Tray Handler For Food Warming Apparatus
First Claim
1. A food warming apparatus for maintaining previously cooked food portions in a ready-to-use condition, the food warming apparatus comprising:
- a cabinet having at least one heating compartment therein;
at least one tray for holding the previously cooked food portions;
at least one tray handler disposed in the at least one heating compartment, the at least one tray handler comprising;
a frame for receiving the at least one tray;
at least one handle; and
at least one roller,whereby a user is able to move the at least one tray by manually grasping the at least one handle and rolling the at least one tray handler on the least one roller within the at least one heating compartment.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A food warming apparatus has a heating compartment for maintaining previously cooked food portions in a ready-to-use condition. The food portions are contained in a tray that is placed in a tray handler. The tray handler may include a frame for receiving the tray, a handle, and rollers. A tray handler guide in the heating compartment has a guide surface on which the rollers are able to roll and stops for engaging the rollers at a maintenance position and an access position. In the maintenance position, the tray is positioned inside the heating compartment so that the food portions are maintained in a ready-to-use condition. In the access position, a user is able to access food portions in the tray. At the maintenance and access positions, the user may sense the engagement of the rollers by sensing that the tray handler'"'"'s motion is impeded but not prevented.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A food warming apparatus for maintaining previously cooked food portions in a ready-to-use condition, the food warming apparatus comprising:
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a cabinet having at least one heating compartment therein; at least one tray for holding the previously cooked food portions; at least one tray handler disposed in the at least one heating compartment, the at least one tray handler comprising; a frame for receiving the at least one tray; at least one handle; and at least one roller, whereby a user is able to move the at least one tray by manually grasping the at least one handle and rolling the at least one tray handler on the least one roller within the at least one heating compartment. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A food warming apparatus comprising:
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a cabinet having at least one heating compartment therein; at least one tray handler that is able to move in at least a forward direction and a rearward direction in the at least one heating compartment; at least one tray for holding previously cooked food portions, wherein the at least one tray is disposed in the at least one tray handler; and at least one engagement structure disposed in the heating compartment, wherein the at least one engagement structure is configured to engage the at least one tray handler, so as to impede but not prevent forward and rearward motion of the at least one tray handler, when the at least one tray handler is in a maintenance position and when the at least one tray handler is in an access position, the maintenance position being a position in which the at least one tray is inside the heating compartment to allow the food warming apparatus to maintain previously cooked food portions contained in the at least one tray in a ready-to-use condition, the access position being a position in which the at least one tray is at least partially withdrawn from the heating compartment to allow a user to access previously cooked food portions contained in the at least one tray. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for moving a tray in a food warming apparatus, the tray containing previously cooked food portions, the food warming apparatus containing a heating compartment, the method comprising:
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placing the tray in a tray handler, wherein the tray handler is able to move in at least a forward direction and a rearward direction in the heating compartment; moving the tray handler to a maintenance position by moving the tray handler in the rearward direction until the tray handler'"'"'s movement is impeded but not prevented by a first engagement between the tray handler and at least one engagement structure disposed in the heating compartment, the maintenance position being a position in which the tray is inside the heating compartment to allow the food warming apparatus to maintain previously cooked food portions contained in the tray in a ready-to-use condition; moving the tray handler to an access position by moving the tray handler in the forward direction until the tray handler'"'"'s movement is impeded but not prevented by a second engagement between the tray handler and the at least one engagement structure, the access position being a position in which the tray is at least partially withdrawn from the heating compartment to allow a user to access previously cooked food portions contained in the tray; moving the tray handler out of the maintenance position by overcoming the first engagement; and moving the tray handler out of the access position by overcoming the second engagement. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification