Vending-kiosk based systems and methods to vend and/or prepare items, for instance prepared foods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10885492-B2
Application number	US-201816161637-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2018
Priority date	Jul 14, 2017
Publication date	Jan 5, 2021
Grant date	Jan 5, 2021

Abstract

Kiosks, components, and methods are disclosed for preparing food to be vended to customers. The kiosk may be part of a multi-modal food distribution system in which the kiosk may operate in one or more various modes, including a kiosk vending mode, a constellation mode, and a cook en route mode to vend hot, prepared food to customers. The kiosks in the system may be configurable to change between each of the different modes depending upon information received by the system. The kiosk may be part of a kiosk-based food preparation system in which the kiosk vends prepared food items to customers. The kiosk may transmit information that may be used to provide replenishment to the kiosk. Such information may include the number of items vended, the number of items and/or supplies remaining, and/or a replenishment signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vending kiosk, comprising:
at least one cooking unit;
a plurality of vending compartments, each of the vending compartments having a respective interior;
a plurality of customer-facing doors, each of the customer-facing doors movable between a first position which prevents access to the interior of a respective one of the vending compartments from an exterior of the vending kiosk and a second position which allows access to the interior of the respective one of the vending compartments from the exterior of the vending kiosk;
a plurality of service doors, each of the service doors movable between a first position which prevents access to the cooking unit from the interior of a respective one of the vending compartments and a second position which allows access to the cooking unit from the interior of the respective one of the vending compartments;
a first plurality of actuators operable to alternatively latch and unlatch or alternatively open and close respective ones of the customer-facing door;
a second plurality of actuators operable to alternatively latch and unlatch or alternatively open and close respective ones of the service doors;
at least one processor-based control system, communicatively coupled to control the actuators of the first plurality of actuators and the second plurality of actuators, and which, for each of the vending compartments unlatches the customer-facing door of the respective vending compartment only if the service door of the respective vending compartment is latched or closed;
a first plurality of motors or solenoids operable to alternatively open and close respective ones of the customer-facing door; and
the at least one processor-based control system is communicatively coupled to control the customer-facing doors by control of the motors or solenoids of the first plurality of motors or solenoids.

2. A vending kiosk, comprising:
at least one cooking unit;
a plurality of vending compartments, each of the vending compartments having a respective interior;
a plurality of customer-facing doors, each of the customer-facing doors movable between a first position which prevents access to the interior of a respective one of the vending compartments from an exterior of the vending kiosk and a second position which allows access to the interior of the respective one of the vending compartments from the exterior of the vending kiosk;
a plurality of service doors, each of the service doors movable between a first position which prevents access to the cooking unit from the interior of a respective one of the vending compartments and a second position which allows access to the cooking unit from the interior of the respective one of the vending compartments;
a first plurality of actuators operable to alternatively latch and unlatch or alternatively open and close respective ones of the customer-facing door;
a second plurality of actuators operable to alternatively latch and unlatch or alternatively open and close respective ones of the service doors;
at least one processor-based control system, communicatively coupled to control the actuators of the first plurality of actuators and the second plurality of actuators, and which, for each of the vending compartments unlatches the customer-facing door of the respective vending compartment only if the service door of the respective vending compartment is latched or closed; and
a number of temperature sensors positioned to sense a temperature of each food item in at least one position along a path between the at least one cooking unit and a respective one of the vending compartments, inclusive of the interior of the vending compartments, and wherein the at least one processor-based control system receives data from the temperature sensors and determines whether each of the food items is within a specified range of temperatures.

3. A vending kiosk, comprising:
at least one cooking unit;
a plurality of vending compartments, each of the vending compartments having a respective interior;
a plurality of customer-facing doors, each of the customer-facing doors movable between a first position which prevents access to the interior of a respective one of the vending compartments from an exterior of the vending kiosk and a second position which allows access to the interior of the respective one of the vending compartments from the exterior of the vending kiosk;
a plurality of service doors, each of the service doors movable between a first position which prevents access to the cooking unit from the interior of a respective one of the vending compartments and a second position which allows access to the cooking unit from the interior of the respective one of the vending compartments;
a first plurality of actuators operable to alternatively latch and unlatch or alternatively open and close respective ones of the customer-facing door;
a second plurality of actuators operable to alternatively latch and unlatch or alternatively open and close respective ones of the service doors;
at least one processor-based control system, communicatively coupled to control the actuators of the first plurality of actuators and the second plurality of actuators, and which, for each of the vending compartments unlatches the customer-facing door of the respective vending compartment only if the service door of the respective vending compartment is latched or closed; and
a number of metal sensors positioned to sense each food item in at least one position along a path between the at least one cooking unit and a respective one of the vending compartments, inclusive of the interior of the vending compartments, and wherein the at least one processor-based control system receives data from the metal sensors and determines whether any of the food items contains metal.

4. A vending kiosk, comprising:
at least one cooking unit;
a plurality of vending compartments, each of the vending compartments having a respective interior;
a plurality of customer-facing doors, each of the customer-facing doors movable between a first position which prevents access to the interior of a respective one of the vending compartments from an exterior of the vending kiosk and a second position which allows access to the interior of the respective one of the vending compartments from the exterior of the vending kiosk;
a plurality of service doors, each of the service doors movable between a first position which prevents access to the cooking unit from the interior of a respective one of the vending compartments and a second position which allows access to the cooking unit from the interior of the respective one of the vending compartments;
a first plurality of actuators operable to alternatively latch and unlatch or alternatively open and close respective ones of the customer-facing door;
a second plurality of actuators operable to alternatively latch and unlatch or alternatively open and close respective ones of the service doors;
at least one processor-based control system, communicatively coupled to control the actuators of the first plurality of actuators and the second plurality of actuators, and which, for each of the vending compartments unlatches the customer-facing door of the respective vending compartment only if the service door of the respective vending compartment is latched or closed; and
a number of image sensors positioned to capture images of each food item in at least one position along a path between the at least one cooking unit and a respective one of the vending compartments, inclusive of the interior of the vending compartments, and wherein the at least one processor-based control system receives image data that represents images of the food items.

5. The vending kiosk of claim 4 wherein the at least one processor-based control syst

Assignees

• Zume Inc

Inventors

• Goldberg Joshua Gouled
• Satchell Christopher J

Classifications

• G07F9/009

  User recognition or proximity detection · CPC title

• G07F9/001

  Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices · CPC title

• G07F9/002

  Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines · CPC title

• G07F17/0078

  Food articles which need to be processed for dispensing in a hot or cooked condition, e.g. popcorn, nuts · CPC title

• G07F11/62

  in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles · CPC title