Automated beverage dispenser system and method

Abstract

A beverage preparation system is provided that includes a carousel assembly including a central shaft. The rotating disc assembly further comprises an inner rotating disc and an outer rotating disc arranged around the inner rotating disc in the circumferential direction. The beverage preparation system also includes a cup dispensing station configured to dispense cups onto one of the inner carousel or the outer carousel. The beverage preparation system also includes a beverage dispensing station configured to dispense a beverage into the cup.

Description

(19) State Intellectual Property Office (12) Invention Patent Application (10) Publication Number (43) Publication Date (21) Application Number 202380097266.X (22) Application Date 2023.05.17 (30) Priority Data 18 / 306,848 2023.04.25 US (85) PCT International Application Entering National Phase Date 2025.10.16 (86) PCT International Application Application Data PCT / US2023 / 022550 2023.05.17 (87) PCT International Application Publication Data WO2024 / 226068 EN 2024.10.31 (71) Applicant: Um Connection LLC Address: Kentucky, USA (72) Inventors: A. Thomas, K.T. Satrovsky, H.P. Wyle, Z.L. Darcy, J.T. Hans, G.R. Phillips, P.C. Brown, M.W. Ahryn, S.K. Gillian (74) Patent Agency: Shanghai Yiping Intellectual Property Agency Co., Ltd. 31266 Patent Attorneys: Cheng Chunrong, Zhu Yun (51) Int.Cl. B67D 1 / 00 ​​(2006.01) B67D 1 / 06 (2006.01) B67D 1 / 08 (2006.01) (54) Invention Title: Automatic Beverage Dispensing System and Method (57) Abstract: A beverage preparation system is provided, comprising a turntable assembly including a central axis. The turntable assembly further comprises an inner turntable and an outer turntable circumferentially disposed around the inner turntable. The beverage preparation system further includes a cup dispensing station configured to dispense cups onto one of the inner or outer turntables. The beverage preparation system also includes a beverage dispensing station configured to dispense beverages into the cups. Claims 2 pages, Description 30 pages, Drawings 73 pages, CN 121358684 A 2026.01.16 CN 1 21 35 86 84 A 1. A beverage preparation system, characterized in that it comprises: a turntable assembly, the turntable assembly including: a central shaft; an inner turntable; and an outer turntable circumferentially disposed around the inner turntable; a cup dispensing station configured to dispense cups onto one of the inner or outer turntables; and a beverage dispensing station configured to dispense beverages into the cups. 2. The beverage preparation system according to claim 1, further comprising: a cabinet disposed above the turntable assembly, the cabinet defining an interior space; and a door connected to the cabinet, the door partially enclosing the interior space, wherein the door is connected to the cabinet by a door hinge, such that the door can be opened to access the interior space. 3. The beverage preparation system according to claim 2, wherein the cup dispensing station is equipped with a cup dispenser.4. The beverage preparation system of claim 3, wherein the cup dispenser is hinged to the door, and the cup dispenser is individually openable relative to the door. 5. The beverage preparation system of claim 2, further comprising: an ice storage container having a body for receiving ice cubes and a filling chute formed along one side of the ice storage container, the filling chute including a bottom inclined toward the body; and a chute cover configured to cover the filling chute when the chute cover is in a closed position, and further configured to expose the filling chute to receive ice cubes therein when the chute cover is in an open position. 6. The beverage preparation system of claim 5, further comprising one or more safety switches coupled to the door and the chute cover, and further coupled to a controller to control the operation of the beverage preparation system based on sensed positions of the door and the chute cover. 7. The beverage preparation system of claim 6, wherein the safety switch is further defined as a single switch coupled to the door and the slide cover. 8. The beverage preparation system of claim 6, wherein the cup dispensing station is hinged to the door via a cup dispenser, wherein the cup dispenser is individually openable relative to the door, and wherein one or more safety switches are also coupled to the cup dispenser to sense the position of the cup dispenser relative to the door. 9. The beverage preparation system of claim 2, further comprising a capping and printing assembly disposed within the interior space of the cabinet, the capping and printing assembly being operable to provide a cap to the cup and provide a mark on the cap of the cup. 10. The beverage preparation system of claim 9, further comprising an extension system coupled to the interior space of the cabinet and the capping and printing assembly, configured to hold the capping and printing assembly in a standby position within the interior space of the cabinet, and further configured to extend the capping and printing assembly to a maintenance position, wherein the capping and printing assembly extends from the interior space relative to the storage position. 11. The beverage preparation system of claim 10, wherein the stretching system is further defined as a plurality of stretchable guide rails. 12. The beverage preparation system of claim 2, further comprising a drive system configured to cause rotation of the inner turntable of claim 1 / 2 page 2 CN 121358684 A, wherein the inner turntable includes a frame coupler coupled to the inner turntable, andThe drive system includes at least one drive coupler configured to cooperate with the frame coupler. 13. The beverage preparation system of claim 12, wherein actuation of the drive system drives the inner turntable by cooperating the drive coupler with the frame coupler. 14. The beverage preparation system of claim 13, wherein at least a portion of the inner turntable including the frame coupler is supported by gravity on the drive system by the engagement of the frame coupler with the drive coupler. 15. The beverage preparation system of claim 10, further comprising: an ice storage box having a box body for receiving ice cubes and a filling chute formed along one side of the ice storage box, the filling chute including a bottom inclined toward the box body; and a chute cover configured to cover the filling chute when the chute cover is in a closed position, and further configured to expose the filling chute to receive ice cubes therein when the chute cover is in an open position. 16. The beverage preparation system of claim 15, further comprising one or more safety switches coupled to the door and the slide cover, and also coupled to a controller to control the operation of the beverage preparation system based on sensed positions of the door and the slide cover. 17. The beverage preparation system of claim 16, wherein the cup dispensing station is hinged to the door via a cup dispenser, wherein the cup dispenser is individually openable relative to the door. 18. The beverage preparation system of claim 17, wherein the cup dispenser includes an upper opening to provide access to a cup-receiving area within the cup dispenser, and further includes a removable cup dispenser cover disposed on the upper opening of the cup dispenser. 19. A method for dispensing a beverage, characterized in that it comprises: providing a beverage preparation system comprising: a cabinet defining an internal space for receiving a capping and printing assembly configured to cap a cup and print on the cap; a turntable assembly disposed below the cabinet, the turntable assembly comprising: a central axis; an inner turntable; and an outer turntable circumferentially disposed around the inner turntable; dispensing a cup from a cup dispensing station onto one of the inner or outer turntable; and dispensing a beverage from a beverage dispensing station into the cup. 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: sensing the opening of a cabinet door via one or more switches; pausing the beverage preparation system from dispensing cups and beverages in response to sensing the opening of the door; extending the capping and printing assembly from a standby position within the internal space of the cabinet to a maintenance position extending from the internal space relative to the storage position; sensing the closing of the cabinet door via one or more switches; andIn response to sensing the closure of the door, the beverage preparation system is actuated to resume dispensing cups and beverages. Claims 2 / 2 Page 3 CN 121358684 A Automatic Beverage Dispensing System and Method Background Art

[0001] Restaurants and other catering facilities may dispense large quantities of beverages to customers during operation. Therefore, catering facilities may be equipped with beverage machines or other similar systems for customers and / or staff to efficiently prepare beverages.

[0002] Brief Description of the Drawings To describe various exemplary embodiments in detail, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG1 is a perspective view of a beverage preparation system in some embodiments; FIG2 is a perspective view of a beverage processing component of the beverage preparation system shown in FIG1 in some embodiments; FIG3 is an exploded view of a turntable assembly of the beverage preparation system shown in FIG1 in some embodiments; FIG4 is an exploded view of a cup dispensing station of the beverage preparation system shown in FIG1 in some embodiments; FIG5 is an exploded view of a dispenser of the cup dispensing station shown in FIG4 in some embodiments; FIG6 is an enlarged side view of the toothed ring and wedge assembly of the dispenser shown in FIG5 in a first position in some embodiments; FIG7 is an enlarged side view of the toothed ring and wedge assembly shown in FIG6 in a second position; FIG8 is a top view of a wedge assembly that can be used in a cup dispensing station of the beverage preparation and dispensing system shown in FIG1 in some embodiments; FIG9-11 are perspective views of a cup dispensing station of the beverage preparation system shown in FIG1 in some embodiments; FIG12 is a schematic diagram of an ice dispensing station of the beverage preparation system shown in FIG1 in some embodiments; FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a beverage dispensing station of the beverage preparation system shown in FIG1 in some embodiments. Figures 14 and 15 are schematic side views of the capping station of the beverage preparation system shown in Figure 1 in some embodiments; Figure 16 is a perspective view of the capping station of the beverage preparation and dispensing system shown in Figure 1 in some embodiments; Figure 17 is a top view of a pair of converging guides of the capping station of the beverage preparation system shown in Figure 1 in some embodiments; Figure 18 is a perspective view of the cap presser of the capping station of the beverage preparation system shown in Figure 1 in some embodiments; Figure 19 is a perspective view of the compression band for securing the cap to a cup within the capping station of the beverage preparation system shown in Figure 1 in some embodiments; Figure 20 is a perspective view of the roller assembly for securing the cap to a cup within the capping station of the beverage preparation and dispensing system shown in Figure 1 in some embodiments; Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of the heat-sealing capping assembly of the capping station of the beverage preparation system shown in Figure 1 in some embodiments; Figure 22 is a side view of the beverage identification assembly of the beverage preparation system shown in Figure 1 in some embodiments; Figure 23 is a flowchart of a method for preparing a beverage in some embodiments; Figure 24 is a schematic diagram of a computer system suitable for implementing one or more embodiments disclosed herein; Figure 25 is a perspective view of a beverage preparation system in yet another embodiment. Figure 26 is a perspective view of an improved turntable assembly of the beverage preparation system shown in Figure 25 in one embodiment;Figure 27 is a partial cross-sectional view of the improved turntable assembly shown in Figure 26 in one embodiment, showing the sliding component; Figure 28 is an enlarged perspective view of the sliding component shown in Figure 27 in one embodiment; Figure 29 is a side perspective view of the improved turntable assembly and the sliding component of another embodiment; Figure 30A is a perspective view of the upper and lower magnetic components of the sliding component shown in Figure 29 in another embodiment; Figure 30B is a perspective view of the upper and lower magnetic components and the inner turntable in another embodiment; Figure 30C is a bottom perspective view of the sliding component and the improved turntable in another embodiment; Figure 31 is a perspective view of the improved turntable assembly placed in a water tank in another embodiment; Figure 32 is a perspective view of the water tank and drain outlet in one embodiment; Figure 33 is a perspective view of the improved turntable assembly placed in a water tank with the cup holder removed in another embodiment; Figure 34 is a perspective view of the water tank with the improved turntable assembly removed in another embodiment; Figure 35 is a perspective view of the water tank and drain outlet in one embodiment; Figures 36A-E are views of the improved turntable assembly drive system in one embodiment; Figure 37 is another perspective view of the beverage preparation system shown in Figure 25, showing the capping and printing components in one embodiment; Figure 38 is a view of the capping and printing components and the lifting component in one embodiment; Figure 39A is a top view of a portion of the improved turntable assembly and the lifting component in one embodiment; Figure 39B is a perspective view of a cup holder in one embodiment; Figure 40A is a perspective view of a portion of the beverage preparation system shown in Figure 25 in one embodiment; Figures 40B and 40C are perspective views of other portions of the beverage preparation system shown in Figure 25 in other embodiments; Figure 41 is a perspective view of the beverage preparation system in another embodiment; Figure 42 is a perspective view of the conveyor belt assembly of the beverage preparation system shown in Figure 41 in some embodiments; Figure 43 is a top view of the conveyor belt assembly shown in Figure 42 in some embodiments; Figures 44-47 are perspective views of the cup holder of the conveyor belt assembly shown in Figure 42 in some embodiments; Figure 48 is a perspective view of the beverage preparation system in another embodiment; Figure 49 is a side cross-sectional view of the cup dispensing station of the beverage preparation system shown in Figure 48 in some embodiments; Figure 50 is a perspective view of the beverage preparation system in yet another embodiment; Figure 51 is a perspective view of the beverage preparation system in yet another embodiment. Figure 52 is another perspective view of the beverage preparation system shown in Figure 51; Figure 53 is a perspective view showing the turntable of the beverage preparation system shown in Figures 51 and 52; Figure 54 is a view of an embodiment of the cup holder and transition assembly of the beverage preparation system; Figure 55 is another view of the beverage preparation system and transition assembly; Figure 56 is a rear perspective view of the cup holder in one embodiment; Figure 57 is a bottom perspective view of the cup holder in one embodiment; Figure 58 is a perspective view of the lifting mechanism in one embodiment; Figure 59 is a perspective view of the positioning plate in one embodiment; Figure 60 is a perspective view of the capping and printing system in one embodiment.Figure 61 is another perspective view of the capping and printing system in one embodiment; Figure 62 is a perspective view of the beverage preparation system in another embodiment; Figure 63 is a perspective view of the wiper in one embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 64 is a perspective view of the beverage preparation system in another embodiment; Figure 65 is a top view of the ice storage box in one embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 66 is a perspective view of the filling chute and chute cover in one embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 67 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the beverage preparation system; Figure 68 is a view of the upper interior of the beverage preparation system in one embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 69 is a view of the beverage preparation system with the cup dispenser in the open position in one embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 70 is a perspective view of the capping and printing assembly in another embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 71 shows the capping and printing assembly located on the slide rail in one embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 72 is another view of the capping and printing assembly located on the slide rail in one embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 73 shows the upper frame of the beverage preparation system in one embodiment of the present disclosure; and Figure 74 shows the drive mechanism of the beverage preparation system in one embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Description

[0003] The following discussion pertains to various embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the examples disclosed herein have broad applications, and the discussion of any embodiment is intended only as an example of that embodiment and is not intended to imply that the scope of this disclosure (including the claims) is limited to that embodiment.

[0004] The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For clarity and brevity, some features and components may be shown at exaggerated scale or in some schematic form, and some details of some conventional elements may not be shown.

[0005] In the following discussion and claims, the terms “comprising” and “including” are used in an open-ended manner and should therefore be interpreted as “including but not limited to…”. Furthermore, the term “coupled” means an indirect or direct connection. Thus, if a first device is coupled to a second device, the connection may be a direct connection between the two devices or an indirect connection established via other devices, components, nodes, and connections. Furthermore, as used herein, the terms “axial” and “along the axial direction” generally refer to a direction along or parallel to a given axis (e.g., the central axis of a body or port), while the terms “radial” and “along the radial direction” generally refer to a direction perpendicular to that given axis. For example, axial distance refers to the distance measured along or parallel to the axis, while radial distance refers to the distance measured perpendicular to the axis.

[0006] As mentioned above, beverage machines or other similar systems can be used in restaurants or catering facilities to prepare beverages. However, many such devices require human physical interaction in many (or all) steps of the beverage preparation process. For example, when preparing beverages using a beverage machine, it may still be necessary for a waiter, customer, etc., to take a cup, align the cup with, and hold it to the selected beverage.Under a nozzle of a certain type, and engaging with the equipment or otherwise interacting to dispense the desired beverage. Each of these additional, manual interactions can increase the time and complexity of the beverage preparation process, and thus may reduce the operational efficiency of the entire food service.

[0007] Therefore, the embodiments disclosed herein include beverage preparation systems and related methods that can further improve the efficiency of the beverage preparation and dispensing process by automating many, most, or substantially all of the steps in preparing a beverage. Thus, by using the embodiments disclosed herein, the number of manual steps required to complete a beverage order can be reduced, thereby improving the efficiency of the beverage preparation process and improving the overall food service operation.

[0008] Referring now to FIG1, a beverage preparation system 100 according to some embodiments is shown. As will be described in more detail below, the beverage preparation system 100 can be used to automatically prepare and dispense whole or substantially whole beverages during operation, thereby reducing the number of manual operations performed by waiters, customers, etc. Typically, the beverage preparation system 100 includes an ice storage chamber 112, a cabinet 114, and a beverage handling assembly 120 located between the ice storage chamber 112 and the cabinet 114.

[0009] Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, the beverage handling assembly 120 includes multiple stations for performing various stages or steps of the beverage preparation process. Specifically, the beverage handling assembly 120 includes a cup dispensing station 130, an ice dispensing station 180, a beverage dispensing station 190, and a capping station 200. The beverage can be prepared by advancing through stations 130, 180, 190, and 200 via a turntable assembly 122.

[0010] Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, the turntable assembly 122 includes a central axis 155 and a pair of concentric turntables 124 and 126. Specifically, the turntable assembly 122 includes an inner turntable 124 and an outer turntable 126 arranged circumferentially around the inner turntable 124. The inner turntable 124 includes and defines the cup holders 125 of the first or inner row 154, while the outer turntable 126 includes and defines the cup holders 125 of the second or outer row 156. Both the inner row 154 and the outer row 156 extend annularly around the central axis 155, with the inner row 154 located radially inside the outer row 156. Specifically, in some embodiments, the first row 154 and the second row 156 extend circumferentially around the central axis 155, such that the cup holders 125 of the rows 154 and 156 are arranged in concentric circles around the axis 155.

[0011] Referring specifically to FIG3, the inner turntable 124 and the outer turntable 126 are supported by a base plate 149. More specifically, the base plate 149 includes a pair of circumferential guide rails 148 and 147, which support the turntables 124 and 126 via a pair of bearings 144 and 146, respectively. Bearings 144 and 146 facilitate rotation of turntables 124 and 126 relative to substrate 149 about central axis 155 during operation. In some embodiments, the bearings...144, 146 may include wheels, sliding surfaces and / or other suitable components or features to cause turntables 124, 126 to move (e.g., rotate) relative to base plate 149. In other embodiments, inner turntable 124 may be supported by a shaft (not shown), while outer turntable 126 is supported by a support structure (not shown) of beverage preparation system 100 along the outer diameter of outer turntable 126.

[0012] Inner turntable 124 and outer turntable 126 are housed within a housing 140, which is in turn mounted on base plate 149 to conceal guide rails 147, 148 and bearings 144, 146. A gearbox 142 is mounted on housing 140 and includes one or more gears (not shown) that mesh with teeth or other suitable structures formed on outer turntable 126. In other embodiments, either or both of the outer turntable 126 and / or the inner turntable 124 may be driven by a rubber wheel (not shown) that frictionally engages with the exterior or other parts of the turntables 124 and / or 126.

[0013] The first driver 141 and the second driver 143 are supported in a housing 145 coupled to a side of the base plate 149 opposite to the turntables 124, 126 and the housing 140. However, in other embodiments (not shown), the second driver 143 may be mounted on the same side as the turntables 124, 126. In this embodiment, the output shaft of the first driver 141 is coupled to the inner turntable 124 through a first opening 150 in the base plate 149, while the output shaft of the second driver 143 is coupled to a gear in the gearbox 142 through a second opening 152 in the base plate 149. In some embodiments, the drivers 141, 143 may include an electric motor; however, in other embodiments, the drivers 141, 143 may include a pneumatic motor, a hydraulic motor, etc.

[0014] During operation, the actuators 141 and 143 can be energized to rotate the turntables 124 and 126 about the central axis 155, respectively. Specifically, the first actuator 141 can be energized to rotate the inner turntable 124 about the axis 155; while the second actuator 143 can be energized to rotate the outer turntable 126 about the axis 155 via gears (not shown) within the gearbox 142. Returning to Figures 1 and 2, the rotation of the turntables 124 and 126 about the axis 155 can selectively propel beverages through stations 130, 180, 190, and 200 within the beverage handling assembly 120. Because the turntables 124 and 126 are rotated about the axis 155 by independent actuators (e.g., actuators 141 and 143 shown in Figure 3), the turntables 124 and 126 can rotate about the axis 155 independently of each other during operation. Without being limited to this or any other theory, the independent rotation of turntables 124 and 126 can provide redundancy for the beverage preparation system 100 in case one or more components fail. Furthermore, the independent rotation of turntables 124 and 126 can allow passage through rows 154 and 156.Beverage preparation is subdivided and organized. For example, rows 154 and 156 can be arranged to prepare beverages for different sources (e.g., drive-thru orders and dine-in orders), and / or can be used to prepare different types of beverages (e.g., carbonated beverages and non-carbonated beverages, hot beverages and cold beverages). Further details of embodiments of stations 130, 180, 190, and 200 are now described below.

[0015] Referring now to Figures 1 and 4, in some embodiments, cup dispensing station 130 includes a central axis 135, a dispenser 134, and a plurality of tubular cartridges 132 coupled to the dispenser 134 and extending axially from it relative to axis 135. Each cartridge 132 includes a first or upper end 132a and a second or lower end 132b opposite to the upper end 132a. The lower end 132b is coupled to a corresponding receiving hole 136 in the dispenser 134 (page 4 / 30, CN 121358684 A), while the upper end 132a extends axially from the dispenser 134. Each magazine 132 can receive and store multiple stacked cups 50. In some embodiments, the cups 50 can be loaded into the magazine 132 from the upper end 132a. In some embodiments, the magazine 132 can be decoupled from the dispenser 134 to facilitate loading the cups 50 therein. In other embodiments (not shown), the external configuration of the multiple tubular magazines 132 may not be circular, but hexagonal or other shapes, and may include an opening on one side of the tubular magazine 132 to receive a cup, so that the cup can be loaded from the side rather than from the top or bottom. In such embodiments, the hexagonal or other shapes may be based on the geometry of the open tubular magazine 132 to hold the cup.

[0016] The dispenser 134 is a generally cylindrical component comprising a first or upper side 134a, a second or lower side 134b opposite to the upper side 134a, and a cylindrical outer surface 134c extending axially between the sides 134a and 134b. A receiving hole 136 passes axially through the dispenser 134 between the sides 134a and 134b relative to the axis 135. A magazine 132 engages with the receiving hole 136 on the upper side 134a, such that during operation, a cup 50 dispensed from the magazine 132 passes through the receiving hole 136 and ejects from the lower side 134b.

[0017] The dispenser 134 is located within a housing 131. During operation, the dispenser 134 is rotatable within the housing 131 about the axis 135. A bearing 139 is insertable within the housing 131 to engage with the lower side 134b of the distributor 134, thereby facilitating rotation of the distributor 134 about the shaft 135 during operation. A driver 138 is coupled to one or more gears 133 located within a gearbox 129 of the housing 131. In some embodiments, the driver 138 comprises an electric motor; however, in other embodiments, the driver...138 may include a pneumatic motor, a hydraulic motor, etc. One or more gears 133 may be coupled (e.g., engaged) with teeth or other suitable structures on the cylindrical outer surface 134c of the dispenser 134. A top plate 137 may cover the gearbox 129, and the drive 138 may be supported on the top plate 137. In other embodiments, the dispenser 134 may be driven by a timing pulley (not shown) that engages with the top of the dispenser 134.

[0018] Still referring to Figures 1 and 4, during operation, the drive 138 may rotate the dispenser 134 about a shaft 135 via one or more gears 133. Specifically, the drive 138 may rotate the dispenser 134 to align selected cartridges 132 and receiving holes 136 in the dispenser 134 with rows 154, 156 of cup holders 125 on the turntable assembly 122. In some embodiments, the magazine 132 may accommodate cups of different sizes and / or types, which may be selectively aligned with rows 154, 156 during operation to prepare the desired beverage.

[0019] Referring now to FIG5, in some embodiments, the dispenser 134 includes a housing 163 that defines an inner cavity 167. A cap 160 may be mounted to the housing 163 to close the cavity 167 and conceal the components disposed therein (which will be described in more detail below). The cap 160 may define an upper side 134a, while the housing 163 may define a lower side 134b and a cylindrical outer surface 134c of the dispenser 134.

[0020] A plurality of gear rings 166 are disposed within the cavity 167 and aligned with each receiving hole 136 along a respective axis 165. A drive gear 168 engages (e.g., meshes) with teeth or other suitable structures on the radially outer surface of each gear ring 166. The drive gear 168 is coupled to a driver 162 that may be mounted on the cap 160. For example, drive gear 168 may engage with the output shaft (not shown) of driver 162 passing through a suitable opening (not shown) in cap 160. During operation, driver 162 may rotate drive gear 168, thereby driving gear ring 166 to rotate about a corresponding shaft 165. Bearing 169 may be mounted within chamber 167 to facilitate and support rotation of gear ring 166 about shaft 165. In some embodiments, driver 162 includes an electric motor; however, in other embodiments, driver 162 may include a pneumatic motor, hydraulic motor, etc.

[0021] Each shaft 165 is parallel to and radially offset from the central shaft 135. In some embodiments, shafts 165 are circumferentially spaced around shaft 135. In the embodiment of cup dispensing station 130 shown in Figures 4 and 5, there are a total of three cartridges 132, and therefore three receiving holes 136. Thus, shafts 165 are circumferentially spaced about 120° around shaft 135. In other embodiments, more or fewer than three cartridges 132 may be included to accommodate a desired number of cup sizes or types. Instruction manual, page 5 / 30, 8 CN121358684 A

[0022] A plurality of wedges 164 are located within each gear ring 166. Referring now to Figures 6 and 7, each wedge 164 includes a cylindrical body 174, which includes a central or longitudinal shaft 175. Within each gear ring 166, the shaft 175 of the wedge 164 may be parallel to and radially offset from the shaft 165. The body 174 includes a plurality of teeth 176 extending circumferentially around the shaft 175. The teeth 176 may engage (e.g., mesh) with corresponding teeth 172 on the radially inner surface 170 of the gear ring 166. Thus, rotation of the gear ring 166 about the shaft 165 causes the wedge 164 to rotate about the shaft 175 through the engagement of the teeth 172, 176.

[0023] A pair of wedges 178, 179 extend radially outward from the body 174. Wedges 178 and 179 may extend outward from radially opposite sides of the body 174 relative to axis 175. In some embodiments, wedges 178 and 179 may extend circumferentially about 180° around the body 174; however, in some embodiments, wedges 178 and 179 may extend circumferentially more or less than 180° around the body 174. Furthermore, wedges 178 and 179 are axially spaced from each other such that wedge 178 may be positioned axially above wedge 179 along axis 175. Thus, wedge 178 may be referred to herein as first or upper wedge 178, and wedge 179 may be referred to herein as second or lower wedge 179.

[0024] During operation, wedge 164 may rotate about axis 175 to engage wedges 178 and 179 with cups 50 extending into receiving holes 136 of dispenser 134. Generally, the upper wedge 178 can engage between axially adjacent cups 50 when needed to remove cups 50 from the dispenser 134, while the lower wedge 179 can support cups 50 when it is not desired to dispense cups 50 from the dispenser 134. Specifically, during operation, each wedge 164 can switch between a first position shown in FIG. 6 and a second position shown in FIG. 7 to selectively remove and dispense cups 50 from the dispenser 134. In the first position (FIG. 6), the lower wedge 179 can rotate circumferentially about axis 175 to extend radially inward toward axis 165 and cups 50. Thus, when the wedge assembly 164 is in the first position (FIG. 6), the lower wedge 179 of each wedge 164 can engage with the lip 52 of the lowermost cup 50 within the dispenser 134 to prevent cups 50 from falling through the dispenser 134.

[0025] When it is desired to dispense a cup 50 from the dispenser 134, the wedge 164 can be switched from a first position (FIG. 6) to a second position (FIG. 7) by rotating the body 174 about axis 175, thereby engaging the upper wedge 178 between the lips 52 of the two lowest cups 50 within the dispenser 134. The upper wedge 178 may include an axially tapered shape (e.g., when moving circumferentially about the body 174) during this process.With respect to the axial width of axis 175, when the body 174 rotates about axis 175 from a first position (FIG. 6) to a second position (FIG. 7), the lips 52 of adjacent cups 50 are gradually pushed apart along axis 165 until the contact between adjacent cups 50 is reduced sufficiently to allow the lowermost cup 50 to pass through the receiving hole 136 and fall into the cup holder 125 of one of the upper rows 154, 156 of the turntable assembly 122 shown in FIG. 1 and 2. When in the second position (FIG. 7), undispensed cups 50 in the dispenser 134 can be supported by the upper wedge 178.

[0026] Once the lowermost cup 50 is dispensed from the dispenser 134, the wedge assembly 164 can then be rotated back from the second position (FIG. 7) to the first position (FIG. 6) by rotating the body 174 about axis 175, thereby realigning the lower wedge 179 into the cup 50. As the body 174 rotates about axis 175 from the second position (FIG. 7) to the first position (FIG. 6), the cup 50 can fall downward along axis 165, such that the lip 52 of the lowermost cup 50 within the dispenser 134 engages with the lower wedge 179 as previously described. Therefore, once the wedge assembly 164 returns to the first position (FIG. 6), the dispenser 134 is ready again to dispense another cup 50 in the manner described above. In some embodiments, the wedge assembly 164 can be switched from the first position (FIG. 6) to the second position (FIG. 7) and back to the first position (FIG. 6) by continuous rotation of the body 174 about axis 175 (e.g., a full 360° rotation about axis 175).

[0027] Although some specific examples of the cup dispensing station 130 have been described above, it should be understood that various features of the cup dispensing station 130 may be changed, replaced, or removed in various embodiments, and some embodiments of the cup dispensing station 130 may include additional features. For example, referring to FIG8, in some embodiments, dispenser 134 may include one or more reciprocating wedges 270 within and around receiving hole 136 to replace or supplement wedge 164. Wedge 270 includes one or more wedges 272 that can slidably engage at a lip 52 between axially adjacent cups 50 as the wedges 270 translate radially inward toward axis 165. Wedges 272 may include beveled or angled surfaces such that as the wedges 270 translate radially inward toward axis 165, adjacent cups 50 are axially displaced from each other along axis 165, thereby allowing the lowermost cup 50 to fall through receiving hole 136 as generally described above.

[0028] Referring now to FIG9, in some embodiments, the cup dispensing station 130 may include a gripping arm 274 that grips a cup 50 passing through the dispenser 134 and pulls it down toward the turntable assembly 122 (Note: FIG9 only provides a schematic diagram of the outer outlet 156 for simplicity).

[0029] Referring now to FIG. 10, in some embodiments, the magazine 132 may reciprocate linearly along track 276 or other structures to selectively align the magazine 132 with rows 154, 156 of the turntable assembly 122 (FIG. 2) (Note: FIG. 10 also includes only a schematic diagram of row 156 for simplicity). In some of these embodiments, cups 50 may be dispensed from the magazine 132 by any of the methods and systems described herein and / or other known methods and systems. FIG. 10 depicts the gripper arm 274 of FIG. 9 to illustrate some examples.

[0030] Referring now to FIG. 11, in some embodiments, the magazine 132 may be fixed and aligned with rows 154, 156 of the turntable assembly 122 (FIG. 2). In some of these embodiments, additional magazines 132 may be included to allow dispensing of cups of different sizes and types onto each row 154, 156 (Note: FIG. 11 also includes only a schematic diagram of row 156 for simplicity). In some of these embodiments, cups 50 can be dispensed from magazine 132 by any of the methods and systems described herein.

[0031] Referring again to FIG. 2, after cups 50 are dispensed into cup holders 125 of one or two rows 154, 156 of turntable assembly 122, turntables 124, 126 are rotated about axis 155 to advance empty cups 50 to ice dispensing station 180. Referring now to FIG. 12, in some embodiments, ice dispensing station 180 includes an inlet 182, a pair of outlets 188, 189, and a chute 185 located between inlet 182 and outlets 188, 189. Outlet 188 may be aligned with the inner row 154 of cup holder 125 (FIG. 2), while outlet 189 may be aligned with the outer row 156 of cup holder 125 (FIG. 2).

[0032] Inlet 182 may be coupled to, or may constitute part or all of, the ice storage chamber 112 shown in FIG. 1. A stirrer 184 is disposed within an inlet 182. The stirrer 184 includes a plurality of blades 186, which are driven by a driver 187 to rotate within the inlet 182. The engagement between the blades 186 and the ice blocks within the inlet 182 can break up any ice blockages therein and help ensure that ice blocks continuously flow through the inlet 182 into the chute 185.

[0033] A dispensing valve 181 is located within the chute 185. The dispensing valve 181 typically includes a gate valve that can switch between a first or closed position (shown in solid lines in FIG. 12) and a second or open position (shown in dashed lines in FIG. 12), the former for preventing ice blocks from advancing through the chute 185 toward outlets 188, 189, and the latter for allowing ice blocks to advance through the chute 185 toward outlets 188, 189. In some embodiments, a driver 183 can actuate the dispensing valve 181 between the closed and open positions by pivoting the valve 181 about a hinge 177. In some embodiments, the distribution valve 181 may operate along a path substantially perpendicular to the slide 185.The direction of ice block flow or movement is directed into and out of chute 185.

[0034] In some embodiments, an outlet selection valve 193 is coupled to outlets 188, 189. The outlet selection valve 193 may include a gate 173 that is pivotable about a hinge 191 to selectively block one of outlets 188, 189. Specifically, an actuator 192 may pivot the gate 173 about the hinge 191 to a first position (shown in solid lines in FIG. 12) to block outlet 188, thereby guiding ice blocks advancing from chute 185 into outlet 189. Furthermore, the actuator 192 may pivot the gate 173 about the hinge 191 to a second position (shown in dashed lines in FIG. 12) to block outlet 189, thereby guiding ice blocks advancing from chute 185 into outlet 188.

[0035] Referring now briefly to Figures 2 and 12, outlets 188, 189 can be aligned with rows 154, 156. Therefore, during operation, when ice is to be dispensed into a cup 50 received in the cup holder 125 of one of rows 154, 156, actuator 183 can switch dispensing valve 181 to the open position so that the ice can advance through chute 185 under gravity. Depending on whether the cup to receive the ice is in the cup holder 125 of the inner row 154 or the outer row 156, actuator 192 can pivot gate 173 of outlet selection valve 193 to a first or second position to guide the ice from the desired corresponding outlet 188, 189. During these operations, actuator 187 can rotate the blade 186 of stirrer 184 to ensure continuous advance of ice into chute 185.

[0036] In some embodiments, the outlet selection valve 193 may be replaced by a pair of valve or gate assemblies coupled to outlets 188, 189. Thus, in these embodiments, ice can be dispensed from one or both outlets 188, 189 by actuating the gate assemblies (not shown) of the selected outlets 188, 189 during operation.

[0037] Valves (e.g., valves 181, 193, etc.) may be actuated to dispense ice from outlets 188, 189 over a specified time period to prevent overfilling. In some embodiments, suitable sensors or other measuring devices may be included within the ice dispensing station 180 to monitor the volume of ice dispensed from outlets 188, 189 to prevent overfilling. In some embodiments, weight or force sensors (e.g., within the cup holder 125 of Figures 1 and 2) may be employed to monitor the total weight of the cup and the dispensed ice to prevent overfilling. In these various embodiments, the amount of ice to be dispensed (and therefore the various parameters used to monitor the amount of ice dispensed) may depend on the size of the cup 50 aligned with the ice dispensing station 180.

[0038] In some embodiments, the actuators 187, 183, and 192 may include electric motors. However, the actuators 187, 183, and 192 may include any suitable drive device, such as a pneumatic motor, a hydraulic motor, etc.

[0039] In other embodiments, the ice dispensing station 180 may include only one outlet, such as outlet 188 or 189, instead of a pair of outlets 188, 189, and dispense ice only into one row of cups 50, such as the outer or inner row 154 or 156. For example, in this embodiment (not shown), outlet 189 may be omitted, as may the actuator 192 and the pivot gate 173. Also in this embodiment, the stirrer 184 and the paddle 186 may be replaced with a screw conveyor or other element communicating with a timing circuit to operate for a specified duration to dispense the appropriate amount of ice into the cups. This embodiment is intended for a variant of the beverage dispensing system 100 that provides beverage preparation only on one of the inner row 154 or the outer row 156, rather than on both rows 154 and 156.

[0040] Referring again to FIG. 2, after ice is dispensed into cups 50 at ice dispensing station 180, turntables 124, 126 rotate about axis 155 to align cups 50 with beverage dispensing station 190. Beverage dispensing station 190 includes a pair of nozzles 194, 196—wherein the first nozzle 194 is aligned with the inner row 154 of cup holder 125, and the second nozzle 196 is aligned with the outer row 156 of cup holder 125. During operation, nozzles 194, 196 can dispense selected beverages into cups 50 located in rows 154, 156, respectively.

[0041] Referring now to FIG. 13, in some embodiments, each nozzle 194, 196 may be coupled to a dispensing valve assembly 195. Furthermore, dispensing valve assembly 195 may be coupled to a carbonated water source 197, a non-carbonated water source 198, and multiple flavoring sources 199. Additional valves, pumps, and other components may be included to facilitate and control fluid flow from sources 197, 198, and 199; however, these additional components are not shown for simplicity of the figures. During operation, a selected beverage is dispensed by water flowing from one (or both) source 197, 198 and flavoring from one or more sources 199 to the dispensing valve assembly 195 when a cup (e.g., cup 50 in Figures 1 and 2) is aligned with one of the nozzles 194, 196. The fluid may then be actuated to route the fluid to the selected nozzles 194, 196. The fluid may be mixed within and / or between the dispensing valve assembly 195 and the nozzles 194, 196 to form the selected beverage. In other embodiments, additional fluid sources may be connected to the dispensing valve assembly 195 for dispensing beverages that do not require mixing, such as, but not limited to, juice, coffee, and milk.

[0042] The dispensing valve assembly 195 may include or be coupled to a timer to ensure dispensing from the selected nozzles 194, 196.The correct amount of fluid is dispensed while preventing overfilling. In some embodiments, the dispensing valve assembly 195 may additionally or alternatively monitor the volume of fluid dispensed through nozzles 194, 196 (e.g., via a flow sensor, pressure sensor, etc.) to prevent overfilling. In some embodiments, a weight or force sensor (e.g., within the cup holder 125 of Figures 1 and 2) may be employed to monitor the total weight of the cup, ice (if present), and dispensed beverage to prevent overfilling. In these various embodiments, the amount of fluid dispensed (and therefore the various parameters used to monitor the amount of dispensed fluid) may depend on the size of the cup 50 aligned with the beverage dispensing station 190.

[0043] Although the embodiment of the beverage dispensing station 190 shown in Figure 13 includes two nozzles 194, 196, it should be understood that different numbers and arrangements of nozzles may be utilized in other embodiments. For example, referring again to Figures 1 and 2, in some embodiments, the beverage dispensing station 190 may include a plurality of nozzles for dispensing beverages to cups 50 in the inner row 154, and / or a plurality of nozzles for dispensing beverages to cups 50 in the outer row 156. Without being limited to this or any other theory, the number and arrangement of the nozzles (e.g., nozzles 194, 196) of the beverage dispensing station 190 may allow the dispensing of specific beverages or groups of beverages from selected nozzles and may increase the amount of beverage available to be dispensed into cups 50 over a period of time. Furthermore, the nozzles (e.g., nozzles 194, 196) of the beverage dispensing station 190 may be coupled to sources 197, 198, 199, respectively, so that beverages can be dispensed simultaneously from the respective nozzles during operation. In embodiments where beverages are filled only in one of the cup holders in the inner row or outer row 154, 156, only one of nozzles 194, 196 may be present.

[0044] Referring again to FIG. 2, after a beverage is dispensed into a cup 50 via beverage dispensing station 190, turntables 124, 126 rotate about axis 155 to align cup 50 with capping station 200. Generally, capping station 200 may include a plurality of tubular cartridges 202 that receive and accommodate a plurality of caps 60 for dispensing and placement onto cup 50 during operation.

[0045] Referring now to FIG. 14 and 15, an embodiment of capping station 200 is shown. As shown in FIG. 14 and 15, cartridge 202 includes a central or longitudinal axis 205, a first or upper end 202a, and a second or lower end 202b opposite to upper end 202a. Caps 60 may be stacked into cartridge 202 from upper end 202a and dispensed from cartridge 202 from lower end 202b by cap dispensing assembly 210.

[0046] In some embodiments, the lid dispensing assembly 210 may include a gripper 214, which is connected by a hinge 212It is pivotally coupled to magazine 202, near lower end 202b. An actuator 226 is coupled to gripper 214 and / or hinge 212, which can selectively rotate gripper 214 about hinge 212 between a first position shown in FIG. 14 and a second position shown in FIG. 15. In some embodiments, actuator 226 may include an electric motor; however, in other embodiments, actuator 226 may include a pneumatic motor, hydraulic motor, etc.

[0047] Gripper 214 includes a first or inner end 214a near hinge 212 and a second or outer end 214b extending outward from hinge 212. Furthermore, gripper 214 includes a first cap holder 216 at outer end 214b (or nearby) and a second cap holder 218 at inner end 214a (or nearby). The first cap holder 216 and the second cap holder 218 may include teeth or other suitable structures that can engage and hold cap 60 during dispensing operations. The first cover holder 216 may be fixed at the outer end 214b (or nearby) of the gripper 214, while the second cover holder 218 may be pivotally coupled to the inner end 214a (or nearby) of the gripper 214 via hinge 220. Furthermore, the second cover holder 218 may be rotatably biased about the hinge 220 (e.g., by a torsion spring or other suitable device) such that the second cover holder 218 is biased to engage the cover 60 held by the gripper 214 (FIG. 14).

[0048] The cover 60 may be dispensed from the magazine 202 by rotating the gripper 214 to the first position of FIG. 14, engaging the lowermost cover 60 within the magazine 202. More specifically, in the position of FIG. 14, the cover 60 is held or engaged between the first cover holder 216 and the second cover holder 218. As previously described, the second lid holder 218 can be biased about hinge 220 to engage with lid 60. Next, when it is desired to dispense lid 60 onto the top of a cup (e.g., cup 50 in Figures 1 and 2) aligned with lid station 200, actuator 226 can rotate gripper 214 about hinge 212 from a first position in Figure 14 to a second position in Figure 15. When gripper 214 is rotated about hinge 212 to the second position in Figure 15, the second lid holder 218 can engage with cam surface 224 coupled to (or mounted near) hinge 212. Therefore, after the second lid holder 218 engages with the cam surface 224, the gripper 214 continues to rotate about the hinge 212 to the second position, which may force the second lid holder 218 to rotate about the hinge 220, thereby disengaging from the lid 60, causing the lid 60 to fall towards the aligned cup 50 under gravity. Afterwards, the actuator 226 can rotate the gripper 214 back about the hinge 212 to the first position shown in FIG. 14.In order to engage with another cover 60. Because, as described above, during the cover dispensing operation, the claw 214 pivots about the hinge 212 between a first position (FIG. 14) and a second position (FIG. 15), the cover 60 can be inserted into the magazine "inverted" such that when it rotates with the claw 214 to the second position of FIG. 15, the bottom surface of the cover 60 faces the cup 50 (not shown).

[0049] In some embodiments, the claw 214 may be omitted, and the cover 60 may be dispensed from the magazine 202 by other systems and methods. Referring now to FIG. 16, in some embodiments, the magazine 202 may include a slot 230 that radially passes through the wall of the magazine 202 at a location closer to the lower end 202b than the upper end 202a. The cover 60 inserted into the upper end 202a of the magazine 202 may drop down axially along the axis 205 or otherwise advance, eventually aligning with the slot 230. A push rod 232 may be coupled to the magazine 202 and aligned with the slot 230. The push rod 232 can be selectively translated radially through the slot 230 relative to the shaft 205 during operation (e.g., by a suitable drive or actuator). Each time the push rod 232 translates radially through the slot 230, a cap 60 can be radially pushed out of the slot 230 and the cartridge 202, thereby falling downward onto a cup 50 (which may be located within the cup holder 125).

[0050] In some embodiments, the cap 60 dispensed from the capping station 200 may not be aligned with the cup 50. Therefore, in some embodiments, the dispensing mechanism of the capping station 200 (e.g., gripper 214) can align the cap 60 with the cup 50 (e.g., such that the cap 60 is substantially centered on the top of the cup 50). In some embodiments, the capping station 200 may include a separate device or component for aligning the cap 60 with the cup 50 after dispensing the cap 60 (e.g., from the cartridge 202). For example, referring now to FIG. 17, a cup 50 and an assigned lid 60 may be guided (e.g., via turntables 124, 126) between a pair of converging guide rails 234. The shape and position of the guide rails 234 may be selected so that the lid 60 may be aligned with the cup 50 below as the cup 50 and lid 60 move therebetween.

[0051] Once the lid 60 is assigned to and aligned with a cup 50, the lid 60 may then be secured or pressed onto the cup 50. In some embodiments, the gripper 214 of FIG. 14 and 15 may be axially translated relative to axis 205 (e.g., independently or with cartridge 202) to press the assigned lid 60 onto the cup 50.

[0052] In some embodiments, the assigned lid 60 may be pressed onto the cup 50 by a separate presser or other suitable device. For example, referring now to FIG. 18, in some embodiments, a presser 237 may loosely hold the lid 60 in place.After being mounted (e.g., dropped) onto a cup 50, it engages with a lid 60. The presser 237 includes a plunger 236 coupled to a linear actuator 238. The plunger 236 may include any suitable shape corresponding to the shape of the lid (e.g., lid 60 in Figures 14 and 15). The plunger 236 may be selectively extended and retracted along a central axis 235 via the linear actuator 238. In some embodiments, the linear actuator 238 may include a hydraulic cylinder or a pneumatic cylinder. In some embodiments, the linear actuator 238 may include an electrically powered linear actuator.

[0053] Referring now to Figure 19, in some embodiments, the dispensed lid 60 may be pressed onto the cup 50 by a band 240 spaced apart from rows 154, 156 (Figure 2). Specifically, during operation, the lid 60 and the cup 50 are compressed between the respective cup holders 125 (not shown in Figure 19) of rows 154, 156 and the band 240, thereby securing the lid 60 to the cup 50.

[0054] Referring now to FIG. 20, in some embodiments, the capping station 200 may include a roller assembly 242 to compress and secure the dispensed cap 60 onto the cup 50. The roller assembly 242 may include a ring 244 and a plurality of rollers 246 rotatably mounted on the ring 244. The rollers 246 may be generally cylindrical and include a central shaft 245. The rollers 246 may be mounted on the ring 244 such that the shaft 245 is angled relative to the central shaft 55 of the cup 50. In some embodiments, the shaft 245 is set at an angle θ greater than 0° and less than 90° relative to the central shaft 55. During operation, a cup 50 and a dispensed cap 60 are aligned with the roller assembly 242, the roller assembly 242 descends along the shaft 55 to engage the cap 60, and simultaneously rotates about the shaft 55 such that the rollers 246 press the cap 60 onto the cup 50.

[0055] Referring now to FIG. 21, in some embodiments, the capping station 200 (FIGs 1 and 2) may include a heat-sealing capping assembly 250. The heat-sealing capping assembly 250 includes a heat sealer 256 that can cut and heat-seal a cap onto a cup 50 from a continuous strip of capping material 258 (e.g., a polymer film), which is unrolled from a starting roller 252 and wound up by a terminating roller 254. Specifically, the heat sealer 256 may include a heating element (not shown) and may be translated along axis 55 toward the cup 50 to cut a portion of the capping material 258 and fuse the capping material 258 to the rim of the cup 50. In some embodiments, the heat-sealing capping assembly 250 may include a pair of heat sealers 256, each heat sealer 256 being aligned with one of the rows 154, 156 of the turntable assembly 122. In some embodiments, each row 154, 156 may be aligned with a separate, individual heat-sealing capping assembly 250.

[0056] In some embodiments, the capping process may be performed manually (e.g., by an employee or customer). For example, in some embodiments, the cap 60 may be manually retrieved and secured to the cup 50. In some embodiments, the capping station 200 may distribute (and possibly align) the cap 60 onto the cup 50, but the employee / customer may then manually press the cap 60 onto the cup 50. Therefore, in some embodiments, the capping station 200 may be omitted from the beverage handling assembly 120 (FIGs 1 and 2).

[0057] Referring now to FIG1 and FIG22, in some embodiments, the beverage preparation system 100 may include a beverage identification assembly 260 for identifying beverages that have passed through stations 130, 180, 190, 200 and are ready to be picked up by an employee or customer. Specifically, as shown in FIG22, the beverage identification assembly 260 may include a plurality of emitters 262 coupled to the beverage handling assembly 120, which are configured to emit light 264 onto the cup 50 and (if present) the cap 60, which may be used to identify a specific beverage or beverage order. In some embodiments, light 264 may be color-coded to identify a specific beverage (or order) with different colors. In some embodiments, light 264 may form images (e.g., text and / or symbols) on the beverage cup or its lid, which may provide sufficient information (e.g., name, order number, table number, vehicle identification). In some embodiments, emitter 262 may include light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and / or other suitable light-emitting devices.

[0058] Referring again to Figures 1 and 2, during operation, an order to prepare a selected beverage may be received by a suitable electronic device (not shown) of the beverage preparation system 100. For example, an employee or customer may select the desired beverage on user interface 110 and then initiate the beverage preparation process generally described above. In some embodiments, user interface 110 may include a touch-sensitive electronic display. In some embodiments, the beverage preparation system 100 may receive the order to prepare the beverage via a suitable network or other electronic device communicatively coupled to the beverage preparation and dispensing system 100. For example, in some embodiments, the beverage preparation system 100 may receive the order to prepare the beverage from a point-of-sale system of a restaurant or catering facility, which may receive orders via customers or employees. In some embodiments, the point-of-sale system may be part of a computer system that also includes a beverage preparation system 100 (e.g., computer system 400 described below).

[0059] Once the beverage preparation system 100 receives a command to prepare a beverage, turntables 124, 126 may rotate about axis 155 to allow cup holders 125 to pass through stations 130, 180, 190, 200. Meanwhile, components and mechanisms within each station 130, 180, 190, 200 may be...The above-described manner is used to prepare a beverage. Specifically, as described above, the cup dispensing assembly 130 dispenses cup 50 from cartridge 132 into cup holders 125 in one or both rows 154, 156, after which cup 50 is aligned with ice dispensing station 180 to dispense ice into cup 50. In some cases, depending on the selected preference for each requested beverage, ice may not be dispensed into one or more cups when aligned with ice dispensing station 180. Next, cup 50 and ice (if dispensed) are aligned with beverage dispensing station 190 to dispense the selected beverage into cup 50 (e.g., via nozzles 194, 196). Next, depending on the capping system employed, cup 50 may be conveyed to capping station 200, where cap 60 can be dispensed from cartridge 202 and secured to cup 50, or a film cap can be placed and secured to cup, for example, by heat sealing. Finally, briefly referring to Figures 1 and 22, after the cup 50 has passed the capping station 200, the cup is typically moved to align with the beverage identification component 260, which can then identify the specific, prepared beverage by projected light 264 as generally described above. As previously mentioned, in some embodiments, part or all of the capping process can be performed manually, thus simplifying or omitting the capping station 200 entirely from the beverage handling component 120.

[0060] Referring now to Figure 23, a method 300 for preparing a beverage using an embodiment of the beverage dispensing system 100 according to some embodiments is shown. In some embodiments, one or more elements of method 300 may be performed by components of the beverage handling component 120 described herein and / or by a computer system (e.g., computer system 400, described in more detail below). Therefore, in describing the features of method 300, reference continues to be made to the beverage preparation system 100 shown in Figure 1 and the beverage handling component 120 shown in Figure 2.

[0061] Initially, method 300 includes receiving an instruction (or command) at block 302 for preparing the desired beverage. The instruction may be generated or received through interaction between an employee or customer and a user interface device, such as the user interface 110 shown in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the instruction may be generated or received by a point-of-sale system used by a restaurant or catering facility, as described above.

[0062] Method 300 also includes selecting a row 154, 156 on the turntable assembly 122 at block 304 for preparing the beverage. Specifically, in some embodiments, the row selection at block 304 may be determined based on predefined rules for preparing beverages using the beverage preparation system 100. For example, as described above, in some embodiments, the source of the beverage order (e.g., drive-thru, dine-in) may determine which row 154, 156 is selected at block 304. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the type and / or size of the desired beverage may also determine which row 154, 156 is selected at block 304.

[0063] Method 300 also includes, at frame 306, aligning a cartridge 132 of the cup dispensing station 130 with a selected row 154, 156 and dispensing a cup 50 from the cartridge 132. As previously stated, the cartridge 132 can accommodate cups 50 of different sizes and / or types. Thus, during operation, the cartridge 132 accommodating the desired cup size and type can determine which cartridge 132 to use to dispense the cup 50 for the beverage preparation operation, based on instructions received at frame 302. In some embodiments, as previously stated, the dispenser 134 of the cup dispensing station 130 can be rotated (e.g., by a driver 138 shown in FIG. 4) to align the selected cartridge 132 with a selected row 154, 156 on the turntable assembly 122.

[0064] Method 300 also includes, at frame 308, aligning a dispensing cup 50 with an outlet 188, 189 of an ice dispensing station 180 and dispensing ice from the aligned outlet 188, 189 into the cup 50. The outlets 188, 189 for dispensing ice at frame 308 may be determined by rows 154, 156 selected at frame 304. As described above, in some embodiments, an outlet selection valve 193 (FIG. 12) may be actuated to direct the dispensed ice from the selected outlet 188, 189.

[0065] Method 300 also includes, at frame 310, aligning a nozzle 194, 196 of a beverage dispensing station 190 with the cup 50 and dispensing a beverage from the aligned nozzle 194, 196. Similar to the ice dispensing station 180, the nozzles 194, 196 for dispensing beverage at frame 310 may be determined by rows 154, 156 selected at frame 304. In some embodiments, the nozzle aligned at frame 310 may be selected according to the type of beverage to be prepared as instructed at frame 302.

[0066] Method 300 also includes at frame 312 dispensing a cap 60 onto a cup 50 using a capping station 200. In some embodiments, the capping station 200 may be actuated to dispense the cap 60 onto the cup 50, which may then be manually secured by an employee or customer. In some embodiments, the capping station 200 may be actuated to both dispense and secure the cap 60 onto the cup 50.

[0067] In each frame 306, 308, 310, 312 of method 300, the turntables 124, 126 of the turntable assembly 122 may be rotated (e.g., by drivers 141, 143) to align a cup holder 125 (and / or the cup 50 therein) with each cup dispensing station 130, ice dispensing station 180, beverage dispensing station 190, and capping station 200.

[0068] FIG24 illustrates a computer system 400 suitable for implementing one or more embodiments disclosed herein. For example, a beverage preparation system 100 (FIG. 1) may include or be coupled to the computer system 400. During operation, the beverage preparation system 100Computer system 400 can be used to receive and process beverage orders (or related commands) and actuate various components of the beverage processing assembly 120 described above. In some embodiments, one or more components of computer system 400 may be located within cabinet 114 shown in FIG. 1. In other embodiments, beverage preparation system 100 may include all or part of the aspects of computer system 400 as described on page 12 / 30 of CN 121358684 A, which is connected to a point of sale or other system that also includes all or part of aspects of computer system 400 or a combination thereof. Such configuration allows beverage selection at beverage dispensing preparation system 100, at point of sale system, or both.

[0069] Computer system 400 includes a processor 402 (which may be referred to as a central processing unit or CPU) that communicates with storage devices including secondary storage 404, read-only memory (ROM) 406, random access memory (RAM) 408, input / output (I / O) devices 410, and network connectivity devices 412. Processor 402 may be implemented as one or more CPU chips.

[0070] It is understood that by programming and / or loading executable instructions into the computer system 400, at least one of the CPU 402, RAM 408, and ROM 406 is altered, thereby transforming a portion of the computer system 400 into a specific machine or device having novel functions taught in this disclosure. A fundamental principle in the fields of electrical engineering and software engineering is that functionality implemented by loading executable software into a computer can be translated into hardware implementation using well-known design rules. Decisions between software and hardware implementation concepts typically depend on considerations of design stability and the number of units to be produced, rather than any issues related to the transition from the software domain to the hardware domain. Generally, a design that is still frequently changing may be more inclined to be implemented in software because remanufacturing a hardware implementation is more expensive than redesigning the software. Generally, a stable design destined for mass production may be more inclined to be implemented in hardware, such as in an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), because hardware implementation may be less expensive than software implementation for high-volume production. Typically, a design can be developed and tested in software form and then translated into an equivalent hardware implementation in an application-specific integrated circuit with the software instructions hardwired, using well-known design rules. Just as a machine controlled by a new ASIC is a specific machine or device, a computer that has been programmed and / or loaded with executable instructions can also be considered a specific machine or device.

[0071] Furthermore, after system 400 starts or boots, CPU 402 can execute a computer program or application. For example, CPU 402 can execute software or firmware stored in ROM 406 or RAM 408. In some cases, during boot...When an application starts, CPU 402 can copy the application or a portion thereof from secondary memory 404 to RAM 408 or storage space within CPU 402 itself, and then CPU 402 can execute the instructions contained in the application. In some cases, CPU 402 can copy the application or a portion thereof from memory accessed via network connection device 412 or I / O device 410 to RAM 408 or storage space within CPU 402, and then CPU 402 can execute the instructions contained in the application. During execution, the application can load instructions into CPU 402, for example, loading some instructions of the application into the cache of CPU 402. In some contexts, it can be said that the executing application configures CPU 402 to do something, for example, configuring CPU 402 to perform a function promoted by the subject application. When CPU 402 is configured by an application in this way, CPU 402 becomes a dedicated computer or dedicated machine.

[0072] Secondary storage 404 typically consists of one or more disk drives or tape drives for storing non-volatile data and serves as an overflow data storage device when RAM 408 is insufficient to hold all working data. Secondary storage 404 can be used to store programs, which are loaded into RAM 408 when selected for execution. ROM 406 is used to store instructions and, possibly, data read during program execution. ROM 406 is a non-volatile storage device, and its storage capacity is typically smaller than the larger storage capacity of secondary storage 404. RAM 408 is used to store volatile data and may also be used to store instructions. Access to ROM 406 and RAM 408 is typically faster than access to secondary storage 404. Secondary storage 404, RAM 408, and / or ROM 406 may be referred to as computer-readable storage media and / or non-transitory computer-readable media in certain contexts.

[0073] I / O device 410 may include a printer, video monitor, liquid crystal display (LCD), touch screen display (e.g., user interface 110 shown in FIG. 1), keyboard, keypad, switch, dial, mouse, trackball, voice recognizer, card reader, paper tape reader, or other well-known input and output devices. Specification 13 / 30 pages 16 CN 121358684 A

[0074] Network connectivity device 412 may take the form of a modem, modem group, Ethernet card, Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface card, serial interface, Token Ring network card, Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) card, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) card, radio transceiver card, and / or other well-known network devices. Network connectivity device 412 may provideWired and / or wireless communication links (e.g., the first network connection device 412 can provide a wired communication link, and the second network connection device 412 can provide a wireless communication link). The wired communication link can be provided according to Ethernet (IEEE 802.3), Internet Protocol (IP), Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Cable Data Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS), Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM), and / or similar standards. In one embodiment, the radio transceiver card can provide a wireless communication link using protocols such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Long Term Evolution (LTE), WiFi (IEEE 802.11), Bluetooth, Zigbee, Narrowband Internet of Things (NB IoT), Near Field Communication (NFC), and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). The radio transceiver card can support radio communication using 5G, 5G New Radio, or 5G LTE radio communication protocols. These network connection devices 412 enable the processor 402 to communicate with the Internet or one or more intranets. Through such network connections, it is conceivable that the processor 402 may receive information from the network or output information to the network during the execution of the above method steps. Such information is typically represented as a sequence of instructions to be executed using processor 402, which can be received from and output to a network, for example, in the form of computer data signals embodied in a carrier wave. Therefore, this disclosure contemplates receiving instructions via network-connected device 412, such as customer orders, including beverage orders, received online or through so-called Internet applications or otherwise, and then automatically prepared by beverage preparation system 100 without input from employees or personnel located at or operating beverage preparation system 100.

[0075] Such information, which may include, for example, data or instructions to be executed using processor 402, can be received from and output to a network, for example, in the form of computer data baseband signals or signals embodied in a carrier wave. Baseband signals or signals embedded in a carrier wave, or other types of signals currently used or subsequently developed, can be generated according to several methods well known to those skilled in the art. Baseband signals and / or signals embedded in a carrier wave may be referred to as transient signals in certain contexts.

[0076] Processor 402 executes instructions, code, computer programs, and scripts accessed from hard disks, floppy disks, optical disks (these various disk-based systems can all be considered secondary storage 404), flash drives, ROM 406, RAM 408, or network-connected devices 412. Although only one processor 402 is shown, multiple processors may be present. Therefore, while instructions may be discussed as being executed by one processor, instructions may be executed simultaneously, serially, or otherwise by one or more processors. Instructions that can be accessed from secondary storage 404 (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, optical disks, and / or other devices), ROM 406, and / or RAM 408Instructions, code, computer programs, scripts, and / or data may be referred to as non-transient instructions and / or non-transient information in certain contexts.

[0077] In one embodiment, computer system 400 may include two or more computers that communicate with each other and cooperate to perform a task. For example, but not limited to, an application may be partitioned to allow concurrent and / or parallel processing of application instructions. Alternatively, data processed by the application may be partitioned to allow two or more computers to concurrently and / or parallelly process different portions of the dataset. In one embodiment, computer system 400 may employ virtualization software to provide the functionality of multiple servers, the number of which is not directly tied to the number of computers in computer system 400. For example, virtualization software may provide twenty virtual servers on four physical computers. In one embodiment, the functionality disclosed above may be provided by executing one or more applications in a cloud computing environment. Cloud computing may include providing computing services using dynamically scalable computing resources via network connections. Cloud computing may be at least partially supported by virtualization software. The cloud computing environment may be established by an enterprise and / or may be rented from a third-party provider as needed. Some cloud computing environments may include cloud computing resources owned and operated by an enterprise, as well as cloud computing resources rented and / or leased from third-party providers.

[0078] In one embodiment, some or all of the functions described herein may be provided as a computer program product. The computer program product may include one or more computer-readable storage media on which computer-usable program code is loaded to implement the functions disclosed above. The computer program product may include data structures, executable instructions and other computer-usable program code. The computer program product may be embodied in a removable computer storage medium and / or a non-removable computer storage medium. The removable computer-readable storage medium may include, but is not limited to, paper tape, magnetic tape, disk, optical disk, solid-state storage chip, such as analog magnetic tape, read-only optical disk (CD-ROM), floppy disk, USB flash drive, digital card, multimedia card, etc. The computer program product may be adapted to load at least a portion of the contents of the computer program product into secondary storage 404, ROM 406, RAM 408 and / or other non-volatile and volatile memories of the computer system 400. Processor 402 can process executable instructions and / or data structures by directly accessing the computer program product, for example, by reading a CD-ROM disk inserted into a disk drive peripheral device of computer system 400. Alternatively, processor 402 can process executable instructions and / or data structures by remotely accessing the computer program product, for example, from a remote server via network connection device 412.Download executable instructions and / or data structures. Computer program products may include instructions that facilitate loading and / or copying data, data structures, files, and / or executable instructions to secondary storage 404, ROM 406, RAM 408, and / or other non-volatile and volatile memories of computer system 400.

[0079] In some contexts, secondary storage 404, ROM 406, and RAM 408 may be referred to as non-transitory computer-readable media or computer-readable storage media. Dynamic RAM embodiments of RAM 408 may also be referred to as non-transitory computer-readable media because when dynamic RAM receives power and operates as designed, such as during computer system 400 power-on and operation, dynamic RAM stores information written therein. Similarly, processor 402 may include internal RAM, internal ROM, cache memory, and / or other internal non-transitory storage blocks, portions, or components, which may be referred to as non-transitory computer-readable media or computer-readable storage media in some contexts.

[0080] FIG25 illustrates another embodiment of a beverage preparation system 500. Beverage preparation system 500 may be similar to beverage preparation system 100 in some respects. For example, beverage preparation system 500 may employ the cup dispensing station 130 described above. However, beverage preparation system 500 includes some significant differences, such as the capping and printing assembly 502 for sealing and identifying filled beverages, which will be discussed further below. While it is expected that beverages can be dispensed in two rows, in this embodiment, beverage preparation system 500 may be configured such that cups, ice cubes, and beverages are dispensed on only one row, for example, on the inner or outer row, but not on both rows of the turntable. This embodiment shows beverage preparation completed in the outer row cup holders.

[0081] Referring also to FIG26, beverage preparation system 500 may also employ an improved turntable assembly 504 (also shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG25). Improved turntable assembly 504 may be similar to turntable assembly 122 described above in some respects. Improved turntable assembly 504 is configured with an outer turntable 505 having an outer row cup holder 506 and an inner turntable 507 having an inner row cup holder 508. The inner and outer turntables 505 and 507 (collectively referred to as the improved turntable 510) are configured to rotate independently of each other and may include a drive, a motor, and a gearbox (not shown), operating in a manner similar to the description above regarding the inner turntable 124 and the outer turntable 126.

[0082] Cup holders 506 and 508 are configured to receive cups 50 dispensed from the cup dispensing station 130. The cup holders 506 and 508 are sized to accommodate cups 50 of various sizes. The outer cup holder 506 may include an opening 512 near the bottom outer side 511 of the outer cup holder 506. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the outer and inner cup holders 506 and 508 are not circular but U-shaped. Therefore, the outer...The turntable and inner turntables 505 and 507 can rotate such that the U-shaped opening of a particular outer cup holder 506 can be aligned with the U-shaped opening of a particular inner cup holder 508. For example, a cup 520 is shown in FIG. 26, which is located in an outer cup holder 506 aligned with the inner cup holder 508. The cup 520 can be filled with beverage via beverage dispensing station instruction manual page 15 / 30 18 CN 121358684 A 502 while it is located in the outer cup holder 508.

[0083] Referring also to the partial cross-sectional view of FIG. 27, a sliding assembly 530 located below the turntable assembly 510 includes an arm 532 that can be actuated to pass through the opening 512 in the outer cup holder 506 that receives the cup 520 and slide or move the cup 520 from its position in the outer cup holder 506 to the aligned inner cup holder 508. Once the cup 520 is filled with beverage, it can remain in the outer cup holder 506 or slide into an empty cup holder of one of the inner cup holders 508. Therefore, in this embodiment, the inner cup holders 508 provide additional space for beverages already filled on the outer cup holders 506 until they are removed for delivery to or taken by the customer.

[0084] Figure 28 shows an embodiment of the sliding assembly 530 in more detail. The sliding assembly 530 includes an arm 532, a guide rail 534, a motor 536, and a belt drive 538. The arm 532 includes a portion 533 shaped to engage a curved side of the cup 520. The arm 532 is slidably mounted to the guide rail 534 and is also connected to the belt drive 538. The motor 536 is an electric motor; however, in other embodiments, the motor 536 may include a pneumatic motor, a hydraulic motor, etc. Motor 536 is coupled to belt drive 538, which, when actuated, drives belt drive 538, causing arm 532 to move laterally along guide rail 534 and move cup 520 as described above. Motor 536 may be coupled to a computer and / or other cooperating systems to rotate turntable 510 so that opening 512 in one of the outer row cup holders 506 (also refer to Figures 26 and 27) aligns with arm 532 to slide cup (e.g., cup 520) from outer row cup holder 506 to inner row cup holder 508.

[0085] While the improved turntable assembly 504 shown in Figures 26 and 27 illustrates twelve cup holders in outer row cup holder 506 and seven cup holders in inner row cup holder 508, this disclosure contemplates fewer or more cup holders and fewer or more rows, which may be determined by the overall size of beverage preparation system 500, the size of cup 520, and other considerations that will arise of those skilled in the art.

[0086] FIG29 is another partial cross-sectional view of the improved turntable assembly 504, showing the outer turntable 505 with an outer cup holder 506. FIG29 shows another embodiment of the sliding assembly 530 located below the improved turntable assembly 504. As shown in the exploded view of FIG30AAs shown in the perspective view, the sliding assembly 530 in this embodiment includes an upper magnetic assembly 560 and a lower magnetic assembly 561. The upper magnetic assembly 560 includes an arm 532, the portion of which 533 is configured to engage with a cup 50 to transfer the cup 50 from the outer cup holder 506 to the inner cup holder 508 through an opening 512 in the outer cup holder 506, which is substantially the same as described above. The upper magnetic assembly 560 includes a body 562, which may be a metal, plastic, or polymer body or cover, internally housing a magnet located within a lower plate region 563 of the upper magnetic assembly 560. The magnet located in the lower plate region 563 may be integrally formed with the lower plate region 563 or may be accommodated in an opening formed within the lower plate region 563.

[0087] The lower magnetic assembly 561 includes a generally L-shaped support 564 and includes a flat upper portion 565 that is generally parallel to the lower plate region 563 of the upper magnetic assembly 560. The upper portion 565 includes a magnet 570 coupled to it. The bracket 564 also includes a side portion 566 generally perpendicular to the upper portion 565. The bracket 564 includes a lip 567 and a mounting point 568. The lower magnetic assembly 561 is mounted to the guide rail 534 of the sliding assembly 530 by engaging the upper portion of the guide rail 534 via the lip 567, and is connected at the mounting point 568 to an arm 569 mounted on one side of the guide rail 534. In this way, when the belt drive 538 of the sliding assembly 530 engages with the arm 569 and traverses the guide rail 534, the lower magnetic assembly 561 is moved forward and backward along the guide rail 534. In some embodiments, the lip 567 of the lower magnetic assembly 561 may be mounted on a bracket 572 located on top of the guide rail 534, and a belt drive 538 engages with the bracket 572 and / or the arm 569 to cause the lower magnetic assembly 561 to move along the sliding assembly 530. The magnets of the upper magnetic assembly and the lower magnetic assemblies 560, 561 may be integrally formed, disposed in the openings or recesses of the respective assemblies, press-fitted, glued, mechanically fastened, or configured in other ways that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0088] In some embodiments, the magnets in the upper magnetic assembly and the lower magnetic assemblies 560, 561 may include a plurality of magnets in each of the upper and lower assemblies 560, 561. In embodiments where multiple magnets are present in each upper and lower assembly 560, 561, the polarity of some magnets may be different relative to the polarity of other magnets in each upper and lower assembly 560, 561, so that the upper magnetic assembly 560 can only be magnetically positioned in one (correct, e.g., the position shown in FIG29) orientation or orientation to prevent the operator from accidentally placing the upper magnetic assembly 560 in the wrong orientation.

[0089] The guide rail 534 and the lower magnetic assembly 561 are located in a water tank 600 (discussed below with respect to FIG31-35, not shown in FIG29).Below the bottom of the sink 600. An improved turntable assembly 504 is disposed within the sink 600 so that spills and waste from the beverage preparation process can be drained and cleaned. An upper magnetic assembly 560 is mounted above the sink 600, just above the lower magnetic assembly 561. Thus, the sink 600 is located in the gap 571 between the upper and lower magnetic assemblies 560 and 561. In this way, when the lower magnetic assembly 561 moves laterally along the guide rail 534 to the other side of the sliding assembly 530, the attraction of the magnet 570 on the upper part 565 of the lower magnetic assembly 561 to the magnet in the body 562 of the upper magnetic assembly 560 causes the upper magnetic assembly 560 to move within the bottom of the sink 600 along a path corresponding to the lower magnetic assembly 561.

[0090] Since the upper magnetic assembly 560 is disposed at the bottom of the sink 600, beverage spills prepared by the beverage preparation system 500 may collect here, and therefore the upper magnetic assembly 560 may need to be cleaned periodically. As described above, the upper magnetic component 560 can be manufactured with its outer surface made of plastic, polymer, or otherwise provided with an easy-to-clean coating. In this way, the upper magnetic component 560 can be easily disassembled for cleaning because it has no mechanical or fixed connection to the sliding component 530, and the only engagement between the upper and lower magnetic components 560, 561 is magnetic. Therefore, the magnetic coupling of the upper and lower magnetic components 560, 561 allows the user or operator of the beverage preparation system 500 to easily disassemble and replace them by hand without tools or disassembling the sliding component 530. Furthermore, this configuration prevents spills during the beverage preparation process from contacting the lower magnetic component 561, motor 536, belt drive 538, guide rail 534, etc., located below or at the bottom of the sink.

[0091] FIG30B is a perspective view of another embodiment, showing the lower magnetic component 561 coupled to the bracket 572, wherein the remainder of the sliding component 530 and the outer turntable 505 are cut out. Figure 30C shows a lower or bottom perspective view of the inner and outer turntables 505, 507 and the sliding assembly 530. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper magnetic assembly 560 has a pusher plate 573 that can be attached to the bottom or lower part of the body 562 of the upper magnetic assembly 560. In some embodiments, the pusher plate 573 may not be attached to the bottom of the body 562, but only to the front end 574 of the body 562. The pusher plate 573 may be configured with a wedge 575 or a V-shaped leading edge. It is understood that ice cubes dispensed to the cup 50 located in the outer turntable 505 may overflow and collect in the outer cup holder 506, and when the cup 50 is moved to the inner cup holder 508, the ice cubes may be pushed by the cup 50 and thus also collect in the inner cup holder 508. The ice cubes may further fall and collect in the water tank 600 below the inner and outer turntables 505, 507. Since the upper magnetic component 560 is located at the bottom of the water tank 600, ice may hinder the smooth and efficient transition of the upper sliding component 560 at the bottom of the water tank 600.Simultaneously, the cup 50 is transferred between the inner and outer turntables 505 and 507. The leading edge of the wedge 575 of the pusher plate 573 acts as a snowplow, moving or dispersing ice blocks located at the bottom of the water tank 600 in the path of the upper magnetic assembly 560 during cup transfer.

[0092] Figures 30B-C also show another embodiment of the inner turntable 507, which modifies the inner cup holder 508. In this embodiment, an opening 576 is provided at the lower rear 577 of each inner cup holder 508. The opening 576 allows ice blocks collected or pushed into the inner cup holder 508 (e.g., pushed by the cup 50) to be further pushed out of the inner cup holder 508 through the opening 576 and fall into the water tank 600 located below the inner turntable 507. This prevents the accumulation of ice blocks that might collect at the bottom of the inner cup holder 508 and hinder the transfer of the cup 50 into the inner cup holder 508.

[0093] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the inner cup holder 508 includes a ramp 578 along its lower leading edge 579. The height or thickness of the ramp 578 gradually increases from the lower leading edge 579 toward the bottom 585 of the inner cup holder 508. The ramp 578 allows the bottom edge of the cup 50 to transition more smoothly from the outer cup holder 506 to the inner cup holder 508, rather than hitting or getting stuck on a vertical or abrupt edge at the lower leading edge 579 of the inner cup holder 508.

[0094] A notch 587 is also shown in Figures 30B-C, which forms a rectangular opening along the lower leading edge 579 of the inner cup holder 508. The notch 587 allows the arm 532 of the upper magnetic assembly 560 to fully extend into the inner cup holder 508, allowing the cup 50 to move completely into its position within the inner cup holder 508.

[0095] FIG31 is a perspective view of an improved turntable assembly 504 of another embodiment of a beverage preparation system 500 positioned in a water tank 600. In this embodiment, an upper sensor 588 is shown positioned above the inner turntable 507. The upper sensor 588 may be attached to a portion or structure of the beverage preparation system 500 above the inner turntable 507. The position of the upper sensor 588 is used to sense the presence of a cup 50 in the inner cup holder 508 in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the turntable 504. In this embodiment, only one sensor 588 is provided, the position of which is used to determine whether there is a cup 50 in the inner cup holder 508 at the position where the sliding assembly 530 transitions the cup 50 from the outer cup holder 506 to the inner cup holder 508. However, it should be understood that in other embodiments, one or more additional sensors may be used and positioned to detect the presence of cups 50 in other locations, or to detect the presence of cups 50 in all cup holders within the inner turntable 507. Furthermore, the upper sensor 588 may be movable, for example, driven by a motor, to sense other locations.The cup 50 may include a sensor array that can be oriented in different directions to sense the cup 50 in any combination of cup holders in the inner turntable 507.

[0096] Similarly, a side sensor 589 is located next to the outer turntable 505 and may be connected to the sink 600 or other structures of the beverage preparation system 500. The position of the side sensor 589 is used to sense the presence of a cup 50 in the outer cup holder 506 in a horizontal direction parallel to the surface of the turntable 504. In this embodiment, only one sensor 589 is provided, the position of which is used to determine whether there is a cup 50 in the outer cup holder 506 at the position where the sliding assembly 530 transitions the cup 50 from the outer cup holder 506 to the inner cup holder 508. The position of the side sensor 589 may be set at a certain height so as to horizontally detect a portion of the cup 50 that passes through and is above the outer turntable 505 and extends above the outer turntable 505. It should be understood that in other embodiments, one or more additional sensors may be used and positioned to detect the presence of cups in other locations, or to detect the presence of cups 50 in all cup holders in the outer turntable 505. Furthermore, the side sensor 589 may be movable, for example, driven by a motor, to sense cups 50 in other locations, or may include a sensor array that can be oriented in different directions to sense cups 50 in any combination of cup holders in the outer turntable 505. Sensors 588, 589 may be photoelectric, ultrasonic, passive infrared or other motion sensors, infrared sensors, ultrasonic sensors, cameras, computer vision, combinations thereof, or any known or subsequently developed sensors capable of detecting the presence of one or more cups 50 in the inner and / or outer cup holders 506, 508.

[0097] The following is a brief overview of the operation of a portion of the beverage preparation system 500 according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, the sliding assembly 530 is located in a position for transitioning cups 50 from the outer cup holder 506 to the inner cup holder 508, a position adjacent to the location in the outer turntable 505 where cups 50 are dispensed and filled. When cup 50 is dispensed and filled, the prepared beverage remains in the cup holder of the outer turntable 505. As the outer turntable 505 rotates, for example clockwise, to continue dispensing and filling the beverage, the side sensor 589 determines whether cup 50 is present in the cup holder located next to the sliding assembly 530. If no cup 50 is detected, the outer turntable 505 can be rotated to continue filling the beverage. However, if the side sensor 589 detects a cup 50 in an adjacent cup holder in the outer turntable 505, the upper sensor 588 detects whether cup 50 is present in the inner row cup holder 508 at the position where the sliding assembly 530 transitions cup 50 to the inner turntable 507. If the upper sensor 588 determines that there is no cup 50 in the adjacent inner row cup holder 508, the sliding assembly is actuated, moving or transferring cup 50 from the outer row cup holder 506 to the inner row cup holder 508. Then, rotation...The outer turntable 505 is used to fill the empty cup holder after transfer with the next beverage. However, if the upper sensor 588 detects a cup 50 in the inner row cup holder 508 located next to the sliding assembly 530, the inner turntable 507 is rotated, for example in either direction, to determine if the next inner cup holder is occupied. If the next cup holder on the inner row is occupied, the inner turntable 507 continues to rotate until an empty cup holder is found, or it is determined that all cup holders on the inner turntable 507 are occupied. The system may use logic to periodically rotate or recheck whether there are empty cup holders on the outer and inner turntables 505, 507.

[0098] Figure 31 shows details regarding the sink 600. In this embodiment, the sink 600 is generally rectangular, but in other embodiments it may be elliptical, circular, or have other shapes. The sink 600 may be made of plastic, polymer, aluminum, or other materials. In this embodiment, the sink 600 is a single, monolithic component made primarily of a polymer material. Referring also to FIG. 32, the sink 600 has an upper outer edge 601 extending around it from a recessed basin 602. The upper outer edge 601 is provided to hold and position the sink 600 within a cabinet, frame, or other structure (not shown) of the beverage preparation system 500. The recessed basin 602 has a wall 604 extending from a top surface 606 to a bottom surface 608 of the sink 600, defining a generally circular shape. The sink 600 includes an opening or drain 610 on its bottom surface 608, where spills and waste from the beverage produced by the beverage preparation system 500 can be collected and removed from the sink 600. Piping (not shown) can be connected to the drain 610 to discharge spills and waste.

[0099] Referring to Figures 31-33, the dimensions of the sink 600 and the recessed basin 602 are set to accommodate the improved turntable assembly 504. In this view, the outer turntable and the inner turntables 505 and 507, having outer and inner cup holders 506 and 508, are shown located in the recessed basin 602 of the sink 600. It is noteworthy that the cup holder 506a (discussed in more detail below) is shown in Figure 31 as being disposed in the outer cup holder 506, but is removed in the view shown in Figure 33. In some embodiments, such as those shown in Figures 31-36, the cup holder 506a may be disposed only in the outer cup holder 506, while the inner cup holder 508 may not include the cup holder 506a, but rather the cup holder may be integrally formed as part of the inner turntable 507.

[0100] The recessed basin 602 may include a flange 612 (see FIG. 32) extending around the upper portion of the recessed basin 602, the flange being configured to receive the outer edge 614 (see FIG. 31) of the outer turntable 505. The wall 604 may include ribs 616 or other ribs extending from the wall 604.A configuration is provided to facilitate engagement with a mating portion (not shown) of the outer turntable 505. Furthermore, a feature 619, such as a track or channel, is formed in the bottom 608 of the water tank 600. Feature 619 is configured to facilitate guided movement of the upper magnetic assembly 560 on the bottom 608 of the water tank 600, as described above with respect to Figures 27-30, when the sliding assembly 530 is actuated.

[0101] The water tank 600 may also include a centering post 618 disposed in the middle of the recessed basin 602 and extending from the bottom 608 of the water tank 600, the centering post being configured to engage with an opening 620 at the center of the inner turntable 507. In some embodiments, the centering post 618 is provided to orient the inner turntable 507 for rotation about the centering post 618. In this embodiment, a motor or actuator may be located elsewhere and engage with the inner turntable 507 to rotate the inner turntable 507. A side view of the water tank 600 is shown with reference to Figure 34. In this embodiment, the centering post 618 can be omitted, and an opening (not shown) can be provided in the bottom 608 of the water tank 600 at the location of the centering post 618. A motor 630 can drive a shaft 632 passing through this opening, and the engaging end 634 of the shaft 632 (also see FIG. 35) can be configured to connect to the inner turntable 507 to rotate the inner turntable 507. In this embodiment, the inner turntable 507 has a centrally located opening that is formed to engage with the engaging end 634 of the shaft 632 for rotation. As shown in FIG. 34, the water tank 600 can be seen to slope approximately from the left side 635 to the right side 636 toward the drain outlet 610 to facilitate the flow of liquid overflowing from the recessed basin 602 toward the drain outlet 610 for discharge.

[0102] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 35, the sink 600 may further include an inner wall 638 that defines an inner concentric ring (relative to an outer concentric ring defined by the wall 604 of the recessed basin 602) generally within the recessed basin 602, sized and configured to receive the inner turntable 507. In this embodiment, the inner wall 638 does not form a complete circle and includes an opening 640. The opening 640 is located on the modified turntable assembly 504 at the position where the cup 50 is transferred from the outer cup holder 506 to the inner cup holder 508 by the sliding assembly 530, as previously described, to allow the cup 50 to pass through therebetween. The inner wall 638 may provide additional structure to stabilize the inner turntable 507 during rotation and may also act as a barrier to prevent the cup 50 from moving or sliding out of the inner cup holder 508 if it has not transitioned between the inner and outer turntables 505 and 507 during rotation. In this embodiment, the inner wall 638 may prevent liquid spills from reaching the drain outlet 610 directly. Therefore, in this embodiment, the inner wall 638 may provide a drain outlet channel 642 along the lower portion of the wall 638 adjacent to the bottom 608 of the sink 600. The drain outlet channel 642 may be located on the wall 638 closest to the drain outlet.On one side of 610, the inclined overall design of the bottom 608 of the sink 600 discussed above (see Figure 34) allows spills to leave the area within the inner wall 638 and flow to the drain 610.

[0103] As can be seen from Figures 29-35, each individual cup holder 506a, outer and inner turntables 505 and 507, and the upper magnetic component 560 of the sliding assembly 530 are easily removable and can be removed individually or together for easy cleaning of the individual cup holders 506a, outer and inner turntables 505 and 507, and the upper magnetic component 560. Once removed, the sink 600 and the recessed basin 602 can be accessed and cleaned, and any excess liquid generated during cleaning will flow down the slope to the drain 610 and out of the sink 600, regardless of whether the sink 600 is removed. Therefore, the inner turntable 507 can be easily removed and repositioned in the water tank simply by lifting it from its stationary engagement with the shaft 632's engagement end 634 (also see FIG. 35). Similarly, the outer turntable 505 can be easily removed and repositioned in the water tank 600 without disassembling or reassembling the drive system or other components.

[0104] FIG. 36A-E are perspective views illustrating one embodiment of a drive system 700 for driving the outer turntable 505. FIG. 36A shows the outer turntable 505 disposed in a recessed basin 602 of the water tank 600. In this embodiment, the drive system 700 may include two clamping actuators 704 and two idler wheels 706 mounted on the water tank 600. Each clamping actuator 704 includes a motor 702, but in other embodiments, pneumatic or other systems may be used. The motor 702 drives the upper and lower clamping rollers 708, 710. In some embodiments, the motor 702 can drive the rotation of both clamping rollers 708, 710, while in other embodiments, the driver can drive only the rotation of the lower clamping roller 710, while the upper clamping roller 708 is used for stabilization and tension, and vice versa. The clamping driver 704 and the upper and lower clamping rollers 708, 710 can be seen in the exploded view of FIG. 36E, where the edge portion 712 of the outer turntable 505 is shown located between the upper and lower clamping rollers 708, 710, such that the upper and lower clamping rollers 708, 710 frictionally engage the upper and lower surfaces of the edge portion 712 of the outer turntable 505. Therefore, when the motor 702 drives one or both clamping rollers 708, 710, the frictional engagement of the upper and lower clamping rollers 708, 710 with the edge portion 712 of the outer turntable 505 promotes the rotation of the outer turntable 505 in the desired direction.

[0105] The idler wheel 706 includes an idler roller 714 and a lifting bearing 716. The idler roller 714 rests against and engages with the outer edge of the outer turntable 505, for tensioning and stabilizing the outer turntable 505 on a horizontal plane parallel to the upper horizontal surface of the outer turntable 505. Similarly,A lifting bearing 716 is located below and engages with the lower surface of the edge portion 712 of the outer turntable 505 to tension and stabilize the outer turntable 505 on a vertical plane parallel to the vertical plane of the wall 604 of the recessed basin 602, for example, to prevent the outer turntable 505 from sagging near the location of the idler wheel 706. The upper and lower clamping rollers 708, 710, as well as the idler roller 714 and the lifting bearing 716, may be made of rubber or other materials to facilitate frictional engagement between the rollers and the surface of the outer turntable 505.

[0106] Although the clamping actuator 704 and the idler wheel 706 are shown as being disposed in certain locations around the water tank 600 and the outer turntable 505, in other embodiments, the clamping actuator 704 and the idler wheel 706 may be provided in other arrangements and configurations. Similarly, although two clamping actuators 704 and two idler wheels 706 are shown, it is contemplated that fewer or more may be provided in other embodiments. Furthermore, although two idler wheels 706 are described, it should be understood that the idler wheels 706 are primarily for supporting the outer turntable 505, and other support structures or systems that will be readily conceived by those skilled in the art can be used.

[0107] Referring to FIG. 37, a portion of the beverage preparation system 500 is shown in more detail. A cup 50 is shown disposed in one of the outer cup holders 506 (shown in a partial section) of the modified turntable assembly 504 (also shown in a partial section). A capping and printing assembly 502 and a beverage dispensing station 503 are also shown.

[0108] Referring also to FIG. 38, the capping and printing assembly 502 is shown in more detail. The capping and printing assembly 502 includes a sealing film 544, an in-line printer 540, and a perforator 542. The sealing film 544 may be provided in roll form (as shown) and placed on a series of rollers 546. The sealing film 544 can be fed into one or more motors / rollers 548 such that when the sealing film 544 is pulled by one or more motors / rollers 548, the sealing film 544 rolls up and extends over the cup 50, entering position to seal as a lid 60. An online printer 540 prints a beverage identification mark on the upper side or top surface of the sealing film 544, making it visible to the waiter or customer. The beverage identification mark can identify the type and size of the beverage, the associated order number, the customer's name, or any other useful or identifying information.

[0109] A perforator 542 can puncture a hole, score, or make various indentations in the sealing film 544 to facilitate, for example, but not limited to, the passage of a straw through the sealing film 544. A sealing heating head 550 is located above the sealing film 544 and the lip or edge of the cup 50. The sealing heating head 550 can then be energized to generate heat, thereby heat-sealing the sealing film 544 to the lip or edge of the cup 50. Then it can be done, for example, but not limited to, cutting the sealing film 544 or tearing along the perforated or scored portion of the sealing film 544.Separate sealing film 544. This disclosure also contemplates that in other embodiments, the printing, perforation, and heat sealing processes may occur in a different order.

[0110] A lifting assembly 580 is also shown in FIG38. The lifting assembly 580 is used to vertically lift the cup 50 from its seated position in the outer cup holder 506 to bring the top lip or edge of the cup 50 to a position below the capping and printing assembly 502 for capping the cup 50. The lifting assembly 580 includes a linear actuator 582 and a cup centering device 584. The cup centering device 584 is coupled to an elbow 586 extending from the bottom of the linear actuator 582. A belt-driven motor (not shown) drives the linear actuator 582 to move vertically up and down in a direction perpendicular to a plane parallel to the surface of the modified turntable assembly 504. The belt-driven motor (not shown) may be electric, hydraulic, pneumatic, etc. A plunger and limit switch 583 is configured to determine whether the linear actuator 582 has vertically lifted the cup 50 to a sufficient position for capping.

[0111] Referring also to FIG39A, a top view of a portion of the improved turntable assembly 504 is shown. It can be seen that the cup centering device 584 is located in an opening 590 at the bottom of the outer cup holder 506. In this embodiment, the cup centering device 584 is cross-shaped and passes through a larger but similarly configured cross-shaped opening 581 at the bottom of the outer cup holder 506. FIG39B further shows one of the outer cup holders 506, which may also be referred to as cup holder 506a, in a more detailed perspective view. The cup centering device 584 is configured to engage with the bottom of the cup 50 and vertically lift the cup 50 from the outer cup holder 506 when the linear actuator 582 is raised. The cup centering device 584 can be configured to facilitate engagement with the bottom of the cup 50, such that the cup centering device 584 is approximately centered on the bottom of the cup 50 to stabilize the cup 50 during lifting and lowering. Although the cup centering device 584 is shown as generally cross-shaped, those skilled in the art will readily conceive of other shapes and configurations for engagement with the bottom of the cup 50 for these purposes as alternatives.

[0112] When the capping and printing process is complete, the linear actuator 582 lowers the cup 50 back to its position in the outer cup holder 506. The linear actuator 582 may be further lowered before the outer turntable 505 rotates, such that the cup centering device 584 is located below and gapped from the bottom of the outer cup holder 506 to avoid interfering with the rotation of the outer turntable 505.

[0113] In other embodiments (not shown), all or part of the capping and printing assembly 502 may be located above the cup 50 and moved vertically downwards to the cup 50 to cap the cup 50 while the cup 50 remains stationary in the outer cup holder 506.

[0114] Figure 40A shows another view of a portion of the beverage preparation system 500. An ice chute 594 is shown for connection.A portion of the ice dispenser 596 is used to dispense ice into cups 50 located in the outer cup holder 506. In this embodiment, the ice dispenser 596, as described above with reference to FIG. 12, is configured to provide ice only to cups 50 on the outer cup holder 506. FIG. 40B and 40C show other parts of the beverage preparation system 500. It can be seen that the beverage preparation system 500 includes a cup dispensing station 130, an ice dispensing chute 594, a beverage dispensing station 503, and a printing and capping assembly 502 arranged in series. Thus, the beverage preparation system 500 completes an order by dispensing cups 50 into the outer cup holder 506, dispensing ice into cups 50, filling cups 50 with beverage via the beverage dispensing station 503, and capping and printing labels on cups 50 via the capping and printing assembly 502. As described above, the process also includes moving filled beverages from the outer cup holder 506 to the inner cup holder 508 as needed to enable the preparation and storage of more beverages until they are removed for service.

[0115] It can be understood that the overall configuration of the beverage preparation system 500 may be more advantageous than that of the beverage preparation system 100 further described above. For example, preparing beverages only in the outer cup holder 506 can be achieved with only a single station for each dispensing cup, ice, beverage, and capping process, while multiple rows require multiple stations for each process, thus requiring additional space, equipment, and complexity.

[0116] Referring now to FIG41, another embodiment of the beverage preparation system 800 is shown. The beverage preparation system 800 includes a support platform 810 and several components of the system described above, including a beverage handling assembly 120 located on the support platform 810, and an ice storage chamber 112 and an electronics housing 814 disposed below the support platform 810.

[0117] The beverage handling assembly 120 includes multiple stations for performing various stages or steps of the beverage preparation process. Specifically, the beverage handling assembly 120 includes a cup dispensing station 130, an ice dispensing station 180, a beverage dispensing station 190, and a capping station 200. Beverages can be prepared by advancing through stations 130, 180, 190, and 200 via a conveyor belt assembly 822.

[0118] Referring now to FIG. 42, the conveyor belt assembly 822 includes a central hub 824 and a plurality of cup holders 828 movably coupled to the hub 824. Specifically, the central hub 824 has an elongated or racetrack-shaped peripheral or side surface 826. The cup holders 828 are movably coupled to the central hub 824 such that during operation, the cup holders 828 can move along the peripheral 826 to advance through stations 130, 180, 190, and 200 of the beverage handling assembly 120.

[0119] Referring now to FIG43, in some embodiments, the cup holder 828 may be coupled to a continuous conveyor belt 821, which...The belt rotates about a pair of pulleys 823. The conveyor belt 821 may include a belt or chain coupled to a plurality of cup holders 828. Specifically, each cup holder 828 includes a cup support 829 coupled to the conveyor belt 821 via a support 827. Each pulley 823 includes a central shaft 825. During operation, one or both pulleys 823 may be actuated (e.g., by an electric, pneumatic, hydraulic motor or other suitable drive) to rotate about the respective shaft 825, thereby causing the conveyor belt 821 to rotate approximately about a central hub 824. The rotation of the conveyor belt 821 about the pulleys 823 also causes the cup holder 828 to move along the periphery 826 of the central hub 824.

[0120] In various embodiments, the cup holder 828 may include many different shapes, designs and features. For example, referring now to FIG. 44, in some embodiments, the cup holder 829 may include a ring that may engage tightly with the cup 50 to prevent (or at least restrict) movement of the cup 50 therein as the cup holder 828 moves along the periphery 826 of the central hub 824 during operation.

[0121] Referring now to FIG. 45, in some embodiments, the cup holder 829 may include a cup-shaped member having sidewalls 841 and a bottom 842. In some embodiments, the sidewalls 841 may loosely contact the cup 50 to allow some movement of the cup 50 within the cup holder 829 during operation.

[0122] Referring now to FIG. 46, in some embodiments, the cup holder 829 may include a plurality of resilient spring elements 844 biased to engage with the cup 50 inserted therein (FIGs 42 and 43). In some embodiments, the resilient spring elements 844 may engage with the cup 50 to prevent movement of the cup 50 during operation.

[0123] Referring now to FIG. 47, in some embodiments, the cup holder 829 may include a pair of gripping arms 846 actuated to engage and hold the cup 50 during operation. For example, in some embodiments, one or both gripping arms 846 may be pivotally coupled to an elongated member 848 retractable into a support 827. A biasing member 849 (e.g., a coil spring) may be coupled to the elongated member 848 to bias the elongated member 848 into the support 827. As the elongated member 848 moves into the support 827 (e.g., via the biasing member 849), the gripping arms 846 may engage with the support 827 and rotate closer to each other about an axis 845. Thus, during operation, when a cup 50 is inserted into the holder 829, the gripping arms 846 may close on the inserted cup 50 by the spring force provided by the biasing member 849. Furthermore, in some embodiments, an additional support ring 843 may be included on the bracket 829 below the gripper arm 846 to provide additional support for the cup 50 inserted therein. Without being limited to this or any other theory, actuation of the gripper arm 846 may allow cups of different sizes (e.g., different widths) to be handled during operation.Securely held within the cup holder 829. In some embodiments, when the holder 829 is aligned with the cup dispensing station 130, the gripping arms 846 may be actuated away from each other against the spring force provided by the bias member 849 to receive the dispensed cup 50. The actuation of the gripping arms 846 away from each other can be achieved by engaging the gripping arms 846 (or components coupled thereto) with the cam surface on or adjacent to the conveyor belt assembly 822.

[0124] Referring now to Figures 42 and 43, as will be described in more detail below, during operation, the cup holder 828 may be moved along the periphery 826 of the central hub 824 to align the cup holder 828 (in particular the cup holder 829) with stations 130, 180, 190, 200 to dispense the cup 50, ice cubes, beverage, and lid 60, respectively, as part of the beverage preparation process.

[0125] Referring to FIG. 41, the beverage preparation system 800 may include systems that are substantially similar in operation and configuration to those described above, such as the tubular cartridge 132 and dispenser 134 of the cup dispensing station 130, the beverage dispensing nozzle 194, and the tubular cartridge 202 with a cap 60 of the capping station 200.

[0126] Furthermore, the beverage preparation system 800 includes a user interface 116. Employees or customers can select the desired beverage on the user interface 116 and then initiate the beverage preparation process generally described above. In some embodiments, the beverage preparation system 800 may receive a beverage preparation command via a suitable network or other electronic device communicatively coupled to the beverage preparation and dispensing system 800. For example, in some embodiments, the beverage preparation system 800 may receive a beverage preparation command from a point-of-sale system of a restaurant or catering facility, which may receive orders via customers or employees. In some embodiments, the point-of-sale system may be part of a computer system that also includes the beverage preparation system 800 (e.g., the computer system 400 described above).

[0127] Once the beverage preparation system 800 receives a command to prepare a beverage, the cup holder 828 can advance through the conveyor belt assembly 822 in stations 130, 180, 190, and 200 as previously described. Simultaneously, components and mechanisms within each station 130, 180, 190, and 200 can be actuated in the manner described above to prepare the beverage.

[0128] In some embodiments, the beverage preparation system 800 may include a beverage identification assembly 860 for identifying beverages that have passed through stations 130, 180, 190, and 200 and are ready for pickup by an employee or customer. Specifically, the beverage identification assembly 860 may include a plurality of lights 862 (e.g., light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and / or other suitable light-emitting devices) coupled to the beverage handling assembly 120, which are configured to emit light of a selected color corresponding to a specific beverage (or order). During operation,A cup 50 (including or excluding a lid 60) can be aligned with a selected lamp 862 via a conveyor belt assembly 822, the lamp 862 emitting light of a color corresponding to the aligned beverage. In some embodiments, the lamp 862 may include an electronic display (e.g., a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, an organic LED (OLED) display, a micro LED display) that can display images (e.g., text and / or symbols) to convey sufficient information (e.g., name, order number, table number, vehicle identification) for beverage identification.

[0129] Referring now to FIG48, another embodiment of a beverage preparation system 900 is shown. The beverage preparation system 900 may include a number of features substantially similar in configuration and operation to those described above, such as a support platform 810, a beverage handling assembly 120 located on the support platform 810, an ice storage chamber 112 supported above the beverage handling assembly 120, and an electronics housing 814 disposed below the support platform 810.

[0130] The beverage handling assembly 120 includes multiple stations for performing various stages or steps of the beverage preparation process. Specifically, the beverage handling assembly 120 includes a cup dispensing station 130, an ice dispensing station 180, a beverage dispensing station 190, and a capping station 200.

[0131] Beverages can be prepared by advancing through stations 130, 180, 190, and 200 via a turntable 922. More specifically, the turntable 922 is a cylindrical member with a plurality of cup holders 925 disposed around its periphery. During operation, an actuator (e.g., an electric motor, hydraulic motor, magnetic motor, pneumatic motor) can rotate the turntable 922 about a central axis 927 to align the cup holders 925 with stations 130, 180, 190, and 200 to dispense cups 50, ice, beverages, and caps 60, respectively, as part of the beverage preparation process.

[0132] In this embodiment, referring now to Figures 48 and 49, a plurality of cartridges 132 are coupled to and extend from a corresponding dispenser 134. A plurality of stacked cups 50 can be received in the cartridges 132. Each dispenser 134 is generally aligned with a cup holder 925 so that during operation, cups 50 can be supplied from a magazine 132 to the dispenser 134 and then dispensed from the dispenser 134 into cup holders 925 aligned on the turntable 922. In some embodiments, the magazine 132 can be decoupled from the dispenser 134 to facilitate loading cups 50 therein. Specification 23 / 30 pages 26 CN 121358684 A

[0133] In some embodiments, each dispenser 134 may be configured to dispense cups 50 of different sizes and / or types into cup holders 925 during operation. As shown in FIG48, the dispensers 134 are arranged such that at a specific rotational position of the turntable 922 about axis 927, each dispenser 134 is aligned with a different cup holder in the cup holder 925.

[0134] Referring now specifically to FIG49, each dispenser 134 includes a central shaft 135, a first or upper side 134a, and a second or lower side 134b opposite to the upper side 134a. A receiving hole 136 extends axially through the dispenser 134 between the sides 134a and 134b relative to the shaft 135. A corresponding magazine 132 engages with the receiving hole 136 on the upper side 134a and extends outward from the upper side 134a along the shaft 135. During operation, a cup 50 dispensed from the magazine 132 passes through the receiving hole 136 and ejects from the lower side 134b.

[0135] The dispenser 134 has an inner cavity 167 through which the cup 50 can enter and exit through the receiving hole 136. A gear ring 166 is disposed within the cavity 167 and aligned with the receiving hole 136 along the shaft 135. A drive gear 168 engages (e.g., meshes) with teeth or other suitable structures on the radially outer surface of each gear ring 166. A drive gear 168 is coupled to a driver 162 that can be mounted within a cavity 167. During operation, the driver 162 can rotate the drive gear 168, thereby driving a gear ring 166 to rotate about a shaft 135. In some embodiments, the driver 162 includes an electric motor; however, in other embodiments, the driver 162 may include a pneumatic motor, a hydraulic motor, etc. A plurality of wedges 164 are located within the gear ring 166, each wedge 164 including a cylindrical body 174 that includes a central or longitudinal shaft. Other modes of operation of the dispenser 134 are substantially similar to those described above with respect to Figures 6 and 7.

[0136] Referring now to Figure 50, another embodiment of a beverage preparation system 1000 is shown. Similar to the system described above, the beverage preparation system 1000 includes a support platform 810, a beverage processing assembly 120 located on the support platform 810, an ice storage chamber 112 supported above the beverage processing assembly 120, and an electronic device housing 814 disposed below the support platform 810.

[0137] The beverage handling assembly 120 includes multiple stations for performing various stages or steps of the beverage preparation process. These stations may be similar in configuration and operation to those described above, such as cup dispensing station 130, ice dispensing station 180, beverage dispensing station 190, and capping station 200. Beverages can be prepared by advancing through stations 130, 180, 190, and 200 via conveyor belt assembly 1122. In some embodiments, the configuration and operation of conveyor belt assembly 1122 may be similar to that of conveyor belt 822 described above with respect to Figures 42-47. Similarly, cup dispensing station 130 and capping station 200 may operate according to any of the various configurations discussed above.

[0138] The beverage preparation system 1000 may also include a beverage identification assembly 1260, which may include multiple emitters 1262 coupled to the beverage handling assembly 120, configured to emit light 1264 to cup 50 and (if present) cap.On 60, it can be used to identify a specific beverage or beverage order. In some embodiments, light 1264 may be color-coded so that a specific beverage (or order) can be identified with different colors. In some embodiments, light 1264 may form images (e.g., text and / or symbols) on the beverage cup or its lid, which can provide sufficient information (e.g., name, order number, table number, vehicle identification). In some embodiments, emitter 1262 may include light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and / or other suitable light-emitting devices.

[0139] Figures 51-53 illustrate yet another embodiment of the beverage preparation system 1300. The beverage preparation system 1300 may be similar in some respects to the various beverage preparation systems described above (e.g., beverage preparation system 500). For example, in this embodiment, the improved turntable assembly 504 includes an outer turntable 505 and an inner turntable 507. However, in this embodiment, the outer turntable 505 does not have an outer cup holder 506, but rather the outer turntable 505 is a flat rotating surface or turntable 1302. The turntable 1302 can be made of various materials, including plastic or polymer materials, rubber, stainless steel, or other materials. In some embodiments, the turntable 1302 can be made of a material that promotes frictional engagement between the cup 50 and the turntable 1302 to prevent the cup from slipping off the turntable 1302 while still allowing the cup 50 to be transferred onto the turntable 1302. In this embodiment, the inner turntable 507 continues to have an inner cup holder 508. In this embodiment of the beverage preparation system 1300, the inner cup holder 508 (also referred to as cup holder 506a in this description) is a detachable component separate from the inner turntable 507, although it is contemplated that in other embodiments these components may be integrally formed. Similar to the description on pages 24 / 30 of CN 121358684 A above, the inner and outer turntables 505 and 507 are configured to rotate independently of each other and may include a drive, a motor, and a gearbox (not shown), operating in a manner similar to that described above with respect to the inner turntable 124 and the outer turntable 126 and the beverage preparation system 500.

[0140] The beverage preparation system 1300 employs another embodiment of the cup dispensing station 130. In this embodiment, a plurality of tubular cartridges 132 are fixed above the modified turntable assembly 504 and arranged to dispense cups 50 of various sizes into the inner cup holders 508. The cups 50 are automatically dispensed from the tubular cartridges 132 in various ways as described above. For example, when a beverage of a specific size is ordered, the beverage preparation system 1300 causes the tubular cartridges 132 containing the ordered size cups 50 to dispense or drop the cups 50 into the cup holders 506 directly below using the techniques described herein.

[0141] In this embodiment, the beverage is prepared on the inner turntable 507 and moved to the outer turntable 505 for the user to take. (See also...)Referring to Figure 53, the beverage preparation system 1300 includes a circular partition wall 1304 located between inner and outer turntables 507, 505. The partition wall 1304 provides a barrier to help position the cup 50 in the inner cup holder 508 as it falls into the inner cup holder 508 and rotates to the station for receiving ice and beverage.

[0142] Referring also to Figure 54, in some embodiments, this embodiment may employ a trough 1307 similar to the trough 600 described above, and may be modified to include the partition wall 1304 as a component of or integrated with the trough 1307. The partition wall 1304 includes a gap 1306 such that the partition wall 1304 does not extend completely around the circumference of the inner turntable 507. The gap 1306 in the partition wall 1304 is located at a transfer position 1308 where the cup 50 is transferred from the inner cup holder 508 to the turntable 1302 of the outer turntable 505. Similar to the description above, the cup holder 508 may include a cup holder opening 1310 to allow the transition arm 1312 of the transition assembly (not shown) to slide the cup 50 located in the adjacent cup holder 508 onto the outer turntable 505. The transition assembly may be similar to the sliding assembly 530 discussed above and may be magnetically driven, or may include other motors or actuators to drive the transition arm 1312 to accomplish this movement of the cup 50, as is well known to those skilled in the art. The transition arm 1312 may be functionally similar to the arm 532 of the transition assembly 530 discussed above. In this embodiment, the transition arm 1312 is a generally cylindrical shaft, but other configurations may be possible in other embodiments.

[0143] Referring also to FIG55, the transition arm 1312 is shown in an extended position. A transition platform 1314 located between the bottom 1316 of the cup holder and the turntable 1302 is also shown. It is understood that in some embodiments, the width of the partition wall 1304 may create a gap difference between the cup holder bottom 1316 and the turntable 1302. The transition platform 1314 spans the space between the cup holder bottom 1316 and the turntable 1302 to allow the cup 50 to smoothly and evenly transition or move from the cup holder 580 to the turntable 1302. Furthermore, as can be seen from the embodiments shown in Figures 54 and 55, the inner turntable 507 includes an upper frame 1318, which is a basically circular plate configured with a U-shaped opening 1320 to receive the cup holder 506a. In this embodiment, the upper lip 1322 of the cup holder 506a extends over the U-shaped opening 1320 and rests on the upper frame 1318 by gravity.

[0144] Figure 55 shows a sink 1307 exposed by removing the upper frame 1318 and a plurality of cup holders 508. Although the upper frame 1318 and the cup holder 508 are described as separate components, these and other components of the beverage preparation system described herein may be integrally formed as one or more integral components for ease of construction, operation, or other considerations.

[0145] A drive system component 1324 is also shown, which may include a motor, rollers, and other components, as previously described or otherwise required, for rotating the inner and / or outer turntables 507, 505.

[0146] FIG56 shows another view of the cup holder 506a according to this embodiment. In this view, the upper lip 1322 and the cup holder opening 1310 can be seen. Referring also to FIG57, the bottom side 1326 of the cup holder 506a is shown. As will be discussed in more detail below, in this embodiment, the entire cup holder 506a can be raised from the inner turntable 507 as part of the beverage preparation process. Although in this embodiment, the cup holder 506a is raised to cover the cup 50, in other embodiments, the cup holder 506a may also be raised to dispense ice and / or add beverage to the cup 50. According to this embodiment, the bottom side 1326 of the cup holder 506a, as per specification page 25 / 30, 28 CN 121358684 A, has a groove 1328 to facilitate safe and stable lifting. While this embodiment shows the groove 1328, other embodiments contemplate various configurations of the bottom side 1326 of the cup holder 508 to stably engage the cup holder 508 during vertical movement, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0147] FIG58 shows one embodiment of a lifting mechanism 1330 configured to vertically lift the cup holder 508 during beverage preparation. In this embodiment, the lifting mechanism 1330 is disposed below the inner turntable 507 and the water tank 1307, adjacent to the cup holder 508 to be raised for capping and printing. The lifting mechanism 1330 typically includes a drive system 1332 and a plurality of lifting shafts 1334. The lifting shaft 1334 is connected to the drive system 1332 such that when the drive system 1332 is actuated, the drive system 1332 causes the lifting shaft 1334 to rise vertically. Although the drive system 1332 can operate in various ways, in this embodiment, the drive system 1332 may include a stepper motor 1336 and a lead screw 1338 connected thereto.

[0148] Referring also to FIG59, a positioning plate 1340 may be mounted in the sink 1307, adjacent to and below the position of the cup holder 508 to be lifted. The positioning plate 1340 has a plate opening 1342, which is sized to allow the lifting shaft 1334 to pass through it. When the lifting shaft 1334 is actuated by the drive system 1332, the lifting shaft end 1344 is configured and arranged to engage with a groove 1328 on the bottom side 1326 of the cup holder 506a. Although the lifting mechanism 1330 is shown as having three (3) lifting shafts 1334, other numbers of lifting shafts 1334 may be used.

[0149] Figures 60 and 61 show a view of a capping and printing system 1350 located above an inner turntable 507 and above a cup holder 508 to be lifted by a lifting mechanism 1330. In this embodiment, the lifting mechanism 1330 lifts the cup holder 506a to cap the cup.The cup 50 in the holder 508 is capped and printed. As described above, in other embodiments, additional lifting mechanisms 1330 may be provided for lifting other cup holders 508 at other beverage preparation locations. The capping and printing system 1350 may include aspects of the capping and printing components 502 discussed above for capping and printing. For example, the capping and printing system 1350 may include a sealing film 544, an in-line printer 540 and a perforator 542, as described above, and other components. In this way, when the cup holder 508 is lifted, the cup 50 therein is positioned in the opening 1352 of the capping and printing system 1350 for capping and printing of the cup 50.

[0150] FIG62 shows the positions of the ice dispensing station 180, the beverage dispensing station 190 and the capping and printing system 1350 according to one embodiment. As can be seen, when the inner turntable 507 rotates clockwise, the cup 50 is dispensed into the cup holder 508, and one cup 50 is positioned below the ice dispensing station 180 to dispense ice into the cup 50, then to the beverage dispensing station 190 to dispense beverage into the cup 50, and then to the capping and printing system 1350 to cap the cup 50 and provide an identification mark on the cap.

[0151] In this embodiment, the beverage dispensing station 190 includes two (2) nozzles 1353A, 1353B for dispensing beverage, although other numbers of nozzles are also contemplated. In this embodiment, the first nozzle 1353A can be used to substantially fill the cup 50 with beverage at a first position 1354, while the second nozzle 1353B can be used to fill or complete the filling of the beverage at a second position 1356. Providing two beverage filling positions to completely fill the cup 50 with the desired beverage may be useful. However, in other embodiments, the first and second nozzles 1353A, 1353B can be used to dispense different types of beverages to provide redundancy or increase the yield or quantity of beverages that can be prepared.

[0152] Once a beverage is prepared on the inner turntable 507, the filled cup 50 can be transferred to the outer turntable 505 via the transition arm 1132. The outer turntable 505 can then be indexed or rotated clockwise to one or more cup positions to provide space for the next prepared beverage. By providing a turntable 1302 for the outer turntable 505 instead of a separate cup holder, this design can provide additional space to accommodate more prepared beverages and also allows for easier access to the prepared beverages.

[0153] Operationally, the beverage preparation system 1300 can receive input from a point of sale or other system, such as the computer system 400 discussed above. Furthermore, sensors positioned around the beverage preparation system 1300 can be used to control the movement of internal and external turntables 507 and 505 to ensure, for example, that the prepared beverage on turntable 1302 is accessible to the user and does not cause dryness.The prepared beverage is transferred from the inner turntable 507.

[0154] Although the beverage preparation system 1300 is described as having cup holders 508 only on the inner turntable 507 and no cup holders on the outer turntable 505, it is contemplated that in other embodiments, the outer turntable 505 may have one or more cup holders 506a, while the inner turntable 507 may have fewer or no cup holders 508. Furthermore, although beverage preparation is described as being completed on the inner turntable 507 in this embodiment, it is contemplated that the beverage may also be completed on the outer turntable 505 instead of or additionally. Furthermore, although the filled beverage is described as being transferred from the inner turntable 507 to the outer turntable 505, the filled beverage may remain in the inner turntable 507, or it may be filled on the outer turntable 505 and transferred to the inner turntable 507.

[0155] Figure 63 illustrates a wiper 1360 that engages with a turntable 1302 to remove material 1362 that may collect on the upper surface 1364 of the turntable 1302. It is understood that during beverage preparation, substances such as beverage spills, ice, and water may collect on the upper surface 1364 of the turntable 1302. The upper surface 1364 may become slippery when the cup 50 is transferred onto the turntable 1302, and the cup 50 may not remain stable on the turntable 1302, and may undesirably slide or move on the turntable 1302 when the outer turntable 505 rotates or indexes. In this embodiment, the wiper 1360 may include a body 1366 with an engagement member 1368 connected to the lower end 1370 of the engagement member 1368. The engagement member 1368 is located adjacent to the upper surface 1364 of the turntable 1302. As turntable 1302 rotates, engagement member 1368 engages and wipes away or removes moisture that may collect on the upper surface 1364 of turntable 1302. In this embodiment, wiper 1360 is located next to the left side 1372 of beverage preparation system 1300 and arcs across the width of turntable 1302. Moisture collected by engagement member 1368 can be wiped or swept away from turntable 1302 to be collected in channel 1374 between turntable 1302 and partition wall 1304. Channel 1374 may be formed as part of tank 1307 or otherwise provided to remove waste from substance 1362 to drain outlet, as described above. In some embodiments, multiple wipers 1360 may be used and positioned elsewhere around turntable 1302, provided that the wipers 1360 do not interfere with the prepared beverage rotating on turntable 1302. For example, during beverage preparation, it may be convenient to prevent the filled beverage from rotating or being graduated beyond the left side 1372 of the beverage preparation system 1300, as the beverage may become inaccessible to the user. Therefore, the wiper 1360 can preferably be located next to the turntable 1302 to avoid contact with the filled beverage. While the wiper...1360 is described as having an arcuate design, but in other embodiments, the wiper 1360 is envisioned to be substantially straight, wedge-shaped, or otherwise configured. In other embodiments, the wiper 1360 may be located near the turntable 1302 and periodically actuated, for example by a motor, to wipe the upper surface 1364 of the turntable 1302, and then stored away from the upper surface 1364 to allow the prepared beverage on the turntable 1302 to pass through without contacting the wiper 1360. Other configurations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0156] Figure 64 illustrates yet another embodiment of the beverage preparation system 1300. While the beverage preparation system 1300 shown in Figure 51 has an ice maker or machine 1390 located on top of the beverage preparation system 1300, in some embodiments, the ice maker may be omitted, and ice may be filled manually. In either case, the embodiment shown in Figure 64 illustrates an ice storage box 1400 that can be filled with ice automatically or manually. The ice storage container 1400 is located on top of the beverage preparation system 1300 and may include a screw conveyor and other systems (not shown) to facilitate the movement and handling of ice cubes through the beverage preparation system 1300, as described above. Referring also to FIG. 65, the ice storage container 1400 is shown being removed from the beverage preparation system 1300. The ice storage container 1400 includes a housing 1402 for receiving and dispensing ice cubes. The ice storage container 1400 may vary in size to be accommodated within the upper portion 1404 of the beverage preparation system 1300. In this embodiment, the ice storage container 1400 includes a filling chute 1406 extending from the front side 1408 of the ice storage container 1400 adjacent to the housing 1402. The filling chute 1406 may be inclined from the front portion 1410 to the rear portion 1412 toward the housing 1402 to facilitate the flow of ice cubes placed in the filling chute 1406 into the housing 1402. The front side 1414 of the filling chute 1402 may be generally circular to facilitate manual pouring of ice into the filling chute 1406. However, in other embodiments, such as CN 121358684 A (pages 27 / 30), the ice storage box 1400 and the filling chute 1406 may have other configurations. The ice storage box 1400 may be made of various materials, including metallic materials (such as stainless steel), polymer materials, thermoformed plastics, etc.

[0157] As shown in FIG66, a chute cover 1416 may be pivotally connected to the ice storage box 1400, adjacent to the filling chute 1406. In this figure, the chute cover 1416 is shown in an upward or open position 1418, which provides a passage for filling ice into the ice storage box 1400 through the filling chute 1406. Figure 64 shows the chute cover 1416 in the downward or closed position 1420, a position that prevents dust or debris from entering the ice storage box 1400 and also prevents accidental contact with moving parts during operation.Any danger to life. The slide cover 1416 can be made of various materials, including metallic materials (such as stainless steel) or polymer materials.

[0158] Referring to FIG67, a front view of a beverage preparation system 1300 is provided, which shows an embodiment of a cup dispenser 1430. In this embodiment, the beverage preparation system 1300 may include a door 1432 mounted on the front 1434 of the beverage preparation system 1300. The door 1432 may have a door hinge 1436 to allow the door 1432 to be opened. Referring also to FIG68, the door 1432 is shown in the open position, which provides access to the upper interior 1438 of the beverage preparation system 1300, in which controls and other systems, which will be discussed below, can be retained. It can be seen that when the door 1432 is open, the door 1432 and the cup dispenser 1430 attached thereto pivot or rotate on the door hinge 1436 to expose and allow access to the upper interior 1438 of the beverage preparation system 1300.

[0159] Referring also to FIG. 69, the cup dispenser 1430 is shown in the open position, while the door 1432 of the beverage preparation system 1300 is closed. It can be seen that the cup dispenser 1430 is generally semi-circular and includes an upper and lower support structure 1440, 1442 and a dispenser cover 1444 extending therebetween. A dispenser rear wall 1446 extends from between the sides 1448a and 1448b of the dispenser cover 1444, between the upper and lower structures 1440, 1442, along the rear side 1450 of the cup dispenser 1430. The dispenser cover 1444 and the dispenser rear wall 1446 define a cup storage area 1452 for receiving cups 50 to be dispensed. As can be seen from FIG. 66, the upper support structure 1440 can be configured as an arcuate or curved member shaped to receive the semi-circular shape of the front side 1414 of the dispensing chute 1406. The cup dispenser 1430 may include a dispenser hinge 1453, allowing the cup dispenser 1430 to be opened independently to refill cups 50 while the door 1432 of the beverage preparation system 1300 remains closed, as shown in FIG69. This configuration allows the cup dispenser 1430 to be opened without opening the door 1432, thereby preventing water or other substances from entering the upper interior 1438 of the beverage preparation system 1300 when refilling cups 50. This configuration also allows ice to be refilled via the chute cover 1416 and the filling chute 1406 without opening the cup dispenser 1430 or the door 1432, thereby preventing ice from splashing into the cup storage area 1452 or other areas. This configuration also allows cups 50 to be refilled without stopping the beverage preparation system 1300, while the door 1432 remains closed to prevent hazards in the upper area 1438.

[0160] In this embodiment, the dispenser cover 1444 may be transparent plastic, which allows visual identification of the contents of the cup dispenser.The number of cups 50 in 1430 is such that the cups 50 can be reloaded in a timely manner. In some embodiments, the upper support structure 1440 may further cover the cup storage area 1452 to prevent debris or substances from entering and contaminating the cups 50 stored therein. In some embodiments, the upper support structure 1440 may only provide support or define the upper part of the dispenser cover 1444. In this case, the cup dispenser 1430 can be opened only by the dispenser hinge 1453 to allow the reloading of the cups 50 while allowing the beverage preparation system 1300 to continue operating. In addition, the cups 50 stored in the cup storage area 1452 can be dispensed using the elements of the dispenser 134, as described above, for example in Figures 5-7, or by other techniques. In this embodiment, three (3) stacks of cups 50 are shown, wherein each stack includes cups 50 of the same or different sizes. However, in other embodiments, fewer or more stacks may be provided.

[0161] In the embodiment shown in Figure 69, the grooved cover 1416 may be coupled next to the upper support structure 1440 of the cup dispenser 1430. In this manner, when the cup dispenser 1430 is in the closed position, the chute cover 1416 covers the filling chute 1406. The beverage preparation system 1300 may further include a safety switch 1454 located adjacent to the upper support structure 1440 of the cup dispenser 1430. The safety switch 1454 is coupled to sense the position of the door 1432 and the chute cover 1416. The safety switch 1454 may be further coupled to communicate with various control systems of the beverage preparation system 1300, as described above, to energize and de-energize all or various components of the beverage preparation system 1300 when the door 1432 and / or the filling chute 1406 are opened and closed. This operation of the safety switch 1454 prevents dangerous or accidental interference to various systems inside and outside the upper interior 1438 when the door 1432 is open, and also prevents operation of the screw conveyor or other systems associated with dispensing ice when the filling chute 1406 is open. In this embodiment, safety switch 1454 is a single switch so coupled for such operation, while in other embodiments multiple switches located elsewhere may be provided. In other embodiments, safety switch 1454 may be further coupled to sense when cup dispenser 1430 is opened and control the operation of beverage preparation system 1300 as needed.

[0162] As shown in FIG68, when door 1432 is open, various components in upper interior 1438 are accessible, including another embodiment of capping and printing assembly 502. Referring also to FIGS. 70-72, in this embodiment, capping and printing assembly 502 is mounted in upper interior 1438 of beverage preparation system 1300 via slide rail 1460. Slide rail 1460 allows capping and printing assembly502 extends from the storage or standby position 1462 as shown in Figure 70 to the extended or maintenance position 1464 as shown in Figure 71. The slide rail 1460 can be any type of sliding or glide system that can be mounted on the upper interior 1438 and the capping and printing assembly 502 to allow movement or extension between such positions, and may include ball bearings or other types of slide rails or extension designs. The slide rail 1460 allows convenient access to the capping and printing assembly 502 when pulled out or extended to the maintenance position 1464 for reloading or replacing the cup lid film (e.g., sealing film 544), printer ink, or for maintenance, repair, and cleaning of the components of the capping and printing assembly 502. The slide rail 1460 can extend any desired distance between the standby position 1462 and the maintenance position 1464 to provide sufficient clearance from other components in the upper interior 1438 for convenient user access for these purposes. The slide rail 1460, the capping and printing assembly 502, and the door 1432 can be further configured such that when the door 1432 is closed, the door 1432 engages or presses the capping and printing assembly 502 into the correct position, such as the ready position 1462, or a so-called "mistake-proof" configuration. It is understood that proper positioning of the capping and printing assembly 502 ensures proper alignment, thereby achieving a good or intact film seal on the cup 50. Other techniques can be used to ensure the proper placement of the capping and printing assembly 502, such as locking pins, sensors, etc., to position or verify that the capping and printing assembly 502 is in the correct position before the beverage preparation system 1300 begins operation.

[0163] As described above and referring to FIG. 73, the inner turntable 507 may include an upper frame 1318, which is a basic circular plate configured with a U-shaped opening 1320 to receive a cup holder 506a (not shown). In one embodiment, the inner upper frame 1318 may include a frame coupler 1470 centrally disposed on the lower side 1471 of the upper frame 1318. The frame coupler 1470 has a plurality of coupling teeth 1472 disposed therearound.

[0164] Referring also to FIG74, various drive systems, as described above, for operating the beverage preparation system 1300, may be provided, including a drive mechanism or drive mechanism 1474 that drives an inner turntable. The drive mechanism 1474 includes a drive coupler 1476 centrally disposed on the upper surface 1477 of the drive mechanism 1474. The drive coupler 1476 has a plurality of drive teeth 1478 disposed therearound. The frame coupler 1470 and the coupling teeth 1472 are configured to engage with the drive coupler 1476 and the drive teeth 1478. Thus, it can be seen that when the lower side 1471 of the upper frame 1318 is placed next to the upper surface 1477 of the drive mechanism 1474, the frame coupler 1470 engages with the drive coupler 1476. Thus, when the drive mechanism 1474 is actuated and rotates, the drive coupler 1476 is activated.The engagement with the frame coupler 1470 operates in the same way to rotate the upper frame 1318 during operation of the beverage preparation system 1300. Since the upper frame 1318 rests on the drive mechanism 1474 by gravity, it can be easily removed for cleaning simply by lifting it from its position above the drive mechanism 1474, and can also be easily replaced to restore operation. This configuration eliminates any complex mechanical connections, thus simplifying the operation and maintenance of the beverage preparation system 1300. Furthermore, this configuration provides safety during operation because the design provides sufficient force to reliably move the cup 50 to the correct position, but not enough to create a hazard or pinch in case of obstruction. In the event of such a hazard or pinch, the configuration allows sufficient tolerances for lifting and sliding to prevent any injury or damage.

[0165] Although the systems described herein, including beverage preparation systems 100, 500, 800, 900, 1000, and 1300 and their respective various subsystems, components, and parts, are described separately, this disclosure contemplates implementations that combine any arrangement of the aforementioned various systems and subsystems. As an example of a contemplated alternative and combination, the capping system described with respect to FIG. 37 can be used in place of the capping system described with respect to FIG. 15-20. Furthermore, beverage identification systems, such as those described in FIG. 41 and 50, are contemplated for use in any other beverage preparation system described herein. Similarly, while not all described beverage preparation systems employ a user interface 116 for selecting a desired beverage and are connected via a point-of-sale system or provide a water tank below a conveyor belt, this disclosure contemplates such combinations with any disclosed beverage preparation system. As a further example, although only two turntables, namely the outer turntable and the inner turntables 505 and 507, are shown in the beverage preparation system 500, one or more additional concentric rows of turntables can be added to further increase the total number of beverages that can be prepared and stored for use. Furthermore, it is envisioned that the beverage preparation system 500 or other systems can be used in conjunction with additional conveyors, where beverages are moved from a production conveyor or turntable to a conveyor that transports the beverages to other parts of the facility for the convenience of customers or employees, thereby further improving convenience and efficiency. These are just some examples of combinations envisioned in this disclosure. For simplicity, every envisioned combination will not be discussed, but those skilled in the art will readily conceive of them. Given this disclosure, those skilled in the art will readily conceive of these and other combinations. Furthermore, various components and support structures can be made of metal or metal alloys, plastic or polymer materials, or any suitable material.

[0166] Embodiments disclosed herein include beverage preparation systems and related methods that can automate the preparation of beverages in various ways.Many, most, or substantially all of the steps further improve the efficiency of the beverage preparation process. Therefore, by using the embodiments disclosed herein, the number of manual steps required to prepare a beverage can be reduced, thereby improving the efficiency of the beverage preparation process and improving the overall food service operation.

[0167] While exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, those skilled in the art can modify them without departing from the scope or teachings herein. The embodiments described herein are merely exemplary and not restrictive. Many variations and modifications of the systems, apparatus, and processes described herein are possible and are all within the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection is not limited to the embodiments described herein, but is limited only by the following claims, the scope of which should include all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the steps in the method claims may be performed in any order. Instruction manual page 30 / 30, page 33, CN 121358684 A, Figure 1; Instruction manual figure 1 / 73, page 34, CN 121358684 A, Figure 2; Instruction manual figure 2 / 73, page 35, CN 121358684 A, Figure 3; Instruction manual figure 3 / 73, page 36, CN 121358684 A, Figure 4; Instruction manual figure 4 / 73, page 37, CN 121358684 A, Figure 5; Instruction manual figure 5 / 73, page 38, CN 121358684 A, Figure 6; Instruction manual figure 6 / 73, page 39, CN 121358684 A, Figure 7; Instruction manual figure 7 / 73, page 40, CN 121358684 A, Figure 8; Instruction manual figure 8 / 73, page 41, CN 121358684 A, Figure 10; Instruction manual figure 11; Instruction manual figure 9 / 73, page 42, CN 121358684 A Figure 12 Appendix to the Instruction Manual, Page 10 / 73, 43 CN 121358684 A Figure 13 Appendix to the Instruction Manual, Page 11 / 73, 44 CN 121358684 A Figure 14 Appendix to the Instruction Manual, Page 12 / 73, 45 CN 121358684 A Figure 15 Appendix to the Instruction Manual, Page 13 / 73, 46 CN 121358684 A Figure 16 Figure 17 Appendix to the Instruction Manual, Page 14 / 73, 47 CN 121358684 A Figure 18 Appendix to the Instruction Manual, Page 15 / 73, 48 CN 121358684 A Figure 19 Appendix to the Instruction Manual, Page 16 / 73, 49 CN 121358684 A Figure 20 Appendix to the Instruction ManualPage 17 / 73, 50 CN 121358684 A, Figure 21: Instruction Manual Drawing; Page 18 / 73, 51 CN 121358684 A, Figure 22: Instruction Manual Drawing; Page 19 / 73, 52 CN 121358684 A, Figure 23: Instruction Manual Drawing; Page 20 / 73, 53 CN 121358684 A, Figure 24: Instruction Manual Drawing; Page 21 / 73, 54 CN 121358684 A, Figure 25: Instruction Manual Drawing; Page 22 / 73, 55 CN 121358684 A, Figure 26: Instruction Manual Drawing; Page 23 / 73, 56 CN 121358684 A, Figure 27, Figure 28: Instruction Manual Drawing; Page 24 / 73, 57 CN 121358684 A, Figure 29: Instruction Manual Drawing; Page 25 / 73, 58 CN 121358684 A, Figure 30A: Instruction Manual Drawing; Page 26 / 73 Page 59 CN 121358684 A Figure 30B Instruction Manual Drawings 27 / 73 Page 60 CN 121358684 A Figure 30C Instruction Manual Drawings 28 / 73 Page 61 CN 121358684 A Figure 31 Instruction Manual Drawings 29 / 73 Page 62 CN 121358684 A Figure 32 Instruction Manual Drawings 30 / 73 Page 63 CN 121358684 A Figure 33 Instruction Manual Drawings 31 / 73 Page 64 CN 121358684 A Figure 34 Instruction Manual Drawings 32 / 73 Page 65 CN 121358684 A Figure 35 Instruction Manual Drawings 33 / 73 Page 66 CN 121358684 A Instruction Manual Drawings 34 / 73 Page 67 CN 121358684 A Figure 36E Instruction Manual Drawings 35 / 73 Page 68 CN Figure 37 of the instruction manual, page 36 / 73, CN 121358684 A; Figure 38 of the instruction manual, page 37 / 73, CN 121358684 A; Figure 39A of the instruction manual, page 38 / 73, CN 121358684 A; Figure 39B of the instruction manual, page 39 / 73, CN 121358684 A; Figure 40A of the instruction manual, page 40 / 73, CN 121358684 A; Figure 40B of the instruction manual, page 41 / 7374 CN 121358684 A Figure 40C Instruction Manual Drawings 42 / 73 pages 75 CN 121358684 A Figure 41 Instruction Manual Drawings 43 / 73 pages 76 CN 121358684 A Figure 42 Instruction Manual Drawings 44 / 73 pages 77 CN 121358684 A Figure 43 Instruction Manual Drawings 45 / 73 pages 78 CN 121358684 A Figure 44 Figure 45 Instruction Manual Drawings 46 / 73 pages 79 CN 121358684 A Figure 46 Figure 47 Instruction Manual Drawings 47 / 73 pages 80 CN 121358684 A Figure 48 Instruction Manual Drawings 48 / 73 pages 81 CN 121358684 A Figure 49 Instruction Manual Drawings 49 / 73 pages 82 CN 121358684 A Figure 50 Instruction Manual Drawings 50 / 73 pages 83 CN Figure 51 (Instruction Manual Appendix 51 / 73, Page 84) CN 121358684 A Figure 52 (Instruction Manual Appendix 52 / 73, Page 85) CN 121358684 A Figure 53 (Instruction Manual Appendix 53 / 73, Page 86) CN 121358684 A Figure 54 (Instruction Manual Appendix 54 / 73, Page 87) CN 121358684 A Figure 55 (Instruction Manual Appendix 55 / 73, Page 88) CN 121358684 A Figure 56 (Instruction Manual Appendix 56 / 73, Page 89) CN 121358684 A Figure 57 (Instruction Manual Appendix 57 / 73, Page 90) CN 121358684 A Figure 58 (Instruction Manual Appendix 58 / 73, Page 91) CN 121358684 A Figure 59 (Instruction Manual Appendix 59 / 73, Page 92) CN 121358684 A Figure 60: Appendix to the instruction manual, page 60 / 73, 93 CN 121358684 A Figure 61: Appendix to the instruction manual, page 61 / 73, 94 CN 121358684 A Figure 62: Appendix to the instruction manual, page 62 / 73, 95 CN 121358684 A Figure 63: Appendix to the instruction manual, page 63 / 73, 96 CN 121358684 A Figure 64: Appendix to the instruction manual, page 64 / 73, 97 CN 121358684 A Figure 65: Appendix to the instruction manual, page 65 / 73, 98 CNFigure 66 of the instruction manual, page 99 (Figure 67 of the instruction manual, page 100), Figure 68 of the instruction manual, page 101 (Figure 69 of the instruction manual, page 102), Figure 70 of the instruction manual, page 103 (Figure 71 of the instruction manual, page 104), Figure 72 of the instruction manual, page 105), Figure 73 of the instruction manual, page 106.

Claims

1. A beverage preparation system, characterized by, Comprising: a carousel assembly, the carousel assembly comprising: a central shaft; an inner carousel; and an outer carousel disposed circumferentially about the inner carousel; a cup dispensing station configured to dispense a cup onto one of the inner carousel or outer carousel; and a beverage dispensing station configured to dispense a beverage into the cup.

2. Beverage preparation system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Further comprising: a cabinet disposed above the carousel assembly, the cabinet defining an interior space; and a door connected to the cabinet, the door partially enclosing the interior space, wherein the door is connected to the cabinet by a door hinge such that the door can be opened to access the interior space.

3. Beverage preparation system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The cup dispensing station is coupled to the door by a cup dispenser hinge, wherein the cup dispenser is individually openable with respect to the door.

4. Beverage preparation system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The cup dispenser includes an upper opening to provide access to a cup receiving area within the cup dispenser, and further includes a removable cup dispenser cover disposed over the upper opening of the cup dispenser.

5. The beverage preparation system according to claim 2, characterized in that, Further comprising: an ice bin having a bin body for holding ice cubes and a fill chute formed along a side of the ice bin, the fill chute including a bottom portion sloped toward the bin body; and a chute cover configured to cover the fill chute when the chute cover is in a closed position, and further configured to expose the fill chute to receive ice cubes therein when the chute cover is in an open position.

6. Beverage preparation system according to claim 5, characterized in that, Further comprising one or more safety switches coupled to the door and the chute cover, and further coupled to a controller to control operation of the beverage preparation system based on sensed positions of the door and the chute cover.

7. Beverage preparation system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The safety switches are further defined as a single switch coupled to the door and the chute cover.

8. The beverage preparation system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The cup dispensing station is coupled to the door by a cup dispenser hinge, wherein the cup dispenser is individually openable with respect to the door, and wherein the one or more safety switches are further coupled to the cup dispenser to sense a position of the cup dispenser with respect to the door.

9. The beverage preparation system according to claim 2, characterized in that, Further comprising a capping and printing assembly disposed in the interior space of the cabinet, the capping and printing assembly operable to provide a cap on the cup and a label on the cap of the cup.

10. Beverage preparation system according to claim 9, characterized in that, Further comprising an extension system coupled to the interior space of the cabinet and the capping and printing assembly, and configured to hold the capping and printing assembly in a ready-to-use position within the interior space of the cabinet, and further configured to extend the capping and printing assembly to a maintenance position, wherein the capping and printing assembly extends out of the interior space with respect to the storage position.

11. Beverage preparation system according to claim 10, characterized in that, The extension system is further defined as a plurality of extendable rails.

12. The beverage preparation system according to claim 2, characterized in that, Further comprising a drive system configured to cause rotation of the inner carousel, wherein the inner carousel includes a frame coupler coupled to the inner carousel, and wherein the drive system includes at least one drive coupler configured to mate with the frame coupler.

13. Beverage preparation system according to claim 12, characterized in that, Actuation of the drive system drives the inner carousel through mating engagement of the drive coupler with the frame coupler.

14. Beverage preparation system according to claim 13, characterized in that, At least portions of the inner turntable including the frame coupler rest on the drive system by gravity through engagement of the frame coupler with the drive coupler.

15. The beverage preparation system according to claim 10, characterized in that, Also included are: an ice bin having a bin body for holding ice cubes and a fill chute formed along a side of the ice bin, the fill chute including a bottom portion sloped toward the bin body; and a chute cover configured to cover the fill chute when the chute cover is in a closed position and further configured to expose the fill chute to receive ice cubes therein when the chute cover is in an open position.

16. Beverage preparation system according to claim 15, characterized in that, Also included are one or more safety switches coupled to the door and the chute cover and further coupled to a controller to control operation of the beverage preparation system based on sensed positions of the door and the chute cover.

17. Beverage preparation system according to claim 16, characterized in that, The cup dispensing station is coupled to the door by a cup dispenser hinge, wherein the cup dispenser is individually openable relative to the door.

18. The beverage preparation system according to claim 17, characterized in that, The cup dispenser includes an upper opening to provide access to a cup receiving area within the cup dispenser and further includes a removable cup dispenser cover disposed over the upper opening of the cup dispenser.

19. A method of dispensing a beverage, characterized by Included are: A beverage preparation system is provided including: a cabinet defining an interior space for housing a capping and printing assembly configured to cap and print on a cup cover; a turntable assembly disposed below the cabinet, the turntable assembly including: a central shaft; an inner turntable; and an outer turntable disposed circumferentially around the inner turntable; dispensing a cup from a cup dispensing station onto one of the inner or outer turntables; and dispensing a beverage from a beverage dispensing station into the cup.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, Also included are: sensing opening of a cabinet door by one or more switches; suspending dispensing of cups and beverages by the beverage preparation system in response to sensing opening of the door; extending the capping and printing assembly from an inoperative position within the interior space of the cabinet to a maintenance position extending out of the interior space relative to the storage position; sensing closing of the door of the cabinet by one or more switches; and actuating the beverage preparation system to resume dispensing of cups and beverages in response to sensing closing of the door. ​

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