Patents by Inventor Jefferson Leach

Jefferson Leach 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).

  • Patent number: 11490764
    Abstract: A toaster includes a housing, a conveyor configured to support food products, a motor configured to drive the conveyor to move the food products through the housing, a heating element disposed adjacent the conveyor and configured to emit thermal energy toward the food products as the food products are moved through the housing, a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature within the housing, and a controller operatively coupled to the temperature sensor and configured to control the motor to drive the conveyor at a conveyor speed. The controller is configured to store the sensed temperature within the housing as a function of time and calculate a derivative of the sensed temperature with respect to time. The controller is configured to vary the conveyor speed based on a value of the derivative.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: Hatco Corporation
    Inventor: Jefferson Leach
  • Publication number: 20210204754
    Abstract: A food pan well includes a base defining an internal cavity and a temperature regulating system disposed within the internal cavity. The base is configured to support a food pan such that the food pan is selectively suspendable within the internal cavity. The temperature regulating system includes a cooling assembly configured to facilitate cooling at least a sidewall of the food pan and a warming assembly configured to facilitate warming at least a bottom surface of the food pan.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2021
    Publication date: July 8, 2021
    Inventors: Nick BASSILL, Ishan SHAH, Brad STOECKEL, Gerhard H. WENZEL, Mark GILPATRIC, Jefferson LEACH, Fei SHANG, Edward NUNN
  • Patent number: 11000157
    Abstract: A food pan well includes a base defining an internal cavity and a temperature regulating system disposed within the internal cavity. The temperature regulating system includes an internal enclosure and at least one of a cooling assembly and a warming assembly. The internal enclosure is positioned within the internal cavity. The internal enclosure includes a bottom wall and a sidewall that extends around a periphery of the bottom wall. The bottom wall and the sidewall cooperatively define a temperature regulated cavity. The base is configured to support one or more food pans such that the one or more food pans are selectively suspendable within the temperature regulated cavity. The cooling assembly is positioned to facilitate cooling at least one of the one or more food pans and the warming assembly is positioned to facilitate warming at least one of the one or more food pans.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: Hatco Corporation
    Inventors: Nick Bassill, Ishan Shah, Brad Stoeckel, Gerhard H. Wenzel, Mark Gilpatric, Jefferson Leach, Fei Shang, Edward Nunn
  • Publication number: 20180333006
    Abstract: A food pan well includes a base defining an internal cavity and a temperature regulating system disposed within the internal cavity. The temperature regulating system includes an internal enclosure and at least one of a cooling assembly and a warming assembly. The internal enclosure is positioned within the internal cavity. The internal enclosure includes a bottom wall and a sidewall that extends around a periphery of the bottom wall. The bottom wall and the sidewall cooperatively define a temperature regulated cavity. The base is configured to support one or more food pans such that the one or more food pans are selectively suspendable within the temperature regulated cavity. The cooling assembly is positioned to facilitate cooling at least one of the one or more food pans and the warming assembly is positioned to facilitate warming at least one of the one or more food pans.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2018
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Applicant: Hatco Corporation
    Inventors: Nick Bassill, Ishan Shan, Brad Stoeckel, Gary Wenzel, Marc Gilpatric, Jefferson Leach, Fei Shang, Edward Nunn
  • Publication number: 20180317709
    Abstract: A toaster includes a housing, a conveyor configured to support food products, a motor configured to drive the conveyor to move the food products through the housing, a heating element disposed adjacent the conveyor and configured to emit thermal energy toward the food products as the food products are moved through the housing, a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature within the housing, and a controller operatively coupled to the temperature sensor and configured to control the motor to drive the conveyor at a conveyor speed. The controller is configured to store the sensed temperature within the housing as a function of time and calculate a derivative of the sensed temperature with respect to time. The controller is configured to vary the conveyor speed based on a value of the derivative.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2018
    Publication date: November 8, 2018
    Applicant: Hatco Corporation
    Inventor: Jefferson Leach