Hatco Corporation

John P Scanlon

Nick Bassill

Mark Gilpatric

Brandon Bassill

Hans Anderson Wildebush

Kelly Wright

Michael Whiteley

Kevin Veeser

Fei Shang

Ishan Shah

Allan E Witt

Louis S Anich, Jr

Max Walker

Ronghua Yu

Dave Rolston

A temperature regulation unit includes a housing, an electrical connector, a fan, a thermal element, a cover, and a light. The housing has an upper end and a lower end. The housing defines an internal cavity. The electrical connector extends from the upper end of the housing. The fan is positioned within the internal cavity of the housing and is configured to provide an airflow. The thermal element is positioned within the internal cavity. The thermal element is configured to thermally regulate a temperature of the airflow. The cover at least partially encloses the lower end of the housing. The light is disposed along at least one of the cover or the housing. The housing has an angled portion that extends at an angle from the electrical connector. The angled portion defines a plurality of vents positioned to provide an inlet air flow path from an external environment into the internal cavity.

Food product temperature regulation unit

A temperature-regulating unit includes a base, a thermal element, a contactless sensing assembly, and a controller. The base is configured to support at least one of a pan or a food product. The thermal element is positioned to thermally regulate the at least one of the pan or the food product. The contactless sensing assembly is positioned to acquire sensor data regarding the at least one of the pan or the food product. The controller is configured to receive the sensor data from the contactless sensing assembly and adaptively control the thermal element based on the sensor data.

Sensor and control systems for food preparation

A food preparation appliance includes a processing mechanism, a thermal element, a sensor positioned to acquire identifying data regarding identifying characteristics of a food product to be processed by the food preparation appliance, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive the identifying data from the sensor, identify a type of the food product based on the identifying data, and automatically set a predefined operating parameter of at least one of the processing mechanism and the thermal element to provide target processing of the food product based on the type and the identifying characteristics.

Pattern recognizing appliance

A heating unit includes a housing defining a thermal cavity, a reflector assembly disposed within the thermal cavity, and a heating element disposed within the thermal cavity. The reflector assembly includes a first reflector coupled to an interior surface of the housing and a second reflector coupled to the first reflector. The first reflector is spaced from the interior surface forming a first air gap therebetween and the second reflector is spaced from the first reflector forming a second air gap therebetween. The heating element is at least partially surrounded by the reflector assembly.

Heating unit with LEDs and venting

A temperature regulation unit includes a housing, a conduit, a fan, and a thermal element. The housing has a sidewall with an upper end and a lower end. The sidewall defines an internal cavity. The conduit is disposed within the internal cavity of the housing and defines a passage. The conduit has a first end and an opposing second end. The fan is positioned within the internal cavity of the housing at the first end of the conduit. The fan is configured to provide an airflow to the passage of the conduit. The thermal element is positioned within the passage of the conduit. The thermal element is configured to thermally regulate a temperature of the airflow flowing past the thermal element and out of the opposing second end of the conduit.

Food product temperature regulation

Induction appliance

A heating unit includes a housing defining a thermal cavity and has a first longitudinal edge and an opposing second longitudinal edge, a reflector assembly disposed within the thermal cavity, a heating element, and a lighting element. The housing defines a vent positioned at least one of laterally between a central longitudinal plane of the housing and the first longitudinal edge and laterally between the central longitudinal plane and the opposing second longitudinal edge. The reflector assembly is coupled to an interior surface of the housing. A spacer is positioned between the reflector assembly and the interior surface forming an air gap therebetween. The heating element extends within the central longitudinal plane and is at least partially surrounded by the reflector assembly. The lighting element is positioned along at least one of the first longitudinal edge and the opposing second longitudinal edge such that the vent is positioned laterally between the lighting element and the heating element.

Food preparation unit

A topless bin for holding and warming food items such as wrapped sandwiches, fries, or breakfast meals, is disclosed herein. The bin includes a base, a base heating element, a pair of side walls and a pair of side heating elements. The base has a horizontal holding surface for supporting the food items being held. The base heating element is thermally coupled to the holding surface such that the food items are warmed thereby. Each side wall has a first portion extending upwardly perpendicular to and at opposite sides of the base, and a second portion extending upwardly at an inclined angle from the first portion. Each side heating element is supported by the second portion of one of the side walls. The inclination is selected to direct heat at an angle from the respective side heating element toward the holding surface such that the food items are also warmed thereby. Thus, the food items are warmed without either an overhead heat source or convected heat from an air stream. The heat sources can also be implemented as infrared heating elements.

Growing community of inventors

Sturgeon Bay, WI, United States of America

John P Scanlon