Stewart Engineering and Equipment Co.

Commercial Automation, LLC

Michael J Dobie

Neal S Cooper

Jimmie L Smith

Adrian M Abordo

Keith A Dietz

Beverly A Barnum

Ryan Michael Rodriguez

John D Honeycutt

A food product storage and vending kiosk includes a cold storage unit, an oven unit, and a transportation mechanism. The cold storage unit includes a plurality of food packages, an active shelving system storing the plurality of food packages, and a freezer. Each of the food packages includes a food product in a box. The oven unit includes a base oven deck for receiving the food product and rising to meet and seal with a main body to form a sealed oven cavity for cooking the food product. The transportation mechanism is for moving a food package out of the cold storage unit, onto an elevator platform that lifts the food package to the oven unit, pushing the food product from the box onto the base oven deck for cooking, and pushing the food product off of the base oven deck into the box and out of a delivery chute.

Food product storage and vending kiosk

A grouping system (10) includes parallel conveyor belts (28) for conveying the objects from the unloader system (14) to the oven-ready conveyor (24). A group end sensor (64) is moveable along the grouping system (10) between the conveyor belts (28). The sensor includes both forward and rearward sensors (128, 130) for sensing the proximity of pans at a predetermined separation in the direction of travel. The group end sensor moves forward until its forward limit is reached or the forward sensor senses an object representing the last stopped pan. The conveyor then moves at full speed until the rearward sensor senses the following pan. The conveyor speed is then reduced so that the pan contact does not damage the dough.

Sensor traversing device

A pan inverting apparatus comprises an input endless belt and an output endless belt, between which a revolving pan wheel is positioned. The pan wheel includes a plurality of transverse pan receivers opening radially outward to define the circumference thereof. Each pan to be inverted is guided into engagement with the input endless belt and against a movable stop. The stop is synchronized with rotation of the pan wheel to selectively release each pan for chambering into one of the pan receivers for rotation by the pan wheel. After approximately one-half revolution of the pan wheel, the inverted pans are individually engaged by the output endless belt for advancement out of the pan receivers. In the preferred embodiment, cushioning within the pan receivers helps to secure the pans and reduce noise. Preferably, magnets are located subjacent to the input and output endless belts to promote positive frictional engagement with the pans.

Pan inverting apparatus and method

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Lewisville, TX, United States of America

Michael J Dobie