Automated freezer component

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6751977
  • Patent Number
    6,751,977
  • Date Filed
    Wednesday, April 17, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, June 22, 2004
    20 years ago
Abstract
A freezer component stores and removes frozen food in response to a signal. The freezer component includes a rotatable portion, a loading side and a feeding side. Two raiseable platforms are located in each of the loading side and the feeding side. Food is loaded into the freezer component by placing food onto the platforms positioned in the loading side. The rotatable portion then rotates 180° to position the food-loaded platforms in the feeding side. The empty platforms now located in the loading side are loaded with additional food. When a signal is received, food in the feeding side is removed from the freezer component by alternately raising the two platforms holding the food. When the feeding side is empty and contains no more food, the rotatable portion rotates 180° in the reverse direction. The food loaded platforms are now located in the feeding side. The empty platforms are located in the loading side and ready for loading of additional food.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates generally to a freezer component which stores frozen food and automatically removes the frozen food from the freezer component in response to a signal




Freezers are used to keep objects, such as food, frozen. Freezers are commonly used in residences, grocery stores, and restaurants to keep food frozen. In the restaurant or food service industry, food is often stored in a freezer prior to preparation and serving. The food is usually manually placed into the freezer by an employee for storage. When the food is to be prepared and served, the food is manually removed by an employee and prepare for serving.




A drawback to the prior art freezers is that additional labor is needed to remove the food from the freezer prior to preparation for serving as the food is manually removed by an employee. It would be beneficial to use a freezer that automatically transfers frozen food from a freezer component to a preparation area in response to an operator request.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The freezer component of the present invention automatically removes frozen food from the freezer component in response to a signal. The freezer component includes a rotatable portion, a loading side and a feeding side. The rotatable portion is rotatable by a carousel. Two raiseable platforms are located in each of the loading side and the feeding side. Food is loaded into the freezer component by placing the food onto the platforms positioned in the loading side. The carousel then rotates the rotatable portion 180° to position the food-loaded platforms in the feeding side. Rods around the platforms prevent the food from falling from the platforms during rotation. The empty platforms now located in the loading side are loaded with additional food.




When a signal is received, food in the feeding side is automatically removed from the freezer component by alternately raising the two platforms holding the food. When a sensor detects that the feeding side is empty and contains no more food, the rotatable portion rotates 180° in the reverse direction, positioning the recently food-loaded platforms in the feeding side and the empty platforms in the loading side. Stops in the freezer component prevent over-rotation of the carousel.











These and other features of the present invention will be best understood from the following specification and drawings.




BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The various features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the currently preferred embodiment. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows:





FIG. 1

schematically illustrates a side view of the freezer component of the present invention;





FIG. 2

schematically illustrates a cross sectional view of the freezer component of the automated grill of

FIG. 1

taken along line


2





2


;





FIG. 3

schematically illustrates a top view of the carousel of the freezer component;





FIG. 4

schematically illustrates a cross sectional view of the freezer component of the automated grill of

FIG. 1

taken along line


4





4


; and





FIG. 5

schematically illustrates a perspective view of the exterior of the freezer component of the automated grill.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT





FIG. 1

illustrates the freezer component


22


of the present invention. Frozen food items


52


, such as frozen hamburger patties, are loaded in the freezer component


22


. The freezer component


22


includes a rotatable portion


28


mounted on a carousel


30


. The freezer component


22


further includes a loading side


32


and a feeding side


34


. An upper sensor


42


and a lower sensor


44


are located proximate to the upper end and the lower end, respectively, of the rotatable portion


28


.




In one example, the freezer component


22


uses forced air convection. In another example, the freezer component comprises


22


a cold wall freezer. Preferably, the temperature in the freezer component


22


is between −18° C. and −21° C.




As shown in

FIG. 2

, the example rotatable portion


28


includes four surfaces


36




a


,


36




b


,


36




c


and


36




d


. When the rotatable portion


28


is positioned as in

FIG. 1

, the surfaces


36




a


and


36




b


are located in the feeding side


34


, and the surfaces


36




c


and


36




d


are located in the loading side


32


. A platform


38




a


,


38




b


,


38




c


and


38




d


is received against each of the respective surfaces


36




a


,


36




b


,


36




c


and


36




d


and is moveable in the Y direction (i.e., up or down according to

FIG. 1

) by a drive


40




a


,


40




b


,


40




c


, and


40




d


, respectively, shown in phantom, which is powered by a respective motor


45




a


,


45




b


,


45




c


and


45




d


(shown in FIG.


1


). Preferably, the platforms


38




a


,


38




b


,


38




c


and


38




d


are circular.




When the platforms


38




c


and


38




d


in the loading side


32


(as in

FIG. 1

) are in a loading position, the platforms


38




c


and


38




d


are loaded with the food items


52


. Rods


41


located on the outer periphery of the platforms


38




a


,


38




b


,


38




c


and


38




d


create a cage to prevent the food items


52


from falling from the platforms


38




a


,


38




b


,


38




c


and


38




d


during rotation of the rotatable portion


28


. After a desired number of food items


52


are loaded, the carousel


30


rotates the rotatable portion


28


180° in a first direction, positioning the platforms


38




c


and


38




d


with the loaded food items


52


in the feeding side


34


. The same motion moves the platforms


38




a


and


38




b


to the loading side


32


. The platforms


38




a


and


38




b


can then be loaded with more food items


52


.




As shown in

FIG. 3

, the carousel


30


includes a magnet


19


. Opposing sensors


17




a


and


17




b


, such as magnetic reed sensors, are positioned proximate to the carousel


30


. When the carousel


30


rotates 180° and the sensor


17




a


detects the magnet


19


, a signal is sent to the motor


43


by the control


51


to stop rotation of the carousel


30


. When the carousel


30


is rotated 180° in the opposing direction and the sensor


17




b


detects the magnet


19


, a signal is sent to the motor


43


by the control


51


to stop rotation of the carousel.




The carousel


30


further includes a projection


46


to prevent over-rotation. Stops


47


and


48


located in the freezer compartment


22


prevent over-rotation of the carousel


30


and tangling of wires (not illustrated). If the carousel


30


over-rotates, the projection


46


engages one of the stops


47


and


48


, preventing further rotation of the carousel


30


.




Returning to

FIG. 1

, when at least one of the food items


52


is to be grilled, an input


50


sends a signal to a control


51


which sends a signal to the desired motor


45




c


and


45




d


to raise at least one of the respective platforms


38




c


and


38




d


in the feeding side


34


for removal of the food items


52


from the freezer component


22


. As the rotatable portion


28


has rotated 180°, the platforms


38




c


and


38




d


are located in the feeding side


34


and the platforms


38




a


and


38




b


are located in the loading side


32


. The food items


52


are alternately delivered from the platforms


38




c


and


38




d


for removal from the freezer component


22


. For example, after the input


50


sends a signal indicating a request to grill a food item


52


, platform


38




c


rises to position a food item


52


for removal from the freezer component


22


. When the food item


52


is raised, it is removed from the freezer component


22


by a removal device


90


and exits through the front slot


76


(shown in FIG.


5


). When the next signal is received, platform


38




d


rises to position another item of food


52


for removal from the freezer component


22


by the removal device


90


. A subsequent signal raises the platform


38




c


, and so on.




Preferably, the input


50


includes a POS (point of service) register. When an item of food


52


is ordered by a customer, an operator inputs the order into the POS register. The POS register sends the signal to the control


51


, which responsively dispenses the desired number of food items


52


. Alternatively, an operator inputs into the input


50


the numbers of food items


52


that are to be dispensed.




The platforms


38




c


and


38




d


rise until all the food items


52


in the feeding area


34


are removed. When the upper sensor


42


senses that both of the platforms


38




c


and


38




d


are positioned in an empty position, that is, the platforms


38




c


and


38




d


are in a position where all of the food items


52


are removed, the feeding side


34


is empty. The carousel


30


then rotates the rotatable portion


28


180° in an opposing direction. If the carousel


30


over-rotates, the projection


46


engages the other stop


47


(shown in

FIG. 3

) to prevent over-rotation. A sensor


49


monitors the position of the carousel


30


and communicates to the carousel


30


when to stop rotating.




Rotation in the opposition direction positions the platforms


38




a


and


38




b


loaded with the food items


52


in the feeding side


34


, and the platforms


38




c


and


38




d


holding no food items


52


in the loading side


32


. During rotation, the platforms


38




c


and


38




d


in the loading side


32


lower so they are ready to receive additional food items


52


. When the lower sensor


44


senses the platforms


38




c


and


38




d


are lowered and in the loading position, the freezer component


22


knows that the loading side


32


is ready for loading of additional food items


52


.




Preferably, the upper sensor


42


and the lower sensor


44


are magnetic reed switches and the platforms


38




a


,


38




b


,


38




c


, and


38




d


include a magnet. When the upper sensor


42


or lower sensor


44


sense the magnet, the sensors


42


or


44


detect the platforms


38




a


,


38




b


,


38




c


and


38




d


and can determine if the platforms


38




a


,


38




b


,


38




c


and


38




d


are in the loading portion or in the empty position.




After all the food items


52


are removed from the feeding side


34


of the freezer component


22


, the platforms


38




c


and


38




d


are in the empty position. When the upper sensor


42


senses the magnet in the platforms


38




c


and


38




d


in the feeding side


34


, the upper sensor


42


knows that the platforms


38




c


and


38




d


are in the empty position. The upper sensor


42


through the control


51


provides a signal to the motor


43


to rotate the carousel


30


and to the motors


45




c


and


45




d


of the respective empty platforms


38




c


and


38




d


to lower the platforms


38




c


and


38




d


. Therefore, the platforms


38




c


and


38




d


will be in the loading position once in the loading side


32


. Once the platforms


38




c


and


38




d


are in the loading position in the loading side


32


, the lower sensor


44


detects the magnets. Although magnetic sensors have been described, it is to be understood that other types of sensors


42


and


44


can be employed.




As shown in

FIG. 4

, a ring


54




a


,


54




b


,


54




c


and


54




d


is secured to the top of the rotatable portion


28


in each of the respective four surfaces


36




a


,


36




b


,


36




c


and


36




d


. The rings


54




a


,


54




b


,


54




c


and


54




d


each include an inner aperture


56




a


,


56




b


,


56




c


, and


56




d


sized to allow passage of the food items


52


. The rings


54




a


,


54




b


,


54




c


and


54




d


assist in guiding the stack of the food items


52


as the platforms


38




a


,


38




b


,


38




c


and


38




d


lift and funnel the food items


52


for removal from the freezer component


22


. In one example, the rings


54




a


,


54




b


,


54




c


and


54




d


have a height which is sized to receive several food items


52


at once.




Alternatively, the freezer component


22


does not include a carousel


30


and a feeding side


34


. The food items


52


are both loaded into the freezer component


22


and removed from the freezer component


22


in the loading side


32


. The food items


52


can be loaded into the loading side


32


in a cartridge which contains a plurality of food items


52


to expedite the loading process.




As shown in

FIG. 5

, the freezer component


22


is enclosed by a housing


58


including a door


60


. When the door


60


is opened, an operator can access the loading side


32


(shown in

FIG. 1

) of the freezer component


22


through an access opening


62


during operation. The example freezer component


22


further includes an interlock


64


which prevents rotation of the rotatable portion


28


when the door


60


is opened.




Additionally, the frozen food items


52


can be placed in the freezer component


22


in cartridges which contain several food items


52


, reducing crew labor in loading.




The freezer component


22


of the present invention can be used with an automated grill, such as described in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 10/124,629 entitled “Automated Grill” filed on Apr. 17, 2002.




The foregoing description is only exemplary of the principles of the invention. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than using the example embodiments which have been specifically described. For that reason the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.



Claims
  • 1. A freezer component that maintains an item in a frozen condition comprising:a moveable portion; a loading side for loading of the item in the freezer component; a feeding side for removing the item from the freezer component in response to a request; and at least one item supporting platform in each of said loading side and said feeding side slidingly movable along said moveable portion.
  • 2. The freezer component as recited in claim 1 wherein the item is selectively stacked on said at least one said platform in said loading side, and the item is removed from said freezer component by raising said at least one platform in said feeding side in response to said request.
  • 3. The freezer component as recited in claim 2 wherein said at least one platform in said feeding side includes two platforms, and said two platforms in said feeding side alternately raise in response to said request.
  • 4. The freezer component as recited in claim 2 wherein said moveable portion is mounted on a rotatable carousel, and rotation of said carousel 180° transfers said at least one platform between said feeding side and said loading side.
  • 5. The freezer component as recited in claim 4 further including a lower sensor and an upper sensor, said carousel rotating 180° responsive to said upper sensor indicating that said at least one platform located in said feeding side is above a first selected position, and said lower sensor indicating when said at least one platform in said loading side is below a second selected position.
  • 6. The freezer component as recited iii claim 5 wherein said upper sensor and said lower sensor are magnetic reed sensors.
  • 7. The freezer component as recited in claim 4 wherein said carousel further includes a projection that engages a stop to prevent over-rotation of said carousel.
  • 8. The freezer component as recited in claim 1 further including a controller associated with said freezer component, wherein said request comprises a signal sent by a POS device.
  • 9. The freezer component as recited in claim 1 wherein said freezer component employs forced air convection.
  • 10. The freezer component us recited in claim 1 wherein said freezer component employs a cold wall freezer.
  • 11. The freezer component as recited in claim 1 wherein a temperature in said freezer component is between −18 ° C. and −21° C.
  • 12. The freezer component as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one platform in said feeding side includes a first two platforms and said at least one platform in said loading side includes a second two platforms.
  • 13. The freezer component as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one platform is substantially circular.
  • 14. The freezer component as recited in claim 1 further including a plurality of rods positioned around an outer periphery of said at least one platform to prevent the item from falling from said platforms during rotation of said moveable portion.
  • 15. The freezer component as recited in claim 1 further including a removal device to remove the item from said freezer component.
  • 16. The freezer component as recited in claim 1 wherein the item is food.
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Number Name Date Kind
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4831841 Falk May 1989 A
5210387 Smith et al. May 1993 A
5245150 Grandi Sep 1993 A
5319939 McFadden et al. Jun 1994 A
5540943 Naramura Jul 1996 A
5562183 Naramura Oct 1996 A
6523715 Dunford et al. Feb 2003 B1
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Number Date Country
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