US 10852002

US Patent 10852002, titled "Multi-zone food holding bin," was issued to Marmon Foodservice Technologies Inc. on December 1, 2020, from an application filed on May 3, 2019. The inventors are Kyle Thomas Kestner, Christopher B. Lyons, Jr., Charles B. Hartfelder, and Zachary N. McCoy.

Abstract:
The patent describes a multi-zone food holding bin that features a continuous food supporting surface with multiple food holding zones. Each of these zones can be controlled independently to maintain different food temperatures in adjacent areas.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Independent Claim 1: This claim describes a multi-zone food holding bin. It includes a frame (chassis) with top, side, bottom, front, and rear panels. Inside, there's a first food holding compartment with an opening at the front, allowing food to be placed in and removed. The compartment has a flat, continuous, and thermally conductive surface that acts as its bottom. Within this compartment are two distinct food holding zones: a first zone and a second zone, positioned next to each other on the flat surface. Each zone has its own independently controllable upper and lower heating elements. The first food holding zone contains a first and second food holding bay, and the second food holding zone contains a third and fourth food holding bay, all designed to hold food trays. The key feature is that the first food holding zone can maintain a first temperature, and the second food holding zone can maintain a different second temperature. Additionally, a bezel (face plate) is located forward of the shelf, creating a space.

• Independent Claim 14: This claim is similar to Claim 1, detailing the chassis, first food holding compartment with an opening and a planar thermally conductive bottom surface, and adjacent first and second food holding zones. Each zone has independently controllable upper (first and third) and lower (second and fourth) heating elements and includes two food holding bays configured for food trays. The first and second zones can maintain different temperatures. The distinguishing feature of Claim 14 is that the first independently controllable heating element (at the top portion of the first food holding zone) is designed to produce more heat energy than the second heating element (at the bottom portion of the first food holding zone).

• Independent Claim 21: This claim expands upon the previous claims by introducing a second food holding compartment located directly below the first one, also defined by the chassis side panels and the same shelf. This second compartment also has an opening for food access. A controller is connected to the second and fourth heating elements (lower elements for the first and second zones of the first compartment) and can operate them independently to provide different heat amounts to those zones. The shelf itself is situated between the two compartments and has an upper and a lower thermally conductive plate. The second and fourth heating elements (for the first compartment) are in thermal communication with the upper plate, while additional fifth and sixth heating elements are located between the upper and lower plates and are in thermal communication with the lower plate, providing heat to the second food holding compartment.