U.S. patent application number 15/156241 was filed with the patent office on 2016-09-08 for multi-level compartmentalized insert for a food holding cabinet having at least one independent sliding compartmentalized tray and cover for same.
The applicant listed for this patent is PRINCE CASTLE LLC. Invention is credited to Mary Morgan, Loren J. Veltrop.
Application Number | 20160256000 15/156241 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51164373 |
Filed Date | 2016-09-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160256000 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Veltrop; Loren J. ; et
al. |
September 8, 2016 |
Multi-Level Compartmentalized Insert for a Food Holding Cabinet
Having At Least One Independent Sliding Compartmentalized Tray and
Cover for Same
Abstract
An insert for a food holding cabinet provides multiple,
individual food holding compartments, which can be operated as
encapsulated environments. The insert is made from an elongated
tray formed to have at least one food product holding compartment,
which is formed at one end of the elongated tray. A slid-able is
configured to be able slide back and forth and formed to have at
least one additional food product holding compartment. A slid-able
cover is configured to be able to slide in the elongated tray, over
the slide-able cover. Multiple individual food holding compartments
can be uncovered, one-at-a-time as need for food product
arises.
Inventors: |
Veltrop; Loren J.; (Chicago,
IL) ; Morgan; Mary; (New York, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
PRINCE CASTLE LLC |
Carol Stream |
IL |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
51164373 |
Appl. No.: |
15/156241 |
Filed: |
May 16, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14557366 |
Dec 1, 2014 |
9340315 |
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15156241 |
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14154482 |
Jan 14, 2014 |
8899421 |
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14557366 |
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61753030 |
Jan 16, 2013 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 83/0005 20130101;
B65D 1/36 20130101; A47G 23/06 20130101; B65D 43/02 20130101; A47J
47/14 20130101; A47J 39/02 20130101; A47G 23/04 20130101; A47J
47/08 20130101; A47F 10/06 20130101; A47J 39/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47J 39/00 20060101
A47J039/00; B65D 43/02 20060101 B65D043/02; B65D 1/36 20060101
B65D001/36 |
Claims
1-6. (canceled)
7. A compartmentalized insert for a food holding cabinet
comprising: an elongated tray having first and second opposing
sides, and first and second opposing ends configured to hold the
first and second opposing sides in a first fixed, spaced-apart
relationship to one another; a first food product holding
compartment located in the elongated tray between the first and
second opposing sides and proximate to the first opposing end; a
translatable tray located in the elongated tray at an elevation
above the first food product holding compartment, the translatable
tray having a second food product holding compartment and the
translatable tray being configured to translate in the elongated
tray.
8. The compartmentalized insert of claim 7, wherein the
translatable tray translates in a longitudinal direction in the
elongated tray.
9. The compartmentalized insert of claim 7, further comprising: a
cover located above the translatable tray.
10. The compartmentalized insert of claim 9, wherein the cover is
translatable in the elongated tray, independent of the translatable
tray.
11. The compartmentalized insert of claim 9, wherein the cover has
a length dimension that is substantially equal to a length
dimension of the translatable tray.
12. The compartmentalized insert of claim 9, wherein the cover has
a width dimension that is greater than a width dimension of the
translatable tray.
13. The compartmentalized insert of claim 9, wherein the cover is
transparent.
14. The compartmentalized insert of claim 9, wherein the cover
comprises first and second opposing ends and a downwardly extending
lip at one of the first and second opposing ends of the cover.
15. The compartmentalized insert of claim 14, wherein the cover
comprises an upwardly extending lip at the other of the first and
second opposing ends of the cover.
16. The compartmentalized insert of claim 15, wherein the
downwardly extending lip of the cover abuts a first end of the
translatable tray when the cover is located over the second food
product holding compartment.
17. The compartmentalized insert of claim 7, wherein the first food
product holding compartment is a disc-shaped depression.
18. The compartmentalized insert of claim 7, wherein the
translatable tray has a length dimension that is less than a length
dimension of the elongated tray.
19. The compartmentalized insert of claim 7, wherein the
translatable tray has a height dimension that is less than a height
dimension of the elongated tray.
20. The compartmentalized insert of claim 7, wherein the first food
product holding compartment of the elongated tray comprises a
depression formed in a substantially horizontal surface that
extends from a first opposing side to a second opposing side.
21. The compartmentalized insert of claim 7, wherein the
translatable tray has two food product holding compartments.
22. The compartmentalized insert of claim 7, wherein the elongated
tray has two food product holding compartments.
23. The compartmentalized insert of claim 7, wherein one of the
first and second food product holding compartments is configured to
hold a disc-shaped patty.
24. A food holding cabinet comprising the compartmentalized insert
of claim 7.
Description
[0001] The content of the Applicant's co-pending patent application
Ser. No. 13/326,667 filed on Dec. 15, 2011, titled, "Apparatus for
Preserving Cooked Food Palatability," is incorporated herein by
reference in its entirety. The content of the Applicant's
co-pending patent application Ser. No. 13/326,607 filed Dec. 15,
2011, titled, "Method of Extending the Time During Which Pre-Cooked
Foods Are Kept Palatable," is also incorporated herein by reference
in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Many fast-food restaurants prepare food items before they
are actually ordered and keep them warm until they are ordered by a
customer. A pre-cooked, i.e. a pre-prepared, food product can thus
be sold and served to the customer in significantly less time than
it takes to prepare each food item after it is ordered.
[0003] A problem with pre-cooked foods is that they lose their
taste or palatability over time. While taste or palatability is
subjective, empirical data shows that most people will dislike the
taste of a hamburger after it has been "held" or kept in a warming
tray for more than about 15 minutes. Fast-food restaurant operators
therefore keep pre-cooked foods warm and ready to serve for only a
relatively short period of time, typically fifteen to twenty
minutes. When that time has elapsed, the pre-cooked food product is
disposed of. Extending the holding time of a pre-cooked food
product is therefore contrary to the common and accepted practice
of fast-food restaurant operators. Nevertheless, a method and
apparatus for extending or preserving the palatability of a cooked
food product would be an improvement over the prior art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0004] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multi-level
compartmentalized insert for a food holding cabinet, which has an
independently slide-able compartmentalized tray and a cover for the
slide-able tray;
[0005] FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of the device shown in
FIG. 1;
[0006] FIG. 2B is an exploded view of the device as shown in FIG.
2A;
[0007] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the device as shown in FIG.
1;
[0008] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 1
and showing food holding compartments in the slide-able tray;
[0009] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 1
with the slide-able cover moved part way back to review one of two
food holding compartments in the slide-able tray;
[0010] FIG. 6 is a second perspective view of the device shown in
FIG. 1 with the slide-able cover moved all the way back to review
two of two food holding compartments in the slide-able tray;
[0011] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 1
with the slide-able cover moved all the way back to the back end of
the insert and with the slide-able tray moved part way back to
review one of two food holding compartments, which are formed into
the elongated tray and fixed;
[0012] FIG. 8 shows the slide-able cover moved all the way back to
the back end of the insert and the slide-able tray moved all the
way back to review both of two food holding compartments formed
into the elongated tray and fixed;
[0013] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a multi-level
compartmentalized insert for a food holding cabinet, which has an
independently slide-able compartmentalized tray and a cover for the
slide-able tray; and
[0014] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the device shown in
FIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a compartmentalized insert
10 for a food holding cabinet. The terms, "compartmentalized
insert" and "multi-level compartmentalized insert" and "insert" are
used interchangeably hereafter.
[0016] The insert 10 comprises an elongated and substantially
rectangular-shaped tray 12, a slide-able tray 14 that fits inside
the elongated tray 12 and, a slide-able cover 16 for the slide-able
tray 14. The slide-able cover 16 fits over the slide-able tray 14
and provides a cover for food storage compartments in the
slide-able tray 14, which can be opened by sliding the cover 16
forwardly or backwardly relative to the slide-able tray 14.
[0017] The elongated tray 12 is so named because it has a length
dimension 18 that is much greater than its width dimension 20. It
has two elongated, opposing and upright sides 22 and 24. The sides
22, 24 are held in a fixed, spaced-apart relationship to each other
by two opposing ends 26, 28, which also form part of the elongated
tray 12.
[0018] As best seen in FIGS. 2A, 2B and FIG. 3, the elongated tray
12 is formed to have at least one and preferably two or more food
holding compartments 30, 32. The holding compartments 30 and 32
shown in the figures are disc-shaped depressions or voids formed
downwardly into a substantially horizontal surface or platform 34,
which "extends from" or across the space between the two opposing
sides 22 and 24. The top surface 36 of the platform 34 is
configured so that it is elevated above the bottom 38 of the
elongated tray 12 and above the bottom of each side 22, 24 yet
below the top 44 of each side. In a preferred embodiment, the
platform 34 and its top surface 26 are thus located at an elevation
that is approximately mid-way between the bottom 40 and the top 38
of each side 22 and 24.
[0019] The shape of the food product holding compartments 30, 32 is
not critical. Compartments can be disc shaped to receive
disc-shaped patties. The compartments need not be disc-shaped
however but can have other shapes, e.g., square, rectangular, or
triangular. Since the compartments are preferably shaped to
correspond to a shape of a food product to be kept in a
compartments. The shape of a compartment that is shaped to conform
to or be "similar" to the shape of a particular food product is
thus known in advance. The compartments' shape is thus preferably
predetermined, by which is meant, known in advance.
[0020] The compartmentalized insert 10 shown in FIG. 1 is also
comprised of a slide-able tray 14. The slide-able tray 14 has a
length dimension 42, best seen in FIG. 2B, which is selected to be
is less than the length dimension 18 of the elongated tray 12. The
side-able tray 14 also has a width dimension 44, best seen in FIG.
3, which is just slightly less than the interior width 46 of the
elongated tray 12. The slide-able tray 14 has a height dimension 48
that is preferably equal to or slightly less than the distance
between the top 36 of the platform 34 and the top edge or top 40 of
the sides 22 and 24. The dimensions of the slide-able tray 14 are
selected such that the slide-able tray 14 is able to fit within the
space between the sidewalls 22 and 24 and ends 26, 28 of the
elongated tray 12, and be able to freely slide or translate back
and forth inside the elongated tray 12, from one end 26 to the
other 28 and back.
[0021] Referring now to FIG. 2B, the slide-able cover 16, which
fits over the top of the slide-able tray 14, has a length dimension
50, which is substantially equal to the length dimension 42 of the
slide-able tray 14 so that the cover 16 can cover at least the food
holding compartments that are formed into the slide-able tray 14.
The slide-able tray cover 16 has a width dimension 52, best seen in
FIG. 3, which is slightly greater than the width dimension 44 of
the slide-able tray 14. The cover 16 is preferably made of either a
transparent or translucent material.
[0022] Importantly, the rear or second end 17 of the slide-able
cover 16 is provided with a downwardly-extending lip or clip 54
having a downwardly-extending length that is less than the
thickness 48 of the slide-able tray 14 but nevertheless long enough
to ensure that the clip 54 grasps the rear or first end 56 of the
slide-able tray 14 when the cover 16 is pulled or pushed forwardly,
i.e., toward the first end 26 of the elongated tray 12.
[0023] Referring again to FIG. 3, the slide-able tray 14 has two
upright and opposing sidewalls 60 and 62, which are held upright
and in a spaced apart relationship to each other by two opposing
ends 56 and 58, which form part of the slide-able tray 14. The
slide-able tray 14 is formed to have a planar top surface 64 into
which two disc-shaped depressions 66, 68 are formed and which
comprised food holding compartments 66 and 68. The shape of the
food holding compartments 66, 68 in the slide-able tray 14 are
preferably identical or nearly identical to the shape of the food
holding compartments 30, 32 formed into the elongated tray 12. As
described below, the insert 10 is thus able to provide
"encapsulated environments" for several pre-cooked food products,
typically hamburger patties.
[0024] As with the food holding compartments 30, 32 formed in the
elongated tray 12, the food holding compartments 66, 68 formed into
the slide-able tray 14 are essentially disc-shaped depressions
because it is known in advance that the compartments 66, 68 will
receive disc-shaped patties and the like. The shapes of the food
holding compartments 66, 68 are thus considered herein to be
predetermined.
[0025] As best seen in FIG. 2B and FIG. 3, the slide-able tray 14
has a length dimension 42 and a width dimension 44 and a thickness
or height 48 selected to allow the slide-able tray to fit between
the opposing sides 22 and 24 of the tray 12, rest on the top
surface 36 of the platform surface 26, not be higher than the tops
of the side walls 22, 24 of the elongated tray 12 yet freely
translate back and forth in the elongated tray 12, between the
opposing ends 26 and 28 of the elongated tray 12. The slide-able
tray 14 can be pulled forwardly, i.e., toward the first end 26 by
pulling the cover 16 forwardly by virtue of the lip or clip 54 that
extends downwardly from the rear end 17 of the cover 16. See FIG.
2B.
[0026] The food holding compartments 30, 32 formed into the
elongated tray 14 are fixed in the elongated tray 12 and close to
or "proximate" to one end 26 of the elongated tray 12. As best seen
in FIG. 2A and 2B, the slide-able tray 14 has a bottom 70, which is
substantially planar and which will cover and uncover the first and
second holding compartments 30 and 32 when the tray 14 is slid
toward and away from the front end 26 of the elongated tray 12.
When the slide-able tray 14 is in its forward position, i.e., at
the front end 26, the bottom 70 of the slide-able tray 14
completely covers both compartments 30 and 32, thereby transforming
or converting the otherwise open compartments 30 and 32 into
"encapsulated environments."
[0027] An "encapsulated environment" is defined in the applicant's
co-pending patent application Ser. No. 13/326,667 filed Dec. 15,
2011 entitled "Apparatus For Preserving Cooked Food Palatability."
See also the applicant's co-pending application Ser. No. 13/326,607
filed Dec. 15, 2011 entitled "Method of Extending the Time During
Which Pre-Cooked Foods Are Kept Palatable." The contents of both
applications are hereby incorporated by reference in the
entireties.
[0028] Referring now to FIGS. 4-8, the slide-able tray 14 and the
slide-able cover 16 are configured to be able to translate freely
between opposite ends 26 and 28 of the elongated tray 12 responsive
to pushing and/or pulling the slide-able cover 16 forwardly (toward
the first end 26) or backwardly (toward the second end 28) and
thereby cover and uncover food holding compartments 66 and 68 in
the tray as well as the food holding compartments 30 and 32 in the
elongated tray 12. The compartmentalized insert 10 is thus able to
"sequentially" open food holding compartments 66, 68, 30, 32, which
as shown in FIG. 4, are stacked above each other. By opening the
food holding compartments 66, 68, 30, 32, one-by-one, food products
held in the compartments can be kept within an encapsulated
environment until needed.
[0029] In FIG. 4, the slide-able cover 16 is considered to be at a
"forward" position, i.e., at the first or front end 26 of the
elongated tray 12, and, directly above and covering the slide-able
tray 14. Since the slide-able cover 16 and the slide-able tray 14
are both located above the two aforementioned, fixed food holding
compartments 30 and 32 in the elongated tray 12, neither of the
compartments 30, 32 are visible in FIG. 4.
[0030] FIG. 5 shows the slide-able cover 16 moved back or away from
the first end 26 of the elongated tray 12, toward the second or
rear end 28 of the elongated tray 12, revealing the forward-located
food product holding compartment 66 formed into the top planar
surface 64 of the slide-able tray 14. The second food holding
compartment 68 of the slide-able tray 14 is shown in broken lines
in order to indicate that it is still covered by the slide-able
cover 16. FIG. 6 shows the slide-able cover 16 pushed back to and
abutting the second end 28 of the elongated tray 12 revealing both
food holding compartments 66, 68 in the slide-able tray 14.
[0031] In operation, food products kept in the food holding
compartments 66 and 68 can be removed from first the two food
holding compartments 66 and 68 of the tray 14, one-by-one. Stated
another way, a patty in the first compartment 66 can be removed
from the first compartment without uncovering a patty in the second
compartment 68, simply by sliding the cover 16 half-way toward the
second end 38 of the elongated tray 12. A second patty in the
second compartment 68 can thus be preserved.
[0032] FIG. 7 shows the slide-able tray 14 moved half-way toward
the second end 28 of the tray 12 to reveal the forward-most food
holding compartment 30, formed into the elongated tray 12. In FIG.
7, the slide-able cover 16 is moved all the way back toward the
second end 28 to reveal the forward-most food holding compartment
66 formed into the slide-able tray 14. Only one of the food holding
compartments 30 in the elongated tray 12 is thus uncovered while
the other compartment 32 in the elongated tray 12 remains enclosed
as an encapsulated environment. Only one compartment 66 in the
slide-able tray 14 need be uncovered while the second compartment
68 in the slide-able tray 14 remains covered as an encapsulated
environment.
[0033] FIG. 8 shows both the slide-able cover 16 and the slide-able
tray 14 pushed all the way back against the second end 28 of the
tray 12 to reveal both food holding compartments 30 and 32 formed
into the top surface 36 of the platform 34 of the tray 12. Both
compartments 66, 68 in the slide-able tray 14 are covered. The
compartmentalized insert 10 thus allows the food products kept in
the food holding compartments 30, 32, 60, 68, to be selectively
removed one-by-one as need arises. Pulling the slide-able cover 16
forward, i.e. toward the first end 26 will also pull the slide-able
tray forwardly by the lip 54 that extends downwardly from the top
of the slide-able cover 16.
[0034] Finally, FIGS. 9 and 10 show an alternate embodiment of an
insert 90 having a slide-able tray 92 that rides on the top edge 94
of two elongated and opposing sides 96, 98 of an elongated tray
100. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is otherwise the same
as the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-8.
[0035] The foregoing description is for purposes of illustration.
The true scope of the invention is set forth in the following
claims.
* * * * *