Abstract:
Food preparation apparatus including a housing having a top wall and a front wall. Each wall having an aperture defined therein. A passageway for warming and storing pre-packaged food products extends from an entrance at the top wall aperture to an exit at the front wall aperture. A plurality of chutes are formed within the passageway for channeling the food products from the entrance to the exit. A plurality of electrical elements for warming the food products to preselected temperature surround each chute. The warming elements maintain the food products at a preselected temperature until they are removed from the housing.

Description:
This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional application No. 60/214,890, filed Jun. 28, 2000. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a food preparation apparatus and more particularly, to a device for warming and storing pre-packaged food products. 
     The Mexican-derived shack food, commonly known as nachos, includes corn tortilla chips and melted cheese. In restaurants or at home, nachos are made by distributing shredded cheese over the tortilla chips and placing the combination into an even. When the cheese melts, the snack is ready for additional condiments, serving and consumption. This process results in a tasty snack, however, the process is disadvantageous for preparing large quantities in that, the process is very time consuming, labor intensive, and would require large, very hot ovens. Thus, there is no need for an apparatus which would pre-heat pre-packaged cheese to avoid these disadvantages. 
     Over the years this snack food has become a favorite of patrons at large event gatherings such as sporting events, conventions and fairs. Quick preparation is the most important. Profit margins are significantly reduced if the time to prepare is lengthy. Accordingly, a device was developed that used conventional food warming technology. A pan of processed cheese sauce was placed into a receptacle formed in a base. A heating element and water are disposed in the receptacle for warming the pan and the cheese sauce disposed therein. Thus, a food service worker could use a spoon to ladle the cheese saute onto the tortilla chips. While this was much faster than the previous method, disadvantages of this method are a messy workstation, skin forming atop the cheese sauce, potential for burns while changing the pans, product waste, difficulties in cleaning baked on cheese saute, and a large number of parts to clean. 
     The conventional method was further refined by the addition of a lid with an integral pump. The operator now only needed to push down on the pump handle in order to discharge the cheese saute from the pump nozzle. This system reduced the skin on top of the cheese sauce, and the disorderly work station, however, the device was now more complex and just as dirty, wasteful and more difficult to clean properly. 
     Thus, there remains the need for an apparatus which heats pre-packaged cheese or other pre-packaged food products such as chili, gravy or stew, to a serving temperature which requires minimal maintenance or cleanup, is simple to use and uses only the necessary amount of product required. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel warming apparatus for pre-packaged food products. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a warmer for pre-packaged food products which evenly and slowly heats the food product to the preselected temperature such that the food product can be safely handled. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a warmer for pre-packaged food products which reduces the amount of labor associated with preparing of such. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a warmer for pre-packaged food products which can accommodate a large amount of food products to support a high volume production. 
     Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a warmer for pre-packaged food products which has warming elements isolated from direct contact with workers or the food products. 
     These objects are accomplished by at least one principal aspect of the present invention in which the food preparation apparatus includes a housing having a top wall and a front wall. The top and front walls each have an aperture defined therein. A passageway for warming and storing the pre-packaged food products extends from an entrance at the top wall aperture to an exit at the front wall aperture. A plurality of chutes are formed within the passageway for channeling the food products from the entrance to the exit. A plurality of electrical elements for warming the food products to a preselected temperature where the warming elements surround each chute. Accordingly, the warming elements maintain the food products at the preselected temperature until they are removed from the housing. 
     In another principal aspect of the present invention a device for heating and storing pre-packaged food products prior to use includes a hollow housing formed by a plurality of interior and exterior panels defining first and second openings which are in communication. A tubular recess is defined in the housing between the first and second openings having a divided first portion and a common area second portion. The divided portion includes a plurality of panels defining walls which subdivide the tubular recess. A heating zone is defined by a plurality of elements for warming the food products to a preselected temperature disposed between the interior and exterior panels, and within the walls such that each surface of the divided portion radiates and conducts heat at the preselected temperature in order to increase the temperature of the food products. A maintaining zone is defined by an additional heating element disposed in the common area second portion adjacent the second opening such that said food products maintain the preselected temperature until used. 
     These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the course of the following detailed description, reference will be made to the attached drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is perspective view of a pre-packaged food warmer constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an elevation view of the right side of the warmer in FIG. 1, where the left side is virtually identical save for the difference in orientation; 
     FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the front side of the warmer in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is an elevation view of the back side of the warmer in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a plan view of the top side of the warmer in FIG. 1 showing the pre-packaged food product disposed within the divided, chute portion; and, 
     FIG. 6 is a detailed, partially broken away view of a heating element which may be used in connection with the warmer of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIGS. 1 and 3 illustrate a pre-packaged food warmer  20  constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The warmer includes a housing  22  and a lid  24 . The housing has a hollow cavity, passageway or tubular recess  38  defined within a front wall  26 , rear wall  28 , a pair of side walls  30 , a top wall  27  and a bottom wall  29 . The walls  26  and  28 - 30  are formed by respective interior and exterior panels. The interior panels associated with each wall are identified by the addition of the suffix “a” to each element number  26  and  28 - 30 , such that the front interior panel  26   a,  rear interior panel  28   a,  side interior panels  30   a,  and bottom interior panel  29   a  are thus defined. The exterior panels associated with each wall  26  and  28 - 30  are identified by the addition of the suffix “b” to each element number  26  and  28 - 30 , such that the front exterior panel  26   b,  rear exterior panel  28   b,  side exterior panels  30   b  and bottom exterior panel  29   a  are thus defined. The top wall  27  is formed as a band disposed adjacent the perimeter of the housing cooperatively defined between the upper edges  26   c,    28   c,  and  30   c  of the front  26   a  and  26   b,  rear  28   a  and  28   b  and side  30   a  and  30   b  panels. The top wall  27  surrounds and defines an entrance  40  to the passageway  38 . 
     Advertising indicia may be disposed on the adhesively-affixed substrate  44 , which may be affixed to the exterior panels  26   b,    28   b  and  30   b.    
     The lid  24  has a top wall  24   a  and a plurality of sidewalls  24   b  depending from the edges  24   c  of the top wall  24   a.  The perimeter of the top wall  24   a  is jointly defined by the edges  24   c,  and is greater than the perimeter of the top wall  27  jointly defined by the upper edges  26   c,    28   c  and  30   c,  such that the lid  24  is operatively connected to the housing  22  to enclose the entrance  40  of the tubular recess  38 . The lid  24  is preferably made from any conventional heat resistant plastic which may be transparent or opaque. 
     A cover to door  32  is movably connected to the front panel  26   a,  preferably for pivotal movement. As shown, a piano-type hinge  34  connects the door  32  to the housing  22 . It will be understood that a living hinge constructed of any conventional heat resistant plastic may be substituted therefor. The door  32  is configured as a closure for an exit  42  of the passageway or tubular recess  38 . The cover  32  preferably is oriented at an angle to the front wall  26  as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in order to allow an operator easy access to the food product  25  when the door  32  is in an open position. The cover  32  is also formed from a conventional heat-resistant plastic, which is preferably transparent. As shown, a handle  33  for the cover  32  enables the operator to quickly and easily move the door  33  from a closed position shown in FIGS. 1-3 and  5 , into an open position (shown) in phantom in FIG.  2 . It will be understood that the handle  33  is not required, and the operator may used an edge of the door  33  as such. In the open position, an operator has free unimpeded access to the passageway exit  42 , on that the operator may retrieve warmed pre-packaged food products  25 . The handle  33  may be formed from any material, preferably a plastic material in order to maintain a low cost. Preferably, the handle  33  is connected to the cover  32  by a metallic fastener (not shown) which preferably engages a magnetic latch (not shown) when the door  32  is in a closed position. It will be noted that such magnetic latch is not required because as configured, when the operator closes the door  33 , it will remain in the closed position until opened again by the operator. Thus, the door  32  is secured to the housing  22  when in the closed position. The exit  42  is defined and disposed in a plane which is angularly offset from the horizontal plane in which the entrance  40  is defined. 
     FIG. 2 illustrates, in phantom, the layout of the passageway or tubular recess  38 , the subdividing walls  48  in the divided position  50 , and the common area portion  52 . The passageway  38  is substantially J shaped. A divided portion  50  generally defines the vertical element of the J, and the common area portion  52  generally defines the lower, arcuate element of the J. The rear interior panel  28   a  and bottom interior panel  29   a  cooperatively define one element of the passageway which extends from the entrance  40  to a lower edge  42   a  of the exit  42 . The rear interior panel  28   a  includes a vertical element disposed adjacent the entrance  40 . The bottom interior panel  29   a  includes a horizontal element disposed adjacent the exit  42 . An intermediate interconnecting element  54  is formed as a sector of a circle between the vertical element of the rear interior panel  28   a  and the horizontal element of the bottom interior panel  29   a.  Preferably, the sensor is defined as a quadrant of a circle. The interconnecting element  54  urges the pre-packaged food products  25  to change direction from vertical to horizontal toward the exit  42 . The front interior panel  26   a  also extends from the entrance  40  to an upper edge  42   b  of the exit  42 . However, the front interior panel  26   a  includes only a vertical element, approximately similar in extent to the vertical element of the rear interior panel  28   a.  The side interior panels  30   a  additionally include an element which extends from the entrance  40  to the exit  42  following the contour of the front  26   a  and rear  28   a  interior panels. Thus, the passageway  38  is cooperatively defined by association of the interior panels  26   a,    28   a,    29   a  and  30   a  as a generally tubular recess. Preferably, the recess  38  has a rectangular cross-section. 
     FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrator a plurality chutes  46  and chute walls  48  disposed in the divided portion  50 . The chutes  46  are jointly defined by the exterior panels  26   a,    28   a,  and  30   a  and the panels  48   a  and  48   b  which form the chute walls  48 . Each chute wall  48  preferably extends between two parallel interior panels. As shown, the chute walls  48  interconnect the front interior panel  26   a  to the rear interior panel  28   a.  It will be understood that this invention will function as intended with the chute walls  48  connecting the side interior panels  30   a.  Further, it will be noted that the number of chutes and the size of such are only limited by the physical dimensions of the warmer and the pre-packaged food products. The chute walls  48  preferably have a vertical extent substantially similar to the front wall  26 . The configuration of the chute walls  48  enables the chutes  46  to provide maximum, efficient heating capability without restricting the movement of the food product  25  into the common area portion  52 . 
     FIG. 3 illustrates the food product  29  disposed in the common area portion  52 . The food product  25  remains in the common area portion  52  until an operator removes it for use. The food product  25  is a pre-packaged food product created on a conventional machine such as a form, fill and seal machine as is common in the package industry. The plastic outer cover is formed as an envelope with one open end. The food product is added through the open end and the pouch is sealed closed. The food product  25  is then ready for handling. The plastic is tolerant of temperatures greater than the boiling point of water, but can melt if the temperature is great enough, it will be noted that the melting temperature of the plastic cannot be reached by the present invention. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates an electrical element  56  for warming the food products  25  to a preselected temperature. The heating or warming element  56  includes a substrate  58 , a resistive element  60 , a thermostat  62 , a thermal circuit  64 , and a pool-off backing  66 . The substrate  58  is a flexible material which conforms to curvilinear surfaces. Preferably, the substance  58  is a relatively thin paper-based product. The resistive element  60 , as shown, is connected is a first side of the substrate  58 , preferably adhered thereto. The thermostat  62  and thermal cut-off  64  are conventional elements which determine the preselected temperature and prevent run-away unsafe temperatures should the thermostat  62  fail. The peel-off backing  66  is removed from the substrate  58  for installation. During manufacturing of the warmer  20 , the heating elements  56  are adhered in the interior panels  26   a,    28   a,    29   a  and  30   a,  and the chute walls  48  such that the elements do not enter of intrude into the passageway or tubular recess  38 . A heating zone  68  is generally defined in the divided portion  50  of the passageway  38  where the chutes  46  are surrounded on all sides by the heating elements  56 . A maintaining zone  70  is generally defined in the common area portion  52  by the heating element  56  adhered to the bottom interior panel  29   a  disposed adjacent the exit  42 . 
     In use, an operator turns the warmer  20  and allows it to heat to the preselected temperature. The operator then inserts the pre-packaged food products  25  into the chutes  46 . While awaiting use, the food products  25  are warmed to the preselected temperature. An operator may open the door  32  and retrieve a food product for use. Preferably, one end of the food product is enter cut or torn either open or off such that the operator may pour or squeeze the food product out of the plastic envelope. The finished food product may then be served to a customer. It will be noted that the warmed food product  52  may remain sealed when served to a customer. Thus, the food product  52  stays at the desired temperature until the customer is ready to eat. 
     It will be understood that the embodiment of the present invention which has been described herein is merely illustrative of some of the applications of the principles of the present invention. Various modifications, such as different heating element structure, different size of warmer, and different size and number of chutes, may be made by those skilled in the act without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.