Self-contained and demand-adaptable warmer for storing, heating, and holding ready-to-drink beverages
A beverage warmer comprises a plurality of product shelves, where each product shelf has a plurality of product lanes. Each product lane has an ambient area, a heating area, and a serving area. A product is loaded into the beverage warmer in the ambient area of a product lane and transported through each of the heating area and serving area in response to a product being removed from the beverage warmer. The product may be maintained in the heating area for a period of time and subject to a first temperature. Upon expiration of the period of time, the product is transported from the heating area to the serving area. The product is maintained in the serving area at a second temperature, where the second temperature is lower than the first temperature.
1 . A beverage warmer, comprising:
a product shelf with an ambient storage zone, a heating zone, and a serving zone, wherein the product shelf comprises a first door between the ambient storage zone and the heating zone and a second door between the heating zone and the serving zone, each of the first and second doors configurable between an open and a closed position; and
a controller configured to:
input, into a generated machine learning model, current condition data, wherein the current condition data comprises a spoilage behavior of a first product of the beverage warmer;
generate, using the generated machine learning model, a demand prediction associated with the first product in the beverage warmer;
detect that the first product is removed from the serving zone; and
selectively operate, based on the demand prediction, the first door to transport a second product from the ambient storage zone through the heating zone and to selectively operate, based on the demand prediction, the second door to transport the second product from the heating zone to the serving zone, wherein, if the controller determines that a current time is a low demand period, the controller is configured to responsively determine not to transport the second product through the first door from the ambient storage zone to the heating zone.
2 . The beverage warmer of claim 1 , wherein the serving zone comprises a serving area sized to receive a first number of products.
3 . The beverage warmer of claim 2 , wherein the ambient storage zone comprises a loading area sized to receive a second number of products.
4 . The beverage warmer of claim 3 , wherein the second number of products is greater than the first number of products.
5 . The beverage warmer of claim 3 , wherein the heating zone comprises a heating area sized to receive a single product.
6 . The beverage warmer of claim 1 , wherein the serving zone comprises a proximity sensor configured to detect whether a product is present at a location in the serving zone.
7 . The beverage warmer of claim 6 , wherein the controller is configured to determine that a product has been removed from the serving zone in response to the proximity sensor detecting that a product is not present at the location after detecting that a product is present at the location.
8 . The beverage warmer of claim 7 , wherein the controller is further configured to operate the first door to transport a product from the ambient storage zone to the heating zone in response to determining that a product has been removed from the serving zone.
9 . The beverage warmer of claim 1 , wherein the second door comprises a wall with a portal therethrough, wherein the portal is positioned on a top portion of the wall.
10 . The beverage warmer of claim 1 , wherein the product shelf further comprises a plurality of product lanes, each of the plurality of product lanes extend through the ambient storage zone, the heating zone, and the serving zone.
11 . The beverage warmer of claim 10 , further comprising:
a plurality of product shelves.
12 . A method of operating a beverage warmer, comprising:
inputting, into a generated machine learning model of a controller, current condition data, wherein the current condition data comprises a spoilage behavior of a first product of the beverage warmer;
generating, using the generated machine learning model, a demand prediction associated with the first product in the beverage warmer;
receiving the first product in a loading area of a product lane on a product shelf of the beverage warmer;
transporting the first product through a first door from the loading area to a heating area based on the demand prediction;
heating the first product in the heating area for a heating time at a heating temperature;
transporting the first product through a second door from the heating area to a serving area based on the demand prediction after the heating time;
maintaining the first product at a serving temperature in the serving area;
detecting that the first product is removed from the serving area; and
determining that a current time is during a low demand period, and responsively determining, based on the demand prediction, to not transport a second product through the first door from the loading area to the heating area.
13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
detecting whether the second product is in the loading area of the product lane;
detecting that the first product is removed from the serving area, and responsively transporting the second product through the first door from the loading area to the heating area.
14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein heating the first product in the heating area comprises heating the first product with one or more heating elements in the heating area.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the one or more heating elements comprises two heating elements are positioned on opposite sides of the heating area.
16 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
heating air in the serving area to the serving temperature with one or more heating elements in a serving zone that comprises the serving area.
17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
circulating the heated air in the serving area with one or more fans positioned in the serving zone.
18 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
detecting that no products are present in the serving area;
displaying a time on a display adjacent to the serving area, wherein the time indicates an amount of time remaining until a heated product is transported through the second door from the heating area to the serving area.
19 . The method of claim 12 , wherein transporting the first product through the first door comprises rotating the first door and transporting the first product through the second door comprises rotating the second door.