JP2009519108A - Food tray for heating - Google Patents

Abstract

  A tray for handling food in a heating oven has a pan portion, a rim portion, and a gasket portion. The dish portion is composed of a first material and has a base portion adapted for food handling. The pan also has a wall portion that surrounds and extends from the entire base portion. The wall surface portion has a closed end connected to the base portion and an open end disposed away from the base portion. The rim portion is made of the second material and extends substantially parallel to the wall surface portion around the outer periphery of the dish portion. The rim portion has a mounting end formed for compression engagement with the open end of the wall and a free end that facilitates handling of the tray. The gasket is disposed in a compressed state between the dish and the rim so as to restrict movement of the dish away from the rim.

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for holding food in a warm state between cooking and serving.

  In the restaurant industry, heating ovens are used to store food in a warm state between cooking time and serving time. Plastic trays are easy to handle and are currently used for their durability. However, when held in a warming oven, it is often the case that food is held in contact with a metal surface such as aluminum or stainless steel, rather than in contact with plastics or other non-metallic materials. It may be preferable. However, metals are easily deformed, and sharp edges may develop due to wear and cracks. Also, when stored under high temperature conditions, the metal tends to become so hot that it cannot be touched, making it difficult to handle the tray. Therefore, it is desirable to produce trays that have metal-specific food storage properties while having material properties that are easier to handle at high temperature conditions.

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for keeping food in a warm state between cooking time and serving time. In particular, the present invention relates to a tray for holding food in a heating oven or other environmental control device.

  One feature of the present invention is that the tray has a pan portion, a rim portion, and a gasket portion. Here, the dish is composed of a first material and has a base portion formed for handling food. The dish further includes a wall portion that surrounds the entire base portion and extends upward from the base portion to form a holding area. The holding area is closed by the base portion at the bottom end of the wall surface and opens away from the base portion at the upper end of the wall surface. The rim is formed from a second material and has an inner lip that extends generally parallel to the wall portion of the dish. The inner lip is secured around the wall of the dish. The rim is attached to the wall surface in the form of compression engagement. The rim also has a free end for handling the tray. A gasket is placed in compression in the lip and forms a compression joint between the pan and rim.

  In describing the present invention, preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the arrangement structure and means shown in these drawings.

  It is to be appreciated that the following description refers to specific embodiments of the invention selected for illustration in the drawings and is not intended to define or limit the invention except in the appended claims. .

  In the drawings, like reference numerals indicate like elements, and the drawings illustrate embodiments of warming oven trays, such as those commonly used in fast food restaurants. In general, the tray designated by reference number 10 is accessible in order and easily while food is waiting in a heating oven (not shown) or other environmental control device prior to service and further cooking and processing. Can be used to store food in a manner. For the purposes of this disclosure, the up and down directions refer to those directions shown in FIG.

  In fast food restaurants, a heated oven may be used to hold the cooked food from cooking to serving. It is desirable for the heating oven to store food in a ready-to-eat state. The temperature in the heating oven can reach as high as 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Furthermore, it is also preferable to adjust the humidity in the oven so that the food is not completely dried or conversely squeezed. The trays used in such ovens must be constructed of materials that can withstand the conditions in the oven, as well as other storage and cleaning conditions. In addition, in order for the tray to be used in the food service industry, its materials and structure should meet National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) guidelines.

  With reference to FIGS. 1-3, the tray 10 illustrated herein includes a pan portion 20, a rim portion 40 and a gasket 60. The gasket 60 is disposed between the tray 20 and the rim 40 and compresses and engages the tray 20 and the rim 40 to form the tray 10.

  The dish 20 includes a substantially rectangular base 22 that forms the bottom of the tray 10. Preferably, the tray 10 is approximately 2 feet long and has a width W sufficient to accommodate a food item to be placed therein, such as a hamburger patty. Base 22 is substantially horizontal and has an inner surface 30 and an outer surface 32. The side wall 24 extends upward from the periphery of the base 22. The side wall 24 and the base 22 are preferably monolithic and form a holding area for the dish 20. One or more ridges 26 may be provided along the base 22 in the longitudinal direction. In general, the ridge line portion 26 is higher than other portions of the inner surface 30, and supports the food (not shown) at a position higher than the other portions of the inner surface 30 of the base portion 22. A passage for circulating the heated air to the side and a discharge path for liquid discharged from the food are secured. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other than this longitudinal ridge 26, lateral ridges and various patterns, protrusions, and others are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  Preferably, the wall surface 24 surrounds the base portion 22. The joint between the wall 24 and the base 22 is curved. With respect to the holding area, the bottom is closed by the base 22 and opens at the upper end 24 b along the uppermost edge of the wall surface 24. In the illustrated example, the wall surface 24 extends substantially perpendicular to the base 22. However, the wall may extend outwardly from the base, or may have other shapes without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  The rim portion 40 extends around the pan 20. Preferably, the rim 40 is comprised of a vertical portion 42 having an upper portion 43 and a lower portion 44. The lower portion 44 has an inner wall 44a and an outer wall 44b. The holding groove 45 (FIG. 4) is preferably disposed between the inner and outer walls 44a and 44b. As will be described in detail later, a holding cavity 45 for receiving the open end 24b of the wall surface 24 is formed in order to fix the rim 40 to the dish 20.

  With reference to FIGS. 1-6, the upper portion 43 of the vertical portion 42 of the rim 40 extends upwardly from the lower portion 44. A plurality of holes 47 may be provided in the upper portion 43 to facilitate air circulation to the tray 10. The outer rim 48 preferably has a substantially arc cross section with a curved convex top surface 48a and a substantially concave bottom surface 48b. In some examples of the tray 10, the bottom surface 48b may be sized to facilitate placing the tray 10 on rails disposed in the oven. Those skilled in the art will recognize that various shapes are possible to facilitate placing the tray in the oven without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  Preferably, a stationary end portion 52 is provided at each longitudinal end of the rim 40. As with the outer rim 48, the installation end 52 preferably facilitates installation of the tray 10 inside the heating oven. The installation end 52 has a corner portion 53 that extends across the width W of the tray 10 and hangs downward. The corner portion 53 is hollowed and opens at the top to make it easier to grip the tray 10. The mounting end 52 is also provided with a slot 54 that forms an elastic tab for engaging the tray 10 by an oven structure (not shown) and holding the tray 10 in the oven.

  The gasket 60 is disposed between the dish 20 and the rim 40, and the rim 40 is elastically fixed to the dish 20. As shown in detail in FIGS. 3-9, the gasket 60 has an inverted U-shaped cross section with an upper portion 62 and an outer wall 64 extending downwardly therefrom. An inner rib 66 extends inward and downward with respect to the central portion of the U-shape. These inner ribs 66 make it easy to insert the upper end 24 b of the wall surface 24 into the gasket 60, and can resist the falling of the wall surface 24 from the gasket 60. The outer rib 68 is formed on the outer surface of the gasket 60. Preferably, the outer rib 68 is formed to extend outward and downward from the gasket wall to facilitate insertion of the gasket 60 into the holding cavity 45 formed by the inner and outer walls 44a, 44b of the rim 40, and It resists the movement of the gasket 60 from the cavity.

  At the time of assembly, the gasket 60 is arranged around the dish portion 20 by inserting the open end 25b of the wall surface 24 of the dish portion 20 between the outer walls 64 of the gasket 60. Among these, it is preferable that one wall surface 64 is disposed inside the dish 20 and the other wall surface 64 is disposed outside the dish 20. When the open end 24b is slid into the gasket 60, the inner rib 66 is preferably engaged with the open end 24b and pressed upward. Once the open end 24b is inserted into the gasket 60, it is preferable to resist the movement of the gasket 60 away from the pan 20 due to the angle of the inner rib 66. The engagement state between the gasket 60 and the dish 20 is firm, and it is preferable to provide a snug fit between the two portions 60 and 20. In order to increase frictional engagement with the gasket 60 and resist disassembly of the tray 10, the wall surface 24 of the tray 20 may be textured, bent, or curled.

  After attaching the gasket 60 to the pan 20, the gasket 60 is then inserted into the retaining cavity 45 of the rim 40. Since the outer rib 68 is angled as shown in the drawing, the inner / outer walls 44a, 44b are slid along the rib 68 while pressing the inner / outer walls 44a, 44b against the gasket 60, so The gasket 60 can be easily inserted. In order to increase the holding force of the gasket 60 in the hollow portion 45, the rib 68 may be formed in other forms, for example, in a straight line or have a chamfer. As with the inner rib 66, the angle of the outer rib 68 also limits the movement of the gasket 60 out of the cavity 45 once the gasket 60 has been inserted. Preferably, the cavity 45 is sized to compress the gasket 60 between the first and second walls 44a, 44b and the open end 24b of the dish wall 24. The deformation of the rims 66, 68 and the compressible nature of the gasket 60 material allows the gasket 60 to elastically hold the rim and dish together. The gasket 60 preferably allows thermal expansion of the pan 20 and the rim 40 and maintains a seal between the two parts 20, 40.

  The dish 20 is preferably formed from metal. Examples of such metals include stainless steel, titanium, and aluminum, with aluminum being the preferred material. Furthermore, the rim 40 is preferably formed of a plastic material of a type that can be used in food cooking, heating oven temperatures and variable humidity conditions without corrosion or deformation or reaction with surrounding materials. The gasket 60 is preferably formed of a material that maintains a sealed state between the plate 20 and the rim 40 not only in a cold environment such as room temperature or a refrigerator or a freezer, but also in a heated state. The gasket 60 is preferably formed between the plastic material of the rim 40 and the metal of the pan 20 to accommodate a 10: 1 thermal expansion ratio. In other words, at a certain temperature, the plastic material of the rim 40 may expand 10 times the metal of the pan 20. Higher expansion ratios are also contemplated without departing from the scope of the present invention. The gasket 60 must remain sealed after repeated use and tray cleaning. Such materials must not only be exposed to foods in various temperature and humidity conditions, but must also be able to resist corrosion and hardening even after exposure to chemicals used in cleaning. As noted above, the materials and structures used preferably meet NSF guidelines for food service equipment.

  In the preferred embodiment of the tray 10, a seal is maintained between the pan 20 and the rim 40 at various temperature conditions. For example, in a first state in which the tray is held at a certain high temperature in the oven, the rim 40 has a gasket wall 64 located near the rim wall 44a so that the wall 20 between the wall surface 24 and the inner wall 44a of the dish 20 You may make it expand | swell so that the increase in compression force may be faced. When the rim 40 and the pan 20 are heated together, the inner gasket wall 64 will typically be expanded because the plastic material of the rim 40 will expand at a greater rate or amount than the metal of the pan 20. It will be compressed. Correspondingly, in the second state, the seal is held by the compression of the wall 64 of the gasket 60 between the outer wall 44b of the rim 40 and the wall surface 24 of the tray 20. This second state of thermal expansion occurs under cooler temperature conditions than those of the first state described above, for example, when the tray is at a lower temperature than the ambient room temperature. It occurs at a cooler temperature than that discussed above for the purpose of description. Further, in the transition period between the first state and the second state of thermal expansion, it is preferable that the seal is held between the first and second walls 44a and 44b and the dish 20 by compression of the gasket.

  Referring to FIG. 10, in use, the tray 10 is placed in an oven 70. The oven 70 is a conventional heating oven provided with front and rear doors 72 and 74. While the tray 10 is in the oven 70, heat is easily transferred through the metal pan portion 20, while not so much heat transfer through the rim 40. If the food is to be cooked on one side of the oven 70 and served (or further cooked) from the other side, the tray 10 is inserted through the first door 72 and the oven 70 You may make it slide so that the bottom 76 may be crossed. At that time, the tray 70 is moved using the second door 74. Alternatively, the slot 54 (not shown in FIG. 10) can be used to facilitate engagement of the tray 10 with a corresponding oven mechanism (not shown) so that the tray 10 is shown in the oven 70 as shown to the user. You may make it notify that it exists in an appropriate position.

  As a preferred construction method, the structure in which the gasket 60 is press-fitted between the plate 20 and the rim 40 is illustrated, but other methods are also possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. In order to simplify the manufacturing process, maintain the seal, and fix the plate to the rim, it is preferable to use a gasket between the plate and the rim regardless of the assembly method.

  It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications other than the above-described embodiments are possible from the present disclosure. That is, the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and basic characteristics thereof, and therefore, the scope of the present invention is shown rather than the above description. See the claims.

It is a perspective view of the tray by embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a second perspective view of the tray shown in FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing of the tray shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the tray shown in FIG. 1, showing in detail the mounting of the pan on the rim. It is sectional drawing of the tray by embodiment of this invention. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of the tray shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the gasket used by tray embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the gasket shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a part of the tray shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of a tray shown to be installed in a warming oven.

Claims (14)

A tray for handling food in a heating oven,
A base portion made of a first material for handling food, and a wall portion surrounding the entire base portion and extending upward, the wall portion being connected to the base portion A dish having a lower edge and an upper edge located away from the base portion;
A rim made of a second material and having a lower edge engaged with the open end of the wall portion and a free end for facilitating handling of the tray; and being compressed and disposed between the plate and the rim A tray having a gasket for elastically fixing the plate and the rim.   The tray according to claim 1, wherein the first material is a metal.   The tray of claim 1, wherein the first material is plastic.   The tray of claim 1 wherein the base portion has at least one ridge extending along at least a portion thereof.   The tray further has a first end and a second end disposed longitudinally away from the first end, each of the first end and the second end being longer than the first end. A tray according to claim 1, further comprising a handle portion extending in the direction.   The tray of claim 1, wherein the free end of the rim has at least one mounting bracket extending along a side portion thereof.   One of the lower edge of the rim and the upper edge of the dish has a first wall, a second wall, and a mounting cavity located between the first wall and the second wall. The tray according to claim 1.   The gasket has a substantially U-shaped cross section, and has an inner portion and an outer portion, each of which engages one of the upper edge of the wall surface portion of the dish and the lower edge of the rim. The tray according to claim 1, wherein the tray is configured as described above.   9. A tray as claimed in claim 8, wherein the gasket further comprises at least one retaining rib extending therefrom to engage one of the upper edge of the wall portion of the dish and the lower edge of the rim.   The retaining rib is angled to facilitate movement of the gasket in a first direction relative to a portion of the tray and to restrict movement of the gasket in the opposite second direction relative to the portion. The tray according to claim 9.   The tray according to claim 8, wherein an upper end edge of the wall surface of the dish is insertable into an inner portion of the gasket.   12. The tray of claim 11, wherein the outer portion of the gasket is insertable in a compressed state so as to be retained within the mounting cavity of the rim.   The tray according to claim 1, wherein the wall surface portion is substantially perpendicular to the base portion. A tray for handling food in a heating oven,
A dish composed of a first material and having a peripheral wall with inner and outer surfaces;
A rim made of a second material and having a circumferential cavity formed by inner and outer rim wall surfaces, wherein the second material has a larger coefficient of thermal expansion than the first material. A substantially U-shaped gasket made of an elastic material, the first gasket portion being disposed in proximity to the inner surface on the peripheral wall, and the second gasket portion being disposed in proximity to the outer surface on the peripheral wall Having a gasket,
The rim is arranged around the gasket and the peripheral wall surface such that an inner rim wall surface approaches the first gasket portion and an outer rim wall surface approaches the second gasket portion;
Compression between the first and second gasket portions results in a seal between the inner and outer surfaces of the peripheral wall in various thermal expansion states of the material in cooperation with or away from the inner and outer surfaces of the peripheral wall. A tray characterized in that is formed.

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