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Sanitary touch-free automatic condiment dispensing apparatus and method of use

  • US 9,809,439 B2
  • Filed: 09/08/2014
  • Issued: 11/07/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2014
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A touch-free sanitary automatic condiment dispensing apparatus, comprising in combination:

  • a power supply;

    an electronic circuit including one or more processors, a non-transitory memory and an application program executing in the non-transitory memory connected to the power supply configured for automatically dispensing one or more pre-determined amounts of one or more different types of condiments, wherein the application program on the electronic circuit controls with one or more signals;

    (1) a first infrared (IR) sensor detecting a first touch-free dispensing event, (2) a second infrared (IR) sensor detecting a second touch-free dispensing event, (3) one or more light emitting diodes (LED) visually indicating one or more operational modes, (4) a first timing of a solenoid valve which in turn controls a second timing of a second valve which in turn controls a propellant source which dispenses the one or more pre-determined amounts of the one or more different types condiments from one or more condiment sources, wherein an amount of time the solenoid valve is open and closed determines the one or more pre-determined amounts of the one or more different types of condiments dispensed and wherein the application program on the electronic circuit prevents the touch-free automatic condiment dispensing apparatus from intentionally or accidentally re-activating dispensing again of any condiments until a pre-determine time delay expires;

    the first infrared (IR) sensor connected to the application program on the electronic circuit detecting with a first detection field of a first size and a first detection orientation the first touch-free dispensing event including;

    (1) detecting an IR signal emanating from a person or a first portion of the person, or (2) detecting a first wireless signal from an external network device with one or more processors and (3) then activating dispensing of the one or more pre-determined amounts of the one or more different types of condiments by activating the second IR sensor and activating one or more light emitting diodes (LED) via one or more signals sent to the application program on the electronic circuit;

    the one or more light emitting diodes (LED) connected to the application program on the electronic circuit visually indicating with one or more signals received from the application program on the electronic circuit the touch-free sanitary automatic condiment dispensing apparatus is in an operational mode, visually indicating the first IR sensor has detected the first touch-free dispensing event and visually indicating the second IR sensor has detected the second touch-free dispensing event;

    the second IR sensor connected to the application program on the electronic circuit activated by the first touch-free dispensing event detected by the first IR sensor with signals from the application program on electronic circuit detecting with a second detection field of a second size and a second detection orientation the second touch-free dispensing event, the second touch-free dispensing event including;

    (1) detecting a condiment container of a pre-determined color, size and shape used to store the dispensed condiment, or (2) detecting a bar code on the condiment container or on a paper tray liner, the bar code including a first set of one or more pre-determined types of condiments to dispense and a first set of one or more pre-determined amounts for a first set of one or more pre-determined types of condiments to dispense, or (3) detecting a second wireless signal from the external network device including a second set of a pre-determined types of condiments and a second set of one or more pre-determined amounts of the condiments to dispense, and then (4) initiating automatic dispensing of;

    (a) the first set of the one or more pre-determined types and the first set of the pre-determined amounts of the condiments, or (b) the second set of the pre-determined types of condiments and the second set of one or more pre-determined amounts of the condiments to dispense into the condiment container via one or more signals sent to the application program on the electronic circuit activating the solenoid valve; and

    the solenoid valve connected to the application program on the electronic circuit, the second valve, the propellant source and the one or more condiment sources, the solenoid valve automatically controlling dispensing the first or second sets of the pre-determined amounts of the first or second sets of the one or more pre-determined types of condiments into the condiment container, wherein the solenoid valve controls the second valve which in turn controls the propellant source which dispenses the first or second sets of the pre-determined amounts of the first or second set of the one or more pre-determined types of condiments from the one or more condiment sources into the condiment container.

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