Abstract:
A topping dispenser includes a refrigerated cabinet for storing one or more toppings therein. An automated dispense mechanism operates to dispense predetermined amounts of the topping from the cabinet, using a weighing system to measure the appropriate amount.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/487,942 filed on May 19, 2011 and entitled TOPPING DISPENSER, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Toppings such as crushed candies can be added to various food products. One typical example is an ice cream product made by adding one or more toppings to the ice cream and then blending the topping into the ice cream. Several examples of such toppings include cookie dough pieces, brownie pieces, cheesecake pieces, and crushed candies distributed under trade names such as Snickers, M&amp;Ms, Reese&#39;s pieces, Reese&#39;s peanut butter cup, and Heath bar. Such toppings may include pieces of various sizes, from small dust-sized particles to pieces having a width of 0.5 inches or more. Improved dispensing of such toppings is desired. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    In general terms, this disclosure is directed to an automated dispenser of toppings. In one possible configuration and by non-limiting example, the dispenser includes a refrigerated cabinet that stores one or more toppings until the toppings are dispensed. 
         [0004]    One aspect is a dispenser comprising: a refrigerated cabinet arranged and configured to store at least one topping therein; at least one input device; and an automated dispensing mechanism operable to dispense the topping from the refrigerated cabinet upon receipt of an input with the input device. 
         [0005]    Another aspect is a dispenser comprising: a refrigerated cabinet including a dispense opening; at least one hopper defining an internal volume for storing a food product therein, the hopper being entirely contained within the cabinet; and a dispense mechanism operable to dispense a portion of the food product through the dispense opening. 
         [0006]    A further aspect is a method of dispensing a food product, the method comprising: receiving an input from an operator; and automatically dispensing a predetermined amount of a substantially solid food product from a bulk volume of the food product in the refrigerated cabinet through a dispense opening of the refrigerated cabinet after receipt of the input. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of an example topping dispenser. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is another isometric view of the dispenser shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a front view of the dispenser shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a side cross-sectional view of the dispenser shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is another isometric view of the dispenser shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a portion of the dispenser shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is a front view of an example control panel of the dispenser shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    Various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts and assemblies throughout the several views. Reference to various embodiments does not limit the scope of the claims attached hereto. Additionally, any examples set forth in this specification are not intended to be limiting and merely set forth some of the many possible embodiments for the appended claims. 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of an example topping dispenser  100 . In this example, the topping dispenser  100  includes a cabinet  102 , dispense region  104 , cups  106 , weighing rack  108 , and control panel  110 . 
         [0016]    Toppings to be dispensed are stored within cabinet  102 . In some embodiments, the cabinet  102  is a refrigerated cabinet that cools the interior of the cabinet relative to the ambient environment. In some embodiments, the interior of cabinet  102  is maintained at a temperature that prevents thawing of the toppings contained therein. For example, in some embodiments the cabinet maintains an interior temperature of less than 32 degrees F., and in some embodiments the temperature is maintained below 0 degrees F. 
         [0017]    A dispense region  104  is provided below the cabinet  102 . One or more cups are provided in the dispense region  104  to collect toppings as they are dispensed from the cabinet  102 . 
         [0018]    A weighing rack  108  is provided in the dispense region in some embodiments to weigh the toppings as they are dispensed into the cups  106 . The cups  106  are supported by the weighing rack  108 , such that the weighing rack can monitor changes in weight caused by toppings being dispensed into the cups  106 . Dispensing ceases when the appropriate amount of topping has been dispensed into the cup  106 . The cup  106  can then be removed by an operator and the toppings contained in the cup  106  can be applied to a food product. 
         [0019]    A control panel  110  is provided in some embodiments to receive inputs from an operator. In this example, the control panel  110  includes a plurality of buttons that control the dispensing of food products. For example, in some embodiments each dispense unit includes one or more buttons that control the dispensing of the respective topping. Some embodiments include multiple buttons for each dispense unit, where each button is associated with an amount of topping to be dispensed (e.g., an appropriate amount of topping for mini, small, medium, and large sized food products). In some embodiments, each button is associated with a weight of food product to be dispensed (e.g., 1 oz, 2 oz, 3 oz, etc.). 
         [0020]      FIG. 2  is another isometric view of the example dispenser  100 .  FIG. 3  is a front view of the example dispenser  100 . A door of the cabinet  102  is removed to show the interior  120  of the cabinet and dispense units  122 . 
         [0021]    Dispenser  100  includes one or more dispense units. In some embodiments multiple dispense units  122  are included, such as in a range from 2 to 10, and in some embodiments from about 4 to about 6. The specific example depicted in  FIG. 2  includes five dispense units  122  (including  122   a - e ). 
         [0022]    Each dispense unit  122  includes a hopper  124  having an internal volume configured to store one or more toppings therein. 
         [0023]    The cabinet  102  includes a floor  126 , and each dispense unit  122  includes a separate dispense opening  128  that extends through the floor  126  to permit toppings to be dispensed therethrough. 
         [0024]    The dispense region  104  is positioned directly below the dispense openings  128  and configured so that cups  106  can be positioned directly vertically below the dispense openings  128  to receive and collect the toppings. 
         [0025]    Separate dispense units  122  are provided for each topping, in some embodiments. This provides several potential advantages. One potential advantage is that it reduces the possibility of mixing of toppings. Another potential advantage is that it prevents or reduces the chance of cross contamination of ingredients, such as to prevent a potentially allergenic ingredient (e.g., peanuts) from being introduced into a topping that does not typically include that ingredient. A further potential advantage is to reduce the mixing of smells and flavors between toppings. 
         [0026]      FIG. 4  is a side cross-sectional view of dispenser  100  shown at cross section B-B depicted in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0027]    In this example, the dispenser  100  includes a housing that includes several distinct regions, including the cabinet  102 , rear compartment  202 , and lower compartment  204 . 
         [0028]    The cabinet  102  includes a door  210  and surrounding walls (side walls  212 , rear wall  214 , upper wall  216 , and floor  126 ) that collectively define boundaries of the interior  120 . 
         [0029]    In some embodiments, cabinet  102  is a refrigerated cabinet. One example of a refrigerated cabinet is a cold wall system. In this example the cabinet  102  includes coils  218  within one or more walls of the cabinet, such as within side walls  212 , rear wall  214 , and upper wall  216 . A refrigerant flows through the coils that cools the interior  120  of cabinet  102 . The coils  218  are in fluid communication with a condensing unit, such as shown in  FIGS. 5-6 . 
         [0030]    Some embodiments do not include coils  218  within walls of cabinet  102 . For example, in some embodiments the refrigerated cabinet includes a forced air system that utilizes a fan to blow cold air into the cabinet  102  for cooling. 
         [0031]    Hoppers  124  (including hopper  124   b ) are entirely contained within the interior  120  of the cabinet during normal use of the dispenser  100 , but can be removed for refilling once the topping  220  has been completely dispensed. Toppings  220  are stored within an interior volume  222  of the hopper  124 . In this example, hopper includes front wall  224 , rear wall  226 , side walls  228  and  230  ( FIG. 3 ), output compartment  232 , and removable lid  234 . Interior volume  222  is defined by inner surfaces of walls  224 ,  226 ,  228 ,  230 , and output compartment  232 . In one example embodiment, the interior volume  222  is large enough to hold a five pound bag of a topping  220 . Other volumes are used in other embodiments. 
         [0032]    In some embodiments, front wall  224  is sloped relative to a vertical line. For example, an angle A 1  is in a range from about 10 degrees to about 20 degrees from vertical. The sloped front wall  224  cooperates with gravity to guide toppings  220  toward a dispense mechanism  250 . In some embodiments, a lower edge of front wall  224  forms a knife point  240 . The knife point  240  cuts through and redirects any toppings that are pressed against the lower edge of front wall  224  by the dispense mechanism  250  to prevent or reduce the chance of toppings getting trapped at this intersection. 
         [0033]    In some embodiments, rear wall  226  is sloped relative to a vertical line to form a reverse draft angle. In this example, an upper portion of the rear wall  226  is arranged forward of the lower portion. For example, an angle A 2  is in a range from about 1 degree to about 10 degrees from a vertical line. This reverse draft angle reduces the chance of the topping  220  bridging over the dispense mechanism, because the rear wall does not provide any upward force to support such a bridge. 
         [0034]    The dispensing of topping  220  from hopper  124  is performed by a dispense mechanism  250 . In some embodiments, each dispense unit  122  (including  122   a,    122   b ,  122   c,    122   d,  and  122   e ) has its own dispense mechanism  250 . In this example, dispense mechanism  250  includes a drive unit  252 , an auger  254 , and a dispense opening  256 . 
         [0035]    The drive unit  252  is a prime mover, such as an electric motor. An example of a drive unit  252  is a 24 volt brushless gearmotor. The drive unit  252  is positioned within rear compartment  202 , and has a shaft  258  that extends through rear wall  214  of cabinet  102 . The shaft  258  has a distal end that engages with auger  254  when hopper  124  is within cabinet  102 . In an example embodiment, the distal end of shaft  258  has a tapered shape with a triangular cross-section. This shape permits the hopper  124  to be easily engaged with the shaft  258 , without the hopper  124  and shaft  258  having to be precisely aligned. The mating end of auger  254  has a mating shape to receive the end of shaft  258 . 
         [0036]    The auger  254  includes an axle  260  and protruding flighting  262 . The flighting  262  has a helical shape that extends from the axle  260 . The axle  260  defines an axis of rotation, about which the flighting  262  is rotated by the drive unit  252 . Rotation of the auger  254  forces some of the topping  220  forward until it reaches dispense opening  256  where it is dispensed through dispense opening  128  and into cup  106 . 
         [0037]    A hopper plug  264  is provided at the forward end of output compartment  232 . The hopper plug  264  includes a handle at the end and a cylindrical portion that extends rearward. The cylindrical portion includes the opening  256 . When the handle is in a dispense position, the opening  256  is positioned to permit topping  220  to pass therethrough. When the handle is rotated to the closed position, the opening  256  is covered by part of the cylindrical portion which prevents topping  220  from passing therethrough. In addition, the hopper plug  265  also includes a protruding tab, which when the handle is rotated to the closed position, is engaged by a latch to secure hopper  124  to floor  126  of cabinet  102 . 
         [0038]    When hopper  124  needs to be refilled, the door  210  of cabinet  102  is opened, and the handle of hopper plug  264  is rotated to release the hopper  124  from floor  126 , and to cover opening  256 . The lid  234  of hopper is removed and bulk topping  220  is loaded into the interior volume  222 . The lid  234  is then replaced and hopper  124  is replaced into cabinet  102 . Once properly positioned, hopper plug  264  is rotated to the dispense position, and door  210  is closed. 
         [0039]      FIG. 5  is another isometric view of the example dispenser  100 . Several panels are removed to illustrate the contents of rear compartment  202  and lower compartment  204 . 
         [0040]    In some embodiments, the rear compartment  202  houses portions of the dispense mechanisms  250 , including the drive units  252 . Additional electronics can be housed within rear compartment  202 , such as a control system  208  and power supply  282 . The lower compartment  204  houses condenser unit  284 . Other arrangements are possible. 
         [0041]    A power cord  286  extends from dispenser  100  that can be connected to a wall receptacle to receive power, such as from a power grid. The power may be in the form of 115V AC power, or 230V AC power, for example. A power switch  288  can be selectively actuated to turn the dispenser on and off. Power received through the power cord  286  is provided to power supply  282 , which can transform the power into one or more desired forms. For example, in some embodiments drive units  252  may require a power source of 24 volts DC, while control system  280  may require a power source of 12 volts DC. Power is supplied to the electrical components from power supply  282  by conductors, not shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0042]    The control system  280  operates to control the overall operation of dispenser  100 . In some embodiments, control system  280  includes one or more processing devices, and at least one data storage device. Data instructions can be stored in the data storage device, and can be executed by the one or more processing devices to cause the one or more processing devices to perform the operations, methods, or functions disclosed herein. For example, the control system  280  operates to control dispense mechanisms  250  and condenser unit  284 . In addition, control system  280  receives input from an operator through the control panel  110 , as discussed in more detail with reference to  FIG. 7 , and upon receipt of the input, causes the dispenser  100  to dispense one or more appropriate toppings, by activating the appropriate one or more dispense mechanisms  250 . The control system  280  also receives feedback from the weighing system  320 , as discussed in more detail with reference to  FIG. 6 . 
         [0043]      FIG. 6  is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a portion of dispenser  100 , depicting the dispense region  104  and the lower compartment  204  is greater detail. 
         [0044]    The lower compartment  204  is defined by a housing that includes an upper wall  302 , rear wall  304 , base  306 , forward wall  308 , lower dispense region wall  310 , rear dispense region wall  312 , side wall  314 , and side wall  316  (not shown in  FIG. 6 ). In some embodiments, the upper wall  302  includes an opening between the lower compartment  204  and the rear compartment  202  for the passage of cables and conduits. 
         [0045]    In this example, the lower compartment  204  houses condenser unit  284 , control panel electronics  318 , and portions of weighing system  320 . 
         [0046]    The condensing unit  284  includes, for example, a compressor  322  and condenser  324 . A conduit supplies refrigerant from the condenser  324 , through an expansion valve, and to the coils  218  of cabinet  102  ( FIG. 4 ). Another conduit returns refrigerant from the coils  218  to the compressor  322 . Alternatively, a forced air system is used. 
         [0047]    Control panel electronics  318  are housed on the interior surface of forward wall  308  in some embodiments, adjacent to control panel  110 . The electronics cooperate with the control panel to receive input from an operator. In some embodiments, the control panel  110  includes one or more displays, such to show the current temperature within cabinet  102 , to show what topping is currently being dispensed, and to indicate when one or more of the toppings have been fully dispensed from the hoppers  124  and need to be refilled. The control panel electronics  318  are electrically coupled to control system  280 . 
         [0048]    An example of the weighing system  320  includes weighing rack  108 , arm  328 , and weighing device  330 . 
         [0049]    The weighing rack  108  is a plate that extends across dispense region  104 . In some embodiments, drip tray  332  is arranged on top of weighing rack. The drip tray  332  includes recesses formed in an upper surface, which are sized to receive bottom ends of cups  106 . The recesses guide cups  106  to the proper location on drip tray  332  so that they are properly aligned with dispense opening  128 . In some embodiments the drip tray  332  is removable for washing. Further, in some embodiments the drip tray  332  can also be positioned to cover openings  128  when the dispenser  100  is not in use. In order to do so, cups  106  are first removed from dispense region  104 . The drip tray  332  is then removed from weighing rack  108 , and can be cleaned. The drip tray  332  is then turned upside down and inserted directly below and adjacent to openings  128 . Support brackets  334  (see also,  FIG. 2 ) arranged at each end of dispense region  104  receive ends of the drip tray  332  to hold the drip tray  332  adjacent to openings  128 . In this way, the drip tray substantially closes off openings  128 . This helps to reduce the amount of ambient air and moisture that enters interior  120  of cabinet  102  when dispenser  100  is not in use, and reduces undesired heat flow through opening  128 . 
         [0050]    Arm  328  supports weighing rack  108  at a position slightly elevated from lower dispense region wall  310 , and couples the weighing rack  108  to weighing device  330 . In this example, the arm  328  is formed of a sheet of material, and bent to form two right angles. The arm  328  extends through an opening in rear dispense region wall  312  and is coupled to weighing device  330 . 
         [0051]    Weighing device  330  is coupled to upper wall  302  and operates to detect a force applied to weighing rack  108  through arm  328 . One example of weighing device  330  is a load cell. Other weighing devices can also be used, such as a strain gauge, a spring potentiometer, etc. Another example of a weighing device is a piezoresistive force sensor, in which resistance is inversely proportional to applied force, such as the FlexiForce® sensors available from Tekscan, Inc. of Boston, Mass. Specific examples of weighing device  330  include the model numbers A 201  or A 401  FlexiForce® sensors. The weighing device  330  can be positioned within the cabinet as shown, or can be positioned in the dispense region  104 , such as directly below one or more of cups  106 . 
         [0052]    The output of the weighing device  330  is provided to control system  280 . The weighing device  330  is used by the control system to determine when an appropriate amount of a topping has been dispensed. For example, dispensing continues until  2  oz. of the topping have been dispensed. The weighing system  320  permits portions to be carefully measured and controlled, so that the appropriate amount of topping is dispensed each time. This helps to provide consistent food products that contain a substantially similar amount of the topping, while also reducing waste that occurs if too much of a topping is regularly dispensed. 
         [0053]    In some embodiments, the weighing system  320  recalibrates itself each time dispensing is requested. In other words, before dispensing food product, the weighing system  320  sets a current weight to be the “zero” weight, and then proceeds to dispense food product until the appropriate weight has been dispensed (e.g., by subtracting the zero weight from the measured weight). This reduces variability that may otherwise result from food product being spilled onto weighing rack  108 , or other changes in the weight of the weighing rack  108 . 
         [0054]    In some embodiments, weighing system  320  includes multiple weighing devices, such as a separate weighing device for each dispense unit. Similarly, separate weighing racks can be used for each dispense unit, if desired. 
         [0055]      FIG. 7  is a front view of an example control panel  110 . In this example, the control panel  110  is divided into a separate set of controls for each dispense unit  122  ( FIGS. 2-3 ). These dispense unit controls  340   a - e  are provided to receive input to operate one of the dispense units  122 . For example, dispense unit controls  340   a  are provided to operate dispense unit  122   a  ( FIGS. 2-3 ). Similarly, dispense unit control  340   b  operates dispense unit  122   b,  and so on. 
         [0056]    In this example, dispense unit controls  340  each include a plurality of selectable controls, including buttons  342 ,  344 ,  346 , and  348 . Each button is associated with a different amount of topping to be dispensed. In some embodiments, the amount is based on a size of a food product, such as a mini size ( 342 ), small size ( 344 ), medium size ( 346 ), and large size ( 348 ) of the food product. The dispenser  100  can be programmed to provide a predetermined amount of the product upon selection of each button. In some embodiments, the dispenser  100  is programmed to dispense a certain weight for each size of each food product. As one example, the dispenser  100  dispenses 1 oz. of topping with dispensing unit  122   a  upon selection of button  342 , 2 oz. of topping upon selection of button  344 , 3 oz. of topping upon selection of button  346 , and 4 oz. of topping upon selection of button  346 . Other embodiments are programmed to other weights. The dispenser can be separately programmed for each type of topping, and for each button of each of the dispense unit controls  340 , as desired. For example, it may be desirable to dispense a greater weight of a topping having a greater density and a lesser weight of a topping having a lower density for the same size food product. 
         [0057]    In some embodiments, the buttons  342 ,  344 ,  346 , and  348  include a selection indicator  350 , such as a light emitting diode, that illuminates upon selection to show that the topping associated with the selected size of food product is currently being dispensed into the respective cup  106  ( FIG. 1 ). In some embodiments, all of the selection indicators  350  of a group of dispensing unit controls flash when a topping has been fully dispensed and the associated hopper needs to be refilled. An audible alert is also generated in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the dispenser  100  determines that a topping has been fully dispensed when a predetermined period of time has elapsed during a dispense cycle without any substantial change in weight being detected by weighing system  320 . An example of a suitable period of time is four seconds. 
         [0058]    The various embodiments described above are provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the claims attached hereto. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modifications and changes that may be made without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described herein, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the following claims.