Patent ID: 6581396
Filing Date: 2003-06-24
Classification: F25B,F25D,G05D,G07F,H02M

Abstract:
A refrigerated vending system for vending items, said system comprising:a chamber for storing said items, said chamber defining a chamber interior and a chamber exterior, said chamber interior including said items and a heat-transfer medium; a cooling system which removes heat from said chamber, said cooling system having cooling and non-cooling conditions, said cooling system consuming more power and removing more heat in said cooling condition and consuming less power and removing less heat in said non-cooling condition; a fan which circulates said heat-transfer medium thereby affecting the temperature variance within said chamber interior, said fan having circulating and non-circulating conditions; a first thermo-sensor which provides temperature indications of temperature within said chamber interior; and a controller which controls said cooling system and said fan, said controller selecting between a normal mode of operation for said vending system and a power-conservation mode of operation for said vending system, said controller during said normal mode, selecting between said cooling and said non-cooling conditions of said cooling system as a function of said temperature indications provided by at least said first thermo-sensor, and maintaining said fan in said circulating condition most of the time when said cooling system is in said non-cooling condition, and said controller during said power-conservation mode, selecting between said cooling and said non-cooling conditions, and maintaining said fan in said non-circulating condition most of the time when said cooling system is in said non-cooling condition.