| 摘要 |
<p>K 57591 FOOD PREPARATION APPARATUS AND PROCESS Of The Invention The invention relates to an apparatus and process for preparing wholesome meals for patients in hospitals, rest homes, airline passengers, prisoners and the like. A portable cart or cabinet with access doors has serving trays supported on heater shelves which trays support the food items to be served to the patient. Each tray contains food items in noninsulated dishes which items are either to be heated and served hot or not to be cooked and served cold. All of the dishes are refrigerated while the food items to be served hot are heated. The dishes containing food items to be heated or cooked carry noninsulated covers or lids. The food items are normally placed on the tray in refrigerated condition. Chilled air for the cart or cabinet is provided by a self-contained or remote air chilling device to a plenum chamber which chamber when coupled continuously circulates chilled air from the chilled air device into and through the cart and then back through the plenum chamber to the chilled air device in a continuous closed loop pattern. The circulating air passes through mating vents and inlets of the plenum chamber and the cart which automatically open when the cart is coupled with the plenum chamber. The heating for each food item to be served hot is initiated, time controlled and terminated by a programmed computer which separately controls the operation of the individual heater plates mounted on the heater shelves supporting the trays. The heating plates contact the bottom of the dishes to be served hot through dish supporting holes in the tray. The heating plates are slightly raised above the heating shelf surface which positions the dishes to be served hot out of contact with the tray so that heat from the dishes being heated cannot migrate to the tray and the remaining food items on the tray which are to be served cold. The food carts or cabinets containing the food items on serving trays can be initially connected to mating plenum chambers or a refrigerated area in the food preparation area, then removed and sent to designated areas of the hospital, for instance, where they are positioned into plenum chambers having a control unit at which area a computer control unit takes over and initiates the cooking of those foods to be served hot. One food cart or cabinet may contain meals for a number of patients or other type consumers and the rethermalization of these meals throughout the day is controlled by the programmed computer unit. ,, ,</p> |
