Heat retaining dish assembly and method of heating same

A system comprising:

• a dish for serving food or the like, the dish comprising:
• a dish housing that defines an upwardly-facing, centrally-disposed food placement surface, upon which the food or the like can be placed, a rim that extends outward from and surrounds the food placement surface, and a sealed inner compartment, wherein the dish housing is an electrically insulating material;
• a phase-change material within the inner compartment and in direct physical contact with the electrically insulating material of the dish housing, wherein the phase-change material is a solid-to-liquid phase-change material;
• and
• an electrically-conductive element immersed in, and thermally coupled to, the phase-change material inside the inner compartment,
• wherein the electrically-conductive element is selected from the group consisting of:
• a metal wool, a metal foil with openings, a metal screen and a corrugated, mesh sheet;
• and
• an induction heater, outside the dish housing, but proximate the dish, wherein the induction heater is operable to heat the electrically-conductive element and thereby melt the phase-change material, wherein the phase-change material, when melted, flows freely through openings in the electrically-conductive element.

A method comprising:

• providing a heat retaining dish assembly for serving food, the heat retaining dish assembly comprising:
• a dish housing that defines an upwardly-facing, centrally disposed food placement surface, upon which the food can be placed, a rim that extends outward from and surrounds the food placement surface, and a sealed inner compartment, wherein the dish housing is an electrically insulating material;
• a phase-change material within the inner compartment, wherein the phase-change material is in direct physical contact with the electrically insulating material of the dish housing including in direct physical contact with a surface of the dish housing opposite the food placement surface, wherein the phase-change material is a solid-to-liquid phase-change material;
• and
• an electrically-conductive element inside the inner compartment and thermally coupled to the phase-change material,
• wherein the electrically-conductive element is immersed in the phase-change material within the inner compartment and is selected from the group consisting of:
• a metal wool, a metal foil with openings, a metal screen and a corrugated, mesh sheet;
• providing an electromagnetic induction heater outside the dish housing, but proximate the dish, wherein the induction heater is operable to heat the electrically-conductive element and thereby melt the phase-change material;
• melting the phase-change material with an electromagnetic induction heater such that, after melting, the phase-change material flows freely through openings in the electrically-conductive element;
• and
• placing the food in direct physical contact with the food placement surface,
• wherein, after the phase-change material melts, the phase-change material gives off heat to the food that is in direct physical contact with the food placement surface and, over time, the phase-change material freezes.