Patent Publication Number: US-2017347837-A1

Title: Hot Food Storage Assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Field of the Disclosure 
     The disclosure relates to storage devices and more particularly pertains to a new storage device for maintaining a food item at a predetermined temperature. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a box that may be positioned on a support surface. A cover is removably positioned on the box and the cover has a plurality of openings. A plurality of cans is provided and each of the cans may contain a food item. Each of the cans is comprised of a thermally insulating material. Thus, each of the cans may retain the food item at a pre-determined temperature. Each of the cans is slidably inserted through an associated one of the openings. A plurality of lids is provided and each of the lids is removably coupled to an associated one of the cans. Each of the lids forms a fluid impermeable seal with the associated can. Thus, each of the lids inhibits heat transfer between the food item and air. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of a hot food storage assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a top exploded view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1  of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a top perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 5  thereof, a new storage device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 5 , the hot food storage assembly  10  generally comprises a box  12  that may be positioned on a support surface  14 . The support surface  14  may be ground, a table or other horizontal support surface. The box  12  has a bottom wall  16  and a peripheral wall  18  extending upwardly from the bottom wall  16 . The peripheral wall  18  has a distal edge  20  with respect to the bottom wall  16 . The distal edge  20  defines an opening  22  into the box  12  and the peripheral wall  18  has an inner surface  24 . The box  12  may be comprised of a thermally insulating material. 
     A pair of handles  26  is provided. Each of the handles  26  is coupled to the box  12  and each of the handles  26  may be gripped. Each of the handles  26  may have a curved outer wall to define an inverted cup. Thus, the inverted cup may be gripped to carry the box  12 . 
     A cover  28  is removably positioned on the box  12  and the cover  28  has a plurality of openings  30 . The cover  28  has a top surface  32 , a bottom surface  34  and a peripheral edge  36  extending therebetween. The openings  30  extend through the top surface  32  and the bottom surface  34 . The openings  30  are spaced apart from each other and are distributed on the cover  28 . The openings  30  may be arranged to define four corners of a rectangle. In an alternative embodiment as shown in  FIG. 5 , the openings  30  may be arranged to form three points of a triangle. 
     The cover  28  has a lip  38  extending downwardly from the bottom surface  34 . The lip  38  is coextensive with the peripheral edge  36  and the lip  38  is spaced inwardly from the peripheral edge  36 . The lip  38  frictionally engages the inner surface  24  of the box  12  when the cover  28  is positioned on the distal edge  20 . Thus, the lip  38  forms a fluid impermeable seal with the box  12 . 
     A plurality of cans  40  is provided and each of the cans  40  may contain a food item  42 . Each of the cans  40  is comprised of a thermally insulating material. Thus, each of the cans  40  may retain the food item  42  at a pre-determined temperature. Each of the cans  40  is slidably inserted through an associated one of the openings  30 . Thus, each of the cans  40  is vertically retained in the box  12 . 
     Each of the cans  40  has a lower wall  44 , an inside surface  46 , an outside surface  48  and a top edge  50 . Each of the cans  40  includes an insulating layer  52 . The insulating layer  52  is positioned between the inside surface  46  and the outside surface  48 . The insulating layer  52  is comprised of a thermally insulating material having a high thermal mass. The lower wall  44  corresponding to each of the cans  40  abuts the bottom wall  16  of the box  12  when the cans  40  are inserted through the associated opening  30 . 
     A plurality of lids  54  is provided. Each of the lids  54  is removably coupled to an associated one of the cans  40 . Each of the lids  54  forms a fluid impermeable seal with the associated can  40 . Thus, each of the lids  54  inhibits heat transfer between the food item  42  and air. 
     Each of the lids  54  comprises an outer ring  56  surrounding a plate  58 . The plate  58  is comprised of a translucent material. Thus, the plate  58  facilitates the food item  42  to be visible when the cans  40  are positioned in the box  12 . A seal  60  is coupled to and extends downwardly from the plate  58  corresponding to each of the lids  54 . 
     The seal  60  is continuous and the seal  60  forms a circle. The seal  60  is centrally positioned on the plate  58 . The seal  60  frictionally engages the inside surface  46  of the associated can  40  when the lid  54  is positioned on the top edge  50  of the associated can  40 . The seal  60  is comprised of a resiliently compressible material. Thus, the seal  60  forms a fluid impermeable seal with the associated can  40 . 
     In use, the food item  42  is heated and refrigerated to the pre-determined temperature. The food item  42  is placed into each of the cans  40  and the lids  54  are positioned on each of the cans  40 . The cans  40  retain the food item  42  at pre-determined temperature. The cover  28  is positioned on the box  12 . Each of the cans  40  is slidably positioned in an associated one of the openings  30  in the cover  28 . The box  12  is transported to a catering event or the like. Each of the lids  54  is selectively removed from the associated can  40  to access the food item  42 . The box  12  and the cans  40  retain the food item  42  at the pre-determined temperature without an extraneous energy source. Thus, the box  12  and cans  42  eliminate a fire hazard or other environmental hazards associated with heating and cooling food items. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.