COMMERCIAL FROZEN FOOD PREPARATION APPARATUS ELECTRONICS
First Claim
1. A food preparation apparatus, comprising:
- an enclosed food preparation chamber;
a carriage comprising a cup holder;
a motor that elevates the carriage and a cup within the cup holder into the preparation chamber from a starting position and returns the carriage and cup to the starting position; and
a cup sensing beam utilized to detect the presence of the cup within the cup holder, the apparatus configured to elevate the carriage and cup only if a cup is detected by the cup sensing beam.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A machine prepares semi frozen food products and/or beverages from pre-prepared (e.g. frozen) cups. A user chooses the desired frozen cup, inserts it into the machine, chooses how they would like it prepared from a range of thickness options, and the machine then opens a sealed chamber door and inserts the product upward into the chamber and prepares the product by blending it in the cup. Upon removal of the product and resealing of the chamber door, the cleaning mechanisms provide thorough cleaning of all food contact surfaces and the chamber interior. Automatic high temperature steam sanitation takes place in the chamber if the machine is not used for an extended period of time, thus greatly reducing or eliminating the need for manual cleansing and sanitation by an attendant and ensuring healthy food preparation at all times.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A food preparation apparatus, comprising:
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an enclosed food preparation chamber; a carriage comprising a cup holder; a motor that elevates the carriage and a cup within the cup holder into the preparation chamber from a starting position and returns the carriage and cup to the starting position; and a cup sensing beam utilized to detect the presence of the cup within the cup holder, the apparatus configured to elevate the carriage and cup only if a cup is detected by the cup sensing beam. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A food preparation apparatus, comprising:
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a food preparation chamber; a carriage comprising a cup holder; a motor that elevates the carriage and a cup within the cup holder into the preparation chamber from a starting position and returns the carriage and cup to the starting position, the apparatus configured to maintain the carriage at the starting position outside of the chamber when awaiting a cup to be placed in the cup holder by a user of the apparatus; and a system that senses the size of a cup that is placed within the cup holder by the user, the system comprising; a position encoder, and one or more cup size sensors, wherein the cup size is determined by referencing the position of the motor to determine a corresponding position of the carriage, and wherein the carriage position is referenced in conjunction with the time when a cup size sensor is tripped to determine the cup size. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A food preparation apparatus, comprising:
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a food preparation chamber; a carriage comprising a cup holder; a motor that elevates the carriage and a cup within the cup holder into the chamber from a starting position and returns the carriage and cup to the starting position; a mechanism that opens the door of the chamber as the carriage is elevated and the cup is placed within the chamber and closes the door as the carriage is lowered to the starting position; a microprocessor; and a telecommunications transceiver, the apparatus configured to transmit information regarding operation of the apparatus to a remote entity via the telecommunications transceiver. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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- 22. The food preparation apparatus of claim 20, wherein the food preparation apparatus is configured to allow the remote entity to disable the apparatus if certain product parameters or quantities are outside of expected or contracted ranges.
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22-1. A food preparation apparatus, comprising:
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a chamber comprising a door at a lower portion of the chamber, the door sealing the door to the chamber when the door is in a closed position; a carriage comprising a cup holder; a motor that elevates the carriage and a cup within the cup holder into the chamber from a starting position and returns the carriage and cup to the starting position; and a flow meter coupled to a pump, the apparatus configured to measure an amount of liquid passed through the flow meter.
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Specification