The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 18, 1994
Filed:
Feb. 15, 1994
Donald W Pickard, Sherborn, MA (US);
Robert L Trottier, Franklin, MA (US);
Peter G Lavigne, Cumberland, ME (US);
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
A self-heating group meal assembly and method of using same. In one embodiment, the assembly comprises a plurality of heating trays, each heating tray having a plurality of standoffs extending upwardly from the bottom thereof. The assembly also comprises a corresponding plurality of heater assemblies, each heater assembly being positioned within a tray on top of the standoffs so as to define a reservoir between itself and the bottom of its tray. Each heater assembly comprises a sturdy polymeric sheet of material shaped to define a plurality of pockets, an exothermic chemical heater material packaged into each of the pockets and a sheet of porous non-woven scrim attached to the bottom surface of the polymeric sheet and used to seal the pockets. The exothermic chemical heater material comprises a Mg-Fe alloy from which all activating electrolytes have been omitted to prevent inadvertent activation of the alloy in the event of water immersion. The assembly also comprises a corresponding plurality of institutional-size food pouches, each food pouch being placed directly on top of a heater assembly. A metering tube section is removably mounted in each tray, each tube section having an orifice aligned with its corresponding reservoir to provide activating solution thereto. The metering tube sections are separably connected to one another and are removably connectable to a collapsible activating solution container. A mixture of activating electrolytes and other ingredients are stored in the container. Just prior to use, water is added to the mixture of ingredients in the container, and the container is attached to the metering tube sections to permit the solution to be dispensed thereinto.