Modular food holding system

• US 10,154,757 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2015
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marmon Foodservice Technologies Incorporated (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Prince Castle LLC (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Inventors: Veltrop, Loren J., Laub, Christine S., Larson, Eric William, Thompson, Greg Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Chou, Jimmy
• Application Number:
  US14/850,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20170071410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• Field of Search: 62443, 62447, 62441, 62252, 219399, 99451, 220 427, 220302
• 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 modular food holding system includes a plurality of individual modularized food holding chambers, each of the plurality of food holding chambers being physically and communicatively removably connected to one another. Each of the food holding chambers includes a food holding cavity and at least one of a heating element and/or a cooling element for heating or cooling the food holding cavity. A chamber base is physically and communicatively removably connected to one of the food holding chambers and operation of at least one food holding chamber is controlled by the chamber base.

Claims

1. A modular food holding system comprising:

a plurality of individual modularized food holding chambers, each of the plurality of individual modularized food holding chambers being physically and communicatively removably connected to one another, each of the plurality of individual modularized food holding chambers comprising a food holding cavity and at least one of a heating element or a cooling element for heating or cooling the food holding cavity;

wherein a first food holding chamber of the plurality of individual modularized food holding chambers is physically and communicatively removably attached to a second food holding chamber of the plurality of individualized modularized food holding chambers, each of the first food holding chamber and the second food holding chamber including connection structure formed in a respective chamber housing, the connection structure comprising a tongue and groove connection, the tongue and groove connection comprising a top groove disposed along a top side edge of the chamber housing and a bottom groove disposed along a bottom side edge of the chamber housing,

the top groove including a top opening, a first top rail and a second top rail separated by the top opening, a first downturned tab extending into the top groove from the first top rail and a second downturned tab extending into the top groove from the second top rail,

the bottom groove including a bottom opening, a first bottom rail and a second bottom rail separated by the bottom opening, a first upturned tab extending into the bottom groove from the first bottom rail and a second upturned tab extending into the bottom groove from the second bottom rail,

the first top rail of the first food holding chamber being sized to be received in the bottom opening of the second food holding chamber when the second food holding chamber is longitudinally offset from the first food holding chamber towards a front side of the first food holding chamber,

the first top rail and the second top rail of the first food holding chamber engaging the bottom groove of the second food holding chamber when the first food holding chamber is connected to the second food holding chamber, and

the connection structure providing a physical removable attachment between the first food holding chamber and the second food holding chamber, the connection structure limiting relative movement between the first food holding chamber and the second food holding chamber to one dimension at a time.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a chamber base physically and communicatively removably connected to the first food holding chamber,

wherein operation of the first food holding chamber is controlled by the chamber base.

3. The system of claim 1, the food holding cavity comprises one of a blind cavity and a through cavity.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a food holding tray disposed within the food holding cavity.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the chamber base is a master base and further comprising at least one expansion base that is physically and communicatively removably connected to the master base and to a third food holding chamber of the plurality of individual modularized food holding chambers, wherein the at least one expansion base receives power and communication from the master base and provides power and communications to the third food holding chamber.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a first food holding chamber includes a power and communication recess formed in a chamber housing, the power and communication recess including a power port and a communications port.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first food holding chamber includes a power and communications block formed in the chamber housing, the power and communications block having a shape that is complementary to the power port and the communications port.