Modular food holding system

• US 10,213,052 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2018
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marmon Foodservice Technologies Incorporated (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Prince Castle LLC (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Inventors: Veltrop, Loren J., Laub, Christine S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jiang, Yong Hang
• Application Number:
  US15/905,252
• Publication Number:
  US 20180184845A1
• Time in Patent Office: 365 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 39/02 Dish-warmers; Devices to keep food hot
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric

Abstract

A modular food holding system includes a plurality of individual modularized food holding chambers, each of the plurality of food holding chambers being physically and communicatively removably connected to one another. Each of the food holding chambers includes a food holding cavity and at least one of a heating element and/or a cooling element for heating or cooling the food holding cavity. A chamber base is physically and communicatively removably connected to one of the food holding chambers and operation of at least one food holding chamber is controlled by the chamber base.

Claims

1. A modular food holding system communicatively connected to a central controller, comprising:

a master base configured to communicatively connect each of one or more food holding chambers to the central controller and further configured to connect to one or more expansion bases;

a first food holding chamber directly connected to the master base; and

a second food holding chamber connected to the master base through either (i) the first food holding chamber or (ii) an expansion base connected to the master base;

wherein the master base, the first food holding chamber, and the second food holding chamber are separate and discrete structures removably connected within the modular food holding system;

wherein the master base is configured to establish a communication connection between the central controller and the first and second food holding chambers, and

wherein the first and second food holding chambers receive control commands from the central controller.

2. The modular food holding system of claim 1, wherein the first food holding chamber has an identical structure to the structure of the second food holding chamber.

3. The modular food holding system of claim 2, wherein each food holding chamber includes both a downstream connector configured to connect to a food holding chamber and an upstream connector configured to communicatively connect the food holding chamber to the master base, which upstream and downstream connectors have distinct and corresponding structures.

4. The modular food holding system of claim 3, wherein the upstream and downstream connectors of each food holding chamber includes one or both of an electrical power connector or a communication connector.

5. The modular food holding system of claim 3, wherein the first food holding chamber is communicatively connected to the central controller through the master base and the second food holding chamber is communicatively connected to the central controller through the first food holding chamber and the master base.

6. The modular food holding system of claim 1, wherein the first and second food holding chambers include one or more electrical components, and the electrical components include only one or more of the following:

a unit controller, a timer switch, a heating element, a fan or an indicator light; and

wherein the one or more electrical components are communicatively connected to the master base by one or more connectors or wiring within the first and second food holding chambers.

7. The modular food holding system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second food holding chambers includes a sensor, and wherein the at least one of the first and second food holding chambers is controlled based upon sensor data from the sensor.

8. The modular food holding system of claim 7, wherein the at least one of the first and second food holding chambers includes a unit controller, which unit controller receives the sensor data from the sensor, and the unit controller controls the at least one of the first and second food holding chambers based upon the sensor data received.

9. The modular food holding system of claim 1, wherein the first food holding chamber receives electrical power from the master base and the second food holding chamber receives electrical power from either (i) the first food holding chamber or (ii) the expansion base.

10. The modular food holding system of claim 9, wherein each of the first and second food holding chamber includes an electrical heating or cooling element and a unit controller that controls operation of the electrical hearing or cooling element.

11. The modular food holding system of claim 1, wherein the second food holding chamber is connected to the expansion base, and wherein the expansion base is directly connected to the master base and is configured to communicatively connect one or more additional food holding chambers and one or more additional expansion bases to the master base.

12. A method for monitoring a plurality of food holding chambers of a modular food holding system, comprising:

connecting a first food holding chamber to a master base, wherein the master base is configured to connect to one or more expansion bases;

connecting a second food holding chamber to the first food holding chamber, wherein connecting the second food holding chamber to the first food holding chamber communicatively connects the second food holding chamber to the master base through either (i) the first food holding chamber or (ii) an expansion base connected to the master base;

connecting, by a communications link, a central controller to a master base;

receiving, at the master base via the communications link from the central controller, an indication of first operating parameters regarding operation of the first food holding chamber and an indication of second operating parameters regarding operation of the second food holding chamber;

communicating, from the master base, the first operating parameters to the first food holding chamber;

communicating, from the master base, the second operating para meters to the second food holding chamber;

controlling, by a first unit controller, the operation of the first food holding chambers based upon the first operating parameters; and

controlling, by a second unit controller, the operation of the second food holding chambers based upon the second operating parameters,

wherein the master base the first food holding chamber, and the second food holding chamber are separate and discrete structures removably connected within the modular food holding system.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the indications of the first and second parameters comprises:

receiving from the central controller, via the communications link, a control command directed to either or both of the first food holding chamber or the second food holding chamber; and

determining at least one of the first or second operating parameters based upon the received control command.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving from the central controller, via the communications link, a control command directed to either or both of the first food holding chamber or the second food holding chamber,

wherein the control command causes either or both of the first food holding chamber or the second food holding chamber to perform one or more of the following actions;

presenting an alert, illuminating an indicator light, displaying a countdown, controlling the temperature within the food holding chamber, or controlling the humidity within the food holding chamber.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the communications link includes one or more of the following:

a cord, a wireless connection, or a direct connection between a plug of the central controller and a socket of the master base.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

communicating to the central controller, via the communications link, data from one or both of the first food holding chamber or the second food holding chamber, wherein the data comprises one or more of the following;

temperature within the food holding chamber, humidity within the food holding chamber, heat source location within the food holding chamber, operating status of the food holding chamber, operating parameters of the food holding chamber, or sensor data from one or more sensors disposed within the one or more food holding chambers; and

causing the central controller to present information associated with at least a portion of the received data to a user via a display of the central controller.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining, by one or more processors of the central controller, at least one of the first operating parameters and the second parameters based upon data from one or both of the first food holding chamber or the second food holding chamber;

generate, by the one or more processors of the central controller, the indication of first operating parameters and the indication of the second operating parameters; and

communicate from the central controller, via the communications link, the indication of first operating parameters and the indication of the second operating parameters.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the first food holding chamber has a structure identical to the structure of the second food holding chamber.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein each food holding chamber includes both a downstream connector configured to connect to a food holding chamber and an upstream connector configured to communicatively connect the food holding chamber to the master base, which upstream and downstream connectors have distinct and corresponding structures.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second operating parameters include one or more set points, each set point associated with a target level of an environmental condition within the food holding chamber.