Method for maintaining temperature of a beverage by self-heating a hot beverage serving urn

A method of maintaining temperature of a hot beverage contained within a liner of a beverage urn when removed from any source of power, comprising the steps of:

• brewing hot beverage directly into the beverage urn with a hot beverage brewer;
• heating a heat pack when separated from the urn using an electrical power source adjacent the brewer;
• disconnecting electrical power from the electrical power source and installing the heat pack into a heat pack compartment within the urn and in thermal communication with the liner after the heat pack has been heated to a preselected temperature;
• moving the urn to a serving location;
• and
• heating the beverage solely by the step of conveying heat from the heat pack to the hot beverage contained within the urn.

A method of maintaining temperature of a hot beverage within a beverage urn, comprising the steps of:

• inserting a hot beverage within an urn body having
• an outer housing protectively containing a liner for storage of hot beverage, and
• heating from an external source of power a heat pack in heat transferring relationship with the liner while mounted within a compartment;
• moving the urn to a serving location spaced from the external source of power;
• and
• transferring heat from the heat pack to the liner and any beverage contained within the liner at the serving location.

A method of maintaining temperature of a hot beverage within a beverage urn, comprising the steps of:

• inserting a hot beverage within an urn body having
• an outer housing protectively containing a liner for storage of hot beverage, and
• a compartment for containing a heat pack having a zeolite-like material that is one of (a) hydrated salt and a eutectic salt;
• heating the heat pack by adding water vapor to the zeolite-like material to initiate an exothermic phase change reaction;
• placing the heat pack into the compartment in heat transferring relationship with the liner for transferring heat from the heat pack to the liner and any beverage contained within the liner;
• moving the urn to a serving location spaced from the external source of power;
• and
• transferring heat from the heat pack to the liner and any beverage contained within the liner at the serving location.

A method of maintaining temperature of a hot beverage within a beverage urn, comprising the steps of:

• inserting a hot beverage within an urn body having
• an outer housing protectively containing a liner for storage of hot beverage, and
• a compartment for containing a heat pack formed of a composite ceramic sandwich having an interior ceramic core with a relatively high rate of heat transfer contained within an outer envelope layer of ceramic of relatively low rate of heat transfer;
• heating the interior ceramic core;
• placing the heat pack into the compartment in heat transferring relationship with the liner for transferring heat from the heat pack to the liner and any beverage contained within the liner;
• moving the urn to a serving location spaced from the external source of power;
• and
• transferring heat from the heat pack to the liner and any beverage contained within the liner at the serving location.

A method of maintaining temperature of a hot beverage within a beverage urn, comprising the steps of:

• directly brewing a hot beverage into an urn body having
• an outer housing protectively containing a liner for storage of hot beverage, and
• a compartment for containing a heat pack;
• placing a heat pack within the compartment in heat transferring relationship with the liner for transferring heat from the heat pack to the liner and any beverage contained within the liner;
• heating the heat pack during a brew cycle of the brewer with a heat pack heating apparatus associated with the brewer;
• moving the urn to a serving location spaced from the external source of power;
• and
• transferring heat from the heat pack to the liner and any beverage contained within the liner at the serving location.