1 2
mounted to said walls which extends below said chafer
VERTICALLY COLLAPSIBLE FOOD SERVICE pan holding space, wherein said support member has a
CART SYSTEM retaining portion for holding a chafer heating element
for applying heat to a chafer pan held in said space
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 5 when said panel is in the horizontal service position, and
This invention generally relates to food service carts, pivot portions pivotably mounting said support member
and more particularly, to an integrated cart system to said walls of said panel so as to allow said support
which is vertically collapsible for compact storage. member to be pivoted into said space when said panel is
... Adt pivoted to the vertical storage position.
BACKGROUND ART 10 ln a preferred embodiment, the cart frame is formed
Food service carts generally are designed for service' with a pair of vertical end sections spaced apart along a
convenience and mobility so that they can be used in longitudinal axis of the cart and a stretcher bar extend
different locations and for a wide range of service func- ing between the end sections, a pair of upper panels
tions. Such carts usually have an array of panels or each pivotably supported by respective opposing longi
shelves on which trays of food, utensils, and other items 15 tudinal ends thereof on said end sections so as to be
are placed. Some types of carts are made collapsible so pivotable in parallel with each other between the hori
that they can be stored in a relatively small floor space. zontal service positions and vertical storage positions,
For example, U.S Pat. No. 3,436 092 issued to Werner each of said ]s havi waIls defming a plural.
shows a cart m which upper and lower panels on both ity of s for hoWi respective chafer pans therein
sides of a cart are pivotable to upright positions, in 20 and mounting respective pivotable support members for
conjunction with rotatable sleeve locking members and &e heati ... ...
a pair of lower shelves
wheel assemblies which pivot inwardly, so that the cart , . . ,, . ,, r .. ...
,. i n * * ... each pivotably supported by respective opposing longiassumes a slim vertical profile for storage. U.S. Pat. No. . ,. , . f. , .i f „. rr. . 4,478,428 issued to Ziliani shows an arrangement in tudmal end,s the5ff on fd end actions wherein said which upper and lower panels are hinged to a pair of 25 «PP« panels and lower shelves are pivotable to vertical A-frames in parallel so that they can be rotated upright stora8e P°sTM one above the other flat against the to vertical positions. stretcher bar of the cart frame and said support memIt has been desired to serve hot food and drink from bers for the heating elements are pivotable into the food service carts so that they can be used for a wide respective spaces defined by said panel walls, whereby range of service functions. This is currently done by 30 the components of the cart are vertically collapsible placing chafer dishes, of the type having a flame heating mt° a slim vertical profile of the end sections for comelement below a water pan, and containers of hot drink pact storage.
on the shelves of the cart. However, these added imple- In the preferred embodiment, the vertical end secments tend to clutter the shelves and compete for space tions include tubes with open socket ends for receiving with each other due to their non-complementary shapes 35 the shouldered ends of support legs of a longitudinal, and sizes. Also, when the carts are put away, the chafer food shelf or coffee urn bridge so that the bridge can be dishes and drink containers are carried away to separate mounted in an elevated position between and above the storage locations, while the cart may be collapsed and panels supporting the chafer pans. Sliding lock bars are stored elsewhere, thereby resulting in inconvenience to inserted into holes formed in the vertical tubes and lock the service personnel and requiring added storage 40 jnto recesses in the support legs of the bridge. The supspace. Another version of food service cart has provi- port iegs pivot inwardly and fold into a hollow bridge sion for mounting food trays and heating elements on channel for storage.
the cart, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,132,641, for Xhe chafer panels each have a pivotmg structure
example, but is not made collapsible for storage. including a back bar stop which abuts against the
Therefore, it is a principal object of the invention to 45 stretcher bar of the cart frame> md pivot slots formed
provide an integrated food service cart system which is on ks Q ite longitudinal ends in which the ends of
designed to hold chafer dish assemblies while in use and <^t«.„^;„„ f, ,. j
f, ,,. , , , pivot pins extending trom the end sections are retained
to allow the chafer dish assemblies to be stored on the 0„ ;t, ■ ° , ,.. „ „. .. • , . .
. . .. „ „ , - Ti. so that the panels are held by gravity m the horizontal
cart m a vertically collapsed condition for storage. It is ... tU . , , . • , t „
. . . . c . .. , . . position with the back bar stop m abutment with the
a further object of the invention to provide an inte- 50 r. . . . , . . ,
grated food service cart system in which the chafer dish f etche,r bar'cal? bef Plvo ed uPwa!d ^ movf
Assemblies have complementary shapes and structures down f on«.the le"Sth °f fhe slots to ho,d 'hem m f,he
which allow them to be used as well as stored on the Y"*?* P°flon- The chafer pans are stored vertically
cart in a highly compact arrangement. A particular by *hdm8them mt0 cllPs on the unde«ides of the lower
object is to provide a food service cart structure in 55 snelves
which upper and lower side panels and shelves are Another feature of the mvention is a collapsible awreadily pivoted between horizontal use and vertical assembly havmg vertical support tubes with lower storage positions, and in which the chafer dish compo- ends fltting onto mounting plates on the cart frame,' nents can be stored entirely within the compact volume risers telescoped into the support tubes and held in of the cart in its collapsed storage configuration. 60 selected vertical positions by threaded retaining elements, awning heads with labyrinthine head bars exSUMMARY OF THE INVENTION tending longitudinally between them and each having The invention comprises an integrated food service pivot brackets to which the risers are mounted to allow cart system having a frame, at least one panel supported them to be folded inwardly along the longitudinal axis on said frame so as to be pivotable between a horizontal 65 for storage, and collapsible awning support arms which service position and a vertical storage position, said at are held outwardly by the tension of an awning memleast one panel having walls defining a space for holding brane stretched across them and through labyrinthine a chafer pan therein, a support member pivotably head bars.
