HEATED AIR CURTAIN CONTAINER WITH MULTIPLE TEMPERATURE ZONES

• US 20110005409A1
• Filed: 07/10/2009
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hatco Corporation (Lanxess AG)
• Original Assignee: Hatco Corporation (Lanxess AG)
• Inventors: Majchrzak, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/501,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20110005409A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 99/468
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/2483 with electrical heating means
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 39/003 with forced air circulation

Abstract

A food container includes an interior chamber sized to contain food items, the interior chamber having a first temperature zone and a second temperature zone. The food container further includes an opening providing access to the interior chamber, a fan configured to supply an air stream to a duct system, and a heater configured to heat the air stream, where the duct system is configured to deliver a portion of the air stream across the opening, creating an air curtain. The food container further includes a diverter disposed in the air curtain to divert a portion of the air stream out of the air curtain and into the interior chamber, the diverter configured to cause the second temperature zone to maintain a second temperature different from the first temperature. The food container further includes a temperature control system having a user interface, an input configured to receive a signal from the user interface, the signal representative of a first temperature, and a processing circuit configured to control the heater to bring the first temperature zone to the first temperature.

Claims

1. A heated food container having a first temperature zone and a second temperature zone, comprising:

an interior chamber sized to contain food items, the interior chamber having a first temperature zone and a second temperature zone;

an opening providing access to the interior chamber;

a fan configured to supply an air stream to a duct system;

a heater configured to heat the air stream;

wherein the duct system is configured to deliver a portion of the air stream across the opening, creating an air curtain;

a diverter disposed in the air curtain to divert a portion of the air stream out of the 11 air curtain and into the interior chamber, the diverter configured to cause the second temperature zone to maintain a second temperature different from the first temperature; and

a temperature control system comprising;

a user interface;

an input configured to receive a signal from the user interface, the signal representative of a first temperature; and

a processing circuit configured to control the heater to bring the first temperature zone to the first temperature.

2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the opening comprises a top and a bottom and the diverter is located approximately halfway between the top and the bottom.

3. The container according to claim 1, wherein the diverter is a baffle.

4. The container according to claim 1, wherein the second temperature differs from the first temperature by at least 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. The container according to claim 1, wherein the second temperature is in the range of 60-80% of the first temperature.

6. The container according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuit uses the signal representative of the first temperature as the only user input of temperature.

7. The container according to claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a temperature display and at least one button for increasing or decreasing the temperature shown on the display, and wherein the temperature shown on the display is the first temperature.

8. The container according to claim 7, wherein the food container does not include an additional temperature display or user interface for receiving temperature input from a user.

9. The container according to claim 1, wherein the control system does not include a user interface for allowing direct user adjustment of the second temperature.

10. A heated food container, comprising:

an interior chamber sized to contain food items;

an opening providing access to the interior chamber;

a fan configured to supply air to a duct system;

a heater configured to heat the air;

wherein the duct system is configured to deliver a portion of the air across the opening, creating an air curtain;

a sensor located in the interior chamber and configured to sense the temperature of the interior chamber at the location of the sensor; and

a diverter disposed in the air curtain to divert a portion of the air out of the air curtain and into the interior chamber.

11. The container according to claim 10, wherein the interior chamber comprises an first temperature zone and a second temperature zone and wherein the sensor is located in the first temperature zone.

12. The container according to claim 10, further comprising:

a second opening into the interior chamber, the duct system configured to deliver a second portion of the air across the second opening to create a second air curtain;

a second diverter disposed in the second air curtain to divert a portion of the air crossing the second opening out of the second air curtain and into the interior chamber.

13. The container according to claim 10, wherein the opening comprises a top and a bottom and the diverter is located approximately halfway between the top and the bottom.

14. The container according to claim 10, wherein the diverter comprises one or more baffles.

15. The container according to claim 14, wherein the angle of the baffle relative to the air curtain is adjustable.

16. The container according to claim 14, wherein the location of the baffle is adjustable.

17. A food container comprising:

a user interface for receiving a first temperature from a user;

a first temperature zone and a second temperature zone;

at least one heating element; and

a processing circuit configured to receive a signal representative of the first temperature from the user;

wherein the processing circuit is further configured to control the at least one heating element to maintain the first temperature zone at the first temperature;

wherein the container is configured to maintain the second temperature zone at a temperature at least thirty degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the first temperature;

wherein the container does not include a mechanism for allowing a user to select the second temperature directly.

18. The container according to claim 17, wherein the container further comprises:

a sensor for determining the temperature of the second temperature zone; and

a display for displaying the temperature of the second temperature zone.

19. The container according to claim 18, wherein the container does not include a control loop for maintaining the second temperature in the second temperature zone.

20. The container according to claim 17, further comprising a sensor located in the first temperature zone and configured to sense the temperature at the location of the sensor.