초록 ▼

The food pan carrier has a pan carrier body and a pan carrier door. The pan carrier door is slidable relative to the pan carrier body from an open to a closed position. When the door is in the closed position, the food pan carrier will maintain food that has been heated to at least 185째 at a minimum

The food pan carrier has a pan carrier body and a pan carrier door. The pan carrier door is slidable relative to the pan carrier body from an open to a closed position. When the door is in the closed position, the food pan carrier will maintain food that has been heated to at least 185째 at a minimum of 141째 for an extended period of time. The pan carrier body has grooves in which the food pan door is received. The food pan door preferably has rails that are slidable in the grooves. The door slides in the grooves from a second end to a first end of the grooves. As the door slides from the open to the closed position, it moves toward a sealing surface that circumscribes an opening through which food pans are inserted and removed from the pan carrier body. In the fully closed position, the door sealingly engages the sealing surface that circumscribes the opening through which food pans are inserted and removed.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A food pan carrier comprising: a pan carrier body, the pan carrier body having a doorway through which food pans may be placed into or removed from a food receiving cavity defined by the pan carrier body, the pan carrier body defining a sealing surface circumscribing the door

What is claimed is: 1. A food pan carrier comprising: a pan carrier body, the pan carrier body having a doorway through which food pans may be placed into or removed from a food receiving cavity defined by the pan carrier body, the pan carrier body defining a sealing surface circumscribing the doorway; a door for closing the doorway, the door being slidable between an open and a closed position, the body having grooves defined in opposed walls of the pan carrier body wherein the door moves toward the body sealing surface when it moves from the open to closed positions, and wherein the door sealingly engages the body sealing surface in the closed position. 2. The food pan carrier of claim 1, the body sealing surface comprising a seal bead, the seal bead circumscribing the doorway. 3. The food pan carrier of claim 2, the doorway comprising a generally rectangular doorway, wherein the door has a door sealing surface thereon for engaging the seal bead on the pan carrier body. 4. The food pan carrier of claim 3, wherein the door sealing surface on the door is circumscribed by a generally rectangular seal bead. 5. The food pan carrier of claim 1 the pan carrier body comprising: a bottom wall; and four side walls projecting upwardly from the bottom wall, the doorway being defined by the four side walls. 6. The food pan carrier of claim 1 the pan carrier body comprising: a bottom wall; left and right side walls; a rear side wall; and a top wall, the top wall, bottom wall and left and right side walls defining the doorway at a front of the pan carrier body. 7. The food pan carrier of claim 6, wherein rails at upper and lower edges of the door are slidable in the grooves. 8. A food pan carrier comprising: a pan carrier body defining a cavity for receiving and carrying food pans, the pan carrier body having a door opening through which food pans can be inserted and removed; a body sealing surface on the pan carrier body circumscribing the door opening; and a door for covering the door opening of the pan carrier body, the door having a door sealing surface wherein the pan carrier body has first and second grooves defined therein sloping from a second end to a first end thereof in a direction toward the body sealing surface, the door being slidable in the grooves between a fully open position and a closed position, wherein in the closed position the door sealing surface sealingly engages the body sealing surface. 9. The food pan carrier of claim 8, wherein the door has first and second rails, the first and second rails being receivable in the first and second grooves. 10. The food pan carrier of claim 8, wherein the first and second rails slope from a second end to a first end thereof toward the body sealing surface. 11. The food pan carrier of claim 8, the pan carrier body comprising: a bottom wall; two side walls connected to and projecting from the bottom wall; a rear wall connected to and projecting from the bottom wall; and a top wall connected to an upper end of the side walls and the rear wall, the top wall, bottom wall, and two side walls defining the body sealing surface circumscribing the door opening. 12. The food pan carrier of claim 11, the first and second grooves being located forward of the body sealing surface. 13. The food pan carrier of claim 12, the door having: a top edge; a bottom edge; and left and right side edges, the top and bottom edges having top and bottom rails, respectively, projecting therefrom along at least a portion of the length thereof, the top and bottom rails being slidable in the first and second grooves. 14. The food pan carrier of claim 13, the door being rotatable in the first and second grooves when the door is in the open position. 15. The food pan carrier of claim 13, the door having hinge pins integrally formed therewith, wherein the hinge pins will engage an end of the first and second grooves in the pan carrier body when the door is in the open position, the door being rotatable in the grooves to a location adjacent one of the side walls. 16. The food pan carrier of claim 8, wherein the pan carrier body comprises: a bottom wall; a plurality of side walls projecting from the bottom wall; and the door opening being defined by the plurality of side walls. 17. The food pan carrier of claim 16, wherein two opposed side walls have the first and second grooves defined therein above the body sealing surface, and wherein the door is slidable in the first and second grooves between the open and closed positions. 18. A food pan carrier comprising: a pan carrier body comprising: a bottom wall; left and right side walls; a rear side wall; and a top wall, the top wall, bottom wall and left and right side walls defining a doorway through which food pans may be placed into or removed from a food receiving cavity defined by the pan carrier body, the pan carrier body defining a body sealing surface circumscribing the doorway; closure grooves defined in the pan carrier body, and a door for closing the doorway, wherein the door is slidable between an open and a closed position in the closure grooves and wherein the door sealingly engages the body sealing surface in the closed position, the door having an upper pivot pin and a lower pivot pin projecting from the upper and lower edges, respectively, thereof, the door being rotatable in the closure grooves when the door is in the open position. 19. The food pan carrier of claim 18, wherein the upper and lower pivot pins will engage terminal ends of the closure grooves and will pivot about the terminal ends. 20. The food pan carrier of claim 19, wherein an exit groove is connected with one of the closure grooves, so that one of upper and lower pivot pins can be moved into the exit groove to allow the door to be completely removed from the pan carrier body.