Modular food holding cabinet having individually configurable food holding units

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9854943-B2
Application number	US-201414278549-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2014
Priority date	May 15, 2014
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

A modular food holding cabinet has multiple food holding units or bins, which can be connected and disconnected from each other in multiple different configurations. Each bin can be set to its own temperature, independently of the others.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. In a modular food holding device having a plurality of individually addressable and individually controllable food holding units, each of which is capable of being installed and used at different physical locations of the modular food holding device, a method of detecting and controlling a food holding unit in the modular food holding device, the method comprising the steps of:
transmitting a first message over a first conductor that extends between a first controller and a first food holding unit at a first physical location in the modular food holding device;
transmitting a second message over a second conductor that extends between the first physical location and a second physical location in the modular food holding device, the first and second conductors being electrically isolated from each other;
transmitting, from the first controller, a polling message onto a first bus, the first bus extending from the first controller to a first plurality of physical locations in the modular food holding device, the first plurality of physical locations including the first physical location and the second physical location;
determining that a second food holding unit occupies the second physical location based on receiving, at the first controller, a response to the polling message sent from the second food holding unit and over the first bus, wherein the second message provided permission to the second food holding unit to communicate over the first bus; and
transmitting, from the first controller and over the first bus, a first identification assignment message to the second food holding unit at the second physical location, the first identification assignment message indicating an address at which the second food holding unit receives subsequent communications over the first bus.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein receipt of the first identification assignment message enables the first controller to conduct bi-directional communications with the second food holding unit.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that no food holding units have been installed at the second physical location when no response to the polling message is received.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first controller is a master controller and the modular food holding device comprises a plurality of slave controllers, each slave controller being a bus controller for a corresponding bus that extends between the slave controller and a plurality of food holding units, wherein the step of transmitting the polling message is performed by a first slave controller.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
transmitting a third message on a third conductor that extends between a first slave controller of the plurality of slave controllers and a third physical location in the modular food holding device whereat a food holding unit can be installed;
transmitting the polling message onto a second bus, the second bus extending from the first slave controller to a second plurality of locations in the modular food holding device, wherein the second plurality of locations includes the third physical location;
determining that a third food holding unit occupies the third physical location based on receiving, at the first slave controller, a response to the polling message sent from the third food holding unit and over the second bus, wherein the third message provided permission to the third food holding unit to communicate over the second bus; and
transmitting, from the first slave controller and over the second bus, a second identification assignment message to the third food holding unit at the third physical location, the second identification assignment message indicating an address at which the third food holding unit receives subsequent communications over the second bus.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
determining that no food holding units have been installed at the third physical location when no response to the polling message is received at the expiration of a predetermined length of time.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
conducting bi-directional communications with a plurality of food holding units installed in a plurality of different locations using corresponding addresses that were assigned and transmitted to each unit.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first message is a D.C. voltage applied to the first conductor.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first bus is substantially compliant with the RS-485 communications standard.

10. A modular food holding device having a plurality of individually controllable and individually configurable food holding units, the modular food holding device comprising:
a master controller food holding unit;
a first plurality of food holding units coupled (i) in series to each other and (ii) coupled to each other and to the master controller food holding unit by a first communications bus;
a first slave control unit coupled to the master controller food holding unit in series by (i) an interrogation signal wire and by (ii) a third communications bus, the first slave control unit configured to be a slave to the master controller food holding unit; and
a second plurality of food holding units coupled in series to each other and coupled to the first slave control unit by a second communications bus.

11. The modular food holding device of claim 10 , wherein the first, second, and third communications busses are electrically separate from each other.

12. The modular food holding device of claim 10 , wherein food holding units in the first and the second pluralities of food holding units are configured to (i) receive a first interrogation message on a first input port, (ii) receive an identification assignment message on a second input port and (iii) output a second interrogation message from a first output port, the first input port and the first output port being electrically separate from each other.

13. The modular food holding device of claim 10 , wherein the first and second communications busses comprise first and second electrically parallel conductors.

14. The modular food holding device of claim 10 , wherein the first plurality of food holding units are electrically connected in series to each other by wires that extend between electrically adjacent food holding units, the wires including a first wire being connected between a first and a second food holding unit, and a second wire being connected between the second and a third food holding unit, wherein the first and second wires are electrically isolated from each other.

15. The modular food holding device of claim 14 , wherein the second plurality of food holding units are electrically connected in series to each other by wires that extend between electrically adjacent food holding units, the wires including a third wire being connected between a fourth and a fifth food holding unit, and a fourth wire being connected between the fifth and a sixth food holding unit, the third and fourth wires being electrically isolated from each other and electrically isolated from the first and second wires.

16. The modular food holding device of claim 10 , further comprising:
a second slave control unit coupled in series to the first slave control unit and coupled to the first slave control unit and to the master controller via the third communications bus; and
a third plurality of food holding units coupled to each other in series and coupled to each other and to the second slave control unit by a fourth communications bus, the fourth communications bus be

Assignees

• Prince Castle LLC
• Prince Castle LLC

Inventors

• Betzold David Anthony
• Paton David E

Classifications

• A47J39/02 Primary

  Dish-warmers; Devices to keep food hot · CPC title