Capacity-limited ice machine

Abstract

A method of controlling an ice making machine such that the ice production is electronically limited and can be upgraded, either permanently or temporarily, by purchasing and transferring that upgrade, either electronically or manually, into the machine. The method comprising: having an ice production limit stored in memory, using the ice machine's controller to estimate the quantity of ice that has been produced by the ice machine during the current time period, using the controller to limit the ice production from the machine to the ice production limit for the current time period, where ice production limit is locked and can only be changed if an upgrade is purchased and transferred into the ice machine.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 661,657 filed on Jun. 19, 2024, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates generally to automatic ice making machines and, more particularly, to ice making machines that electronically-limit ice production.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Commercial ice making machines are designed to make a specific amount of ice in a day and customers choose ice machines which can make the amount of ice per day they need. Customers will typically not consider buying a machine that makes less than what they need—since that will cause them to run out of ice—and they won't consider machines much bigger than what they need due to the higher prices of the larger machines.

[0004] Because of this, all commercial ice machine manufacturers offer an array of ice machines with different production capacities. This approach allows the manufacturers to extract the most revenue for a given machine size regardless of the cost to manufacture the machine. For example, a manufacturer may make a 400 pound ice machine and a 500 pound ice machine that are virtually identical in cost. But the price of these machines to the customer reflects the difference in ice production, not the difference in cost, allowing the larger machine to have a higher profit margin. This strategy has led each manufacturer to make dozens of machine models with different ice production capacities which they can sell at different prices.

[0005] If the manufacturers didn't do this, for example if they only made the larger of the two machines, they'd have to price it at the lower capacity price for people wanting a smaller machine to even consider it. But if they did that, they'd be sacrificing the profit they would have made selling at the higher price to people needing the higher capacity.

[0006] This industry practice has resulted in all the manufacturers producing a large variety of machine sizes. This in turn has increased the cost to the manufacturers due to the costs of developing, maintaining, manufacturing and supporting all these different size machines. Each machine requires different components, may be manufactured on different production lines, requires its own regulatory tests (e.g., NSF, AHRI, etc.), requires its own literature and inventory of that model at the factory and throughout the distribution chain. Having a large model offering also requires the service network to carry parts for all those different machines.

[0007] The present invention is a control system that electronically limits the amount of ice an ice machine will make in 24 hours (or other time period) where that production limit is locked and can only be changed by electronically upgrading the machine. In operation, once the machine has reached its ice production limit, the machine stops making ice. For example, if the machine was limited to 300 pounds of ice per day (but capable of making more), once it has made 300 pounds in 24 hours, the machine will stop making ice. The machine will resume making ice after that 24 hour period has ended and a new period has begun. If the ice production limit for that machine was upgraded to 400 pounds, then the machine would only stop making ice after it had produced 400 pounds within 24 hours. The machine would of course still stop if the ice bin became full, as ice machines normally do.

[0008] The machine would by default come set to make a minimum amount of ice, but could be upgraded to make greater amounts of ice from that minimum up to the actual maximum capacity of the machine. The upgrade would be accomplished by buying an upgrade code from the seller (e.g., the manufacturer of the ice machine) and entering that upgrade code into the ice machine. How the code is entered into the ice machine could be done in a variety of ways which will be described later. If the code entered was valid for that machine (each machine would have its own unique upgrade codes), the machine would then operate at the new, higher ice production capacity. This ice production upgrade can be permanent or temporary. A temporary upgrade would be desirable, for example, for customers who only needed the higher production capacity for limited time period, like an extra-busy weekend or their peak month. When a temporary upgrade expired, the machine would revert to its previously set ice production capacity.

[0009] This capability allows ice machine manufacturers to make a single machine to replace an array of different ice machine sizes. For example, a machine capable of making 600 pounds per day could be sold as a 300 pound per day machine, then the buyer could electronically upgrade the machine to a higher capacity, up to 600 pounds per day, by paying an upgrade charge. In this case that 600 pound per day machine could be sold as a 300, 400, 500 and 600 pound machine (or any other increments offered by the manufacturer), so that one model could replace those four models they sell now.

[0010] This approach has an obvious drawback—that a 600-pound ice machine is being sold for the price of a 300-pound machine. Of course, this would only be done if the cost difference between an actual 300-pound machine and the 600-pound machine is relatively small, so that a loss is not being taken by selling the 600-pound unit at the 300-pound price. Beyond that, this drawback is offset by a host of surprising, non-obvious benefits:

[0011] Benefits for the manufacturer: Rather than making 4 or more models (e.g., 300 lb, 400 lb, 500 lb, 600 lb units), the manufacturer only makes a single model that can be sold as that large size machine or any of the smaller sizes. This means much higher sales volumes for that one model, less inventory, higher inventory turns, fewer machines to develop and maintain and more efficient manufacturing. Also, normally the revenue from the machine is split between the manufacturer, distributor and dealer, all of whom take a cut of the price paid by the purchaser. However, the cost to upgrade the machine to a higher capacity (which could be purchased directly from the manufacturer) could be split differently, so that a higher percentage of the upgrade price (or all of it) could go to the manufacturer—thus a potentially significant portion of the sales price no longer has to be shared in the same proportion, or at all, with the distribution chain. Also, because upgradability has value to the customer (see below), these upgradable machines can justify a higher selling price.

[0012] Perhaps the biggest and most surprising advantage to the manufacturer, however, is the ability to easily create new machine sizes (“virtual sizes”) with essentially zero investment. Normally adding a new model to the manufacturer's product line involves significant investment, including engineering work to develop the new model, buying the tooling needed to manufacture it and buying the component parts that are unique to that unit. This must be done carefully to ensure that the new model can be sold at a high enough price and with enough volume to justify that investment. With this new electronically-limited approach, the manufacturer can add a new model to its offering with essentially “the stroke of a pen”, with almost no investment, simply by creating a new capacity point in the software. And because the investment is negligible, the margins and volumes needed to justify this new size are very small. As long as the unit generates a positive margin, the addition of the new model is justified since any sales will produce incremental profit and a positive ROI.

[0013] Benefits for the distribution and service network: The distribution network benefits from less inventory to carry, less space needed for inventory and display, higher inventory turns, fewer replacement parts to stock and carry on service calls, and less investment in inventory since distribution will only be buying only the smallest and least expensive version of the machines from the manufacturer.

[0014] Benefits to ice machine leasing companies: There are many ice machine leasing companies that rent or lease ice machines. For these companies collecting lease payments from customers can be a major nuisance. The only way to incentivize lease payments is to threaten removal of the ice machine. And if the renter still doesn't pay, the leasing company must remove the machine from the renter's premises.

[0015] The present invention provides a new way to handle ice machine leasing or renting: pre-paid ice machine rental. The leasing company installs the machine at the customer's premises then sells them an upgrade code which allows the machine to operate at a set production capacity for a set period of time (e.g., 30 days). If another code isn't purchased and entered before that period elapses, the ice machine will automatically stop making ice. No need for the leasing company to contact or visit the customer to threaten or take the ice machine away. In this new renting paradigm, both the customer and the leasing company know upfront that if the customer stops paying, the ice machine stops working. Also, the customer can buy the production capacity needed, so the capacity can be increased or decreased without needing to rent a different machine.Benefits to the Buyer of the Machine1. Future-proof machine: The buyer knows that he or she can upgrade the capacity of the machine in the future as their business grows so he or she won't have to buy a new machine to replace their old one if that happens. Normally to upgrade your ice machine you need to uninstall and dispose of the old one and buy and install a new one. That cost and hassle is completely avoided by electronically upgrading instead.

[0017] 2. Best pricing: Because the production capacity of the machine and its price are adjustable, this approach allows the buyer to purchase the precise capacity they need. Because the buyer doesn't have to buy a machine that is too large or too small, he pays the best possible price for the exact size needed.

[0018] 3. Easy / no risk purchase—there is only one choice of machine and the buyer is guaranteed to get the right production capacity. No need to navigate a huge list of machine sizes and worry about making the wrong choice. The buyer can't pick a too large or too small machine since it will be upgraded to exactly match the buyers ice requirements.

[0019] 4. Fast recovery—after the bin is emptied due to ice consumption or cleaning, this machine provides the fastest recovery (bin refill) since it's actually a bigger, faster machine (assuming the machine's capacity limit is less than its maximum capacity).

[0020] 5. Solves the out-of-ice crisis—on those rare occasions when the buyer runs out of ice because his or her ice machine is too small, they can buy an upgrade (temporary or permanent) so they don't have to buy bagged ice (which can be very expensive).

[0021] 6. Improved energy efficiency—larger machines are usually more energy-efficient than smaller ice machines. This better efficiency, and the correspondingly lower cost to run the ice machine, would apply no matter which virtual size you bought.

[0022] 7. No production “fade”—The ice production of an ice machine falls off or fades as the ambient temperatures (of the air and / or water) rise. This is true of all current ice machines. However, with a capacity-limited machine (if the machine is limited to less than its maximum capacity) the machine will make the same amount of ice regardless of ambient temperatures. This is because the software turns off the machine when its capacity limit is reached—which is unchanged by ambient conditions.

[0023] An alternative means of providing a very similar benefit is rather than stopping ice production when the limit is reached, to instead bill the customer for the ice produced that is in excess of the limit. This approach requires that the machine can communicate (e.g., via the internet) with a host to transfer this ice production information in order to initiate a charge to the customer. If payment is confirmed, the ice production would continue. If payment is not confirmed, ice production would stop.

[0024] This alternative approach requires that the machine have the ability to stop ice production automatically, although it is in response to a different criterion: that the ice machine is not authorized to continue producing ice. It is less desirable than the primary approach in that it must be able to communicate with a host. The primary version of this invention can be accomplished with no host communication and no connectivity.

[0025] It is an object of this invention to provide these non-obvious benefits of electronically-limiting the ice production capacity of an ice machine as listed above. It should be noted that the above benefits are highly valuable to the manufacturer, distribution chain and to ice machine customers. They are new, novel and have not been available before.Prior Art

[0026] The prior art most similar to the present invention are described in the following two patent documents. The first is patent application US20080125882 to Mile High Equipment Company. It describes an ice machine controller capable of monitoring the operational status and / or ice production of an ice machine. The intent of this system is to collect the ice machine status (e.g., normal operation or failure mode) and / or estimate the total ice production, then transmit that information to a centralized provider. That provider could then send a service company to repair a failure and / or invoice the user for the amount of ice produced. This system is somewhat similar to the present invention in that it has the ability to monitor ice production. However, unlike the present invention, the Mile High technology does not have an ice production limit and it has no ability to stop ice production in the event that a limit is reached. Likewise, since there is no limit and no “stop” capability, it also has no ability to reset after a “stop” and no way to upgrade the production limit (since no production limit exists).

[0027] The other similar prior art is U.S. Pat. No. 9,863,694 to True Manufacturing Company. This patent describes a system whereby an ice machine can be controlled remotely from a portable electronic device (e.g., smart phone). This system has the ability to monitor and communicate ice production information. The ice machine described can have a production limit. However, that production limit in True's system is intended as an energy saving feature, not as a way to provide an upgradable ice machine. The production limit described is completely controllable by the owner with no need to purchase an upgrade to access or set different production limit amounts. Importantly, the production limit is not locked as it is in the present invention.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0028] The present invention is directed to an ice machine that can limit its ice production through software. It also allows that production limit to be increased—up to the maximum capacity of the machine—by purchasing an upgrade from the manufacturer (or other third party) to unlock higher ice production capacities.

[0029] In this invention the ice machine consists of a water system (to provide and circulate (if needed) the ice making water), a refrigeration system (to freeze the ice making water) and a control system (e.g., an electronic controller) to control the water and refrigeration systems.

[0030] There are a number of ways to limit the ice production of an ice machine. These include: 1.) limit by run time per period, 2.) limit by a percentage of the available run time per period, 3.) limit to an estimated ice production quantity per period. These three approaches are described below. Note that the “period” referred to above is left undefined. It could be a day, an hour or any other appropriate time period. This will be explored in more depth below.

[0031] The first method, limiting run time per period, is the simplest method to implement. For discussion purposes, let's assume the period is a day. Since ice machines make ice at a relatively constant rate, simply limiting the number of hours per day the machine can operate will proportionately reduce the ice production per day. If an ice machine is rated at 600 pounds of ice production per day, limiting the number of hours of ice production time to 12 hours per day reduces ice production by half, to 300 pounds per day. This approach is not ideal, however, as it does not take into account when or how much time the machine may be stopped during a day due to a full ice bin. For example, if the user didn't need ice until the second half of the day because the bin was full, but the machine was programmed to be turned off for the second half of the day, the machine would make no ice until the following day, cheating the user out of at least one day of ice production.

[0032] The second method, limiting run time to a percentage of available run time per period, is slightly more difficult to implement but is more like what a smaller machine does and is more equitable to the user. In this approach the machine calculates how much time is available to make ice and limits its run time to a percentage of that. If the goal is to reduce ice production by 50%, the machine would determine how much time is left in the period, take 50% of that, and allow the machine to run for that much time. If during that time the machine stopped due to a full bin, the machine would take that into account and reduce the allowable run time accordingly. Applied to the previous example, where the machine is off for the first half of the day, this second approach would produce 150 pounds (half of 300) since it would apply the 50% reduction to the remaining 12 hours of the day.

[0033] The third method estimates the amount of ice produced in order to limit it. In this approach the machine estimates the amount (e.g., pounds) of ice that has been produced and stops when the ice production limit has been reached. Ice production can be estimated in a number of ways. For example, with batch type ice machines (cube type ice makers) the machine can count the number of batches produced and multiply that by the pounds of ice produced per batch (which is a known value and is relatively consistent) to determine ice production. With a continuous type ice machine (e.g., a flake or nugget ice machines), the machine can determine the ice production rate at the current ambient conditions and multiply that by run time to determine production. With either type machine, the machine could measure the amount of water consumed (e.g., gallons) and multiply that by the amount of ice produced per gallon for that machine. There are other ways to estimate ice production besides those listed as well.

[0034] As mentioned above, the time period over which a limit is applied could be any appropriate time period. A time period of one day is useful to use since ice machines are typically rated by the number of pounds (or kilograms) they produce per day. However, applying limits across a day may not always be appropriate. For example, if a machine is limited to 50% of its production rate, applying that limit over a day could result in the machine being turned off for 12 hours in a row. This may not be ideal for the user. Having the machine turned off for only an hour or two may be preferable. It is for this reason that the time period described for this invention is left undefined.

[0035] Regardless of the method used to estimate and limit ice production, the ice machine control system needs the following elements to implement the present invention:

[0036] 1. An ice production limit. This could be a run time per period, a percentage of available run time per period, or a quantity of ice (e.g., pounds or kilograms) per period limit. For example, if it was desired to reduce the ice production of an ice machine by 50% and the period was chosen to be 24 hours, the limit could be 12 run hours per day, 50% of the available run hours per day, or half of the ice production quantity (e.g., pounds) per day. This ice production limit, which would be upgradable to the maximum capacity of the machine, could be stored locally in the ice machine's memory so that no internet or other connectivity would be needed to implement the limit.

[0037] 2. Means to determine if the production limit has been reached. If the production limit is run time per period, the ice machine simply needs a time-keeping device (e.g., microprocessor) to track how long the machine has been making ice. The production limit is reached if the run time equals or exceeds that run time limit. If the limit is a percentage of available run hours per period, the ice machine needs a microprocessor, software and a means to know if the ice bin is full (which all ice machines have). The system would track how much time is left in the period, calculate how much of that time the machine should be running (based on the production limit percentage), and recalculate that amount if the machine stops due to a full bin. Once the machine's run time has reached that calculated time limit percentage, it would know that the limit had been reached. If the production limit is based on an estimate of the quantity of ice produced, the machine would estimate ice production using any appropriate estimation method and the associated hardware needed for that approach (e.g., means to know how many batches had been produced, the ambient temperatures, how much water had been consumed, etc.). The limit would be reached if that estimated production quantity equaled or exceeded the ice production limit.

[0038] 3.) The ability to stop ice production if the production limit has been reached. The machine must be able to turn off the ice making when the ice production limit has been reached, or when the ice bin is full, whichever comes first. This is fairly simple as ice machines are already designed to stop making ice when the ice bin is full. In this case a similar signal would be provided if either the bin is full OR the production limit has been reached.

[0039] 4.) The ability to reset the ice production monitoring system when the production limit period has elapsed. Ice production would be stopped until the stop signal ceased, such as the bin was no longer full (in the case of a full-bin shut off) or if the production limit was no longer reached (i.e., a new time period has started). If a new time period started, the ice production monitor would be reset to zero and ice production would resume (unless the ice bin was full). The machine needs an internal time keeping system (e.g., microprocessor) so it knows when a new period has started.

[0040] 5.) The ability to upgrade ice production limit. For the ice production limit to be upgradable, the ice machine's controller needs to be able to validate the upgrade code or signal (i.e., confirm that the upgrade was authorized (e.g., paid for) for that machine), then use the new ice production limit to control ice machine operation. That capability requires the following:

[0041] 5.1.) Ability to receive a code. The controller would need to be able to receive a code. This could be done in a number of different ways including via: a.) Bluetooth, b.) Wi-Fi (either a connection to the internet via Wi-Fi or a Wi-Fi signal to a portable electronic device (thus not requiring an internet connection)), c.) a cellular connection, d.) a physical input device, e.g., keyboard, keypad, buttons, knobs or switches (e.g., DIP switches), e.) camera (e.g. a camera to read a QR code), f. NFC (near field communication), g.) RFID (radio frequency identification), h.) a portable storage device or thumb drive, i.) magnetic strip, j.) a bus for writing directly to the controller's memory or similar means. An ideal low-cost option for receiving a code is a 3×4 membrane keypad. This type of a keypad can act as a combination lock to unlock higher capacities on the ice machine. Using a 6-digit code entered through such a keypad would provide the machine with 1 million possible combinations—just like the 6-digit passcode used to open an iPhone. The number of digits of the code is simply a matter of software, so a higher or lower number of digits, and combinations, is possible.

[0042] 5.2.) Ability to confirm the upgrade's validity and decipher its parameters. The machine's software would validate the upgrade code (or signal) and determine which upgrade had been unlocked. For example, the ice machine's control system would determine which capacity had been unlocked and whether that upgrade was temporary or permanent. If it was a temporary upgrade, it would determine how long that upgrade would apply and when it would expire (e.g., one day, one week, one month, etc.). For temporary upgrades, the production limit would revert back to the previous production limit once the temporary upgrade's duration had expired. For machines using the pre-paid ice machine rental feature, the machine would default back to the “off” or “stopped” mode once the temporary pre-paid rental period had elapsed.

[0043] Each ice machine would have a unique set of valid upgrade codes so that knowing the codes for one machine would not allow someone to automatically know the codes for all machines. Each ice machine would have a unique identifying number(s) stored in its electronic memory that would be used to validate the upgrade codes entered. For example, the codes stored in memory could be the actual upgrade codes and the ice machine microprocessor would just make sure the codes entered matched the codes in memory. Alternatively, the numbers stored in memory could be used in a cryptographic algorithm along with the codes entered to determine the code's validity and to unlock the associated upgrade parameters.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] FIG. 1 illustrates the steps involved in buying and implementing the ice machine upgrade. After the user 2 purchases the machine and determines he wants to upgrade its production capacity, he buys an upgrade by giving money 4 to the seller of the upgrade—in this example the ice machine manufacturer 6—in exchange for the corresponding upgrade code 8. The user 2 then enters that upgrade code into the ice machine's controller in step 12. (Alternatively, the user 2 could buy the upgrade code 8 from the manufacturer 6 which is then transmitted directly from the manufacturer's server to the ice machine via alternate path 10.) The ice machine's CPU 14 then inputs the upgrade code and the machine's unique ID in step 16 into a validation algorithm at step 18. If the code is valid and passes the validation algorithm, in step 20 the CPU writes the new upgrade parameters to the ice machine memory allowing the machine to run using the updated production parameters. If the code is not valid, the CPU informs the user in step 22 that the code was not accepted. This notification to the user 2 could be done in a number of ways, for example with an audible tone, a notification on a display or LED, or by an electronic message sent to the user.

[0045] FIG. 2 illustrates the steps involved in buying a pre-paid rental code 9 from a leasing company 7. Other than the fact that the code is purchased from a leasing company 7 rather than the manufacturer 6, and the code is a pre-paid rental code 9 rather than an upgrade code 8, FIG. 2 is identical to FIG. 1. (Note that in FIG. 2 the pre-paid rental code could alternatively be sent directly from the leasing company's server to the ice machine CPU 14 via path 11) In this case the ice machine's baseline production capacity is zero, such that when the pre-paid rental code expires, the machine goes back to the OFF or STOPPED condition.

[0046] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of logic to implement software-limited ice production. After the ice machine is first energized at step 102, the ice machine controller accesses the production limit, period duration and any upgrades either from memory or other input means 104. The controller then sets the period timer and the production counter to zero in step 106, marking the beginning of the period. In step 108, the system begins monitoring ice production. As described earlier, production monitoring can be as simple as monitoring the run time of the machine or as complicated as trying to estimate the actual quantity of ice produced. Once that production monitoring has started, the software would loop through a number of conditional statements to check the status of various machine states.

[0047] The first of those conditional statements is step 110 to check whether the time period had elapsed, for example if the time period was 4 hours and 4 hours had elapsed. If that conditional is “yes”, that the time period has elapsed, then the program moves to step 112 and resets the period timer and production counter back to zero. If conditional 110 was “no”, as it would be right after start-up, the program proceeds to conditional 114.

[0048] Conditional 114 checks to see if the current upgrade, if one is in use, is a temporary one and, if it is, if it has elapsed. If “yes” it has elapsed, the program progresses to step 116 and reverts to the prior upgrade. If “no”, the program progresses to conditional 118.

[0049] Conditional 118 checks if a new upgrade code has been entered, and if it has, if it is valid. This validity check is critical as its integrity ensures that if the user bought a valid upgrade, that upgrade gets implemented by the ice machine. Likewise, if the code is not valid, no upgrade is implemented, preventing essentially theft of an upgrade. The validity of the code could be checked by, for example, comparing the upgrade code against one stored in the ice machine's memory. A different way to implement a validity check is to utilize a cryptographic algorithm which takes as inputs the upgrade code and a stored identification number from the controller's memory (which would be unique to that machine), runs those inputs through the validation algorithm and outputs the parameters of the upgrade: e.g., period duration, production limit, temporary or permanent upgrade, temporary upgrade duration. If the upgrade code is valid, those new parameters would be stored and implemented in step 120. If the new upgrade was identical to the previous upgrade and is simply extending the duration of that temporary upgrade, the duration associated with this new temporary upgrade would be added to the existing temporary upgrade duration.

[0050] The next conditional 122 checks if the ice bin is full. If “yes”, ice making is then turned off at step 124. If the bin is not full, the program passes to conditional 126 where the production counter is compared to the production limit to see if that limit has been reached. If the limit has been reached, ice making is then turned off at step 124. If the limit has not been reached, the program progresses to step 128 where, if ice making had previously been stopped, ice making is restarted. If ice making had not been stopped, ice making continues at step 128.

[0051] The program returns to the start of this conditional loop at step 110 from steps 112, 116, 120, 124 or 128 depending on which branch the program took.Alternate Approaches

[0052] Fixed production limit. It would be possible to provide a somewhat similar benefit by using a non-adjustable, non-upgradable, fixed production limit. That is, if the manufacturer or other seller of the machine could apply a fixed ice production limit to the machine prior to sale, that manufacturer could essentially create a line of ice machines of varying capacities even though the machines were all essentially identical. While this approach would not provide the same upgradability benefits to the customer, it would give the benefit to the manufacturer of numerous price / capacity points while only having to produce a single SKU.

[0053] In this case, the invention would be identical to that described above except that the ice machine would not require the ability to upgrade the ice production limit (including the ability to receive a code and confirm it validity).

[0054] Regulating ice production instead of stopping it. Rather than stopping ice production when the ice production limit is reached, the machine could instead reduce the ice production rate of the machine to match the ice production limit. This could be done in a number of ways:

[0055] Using a variable-capacity refrigeration system containing one or more of the following: A variable-capacity compressor, a variable-speed condenser fan motor, an electronic expansion valve.

[0056] By regulating capacity with the refrigeration system by slowing or cycling the compressor on and off to reduce its cooling capacity or by reducing airflow through the condenser by cycling or slowing the fan.

[0057] Changing the ice making cycle timing to reduce production. For example:

[0058] extending the harvest portion of each ice making cycle (a part of the cycle where no ice is made), delaying the time before the water pump is energized each cycle (if ice making water isn't flowing, the water doesn't get cooled), adding a delay between ice making cycles such that the refrigeration system isn't running between cycles.Additional Features

[0059] Limit-Reached Indicator. The ice machine and / or ice machine controller should have an indicator (e.g. light, LED, display or similar means) to display when the machine has stopped ice production due to the production limit being reached. This is needed so that if the owner is examining the machine to determine why the ice machine isn't making ice, he can easily see why. Without such an indicator, and seeing that the machine was stopped when the bin isn't full, the owner could think the machine has failed, not realizing the production limit has been reached. Likewise, since the ice production limit will most likely be reached at the end of the day and may be reset by the time someone looks at the machine, the indicator should also communicate that the limit has been reached in a previous time period. For example, if the indicator was flashing that could mean that the limit was reached in the previous 24 or 48 hours but had subsequently reset.

[0060] Communicate ice production. As mentioned above, it is desirable to communicate the machine's ice production to the owner (or other designated person or entity). In particular, it is desirable to communicate when the machine is nearing or has reached the set ice production limit of the machine. This is useful for the owner so he or she can take action to ensure that they don't run out of ice, and it is useful for the manufacturer since it helps promote an upgrade of the machine. Ideally this would be accomplished by a text, email or push notification to the designated recipient.

[0061] Capacity Check Mode. When a customer buys the base model of the present invention, it is the lowest capacity version of the machine. That customer will then need to know how much the machine should be upgraded to meet the customer's ice needs. That is where the Capacity Check Mode applies. The Capacity Check Mode would allow the machine to run without production limit for one week (or other set time period). The machine would track actual ice production (and, for example, the maximum ice production per day) during that time and communicate it to the owner. That way the owner could know exactly how much of an upgrade the machine needs to meet the customer's production needs. This is of value to both the customer and the manufacturer as it ensures the customer's ice needs are met.

[0062] Ideally this “Capacity Check Mode” could be used free of charge some number of times per year to promote upgrades and ensure the machine is adequately sized. The manufacturer may want to restrict its use, however, during high-use times of year (e.g., 4th of July week) to avoid the customer trying to game the system.

[0063] Backwards-incompatible control board. Since an ice machine using the present invention will typically be created by replacing the control board in an existing / conventional ice machine, it is important that it's not easy to convert the machine back. For example, if the base machine is a 600 lb machine capacity-limited to 300 lb and sold for the price of a 300 lb machine, it would be bad for the manufacturer if someone converted it back to the 600 lb size without paying for the upgrade. To make it impractical and expensive to do this backward conversion, the new control board should be backwards-incompatible so that, for example, the physical size of the control board is different, different connectors are needed, wiring colors are different, number of wires are different, new components are needed, etc. In other words, make it very difficult to convert the ice machine back to a machine with unlimited ice production.

Claims

1. A method of electronically limiting the amount of ice produced by an ice machine wherein the ice machine consists of a refrigeration system, a water system and a controller to control the refrigeration system and the water system, the method comprising the steps of:having an ice production limit value stored in controller memory or otherwise accessible to the controller that controls the maximum quantity of ice that will be produced by the ice machine in a designated time period,using the controller to determine if the production limit has been reached during the current time period,using controller to stop ice production from the machine if the ice production limit for the current time period has been reached or exceeded,where said ice production limit is locked.

2. The method of claim 1 where the ice production limit cannot be unlocked or changed.

3. The method of claim 1 where the ice production limit can be upgraded by unlocking and changing the ice production limit by buying an upgrade and transferring that upgrade to the machine either electronically or manually into the controller.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the ice production limit upgrade is permanent.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the ice production limit upgrade is active for a temporary period and the ice machine reverts to the previous ice production limit when upgrade expires.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the ice machine's default ice production limit is zero such that the machine operator must continue to purchase and transfer the upgrade into the machine in order to keep the ice machine producing ice and to keep it from reverting to the default production limit of zero.

7. A method of electronically limiting the amount of ice produced by an ice machine wherein the ice machine consists of a refrigeration system, a water system and a controller to control the refrigeration system and the water system, the method comprising the steps of:having an ice production limit value stored in controller memory or otherwise accessible to the controller that specifies the maximum quantity of ice that will be produced by the ice machine in a designated time period,using the controller to regulate the ice production to match the ice production limit for the current time period,where said ice production limit is locked.

8. The method of claim 7 where the ice production limit cannot be unlocked or changed.

9. The method of claim 7 where the ice production limit can be upgraded by unlocking and changing the ice production limit by buying an upgrade and transferring it, electronically or manually, into the controller.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the ice production limit upgrade is permanent.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the ice production limit upgrade is active for a temporary period and the ice machine reverts to the previous ice production limit when upgrade expires.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the ice machine's default ice production limit is zero such that the machine operator must continue to purchase and transfer upgrades into the ice machine controller, either electronically or manually, in order to keep the ice machine producing ice and to keep it from reverting to the default production limit of zero.

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