Plate for serving hot meals thereon

Abstract

The present invention concerns a plate ( 1 ) suited for directly dressing and serving meals directly thereon, which plate ( 1 ) comprises a heat storing material ( 14 ) allowing keeping the meal dressed thereon warm for an extended period of time in view of regular plates without heat storing material.

1 . A plate for direct contact with food served thereon, said plate comprising: an upper part defining a well of the plate for receiving food and an outer rim extending along at least part of the periphery of the well; a base part fixed to the upper part thereby defining a sealed cavity between the upper and base parts and an amount of latent heat storing material disposed in said sealed cavity, wherein the heat storing material is provided in a sealed flexible pouch. 
     
     
         2 . The plate according to  claim 1 , wherein said cavity is situated under at least part of the surface of the well of the plate and under at least part of the outer rim of the plate. 
     
     
         3 . The plate according to  claim 2 , wherein the volume of the cavity V is larger than the volume occupied by the pouch, thereby defining a free volume in the cavity, the free volume being situated under the outer rim of the plate. 
     
     
         4 . The plate according to  claim 1 , wherein said heat storing material is a phase change material having an expanded state wherein the amount of PCM occupies a volume V and a non-expanded state wherein the amount of PCM occupies a volume V. 
     
     
         5 . The plate according to  claim 4 , wherein the ration ratio of the volume of the PCM in its expanded state to the volume of the cavity is between 0.6 and 0.9. 
     
     
         6 . The plate according to  claim 4 , wherein the PCM material is selected from the group comprising: hydrated salts, organic compounds, solid to solid PCMs, eutectic solutions and/or admixtures thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The plate according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper part and or base part are made of a ceramic material such as glazed ceramics or porcelain. 
     
     
         8 . The plate according to  claim 7 , having a total weight of 1 kg or less, preferably 0.8 kg or less. 
     
     
         9 . The plate according to  claim 1 , wherein the pouch is manufactured from a composition comprising polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified (PET-G), polyamide and/or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The plate according to  claim 9 , wherein the pouch is manufactured from a composition comprising polyamide 66. 
     
     
         11 . The plate according to  claim 9 , wherein the pouch is manufactured of a sandwich material comprising at least one layer of polypropylene and at least one layer of polyamide or polyester. 
     
     
         12 . The plate according to  claim 1 , wherein a heat reflective layer is provided between the base part facing the cavity and the pouch. 
     
     
         13 . The plate according to  claim 1 , comprising a partitioning wall provided in said cavity and defining a compartment wherein the pouch is confined and another compartment substantially corresponding to the free volume. 
     
     
         14 . A method of manufacturing a plate as identified in  claim 1 , said method comprising the steps of: providing an upper part and a base part; providing a pouch filled with a heat storing material with desired heat absorbing and releasing properties; accommodating the pouch on the intended top surface of the base part or the intended lower surface of the upper part, and subsequently fixing the upper part and base part to enclose the pouch in a cavity defined by both the upper and base part of the plate.