Patents by Inventor Sara Cofield Hurt

Sara Cofield Hurt 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: 5896915
    Abstract: A rethermalization system for heating refrigerated food on trays, maintaining the food in a refrigerated condition until heated, and heating some of the food to a desired temperature at a serving time while maintaining the rest of the food in a refrigerated condition. The system has a cart which docks inside a refrigerator. The cart has shelves on which trays of food reside. In the shelves there are heaters. The operator programs the system using an intricate series of commands at an operator interface. A first controller interprets the commands and sends the program to a second controller. The second controller controls the heating cycle of the heaters. A current sensor is provided to sense whether there is current to the heaters. The second controller polls the current sensor and compares the findings to what is called for in the program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1999
    Assignee: Standex International Corporation
    Inventors: John Walter Westbrooks, Jr., Sara Cofield Hurt
  • Patent number: 5771959
    Abstract: A rethermalization system for heating refrigerated food on trays, maintaining the food in a refrigerated condition until heated, and heating some of the food to a desired temperature at a serving time while maintaining the rest of the food in a refrigerated condition. The system has a cart which docks inside a refrigerator. The cart has shelves on which trays of food reside. In the shelves there are heaters. The operator programs the system using an intricate series of commands at an operator interface. A first controller interprets the commands and sends the program to a second controller. The second controller controls the heating cycle of the heaters. A current sensor is provided to sense whether there is current to the heaters. The second controller polls the current sensor and compares the findings to what is called for in the program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1998
    Assignee: Standex International Corporation
    Inventors: John Walter Westbrooks, Jr., Sara Cofield Hurt