초록 ▼

Vacuum pneumatic conveying apparatus and method are described to provide for a simple, economical, convenient (and preferably automatic) system for conveying ice on an as-required basis from a source such as an ice maker to one or more receptors at locations remote from that source. The system can b

Vacuum pneumatic conveying apparatus and method are described to provide for a simple, economical, convenient (and preferably automatic) system for conveying ice on an as-required basis from a source such as an ice maker to one or more receptors at locations remote from that source. The system can be configured such that dispensing locations can be added or eliminated from the system or temporarily taken “off line” from the system without the need to change the basic system configuration or the central ice providing apparatus. The apparatus in various embodiments includes an ice source, a conveying conduit from the source to the receptor, a vacuum pump for moving the ice through the conduit by vacuum, and the receptor to collect the conveyed ice. The receptor may be an ice/beverage dispenser, an accumulator for retention and discharge to further devices, an intermediate storage dispenser, or an air lock device from where the ice can be projected over significant distances. Ice and vacuum may simultaneously be routed into different branched routes, utilizing a unique diverter/air shifter with the capability of providing routing to up to four different routes. Appropriate sensors and controllers, which may be microprocessor-based, may be used to automate the system. The entire system is easily cleanable. The system is advantageously used by restaurants, groceries, hotels and motels, hospitals, laboratories, and many other establishments where the providing of ice at various locations is desirable or required.

대표청구항 ▼

1. Apparatus for conveying ice comprising:a plurality of receptors for receiving ice, with at least one receptor at each of a plurality of remote locations;wherein said ice is substantially uncontaminated ice cubes;a hollow elongated ice conduit having an initial conduit portion from a source of ice

1. Apparatus for conveying ice comprising:a plurality of receptors for receiving ice, with at least one receptor at each of a plurality of remote locations;wherein said ice is substantially uncontaminated ice cubes;a hollow elongated ice conduit having an initial conduit portion from a source of ice to at least one intermediate division point from which a plurality of branch conduits extend, said initial conduit and said branch conduits providing an ice communication connection between said source of ice and said plurality of receptors;a diverter in said conduit at each said intermediate division point for direction of ice traversing said conduit from said initial conduit to any of said branch conduits; anda vacuum pump in fluid communication through a vacuum line having an inlet approximate to each said receptor for withdrawing air from said conduits and creating a vacuum comprising said negative air pressure in said conduits, said negative air pressure causing said ice to traverse said conduit from said source through said diverter to a selected one of said plurality of receptors. 2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein each said diverter further comprises a shifter for aligning said diverter with any selected one of said plurality of branch conduits at said intermediate division point. 3. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said plurality of conduits is in a range from two to four. 4. Apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising said vacuum line also having at least one coincident intermediate division point from which an equal plurality of branch vacuum lines extend, each such branch vacuum line forming a pair with a corresponding branch ice conduit and extending to and connecting with a corresponding one of said plurality of receptors, and each said diverter at each said intermediate division point also simultaneously directing said vacuum into and through that branch vacuum line paired with any selected one of said plurality of branch ice conduits. 5. Apparatus as in claim 4 wherein said diverter further comprises a shifter for routing ice conveyance and direction of vacuum to alternate pairs of corresponding branch ice conveyance conduits and branch vacuum lines. 6. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said at least one of said receptors therein comprises an accumulator with an inlet and an outlet and has an openable gate for release therefrom at said remote location of accumulated pieces of ice conveyed thereto from said source. 7. Apparatus as in claim 6 further comprising said gate being hingedly affixed to said accumulator and biasing means for biasing said openable gate into close contact with said accumulator and closing said outlet. 8. Apparatus as in claim 7 wherein said outlet of said accumulator is defined by an end of a peripheral wall of said accumulator surrounding said outlet, said end of said wall comprising an interior side of said wall and an exterior side of said wall joined by a width of said wall, said edge of said outlet comprising a junction line of said width and said interior side, said configuration comprises a chamfer across at least a portion of said width and terminating at an apex of an acute angle at said edge. 9. Apparatus as in claim 1 further wherein said vacuum line connects in fluid communication into said branch conduit at a first point of connection upstream of a second point of connection of said branch conduit into a respective receptor, and wherein said vacuum line is spaced apart from said second point of connection by an interval not greater than a distance that said ice pieces can traverse under momentum imparted to them by their prior conveyance by said negative air pressure, such that diversion of at least a portion of conveying force of said negative air pressure at said point of connection does not prevent said ice pieces from continuing to traverse entirely through said initial branch conduits and into said receptor. 10. Apparatus as in claim 9 further comprising said first point of conn ection of said hollow conduit and said vacuum line being located in an expanded internal breadth portion of said hollow conduit, such that in said expanded internal breadth portion, said velocity of air moving under said negative air pressure is diminished relative to said velocity of said air in an immediately upstream portion of said hollow conduit. 11. Apparatus as in claim 9 further comprising said vacuum line and said hollow conduit at said first point of connection being connected at an angle that precludes diversion of said ice pieces from said hollow conduit into said vacuum line. 12. Apparatus as in claim 9 further comprising said vacuum line at said first point of connection line with said hollow conduit wherein said vacuum line has a maximum inside width less than minimum breadth of any of said ice pieces, such that diversion of said ice pieces from said hollow conduit into said vacuum line is precluded. 13. Apparatus as in claim 1 further wherein said receptor is disposed adjacent to an inlet of a subsequent conduit leading to a subsequent accumulator at another remote location, and said pieces of ice released from said receptor are deposited into said inlet for conveyance through said subsequent conduit to said subsequent accumulator at said another remote location. 14. Apparatus as in claim 13 further comprising another vacuum line in fluid communication with said subsequent conduit for moving said ice through said subsequent conduit to said subsequent accumulator at said second remote location. 15. Apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising a collector into which ice pieces delivered from said source of ice are received, said collector having a first opening into said first conduit, and further comprising unbridging means associated with said collector for presenting said released ice pieces individually and unbridged to said first opening, whereby said ice pieces pass through said first opening into said first conduit. 16. Apparatus as in claim 15 wherein said unbridging means also motivates said ice pieces through said opening into said first conduit. 17. Apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising sensor means for detecting the presence or absence of ice in said receptor. 18. Apparatus as in claim 17 wherein said sensor means periodically measures a parameter value which is dependent upon said quantity of ice and from which said quantity of said ice can be determined. 19. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein at least one of said branch conduits has a further intermediate division point with a further diverter from which a further plurality of branch conduits extend, each further branch conduit leading directly to a further plurality of receptors and providing an ice communication connection between said source of ice and by means of said further diverter to each receptor in said further plurality of receptors. 20. Apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising cleaner introducing means for introducing a liquid cleaner into said ice conduit and conveying said liquid cleaner through said ice conduit under said negative air pressure, whereby passage of said cleaner through said ice conduit cleans contaminants from the interior of said conduit, and upon discharge of said cleaner at an outlet of said conduit, said cleaner removes from said conduit said contaminants entrained in said cleaner. 21. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein at least one receptor at a remote location comprises an air lock device which is connected to said ice conduit on an upstream side and which has an inlet for pressurized air from a source thereof on a downstream side and another conduit extending from said downstream side for passage of said pressurized air, such that ice entering said air lock device from said ice conduit passes through said air lock device and is propelled through said another conduit at high velocity by said pressurized air. 22. Apparatus as in claim 21 wherein that portion of said another conduit downstream of said airlock compris es flexible tubing with an outlet at an end distal from said air lock device and further comprising directing means for moving said outlet of said flexible tubing such that ice passing through said flexible tubing at high velocity can be projected from said outlet in various directions and to various distances. 23. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein that portion of said another conduit downstream of said air lock comprises flexible tubing with an outlet at an end distal from said air lock device and further comprising directing means for manual, mechanical, pneumatic or electrical positioning of said outlet of said flexible tubing. 24. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said source of ice comprises a plurality of individual sources of ice and said initial conduit is connected through an initial diverter to a plurality of source conduits each having one of said individual sources of ice at the end distal from said initial diverter, with vacuum being drawn in each source conduit by said vacuum pump, such that said ice can be directed from any of said individual ice sources into said initial conduit for conveyance to said receptors. 25. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said receptor comprises an ice dispensing device. 26. Apparatus as in claim 25 further comprising said ice dispensing device having dispensing means for dispensing individual quantities of said pieces of ice to an operator of said dispensing device upon demand of said operator. 27. Apparatus as in claim 26 further comprising said ice dispensing device also comprising means for dispensing individual quantities of liquid beverages to said operator of said dispensing device upon demand of said operator. 28. A process for conveying ice comprising:a. disposing a plurality of receptors for receiving ice at a plurality of remote locations, with at least one receptor of said plurality disposed at each of said remote locations;b. wherein said ice is substantially uncontaminated ice cubes;c. providing a hollow elongated ice conduit having an initial conduit portion from a source of ice to an intermediate division point from which a plurality of branch conduits extend, and directing transport of said ice through said initial conduit and said branch conduits between said source of ice and said plurality of receptors;d. disposing a diverter in said conduit at said intermediate diversion point and controlling said diverter to direct ice traversing said conduit from said initial conduit to any one of said branch conduits; ande. providing a vacuum pump in fluid communication through a vacuum line having an inlet proximate to each said receptor for withdrawing air from said conduits and creating a vacuum comprising said negative air pressure in said conduits, said negative air pressure providing means for transport of said ice through said conduit from said source through said diverter to a selected one of said plurality of receptors. 29. A process as in claim 28 further comprising forming at least one serial connection between two sequentially aligned conduits through a diverter and disposing one of said two sequentially aligned conduits as one of a plurality of conduits which can be alternately connected to the other of said two sequentially aligned conduits through said diverter. 30. A process as in claim 28 comprising conveying said ice and vacuum through a plurality of paired, serially connected conduits to reach said receptor. 31. A process as in claim 30 comprising forming at least one serial connection between two sequentially aligned paired ice and vacuum conduits through a diverter. 32. A process as in claim 31 further comprising disposing one of said two sequentially aligned paired ice and vacuum conduits as one of a plurality of paired ice and vacuum conduits which can be alternately connected to the other of said two sequentially aligned paired ice and vacuum conduits through said diverter. 33. A process as in claim 28 further comprising providing in at least one said recepto r an openable gate causing pieces of ice conveyed into said receptor through said conduit by said vacuum to come to rest bearing upon said gate, said accumulator at said remote location; said gate being biased against opening; and thereafter releasing of accumulated pieces of ice conveyed from said source from said receptor at said remote location by counteracting or eliminating of said gate. 34. A process as in claim 28 wherein said receptor comprises an air lock device and said process further comprises providing for said air lock device an air communication connection to a source of pressurized air on a downstream side thereof and ice and air communication with another conduit extending from said downstream side and having an outlet end distal to said air lock device, for passage of said pressurized air, and causing ice to enter said air lock device from said ice conduit and pass therethrough to encounter pressurized air moving at high velocity on said downstream side and become entrained in said pressurized air moving at high velocity and be propelled through said another conduit and thereby be dispersed at high speed from said outlet end of said another conduit. 35. A process as in claim 28 further comprising:a. connecting said vacuum line in fluid communication into each said branch conduit at a first point of connection upstream of a second point of connection of said ice conduit into said receptor, and spaced apart from said second point of connection by an interval not greater than a distance that said ice pieces can traverse under momentum imparted to them by their prior conveyance through said conduit by said negative air pressure; andb. conveying said ice pieces under that amount of force of said negative air pressure at said first point of connection sufficient to cause said ice pieces to continue to traverse entirely through said initial conduit, said diverter and said branch conduit and into said receptor without diversion of any ice pieces into said first vacuum line. 36. A process as in claim 35 further comprising causing velocity of air at said first point of connection and moving under said negative air pressure to be diminished relative to velocity of said air in an immediately upstream portion of said ice conduit by disposing said first point of connection in an expanded internal breadth portion of said first hollow conduit. 37. A process as in claim 36 further comprising forming said expanded internal breadth portion of said hollow conduit with a length sufficiently great that one portion of any liquid being conveyed through said conduit will be diverted into said first vacuum line and another portion of said liquid will continue to traverse through said ice conduit and into said receptor. 38. A process as in claim 28 further comprising disposing in at least one receptor a sensor for detection of presence of ice in said ice dispenser, and generating a signal from said sensor when a quantity of ice in said receptor falls below a predetermined minimum, said signal being responded to by operation of said vacuum pump to draw ice from said source and transport said ice through said conduit to said receptor to replenish the quantity of ice to an amount greater than the predetermined minimum. 39. A process as in claim 28 wherein ice pieces delivered from said source of ice to said initial conduit are received at said receptor in at least partially bridged condition, and further comprising unbridging said ice pieces prior to delivering said ice pieces into said initial ice conduit. 40. A process as in claim 28 wherein said receptor comprises an ice dispensing device, an accumulator or an air lock device.