Chiller control system

• US 6,550,259 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2000
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Premark FEG LLC (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Premark FEG LLC (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Inventors: Edelmann, David Charles, Cartwright, Richard W., Everhart, John Joseph, Beaty, Brett J., Willoughby, Stephen R., St-Laurent, Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): Tanner, Harry B.
• Application Number:
  US09/747,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20020116936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 621/25, 621/26, 621/27, 621/29, 621/30, 621/57, 621/58, 621/61, 621/62, 621/63, 621/64, 622/31
• US Class Current: 62/126
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/28 Quick cooling
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/36 Visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2500/02 Geometry problems
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2500/06 Stock management
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/02 Sensors detecting door opening
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/16 Sensors measuring the temperature of products
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1951 with control of the working time of a temperature controlling device

Abstract

A chiller includes a chilling compartment for receiving food products to be chilled and a chilling system for delivering chilled air to the chilling compartment during chilling operations. A controller effects operation of the chilling system and includes associated memory storing a plurality of food product data entries. Each food product data entry includes a food product name and at least one associated chilling operation setting for the food product. A user input device is associated with the controller. The controller is operable in conjunction with the user input device to permit a user to select a particular food product data entry such that the controller retrieves at least one chilling operation setting of the particular food product data entry for use in a subsequent chilling operation. The chiller may also include a label printing mechanism for printing chilling operation summary labels which can be applied to food product containers.

Claims

1. A chiller, comprising:

a chilling compartment for receiving food products to be chilled;

a chilling system for delivering chilled air to the chilling compartment during chilling operations;

a controller for effecting operation of the chilling system, the controller including associated memory storing a plurality of food product data entries, each food product data entry including a food product name and at least one associated chilling operation setting for the food product;

a user input device associated with the controller;

wherein the controller is operable in conjunction with the user input device to permit a user to select a particular food product data entry such that the controller retrieves at least one chilling operation setting of the particular food product data entry for use in a subsequent chilling operation.

2. The chiller of claim 1, further comprising:

a display device associated with the controller for displaying information;

wherein the controller is operable with the display device to display names of food products associated with the food product data entries, and the controller is operable in conjunction with the user input device to permit a user to select a food product data entry associated with a displayed name, the chiller operable retrieve the at least one chilling operation setting based upon such user selection.

3. The chiller of claim 2 wherein the controller is operable with the display device and the user input device to permit a user to scroll through a list of food product names associated with the plurality of food product data entries.

4. The chiller of claim 2 wherein, when in a find product mode, the controller is operable with the display device and the user input device to permit a user to search through product names one character at a time.

5. The chiller of claim 1 wherein the retrieved chilling operation setting comprises a target temperature to which the food product is to be chilled.

6. The chiller of claim 5 wherein a chilling air temperature is also retrieved as a chilling operation setting.

7. The chiller of claim 5 wherein a chill type is also retrieved as a chilling operation setting.

8. The chiller of claim 1 wherein the retrieved chilling operation setting comprises a chill duration for the food product.

9. The chiller of claim 8 wherein a chilling air temperature is also retrieved as a chilling operation setting.

10. The chiller of claim 8 wherein a chill type is also retrieved as a chilling operation setting.

11. The chiller of claim 1 wherein the controller is further operable in conjunction with the display device and the user input device to display a list of chiller users, stored in memory, and to permit a user to select one of the users, wherein the controller associates the selected user with the subsequent chilling operation.

12. The chiller of claim 11, further comprising a printing mechanism and associated supply of labels, the controller operable for controlling the printing mechanism, wherein the controller is operable to effect printing of a chilling operation summary label by the printing mechanism.

13. The chiller of claim 12 wherein a time taken to chill the food product to a first intermediate temperature is printed on the chilling operation summary label.

14. The chiller of claim 12 wherein a time taken to chill the food product to a second intermediate temperature is printed on the chilling operation summary label.

15. The chiller of claim 12 wherein the controller is operable with the user input device and the printing mechanism to permit the user to print multiple chilling operation summary labels for a given chilling operation.

16. The chiller of claim 12, further comprising a second printing mechanism and associated supply of non-label print stock, the controller operable for controlling the second printing mechanism, wherein the controller is operable to effect printing of a chilling operation summary ticket by the second printing mechanism.

17. The chiller of claim 1, further comprising an external interface associated with the controller for downloading food product data entries into memory.

18. The chiller of claim 2 wherein the controller is operable in conjunction with the user input device and the display device to permit a user to modify food product data entries.

19. The chiller of claim 2 wherein the controller is operable in conjunction with the user input device and the display device to permit a user to create a new food product data entry for storage in memory.

20. The chiller of claim 1 wherein the user input device comprises multiple keypad buttons.

21. The chiller of claim 1 wherein the user input device comprises an alphanumeric keypad.

22. The chiller of claim 2 wherein the controller is operable to effect display of names of food products associated with the food product data entries in response to a user initiating a chill by product mode of the chiller via the user input device.

23. The chiller of claim 1 wherein the controller is operable with the user input device to permit a master user to set an active/inactive state of each food product data entry, wherein the controller is operable to only permit a user to select a food product data entry which is active.

24. In a chiller including a controller and associated display device and user input device, a method of setting up a chilling operation for a given food product, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying multiple food product identifiers via the display device;

(b) selecting, via the user input device, the given food product based upon display of its identifier;

(c) retrieving from memory, via the controller, at least one chilling operation setting for the given food product for use in a subsequent chilling operation of the food product.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein step (a) is triggered via a step in which the user input device is used to initiate a chill by product mode of the chiller.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the retrieved chilling operation setting comprises a target chill temperature for the food product.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein, in addition to the target chill temperature, a chill type chilling operation setting is also retrieved from memory.

28. The method of claim 27, comprising a further step of displaying, on the display device, each of the product identifier, the target chill temperature, and the chill type once retrieved, and a chilling operation utilizing the target chill temperature and the chill type is subsequently initiated via the user input device.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein, in addition to the target chill temperature, an air temperature chilling operation setting is also retrieved from memory.

30. The method of claim 24 wherein the retrieved chilling operation setting comprises a chill duration for the food product.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein step (a) involves using the user input device to scroll the display of product identifiers until the product identifier for the given product is found.

32. The method of claim 24 comprising the further steps of:

displaying multiple user names;

using the user input device to select a user name when displayed; and

associating the selected user name with the chilling operation being set up.

33. The method of claim 24 wherein in step (a) the multiple food product identifiers are displayed simultaneously.

34. In a chiller including a controller and associated memory and a user input device, a method of chilling a given food product, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) storing in memory a plurality of food product data entries, each food product data entry including an associated food product identifier and at least one associated chilling operation setting for the food product;

(b) selecting, via the user input device, a food product data entry for the given food product;

(c) retrieving from memory, via the controller, at least one chilling operation setting for the given food product for use in a subsequent chilling operation of the food product.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein step (a) involves:

(i) displaying multiple food product identifiers via a display device;

(ii) selecting, via the user input device, the given food product when identifier is displayed.

36. A chiller, comprising:

a chilling compartment for receiving food products to be chilled;

a chilling system for delivering chilled air to the chilling compartment during chilling operations;

a controller for effecting operation of the chilling system,

a first printing mechanism and associated supply of adhesive labels, the controller operable for controlling the printing mechanism, wherein, upon conclusion of a given chilling operation, the controller is operable to effect printing of a chilling operation summary label by the label printing mechanism.

37. The chiller of claim 36, further comprising:

a second printing mechanism and associated supply of non-label print stock.

38. The chiller of claim 36 wherein the controller is operable for the given chilling operation to store a first time period taken to chill the food product to a first intermediate temperature, a second time period taken to chill the food product to a second intermediate temperature, a date of the chilling operation, a start time of the chilling operation, and a cycle time of the chilling operation, wherein the controller is operable to effect printing of the first time period, second time period, date, start time and cycle time on the chilling operation summary label.

39. The chiller of claim 38 wherein the controller is operable for the given chilling operation to store a user name and a food product identifier for the product being chilled, and the controller is operable to effect printing of the user name and the product identifier on the chilling operation summary label.

40. The chiller of claim 36 wherein the controller is operable for the given chilling operation to store a first time period taken to chill the food product to a first intermediate temperature, and wherein the controller is operable to effect printing of the stored first time period on the chilling operation summary label.

41. The chiller of claim 40 wherein the controller is operable for the given chilling operation to store a second time period taken to chill the food product to a second intermediate temperature, and wherein the controller is operable to effect printing of the stored second time period on the chilling operation summary label.