Patent ID: 7025121

Claim:
A food refrigeration and rethermalization system comprising: (a) a cart comprising: (i) a housing including opposed first and second sidewalls, a thermal partition that divides an interior space in the housing into a cold chamber and a hot chamber, and a substantially open front configured to receive food items therethrough; (ii) a vertically oriented cold air plenum formed between the first sidewall of the housing, a cold air distribution panel, a substantially open front end and a closed back end; the cold air distribution panel having a plurality of cold air vents forming a plurality of cold air flow paths between the cold air plenum and the cold chamber; (iii) a vertically oriented hot air plenum formed between the second sidewall of the housing, a hot air distribution panel, a substantially open front end, and a closed back end; the hot air distribution panel having a plurality of hot air vents forming a plurality of hot air flow paths between the hot air plenum and the hot chamber; and (b) a docking station comprising: (i) a cold air supply system for supplying forced chilled air into the substantially open front end of the cold air plenum; (ii) a hot air supply system for supplying forced heated air into the substantially open front end of the hot air plenum; and (iii) one or more seals configured to provide substantially air-tight mating engagement between the docking station and the front of the cart when the cart is docked to the docking station.