Method and apparatus for storing and dispensing bagged ice

1. A bagged ice storage and dispensing system, comprising:

a temperature controlled storage unit having an internal storage area, an upper wall, a lower wall, a front wall, a rear wall, and opposite sides, at least one door in the front wall allowing access to the storage area;

a bagged ice supply unit located above the storage unit and having an outlet for supplying bags of ice to the storage unit;

an opening in the upper wall communicating with the outlet of the bagged ice supply unit; and

a bag distributing unit mounted in an upper portion of the storage unit above the storage area, the distributing unit comprising a carriage, a horizontal carriage drive linked to the carriage and configured to drive the carriage back and forth in a reversible horizontal carriage transport direction between a start position under the bagged ice supply unit and one or more selected article distributing positions above the storage area, an article support movably mounted on the carriage and configured for supporting a bag of ice dispensed from the bagged ice supply unit through the opening and onto the support, the article support having a front end and a rear end, and an article distributor associated with the article support and configured for selectively driving articles in opposite horizontal article transport directions transverse to the horizontal carriage transport direction off the front and rear end of the support into storage positions in front and rear rows of storage positions in the storage area;

the front end of the article support being spaced from the front of the article storage area, and the rear end of the article support being spaced from the rear of the article storage area; and

the carriage comprising a support frame linked to the horizontal carriage drive, the article support being mounted on a first portion of the support frame, and a second portion of the support frame being spaced apart from the article support to provide a pap through which bags of ice can pass.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a controller associated with the horizontal carriage drive and bag distributor and configured to drive the carriage between the start position and selected bag distributing positions and to control the bag distributor to selectively drive a bag in a first article transport direction towards the front of the storage compartment and off the front end of the bag support to drop into a selected storage position in the front row, and to selectively drive a bag in a second, opposite article transport direction towards the rear of the storage compartment and off the rear end of the bag support to drop into a selected storage position in the rear row.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the front and rear storage rows each have at least two storage positions for receiving stacked articles.

4. A bagged ice storage and dispensing system, comprising:

a temperature controlled storage unit having an internal storage area, an upper wall, a lower wall, a front wall, a rear wall, and opposite sides, at least one door in the front wall allowing access to the storage area;

a bagged ice supply unit located above the storage unit and having an outlet for supplying bags of ice to the storage unit;

an opening in the upper wall communicating with the outlet of the bagged ice supply unit; and

a bag distributing unit mounted in an upper portion of the storage unit above the storage area, the distributing unit comprising a carriage, a horizontal carriage drive linked to the carriage and configured to drive the carriage back and forth in a reversible horizontal carriage transport direction between a start position under the bagged ice supply unit and one or more selected article distributing positions above the storage area, an article support movably mounted on the carriage and configured for supporting a bag of ice dispensed from the bagged ice supply unit through the opening and onto the support, the article support having a front end and a rear end, and an article distributor associated with the article support and configured for selectively driving articles in opposite horizontal article transport directions transverse to the horizontal carriage transport direction off the front and rear end of the support into storage positions in front and rear rows of storage positions in the storage area;

the front end of the article support being spaced from the front of the article storage area, and the rear end of the article support being spaced from the rear of the article storage area; and

the system further comprising a wheeled cart removably positionable in the storage compartment below the carriage, the cart having a basket defining at least one bag storage area for selectively receiving bags of ice stacked in front and rear storage positions in the basket.

5. A bagged ice storage and dispensing system, comprising:

a temperature controlled storage unit having an internal storage area, an upper wall, a lower wall, a front wall, a rear wall, and opposite sides, at least one door in the front wall allowing access to the storage area;

a bagged ice supply unit located above the storage unit and having an outlet for supplying bags of ice to the storage unit;

an opening in the upper wall communicating with the outlet of the bagged ice supply unit; and

a bag distributing unit mounted in an upper portion of the storage unit above the storage area, the distributing unit comprising a carriage, a horizontal carriage drive linked to the carriage and configured to drive the carriage back and forth in a reversible horizontal carriage transport direction between a start position under the bagged ice supply unit and one or more selected article distributing positions above the storage area, an article support movably mounted on the carriage and configured for supporting a bag of ice dispensed from the bagged ice supply unit through the opening and onto the support, the article support having a front end and a rear end, and an article distributor associated with the article support and configured for selectively driving articles in opposite horizontal article transport directions transverse to the horizontal carriage transport direction off the front and rear end of the support into storage positions in front and rear rows of storage positions in the storage area;

the front end of the article support being spaced from the front of the article storage area, and the rear end of the article support being spaced from the rear of the article storage area;

wherein the bag support comprises at least one endless bag conveyor belt mounted on the carriage and the bag distributor comprises a second drive device configured to drive the conveyor belt in opposite front and rear directions to drive bags of ice selectively off the front and rear ends of the conveyor belt and into storage positions in the front and rear rows; and

wherein the system further comprises rollers at opposite ends of the bag support about which said at least one endless conveyor belt extends, whereby portions of the conveyor belt extending over the rollers define opposite first and second convex, rounded ends, and the conveyor belt is configured to rotate bags of ice on the belt as they are driven off the belt, whereby each bag flips over as it falls off the at least one endless conveyor belt onto a stack of articles in a selected storage position.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein said at least one endless conveyor belt comprises a plurality of side-by-side conveyor belts extending around the rollers.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein a first distance comprising a gap between stacked bags of ice in front and rear rows in the storage area is less than a second distance between the front and rear ends of the article support.

8. A bagged ice storage and dispensing system, comprising:

a temperature controlled storage unit having an internal storage area, an upper wall, a lower wall, a front wall, a rear wall, and opposite sides, at least one door in the front wall allowing access to the storage area;

a bagged ice supply unit located above the storage unit and having an outlet for supplying bags of ice to the storage unit;

an opening in the upper wall communicating with the outlet of the bagged ice supply unit; and

a bag distributing unit mounted in an upper portion of the storage unit above the storage area, the distributing unit comprising a carriage, a horizontal carriage drive linked to the carriage and configured to drive the carriage back and forth in a reversible horizontal carriage transport direction between a start position under the bagged ice supply unit and one or more selected article distributing positions above the storage area, an article support movably mounted on the carriage and configured for supporting a bag of ice dispensed from the bagged ice supply unit through the opening and onto the support, the article support having a front end and a rear end, and an article distributor associated with the article support and configured for selectively driving articles in opposite horizontal article transport directions transverse to the horizontal carriage transport direction off the front and rear end of the support into storage positions in front and rear rows of storage positions in the storage area;

the front end of the article support being spaced from the front of the article storage area, and the rear end of the article support being spaced from the rear of the article storage area;

wherein the carriage comprises a support frame having a rear end linked to the horizontal drive and a forwardly projecting portion, the bag support is mounted on the forwardly projecting portion of the carriage, and the rear end of the bag support is spaced forward from the rear end of the carriage to provide a gap through which bags of ice can fall off the rear end of the support into a stacking position in the rear storage row.

9. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a guide plate pivotally mounted on the rear end of the support frame at a location spaced above the gap and movable between a forwardly inclined position extending over the gap in which a lower edge of the guide plate is adjacent the rear end of the bag support and a retracted position in which the lower edge of the guide plate is spaced from the rear end of the bag support to allow bags of ice to be driven off the rear end of the support to fall into a storage position in the rear row.

10. The system of claim 9 , further comprising a biasing device which biases the guide plate into the forwardly inclined position.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the guide plate comprises a guide for directing bags of ice supplied through the outlet of the bagged ice supply unit onto the bag support when the carriage is located in a start position under the outlet.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a locking mechanism configured to lock the guide plate in the forwardly inclined position when the carriage is located in the start position, the locking mechanism being released when the carriage is moved away from the start position, whereby a bag of ice on the bag support driven rearward by the bag distributor urges the guide plate towards the retracted position to allow the bag of ice to fall off the rear end of the article support and through the gap into a selected storage position in the rear row.

13. A bagged ice storage and dispensing system, comprising:

a temperature controlled storage unit having an internal storage area, an upper wall, a lower wall, a front wall, a rear wall, and opposite sides, at least one door in the front wall allowing access to the storage area;

a bagged ice supply unit located above the storage unit and having an outlet to supply bags of ice to the storage unit;

an opening in the upper wall communicating with the outlet of the bagged ice supply unit; and

a bag distributing unit mounted in an upper portion of the storage unit above the storage area, the distributing unit comprising a carriage, a horizontal carriage drive linked to the carriage and configured to drive the carriage back and forth in a reversible horizontal carriage transport direction between a start position under the bagged ice supply unit and one or more selected article distributing positions above the storage area, an article support movably mounted on the carriage and configured to support a bag of ice dispensed from the bagged ice supply unit through the opening and onto the support, the article support having a front end and a rear end, and an article distributor associated with the article support and configured to selectively drive articles in opposite horizontal article transport directions;

the carriage comprising a support frame linked to the horizontal carriage drive, the article support being mounted on a first portion of the support frame, and a second portion of the support frame being spaced apart from the article support to provide a gap through which bags of ice can pass.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the opposite horizontal article transport directions are transverse to the horizontal carriage transport direction.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the article distributor is configured to selectively drive articles in the opposite horizontal article transport directions off the front and rear end of the support into storage positions in front and rear rows of storage positions in the storage area.

16. A bagged ice storage and dispensing system, comprising:

a temperature controlled storage unit having an internal storage area, an upper wall, a lower wall, a front wall, a rear wall, and opposite sides, at least one door in the front wall allowing access to the storage area;

a bagged ice supply unit configured to supply bags of ice to the storage unit; and

a bag distributing unit mounted in an upper portion of the storage unit, the distributing unit comprising a carriage, a horizontal carriage drive linked to the carriage and configured to drive the carriage back and forth in a reversible horizontal carriage transport direction between a start position and one or more selected article distributing positions above the storage area, an article support mounted on the carriage and configured to support a bag of ice dispensed from the bagged ice supply unit onto the support, the article support having a front end and a rear end, and an article distributor associated with the article support and configured to selectively drive articles in opposite horizontal article transport directions;

the carriage comprising a support frame linked to the horizontal carriage drive, the article support being mounted on a first portion of the support frame, and a second portion of the support frame being spaced apart from the article support to provide a gap through which bags of ice can pass.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the opposite horizontal article transport directions are transverse to the horizontal carriage transport direction.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the article distributor is configured to selectively drive articles in the opposite horizontal article transport directions off the front and rear end of the support into storage positions in front and rear rows of storage positions in the storage area.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the bagged ice supply unit has an outlet to supply bags of ice to the storage unit; and

wherein the storage unit comprises an opening communicating with the outlet of the bagged ice supply unit.

20. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second portion of the support frame comprises a rear end of the support frame linked to the horizontal carriage drive, the first portion of the support frame comprises a forwardly projecting portion of the support frame on which the article support is mounted, and the rear end of the article support is spaced forward from the rear end of the support frame to provide the gap through which bags of ice can fall off the rear end of the article support into a stacking position in the rear storage row.