Abstract:
A self-regulated food warmer that blows hot air onto food whenever a weight is placed on its food shelf. The self-regulated food warmer conserves energy by powering down when not in use, utilizes hot air to keep food warm, eliminates the costs of replacing heat lamps, and eliminates dangerously hot plates.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The present invention is directed to a self-regulated food warmer that conserves energy and is ecologically sustainable by powering down when not in use. The food warmer also utilizes hot air to warm the food. 
         [0002]    The inventor of the present invention conceived his invention while working in the restaurant industry. He noticed that during slow dining periods, there were no plates of food underneath the food warmer, yet the food warmer was still powered on. This unnecessary utilization of the food warmer was wasting energy and not ecologically sustainable. Restaurant managers were constantly complaining to the inventor about their large energy bills. The inventor turned the food warmer off whenever he saw no food plates present, but his busy job duties prevented him from being consistent with this. And further, when the food warmer needed to be turned on again, it took too long to heat up to be effective. The cooks and waiters were not pleased with this solution. 
         [0003]    He also realized that most food warmers utilized heat lamps or surface warmers to warm food. The restaurant industry was always complaining about the high cost of replacing heat lamps, and servers were always burning their hands on hot plates due to the plate&#39;s long period of contact with the surface warmers. 
         [0004]    The inventor noticed that hot air from the kitchen exhaust provided a warm atmosphere, and food retained its preferred temperature when place near the kitchen exhaust fans. He therefore began leaving plates of food near the exhaust fans in the kitchen to keep them warm. However, this caused confusion for the servers and increased the delivery time to the customer&#39;s table. 
         [0005]    The inventor noticed that most plates were relatively heavy when food was piled on to them. He researched techniques to switch an exhaust fan off and on based on weight. Through trial and error, he learned that compressed springs could activate an electrical switch, which could then power on an air blower. 
         [0006]    The above realizations caused him first to create a pressure sensitive food shelf that did not power on unless a small weight such as a plate of food was placed on top of it. The weight activated an electrical switch that powered on a blower. He then connected the blower to a tube that was supported above the food shelf. The inventor realized that cutting holes in the bottom of the tube allowed the air to disperse onto the plates of food. 
         [0007]    After using the self-regulating food warmer for some time, he noticed that the air was not hot enough to warm the food properly. He recalled that ceramic and porcelain plates of food retained copious amounts of heat from the surface warmers they rested on, often burning the server&#39;s hand. This realization caused him to position a. ceramic heating element alongside the blower and operatively connect it an electrical switch. Since ceramics are good insulators and have high heat retentions, an electrical current from the activated electrical switch would quickly and efficiently heat the ceramic, which in turn would heat the air being forced through the blower. The hot air would then disperse through the holes in the tube onto the food. 
         [0008]    Food warmers have been used for keeping food warm in the past, yet none with the present characteristics of the present invention, See U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,733,054; 4,822,981; 4,246,884; and 6,297,481. 
         [0009]    For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a self-regulated food warmer that will conserve energy, that will be ecologically sustainable, that will eliminate the costs of replacing heat lamps, and that will eliminate the dangers of hot plates. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0010]    The present invention is directed to a self-regulated food warmer that will conserve energy and provide ecological sustainability by powering down when not in use, that will utilize hot air to keep food warm, that will eliminate costs for replacing heat lamps, and that will eliminate dangerously hot plates. 
         [0011]    The food warmer is comprised of a food shelf. The food shelf rests on a weight sensitive regulator. A support structure mounts on the food shelf. The support structure supports an air flow tube and a blower. The blower attaches to the support structure and one end of the air flow tube. The air flow tube defines at least one aperture that directs the flow of air towards the food shelf. 
         [0012]    The present invention is a food warmer that powers on whenever a weight, such as a plate of food, is placed on its food shelf. The food shelf rests on a weight sensitive regulator that powers on to activate a blower, which forces hot air onto the food. This hot air is created when the blower forces air through a ceramic heating element. After flowing through the ceramic heating element, the air continues to flow through an air flow tube supported over the food shelf. Apertures located on the underside of the air flow tube then direct the flow of hot air onto the underlying food shelf. The self-regulated food warmer is used by restaurants, bars, and caterers that need to reduce energy costs, eliminate dangerous hot plates, and use hot air rather than heat lamps to keep food warm. 
         [0013]    An object of the present invention is to reduce energy costs by powering down when no food plates are present on the food shelf. 
         [0014]    Yet another object of the present invention is to reduce energy costs by using a blower rather than a heat lamp to warm food. 
         [0015]    Another object of the present invention is to eliminate dangerously hot plates by using hot air blowing down onto the food rather than heat lamps or surface heaters. 
         [0016]    A further object of the present invention is to eliminate the cost of replacing heat lamps. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0017]    These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and drawings where: 
           [0018]      FIG. 1  is a side view of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the blower; 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is a top view of the under surface of the food shelf; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the weight sensitive regulator. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       [0022]    One embodiment of the self-regulated food warmer is seen in  FIGS. 1-4 . The self-regulated food warmer  200  activates whenever any weight, such as a plate of food, is placed on its surface and utilizes hot air to warm the plate of food. 
         [0023]    The self-regulated food warmer  200  comprises of a food shelf  10  for receiving a plurality of food servings, As seen in  FIG. 3 , the food shelf  10  having a flat upper surface  12  and a flat under surface  14 . As seen is  FIG. 1 , the self-regulated food warmer  200  further comprises of a weight sensitive regulator  20  for attaching to and supporting the undersurface  14  of the food shelf  10 . The weight sensitive regulator  20  comprises of a plurality of pressure sensitive springs  30 . The pressure sensitive springs  30  having a spring compression constant to activate an electrical switch  40 . The electrical switch  40  attaches to a power source (not shown in the figures). The self-regulated food warmer  200  also comprises of at least one blower  50  for forcing hot air onto the flat upper surface  12  of the food shelf  10 . As seen in  FIG. 2 , the blower  50  comprises of a housing  60  having an air inlet  70  and an air outlet  80 , a fan  90  arranged in the housing  60  and operatively connected to the electrical switch  40  to cause air to flow from the air inlet  70  to the air outlet  80 . The blower  50  further comprises of a ceramic heating element  100  arranged between the air inlet  70  and air outlet  80  and that is operatively connected to the electrical switch  40 , When the fan  90  and the ceramic heating element  100  are powered on they radiate a warm current of air to the flat upper surface  12  of the food shelf  10  via an airflow tube  110  that is connected to the air outlet  80  of the blower  50 . The air flow tube  110  has two ends, a first end  120  attached to the blower&#39;s  50  air outlet  80  and a closed second end  130 . The air flow tube  110  also defines a plurality of apertures  140  spaced along the longitudinal axis of the air flow tube  110 , whereby the hot air forced from the blower  50  air outlet  80  disperses through the apertures  140 . The self-regulated food warmer  200  further comprises of at least one support structure  150  for supporting the blower  50  and the closed second end  130  of the air flow tube  110 . The support structure  150  supports the air flow tube  110  so that the apertures  140  are directed towards the food shelf  10 . 
         [0024]    In an embodiment of the present invention the self-regulated food warmer  200  is made of stainless steel. 
         [0025]    In a further embodiment of the present invention, the ceramic heating element  100  is made of a hypo-allergenic ceramic material. The material will not oxidize and cause toxic elements to be blown onto the food. 
         [0026]    In a further embodiment of the present invention, the ceramic heating element  100  is made of made of porcelain. 
         [0027]    In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the power source is a portable battery. 
         [0028]    An advantage of the present invention is that it provides energy conservation and ecological sustainability by powering off when no food plates are present. 
         [0029]    Another advantage of the present invention is that it eliminates the cost of replacing heat lamps. 
         [0030]    Yet another advantage of the present invention is that it eliminates the danger of hot plates. 
         [0031]    A further advantage of the present invention is that it utilizes a blower  50  that uses less energy than a heat lamp or surface warmer. 
         [0032]    Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail in reference to preferred versions, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.