Patent ID: 8607587

Claim:
A food holding cabinet comprising: a first, substantially U-shaped thermally-conductive, tray receiving member having a substantially planar bottom, generally planar first and second side opposing walls that extend upwardly from the substantially planar bottom, and first and second opposing open ends, the substantially planar bottom and generally planar side walls having inside surfaces and outside surfaces, the substantially U-shaped thermally-conductive tray receiving member defining a substantially U-shaped cavity in which food or a food holding tray can be placed through either of the first and second opposing open ends, such that food or a food holding tray placed in the first tray receiving member will be in direct contact with the substantially planar bottom of the tray receiving member, the cavity having ends, at least one of which is open; a liquid phase/vapor phase refrigeration system comprising a pressurized gaseous working fluid, a compressor, which compresses the working fluid, a condenser coupled to the compressor, and a first substantially U-shaped evaporator coil coupled to the condenser, the first evaporator coil being attached directly to the outside surfaces of the substantially planar bottom and both generally planar sidewalls of the first substantially U-shaped thermally-conductive tray receiving member, the first evaporator coil being configured to conduct heat energy away from the substantially parallelepiped-shaped thermally-conductive, tray receiving member and thereby conduct heat energy away from a substantially planar bottom surface of a food holding tray placed on the substantially planar bottom of the first tray receiving member and conduct said heat energy into the working fluid flowing through the first evaporator coil.