System and method for dispensing toppings

• US 9,295,282 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2014
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Creator, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Momentum Machines Company
• Inventors: Vardakostas, Alexandros, Frehn, Steven, McDonald, John Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUONG T
• Application Number:
  US14/534,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20150164131A1
• Time in Patent Office: 510 Days
• Field of Search: 994/505, 994/504, 993/25, 993/26, 993/57, 993/34, 993/52, 993/58, 993/55, 994/33.C, 994/43.R, 994/94, 994/51, 426/274, 426/275, 426/574, 426/629, 426/641, 426/656, 426/634, 426516-519, 426/531, 426/802
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 15/002 Apparatus for spreading granular material on, or sweeping or coating the surface of baked articles of pieces of dough A21C9/04; for confectionary A23G3/28
• CPC Class Codes: A23P 20/20 Making of laminated, multi-layered, stuffed or hollow foodstuffs, e.g. by wrapping in preformed edible dough sheets or in edible food containers
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0078 Food articles which need to be processed for dispensing in a hot or cooked condition, e.g. popcorn, nuts

Abstract

One variation of a method for dispensing toppings onto topping vehicles includes: indexing a first topping vehicle to a first position adjacent a first topping module, the first topping module comprising a first hopper containing a first topping of a first topping type; indexing a second topping vehicle to a second position adjacent a second topping module comprising a second hopper containing a second topping of a second topping type; retracting a first blade of the first topping module; advancing the first blade through the first topping; retracting a first retaining plate to dispense a topping slice from the first topping onto the first topping vehicle according to a first topping order for the first topping vehicle specifying the first topping type, the first retaining plate offset from the first blade opposite the first hopper; advancing the first retaining plate; and indexing the first topping vehicle to the second position.

Claims

1. A system for dispensing toppings onto topping vehicles, comprising:

a conveyor configured to sequentially advance topping vehicles between an initial position, a first dispense position, and a second dispense position;

first topping module comprising;

a first hopper configured to contain topping samples of a first topping type;

a first blade adjacent a discharge end of the first hopper and comprising a serrated edge configured to slice topping servings from topping samples of the first topping type dispensed from the first hopper; and

a first retaining plate adjacent and offset from the first blade opposite the first hopper;

second topping module comprising;

a second hopper configured to contain topping samples of a second topping type distinct from the first topping type;

a second blade adjacent a discharge end of the second hopper and comprising grating slots configured to cut discrete portions from topping samples of the second topping type dispensed from the second hopper;

a second retaining plate adjacent and offset from the second blade and configured to collect discrete portions of the second topping type from the second blade;

a scale coupled to the second retaining plate and configured to output a signal corresponding to a weight of an accumulation of discrete portions of the second topping type collected on the second retaining plate;

an actuator system configured to selectively actuate the first blade and the first retaining plate to dispense a serving of the first topping type from the first topping module onto a topping vehicle in the first dispense position based on a request for the first topping type specified in a food order corresponding to the topping vehicle, and the actuator system configured to selectively actuate the second blade and the second retaining plate to dispense a serving of the second topping type from the second topping module onto the topping vehicle in the second dispense position based on a request for the second topping type specified in the food order and an output of the scale.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second blade comprises an annular grater configured to grate topping samples of the first topping type comprising cheese dispensed from the first hopper;

wherein the actuator system selectively actuates the second blade and the second retaining plate to dispense a serving of cheese from the second topping module onto the topping vehicle in the second dispense position based on a request for cheese specified in the food order.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a heating element arranged over the conveyor at a heating position;

wherein the conveyor advances the topping vehicle to the heating position based on a request for melted cheese specified in the food order.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the heating element is adjacent the second topping module opposite the first topping module;

and further comprising a heat shield arranged between the first hopper and the second hopper.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the actuator comprises a rotary actuator coupled to the second blade and a second linear actuator coupled to the second retaining plate;

wherein the rotary actuator selectively rotates the second blade based on a request for cheese specified in the food order in response to advancement of the topping vehicle toward the second dispense position; and

wherein the second linear actuator selectively retracts the second retaining plate to dispense approximately a particular weight of cheese from the second topping module onto the topping vehicle based on a request for the particular weight of cheese specified in the food order and based on an output of the scale indicating the particular weight of cheese.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the actuator system comprises a first linear actuator selectively advancing and retracting the first blade and the first retaining plate independently of the second linear actuator.

7. The system of claim 1,

wherein the conveyor simultaneously supports the first topping module in the first dispense position and a second topping module in the second dispense position;

wherein the actuator system comprises a carriage, a cycle actuator, a secondary actuator, and a first selection actuator and a second selection actuator supported on the carriage;

wherein the cycle actuator advances and retracts the carriage in a cut cycle and advances and retracts the carriage in a dispense cycle;

wherein the first selection actuator selectively engages the first blade to slice a first serving from a topping sample of the first topping type in a particular cut cycle based on a request for the first topping type in the food order;

wherein the secondary actuator selectively actuates the second blade to cut a second serving from a topping sample of the second topping type during the particular cut cycle based on a request for the second topping type in a second food order corresponding to the second topping vehicle;

wherein the first selection actuator selectively engages the first retaining plate to dispense the first serving onto the first topping vehicle in a particular dispense cycle immediately succeeding the particular cut cycle; and

wherein the second selection actuator selectively engages the second retaining plate to dispense the second serving onto the second topping vehicle in the particular dispense cycle.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first hopper gravity feeds topping samples of the first topping type toward the first blade and onto the first retaining plate;

and wherein the first retaining plate supports topping samples of the first topping type vertically above the first dispense positions.

9. A system for selectively dispensing toppings onto topping vehicles, comprising:

a first topping module comprising;

a hopper configured to contain topping samples of a first topping type;

a blade adjacent a discharge end of the hopper and comprising grating slots configured to cut discrete portions from topping samples of the first topping type dispensed from the hopper;

a retaining plate adjacent and offset from the blade and configured to collect discrete portions of the topping type from the blade; and

scale coupled to the retaining plate and configured to output a signal corresponding to a weight of an accumulation of discrete portions of the topping type collected on the retaining plate;

a second topping module adjacent the first topping module and comprising;

a second hopper configured to contain topping samples of a second topping type distinct from the first topping types;

a second blade adjacent a discharge end of the second hopper and comprising a serrated edge configured to slice serving from topping samples of the second topping type dispensed from the second hopper; and

a second retaining plate adjacent and offset from the second blade opposite the second hopper;

a conveyor configured to advance a first topping vehicle from an initial position to a dispense position adjacent the topping module and configured to advance a second topping vehicle, in series behind the first topping vehicle, from the initial position to the dispense position; and

an actuator system configured to selectively actuate the blade and the retaining plate to dispense a first serving of the first topping type from the first topping module onto the first topping vehicle in the first dispense position based on a request for the first topping type specified in a first food order corresponding to the first topping vehicle and based on an output of the scale, and the actuator system configured to selectively actuate the blade and the retaining plate to dispense a second serving of the first topping type from the first topping module onto the second topping vehicle in the first dispense position based on a request for the first topping type specified in a second food order corresponding to the second topping vehicle and based on an output of the scale, the first food order distinct from the second food order.

10. The system of claim 9,

further comprising a second topping module comprising:

a second hopper configured to contain topping samples of a second topping type distinct from the first topping type;

a second blade adjacent a discharge end of the second hopper and configured to slice servings from topping samples of the second topping type dispensed from the second hopper; and

a second retaining plate adjacent and offset from the second blade opposite the second hopper; and

further comprising a topping module receptacle adjacent the dispense position, transiently receiving the topping module during a first period of time, and transiently receiving the second topping module, in replacement of the topping module, during a second period of time;

wherein the actuator system selectively actuates the blade and the retaining plate to selectively dispense servings of the first topping type from the topping module onto topping vehicles in the dispense position during the first period of time; and

wherein the actuator system selectively actuates the second blade and the second retaining plate to selectively dispense servings of the second topping type from the second topping module onto topping vehicles in the dispense position during the second period of time.

11. The system of claim 9,

further comprising a second topping module adjacent the topping module and comprising:

a second hopper configured to contain topping samples of a second topping type distinct from the first topping type;

a second blade adjacent a discharge end of the second hopper and comprising a straight edge configured to slice servings from topping samples of the second topping type dispensed from the second hopper; and

a second retaining plate adjacent and offset from the second blade opposite the second hopper; and

wherein the conveyor sequentially advances the first topping vehicle from the dispense position to a second dispense position adjacent the second topping module;

wherein the actuator system selectively disengages the second blade and the second retaining plate in response to advancement of the first topping module into the second dispense position based on exclusion of a request for the second topping type in the first food order; and

wherein the actuator system selectively actuates the second blade and the second retaining plate to dispense a serving of the second topping type from the second topping module onto the second topping vehicle in the second dispense position based on a request for the second topping type specified in the second food order.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the actuator comprises a rotary actuator coupled to the blade and a linear actuator coupled to the retaining plate;

wherein the rotary actuator selectively rotates the blade based on a request for the first topping type specified in the first food order in response to advancement of the first topping vehicle toward the dispense position.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the hopper is configured to contain topping samples of the first topping type comprising one of a mass of meat and a mass of cheese;

and wherein the blade is configured to shred portions of topping samples of the first topping type.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the topping module comprises a heating element thermally coupled to the hopper and configured to maintain a minimum temperature of topping samples of the first topping type contained in the hopper.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the scale comprises a load cell supporting a portion of the retaining plate.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the topping module further comprises a funnel arranged between the retaining plate and the conveyor, the funnel funneling portions of the topping type toward the dispense position.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein the topping module comprises a magazine of hoppers comprising the hopper and a second hopper, the second hopper arranged behind the hopper and configured to contain topping samples of the first topping type;

wherein the actuator system indexes the magazine of hoppers forward to dispense topping samples from the second hopper toward the blade in response to evacuation of a last topping sample from the hopper.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first topping module further comprises a chute arranged between the blade and a discharge end of hoppers in the magazine of hoppers, the chute defining an axial length less than an axial length of the first hopper and receiving substantially whole topping samples of the first topping type from hoppers in the magazine of hoppers;

wherein the actuator system sequentially indexes hoppers in the magazine of hoppers into axial alignment with the chute.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the chute defines the axial length exceeding a common length of topping samples of the first topping type.