Apparatus and methods for a robotic beverage server

• US 7,577,498 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2006
• Issued: 08/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yaskawa America, Inc. (Yaskawa Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Motoman Inc (Yaskawa Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Michael, Zane A., Jennings, Craig, Potter, Ron, Katchmar, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARC, MCDIEUNEL
• Application Number:
  US11/517,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20070106422A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 222/129.1
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0084 comprising a plurality of manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0087 Dual arms double SCARA arms B25J9/043
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0041 Fully automated cocktail bars, i.e. apparatuses combining the use of packaged beverages, pre-mix and post-mix dispensers

Abstract

A robotic beverage server that includes a robot, a beverage dispenser in fluid communication with a plurality of beverages contained within respective beverage storage receptacles and operable to dispense one or more of the beverages from the respective storage receptacles, and a controller to operate the robot to pick a container and move the container to the beverage dispenser and to operate the beverage dispenser to dispense one or more of the beverages from the storage receptacles into the container and transport the container to a user. A method of preparing a beverage or mixture of beverages that includes picking a container using a robot, moving the container to an automatic beverage dispenser, wherein the beverage dispenser is in fluid communication with and operable to dispense a plurality of beverages contained within a plurality of storage receptacles, dispensing a beverage into the container from the storage receptacles via the automatic beverage dispenser and delivering the container to a user.

Claims

1. Robotic beverage server, comprising:

a robot including at least one robotic arm having at least three degrees of motion;

a container supply for holding a plurality of containers disposed adjacent to the robot such that the at least one robotic arm is operable to pick one of the plurality of container;

a plurality of beverage storage receptacles containing a plurality of beverages;

an automatic beverage dispenser in fluid communication with the plurality of beverage storage receptacles;

a beverage delivery device disposed adjacent to said robot; and

a controller in communication with the robot and the automatic beverage dispenser and programmed to operate

the at least one robotic arm to pick a container from the container supply and to move the container from the container supply to the beverage dispenser,

the beverage dispenser to dispense a beverage or mixture of beverages from the beverage storage receptacles into the container,

the at least one robotic arm to transport the container from the beverage dispenser to the beverage delivery device, and

the beverage delivery device to transport the prepared beverage or mixture of beverages held in the container to a position where the user may receive the container.

2. The robotic beverage server according to claim 1, wherein the robotic beverage server is operable to dispense a beverage or mixture of beverages in the container to a user in less than or equal to about 20 seconds.

3. The robotic beverage server according to claim 1, wherein the robotic beverage server is operable to dispense a beverage or mixture of beverages in the container to a user in less than or equal to about 10 seconds.

4. The robotic beverage server according to claim 1, wherein the robot comprises a first robotic arm and a second robotic arm, and wherein the controller is programmed to operate the robot to pick a first container and a second container with respective first and second robotic arms and to move the first and second containers to the beverage dispenser, to operate the beverage dispenser to dispense beverages or mixtures of beverages from the beverage storage receptacles into first and second containers, to operate the first and second robotic arms to move the first and second containers from the beverage dispenser to the beverage delivery device, and to operate the beverage delivery device to transport the first and second containers containing the dispensed beverages or mixtures of beverages to a position where a user may receive first and second containers.

5. The robotic beverage server according to claim 4, wherein the controller is programmed to perform the tasks of claim 4 substantially simultaneously.

6. The robotic beverage server according to claim 1, wherein the robotic beverage server is operable to dispense a first beverage or mixture of beverages and a second beverage or mixture of beverages in respective first and second containers to a user in an amount of time less than or equal to about 30 seconds.

7. The robotic beverage server according to claim 6, wherein the amount of time is less than or equal to about 20 seconds.

8. The robotic beverage server according to claim 1, wherein the beverage delivery device is a conveyor for transporting the container including the dispensed beverage or mixture of beverages to a position where a user may receive the container.

9. The robotic beverage server according to claim 1, wherein the container supply comprises a conveyor for transporting the containers.

10. The robotic beverage server according to claim 1, further comprising a user selection interface comprising a display connected to the controller;

wherein the user selection interface presents to a user a plurality of beverage and mixture of beverages choices on the display;

wherein the controller responds to a user selection by dispensing and delivering the corresponding beverage or mixture of beverages selected by the user.

11. The robotic beverage server according to claim 1, wherein the beverage dispenser dispenses a mixture of beverages comprising a liquor beverage and a second beverage into a single container without the robot having to pick a liquor bottle or to pick a mixed drink shaker container in order to dispense the mixture of beverages.

12. The robotic beverage server according to claim 1, wherein the robot is configured to approximate a physical representation of a human body comprising a torso, a head, and multiple robotic arms, the head comprising a display panel connected on top of the torso;

and

wherein the controller is programmed to transmit display data to the display panel.

13. The robotic beverage server according to claim 12, wherein the display data is a gender specific image.

14. The robotic beverage server according to claim 13, wherein the controller is programmed to transmit a gender specific voice corresponding to the displayed gender specific image to communicate to and with a user.

15. The robotic beverage server according to claim 1, further comprising a multi-pixel display panel configured to display graphic or textual representations thereon, the display panel is positioned upon the robot to approximate a physical representation of a human head.

16. A robotic beverage server according to claim 15, further comprising:

memory configured to store the graphic or textual representations; and

a user selection interface connected to the controller, wherein the user selection interface presents to a user a plurality of graphic or textual representations available for selection by the user;

wherein the controller responds to a user selection by displaying the selected graphic or textual representations stored within the memory on the display panel while dispensing and delivering the beverage or mixture of beverages.

17. The robotic beverage server according to claim 1, further comprising a bottled beverage supply for storing a plurality of bottled beverages, wherein the controller is programmed to operate the robot to pick a bottled beverage from the bottled beverage supply, and to operate the robotic beverage server to remove a cap from the bottled beverage.

18. The robotic beverage server according to claim 1, further comprising a framework and barrier, wherein the framework and barrier at least partially encompass the robot and the beverage dispenser.

19. The robotic beverage server according to claim 1, wherein the beverage dispenser is mounted to the at least one robotic arm of the robot and is capable of dispensing a plurality of beverages or mixture of beverages.

20. A method of preparing a beverage or mixture of beverages, comprising:

picking a container from a container supply using a robotic arm having at least three degrees of motion;

moving the container from the container supply to an automatic beverage dispenser using the robotic arm, wherein the beverage dispenser is in fluid communication with and operable to dispense a plurality of beverages contained within a plurality of beverage storage receptacles;

automatically dispensing a beverage or mixture of beverages into the container from one or more of the plurality of beverage storage receptacles via the automatic beverage dispenser; and

delivering the container holding the beverage or mixture of beverages using a beverage delivery device to a point where a user may receive the container.