Patent Application
20220240746
The present invention relates to dish washing machines, and in particular to a system for remotely controlling a dish washing machine.
Commercial establishments for cooking and/or preparing food typically have a commercial dish washer for washing dirty dishes. The dish washers spray a detergent and water onto the dirty dishes to clean the dishes. The dish washers can also spray a rinse aid and water onto the dishes after the dishes have been washed to rinse the dishes and prevent spots on the dishes.
The present invention, according to one aspect, is directed to a dish washing machine communication system including a dish washing machine including a housing having a wash space therein, with the dish washing machine including a dish washing machine SMS messaging system, and a remote communicator with a remote communicator SMS messaging system, with the remote communicator being physically separate from the dish washing machine. The remote communicator SMS messaging system of the remote communicator sends instructions and/or requests for information to the dish washing machine SMS messaging system of the dish washing machine in text format. The dish washing machine SMS messaging system of the dish washing machine sends information in response to the requests for information or automatic alerts to the remote communicator SMS messaging system of the remote communicator in text format.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of communication between a dish washing machine including a housing having a wash space therein and a remote communicator. The method comprises providing the dish washing machine with a dish washing machine SMS messaging system, providing the remote communicator with a remote communicator SMS messaging system, typing instructions as first text into the remote communicator, sending the first text as a SMS message from the remote communicator SMS messaging system of the remote communicator to the dish washing machine SMS messaging system of the dish washing machine, and altering elements of the dish washing machine in response to the first text.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of communication between a dish washing machine including a housing having a wash space therein and a remote communicator. The method comprises providing the dish washing machine with a dish washing machine SMS messaging system, providing the remote communicator with a remote communicator SMS messaging system, typing a request for information as first text into the remote communicator, sending the first text as a SMS message from the remote communicator SMS messaging system of the remote communicator to the dish washing machine SMS messaging system of the dish washing machine, and sending second text as a SMS message from the dish washing machine SMS messaging system of the dish washing machine to remote communicator SMS messaging system of the remote communicator in response to the first text.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of communication between a dish washing machine including a housing having a wash space therein and a remote communicator. The method comprises providing the dish washing machine with a dish washing machine SMS messaging system, providing the remote communicator with a remote communicator SMS messaging system, preparing first text in the dish washing machine in response to readings taken by the dish washing machine, and automatically sending the first text as a SMS message from the dish washing machine SMS messaging system of the dish washing machine to remote communicator SMS messaging system of the remote communicator.
One or more embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way of example and should not be construed as being limited to the specific embodiments depicted in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements.
Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only, and will not be limiting. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.
In the illustrated example, the dish washing machine 12 can comprise any dish washing machine including typical components as well known to those skilled in the art. For example, the dish washing machine 12 could be the machine as set forth in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0256001 entitled DISH WASHING MACHINE, the machine set forth in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019/0307307 entitled DISH WASHING MACHINE WITH HEAT EXCHANGERS, or the machine as set forth in U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 63/010,193 entitled DISH WASHING MACHINE WITH HEAT EXCHANGERS, the entire contents of all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
As is well known to those skilled in the art, during a wash cycle, the heater water from the booster heating tank 24 is sprayed through the upper rotating wash arms 20 and lower rotating wash arms 22 to fall into a wash tank 28. Wash detergent from a wash detergent tank 30 is supplied to the wash tank 28 via a wash detergent line 32. The water in the wash tank 28 with the wash detergent is then cycled over the dishes a certain number of times to wash the dishes (wash tank 28 to spray arms 20,22 to the wash tank 28 to the spray arms 20, 22 etc.).
After the wash cycle is complete, the wash tank 28 is emptied. A rinse aid from a rinse aid tank 34 is then supplied to the booster heating tank 24 via a rinse aid line 36. As is well known to those skilled in the art, during a rinse cycle, the heater water from the booster heating tank 24 is sprayed through the upper rotating wash arms 20 and lower rotating wash arms 22 to fall into the wash tank 28. The water in the wash tank 28 with the rinse aid is then cycled over the dishes a certain number of times to rinse the dishes (wash tank 28 to spray arms 20,22 to the wash tank 28 to the spray arms 20, 22 etc.). While are particular dish washing machine 12 is shown, as outlined above, any dish washing machine could be employed.
The illustrated dish washing machine communication system 10 allows the user of the communication device 14 to send text instructions employing SMS to the dish washing machine 12 to have the dish washing machine 12 perform certain functions. The text instructions employing SMS can be sent from the communication device 14 to have the dish washing machine 12 perform certain functions includes taking active steps. For example, as illustrated in
In the illustrated example, the illustrated dish washing machine communication system 10 allows the user of the communication device 14 to send text instructions employing SMS to the dish washing machine 12 to have the dish washing machine 12 send information about the dish washing machine 12 to the communication device 14 via text messages employing SMS. For example, text instructions employing SMS can instruct the control system 13 to determine how much wash detergent is in the wash detergent tank 30 and to send a message back to the communication device 14 with the amount of wash detergent in the wash detergent tank 30 (e.g., by texting “DETER” from the communication device 14 to the internal communication system 16 and receiving an answer back via text message employing SMS stating the amount in a liquid measurement (e.g., liters)). Another example is texting instructions employing SMS to instruct the control system 13 to determine how much rinse aid is in the rinse aid tank 34 and to send a message back to the communication device 14 with the amount of rinse aid in the rinse aid tank 34 (e.g., by texting “RINSE” from the communication device 14 to the internal communication system 16 and receiving an answer back via text message employing SMS stating the amount in a liquid measurement (e.g., liters)). A further example is texting instructions employing SMS to instruct the control system 13 to determine how many wash cycles have been carried out and to send a message back to the communication device 14 with the number of cycles (e.g., by texting “CYCLE” from the communication device 14 to the internal communication system 16 and receiving an answer back via text message employing SMS stating the number of cycles) or to determine how many hours the dish washing machine 12 has run and to send a message back to the communication device 14 with the amount of time running (e.g., by texting “HOURS” from the communication device 14 to the internal communication system 16 and receiving an answer back via text message employing SMS stating the number of hours). It is contemplated that the user of the dish washing machine communication system 10 can ask for and receive any information about the dish washing machine 12 by sending text messages employing SMS from the communication device 14 to the dish washing machine 12.
The illustrated dish washing machine communication system 10 also provides for the dish washing machine 12 to send communications via text message employing SMS to the communication device 14 via the communication system 16 of the dish washing machine 12. The communications sent to the communication device 14 can be directly in response to requests for information sent to the dish washing machine 12 as outlined above or can be information. The dish washing machine communication system 10 can be set up to provide any response from the dish washing machine 12 to any particular request made by the communication device 14. For example, the following non-exhaustive list includes responses via text message employing SMS that can be sent from the dish washing machine 12 to the communication device 14 via the communication system 16 of the dish washing machine 12:
As shown above, the responses can be responses to questions or confirmation that instructions have been carried out. The above list of responses and confirmations to instructions sent via text message employing SMS to the communication device 14 via the communication system 16 of the dish washing machine 12 is presented only as examples and the list of responses can be any responses.
In the illustrated example, the communications sent to the communication device 14 via text message employing SMS can also be information or automatic alerts generated by the dish washing machine 12 and sent without prompting by the communication device 14. The information or automatic alerts can be regarding any system of the dish washing machine 12 and can include error messages and alerts as to levels of elements (e.g., detergent and rinse aid) in the dish washing machine. Such information or automatic alerts can be determined from any combination of sensors (e.g., thermal, pressure, position, level, etc.) communicating with the control system 13 of the dish washing machine 12 and/or programs in the control system 13 of the dish washing machine 12. For example, the following non-exhaustive list includes information or automatic alerts that can be sent via text message employing SMS from the dish washing machine 12 to the communication device 14 via the communication system 16 of the dish washing machine 12:
As shown above, the information or automatic alerts can be related to any subject matter. The above list of information or automatic alerts sent via text message employing SMS to the communication device 14 via the communication system 16 of the dish washing machine 12 is presented only as examples and the list of information or automatic alerts can be any information or automatic alerts.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the dish washing machine 12 and the remote communicator 14 can communicate with each other employing via text message employing SMS. The SMS messaging system of the remote communicator 14 can send instructions and/or requests for information to the communication system 16 of the dish washing machine in text format and the dish washing machine 12 can send information in response to the requests for information or automatic alerts to the remote communicator 14 in text format.
Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, including the rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention. For example, it is contemplated that only a single rotating spray arm (upper or lower) could be used.
