Patent ID: 8757053

Claim:
A tortilla cartridge for storing and facilitating the feeding of tortillas into a heating sub-system of a tortilla warmer, the tortilla cartridge comprising: a container having an open top, the container configured to hold a stack of tortillas, the stack having a top tortilla residing in a top position located just above the open top of the container, the top tortilla thereby being accessible to the heating subsystem, the container comprising: a self-leveling motor-driven elevator assembly configured to automatically raise the stack of tortillas after each time that the top tortilla is removed from the top position of the stack, so that a next tortilla in the stack is thereby elevated into the top position to become the top tortilla, the elevator assembly further comprising at least one gear in communication with a toothed column and a worm drive, the worm drive being coupled to the motor; a lid for covering the open top of the container when the container is not being used to feed tortillas from the stack into the heating sub-system; and a fresh sealing mechanism for sealing the lid closed against the container with an airtight seal.