FOOD WARMING CABINET
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A food warming cabinet comprising:
- a base;
at least one food holding tray (tray) having a bottom, an open top and a peripheral edge that defines a periphery of said tray, the tray being supported by, and at least partially within, said base; and
an electrically-powered infrared energy source located below the tray, within the base, and directing infrared energy toward the bottom of the tray.
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Abstract
A food warming cabinet keeps food warm and on display in serving trays using infrared heaters instead of hot water. The infrared heaters are located below the trays and direct IR at the trays. In an alternate embodiment, the IR heaters can also conduct heat into the trays. Using IR instead of water saves energy because it shortens warm-up time. Using IR also eliminates contaminated water and enables separate and individual temperature control of each tray. Tray temperature is maintained under computer control using contact or optical/IR temperature sensors.
28 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A food warming cabinet comprising:
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a base; at least one food holding tray (tray) having a bottom, an open top and a peripheral edge that defines a periphery of said tray, the tray being supported by, and at least partially within, said base; and an electrically-powered infrared energy source located below the tray, within the base, and directing infrared energy toward the bottom of the tray. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of heating food in a tray in a food warming cabinet, the cabinet having a base that supports a tray having a bottom and at least three sides, the method comprising the steps of:
directing infrared energy upwardly toward the bottom of the tray such that the amount of infrared energy per unit area directed along the sides of the tray is greater than the infrared energy per unit area that is directed to the interior of the tray. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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24. A food warming cabinet comprising:
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a base; first and second food holding trays, and first and second electrically-powered infrared energy sources located below the first and second food holding trays respectively, the first and second electrically-powered infrared energy sources being configured to maintain the first and second food holding trays at first and second different temperatures, the first and second different temperatures being within first and second different temperature ranges. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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26. A food warming cabinet comprising:
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a base; a food holding tray, an infrared energy source located below the food holding tray and configured to provide thermal energy to the food holding tray; an optical temperature sensor, operatively coupled to the food holding tray; a controller, operatively coupled to the optical temperature sensor and to the infrared energy source, the controller being configured to control electrical energy to the infrared energy source in response to a signal received from the one optical temperature sensor. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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Specification