Patent ID: 7640696
Filing Date: 2010-01-05
Classification: A47F

Abstract:
1. A food product server for holding and displaying food products, the product server comprising a front customer side, a rear employee side, a cabinet having a counter top surface defining a generally horizontal plane and a recess below said horizontal plane for receiving food serving pans for holding said food products, and a breath guard mounted for pivotal movement with respect to said cabinet between a lowered substantially horizontal position for covering said food products in said recess and a raised position in which the breath guard is configured to provide a barrier to contamination of the food products by customers on the customer side of the server while allowing access to said food products from the employee side of the breath guard; said breath guard being sufficiently transparent to allow viewing of the food products held in the food product server; a first extensible and retractable power assist device biased toward a position for applying a lifting force to said breath guard to assist in moving it toward said raised position; and a second extensible and retractable power assist device not biased toward a position but adapted for resisting movement of the breath guard from its raised position to its lowered position thereby providing controlled downward movement of the breath guard, wherein said first and second power assist devices are mounted such that they are not lower than the breath guard when the breath guard is in its generally horizontal position and such that they do not extend down into said recess below said generally horizontal plane as the breath guard is moved between said raised and lowered positions.