Abstract: An automatic knife sharpening machine may include a vice to grip a blade of a knife and a pair of grind wheels to grind material from the blade. The machine may include a scanner to determine a profile of an edge of the blade, and a sharpness sensor to determine a sharpness level of the edge. The machine may include a controller. The controller may perform a first sharpening pass on the knife by moving the grind wheels into contact with the blade, and advancing the grind wheels longitudinally along the blade from adjacent the vice towards a tip of the blade with the grind wheels in contact with the blade. The controller may determine, using the sharpness sensor, the sharpness level of the edge after the first sharpening pass and perform at least one second sharpening pass when the determined sharpness level is less than a threshold sharpness level.

Abstract: A thermally efficient container system having a lid and a base that has a chamber to include a frozen product, or a hot product. The container system includes an outer container including an outer tub and an outer lid. The outer lid can be coupled to the outer tub via one or more hinges. The container system also includes an inner container including an inner tub configured to fit into the outer tub and form a first cavity between at least a portion of the inner tub and the outer tub, and an inner lid configured to fit within at least a portion of the outer lid and adjacent to a proximal surface of the outer lid forming an enclosed second cavity between the inner lid and the outer lid. The container system can include one or more locking assemblies that are configured to secure the lid to the base.

Abstract: Systems and methods of producing a frozen food product include dosing ingredients with a liquefied gas while mixing the ingredients using self-cleaning interlocking beaters. A system can include a container mount rotatable in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction, a coolant dosing system configured to provide coolant to ingredients in a container coupled to the container mount, at least one beater to mix ingredients in the container, and a controller to control the rotation of the container mount and the beaters, the controller performing a mixing process that includes rotating the beaters and the container mount in opposite directions for a first time period, rotating the beaters and the container mount in the same directions for a second time period, and rotating the beaters and the container mount in opposite directions for a third time period.

Abstract: An automatic knife sharpening machine may include a vice to grip a blade of a knife and a pair of grind wheels to grind material from the blade. The machine may include a scanner to determine a profile of an edge of the blade, and a sharpness sensor to determine a sharpness level of the edge. The machine may include a controller. The controller may perform a first sharpening pass on the knife by moving the grind wheels into contact with the blade, and advancing the grind wheels longitudinally along the blade from adjacent the vice towards a tip of the blade with the grind wheels in contact with the blade. The controller may determine, using the sharpness sensor, the sharpness level of the edge after the first sharpening pass and perform at least one second sharpening pass when the determined sharpness level is less than a threshold sharpness level.

Abstract: Systems and methods of producing a frozen food product include mixing ingredients with a liquefied gas, e.g. liquid nitrogen. The texture and quality of the food product may be determined by sensing temperature or viscosity, and controlling the rate at which the liquefied gas flows into the mixture, i.e. dosing. This functionality may be achieved using one or more scoops, the position of which may be controlled by actuators. The dosing may be controlled by a program that receives input from one or more sensors, and the program may be responsive to input of the type or amount of ingredients being mixed. In addition, the dosing may be controlled by a human being through a user interface, e.g. by pushing a ‘dose’ button.

Abstract: Systems and methods of producing a frozen food product include mixing ingredients with a liquefied gas, e.g. liquid nitrogen. The texture and quality of the food product may be determined by sensing temperature or viscosity, and controlling the rate at which the liquefied gas flows into the mixture, i.e. dosing. This functionality may be achieved using one or more scoops, the position of which may be controlled by actuators. The dosing may be controlled by a program that receives input from one or more sensors, and the program may be responsive to input of the type or amount of ingredients being mixed. In addition, the dosing may be controlled by a human being through a user interface, e.g. by pushing a ‘dose’ button.