System And Method For Food Delivery

Abstract

A food delivery system includes a wrapper, a top bun, a beef patty, a slice of cheese, and a bottom bun. The beef patty has a bottom surface that is adjacent to a bottom portion of an internal surface of the wrapper. The slice of cheese is melted between a bottom surface of the top bun and a top surface of the beef patty. The bottom bun has a bottom surface that is adjacent to a top surface of the top bun and a top surface that is adjacent to a top portion of the internal surface of the wrapper. The wrapper is wrapped to form an enclosed package containing in sequential order the bottom bun, the top bun, the slice of cheese, and the beef patty.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to food delivery systems and methods and, more particularly, to a burger delivery system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the food industry, take-out or food delivery presents ongoing problems in maintaining the food in its original cooked and/or assembled state. Although delivery of some produce, such as pizza, has achieved some form of success in implemented delivery techniques and packaging, other produce, such as fast-food burgers and/or similar hot sandwiches, do not fare well if delivered outside the place of cooking For example, fast-food burgers delivered to an off-site customer typically result in soggy toppings and buns, with cold and unappealing beef patties. In another example, fast-food burgers delivered to an off-site customer fail to independently maintain the hot patty “hot” and the cold toppings “cold.” As such, current attempts in delivery of burgers fail to capture the “magic” in assembling a burger as intended to be served in a restaurant, with hot components served “hot” and cold components served “cold.”

Even worse, customers often attempt to separate a bun or beef patty from cheese that has been melted to an aesthetically pleasing fused combination. The result is disastrous—crumbled bun and/or beef patty that is more likely to resemble remnants of a cooking mistake rather than a wonderfully created burger. As such, current burger delivery systems and methods fail to meet customer expectations for a hot and fresh burger, received in a state that is similar to or at least as-good as if the burger is received at the place of cooking origin, e.g., a restaurant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, a food delivery system includes a wrapper, a top bun, a slice of cheese, a beef patty, and a bottom bun. The beef patty has a top surface that is adjacent to a bottom portion of an internal surface of the wrapper. The slice of cheese is melted between a bottom surface of the top bun and a top surface of the beef patty. The bottom bun has a bottom surface that is adjacent to a top surface of the top bun and a top surface that is adjacent to a top portion of the internal surface of the wrapper. The wrapper is wrapped to form an enclosed package containing in sequential order the bottom bun, the top bun, the slice of cheese, and the beef patty.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for delivering food includes providing an aluminum wrapper having a top portion and a bottom portion, the top portion and the bottom portion being connected by an internal surface and an external surface. A beef patty is cooked in a cooking area and a bottom portion of a burger is formed by placing a slice of melted cheese between a bottom surface of a top bun and a top surface of the beef patty. The bottom portion of the burger is placed in contact with an internal surface of the bottom portion of the aluminum wrapper. A bottom surface of the beef patty is adjacent to the internal surface of the bottom portion of the aluminum wrapper. A top portion of the burger is placed in contact with the internal surface of the top portion of the aluminum wrapper. The top portion of the burger includes a bottom bun having a bottom surface adjacent to a top surface of the top bun. The bottom bun has a top surface adjacent to the internal surface of the top portion of the aluminum wrapper. The aluminum wrapper is wrapped around the burger to form an enclosed package, which is delivered to an off-site area.

According to an alternative aspect of the present invention, a food delivery system includes an aluminum wrapper with a top internal surface and a bottom internal surface. A top bun has a top surface and a bottom surface. A cooked meat patty has a top surface and a bottom surface, the bottom surface of the patty being adjacent to the bottom internal surface of the aluminum wrapper. A slice of cheese is melted between the bottom surface of the top bun and the top surface of the patty. A bottom bun has a top surface and a bottom surface, the bottom surface of the bottom bun being adjacent to the top surface of the top bun. The top surface of the bottom bun is adjacent to the top internal surface of the aluminum wrapper. The wrapper is formed to enclose the bottom bun in a package along with the top bun, the patty, and the slice of cheese.

Additional aspects of the invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of various embodiments, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a container and bags for a food delivery system.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of the container of FIG. 1 without a closing lid and including a burger package and a heating element.

FIG. 3 illustrates, in part, a cross-sectional side view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates a delivery truck for delivering the burger package from a restaurant to an off-site area.

FIG. 5A illustrates an unwrapped form of the burger package at the off-site area.

FIG. 5B illustrates condiments and cold-produce toppings being placed unto a top surface of a bottom bun of the burger package.

FIG. SC illustrates the assembled bottom bun with the condiments and the cold-produce toppings.

FIG. 6 illustrates the forming of the complete burger with the bottom bun returned from a transit configuration to a ready-to-eat configuration.

FIG. 7 illustrates a method for delivering food.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated. For purposes of the present detailed description, the singular includes the plural and vice versa (unless specifically disclaimed), and the words “and” and “or” shall be both conjunctive and disjunctive.

Referring to FIG. 1, a food delivery system 100 includes a container 102 with a lid 104 and a plurality of separate bags 106a, 106b. The food delivery system 100 is directed in one example to delivering hot beef patties, warm buns, and cold produce and condiments. The bags 106a, 106b include a cold-produce bag 106a containing cold-produce toppings such as lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and/or other trimmings. The bags 106a, 106b also include a condiments bag 106b containing condiments such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and/or other condiments. Optionally, instead of two separate bags 106a, 106b, the food delivery system 100 includes a single bag in which both the cold-produce toppings and condiments are transported.

Referring to FIG. 2, the container 102 includes a heating compartment 108 and a heated compartment 110. The two compartments 108, 110 are separated by a divider 111, such as a metal tray. The heating compartment 108 includes a heating element 112 for maintaining a desired temperature in the heated compartment 110 and which is located on a bottom wall 113 of the container 102. The heated compartment 110 temporarily stores, during delivery, at least one burger package 114.

The burger package 114 includes an instructions label 116 affixed to an external surface 120b of a wrapper 120. The instructions label 116 provides instructions for a customer to re-assemble the burger as desired, including noting that a burger bottom is served up so that the customer can conveniently place the condiments and cold-produce toppings on the top of the bottom of the burger. As explained in more detail below, providing the bottom of the burger in an initial top position is beneficial at least because it helps prevent a customer from attempting to remove a top bun away from a cheese portion. The cheese is typically melted to form an aesthetic pleasing and well-formed fusion with the top bun. The formed fusion is achieved in a kitchen, during a cooking phase, and is preserved during the delivery phase via the food delivery system 100. As such, the burger is delivered with the fusion intact, in the same form as the burger would be served in a restaurant.

Referring to FIG. 3, the heating element 112 radiates heat within the heating compartment 108. The heat is transferred via the divider 111 to the heated compartment 110 in which the burger package 114 is maintained at the desired temperature. The divider 111 is generally a metal divider for conducting heat between the heating compartment 108 and the heated compartment 110. The lid 104 maintains a closed environment in which the desired temperature is maintained during the time of delivery.

The burger package 114 includes the wrapper 120, a cooked beef patty 122, a slice of cheese 124, a bottom bun 126, and a top bun 128. The burger package 114 is assembled in in a cooking area, such as a restaurant or a moving truck equipped with a cooking griddle. Specifically, the burger package 114 is assembled in a delivery configuration such that the bottom bun 126 is located on top of the top bun 128. In other words, a top surface 126b of the bottom bun 126 is in contact with overlapping edges 120c, 120d of the wrapper 120, and a bottom surface 126a of the bottom bun 126 is in contact with a top surface 128b of the top bun 128. The top surface 126b is toasted to a desired crisp for enhanced taste and aesthetic appearance. The overlapping edges 120c, 120d are near a top portion of the wrapper 120.

The slice of cheese is melted and located in-between a bottom surface 128a of the top bun 128 and a top surface 122a of the beef patty 122. A bottom surface 122b of the beef patty 122 is in contact with an internal surface 120a of the wrapper 120, adjacent to a bottom portion of the internal surface 120a. The external surface 120b of the wrapper 120 is in contact with a top surface 111a of the divider 111.

Placement of the beef patty 122 in contact with the wrapper 120 is another benefit of the food delivery system 100. According to one example, the wrapper 120 is an aluminum foil or aluminum sheet, which functions both as a conductor and an insulator in the same time. The aluminum foil 120 conducts heat received from the heating element 112 to maintain and provide an optimum holding temperature of about 150 degrees Fahrenheit. For example, the heating element 112 in one example is a 200-degree Fahrenheit CAMBRO® heat pellet that helps provide the desired optimum holding temperature.

A medium-well burger has a beef patty 122 that is cooked to a temperature of about 165-170 degrees. As such, the food delivery system 100, including the wrapper 120 and heating element 112, provides a relatively small decrease in serving temperature of only about 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit. This small decrease in the serving temperature is much smaller relative to other system attempting to deliver hot burgers and, in fact, is much smaller than even some typical in-restaurant serving temperatures. For example, based on wait times and/or other in-restaurant factors, medium-well burgers are likely to be served at a restaurant at a serving temperature of about 140 degrees. As such, the food delivery system 100 is helpful in delivering the beef patty 122 hotter than otherwise served in some stores or restaurants.

Based on the placement of the beef patty 122, juices that naturally flow from the cooked patty 122 collect and gather on the bottom of the burger package 114. As such, the juices are kept away from the buns 126, 128 to prevent undesired bun sogginess and result in a delivered burger that includes fresh, warm-toasted buns.

Referring to FIG. 4, a delivery truck 129 delivers the burger package 114 and bags 106a, 106b from a restaurant 131 (i.e., a cooking and/or preparation area) to an off-site area 133 (e.g., a customer house). According to the illustrated example, the burger package 114 is stored during transit in the heated container 102. However, in other examples, the burger package 114 is stored in other types of containers, including non-heated containers. According to another example, the burger package 114 is cooked and/or prepared in the delivery truck 129, instead of the restaurant 131. For example, the delivery truck 129 is optionally outfitted with a cooking stove or griddle for cooking the beef patty 122 and for melting the cheese as described above.

In another example, the beef patty 122 is cooked in the restaurant 131, with the cheese 124 being melted until a beautiful fusion is achieved between the beef patty 122 and the bottom bun 126. However, the burger package 114 is assembled in the delivery truck 129.

The bags 106a, 106b are stored at a normal temperature in the delivery truck 129. Alternatively, at least the cold-produce bag 106a is stored in a cold environment within the delivery truck 129. For example, the cold-produce bag 106a is stored in a truck refrigerator.

Referring to FIGS. 5A-5C, the burger package 114 has been delivered and the burger is ready for assembly, with the cold produce and condiments being ready to be placed on the exposed top surface 126b of the bottom bun 126 to form the desired burger. Initially, in FIG. 5A, the wrapper 120 is unwrapped to expose the burger, which includes the bottom bun 126, the top bun 128, the cheese 124, and the beef patty 122 (in this order). In particular, the top surface 126b of the bottom bun 126 is now directly exposed and available for placement of trimmings and condiments.

In FIGS. 5B and 5C, condiments 130 (such as ketchup and/or mustard) are placed directly onto the top surface 126b of the bottom bun 126. The condiments 130 are available for retrieval from the condiments bag 106b illustrated in FIG. 1. Then, cold-produce toppings 132, including a lettuce leaf 132a, a tomato slice 132b, and a slice of pickle 132c are placed on the top surface 126b of the bottom bun 126, with the condiments 130 being located between the lettuce leaf 132a the top surface 126b of the bottom bun 126. The cold-produce toppings are available for retrieval from the cold-produce bag 106a illustrated in FIG. 1.

The separate packaging and delivery of the condiments 130 and the cold-produce toppings 132 is beneficial to achieve a desire burger in which the cold ingredients are maintained and delivered “cold,” while the hot ingredients are maintained and delivered “hot.” The separate bags 106a, 106b are helpful in achieving this separation.

Referring to FIG. 6, a complete burger 134 is formed by placing in contact the cold-produce toppings 132 with the bottom surface 122b of the beep patty 122. Specifically, a top portion 134a of the burger 134, which includes the top bun 128, the cheese 124, and the beef patty 122, is moved to have the bottom surface 122b of the beef patty 122 on top of a bottom portion 134b of the burger 134, which includes the condiments 130, the cold-produce toppings 132, and the bottom bun 126. Thus, the bottom surface 122b of the hot beef patty 122 (which has been preserved in the desired hot state during transit) is now in direct contact with the cold-produce toppings 132 (which have been preserved in the desired cold state during transit).

Optionally, a serving basket 135 is provided for forming the complete burger 134. The serving basket 134 is ready for use after the customer has unwrapped the burger. One benefit of the serving basket 135 is to provide an assembly area away from the drained burger juices. In other words, the serving basket 135 facilitates the forming of the complete burger 134 without (or minimal likelihood of) having the juices inadvertently wet the buns 126, 128 and, as such, result in undesired sogginess.

Referring to FIG. 7, a method for delivering food includes at S200 providing a wrapper having a top portion and a bottom portion. The top portion and the bottom portion of the wrapper are connected by an internal surface and an external surface.

At S202, a beef patty is cooked in a cooking area, such as a restaurant kitchen or a moving truck. At S204, a top portion of a burger is formed by placing a slice of melted cheese between a bottom surface of a top bun and a top surface of the beef patty.

At S206, the top portion of the burger is placed in contact with an internal surface of the bottom portion of the wrapper. A bottom surface of the beef patty is adjacent to the internal surface of the bottom portion of the wrapper.

At S208, a bottom portion of the burger is placed in contact with the internal surface of the top portion of the wrapper. The bottom portion of the burger includes a bottom bun having a bottom surface adjacent to a top surface of the top bun. The bottom bun has a top surface adjacent to the internal surface of the top portion of the wrapper.

At S210, the wrapper is wrapped around the burger to form an enclosed package. At S212, the enclosed package is delivered to an off-site area. At S214, optionally, separate bags are also delivered at the off-site area along with the enclosed package. The separate bags include one or more condiments and/or cold-produce toppings.

Each of these embodiments and obvious variations thereof is contemplated as falling within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims. By way of example, the food delivery system 100 includes an oven instead of or in addition to the container 102. The oven can be a mounted in the food-delivery truck or other automobile 129 for cooking the burgers and/or maintaining the desired burger temperature. Nevertheless, the delivered burger is packaged such that the bottom bun 126 is positioned on top of the top bun 128 with the bottom surface 126a of the bottom bun 126 facing the top surface 128b of the top bun 128. Optionally, a separation sheet or other separator (e.g., wax liner) is inserted in-between the bottom surface 126a of the bottom bun 126 and the top surface 128b of the top bun 128.

In another example, the burger package 114 is a sandwich package in which the beef patty 122 is replaced by a different type of cooked meat. For example, the sandwich package can be a chicken sandwich, a fish sandwich, etc. The delivered sandwich package is packaged such that the top surface 126b of the bottom bun 126 is facing away from the top surface 128b of the top bun 128, as described above in reference to the burger package 114.

In yet another example, the wrapper 120 is any storage receptacle that simultaneously insulates and conducts heat. For example, the receptacle can be a box made from aluminum foil, or other materials exhibiting the described characteristics. The box can be rectangular with an internal space sufficiently large to accommodate the burger 134.

Claims

1. A food delivery system comprising:

a wrapper having a top portion and a bottom portion connected by an internal surface and an external surface;

a top bun having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a beef patty having a top surface and a bottom surface, the bottom surface of the beef patty being adjacent to the bottom portion of the internal surface of the wrapper;

a slice of cheese melted between the bottom surface of the top bun and the top surface of the beef patty; and

a bottom bun having a top surface and a bottom surface, the bottom surface of the top bun being adjacent to the top surface of the top bun, the top surface of the bottom bun being adjacent to the top portion of the internal surface of the wrapper, the wrapper being wrapped to form an enclosed package containing in sequential order the bottom bun, the top bun, the slice of cheese, and the beef patty.

2. The food delivery system of claim 1, wherein the bottom surface of the beef patty is in direct contact with the bottom portion of the internal surface of the wrapper, juices flowing from the beef patty being collected at the bottom portion of the internal surface of the wrapper.

3. The food delivery system of claim 1, wherein the bottom surface of the bottom bun is in direct contact with the top surface of the top bun.

4. The food delivery system of claim 1, wherein the top surface of the bottom bun is in direct contact with the top portion of the internal surface of the wrapper.

5. The food delivery system of claim 1, further comprising at least one separate package, the at least one separate package containing items selected from a group consisting of condiments and cold-produce toppings.

6. The food delivery system of claim 1, further comprising a first bag containing condiments and a second bag containing cold-produce toppings.

7. The food delivery system of claim 1, further comprising a container including a heating compartment and a heated compartment, the enclosed package being positioned in the heated compartment.

8. The food delivery system of claim 7, further comprising a heating element located in the heating compartment.

9. The food delivery system of claim 8, wherein the heating element radiates heat to maintain an optimum holding temperature, the optimum holding temperature being in the range of about 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit lower than a cooked temperature of the beef patty.

10. The food delivery system of claim 1, further comprising an instructions label affixed to the external surface of the wrapper.

11. A method for delivering food, the method comprising:

providing an aluminum wrapper having a top portion and a bottom portion, the top portion and the bottom portion being connected by an internal surface and an external surface;

cooking a beef patty in a cooking area;

forming a top portion of a burger by placing a slice of melted cheese between a bottom surface of a top bun and a top surface of the beef patty;

placing the top portion of the burger in contact with an internal surface of the bottom portion of the aluminum wrapper, a bottom surface of the beef patty being adjacent to the internal surface of the bottom portion of the aluminum wrapper;

placing a bottom portion of the burger in contact with the internal surface of the top portion of the aluminum wrapper, the bottom portion of the burger including a bottom bun having a bottom surface adjacent to a top surface of the top bun, the bottom bun having a top surface adjacent to the internal surface of the top portion of the aluminum wrapper;

wrapping the aluminum wrapper around the burger to form an enclosed package; and

delivering the enclosed package to an off-site area.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising placing the bottom surface of the beef patty in direct contact with the bottom portion of the internal surface of the aluminum wrapper, the bottom portion of the internal surface of the aluminum wrapper collecting juices flowing from the beef patty.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising placing the bottom surface of the bottom bun in direct contact with the top surface of the top bun.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising placing the top surface of the bottom bun in direct contact with the top portion of the internal surface of the aluminum wrapper.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising delivering at least one separate package, the at least one separate package containing items selected from a group consisting of condiments and cold-produce toppings.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising delivering at least one bag containing one or more condiments and cold-produce toppings.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising delivering a first bag containing one or more condiments and a second bag containing one or more cold-produce toppings.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising maintaining the enclosed package in a heated compartment while in transit between the cooking area and the off-site area.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising affixing an instructions label to the external surface of the aluminum wrapper.

20. A food delivery system comprising:

an aluminum wrapper with a top internal surface and a bottom internal surface;

a top bun having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a cooked meat patty having a top surface and a bottom surface, the bottom surface of the patty being adjacent to the bottom internal surface of the aluminum wrapper;

a slice of cheese melted between the bottom surface of the top bun and the top surface of the patty; and

a bottom bun having a top surface and a bottom surface, the bottom surface of the bottom bun being adjacent to the top surface of the top bun, the top surface of the bottom bun being adjacent to the top internal surface of the aluminum wrapper, the wrapper being formed to enclose the bottom bun in a package along with the top bun, the patty, and the slice of cheese.