Patent ID: 8863985

Claim:
An ice supply system, comprising: an ice transport system; a volumetric feeder coupled with the ice transport system and adapted to receive a preset volume of ice therein and to deliver the preset volume of ice to an ice output system, the volumetric feeder, comprising: an inlet ice transport conduit including an inlet coupled with the ice transport system and an outlet, an inlet gate valve disposed in the inlet ice transport conduit, a volumetric chamber including an inlet coupled with the outlet of the inlet ice transport conduit and an outlet, an outlet ice transport conduit including an inlet coupled with the outlet of the volumetric chamber and an outlet coupled with the ice output system, an outlet gate valve disposed in the outlet ice transport conduit, and a sensor disposed in the inlet ice transport conduit, wherein the sensor measures the volume of ice in the volumetric feeder and outputs a signal indicating when the volumetric feeder has received the preset volume of ice therein; and an ice delivery controller coupled with the ice transport system, the volumetric feeder, and the ice output system, wherein the ice delivery controller: receives ice requests from the ice output system, controls the delivery of ice from the ice transport system to the volumetric feeder in response to ice requests, closes the outlet gate valve and opens the inlet gate valve in response to ice requests such that the volumetric chamber receives the preset volume of ice therein, and closes the inlet gate valve and opens the outlet gate valve once the sensor outputs a signal indicating the volumetric chamber has received the preset volume of ice therein such that the volumetric chamber delivers to the ice output system.