Electric heating – Microwave heating – Cookware
Patent
1993-10-12
1995-02-28
Leung, Philip H.
Electric heating
Microwave heating
Cookware
219679, 219725, 219762, 312236, 165 42, 165918, 99443R, 99DIG14, H05B 680
Patent
active
053939603
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a device for the transport and distribution of meal trays including integral microwave ovens for re-heating the latter.
It is intended for the distribution of individual meals on trays in institutions and more particularly in hospitals.
In similar devices which have been produced hitherto, the hot dishes are removed from each tray and assembled in order to be heated together in an adhoc device and are then returned to the trays for distribution. This practice means that:, by the time the last tray has been distributed, the hot dish or dishes are already cold.
French patent 8907568, of the same inventor, partially solves these problems. It describes an apparatus for individually re-heating the hot dishes of each tray at the last minute, leaving them on their trays. This apparatus consists of an isothermic trolley equipped with refrigerated compartments for the meal trays and at least one microwave oven comprising a cold zone and a hot zone which is lower than the latter, the meal trays having a specific shape enabling the food which is to be eaten hot to be re-heated in the lower zone without heating the cold dishes provided on the same tray, this result being obtained by a median transverse separation of the tray with a metal screen incorporated to prevent the waves from propagating towards the cold zone of the tray, the central separation of the tray, by virtue of its raised profile, sealing off the lower hot zone of the microwave oven.
This arrangement has two major drawbacks. First of all, the meal trays, owing to the incorporation of their metal screen, are complicated to produce and consequently expensive. Furthermore, the isothermic trolley with all its equipment has proved fragile, heavy and bulky, which is a problem particularly when it is being moved between the kitchen and a hospital ward.
The device according to the present invention eliminates these drawbacks. In fact, it retains all the advantages of the above patent whilst using meal trays of simplified construction which are cheap to produce, and whilst facilitating the movement of these trays.
It consists of a combination of, in the first place, an isothermic mobile trolley without technical equipment, for transporting food trays between kitchens and hospital wards, and secondly a technically equipped unit permanently situated in the hospital wards, to which one or two mobile trolleys can be coupled, thus forming a mobile distribution unit, and finally one or two microwave ovens built into the technical unit, comprising a metal shield located between the hot and cold areas, which enables meal trays without a shield to be used.
In the accompanying drawings, which are provided as a non-limiting example, of one embodiment of the object of the invention:
FIG. 1 shows a mobile distribution unit equipped with two mobile trolleys and a microwave oven.
FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are diagrammatic sections through the microwave oven, more specifically a horizontal section in the direction of the arrows B--B in FIG. 3, a vertical longitudinal section in the direction of the arrows A--A in FIG. 2 and a vertical transverse section in the direction of the arrows C--C in FIG. 3.
The apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 consists of one or two isothermic mobile trolleys 1 and a tehnically equipped unit 2 provided with one or two microwave ovens 3.
The mobile trolley 1, which has no technical components which might be prone to break down or sensitive to vibration, shock and rough treatment, carries the food trays 4 back and forth between the kitchens and the hospital wards.
The technically equipped unit 2 is permanently situated in the hospital wards and comprises, in its upper part, one or two microwave ovens 3, the lower part being formed as one or two recesses 5 in which the mobile trolleys 1 can be accommodated and secured in position.
The two types of trolley linked together form a mobile unit for distribution and re-heating of food trays 4.
After the meal the dirty food trays 4 are cleared away and collected using only the very lightweight a
REFERENCES:
patent: 3199579 (1965-08-01), Foster et al.
patent: 3854021 (1974-12-01), Moore et al.
patent: 4005745 (1977-02-01), Colato et al.
patent: 4052589 (1977-10-01), Wyatt
patent: 4198555 (1980-04-01), Bellavoine
patent: 5086834 (1992-02-01), Grandi
patent: 5245150 (1993-09-01), Grandi
Leung Philip H.
Socamel S.A.
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