Claims
- 1. A tray lowering assembly, comprising:
a first securing bracket comprising a first supporting arm, wherein the first supporting arm is adapted to receive and to support a first tray; and means for pivotally connecting the first securing bracket to a wall, wherein when a contact pressure is applied to a predetermined portion of the first supporting arm, the first supporting arm pivots towards the wall.
- 2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first securing bracket further comprises at least one first pivot arm, and the means for pivotally connecting the first securing bracket to the wall comprises:
at least one first wall passage formed through the wall, wherein the at least one first wall passage is adapted to receive the at least one first pivot arm; at least one first bracket passage formed through the at least one first pivot arm; and at least one first securing plate mounted to the wall, wherein the at least one first bracket passage is adapted to receive a portion of the at least one first securing plate when the first supporting arm pivots towards the wall.
- 3. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising:
a second securing bracket positioned below the first securing bracket and comprising a second supporting arm, wherein the second supporting arm is adapted to receive and to support a second tray; and means for pivotally connecting the second securing bracket to the wall, wherein when a contact pressure is applied to a predetermined portion of the second supporting arm, the second supporting arm pivots towards the wall.
- 4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the first securing bracket further comprises at least one first pivot arm, the second securing bracket further comprises at least one second pivot arm, and the means for pivotally connecting the first securing bracket to the wall comprises:
at least one first wall passage formed through the wall, wherein the at least one first wall passage is adapted to receive the at least one first pivot arm; at least one first bracket passage formed through the at least one first pivot arm; and at least one first securing plate mounted to the wall, wherein the at least one first bracket passage is adapted to receive a portion of the at least one first securing plate when the first supporting arm pivots towards the wall, wherein the means for pivotally connecting the second securing bracket to the wall comprises: at least one second wall passage formed through the wall, wherein the at least one second wall passage is adapted to receive the at least one second pivot arm; at least one second bracket passage formed through the at least one second pivot arm; and at least one second securing plate mounted to the wall, wherein the at least one second bracket passage is adapted to receive a portion of the at least one second securing plate when the second supporting arm pivots towards the wall.
- 5. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the first securing bracket is adapted to be lowered from a first position to a second position, and the second securing bracket is adapted to be lowered from the second position to a third position.
- 6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the wall is slidably mounted to a side wall of a holding cabinet.
- 7. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising means for raising and lowering the wall, wherein the first securing bracket is lowered from the first position to the second position when the wall is lowered from a first level to a second level.
- 8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first tray is a food product tray.
- 9. A tray lowering assembly, comprising:
a first pair of securing brackets, wherein a first of the first pair of securing brackets comprises a first supporting arm adapted to receive and to support a first tray, and wherein a second of the first pair of securing brackets comprises a second supporting arm adapted to receive and to support the first tray; means for pivotally connecting a first of the first pair of securing brackets to a first wall, wherein when a contact pressure is applied to a predetermined portion of the first supporting arm, the first supporting arm pivots towards the first wall; and means for pivotally connecting a second of the first pair of securing brackets to a second wall, wherein the second wall is positioned opposite the first wall, and when a contact pressure is applied to a predetermined portion of the second supporting arm, the second supporting arm pivots towards the second wall.
- 10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the first of the first pair of securing brackets further comprises at least one first pivot arm, and the means for pivotally connecting the first of the first pair of securing brackets to the first wall comprises:
at least one first wall passage formed through the first wall, wherein the at least one first wall passage is adapted to receive the at least one first pivot arm; at least one first bracket passage formed through the at least one first pivot arm; and at least one first securing plate mounted to the first wall, wherein the at least one first bracket passage is adapted to receive a portion of the at least one first securing plate when the first supporting arm pivots towards the first wall.
- 11. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the second of the first pair of securing brackets further comprises at least one second pivot arm, and the means for pivotally connecting the second of the first pair of securing brackets to the second wall comprises:
at least one second wall passage formed through the second wall, wherein the at least one second wall passage is adapted to receive the at least one second pivot arm; at least one second bracket passage formed through the at least one second pivot arm; and at least one second securing plate mounted to the second wall, wherein the at least one second bracket passage is adapted to receive a portion of the at least one second securing plate when the second supporting arm pivots towards the second wall.
- 12. The assembly of claim 9, further comprising:
a second pair of securing brackets, wherein a first of the second pair of securing brackets comprises a third supporting arm adapted to receive and to support a second tray, and wherein a second of the second pair of securing brackets comprises a fourth supporting arm adapted to receive and to support the second tray; means for pivotally connecting a first of the second pair of securing brackets to the first wall, wherein the first of the second pair of securing brackets is positioned below the first of the first pair of securing brackets, and when a contact pressure is applied to a predetermined portion of the third supporting arm, the third supporting arm pivots towards the first wall; and means for pivotally connecting a second of the second pair of securing brackets to the second wall, wherein the second of the second pair of securing brackets is positioned below the second of the first pair of securing brackets, and when a contact pressure is applied to a predetermined portion of the fourth supporting arm, the fourth supporting arm pivots towards the second wall.
- 13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the first pair of securing brackets are adapted to be lowered from a first position to a second position, and the second pair of securing brackets are adapted to be lowered from the second position to a third position.
- 14. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the first wall is slidably mounted to a first side wall of a holding cabinet, and the second wall is slidably mounted to a second side wall of the holding cabinet.
- 15. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the first tray is a food product tray.
- 16. The assembly of claim 9, further comprising:
means for raising and lowering the first wall, wherein the first securing bracket is lowered from the first position to the second position when the wall is lowered from a first level to a second level; and means for raising and lowering the second wall, wherein the second securing bracket is lowered from the first position to the second position when the second wall is lowered from the first level to the second level.
- 17. A method of manufacturing a food tray assembly, comprising the step of:
pivotally connecting a first securing bracket to a wall, wherein the first securing bracket comprises a first supporting arm, and when a contact pressure is applied to a predetermined portion of the first supporting arm, the first supporting arm pivots towards the wall.
- 18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of:
pivotally connecting a second securing bracket to the wall, wherein the second securing bracket comprises a second supporting arm, and when a contact pressure is applied to a predetermined portion of the second supporting arm, the second supporting arm pivots towards the wall.
Parent Case Info
[0001] The present application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/401,352, which is entitled “Tray Lowering Assemblies and Methods of Manufacturing the Same,” and was filed on Aug. 7, 2002, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60401352 |
Aug 2002 |
US |