Food serving station and associated appliances and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10743715-B2
Application number	US-201815893275-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 9, 2018
Priority date	Aug 10, 2015
Publication date	Aug 18, 2020
Grant date	Aug 18, 2020

Abstract

Food preparation apparatus and associated appliance modules and methods. Appliances modules can be selectively docked at docks of an appliance interface of a base. An appliance module includes a food container support surface movable between cooking and holding positions. An appliance module includes a receptacle having a holding well that can be selectively configured in a generally horizontal position or an inclined position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An appliance for holding food in a food container at a desired holding temperature, the appliance comprising:
a housing, a receptacle operatively supported by the housing, the receptacle having a food container receiving space sized for receiving the food container, a lower portion of the food container receiving space and at least one side portion of the food container receiving space being bounded by the receptacle, the receptacle including at least one food conditioning element for holding food in the food container at a desired holding temperature when the food container is received in the food container receiving space,
wherein the receptacle is movable with respect to the housing between a generally horizontal position and an inclined position for selectively holding the food container in the generally horizontal position and the inclined position, the receptacle in the inclined position having a first end positioned higher than an opposite second end, the at least one food conditioning element being movable with the receptacle between the generally horizontal position and the inclined position.

2. The appliance as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the at least one food conditioning element is carried by the receptacle for movement with the receptacle to the inclined position.

3. The appliance as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the receptacle includes a shell having an interior, and the at least one food conditioning element is housed in the interior of the shell.

4. The appliance as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the receptacle is positioned in a cavity in the housing and movable in said cavity between said horizontal and inclined positions.

5. The appliance as set forth in claim 4 , further comprising a prop configured for supporting the housing in the inclined position.

6. The appliance as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the at least one food conditioning element is configured for cooling.

7. The appliance as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the at least one food conditioning element is configured for heating.

8. The appliance as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the at least one food conditioning element comprises a coil configured for routing temperature control fluid through the coil for holding the food in the food container at the desired holding temperature.

9. The appliance as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the coil is positioned in a side of the receptacle for temperature conditioning a side of the food container receiving space.

10. The appliance as set forth in claim 9 , wherein the coil is a first coil and the at least one food conditioning element comprises a second coil in a bottom of the receptacle for temperature conditioning a bottom of the food container receiving space.

11. The appliance as set forth in claim 10 , wherein the second coil underlies a bottom wall of the receptacle.

12. The appliance as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the housing has an upper surface, and wherein the first end of the receptacle is higher than the upper surface of the housing when the receptacle is in the inclined position.

13. The appliance as set forth in claim 12 , wherein the second end of the receptacle opposite the first end is positioned at about the same elevation as the upper surface of the housing when the receptacle is in the inclined position.

14. The appliance as set forth in claim 13 , wherein the second end of the receptacle opposite the first end is positioned at about the same elevation as the upper surface of the housing when the receptacle is in the horizontal position.

15. The appliance as set forth in claim 12 , wherein the housing includes an upper wall defining the upper surface, the upper wall having an opening in which the receptacle is received in the inclined position.

16. The appliance as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the at least one food conditioning element comprises a first food conditioning element underlying a bottom of the food container receiving space and a second food conditioning element at a side of the food container receiving space.

17. The appliance as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a user interface having a display, the display being positioned on the housing toward a first end of the housing, the receptacle in the inclined position inclining upward in a direction toward said first end of the housing.

18. The appliance as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the second end of the receptacle opposite the first end is positioned at about the same elevation in the horizontal position and the inclined position.

19. The appliance as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a hinge coupling the receptacle to the housing.

Assignees

• Duke Mfg Co

Inventors

• Jennings Brent
• Bigott James W
• Lines Randy
• Martin David

Classifications

• A47J37/049

  Details of the food supports not specially adapted to one of the preceding types of food supports · CPC title

• H05B6/12

  Cooking devices · CPC title

• A47J39/006 Primary

  for either storing and preparing or for preparing food on serving trays, e.g. heating, thawing, preserving · CPC title

• A47J36/2483

  with electrical heating means · CPC title

• H05B3/76

  Plates with spirally-wound heating tubes · CPC title