Abstract:
The invention relates to a service trolley. The service trolley includes a tabletop having at least one stowable wing, wheels attached to the trolley for moving the trolley, and a hot plate integrated into the tabletop.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application is a National Stage application of and claims priority to PCT Application PCT/IB2011/051997, filed on May 5, 2011, which claims priority to South African Provisional Patent Application 2010/00861, filed on May 10, 2010, and to South African Provisional Patent Application 2010/08741, filed on Dec. 6, 2010. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    This invention relates to a service trolley. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The inventor is aware of service trolleys used in the hospitality industry. Although, known trolleys, such as room service trolleys may include stowable wings and include a hotbox, this is usually ineffective and unpractical as the hotbox is located underneath the table to be dined at. The inventor is not aware of any trolleys that include a cold storage compartment, which could be used to keep foods and beverages cold. Known trolleys are only efficient in serving a one-course meal, thus the inventor identified a need to serve a three-course meal and beverages e.g. wine, by using a single service trolley that allows for cold and warm storage simultaneously. Food and beverages can thus be served at the required temperatures at the serving location. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a service trolley, which includes a tabletop having at least one stowable wing; wheels attached to the trolley for moving the trolley; and a hot plate integrated into the tabletop. 
         [0005]    The service trolley may include a displaceable lid covering at least a portion of the hot plate. 
         [0006]    The service trolley may include at least one storage compartment, for holding condiments, cutlery, wine, cold starters or the like. 
         [0007]    The tabletop may include a rigid portion with a width of between 400 mm and 1000 mm. More particularly the rigid portion of the tabletop may have a width of between 400 mm and 600 mm. Advantageously the rigid portion of the tabletop may have a width to fit through a conventional door when the at least one stowable wing is in a stowed condition. 
         [0008]    The service trolley may include at least one stowable wing attached to at least one side of the tabletop. 
         [0009]    The service trolley may include at least one stowable wing which is hingedly attached to at least one side of the tabletop. 
         [0010]    In one embodiment the at least one stowable wing may be foldable between a stowed condition in which it depend downwardly from at least one side of the tabletop and a deployed condition in which it is coplanar with the tabletop and contiguous with at least one side of the tabletop to extend the tabletop surface. 
         [0011]    In another embodiment the at least one stowable wing may be slideable between a stowed condition in which it is retracted below the tabletop and a deployed condition in which it is coplanar with the tabletop and contiguous with at least one side of the tabletop to extend the tabletop surface. 
         [0012]    In a particular embodiment the service trolley may include stowable wings on each side of the tabletop extending both the length and width of the tabletop when in a deployed condition. 
         [0013]    The at least one stowable wing may have a width dimension of between 100 mm to 500 mm, to add an additional 200 mm to 1000 mm to the dimensions of the tabletop in a deployed condition. 
         [0014]    The tabletop may include a lip along at least a portion of it&#39;s outer periphery to retain cutlery or crockery on the tabletop. 
         [0015]    The service trolley may include a buffer along a portion of its periphery, in use to protect the periphery. 
         [0016]    The service trolley may include an actuator connected to the at least one stowable wing for deploying the at least one stowable wing automatically. 
         [0017]    The service trolley may include wing support structures for supporting the at least one stowable wing in its deployed condition. In one embodiment the wing support structures may be in the form of foldable struts. In another embodiment the wing support structures may be in the form of slidable stuts, arranged to slide coplanar with the tabletop. The struts may be slideable from below the tabletop. 
         [0018]    The service trolley may include tubular guides from which the struts are telescopically extendible from a retracted condition in which the struts are retracted below the tabletop, to an extended condition in which the struts extend beyond the sides of the rigid portion of the tabletop. 
         [0019]    Advantageously the stowable wings are easily altered from a stowed condition to a deployed condition and vice versa. In a deployed condition the service trolley may be used as a dinner table. The foldable wings may have a rounded periphery, and advantageously may serve as eating stations. 
         [0020]    The wheels may be in the form of castor wheels and may be provided with integrated brakes. 
         [0021]    In one embodiment the service trolley may have a rectangular shaped base. In this embodiment the wheels may be mounted on the base of the service trolley and may be in the form of two rigid castor wheels mounted on a first set of opposing sides, and two swivel castor wheels mounted on the other set of opposing sides. The wheels may be located towards a centre of the sides. 
         [0022]    The hot plate may be in the form of an electrical hot plate or may include burners. Advantageously, an electrical hot plate will not pose a fire hazard. Advantageously the hot plate may be displaceable, to allow for cleaning beneath the hot plate. The hot plate may be hingedly attached on one side. 
         [0023]    The displaceable lid may be in the form of a semi-cylindrical cover defining pivot points in the centre of each of the medians of the semi-circular lid ends. The displaceable lid may be removable. The service trolley may include an actuator connected to the displaceable lid for displacing the lid automatically. 
         [0024]    The at least one storage compartment may be positioned below the tabletop. The at least one storage compartment may be in the form of any one of a lower support shelf and a cabinet or the like. The cabinet may include one or more storage drawers. The cabinet may be at least partially closed. 
         [0025]    The at least one storage compartments may include a cold compartment. The at least one cold compartment may have a stainless steel lining or the like to hold ice. The al least one cold compartment may hold ice, a cold pack, a cold-storage body or a heat exchange element. The at least one cold compartment may be in the form of a fridge. Advantageously the cold compartment may be used to keep beverages cold. 
         [0026]    The at least one storage compartment may be positioned on the tabletop and may include for use as a condiment holder or a cutlery holder. The at least one storage compartment may include a sealed enclosure defining a bucket which may be used as an ice bucket or wine cooler. 
         [0027]    The at least one storage compartment may include a storage arrangement shaped and dimensioned to store dirty dishes. 
         [0028]    The service trolley may include an actuator connected to the at least one storage compartment for moving the storage compartment automatically. 
         [0029]    The at least one storage compartment may be removable. 
         [0030]    The service trolley may include at least one displaceable rack. The at least one displaceable rack may be located above the hot plate for holding additional plates. The at least one displaceable rack may be shaped and dimensioned to fit underneath the displaceable lid, for keeping multiple plates warm. 
         [0031]    The service trolley may be used for room service, serving of finger snacks, serving of meals and beverages, serving food and beverages at social functions/conferences or used for any form of catering. 
         [0032]    The invention will now be described, by way of example only with reference to the following drawing(s): 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0033]    In the drawing(s): 
           [0034]      FIG. 1  shows a three-dimensional drawing of one embodiment of a trolley in a stowed condition; 
           [0035]      FIG. 2  shows a three-dimensional drawing of the trolley in  FIG. 1 , in a deployed condition; 
           [0036]      FIG. 3  shows a three-dimensional drawing of another embodiment of a trolley in stowed condition; and 
           [0037]      FIG. 4  shows a three-dimensional drawing of the trolley in  FIG. 3 , in a deployed condition. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0038]    In  FIG. 1  a service trolley  10 , of one embodiment of the invention, is shown. 
         [0039]    The trolley includes a rigid tabletop  12  and two stowable wings  14 ,  16 . The rigid tabletop  12  has a width of 700 mm so as to fit through a conventional door. The two stowable wings  14 ,  16  include hinges  14 . 1 ,  14 . 2 ,  16 . 1 ,  16 . 2  (only  14 . 1  and  14 . 2  are visible) so that the wings are hingedly displaceable downwardly in the direction of arrows  18 ,  20 . 
         [0040]    The trolley also includes an electrical hot plate  22  (see  FIG. 2 ) integrated into the tabletop  12 . In  FIG. 1 , a displaceable lid  24  is shown. The lid  24  is in the form of a semi-cylindrical cover defining pivot points (not shown) in the centre of each of the medians of the semi-circular lid ends. The lid  24  is rotatable between an open condition (see  FIG. 2 ) and a closed condition (see  FIG. 1 ). 
         [0041]    The trolley includes castor wheels  26  which have integrated brakes. 
         [0042]    The trolley includes holders  28 ,  30  with dividers to define cutlery holders, condiment holders and a wine bottle holder. 
         [0043]    The trolley  10  is provided with a handle  34  for ease of movement by hand. Furthermore, the trolley  10  includes a thermostat control  36 , electrically connected to the hot plate  22 . The thermostat control  36  includes a rotary temperature adjustment knob and an indicator light. 
         [0044]    In use, as can be seen in  FIG. 1 , the wings are folded downwardly to a stowed condition and the lid  24  is closed to keep food on the hotplate  22  warm. The trolley can then moved to where the food is to be served, and if necessary, the hot plate  22  is connected to an electric power outlet. The wings  14 ,  16  are then deployed by moving the wings in the opposite direction to arrows  18 ,  20 . 
         [0045]    The wings are supported in their deployed condition by support structures in the form of support struts. In this embodiment the struts are slideable from below the rigid tabletop  12 . 
         [0046]    The trolley includes a storage arrangement in the form of a lower shelf  32  for storing dirty dishes. 
         [0047]    In  FIGS. 3 and 4  a service trolley  100 , of another embodiment of the invention, is shown. For illustrative purposes, the numbering for the same and similar parts are the same as those used in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 . In this embodiment the trolley  100  includes a rigid tabletop  12  and include foldable wings  40 ,  42 ,  44 ,  46  on the four sides of the tabletop  12  extending both the length and width of the tabletop  12  while in a deployed condition (as shown in  FIG. 4 ). The trolley also includes an electrical hot plate  22  integrated into the tabletop  12 . In another embodiment (not shown) the wings  40 ,  44  form a rigid portion of the tabletop. 
         [0048]    The trolley includes wheels  26  attached to the trolley, for moving the trolley. The wheels  26  are in the form of two rigid castor wheels  26 . 1 ,  26 . 2  (not visible) mounted centrally on a first set of opposing sides, and two swivel castor wheels  26 . 3 ,  26 . 4  mounted centrally on the other set of opposing sides. The wheel configuration allows the trolley to be steered and rotated about a central rotational axis. 
         [0049]    The trolley  100  includes two storage drawers  48 ,  50 . The storage drawers  48 ,  50  include cold compartments  52 ,  54  (see  FIG. 4 ) made of stainless steel, and which can hold ice, a cold pack, a cold-storage body or a heat exchange element. The cold compartments  52 ,  54  are used to keep beverages and food cold. In yet another embodiment (not shown), the trolley includes three or more storage drawers. 
         [0050]    The trolley  100  includes a removable rack  56  that is located above the hot plate  22 , for storing additional plates. The rack  56  fits underneath the displaceable lid  24 , and can keep additional plates warm. 
         [0051]    The hot plate  22 , displaceable lid  24  and storage drawers  48 ,  50  are all removable to allow for the cleaning of the trolley. 
         [0052]    Articles shown in broken lines are included for illustrative purposes only. 
         [0053]    The inventor believes that the invention, as described and illustrated provides a new service trolley, which will ease the serving of food to patrons at locations removed from a location where the food is prepared. The inventor further believes that the invention will provide a manner to serve a three-course meal and beverages, by using a single service trolley that allows for cold and warm storage simultaneously and also facilitates independent dining.