the type where the ice is prepackaged in bags and where the bags are stored in a refrigerated zone to be released in response to coin actuation. In those instances where prepackaging was eliminated, the empty bags were dispensed separately to the customer and the customer had to position the bag so that ice could discharge thereinto.

In contrast to the foregoing, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an ice dispensing apparatus which eliminates the need for prepackaging the ice and which eliminates the need for a customer to hold and position an empty bag for receiving the ice.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an ice dispensing apparatus which, through simple structural modifications, can provide bagged ice to the consumer in different quantities.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a bagged ice dispensing apparatus that automatically positions and opens plastic bags for receiving ice stored within the ice dispensing unit.

Other objects, advantages and salient features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

The foregoing objects of the present invention are generally achieved by providing in an ice dispensing machine, an ice making unit similar to that frequently found in domestic refrigerators. The ice produced by the ice making unit is stored within an ice storage area of the machine for subsequent bagging upon demand. When a consumer desires a bag of ice, a mechanism is activated for moving the bottom member of an ice chute from its closed to its opened position, the bottom member being operative to open a bag for the ice. Once the bag is fully open, an ice moving means is actuated and the ice from the ice storage area is moved into the ice chute. The ice falls through the chute into the open bag positioned therebelow. When the bag is filled, the bottom member of the chute is returned to its closed position and the ice moving means is turned off. The customer can then remove the filled bag of ice from the ice dispensing machine.

Referring now to the drawings, which form a part of the original disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ice dispenser in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along lines 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the lines 4--4 of FIGS. 2, and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the lines 5--5 of FIG. 3.

The bagged ice dispenser of the present invention is generally designated 8 and, as shown in FIG. 1, it has four vertically arranged junctional compartments. The uppermost compartment 10 either is or contains a conventional ice cube maker, which can be the type commonly found in domestic refrigerators, but which, in any event, is the type which manufactures discrete particles or pieces of ice. Located immediately below the uppermost compartment 10, to receive ice cubes therefrom, is an ice cube storage compartment 12 having a door 13 hinged to the front of the dispenser for swinging movement about a horizontal axis for providing access to the compartment 12.

The ice is bagged in and dispensed from a third compartment 16 located immediately below the ice cube storage compartment 12. Compartment 16 houses a conventional coin-controlled mechanism with a coin slot 18, a coin release button 20 and a coin return slot 22. While the dispenser is shown with a coin operating mechanism, a simple button can also be used to operate the dispenser when the owner desires to provide free ice for his customers. The compartment 16 also houses the ice bagging mechanism and includes an access door 24 vertically hinged to the front of the dispenser permitting access to the machine for removing filled bags of ice. A second access door 26 is hinged to the side of the dispenser compartment 16, as shown in FIG. 3, for permitting access to the ice dispensing apparatus and replenishment of the bag supply within the machine.

A lowermost or fourth compartment 28 is located immediately below compartment 16 and houses a drain and other mechanical elements for the bagged ice dispenser.

Referring to FIG. 2, an ice storage area, shown generally as 30, has a side wall 31, a front wall 32, a rear wall 33 and a downwardly sloping bottom 34. At the right end of the ice storage area 30 are two ice deflecting plates 35 which form a chute to direct the ice inwardly toward an ice moving means generally designated 36. The deflection plates 35 are attached at their outer ends to the front wall 32 and the rear wall 33, respectively, with the inner end of the deflector plates defining between them, an opening or feed area 38 through which ice passes to the ice moving means 36.

The ice moving means 36 includes a horizontally mounted screw conveyor 37 whose shaft 39 supports a pulley 40. For driving the screw conveyor 37, there is provided a driving motor 41 having a pulley 42 attached to the drive shaft thereof, such pulley being connected by a drive belt 43 to the screw conveyor pulley 40.

As shown in FIG. 4, the screw conveyor 37 is horizontally disposed within a chamber having a top wall 44, an outer wall 45 and a rounded bottom wall 46. The chamber bottom 46 terminates at the ice receiving chute 49 which has a rear wall 47 and a front wall 48. A housing 50 is disposed adjacent the ice chute 49, as shown in FIG. 4.

As the motor 41 operates to drive the screw conveyor 37 in a forward feeding direction, the ice cubes from the storage area 30 move gravitationally across the sloped bottom 34, through the opening or feed area 38, and into the screw conveyor chamber. The screw conveyor 37 feeds the ice cubes forwardly and they then drop into the open topped ice chute 49.

Referring now to FIG. 3 which shows the inside of the bagging and dispensing compartment 16, it has already been noted that such compartment has two access doors 24 and 26. The second access door 26 provides admittance to the bag storage area, shown generally at 60, having two spaced outer and inner support tracks, 61 and 62 respectively, which are positioned in a horizontal plane. A first section 61' of the support track 61 is located parallel to the rear wall 63 and extends from a point near the access door 26 to a point near the compartment side wall 64. Another section 65 of the support track is located along the inside of the compartment front wall 66 in the same plane as tracks section 61'. A curved track section 65' joins the ends of the track sections 61' and 65.

The inner support track 62 is U-shaped and comprises two parallel spaced support members 67 and 68 secured to the uppermost portion of a vertical support column 69 as shown in FIG. 5. The track 62 is U-shaped with a straight rear portion parallel to the outer track portion 61', a straight front portion parallel to the outer track portion 65, and a curved portion 70 generated about the same radius of curvatuve as the track portion 65'.

Positioned directly below the ice chute 49 is a wire mesh grid 72 which permits melted ice water to pass therethrough into a drain positioned therebelow in the compartment 28. Above the middle portion of the front and rear grid edges 73 and 74 are the terminating portions 75 and 76 of the tracks 62 and 65. The terminating portions 75 and 76 lie in the same plane as tracks 65 and 68 and converge inwardly towards each other.

Resting on the inner track 62 is a bag moving apparatus shown generally as 77 which comprises a continuous drive belt 78 trained over a series of belt contacting pulleys or rollers 79. Attached to and extending laterally from the belt 78 is a substantially rectangular bag contacting tab member 80 of a substantially rigid material and having a length sufficient to extend from the belt to a position slightly above and between track 61 and 62. A drive motor (not shown) is connected to one roller 79 to provide a continuous driving force to the belt 78 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 5, the bag moving and filling mechanism is shown in greater detail. In the preferred embodiment, the ice holding bags 100 are fabricated of plastic and each plastic bag 100 has a generally rigid reinforcing rib 101 extending along the entire open top edge thereof and generally rigid reinforcing plastic ribs 103 along the side edges thereof. Laterally extending from one end of the reinforcing rib 101 is a bag supporting tab member 104 which extends from the bag a sufficient distance to rest on the top of the track portion 65. Laterally extending from the other end of the reinforcing rib 101 is an L-shaped tab support member 105 with a horizontal portion attached to the reinforcing rib 101 and a vertical portion depending downwardly from the horizontal portion and extending between track 67 and track 68, providing a vertical support and a horizontal motion restraint for the bag. An upstanding bag handle 106 may be integrally formed with or attached to the reinforcing rib 101.

Referring to FIG. 4, the open topped ice chute 49 has a left side wall 107 which depends vertically downwardly from the ice storage area bottom 34. The lowermost portion of the wall 107 prevents further rightward movement of a bag by contacting the upwardly extending handle 106 thereof. A right side wall portion 108 projects downwardly a short distance from the vertical wall 45 but does not contact a movable ice chute bottom member 109 shown in its closed position by the solid lines in FIG. 4 and shown in its open position by the plantom lines. The ice chute has a rear vertical wall 47 which depends downwardly from the forward most edge of the rounded bottom portion 46 and is joined to the right side wall 108 and the left side wall 107. The forward chute wall 48 is located in a parallel spaced relation to the rear wall 47 and is also joined to the left wall 107 and the right wall 108 thereby forming generally square or rectangular open topped ice chute.

The movable chute bottom 109 in its closed position is disposed at approximately 45.degree. to the vertical walls 107 and 108 of the ice chute. Along the leftmost edge of the chute bottom 109 is a downwardly curved bag contacting lip 111 which projects between the reinforcing rib portions 101 on a bag positioned with its handle 106 flush against the left side wall 107.

The movable chute bottom 109 has an enlarged end portion 113 at the end thereof opposite the end with the lip 111. A pivot mounting rod 112 extends through the end 113 to enable the chute bottom to be swingably mounted. A conventional solenoid 114 is mounted in the casing adjacent to the ice chute. The solenoid plunger 116 is pivotally connected at 118 to the enlarged end portion 113 of the chute bottom. An electrical contact button 120 is mounted on the underside of the bottom 109 and is positioned to contact against and to energize a switch 122 which controls the screw conveyor drive motor 41.

To energize the machine, appropriate coinage is deposited in the coin slot 18. The coin-controlled mechanism energizes the solenoid 114 whose plunger 116 is normally retracted. When the solenoid is energized, the plunger 116 is extended which causes the chute bottom 109 to pivot in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 4, thus causing the lip 111 to pull against the bag rib 101 to open the bag 100.

The bag opening is assisted by the converging portions 75 and 76 of the tracks 65 and 68 respectively, shown in FIG. 3. The left side of the bag 100, as viewed in FIG. 4, will be held against the ice chute side wall 107 by pressure exerted by the bag moving apparatus 77 against the bag 100. The right side of the bag 100, as viewed in FIG. 4, will be moved rightwardly by the movement of the chute bottom 109. The vertical ribs 103 along the sides of a bag 100 being in contact with the converging track portions 75 and 76, will be squeezed inwardly to force the bag open. When the bag 100 is fully open, the button 120 contacts and actuates the switch 122 which, in turn, energizes the motor 41 to set the screw conveyor 37 into operation.

The screw conveyor serves to convey ice from the ice storage area 30 to the open topped ice chute 49. The ice drops gravitationally through the chute into the opened bag 100 therebelow. As the bag fills with ice, the weight of the ice bag resting upon the grid 72 increases thereby depressing the grid and a set of support springs 132 therebeneath, as shown in FIG. 5. When the bag is filled with a predetermined weight of ice, the grid 72 will be displaced downwardly a sufficient distance so that a contact button 133 carried beneath the grid 72 will contact against and energize a switch 134.

The switch 134 is electrically connected in such a manner that, when energized, it actuates the solenoid 114 to retract the plunger 116 thereof. Such retracting of the solenoid plunger pivots the chute bottom 109 in a clockwise direction in FIG. 4, thus releasing the switch 122 which de-energizes the screw conveyor motor 41. Also, the switch 134 releases a latch, not shown, for the access door 24 so that such door can be opened to remove the filled bag of ice.

The empty bags 100 are advanced toward the ice chute by means of the bag contacting tab 80, which, as shown in FIG. 3, pushes the empty bags forwardly. When the customer removes the filled bag of ice through the access door 24, the grid 72 raises by action of the springs 132, thus releasing the switch 134. At this time, all of the parts will have returned to their initial positions and the machine will be ready to receive another coin.

After reading the foregoing detailed description, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the objects set forth at the outset hereof have been successfully achieved by the present invention. However, since this detailed description has been directed particularly to a preferred embodiment of the invention, it should be noted that various changes apparent to those skilled in the art may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An ice dispensing apparatus comprising:

means for manufacturing discrete pieces of ice;

an ice delivery chute;

conveying means, positioned for receiving said discrete pieces of ice from said means for manufacturing and for moving such pieces of ice into said ice delivery chute;

a plurality of empty ice receiving bags;

means for moving said empty ice receiving bags toward said ice delivery chute;

said means for moving said empty ice receiving bags including spaced track means from which said empty bags are suspended and drive means to push said empty bags along said track means toward said ice delivery chute;

means for opening an empty bag as it is positioned adjacent to and beneath said ice delivery chute for receiving said discrete pieces of ice from said ice delivery chute;

said means for opening including a movable bottom member in said ice delivery chute,

said bottom member being swingable downwardly into a bag to assist in the opening thereof and to open the bottom of said chute,

said bottom member also being swingable upwardly to close said chute when said bag has been filled with a predetermined quantity of ice;

said means for opening an empty bag further including said track means having a portion thereof beneath said ice delivery chute, said portion being converged inwardly to provide inward squeezing pressure against the sides of an empty bag which is pushed therebetween;

said movable bottom member being controllably connected with said conveying means and being movable between a first or upward position whereat said bottom member closes said ice delivery chute and a second or downward position whereat said bottom member leaves said ice delivery chute open, said controllable connection including means connected with said conveying means;

means responsive to said means for opening an empty bag for causing said conveying means to discharge ice into said ice delivery chute after an empty bag has been opened beneath said chute; and

means for de-activating said conveying means to halt the delivery of ice after the initially empty bag has been filled with said predetermined quantity of ice;

said means for de-activating said conveying means including said control means, said control means being actuated when said bottom member is in said second position to return said bottom member from said second position to said first position.

2. An ice dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said movable bottom member includes a projecting lip portion which fits into the open top of an empty bag and which pulls against a side of such empty bag, as said bottom member moves, thereby opening such bag.

3. An ice-dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for deactivating said conveying means includes a weight-responsive support member beneath said ice delivery chute for supporting the bottom of a bag being filled with ice, said weight-responsive support member being depressed when a predetermined quantity of ice has filled said bag.