Automated beverage dispensing system and method

Abstract

To provide an automated beverage dispensing system and method.SOLUTION: The beverage production system includes: a cup dispensing station configured to dispense cups; a beverage dispensing station configured to dispense a beverage; and a turntable assembly. The turntable assembly includes a central axis, an inner turntable including a first row of cup receptacles, and an outer turntable including a second row of cup receptacles. The outer turntable is disposed circumferentially about the inner turntable, and the outer turntable is configured to rotate about the central axis to align the cup receptacles of the second row with the cup dispensing station and the beverage dispensing station. The turntable assembly is configured to align an opening in a cup receptacle in the second row with an opening in a cup receptacle in the first row.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Background technology]

[0001] Restaurants and other dining establishments may dispense numerous beverages to customers during the course of their business. As a result, dining establishments may have beverage dispensers or other similar systems that can be used by customers and / or employees to efficiently produce beverages. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0002] The following discussion is directed to various embodiments, however, those skilled in the art will understand that the examples disclosed herein have a wide range of applications, and that the discussion of any embodiment is meant to be merely an example of that embodiment and is not intended to suggest that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to that embodiment.

[0003] The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale. Certain features and components herein may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form, and some details of conventional elements may not be shown for clarity and conciseness.

[0004] In the following discussion and claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended manner and should therefore be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to.” Also, the terms “couple” or “couples” are intended to mean either an indirect or direct connection. Thus, when a first device couples to a second device, the connection may be through a direct connection between the two devices or through an indirect connection established via other devices, components, nodes, and connections. Additionally, as used herein, the terms “axial” and “axially” generally mean along or parallel to a given axis (e.g., the central axis of a body or port), while the terms “radial” and “radially” generally mean perpendicular to a given axis. For example, an axial distance refers to a distance measured along or parallel to an axis, and a radial distance means a distance measured perpendicular to the axis.

[0005] As described above, beverages may be produced in restaurants or dining establishments using beverage dispensers or other similar systems. However, many such devices require physical human interaction throughout many (or all) of the steps in the beverage production process. For example, when producing a beverage in a beverage dispenser, a server, customer, etc. may still be required to pick up a cup, align and hold the cup under the nozzle of the selected beverage type, engage with the device to dispense the desired beverage, or otherwise interact with it. Each of these additional manual interactions can add time and complexity to the beverage production process and, therefore, can reduce the efficiency of the overall food service operation.

[0006] Thus, the embodiments disclosed herein include beverage production systems and related methods that may further improve the efficiency of the beverage production and distribution process by automating many, most, or substantially all of the steps for producing a beverage. Thus, through the use of the embodiments disclosed herein, the number of manual steps that may be required to fulfill a beverage order may be reduced, thereby increasing the efficiency of the beverage production process and improving overall food service operations. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] For a detailed description of various exemplary embodiments, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings.

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a beverage production system, according to some embodiments.

[0009] [Figure 2] 2 is a perspective view of a beverage handling assembly of the beverage production system of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments.

[0010] [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a turntable assembly of the beverage production system of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments.

[0011] [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a cup dispensing station of the beverage production system of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments.

[0012] [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a dispenser of the cup dispensing station of FIG. 4, according to some embodiments.

[0013] [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of the ring gear and wedge assembly of the distributor of FIG. 5 in a first position, according to some embodiments.

[0014] [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an enlarged side view of the ring gear and wedge assembly of FIG. 6 in a second position, according to some embodiments.

[0015] [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a top view of a wedge assembly that may be used in the cup dispensing station of the beverage production and dispensing system of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments.

[0016] [Figure 9] 9-11 are perspective views of a cup dispensing station of the beverage production system of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments. [Figure 10] 9-11 are perspective views of a cup dispensing station of the beverage production system of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments. [Figure 11] 9-11 are perspective views of a cup dispensing station of the beverage production system of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments.

[0017] [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of an ice dispensing station of the beverage production system of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments.

[0018] [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a beverage dispensing station of the beverage production system of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments.

[0019] [Figure 14] 14 and 15 are schematic side views of a capping station of the beverage production system of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments. [Figure 15] 14 and 15 are schematic side views of a capping station of the beverage production system of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments.

[0020] [Figure 16]FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a capping station of the beverage production and dispensing system of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments.

[0021] [Figure 17] 17 is a top view of a pair of converging rails of the lid applying station of the beverage production system of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments.

[0022] [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a lid press of the capping station of the beverage production system of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments.

[0023] [Figure 19] 19 is a perspective view of a compression belt for securing lids to cups in the lid applying station of the beverage production system of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments.

[0024] [Figure 20] 20 is a perspective view of a roller assembly for securing lids to cups in the lid applying station of the beverage production and dispensing system of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments.

[0025] [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of a heat seal lidding assembly of the lidding station of the beverage production system of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments.

[0026] [Figure 22] 22 is a side view of a beverage identification assembly of the beverage production system of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments.

[0027] [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a flow diagram of a method for producing a beverage, according to some embodiments.

[0028] [Figure 24]FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram of a computer system suitable for implementing one or more embodiments disclosed herein.

[0029] [Figure 25] FIG. 25 is a perspective view of a beverage production system according to yet another embodiment.

[0030] [Figure 26] 26 is a perspective view of a modified turntable assembly of the beverage production system of FIG. 25, according to one embodiment.

[0031] [Figure 27] FIG. 27 is a partial cutaway view of the modified turntable assembly of FIG. 26 shown with a slide assembly, according to one embodiment.

[0032] [Figure 28] FIG. 28 is an enlarged perspective view of the slide assembly shown in FIG. 27, according to one embodiment.

[0033] [Figure 29] FIG. 29 is a side perspective view of another embodiment of a modified turntable assembly and slide assembly.

[0034] [Figure 30A] 30A is a perspective view of the upper and lower magnetic assemblies of the slide assembly shown in FIG. 29 according to another embodiment.

[0035] [Figure 30B] FIG. 30B is a perspective view of the upper and lower magnetic assemblies and inner rotating stage according to another embodiment.

[0036] [Figure 30C] FIG. 30C is a perspective view of the underside of a slide assembly and modified turntable according to another embodiment.

[0037] [Figure 31] FIG. 31 is a perspective view of a modified turntable assembly positioned within a sink according to another embodiment.

[0038] [Figure 32] FIG. 32 is a perspective view of a sink and drain, according to one embodiment.

[0039] [Figure 33] FIG. 33 is a perspective view of a modified turntable assembly positioned within a sink with the cup holder removed, according to another embodiment.

[0040] [Figure 34] FIG. 34 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the sink with the modified turntable assembly removed.

[0041] [Figure 35] FIG. 35 is a perspective view of a sink and drain, according to one embodiment.

[0042] [Figure 36-1] 36A-E are diagrams of a modified turntable assembly drive system, according to one embodiment. [Figure 36-2] 36A-E are diagrams of a modified turntable assembly drive system, according to one embodiment.

[0043] [Figure 37] 37 is another perspective view of the beverage production system of FIG. 25 illustrating the lidding and printing assembly, according to one embodiment.

[0044] [Figure 38] FIG. 38 is a diagram of a lidder and print assembly and lifter assembly, according to one embodiment.

[0045] [Figure 39A]FIG. 39A is a top view of a portion of a modified turntable assembly and lifting assembly, according to one embodiment.

[0046] [Figure 39B] FIG. 39B is a perspective view of a cup container, according to one embodiment.

[0047] [Figure 40A] FIG. 40A is a perspective view of a portion of the beverage production system of FIG. 25, according to one embodiment.

[0048] [Figure 40B] 40B and 40C are perspective views of other portions of the beverage production system of FIG. 25 according to further embodiments. [Figure 40C] 40B and 40C are perspective views of other portions of the beverage production system of FIG. 25 according to further embodiments.

[0049] [Figure 41] FIG. 41 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a beverage production system.

[0050] [Figure 42] FIG. 42 is a perspective view of a conveyor assembly of the beverage production system of FIG. 41 according to some embodiments.

[0051] [Figure 43] FIG. 43 is a top view of the conveyor assembly of FIG. 42, according to some embodiments.

[0052] [Figure 44] 44-47 are perspective views of cup receptacles of the conveyor assembly of FIG. 42, according to some embodiments. [Figure 45] 44-47 are perspective views of cup receptacles of the conveyor assembly of FIG. 42, according to some embodiments. [Figure 46]44-47 are perspective views of cup receptacles of the conveyor assembly of FIG. 42, according to some embodiments. [Figure 47] 44-47 are perspective views of cup receptacles of the conveyor assembly of FIG. 42, according to some embodiments.

[0053] [Figure 48] FIG. 48 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a beverage production system.

[0054] [Figure 49] 49 is a side cross-sectional view of a cup dispensing station of the beverage production system of FIG. 48, according to some embodiments.

[0055] [Figure 50] FIG. 50 is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of a beverage production system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0056] 1 , a beverage production system 100 is shown, according to some embodiments. As will be described in more detail below, beverage production system 100 may be used to automatically prepare and dispense complete or substantially complete beverages during operation, thereby reducing the number of manual actions performed by servers, customers, etc. Generally, beverage production system 100 includes an ice chamber 112, a cabinet 114, and a beverage handling assembly 120 positioned between ice chamber 112 and cabinet 114.

[0057] 1 and 2, beverage handling assembly 120 includes multiple stations for performing various stages or steps of the beverage production process. In particular, beverage handling assembly 120 includes cup dispensing station 130, ice dispensing station 180, beverage dispensing station 190, and lidding station 200. A beverage may be produced by progressing through stations 130, 180, 190, 200 using turntable assembly 122.

[0058] 2 and 3, the turntable assembly 122 includes a central axis 155 and a pair of concentric turntables 124, 126. Specifically, the turntable assembly 122 includes an inner turntable 124 and an outer turntable 126 that is circumferentially disposed about the inner turntable 124. The inner turntable 124 includes and defines a first or inner row 154 of cup receptacles 125, and the outer turntable 126 includes and defines a second or outer row 156 of cup receptacles 125. Both the inner row 154 and the outer row 156 extend annularly about the central axis 155, with the inner row 154 disposed radially inward of the outer row 156. In particular, in some embodiments, the first row 154 and the second row 156 extend circumferentially about a central axis 155 such that the cup receptacles 125 in the rows 154, 156 are arranged concentrically about the axis 155.

[0059] 3 , the inner rotating platform 126 and the outer rotating platform 124 are supported by a base plate 149. More specifically, the base plate 149 includes a pair of circumferential rails 148, 147 that support the rotating platforms 124, 126, respectively, via a pair of bearings 144, 146. The bearings 144, 146 may each facilitate rotation of the rotating platforms 124, 126 about a central axis 155 relative to the base plate 149 during operation. In some embodiments, the bearings 144, 146 may comprise wheels, sliding surfaces, and / or other suitable components or features for facilitating movement (e.g., rotation) of the rotating platforms 124, 126 relative to the base plate 149. In other embodiments, the inner rotating platform 126 may be supported by a shaft (not shown), and the outer rotating platform 124 is supported along an outer diameter of the outer rotating platform 124 by a support structure (not shown) of the beverage production system 100.

[0060] The inner rotating bed 124 and the outer rotating bed 126 are received within an outer housing 140, which in turn is mounted on a base plate 149, concealing the rails 147, 148 and bearings 144, 146. A gearbox 142, including one or more gears (not shown) that mesh with gear teeth or other suitable structure formed on the outer rotating bed 126, is mounted to the outer housing 140. In other embodiments, one or both of the outer rotating bed 126 and the inner rotating bed 124 may be driven by rubber wheels (not shown) on the outside of the rotating beds 124 and / or 126 or frictionally engaged with other portions.

[0061] First drive unit 141 and second drive unit 143 are supported within a housing 145 that is coupled to a base plate 149 on a side opposite from rotating beds 124, 126 and outer housing 140. However, in other embodiments (not shown), second drive unit 143 may be mounted on the same side as rotating beds 124, 126. In this embodiment, the output shaft of first drive unit 141 extends through a first opening 150 in base plate 149 and couples with inner rotating bed 124, and the output shaft of second drive unit 143 extends through a second opening 152 in base plate 149 and engages with a gear in gearbox 142. In some embodiments, drives 141, 143 may comprise electric motors; however, in other embodiments, drives 141, 143 may comprise pneumatic motors, hydraulic motors, etc.

[0062] During operation, the drives 141, 143 may be energized to rotate the turntables 124, 126, respectively, about a central axis 155. In particular, the first drive 141 may be energized to rotate the inner turntable 124 about axis 155, and the second drive 143 may be energized to rotate the outer turntable 126 about axis 155 via gears (not shown) in the gearbox 142. Referring again to Figures 1 and 2, rotation of the turntables 124, 126 about axis 155 may selectively advance beverages through stations 130, 180, 190, 200 within the beverage handling assembly 120. Because the turntables 124, 126 are rotated about axis 155 via separate drives (e.g., drives 141, 143 shown in FIG. 3 ), the turntables 124, 126 may be rotated about axis 155 independently of one another during operation. Without being limited to this or any other theory, the independent rotation of the turntables 124, 126 may provide redundancy to the beverage production system 100 in the event of a failure of one or more of its components. Additionally, the independent rotation of the turntables 124, 126 may allow beverage production to be subdivided and organized via the rows 154, 156. For example, the rows 154, 156 may be arranged to produce beverages for different sources (e.g., drive-thru orders vs. dine-in orders) and / or may be used to produce different beverage types (e.g., carbonated vs. still, hot vs. cold). Further details of embodiments of stations 130, 180, 190, 200 are now described below.

[0063] 1 and 4 , in some embodiments, a cup dispensing station 130 includes a central axis 135, a dispenser 134, and a plurality of tubular magazines 132 coupled to the dispenser 134 and extending axially therefrom relative to the axis 135. Each magazine 132 includes a first or upper end 132a and a second or lower end 132b opposite the upper end 132a. The lower end 132b is coupled to a corresponding receptacle 136 within the dispenser 134, and the upper end 132a flares axially away from the dispenser 134. Each magazine 132 may receive and store a plurality of stacked cups 50. In some embodiments, the cups 50 may be loaded into the magazine 132 from the upper end 132a. In some embodiments, the magazine 132 may be decoupled from the dispenser 134 to facilitate loading of the cups 50 therein. In other embodiments (not shown), the exterior configuration of the plurality of tubular magazines 132 may not be round, but may instead be hexagonal or another shape, and may include openings on the sides of the tubular magazines 132 for receiving cups so that the cups may be loaded from the side instead of the top or bottom. In such embodiments, the hexagonal or other shape may retain the cups based on the geometry of the lidless tubular magazine 132.

[0064] Dispenser 134 is a generally cylindrical member including a first or upper side 134a, a second or lower side 134b opposite upper side 134a, and a cylindrical outer surface 134c extending axially between sides 134a, 134b. Receptacle 136 extends axially through dispenser 134 between sides 134a, 134b relative to axis 135. Magazine 132 is engaged within receptacle 136 on upper side 134a such that during operation, cups 50 dispensed from magazine 132 move through receptacle 136 and are ejected from lower side 134b.

[0065] The distributor 134 is positioned within the housing 131. During operation, the distributor 134 may rotate within the housing 131 about an axis 135. A bearing 139 may be inserted within the housing 131 and engage a lower side surface 134b of the distributor 134, thus facilitating rotation of the distributor 134 about the axis 135 during operation. A driver 138 may be coupled to one or more gears 133 positioned 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 comprise a pneumatic motor, a hydraulic motor, or the like. The one or more gears 133 may be coupled (e.g., meshed) with gear teeth or other suitable structure on the cylindrical outer surface 134c of the distributor 134. A top plate 137 may cover the gearbox 129, and the driver 138 may be supported on the top plate 137. In other embodiments, the distributor 134 may be driven by a timing belt pulley (not shown) that is engaged with an upper portion of the distributor 134 .

[0066] 1 and 4 , during operation, the driver 138 may rotate the dispenser 134 about the axis 135 via one or more gears 133. Specifically, the driver 138 may rotate the dispenser 134 to align selected ones of the magazines 132 and receptacles 136 within the dispenser 134 with the rows 154, 156 of cup receptacles 125 on the turntable assembly 122. In some embodiments, the magazine 132 may hold different sizes and / or types of cups that may be selectively aligned with the rows 154, 156 to produce a desired beverage during operation.

[0067] 5, in some embodiments, the dispenser 134 includes an outer housing 163 that defines an interior chamber 167. A cap 160 may be fitted to the housing 163 to close the chamber 167 and conceal components disposed therein (described in more detail below). The cap 160 may define an upper side surface 134a, and the housing 163 may define a lower side surface 134b and a cylindrical outer surface 134c of the dispenser 134.

[0068] A plurality of ring gears 166 are disposed within chamber 167 and aligned with each of containers 136 along corresponding axes 165. A drive gear 168 is engaged (e.g., meshed) with gear teeth or other suitable structure on the radially outer surface of each of ring gears 166. Drive gear 168 is coupled to a driver 162, which may be mounted to cap 160. For example, drive gear 168 may be engaged with an output shaft (not shown) of driver 162 extending through a suitable opening (not shown) in cap 160. During operation, driver 162 may rotate drive gear 168, thereby driving rotation of ring gear 166 about corresponding axis 165. Bearings 169 may be disposed within chamber 167 to facilitate and support rotation of ring gear 166 about axis 165. In some embodiments, driver 162 comprises an electric motor; however, in other embodiments, driver 162 may comprise a pneumatic motor, a hydraulic motor, or the like.

[0069] Each axis 165 is parallel to and radially offset from the central axis 135. In some embodiments, the axes 165 are uniformly circumferentially spaced about the axis 135. In the embodiment of the cup dispensing station 130 shown in Figures 4 and 5, there are a total of three magazines 132, and therefore three receptacles 136. As a result, the axes 165 are circumferentially spaced approximately 120° from each other about the axis 135. In other embodiments, more or less than three magazines 132 may be included to accommodate a desired number of cup sizes or types.

[0070] A plurality of wedge members 164 are positioned within each ring gear 166. Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7 , each wedge member 164 includes a cylindrical body 174 including a central or longitudinal axis 175. Within each ring gear 166, the axes 175 of the wedge members 164 are parallel to the axis 165 and may be radially offset therefrom. The body 174 includes a plurality of gear teeth 176 extending circumferentially about the axis 175. The teeth 176 may engage (e.g., mesh) with corresponding teeth 172 on the radially inner surface 170 of the ring gear 166. Thus, rotation of the ring gear 166 about the axis 165 results in rotation of the wedge members 164 about the axis 175 via the engagement of the teeth 172, 176.

[0071] A pair of wedges 178, 179 extend radially outward from body 174. Wedges 178, 179 may extend radially outward from radially opposite sides of body 174 relative to axis 175. In some embodiments, wedges 178, 179 may extend approximately 180° circumferentially about body 174; however, wedges 178, 179 may extend circumferentially more or less than 180° about body 174 in some embodiments. Additionally, wedges 178, 179 are axially spaced from one another such that wedge 178 can be axially positioned above wedge 179 along axis 175. Thus, wedge 178 may be referred to herein as a first or upper wedge 178 and wedge 179 may be referred to herein as a second or lower wedge 179 .

[0072] During operation, the wedge members 164 may rotate about axis 175 to bring the wedges 178, 179 into engagement with the cups 50 extending into the receptacle 136 of the dispenser 134. Generally speaking, the upper wedge 178 may engage between axially adjacent cups 50 to remove the cups 50 from the dispenser 134 when desired, and the lower wedge 179 may support the cups 50 within the dispenser 134 when the cups 50 are not to be dispensed therefrom. Notably, during operation, each wedge member 164 may transition between a first position shown in FIG. 6 and a second position shown in FIG. 7 to selectively remove and dispense the cups 50 from the dispenser 134. In the first position ( FIG. 6 ), the lower wedge 179 may be rotated circumferentially about axis 175 to extend radially inward toward the axis 165 and, therefore, the cups 50. As a result, the lower wedge 179 of each wedge member 164 can engage with the edge 52 of the bottom cup 50 in the dispenser 134 to prevent the cup 50 from falling through the dispenser 134 when the wedge assembly 164 is in the first position (FIG. 6).

[0073] When it is desired to dispense a cup 50 from the dispenser 134, the wedge member 164 may be transitioned from a first position (FIG. 6) to a second position (FIG. 7) by rotating the body 174 about an axis 175, thereby engaging the upper wedge 178 between the edges 52 of the two lowest cups 50 in the dispenser 134. The upper wedge 178 may have an axial width (e.g., relative to the axis 175) that tapers axially as it moves circumferentially about the body 174 such that as the body 174 rotates about the axis 175 from the first position ( FIG. 6 ) to the second position ( FIG. 7 ), the edges 52 of adjacent cups 50 are progressively forced apart along the axis 165 until contact between adjacent cups 50 is reduced to a point where the axially lowest cup 50 may drop through the receptacle 136 and into a cup receptacle 125 in one of the rows 154, 156 on the turntable assembly 122 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . When in the second position ( FIG. 7 ), undispensed cups 50 in the dispenser 134 may be supported by the upper wedge 178.

[0074] Once the bottom cup 50 has been dispensed from the dispenser 134, the wedge assembly 164 may again be transitioned from the second position ( FIG. 7 ) back to the first position ( FIG. 6 ) by rotating the body 174 about the axis 175, thereby realigning the lower wedge 179 within the cup 50. As the body 174 is rotated about the axis 175 from the second position ( FIG. 7 ) to the first position ( FIG. 6 ), the cup 50 may fall downward along the axis 165 such that the edge 52 of the bottom cup 50 within the dispenser 134 engages the lower wedge 179 as previously described. Thus, once the wedge assembly 164 has returned to the first position ( FIG. 6 ), the dispenser 134 is again ready to dispense another cup 50 in the manner described above. In some embodiments, the wedge assembly 164 may be transitioned from a first position (FIG. 6) to a second position (FIG. 7) and back to the first position (FIG. 6) via continuous rotation of the body 174 about the axis 175 (e.g., a full 360° about the axis 175).

[0075] While several specific examples of cup dispensing station 130 are described above, it should be understood that various features of cup dispensing station 130 may be modified, substituted, or eliminated in various embodiments, and that some embodiments of cup dispensing station 130 may include additional features. For example, with reference to FIG. 8 , in some embodiments, dispenser 134 may include one or more reciprocating wedge members 270 centered within container 136 instead of, or in addition to, wedge member 164. Wedge member 270 includes one or more wedges 272 that may slidingly engage between axially adjacent cups 50 along marginal edges 52 as wedge 270 is translated radially inward toward axis 165. The wedge 272 may include a sloped or angled surface so that as the wedge 270 translates radially inward toward the axis 165, adjacent cups 50 are moved axially away from one another along the axis 165, and thus the bottom cup 50 may be removed to fall through the container 136, generally as described above.

[0076] Referring now to FIG. 9, in some embodiments, the cup dispensing station 130 may include a gripper arm 274 that can grasp the cups 50 extending through the dispenser 134 and pull them downward toward the carousel assembly 122 (Note: to simplify the drawing, only a schematic depiction of the outer row 156 is provided in FIG. 9).

[0077] 10 , in some embodiments, the magazine 132 may linearly reciprocate along a track 276 or other structure to selectively align the magazine 132 with the rows 154, 156 of the carousel assembly 122 ( FIG. 2 ). (Note: FIG. 10 again includes a schematic representation of only one of the rows 156 to simplify the drawing.) In some of these embodiments, the cups 50 may be dispensed from the magazine 132 via 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.

[0078] 11 , in some embodiments, magazine 132 may be fixed and aligned with rows 154, 156 of carousel assembly 122 ( FIG. 2 ). In some of these embodiments, additional magazines 132 may be included to allow different cup sizes and types to be dispensed onto each of rows 154, 156 (Note: FIG. 11 again includes a schematic representation of only one of rows 156 to simplify the drawing). In some of these embodiments, cups 50 may be dispensed from magazine 132 via any of the methods and systems described herein.

[0079] 2, after cups 50 are dispensed into one or both of the cup receptacles 125 in the rows 154, 156 of the turntable assembly 122, the turntables 124, 126 are rotated about the axis 155 to advance the empty cups 50 to the ice dispensing station 180. Referring now to FIG. 12, in some embodiments, the ice dispensing station 180 includes an inlet 182, a pair of outlets 188, 189, and a chute 185 positioned between the inlet 182 and the outlets 188, 189. The outlet 188 may be aligned with the inner row 154 of the cup receptacles 125 (FIG. 2), and the outlet 189 may be aligned with the outer row 156 of the cup receptacles 125 (FIG. 2).

[0080] Inlet 182 may be coupled to, or may comprise part or all of, ice chamber 112 shown in FIG. 1. An agitator 184 is disposed within inlet 182. Agitator 184 includes a plurality of paddles 186 that are driven to rotate within inlet 182 by a driver 187. Engagement between paddles 186 and the ice within inlet 182 helps to break up any ice jams therein and ensure the continued progression of the ice through inlet 182 and into chute 185.

[0081] A dispensing valve 181 is positioned within the chute 185. The dispensing valve 181 may generally comprise a gate valve transitionable between a first or closed position (shown in solid lines in FIG. 12 ) to block the progression of ice through the chute 185 toward the outlets 188, 189, and a second or open position (shown in dotted lines in FIG. 12 ) to allow ice to progress through the chute 185 toward the outlets 188, 189. In some embodiments, a driver 183 may actuate the dispensing valve 181 between the closed and open positions by pivoting the valve 181 about a hinge 177. In some embodiments, the dispensing valve 181 may translate in and out of the chute 185 in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the flow or movement of ice within the chute 185 during operation.

[0082] In some embodiments, an outlet selection valve 193 is coupled to the 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 the outlets 188, 189. In particular, a driver 192 may pivot the gate 173 about the hinge 191 to a first position (shown in solid lines in FIG. 12 ) to block the outlet 188 so that ice traveling out of the chute 185 is directed into the outlet 189. Additionally, the driver 192 may pivot the gate 173 about the hinge 191 to a second position (shown in dotted lines in FIG. 12 ) to block the outlet 189 so that ice traveling out of the chute 185 is directed into the outlet 188.

[0083] 2 and 12 , outlets 188, 189 may be aligned with rows 154, 156. Thus, during operation, when ice is to be dispensed into a cup 50 received in a cup receptacle 125 in one of rows 154, 156, driver 183 may transition dispensing valve 181 to an open position so that the ice may progress through chute 185 under gravity. Depending on whether a cup for receiving ice is positioned in a cup receptacle 125 in inner row 154 or outer row 156, driver 192 may pivot gate 173 of outlet selection valve 193 to a first position or a second position to direct the ice out the desired corresponding outlet 188, 189. During these operations, driver 187 may rotate paddle 186 of agitator 184 in inlet 182 to ensure continued progress of ice toward chute 185.

[0084] In some embodiments, the outlet selection valve 193 may be replaced with a valve pair or gate assembly coupled to the outlets 188, 189. Thus, in these embodiments, ice may be dispensed out of one or both of the outlets 188, 189 by actuating the gate assembly (not shown) for the selected outlet 188, 189 during operation.

[0085] Valves (e.g., valves 181, 193, etc.) may be actuated to dispense ice out of outlets 188, 189 for a defined period of time to prevent overfill. In some embodiments, a suitable sensor or other measuring device may be included within ice dispensing station 180 to monitor the volume of ice dispensed from outlets 188, 189 to prevent overfill. In some embodiments, a weight or force sensor may be employed (e.g., within cup receptacle 125 of FIGS. 1 and 2) to monitor the combined weight of the cup and dispensed ice to prevent overfill. In these various embodiments, the amount of ice to be dispensed (and thus the various parameters for monitoring the amount of ice dispensed) may depend on the size of the cup 50 mated with ice dispensing station 180.

[0086] In some embodiments, the drives 187, 183, 192 may comprise electric motors, however, the drives 187, 183, 192 may comprise any suitable drive device, such as, for example, pneumatic motors, hydraulic motors, etc.

[0087] In other embodiments, instead of a pair of outlets 188, 189, ice dispensing station 180 may include only one outlet, such as either outlet 188 or 189, to dispense ice into cups 50 in only one of the rows, such as either the outer row or inner row 154 or 156. For example, in this embodiment (not shown), outlet 189 may be omitted, as may drive 192 and pivot gate 173. Also, in this embodiment, agitator 184 and paddle 186 may be replaced with an auger or other element that operates for a defined duration and communicates with timing circuitry to dispense the appropriate amount of ice into the cups. This embodiment contemplates a variation of beverage dispensing system 100 that provides beverage fill in only one of inner row 154 or outer row 156, instead of beverage fill in both rows 154 and 156.

[0088] 2 , after ice is dispensed into cups 50 at ice dispensing station 180, turntables 124, 126 may rotate about axis 155 to align cups 50 with beverage dispensing station 190. Beverage dispensing station 190 includes a pair of nozzles 194, 196, with a first nozzle 194 aligned with inner row 154 of cup receptacles 125 and a second nozzle 196 aligned with outer row 156 of cup receptacles 125. During operation, nozzles 194, 196 may dispense a selected beverage into cups 50 positioned in rows 154, 156, respectively.

[0089] 13 , in some embodiments, nozzles 194, 196 may each be coupled to a dispensing valve assembly 195. Dispensing valve assembly 195 may, in turn, be coupled to a carbonated water source 197, a non-carbonated water source 198, and a plurality of flavoring sources 199. Additional valves, pumps, and other components may be included to facilitate and control the flow of fluid from sources 197, 198, 199; however, these additional components are not shown to simplify the drawings. During operation, when a cup (e.g., cup 50 of FIGS. 1 and 2) is aligned with one of nozzles 194, 196, a selected beverage is dispensed by causing water to flow from one (or both) of sources 197, 198 and flavoring from one or more of sources 199 to dispensing valve assembly 195. Dispensing valve assembly 195 may then operate to route the fluid to the selected nozzles 194, 196. Fluids may be mixed within and / or between the dispensing valve assembly 195, nozzles 194, 196 to form a selected beverage. In other embodiments, additional fluid sources may be connected to the dispensing valve assembly 195 to dispense beverages that do not require mixing, such as, but not limited to, juice, coffee, and milk.

[0090] The dispensing valve assembly 195 may include or be coupled to a timer to ensure the correct amount of fluid is dispensed from the selected nozzles 194, 196 while preventing overfill. In some embodiments, the dispensing valve assembly 195 may additionally or alternatively monitor the volume of fluid dispensed to and from the nozzles 194, 196 (e.g., via flow rate sensors, pressure sensors, etc.) to prevent overfill. In some embodiments, a weight or force sensor may be employed (e.g., in the cup receptacle 125 of FIGS. 1 and 2 ) to monitor the combined weight of the cup, ice (if applicable), and dispensed beverage to prevent overfill. In these various embodiments, the amount of fluid to be dispensed (and thus the various parameters for monitoring the amount of fluid dispensed) may depend on the size of the cup 50 matched with the beverage dispensing station 190.

[0091] 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 FIGS. 1 and 2 , in some embodiments, beverage dispensing station 190 may include multiple nozzles for dispensing beverages into cups 50 arranged in inner row 154 and / or multiple nozzles for dispensing beverages into cups 50 arranged in outer row 156. Without being limited to this or any other theory, the number and arrangement of nozzles (e.g., nozzles 194, 196) of beverage dispensing station 190 may allow a specific beverage or group of beverages to be dispensed from a selected nozzle, increasing the number of beverages that can be dispensed into cups 50 over a period of time. Additionally, the nozzles (e.g., nozzles 194, 196) of beverage dispensing station 190 may be separately coupled to sources 197, 198, 199 such that beverages may be dispensed simultaneously from various nozzles during operation. In embodiments where beverages are filled only on one of the inner or outer rows 154, 156 of cup containers, only one of the nozzles 194, 196 may be present.

[0092] 2, after the beverage is dispensed into the cup 50 via the beverage dispensing station 190, the turntables 124, 126 rotate about axis 155 to align the cup 50 with the lid application station 200. Generally speaking, the lid application station 200 may include a plurality of tubular magazines 202 that can receive and hold a plurality of lids 60 to be dispensed and deposited onto the cups 50 during operation.

[0093] Reference is now made to Figures 14 and 15, which show an embodiment of a lid application station 200. As shown in Figures 14 and 15, the magazine 202 includes a central or longitudinal axis 205, a first or upper end 202a, and a second or lower end 202b opposite the upper end 202a. Lids 60 may be stacked into the magazine 202 from the upper end 202a and dispensed from the magazine 202 at the lower end 202b via a lid dispensing assembly 210.

[0094] In some embodiments, the lid dispensing assembly 210 may include a grapple 214 pivotally coupled to the magazine 202 via a hinge 212 proximate the lower end 202b. A drive 226 is coupled to the grapple 214 and / or the hinge 212 that may selectively rotate the grapple 214 about the hinge 212 between a first position shown in FIG. 14 and a second position shown in FIG. 15. In some embodiments, the drive 226 may include an electric motor; however, in other embodiments, the drive 226 may include a pneumatic motor, a hydraulic motor, or the like.

[0095] The grapple 214 includes a first or inner end 214a proximate the hinge 212 and a second or outer end 214b that flares away from the hinge 212. Additionally, the grapple 214 includes a first lid grip 216 at (or adjacent to) the outer end 214b and a second lid grip 218 at (or adjacent to) the inner end 214a. The first lid grip 216 and the second lid grip 218 may include teeth or other suitable structure that may engage and retain the lid 60 during a dispensing operation. The first lid grip 216 may be fixed in position at (or adjacent to) the outer end 214b of the grapple 214, while the second lid grip 218 may be pivotally coupled to the grapple 214 at (or adjacent to) the inner end 214a via a hinge 220. The second lid grip 218 may also be biased to rotate about the hinge 220 (e.g., via a torsion spring or other suitable device) such that the second lid grip 218 is biased into engagement with the lid 60 held by the grapple 214 (FIG. 14).

[0096] A lid 60 may be dispensed from the magazine 202 by rotating the grapple 214 to the first position of FIG. 14 and engaging the bottom-most lid 60 in the magazine 202. More specifically, in the position of FIG. 14 , the lid 60 is grasped or engaged between the first lid grip 216 and the second lid grip 218. As explained above, the second lid grip 218 may be biased about the hinge 220 to engage the lid 60. Then, when it is desired to dispense the lid 60 onto the top of a cup (e.g., cup 50 of FIGS. 1 and 2) aligned with the lid applying station 200, the driver 226 may rotate the grapple 214 about the hinge 212 from the first position of FIG. 14 to the second position of FIG. 15 . 15, the second lid grip 218 may engage a camming surface 224 coupled to (or mounted proximate to) the hinge 212. As a result, continued rotation of the grapple 214 about the hinge 212 toward the second position following engagement of the second lid grip 218 with the camming surface 224 may force the second lid grip 218 to rotate about the hinge 220, thereby disengaging the lid 60 such that the lid 60 may fall under gravity toward the cup 50 aligned with it. The driver 226 may then rotate the grapple 214 about the hinge 212 back toward the first position of FIG. 14 to engage another lid 60. Because the grapple 214 pivots about the hinge 212 between a first position (FIG. 14) and a second position (FIG. 15) during the lid dispensing operation as described above, the lids 60 may be inserted "upside down" in the magazine so that the bottom sides of the lids 60 face the cups 50 when they are rotated together with the grapple 214 to the second position of FIG. 15 (not shown).

[0097] In some embodiments, the grapple 214 may be omitted, and the lid 60 may be dispensed from the magazine 202 via other systems and methods. Referring now to FIG. 16 , in some embodiments, the magazine 202 may include a slot 230 extending radially through the wall of the magazine 202 at a point closer to the lower end 202b than to the upper end 202a. A lid 60 inserted into the upper end 202a of the magazine 202 may drop or otherwise progress axially downward through the magazine 202 along the axis 205, eventually aligning with the slot 230. A ram 232 may be coupled to the magazine 202 and aligned with the slot 230. The ram 232 may be selectively translated (e.g., via a suitable drive or actuator) radially relative to the axis 205 through the slot 230 during operation. Each time the ram 232 translates radially through the slot 230, the lid 60 may be pushed radially out of the slot 230 and the magazine 202, causing it to fall downward toward the cup 50 (which may be positioned within the container 125).

[0098] In some embodiments, the lid 60 dispensed from the lid application station 200 may be misaligned with the cup 50. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the dispensing mechanism (e.g., grapple 214) of the lid application station 200 may align the lid 60 with the cup 50 (e.g., so that the lid 60 is substantially centered over the top of the cup 50). In some embodiments, the lid application station 200 may include a separate device or assembly for aligning the lid 60 with the cup 50 following dispensing of the lid 60 (e.g., from the magazine 202). For example, referring now to FIG. 17 , the cup 50 and dispensed lid 60 may be routed (e.g., via the turntables 124, 126) between a pair of converging rails 234. The shape and position of the rails 234 may be selected such that the lid 60 may be aligned with the underlying cup 50 as the cup 50 and lid 60 are moved therebetween.

[0099] Once the lid 60 is dispensed onto and aligned with the cup 50, the lid 60 may be stuck or pressed onto the cup 50. In some embodiments, the grapple 214 of FIGS. 14 and 15 may be translated axially relative to the axis 205 (e.g., independently or together with the magazine 202) to press the dispensed lid 60 onto the cup 50.

[0100] In some embodiments, the dispensed lid 60 may be compressed onto the cup 50 via a separate press or other suitable device. For example, referring now to FIG. 18 , in some embodiments, a press 237 may engage the lid 60 after it is loosely fitted (e.g., dropped) onto the cup 50. The press 237 includes a plunger 236 coupled to a linear actuator 238. The plunger 236 may have any suitable shape that may correspond to the shape of the lid (e.g., the lid 60 of FIGS. 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 comprise a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder. In some embodiments, the linear actuator 238 may comprise an electric linear actuator.

[0101] 19, in some embodiments, dispensed lids 60 may be compressed onto cups 50 via a belt 240 spaced apart from rows 154, 156 (FIG. 2). In particular, during operation, the lids 60 and cups 50 are compressed between the corresponding cup receptacles 125 (not shown in FIG. 19) of rows 154, 156 and the belt 240, thereby securing the lids 60 to the cups 50.

[0102] 20 , in some embodiments, the lid applying station 200 may include a roller assembly 242 for compressing and securing the dispensed lid 60 onto the cup 50. The roller assembly 242 may include a ring 244 and a plurality of rollers 246 rotatably mounted to the ring 244. The rollers 246 may be generally cylindrical in shape and include a central axis 245. The rollers 246 may be mounted to the ring 244 such that the axis 245 is angled relative to the central axis 55 of the cup 50. In some embodiments, the axis 245 is disposed at an angle θ greater than 0° and less than 90° relative to the central axis 55. During operation, the cup 50 and dispensed lid 60 are aligned with the roller assembly 242, which is lowered along the axis 55 to engage the lid 60 and simultaneously rotated about the axis 55 so that the rollers 246 compress the lid 60 onto the cup 50.

[0103] 21 , in some embodiments, the lid applying station 200 (FIGS. 1 and 2) may include a heat seal lid applying assembly 250. The heat seal lid applying assembly 250 includes a heat sealer 256 that may cut a lid from a continuous belt of lid applying material 258 (e.g., a polymer film) that is deployed from a start roller 252 and taken up by a finish roller 254, and heat seal the lid onto the cup 50. In particular, the heat sealer 256 may include a heating element (not shown) and may be translated along an axis 55 toward the cup 50 to cut away a portion of the lid applying material 258 and fuse the lid applying material 258 to the periphery of the cup 50. In some embodiments, a pair of heat sealers 256 may be included in the heat seal lid applying assembly 250, with each heat sealer 256 aligned with a corresponding one of the rows 154, 156 of the turntable assembly 122. In some embodiments, each row 154 , 156 may be aligned with a separate, independent heat seal lidding assembly 250 .

[0104] In some embodiments, part or all of the lidding process may be performed manually (e.g., by an employee or a customer). For example, in some embodiments, the lid 60 may be manually collected and secured to the cup 50. In some embodiments, the lidding station 200 may dispense (and possibly align) the lid 60 onto the cup 50, but the employee / customer may then manually compress the lid 60 onto the cup 50. Thus, in some embodiments, part or all of the lidding station 200 may be omitted from the beverage handling assembly 120 (FIGS. 1 and 2).

[0105] 1 and 22 , in some embodiments, beverage production system 100 may include a beverage identification assembly 260 to identify beverages progressing through stations 130, 180, 190, 200 and ready for collection by employee or customer. In particular, as shown in most detail in FIG. 22 , beverage identification assembly 260 may comprise a plurality of emitters 262 coupled to beverage handling assembly 120 configured to emit light 264 onto cup 50 and (if present) lid 60 that can be used to identify a particular beverage or beverage order. In some embodiments, light 264 may be color-coded to identify a particular beverage (or order) using different colors. In some embodiments, light 264 may form an image (e.g., text and / or symbols) on the beverage that may provide sufficient information (e.g., name, order number, table number, vehicle identification). In some embodiments, emitters 262 may comprise light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and / or other suitable light-emitting devices.

[0106] 1 and 2 , during operation, commands to produce a selected beverage may be received by suitable electronics (not shown) of beverage production system 100. For example, an employee or customer may select a desired beverage on user interface 110, which then generally initiates the beverage production process described above. In some embodiments, user interface 110 may comprise a touch-sensitive electronic display. In some embodiments, beverage production system 100 may receive commands to produce a beverage via other electronic devices communicatively coupled to beverage production and dispensing system 100 via a suitable network or connection. For example, in some embodiments, beverage production system 100 may receive commands to produce a beverage from a point-of-sale system of a restaurant or dining establishment, which may receive orders via a customer or employee. In some embodiments, the point-of-sale system may comprise part of a computer system (e.g., computer system 400, described below) that also includes beverage production system 100.

[0107] Once a command to produce a beverage is received by beverage production system 100, turntables 124, 126 may rotate about axis 155 to advance cup receptacles 125 through stations 130, 180, 190, 200. Simultaneously, the assemblies and mechanisms within each of stations 130, 180, 190, 200 may operate in the manner described above to produce the beverage. Specifically, as described above, cup dispensing assembly 130 may dispense cups 50 from magazine 132 into cup receptacles 125 in one or both of rows 154, 156, after which cup 50 is aligned with ice dispensing station 180, whereby ice is dispensed into cup 50. In some cases, depending on the selected preferences for each desired beverage, ice may not be dispensed into a cup or cups when aligned with ice dispensing station 180. The cup 50 and ice (if dispensed) are then aligned with the beverage dispensing station 190, whereby the selected beverage is dispensed into the cup 50 (e.g., via nozzles 194, 196). Depending on the capping system employed, the cup 50 may then be advanced to the capping station 200, whereby a lid 60 may be dispensed from a magazine 202 and secured onto the cup 50, or a film lid may be placed on the cup and secured, such as by heat sealing. Finally, with brief reference to FIGS. 1 and 22, after the cup 50 has been advanced past the capping station 200, the cup is generally moved into alignment with the beverage identification assembly 260, which may then generally identify the particular completed beverage via projected light 264, as described above. As previously described, in some embodiments, some or all of the capping process may be performed manually, and thus the capping station 200 may be simplified or omitted entirely from the beverage handling assembly 120.

[0108] 23, a method 300 of producing a beverage using an embodiment of beverage dispensing system 100 is shown, according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, one or more elements of method 300 may be performed by components of beverage handling assembly 120 as described herein and / or by a computer system (such as computer system 400, described in more detail below). Accordingly, in describing features of method 300, continued reference will be made to beverage production system 100 shown in FIG. 1 and beverage handling assembly 120 depicted in FIG. 2.

[0109] Initially, method 300 includes receiving an instruction (or command) to produce a desired beverage (or beverages) at block 302. The instruction may be generated or received via an employee or customer's interaction with a user interface device, such as user interface 110 shown in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the instruction may be generated or received by a point of sale system utilized by a restaurant or dining establishment, such as those described above.

[0110] The method 300 also includes selecting a row 154, 156 on the turntable assembly 122 for producing a beverage at block 304. Notably, in some embodiments, the row selection at block 304 may be determined based on predefined rules for producing beverages using the beverage production system 100. For example, as described above, in some embodiments, the source of the beverage order (e.g., drive-thru, dine-in) may dictate the row 154, 156 selected at block 304. Additionally, in some embodiments, the type and / or size of the desired beverage may also dictate the row 154, 156 selected at block 304.

[0111] The method 300 also includes, at block 306, aligning the magazine 132 of the cup dispensing station 130 with the selected row 154, 156 and dispensing a cup 50 from the magazine 132. As described above, the magazine 132 may hold different sizes and / or types of cups 50 therein. Thus, during operation, based on the command received at block 302, the magazine 132 holding the desired cup size and type may dictate the magazine 132 to be utilized to dispense the cup 50 for the beverage production operation. In some embodiments, as described above, the dispenser 134 of the cup dispensing station 130 may be rotated (e.g., via the drive 138 shown in FIG. 4 ) to align the selected magazine 132 with the selected row 154, 156 on the turntable assembly 122.

[0112] The method 300 also includes, at block 308, aligning the dispensed cup 50 with an outlet 188, 189 of the ice dispensing station 180 and dispensing ice into the cup 50 from the aligned outlet 188, 189. The outlet 188, 189 utilized to dispense the ice at block 308 may be dictated by the row 154, 156 selected at block 304. As explained above, in some embodiments, the outlet selector valve 193 (FIG. 12) may be actuated to direct the dispensed ice out the selected outlet 188, 189.

[0113] The method 300 also includes aligning the nozzles 194, 196 of the beverage dispensing station 190 with the cup 50 and dispensing the beverage from the aligned nozzles 194, 196 at block 310. Similar to the ice dispensing station 180, the nozzles 194, 196 utilized to dispense the beverage at block 310 may be dictated by the selection of the columns 154, 156 at block 304. In some embodiments, the aligned nozzles at block 310 may be selected based on the type of beverage being produced based on the command received at block 302.

[0114] The method 300 also includes, at block 312, dispensing a lid 60 onto a cup 50 using the lid application station 200. In some embodiments, the lid application station 200 may be operated to dispense a lid 60 onto a cup 50, which may then be manually secured by an employee or a customer. In some embodiments, the lid application station 200 may be operated to both dispense a lid 60 and secure the lid 60 to the cup 50.

[0115] In each of blocks 306, 308, 310, 312 of method 300, the turntables 124, 126 of the turntable assembly 122 may be rotated (e.g., via drives 141, 143) to align the cup receptacle 125 (and / or the cup 50 positioned therein) with the cup dispensing station 130, the ice dispensing station 180, the beverage dispensing station 190, and the lid-applying station 200, respectively.

[0116] FIG. 24 illustrates a computer system 400 suitable for implementing one or more embodiments disclosed herein. For example, beverage production system 100 (FIG. 1) may include or be coupled to computer system 400. During operation, beverage production system 100 may utilize computer system 400 to receive and process beverage orders (or commands associated therewith) and operate various components of beverage handling assembly 120 as 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 production system 100 may include all or some aspects of computer system 400, which is connected to a point-of-sale or other system that also contains all or some aspects of computer system 400, or a combination thereof. Such a configuration allows beverage selection to be made in either beverage dispensing production system 100, the point-of-sale system, or both.

[0117] Computer system 400 includes a processor 402 (which may be referred to as a central processing unit or CPU) in communication with memory 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.

[0118] It should be understood that by programming and / or loading executable instructions onto computer system 400, at least one of CPU 402, RAM 408, and ROM 406 is modified, transforming computer system 400, in part, into a specific machine or apparatus having novel functionality taught by the present disclosure. It is fundamental to the fields of electrical engineering and software engineering that functionality that can be implemented by loading executable software into a computer can be converted into a hardware implementation by well-known design rules. The decision to implement a concept in software or hardware typically hinges on considerations of design stability and the number of units to be produced, rather than any issues involved in converting from the software domain to the hardware domain. Generally, designs that still undergo frequent changes may be preferred to be implemented in software because redoing a hardware implementation is more expensive than redoing a software design. Generally, stable designs that will be produced in large quantities may be preferred to be implemented in hardware, for example, in application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), because hardware implementations may be less expensive than software implementations for mass production processes. Often, designs are developed and tested in software form, and can later be transformed by well-known design rules into an equivalent hardware implementation in an application-specific integrated circuit that physically embodies the software's instructions. In the same way that a machine controlled by a new ASIC is a particular machine or device, similarly, a computer programmed and / or loaded with executable instructions can be considered a particular machine or device.

[0119] Additionally, after system 400 is turned on or started up, CPU 402 may execute computer programs or applications. For example, CPU 402 may execute software or firmware stored in ROM 406 or stored in RAM 408. In some cases, at startup and / or when an application is started, CPU 402 may copy the application or portions of the application from secondary storage 404 to RAM 408 or to a memory space within CPU 402 itself, and CPU 402 may then execute the instructions that comprise the application. In some cases, CPU 402 may copy the application or portions of the application from memory accessed via network connectivity device 412 or via I / O device 410 to RAM 408 or to a memory space within CPU 402, and CPU 402 may then execute the instructions that comprise the application. During execution, the application may load instructions into CPU 402, e.g., load some of the application's instructions into a cache of CPU 402. In some contexts, an executing application may be considered to configure CPU 402 to do something, e.g., to perform a function or functions facilitated by the present application. When CPU 402 is so configured by an application, CPU 402 becomes a special-purpose computer or special-purpose machine.

[0120] Secondary storage 404, typically consisting of one or more disk drives or tape drives, is used for non-volatile storage of data and as an overflow data storage device when RAM 408 is not large enough to hold all working data. Secondary storage 404 may also be used to store programs that are loaded into RAM 408 when such programs are selected for execution. ROM 406 is used to store instructions, and possibly data, read during program execution. ROM 406 is a non-volatile memory device that typically has a small memory capacity relative to the larger memory capacity of secondary storage 404. RAM 408 stores volatile data and possibly stores instructions. Access to both ROM 406 and RAM 408 is typically faster than access to secondary storage 404. Secondary storage 404, RAM 408, and / or ROM 406 may, in some contexts, be referred to as computer-readable storage media and / or non-transitory computer-readable media.

[0121] The I / O devices 410 may include a printer, a video monitor, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a touchscreen display (e.g., the user interface 110 shown in FIG. 1), a keyboard, a keypad, switches, dials, a mouse, a trackball, a voice recognition device, a card reader, a paper tape reader, or other well-known input and output devices.

[0122] The network connectivity devices 412 may take the form of modems, modem banks, Ethernet cards, Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface cards, serial interfaces, token ring cards, Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) cards, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) cards, wireless transceiver cards, and / or other well-known network devices. The network connectivity devices 412 may provide wired and / or wireless communication links (e.g., a first network connectivity device 412 may provide a wired communication link and a second network connectivity device 412 may provide a wireless communication link). The wired communication links may be provided in accordance with Ethernet (IEEE 802.3), Internet Protocol (IP), Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Data Service Interface Standard over Cable (DOCSIS), Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM), and / or the like. In one embodiment, the wireless transceiver card may 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), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), etc. The wireless transceiver card may facilitate wireless communication using 5G, 5G New Radio, or 5G LTE wireless communication protocols. These network connectivity devices 412 may enable the processor 402 to communicate with the Internet or one or more intranets. Using such network connections, it is envisioned that the processor 402 may receive information from or output information to a network in the course of performing the method steps described above.Such information, often represented as sequences of instructions to be executed using processor 402, may be received from and output to a network, for example, in the form of a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave. Accordingly, the present disclosure contemplates receiving instructions, such as a customer order received online or via a so-called internet application or otherwise, via network connectivity device 412, including an order for a beverage, which beverage is then produced automatically by beverage production system 100 without input from employees or personnel located at or operating beverage production system 100.

[0123] Such information, which may include, for example, data or instructions to be executed using processor 402, may be received from and output to a network, for example, in the form of a computer baseband signal or a signal embodied in a carrier wave. Baseband signals or signals embedded in a carrier wave, or other types of signals now used or later developed, may be generated according to several methods known to those skilled in the art. Baseband signals and / or signals embedded in a carrier wave may, in some contexts, be referred to as ephemeral signals.

[0124] The processor 402 executes instructions, code, computer programs, scripts, and / or data that it accesses from a hard disk, floppy disk, optical disk (all of these various disk-based systems may be considered secondary storage 404), flash drive, ROM 406, RAM 408, or network connectivity device 412. While only one processor 402 is shown, multiple processors may be present. Thus, while instructions may be discussed as being executed by a processor, the instructions may be executed simultaneously, serially, or otherwise by one or more processors. Instructions, code, computer programs, scripts, and / or data that may be accessed from secondary storage 404, e.g., a hard drive, floppy disk, optical disk, and / or other devices, ROM 406, and / or RAM 408, may, in some contexts, be referred to as non-transient instructions and / or non-transient information.

[0125] In one embodiment, computer system 400 may comprise two or more computers that communicate with each other and cooperate to perform tasks. For example, but not by way of limitation, an application may be partitioned in a manner that allows for concurrent and / or parallel processing of the application's instructions. Alternatively, data processed by an application may be partitioned in a manner that allows for concurrent and / or parallel processing of different portions of a data set by two or more computers. In one embodiment, virtualization software may be employed by computer system 400 to provide the functionality of a number of servers that is not directly bound by the number of computers in computer system 400. For example, the virtualization software may provide 20 virtual servers on four physical computers. In one embodiment, the functionality disclosed above may be provided by running an application and / or multiple applications in a cloud computing environment. Cloud computing may include providing computing services over a network connection using dynamically scalable computing resources. Cloud computing may be supported, at least in part, by virtualization software. A cloud computing environment may be established by an enterprise and / or rented as needed from a third-party provider. Some cloud computing environments may comprise cloud computing resources that are owned and operated by an enterprise and cloud computing resources that are rented and / or leased from third-party providers.

[0126] In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided as a computer program product. The computer program product may comprise one or more computer-readable storage media having computer-usable program code embodied therein for implementing the functionality disclosed above. The computer program product may comprise data structures, executable instructions, and other computer-usable program code. The computer program product may be embodied in removable and / or non-removable computer storage media. Removable computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to, paper tape, magnetic tape, magnetic disks, optical disks, solid-state memory chips, such as analog magnetic tape, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) disks, floppy disks, jump drives, digital cards, multimedia cards, and the like. The computer program product may be suitable for loading at least a portion of the contents of the computer program product by the computer system 400 into the secondary storage 404, the ROM 406, the RAM 408, and / or other non-volatile and volatile memory of the computer system 400. Processor 402 may process the executable instructions and / or data structures, in part, by directly accessing a computer program product, for example, by reading it from a CD-ROM disk inserted into a disk drive peripheral of computer system 400. Alternatively, processor 402 may process the executable instructions and / or data structures by remotely accessing the computer program product, for example, by downloading the executable instructions and / or data structures from a remote server through network connectivity device 412.The computer program product may comprise instructions that facilitate loading and / or copying data, data structures, files, and / or executable instructions to secondary storage 404, to ROM 406, to RAM 408, and / or other non-volatile and volatile memory of the computer system 400.

[0127] 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 likewise be referred to as non-transitory computer-readable media in that the dynamic RAM stores information that is written to it while receiving power and operating according to its design, for example, during periods during which computer system 400 is turned on and operating. Similarly, processor 402 may comprise internal RAM, internal ROM, cache memory, and / or other internal non-transitory storage blocks, sections, or components, which in some contexts may be referred to as non-transitory computer-readable media or computer-readable storage media.

[0128] FIG. 25 illustrates another embodiment of a beverage production system 500. The beverage production system 500 may be similar in some respects to the beverage production system 100. For example, the beverage production system 500 may employ the cup dispensing station 130 described above. However, the beverage production system 500 includes some notable differences, such as a lid seal and printing assembly 502 for sealing and identifying filled beverages, which will be discussed further below. While it is anticipated that beverages may be dispensed in both rows, in this embodiment, the beverage production system 500 may be configured such that cups, ice, and beverages are dispensed on only one row, such as on either the inner row or the outer row, rather than on both rows of the carousel. This embodiment illustrates beverage filling in cup holders in the outer row.

[0129] 26, the beverage production system 500 may also employ a modified turntable assembly 504 (also shown cut away in FIG. 25). The modified turntable assembly 504 may be similar in some respects to the turntable assembly 122 described above. The modified turntable assembly 504 is configured with an outer turntable 505 having an outer row of cup receptacles 506 and an inner turntable 507 having an inner row of cup receptacles 508. The inner and outer turntables 505 and 507, which may collectively be referred to as modified turntable 510, are configured to rotate independently of one another and may include drives, motors, and gearboxes (not shown) that operate similarly to those described above with respect to the inner and outer turntables 124 and 126 described above.

[0130] The cup receptacles 506 and 508 are configured to hold cups 50 dispensed from the cup dispensing station 130. The cup receptacles 506 and 508 may be sized to hold cups 50 of various sizes. The outer row of cup receptacles 506 may include an opening 512 near a bottom outer side 511 of the outer row of cup receptacles 506. Also, instead of being circular, the outer and inner rows of cup receptacles 506 and 508 are U-shaped in this embodiment. Thus, the outer and inner turntables 505 and 507 may be rotated so that the U-shaped opening of a particular outer row of cup receptacles 506 can be aligned with the U-shaped opening of a particular inner row of cup receptacles 508. For example, FIG. 26 shows a cup 520 positioned in an outer row cup receptacle 506 aligned with an inner row cup receptacle 508. The cup 520 may be filled with a beverage via the beverage dispensing station 502 while positioned in the outer row of cup receptacles 508.

[0131] 27 in partial cutaway view, a slide assembly 530, positioned below the turntable assembly 510, includes an arm 532 that extends through an opening 512 in the outer row of cup receptacles 506 that retains the cup 520 and can be actuated to slide or move the cup 520 from its position in the outer row of cup receptacles 506 into an aligned inner row of cup receptacles 508. Once the cup 520 is filled with a beverage, the cup 520 may remain in the outer row of cup receptacles 506 or slide into an unoccupied cup receptacle in one of the inner rows of cup receptacles 508. Thus, in this embodiment, the inner row of cup receptacles 508 provides excess space for storing beverages filled on the outer row of cup receptacles 506 until they are ready for delivery to or collection by the customer.

[0132] FIG. 28 illustrates one embodiment of slide assembly 530 in more detail. Slide assembly 530 includes an arm 532, a rail 534, a motor 536, and a belt drive 538. Arm 532 includes a portion 533 shaped to engage the curved side of cup 520. Arm 532 is slidably mounted to rail 534 and connected to belt drive 538. Motor 536 is an electric motor; however, in other embodiments, motor 536 may comprise a pneumatic motor, a hydraulic motor, or the like. Motor 536 is coupled to belt drive 538 and, when actuated, drives belt drive 538, which causes arm 532 to traverse rail 534 and move cup 520 as discussed above. The motor 536 may be coupled to a computer and / or other system that cooperates to rotate the turntable 510 to align the arm 532 with an opening 512 (also see Figures 26 and 27) in one of the outer rows of cup receptacles 506 to slide a cup, such as cup 520, from the outer row to the inner row of cup receptacles 506, 508.

[0133] Although the modified turntable assembly 504 shown in Figures 26 and 27 is illustrated with 12 cup receptacles in the outer row of cup receptacles 506 and 7 cup receptacles in the inner row of cup receptacles 508, the present disclosure contemplates fewer or more cup receptacles and fewer or more rows as may be determined by the overall size of the beverage production system 500, the size of the cups 520, and other considerations as would occur to one skilled in the art.

[0134] FIG. 29 is another partial cutaway view of the modified turntable assembly 504 illustrating the outer turntable 505 with the outer row of cup receptacles 506. FIG. 29 illustrates another embodiment of a slide assembly 530 positioned below the modified turntable assembly 504. Also shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 30A, the slide 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 with a portion 533 configured to engage a cup 50 and transfer the cup 50 from the outer row of cup receptacles 506 to the inner row of cup receptacles 508 through an opening 512 in the outer row of cup receptacles 506, substantially as discussed above. The upper magnetic assembly 560 includes a body 562, which may be a metal, plastic, or polymer body or coating, that houses a magnet located within a lower plate area 563 of the upper magnetic assembly 560. The magnets located within the lower plate area 563 may be integrally formed with the lower plate area 563 or may be housed within openings formed in the lower plate area 563 .

[0135] Lower magnetic assembly 561 includes a bracket 564 that is generally L-shaped and includes a flat upper portion 565 that is generally parallel to lower plate area 563 of upper magnetic assembly 560. Upper portion 565 includes a magnet 570 coupled to upper portion 565. Bracket 564 also includes a side portion 566 that is generally perpendicular to upper portion 565. Bracket 564 includes an edge 567 and a mounting point 568. Lower magnetic assembly 561 is mounted to rail 534 of slide assembly 530 by engagement of edge 567 with the upper portion of rail 534, and is attached at mounting point 568 to an arm 569 that is mounted on the side of rail 534. In this manner, lower magnetic assembly 561 is transported back and forth on rail 534 as belt drive 538 of slide assembly 530 engages arm 569 and traverses rail 534. In some embodiments, edge 567 of lower magnetic assembly 561 may be mounted to carriage 572, which is positioned on rail 534, and belt drive 538 engages carriage 572 and / or arm 569 to facilitate movement of lower magnetic assembly 561 along slide assembly 530. The magnets of upper and lower magnetic assemblies 560, 561 may be integrally formed, provided within openings or recesses in separate assemblies, press fit, glued, mechanically fastened, or otherwise configured as would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art.

[0136] The magnets in the upper and lower magnetic assemblies 560, 561 may, in some embodiments, include multiple magnets in each of the upper and lower assemblies 560, 561. In embodiments with multiple magnets in each of the upper and lower assemblies 560, 561, some of the magnets may be positioned with polarities in a different direction relative to the polarities of the other magnets in each of the upper and lower assemblies 560, 561 so that the upper magnetic assembly 560 can only be magnetically positioned in one direction or orientation (e.g., the correct position, as shown in FIG. 29 ) to prevent an operator from inadvertently placing the upper magnetic assembly 560 facing the wrong way.

[0137] Rail 534 and lower magnetic assembly 561 are positioned below sink 600 (discussed below with respect to Figures 31-35 and not shown in Figure 29). Modified turntable assembly 504 is disposed within sink 600 so that overflow and waste from beverage preparation overflows into the sink for drainage and cleaning. Upper magnetic assembly 560 is mounted above sink 600 directly above lower magnetic assembly 561. Thus, sink 600 is positioned within gap 571 between upper and lower magnetic assemblies 560, 561. In this manner, as rail 534 causes lower magnetic assembly 561 to traverse slide assembly 530, the attractive force of magnet 570 on upper portion 565 of lower magnetic assembly 561 to magnet in body 562 of upper magnetic assembly 560 causes upper magnetic assembly 560 to traverse a path corresponding to lower magnetic assembly 561 within the bottom of sink 600.

[0138] Because the upper magnetic assembly 560 is disposed within the bottom of the sink 600, where overflow from beverages prepared by the beverage production system 500 may collect, the upper magnetic assembly 560 may require periodic cleaning. As discussed above, the upper magnetic assembly 560 may be fabricated so that its exterior surface is plastic, polymeric, or otherwise coated to allow for easy cleaning. In this manner, the upper magnetic assembly 560 may be easily removed for cleaning because there is no mechanical or fixed connection with the slide assembly 530, and the only engagement between the upper and lower magnetic assemblies 560, 561 is magnetic. Thus, the magnetic coupling of the upper and lower magnetic assemblies 560, 561 allows for easy manual removal and replacement by a user or operator of the beverage production system 500 without the need for tools or disassembly of the slide assembly 530. Additionally, this configuration prevents overflow from beverage preparation from contacting the lower magnetic assembly 561, motor 536, belt drive 538, rails 534, etc., which are positioned below or beneath the sink.

[0139] FIG. 30B is a perspective view of another embodiment illustrating the lower magnetic assembly 561 coupled to a carriage 572 from which the remainder of the slide assembly 530 and outer rotating platform 505 are cut away. FIG. 30C illustrates an underside or bottom perspective view of the inner and outer rotating platforms 505, 507 and slide assembly 530. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper magnetic assembly 560 includes a pusher plate 573 that may be attached to the bottom or lower portion 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 instead may simply be attached to or fitted 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 should be appreciated that ice dispensed into cups 50 located in the outer turntable 505 may overflow and collect in the outer row of cup receptacles 506, and as the cups 50 are moved to the inner row of cup receptacles 508, the ice may be pushed by the cups 50 and, as a result, also collect in the inner row of cup receptacles 508. Ice may also fall and collect in the sink 600 below the inner and outer turntables 505, 507. Because the upper magnetic assembly 560 is positioned within the bottom of the sink 600, ice may interfere with the smooth and efficient transition of the upper slide assembly 560 along the bottom of the sink 600 while transferring cups 50 between the outer and inner turntables 505, 507. The leading edges of the wedges 575 of the pusher plate 573 act as de-icers, moving or displacing ice located within the bottom of the sink 600 in the path of the upper magnetic assembly 560 during cup transfer.

[0140] 30B-C also show another embodiment of the inner turntable 507 with modifications to the inner row of cup receptacles 508. In this embodiment, an opening 576 is provided in a lower rear portion 577 of each of the inner row of cup receptacles 508. The openings 576 allow ice that collects or is pushed into the inner row of cup receptacles 508 by, for example, cups 50, to be further pushed and exit the inner row of cup receptacles 508 through the openings 576 and fall into a sink 600 positioned below the inner turntable 507. This prevents ice buildup that would otherwise collect at the bottom of the inner row of cup receptacles 508 and interfere with the transfer of cups 50 into the inner row of cup receptacles 508.

[0141] Additionally, in this embodiment, the inner row of cup receptacles 508 includes a ramp 578 along a lower leading edge 579 of the inner row of cup receptacles 508. The ramp 578 gradually increases in height or thickness from the lower leading edge 579 toward the height of the bottom 585 of the inner row of cup receptacles 508. The ramp 578 allows the bottom edge of the cup 50 to make a smoother transition from the outer row of cup receptacles 506, 508 to the inner row instead of hitting or catching on a vertical or steep edge at the lower leading edge 579 of the inner row of cup receptacles 508.

[0142] 30B-C is a notch 587 that forms a rectangular opening along the lower front edge 579 of the inner row of cup receptacles 508. The notch 587 allows the arm 532 of the upper magnetic assembly 560 to extend fully into the inner row of cup receptacles 508, allowing full movement of the cup 50 into position in the inner row of cup receptacles 508.

[0143] FIG. 31 is a perspective view of a modified turntable assembly 504 disposed within a sink 600 according to another embodiment of the beverage production system 500. 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 production system 500 above the inner turntable 507. The upper sensor 588 is positioned perpendicular to the surface of the turntable 504 to sense the presence or absence of a cup 50 in the inner row of cup receptacles 508. In this embodiment, only one sensor 588 is provided and positioned to determine whether a cup 50 is located in the inner row of cup receptacles 508 at a position where the cup 50 is transitioned from the outer row of cup receptacles 506, 508 to the inner row by the slide assembly 530. However, it should be understood that in other embodiments, one or more additional sensors may be used and positioned to detect the presence of a cup 50 in other locations or in all of the cup receptacles on the inner turntable 507. Additionally, the upper sensor 588 may be movable, such as driven by a motor, to sense cups 50 in other locations, or may include an array of sensors oriented in various ways to sense cups 50 in any combination of cup receptacles on the inner turntable 507.

[0144] Similarly, a side sensor 589 may be positioned adjacent the outer turntable 505, attached to the sink 600, or to other structure of the beverage production system 500. The side sensor 589 is positioned horizontally relative to the surface of the turntable 504 to sense the presence or absence of a cup 50 in the outer row of cup receptacles 506. In this embodiment, only one sensor 589 is provided and positioned to determine whether a cup 50 is located in the outer row of cup receptacles 506 at the location where the cup 50 is transitioned from the outer row of cup receptacles 506, 508 to the inner row by the slide assembly 530. The side sensor 589 may be positioned horizontally across and above the outer turntable 505 at a height to detect a portion of the cup 50 extending 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 a cup in other locations or in all of the cup receptacles on the outer turntable 505. Additionally, the lower sensor 589 may be movable, such as driven by a motor, to sense cups 50 at other locations, or may include an array of sensors variously oriented to sense cups 50 in any combination of cup receptacles on the outer carousel 505. The sensors 588, 589 may be photoelectric, ultrasonic, passive infrared or other motion sensors, infrared transducers, ultrasound, cameras, computer vision, combinations thereof, or any known or later developed sensor capable of detecting the presence of one or more cups 50 in the inner and / or outer rows of cup receptacles 506, 508.

[0145] The following is a brief overview of the operation of a portion of the beverage production system 500, according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, the slide assembly 530 is positioned to transition the cup 50 from the outer row of cup receptacles 506, 508 to the inner row at a location on the outer turntable 505 immediately prior to the location at which the cup 50 is dispensed and filled. As the cup 50 is dispensed and filled, the filled beverage remains in the cup receptacle on the outer turntable 505. As the outer turntable 505 is rotated, for example, clockwise, to continue dispensing and filling the beverage, the side sensor 589 determines whether a cup 50 is present in the cup receptacle located adjacent to the slide assembly 530. If no cup 50 is detected, the outer turntable 505 may be rotated to continue filling the beverage. However, if the side sensor 589 detects a cup 50 in an adjacent cup receptacle on the outer carousel 505, the upper sensor 588 detects whether a cup 50 is present in the inner row cup receptacle 508 at the location where the cup 50 will be transferred to the inner carousel 507 by the slide assembly 530. If the upper sensor 588 determines that no cup 50 is present in the adjacent inner row cup receptacle 508, the slide assembly is activated and the cup 50 is moved or transferred from the outer row cup receptacle 506 to the inner row cup receptacle 508. The outer carousel 505 is then rotated to fill the cup receptacle vacated by the transfer with the next beverage. However, if the upper sensor 588 detects a cup 50 in an inner row cup receptacle 508 located adjacent to the slide assembly 530, the inner carousel 507 is rotated, for example, in either direction, to determine whether the next inner cup receptacle is occupied. If the next cup receptacle on the inner row is occupied, the inner carousel 507 continues to rotate until an empty cup receptacle is located or until it is determined that all cup receptacles on the inner carousel 507 are occupied. The system may employ logic to periodically rotate or recheck for empty cup receptacles on one or both of the outer and inner carousels 505, 507.

[0146] FIG. 31 illustrates details about sink 600. In this embodiment, sink 600 is generally rectangular, but in other embodiments, it may be oval, round, or otherwise shaped. Sink 600 may be constructed from plastic, polymer, aluminum, or other materials. In this embodiment, sink 600 is a single, integral component constructed substantially from a polymeric material. Also referring to FIG. 32 , sink 600 has an upper outer edge 601 that extends from recessed basin 602 around the periphery of sink 600. Upper outer edge 601 is provided to retain and position sink 600 within a cabinet, frame, or other structure (not shown) of beverage production system 500. Recessed basin 602 has walls 604 that extend from a top surface 606 to a bottom surface 608 of sink 600, defining the generally rounded outer shape of recessed basin 602. Sink 600 includes an opening or drain 610 on a bottom surface 608 through which overflow and waste from beverages prepared by beverage production system 500 can collect and be removed from sink 600. Plumbing (not shown) may be connected to drain 610 for draining overflow and waste.

[0147] 31-33, sink 600 and recessed basin 602 are resized to receive modified turntable assembly 504. In this figure, outer and inner turntables 505 and 507, along with outer and inner rows of cup receptacles 506 and 508, are shown positioned within recessed basin 602 of sink 600. Notably, cup holder 506a (discussed in more detail below) is shown disposed in the outer row of cup receptacles 506 in FIG. 31 and removed from the view illustrated in FIG. 33. In some embodiments, such as those illustrated in FIGS. 31-36, cup holder 506a may be provided only in the outer row of cup receptacles 506, and the inner row of cup receptacles 508 may not include cup holder 506a; instead, the cup holder may be integrally formed as part of inner turntable 507.

[0148] The recessed trough 602 may include a rim 612 (see FIG. 32) extending about an upper portion of the recessed trough 602 that is configured to receive an outer edge 614 (see FIG. 31) of the outer rotating platform 505. The wall 604 may include ribs 616 or various other configurations extending therefrom to facilitate engagement with a mating portion (not shown) of the outer rotating platform 505. Additionally, features 619, such as tracks or channels, are formed in the bottom 608 of the sink 600. The features 619 are configured to facilitate guided movement of the upper magnetic assembly 560 along the bottom 608 of the sink 600 as the slide assembly 530 is actuated, as discussed above with respect to FIGS. 27-30 .

[0149] The sink 600 may also include a centering post 618 provided in the middle of the recessed basin 602 and extending from the bottom 608 of the sink 600, configured to mate with an opening 620 in the center of the inner rotating platform 507. In some embodiments, the centering post 618 is provided to orient the inner rotating platform 507 for rotation about the centering post 618. In this embodiment, a motor or drive may be located elsewhere and engage the inner rotating platform 507 for rotation of the inner rotating platform 507. Also, referring to FIG. 34 , a side view of the sink 600 is illustrated. In this embodiment, the centering post 618 may be omitted, and an opening (not shown) in the bottom 608 of the sink 600 may be provided in place of the centering post 618. A motor 630 may drive a shaft 632 extending through the opening, and an engagement end 634 (see also FIG. 35 ) of the shaft 632 may be configured for attachment to the inner turntable 507 for rotation of the inner turntable 507. In this embodiment, the inner turntable 507 is formed with a centrally located opening that is configured to mate with the engagement end 634 of the shaft 632 for rotation. As illustrated in FIG. 34 , the sink 600 can be viewed as generally sloped from a left side 635 to a right side 636 toward the drain 610 to encourage the flow of liquid overflow within the recessed basin 602 toward the drain 610 for disposal.

[0150] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 35 , sink 600 may also include an inner wall 638 generally defining an inner concentric ring (relative to the outer concentric ring defined by wall 604 of recessed basin 602) within recessed basin 602 that is sized and configured to receive inner turntable 507. In this embodiment, inner wall 638 does not form a complete circle but includes opening 640. Opening 640 is provided at a location on modified turntable assembly 504 at which cups 50 are transferred by slide assembly 530 from the outer row of cup receptacles 506 to the inner row of cup receptacles 508, as discussed above, allowing cups 50 to pass therebetween. Inner wall 638 may provide additional structure to stabilize inner turntable 507 during rotation and may also act as a barrier to prevent cups 50 that have not been transitioned between the outer and inner turntables 505 and 507 from moving or sliding out of the inner row of cup receptacles 508 during rotation. In this embodiment, the inner wall 638 may prevent liquid overflow from reaching the drain 610 directly. Thus, in this embodiment, the inner wall 638 may include a drain access opening 642 along a lower portion of the wall 638 adjacent to the bottom 608 portion of the sink 600. The drain access opening 642 may be located on the side of the wall 638 closest to the drain 610, such that the sloped overall design of the bottom 608 of the sink 600 discussed above (see FIG. 34 ) allows overflow to exit the area within the inner wall 638 and flow into the drain 610.

[0151] As can be seen in FIGS. 29-35, the individual cup holders 506 a, the outer and inner rotating bases 505 and 507, and the upper magnetic assembly 560 of the slide assembly 530 are all easily removable, either separately or together, for easy cleaning of the individual cup holders 506 a, the outer and inner rotating bases 505 and 507, and the upper magnetic assembly 560, respectively. Once removed, the sink and recessed basin 602 can be accessed and cleaned with or without removal of the sink 600, and any excess fluid from cleaning will tip into the drain groove 610 and exit the sink 600. Thus, the inner rotating base 507 can be easily removed and replaced back into position within the sink by simply lifting the inner rotating base 507 out of its stationary engagement with the engagement end 634 of the shaft 632 (see also FIG. 35). Similarly, the outer rotating platform 505 may be easily removed and replaced in place within the sink 600 without any disassembly or reassembly of the drive system or other components.

[0152] 36A-E are perspective views illustrating one embodiment of a drive system 700 for driving the outer rotating platform 505. FIG. 36A illustrates the outer rotating platform 505 disposed within the recessed basin 602 of the sink 600. In this embodiment, the drive system 700 may include two pinch drives 704 and two idlers 706 mounted to the sink 600. Each pinch drive 704 includes an electric motor 702, although in other embodiments, pneumatic or other systems may be employed. The motors 702 drive upper and lower pinch rollers 708, 710. In some embodiments, the electric motors 702 may drive the rotation of both pinch rollers 708, 710, while in other embodiments, the drive may drive the rotation of only the lower pinch roller 710, with the upper pinch roller 708 provided for stability and tension, or vice versa. The pinch drive 704 and upper and lower pinch rollers 708, 710 can be seen in an exploded view in Figure 36E, which shows an edge portion 712 of the outer rotating bed 505 positioned between the upper and lower pinch rollers 708, 710 such that the upper and lower pinch rollers 708, 710 frictionally engage the upper and lower surfaces of the edge portion 712 of the outer rotating bed 505. Thus, as the electric motor 702 drives one or both of the pinch rollers 708, 710, the frictional engagement between the upper and lower pinch rollers 708, 710 and the edge portion 712 of the outer rotating bed 505 facilitates rotation of the outer rotating bed 505 in the desired direction.

[0153] The idler 706 includes an idler roller 714 and a lift bearing 716. The idler roller 714 is positioned against and engages the outer edge of the outer rotating platform 505, providing support and stability to the outer rotating platform 505 along a horizontal plane parallel to the upper horizontal plane of the outer rotating platform 505. Similarly, the lift bearing 716 is positioned below and engages the underside of the edge portion 712 of the outer rotating platform 505, providing support and stability to the outer rotating platform 505 along a vertical plane parallel to the vertical plane of the wall 604 of the recessed trough 602, for example, to prevent sagging of the outer rotating platform 505 near the location of the idler 706. The upper and lower pinch rollers 708, 710 and the idler roller 714 and lift bearing 716 may be constructed from rubber or other materials to promote frictional engagement between the rollers and the surface of the outer rotating platform 505.

[0154] While the pinch drives 704 and idlers 706 are shown centrally located about the sink 600 and outer rotating base 505, the pinch drives 704 and idlers 706 may be provided in other arrangements and configurations in other embodiments. Similarly, while two pinch drives 704 and two idlers 706 are shown, it is envisioned that fewer or more may be provided in other embodiments. Also, while two idlers 706 are described, it should be understood that the idlers 706 are provided primarily to support the outer rotating base 505, and that other support structures or systems may be employed, as would readily occur to one skilled in the art.

[0155] 37, a portion of the beverage production system 500 is shown in greater detail. A cup 50 is shown positioned in one of the outer rows of cup receptacles 506 (shown partially cut away) of a modified turntable assembly 504 (also shown partially cut away). A lidding and printing assembly 502 and a beverage dispensing station 503 are also shown.

[0156] 38 , the lidding and printing assembly 502 is shown in more detail. The lidding 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 a roll (as shown) and positioned on a series of rollers 546. The sealing film 544 may be fed into one or more motors / rollers 548 such that, as the sealing film 544 is drawn in by the one or more motors / rollers 548, the roll of sealing film 544 unfolds and extends over the cup 50 into position for sealing as the lid 60. The in-line printer 540 prints beverage identification indicia on the top or upper side of the sealing film 544 so that it is visible to the server or customer. The beverage identification indicia may identify the type and size of the beverage, an associated order number, the customer name, or any other useful or identifying information.

[0157] The perforator 542 may, for example, without limitation, pierce holes, perforate, or create various depressions in the sealing film 544 to facilitate the introduction of a drinking straw through the sealing film 544. A sealer valve 550 is positioned above the sealing film 544 and the edge or periphery of the cup 50. The sealer valve 550 may then be energized to generate heat to heat-seal the sealing film 544 about the edge or periphery of the cup 50. The sealing film 544 may then be separated, such as by, without limitation, cutting the sealing film 544 or tearing along the perforated or perforated sections of the sealing film 544. The present disclosure also contemplates that the printing, piercing, and heat-sealing processes may be performed in other orders in other embodiments.

[0158] Also shown in FIG. 38 is a lifting assembly 580. The lifting assembly 580 operates to vertically lift the cups 50 from their seated positions in the outer rows of cup receptacles 506 and bring the top edges or rims of the cups 50 into position below the lidding and printing assembly 502 for lidding. 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 drive motor (not shown) drives the linear actuator 582 vertically up and down, perpendicular to a plane parallel to the surface of the modified turntable assembly 504. The belt drive motor (not shown) may be electric, hydraulic, pneumatic, or the like. A plunger and limit switch 583 are configured to determine when the linear actuator 582 has raised the cups 50 vertically enough into position for lidding.

[0159] 39A, a top-down view of a portion of modified turntable assembly 504 is shown. As can be seen, cup centering device 584 is positioned within an opening in the bottom 590 of the outer row of cup receptacles 506. In this embodiment, cup centering device 584 is cross-shaped and extends through a larger, but similarly configured, cross-shaped opening 581 in the bottom of the outer row of cup receptacles 506. FIG. 39B further illustrates in more detail a perspective view of one of the outer row cup receptacles 506, which may also be referred to as cup retainer 506a. Cup centering device 584 is configured to engage the bottom of a cup 50 and vertically lift the cup 50 out of the outer row of cup receptacles 506 as linear actuator 582 rises. Cup centering device 584 may be configured to facilitate engagement of the bottom of cup 50 such that cup centering device 584 is generally centered about the bottom of cup 50 and stabilizes cup 50 during the lifting and lowering process. Although cup centering device 584 is shown as generally cross-shaped, other shapes and configurations may be readily envisioned as alternatives for engaging the bottom of cup 50 for these purposes.

[0160] Once the capping and printing process is complete, the linear actuator 582 lowers the cup 50 back to its home position in the outer row of cup receptacles 506. Before the outer carousel 505 is rotated, the linear actuator 582 may be further lowered so that the cup centering device 584 is positioned below and away from the bottom of the outer row of cup receptacles 506 so as not to interfere with the rotation of the outer carousel 505.

[0161] In other embodiments (not shown), all or part of the lidding and printing assembly 502 may be positioned above the cups 50 and moved vertically downward toward the cups 50 to lid them while the cups 50 remain stationary in the outer row of the cup receptacle 506.

[0162] FIG. 40A illustrates another view of a portion of beverage production system 500. An ice chute 594 is shown connected to a portion of an ice dispenser 596 for dispensing ice into cups 50 positioned in the outer row of cup receptacles 506. In this embodiment, the ice dispenser 596 is configured to provide ice only into cups 50 on the outer row of cup receptacles 506, as discussed above with reference to FIG. 12. FIGS. 40B and 40C illustrate yet other portions of beverage production system 500. As can be seen, beverage production system 500 includes, positioned in series, a cup dispensing station 130, an ice dispensing chute 594, a beverage dispensing station 503, and a printing and capping assembly 502. Thus, beverage production system 500 fulfills orders by dispensing cups 50 into outer rows of cup receptacles 506, dispensing ice into the cups 50, filling the cups 50 with beverages via beverage dispensing station 503, and capping and printing indicia thereon via capping and printing assembly 502. As discussed above, the process also includes moving filled beverages from the outer rows of cup receptacles 506 to the inner rows of cup receptacles 508, as desired, to allow more beverages to be prepared and stored until collected for service.

[0163] It should be appreciated that the overall configuration of beverage production system 500 may have advantages over beverage production system 100, as further described above. For example, filling beverages only in the outer rows of cup receptacles 506 may be accomplished using only a single station per dispensing cups, ice, beverages, and lid covers, as opposed to multiple rows requiring multiple stations per process, resulting in excess space, equipment, and complexity.

[0164] 41 , another embodiment of a beverage production system 800 is shown. The beverage production system 800 includes several components of the systems described above, including a support base 810 and a beverage handling assembly 120 positioned on the support base 810, and an ice chamber 112 and electronics housing 814 disposed below the base 810.

[0165] Beverage handling assembly 120 includes multiple stations for performing various stages or steps of the beverage production process. In particular, beverage handling assembly 120 includes cup dispensing station 130, ice dispensing station 180, beverage dispensing station 190, and lidding station 200. Beverages may be produced by progressing through stations 130, 180, 190, and 200 using conveyor assembly 822.

[0166] 42, conveyor assembly 822 includes a central hub 824 and a plurality of cup receptacles 828 movably coupled to hub 824. In particular, central hub 824 has an outer periphery or side surface 826 that is oval or stadium-shaped. Cup receptacles 828 are movably coupled to central hub 824 such that, during operation, cup receptacles 828 may be traversed along periphery 826 and progress through stations 130, 180, 190, 200 of beverage handling assembly 120.

[0167] 43 , in some embodiments, cup receptacles 828 may be coupled to a continuous conveyor 821 that is rotated about a pair of pulleys 823. Conveyor 821 may comprise a belt or chain coupled to multiple cup receptacles 828. In particular, each cup receptacle 828 includes a cup holder 829 that is coupled to conveyor 821 using supports 827. Each pulley 823 includes a central axle 825. During operation, one or both of pulleys 823 may be actuated (e.g., via an electric, pneumatic, hydraulic motor, or other suitable drive device) to rotate about the corresponding axle 825, thereby generally rotating conveyor 821 about central hub 824. Rotation of conveyor 821 about pulleys 823 also moves cup receptacles 828 along the periphery 826 of central hub 824.

[0168] The cup receptacle 828 may include a number of different shapes, designs, and features in various embodiments. For example, referring now to FIG. 44, in some embodiments, the cup holder 829 may comprise a ring that may tightly engage the cup 50 to prevent (or at least limit) movement of the cup 50 therein as the cup receptacle 828 is moved along the periphery 826 of the central hub 824 during operation (FIGS. 42 and 43).

[0169] 45, in some embodiments, the cup holder 829 may comprise a cup-shaped member having a sidewall 841 and a bottom 842. The sidewall 841 may, in some embodiments, loosely contact the cup 50 to allow some movement of the cup 50 within the cup holder 829 during operation.

[0170] 46, in some embodiments, the cup holder 829 may include a plurality of leaf spring elements 844 that are biased into engagement with the cup 50 (FIGS. 42 and 43) inserted therein. In some embodiments, the leaf spring elements 844 may engage the cup 50 to prevent movement of the cup 50 during operation.

[0171] 47 , in some embodiments, the cup holder 829 may include a pair of gripper arms 846 operable to engage and hold the cup 50 during operation. For example, in some embodiments, one or both of the gripper arms 846 are pivotally coupled to an extension member 848 that can extend and retract into the support 827. A biasing member 849 (e.g., a coiled spring) may be coupled to the extension member 848 to bias the extension member 848 into the support 827. As the extension member 848 moves into the support 827 (e.g., via the biasing member 849), the gripper arms 846 may engage the support 827 and rotate toward each other about the axis 845. Thus, during operation, when a cup 50 is inserted into the holder 829, the gripper arms 846 may close on the inserted cup 50 via the spring force provided by the biasing member 849. Additionally, in some embodiments, an additional support ring 843 may be included on the holder 829 below the gripper arms 846 to provide additional support to a cup 50 inserted therein. Without being limited to this or any other theory, actuation of the gripper arms 846 may allow cups of different sizes (e.g., having different widths) to be securely held within the cup holder 829 during operation. In some embodiments, the gripper arms 846 may actuate away from each other against a spring force provided by a biasing member 849 to receive a dispensed cup 50 when the holder 829 is aligned with the cup dispensing station 130. Actuation of the gripper arms 846 away from each other may be accomplished via engagement of the gripper arms 846 (or a component coupled thereto) with a camming surface on or adjacent to the conveyor assembly 822.

[0172] 42 and 43, during operation, the cup container 828 may be moved along the outer periphery 826 of the central hub 824 to align the cup container 828 (and particularly the cup holder 829) with stations 130, 180, 190, 200 for dispensing cups 50, ice, beverages, and lids 60, respectively, as part of the beverage production process, as will be described in more detail below.

[0173] Referring to FIG. 41, the beverage production system 800 may include systems substantially similar in operation and configuration to those previously described above, such as the tubular magazine 132 of the cup dispensing station 130, the dispenser 134, the beverage dispensing nozzles 194, and the tubular magazine 202 containing the lids 60 of the lid application station 200.

[0174] Additionally, beverage production system 800 includes a user interface 116. An employee or customer may select a desired beverage on user interface 116, which then generally initiates the beverage production process described above. In some embodiments, beverage production system 800 may receive commands to produce beverages via other electronic devices that are communicatively coupled to beverage production and dispensing system 800 via a suitable network or connection. For example, in some embodiments, beverage production system 800 may receive commands to produce beverages from a point-of-sale system of a restaurant or dining establishment, which may receive orders via customers or employees. In some embodiments, the point-of-sale system may comprise part of a computer system (e.g., computer system 400 described above) that also includes beverage production system 800.

[0175] Once a command to produce a beverage is received by beverage production system 800, cup receptacles 828 may be advanced through stations 130, 180, 190, 200 via conveyor assembly 822 as previously described. Simultaneously, assemblies and mechanisms within each of stations 130, 180, 190, 200 may operate in the manner described above to produce the beverage.

[0176] In some embodiments, beverage production system 800 may include a beverage identification assembly 860 to identify beverages progressing through stations 130, 180, 190, 200 and ready for collection by employee or customer. In particular, 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 beverage handling assembly 120 configured to emit light of a selected color that may correspond to a particular beverage (or order). During operation, cups 50 (with or without lids 60) may be aligned with selected ones of lights 862 via conveyor assembly 822, and lights 862 emit light of a color corresponding to the aligned beverage. In some embodiments, lights 862 may include electronic displays (e.g., liquid crystal displays, plasma displays, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, micro-LED displays) that may display images (e.g., text and / or symbols) to convey sufficient information to identify the beverage (e.g., name, order number, table number, vehicle identification).

[0177] 48, another embodiment of a beverage production system 900 is shown. The beverage production system 900 may include several features substantially similar in configuration and operation to those discussed above, such as a support base 810, a beverage handling assembly 120 positioned on the support 810, an ice chamber 112 supported above the beverage handling assembly 120, and an electronics housing 814 disposed below the base 810.

[0178] Beverage handling assembly 120 includes multiple stations for performing various stages or steps of the beverage production process. In particular, beverage handling assembly 120 includes cup dispensing station 130, ice dispensing station 180, beverage dispensing station 190, and lid applying station 200.

[0179] Beverages may be produced by progressing through stations 130, 180, 190, 200 using a turntable 922. More specifically, turntable 922 is a cylindrical member containing a plurality of cup receptacles 925 arranged about its peripheral edge. During operation, a drive device (e.g., electric motor, hydraulic motor, magnetic motor, pneumatic motor) may rotate turntable 922 about a central axis 927 to align cup receptacles 925 with stations 130, 180, 190, 200 for dispensing cups 50, ice, beverages, and lids 60, respectively, as part of the beverage production process.

[0180] 48 and 49 , in this embodiment, a plurality of magazines 132 are coupled to and extend from corresponding dispensers 134. The magazines 132 may receive a plurality of stacked cups 50 therein. Each dispenser 134 is generally aligned with a cup receptacle 925 such that, during operation, cups 50 may be fed from the magazines 132 to the dispenser 134 and then dispensed from the dispenser 134 into the aligned cup receptacle 925 on the turntable 922. In some embodiments, the magazines 132 may be decoupled from the dispensers 132 to facilitate the loading of cups 50 therein.

[0181] In some embodiments, each dispenser 134 may be configured to dispense a different size and / or type of cup 50 into the cup receptacles 925 during operation. As shown in FIG. 48 , the dispensers 134 are arranged such that each dispenser 134 is aligned with a different one of the cup receptacles 925 for a particular rotational position of the turntable 922 about axis 927.

[0182] 49, each dispenser 134 includes a central axis 135, a first or upper side 134a, and a second or lower side 134b opposite the upper side 134a. A receptacle 136 extends axially through the dispenser 134 between the sides 134a, 134b relative to the axis 135. A corresponding magazine 132 is engaged within the receptacle 136 on the upper side 134a and extends away from the upper side 134a along the axis 135. During operation, a cup 50 dispensed from the magazine 132 moves through the receptacle 136 and is ejected from the lower side 134b.

[0183] The dispenser 134 has an internal chamber 167 through which the cups 50 may enter and exit via the container 136. A ring gear 166 is disposed within the chamber 167 and is aligned with the container 136 along the axis 135. A drive gear 168 is engaged (e.g., meshed) with gear teeth or other suitable structure on the radially outer surface of each of the ring gears 166. The drive gears 168 are coupled to a driver 162, which may be mounted within the internal chamber 167. During operation, the driver 162 may rotate the drive gears 168, thereby driving the rotation of the ring gears 166 about the axis 135. In some embodiments, the driver 162 comprises an electric motor; however, in other embodiments, the driver 162 may comprise a pneumatic motor, a hydraulic motor, or the like. A plurality of wedge members 164 are positioned within the ring gear 166, each wedge member 164 comprising a cylindrical body 174 including a central or longitudinal axis. The distributor 134 otherwise operates substantially similarly to that described above with respect to FIGS.

[0184] 50, there is shown another embodiment of a beverage production system 1000. Similar to the systems discussed above, beverage production system 1000 includes a support base 810, a beverage handling assembly 120 positioned on a support 1110, an ice chamber 112 supported above beverage handling assembly 120, and an electronics housing 814 disposed below base 810.

[0185] Beverage handling assembly 120 includes a plurality of stations for performing various stages or steps of a beverage production process, which may be similar in configuration and operation to those discussed previously, such as cup dispensing station 130, ice dispensing station 180, beverage dispensing station 190, and lidding station 200. Beverages may be produced by progressing through stations 130, 180, 190, 200 using conveyor assembly 1122. In some embodiments, conveyor assembly 1122 may be configured and operate similarly to conveyor 822 described above with respect to FIGS. 42-47. Similarly, cup dispensing station 120 and lidding station 200 may operate according to any of the various configurations discussed above.

[0186] The beverage production 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 onto the cup 50 and (if present) the lid 60, which may be used to identify a particular beverage or beverage order. In some embodiments, the light 1264 may be color-coded to identify a particular beverage (or order) using different colors. In some embodiments, the light 1264 may form an image (e.g., text and / or symbols) on the beverage that may provide sufficient information (e.g., name, order number, table number, vehicle identification). In some embodiments, the emitters 1262 may include light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and / or other suitable light-emitting devices.

[0187] While the systems described herein, including beverage production systems 100, 500, 800, 900, and 1000 and each of their various subsystems, assemblies, and components, are described separately, the present disclosure contemplates implementations that combine any arrangement of the various systems and subsystems described above. As just one example of contemplated substitutions and combinations, the lidding system described with reference to FIG. 37 may be used in place of the lidding system described with reference to FIGS. 15-20. Additionally, it is contemplated that beverage identification systems such as those described in FIGS. 41 and 50 may be employed in any of the other beverage production systems described herein. Similarly, while not all of the described beverage production systems employ a user interface 116 for selection of a desired beverage on the user interface 116 and a connection via a point-of-sale system or a sink provided below the conveyor, the present disclosure contemplates such combinations with any of the disclosed beverage production systems. As a further example, while only two turntables, i.e., outer and inner turntables 505 and 507, are shown in beverage production system 500, one or more additional concentric rows of turntables may be added to increase the overall number of beverages that can be prepared and stored for retrieval. It is also envisioned that beverage production system 500 or others may be used in conjunction with additional conveyors, in which beverages are moved from the production conveyor or turntable to a conveyor that transports the beverages to customers or staff elsewhere in the facility, for further convenience and efficiency. These are only a few examples of combinations contemplated by the present disclosure. For purposes of brevity, each of the contemplated combinations will not be discussed, but will readily occur to those skilled in the art. These and other combinations will readily occur to those skilled in the art in light of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the various components and support structures may be constructed from metal or metal alloys, plastic or polymeric materials, or any suitable materials.

[0188] The embodiments disclosed herein include beverage production systems and related methods that may further increase the efficiency of the beverage production process by automating many, most, or substantially all of the steps to produce a beverage. Thus, through the use of the embodiments disclosed herein, the number of manual steps that may be required to produce a beverage may be reduced, thereby increasing the efficiency of the beverage production process and improving overall food service operations.

[0189] While exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, modifications thereof can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope or teachings of this specification. The embodiments described herein are exemplary only, not limiting. Many variations and modifications of the systems, apparatus, and processes described herein are possible and 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 claims that follow, which scope is intended to include all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims. Unless expressly stated otherwise, steps in method claims may be performed in any order. The recitation of identifiers such as (a), (b), (c) or (1), (2), (3), etc., before steps in method claims is not intended to and does not dictate a particular order for the steps, but rather is used to simplify subsequent reference to such steps. (Item 1) 1. A beverage production system comprising: a cup dispensing station configured to dispense cups; a beverage dispensing station configured to dispense a beverage; 1. A turntable assembly comprising: A central axis and an inner turntable including a first row of cup containers; an outer carousel including a second row of cup containers, the outer carousel being circumferentially disposed about the inner carousel; the outer turntable is configured to rotate about the central axis to align the second row of cup containers with the cup dispensing station and the beverage dispensing station; the turntable assembly includes an outer turntable configured to align openings in the cup containers in the second row with openings in the cup containers in the first row; an actuator configured to move cups positioned in the cup receptacles in the second row into aligned openings of the cup receptacles in the first row; a turntable assembly comprising: A beverage production system comprising: (Item 2) Item 1. The beverage production system of item 1, wherein the actuator includes a slide assembly having an arm configured to slide a cup positioned in the cup receptacle in the second row into the aligned opening of the cup receptacle in the first row. (Item 3) 3. The beverage production system of claim 2, wherein the arm extends through an opening in the cup container in the second row, engages with the cup, and moves the cup positioned in the cup container in the second row into the aligned opening of the cup container in the first row. (Item 4) Item 1. The beverage production system of item 1, further comprising a sink, wherein the turntable assembly is disposed within the sink. (Item 5) Item 5. The beverage production system of item 4, wherein the turntable assembly is removable from the sink. (Item 6) Item 5. The beverage production system according to item 4, wherein the inner turntable and the outer turntable are each separately removable from the sink. (Item 7) Item 5. The beverage production system of item 4, wherein the bottom portion of the sink is angled relative to the top portion of the sink such that the bottom portion slopes toward a drain of the sink. (Item 8) Item 1. A beverage production system as described in item 1, wherein each of the cup containers in the second row is separately removable, the outer turntable is separately removable from the cup containers in the second row of cup containers, and the inner turntable is an integral part of the first row of cup containers integrally formed therein. (Item 9) 2. The beverage production system of claim 1, wherein the first drive system drives the outer turntable and the second drive system drives the inner turntable such that the outer turntable and the inner turntable can move independently. (Item 10) 10. The beverage production system of claim 9, further comprising a processor, a display, and circuitry operably coupled to the first drive system, the second drive system, the cup dispensing station, the beverage dispensing station, and an actuator for dispensing the beverage. (Item 12) The apparatus further includes a sink, the turntable assembly being disposed within the sink, and the slide assembly being an upper assembly including a magnet and the arm, the upper magnetic assembly being disposed at a bottom portion of the sink; A drive system; a slide attached to the drive system; a lower assembly including a magnet, the lower assembly operably coupled to the slide, the drive system, slide, and lower assembly being positioned adjacent to the upper assembly below the sink; Item 3. The beverage production system of item 2, further comprising: (Item 13) Item 10. The beverage production system of item 1, further comprising a lid application station configured to place a film lid over an upper periphery of the cup and heat seal the film to the lid. (Item 14) Item 14. The beverage production system of item 13, further comprising a printing station configured to print indicia identifying the type of beverage dispensed into the capped cup. (Item 15) Further, the second row of cup containers includes an opening at a bottom portion of the second row of cup containers, and the beverage production system further includes a lifting assembly, the lifting assembly comprising: A drive system; a lifting mechanism operatively coupled to the drive system, at least a portion of the lifting mechanism positioned below the opening in the bottom portion of the second row of cup receptacles such that, upon actuation, the drive system drives a portion of the lifting mechanism through the opening in the bottom portion of the second row of cup receptacles for engagement of a cup disposed therein; Item 15. A beverage production system according to item 14, comprising: (Item 16) Item 16. A beverage production system as described in item 15, wherein a portion of the lifting assembly positioned below the opening in the bottom portion of the second row of cup containers includes a cup centering device configured to engage the bottom of the cup. (Item 17) Item 16. The beverage production system of item 15, wherein the lifting assembly further includes a switch for limiting the height to which the lifting mechanism lifts the cup out of the second row of cup containers, the limit switch being configured to lift the cup into engagement with the lid attaching and printing station. (Item 18) Item 14. The beverage production system of item 13, further comprising a piercing station configured to pierce an opening in the film lid after the film lid is heat sealed around an upper periphery of the cup. (Item 19) timing circuitry; a drive system in communication with the timing circuitry; an ice bin configured to hold ice; an auger coupled to the drive system and in communication with the ice bin; an ice chute positioned to receive ice processed through the ice bin via the auger, a portion of the ice chute positioned above at least one of the second row of cup receptacles for dispensing ice into cups positioned therein, the timing circuitry operating the auger for an amount of time determined based on the size of the cups positioned in the second row of cup receptacles; Item 1. The beverage production system of item 1, further comprising: (Item 20) 1. A method for producing a beverage, comprising: dispensing cups at the cup dispensing station into cups in the outer carousel of the carousel assembly; Dispensing beverages at a beverage dispensing station into cups in an outer carousel of said carousel assembly; rotating the outer carousel about a central axis of the carousel assembly to align the second row of cup containers with the cup dispensing station and the beverage dispensing station; aligning the openings in the cup receptacles in the second row with the openings in the cup receptacles in the first row of cup receptacles on the inner turntable, the outer turntable being circumferentially disposed about the inner turntable; moving a cup from a cup positioned in the cup receptacle in the second row into a aligned opening of the cup receptacle in the first row via an actuator; A method comprising:

Claims

1. A beverage production system, comprising: a cup dispensing station configured to dispense cups; a beverage dispensing station configured to dispense a beverage; an ice dispensing station configured to dispense ice; a lidding station configured to lid the cups; a continuous conveyor including a plurality of cup holders; a lifting assembly disposed adjacent said continuous conveyor and said capping station; Equipped with The lifting assembly is configured to lift a cup disposed in at least one of the plurality of cup holders so that the cup is positioned so that a lid can be applied to the cup by the lid applying station, and the continuous conveyor is configured to align the cup in the at least one of the plurality of cup holders with the cup dispensing station, the beverage dispensing station, the ice dispensing station, and the lid applying station.

2. The beverage production system described in claim 1, wherein the continuous conveyor is configured to first align the cups in at least one of the plurality of cup holders with the cup dispensing station, second align them with the ice dispensing station, third align them with the beverage dispensing station, and then fourth align them with the lid application station.

3. A beverage production system as described in claim 1, wherein the lid is a sealing film.

4. A beverage production system as described in Claim 3, wherein the lid attaching station is configured to lid the cup by heat sealing the sealing film.

5. The beverage production system of claim 1, further comprising a printer configured to print a mark on the cup or the lid.

6. The beverage production system of claim 1, further comprising a printer configured to print an indicia on the cup or the lid while the cup in at least one of the plurality of cup holders is being lifted by the lifting assembly.

7. The beverage production system comprises: a controller in operational communication with said cup dispensing station, said beverage dispensing station, said ice dispensing station, said lid applying station, said continuous conveyor, and said lifting assembly; a user interface configured to communicate with the controller and to allow selection of a beverage for production; The beverage production system of claim 1 further comprising:

8. A beverage production system as described in claim 7, wherein the user interface includes a touch-sensitive electronic display.

9. A beverage production system, comprising: a cup dispensing station configured to dispense cups; a beverage dispensing station configured to dispense a beverage; an ice dispensing station configured to dispense ice; a lidding station configured to lid the cups; a conveyor including a plurality of cup holders; a lifting assembly disposed adjacent to the conveyor and the lid applying station, the lifting assembly configured to lift a cup disposed in at least one of the plurality of cup holders so that the cup is positioned for application of a lid to the cup by the lid applying station; a printing station configured to print indicia on the cup or the lid; Equipped with The conveyor is configured to align the cups in the at least one of the plurality of cup holders with the cup dispensing station, the beverage dispensing station, the ice dispensing station, the lid applying station, and the printing station.

10. A beverage production system as described in claim 9, wherein the conveyor is configured to first align the cup in at least one of the plurality of cup holders with the cup dispensing station, second align with the ice dispensing station, third align with the beverage dispensing station, and then fourth align with the lid applying station.

11. A beverage production system as described in Claim 9, wherein the lid is a sealing film.

12. A beverage production system as described in claim 11, wherein the lid attaching station is configured to lid the cup by heat sealing the sealing film.

13. A beverage production system as described in claim 9, wherein the printing station is configured to print a mark on the cup or the lid while the cup in at least one of the plurality of cup holders is being lifted by the lifting assembly.

14. The beverage production system comprises: a controller in operational communication with said cup dispensing station, said beverage dispensing station, said ice dispensing station, said lid applying station, said conveyor, and said lifting assembly; a user interface configured to communicate with the controller and to allow selection of a beverage for production; The beverage production system of claim 9 further comprising:

15. A beverage production system as described in claim 14, wherein the user interface includes a touch-sensitive electronic display.

16. A method for producing a beverage, said method comprising: dispensing cups into cup receptacles adjacent to the continuous conveyor at a cup dispensing station; dispensing ice into the cups in the cup receptacle at an ice dispensing station; Dispensing a beverage into the cup in the cup container at a beverage dispensing station; Lifting the cup; While the cup is being lifted, at a lidding station, the cup in the cup container is lidded with a lid.

1. A method for producing a beverage, comprising:

17. A method for producing beverages as described in claim 16, wherein the cup dispensing station, the beverage dispensing station, and the ice dispensing station are separate stations, and the method further includes rotating the continuous conveyor to align the cups in the cup container first with the cup dispensing station, second with the ice dispensing station, third with the beverage dispensing station, and fourth with the lid attaching station.

18. A method for producing a beverage as described in claim 16, wherein the lid is a sealing film.

19. A method for producing a beverage as described in claim 18, wherein the lid attaching station lids the cup by heat sealing the sealing film.

20. A method for producing a beverage as described in claim 16, wherein the method further comprises printing an indicia on the cup or the lid.

Images