Ice-making machinery with lockout and method
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of leasing an ice-making machine to a customer comprising:
- entering into a lease agreement with said customer wherein said customer has use of said ice-making machine during a term of said lease agreement; and
sending a message to said ice-making machine that disables said ice-making machine from making ice in the event of an occurrence of a lockout event.
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Abstract
An ice-making machine and method that control the ability of an ice-making machine to make ice in response to the occurrence of lockout events, which may be due to part malfunction, power load maintenance, failure to make lease payments and other concerns. Upon the occurrence of a lockout event, a message is sent from a remote site and received by a receiver associated with the ice-making machine. The message includes a lockout command that is transferred to a controller of the ice-making machine. The controller then disables the ice-making machine from making ice.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method of leasing an ice-making machine to a customer comprising:
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entering into a lease agreement with said customer wherein said customer has use of said ice-making machine during a term of said lease agreement; and
sending a message to said ice-making machine that disables said ice-making machine from making ice in the event of an occurrence of a lockout event. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An ice-making machine comprising:
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an ice-making assembly;
a receiver; and
a controller that controls said ice-making assembly to make ice and that is responsive to a message from a remote sender received by said receiver to disable said ice-making assembly from making ice. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of controlling an ice-making machine that comprises a controller and an ice-making assembly, said method comprising:
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receiving a message from a remote sender that comprises a lockout command; and
transferring said message to said controller, and wherein said controller responds to said lockout command to disable said ice-making assembly from making ice. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
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Specification