Vending systems for hot foods
US5011042A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 11, 1989 |
| Grant date | Apr 30, 1991 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 11, 2009 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG07F17/0078
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A vending system for hot food comprises stacks of food-containing trays of a standard size, a microwave oven whose horizontal dimensions are similar to those of the trays and whose vertical dimension is preferably such as to produce a resonant cavity for the wavelength used, and means for feeding a selected one of the trays into the microwave oven on demand. The radiation is preferably introduced through a waveguide into the top of the tray. Each tray preferably carries heating instructions in machine readable code, e.g. as apertures on lateral extensions of a horizontal flange, and a reading head reads the instructions and adjusts the microwave oven accordingly. The stacks of trays may be held in a rotary magazine and selected by push-buttons.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.