US 6,555,789 B2Granted

Apparatus and method for heated food delivery

AssigneeVesture Corporation

InventorsByron C. Owens, Mark E. Van Hoy, William M. Bostic

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A delivery apparatus is provided by the invention. The delivery apparatus includes a container for holding an article to be delivered and a heater, and an enunciating device for displaying temperature conditions within the container. The container includes a plurality of walls forming an interior area and an opening, wherein the opening is provided with a size sufficient to allow movement of the article and the heater from outside the container to within the interior area of the container. The container includes a flap for selectively covering and uncovering the opening to allow access to the interior area of the container. The heater is constructed and arranged for placement within the interior area of the container and is provided for heating the article. The enunciating device includes a temperature sensor for sensing temperature within the container, a temperature display for displaying temperature conditions within the container, and a power source for operating the enunciating device. A method for delivering food and an enunciating device are provided.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A delivery device comprising:

(a) a container comprising a plurality of walls forming an interior area;
(i) the container comprising a pizza carrier having a bottom wall, a top wall, and sidewalls;
(ii) the container having a selectively openable side, for movement of a boxed pizza into and out of the interior area;
(b) a heater positioned in the container, the heater including:
(i) a heating element;
(ii) a heat sink positioned in thermally conductive relation with the heating element;
the heat sink including:
(1) a center portion;
and
(2) wings extending from the center portion;
(iii) the heater being selectively powered by a power source remote from the container;
(iv) the heater being transportable with the container during a pizza delivery;
and
(c) an indicator arrangement positioned on the container, the indicator arrangement including:
(i) an electrical energy storage device transportable with the container during a pizza delivery;
and
(ii) an electrically powered display selectively powered by the electrical energy storage device, the display being transportable with the container during a pizza delivery, and configured to indicate a temperature state within the container during the pizza delivery;
(d) wherein the heater is not powered by the electrical energy storage device.

15 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/201,767Filed 22 Jul 2002 · continuation
Priority: 15 Feb 2000
Published: US 2002/0175159 A128 Nov 2002
Granted: 29 Apr 2003
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

H05B 1/0252
Applications: domestic applications
A47J 47/145
Carriers for prepared human food: hand carriers for pizza delivery, e.g. with thermal insulation, heating means or humidity control
H05B 3/34
Heating elements having extended surface area substantially in a two-dimensional [2D] plane, e.g. plate-heater: flexible, e.g. heating nets or webs
H05B 2203/014
Aspects relating to Ohmic resistive heating covered by group H05B3/00: heaters using resistive wires or cables not provided for in H05B3/54

Family

Application09/504,550Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 15 Feb 2000
Application09/611,761Parent of this continuation · filed 7 Jul 2000
US 2002/0175159 A1Pre-grant publication · published 28 Nov 2002
US 6,433,313 B1Parent of this continuation
Application09/611,761Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 6,353,208 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 6,555,789 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.