Heat maintaining food delivery container

Abstract

A heat maintaining food container includes a container for depositing a food product therein and a ferrous material heated element, which has been heated to a selected temperature by electromagnetic induction heating, positioned in close proximity to the food product. The heated element comprises one or more substantially planar carbon steel sheets having a thickness of about 0.005″ to 0.030″ and having an insulative layer fixed to one side of the sheet. The sheet is preferably foldable to take the form of a U-shape or an O-shape for substantially surrounding the food product when placed in the container. Alternatively, the material of the food container may contain a ferrous material wherein the container itself is preheated to a selected temperature by electromagnetic induction heating. In a method for maintaining a food product deposited in a container, a substantially planar steel sheet element is heated by electromagnetic induction heating and placed within the container in close proximity to the food product.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.