Patent Publication Number: US-2020278145-A1

Title: Patio cold food server

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to food servers. More particularly, it relates to food servers for cold food. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A food cart is a mobile kitchen set up on the street to prepare and sell street food to passers-by. Food carts are often found in cities worldwide selling food of every kind. 
     Food carts come in two basic styles. One allows the vendor to sit or stand inside and serve food through a window. In the other, the vendor stands next to the cart, while all the room in the cart is used for storage and to house the cooking machinery, usually a grilling surface. The cart style is determined principally by the type of food. 
     Food carts are different from food trucks because they do not travel under their own power. Some food carts are towed by another vehicle, while some are pushed by a human or animal. 
     A serving cart is a kind of smaller food cart. It is typically used by restaurants to deliver or display food. Serving carts are also used in households. 
     Cold food serving carts are generally not storable nor are they of a size that is optimal for home use. Therefore, there is a need for a food cart that is uniquely configured to maintain cold food in a healthy condition. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an illustrated view of an exemplary cold food server. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The phrases “in one embodiment,” “in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” and the like are used repeatedly. Such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. The terms “comprising,” “having,” and “including” are synonymous, unless the context dictates otherwise. Such terms do not generally signify a closed list. 
     “Above,” “adhesive,” “affixing,” “any,” “around,” “both,” “bottom,” “by,” “comprising,” “consistent,” “customized,” “enclosing,” “friction,” “in,” “labeled,” “lower,” “magnetic,” “marked,” “new,” “nominal,” “not,” “of,” “other,” “outside,” “outwardly,” “particular,” “permanently,” “preventing,” “raised,” “respectively,” “reversibly,” “round,” “square,” “substantial,” “supporting,” “surrounded,” “surrounding,” “threaded,” “to,” “top,” “using,” “wherein,” “with,” or other such descriptors herein are used in their normal yes-or-no sense, not as terms of degree, unless context dictates otherwise. 
     Reference is now made in detail to the description of the embodiments as illustrated in the drawings. While embodiments are described in connection with the drawings and related descriptions, there is no intent to limit the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents. In alternate embodiments, additional devices, or combinations of illustrated devices, may be added to, or combined, without limiting the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an illustrated view of a cold food server  100  for use on a patio or other location is presented. The cold food server  100  is useful for holding cold foods to be served in an outdoor setting and maintaining the temperature of the cold food to prevent bacterial growth and potential illness. 
     The cold food server  100  has a cabin  110 . The cabin  110  is useful for maintaining proper temperature for the cold foods that will be served to guests outdoors. The cabin  110  is preferably made of stainless steel, but may be made of other materials which are efficient for maintaining temperatures such as the material used in making coolers, for example polyethene plastic. 
     The cabin  110  is preferably three (3) feet in height, though the height could be any height that is sufficient to maintain the coolness for the proper temperature of the food and contains all the food desired for the event. The cabin  110  is preferably four (4) feet in length, though the length may be any length sufficient to maintain the coolness for the proper temperature and containing the food desired for the event. The cabin  110  is preferably two and one-half (2.5) fee in width, though the width could be any height that is sufficient to maintain the coolness for the proper temperature of the food and contains all the food desired for the event. The cabin  110  is preferably rectangular, but may be any shape such as square, trapezoidal, round, etc. 
     The cold food server  100  has a cover  170  and a plurality of wheels  180 . The cover  170  is useful for protecting the cabin  110  from harmful climate and from being damaged. The cover  170  is preferably a thick plastic material with a fleece interior, though the cover  170  may be made of any material and may or may not have an interior liner. The cover  170  fully encloses the cabin  110 . 
     The cabin  110  has a top portion  112  and a bottom portion  114 . The plurality of wheels  180  are useful for ease of movement of the cold food server  100  without risking injury to a person moving the cold food cooler  100 . The plurality of wheels  180  are coupled to the bottom portion  114  of the cabin  110 . The plurality of wheels  180  are preferably coupled to each corner of a square or rectangular cabin  110 . 
     Further, the cabin  110  has a hood  120 , a top  130 , a plurality of cooling coils  140 , a plurality of storage units  150  and a cooler  160 . The hood  120  is configured at the top portion  112  of the cabin  110 . The hood  120  is useful for covering food serving areas and stored foods from pests, dirt, and the elements. 
     The hood  120  cover the top  130  of the cabin  110 . The top  110  is useful for preparing food for being served. The top  130  is preferably granite, but may be made of other materials such as tile, Corian, etc. The top  130  is preferably flat. The hood is preferably a pull-down hood, but may be an open hood. The hood  120  has a handle  122  for lifting and closing the hood  120 . The hood  120  is preferably made of plexiglass, but may be made of other materials such as stainless steel, polyethylene plastic, etc. 
     The top  130  has a plurality of trays  131 . The plurality of trays  131  are generally for containing salads, condiments, utensils, etc. The plurality of trays  131  are preferably made of washable plastic, but may be made of any other material desired. The plurality of trays  131  is preferably four (4) but may be any number of trays which are acceptable for the size of the cabin  110 . The trays  131  are preferably of a one (1) quart size, but may be any size such as one (1) pint, one (1) gallon, etc. Further, the trays  131  may all be the same size, different sizes or a combination of similar and different sizes. 
     The top  130  has a plurality of drop bowls  132 . The drop bowls  132  are useful for containing food to be served that require a bowl-shaped medium for holding the food. The drop bowls  132  are preferable made of stainless steel but may be made of porcelain, china, plastic, etc. The drop bowls are preferably between ten and twelve (10-12) inches in diameter. The drop bowls  132  are preferably round, but may be any shape such as square, trapezoidal, rectangular, etc. 
     The drop bowls  132  are preferably twelve (12) inches in depth, but may be any depth desired by the user and/or the requirements of the amount and type of food to be held in the drop bowls  132 . It is preferable for each of the drop bowls  132  to be the same size, but they may all be the same size, different sizes or a combination of similar and different sizes. 
     The top  130  further has a plurality of hooks  134 . The hooks  134  are useful in holding utensils. The hooks  134  may be any size. The hooks  134  may be all the same size, different sizes, or a combination of the same and different sizes. 
     The top  130  also has one or more lamps  135 . The one or more lamps  135  are useful for providing light when the surroundings do not provide enough light to see clearly. The one or more lamps  135  are preferably LED lamps, but may be other types of lamps such as penlights, CFL, fluorescent, etc. 
     To maintain cooling of the food associated with the top  130 , at least one of the plurality of cooling coils  140  are configured to reside under the top  130 . The at least one of the plurality of cooling coils  140  are useful to provide cooling to maintain the temperature of the food associated with the top  130  and to prevent the food from spoiling or becoming tainted with bacteria. 
     Beneath the at least one cooling coil  140  are the plurality of storage units  150  and the cooler  160 . The storage units  150  are coupled together and each of the storage units has a plurality of hinges  152 . The hinges  152  are useful in allowing the storage units  150  to be opened for ease of access to the storage units  150 . The plurality of hinges  152  are configured on the outer portion  154  of the storage units  150 . Each of the storage units  150  further have a recessed handle  152  for easily opening and closing of each of the storage units  150 . 
     The cooler  160  is useful for keeping cold food refrigerated until it is to be used or prepared. The cooler  160  is coupled to one of the plurality of cooling coils  140  at an outer portion  164  of the cooler  160 . The cooler  160  further has a recessed handle  164  for easily opening and closing of the cooler  160 . 
     In the numbered clauses below, specific combinations of aspects and embodiments are articulated in a shorthand form such that (1) according to respective embodiments, for each instance in which a “component” or other such identifiers appear to be introduced (with “a” or “an,” e.g.) more than once in a given chain of clauses, such designations may either identify the same entity or distinct entities; and (2) what might be called “dependent” clauses below may or may not incorporate, in respective embodiments, the features of “independent” clauses to which they refer or other features described above. 
     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing specific exemplary processes and/or devices and/or technologies are representative of more general processes and/or devices and/or technologies taught elsewhere herein, such as in the claims filed herewith and/or elsewhere in the present application. 
     The features described with respect to one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments or combined with or interchanged with the features of other embodiments, as appropriate, without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.