To-go cubby unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020237119-A1
Application number	US-202016776056-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 29, 2020
Priority date	Jan 30, 2019
Publication date	Jul 30, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A cubby unit includes a plurality of cubbies and a thermal management system. Each of the plurality of cubbies includes a cubby housing defining an internal compartment. The thermal management system is configured to facilitate thermally regulating at least one of (i) a food product selectively received within the internal compartment of at least one of the plurality of cubbies or (ii) the internal compartment of the at least one of the plurality of cubbies.

First claim

1 . A cubby unit comprising:
a plurality of cubbies, each of the plurality of cubbies including a cubby housing defining an internal compartment; and a thermal management system configured to facilitate thermally regulating at least one of (i) a food product selectively received within the internal compartment of at least one of the plurality of cubbies or (ii) the internal compartment of the at least one of the plurality of cubbies.

2 . The cubby unit of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of cubbies includes a door pivotally coupled to a first side of the cubby housing thereof, and wherein the door is at least partially transparent or solid.

3 . The cubby unit of claim 2 , wherein the door is a first door, and wherein the at least one of the plurality of cubbies includes a second door pivotally coupled to an opposing second side of the cubby housing thereof.

4 . The cubby unit of claim 2 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of cubbies includes an electronic locking mechanism positioned to facilitate selectively locking the door to the cubby housing thereof.

5 . The cubby unit of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of cubbies includes a connector that facilitates at least one of (i) selectively, mechanically coupling the plurality of cubbies to each other, (ii) selectively, electrically coupling the plurality of cubbies to each other, (iii) selectively coupling a thermal element of each of the plurality of cubbies to each other, or (iv) transmitting data between each of the plurality of cubbies.

6 . The cubby unit of claim 1 , further comprising a unit housing, wherein each of the plurality of cubbies is disposed within the unit housing.

7 . The cubby unit of claim 6 , wherein each of the plurality of cubbies is selectively removable from the unit housing, and wherein the cubby unit remains operational when one or more of the plurality of cubbies is removed from the unit housing.

8 . The cubby unit of claim 6 , wherein the unit housing has a first side and a second side, further comprising a first interface positioned along the first side and a second interface positioned along the second side.

9 . The cubby unit of claim 1 , wherein the thermal management system includes a plurality of thermal elements, each of the plurality of thermal elements associated with at least one of (i) a respective one of the plurality of cubbies or (ii) a respective subset of the plurality of cubbies.

10 . The cubby unit of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the plurality of cubbies does not have a thermal element associated therewith such that the at least one of the plurality of cubbies functions as an ambient temperature cubby.

11 . The cubby unit of claim 9 , wherein each of the plurality of thermal elements is separate and independently controllable.

12 . The cubby unit of claim 9 , further comprising a central driver coupled to and configured to thermally drive each of the plurality of thermal elements.

13 . The cubby unit of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the plurality of cubbies includes a divider wall that separates the internal compartment of the at least one of the plurality of cubbies into a first sub-compartment and a second sub-compartment.

14 . The cubby unit of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of thermal elements includes a dual-function thermal element positioned to facilitate heating the first sub-compartment and cooling the second sub-compartment, simultaneously.

15 . The cubby unit of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of thermal elements includes (i) a first thermal element positioned to facilitate thermally regulating at least one of (a) a first food product selectively received within the first sub-compartment or (b) the first sub-compartment and (ii) a second thermal element positioned to facilitate thermally regulating at least one of (a) a second food product selectively received within the second sub-compartment or (b) the second sub-compartment.

16 . The cubby unit of claim 9 , wherein the respective subset of the plurality of cubbies includes (i) a first cubby having a first cubby housing defining a first internal compartment and (ii) a second cubby having a second cubby housing defining a second internal compartment, wherein the plurality of thermal elements includes a dual-functioning thermal element positioned to facilitate heating the first internal compartment and cooling the second internal compartment, simultaneously.

17 . The cubby unit of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of thermal elements include at least one of heating elements or cooling elements, wherein the heating elements include at least one of a heating coil, a strip heater, a Peltier device, a resistive heating element, a radiant heating element, a tubular element or conduit that receives a heated working fluid, a blanket heating element, a heating element and a fan or blower, or an induction heating element, and wherein the cooling elements include at least one of cooling coils that receive a cooled working fluid, a thermoelectric cooler, a Peltier device, a solid-state refrigeration system, or a cooling element and a fan or blower.

18 . The cubby unit of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the plurality of cubbies includes a display configured to provide an indication regarding at least one of (i) contents within the internal compartment the at least one of the plurality of cubbies or (ii) a customer associated with the contents, and wherein the at least one of the plurality of cubbies defines a recess that functions as a temperature regulated cup holder.

19 . A cubby unit comprising:
a plurality of cubbies, each of the plurality of cubbies including:
a housing defining an internal compartment and an opening that facilitates accessing the internal compartment;
a thermal element positioned to facilitate thermally regulating at least one of (i) a food product selectively received within the internal compartment or (ii) the internal compartment;
a door pivotally coupled to the housing and selectively enclosing the internal compartment;
a locking mechanism positioned to facilitate selectively locking the door to the housing; and
a connector disposed along the housing, the connector configured to facilitate at least one of (i) selectively, mechanically coupling the plurality of cubbies to each other, (ii) selectively, electrically coupling the plurality of cubbies to each other, (iii) selectively coupling the thermal element of each of the plurality of cubbies to each other, or (iv) transmitting data between the plurality of cubbies;
wherein the connector facilitates detaching a respective one of the plurality of cubbies; and
wherein the cubby unit remain operational without the respective one of the plurality of cubbies connected thereto.

20 . A cubby unit comprising:
a housing defining a first compartment, a second compartment, and an outlet aligned with the second compartment, wherein the first compartment is temperature controlled and configured to receive a plurality of food orders; a dispensing system configured to retrieve food orders from the first compartment and provide the food orders to the second compartment; and a controller having programmed instructions to:
receive a credential from at least one of (i) a user interface disposed along the housing or (ii) a user device separate from the cubby unit, wherein the credential is provided to an external device or the user device ahead of the controller receiving the credential;
determine a respective food order of the plurality of food or

Assignees

• Hatco Corp

Inventors

• Jakubowski James
• Wenzel Gerhard
• Ross Michael
• Bley Taylor
• Virgin Jim
• Bassill Nicholas

Classifications

• G07C9/00174

  Electronically operated locks; Circuits therefor; Nonmechanical keys therefor, e.g. passive or active electrical keys or other data carriers without mechanical keys (mechanical locks with electric permutation E05B49/00; arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00) · CPC title

• G06Q50/12

  Hotels or restaurants · CPC title

• A47G2029/145

  the receptacle comprising means for identifying a deposit; Deposits carrying identification means, e.g. a bar code · CPC title

• A47J39/02

  Dish-warmers; Devices to keep food hot · CPC title

• A47G29/14 Primary

  Deposit receptacles for food, e.g. breakfast, milk {, or large parcels}; Similar receptacles for {food or} large parcels with appliances for preventing unauthorised removal of the deposited articles {, i.e. food or large parcels} · CPC title