Holding or cooking oven

Abstract

An oven for maintaining cooked foods at temperatures suitable for serving the foods or even for cooking foods has a cabinet containing multiple heat sinks of channel-shaped configuration. The ends of the heat sinks open out of the cabinet, so that any heat sink may receive a tray of food from either the front or back of the cabinet. The interior surface of the heat sinks generally conform to the cross-sectional shapes of the trays, so that the heat sinks lie along the bottoms and sides of the trays. The heat sinks have a heating elements extended along their sides and bottoms for elevating the temperature of the heat sinks and directing heat into the trays within the heat sinks. In addition, each heat sink also contains a cover which may close the top of the tray in the heat sink and thereby retard the escape of moisture from the tray or may vent the interior of the tray. In other embodiments, the oven includes a cabinet having a plurality of compartments therein, and a plurality of trays in the compartments, each compartment being sized for receiving only one tray per compartment. The compartments are isolated from one another in the cabinet whereby flavor from food in one tray in one compartment is prevented from transferring to food in trays in adjacent compartments.

1. In combination with a heating device and with a tray located within the heating device and having a rim that is presented upwardly around the interior of the tray, a self-supporting cover for establishing at least a partial closure over the rim of the tray, said cover comprising: first and second legs in an upright orientation and having lower margins for supporting the cover, the legs being spaced far enough apart to receive the rim of the tray between them; and a cross wall attached to the legs above their lower margins and extending between the legs, the space between the legs and below the cross wall being open at at least one end of the cover, so that the rim of the tray may be inserted between the legs and below the cross wall at that end of the cover. 
     
     
       2. The combination according to  claim 1  wherein the legs also have upper margins, and the cover is attached to the legs intermediate the upper and lower margins of the legs. 
     
     
       3. The combination according to  claim 1  wherein the space between the legs and below the cross wall is open at both ends of the cover. 
     
     
       4. The combination according to  claim 1  wherein the cross wall, where space between the legs and below the cross wall is open, flares upwardly. 
     
     
       5. The combination according to  claim 1  wherein the rim of the tray is generally rectangular, having ends and sides, with the sides being longer then the ends; and wherein the sides of the rim on the tray are located along the legs of the cover. 
     
     
       6. The combination according to  claim 1  wherein the legs of the cover also have upper margins; and wherein the cross wall is attached to each leg intermediate the upper and lower margins for the leg, but closer to one of such margins than the other. 
     
     
       7. The combination according to  claim 1  wherein the cross wall of the cover contains at least one opening for venting the interior of the tray. 
     
     
       8. The combination according to  claim 7  wherein the cover further includes a slide that moves along the cross wall of the cover between a closed position in which the opening is closed and open positions in which the opening is exposed. 
     
     
       9. The combination according to  claim 1  wherein the cross wall of the cover contains a plurality of openings arranged in a row; and wherein the cover further includes a slide which is located along the cross wall and has openings also arranged in a row, the slide being movable along the cross wall between a closed position and open positions, the slide when in its closed position covering the openings in the cross wall and when in its open positions at least partially exposing the openings in the cross wall through the openings in the slide. 
     
     
       10. In combination according to  claim 1  wherein the cross wall of the cover contains a plurality of openings sized for venting moisture from the tray. 
     
     
       11. In combination with a heat sink having shoulders and a tray located within the heat sink, a cover for at least partially closing the tray while the tray is in the heat sink, said cover comprising: upright legs which are located over the shoulders of the heat sink and project upwardly away from the shoulders; and a cross wall extending between the legs and the tray. 
     
     
       12. The combination according to  claim 11  wherein the legs of the cover are located beyond the rim on the tray. 
     
     
       13. The combination according to  claim 11  wherein the legs of the cover are located beyond the rim on the tray and rest on the shoulders of the heat sink, whereby the tray at its nm is between the legs of the cover. 
     
     
       14. The combination according to  claim 11  wherein the legs of the cover have lower margins and the cover is attached to the legs above their lower margins; and wherein the space between the legs and below the cover is open at at least one end of the cover so that the tray at its rim may be inserted into and removed from the space below the cross wall on the cover. 
     
     
       15. The combination according to  claim 14  wherein the legs have upper margins, and the cross wall is attached to the legs below the upper margins. 
     
     
       16. The combination according to  claim 15  wherein the spacing between the upper margins and the cross wall differs from the spacing between the lower margins and the cross wall. 
     
     
       17. The combination according to  claim 11  wherein the cross wall of the cover contains at least one opening. 
     
     
       18. The combination according to  claim 17  wherein the cover further includes a slide that moves along the cross wall of the cover between a closed position in which the opening is closed and open positions in which the opening is exposed. 
     
     
       19. The combination according to  claim 11  wherein the cross wall of the cover contains a plurality of openings arranged in a row; and wherein the cover further includes a slide which is located along the cross wall and has openings also arranged in a row, the slide being movable along the cross wall between a closed position and open positions, the slide when in its closed position covering the openings in the cross wall and when in its open position at least partially exposing the openings in the cross wall through the openings in the slide. 
     
     
       20. An oven comprising:
 a cabinet;  
 a plurality of trays adapted to be inserted in the cabinet and withdrawn from the cabinet, each tray having a bottom wall, side walls extending upwardly from the bottom wall, and an open top;  
 self-supporting covers in the cabinet for respective trays, each cover having a generally horizontal cross wall and a pair of side walls extending downwardly from the cross wall at opposite sides of the cross wall, said cross wall having a width which exceeds the width of a respective tray to allow the tray to be positioned in the cabinet between the side walls of the cover with the cross wall extending over the open top of the tray;  
 each cover being releasably retained in the cabinet against withdrawal from the cabinet when a respective tray is removed from between the side walls of the cover and withdrawn from the cabinet, the side walls of the cover supporting the cover in the cabinet after the tray has been withdrawn from the cabinet; and  
 a heating element positioned in the cabinet to direct heat into trays in the cabinet.  
 
     
     
       21. An oven as set forth in  claim 20  wherein the cross wall of at least one cover has at least one opening in it to vent a tray located beneath the cover. 
     
     
       22. An oven comprising:
 a cabinet;  
 horizontal shoulders in the cabinet;  
 a plurality of trays adapted to be inserted in the cabinet and withdrawn from the cabinet, each tray having a bottom wall, side walls extending upwardly from the bottom wall, and an open top;  
 covers in the cabinet for respective trays, each cover having a generally horizontal cross wall and a pair of side walls extending downwardly from the cross wall at opposite sides of the cross wall over respective horizontal shoulders in the cabinet, said cross wall having a width which exceeds the width of a respective tray to allow the tray to be positioned in the cabinet between the side walls of the cover with the cross wall extending over the open top of the tray;  
 each cover being releasably retained in the cabinet against withdrawal from the cabinet when a respective tray is removed from between the side walls of the cover and withdrawn from the cabinet, the side walls of the cover resting on said respective shoulders after the tray has been withdrawn from the cabinet; and  
 at least one opening in the cross wall of at least one of said covers for venting the cover.  
 
     
     
       23. An oven comprising
 a cabinet having a plurality of compartments therein,    a plurality of trays in said compartments, eash compartment being sized for receiving only one tray per compartment,    said compartments being isolated from one another in said cabinet whereby flavor from food in one tray in one compartment is prevented from transferring to food in trays in adjacent compartments,    each compartment having open ends for placement of said tray in the compartment and removal of said tray from the compartment, and    a plurality of heaters, each heater being operable for heating a respective compartment.   
     
     
       24. The oven as set forth in  claim 23  wherein each compartment has a bottom wall heated by a respective heater. 
     
     
       25. The oven as set forth in  claim 24  wherein each compartment has side walls, and wherein said bottom and side walls of each compartment are formed by a unitary member. 
     
     
       26. The oven as set forth in  claim 25  wherein said unitary member is generally U-shaped. 
     
     
       27. The oven as set forth in  claim 25  wherein said unitary member is a metal heat sink. 
     
     
       28. The oven as set forth in  claim 23  further comprising a cover in at least one of said compartments for covering a tray in the compartment. 
     
     
       29. The oven as set forth in  claim 28  wherein said cover is a rigid cover supported in a position over the tray. 
     
     
       30. The oven as set forth in  claim 29  wherein said cover comprises a generally horizontal cross wall spanning the top of the tray. 
     
     
       31. The oven as set forth in  claim 30  wherein said cover comprises a pair of side walls extending vertically from the cross wall at opposite sides of the cross wall. 
     
     
       32. The oven as set forth in  claim 29  wherein said at least one compartment has side walls with shoulders for supporting said cover over the tray in the compartment. 
     
     
       33. The oven as set forth in  claim 32  wherein the side walls of said at least one compartment are spaced apart approximately  1  inch greater than a width of said respective tray. 
     
     
       34. The oven as set forth in  claim 23  wherein said heaters also heat side walls of the compartments. 
     
     
       35. The oven as set forth in  claim 23  further comprising a control for controlling the operation of the heaters. 
     
     
       36. The oven as set forth in  claim 35  wherein said control controls the operation of at least one group of heaters independently of another group of heaters. 
     
     
       37. The oven as set forth in  claim 35  wherein said control controls the operation of each heater independently of the other heaters. 
     
     
       38. An oven as set forth in claimm  23  wherein said plurality of compartments includes side-by-side compartments. 
     
     
       39. An oven comprising
 a cabinet having a plurality of compartments therein,    a plurality of trays in said compartments, each compartment being sized for receiving only one tray per compartment,    said compartments being isolated from one another in said cabinet whereby flavor from food in one tray in one compartment is prevented from transferring to food in trays in adjacent compartments,    each compartment having open ends for placement of said tray in the compartment and removal of said tray from the compartment,    a plurality of heaters for heating said plurality of compartments, the operation of each of said plurality of heaters being controlled independently of the other heaters.   
     
     
       40. An oven as set forth in  claim 39  wherein each of said plurality of compartments has one of said plurality of heaters adjacent thereto for heating the compartment. 
     
     
       41. An oven as set forth in  claim 40  further comprising a cover in at least one of said plurality of compartments for covering a tray in the compartment. 
     
     
       42. An oven as set forth in  claim 41  wherein said at least one of said plurality of compartments has side walls with shoulders for supporting said cover over a tray in the compartment. 
     
     
       43. An oven as set forth in  claim 39  wherein said plurality of compartments includes side-by-side compartments. 
     
     
       44. An oven comprising
 a cabinet having a plurality of compartments therein,    a plurality of trays in said compartments, each compartment being sized for receiving only one tray per compartment,    said compartments being isolated from one another in said cabinet whereby flavor from food in one tray in one compartment is prevented from transferring to food in trays in adjacent compartments,    each compartment having open ends for placement of said tray in the compartment and removal of said tray from the compartment,    a plurality of heaters for heating said plurality of compartments, each compartment being heated by one of said plurality of heaters located adjacent the compartment,    the operation of at least one group of said plurality of heaters being controlled independently of another group of said plurality of heaters, and    a cover in at least one of said plurality of compartments for covering a tray in the compartment.   
     
     
       45. An oven as set forth in  claim 44  wherein said at least one of said plurality of compartments has side walls with shoulders for supporting said cover over a tray in the compartment. 
     
     
       46. An oven as set forth in  claim 44  wherein said plurality of compartments includes side-by-side compartments. An oven as set forth in  claim 42  wherein said at least one of said plurality of compartments has side walls with shoulders for supporting said cover over a tray in the compartment.