Food serving station and associated appliances and methods
AssigneeDuke Manufacturing Co.
InventorsBrent Jennings, James W. Bigott, Randy Lines, David Martin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Food preparation apparatus and associated appliance modules and methods. Appliances modules can be selectively docked at docks of an appliance interface of a base. An appliance module includes a food container support surface movable between cooking and holding positions. An appliance module includes a receptacle having a holding well that can be selectively configured in a generally horizontal position or an inclined position.
Claims20
An appliance for holding food in a food container at a desired holding temperature, the appliance comprising:
- a housing,
- a receptacle operatively supported by the housing, the receptacle having a food container receiving space sized for receiving a food container, a lower portion of the food container receiving space and at least one side portion of the food container receiving space being bounded by the receptacle, the receptacle including at least one food conditioning element for holding food in the food container at a desired holding temperature when the food container is received in the food container receiving space,
- wherein the receptacle is movable with respect to the housing between a generally horizontal position and an inclined position for selectively holding the food container in the generally horizontal position and the inclined position, the receptacle in the inclined position having a first end positioned higher than an opposite second end, the at least one food conditioning element being movable with the receptacle between the generally horizontal position and the inclined position.
A method of holding food in an appliance at a desired holding temperature, the method comprising:
- moving a receptacle of the appliance from a first position in a cavity of a housing to an inclined position in the cavity of the housing,
- positioning a food container in a food container receiving space of the receptacle, a bottom of the food container receiving space being bounded by the receptacle and at least one side of the food container receiving space being bounded by the receptacle,
- operating the appliance while the food container is in the food container receiving space and the receptacle is in the inclined position to hold food in the food container at a desired holding temperature.
An appliance apparatus for preparing food, the appliance apparatus comprising:
- a base having an appliance module interface, the appliance module interface including at least first and second appliance module docks, each appliance module dock defining an appliance module docking space and including an appliance module support surface and at least one dock utility connector,
- a first appliance module docked at the first appliance module dock, the first appliance module including a housing, a food conditioning device, and at least one appliance module utility connector, the first appliance module being supported by the support surface of the first appliance module dock, the at least one appliance module utility connector being connected to the at least one dock utility connector;
- and
- a second appliance module docked at the second appliance module dock, the second appliance module including a housing having generally the same size and shape as the housing of the first appliance module, a food conditioning device, and at least one food appliance utility connector, the second appliance module being supported by the support surface of the first appliance module dock, the at least one appliance module utility connector of the second appliance module being connected to the at least one dock utility connector of the second appliance module dock.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.