Patent ID: 8671618

Claim:
A product server for holding and displaying food products, the product server comprising a front customer side, a rear employee side, a cabinet having a food preparation surface adjacent the employee side of the product server for the preparation of food orders, a rectangular breath guard on the cabinet, said breath guard being pivoted adjacent the customer side of the product server for movement between a lowered generally horizontal position covering said food products held by the product server and a raised position, said breath guard having a breath guard configuration such that when it is in its raised position it provides a barrier to contamination of the food products by customers on the customer side of the product server while allowing access to said food products by employees on the employee side of the product server, upright side panels adjacent opposite ends of the product server, wherein the breath guard extends between the upright side panels as it moves between its raised and lowered positions, wherein the breath guard comprises a breath guard panel that lies in a generally horizontal plane when the breath guard is in its lowered position covering said food products, and an upper frame on the cabinet defining an open area at the front of the product server, said open area being unobstructed with respect to said customers when the breath guard panel is in its lowered position and obstructed only by the breath guard panel with respect to said customers at the front customer side of the product server when the breath guard panel is in its raised position whereby the breath guard panel in its raised position functions to prevent said contamination that could otherwise occur through the open area.