Patent Application
20210145214
The present disclosure relates to systems, apparatus and methods for implementing a heated food-service display, and more particularly to systems, apparatus and for implementing a modular heated display system having one or more heating units with user adjustable height and downwardly directed illumination.
Many institutions such as restaurants, schools, cafeterias, grocery stores, hospitals, and the like display prepared foods for attended service or self-service to customers. Many foods are served cold or at room temperature and can easily be arranged and displayed in salad bars, under food shields, along serving lines or from other cafeteria-style food service apparatus. With other foods however, it is advantageous to heat the food as it is displayed, to maintain an appetizing and safe temperature before service.
Certain food service implementations therefore include relatively large built-in steam trays and similar apparatus is to keep a large quantities of food warm for service. Some types of food; soups, sauces, and stews for example, are not well suited for display and service from a large but shallow built-in steam trays. These foods our often displayed and served from a hot plate having a heating element positioned underneath a pot, pan or other food storage container. Conventional hot plates can be relatively unattractive, and very difficult to arrange in creative and visually appealing arrays. The embodiments disclosed herein are directed toward overcoming one or more of the above problems.
Various embodiments disclosed herein provide improved apparatus and methods for implementing a heated display unit or an array of heated display units in a heated display system. One representative system is a modular heated display system with at least one heated display unit and at least one frame extension. System embodiments may include any number of heated display units and frame extensions which may be mixed, matched, stacked and otherwise implement as described herein.
A heated display unit will typically include a heating element supported by a frame. When the heated display unit is set upon a supporting surface, the heating element is raised some distance above the supporting surface by the frame. In a system embodiment, one or more frame extensions having any selected height may be removably coupled to the frame opposite the heating element. Any coupled frame extension serves to elevate the heating element to a different height above the supporting surface. In some embodiments, the frame extension(s) may be removably coupled and uncoupled from the heated display unit frame without the use of tools.
In certain embodiments, a heated display unit will include a light source within the frame, generally position underneath the heating element. Control electronics may be provided to cause the light source to project light downward, onto the supporting surface below the frame when the heating element is active or at an elevated temperature. Any embodiment of heated display unit, lighted or otherwise, may include a safety grid attached to the frame to prevent unauthorized access to internal components. Embodiments with a safety grid and a light source can utilize openings formed in the safety grid to create a shaped illumination pattern in the light projected from the light source to the supporting surface. In any lighted embodiment, the heated display unit may include a frame sidewall preventing direct observation of the light source when the unit is placed upon the supporting surface, plus an opening in either the frame sidewall or a frame extension sidewall permitting viewing of the light or the shaped illumination pattern projected on the supporting surface.
Alternative embodiments include stand-alone heated display units, without an ancillary frame extension, having lighting systems as described above. Other alternative embodiments include methods of providing, organizing, arranging, and lighting a system or array of heated display units and frame extensions.
Various modifications and additions can be made to the embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, while the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combination of features and embodiments that do not include all of the above described features.
In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art, however, that other embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details. Several embodiments are described herein, and while various features are ascribed to different embodiments, it should be appreciated that the features described with respect to one embodiment may be incorporated with other embodiments as well. By the same token, however, no single feature or features of any described embodiment should be considered essential to every embodiment of the invention, as other embodiments of the invention may omit such features.
Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers used herein to express quantities, dimensions, and so forth used should be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.” In this application, the use of the singular includes the plural unless specifically stated otherwise and use of the terms “and” and “or” means “and/or” unless otherwise indicated. Moreover, the use of the term “including,” as well as other forms, such as “includes” and “included,” should be considered non-exclusive. Also, terms such as “element” or “component” encompass both elements and components comprising one unit and elements and components that comprise more than one unit, unless specifically stated otherwise.
The embodiments disclosed herein include modular heated display units 10 that may be used to display and heat food contained in a pot, pan, serving dish, tray, casserole, or similar container. The disclosed embodiments are therefore well-suited to displaying and heating food at a buffet, self-serve restaurant, cafeteria or other commercial or residential location where food is displayed and served. Although the disclosed heated display units 10 are particularly well-suited to display and warm previously prepared food during food service, the heated display units 10 could be used to cook food.
As detailed below, the modular heated display units 10 disclosed herein have components that may be mixed and matched together to easily, attractively and functionally vary the functional height of individual units. In addition, certain embodiments disclosed herein include functional down lighting to enhance the safety of the heated display units 10 and further enhance the attractiveness of same.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The frame extensions 18 of
One method of coupling a heated display unit 10 to a frame extension 18 is shown in
The structures of the lower edge 24 of the frame 14 and the upper edge 30 of the frame extension 18 are not limited to the structure shown in the figures. Any number of shapes, contours, extensions or recesses may be formed in or near the corresponding lower and upper edges of the frame 14 and frame extension 18 respectively. For example, the corresponding frame and frame extension edges 24, 30 may be formed into mating sine wave patterns, mating sawtooth patterns, mating square wave patterns, mating irregular patterns and the like. In each case, the edges 24 and 30 will, in part, extend above or below an imaginary plane through the edge 24, 30, which plane is parallel to a plane defined by the heating element 12. Thus, in this disclosure, a structured edge 24, 30 is defined as a “non-planar” edge.
Additional security may be added to the coupling between the non-planar upper edge of the frame extension 30 and the non-planar lower edge of the frame 24 by providing supplemental structures that serve to prevent lateral movement between the mated edges. For example, one or both edges could be provided with tongue and groove structures, teeth of greater or lesser depth, pins and sockets, or similar elements. In the illustrated embodiment a safety grid leg 40 (described in detail below) extends across the inside of the joint between the lower frame edge 24 and upper frame extension edge 30 to prevent lateral movement at the frame and frame extension edges 24, 30 to provide additional security.
In certain embodiments, the weight of the heated display unit 10 and the non-planar shape of the mated lower frame edge 24 and upper frame extension edge 30 are sufficient to securely couple a heated display unit 10 to a frame extension 18 during use. As noted above, a supplemental structure, for example a safety grid leg 40 may extend across the joint between the edges 24 and 30 to provide additional security. In these embodiments, a heated display unit 10 may be quickly attached to one or multiple frame extensions 18 having desired heights, without the use of tools. Entire arrays of heated display units 10 and frame extensions 18 may be quickly assembled or disassembled such that the heating elements 12 are located at selected heights. In other embodiments, the connection between a heated display unit 10 and frame extension 18 may be secured with a screw, tape, adhesive or another fastener.
In some embodiments, as shown in
As noted above, the safety grid 42 may include safety grid legs 40, which in use extend short distance across the junction between the lower frame edge 24 and upper frame extension edge 30 to help secure the coupling between the frame 14 and any desired frame extension 18. As shown in
As best shown in
Certain embodiments of heated display unit 10 will include a light source 58 operatively associated with the underside of the heating element 12. The light source 58 may be illuminated when the heating element 12 is active, or when the heating element 12 is at an elevated temperature. Thus, the light source 58 may provide user safety by alerting a user that the heating element 12 may be too hot to safely touch. Also, as described in detail below, the light source 58 may enhance the overall appearance of an array including one or more heated display units 10.
In one embodiment, the light source 58 is implemented with a ring of downward facing light emitting diodes 60 (LEDs 60) attached to a bottom surface of the insulation 54. Other embodiments may include light sources 58 implemented with incandescent lightbulbs, electroluminescent panels, fluorescent lights or the like. Typically, any light source 58 will be connected electronically to a lighting driver and control circuit 62. For example, as shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the ring of LEDs 60 is positioned to project light downward from beneath the heating element 12 and insulation 54 assembly toward the supporting surface 16 upon which the heated display unit 10 is positioned. In the illustrated embodiment, the safety grid 42 is therefore positioned between the LEDs 60 and the supporting surface 16.
As shown in
The safety grid 42 may have openings providing a shaped illumination pattern having any decorative or functional configuration desired. Alternative shaped illumination patterns formed by openings 66 formed in the safety grid 42 include but are not limited to images, patterns, words, advertisements, symbols and the like. The lighting control electronics 62 and light source 58 may be configured to project light in one or multiple colors. Some light sources 58, for example the ring of LEDs 60 may be controlled to project time-varying colors and/or lighting intensities.
In some embodiments, the lighting control electronics 62 are electronically coupled to and except user input through or parallel with the heating element control module 48. This coupling may be relatively simple, for example, the heating element control module 48 may supply power to the lighting control electronics 60 when power is provided to the heating element 12. Alternatively, the lighting intensity, color, or another lighting parameter may vary as the desired heating output level is adjusted by a user with the heating control module 48.
In the illustrated embodiments, the frame side wall 22 substantially prevents direct viewing of the light source 58 by a user. On the contrary, the recesses 28 between the frame legs 26 allow a user to easily view the shaped illumination pattern projected onto the supporting surface 16. If the heated display unit 10 is coupled to one or more frame extensions 18, each frame extension may also include lower frame extension recesses 68 which permit a user to view the shaped illumination pattern on the supporting surface 16.
Having described certain exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Hence, while various embodiments are described with—or without—certain features for ease of description and to illustrate exemplary aspects of those embodiments, the various components and/or features described herein with respect to a particular embodiment can be substituted, added and/or subtracted from among other described embodiments, unless the context dictates otherwise. Consequently, although several exemplary embodiments are described above, it will be appreciated that the invention is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claims.
