Automated Pre Packaged Food Dispensing Apparatus And Method Thereof

Abstract

ABSTRACT(5) TITLE: AUTOMATED PRE-PACKAGED HOT FOOD DISPENSING APPARATUS AND METHOD THEREOFThe invention relates to an automated hot pre-packaged food dispensing apparatus and method thereof. The invention, particularly relates to an automated hot pre-packaged food dispensing apparatus comprising a front door, multilevel racks (food box racks), food boxes, touch screen, currency slot, card swipe system, and food delivery bin. The multilevel racks are under the refrigerated (cold) temperature (approximately between 4 to 8 oC). The automated hot dispensing apparatus comprises X-Y axis moving channel, surface of the moving channel, conveyor belts, and microwave heating unit 204. A method of ordering, preparing and delivering a hot pre-packaged food items using the automated hot pre-packaged food dispensing apparatus is also disclosed.

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DESC:(1) FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to the field of hot pre-packaged food dispensing apparatus and method thereof. The invention, particularly relates to an automated hot pre-packaged food dispensing apparatus comprising a front door, multilevel racks (food box racks), food boxes, touch screen, currency slot, card swipe system, bill dispatch slot, and food delivery bin. The multilevel racks are kept under the refrigerated (cold) temperature (approximately from 4 to 8oC). The automated hot dispensing apparatus comprises X-Y axis moving channel, surface of the moving channel, conveyor belts, and microwave heating unit 204. A method of ordering, preparing and delivering a hot pre-packaged food items using the automated hot pre-packaged food dispensing apparatus is also disclosed in the present application.

(2) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Vending machines have since been used to serve a wide range of customers with a variety of products handling from green grocery to processed products. A typical example of this is a snack vending machine that is being used for buying and selling of different kinds of snacks. Drinks of all kinds can now be dispensed through vending machines making the world a more convenient place in terms of item purchasing. Vending machines traditionally dispense either a heated product or a cold product, but not both. With the development of technologies and economic growth of the developing countries, vending machines, in particular food vending machines, are also gaining attention in these developing countries.

A number of different types of solid food and beverage vending machines are available in the prior art. A prior art document, US20110139809 discloses a hot food vending machine for pre¬ packaged food articles. The food articles are kept frozen or refrigerated and are transferred to a microwave cooking/heating unit on getting the order of a user. The use of microwave cooking leads to soft food articles and prohibits development of a crunchy or crispy surface of a food article. The vending machine has funnel delivery system for transferring food articles. Another prior art document, EP0601954A1 discloses a machine able to preserve inside it previously frozen products, preserving them in a frozen condition and, then, when introducing a coin in the machine, to cook the foodstuffs in an oven located inside, and to dispense them already cooked and hot to a user. Yet another prior art document, US6808083 discloses a vending machine for dispensing a first number of products and a second number of products. The vending machine may include a product compartment. The product compartment may include a first column with the first products and a second column with the second products. A dispensing path may be positioned about the product compartment so as to dispense the first products without heating. A heating device may be positioned adjacent to the product compartment for heating the second products. A positioning device may be positioned about the second column to maneuver the second products to the heating device and the dispensing path so as to dispense the second products as heated. Yet another prior art document, US20100025422 discloses a method for automatically supplying and heating individual portions stored in a chilled or frozen condition, and a food automate for conducting the method, which food automate comprises a storage for individual portions, having cooling or freezing capacity, a microwave oven unit, a vertically adjustable feed table that is arranged in an upper position to close said storage for individual portions and to essentially close said microwave oven unit, a conveyor that is arranged on said feed table, and a dispenser unit for dispensing prepared individual portions. Another prior art document, WO2008103907 discloses an automated pizza preparation and vending system. The pizza is prepared from fresh ingredients directly in the machine. This leads to a high need for cleaning every single container of fresh ingredients and a regular need for servicing the machine due to the expiry of the single ingredients. Yet another prior art document, US20100230431 discloses a food dispensing machine for cooking, assembling, and dispensing meat products in buns or rolls. Yet another prior art document, US5147994 discloses a method and apparatus for vending a hot food product wherein a sealed container is moved from a protective sleeve and deposited in an oven where heat is transferred to the container for initially melting a protective sealing film and then heating the food product. Further, the apparatus includes a combination of microwave and convection heating is discussed. Yet another prior art document, US5048719 discloses an apparatus for storing, heating and dispensing portioned food items which has a cold storage unit for storing portioned food items, a cooking unit for heating the portioned food items, a transport lift unit for transferring the food items to be heated from the storage unit to the cooking unit and an output unit for transferring heated food items from the cooking unit to a dispensing station for dispensing. The storage unit includes a plurality of conveyor belts upon which the portioned food items are stored and which transport the food items to the transport lift unit.

However, above mentioned references and many other similar references have one or more of the following shortcomings or limitations: (a) complex design of the vending machine; (b) no refrigeration unit in the vending machine; (c) large size of the vending machines; (d) the vending machines includes conventional ovens; (e) the vending machine delivers only one type of food item; (f) the vending machine also includes the accessories/method of wrapping/covering the food products; (g) expensive; (h) time consuming; (i) not fully automated; and (j) the vending machines are large and requires more area to install.

(3) SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of food dispensing/vending machines now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved food dispensing/vending machine.

The method and the system of this invention centres on the innovative concept of automated hot food dispensing apparatus. The automated hot food dispensing apparatus comprises a front door, the multilevel rack (food box racks), motorized conveyor belt vending channels which holds and transfers the pre-packaged food items, a refrigeration cooling unit, an X-Y axis moving channel for pick up and delivery of food box, an automated microwave cooking system and a main controller board which operates the invention. The food can be pre-packed in a specific design of boxes or containers. Further, the automated hot food dispensing apparatus has, from the outside, a touch screen point of Sale system to select and order the food item. The apparatus includes both card swipe and cash accepting mechanisms and further it also includes bill dispensing unit. The whole apparatus is a very compact structure of less than 30 sqft carpet area. The overall utility of the apparatus is that it dispenses piping hot meals, which are freshly made and loaded into the apparatus every morning, in nearly 2-4 minutes. The system is completely automated and is free of manual intervention except for refilling the machine once every morning. The machine is connected through internet and is monitored from the central office facility for consumption rate, refilling requirements and for technical glitches, if any. A method of ordering, preparing and delivering the hot pre-packaged food products using the automated hot food dispensing apparatus is also one of the concepts of the present invention.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a food dispensing apparatus that comprises a refrigerated storage compartment having a front door for providing access to the storage compartment for loading the storage compartment with pre-packaged food boxes. A plurality of racks is arranged inside the storage compartment for holding the food boxes. A moving channel is configured to be displaced along the height and width of the storage compartment, wherein the moving channel is adapted to deliver the food boxes to a first conveyor belt. A moving platform is configured to collect the food boxes from the first conveyor belt and convey the food boxes to a heating unit where the food boxes are heated. A second conveyor belt is configured to convey the heated food boxes from the heating unit to a delivery bin of the food dispensing apparatus.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a food dispensing apparatus that further comprises a touch screen display configured to provide an interface to a customer to operate the food dispensing apparatus.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a food dispensing apparatus that further comprises a card swipe system to facilitate payment for a desired food box via payment cards, which include credit cards and debit cards.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a food dispensing apparatus that further comprises a digital wallet payment system to facilitate payment for a desired food box via digital wallets like PayTM, etc.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a food dispensing apparatus that further comprises a currency slot to facilitate payment for a desired food box via cash currency.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for operating a food dispensing apparatus, which comprises the following steps:
? accessing a touch screen display of the food dispensing apparatus;
? accessing a main menu appearing on the touch screen display;
? selecting a main category from the main menu;
? accessing a sub menu appearing after selecting the main category;
? selecting a desired food item from the sub menu;
? performing a payment for the desired food item; and
? obtaining a receipt for the payment.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method for operating a food dispensing apparatus, which further comprises the following steps:
? displacing a moving channel of the dispensing apparatus to cause the desired food box to be moved to a first conveyor;
? transferring the desired food box to a heating unit via a second conveyor;
? heating the food box in the heating unit;
? transferring the heated food box to a delivery bin of the food dispensing apparatus via a third conveyor; and
? providing the heated food to the customer.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

(4) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B depict different isometric views of an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B depict different views of the interior of the invention depicted in Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B.
Fig. 3 illustrates an example by a flow chart of a method of ordering, preparing, and delivering the hot pre-packaged food products using the automated hot food dispensing apparatus.

(H) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that the embodiments may be combined, or that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural and logical changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Figures 1 and 2 depicts one of the embodiments of this invention by a perspective outside and an inside view of the automated hot dispensing apparatus, respectively. The automated hot dispensing apparatus 101 comprises a front door 102, multilevel racks (food box racks) 103, food boxes 104, touch screen 105, currency slot 106, card swipe system 107, and food delivery bin 108.The multilevel racks 103 are kept under the refrigerated (cold) temperature (approximately between 4 to 8 oC). The automated hot dispensing apparatus 101 comprises X-Y axis moving channel 201, surface of the moving channel 202, conveyor belts 203 & 204, and microwave heating unit 204. The components 201, 202, 203 and 204 can only be visible in an inside view of the automated food dispensing apparatus 101. The front door 102 may be opened for loading the food boxes on the multilevel racks (food box racks) 104. The touch screen 105 is used for starting the buying process, selecting the food products, selecting the payment option, confirmation of the payment, and confirming the order. The currency slot 106 is used for inserting currencies of the different denominations when the customer has selected “Cash” option for the payment. In case, currencies provided by the customer are not acceptable then the currency slot 106 gives back the currencies to the customer. The currency slot 106 is also sensitive to track and identify different denominations of the currencies. The card swipe system 107 is activated, when customer has selected the option for the payment by credit/debit card. Once the customer has completely placed an order then after 2 to 4 minutes, the automated hot dispensing apparatus 101 delivers the ordered food products thru the food delivery bin 108. The food boxes which contains pre-packaged food items. The food boxes 104 sits properly on the slots of the food box racks (multilevel racks) 103. The X-Y axis moving channel 201 is used to pick up food box 104 from the multilevel racks 103 and delivers to the conveyor belt 202. The X-Y axis moving channel 201 operates like a lift (escalator) going up and down (Y-direction) from the multilevel racks 103 for picking the food boxes 104.The X-Y axis moving channel 201 pushes the food box 104 on the surface of the moving channel 202 and brings the food box 104 on the conveyor belt 202. Another moving platform 204 takes the food box 104 to the microwave heating unit 205 for heating the food items. Once heating is done by the microwave heating unit 205 then another moving platform 204 delivers the hot pre-packaged food box 104 to the food delivery bin 108.

Fig. 3 illustrates an example by a flow chart of a method of ordering, preparing, and delivering the hot pre-package food products using the automated hot food dispensing apparatus. At step 301, the customer arrives to the automated hot food dispensing apparatus. At step 302, the customer starts ordering the food items by pressing “Order Now” button on the touch screen 105. Main menu pops up on the touch screen 105 showing the main categories of the food items (step 303). The customer selects main category (step 304). On the touch screen sub menu pops up showing the various sizes and different varieties of food items in a particular category(step 305). At step 306, the customer selects the different food items and no. of units he/she wants to order. On the touch screen three main payment options pops up (step 307). The customer has mainly three payment options to select from cash, by using credit/debit cards, and online payment/using payment wallet (step 308). In case, the customer chooses to pay by Cash then the customer has to insert currencies thru the currency slot 106 and if the customer has choosen to pay by credit/debit card then the customer has to swipe the card thru the card swipe slot 107. For online payment option, the customer has to give all the identification/log-in details thru the touch screen 105. At step 309, the customer makes the payment. The system confirms the receiving of the payment from the customer (step 310). At step 311, the customer finalizes the order by clicking the tick option on the touch screen. The system starts processing of the order (step 312). The system provides order details and commands to the back end device. The X-Y axis moving channel 201 moves up (like a lift) to the multilevel racks 103 (step 313). Then multilevel rack is activated and the food box 104 transferred from the rack to the surface of the moving channel 202 (step 314). At step 315, X-Y axis moving channel 201 picks up the food box 104 and brings down the food box. At step 316, the X-Y axis moving channel 201 pushes the food box 104 on the surface of the moving channel 202 and brings to the conveyor belt 203. The food box 104 then transferred from the conveyor belt 203 to another moving platform 204. The food box 104 then moves to the microwave heating unit 205 on another moving platform 204 (step 317). The microwave heating unit 205 shuts off its door first and according to the program starts heating of the food box (step 318). The heating time and cycle is already pre-programmed and controlled by the centralized system. At step 319, the piping hot food item is transferred from the microwave heating unit 205 to the delivery bin 108 of the automated hot food dispensing apparatus 101.

It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-discussed embodiments may be used in combination with each other. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description.

The benefits and advantages which may be provided by the present invention have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. These benefits and advantages, and any elements or limitations that may cause them to occur or to become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features of any or all of the embodiments.

While the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it should be understood that the embodiments are illustrative and that the scope of the invention is not limited to these embodiments. Many variations, modifications, additions and improvements to the embodiments described above are possible. It is contemplated that these variations, modifications, additions and improvements fall within the scope of the invention. ,CLAIMS:We claim:
1. A food dispensing apparatus comprising:
? a refrigerated storage compartment having a front door for providing access to said storage compartment for loading said storage compartment with pre-packaged food boxes;
? a plurality of racks arranged inside said storage compartment for holding said food boxes;
? a moving channel configured to be displaced along the height and width of said storage compartment, said moving channel adapted to deliver said food boxes to a first conveyor belt;
? a moving platform configured to collect said food boxes from said first conveyor belt and convey said food boxes to a heating unit where said food boxes are heated; and
? a second conveyor belt configured to convey the heated food boxes from said heating unit to a delivery bin of said food dispensing apparatus.
2. The food dispensing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a touch screen display configured to provide a customer interface to a customer to operate said food dispensing apparatus.
3. The food dispensing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a card swipe system to facilitate payment for a desired food box via payment cards, which include credit cards and debit cards.
4. The food dispensing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a currency slot to facilitate payment for a desired food box via cash currency.
5. The food dispensing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a temperature of said refrigerated compartment is in the range of 4oC to 8oC.
6. A method for operating a food dispensing apparatus, said method comprising the following steps:
? accessing a touch screen display of said food dispensing apparatus;
? accessing a main menu appearing on said touch screen display;
? selecting a main category from said main menu;
? accessing a sub menu appearing after selecting said main category;
? selecting a desired food item from said sub menu;
? performing a payment for said desired food item; and
? obtaining a receipt for said payment.
7. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising the following steps:
? displacing a moving channel of said dispensing apparatus to cause said desired food box to be moved to a first conveyor;
? transferring said desired food box to a heating unit via a second conveyor;
? heating said food box in said heating unit;
? transferring said heated food box to a delivery bin of said food dispensing apparatus via a third conveyor; and
? providing said heated food to said customer.
8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein payment is performed either by cash or payment cards, which include a credit card and a debit card.

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