Aladdin Synergetics, Inc.

Kevin B Cundiff

W Burk Wyatt

Leonard L Mitchum, Jr

Robert A McCoy

Kenneth R Little, Jr

Julia T Wimpee

Royce A Payton

Roger W Pepper

Gary C DeGrow

Roger K Oakes

A rethermalization cart having top and bottom sides connected together by at least two side walls. Attached to the side walls at a plurality of vertically spaced positions are a plurality of tray supports. Attached adjacent and below the tray supports and in a cantilevered out position are a plurality of heating pads at each tray support location. Each of the pads is secured so that it can be individually disconnected, removed and replaced as needed. Switches within each individual heating pad are activated by covers that are positioned over the food. The use of the covers provides a positive indication whether the food is being heating since the switches are magnetic and the covers contain corresponding magnets. Thus, by leaving the cover off there is a positive assurance that the food will remain cold.

Rethermalization system and cart

A rethermalization system for rethermalizing food includes (a) a food service tray having a hot dish through-opening and the through-opening having a through-opening top edge, (b) a rethermalization cart including a cart frame, a plurality of heating pads supported within the cart frame, and a plurality of vertically spaced tray supports attached to the cart frame for supporting the food service tray at a plurality of alternative vertically spaced shelf locations, and in a tray support position such that the hot dish through-opening is disposed above one of the heating pads, and (c) a food service dish positionable in the hot dish through-opening of the food service tray. The food service dish has a bottom surface for allowing heat transfer to occur from the heating pad to food in the food service dish with the tray in the tray support position, The food service dish is positionable in a heating position when the tray is in the tray support position such that the bottom surface of the food service dish is supported by the heating pad and an upper lip of the food service dish is slightly raised and out of contact with hot dish through-opening edge. This prevents heat transfer between the food service dish and the food service tray during heating of the food. The food service dish is also positionable in a serving position when the tray is supported on a planar surface such that the food service dish is supported by the contact of the upper lip with the hot dish through-opening top edge. This causes the generally vertical wall to be closely positioned adjacent to the hot dish through-opening in order to prevent excessive movement of the food service dish within the through-opening while the rethermalized food in the food service dish is being consumed.

Rethermalization system including food service dish

A food service tray assembly including a tray, a hot food dish, and an insulated dome. Hot food is served onto the dish, the dome is preheated, the food carrying dish is set on the tray, the preheated dome set over the dish, and the tray system delivered to the intended consumer. A thermochromic member disposed in a heat conductive sleeve is mounted in the lift knob of the dome. Thus, without lifting the dome, the server and/or the consumer can readily determine from the color of the member whether the covered food is still at a safe heating temperature.

Food service tray assembly

A rethermalization cart having at each food tray positions therein a pair of electrical heater pads positioned to controllably heat separate food servings on a food tray positioned in the cart. Mounted in each pad is a hollow dowel of thermochromic material and surrounded by a heat conductive sleeve. The color of the material is readily visible from outside of the cart to indicate whether the food associated with that pad is safely heated. A light bulb is connected to the electrical heating circuit of the pad so that when the circuit is 'on' the bulb is lit. When lit, the bulb shines through the hollow dowel. The cart, when in position in a refrigerator unit, is plugged into an electrical receptacle in the unit. When the cart is moved in or out of the unit to access the trays, the cart becomes unplugged. Although the light bulb is thereby extinguished, if lit, the thermochromic dowel still indicates by its color the thermal condition of the food.

Rethermalization cart indicator system

A food preparation and/or storage apparatus includes modular removable elements having a drawer with one connector for mechanical and electrical engagement with a heat only chamber and electrical connections to a removable heat transfer element. The heat transfer element also provides power from one removable heater to an adjacent removable heater. A shim positions a heat transfer element relative to a supporting drawer. A template releasably positions a center of each container directly above at least one heat transferring surface. A power connector includes a rubber-like grommet for tolerance in connecting to an external power source. A method of and an apparatus for adjusting the height of a plurality of vertically oriented shelves in a housing allows a plurality of vertically stacked shelves to be accessed from substantially the same height. The heat transfer element provides conduction heat to the container of food and, in combination with a heated air directing element, provides convection heating to the same food. Frozen food can be heated. Improved insulation is obtained by minimizing chamber to frame contact, by minimizing the clearance between drawers and spacer bars while a portion of the drawer is disposed outside the chamber and by adding a drawer gasket seal which contacts at least one of the spacer bars when the drawer is in a closed position. Waterproof electrical connections are included in the chamber element, on the drawer and on the heat transfer element.

Food service apparatus and process

Array of heater modules in a food service cart

A food service process including a hot food dish and an insulated dome. Hot food is served onto the dish, the dome set over the dish, and the dome covered hot food dish is delivered to the intended consumer. A thermochromic member disposed in a heat conductive sleeve is mounted in the lift knob of the dome. Thus, without lifting the dome, the server and/or the consumer can readily determine from the color of the member whether the covered food is still at a safe heating temperature. In an alternative process, the dome is first preheated and then placed over the plate of hot food. Then similarly, after the plated food is transported to a different location and delivered for consumption, the server and/or the consumer can determine from the color of the thermochromic member whether the food is still at a safe temperature for consumption.

Growing community of inventors

Brentwood, TN, United States of America

Kevin B Cundiff