Super-thin restaurant griddle
AssigneeOmniteam, Inc.
InventorsHans Haasis, Donald Hyatt SR., Donald Hyatt JR.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thin food heating unit suitable for use as a restaurant griddle includes a silicone rubber heating blanket vulcanized to the underside of a highly thermally conductive metal food warming plate for heating a food item placed thereon, a base insulated from the heating blanket and the food warming plate by a high temperature ceramic fiber insulation, insulating standoffs between the food warming plate and the top of the base, a separate power supply which supplies electrical energy to the griddle at a relatively low voltage compared to standard line voltage, and a power controller including an on/off switch which is separate from the base and which can be mounted separately in a restaurant installation.
Claims28
A super thin yet high temperature assembly for heating food comprising:
- a generally flat metal plate having a top surface and an underside, for directly contacting a food item placed on said top surface;
- a heating blanket vulcanized to the underside of said metal plate, said heating blanket comprising silicone and covering at least 75% of said metal plate underside, said heating blanket being less than 0.5 cm thick;
- a base disposed beneath said plate, said base including a bottom surface, side walls, and top walls, said top walls extending at least partially underneath said metal plate;
- a first thermal insulation material comprising ceramic insulation material contained within said base and capable of withstanding sustained temperatures of at least 500 degrees F.;
- and
- a second thermal insulation material disposed between said metal plate and said base top wall in a region in which said metal plate overlies said top wall;
- wherein said assembly is less than 6 cm tall from a surface on which said assembly is placed to said metal plate top surface.
A super-thin yet high temperature griddle comprising:
- a flexible silicone sheet comprising silicone, a structural reinforcement material therein, and an electrical resistive element embedded therein;
- a heat distribution panel permanently adhered to said silicone sheet, said heat distribution panel adapted for warming food placed in direct contact therewith;
- a base member underneath said heat distribution panel and thermally insulated from said heat distribution panel and from said silicone sheet;
- a flexible power cord electrically connected to said resistive element, said flexible power cord extending outwardly;
- and
- a power controller electrically connected to said power cord for controlling electrical power to be dissipated within said silicone sheet, said power controller being adapted for rigidly mounting separate from said base.
A thin yet high temperature food warming assembly comprising:
- a heat distribution panel for warming food;
- a thin flexible sheet comprising a heating element and fiberglass reinforcement, said flexible sheet being permanently adhered to said heat distribution panel by a vulcanizing process;
- a thin layer of ceramic insulation disposed beneath said flexible sheet for insulating heat generated within said flexible sheet from at least a bottom surface of said assembly;
- a base for holding said ceramic insulation;
- and
- a power controller electrically connected to said flexible sheet for controlling electrical power dissipated within said flexible sheet;
- wherein said flexible sheet covers at least about one half of a bottom surface of said heat distribution panel.
A thin yet high temperature food warming assembly comprising:
- a heat distribution panel for warming food;
- a thin flexible sheet comprising a heating element and reinforcement material, said flexible sheet being adhered to an underside of said heat distribution panel;
- a thin layer of ceramic insulation disposed beneath said flexible sheet for insulating heat generated within said flexible sheet from at least a bottom surface of said assembly;
- a base for holding said ceramic insulation;
- and
- a power controller in electrical communication with said flexible sheet for controlling electrical power dissipated within said flexible sheet, said power controller being physically separate from said base and not rigidly mounted thereto.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.