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:
Sep. 21, 1999
Filed:
Jul. 30, 1997
Amil J Ablah, Wichita, KS (US);
Brian L Clothier, Wichita, KS (US);
Thermal Solutions Inc., Wichita, KS (US);
Abstract
A heat retentive, temperature self-regulating, food retaining apparatus (10) includes a body (12), heat retentive core (14) and magnetic induction heating element (16). The body (12) includes a substantially rigid, heatable, food-contacting wall (18) defining a cavity (24). The core (14) is positioned in the cavity (24), and in thermal contact with the wall (18) for selective heating of the wall (18). The core (14) includes a solid state phase change material for storing latent heat during a solid-to-solid phase transformation at a phase transformation temperature. A resilient material is in contact with the phase change material to permit expansion of the phase change material during a phase transformation. The heating element (16) is in thermal contact with the core (14) for heating the core (14) to a temperature above the phase transformation temperature to effect a phase transformation in the phase change material. The element (16) includes a ferromagnetic material responsive to a magnetic field for inducing an electric current in the element (16) to heat the element (16). The ferromagnetic material has a Curie temperature between the phase transformation temperature and the melting temperature of the phase change material. A food warming device (42) includes a heater (44) having a holder (46), a magnetic field generator (48), and a no load detector (50), and a food retaining apparatus (10) positioned on the holder (46).