Self-service freezer chest with inventory monitoring means

• US 6,269,285 B1
• Filed: 11/14/1997
• Issued: 07/31/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yumi Ice Cream Company, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Daniel R. Mignault
• Inventors: Mignault, Daniel R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Christopher P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Butler, Michael E.
• Application Number:
  US08/970,299
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 221/150.R, 221/131, 221/123, 221/279, 312/2, 312/236, 312/312, 312/319.1, 312/61, 312/71, 622/46, 622/50, 623/37, 206/804, 206/45.16, 700/231, 700/236, 700/246, 700/240, 700/244
• US Class Current: 700/236
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/06 dispensing from top for spring-urged trays or plates B65G1/07
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/0439 Cases or cabinets of the open type A47F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/07 the upper article of a pile being always presented at the same predetermined level
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 25/04 by conveyors in general B65G
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0071 Food articles which need to be processed for dispensing in a cold condition, e.g. ice and ice cream
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 206/804 with means to lift or draw out content

Abstract

A freezer chest for storing and displaying frozen foods such as packaged ice cream products for sale to retail customers includes a modular storage bin in which a product stack plate is mounted on a helical support spring. Packaged ice cream products are loaded onto the product stack plate. The product stack plate, urged by the helical spring, advances the stack of frozen products to the top of the storage bin as products are removed by customers. A permanent magnet mounted on the product stack plate generates a magnetic field that couples with position sensors mounted in a vertical array along the storage bin. Each sensor produces an output signal in response to coupling alignment of the magnetic field with the sensor as the stack plate moves through the storage bin. The helical support spring extends the stack plate incrementally in proportion to the weight load removed as each packaged product is unloaded. A controller receives the output signal from each sensor, generates a digital data word corresponding with the product stack height in each bin, and stores the data word for retrieval by a central computer at a remote location.

Claims

1. Apparatus for remotely monitoring the inventory of stackable products contained within the holding compartment of a customer accessible, open bin storage chest comprising, n combination:

a modular storage bin dimensioned for insertion into and withdrawal from the holding compartment of the storage chest, the storage bin including a base panel and sidewall panels forming boundaries of a product load space that is open at the top allowing customer access to products stacked therein;

a coil spring disposed on the base panel, the coil spring having a total deflection length L as measured from an uncompressed (empty bin) no-load position to a compression limit position and being yieldably deflectable relative to the base panel within the product load space;

a stack plate mounted on the coil spring, the stack plate providing a platform for supporting a stack of products and being movable through the product load space in response to extension and retraction of the coil spring;

position sensors disposed at vertically spaced locations along one sidewall panel of the storage bin, the position sensors extending along at least the upper half of the storage bin from the no-load (empty bin) position to a loaded position corresponding with a deflection distance of from about one-half L to about two-thirds L, each sensor providing an output signal in true and complement logic states in response to being coupled with and decoupled from a magnetic flux field, respectively;

a permanent magnet attached to the stack plate, the permanent magnet producing a magnetic flux field that magnetically links with individual position sensors as the stack plate moves vertically through the product load space;

an analog-to-digital converter coupled to the sensors for generating a digital data word corresponding with the operating logic state conditions of the position sensors;

a controller including a random access memory unit coupled to the analog-to-digital converter for storing in the random access memory digital data words generated by the position sensors; and

,

a communication interface circuit coupled to the controller for transmitting information stored in the memory unit to a remote monitoring station.

2. A method of monitoring the inventory of stackable products contained within the refrigerated compartment of a self-service freezer chest comprising the steps:

partitioning the refrigerated compartment with a customer accessible, open top modular storage bin;

loading a stack of frozen packaged products on a movable support plate within the storage bin;

yieldably supporting the plate on a coil sprint having a total deflection length L as measured from an uncompressed (empty bin) position to a compression limit position;

retracting the support plate from an initial resting position in proportion to the weight load added as a packaged product is loaded onto the support plate, and extending the stack plate from an initial resting position in proportion to the weight load removed as a packaged product is unloaded from the movable support plate;

sensing the resting position of the movable support plate at vertically spaced locations along at least the upper half of the storage bin from the no-load (empty bin) position to a loaded position corresponding with a coil spring deflection distance of from about one-half L to about two-thirds L.;

generating a digital data word corresponding with the resting position of the movable support plate;

storing the digital data word in a random access memory;

transmitting the information stored in the random access memory to a remote monitoring system; and

,

determining the replacement product requirement for the bin by cross-referencing the digital data word with previously stored replacement product values in a look up table that has been customized for a particular bin size and product type.

3. A method of monitoring the inventory of stackable products as set forth in claim 2, wherein the sensing step is performed by:

carrying a permanent magnet on the movable support plate and holding its magnetic field in coupling alignment with a position sensor at one of the resting positions; and

,

operating each sensor in true and complement logic states in response to coupling alignment and absence of coupling alignment of the magnetic flux field with a sensor at each resting position, respectively.