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 Art

[0001] Restaurants and other dining establishments can distribute a large number of beverages to customers during the course of business. As a result, a dining establishment may have a beverage vending machine or other similar system that can be used by customers and / or employees to efficiently produce beverages.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0002] The following discussion is directed to various embodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the examples disclosed herein have broad applications, and that the discussion of any embodiment is merely illustrative 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 figures in the drawings are not necessarily to scale. Some features and components in this specification may be exaggerated in scale or shown in somewhat schematic form, and some details of conventional elements may not be shown for clarity and brevity.

[0004] In the following discussion and claims, the terms "comprising" and "including" are used in a non-limiting manner and should thus be construed to mean "including, but not limited to,...." Also, the term "couple" or "couples" is intended to mean either an indirect or a direct connection. Thus, when a first device is coupled to a second device, that connection can be through a direct connection between the two devices or through an indirect connection established through 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 the axis, and a radial distance means a distance measured perpendicular to the axis.

[0005] As described above, beverages can be produced in a restaurant or food service establishment using a beverage dispenser or other similar system. However, many such devices require physical human interaction for many (or all) of the steps of 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, and engage or otherwise interact with the device to dispense the desired beverage. Each of these additional manual interactions can add time and complexity to the beverage production process and can thus reduce the efficiency of the overall food service operation.

[0006] Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed herein include beverage production systems and related methods that can 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 necessary to fulfill a beverage order is reduced, thereby increasing the efficiency of the beverage production process and improving the overall food service operation.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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

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

[0057] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the beverage handling assembly 120 includes a plurality of stations for performing various stages or steps of the beverage production process. In particular, the beverage handling assembly 120 includes a cup dispensing station 130, an ice dispensing station 180, a beverage dispensing station 190, and a capping station 200. The beverage may be produced by traveling through stations 130, 180, 190, 200 using the turntable assembly 122.

[0058] Referring now to FIGS. 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, and the inner row 154 is disposed radially inwardly of the outer row 156. In particular, in some embodiments, the first row 154 and the second row 156 extend circumferentially about the central axis 155 such that the cup receptacles 125 of the rows 154, 156 are arranged concentrically about the axis 155.

[0059] Specifically referring to FIG. 3, the inner turntable 126 and the outer turntable 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 turntables 124, 126, respectively, via a pair of bearings 144, 146. The bearings 144, 146 can each facilitate rotation of the turntables 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 turntables 124, 126 relative to the base plate 149. In other embodiments, the inner turntable 126 may be supported by a shaft (not shown), and the outer turntable 124 may be supported along the outer diameter of the outer turntable 124 by a support structure (not shown) of the beverage production system 100.

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

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

[0062] During operation, the drive devices 141, 143 may each be energized to rotate the turntables 124, 126 about the central axis 155. In particular, the first drive device 141 may be energized to rotate the inner turntable 124 about the axis 155, and the second drive device 143 may be energized to rotate the outer turntable 126 about the axis 155 via a gear (not shown) in the gearbox 142. Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the rotation of the turntables 124, 126 about the axis 155 may selectively advance the beverage through the stations 130, 180, 190, 200 within the beverage handling assembly 120. Since the turntables 124, 126 are rotated about the axis 155 via separate drive devices (e.g., drive devices 141, 143 shown in FIG. 3), the turntables 124, 126 may be rotated about the axis 155 independently of each other during operation. Without being bound 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 segmented and organized via columns 154, 156. For example, the columns 154, 156 may be arranged to produce beverages for different sources (e.g., drive-thru orders versus eat-in orders) and / or may be used to produce different beverage types (e.g., carbonated versus non-carbonated, hot versus cold). Further details of the embodiments of the stations 130, 180, 190, 200 are described herein below.

[0063] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 4, in some embodiments, the 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 axially extending 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 container 136 within the dispenser 134, and the upper end 132a axially projects 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 outer configuration of the plurality of tubular magazines 132 may not be circular and, instead, may be hexagonal or other shape, and may include an opening on the side of the tubular magazine 132 for receiving the cup such that the cup may be loaded from the side instead of the top or bottom. In such embodiments, the hexagonal or other shape may retain the cup based on the geometry of the lidless tubular magazine 132.

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

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

[0066] Still referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, during operation, the drive device 138 may rotate the dispenser 134 about the axis 135 via one or more gears 133. Specifically, the drive device 138 may rotate the dispenser 134 to align a selected one of the magazine 132 and the container 136 within the dispenser 134 with the rows 154, 156 of cup containers 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] Referring now to FIG. 5, in some embodiments, dispenser 134 includes an outer housing 163 that defines an internal chamber 167. A cap 160 may be fitted to housing 163 to close chamber 167 and conceal the components disposed therein (described in more detail below). Cap 160 may define an upper side surface 134a, and housing 163 may define a lower side surface 134b and a cylindrical outer surface 134c of dispenser 134.

[0068] A plurality of ring gears 166 are disposed within chamber 167 and aligned with respective ones of containers 136 along corresponding shafts 165. A drive gear 168 is engaged (e.g., meshed) with gear teeth or other suitable structures on the respective radially outer surfaces of ring gears 166. Drive gear 168 is coupled to a drive device 162 that may be mounted to cap 160. For example, drive gear 168 may be engaged with an output shaft (not shown) of drive device 162 that extends through a suitable opening (not shown) in cap 160. During operation, drive device 162 may rotate drive gear 168, thereby driving the rotation of ring gears 166 about corresponding shafts 165. Bearings 169 may be disposed within chamber 167 to facilitate and support the rotation of ring gears 166 about shafts 165. In some embodiments, drive device 162 includes an electric motor, however, in other embodiments, drive device 162 may include a pneumatic motor, a hydraulic motor, etc.

[0069] Each shaft 165 is parallel to and radially offset from central axis 135. In some embodiments, shafts 165 are evenly circumferentially spaced about axis 135. In the embodiment of cup dispensing station 130 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a total of three magazines 132, and thus three containers 136, are present. As a result, shafts 165 are circumferentially spaced from each other by approximately 120° about axis 135. In other embodiments, more or fewer 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 that includes a center or longitudinal axis 175. Within each ring gear 166, the axis 175 of the wedge member 164 may be parallel to the axis 165 and then radially offset therefrom. The body 174 includes a plurality of gear teeth 176 that extend 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 causes rotation of the wedge member 164 about the axis 175 via engagement of the teeth 172, 176.

[0071] A pair of wedges 178, 179 extend radially outwardly from the body 174. The wedges 178, 179 may extend radially outwardly from opposite sides of the body 174 in a direction radially opposite the axis 175. In some embodiments, the wedges 178, 179 may extend circumferentially about the body 174 by about 180°, however, in some embodiments, the wedges 178, 179 may extend circumferentially about the body 174 by more than or less than 180°. Additionally, the wedges 178, 179 are axially spaced apart from each other such that the wedge 178 may be axially positioned above the wedge 179 along the axis 175. Thus, the wedge 178 may be referred to herein as the first or upper wedge 178 and the wedge 179 may be referred to herein as the second or lower wedge 179.

[0072] During operation, the wedge member 164 may rotate about the shaft 175 so as to engage the wedges 178, 179 with the cup 50 extending into the container 136 of the dispenser 134. Generally speaking, the upper wedge 178 may engage between axially adjacent cups 50 and may remove the cup 50 from the dispenser 134 when desired, and the lower wedge 179 may support the cup 50 within the dispenser 134 when the cup 50 is not to be dispensed therefrom. In particular, 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 cup 50 from the dispenser 134. In the first position (FIG. 6), the lower wedge 179 may be rotated circumferentially about the shaft 175 so as to extend radially inwardly toward the shaft 165 and thus toward the cup 50. As a result, the lower wedge 179 of each wedge member 164 may engage the edge 52 of the lowermost cup 50 within the dispenser 134 and may 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 the cup 50 from the dispenser 134, the wedge member 164 may be transitioned from the first position (FIG. 6) to the second position (FIG. 7) by rotating the body 174 about the shaft 175, thereby engaging the upper wedge 178 between the edges 52 of the two lowermost cups 50 within the dispenser 134. The upper wedge 178 may have an axial width (e.g., with respect to the shaft 175) that tapers axially as the body 174 moves circumferentially about the shaft 175 such that as the body 174 rotates about the shaft 175 from the first position (FIG. 6) to the second position (FIG. 7), the edges 52 of the adjacent cups 50 are gradually pushed apart along the shaft 165 until the contact between the adjacent cups 50 is reduced to the point where the lowermost cup 50 in the axial direction can fall into the cup container 125 in one of the rows 154, 156 on the turntable assembly 122 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 through the container 136. When in the second position (FIG. 7), the undispensed cups 50 within the dispenser 134 may be supported by the upper wedge 178.

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

[0075] Although some specific examples of the cup dispensing station 130 have been described above, it should be understood that various features of the cup dispensing station 130 may be modified, replaced, or removed in various embodiments, and some embodiments of the cup dispensing station 130 may include additional features. For example, referring to FIG. 8, in some embodiments, the dispenser 134 may include one or more reciprocating wedge members 270 centered within the container 136, instead of or in addition to the wedge member 164. The wedge member 270 includes one or more wedges 272 that can slidably engage between the axially adjacent cups 50 along the edge 52 as the wedge 270 is translated radially inwardly toward the shaft 165. The wedge 272 may include an inclined surface or angled surface such that as the wedge 270 is translated radially inwardly toward the shaft 165, the adjacent cups 50 are axially moved away from each other along the shaft 165, and thus the lowermost cup 50 can generally be removed so as to fall through the container 136 as described above.

[0076] Referring now to FIG. 9, in some embodiments, the cup dispensing station 130 may include a gripper arm 274 that grasps the cups 50 extending through the dispenser 134 and pulls them downwardly toward the turntable assembly 122 (note: for simplicity of the drawings, only a schematic depiction of the outer row 156 is provided in FIG. 9).

[0077] Referring now to FIG. 10, in some embodiments, the magazine 132 may linearly reciprocate along the track 276 or other structure and may be selectively aligned with the rows 154, 156 of the turntable assembly 122 (FIG. 2) (note: FIG. 10 again includes only a schematic representation of one of the rows 156 for simplicity of the drawings). 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] Referring now to FIG. 11, in some embodiments, the magazine 132 may be fixed and may be aligned with the rows 154, 156 of the turntable 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 the rows 154, 156 (note: FIG. 11 again includes only a schematic representation of one of the rows 156 for simplicity of the drawings). In some of these embodiments, the cups 50 may be dispensed from the magazine 132 via any of the methods and systems described herein.

[0079] Referring again to FIG. 2, after the cups 50 are dispensed into one or both of the cup containers 125 in columns 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 column 154 of the cup container 125 (FIG. 2), and the outlet 189 may be aligned with the outer column 156 of the cup container 125 (FIG. 2).

[0080] The inlet 182 may be coupled to, or may comprise some or all of, the ice chamber 112 shown in FIG. 1. A stirrer 184 is disposed within the inlet 182. The stirrer 184 includes a plurality of paddles 186 that are driven to rotate within the inlet 182 by a drive 187. Engagement between the paddles 186 and the ice within the inlet 182 serves to break up jams of ice therein and ensure continued progression of the ice through the chute 185 and into the inlet 182.

[0081] A diverter valve 181 is positioned within the chute 185. The diverter valve 181 may generally comprise a gate valve that is movable between a first or closed position (shown as a solid line in FIG. 12) for blocking the progression of ice through the chute 185 toward the outlets 188, 189, and a second or open position (shown as a dashed line in FIG. 12) for allowing ice to proceed through the chute 185 toward the outlets 188, 189. In some embodiments, a drive 183 may actuate the diverter valve 181 between the closed and open positions by pivoting the valve 181 about a hinge 177. In some embodiments, the diverter valve 181 may translate in and out of the chute 185 in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the flow or movement of the ice within the chute 185 during operation.

[0082] In some embodiments, the outlet selection valve 193 is coupled to the outlets 188, 189. The outlet selection valve 193 may comprise a gate 173 that is pivotable about a hinge 191 to selectively block one of the outlets 188, 189. In particular, the drive device 192 may pivot the gate 173 about the hinge 191 to a first position (shown by a solid line in FIG. 12) to block the outlet 188 such that ice traveling out from the chute 185 is directed into the outlet 189. Additionally, the drive device 192 may pivot the gate 173 about the hinge 191 to a second position (shown by a dotted line in FIG. 12) to block the outlet 189 such that ice traveling out from the chute 185 is directed into the outlet 188.

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

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

[0085] Valves (e.g., valves 181, 193, etc.) may be actuated to distribute ice out of outlets 188, 189 over a defined period to prevent overfilling. In some embodiments, suitable sensors or other measurement devices may be included within ice distribution station 180 to monitor the volume of ice distributed from outlets 188, 189 to prevent overfilling. In some embodiments, a weight or force sensor may be employed (e.g., within cup container 125 of FIGS. 1 and 2) to monitor the combined weight of the cup and the ice distributed to prevent overfilling. In these various embodiments, the amount of ice to be distributed (and thus the various parameters for monitoring the amount of ice distributed) may depend on the size of cup 50 that is coordinated with ice distribution station 180.

[0086] In some embodiments, drive devices 187, 183, 192 may comprise an electric motor. However, drive devices 187, 183, 192 may comprise any suitable drive device, such as a pneumatic motor, a hydraulic motor, etc.

[0087] In other embodiments, instead of a pair of outlets 188, 189, ice distribution station 180 may include only one outlet, such as either outlet 188 or 189, and distribute ice into only one of the rows of cups 50, such as either outer row 154 or inner row 156. For example, in this embodiment (not shown), outlet 189 may be omitted, similar to drive device 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 over a defined duration and communicates with a timing network to distribute an appropriate amount of ice into the cup. This embodiment contemplates a variation of beverage distribution system 100 that provides beverage filling in only one of inner row 154 or outer row 156 instead of both rows 154 and 156.

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

[0089] Referring now to FIG. 13, in some embodiments, the nozzles 194, 196 may each be coupled to a dispensing valve assembly 195. Consequently, the dispensing valve assembly 195 may be coupled to a carbonated water source 197, a non-carbonated water source 198, and a plurality of flavorant sources 199. Additional valves, pumps, and other components may be included to facilitate and control the flow of fluid from the sources 197, 198, 199, however, these additional components are not shown so as to simplify the drawing. During operation, when a cup (e.g., cup 50 of FIGS. 1 and 2) is aligned with one of the nozzles 194, 196, the selected beverage is dispensed by flowing water from one (or both) of the sources 197, 198 and flowing flavorant from one or more of the sources 199 to the dispensing valve assembly 195. The dispensing valve assembly 195 may then operate to route the fluid to the selected nozzle 194, 196. The fluid may be mixed within and / or between the dispensing valve assembly 195 and the nozzles 194, 196 to form the selected beverage. In other embodiments, additional fluid sources may be connected to the dispensing valve assembly 195 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 that the correct amount of fluid is dispensed from the selected nozzles 194, 196 while preventing overfilling. 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 a flow rate sensor, a pressure sensor, etc.) to prevent overfilling. In some embodiments, a weight or force sensor may be employed (e.g., within the cup container 125 of FIGS. 1 and 2) to monitor the combined weight of the cup, ice (if applicable), and the dispensed beverage to prevent overfilling. 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 that is compatible with the beverage dispensing station 190.

[0091] It should be understood that the embodiment of the beverage dispensing station 190 shown in FIG. 13 includes two nozzles 194, 196, but 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, the beverage dispensing station 190 may include a plurality of nozzles for dispensing beverage into cups 50 disposed in the inner row 154 and / or a plurality of nozzles for dispensing beverage into cups 50 disposed in the outer row 156. Without being limited to this or any other theory, the number and arrangement of nozzles of the beverage dispensing station 190 (e.g., nozzles 194, 196) may enable a specific beverage or group of beverages to be dispensed from the selected nozzles and may increase the number of beverages that can be dispensed into the cups 50 over a period of time. Additionally, the nozzles of the beverage dispensing station 190 (e.g., nozzles 194, 196) may be separately coupled to the sources 197, 198, 199 such that beverages can be dispensed simultaneously from the various nozzles during operation. In embodiments where the beverage is filled only over one of the inner or outer rows 154, 156 of the cup container, only one of the nozzles 194, 196 may be present.

[0092] Referring again to FIG. 2, after the beverage is dispensed into cup 50 via beverage dispensing station 190, turntables 124, 126 rotate about axis 155 to align cup 50 with capping station 200. Generally speaking, capping 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 cup 50 during operation.

[0093] FIGS. 14 and 15, which show an embodiment of capping station 200, are hereby incorporated by reference. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, magazine 202 includes a central or longitudinal axis 205, a first or upper end 202a, and a second or lower end 202b opposite upper end 202a. Lids 60 may be stacked into magazine 202 from upper end 202a and dispensed from magazine 202 at lower end 202b via lid dispensing assembly 210.

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

[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] The lid 60 may be dispensed from the magazine 202 by rotating the grapple 214 to the first position of FIG. 14 and engaging it with the lowermost lid 60 in the magazine 202. More specifically, in the position of FIG. 14, the lid 60 is gripped or engaged between the first lid grip 216 and the second lid grip 218. As described above, the second lid grip 218 may be biased about the hinge 220 to engage the lid 60. Next, when it is desired to dispense the lid 60 onto the upper portion of a cup (e.g., cup 50 of FIGS. 1 and 2) aligned with the capping station 200, the drive device 226 may rotate the grapple 214 about the hinge 212 from the first position of FIG. 14 to the second position of FIG. 15. As the grapple 214 rotates about the hinge 212 to the second position of FIG. 15, the second lid grip 218 may engage a cam-acting surface 224 coupled to (or mounted in proximity to) the hinge 212. As a result, the continued rotation of the grapple 214 about the hinge 212 toward the second position following the engagement of the second lid grip 218 and the cam-acting surface 224 forcibly rotates the second lid grip 218 about the hinge 220, thereby disengaging the lid 60 therefrom so that the lid 60 can fall under gravity toward the cup 50 aligned therewith. Thereafter, the drive device 226 may rotate the grapple 214 about the hinge 212 to return toward the first position of FIG. 14 to engage another lid 60. Since the grapple 214 pivots about the hinge 212 between the first position (FIG. 14) and the second position (FIG. 15) during the lid dispensing operation as described above, the lids 60 may be inserted "upside down" in the magazine (not shown) such that the bottom side of the lid 60 faces the cup 50 when they are rotated with the grapple 214 to the second position of FIG. 15.

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

[0098] In some embodiments, lid 60 dispensed from lid station 200 may be misaligned with cup 50. Thus, in some embodiments, the dispensing mechanism (e.g., grapple 214) of lid station 200 may align lid 60 with cup 50 (e.g., such that lid 60 is substantially centered over the top of cup 50). In some embodiments, lid station 200 may include a separate device or assembly for aligning lid 60 with cup 50 following dispensing of lid 60 (e.g., from magazine 202). For example, referring now to FIG. 17, cup 50 and dispensed lid 60 may be routed between a pair of converging rails 234 (e.g., via turntables 124, 126). The shape and position of rails 234 may be selected such that lid 60 may be aligned with underlying cup 50 as 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 affixed or pressed onto the cup 50. In some embodiments, the grappler 214 of FIGS. 14 and 15 may be axially translated (e.g., independently or with the magazine 202) relative to the shaft 205 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 that is coupled to a linear actuator 238. The plunger 236 may have any suitable shape that corresponds 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] Referring now to FIG. 19, in some embodiments, the dispensed lid 60 may be compressed onto the cup 50 via a belt 240 that is spaced from the columns 154, 156 (FIG. 2). In particular, during operation, the lid 60 and the cup 50 are compressed between the corresponding cup receptacles 125 (not shown in FIG. 19) of the columns 154, 156 and the belt 240, thereby securing the lid 60 to the cup 50.

[0102] Referring now to FIG. 20, in some embodiments, the capping station 200 may include a roller assembly 242 to compress and secure the lid 60 dispensed onto the cup 50. The roller assembly 242 may include a ring 244 and a plurality of rollers 246 rotatably mounted on the ring 244. The rollers 246 may be generally cylindrical in shape and may include a central axis 245. The rollers 246 may be mounted on the ring 244 such that the axis 245 is angled with respect 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° with respect to the central axis 55. During operation, the cup 50 and the dispensed lid 60 are aligned with the roller assembly 242, and the roller assembly 242 is lowered along the axis 55 to engage the lid 60 and simultaneously rotated about the axis 55 such that the rollers 246 compress the lid 60 onto the cup 50.

[0103] Referring now to FIG. 21, in some embodiments, the capping station 200 (FIGS. 1 and 2) may include a heat seal capping assembly 250. The heat seal capping assembly 250 may include a heat sealer 256 that can cut a lid from a continuous belt of capping material 258 (e.g., a polymer film) deployed from a starting roller 252 and wound up by a finishing roller 254 and heat seal the lid onto the cup 50. In particular, the heat sealer 256 may include a heating element (not shown), be translated parallel to the axis 55 towards the cup 50, cut a portion of the capping material 258, and fuse the capping material 258 to the periphery of the cup 50. In some embodiments, a pair of heat sealers 256 may be included within the heat seal capping assembly 250, and each heat sealer 256 may be aligned with a corresponding one of columns 154, 156 of the turntable assembly 122. In some embodiments, each of columns 154, 156 may be aligned with a separate and independent heat seal capping assembly 250.

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

[0105] Referring now to Figs. 1 and 22, in some embodiments, beverage production system 100 may include beverage identification assembly 260 to identify beverages that are in a state where they can be retrieved by an employee or customer as it advances through stations 130, 180, 190, 200. In particular, as most clearly shown in Fig. 22, beverage identification assembly 260 may include a plurality of emitters 262 coupled to beverage handling assembly 120 and 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 particular beverages (or orders) using different colors. In some embodiments, light 264 may form an image (e.g., text and / or symbols) on the beverage that can 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] Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, during operation, commands for producing a selected beverage may be received by a suitable electronic device (not shown) of the beverage production system 100. For example, an employee or customer may select a desired beverage on the user interface 110, which then generally initiates the beverage production process described above. In some embodiments, the user interface 110 may comprise a touch-sensitive electronic display. In some embodiments, the beverage production system 100 may receive commands for producing a beverage via another electronic device communicatively coupled to the beverage production and dispensing system 100 via a suitable network or connection. For example, in some embodiments, the beverage production system 100 may receive commands for producing a beverage from a point-of-sale system of a restaurant or food service establishment that may receive orders via an employee or customer. In some embodiments, the point-of-sale system may comprise a portion of a computer system (e.g., the computer system 400 described below) that also includes the beverage production system 100.

[0107] Once a command for producing a beverage is received by the beverage production system 100, the turntables 124, 126 may be rotated about the axis 155 to advance the cup container 125 through the stations 130, 180, 190, 200. At the same time, the assemblies and mechanisms in each of the stations 130, 180, 190, 200 may operate in the manner described above to produce a beverage. Specifically, as described above, the cup dispensing assembly 130 may dispense the cup 50 into the cup container 125 in one or both of the columns 154, 156 from the magazine 132, and then the cup 50 is aligned with the ice dispensing station 180, whereby ice is dispensed into the cup 50. In some cases, depending on the selected preference for each required beverage, ice may not be dispensed into the cup or cups when aligned with the ice dispensing station 180. Next, the cup 50 and the ice (if dispensed) are aligned with the beverage dispensing station 190, whereby the selected beverage is dispensed into the cup 50 (e.g., via the nozzles 194, 196). Next, depending on the capping system employed, the cup 50 may be advanced to the capping station 200, whereby the lid 60 is dispensed from the magazine 202 and secured onto the cup 50, or a film lid is placed on the cup and secured by heat sealing or the like. Finally, referring briefly to FIGS. 1 and 22, after the cup 50 has advanced beyond the capping station 200, the cup is generally moved to be aligned with the beverage identification assembly 260, which may then generally identify the specific finished beverage via the projected light 264 as described above. As described above, in some embodiments, some or all of the capping process may be performed manually, and thus the capping station 200 may be simplified or completely omitted from the beverage handling assembly 120.

[0108] Referring now to FIG. 23, a method 300 of producing a beverage using an embodiment of a beverage dispensing system 100 according to some embodiments is shown. In some embodiments, one or more elements of method 300 may be performed by components of the beverage handling assembly 120 as described herein and / or by a computer system (e.g., computer system 400 etc. described in more detail below). Thus, when describing the features of method 300, the beverage production system 100 shown in FIG. 1 and the beverage handling assembly 120 depicted in FIG. 2 are continuously referred to.

[0109] First, method 300 includes, at block 302, receiving instructions (or commands) for producing a desired beverage (or beverages). The instructions may be generated or received via an interaction of an employee or customer with a user interface device such as the user interface 110 shown in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the instructions may be generated or received by a point-of-sale system utilized by a restaurant or food service establishment as described above.

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

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

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

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

[0114] Method 300 also includes, at block 312, distributing lid 60 onto cup 50 using capping station 200. In some embodiments, capping station 200 may be operated to distribute lid 60 onto cup 50, which may then be manually affixed by an employee or customer. In some embodiments, capping station 200 may be operated to perform both the distribution of lid 60 and the affixation of lid 60 to cup 50.

[0115] At each of blocks 306, 308, 310, 312 of method 300, turntables 124, 126 of turntable assembly 122 may be rotated (e.g., via drive devices 141, 143) to align cup container 125 (and / or cup 50 positioned therein) with each of cup dispensing station 130, ice dispensing station 180, beverage dispensing station 190, and capping station 200.

[0116] FIG. 24 illustrates a computer system 400 suitable for implementing one or more embodiments disclosed herein. For example, the beverage production system 100 (FIG. 1) may include or be coupled to the computer system 400. During operation, the beverage production system 100 may utilize the computer system 400 to receive and process beverage orders (or commands associated therewith), and to activate various components of the beverage handling assembly 120 as described above. In some embodiments, one or more components of the computer system 400 may be positioned within the cabinet 114 shown in FIG. 1. In other embodiments, the beverage production system 100 may include all or some aspects of the computer system 400, which may be connected at the point of sale or to other systems, and which may also contain all or some aspects of the computer system 400 or combinations thereof. Such a configuration allows for beverage selection to be made in either or both of the beverage dispensing production system 100 and the point of sale system.

[0117] The computer system 400 includes a processor 402 (which may be referred to as a central processing unit or CPU) that communicates with a secondary storage device 404, a read-only memory (ROM) 406, a memory device including a random access memory (RAM) 408, an input / output (I / O) device 410, and a network connectivity device 412. The processor 402 may be implemented as one or more CPU chips.

[0118] By programming and / or loading executable instructions onto computer system 400, at least one of CPU 402, RAM 408, and ROM 406 is modified, and computer system 400 is transformed, in part, into a particular machine or apparatus having the novel functionality taught by this disclosure. It is fundamental to the fields of electrical engineering and software engineering technology that functionality implemented by loading executable software onto a computer can be transformed into a hardware implementation by well-known design rules. The decision of whether to implement a concept in software or in hardware typically does not depend on any issues involved in converting from the software domain to the hardware domain, but rather on considerations of design stability and the number of units to be produced. Generally, a design that is still subject to frequent changes may preferably be implemented in software because it is more expensive to re-implement the hardware than to re-implement the software design. Generally, a stable design that will be mass-produced may preferably be implemented in hardware, for example, in an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), because in the mass production process, the hardware implementation may not be more expensive than the software implementation. In many cases, a design is 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 incorporates the software instructions. Similarly, a computer onto which executable instructions are programmed and / or loaded can be regarded as a particular machine or apparatus in the same manner as a machine controlled by a new ASIC is a particular machine or apparatus.

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

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

[0121] The I / O device 410 may include a printer, a video monitor, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a touch screen display (e.g., the user interface 110 shown in FIG. 1), a keyboard, a keypad, a switch, a dial, 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 device 412 may take the form of a modem, a modem bank, an Ethernet (R) card, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface card, a serial interface, a token ring card, a Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) card, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) card, a wireless transceiver card, and / or other well-known network devices. The network connectivity device 412 may provide a wired communication link and / or a wireless communication link (e.g., the first network connectivity device 412 may provide a wired communication link, and the second network connectivity device 412 may provide a wireless communication link). The wired communication link may be provided in accordance with Ethernet (R) (IEEE 802.3), Internet Protocol (IP), Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Data over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS), Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM), and / or the like. In certain embodiments, 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 (R)), Long Term Evolution (LTE), WiFi (IEEE 802.11), Bluetooth (R), Zigbee (R), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB IoT), Near Field Communication (NFC), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), etc. The wireless transceiver card may facilitate wireless communication using a 5G, 5G New Radio, or 5G LTE wireless communication protocol. These network connectivity devices 412 may enable the processor 402 to communicate with the Internet or one or more intranets. By using such network connections, it is envisioned that the processor 402 may receive information from the network or output information to the network in the process of implementing the method steps described above.Often, such information, represented as a sequence of instructions to be executed using processor 402, may be received from and output to a network in the form of, for example, a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave. Accordingly, the present disclosure contemplates receiving instructions such as customer orders received via a network connectivity device 412, online or via so-called Internet applications or others, including orders for beverages, and the beverages are then automatically produced by beverage production system 100 without input from employees or personnel located at or operating beverage production system 100.

[0123] For example, such information, which may include data or instructions to be executed using processor 402, may be received from and output to a network in the form of, for example, a signal embodied in a computer database band signal or a carrier wave. Signals embedded within the baseband signal or carrier wave, or other types of signals currently in use or to be developed in the future, may be generated according to some methods well known to those skilled in the art. Signals embedded within the baseband signal and / or carrier wave may, in some contexts, be referred to as transient signals.

[0124] The processor 402 executes instructions, code, computer programs, scripts that it accesses from a hard disk, floppy (registered trademark) disk, optical disk (all of these various disk-based systems can be regarded as secondary storage devices 404), flash drive, ROM 406, RAM 408, or network connectivity device 412. Only one processor 402 is shown, but multiple processors may exist. Thus, although instructions can be discussed as being executed by a processor, the instructions may be executed simultaneously, sequentially, or otherwise by one or more processors. Instructions, code, computer programs, scripts, and / or data that can be accessed from secondary storage device 404, such as a hard drive, floppy (registered trademark) disk, optical disk, and / or other devices, ROM 406, and / or RAM 408 may, in some contexts, be referred to as non-transitory instructions and / or non-transitory information.

[0125] In one embodiment, computer system 400 may include two or more computers that cooperate and communicate with each other to perform tasks. For example, by way of non-limiting example, an application may be partitioned in a way that enables parallel and / or concurrent processing of the application's instructions. Alternatively, the data processed by an application may be partitioned in a way that enables parallel and / or concurrent 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 constrained by the number of computers in computer system 400. For example, virtualization software may provide twenty virtual servers on four physical computers. In one embodiment, the functionality disclosed above may be provided by executing an application and / or a plurality of applications within 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 leased as needed from a third-party provider. Some cloud computing environments may include cloud computing resources owned and operated by an enterprise and cloud computing resources leased and / or rented from a third-party provider.

[0126] In one embodiment, 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 a removable computer storage media and / or a non-removable computer storage media. Removable computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to, paper tape, magnetic tape, magnetic disk, optical disk, solid state memory chip, such as, analog magnetic tape, compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM) disk, floppy (registered trademark) disk, jump drive, digital card, multimedia card, 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 a computer system 400 into a secondary storage device 404, into a ROM 406, into a RAM 408, and / or into other non-volatile and volatile memories of the computer system 400. The processor 402 may process executable instructions and / or data structures, at least in part, by directly accessing the computer program product, such as, by reading from a CD-ROM disk inserted in a disk drive peripheral of the computer system 400. Alternatively, the processor 402 may process executable instructions and / or data structures by remotely accessing the computer program product, such as, by downloading executable instructions and / or data structures from a remote server through a network connectivity device 412.The computer program product may comprise instructions that facilitate loading and / or copying of data, data structures, files, and / or executable instructions to the secondary storage device 404, to the ROM 406, to the RAM 408, and / or to other non-volatile and volatile memories of the computer system 400.

[0127] In some contexts, the secondary storage device 404, the ROM 406, and the RAM 408 may be referred to as non-transitory computer-readable media or computer-readable storage media. Similarly, a dynamic RAM implementation of the RAM 408 may also be referred to as a non-transitory computer-readable media in that, for example, while the computer system 400 is powered on and operating therebetween, the dynamic RAM receives power and stores information written thereto while operating according to its design. Similarly, the processor 402 may comprise internal RAM, internal ROM, cache memory, and / or other internal non-transitory storage blocks, sections, or components that may be referred to as non-transitory computer-readable media or computer-readable storage media in some contexts.

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

[0129] Also, referring to FIG. 26, the beverage production system 500 may also employ a modified turntable assembly 504 (also shown cutaway 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 containers 506 and an inner turntable 507 having an inner row of cup containers 508. Collectively, the inner and outer turntables 505 and 507, which may be referred to as the modified turntable 510, are configured to rotate independently of each other and may include a drive unit, a motor, and a gearbox (not shown) that operate in a manner similar to that described above with respect to the inner turntable 124 and outer turntable 126 described above.

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

[0131] Also, referring to FIG. 27 in the partial cut-away 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 containers 506 that hold the cup 520 and is operative to slide or move the cup 520 into an aligned inner row of cup containers 508 from its position in the outer row of cup containers 506. Once the cup 520 is filled with a beverage, the cup 520 may remain in the outer row of cup containers 506 or slide into an unoccupied cup container in one of the inner rows of cup containers 508. Thus, in this embodiment, the inner row of cup containers 508 provides extra space for storing the beverage filled on the outer row of cup containers 506 until they are delivered to the customer or collected by the customer.

[0132] FIG. 28 illustrates in more detail an embodiment of the slide assembly 530. The slide assembly 530 includes an arm 532, a rail 534, a motor 536, and a belt drive 538. The arm 532 includes a portion 533 shaped to engage the curved side surface of the cup 520. The arm 532 is slidably mounted on the rail 534 and is connected to the belt drive 538. The motor 536 is an electric motor, however, in other embodiments, the motor 536 may comprise a pneumatic motor, a hydraulic motor, etc. The motor 536 is coupled to the belt drive 538 and, when actuated, drives the belt drive 538, which causes the arm 532 to traverse the rail 534 and move the 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 opening 512 (also referenced in FIGS. 26 and 27) in one of the outer rows of cup containers 506 with the arm 532 to slide a cup such as cup 520 from the outer row to the inner row of cup containers 506, 508.

[0133] The modified turntable assembly 504 shown in FIGS. 26 and 27 is illustrated with 12 cup containers in the outer row of the cup container 506 and 7 cup containers in the inner row of the cup container 508, but the present disclosure contemplates fewer or more cup containers and fewer or more rows as may be determined by the overall size of the beverage production system 500, the size of the cup 520, and other considerations that will occur to those skilled in the art.

[0134] FIG. 29 is another partial cutaway view of the modified turntable assembly 504, showing the outer turntable 505 having the outer row of cup containers 506. FIG. 29 illustrates another embodiment of the slide assembly 530 positioned below the modified turntable assembly 504. Also, as 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 that engages the cup 50 and is configured to transfer the cup 50 from the outer row of the cup container 506 through the opening 512 in the outer row of the cup container 506 to the inner row of the cup container 508, substantially as discussed above. The upper magnetic assembly 560 includes a body 562 that can be a metal, plastic, or polymer body or coating that houses magnets located within the 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 within the lower plate area 563.

[0135] The 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 the lower plate area 563 of the upper magnetic assembly 560. The upper portion 565 includes magnets 570 that are coupled to the upper portion 565. The bracket 564 also includes a side portion 566 that is generally perpendicular to the upper portion 565. The bracket 564 includes an edge 567 and a mounting point 568. The lower magnetic assembly 561 is mounted on the rail 534 of the slide assembly 530 by engagement of the edge 567 with the upper portion of the rail 534 and is attached at the mounting point 568 to an arm 569 that is mounted on the side surface of the rail 534. Thus, as the belt drive portion 538 of the slide assembly 530 engages the arm 569 and traverses the rail 534, the lower magnetic assembly 561 is transported back and forth on the rail 534. In some embodiments, the edge 567 of the lower magnetic assembly 561 may be mounted on a carriage 572 that is positioned on the rail 534, and the belt drive portion 538 engages the carriage 572 and / or the arm 569 to facilitate movement of the lower magnetic assembly 561 along the slide assembly 530. The magnets of the upper and lower magnetic assemblies 560, 561 may be provided in openings or recesses in separate assemblies that are integrally formed, press-fit, glued, mechanically fastened, or otherwise configured as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill 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 different directions relative to the polarities of the other magnets in each of the upper and lower assemblies 560, 561 such that the upper magnetic assembly 560 can only be magnetically positioned in one (e.g., the correct position as shown in FIG. 29) direction or orientation to prevent an operator from inadvertently installing the upper magnetic assembly 560 in the wrong direction.

[0137] The rail 534 and the lower magnetic assembly 561 are positioned below a sink 600 (discussed below with respect to FIGS. 31 - 35 and not shown in FIG. 29). The modified turntable assembly 504 is disposed within the sink 600 such that overflows and wastes from beverage preparation overflow into the sink for drainage and cleaning. The upper magnetic assembly 560 is mounted above the sink 600 directly above the lower magnetic assembly 561. Thus, the sink 600 is positioned within the gap 571 between the upper and lower magnetic assemblies 560, 561. In this way, when the rail 534 causes the slide assembly 530 to traverse the lower magnetic assembly 561, the attractive force from the magnets 570 on the upper portion 565 of the lower magnetic assembly 561 to the magnets within the body 562 of the upper magnetic assembly 560 causes the upper magnetic assembly 560 to traverse a path within the bottom of the sink 600 corresponding to the lower magnetic assembly 561 along therewith.

[0138] Since the upper magnetic assembly 560 is disposed within the bottom of the sink 600 where overflows from beverages prepared by the beverage production system 500 can collect, the upper magnetic assembly 560 may require periodic cleaning. As discussed above, the upper magnetic assembly 560 may be machined to have an outer surface that is plastic, polymeric, or otherwise coated to allow for easy cleaning. In this way, since the upper magnetic assembly 560 has no mechanical or fixed connection to the slide assembly 530 and the only engagement between the upper and lower magnetic assemblies 560, 561 is magnetic, it can be easily removed for cleaning. Thus, the magnetic coupling of the upper and lower magnetic assemblies 560, 561 allows for easy hand removal and replacement by the user or operator of the beverage production system 500 without the need for tools or disassembly of the slide assembly 530. Further, this configuration prevents overflows from beverage preparation from contacting the lower magnetic assembly 561, motor 536, belt drive 538, rail 534, etc., which are positioned below or beneath the sink.

[0139] Figure 30B is a perspective view of another embodiment illustrating a lower magnetic assembly 561 coupled to a carriage 572 where the slide assembly 530 and the remaining portion of the outer turntable 505 are cut away. Figure 30C illustrates a bottom or lower perspective view of the inner and outer turntables 505, 507 and the slide assembly 530. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper magnetic assembly 560 comprises a pusher plate 573 that can 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 is not attached to the bottom of the body 562, but instead may simply be attached or fitted to the front end portion 574 of the body 562. The pusher plate 573 may be configured with a wedge 575 or a V-shaped leading edge. Ice distributed in the cups 50 located within the outer turntable 505 can overflow and collect in the outer rows of the cup container 506, and as the cups 50 are moved to the inner rows of the cup container 508, the ice can be pushed by the cups 50 and as a result can also collect within the inner rows of the cup container 508. It should be understood that the ice can further fall and collect within the sink 600 below the inner and outer turntables 505, 507. Since the upper magnetic assembly 560 is positioned within the bottom of the sink 600, the ice can interfere with the smooth and efficient transition of the upper slide assembly 560 along the bottom of the sink 600 while the cups 50 are being transferred between the outer and inner turntables 505, 507. The leading edge of the wedge 575 of the pusher plate 573 acts as a de-icer that moves or displaces the ice located within the bottom of the sink 600 in the path of the upper magnetic assembly 560 during cup transfer.

[0140] Figures 30B-C also show another embodiment of the inner turntable 507 involving modifications to the inner row of the cup container 508. In this embodiment, the openings 576 are provided at the respective rear lower portions 577 of the inner row of the cup container 508. The openings 576 allow ice, which, for example, is gathered or pushed into the inner row of the cup container 508 by the cups 50, to be further pushed and exit from the inner row of the cup container 508 through the openings 576 and fall into a sink 600 positioned below the inner turntable 507. This prevents the accumulation of ice that would otherwise gather at the bottom of the inner row of the cup container 508 and could impede the transfer of the cups 50 into the inner row of the cup container 508.

[0141] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the inner row of the cup container 508 includes a ramp 578 along the lower front edge 579 of the inner row of the cup container 508. The ramp 578 gradually increases in height or thickness from the lower front edge 579 towards the height of the bottom 585 of the inner row of the cup container 508. The ramp 578 allows for a smoother transition from the outer row to the inner row of the cup containers 506, 508, instead of the bottom edge of the cup 50 colliding with or catching on a vertical or sharp edge at the lower front edge 579 of the inner row of the cup container 508.

[0142] Also shown in Figures 30B-C is a notch 587 that forms a rectangular opening along the lower front edge 579 of the inner row of the cup container 508. The notch 587 allows the arm 532 of the upper magnetic assembly 560 to extend sufficiently into the inner row of the cup container 508 and enables the complete movement of the cups 50 to their fixed positions in the inner row of the cup container 508.

[0143] Figure 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 to sense the presence or absence of cups 50 in the inner row of cup containers 508 perpendicular to the surface of the turntable 504. In this embodiment, only one sensor 588 is provided and positioned to determine whether a cup 50 is located within the inner row cup container 508 at the position where the cup 50 is transitioned from the outer row to the inner row of cup containers 506, 508 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 cups 50 at other locations or the presence of cups 50 within all cup containers on the inner turntable 507. Further, the upper sensor 588 may be movable, such as being driven by a motor, to sense cups 50 at other locations, or may include an array of sensors that are variously directed to sense cups 50 in any combination of cup containers on the inner turntable 507.

[0144] Similarly, the side sensor 589 may be positioned adjacent to the outer turntable 505 and attached to the sink 600 or other structures of the beverage production system 500. The side sensor 589 is positioned horizontally with respect to the surface of the turntable 504 to sense the presence or absence of the cups 50 in the outer row of the cup container 506. In this embodiment, only one sensor 589 is provided and positioned to determine whether the cup 50 is located within the outer row cup container 506 at the position where the cup 50 is transitioned from the outer row to the inner row of the cup containers 506, 508 by the slide assembly 530. The side sensor 589 may be positioned at a height such that it horizontally traverses and is above the outer turntable 505 to detect a portion of the cup 50 extending above the outer turntable 505. In other embodiments, it should be understood that one or more additional sensors may be used and positioned to detect the presence of cups in other locations or the presence of the cups 50 in all cup containers on the outer turntable 505. Further, the lower sensor 589 may be movable, such as being driven by a motor, to sense the cups 50 in other locations, or may include an array of sensors that are variously directed to sense the cups 50 in any combination of cup containers on the outer turntable 505. The sensors 588, 589 may be optoelectronic, ultrasonic, passive infrared, or other motion sensors, infrared transducers, ultrasonic, cameras, computer vision, combinations thereof, or any known or later developed sensors capable of detecting the presence of one or more cups 50 in the inner and / or outer rows of the cup containers 506, 508.

[0145] The following is a concise overview of some operations of a beverage production system 500 according to an embodiment. In one embodiment, the slide assembly 530 is positioned to transition the cup 50 from the outer row to the inner row of cup containers 506, 508 at a location immediately before the location in the outer turntable 505 where the cup 50 is dispensed and filled. As the cup 50 is dispensed and filled, the beverage being filled remains within the cup container in the outer turntable 505. As the outer turntable 505 rotates, for example, in a clockwise direction and continues to dispense and fill the beverage, the side sensor 589 determines whether the cup 50 is present within the cup container 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 the cup 50 within an adjacent cup container in the outer turntable 505, the upper sensor 588 detects whether the cup 50 is present within the inner row cup container 508 at the location where the cup 50 is transitioned by the slide assembly 530 to the inner turntable 507. If the upper sensor 588 determines that no cup 50 is present within the adjacent inner row cup container 508, the slide assembly is actuated and the cup 50 is moved or transitioned from the outer row cup container 506 to the inner row cup container 508. The outer turntable 505 is then rotated to fill the next beverage into the cup container emptied by the transition. However, if the upper sensor 588 detects the cup 50 within the inner row cup container 508 located adjacent to the slide assembly 530, the inner turntable 507 is rotated, for example, in either direction to determine whether the next inner cup container is occupied. If the next cup container on the inner row is occupied, the inner turntable 507 continues to rotate until an empty cup container is located or until it is determined that all cup containers on the inner turntable 507 are occupied. The system may employ logic to periodically rotate or re-check for empty cup containers on one or both of the outer turntable and the inner turntable 505, 507.

[0146] Figure 31 illustrates details regarding sink 600. Sink 600 is substantially rectangular in this embodiment, although 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 substantially constructed from a polymer material. Also referring to FIG. 32, sink 600 has an upper outer edge 601 that extends from the recessed groove 602 around the perimeter of sink 600. The upper outer edge 601 is provided to hold and position sink 600 within a cabinet, frame, or other structure (not shown) of the beverage production system 500. The recessed groove 602 has a wall 604 that extends from the upper surface 606 to the bottom surface 608 of sink 600, defining a substantially round outer shape of the recessed groove 602. Sink 600 includes an opening or drain 610 on the bottom surface 608 where overflow and waste from the beverage prepared by the beverage production system 500 can collect and be removed from sink 600. A pipe (not shown) may be connected to drain 610 to discharge the overflow and waste.

[0147] Referring to FIGS. 31 - 33, sink 600 and recessed groove 602 are re - sized to receive the modified turntable assembly 504. In this figure, the outer turntable and inner turntables 505 and 507 with outer and inner rows of cup containers 506 and 508 are shown positioned within the recessed groove 602 of sink 600. In particular, cup holders 506a (discussed in more detail below) are shown positioned in the outer row of cup containers 506 in FIG. 31 and removed from the view shown in the figure illustrated in FIG. 33. In some embodiments, such as those illustrated in FIGS. 31 - 36, cup holders 506a may be provided only in the outer row of cup containers 506, and the inner row of cup containers 508 may not include cup holders 506a. Instead, the cup holders may be integrally formed as part of the inner turntable 507.

[0148] The recessed groove 602 may include an edge 612 (see FIG. 32) that extends about an upper portion of the recessed groove 602 and is configured to receive the outer edge 614 (see FIG. 31) of the outer turntable 505. The wall 604 may include ribs 616 or various other configurations extending from the wall 604 to facilitate engagement with an engaging portion (not shown) of the outer turntable 505. Further, features 619, such as tracks or channels, are formed within the bottom 608 of the sink 600. The features 619 are configured to facilitate the induced 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 intermediate the recessed grooves 602 and extending from the bottom 608 of the sink 600 and configured to engage an opening 620 at the center of the inner turntable 507. In some embodiments, the centering post 618 is provided to orient the inner turntable 507 for rotation about the centering post 618. In this embodiment, a motor or drive may be positioned elsewhere and engage the inner turntable 507 for rotation of the inner turntable 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) within 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 that extends through the opening, and an engaging end 634 of the shaft 632 (see also FIG. 35) 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 configured to engage the engaging end 634 of the shaft 632 for rotation. As illustrated in FIG. 34, the sink 600 can generally be seen as being inclined from the left side 635 to the right side 636 toward the drain 610 to facilitate the flow of liquid overflow within the recessed groove 602 toward the drain 610 for discharge.

[0150] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 35, the sink 600 may also include an inner wall 638 that generally defines an inner concentric ring (relative to the outer concentric ring defined by the wall 604 of the recessed groove 602) within the recessed groove 602 that is sized and configured to receive the inner turntable 507. In this embodiment, the inner wall 638 does not form a complete circle and includes an opening 640. The opening 640 is provided at a location on the modified turntable assembly 504 where, as discussed above, the cup 50 is transferred by the slide assembly 530 from the outer row of the cup container 506 to the inner row of the cup container 508, allowing the cup 50 to pass therethrough. The inner wall 638 may provide additional structure for stabilizing the inner turntable 507 during rotation and may also act as a barrier to prevent cups 50 that have not been transferred between the outer and inner turntables 505 and 507 from moving or sliding out of the inner row of the cup container 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 the 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 overall sloped design of the bottom 608 of the sink 600 (see FIG. 34) discussed above allows the 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 506a, the outer and inner turntables 505 and 507, and the upper magnetic assembly 560 of the slide assembly 530 are each, separately or together, all easily removable for easy cleaning of the individual cup holders 506a, the outer and inner turntables 505 and 507, and the upper magnetic assembly 560. Once removed, the sink and the recessed groove 602 can be accessed and cleaned, with or without the removal of the sink 600, and any excess fluid from the cleaning will drain into the drain 610 and exit the sink 600. Thus, the inner turntable 507 can be easily removed by simply lifting the inner turntable 507 out of its stationary engagement with the engagement end 634 of the shaft 632 (see also FIG. 35) and replaced to return to its fixed position within the sink. Similarly, the outer turntable 505 can be easily removed without any disassembly or reassembly of the drive system or other components and may be replaced to its fixed position within the sink 600.

[0152] Figures 36A - E are perspective views illustrating one embodiment of a drive system 700 for driving an outer turntable 505. Figure 36A illustrates the outer turntable 505 disposed within the recessed groove 602 of the sink 600. In this embodiment, the drive system 700 may include two pinch drive units 704 and two idlers 706 mounted on the sink 600. Each pinch drive unit 704 includes an electric motor 702, although in other embodiments, a pneumatic or other system may be employed. The motor 702 drives the upper and lower pinch rollers 708, 710. In some embodiments, the electric motor 702 may drive the rotation of both the pinch rollers 708, 710, although in other embodiments, the drive unit may drive the rotation of only the lower pinch roller 710, and the upper pinch roller 708 is provided for stability and tensioning, or vice versa. The pinch drive units 704 and the upper and lower pinch rollers 708, 710 can be seen in the exploded view of Figure 36E, with the edge portion 712 of the outer turntable 505 shown 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 turntable 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 turntable 505 facilitates the rotation of the outer turntable 505 in the desired direction.

[0153] The idler 706 includes an idler roller 714 and a lifting bearing 716. The idler roller 714 is positioned and engaged with respect to the outer edge of the outer turntable 505, and is provided to stretch over and stabilize the outer turntable 505 along a horizontal plane parallel to the upper horizontal plane of the outer turntable 505. Similarly, the lifting bearing 716 is positioned and engaged below the lower surface of the edge portion 712 of the outer turntable 505, and is provided to stretch over and stabilize the outer turntable 505 along a vertical plane parallel to the vertical plane of the wall 604 of the recessed groove 602, for example, to prevent the sagging of the outer turntable 505 in the vicinity of the location of the idler 706. The upper and lower pinch rollers 708, 710 and the idler roller 714 and the lifting bearing 716 may be constructed of rubber or other materials to facilitate the frictional engagement between the rollers and the surface of the outer turntable 505.

[0154] The pinch drive 704 and the idler 706 are shown arranged at a central position centered on the sink 600 and the outer turntable 505, but in other embodiments, the pinch drive 704 and the idler 706 may be provided in other arrangements and configurations. Similarly, two pinch drives 704 and two idlers 706 are shown, but it is contemplated that fewer or more may be provided in other embodiments. Also, two idlers 706 are described, but it should be understood that the idler 706 is provided primarily to support the outer turntable 505, and other support structures or systems may be employed as would be readily envisioned by one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0155] Referring to FIG. 37, a portion of the beverage production system 500 is shown in more detail. A cup 50 is shown disposed in one of the outer rows of the cup receptacle 506 (shown partially cut away) of the modified turntable assembly 504 (also shown partially cut away). The capping and printing assembly 502 and the beverage dispensing station 503 are also illustrated.

[0156] Also, referring to FIG. 38, the lid and printing assembly 502 is shown in more detail. The lid and printing assembly 502 includes a seal film 544, an in-line printer 540, and a perforator 542. The seal film 544 is provided in a roll (as shown) and may be positioned on a series of rollers 546. The seal film 544 may be fed into one or more motors / rollers 548 such that when the seal film 544 is drawn in by one or more motors / rollers 548, the roll of the seal film 544 unfolds and extends to a fixed position above the cup 50 to seal as a lid 60. The in-line printer 540 prints a beverage identification mark on the upper or top side surface of the seal film 544 such that it is visible to the caterer or customer. The beverage identification mark may identify the type and size of the beverage, the associated order number, the customer name, or any other useful or identifying information.

[0157] The perforator 542 may, for example, but not limited to, create holes, perforations, or various indentations in the seal film 544 to facilitate the introduction of a drinking straw through the seal film 544. A sealable valve 550 is positioned above the edges or peripheries of the seal film 544 and the cup 50. The sealable valve 550 may then be energized to generate heat to thermally seal the seal film 544 around the edges or peripheries of the cup 50. The seal film 544 may then be separated, for example, but not limited to, by cutting the seal film 544 or tearing along the perforated or perforation sections of the seal film 544. The present disclosure also contemplates that the processes of printing, piercing, and thermal sealing may be performed in other orders in other embodiments.

[0158] Also, what is shown in FIG. 38 is the lifting assembly 580. The lifting assembly 580 operates to vertically lift the cup 50 from its seating position in the outer row of the cup container 506 and move the upper edge or periphery of the cup 50 to a fixed position below the covering and printing assembly 502 for covering the cup 50. The lifting assembly 580 includes a linear actuator 582 and a cup centering device 584. The cup centering device 584 is coupled to an elbow 586 that extends from the bottom of the linear actuator 582. A belt drive motor (not shown) drives the linear actuator 582 vertically up and down at right angles to a plane parallel to the surface of the modified turntable assembly 504. The belt drive motor (not shown) may be electric, hydraulic, pneumatic, etc. A plunger and limit switch 583 are configured to determine when the linear actuator 582 has sufficiently vertically raised the cup 50 to the fixed position for covering.

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

[0160] When the capping and printing processes are complete, the linear actuator 582 lowers the cup 50 to return it to its fixed position in the outer row of the cup container 506. Before the outer turntable 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 the cup container 506 so as not to interfere with the rotation of the outer turntable 505.

[0161] In other embodiments (not shown), all or a portion of the capping and printing assembly 502 is positioned above the cup 50 and may be moved vertically downward toward the cup 50 to cap the cup 50 while the cup 50 remains stationary in the outer row of the cup container 506.

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

[0163] It should be understood that the overall configuration of the beverage production system 500 may have advantages over the beverage production system 100 further described above. For example, filling beverages only in the outer row of cup containers 506 may be accomplished using only a single station for each dispensing of cups, ice, beverage, and capping, as opposed to multiple stations per process, which would require multiple rows with attendant excess space, equipment, and complexity.

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

[0165] The beverage handling assembly 120 includes a plurality of stations for performing various stages or steps of the beverage production process. In particular, the beverage handling assembly 120 includes a cup dispensing station 130, an ice dispensing station 180, a beverage dispensing station 190, and a capping station 200. The beverage may be produced by traveling through stations 130, 180, 190, 200 using a conveyor assembly 822.

[0166] Referring now to FIG. 42, the conveyor assembly 822 includes a central hub 824 and a plurality of cup containers 828 movably coupled to the hub 824. In particular, the central hub 824 has an outer peripheral or side surface 826 that is elliptical or stadium-shaped. The cup containers 828 are movably coupled to the central hub 824 such that during operation, the cup containers 828 are traversed along the outer periphery 826 and can travel through stations 130, 180, 190, 200 of the beverage handling assembly 120.

[0167] Referring now to FIG. 43, in some embodiments, the cup container 828 may be coupled to a continuous conveyor 821 that is rotated about a pair of pulleys 823. The conveyor 821 may comprise a belt or chain that is coupled to a plurality of cup containers 828. In particular, each cup container 828 includes a cup holder 829 that is coupled to the conveyor 821 using a support 827. Each pulley 823 includes a central axis 825. During operation, one or both of the pulleys 823 rotate about the corresponding axis 825, thereby generally causing the conveyor 821 to rotate about the central hub 824 (e.g., via an electric, pneumatic, hydraulic motor, or other suitable drive means). Rotation of the conveyor 821 about the pulley 823 also moves the cup container 828 along the outer periphery 826 of the central hub 824.

[0168] The cup container 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 include a ring that may engage tightly with the cup 50 so as to prevent (or at least limit) movement of the cup 50 therein as the cup container 828 is moved along the outer periphery 826 of the central hub 824 during operation (FIGS. 42 and 43).

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

[0170] Referring now to FIG. 46, in some embodiments, the cup holder 829 may include a plurality of leaf spring elements 844 that are biased to engage 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] Referring now to FIG. 47, in some embodiments, the cup holder 829 may comprise a pair of gripper arms 846 that may be operative 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 may be telescopically extendable into the support 827. A biasing member 849 (e.g., a coil 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 towards each other about the axis 845. Thus, during operation, when the cup 50 is inserted into the holder 829, the gripper arms 846 may close over 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 the cup 50 inserted therein. Without being bound to this or any other theory, the operation of the gripper arms 846 may enable 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 operate to move away from each other against the spring force provided by the biasing member 849 to receive the dispensed cup 50 when the holder 829 is aligned with the cup dispensing station 130. The operation of the gripper arms 846 to move away from each other may be accomplished via engagement of the gripper arms 846 (or components coupled thereto) with a cam-acting surface on or adjacent to the conveyor assembly 822.

[0172] Referring now to FIGS. 42 and 43, during operation, cup container 828 may be moved along outer perimeter 826 of central hub 824 to align cup container 828 (and in particular, cup holder 829) with stations 130, 180, 190, 200 to dispense, as part of the beverage production process, a cup 50, ice, beverage, and lid 60, respectively, as will be described in more detail below.

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

[0174] In addition, beverage production system 800 includes a user interface 116. An employee or customer may select a desired beverage on user interface 116, which generally then initiates the beverage production process described above. In some embodiments, beverage production system 800 may receive commands to produce beverages via other electronic devices 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 food service establishment that may receive orders via an employee or customer. In some embodiments, the point-of-sale system may comprise a part of a computer system (e.g., computer system 400 described above) that also includes beverage production system 800.

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

[0176] In some embodiments, the beverage production system 800 may include a beverage identification assembly 860 to identify a beverage that is advancing through stations 130, 180, 190, 200 and is in a state where it can be retrieved by an employee or customer. In particular, the beverage identification assembly 860 may be coupled to the beverage handling assembly 120 and include a plurality of lights 862 (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs) and / or other suitable light emitting devices) configured to emit light of a selected color that may correspond to a particular beverage (or order). During operation, the cup 50 (with or without the lid 60) may be aligned with a selected one of the lights 862 via the conveyor assembly 822, and the light 862 emits light of a color corresponding to the aligned beverage. In some embodiments, the lights 862 may include an electronic display (e.g., a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, a micro LED display) that can display an image (e.g., text and / or symbols) to convey sufficient information (e.g., name, order number, table number, vehicle identification) to identify the beverage.

[0177] Referring now to FIG. 48, another embodiment of a beverage production system 900 is shown. The beverage production system 900 may include some features that are substantially similar in construction 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 electronic equipment housing 814 disposed under the base 810.

[0178] The beverage handling assembly 120 includes a plurality of stations for performing various stages or steps of the beverage production process. In particular, the beverage handling assembly 120 includes a cup dispensing station 130, an ice dispensing station 180, a beverage dispensing station 190, and a capping station 200.

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

[0180] In the present embodiment, referring now to FIGS. 48 and 49, 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 on the turntable 922 such that during operation, a cup 50 can be supplied from the magazine 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 magazine 132 may be decoupled from the dispenser 132 to facilitate loading of the cups 50 therein.

[0181] In some embodiments, each dispenser 134 may be configured to dispense different sizes and / or types of cups 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 the axis 927.

[0182] Specifically, referring to FIG. 49 here, each dispenser 134 includes a central axis 135, a first or upper side surface 134a, and a second or lower side surface 134b opposite the upper side surface 134a. A container 136 extends axially through the dispenser 134 between the side surfaces 134a, 134b with respect to the axis 135. A corresponding magazine 132 is engaged within the container 136 on the upper side surface 134a and extends along the axis 135 away from the upper side surface 134a. During operation, the cups 50 dispensed from the magazine 132 move through the container 136 and are ejected from the lower side surface 134b.

[0183] The dispenser 134 has an internal chamber 167 through which the cup 50 can 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 structures on the respective radially outer surfaces of the ring gears 166. The drive gear 168 is coupled to a drive device 162 that can be mounted within the internal chamber 167. During operation, the drive device 162 may rotate the drive gear 168, thereby driving the rotation of the ring gear 166 about the axis 135. In some embodiments, the drive device 162 comprises an electric motor, however, in other embodiments, the drive device 162 may comprise a pneumatic motor, a hydraulic motor, etc. A plurality of wedge members 164 are positioned within the ring gear 166, and each wedge member 164 includes a cylindrical body 174 that includes a central or longitudinal axis. The dispenser 134 operates substantially in the same manner as described above with respect to FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0184] Referring to FIG. 50 here, another embodiment of the beverage production system 1000 is shown. Similar to the system discussed above, the 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 the beverage handling assembly 120, and an electronic equipment housing 814 disposed under the base 810.

[0185] The beverage handling assembly 120 includes a plurality of stations for performing various stages or steps of the beverage production process, such as a cup dispensing station 130, an ice dispensing station 180, a beverage dispensing station 190, and a capping station 200, which may be similar in construction and operation to those discussed above. The beverage may be produced by traveling through stations 130, 180, 190, 200 using the conveyor assembly 1122. In some embodiments, the conveyor assembly 1122 may be configured and operate similar to the conveyor 822 described above with respect to FIGS. 42 - 47. Similarly, the cup dispensing station 120 and the capping 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 coupled to the beverage handling assembly 120 and comprising a plurality of emitters 1262 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 emitter 1262 may comprise light - emitting diodes (LEDs) and / or other suitable light - emitting devices.

[0187] The systems described herein, including each of the beverage production systems 100, 500, 800, 900, and 1000, and their various subsystems, assemblies, and components, are described separately, but the present disclosure contemplates implementations that combine any arrangement of the various systems and subsystems described above. Although only one example of a contemplated substitution and combination, the capping system described with respect to FIG. 37 may be used in place of the capping system described with respect to FIGS. 15 - 20. Further, it is contemplated that a beverage identification system, such as that described in FIGS. 41 and 50, may be employed in any of the other beverage production systems described herein. Similarly, not all of the beverage production systems described 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 under a conveyor, but the present disclosure contemplates such combinations with any of the disclosed beverage production systems. As a further example, only two turntables, namely, an outer turntable and inner turntables 505 and 507, are shown in the beverage production system 500, but one or more additional concentric rows of turntables may be added to increase the total number of beverages that can be prepared and stored for retrieval. Also, it is contemplated that the beverage production system 500 or others may be used in combination with additional conveyors such that beverages are moved from a production conveyor or turntable to a conveyor that transports the beverages to another location within the facility to a customer or staff. These are only some of the examples of combinations contemplated by the present disclosure. For purposes of brevity, each of the contemplated combinations will not be discussed, but will be readily envisioned by one of ordinary skill in the art. These and other combinations will be readily envisioned by one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the present disclosure. Further, the various components and support structures may be constructed from metal or metal alloy, plastic or polymeric material, or any suitable material.

[0188] Embodiments disclosed herein include beverage production systems and related methods that can further improve the efficiency of a beverage production 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 produce a beverage is reduced, thereby increasing the efficiency of the beverage production process and improving the overall food service operation.

[0189] Exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, but modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope or teachings of this specification. The embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not limiting. Many variations and modifications of the systems, devices, and processes described herein are possible and within the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of protection is not limited to the embodiments described herein but is limited only by the following claims, which are to include all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the steps in method claims may be performed in any order. The enumeration of identifiers such as (a), (b), (c) or (1), (2), (3), etc. before the steps in method claims is not intended to and does not define a particular order for the steps, but rather is used to simplify subsequent reference to such steps. (Item 1) A beverage production system comprising: A cup dispensing station configured to dispense cups; A beverage dispensing station configured to dispense beverages; A turntable assembly comprising: A central axis; An inner turntable including a first row of cup receptacles; An outer turntable including a second row of cup receptacles, the outer turntable being circumferentially disposed about the inner turntable; The outer turntable rotates about the central axis and is configured to align the cup containers in the second row with the cup dispensing station and the beverage dispensing station. The turntable assembly includes an outer turntable configured to align the openings in the cup containers in the second row with the openings in the cup containers in the first row. An actuator configured to move a cup positioned within the cup container in the second row into the aligned openings of the cup containers in the first row. A turntable assembly comprising the same. A beverage production system comprising the same. (Item 2) The beverage production system according to item 1, wherein the actuator includes a slide assembly having an arm configured to slide a cup positioned within the cup container in the second row into the aligned openings of the cup containers in the first row. (Item 3) The beverage production system according to item 2, wherein the arm extends through the opening in the cup container in the second row, engages the cup, and moves the cup positioned within the cup container in the second row into the aligned openings of the cup containers in the first row. (Item 4) The beverage production system according to item 1, further comprising a sink, wherein the turntable assembly is disposed within the sink. (Item 5) The beverage production system according to item 4, wherein the turntable assembly is removable from the sink. (Item 6) 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) The beverage production system according to item 4, wherein the bottom portion of the sink is angled with respect to the upper portion of the sink such that the bottom portion slopes towards the drain of the sink. (Item 8) Each of the cup containers in the second column is removably separate, the outer turntable is removably separate from the cup containers in the second column of the cup containers, and the inner turntable is an integral part with the first column of the cup containers integrally formed therein. The beverage production system according to item 1. (Item 9) The first drive system and the second drive system enable the outer turntable and the inner turntable to move independently. The first drive system drives the outer turntable, and the second drive system drives the inner turntable. The beverage production system according to item 1. (Item 10) The beverage production system according to item 9, further comprising a processor, a display, and a circuit network 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) Further comprising a sink, the turntable assembly is disposed within the sink, and the slide assembly An upper assembly including a magnet and the arm, the upper magnetic assembly is disposed at the bottom portion of the sink, and the upper assembly A drive system A slide attached to the drive system A lower assembly including a magnet, the lower assembly is operably coupled to the slide, and the drive system, the slide, and the lower assembly are disposed at the lower portion of the sink adjacent to the upper assembly. The lower assembly The beverage production system according to item 2, further comprising (Item 13) The beverage production system according to item 1, further comprising a lid station configured to place a film lid over the upper peripheral edge of the cup and thermally seal the film to the lid. (Item 14) The beverage production system according to item 13, further comprising a printing station configured to print an identifier for the type of beverage dispensed into the covered cup. (Item 15) Furthermore, the second row of the cup containers includes an opening at the bottom portion of the second row of the cup containers, and the beverage production system further includes a lifting assembly, and the lifting assembly a drive system, and a lifting mechanism operatively coupled to the drive system, at least a portion of the lifting mechanism being positioned below the opening at the bottom portion of the second row of the cup containers such that, in response to actuation, the drive system drives a portion of the lifting mechanism through the opening at the bottom portion of the second row of the cup containers for engagement with a cup disposed therein, the lifting mechanism The beverage production system according to item 14, comprising. (Item 16) A portion of the lifting assembly positioned below the opening at the bottom portion of the second row of the cup containers includes a cup centering device configured to engage the bottom of the cup. The beverage production system according to item 15. (Item 17) The lifting assembly further includes a switch for limiting the height by which the lifting mechanism raises the cup out of the second row of the cup containers, the limiting switch being configured to lift the cup for engagement with the covering and printing station. The beverage production system according to item 15. (Item 18) The beverage production system according to item 13, further comprising a piercing station configured to pierce an opening in the film lid after the film lid is heat-sealed over the upper periphery of the cup. (Item 19) a timing circuit network, and a drive system communicating with the timing circuit network, and an ice bin configured to hold ice, and 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, wherein a portion of the ice chute is located above at least one of the second row of cup receptacles to distribute ice into cups positioned therein, and the timing circuitry operates the auger for a period of time determined based on the size of the cups disposed in the second row of cup receptacles. The beverage production system according to item 1, further comprising (Item 20) A method for beverage production, comprising: Distributing cups at a cup dispensing station into cups within an outer turntable of a turntable assembly; Dispensing a beverage at a beverage dispensing station into cups within the outer turntable of the turntable assembly; Rotating the outer turntable about a central axis of the turntable assembly to align the second row of cup receptacles with the cup dispensing station and the beverage dispensing station; Aligning an opening in a cup receptacle in the second row with an opening in a cup receptacle in a first row of cup receptacles of an inner turntable, wherein the outer turntable is circumferentially disposed about the inner turntable; Moving a cup from a cup positioned within the cup receptacle in the second row through the aligned opening of the cup receptacle in the first row of cup receptacles via an actuator. The method comprising.

Claims

1. 1. A beverage production system, comprising: a cup dispensing station configured to dispense cups; a beverage dispensing station configured to dispense a beverage; Rotating table assembly and Equipped with The turntable assembly includes: A central axis and an inner carousel including an array of cup receptacles, each cup receptacle on the inner carousel including an opening; an outer turntable arranged circumferentially about the inner turntable, the outer turntable configured to rotate about the central axis to align the plurality of cup containers on the inner turntable with the cup dispensing station and the beverage dispensing station; an actuator configured to move a cup positioned in the row of cup receptacles on the inner carousel through the opening of one of the cup receptacles in the row of cup receptacles onto the outer carousel; A beverage production system comprising:

2. The beverage production system of claim 1 , further comprising an ice dispensing station configured to dispense ice.

3. 10. The beverage production system of claim 1, further comprising a lidding and printing station configured to lid and print dispensed cups.

4. 4. The beverage production system of claim 3, wherein the actuator is positioned adjacent to the row of cup containers and over the lidding and printing station.

5. 4. The beverage production system of claim 3, further comprising a lifting assembly configured to engage the cup with the capping and printing station for capping and printing the cup.

6. 10. The beverage production system of claim 1, further comprising an ice dispensing station configured to dispense ice, the ice dispensing station being disposed between the cup dispensing station and the beverage dispensing station.

7. The beverage production system of claim 1 , wherein the inner turntable is independently removable relative to the outer turntable.

8. The beverage production system according to claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of cup containers in the row of the plurality of cup containers is independently removable from the inner turntable.

9. A beverage production system, the beverage production system comprising: A cup dispensing station configured to dispense cups; A beverage dispensing station configured to dispense beverages; A turntable assembly And comprising The turntable assembly A central axis; An inner turntable including a row of a plurality of cup containers, each of the plurality of cup containers having an opening; An outer turntable circumferentially disposed about the inner turntable, the outer turntable configured to receive a cup positioned in one of the plurality of cup containers of the inner turntable through the opening of the one of the plurality of cup containers, the inner turntable being configured to align one of the plurality of cup containers with one of the cup dispensing station or the beverage dispensing station by rotating about the central axis; An actuator configured to move a cup positioned in one of the plurality of cup containers of the inner turntable onto the outer turntable through the opening of the one of the plurality of cup containers A beverage production system.

10. The beverage production system according to claim 9, wherein the inner turntable and the outer turntable are configured to rotate independently about the central axis.

11. The beverage production system according to claim 9, wherein the inner turntable is configured to align one of the plurality of cup containers with the cup dispensing station by rotating, and the inner turntable is further configured to align one of the plurality of cup containers with the beverage dispensing station by rotating.

12. The beverage production system according to claim 9, further comprising an ice dispensing station configured to dispense ice.

13. The beverage production system according to claim 9, further comprising a capping and printing station configured to cap and print the dispensed cups.

14. 14. The beverage production system of claim 13, further comprising a lifting assembly configured to engage the cup with the capping and printing station for capping and printing the cup.

15. 1. A method for producing a beverage, said method for producing a beverage comprising: providing a turntable assembly having an inner turntable and an outer turntable, the outer turntable being circumferentially disposed about the inner turntable; dispensing a cup into a cup receptacle on the inner carousel of the carousel assembly at a cup dispensing station, the cup receptacle having an opening; dispensing a beverage into the cup on the inner carousel of the carousel assembly at a beverage dispensing station; rotating the inner turntable about a central axis of the turntable assembly; moving the cup from the cup container on the inner turntable through the opening of the cup container onto the outer turntable via an actuator; 1. A method for producing a beverage, comprising:

16. 16. The method for producing a beverage of claim 15, further comprising dispensing ice into the cup.

17. The method for producing a beverage comprises: lifting the cup via a lifting assembly; Capping and printing the cup via a capping and printing station; 16. The method for producing a beverage of claim 15, further comprising:

18. The method for producing a beverage comprises: rotating the inner turntable after the cup is capped and printed; moving the cup from the cup container on the inner turntable onto the outer turntable via the actuator; 20. The method for producing a beverage of claim 17, further comprising:

19. 16. The method for producing a beverage of claim 15, further comprising independently rotating the inner turntable and the outer turntable.

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