Serving and transport receptacle

• US 6,376,803 B1
• Filed: 02/23/2001
• Issued: 04/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thermo Vision Eniwicklings-Und Handels GmbH
• Original Assignee: Thermo Vision Eniwicklings-Und Handels GmbH
• Inventors: Klinger, Gerald
• Primary Examiner(s): PELHAM, JOSEPH MOORE
• Application Number:
  US09/763,601
• Time in Patent Office: 424 Days
• Field of Search: 219/385-387, 219/392, 219/432, 219/433, 219/435, 219/436, 219/403, 994/83
• US Class Current: 219/387
• 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 serving and transport receptacle (1) for food dishes (2) filled with portioned meals, including a base part (16) which is made to be heat-insulating and provided with recesses (22) as well as means for heating the food dishes (2), and at least one hood-shaped cover part (36) which is made to be heat-insulating and capable of being positioned and coupled with the base part (16). An accommodation surface of the base part (16) includes at least one positioning means (18) rising above the accommodation surface and engaging in a positioning seat (13) provided in a surface (8) of a tray (3) containing the base part (16).

Claims

1. In a serving and transport receptacle arrangement for use with a food dish means filled with a portioned meal and of the type including a tray having a tray longitudinal rim and a tray surface, a base part contained in said tray and made to be heat-insulating, which base part has an accommodation surface, a recess means adapted to hold said food dish means, a heating means for heating said food dish means and an interface for feeding electric energy from an external energy source, at least one hood-shaped cover part made to be heat-insulating and adapted to be positioned and coupled with said base part, at least one positioning seat means provided in said tray surface, and at least one positioning means provided in said accommodation surface in a manner rising above said accommodation surface, said positioning means and said positioning seat means being in mutual engagement, the improvement wherein said base part is designed to hold a plurality of food dish means for hot meals and extends along said tray longitudinal rim on at least one long side in the assembled state and comprises a wall part rising from said tray, said interface for feeding electric energy being arranged in the region of said wall part.

2. A serving and transport receptacle arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said positioning means is formed by at least one positioning nose rising above said accommodation surface of said base part and formed in one piece with said base part.

3. A serving and transport receptacle arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said tray has an accommodation surface facing tray surface and said positioning seat means is formed by a depression provided in said accommodation surface facing tray surface, said depression having a contour shape designed to correspond with an enveloping circle of said positioning means.

4. A serving and transport receptacle arrangement as set forth in claim 2, wherein each of said plurality of food dish means has a food dish positioning nose and said base part has a base part surface including said recess means, said positioning nose rising above said accommodation surface of said basse part being arranged in a manner congruent with said recess means and said recess means being adapted to receive said food dish positioning nose.

5. A serving and transport receptacle arrangement as set forth in claim 4, wherein said base part surface comprises a plurality of recess means distributed over said tray surface to hold said plurality of food dish means, a positioning nose rising above said accommodation surface of said base part is each arranged in a manner congruent with each of said plurality of recess means and a positioning seat means formed by a depression in said tray surface is each allocated to a positioning nose.

6. A serving and transport receptacle arrangement as set forth in claim 5, wherein said plurality of recess means distributed over said tray surface have different sizes and geometric shapes to hold said plurality of food dish means having accordingly different sizes and geometric shapes.

7. A serving and transport receptacle arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said tray is designed to be tub-shaped and said base part and said tray are alignedly connected with each other approximately in a long side edge region.

8. A serving and transport receptacle arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said tray has a tray length and said base part has a base part length, said tray length approximately corresponding to said base part length.

9. A serving and transport receptacle arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said base part has a base part long side edge and said tray has a tray width and said base part has a base part width, said tray width, measured in a direction perpendicular to said long side edge, being larger than said base part width measured in same direction.

10. A serving and transport receptacle arrangement as set forth in claim 9, wherein a limiting line opposite said base part long side edge has approximately the form of a circular arc with its center being located on a central axis bisecting said tray in terms of length and its radius being larger than the maximum width of said base part.

11. A serving and transport receptacle arrangement as set forth in claim 1, further comprising additional recess means for food dish means provided in said tray surface in its surface region rising above said base part.

12. A serving and transport receptacle arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said positioning means and said positioning seat means of said base part and of said tray, respectively, are each comprised of latch means respectively formed in one piece with said tray and said base part and constituting connection means.

13. A serving and transport receptacle arrangement as set forth in claim 1, further comprising an adjustment and control means line-connected with said interface for feeding electric energy from an external energy source.

14. A serving and transport receptacle arrangement as set forth in claim 13, wherein said adjustment and control means is arranged in said base part.

15. A serving and transport receptacle arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one of said tray and said base part and said cover part is made of a heat-insulating synthetic material.

16. A serving and transport receptacle arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one of said base part and said cover-part is made of a heat-insulatingly coated metal.