Steam Table Pan

Abstract

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, there is provided an improved disposable aluminum pan for use with a chaffing rack and a pair of half pans. The pan includes a base terminating to a sidewall and an rim, which terminates to a rolled bead. The pan includes an inside length measured longitudinally across opposing sidewalls from the inside edge of the rim. The inside length is configured to be shorter than a corresponding inside length of an unimproved pan. The pair of half pans when nested side by side in the improved pan can have adjacent sides of the half pans lay without overlap. The pan also allows for a lid to fit better. The pan also includes a deeper well such that the bottom is positioned closer to burners in the chaffing rack and allows more water to be added during the heating process.

We claim: 
     
         1 . An improved disposable aluminum steam table pan for use with a disposable aluminum steam pan lid and a chaffing rack with burners, and for use with a pair of disposable aluminum half pans,
 wherein each disposable aluminum half-pan, of the pair of disposable aluminum half-pans, is defined as being one-half of a length of the improved disposable aluminum steam table pan, and include a continuous half-pan sidewall extending from a half-pan bottom and terminating to a half-pan top portion with a half-pan rim that forms into a half-pan rolled bead, and the half-pan rolled bead further extends along outer facing sides and extends along inner facing adjacent sides of the half-pan when the pair of disposable aluminum half-pans are adjacently positioned within the improved disposable aluminum steam table pan, and wherein the disposable aluminum steam pan lid is configured to have a single continuous lid top with a defined peripheral top edge and a bendable skirt depending from and extending entirely around the peripheral top edge, the improvement comprises:   a disposable aluminum steam table pan, having:
 a continuous steam table sidewall extending upwardly from a steam table bottom base and terminating into an outstanding steam table rim, the steam table rim further terminates into a steam table rolled bead, and configured to receive the pair of disposable aluminum half-pans adjacently side by side; 
 a steam table inside volume defined longitudinally across opposing steam table sidewalls along a steam table inside surface of the upwardly extending continuous steam table sidewall of said opposing steam table sidewalls and wherein the opposing steam table sidewalls being further configured to extend at an angle from the steam table bottom base whereby the steam table inside volume is configured to receive the pair of disposable aluminum half-pans nested adjacently in the steam table inside volume such that the half-pan rolled beads of inner facing adjacent sides of the pair of disposable aluminum half-pans lay side by side without overlap, and 
 a steam table outside length configured longitudinally across opposing steam table sidewalls from a steam table outside edge of the outstanding steam table rim of said opposing sidewalls, such that the half-pan rolled beads of outer facing sides lay entirely within the steam table rolled bead at the same time as the rolled beads of inner facing adjacent sides of the pair of disposable aluminum half-pans lay side by side without overlap; and 
   whereby the improved disposable aluminum steam table pan being configured to receive and nest the pair of disposable aluminum half-pans entirely within the steam table rolled bead of the outstanding steam table rim of the improved disposable aluminum steam table pan and the improved disposable aluminum steam table pan is thereby finally configured to receive the disposable aluminum steam pan lid in a manner that the single continuous lid top, when positioned onto the improved disposable aluminum steam table pan, secures the bendable skirt entirely under the steam table rolled bead of the improved disposable aluminum steam table pan while completely securing entirely around the nested pair of disposable aluminum half-pans fully positioned inside by bending the bendable skirt of the disposable aluminum steam pan lid around and under the steam table rolled bead of the improved disposable aluminum steam table pan.   wherein each of the half pans, of the pair of half pans, include a half pan bottom terminating to a continuous half pan sidewall, and each half pan further include a top portion with a half pan rim that terminates to a half pan rolled bead, and wherein when the pair of half pans are nested side by side within an unimproved steam table pan the rolled beads of adjacent sides of the pair of half pans are forced to overlap, and wherein the improvement comprising:   forming the improved disposable aluminum steam table pan with a bottom base terminating to an upwardly extending continuous sidewall;   forming an outstanding rim, from a top portion of the continuous sidewall, which terminates to a rolled bead; and   wherein the improved disposable aluminum steam table pan includes an inside length measured longitudinally across opposing sidewalls from the inside edge of the outstanding rim of said opposing sidewalls; and   configuring the inside length of the improved disposable aluminum steam table pan to be shorter than a corresponding inside length of an unimproved steam table pan, such that the pair of half pans when nested side by side in the improved disposable aluminum steam table pan the rolled beads of adjacent sides of the pair of half pans lay side by side without overlap.