Patent Application
20180332978
This invention relates to food service pans and more particularly to a system and apparatus to create a configurable rail system and support for food well displays as well as solve other issues which are inherent to cold well and other displays.
Prior art systems of pan presentation of food and other items typically involved a metal container that sat or was positioned in an opening of a flat metal counter with individual pre-determined openings for the different sized pans. It was not designed well for cold storage items nor could it be configured to a customer's particular needs and changed by the customer after initial placement of the entire counter and system.
The present invention overcomes many of the problems present in prior art systems and creates a configurable and easily removable set of pans for food presentation and delivery.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the inventions there is shown a configurable rail and pan system for a food well having a plurality of extended rigid bars each having a longitudinal cross sectional U-shaped upper portion, and an integrally formed longitudinal cross sectional inverted T-shaped lower portion; a rectangular pan, which may be square, having four upper edges with at least two opposing upper ledges with curtain extensions that extend a portion of the upper ledge and each extension forming a lip for stable engagement on the U-shaped upper portion of a rail; the extended rail having end tabs connected to the U-shaped upper portion that extend beyond the T-shaped lower portions; wherein the rigid rail is mounted by its tab on a food well for stable support of the rail; and the lip is placed over the U-shaped portion of the rail for stable engagement of the pan to the rail.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the inventions there is shown a configurable rail and pan system for a food well having a plurality of longitudinal members having two ends, each member having a cross sectional U-shaped body have two upper edges; a rectangular, including a square, pan having at least two opposing upper edges with downward extensions each forming an overhang for stable engagement on one upper edge of the U-shaped portion of a rail; wherein the member is mounted on each end to a food well for stable support; and the downward extension of the pan is placed over the U-shaped portion of the member for stable engagement of the pan to the member.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the inventions there is shown a configurable rail and pan system for a food well having a plurality of extended rigid bars each having a longitudinal cross sectional U-shaped upper portion, and an integrally formed longitudinal cross sectional inverted T-shaped lower portion; at least one transverse mounting bar having a longitudinal cross sectional U-shaped upper portion, and an integrally formed longitudinal cross sectional inverted T-shaped lower portion and extended first and second ends, each end fixedly attached to the rigid bars on one of its ends; a rectangular, including square, pan having at least two opposing upper ledges with overhanging extensions each extension forming a gap for stable engagement on the U-shaped upper portion of one bar; wherein the rigid bar is mounted on a food well for stable support of the rail; and the overhang is placed over the U-shaped portion of the bar for stable engagement of the pan to the bar.
A primary advantage of the invention is to provide an easily configurable support system for food service wells with the ability for the pan to be secured to the rail system.
Another advantage of the invention is to provide a food service well system that supports various sizes of food pans.
Yet another advantage of the invention is to provide food pans that are easily stackable and may be stably supported on a rail system in a food well.
Still yet another advantage of the invention is to provide pans that have a corner cut out for easy insertion and removal from the rail system of a preferred embodiment of the invention.
Additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the several views.
The drawings constitute a part of this disclosure and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that, in some instances, various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.
Detailed descriptions of preferred embodiments of the invention are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art how to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.
The present invention has been designed with a special elevated corner on each of the four corners of the pan, which helps to lift the pan out of the food well. This channel is on the underside of the channel and allows a gap between the chill well and the underside of the pan. A chill well is commonly used in salad bars and buffet pans. This allows the operator to easily stick their finger under the corner of the pan and lift it out of the chill well.
The present invention also has been designed with a special stacking pan with foot which allows one pan to easily nest into a pan below it to help food service operators with storage in their facilities. This secure stacking design allows for the end user to safely store their pans in the smallest amount of space. This ability to stack the pans also saves the pans from falling over during storage thus reducing damage to the pans.
Under the pan side upper corner there is a recessed channel. This channel accepts the specially designed support and mounting bars which hold the pans in place during use in the chill well. Currently pans can easily slide off the mounting bars into the food well. This creates a mess in the food well and the end user can potentially loose valuable food product when this occurs.
Turning now to
Opposing rails 12 are configured for stable placement of food pans on a mating channel further described below. Lower portion 22 is configured in an elongated T shape to provide further rigidity to mounting bar 10 and permit placement of additional mounting assemblies orthogonal to mounting bar 10 as further described below.
The bar can be made to any length to accommodate the customer well size and be made to fit with any of a variety of pan sizes. The bar is mounted in the well by conventional attachments which may include additional hardware, a mounting slot, or other permanent or fixedly removable mechanisms, including a frictional fit. This permits ease of configuration and changing of the pan setup. The bar is also stable and provides a positive engagement to the channel of the pan as further described below.
The upper side of the bar has two raised rails that permit placement of one channel of one pan on one rail, and another channel of another pan on the other rail. As more fully seen in
A preferred embodiment of the present invention has been designed with open corners 34 on each of the four corner edges of pan 30. Underside channel 33 extends for a portion of each side upper edge 32 of pan 30 and allows a gap between the chill well and the underside of the pan. A chill well is commonly used in salad bars and buffet pans. This allows the operator to easily stick their finger under the corner of the pan and lift it out of the chill well.
Side mounting bar 60 may have the extension 17 as shown in
The pans may be of any of a variety of materials including metal, coated metal, plastic or other suitable materials. In one preferred embodiment the pan is a cast aluminum pan with a coating that can withstand the expansion and contraction of a food pan as it is used throughout the day at a food service operation. The coating is designed to withstand commercial dishwashing and refrigerated use. It is scratch resistant and holds up well to all food groups used in a salad bar. The coating may have a smooth finish to allow for easy cleaning. The coating is food safe and capable of passing an NSF® (third party certification entity) inspection.
The method and system of the current invention may be employed in conjunction with any of a variety of diagnostic engines or systems appropriate to the machine or device involved. Further, the method and system may be integrated into existing food pans and display bars already in place at an enterprise or facility.
Although described with reference to preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be readily understood that various changes and/or modifications can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit thereof. In general, the invention is only intended to be limited by the scope of the issued claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/507,267 filed May 17, 2017 entitled “Perfect Fit System and Apparatus” which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62507267 | May 2017 | US |
