Patents by Inventor Thomas E. Yingst
Thomas E. Yingst has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 9562695Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention generally provide devices and systems for re-routing escaping steam and grease from an oven interior to a separate compartment of the oven where the live steam and grease can be condensed and safely disposed.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2013Date of Patent: February 7, 2017Assignee: Turbochef Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Thomas E. Yingst, Carl Jay Dougherty
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Publication number: 20160348920Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention generally provide devices and systems for re-routing escaping steam and grease from an oven interior to a separate compartment of the oven where the live steam and grease can be condensed and safely disposed.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 11, 2016Publication date: December 1, 2016Applicant: TURBOCHEF TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: Thomas E. Yingst, Carl Jay Dougherty
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Patent number: 8671618Abstract: A product server for holding and displaying food products is disclosed. The product server has a front customer side, a rear employee side and a breath guard. The breath guard comprises a cover on a cabinet of the product server that is moveable between a lowered position covering the food products and a raised position in which the cover serves as a breath guard and allows access to the food products. Upright side panels are provided adjacent opposite ends of the product server. The breath guard extends between the upright side panels as it moves between its raised and lowered positions.Type: GrantFiled: May 3, 2011Date of Patent: March 18, 2014Assignee: Duke Manufacturing Co.Inventors: Thomas E. Yingst, Frederick A. Deluca
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Publication number: 20110204755Abstract: A product server for holding and displaying food products is disclosed. The product server has a front customer side, a rear employee side and a breath guard. The breath guard comprises a cover on a cabinet of the product server that is moveable between a lowered position covering the food products and a raised position in which the cover serves as a breath guard and allows access to the food products. Upright side panels are provided adjacent opposite ends of the product server. The breath guard extends between the upright side panels as it moves between its raised and lowered positions.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 3, 2011Publication date: August 25, 2011Applicant: DUKE MANUFACTURING CO.Inventors: Thomas E. Yingst, Frederick A. Deluca
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Patent number: 7958673Abstract: A product server for holding and displaying products. The product server has a front customer side, a rear employee side and a breath guard. The breath guard comprises a cover attached to the product server that is moveable between a lowered position covering the products held by the product server and a raised position in which the cover serves as a breath guard and allows access to the products. The cover is sufficiently transparent to allow viewing of the products from the customer side of the product server.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2004Date of Patent: June 14, 2011Assignee: Duke Manufacturing CompanyInventors: Thomas E. Yingst, Frederick A. Deluca
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Patent number: 7640696Abstract: A product server for holding and displaying products. The product server has a front customer side, a rear employee side and a breath guard. The breath guard comprises a panel attached to the product server and moveable between a lowered position preventing access to products held by the product server and a raised position allowing access to the products. The panel being sufficiently transparent to allow viewing of the products held in the product server.Type: GrantFiled: September 15, 2003Date of Patent: January 5, 2010Assignee: Duke Manufacturing CompanyInventor: Thomas E. Yingst
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Patent number: 7028498Abstract: A temperature controlled food serving bar having a cabinet with an elongate opening. At least one divider of thermally conductive material extends the length of the elongate cabinet opening and divides the interior cabinet space into a plurality of elongate, pan-receiving cavities. The divider comprises a side wall and a bottom wall and at least one of the bottom wall and the side wall having a wall thickness between about 0.1 inch and about 0.2 inch. At least one food-holding pan received in one of the pan-receiving cavities has a bottom wall and side walls. At least one of the side walls of the at least one food-holding pan is spaced from the side wall of the divider between about 0.03 inch and about 0.15 inch. A temperature control system controls the temperature of the at least one divider.Type: GrantFiled: May 24, 2005Date of Patent: April 18, 2006Assignee: Duke Manufacturing CompanyInventors: Daryl R. Monroe, Kim C. Fietsam, Paul S. Rusk, Thomas E. Yingst, Albert D. Smith
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Patent number: 6910347Abstract: A temperature controlled food serving bar. The food serving bar has a plurality of elongate, generally parallel, spaced apart dividers of thermally conductive material extending lengthwise of the serving bar. The dividers have side walls dividing the food serving bar into a plurality of elongate generally parallel cavities. A temperature control system controls the temperature of the side walls of the dividers. Upwardly facing surfaces on the dividers support food-holding pans in positions in which the pans extend down into the cavities adjacent the side walls of the dividers for being heated or cooled thereby. Thermal barriers below the upwardly facing surfaces inhibit the transfer of heat between the side walls of the dividers and the surfaces.Type: GrantFiled: May 17, 2004Date of Patent: June 28, 2005Assignee: Duke Manufacturing CompanyInventors: Daryl R. Monroe, Kim C. Fietsam, Paul S. Rusk, Thomas E. Yingst, Albert D. Smith
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Patent number: 6817201Abstract: A counter top merchandiser for holding and displaying hot and cold products. The merchandiser includes a warm compartment within the merchandiser for holding and displaying warm products. A cold compartment below the warm compartment is defined in part by a bottom wall positioned above the counter top when the merchandiser is placed on the counter top. The cold compartment has a display section and a storage section. A partition separates the warm and cold compartments. A heating unit heats products within the warm compartment and a refrigeration unit cools products within the cold compartment. At least one transparent wall allows viewing of products within the merchandiser. Openings provide access to the warm and cold compartments from the rear of the merchandiser.Type: GrantFiled: April 15, 2003Date of Patent: November 16, 2004Assignee: Duke Manufacturing CompanyInventor: Thomas E. Yingst
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Publication number: 20040211206Abstract: A temperature controlled food serving bar. The food serving bar has a plurality of elongate, generally parallel, spaced apart dividers of thermally conductive material extending lengthwise of the serving bar. The dividers have side walls dividing the food serving bar into a plurality of elongate generally parallel cavities. A temperature control system controls the temperature of the side walls of the dividers. Upwardly facing surfaces on the dividers support food-holding pans in positions in which the pans extend down into the cavities adjacent the side walls of the dividers for being heated or cooled thereby. Thermal barriers below the upwardly facing surfaces inhibit the transfer of heat between the side walls of the dividers and the surfaces.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 17, 2004Publication date: October 28, 2004Applicant: Duke Manufacturing CompanyInventors: Daryl R. Monroe, Kim C. Fietsam, Paul S. Rusk, Thomas E. Yingst, Albert D. Smith
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Publication number: 20030233841Abstract: A counter top merchandiser for holding and displaying hot and cold products. The merchandiser includes a warm compartment within the merchandiser for holding and displaying warm products. A cold compartment below the warm compartment is defined in part by a bottom wall positioned above the counter top when the merchandiser is placed on the counter top. The cold compartment has a display section and a storage section. A partition separates the warm and cold compartments. A heating unit heats products within the warm compartment and a refrigeration unit cools products within the cold compartment. At least one transparent wall allows viewing of products within the merchandiser. Openings provide access to the warm and cold compartments from the rear of the merchandiser.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 15, 2003Publication date: December 25, 2003Applicant: Duke Manufacturing CompanyInventor: Thomas E. Yingst
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Patent number: 6178763Abstract: A refrigeration unit with a thermal break member and an anti-sweat heating mechanism in the form of a heater wire suitable for high humidity environments is provided. The thermal break member includes a main body portion and a conduit portion connected to the main body portion. The conduit portion defines a channel disposed near the access opening of the refrigerated compartment and configured to receive therein the heater wire. The thermal break member includes a closure member and a flexible hinge portion. The flexible hinge portion has a first end connected to the main body portion and a second end connected to the closure member. A typical value for the durometer of the flexible hinge portion is 70 Shore A, and a typical value for the durometer of the main body portion and the closure member is 80 Shore D.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 1999Date of Patent: January 30, 2001Assignee: Specialty Equipment Companies, Inc.Inventors: Harry A. Brancheau, Dan G. Hopkins, Thomas E. Yingst, Michael A. Branz
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Patent number: 5551250Abstract: A freezer system is disclosed comprising a freezing mechanism and an adjacent freezer cabinet. The freezer mechanism has a compressor that produces hot gas refrigerant, a condenser, and an evaporator which accumulates ice on its outside surface. An evaporator condensate pan is mounted beneath the evaporator and a compressor condensate pan is mounted beneath the compressor and connected by a conduit to the evaporator condensate pan. A condensate pan heater coil is attached to the bottom of the evaporator condensate pan. A hot gas valve connected between the compressor and the condensate pan heater coil, when activated, conducts hot gas refrigerant to the condensate pan heater coil to heat it and thereby heat the attached evaporator condensate pan, which in turn heats the outside of the evaporator to help melt accumulated ice. The hot gas refrigerant is then fed from the condensate pan heater coil to the evaporator, heating the inside of the evaporator and fully melting the ice.Type: GrantFiled: December 7, 1994Date of Patent: September 3, 1996Assignee: Traulsen & Co. Inc.Inventors: Thomas E. Yingst, Gerald J. Stensrud, Ronald S. Davis
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Patent number: 5491980Abstract: A refrigerator system having a refrigerating mechanism packaged in a separate case from the refrigerated cabinet and adapted to be attached to either side of the refrigerated cabinet. The refrigerated cabinet has discharge and return openings on each of opposite sides. The refrigerating mechanism has matching discharge and return openings on each of opposite sides. The discharge and return openings on the unattached side of the refrigerating mechanism and refrigerated cabinet are covered. The refrigerating mechanism has an evaporator blower which draws warm air through the return opening in the attached refrigerated cabinet, then through a cooling evaporator coil to propel the cooled air into a blower plenum, and then out a discharge outlet of the blower plenum directly into the matching discharge opening in the adjacent refrigerated cabinet.Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 1994Date of Patent: February 20, 1996Assignee: Traulsen & Co. Inc., A Delaware CorporationInventors: Thomas E. Yingst, Gerald J. Stensrud, Ronald S. Davis
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Patent number: 5476318Abstract: A refrigerator cabinet is disclosed comprising a metallic cabinet case having a door opening in the front, a metallic cabinet liner mounted on the inside and thermal insulation separating the cabinet case and liner. A door is hingedly connected to the front of the cabinet case and adapted to swing over the door opening. A plastic cabinet thermal breaker is mounted between the metallic cabinet case and the metallic cabinet liner and frames the opening. A removable metallic breaker cap snaps on and covers the outside of the plastic cabinet thermal breaker except for a front facing portion of the plastic thermal breaker. A plastic door thermal breaker is mounted along the outer edge of the inside of the door and has an outwardly extending compressible portion which is adapted to press against the front portion of the plastic cabinet thermal breaker when the door is closed.Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 1994Date of Patent: December 19, 1995Assignee: Traulsen & Co. Inc.Inventors: Thomas E. Yingst, Gerald J. Stensrud, Ronald S. Davis
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Patent number: 4774814Abstract: A self-contained ice making machine includes a programmable controller connected to control operation of the machine which includes monitoring the operation of the machine for producing diagnostic type error signals for display, and issuing operating instructions to the refrigeration unit. The refrigerator unit has a condenser with cooling fans, evaporator, a water supply means, and an ice harvest probe assembly. The evaporator includes a coil, and an array of ice cube molds. The water supply means includes a water tank for flowing water over the evaporator, a pump for pumping water to the evaporator and from the tank and a solenoid controlled valve for controlling the flow of water to and from the tank. The ice harvest probe assembly includes a probe driven by a slip clutch motor for pushing against an ice cube bearing slab formed on the evaporator during ice cube harvest.Type: GrantFiled: July 6, 1987Date of Patent: October 4, 1988Assignee: Mile High Equipment CompanyInventors: Thomas E. Yingst, Frederick A. Weis
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Patent number: 4706466Abstract: An under the counter ice making machine has a refrigerator for producing ice cube bearing slabs. A freezer compartment support means includes a bottom compartment having a rear panel extending upwardly to a top panel. The evaporator of the refrigerator is attached to the rear panel adjacent to the top panel and the remainder of the refrigerator components are supported in the bottom compartment which has an open top. A separate unitary freezer compartment includes an integrally formed ice bin portion and a top portion. When the freezer compartment is resting on the bottom compartment of the support means the top portion coacts with the evaporator bearing rear wall end to enclose the top portion. Thus, the freezer compartment is slidably mounted on the bottom compartment so that the bottom of the ice bin portion closes the bottom compartment.Type: GrantFiled: September 3, 1986Date of Patent: November 17, 1987Assignee: Mile High Equipment CompanyInventors: Thomas E. Yingst, Fredrick A. Weis