FOOD VENDING MACHINE WITH SANITARY FOOD CARTRIDGE

A food cartridge assembly adapted for use in a vending machine including a base, a lockable cover, a plurality of food trays housed beneath the cover, and a door covering an opening through the cover for accessing unpackaged food items on the trays, wherein the food cartridge is adapted to be filled off-site with unpackaged food items and loaded into the vending machine without any intermediate food handling.

TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a vending machine for dispensing unpackaged food items, and more particularly, to a vending machine equipped with at least one food cartridge configured to be loaded off-site with unpackaged food items, sealed, and then loaded on-site into the vending machine without any intermediate handling of the food items.

Vending machines known for dispensing hot food items are typically equipped with a refrigerator for preventing spoiling, an oven/microwave for heating food items to a servable temperature, a handler for moving food items within the machine, a dispenser for dispensing the food items, and a transaction component for processing payment.

Conventional food dispensing machines are typically stocked with factory prepared pre-packaged foods items, and therefore are incapable of accommodating locally prepared unpackaged food items. Factory prepared food items, while often long-lasting, lack the freshness of locally prepared food and therefore are less desirable to a consumer. Further, vending machines stocked with factory prepared food items require package removal components for removing the food item from the packaging and/or protective film covering prior to heating in an oven or microwave, which adds cost and complexity to the machine.

In an effort to improve food quality, vending machines have been developed that prepare and cook food items “on-demand” using pre-packaged ingredients. While these machines are an improvement in terms of freshness, there are inherent complexities and disadvantages involved with handling ingredients, complex food preparation, and time to prepare the food.

Therefore, in order to overcome the disadvantages of prior art vending machines, what is needed is a vending machine adapted to dispense locally prepared, unpackaged food items in an efficient and sanitary manner. Such a machine would provide local businesses an opportunity to expand locations, increase sales, and automate food service, among other advantages.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a vending machine for dispensing unpackaged food items.

It is another object of the invention to provide a food cartridge for use in a vending machine adapted to be loaded off-site with unpackaged food items and subsequently loaded into the vending machine without any intermediate food handling.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a food cartridge adapted to be loaded off-site with unpackaged food items, closed, and subsequently installed in a vending machine adapted to open the food cartridge to dispense the unpackaged food items.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a food cartridge for handling and dispensing unpackaged food items in a sanitary manner.

To achieve the foregoing and other objects and advantages, in a first embodiment the present invention provides a food cartridge assembly adapted for use in a vending machine including a base, a cover adapted to lock to the base and having an opening through a sidewall thereof for accessing an interior of the food cartridge assembly, a door slidable along the sidewall of the cover to open or close the opening, and at least one tray removably disposed beneath the cover, the at least one tray having a top surface divided into a plurality of compartments each adapted for storing an unpackaged food item.

In a further aspect, the food cartridge assembly can include a drive ring disposed between the bottom tray and the base and rotationally locked to the at least one tray, the drive ring having a toothed outer edge adapted to engage with a toothed gear of a drive motor assembly adapted to drive rotation of the drive ring and the at least one tray.

In a further aspect, the food cartridge assembly can have an external duct framing the opening through the cover, wherein a sidewall of the external duct is spaced from the cover such that the door can pass between the sidewall of the external duct and the cover as the door slides open or closed.

In a further aspect, the food cartridge assembly can be adapted to be stored within a refrigerated compartment in a vending machine, and the external duct can be adapted to interface with a seal at an opening to the refrigerated compartment.

In a further aspect, the base can have an annular recess in a top surface thereof and the cover can engage within the recess and lock relative to the base.

In a further aspect, the food cartridge assembly can include a door retainer secured to a top of the cover, the door retainer extending radially outward from the top of the cover and downward in a direction of the base to retain a top edge of the door between the door retainer and the sidewall of the cover.

In a further aspect, the cartridge can house a plurality of trays vertically stacked and axially aligned beneath the cover, the plurality of trays locked in rotation such that rotation of a bottom tray drives rotation of the trays stacked above the bottom tray.

In a further aspect, the cover can have a closed top and an open bottom, and the sidewall can be circular with the opening through a portion of the sidewall.

In a further aspect, the food cartridge assembly can include a bracket secured to the base arranged to limit sliding movement of the door relative to the cover.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a vending machine for vending food items including a cabinet, an oven, a gantry robot assembly, a delivery chute, a transaction module, a refrigerated compartment, and a food cartridge assembly removably disposed within the refrigerated compartment. The food cartridge assembly includes a base, a cover adapted to lock to the base, the cover having an opening through a sidewall thereof for accessing an interior of the food cartridge assembly, a door slidable along the sidewall of the cover to open or close the opening, and at least one tray removably disposed beneath the cover, the at least one tray having a top surface divided into a plurality of compartments each adapted for storing an unpackaged food item.

In a further aspect, the food cartridge assembly can house a plurality of trays vertically stacked and axially aligned beneath the cover, the plurality of trays locked in rotation such that rotation of a bottom tray drives rotation of trays stacked above the bottom tray.

In a further aspect, the vending machine can include a plurality of food cartridge assemblies removably disposed in the refrigerated comparted, the plurality of food cartridge assemblies stacked in vertical alignment with each food cartridge assembly engaged with a drive motor for driving rotation of the at least one tray.

In a further aspect, the gantry robot assembly can include a spatula for handling unpackaged food items movable along x, y and z axes.

In a further aspect, the vending machine can include a food tray de-nester assembly including a tray shelf, a belt-driven linear slide, a drive motor, a bracket slidable along a length of the belt-driven linear slide, and a vacuum cup assembly located at one end of the bracket adapted to use suction to de-nest a food tray from a stack of food trays held on the tray shelf.

Embodiments of the invention can include one or more or any combination of the above features and configurations.

Additional features, aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing the invention as described herein. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description present various embodiments of the invention, and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the invention as it is claimed. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. However, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the representative embodiments set forth herein. The exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be both thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention and enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make, use and practice the invention. Like reference numbers refer to like elements throughout the various drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2illustrate a hot food vending machine generally at reference numeral20. The vending machine20generally includes a cabinet22having a front door24, a back, a top, a bottom and opposing left and right sides. The front door is shown removed inFIG. 2to reveal the internals of the machine. The front door24can be equipped with a touchscreen user interface26for operating of the machine, a card reader28, and one or more delivery doors30that open to access dispensed food. The front door24can further be equipped with a lock32and decorative panel34for branding and general aesthetics. Portions of the front door24can include opaque and transparent materials to respectively conceal and reveal predetermined internal components of the vending machine. For example, transparent door portions can be used to reveal food items stored in the refrigerated compartment of the machine. The bottom of the vending machine20can be equipped with rolling casters36and leveling feet.

The internal components of the vending machine20generally include a refrigerated compartment38, a conveyor oven40, a tray de-nester42, and a gantry robot assembly (seeFIG. 6at44). The vending machine20can include additional components such as thermal ducting, fans/blowers, power supplies, cabling, lighting, and insulation; however, these components can be conventional and therefore are not shown.

FIG. 3illustrates the inside of the front door24. The front door24serves to mount the touchscreen user interface26, the card reader28, the lock32, and a dispensing chute assembly46for presentation to the user through the front of the vending machine.

FIGS. 4 and 5illustrate a food dispensing chute assembly46according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. The food dispensing chute assembly46generally includes a plurality of chutes48each for dispensing an unpackaged food item. The chutes48are mounted between a pair of parallel sidewalls50each having a front flange52adapted to mount to the inside face of the front door24. Each chute48generally includes a shelf54upon which the unpackaged food is placed for delivery, a shelf cover56movable relative to the shelf, and a delivery door30operably connected to the shelf cover56. In operation, when the delivery door30is closed, the shelf cover56is lifted above the shelf54such that the internal spatula or other food handler has access to the shelf from the backside as illustrated in the bottom two chutes48shown inFIGS. 4 and 5. When the delivery door30is opened, the shelf cover56closes on the shelf54such that the user has access to the food item on the shelf54, but is prevented from reaching beyond the shelf into the machine as illustrated in the top chute48ofFIGS. 4 and 5. Thus, the delivery door30is operatively linked to the shelf cover56such that delivery door movement drives shelf cover movement. As such, the user is unable to reach into the inside of the machine regardless of whether the shelf54is loaded or unloaded. Each delivery door30can have a handle58for manually opening and closing the delivery door.

FIG. 6illustrates a gantry robot assembly44according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. The gantry robot assembly44generally functions to move the unpackaged food items between the trays of the food cartridge assemblies and the conveyor oven, and from the conveyor oven to the dispensing chute, with optional intermediate movement to the dispensing trays. As such, the gantry robot assembly generally includes a plurality of horizontally-oriented and vertically-oriented belt-driven linear slides60, at least one driving motor62, bracketry, and an end of arm spatula64or equivalent tool. Known to those skilled in the art, the gantry robot assembly44can further include mounting brackets, a docking plate, a spatula retainer, pivot mount brackets, a cam return pusher, rotation and adjustment stops, a gantry pivot assembly, bushings, timing belt pulleys, a drawer slide, solenoids, and a sensor system, among other conventional gantry components. Additional gantry robot assemblies having tool ends (e.g., spatulas) can be used to transfer food items between gantry assemblies, between appliances, and to the serving trays.

FIGS. 7 and 8illustrate the refrigerated compartment38which houses the food cartridge assemblies. Unpackaged food items stored in the food cartridge assemblies can be perishable and therefore require refrigeration to prevent spoiling. The refrigerated compartment38generally includes a thermally insulated compartment68located above a lower compartment70housing a heat pump and an exhaust fan72. Horizontally-oriented guide rails74mounted to the inner face of the sidewalls function to receive and guide the base of the food cartridge assemblies. As discussed in detail below, each food cartridge assembly can include a short length of duct framing an opening into the cartridge. When installed on the guide rails74, the duct of each food cartridge assembly aligns with a respective one of a plurality of openings through the sidewall which are each covered with a sealed pivoting door76that opens outward. Each set of guide rails74and respective door76is dedicated to one of the food cartridge assemblies. A sealed interface is preferably provided between the duct and the sidewall of the refrigerated compartment38to prevent air exchange between the refrigerated compartment and the interior of the vending machine.

A vertical member78disposed in one corner of the refrigerated compartment38supports a plurality of drive motors80each carrying a vertically-oriented rotating drive gear82. Each toothed drive gear82is arranged to mesh with a toothed drive ring of a respective one of the food cartridge assemblies to rotate the food trays. The food trays can be rotated to align a tray compartment with the duct so that the spatula can be passed through the opening to retrieve the food in the aligned tray compartment. In operation, an instruction to retrieve a particular food item from a predetermined compartment of a predetermined tray prompts rotation of that tray for tray compartment alignment with the respective opening through the sidewall of the refrigerated compartment. Once aligned, the door can be opened and the food item retrieved.

FIGS. 9 and 10are respective horizontal and vertical cross-sections (i.e., lateral and longitudinal cross-sections) through the refrigerated compartment38. Both cross-sections are shown loaded with food cartridge assemblies84each loaded with a plurality of vertically-stacked food trays86. The food cartridge assemblies84are aligned within the refrigerated compartment with their duct88aligned with a compartment duct90preferably through a sealed interface92. Each tray86is divided into a plurality of compartments each configured to hold at least one food item. The drive motor80operates to turn the gear82to rotate the tray to align the predetermined tray compartment with the opening through the sidewall of the food cartridge assembly, as discussed in detail below. The food cartridge assemblies84are stacked in vertical alignment.

Each food cartridge assembly84shown includes six separate food trays86, with each tray86divided into six separate compartments, for a total of thirty-six food item compartments per food cartridge assembly84. The number of trays86per food cartridge assembly84can vary, as well as the number of food item compartments per tray86. For example, each tray86can include from 1 to 20 compartments, more preferably from 4 to 12 compartments, and most preferably from 6 to 8 compartments. Each food cartridge assembly84can hold from 1 to 20 trays, more preferably from 4-12 trays, and most preferably from 6-8 trays.

FIG. 11illustrates a food cartridge assembly84according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. The food cartridge assembly84generally includes a base94, a cover96adapted to lock to the base and having an opening98through a sidewall100thereof for accessing the interior of the food cartridge assembly, a door102slidable along the sidewall of the cover to open or close the opening, at least one tray86removably disposed beneath the cover, and a drive ring104. The drive ring104is disposed between the bottom tray and the base94and is rotationally locked to the bottom tray such that rotating the drive ring rotates the bottom tray and additional trays stacked above the bottom tray within the same food cartridge assembly.

The food cartridge assembly84further includes the external duct88framing the opening through the cover96, wherein a sidewall106of the external duct is spaced from the cover (shown at reference numeral108) such that the door102can pass between the sidewall of the external duct and the cover as the door slides open or closed. In an alternative embodiment, the duct88is spaced and separate from the cover96such that the door102can pass entirely therebetween.

A door retainer110secured to the top of the cover96extends radially outward from the top of the cover and downward in a direction of the base94and serves to retain a top edge of the door102between the door retainer and the sidewall of the cover. A bracket112secured to the base94is arranged to limit sliding movement of the door102relative to the cover96. The cover96is generally shaped with a closed top and open bottom, and the sidewall is generally circular with the opening98opening through a portion of the sidewall generally corresponding in width to the width of one tray compartment. The sidewall100of the cover96can gradually taper in the direction of the top as shown.

FIGS. 12 and 13illustrate the respective major sides of the base94. The base94is a generally planar member having an annular recess114formed in a top surface thereof for seating the cover. The cover engages within the recess114and can lock in place relative to the base94by way of slide-to-lock engagement or equivalent mechanism. Such locking prevents removal of the cover once installed on the base94, thereby preventing any intermediate handling of the food items. An annular stiffening ring116can be attached to the bottom of the base94to provide stiffness and rigidity to the base to resist deformation.

FIGS. 14 and 15illustrate to top and bottom of an exemplary food item tray86, also referred to herein as the “tray.” The tray86includes a circular plate118having an upper major surface divided into a plurality of compartments120. Adjacent compartments are separated and defined by vertical partitions122that extend upwardly from the top of the plate118. Each partition122can be an elongate linear member extending between diametrically-opposed sides of the plate118and passing through the center. In this arrangement, all partitions122cross at the center and three partitions can be used to divide the circular plate into six separate compartments120. Alternate shapes of partitions and partition numbers can be used to divide the top surface of the plate into any number of compartments each having any predetermined shape. The height of each partition122is determined based on the food item to be held on the tray86. As shown, each partition has a height slightly greater than that of a standard pizza slice such that no pizza slice on the tray extends vertically above the partitions.

The opposing ends124of each partition122are greater in height than the center section of the same partition in order to be received within a corresponding groove126in the bottom of another tray stacked thereon to rotationally lock the two or more trays together. Each compartment120can further include a plurality of ridges128shaped to allow the spatula or equivalent tool to slide underneath the food item to lift it, which can be necessary in the case of food items prone to sticking to the top of the plate118.

FIG. 16illustrates the drive ring104operable for rotating the one or more trays stacked thereon. The drive ring104is an annular member having an outer toothed edge130adapted to mesh with the drive gear of one of the drive motors. The top of the drive ring104includes a plurality of equidistant spaced projections132that rise vertically to engage within the corresponding grooves in the bottom of one of the trays. Thus, the number and spacing of the projections132can change with the number of grooves formed in the bottom of the plate. The engagement of the projections132and grooves ensures that the drive ring104and bottom tray are locked together in rotation. The bottom of the drive ring104can be equipped with horizontally-oriented rollers to facilitate rotation relative to the base.FIGS. 17 and 18show the respective door retainer110and bracket112, both of which can be attached using screws or equivalent fasteners.

FIGS. 19 and 20illustrate one example of the tray de-nester assembly42. The tray de-nester assembly42generally operates to separate a single serving tray134from a stack of serving trays136so that the serving tray can be used to serve the dispensed food item. Serving trays136have a shape corresponding to the food item. As shown, the serving trays136are triangular shaped to accommodate a triangular pizza slice. Other shapes are envisioned.

The de-nester assembly42generally includes a vertically-oriented belt driven linear slide138, a bracket140drivable along the length of the linear slide, a drive motor142, a suction assembly144at the end of the bracket, and a tray shelf146. The suction assembly144includes a suction cup148for using negative air pressure to adhere to a tray to lift the tray from the stack. The bracket140slides along the length of the linear slide138to deliver the suctioned tray134and/or position the tray for retrieval by the gantry robot assembly.

Food items suitable for use with the present invention include any unpackaged food item having any size or shape. The trays86and compartments120thereof can be customized based on the food items to be dispensed. The term “unpackaged” as used herein can mean lacking any form of sealed or unsealed container or protective film. A suitable conveyor oven for use with the present invention provides high-volume processing and generally includes a cooking tunnel having an entrance and exit, a thermal heating source, and conveyor means. The conveyor means may be a continuous open link conveyor belt operable for transporting the food items thru the cooking tunnel. Conveyor belt speed can be customized to adjust cooking time based on the capacity of the thermal heating source, the food items to be heated, the starting temperature of the food items, etc.

The food cartridges assemblies84are adapted to allow a local restaurant or food item supplier to operate and stock the vending machine. The cartridges are configured to be removed from the vending machine, and therefore can be washed and loaded at the restaurant under sanitary conditions as the food is made, closed and sealed for transport to the machine, and installed within the machine, thereby eliminating any intermediate handling of the food items. In a particular application the vending machine is configured to sell pizza by the splice. A local pizzeria can operate the machine in front of, or in the vicinity of, a restaurant as a convenience to customers. The pizza can be made at the pizzeria and loaded into trays which are filled and stacked and loaded into the cartridge, and optionally may include one or more intermediate cooling/refrigeration steps. The cartridge is transported in a closed condition to the machine, where it is loaded and the access door opened to allow the food handler access to the interior of the cartridge through the opening. When a user/customer initiates a transaction, the food handler moves to access the cartridge to retrieve the selected slice of pizza, moves the pizza from the cartridge to the conveyor oven, plates the pizza, and then delivers the cooked/heated slice to the delivery chute.