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:
Jun. 08, 1999
Filed:
May. 15, 1998
Societe Cooperative de Production Bourgeois, Faverges, FR;
Abstract
Meals are placed on individual trays in an institutional kitchen. The individual trays have a first part carrying the meal portion intended to be eaten hot and covered with a thermally insulative cloche and a second part carrying the meal portion intended to be eaten cold. The individual trays are transported in a thermally insulated enclosure to the places where the meals are to be eaten, where they are distributed into local individual units having a thermally insulated enclosure. Each individual unit includes retractable contact terminals operated by an electromagnet and contacting external terminals on the cloche which are in turn electrically connected to an electrical heating element of the cloche. Accordingly, by supplying power to the contact terminals, the meal portions intended to be eaten hot and placed under the cloches are selectively heated. The device is relatively inexpensive and facilitates meal handlings in compliance with hygiene conditions.