FOOD WARMING AND HOLDING DEVICE CONSTRUCTION AND METHOD

• US 20080213449A1
• Filed: 02/29/2008
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haven Innovation, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Track Corp.
• Inventors: Rupar, Dennis V., Plumert, Terry L., Wisner, Donald W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,061,266 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/520
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 39/006 for either storing and preparing or for preparing food on serving trays, e.g. heating, thawing, preserving

Abstract

A device for heating food includes a housing and a plurality of heated shelves or trays supported on the housing. Each tray includes a heater and a temperature sensor. The heater is operable to heat the tray and the temperature sensor is capable of sensing the temperature of the tray. A controller is coupled to each heater and each temperature sensor, and the controller is configured to operate the heater as a function of the tray temperature.

Claims

1. A device for heating food comprising:

a housing;

a plurality of trays supported on said housing, each of said trays including a heater and a temperature sensor associated with said tray, said heater operable to heat said tray, said temperature sensor capable of sensing the temperature of said tray; and

a controller electrically coupled to each of said heaters and each of said temperature sensors, said controller configured to operate said heater as a function of said tray temperature.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein each said tray includes an upper surface, said temperature sensor positioned adjacent to said upper surface and capable of sensing the temperature of said upper surface.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said controller is configured to operate said heater on a first duty cycle to maintain said tray temperature at a hold temperature.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein said hold temperature is between about 140 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. The device of claim 3 wherein said controller is configured to deactivate said first duty cycle and operate said heater on a rethermalization cycle to raise said tray temperature to a cook temperature when said tray temperature falls below a lower limit temperature.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein said controller is configured to deactivate said rethermalization cycle and to operate said heater on a second duty cycle when said tray temperature reaches said cook temperature.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein said controller is configured to measure a cook time during said rethermalization cycle and to measure a loop time during said second duty cycle.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein said controller is configured restart said heater on said second duty cycle a plurality of times as a function of said cook time and said loop time.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein said tray includes an indicator, and wherein said controller is configured to activate said indicator upon completion of said second duty cycle.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein said controller is further configured to remotely communicate the completion of said second duty cycle.

11. A device for heating a food product comprising:

a plurality of trays, each of said trays including a surface for contacting the food product, a heater capable of heating said surface to a first temperature and a second temperature, and a temperature sensor capable of measuring the temperature of said surface; and

a controller coupled to said heater and said temperature sensor, said controller including a timer capable of measuring the amount of time required to heat said surface from said first temperature to said second temperature after the food product is placed on the surface, said controller configured to operate said heater as a function of the amount of time measured by said timer.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein said surface of at least one of said trays is shaped to correspond to the shape of the food product.

13. The device of claim 11 including a plate adapted to attach to at least one of said trays over said surface, said plate shaped to correspond to the shape of said food product.

14. The device of claim 11 wherein said first temperature is a hold temperature, said controller configured to operate said heater on a first duty cycle to maintain said temperature of said surface at said hold temperature.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein said controller is configured to deactivate said first duty cycle and operate said heater on a cook cycle when said temperature of said surface falls below a lower limit temperature.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein said controller is configured to deactivate said cook cycle and operate said heater on a second duty cycle when said temperature of said tray reaches a cook temperature.

17. The device of claim 11 wherein each of said trays includes an upper plate including said surface, a lower plate, and a frame, said heater and said temperature sensor positioned between said upper plate and said lower plate.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein said frame is connected to a light source, said light source capable of lighting a portion of said frame, said light source electrically coupled to said controller.

19. A method for heating a food item comprising:

providing a tray having a surface for contacting the food item, a heater, a temperature sensor capable of sensing the temperature of the surface, and a controller for controlling the operation of the heater;

heating the surface to a first temperature;

operating the heater on a first duty cycle to maintain the surface at the first temperature;

operating the heater on a cook cycle to raise the temperature of the surface to a second temperature, the cook cycle initiated automatically upon the temperature of the surface falling below a lower limit temperature;

operating the heater on a second duty cycle such that the temperature of the surface falls below the second temperature and then increases back to the second temperature; and

operating the heater on a third duty cycle to hold the surface at a third temperature below the second temperature.

20. The method of claim 19 including repeating the step of operating the heater on a second duty cycle a plurality of times until the food item is heated.

21. The method of claim 20 including measuring a cook time to heat the surface from the first temperature to the second temperature and measuring a loop time to increase the temperature of the surface to the second temperature when the heater operates on the second duty cycle, wherein the step of operating the heater at the second duty cycle is repeated a plurality of times depending on the cook time and the loop time.