Portable food cooling device

• US 20090090251A1
• Filed: 10/04/2007
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stackley Devices, LLC
• Original Assignee: Stackley Devices, LLC
• Inventors: Stack, William J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,347,781 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 99/476
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 19/26 Butter or cheese dishes or covers, with or without cooling or heating devices; Protective covers for food containers

Abstract

A food cooling device includes a cover, an electric motor powering a fan, and an automatic switch. The cover defines air intake openings beneath a motor housing, a bottom orifice, and vents between the air intake openings and the orifice. The bottom opening rests on a table, covering a plate containing hot food. A fan blade directs air toward the food, the air cools the food, and the heated air escapes through the vents. The cooling device is portable, light in weight, and easy to operate, making it suitable for use by small children as well as handicapped persons of all ages.

Claims

1. A device for cooling hot food served on a dish, said device comprising:

(a) a cover comprising a generally dome-shaped plastic body defining a bottom opening sized to fit laterally exteriorly of a dish holding hot food, said body defining a plurality of vents for releasing vapors emanating from the food,

(b) a motor compartment spaced upwardly of said bottom opening, said compartment containing an electric motor, at least one battery for powering the motor to rotate a fan shaft connected with the motor, and a switch for turning the motor on and off, and

(c) at least one fan blade extending from the fan shaft, said fan blade being spaced upwardly of said bottom opening.

2. The food cooling device of claim 1 wherein said switch is an automatic switch stopping the motor when the bottom opening is positioned so that the motor compartment is downward of the bottom opening.

3. The food cooling device of claim 1 wherein said switch is manually controlled.

4. The food cooling device of claim 1 wherein said body comprises polystyrene foam.

5. The food cooling device of claim 1 wherein said body includes an exterior surface decorated with printed indicia.

6. The food cooling device of claim 5 wherein said printed indicia include cartoon characters.

7. The food cooling device of claim 1 further comprising at least one handle extending laterally outwardly of said body, adjacent said bottom opening.

8. The food cooling device of claim 1 wherein said fan blade comprises a washable plastic material.

9. The food cooling device of claim 1 wherein said bottom opening is circular.

10. The food cooling device of claim 1 wherein said motor compartment is covered by a housing and said body defines a plurality of air intake openings between said housing and said vents, said housing being located exteriorly of the air intake openings.

11. A process for cooling heated food to render it more palatable, said process comprising:

(a) covering a dish of heated food with a food cooling device comprising a cover defining a bottom opening circumscribing said plate, said food cooling device including an electric fan powered by a battery operated electric motor, said fan having at least one fan blade spaced downwardly of said motor, said motor being located in a compartment spaced upwardly of said dish, said compartment being covered by a housing, said cover defining a plurality of air intake openings concealed by said housing when the cover is positioned above said dish, said cover also defining a plurality of vents between the housing and the bottom opening of the cover,

(b) cooling said food by rotating said blade to draw air into the compartment, drawing said air inwardly through the air intake openings toward the food, and then conducting said air away from said food and outwardly through the vents, and

(c) lifting said cover from said dish to reveal the cooled food.

12. The process of claim 11 wherein said compartment contains an automatic switch for turning said motor on and off, said process further comprising:

(d) automatically switching said motor on when the compartment is positioned above the bottom opening and automatically switching said motor off when the compartment is positioned below the bottom opening.