CN113163981A

CN113163981A - Timer transfer system and method for food preservation device

Info

Publication number: CN113163981A
Application number: CN201880099368.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 尼古拉斯·M·帕特森
Original assignee: Cleveland Range LLC
Current assignee: Cleveland Range LLC
Priority date: 2018-11-09
Filing date: 2018-11-09
Publication date: 2021-07-23
Also published as: AU2018448862A1; EP3876802A4; CA3119035A1; MX2021005318A; WO2020096617A1; CA3119035C; AU2018448862B2; EP3876802A1; JP2022507120A

Abstract

A system for storing food products at a predetermined temperature, the system comprising: a food receiving and preserving cabinet; a first storage compartment in the holding cabinet for receiving the tray; a temperature control device in thermal communication with the bracket; and a controller that transfers the selected timer by touching a user interface of the holding cabinet, thereby designating the selected timer to be transferred as being associated with the first storage bin.

Description

Timer transfer system and method for food preservation device

Background of the disclosure

1. Field of the invention

The present disclosure relates to devices for preserving food products at a desired temperature while the food products are waiting to be provided to a customer. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to apparatus, and an associated method, in a hot food holding cabinet to allow an operator to shift a working holding timer in a network connected system of the hot food holding cabinet.

2. Background of the invention

One of the major challenges in the commercial food service industry is to provide high quality food at the expected serving speed. One method of providing high quality food at the rate expected by the customer is to cook the food product and then store the food product in a thermal holding cabinet before the food product is ordered. Various techniques can be used to preserve such food from the basic thermal shelf through the infrared lights and convection currents. The thermal holding cabinet maintains the quality of the food, allowing for the provision of quality food at the pace expected by the customer.

These thermal holding cabinets typically have a timer that indicates to the user when the food is stored too long to meet quality standards and should be discarded. Trays of food are typically moved from cabinet to cabinet or from one trough to another within the same holding cabinet. There are expensive methods of automatically sensing where the disks are and automatically moving the timer. There are also inexpensive methods, but many button presses, press and hold mechanisms, and other complex and time consuming methods are required to transfer the disk timer between disk slots.

Therefore, there is a need to address these shortcomings of currently available systems.

Disclosure of Invention

There is provided a system for storing food at a predetermined temperature, the system comprising: a food receiving and preserving cabinet; a first storage compartment in the holding cabinet for receiving a tray; a temperature control device in thermal communication with the bracket; and a controller that transfers the selected timer by touching a user interface of the holding cabinet, thereby designating the selected timer to be transferred as being associated with the first bin.

There is also provided a method for a system for storing food at a predetermined temperature, the method comprising: providing a food receiving holding cabinet, a holding bin in the food receiving holding cabinet for receiving a rack, and a temperature control device in thermal communication with the rack; and transferring the selected timer by touching the receiving holding cabinet, thereby designating the selected timer to be transferred as being associated with the storage bin.

Drawings

Fig. 1A is a top front perspective view of a cabinet with the system and method for timer shifting of the present disclosure.

Fig. 1B is a top front perspective view of an alternative cabinet with the system and method for timer shifting of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a side perspective view of the cabinet of fig. 1 with a portion removed and a bracket positioned therein.

Fig. 3A and 3B are side views of a bracket used in the cabinet of fig. 1A, 1B, and 2.

Fig. 4A is a top front perspective view of a first holding cabinet and a second holding cabinet with the system and method for timer transfer of the present disclosure, wherein the first holding cabinet holds two racks.

Fig. 4B is a schematic diagram of a first holding cabinet and a second holding cabinet in communication with each other.

FIG. 5 is a screen shot of an interface of a first holding cabinet illustrating a system and method for timer transfer.

FIG. 6 is a screen shot of an interface of a second holding cabinet illustrating a system and method for timer transfer.

Fig. 7A is a top front perspective view of the first holding cabinet and the second holding cabinet of fig. 4A, wherein the first holding cabinet holds two trays and the second holding cabinet holds one tray.

FIG. 7B is a screen shot of an interface of a first holding cabinet illustrating a system and method for timer transfer.

FIG. 8 is a screen shot of an interface for a second holding cabinet illustrating a system and method for timer transfer.

Fig. 9A is a top front perspective view of the first holding cabinet and the second holding cabinet of fig. 4A, wherein the first holding cabinet holds one tray and the second holding cabinet holds two trays.

FIG. 9B is a screenshot of an interface of a first holding cabinet illustrating a system and method for timer transfer.

FIG. 10 is a screen shot of an interface for a second holding cabinet illustrating a system and method for timer transfer.

FIG. 11 is a screen shot of an interface of a first holding cabinet illustrating a system and method for timer transfer.

FIG. 12 is a screen shot of an interface for a second holding cabinet illustrating a system and method for timer transfer.

FIG. 13 is a screenshot of an interface of a first holding cabinet illustrating a system and method for timer transfer.

FIG. 14 is a screen shot of an interface for a second holding cabinet illustrating a system and method for timer transfer.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating the process steps of the controller of the system and method for timer shifted production.

Fig. 16 is a block diagram of a computer system according to the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1A, a cabinet 10 of the present disclosure is shown. Cabinet 10 is a hot food holding cabinet in a network connected system of hot food holding cabinets. The networked system of hot food holding cabinets includes cabinet 10 and one or more other hot food holding cabinets that are the same as or similar to cabinet 10. The user can transfer the working holding timer from the outgoing hot food holding cabinet to the receiving hot food holding cabinet in the network connected system of the hot food holding cabinets. The hot food holding cabinet may be the cabinet 10. The user transfers the timer from the out-going hot food holding cabinet to cabinet 10 as the cradle 14 (fig. 2) associated with the timer is transferred from the out-going hot food holding cabinet to cabinet 10. To transfer the timer, the user need only interact with the receiving hot food holding cabinet, cabinet 10. Existing hot food holding cabinets always require a user to interact with sending out and receiving hot food holding cabinets by the user: touching the button on the out-heat food holding cabinet, then touching the button on the out-heat food holding cabinet to pick up the food to be sent, then touching the button on the receive-heat food holding cabinet, and then touching the button on the receive-heat food holding cabinet to confirm where the tray will be received, requires a total of 4 touches.

The cabinet 10 of the present disclosure does not require any transfer buttons from the out of hot food holding cabinet. Due to the touch screen technology of the user interface 102 of the cabinet 10 and the ability to sense multiple points, the process of the present disclosure eliminates the concept of a shift button, but instead utilizes a more convenient "two-point touch" to touch only one button with two fingers rather than two buttons in series. The process of the cabinet 10 of the present disclosure is quick, easy and intuitive. All that needs to be done is: grab the carrier, transport the carrier to another cabinet (or another bin 12 in the same cabinet 10), place the carrier in place, touch the user interface 102 with two fingers, and pick the desired timer. Thus, the process of the cabinet 10 of the present disclosure is a two-touch screen of the user interface 102, which is much faster and more intuitive than the previously described method requiring the following four buttons: (1) a button for a transfer button, (2) a button to indicate what to transfer, (3) a button to receive a transfer button, and (4) a button to indicate where the transferred product is to be placed.

Referring to fig. 1A, 2, 3A and 3B and in particular to fig. 2, the cabinet 10 has a plurality of tray storage bins 12. Each of the tray bins 12 may receive one or more trays 14, wherein the trays 14 hold one or more food items (not shown). As shown in fig. 3A and 3B, the cradle 14 may be of a shallow profile with relatively long sides (fig. 3A) or may be of a deep profile with shorter sides (fig. 3B). The appropriate type of carrier 14 will depend on the food to be stored in the carrier 14.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cabinet 10 is a cabinet having ten bins 12 in a five row, two width (two wide) arrangement, where two widths refer to a particular industry standard tray. Each bin 12 may have space for one or two carriers 14. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A, the top boxes 12 each receive a larger tray 14, but the lower boxes each store a narrower tray 14. The present disclosure contemplates a cabinet having any number of bins from one bin 12 to one or more bins. In one embodiment, there are up to and equal to twenty bins 12. In any of these embodiments, the tank 12 may fit into a plurality of carriers 14. The cabinet may be sized to suit different needs in different areas of the restaurant. For example, in a service area near the front of the facility, a smaller cabinet, for example, with four bins 12 may be appropriate. At the rear of the facility, larger cabinets with up to 20 bins may be appropriate. Fig. 1B shows an alternative cabinet 10a, the alternative cabinet 10a being identical to the cabinet 10 except that it is smaller in size than the cabinet 10, and therefore, the same reference numerals are used for the same features.

Referring back to fig. 2, each tank 12 has associated therewith a temperature control device such as a heater 20 a. The heater 20 may be any number of suitable devices for providing heat to the tank 12 and the carriage 14. The heater 20 may be inductive, conductive (e.g., a hot plate), convective (e.g., a hot air stream), radiant (e.g., a heat lamp, a calorimeter bar), and any combination thereof. The heater 20 is regulated by a temperature sensor or software algorithm, both linked to the processor 108a (fig. 4B) to achieve the desired temperature, as described above. Although the present disclosure is primarily directed to maintaining the racks 14 at an elevated temperature within the tank 12, the apparatus and methods of the present disclosure may be used to maintain the racks 14 at ambient temperature or may also be used to cool the racks 14. Further, for simplicity, the term "case" is used to describe a fully enclosed or semi-enclosed location or area capable of storing and holding one or more racks.

The cabinet 10 has a user interface 102. The user interface 102 is a touch screen as known in the art. One example of a touch screen for the user interface 102 is a glass front projected capacitive touch screen display, for example, manufactured by Three Five corporation (Three Five Corp), but the user interface 102 may be manufactured by many other companies. The cabinet 10 has two user interfaces 102 and the cabinet 10a has one user interface 102, however, more than two user interfaces 102 may be used. The cabinet 10 may be modified to have one user interface 102 on the front 30 and one user interface 102 on the rear 32 so that the touch screen of the user interface 102 may be used as a front to rear mirror and the user may obtain food from both sides to make a sandwich. The cabinet 10 may be modified to be a very large cabinet: the cabinet has two user interfaces 102 on its front, the cabinet has 20 racks and 20 timers for each rack, which 20 timers would be extremely difficult to read on a small screen. The transfer of one of the trays 14 may be performed within a single cabinet if it is desired to move something from the bottom cabinet 12 to the top cabinet 12, but more commonly, the transfer of one of the trays 14 may be performed between individual cabinets, such as a holding cabinet and a sandwich-making cabinet.

Referring to FIG. 4A, a first holding cabinet 400 and a second holding cabinet 402 are shown. First holding cabinet 400 and second holding cabinet 402 are identical to holding cabinet 10, except that first holding cabinet 400 and second holding cabinet 402 have seven bins instead of ten bins, and therefore, the same reference numerals are used for the same features.

Referring to FIG. 4B, a first holding cabinet 400 and a second holding cabinet 402 are schematically shown in communication with each other. Each user interface 102 is in communication with an interface controller 105, the interface controller 105 having one or more user interface control panels 106. The user interface control panel 106 has a processor 106a and a memory 106 b. The x-y coordinates of a touch, e.g., by a user's finger, are sensed on an interface surface 103, e.g., a glass surface, of a touch screen of the user interface 102 using projected capacitance technology. If the touch is released, the touch is sensed by the touch screen of the user interface 102 as a tap (tap), or in other words, simply a press. The detection of the x-y coordinates of the touch as sensed by the touch screen of the user interface 102 is sent to the interface processor 106a in real time. The touch screen of the user interface 102 may sense multiple touches, e.g., more than one touch that simultaneously contacts the touch screen of the user interface 102. The detection of the x-y coordinates of each touch sensed by the touch screen of the user interface 102 is sent to the interface processor 106a in real time.

The heater 20 is in electrical communication with a temperature control controller 107. The temperature control controller 107 has a temperature control plate 108. The temperature control board 108 has a temperature control processor 108a and a temperature control memory 108 b. Temperature control controller 107 controls the state (on/off) and optionally the amount of power supplied to heater 20 as needed to keep any food in rack 14 warm. The temperature control processor 108a monitors and controls the temperature of each tank 12 using the heater 20. A temperature set point may be sent from the interface processor 106a and additional heater on time or reduced power or reduced heater on time may be supplied to the heater 20 as needed. Alternatively, the temperature value for the heated surface 20 may be reported back to the interface processor 106a from the temperature control processor 108 a. The temperature can also be managed by a simple algorithm that adjusts the percentage of time that the heater is on and off relative to what temperature setting is set in the control. Thus, in this embodiment, the interface processor 106a in the first holding cabinet 400 may be an aggregator of data collected by other processors in the first holding cabinet 400, including the temperature control processor 108 a. Interface processor 106a in second holding cabinet 402 may be an aggregator of data collected by other processors in second holding cabinet 402, including temperature control processor 108 a. The interface controller 105, the temperature control controller 107, and the heater 20 in the first holding cabinet 400 are all in electrical communication with each other. Interface controller 105, temperature control controller 107, and heater 20 in second holding cabinet 402 are all in electrical communication with each other.

When multiple cabinets 10 are in the same location, cabinets 10 may be connected to each other to allow information communication between individual cabinets 10 in the network and cabinets 10 may be connected to the internet, cabinets 10 being, for example, a first holding cabinet 400 and a second holding cabinet 402. Referring to fig. 4B, first holding cabinet 400 and second holding cabinet 402 need to be connected in electronic communication, respectively. This may be done over a wired connection, such as Ethernet or i-party c (i-squared-c) communication, but also over any form of wireless connection, such as 802.11n wifi or tcp-ip. First holding cabinet 400 and second holding cabinet 402 use this communication to share information about: what is kept, in which device, in which location, and what timing information is available. First holding cabinet 400 transfers data to second holding cabinet 402 as indicated by arrow 404, and second holding cabinet 402 transfers data to first holding cabinet 400 as indicated by arrow 406, either through wireless communication (i.e., WiFi over 802.11 a/b/g/n) or through wired communication. First holding cabinet 400 and second holding cabinet 402 communicate by wireless communication, for example, using a USB WiFi dongle or WiFi embedded in the control board. In particular, each cabinet 10 may have one or more user interfaces 102. The user interface 102 has a touch screen that then communicates with a user interface control board 106, which user interface control board 106 holds an onboard processor 106a and memory 106 b. Each user interface 102 has a touch screen and a user interface control panel 106. The user interface control panels 106 may communicate with each other through wired or wireless communication. The user interface control board 106 may also communicate with other devices in the system, including the temperature control board 108, speakers, and in this case, a USB Wi-Fi dongle for wireless communication, respectively. Alternatively, the user interfaces 102 may have Wi-Fi, bluetooth, or other communications onboard, but in the system shown in fig. 4B, the user interfaces 102 talk to each other. In addition, when the user interface 102 is a main UI unit, they are able to talk to the temperature control board 108 and the USB WiFi communication device (not shown), respectively. Each USB WiFi communication device in turn talks to other cabinets 10 within the network, allowing the cabinets 10 to communicate with each other.

Referring to FIG. 5, the user interface 102 of the first holding cabinet 400 displays a screen divided into

discrete sections

502, 504, 506, 508, 510, 512, 514 on a touch screen. The touch screen of the first holding cabinet 400 has seven sections, such that each of these

sections

502, 504, 506, 508, 510, 512, 514 displays information about one of the seven tray boxes 12, respectively. Referring back to FIG. 4A, a bin 408, which is one of the bins 12, is associated with the portion 502. A bin 410, which is one of the bins 12, is associated with the portion 504. A bin 412, which is one of the bins 12, is associated with the portion 506. The bin 414, which is one of the bins 12, is associated with the portion 508. Associated with portion 510 is bin 416, which is one of bins 12. Associated with portion 512 is bin 418, which is one of bins 12. Tank 420, which is one of tanks 12, is associated with portion 514. The

sections

502, 504, 508, 510, 512, 514 are shown as having seven sections for seven corresponding bins 12; however, the first holding cabinet 400 may have a greater or lesser number of sections and bins for different sized cabinets. The tiled screen of the touch screen of the user interface 102 may be one screen option, such as a home screen.

Portions

502, 504, 506, 508, and 514 display displayed food timer buttons 522, respectively. Each displayed food timer button 522 includes a product identifier 524 and a status identifier 526. The product identifier 524 is, for example, a product name, an abbreviation, other identifier, or a combination thereof. The status identifier 526 is, for example, "Ready" to indicate that the corresponding displayed food timer button 522 may be pressed to enable the timer. Each of the

portions

502, 504, 506, 508, and 514 has an indicator, such as a light gray, to indicate a ready state or idle state in which the timer has not been enabled.

Portions

502, 504, 506, 508, and 514 in the ready state may be selected by tapping, for example, by a finger of a user touching surface 103 within one of

portions

502, 504, 506, 508, and 514 of first holding cabinet 400. The detection of the x-y coordinates of a touch sensed by the touch screen of user interface 102 is sent by the tap to interface processor 106a of first holding cabinet 400, which interface processor 106a determines, for example, the location of the tap within one of

portions

502, 504, 506, 508, and 514. When

portions

502, 504, 506, 508, and 514 are tapped, a timer will start similar to

portions

510 and 512 described herein.

Portion 510 displays a product identifier 524 and a first timer 528, and portion 512 displays the product identifier 524 and a second timer 530. After the user's finger taps surface 103 within section 510, user interface 102 displays a first indicator 532 on the touch screen, e.g., a change in color of section 510, such as green, indicating that section 510 has been selected by the finger tap, and user interface 102 of first holding cabinet 400 displays the digits of first timer 528 on the touch screen in section 510. The finger is one that produces a tap such that the x-y coordinates of the tap are sensed on the interface surface 103 of the touch screen of the user interface 102 of the first holding cabinet 400. The detection of the x-y coordinates of the tap sensed by the touch screen of user interface 102 is sent to interface processor 106a of first holding cabinet 400. The first indicator 532 indicates the time of the first timer 528, for example, by the color of the first indicator 532 changing from right to left to the color 534 with the time of the first timer 528. For example, the color of the first indicator 532 covers all of the portion 510 at the beginning of the timer and decreases in size until the first timer 528 expires and the first indicator 532 is no longer displayed in the portion 510.

After the user's finger taps the surface 103 within the portion 512, the user interface 102 displays a second indicator 536 on the touch screen, e.g., a change in color of the portion 512, such as green, indicating that the portion 512 has been selected by the finger tap, and the user interface 102 displays the digits of the second timer 530 on the touch screen in the portion 512. The finger is one that produces a tap such that the x-y coordinates of the tap are sensed on the interface surface 103 of the touch screen of the user interface 102 of the first holding cabinet 400. The detection of the x-y coordinates of the tap sensed by the touch screen of user interface 102 is sent to interface processor 106a of first holding cabinet 400. The second indicator 536 indicates the time of the second timer 530, for example, by the color of the second indicator 536 changing from right to left to the color 538 with the time of the second timer 530. For example, the color of the second indicator 536 covers all of the portion 512 at the beginning of the timer and decreases in size until the second timer 530 expires and the second indicator 536 is no longer displayed in the portion 512.

The first indicator 532 may be different from the second indicator 536 to indicate which timer is the oldest timer for the same product identifier 524. For example, the first indicator 532 may be yellow and the second indicator 536 may be white to indicate to the user that the food in the rack 14 corresponding to the portion 510 should be used before the food in the rack 14 corresponding to the second portion 512. The user taps surface 103 within portion 510 while first timer 528 is displayed in the timer button to cause user interface 102 to display the timer reset option. The timer reset option includes a first option to confirm a reset to deactivate the first timer 528, and after the first timer 528 is deactivated, the user interface 102 of the first holding cabinet 400 displays the displayed food timer button 522 in section 510. The timer reset option includes a second option to cancel to keep the first timer 528 running. The user taps surface 103 within portion 512 while second timer 530 is displayed in the timer button to cause user interface 102 to display the timer reset option. The timer reset option includes a first option to confirm a reset to deactivate the second timer 530, and after the second timer 530 is deactivated, the user interface 102 of the second holding cabinet 402 displays a displayed food timer button 522 in portion 512. The timer reset option includes a second option to cancel to keep the second timer 530 running. Thus, the first cabinet has two active holding timers, namely a first timer 528 and a second timer 530.

As shown in fig. 4A, the bracket 436 is located in the box 416. Carriage 438 is located in box 418. Each of the

trays

436 and 438 is one of the trays 14 that holds food, such as cookies (bisuits). The user's finger should strike surface 103 within portion 510 when bracket 436 is initially positioned in case 416. The first timer 528 indicates a time before the food in the carrier 436 becomes too old to meet quality standards and should be discarded. The user's finger should strike surface 103 within portion 512 when cradle 438 is initially seated in box 418. The second timer 530 indicates a time before the food in the cradle 438 becomes too old to meet quality standards and should be discarded.

Referring to fig. 6, the user interface 102 of the second holding cabinet 402 displays a screen divided into

discrete sections

602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612, 614 on a touch screen. The touch screen of the second holding cabinet 402 has seven sections such that each of these

sections

602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612, 614 displays information about one of the seven tray boxes 12, respectively. A bin 422, which is one of the bins 12, is associated with the portion 602. Associated with portion 604 is a bin 424 that is one of bins 12. Associated with portion 606 is a bin 426 that is one of bins 12. A tank 428, which is one of the tanks 12, is associated with the portion 608. Associated with portion 610 is bin 430, which is one of bins 12. Tank 432, which is one of tanks 12, is associated with portion 612. Associated with portion 614 is a bin 434 that is one of bins 12. The

sections

602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612, 614 are shown with seven sections for seven corresponding bins 12; however, second holding cabinet 400 may have a greater or lesser number of sections and bins for different sized cabinets. Thus, first holding cabinet 400 shown in fig. 5 and second holding cabinet 402 shown in fig. 6 together have two timers, i.e., first timer 528 and second timer 530, operating simultaneously.

Sections

602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612, 614 display displayed food timer buttons 622, respectively. Each displayed food timer button 622 includes a product identifier 624 and a status identifier 626. The product identifier 624 is, for example, a product name, an abbreviation, other identifier, or a combination thereof. The status identifier 626 is, for example, "Ready" to indicate that the corresponding displayed food timer button 622 may be pressed to enable the timer. Each of the

portions

602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612, 614 has an indicator, such as a light gray, to indicate a ready state or idle state in which the timer has not been enabled. The

portions

602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612, 614 in the ready state may be selected by tapping, for example, by a finger of a user touching the surface 103 within one of the

portions

602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612, 614. The detection of the x-y coordinates of a touch sensed by the touch screen of user interface 102 of second holding cabinet 402 is transmitted by the tap to interface processor 106a of second holding cabinet 402, which interface processor 106a determines, for example, the location of the tap within one of

portions

602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612, 614. When the

portions

602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612, 614 are tapped, the timer will start similar to the

portions

510 and 512 described herein.

Referring to fig. 7A, a user may place a tray 440 in a box 430. The cradle 440 is one of the cradles 14. Referring to FIG. 8, when tray 440 is positioned in cabinet 430, the user should then strike surface 103 within portion 610 of second holding cabinet 402 using a single finger 800. When a single finger 800 strikes surface 103 within portion 610 of second holding cabinet 402, user interface 102 displays a third indicator 632 on the touch screen, e.g., a change in color, such as green, of portion 610, indicating that portion 610 has been selected by the striking of single finger 800, and user interface 102 of second holding cabinet 402 displays the number of third timer 628 on the touch screen in portion 610 in place of state identifier 626. The single finger 800 is one finger that generates the tap such that the x-y coordinates of the tap are sensed on the interface surface 103 of the touch screen of the second user interface 102. The detection of the x-y coordinates of the tap sensed by the touch screen of user interface 102 is sent to interface processor 106a of second holding cabinet 402. The third indicator 632 indicates the time of the third timer 628, for example, by the color of the third indicator 632 changing from right to left to the color 634 with the time of the third timer 628. For example, the color of the third indicator 632 covers all of the portion 610 at the beginning of the timer and decreases in size until the third timer 628 expires and the third indicator 632 is no longer displayed in the portion 610. The third timer 628 indicates the time before the food in the tray 440 becomes too old to meet quality standards and should be discarded. Thus, the first holding cabinet 400 shown in fig. 7B has three timers, i.e., a first timer 528, a second timer 530, and a third timer 628, operating simultaneously with the second holding cabinet 402 shown in fig. 8.

Referring to fig. 9A, a user may remove tray 436 from cabinet 416 of first holding cabinet 400 and place tray 436 in cabinet 428 of second holding cabinet 402. When carrier 436 is positioned in box 428 of second holding cabinet 402, referring to fig. 10, the user should simultaneously strike surface 103 within portion 608 of second holding cabinet 402 using a plurality of

fingers

1000, 1002. When

multiple fingers

1000, 1002 simultaneously strike surface 103 within portion 608 of second holding cabinet 402, user interface 102 displays list 1004 on the touch screen of user interface 102. These fingers are more than one finger that produces a tap, as shown in FIG. 10, and the plurality of

fingers

1000, 1002 are two fingers, such that the x-y coordinates of each of the two taps are sensed on the interface surface 103 of the touch screen of the user interface 102 of the second holding cabinet 402. The detection of the x-y coordinates tapped by the plurality of

fingers

1000, 1002 sensed by the touch screen of user interface 102 is sent to interface processor 106a of second holding cabinet 402. The user interface 102 of the second holding cabinet 402 also displays a fourth indicator 1007, e.g. a change in color, such as white, of the portion 608 on the touch screen, indicating that the portion 608 has been selected by multiple taps of the plurality of

fingers

1000, 1002.

The data required to generate manifest 1004 may be communicated continuously between first holding cabinet 400 and second holding cabinet 402 to prevent delays, or a request for all information relating to the allowable timer transmissions may be sent to the network of holding cabinets, in this case first holding cabinet 400, when multiple fingers 1000 strike surface 103 within portion 608 of second holding cabinet 402. First holding cabinet 400 and second holding cabinet 402 communicate to share information about: (1) what is maintained, e.g., as indicated by

product identifiers

524, 624, (2) in which device, i.e., first holding cabinet 400 or second holding cabinet 402, (3) in which location, i.e., in each

section

502, 504, 506, 508, 510, 512, 514, 602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612, 614, the

bin

408, 410, 412, 414, 416, 418, 420, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430, 432, 434, corresponding to the

product identifier

524, 526, and (4) what timing information, e.g., a timer operating in each

section

502, 504, 506, 508, 510, 512, 514, 602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612, 614, corresponding to the

bin

408, 410, 412, 414, 416, 418, 420, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430, 432, 434, is available. Alternatively, the data required to generate manifest 1004 may be communicated continuously between first holding cabinet 400 and second holding cabinet 402 through a server or cloud storage, or a request for all information related to allowable timer transmissions may be sent from second holding cabinet 402 to a server or cloud storage when

multiple fingers

1000, 1002 strike surface 103 within portion 608 of second holding cabinet 402, wherein the data required to generate manifest 1004 may be communicated continuously between first holding cabinet 400 and a server or cloud storage and between second holding cabinet 402 and a server or cloud storage.

List 1004 displays one or more list timer buttons 1006. The clear timer button 1006 is an active timer that may be selected to be shifted and displayed in section 608. The tally timer button 1006 corresponds to the timers of operation in the first holding cabinet 400 as shown in fig. 7B and the second holding cabinet 402 as shown in fig. 8, i.e., the first timer 528, the second timer 530, and the third timer 628, respectively. The specific settings determining whether the timers at work, i.e., the first timer 528, the second timer 530, and the third timer 628, are capable of allowing transmission may be set in settings, e.g., predetermined settings that may be defined in the controller 105 by user input. Parameters for determining whether a product, such as a product in tray 436, is suitable for transfer to one of

bins

408, 410, 412, 414, 416, 418, 420, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430 include the temperature of the bin, referred to as the shelf temperature, for example, in the case where tray 436 is covered with a cover of any of several kinds, and the physical dimensions of tray 436. The

tanks

408, 410, 412, 414, 416, 418, 420, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430, 432, 434 may each have more than one heater independently controlled. Thus, the size of the carriage 436 determines how many heaters need to be controlled to the same temperature as the heating carriage 436. For example, if the carrier 436 is a large disk of cookies, it may cover two or more heaters, and both heaters will operate at the same temperature. Another example is if the cradle 436 is a small dish of breakfast sausage, it may cover only one heater that will operate at a predetermined heating temperature, while one or more other heaters will be deactivated or activated at a predetermined idle temperature.

The first clearing timer button 1008 corresponds to the first timer 528. A first list timer button 1008 displays a product identifier 524, a first timer 528, a first indicator 532, and a color 534. The second list timer button 1010 displays the product identifier 524, the second timer 530, the second indicator 536, and the color 538. The third list timer button 1012 displays the product identifier 624, the third timer 628, the second indicator 632, and the color 634 of the second indicator 632. Manifest 1004 also displays indicia 1014. The flag 1014 for read "Select Timer to Transfer (Select Timer to Transfer)" includes an instruction above the clear Timer button 1006.

While the touch screen of the user interface 102 of the second holding cabinet 402 displays the list 1004 as shown in fig. 10, the touch screen of the user interface 102 of the first holding cabinet 400 continues to display the first timer 528 in section 510 and the second timer 530 in section 512 as shown in fig. 9. As shown in fig. 10, while the touch screen of the user interface 102 of the second holding cabinet 402 displays the checklist 1004, a third timer 628 is simultaneously displayed in section 610.

Referring to fig. 12, a single finger 1200 of the user strikes surface 103 of second holding cabinet 402 within first clearing timer button 1008. Single finger 1200 is one that produces a tap such that the x-y coordinate system of the tap is sensed on the touch screen of user interface 103 of second holding cabinet 402. The direction of the x-y coordinate system of the tap sensed through the touch screen of user interface 102 is sent to interface processor 106a of second holding cabinet 402. After a single finger 1200 of the user strikes the surface 103 of second holding cabinet 402 within first clearing timer button 1008, user interface 102 of second holding cabinet 402 communicates with user interface 102 of first holding cabinet 400 to transfer first timer 528 from first holding cabinet 400 associated with bin 416 to first holding cabinet 416 to be associated with bin 428. Alternatively, user interface 102 of second holding cabinet 402 communicates with user interface 102 of first holding cabinet 400 through a server or cloud storage to transfer first timer 528 from first holding cabinet 400 associated with bin 416 to second holding cabinet 402 associated with bin 428. When the user taps the surface 103 of the second holding cabinet 402 within the inventory timer button 1008 at a first time, the touch screen of the user interface 102 of the first holding cabinet 400 continues to display the first timer 528 in section as shown in fig. 11.

Referring to FIG. 14, after a single finger 1200 of a user taps surface 103 of second holding cabinet 402 within first tally timer button 1008, checklist 1004 is no longer displayed on the touch screen of user interface 102 of second holding cabinet 402, and first timer 528 and product identifier 524 displayed in section 510 on the touch screen of user interface 102 of previous first holding cabinet 400 are shifted and displayed in section 608 of the touch screen of user interface 102 of second holding cabinet 402, whereby first timer 528 associated with bin 416 is shifted such that first timer 528 is associated with bin 428. In the event that the shelf temperature settings for the bracket 436 are different, the temperature in the tank 428 will also change to the new setting when the first timer 528 is transferred. Thus, a first timer 528, which indicates the time before the food in the tray 436 becomes too old to meet quality standards and should be discarded, may be moved with the tray 436 to the second holding cabinet 402. When first timer 528 and product identifier 524 are transferred and displayed in touch screen section 608 of user interface 102 of second holding cabinet 402, as shown in fig. 13, section 510 of the touch screen of user interface 102 of first holding cabinet 400 displays product identifier 524 and status identifier 526, e.g., "Ready" indicating the corresponding displayed food timer button 622 may be pressed by a single touch to enable a new timer or to transfer the timer to section 510 by multiple touches.

Upon expiration of first timer 528, second timer 530, and third timer 628, an alert is displayed in section 510, section 512, and section 608, respectively, indicating that the timer has expired. The alarm may be displayed for a predetermined amount of time before deactivation, or a tap by the user may deactivate the alarm. After deactivating the alarm, the product identifiers 524 and the status identifiers 526 indicating the idle state are displayed in the first timer 528 and the second timer 530, and the product identifiers 624 and the status identifiers 626 indicating the idle state are displayed in the third timer 628.

Alternatively, second holding cabinet 402 is not in communication with first holding cabinet 400 or any other holding cabinet. In this alternative, referring back to FIG. 7A, the user may remove the bracket 440 from the case 430 and, instead of placing the bracket 436 in the case 428, the user may place the bracket 440 in the case 428. Since second holding cabinet 402 is not in communication with any other holding cabinets in this alternative, checklist 1004 will only display third checklist timer button 1012 for third timer 628 when the user simultaneously taps surface 103 within section 608 of second holding cabinet 402 using

multiple fingers

1000, 1002. The user may then use a single finger to tap surface 103 in third list timer button 1012 of second holding cabinet 402. Single finger 1200 is one that produces a tap such that the x-y coordinate system of the tap is sensed on interface surface 103 of the touch screen of user interface 102 of second holding cabinet 402. The x-y coordinate system of the tap sensed through the touch screen of user interface 102 is sent to interface processor 106a of second holding cabinet 402 and then, manifest 1004 is no longer displayed on the touch screen of user interface 102 of second holding cabinet 402 and third timer 628 and product identifier 624 previously displayed in section 610 are shifted and displayed in section 608 of the touch screen of user interface 102 of second holding cabinet 402, whereby third timer 628 associated with bin 430 is shifted such that third timer 628 is associated with bin 428. Thus, a third timer 628 indicating a time before the food in the tray 440 becomes too old to meet the quality criteria and should be discarded may be moved with the tray 440 from the bin 430 to the bin 428. When third timer 628 and product identifier 624 are transferred and displayed in section 608 of the touch screen of user interface 102 of second holding cabinet 402, section 610 displays product identifier 624 and status identifier 626, indicating that "Ready" of the corresponding displayed food timer button 622 may be pressed by a single touch to enable a new timer or to transfer the timer to section 610 by multiple touches.

Fig. 16 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a user interface 1600 for use with the cabinet 10 of the present disclosure. The cabinet 10 may include at least one user interface 1600. The user interface 1600 includes a UI control panel 1605 and a touch screen 1610 coupled to a network 1620, such as the internet.

The user interface 1600 includes a UI control panel 1605 in communication with the touch screen 1610. The UI board 1605 has on board a processor 1615 and memory 1625. The UI control board 1605 may be implemented on a general-purpose microcomputer. The UI control board 1605 may be coupled to other devices through a network 1620.

The processor 1615 is configured with logic circuits that respond to and execute instructions.

The memory 1625 stores data and instructions for controlling the operation of the processor 1615. The memory 1625 may be implemented in Random Access Memory (RAM), a hard disk drive, Read Only Memory (ROM), or a combination thereof. One of the components of memory 1625 is a program module 1630.

Program module 1630 contains instructions for controlling processor 1615 to perform the methods described herein. For example, as a result of execution of program module 1630, processor 1615 performs a method described herein, such as method 1500. The term "module" is used herein to denote the following functional operations: the functional operation may be embodied as a stand-alone component, or as an integral configuration of multiple dependent components. Thus, program module 1630 may be implemented as a single module or as multiple modules that operate in cooperation with each other. Further, while program module 1630 is described herein as being installed in memory 1625 and thus being implemented in software, program module 1630 may be implemented in any one of hardware (e.g., electronic circuitry), firmware, software, or a combination thereof.

The user interface 1600 includes an input device, such as a touch screen 1610, a keyboard, or a voice recognition subsystem, for enabling a user to communicate information and command selections to the processor 1615. The user interface 1600 includes a respective output device, such as a touch screen 1610, a display, or a printer. A cursor control such as a mouse, trackball, or joystick may also allow the user to manipulate a cursor on the display to communicate additional information and command selections to the processor 1615.

The processor 1615 outputs results of performing the methods described herein to the touch screen 1610. Alternatively, the processor 1615 may direct the output to a remote device, such as a server/cloud storage 1640 and/or

other cabinets

1636, 1637, and/or 1638 via a network 1620. Such output to the touch screen 1610 in the user interface 1600 or other user interfaces included in the

cabinets

1636, 1637, and/or 1638 may be the timers 1 through n associated with the particular cradle disposed in the respective cabinet, wherein the respective timers 1 through n may move from one interface to another interface in the same or other cabinets. The user interfaces 1600 or other user interfaces included in

cabinets

1636, 1637, and/or 1638 may communicate with each other through wired or wireless communication. They may also each communicate with other connected devices connected to the system, including the heater control board, speakers, and in this case, a USB Wi-Fi dongle for wireless communication. Alternatively, the user interface 1600 may have on-board Wi-Fi, bluetooth, or other communication devices or means, but in the illustrated case, the user interfaces 1600 or other user interfaces included in the

cabinets

1636, 1637, and/or 1638 talk to each other and are each a master UI capable of talking to at least one heater control board and a USB WiFi communication means. In addition, the USB WiFi device communicates with other cabinets connected to the network, and this is how the cabinets 10 in the network communicate with each other.

Although program module 1630 is indicated as having been loaded into memory 1625, program module 1630 may be configured on storage medium 1635 for subsequent loading into memory 1625. Storage media 1635 may be any conventional storage media upon which program module 1630 is stored in tangible form. Examples of storage media 1635 include a floppy disk, optical disk, magnetic tape, read only memory, optical storage media, Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drive, digital versatile disk, or zip drive. Alternatively, the storage medium 1635 may be random access memory or other type of electronic storage located on a remote storage system, such as in a server or cloud storage 1640, and coupled to the UI control board 1605 via the network 1620.

Referring to FIG. 15, a method 1500 that may be used with at least one holding cabinet, such as first holding cabinet 400 and second holding cabinet 402, is shown. The method 1500 begins at step 1502 and proceeds to step 1504. In step 1504, a displayed food timer button, such as displayed food timer button 622 in section 608, is displayed in a first section of a user interface, such as user interface 102 of second holding cabinet 402, on a first holding cabinet having a first storage bin, such as bin 428, for receiving a tray. From step 1504, method 1500 proceeds to step 1506. In step 1506, it is determined whether a touch has been detected in a first segment, such as segment 608. If no touch is detected in the first segment, the method 1500 repeats step 1504. If a touch is detected in the first segment, method 1500 proceeds from step 1506 to step 1508. In step 1508, it is determined whether a single touch has been detected in a first segment, e.g., segment 608. If it is determined that a single touch has been detected in the first segment, method 1500 proceeds from step 1508 to step 1509. In step 1509, it is determined whether the timer associated with the first segment is already running. If the timer has not run, the method 1500 proceeds to step 1510. In step 1510, a first timer is enabled, which is then displayed in the first section. From step 1510, method 1500 proceeds to step 1512. In step 1512, the method 1500 ends. If the timer is already running, the method 1500 proceeds to step 1511. In step 1511, a timer reset option is displayed in the user interface 102, the timer reset option including an option to confirm a reset or cancel to run the timer. From step 1511, method 1500 proceeds to step 1512. In step 1512, the method 1500 ends.

If it is determined that a single touch has not been detected in a first segment, such as segment 608, method 1500 proceeds from step 1508 to step 1514. In step 1514, it is determined whether multiple touches have been detected simultaneously in the first segment. If multiple touches are not simultaneously detected in the first segment, method 1500 repeats step 1504. From step 1514, if multiple touches are detected simultaneously in the first segment, method 1500 proceeds to step 1516. In step 1516, it is determined if at least a second timer having a predetermined setting, such as first timer 528, has been enabled and displayed in a second section, such as section 510, of the first user interface or a second user interface on a second cabinet or any other cabinet in electrical communication with the first cabinet. If at least a second timer having a predetermined setting is not enabled and is not displayed in the second section of the second user interface on the first user interface or the second cabinet, the method 1500 proceeds to step 1509 as described above. From step 1516, the method 1500 proceeds to step 1518 if at least a second timer having a predetermined setting, such as the first timer 528, has been enabled and displayed in a second segment, such as segment 510, on the first user interface or a second user interface of the second cabinet. In step 1518, a list, such as list 1004, is displayed with at least a second timer, such as first timer 528, already enabled, which is displayed in the list as a second timer button, such as first list timer button 1008. From step 1518, the method proceeds to step 1520. In step 1520, it is determined whether a touch has been detected in at least a second timer button, e.g., first clear timer button 1008. If no touch is detected in at least the second timer button, method 1500 repeats step 1518. If a touch is detected in at least a second timer button, such as first clearing timer button 1008, method 1500 proceeds from step 1520 to step 1522. In step 1522, a second timer, e.g., first timer 528, is transferred to the first user interface and displayed in a first section, e.g., section 608, of the first user interface, and the second user interface no longer displays the second timer. From step 1522, method 1500 proceeds to step 1512. In step 1512, the method 1500 ends.

Method 1500 repeats for each displayed

food timer button

522, 622 while operating at least one of the two holding cabinets, e.g., first holding cabinet 400 and second holding cabinet 402.

The present disclosure is the simplest known method for accomplishing carriage transfer due to the use of a multi-touch screen. This simple and unique method has an arrangement that includes a plurality of holding cabinets, each electrically connected to a communications network. Each holding cabinet has a working countdown timer associated with the rack, tray or container of food. The touch screen forms a control on the locker, wherein the touch screen is divided into a grid of cells representing a timer for holding a plate or container of food in the cell.

It is often desirable to move the tray food from one location to another. This may be in the same holding cabinet or from one holding cabinet to another. Since the control device is very basic, all other transfer methods require pressing on both the outgoing holding cabinet and the receiving holding cabinet. Typically, this may also require scrolling or selecting products. An example of this novel and unique transfer concept is to take a tray of food that has been kept in one cabinet and move the tray of food to another cabinet as described herein. The user may touch the received timer position on the hold touch screen where the user wants to place the tray with multiple fingers, e.g., two or three fingers, and then a list of timers that are allowed to transfer will be displayed. The user selects the timer they want to move from the displayed list and the timer will then be moved to the new location. The operator never has to touch the cabinet. This is a major advance in terms of simplification compared to other transfer methods. The transfer may occur by simply touching the screen and selecting the desired timer.

For this method to work, the holding cabinets need to be connected in electronic communication. This may be via a wired connection, such as Ethernet or i-squared-c communication, or via any form of wireless connection, such as 802.11n wifi or tcp-ip. The units use the communication to share information available about the deposited information, the device's information, the location's information, and timing information.

Using a touch screen with multi-touch point sensing allows a basic simple touch with one finger to represent one type of action, while using multi-touch implies other types of action. A common example is touching a public phone screen to press a button or select an item, but touching and pinching with two fingers to zoom in or out of a picture. However, in the present disclosure, a simple single finger press is typically used to start or stop the timer in a given location. When two fingers are sensed touching the same area, the cell software will know that this represents an incoming timer transfer. Note that for this method, no manual intervention is required to bring the cabinet out. Upon sensing touches from multiple fingers, a list of allowable timers will be displayed.

The allowable timer may be defined by the operator in a number of ways. These allowable timers can be done in the setup. For example, the operator may limit the available transfers to transfers of only exactly the same food type, as identified by

product identifiers

524, 624, for example. For example, a touch of two fingers in the area where the chicken paw is stored will only show a working chicken paw timer. But it may be configured to allow any food product having the same shelf temperature or other criteria. Finally, there will not be any filtering, which will allow all timers to be transferred to this location. In the event that the shelf temperature setting is different on the received food container, the shelf temperature will also change to the new setting when the timer is transferred. Touching a timer without any allowable timers with two fingers will not simply show a list. When generating the list of allowable timers, the list of timers is derived from shared information across the communication network between the cabinets. This information may be shared continuously to prevent delays, or requests may be sent to the network for all information on allowable transfers when multi-touch is enabled.

Having thus described the invention with particular reference to the preferred forms thereof, it will be obvious that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A system for storing food products at a predetermined temperature, the system comprising:

a food receiving and preserving cabinet;

a first storage compartment in the holding cabinet for receiving a tray;

a temperature control device in thermal communication with the bracket;

and

a controller that transfers a selected timer to be transferred by touching a user interface of the holding cabinet, thereby designating the selected timer to be transferred as being associated with the first storage bin.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface displays a first displayed food timer button in a first portion associated with the first storage bin, and wherein the controller detects when the first displayed food timer button is contacted by: (1) a single touch, and (2) multiple touches performed simultaneously.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein a first timer is enabled when the first displayed food timer button is contacted by a single touch, the first timer then being displayed in the first portion.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein when the first displayed food timer button is contacted by multiple touches made simultaneously, then a list is displayed with at least a second timer that has been enabled.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the second timer is displayed in the manifest as a second timer button, and wherein the user interface is contacted at the second timer button to transition the second timer as the selected timer to be displayed in the first portion.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the second timer is displayed by the user interface in a different portion than the first portion prior to transitioning.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the second timer is displayed by another user interface of a second food receiving holding cabinet prior to the transfer.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface is a touch screen formed into a plurality of sections including the first section, and each of the plurality of sections displays a displayed food timer button, and wherein the first section displays the first displayed food timer button.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is in communication with another controller associated with a second food receiving holding cabinet.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller receives data from the second food receiving holding cabinet, wherein the data is selected from the group consisting of: an identification of the saved item, a location of the saved item, timing information associated with the saved item, and any combination thereof.

11. The system of claim 4, wherein the second timer is displayed in the manifest as a second timer button and the second timer further comprises another timer button, wherein the second timer is displayed by the user interface in a different portion than the first portion, and wherein the another timer button is associated with another timer displayed by another food receiving holding cabinet.

12. A method for a system for storing food products at a predetermined temperature, the method comprising:

providing a food receiving holding cabinet, a holding bin in the food receiving holding cabinet for receiving a rack, and a temperature control device in thermal communication with the rack; and

the selected timer to be transferred is transferred by touching the receiving holding cabinet, thereby designating the selected timer to be transferred as being associated with the holding bin.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: displaying, in a first portion of the user interface, a displayed food timer button that can be contacted by a single touch and multiple touches made simultaneously; and contacting the displayed food timer button by a single touch to enable a first timer, which is then displayed in the first portion.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising: displaying, in a first portion of the user interface, a displayed food timer button that can be contacted by a single touch and multiple touches made simultaneously; and contacting the displayed food timer button by multiple touches simultaneously made to display a list having at least a second timer that has been enabled.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: displaying the second timer in the manifest as a second timer button after the contacting; and contacting the user interface at the second timer button such that the second timer is the selected timer that transferred the second timer to be displayed in the first portion.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the second timer is displayed by the user interface in a different portion than the first portion prior to transitioning.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the second timer is displayed by another user interface of another food receiving holding cabinet prior to the transferring.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the user interface is a touch screen formed of a plurality of sections including the first section, and each of the plurality of sections displays a displayed food timer button, and wherein the first section displays a first displayed food timer button.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising communicating with and receiving data from another food receiving holding cabinet, wherein the data is selected from the group consisting of: an identification of the saved item, a location of the saved item, timing information associated with the saved item, and any combination thereof.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises displaying the second timer in the manifest as a second timer button, and further comprising displaying another timer button in the manifest, wherein the second timer is displayed by the user interface in a different portion than the first portion, and wherein the another timer button is associated with another timer displayed by another food receiving holding cabinet.