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US 11,185,191 B2Granted
Modular food holding system
AssigneeMarmon Foodservice Technologies, Inc.
InventorChristine Suen Laub
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A modular food holding system includes a plurality of individual modularized food holding chambers, each of the plurality of food holding chambers being physically and communicatively removably connected to one another. Each of the food holding chambers includes a food holding cavity and at least one of a heating element and/or a cooling element for heating or cooling the food holding cavity. A chamber base is physically and communicatively removably connected to one of the food holding chambers and operation of at least one food holding chamber is controlled by the chamber base.
Claims20
A modular food holding system comprising:
- a master base configured to communicatively connect each of one or more food holding chambers to a central controller;
- a first food holding chamber having a first chamber housing, a first male upstream power and communications port that extends away from a bottom surface of the first chamber housing, a first female downstream power and communications port located into a top surface of the first chamber housing, and a plurality of first alignment structures that each comprise a post separate and spaced apart from the first male upstream power and communications port and that extend away from the bottom surface of the first chamber housing, in an engagement direction between the first male upstream power and communication port and first female downstream power and communication port, a greater distance than the first male upstream power and communications port extends away from the bottom surface of the first chamber housing;
- and
- a second food holding chamber connecting the master base to the first food holding chamber, the second food holding chamber having a second chamber housing and second alignment structures, the second alignment structures each comprise a hole into a top surface of the second chamber housing, the second alignment structures having a complementary shape to the first alignment structures and cooperating with the first alignment structures to align the first food holding chamber with the second food holding chamber when the first and second food holding chambers are stacked to form a food holding unit;
- wherein the second food holding chamber has a second male upstream power and communications port that extends away from a bottom surface of the second chamber housing and a second female downstream power and communications port located into a top surface of the second chamber housing such that the engagement direction of the first male upstream power and communications port and the second female downstream power and communications port is parallel to an insertion direction of the first alignment structure into the second alignment structure, and
- wherein the first alignment structures and the second alignment structures center and stabilize the first food holding chamber on the second food holding chamber.
3 more elements
A modular food holding system comprising:
- a master base configured to communicatively connect each of one or more food holding chambers to a central controller;
- a first food holding chamber having a first chamber housing, a first female upstream power and communications port located into a bottom surface of the first chamber housing, a first male downstream power and communications port located on a top surface of the first chamber housing, and a plurality of first alignment structures, each first alignment structure of the plurality comprising a hole on the bottom surface of the first chamber housing;
- and
- a second food holding chamber connecting the master base to the first food holding chamber, the second food holding chamber having a second chamber housing and a plurality of second alignment structures, each second alignment structure of the plurality comprising a post that extends away from a top surface of the second chamber housing, the second alignment structures having complementary shapes to the first alignment structures and cooperating with the first alignment structure sto align the first food holding chamber with the second food holding chamber when the first and second food holding chambers are stacked to form a food holding unit;
- wherein the second food holding chamber has a second female upstream power and communications port located into a bottom surface of the second chamber housing and a second male downstream power and communications port extending from a top surface of the second chamber housing, wherein the second alignment structures are separate and spaced apart from the second male downstream power and communications port, and the second alignment structures extend away from the top surface of the second chamber housing, in an engagement direction of the first female upstream power and communications port and the second male downstream power and communications port, a greater distance than the second male downstream power and communications port extends away from the top surface of the second chamber housing, and the engagement direction of the first upstream power and communications port and the second downstream power and communications port is parallel to an insertion direction of the second alignment structure into the first alignment structure, and
- wherein the first alignment structures and the second alignment structures center and stabilize the first food holding chamber on the second food holding chamber.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.