The present invention pertains to the field of vending machines (kiosks). In particular, the invention relates to a food product storage and vending kiosk with a cold storage unit, a rapid-cook (non-microwave) oven unit, and a transportation mechanism for moving a food product from the storage unit to the oven unit to a customer.
A problem that has been identified is how to safely store and rapidly cook a food product and dispense the cooked food product to a consumer in a stand-alone kiosk. Other available machines do not have this unique set of capabilities that is scalable to mass production. There are vending machines that distribute food to consumers following a transaction, whereby the consumer can select from a variety of offerings. Some kiosks can vend hot food. Such vending machines typically include a cooling container to store food, an oven for cooking, a mechanism to transport food between the cooler and oven, and a mechanism to dispense the food to the consumer. A majority of the kiosks utilize refrigerators sustaining only limited shelf life for perishable food products. Additionally, the ovens for most of the kiosks use microwave technology to provide rapid cooking (i.e. a “speed oven”). Throughout speed oven development, microwave heating has been added to most concepts for cooking speed, but during the process it distorts the food product and typically yields a “rubbery” finished product. Furthermore, the other available machines have a an overall dispense time (comprised of pre-heating, plus cook time) that is too long, so customers get impatient and choose not to use the machine. This is partially due to the vast majority of vending machine ovens opening from the front or side, which allows substantial amounts of heat to dissipate, minimizing the oven's ability to rapidly cook in sequence.
The invention is a self-contained automated food product storage and vending machine (i.e., kiosk) whereby packaged food products like pizza are stored inside a freezer/refrigeration unit (i.e., a cold storage unit). The kiosk includes: the freezer/refrigeration unit, a transportation mechanism, and an oven unit, as described in more detail below.
The freezer/refrigeration unit holds a plurality of columns of packed foodstuff, supported by rigid braces and subsequently transported to an adjacent oven unit, where the food is heated prior to its delivery to a customer. The active shelving allows for the discrete dispensing of an individual food item from one of the columns. In order to facilitate replenishment of the packaged food products as well as for cleaning, the shelving columns are top-mounted on telescopic rails, which allow a single shelving column at a time to be pulled out of the machine for access.
In one embodiment, the package is a box which is pre-folded to form a three-sided tray. The package is used as a shelf for cold storage and to transport the foodstuff to the oven. The foodstuff is removed from the tray for cooking, and upon completion of cooking, the pizza is returned to the tray for delivery to the customer, who can manually release the flap and rotate the lid over to securely close the box for transport.
The transportation mechanism for moving the pizza out of the box and back into the box following heating utilizes a pushing element “wrangler′ device. This shepherding device is able to guide transfer of the pizza out of the box and onto the deck of the oven. Upon completion, the back-side of the wrangler (which may or may not be the front face); with an attached optional scraper to clear the oven surface, will steer the hot pizza off the hot oven deck and onto the un-heated box.
The kiosk contains an oven for the preparation of the pizza which utilizes multiple cooking methods (comprised of at least one heating element and at least one air circulation element) and ventless operation within a single oven compartment. The specialized “rapid cook” unit features three fundamental heat transfer methods: [heated air-circulation] forced convection air impingement, [Infrared] radiation and [deck] conduction, NOT using microwave technology. The combination leads to faster preparation of the pizza. The oven unit is equipped with a catalytic converter on the exhaust, which breaks down grease-laden vapors and smoke for ventless operation. Furthermore, the oven is opened by lowering the bottom part relative to the top part. This open-side down design helps to retain heat within the oven even during the insertion and removal of the pizza to/from the oven.
The kiosk may also include a mechanism in the freezer having a hatch cover formed with an insulating material and slotted guides constrained on both sides. The hatch cover is prevented from canting by guides on each side. The hatch cover is attached fixedly to the shaft of a motor. When the motor is actuated linearly, it lifts the door, the door slides open in a mostly vertical fashion. The door is fully closed at the bottom position. In the case of a power failure, gravity will maintain the hatch door in the closed and sealed position.
Accordingly, in one aspect of the invention, a food product storage and vending kiosk includes a cold storage unit, an oven unit, and a transportation mechanism. The cold storage unit includes a plurality of food packages, an active shelving system storing the plurality of food packages, and a refrigerator for maintaining an interior of the cold storage unit at a predetermined temperature. Each of the food packages includes a food product in a box. The oven unit includes a base oven deck for receiving the food product and rising to meet and seal with a main body to form a sealed oven cavity for cooking the food product. The transportation mechanism is for moving a food package out of the cold storage unit, onto an elevator platform that lifts the food package to the oven unit, pushing the food product from the box onto the base oven deck for cooking, and pushing the food product off of the base oven deck into the box and pushing the re-packaged food out of a delivery chute of the kiosk after cooking.
In one implementation, the box of each of the plurality of food packages has an open top and an open front forming a three-sided tray containing the food product, and the active shelving system includes a plurality of columns of shelf elements supporting and dispensing the plurality of food packages.
Each of the plurality of columns of shelf elements may include two parallel Archimedes screws and screw actuators. An outer diameter and pitch of each of the Archimedes screws is configured such that one of the plurality of food packages is capable of being supported between threads of each of the screws and synchronized rotation of the Archimedes screws by the screw actuators lowers the column until a food package drops free of the column.
Alternatively, each of the plurality of columns of shelf elements may include two parallel vertical conveyor belts and belt actuators. Cleats attached to each of the conveyor belts are configured such that one of the plurality of food packages is capable of being supported between cleats of each of the conveyor belts and such that synchronized movement of the conveyor belts lowers the column until a food package drops free of the column.
In another implementation, each of the columns of shelf elements is mounted on a telescopic rail which allows the respective column of shelf elements to be pulled out by machine maintenance personnel for access to clean or replenishment of food packages.
In yet another implementation, the base oven deck includes a heated platen that comes in direct contact with the food product, and the main body includes at least one circular radiant element, a plenum on both sides of the oven cavity, a motor-driven fan on top of the main body that pressurizes the plenum, a return opening to the motor driven fan, a return duct from the oven cavity to the return opening, open coil heaters in the return duct, and impingement jets fed by the plenum. The circular radiant element(s) is (are) in a center area of the oven cavity. The impingement jets deliver heated air to exposed surfaces of the food product. Thus, that the oven unit includes impingement, radiation, and conduction heat transfer methods.
The main body of the oven unit may further include a vent open to the plenum for exhaust from the oven unit, and an electrically heated catalyst in the vent to remove hydrocarbons in the exhaust.
In still yet another implementation, the cold storage unit defines a hatch between an interior of the cold storage unit and an oven compartment wherein the oven unit is located, and includes a motorized hatch cover over the hatch. Then, the transportation mechanism includes a storage unit conveyor below the active shelving system and an oven-side conveyor in alignment with the hatch. The storage unit conveyor and the oven-side conveyor are for transporting a food package from the storage unit, through the hatch, and into the oven compartment.
In another aspect of the invention, a food product storage and vending kiosk includes a cold storage unit, an oven unit, and a transportation mechanism. The cold storage unit includes a plurality of food packages, each of the plurality of food packages includes a food product in a box. The oven unit includes a main body having an open bottom side oriented down and a base oven deck for receiving the food product and rising to meet and seal with the main body to form a sealed oven cavity for cooking the food product. The transportation mechanism includes an oven-side conveyor, an elevator platform, and a sweeper arm assembly. The elevator platform and the sweeper arm assembly are positioned at opposite sides of the oven-side conveyor. The sweeper arm assembly includes a stopper bar oriented perpendicular to a direction of travel of the oven-side conveyor, a sweeper bar oriented parallel with the direction of travel of the oven-side conveyor, and a sweeper actuator for causing the sweeper bar to sweep the food package off the oven-side conveyor and onto the elevator platform. The transportation mechanism is for moving a food package out of the cold storage unit and onto the elevator platform that lifts the food package to the oven unit, pushing the food product from the box directly onto the base oven deck for cooking, and pushing the food product off of the base oven deck into the box and out of the delivery chute after cooking.
The transportation mechanism may further include a pair of box retention fingers and a wrangler assembly. The box retention fingers engage the box of the food package when the elevator platform has lifted the food package to the oven unit. The wrangler assembly includes a front-side member, a back-side member, and a loading/unloading actuator, the loading/unloading actuator for causing the front-side member to push the food product out the open front of the box onto the base oven deck before cooking and for causing the back-side member to push the food product from the base oven deck back into the box after cooking, and then, after retraction of the box retention fingers, pushing the food product and box out through the delivery chute.
The wrangler assembly may further include a motorized lifting module for raising the front-side member and back-side member of the wrangler assembly enough to clear the food product as the loading/unloading actuator moves back to the elevator platform after pushing the food product onto the base oven deck before cooking and back to the base oven deck before pushing the food product back into the box after cooking.
Additionally, the back-side member of the wrangler may further include a scraper to scrape crumbs off a surface of the base oven deck into a gap defined between the base oven deck and the box as the loading/unloading actuator causes the back-side member of the wrangler assembly to push the food product from the base oven deck back into the box after cooking.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, an oven unit includes a main body and a base oven deck defining an oven cavity. The main body has an open bottom. The base oven deck is for receiving a food product and rising to meet and seal with the main body for cooking the food product in the oven cavity, the main body being opened by lowering the base oven deck relative to the main body. The main body includes radiant elements directly over the oven cavity for providing radiant heating to the food product, and impingement jets on respective sides of the oven cavity for providing convection heating the food product. The base oven deck includes a heated platen for providing conductive heating to a bottom of the food product.
In one implementation, the main body further includes a reflective surface above the radiant elements, the reflective surface increasing radiant heating efficiency by reflecting radiant energy downward toward the food product.
In another implementation, the main body further includes: a motor-driven fan in a top portion of the main body; a plenum on both sides of the oven cavity between the motor-driven fan and the impingement jets; a return duct between the oven cavity and the motor-driven fan; and heaters located in the return duct. The heaters produce heated air in the return duct, the motor-driven fan pressurizes the plenum with the heated air, and the plenum feeds the impingement jets, and the impingement jets deliver heated air to exposed surfaces of the food product.
In yet another implementation, the main body further includes a vent between the plenum and an exterior of the main body. The vent includes a catalytic converter for removing hydrocarbons before they exit the oven unit, allowing ventless operation of the oven unit in an indoor environment.
In still yet another implementation, the heated platen is heated by an electric heater, and the heated platen is a glass ceramic material, both transmitting thermal radiation and absorbing thermal radiation, such that the bottom of the food product is heated by both radiation and conduction.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
The details of one or more embodiments of the presently-disclosed subject matter are set forth below and in attachments to this document. Modifications to embodiments described below and in the attachments, and other embodiments, will be evident to those of ordinary skill in the art after a study of the information provided in these attachments. The information provided in these attachments, and particularly the specific details of the described exemplary embodiments, is provided primarily for clearness of understanding and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom. In case of conflict, the specification of this document, including definitions, will control.
While the terms used herein are believed to be well understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, definitions are set forth herein to facilitate explanation of the presently-disclosed subject matter.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the presently-disclosed subject matter belongs. Although any methods, devices, and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the presently-disclosed subject matter, representative methods, devices, and materials are now described.
Following long-standing patent law convention, the terms “a,” “an,” and “the” refer to “one or more” when used in this application, including the claims/sample claims.
Throughout this description, the term “actuator” will be used to indicate an apparatus that imparts a desired mechanical motion to another component; it is a “mover”.
The refrigeration equipment unit 102 includes refrigeration equipment (e.g., a freezer) for maintaining the interior of the cold storage unit 101 at a predetermined temperature. Such refrigeration equipment is known in the art and will not be described in detail here. In one embodiment, the predetermined temperature is below freezing in order to extend the shelf life of the food products stored therein.
Service door 104 may include an optional Digital Signage screen 110. Service door 105 may include a convex-shaped section adjacent to a flat service door; however, this shape is not necessary for the invention and is not illustrated here. Service doors 104, 105 may be lighted with decorative LED lights or contain other graphical or attractive elements. A delivery chute 106 is located in service door 105 such that food products can be discharged from vending kiosk 100. A tamper barrier 111 helps prevent tampering with the interior of the vending kiosk via the delivery chute.
Various user interface features are on service door 105. A touchscreen display 107 is used for a customer to select and to display various information. The touchscreen display 107 can be used to both present menu options to the user and to accept responses from the customer. A multi-function card reader 108 accepts payment in cooperation with a PIN pad 109.
Returning to
For both conveyor and auger type systems, multiple shelving columns are arrayed to increase storage capacity and to provide multiple varieties of food products. Each column holds a single food product type (e.g., a pizza type), and the number of shelving columns is directly correlated with the number of selectable varieties.
Referring again to
The transportation mechanism for moving the food product out of the box and back into the box following heating utilizes the wrangler assembly 350. This shepherding device is able to guide the transfer of the food product out of the box and onto a base oven deck 402 of the oven unit 400. Upon completion, a back-side member 355b of the wrangler with an attached optional scraper 355c to clear a surface of the base oven deck 402, will steer the hot food product off the hot base oven deck 402 and onto the unheated box, additionally, clearing the clearing the surface of the base oven deck 402, and brushing crumbs off the edge of the base oven deck 402 between a gap between the box and the oven, into a crumb tray below, located on the floor of the oven compartment.
The loading/unloading actuator moves the wrangler assembly 350 and is responsible for pushing the food product into the oven unit (from the front), and also for pushing the food product out (from the rear) after cooking.
Once the wrangler assembly 350 has been positioned behind the food product, the loading/unloading actuator moves forward and sweeps the cooked food product back into the box. The box retention fingers 345 then rise via retraction of mini-actuators and release the box, and the loading actuator keeps moving forward, pushing both the cooked food product and box out through the delivery chute 106 (
As shown in
As shown in
This design ensures keeping as much heat within the oven as possible during introducing the food product and taking out the food product from the oven. Oven temperature may vary in a range from about 400° F. to about 600° F. based on factors such as time since the previous food product was prepared, frequency of food product orders, and the type of food product currently being prepared, in addition to a preheat time.
The base oven deck 402 includes a heated platen 406 that comes in direct contact with the food product. In a standby mode, as shown in
As shown in
The oven unit 400 includes a vent 424 located in the main body 401 open to the plenum. As air exits the oven unit, it passes through a catalytic converter 404 (e.g., an electrically heated catalyst). The catalytic converter 404 breaks down grease-laden vapors and smoke for ventless operation (i.e., removes undesirable hydrocarbons before they exit the oven unit 400). This allows the food product storage and vending kiosk 100 to be placed indoors without additional venting to the outside, allowing ventless operation.
The working steps of the exemplary food product storage and vending kiosk 100, as described above, are:
A customer orders a food product (e.g., a pizza) with the touchscreen display 107;
If an internal temperature of the oven unit 400 is not sufficient, a preheat cycle on the oven unit 400 begins;
A food product in a box folded as a tray is released from the column (e.g., 201a, 201b, 201c) from within the cold storage unit 101;
The hatch cover 241 opens the hatch 240 from the cold storage unit 101; The transportation mechanism transfers the food product in the box (tray) out of the cold storage unit 101;
The transportation mechanism moves the food product in the box (tray) off the oven-side conveyor 330 and onto the elevator platform 340;
The elevator assembly raises the food product and box (tray) in close proximity to the base oven deck 402;
A pair of box retention fingers 345 secure the box (tray) on the elevator platform 340; The base oven deck 402 lowers to receive the food product; The wrangler assembly 350 pushes the food product out of the box (tray) and onto the base oven deck 402;
The base oven deck 402 rises to close the oven unit 400 and begins the cook cycle, which is less than 180 seconds;
Upon completion of the cook cycle, the oven unit 400 opens by lowering the base oven deck 402 from the oven main body 401;
The food product is taken from the oven unit 400 using the back-side of the wrangler assembly 350 to push the food product off the base oven deck 402 back into the box (tray);
The box retention fingers 345 securing the box (tray) release; and
The food product in the box (tray) is pushed through the delivery chute 106 to the customer.
It will be understood that various details of the presently disclosed subject matter can be changed without departing from the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein. Furthermore, the foregoing description is for the purpose of illustration only, and not for the purpose of limitation.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/184,563, filed Nov. 8, 2018, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/583,123, filed Nov. 8, 2017, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62583123 | Nov 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16184563 | Nov 2018 | US |
Child | 17034516 | US |