Abstract:
A product dispensing apparatus includes a first drawer assembly including a first drawer containing a first product; and one or more refrigerated cylinders that is operable to receive the first product; where the first drawer is selectively movable from a first position to a second position, the second position extending outwards and away from the first position.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to an apparatus for dispensing shakes or soft serve products, and more particularly, to an apparatus having one or more drawer assemblies or cabinet with racks for holding refrigerated and/or non-refrigerated dairy mixes, syrups, and flavorings while providing easy access to the mixes, syrups, and flavorings during replenishment of the one or more drawer assemblies. 
     DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
     Soft serve frozen confections are widely used in the food industry and have a broad customer appeal. Although ice creams are the most widely known product dispensed in a soft serve form, an expanding market based for alternative frozen confections like yogurts also exists. A soft serve frozen confection is dispensed as a blended product from a refrigerated or non-refrigerated mix and one or more syrups through extrusion of the product into an edible cone or other suitable container. The soft serve frozen confection is generally intended for immediate consumption. 
     Typically, a soft-serve product dispensing machine houses a lower portion for storage of syrups, while an upper portion includes two large refrigerated hoppers for holding liquid dairy mix. Generally, the hoppers are accessed from a top surface of the machine, which is, typically, around 5 feet off the ground. In order to produce the soft-serve product, the syrups and liquid dairy mixes are blended together in a mixer with air and under an appropriate temperature. The liquid dairy mix is typically supplied in 2.5-gallon containers, which weighs around 18 pounds (around 8.2 Kilogram). To replenish the supply of dairy mix in the refrigerated hoppers, a user must lift the heavy dairy mix above his head and into the hopper access point on the top surface. Due to location of the access point, a user may blindly pour the mix in the general vicinity of the opening, which usually results in over filling or spillage. As a result, the user has to expend additional time and effort to clean any product that has spilled around the dispensing machine beyond what is required to fill the machine with dairy mix. Also, the hopper openings are susceptible to contamination such as, for example, dust from the environment if the hopper covers are not in place over the hopper openings. In view of these limitations, the soft-serve product dispensing machine is not ergonomically efficient to the user. Improvements in a shake or a soft-serve product dispensing machine would be well received in the art. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     According to one aspect of the invention, a product dispensing apparatus, includes a first drawer assembly including a first drawer containing a first product; and one or more refrigerated cylinders that is operable to receive the first product; wherein the first drawer is selectively movable from a first position to a second position, the second position extending outwards and away from the first position. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, a method of dispensing a product, includes providing a first drawer assembly including a first drawer containing a first product; and providing one or more refrigerated cylinders that is operable to receive the first product; and providing at least one dispensing station fluidly coupled to the one or more refrigerated cylinders, the one or more refrigerated cylinders operable to dispense at least the first product; wherein the first drawer is selectively movable from a first position to a second position, the second position extending outwards and away from the first position 
     According to another aspect of the invention, a method of operating a product dispensing apparatus includes opening a first drawer from a first position to a second position, the second position extending outwards and away from the first position; placing a first product in the drawer; coupling the first product to a refrigerated cylinder of the product dispensing apparatus, the refrigerated cylinder operable to receive the first product; and moving the first drawer to the first position. 
     Other aspects, features, and techniques of the invention will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike in the several FIGURES: 
         FIG. 1  depicts a front perspective view of product dispensing machine showing the selectively extendable drawer assemblies according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  depicts a perspective view of the soft-serve product dispensing machine of  FIG. 1  with the drawer assemblies in an extended position according to another embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3A  depicts a perspective view of a soft-serve product dispensing machine with a cabinet according to another embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 3B  depicts a perspective view of the cabinet with racks shown in  FIG. 3A  according to another embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments of a soft-serve product dispensing machine include a housing having at least one refrigeration system and one or more drawer assemblies for holding refrigerated and non-refrigerated products such as mixes, syrups, or flavorings. In embodiments, the drawer assemblies may be horizontally oriented one above the other, vertically oriented in a side-by-side configuration, or positioned as two or more drawers in a side-by-side configuration that are oriented horizontally. In an embodiment, an upper drawer assembly is located in close proximity to a refrigeration system that cools or refrigerates the contents of the upper drawer assembly. Additionally, the product dispensing machine may contain pumps coupled to one or more refrigerated cylinders for selectively cooling the mixes or syrups located within one or more of the drawer assemblies. In an embodiment, the upper drawer assembly resides at an ergonomic above the floor so that the user does not have to bend or extend his body substantially beyond a normal standing position when placing a new mix bag or container into the upper drawer assembly. In another embodiment, a cabinet including a plurality of racks contained therein may be provided for receiving one or more products. 
     Referring now to the drawings,  FIG. 1  depicts a front perspective view of a soft-serve product dispensing machine  100  including a refrigeration system and one or more selectively extendable drawer assemblies according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown, the product dispensing assembly  100  is adapted to sit on a floor of a food service establishment, and may have casters  105  to facilitate its movement on the floor. The product dispensing machine  100  includes a housing  110  housing one or more refrigeration systems (shown in  FIG. 2 ). The housing  110  includes, in one embodiment, a top wall  115 , a bottom wall (not shown), two substantially similar sidewalls  120 , a front wall  150 , and a rear wall (not shown). The one or more refrigeration systems (shown in  FIG. 2 ) can be energized by a power source for cooling or refrigerating an interior cavity defined by the housing  110  and any contents housed within. In some non-limiting examples, the one or more refrigeration systems (shown in  FIG. 2 ) may be energized by an AC supply, DC supply, battery, fuel cell, AC or DC generator, solar power, or the like. 
     Further, housing  110  includes one or more drawer assemblies. In one non-limiting embodiment, the housing  110  is shown with an upper drawer assembly  125  and a lower drawer assembly  130  that may be accessible from the front wall  150 . In another embodiment, the respective upper and lower drawer assemblies  125 ,  130  may be accessible from a rear wall that is diametrically opposite front wall  150 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the drawer assemblies  125 ,  130  are horizontally oriented across the width of the housing  110  with the upper drawer assembly  125  being located above the lower drawer assembly  130 . In other non-limiting embodiments, the housing  110  may include side-by-side horizontally oriented drawers that are substantially similar to upper drawer assembly  125  in lieu of providing a single upper drawer assembly  125 , two or more side-by-side horizontally oriented drawers that are substantially similar to lower drawer assembly  130  in lieu of providing a single lower drawer assembly  130 , two or more side-by-side vertical drawers that span substantially the length of the housing  110 , or a combination of horizontal and vertically oriented drawers. In an example, the vertical drawers may each include rods that may be positioned either horizontally or at various angles in order to facilitate syrup or mix evacuation. The rods receive hooks that are attached to the refrigerated and/or non-refrigerated syrups and mixes and facilitate product evacuation either vertically or at an angle. It is to be appreciated that the upper and lower drawer assemblies  125 ,  130  may contain refrigerated and/or non-refrigerated mixes and syrups, which are stored in convenient bags. But, in other embodiments, the mixes and syrups may be contained in jugs, cartons, reusable vessels, cans, or the like without departing from the scope of the invention. In other non-limiting examples, the machine  100  may also be used for dispensing iced beverages, juice products, frozen carbonated and/or non-carbonated beverages, or the like from bags or containers that are housed within housing  110 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the upper drawer assembly  125  resides above the lower drawer assembly  130 . Also, the upper and lower drawer assemblies  125 ,  130  reside within an interior cavity of the housing  110  and may be extendable outwards (i.e., away from front wall  150 ). In one embodiment, the upper drawer assembly  125  sits at a height of about 45 inches above the ground. This height above the ground resides between the knees and shoulders of a user, which is typically referred to as the “power zone” for lifting and the “safety zone” for push/pull motions. As such, the upper drawer assembly  125  is at an ergonomic height above the floor and the user does not have to bend or extend his body substantially beyond his normal standing position when placing a new mix bag into the upper drawer assembly  125 . Also shown, in an embodiment, the upper drawer assembly  125  may be coupled to an interior cavity of the housing  110  through a plurality of substantially similar rails  205 ,  210  (shown in  FIG. 2 ). The rails  205 ,  210  facilitate selectively extending the upper drawer assembly  125  from a closed position (not shown) to a fully extended position (as shown in  FIG. 1 ). In other non-limiting embodiments, the upper drawer assembly  125  may include slots that guide/slide over complementary shaped grooves in the housing  110 , thereby facilitating selectively extending or retracting the upper drawer assembly  125 . Also, lower drawer assembly  130  sits at a height of about 24 inches above the ground and is coupled to the interior cavity of the housing  110  through a plurality of substantially similar rails  250 ,  255  (shown in  FIG. 2 ). In another non-limiting embodiment, the lower drawer assembly  130  may include slots that guide/slide over complementary shaped grooves, thereby facilitating selectively extending or retracting the lower drawer assembly  130 . In other embodiments, the upper and lower drawer assemblies  125 ,  130  may be provided at various heights with respect to the position from the floor without departing from the scope of the invention. The rails  250 ,  255  facilitate selectively extending the lower drawer assembly  130  from a closed position (not shown) to a fully extended position. It is to be appreciated that drawer assemblies  125 ,  130  can be positioned at an ergonomic height, thereby facilitating ease of access to the supplies and dairy mixes that are stored in the drawer assemblies  125 ,  130 . 
     Also shown in  FIG. 1 , product dispensing machine  100  includes a plurality of dispensing stations  135 ,  140  at an upper front center of the housing  110  for use in dispensing, in some examples, iced beverages, shakes, or soft-serve products to customers. In an embodiment, the product dispensing machine  100  includes a refrigeration system (not shown) contained within the cavity of the housing  110 . The refrigeration system is utilized for keeping the contents of one or more of the drawer assemblies  125 ,  130  refrigerated, but, in another embodiment, the refrigeration system may be de-energized if the contents of one or more of the drawer assemblies  125 ,  130  are to non-refrigerated. This includes holding the refrigerated and/or non-refrigerated mixes and syrups and the products dispensed from dispensing stations  135 ,  140  at the user defined temperature. An additional refrigeration system dedicated for keeping the one or more refrigeration cylinders  235 ,  240  ( FIG. 2 ) cold may also be provided in another embodiment. In addition, the refrigeration system provides supplemental heat from, in one embodiment, a condenser of the refrigeration system for heating food toppings such as, for example, chocolate or chocolate syrup that are provided in a plurality of substantially similar condiment jars  145 . In some embodiments, the refrigeration system can include a roll-bond evaporator, forced air, cold wall conduction, or similar methods. In the non-limiting example shown in  FIG. 2 , the refrigeration system is depicted with a refrigerant coil  215  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) such as, for example, a roll bond evaporator that is provided inside housing  110  for maintaining a cold temperature (for example,  41  degrees Fahrenheit or lower) inside upper drawer assembly  125 . It should be appreciated that the selectively extendable drawer assemblies  125 ,  130 , which contain a plurality of mixes and syrups in convenient bags, may be extended outwards (i.e., away from the cavity contained within housing  110 ) and provide access to the contents of the drawer assemblies  125 ,  130  during refilling and cleaning. Also, selectively extending the drawer assemblies  125 ,  130  outwards also provides access, in another example, to the plurality of tubes that connect the refrigerated mixes and syrups, in the drawer assemblies  125 ,  130 , to the dispensing stations  135 .  140 . The product dispensing machine  100 , in one embodiment, may include a hose to connect the machine to a sanitizing station in order to transport hot water and sanitizer from the sanitizing station to each of the drawer assemblies  125 ,  130 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a front perspective view of the product dispensing machine  100  having the housing  110  housing the upper and lower drawer assemblies  125 ,  130  according to an embodiment of the invention. The upper drawer assembly  125  includes a drawer  202 , which may be selectively extended outwards or inwards by the plurality of rails  205 ,  210 . The drawer  202 , once extended outwards, provides ease of access to drawer cavity  220  containing supplies. The drawer  202  may be insulated along its bottom, rear, and side walls in order to maintain a temperature inside the cavity  220  of drawer  202  and/or minimize the loss of temperature from inside the cavity  220  during an unexpected loss of power to the product dispensing machine  100 . The cavity  220  may contain a plurality of products such as, for example, mixes, syrups, and/or flavorings. In one non-limiting example, the cavity  220  may contain a plurality of mix bags that remain refrigerated such as, for example refrigerated mix bags  225 ,  230  containing liquid dairy mix, but, in other non-limiting examples, drawer  202  may also contain refrigerated mixes in jugs, cartons, reusable vessels, cans, or the like. The selectively extendable upper drawer assembly  125  may be coupled to a pump (not shown) that connects tubing  227 ,  229  from the respective mix bags  225 ,  230  to refrigerated cylinders  235 ,  240 . The upper drawer assembly  125  may be in close proximity or near the refrigerated cylinders  235 ,  240 . In an embodiment, any of the mix bags  225 ,  230  may be connected with the tubing  227 ,  229  to an internal vessel for further cooling or holding prior to going to the refrigerated cylinders  235 ,  240 . In some non-limiting embodiments, the upper drawer assembly  125  may be positioned higher than is shown in  FIG. 2  when a pump is not used to dispense contents from the mix bags  225 ,  230 . In an embodiment, additional mix bags that are substantially similar to bag  225  may be provided within cavity  220 . In an embodiment, the cavity  220  may be compartmentalized (i.e., divided into individual housing cavities) by providing a plurality of rectilinear walls (not shown) in order to partition the cavity  220 . Also, the upper drawer assembly  125  and its contents may be refrigerated through, in one embodiment, a roll bond evaporator  215  for cooling the cavity  220 . The roll bond evaporator  215  is located in proximity to the mix bags  225 ,  230  within the cavity  220  along the inside top surface of the housing  110 . In other non-limiting embodiments, the upper drawer assembly  125  may be refrigerated through ducts and a forced air evaporator, direct contact with refrigeration coils via a cold wall construction, or through thermo-electric cooling such as a solid-state active heat pump (also called a Peltier device) without departing from the scope of the invention. In one example, the drawer assembly  125  includes a gate portion  245  connected to the drawer  202  that may be selectively folded open (i.e., away from front wall  150  as shown in  FIG. 1 ) in order to access the cavity  220  or selectively closed towards front wall  150  ( FIG. 1 ) in order to prevent access to the cavity  220 . 
     Also, the lower drawer assembly  130  is shown having a drawer  204  that can be selectively extended outwards or inwards with a plurality of rails  250 ,  255 . In other non-limiting embodiments, guides, rods, or a standard box-in-box configuration without guides may be provided to selectively extend outwards and close the lower drawer assembly  130 . The drawer  204 , once extended outwards, provides ease of access to supplies located within. The drawer  204  may contain non-refrigerated products such as, for example, syrups and/or flavorings. In one non-limiting example, the drawer  204  may contain one or more non-refrigerated syrup bags such as, for example, syrup bags  260 ,  265 .  270  containing liquid syrup, but, in other embodiments, the drawer  204  may also contain syrups in jugs, cartons, reusable vessels, cans, or the like. The selectively extendable upper drawer assembly  125  may be coupled to a pump (not shown) that connects to tubing  262 ,  267 ,  272  from the respective syrup bags  260 ,  265 ,  270  but, in another non-limiting embodiment, a pump is not required to dispense syrup from the bags  260 ,  265 ,  270 . Extending drawer  204  outwards also provides access to a pump (not shown) and tubing  262 ,  267 ,  272  that connects, in one non-limiting example, the respective syrup bags  260 ,  265 ,  270  to refrigerated cylinders that cool the contents of the syrup bags  260 ,  265 ,  270 . In an embodiment, any of the syrup bags  260 ,  265 ,  270  may be connected with the tubing  262 ,  267 ,  272  to an internal vessel for further cooling or holding prior to going to the refrigerated cylinders  235 ,  240  for mixing with the mix bags  225 ,  230 . In an embodiment, the lower drawer assembly  125  may be positioned higher than is shown in  FIG. 2  when a pump is not used to dispense contents from the mix bags  225 ,  230 . Further, the drawer assembly  125  includes, in an embodiment, a gate portion  275  that attached to the drawer  204  and may be selectively folded open (i.e., away from front wall  150 ) in order to complement the ease of access to the cavity  280 . In an embodiment, additional mix bags may be provided within cavity  280 . Additionally, the cavity  280  may be compartmentalized by providing a plurality of rectilinear walls (not shown) in order to partition the cavity  280 . 
     Also shown in  FIG. 2 , product dispensing machine  100  includes refrigerated cylinders  235 ,  240  that are coupled to the dispensing stations  135 ,  140  ( FIG. 1 ). Each of the refrigerated cylinders  235 ,  240  includes a blended product that is made from at least one mix bag  225 ,  230  and at least one syrup bag  260 ,  265 , or  270  and refrigerated to form the soft-serve product. In an embodiment, the contents of one or more of the syrup bags  260 ,  265 ,  270  and the contents of one or more of the mix bags  225 ,  230  may be mixed inside the refrigerated cylinders  235 ,  240 . The refrigerated cylinders  235 ,  240  may be connected to a dedicated refrigeration system having, in one non-limiting example, an expansion valve, condenser, compressor, and evaporator circulating refrigerant and refrigerating the cylinders  235 ,  240 . Once blended and refrigerated, the soft-serve product within the cylinders  235 ,  240  is dispensed from the dispensing stations  135 ,  140  that are connected to the cylinders  235 ,  240 . The consistency of the soft-serve product is thicker than the individual liquid mix in mix bags  225 ,  230  or in syrup bags  260 ,  265 ,  270 , however, this consistency may be changed by adjusting a temperature of the refrigeration cylinders  235 ,  240 . It should be appreciated that each drawer assembly  125 ,  130  include respective pump rails having associated tubing configured for connecting the mix bags  225 ,  230  or syrup bags  260 ,  265 ,  270  to the refrigerated cylinders  235 ,  240 . 
     In operation and as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the selectively extendable upper and lower drawer assemblies  125 ,  130  ( FIG. 2 ) provide for ease of access to a user during refilling of the drawers  202 ,  204  as well as cleaning the plurality of tubes that connect the mix bags  225 ,  230  and syrup bags  260 ,  265 ,  270  within the product dispensing machine  100 . In one non-limiting example, a user would replenish a refrigerated mix bag such as, for example, mix bag  225  within the machine  100  by selectively opening upper drawer assembly  125  from a closed position and extend drawer  202  to an extended position. Once extended, the user may remove a tubing  227  from the refrigerated mix bag  225  and connect the tubing  227  to a filled mix bag that is similar to mix bag  225 . As the upper drawer assembly  125  is at an ergonomic height above the floor, the user does not have to bend or extend his body substantially beyond his normal standing position when placing a new mix bag into the upper drawer assembly  125 . Additionally, the ergonomic height of the upper drawer assembly  125  provides full visibility to the mix bag  225  allowing the user an easier interface with the mix bag  225  and fittings. The user would insert this tubing from the depleted mix bag into the new mix bag placed in the cavity  220  and close the upper drawer assembly  125 . It should be appreciated that the replenishment of a refrigerated mix bag  225  provides an adequate disclosure for the replenishment of an exemplary syrup bag  260  contained in drawer  204  of lower drawer assembly  130 . 
     In another embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 3A-3B , the product dispensing machine  300  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) may include a cabinet  305 , having one or more selectively extendable racks (or shelves), that may be used in lieu of one or both of the drawer assemblies  125 ,  130  ( FIG. 1 ) of machine  100  ( FIG. 1 ). Particularly, with reference to  FIG. 3B , machine  300  ( FIG. 3A ) includes a cabinet  305  that encloses an interior cavity  310  thereof. In an embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 3B , the cavity  310  may be refrigerated with a refrigeration system such as, for example, ducts having a forced air evaporator, direct contact with refrigeration coils via a cold wall construction, thermo-electric cooling such as a solid-state active heat pump (also called a Peltier device), or the like. But, in another embodiment, the cavity  310  may be non-refrigerated. In one non-limiting embodiment, the housing  305  includes one or more selectively extendable racks (or shelves). In the example shown in  FIG. 3B , the drawer assembly  300  includes three wire racks  315 ,  320 ,  325  that may be accessible by selectively opening the door  330 , but additional racks that are substantially similar to rack  315  may also be provided in other embodiments. In an embodiment, the cabinet  305  includes grooves that are provided in sides  340 . The grooves receive side edges of racks  315 ,  320 ,  325  and facilitate selectively extending racks  315 ,  320 ,  325  from cavity  310  or retracting racks  315 ,  320 ,  325  back into the cavity  310 . In an embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 3B , a door  330  may be coupled to the cabinet  305  with hinges (not shown) that attach to a vertical edge  335 . The door  330  pivots along the vertical edge  335  as it is selectively opened or closed. In another non-limiting embodiment, the door  330  may be coupled to the bottom edge  345  with hinges (not shown) that cause the door  330  to be selectively opened or closed as the door  330  pivots along the bottom edge  335 . In some non-limiting examples, the door  330  may include either a translucent glass face or a transparent glass face that facilitates viewing the contents of the racks  315 ,  320 ,  325  without having to open the door  330  or a solid face that prevents a user from viewing the contents of one or more of the racks  315 ,  320 ,  325  with the door  330  in a closed position (i.e., the edges of door  330  contact the front edges of the cabinet  305 ). 
     The technical effects and benefits of exemplary embodiments include a shake or a soft-serve product dispensing apparatus having a refrigerated drawer assembly for holding refrigerated mixes and a non-refrigerated drawer assembly for holding syrups. The drawer assemblies can be accessible from a front wall or a rear wall of the machine. The drawer assemblies may be selectively extendable from a closed position to a fully extended position that extends outwards from the front wall of the product dispensing machine. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. While the description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, it is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications, variations, alterations, substitutions, or equivalent arrangement not hereto described will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Additionally, while the various embodiment of the invention have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the invention may include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.