Food serving system

a technology of serving system and food, which is applied in the field of food serving system, can solve the problems of inability to maintain the temperature of foods meant to be kept cold, inability to maintain the temperature of foods at the upper level of foods, and difficulty in maintaining salads or similar foods at the top of the pan at an equally cold temperatur

US20090178434A1Inactive Publication Date: 2009-07-16DEMIRJIAN GEORGE C
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
US · United States
Current Assignee / Owner
Publication Date
2009-07-16
Estimated Expiration
Not applicable · inactive patent

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Abstract

A portable food serving system for keeping food cold or for cooling hot food and keeping it cool that does not require a power source includes a generally rectangular inner pan and outer pan. Each of the pans has a bottom wall. The outer pan also has four sidewalls with a drain plug on one of them and rails at the bottom to form feet. The inner pan fits within the outer pan and the bottom wall of the inner pan is raised above the bottom wall of the outer pan. The inner pan has a plurality of compartments located therein with spaces formed between the compartments. A plurality of baffles extend upwardly from the bottom wall of the outer pan and extend into the spaces between the compartments. The system also includes a plurality of clips for releasably locking the inner pan with the outer pan. Ice and a cooling liquid may be placed in the spaces between the compartments and between the bottom walls of the pans. A cover fits over the pans.
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Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention is directed toward a food serving system and more particularly, toward a system that chills food and allows the food to stay cold for an extended period of time.

[0002] A problem facing many businesses in the food industry is the inability to maintain the temperature of foods meant to be kept cold. For example, in a salad bar type of setting or in catering situations it may be necessary to keep foods chilled for extended periods of time after they have been removed from normal refrigeration facilities. Particularly difficult is the inability to maintain cold temperatures at the upper level of the foods which is required by the health authorities. That is, while it is normally not too difficult to maintain salad or the like located near the bottom of a serving pan at a relatively cold temperature, it is difficult to maintain salad or a similar food at the top of the pan at an equally cold temperature.

[0003] In one type of salad bar ...

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0026]Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference numerals have been used throughout the various figures to designate like elements, there is shown in the FIG. 1 a food serving system constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and designated generally as 10.

[0027]The food serving system of the present invention essentially includes a pair of generally rectangular pans including an inner pan 12 and an outer pan 14. Each of the pans 12 and 14 has a bottom wall 16a-16c and 18, respectively. The outer pan 14 also has four sidewalls 20, 22, 24, and 26. The inner pan 12 has a plurality of compartments 28, 30, and 32 located therein with spaces 34 and 36 formed between the compartments 28, 30, and 32. (See FIG. 3.) The inner pan 12 fits within the outer pan 14 and the bottom walls 16a-16c of the inner pan 12 is raised above the bottom wall 18 of the outer pan 14 to form a space therebetween. (See FIG. 2.) A plurality of baffles 38 and 40 exten...