Display cabinets in supermarkets for the storage, display and merchandising of hot 'ready to eat'food items such as cooked chickens, pastries and ethnic snacks have become commonplace as the demand for that type of food has increased. It is desirable to keep the food at a temperature which ensures that taste of the food is not spoiled and which complies with health and safety regulations.

To keep hot ready-to-eat food such as cooked chickens at the correct temperature, a large amount of power, typically 5 kW, is used to heat the display cabinet. Known display cabinets for hot ready-to-eat food have different ways of supplying the heat required, some of which are described below.

One known kind of display cabinet comprises a deck having apertures therein and stainless steel Bain Marie bowls depending from the deck through the apertures.

Beneath the deck is a rod element which heats the bowls. A thermostat arranged in the heated region controls the operation of the rod element which, when switched on, operates at constant temperature. The display cabinet comprises a hood extending over the bowls, the hood having high power halogen lamps which both illuminate the food and provided a supplementary source of heat for the food. US-A-4,990,749 describes a Bain Marie cabinet where heated water is arranged to heat a plurality of bowls in the cabinet. The use of water to heat bowls in that way is not ideal as the heated water can be a source of bacteria and there are associated cleaning and maintenance problems.

Another known kind of display cabinet has only a low-wattage light at an upper part of the display cabinet hood. A deck of the display cabinet has a Bain Marie bowl arrangement similar to the above cabinet. Under the deck, forced air heaters circulate air to heat the bowls and hence the food. Further apertures are provided in the deck and the hot air passes through the further apertures to create a hot air environment above the deck which heats the food. A thermostat arranged below the deck controls the heaters.

A further kind of known display cabinet has a deck in the form of a hot water reservoir which is heated from below by a known heating element. Bain Marie bowls sit in the reservoir and are thus heated by the reservoir. Steam evaporated from the reservoir passes through spaces defined by the bowls to communicate with the region above the deck to create a hot wet atmosphere which heats the food. A thermostat in the water controls the heaters. Again, the use of water to heat bowls in that way is not ideal Another type of hot food cabinet is known from US-A-5,771,789 where a substantially flat deck is heated by a plurality of heating coils in a manner which ensures that heat will be spread evenly over the entire area of the deck.

In the above display cabinets the entire food holding zone is heated or where there is more than one zone as in US-A-4,990,749, all zones are heated simultaneously. Where the food holding zone does not have food over its entire area, such heating of the entire zone is waste of energy leading to inefficient operation of the display cabinet. One object of the present invention is to provide a display cabinet which reduces that problem.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a display cabinet for holding ready-to-eat food on a deck comprising a plurality of zones for the food, in which the zones can be temperature controlled independently.

Where the ready-to-eat food is hot, the zones may be heated by respective heating elements, each of which may be independently operable.

The heating elements are preferably located under the deck. In such a case, the heating elements are preferably arranged closely adjacent the underside of the deck. In that way, heat transfer between the heating elements and the deck is optimised.

Preferably, the heating elements are arranged beneath a layer of material such as plastics. In such a case, the layer is preferably in contact with the underside of the deck.

Additionally or alternatively, the heating elements may be mounted on a heat sink. The heat sink may comprise a layer of aluminium.

If desired, the heating elements, the layer of material and the heat sink may be arranged in a sandwich, preferably the heating elements being sandwiched between the heat sink and the layer.

Where the heating elements are combined with the layer and/or the heat sink, the combination may be in the form of a one piece heating member. Preferably, the heating member is moveable away from the deck to allow cleaning of the heating member, most preferably, the heating member is pivoted about a hinge position towards an edge of the deck. In that way, the heating member can be cleaned without removing the heating member from the display cabinet.

The plurality of independent heating elements may be separated simply by leaving a space between adjacent heating elements or, preferably, by extending the epoxy resin layer into a space between adjacent heating elements.

The plurality of zones are preferably temperature controlled by an electronic controller.

The controller preferably controls the plurality of zones through respective relays. The controller preferably has selector means by which a given zone can be heated to a temperature which is correct for a give type and/or quantity of food to be displayed.

Preferably, the controller has a control panel on which the selector means is mounted.

The display cabinet preferably comprises a plurality of timers, each of which corresponds to an area of the deck, most preferably each timer being positioned in line which vertically coincides with the corresponding area of the deck. In that way, the progress of food on a particular area of the deck can be followed. The timers are preferably positioned on the rear of the cabinet close to eye level. In that way, an operative can easily see the timers.

Preferably, the display cabinet comprises one or more areas such as storage drawers and one or more further timers, each further timer corresponding to a part of the storage area.

Preferably, the timers and/or the further timers emit a visible and/or an audible signal.

The use of halogen lamps to provide'boost'heating to cabinets for hot ready-to-eat food is accepted. However, where the temperature within the cabinet needs to be decreased and the lamps are dimmed, the lighting over the food also decreases which is not desirable.

Where the display cabinet is intended for hot ready-to-eat food, the display cabinet preferably comprises an infra red heating arrangement in order to provide a supplement source of heating for the ready-to-eat food.

In that way, as infrared is outside the visible part of the spectrum, the heating arrangement can be turned up or down without altering the lighting over the food.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a display cabinet for holding hot ready-to-eat food, in which the display cabinet comprises an infrared heating arrangement.

Preferably, the heating arrangement is positioned above the deck. If desired, the heating arrangement may be pivotable so that it can be oriented towards a particular area of the deck.

The infrared heating arrangement may comprise a plurality of infra red heaters arranged for heating zones of the display cabinet independently.

The display cabinet of the second aspect may have any of the features referred to in the first aspect or in any of the consistory clauses relating thereto.

In the aforesaid known types of display cabinet, an operative stands behind the display cabinet and when a customer requires food from the display cabinet, it is necessary for the operative to reach into the display cabinet to remove the food for the customer. The continued bending up and down associated with having to reach into the display cabinet gives a high risk of the development of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). Despite that, this type of display cabinet has been commonplace for a long time now and the problem has not been properly addressed. The operative also risks being burnt from hot surfaces in the display cabinet when reaching for hot food and long serving staff often having a succession of minor burns highlighting that risk. Moreover, the possibility of food spillage is increased the further the operative had to reach into the cabinet.

In order to minimise the need to bend and reach into the cabinet, the display cabinet preferably has a holder for the ready-to-eat food, the holder being movable from a position inside the display cabinet to a position outside the cabinet to provide access to the food thereon substantially without having to reach inside the cabinet.

In that way, the holder for the food can be withdrawn and replaced without an operative having to bend down and reach inside the display cabinet. With the need to reach into the display cabinet avoided, the risk of burning and RSI is reduced. It will be appreciated that easier access to the food also results in less accidents such as spillage of the food.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a display cabinet having a holder for ready-to-eat food, the holder being movable from a position inside the display cabinet to a position outside the cabinet to provide access to the food thereon without having to reach inside the cabinet.

The display cabinet of the third aspect preferably has any of the features referred to in the first or second aspect or any of the consistory clauses relating thereto.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a holder for ready-to-eat food, the holder being movable from a position inside a display cabinet to a position outside the cabinet to provide access to the food thereon without having to reach inside the cabinet, the holder being in the form of a frame adapted to support one or more food receptacles.

Preferably, the holder for the food is slideable in and out of the cabinet. In such a case, the holder is preferably a drawer, tray or other like holder.

In preferred embodiment, the holder is in the form of a frame adapted to support one or more food receptacles. The receptacles are preferably of the type commonly referred to in the catering and food retail industries as gastronorms. The frame may be arranged such that opposed lateral edges of a gastronorm are received on respective edges of the frame, and a main body of the gastronorm depends through the frame.

The frame preferably comprises a front member, an end member and two side members extending between the front and end members. The members may be made from metal, for example brushed stainless steel, and may be joined by welds.

Each of the side members preferably defines a channel adapted to co-operate with guide means on the display cabinet to enable the frame to be moved relative thereto in a guided manner. The channels are preferably provided with stop means to limit the movement of the frame on the guide means.

The frame may be provided with one or more dividers thereon.. The channels are preferably It is known to provide on the deck of the display cabinet tickets carrying price details of the food on the deck. It is commonplace to mount the ticket in a ticket holder which is impaled in the food itself. Not only is that undesirable but it is also inhibiting as the ticket holder often has to be has removed from the food to enable to food to be removed from the cabinet. The ticket holder then has to be replaced.

To avoid that problem the aforesaid holder for the food may have means for mounting a ticket holder thereon. In that way, the ticket holder does not need to be carried by the food itself and remains with the food holder so that repeated removal and replacement of the ticked holder when serving the food is unnecessary.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention there is provided a moveable food holder such as a tray for location within a display cabinet, the food holder having a means for mounting a ticket holder thereon.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention there is provided a ticket holder for use in a cabinet for food where the food is placed in or on a moveable food holder, the ticket holder comprising a first section which, in use, is secured to the holder and a second section on which the ticket is to be mounted.

Preferably, the first section of the holder defines a channel for slideably locating the display ticket. Preferably, the channel can embrace the ticket at least partially so as to retain the ticket in the ticket holder.

The second section may slidably locate on the first section to enable the two sections to be separated easily when required. In that way, several second sections can be provided having different ticket sizes.

Preferably, one of the first section of the ticket holder and the holder for the food provides a projection and the other is formed with a recess to enable the first section to locate securely on the holder. Preferably spaced apart recesses are defined for receiving correspondingly spaced projections on the first section. In a preferred embodiment, the or each recess is formed in the holder.

The display cabinets of the fourth and fifth aspects may have any of the features referred to in the first, second or third aspect of the invention or any of the consistory clauses relating thereto.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention there is provided a moveable food holder for location within a display cabinet, the holder having a recess arrangement for receiving part of a ticket holder. as set out in the fourth aspect of the invention or any of the consistory clauses relating thereto.

According to an eighth aspect of the invention there is provided a method of controlling the temperature of a cabinet for ready-to-eat food, comprising the steps of providing a plurality of zones for the food, and providing means for controlling the temperature of the zones independently. The method may include steps which correspond to the functioning of features set out in any of the subsidiary clauses relating to the first, second or third aspect of the invention.

A display cabinet for holding hot ready-to-eat food will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic cross section of a display cabinet in accordance with the invention, Fig. 2 is diagrammatic cross section through part of a deck of the cabinet along line 11-11 in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is an elevation of a heating member hinged to the deck, the heating part being showed partly in diagrammatic cross section, Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the tray for the cabinet of Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a divider which locates on the tray of Fig. 4, Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a trivet which locates on the tray of Fig. 4, Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the tray of Fig. 4 having the divider and the trivet respectively of Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 mounted thereon, Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a first part of a ticket holder,

Fig. 9 is a side view of the first part of the ticket holder, Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a second part of the ticket holder, Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the first and second parts connected to each other to form a ticket holder which locates on the divider of Fig. 5, Fig. 12 is a side view of the ticket holder, Fig. 13 is an elevation of a control panel for the cabinet, Fig. 14 is a diagrammatic rear view of the cabinet looking in the direction of arrow XIV in Fig. 1, Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a frame according to an aspect of the present invention, Figs. 16 and 17 show respectively perspective and side views of an end member of the frame of Fig. 15, Fig. 18 shows an end elevational view of the frame of Fig. 15, Fig. 19 shows a side view of a blank adapted to be folded into a side member of the frame of Fig. 15, Fig. 20 shows an end view of a the folded blank of Fig. 19, Fig. 21 shows a perspective view of a guide for the frame of Fig. 15, Figs. 22,23 and 24 show respectively side, end and underside plan views of the guide of Fig. 21 and Fig 25 is an end view of a side member of the frame shown in Fig 15 looking in the direction of arrow XXV in Fig 15 and shown partly broken away.

Referring to Fig. 1, a cabinet 10 is mounted on a base 12. The cabinet 10 comprises a deck 14 for displaying food. The deck 14 extends between a front of the cabinet 10 at which it is intended a customer should stand and the rear of the cabinet behind which an

operator will normally stand. The deck 14 is in the form of a flat metal plate and is inclined slightly towards the front of the cabinet and hence towards the customer.

The cabinet 10 is provided with a heating member 16. The heating member 16 is in the form of a flat plate which lies in abutment with an underside of the deck 14. The heating member 16 is pivoted about a hinge 17 so that it can move out of abutment with the deck 14 to allow servicing of the member 16.

The heating member 16 extends substantially across the entire length L (see Fig. 14) of the deck 14 but several heating members could be used to make up the length, if necessary. The heating member 16 spans substantially the entire width of the deck 14.

Referring to Fig. 3, the heating member 16 comprises a plurality of independent heating elements, for example three heating elements 22,24,26. The heating elements 22,24, 26 lie successively in a co-planar fashion. Spaces 21 are defined between the heating elements 22,24,26. The heating elements 22,24,26 are sandwiched between an aluminium heat sink 18 and an upper epoxy layer 20, the epoxy layer 20 preferably filling the spaces 21 between the successive elements 22,24,26.

Referring to Fig. 1, the three independent heating elements 22,24,26 correspond to three independent heating zones A, B, C, where zone A is nearest to the front of the cabinet, zone C is nearest to the rear, and zone B is between zone A and zone C.

A thermostat in the form of a thermocouple 27 is arranged towards the front of the display cabinet 10 and is responsive to the temperature of the deck 14. Referring to Fig.

2, the thermocouple 27 is arranged inside a copper tube 29. The copper tube 29 extends for the length of the deck 14 and is brazed to the underside of the deck at the point of the cabinet 10 which is coolest when the cabinet is in use.

Referring to Fig. 1, one or more low-wattage halogen lamps 35 are positioned above the deck 14 along with a ceramic infrared heater arrangement 36. In the example shown the infrared heater arrangement 36 is arbitrarily directed but in normal usage it will be primarily directed towards the zone A at the front of the cabinet 10 as that is where food is likely to cool more quickly. The infrared heater arrangement 36 may be pulsed on and off as desired to provide the right amount of heat for the food being stored in the display cabinet.

At the rear of the cabinet 10, glass doors 38, 40 are slidable in grooves 43 formed in an insulating block 42 made of Corean (trade mark) available from Dupont. Struts 44 for example made of aluminium extend upwardly from the rear of the cabinet 10 at each side thereof. Guides 46 extend between the upper ends of the struts 44 for slidably locating the upper ends of the sliding doors 38, 40. The glass doors 38, 40 are removable to allow cleaning thereof and easier cleaning of the deck 14. The sliding doors 38,40 can be removed by pushing the doors up into the guides 46 and then lifting the lower end of the doors 38,40 out of the grooves 43 in the block 42. The display cabinet 10 supports a glass front 48 which covers the food and can be hinged up and away from the food where necessary to allow greater access to the deck 14 for cleaning thereof.

A controller in the form of a control unit 28 is connected to each of the heating elements 22,24,26 via a relay 30 associated with each heating element.

The control unit 28 can, by means of suitable software (indicated diagrammatically at 31 in Fig 1), operate one or more of the relays 30 to allow electric current to pass to one or more of the respective heating elements 22,24,26 and hence independently control each of the zones A, B, C.

Referring to Fig. 13, the control unit 28 has a control panel 50. The control panel 50 has switching in the form of buttons 1,2,3,4. Each of the buttons 1,2,3,4 has a basic indication (not shown) adjacent thereto which represents a type/quantity of food. An operating manual is supplied with instructions for heating different types and quantities of food to enable the user to select the appropriate button (s) 1, 2,3,4 depending upon the food being stored both by its type and its quantity and the type of holder which is being heated, for example a pull out tray, a carvery holder or a Bain Marie bowl arrangement. Lamps such as neon lamps la, 2a, 3a, 4a beneath buttons 1,2,3,4 indicate which type of food has been selected for heating.

Each of the buttons 1,2,3,4 corresponds to a different deck 14 temperature. Displays X, Y display respectively the temperature of the deck and a storage compartment (not shown) in the base 12 of the display unit. The temperature may be indicated in degrees Celsius. Indicators a and b illuminate to indicate, respectively, that the operator must wait for the temperature of the deck 14 to reach the desired temperature sensed by the thermocouple 27 and that the deck 14 has reached the desired temperature. Upon illumination of the indicator b, the ready-to-eat food can be put into the display cabinet 10.

The control panel 50 has a button 5 which corresponds to a boost system which switches all the heating elements 22,24,26 on continuously or for a given period dictated by the software of the control unit 28. Alternatively, the button 5 may represent 'only lights'. In the latter case when the button 5 is pressed, only the lamps 34 operate and the heating elements 22,24,26 are switched off. Button 6 controls the heating of the aforesaid storage compartment in the base 12.

A lamp 7 may be provided to indicate that a fault has occurred which requires rectification by an engineer.

Referring to Fig. 4, holders such as food trays 32 (only one of which is shown) are provided for the deck 14. It will be noted that each tray 32 is symmetrical and oblong.

Each tray 32 can be inserted lengthways into the display cabinet 10 of Fig. 1 through the doors 38,40. Each food tray 32 comprises two sets of apertures 33 in opposite walls 34 thereof, an aperture of one set corresponding with an aperture in the other set.

Referring to Fig. 5, a divider 52 comprises an elongate body 54 from which a lip 56 depends. A plurality of projections such as two projections 58 extend upwardly from the body 54. Tongues 60 are formed at opposite sides of the body 54. Each tongue 60 is formed with a slot 64.

Referring to Fig. 6, a trivet 67 comprises a support wall 68 and a surface 69 for food/food receptacles. The trivet 67 is formed from a single sheet of metal. The surface 69 of the trivet 67 is perforated to allow liquid from food stored on the surface to pass through it.

Referring to Fig. 7, the divider 52 is arranged on the tray 32 by locating the tongues 60 in corresponding apertures of the sets of apertures 33 and then moving the divider 52 so that portions of the tray 32 in which the corresponding apertures are formed are received within the slots 64. The open ends of the slots 64 will normally face downwardly towards the front of the display cabinet 10 when the tray 32 is in position on the deck 14. In that way, the tongues 60 of the divider 52 tend to remain engaged with the tray 32 naturally. Referring to Figs 6 and 7, the trivet 67 is positioned in the tray 32 at the end of the tray intended to be closest to the glass front 48 of the cabinet 10 of Fig. 1 in use. The support wall 68 is positioned adjacent the end of the tray 32 intended to be closest to the glass front 48 with its free end lowermost so that the

surface 69 for food is raised and the tray is provided with an inclined surface for the display of goods.

Referring to Figs. 8 to 12, a holder 70 for a ticket 71 comprises a first section 72 and a second section 74. The first section 72 and the second section 74 are each formed from a single piece of stainless steel.

Looking at Figs. 8 and 9, the second section 74 comprises a back 76 and two arms 78, one at each side of the back. The arms 78 are bent through 180 degrees so as to define two channels 77. The arms 78 do not extend all the way up each side of the back 76 so as to leave a free projecting flange 79.

Referring to Fig. 10, the first section 72 is in the form of a base 80 and a U-shaped support 82 at 90 degrees to the base. At a point along the length of the base 80 a lip 84 extends upwardly at 90 degrees to the base. At the free upper ends of the support 82 two further channels 86 are defined. Each channel 86 has a base 88 and a lip 90.

The first section 72 is arranged on the second section 74 with the flange 79 and arms 78 against the support 82 and the base 80 respectively. The flange 79 and the support 82 are spot welded together. The ticket holder 70 can then be located on one of the two projections 58 on each divider 52, the projection locating in the channels 77. The ticket 71 can be inserted into the ticket holder 70 with side edges arranged within the further channels 86 and with a lower edge resting on the base 80.

Where Bain Marie bowls are used instead of trays 32, the Bain Marie bowls will be positioned within a stepped slideable frame (not shown). In that system, the front bowl is normally the lower one of two.

Referring to Fig. 14, timers 92 are provided on the cabinet 10 and are located conveniently for the operator, for example as close to eye level as possible. In the embodiment shown, the timers 92 are spaced apart along the cabinet 10 above the doors 38,40. Each timer 92 corresponds to the part of the deck 14 positioned directly below.

The timers 92 are manually set when food is placed on the deck 14 and can emit a visible and/or audible signal to show that the food has been on display for a given time.

Where there is to be a storage element to the cabinet 10, there is a further arrangement in the base 12 of the display cabinet which consists of one or preferably two pull out drawers 93. Further timers 94 are positioned on the cabinet 10 and correspond to each

of the two pull out drawers in the base 12. The further timers 94 are operable in the same way as the timers 92 and can signal a user that the food has been stored for a sufficient time and should be put on display on the deck 14. In that way, food is not kept heated for too long in the storage area and the taste of the food is maintained at a level suitable for a customer.

In a preferred embodiment, sixty chickens can be accommodated on the deck 14 and forty chickens can be accommodated in the aforesaid two pull out drawers 93 in the base 12 of the cabinet 10. Where chickens are cooked in a rotisserie in known manner a batch of one hundred chickens may be cooked every one hundred minutes. Where approximately one chicken per minute is sold, the deck 14, having been replenished from the pull-out drawers, should empty just as the next batch of cooked chickens arrives from the rotisserie, to restock the cabinet.

In use, the temperature of the heating elements 22,24,26 and the temperature and pulsing of the infrared heater 36 is dictated in accordance with previous experimental results by means of which for given types of food operation in a particular way will keep that food at a desired temperature. Each of the heating elements 22,24,26 is thermostatically controlled and the temperature at which the thermostats operate is also dictated by the software of the control unit 28.

In a typical example, say when storing hot chickens, the typical heating arrangement for the three zones A, B, C would be with the heating elements 22,24,26 at 95°C and the switching on and off of the zones A, B, C would then be dictated by the software of the control unit 28. Typically, the thermostat 27 will sense a heating element 20,22,24 temperature of 95° and the heating elements will continue to work until the temperature of the deck 14 reaches that. Pulsing on and off of the infrared heating arrangement 36 may be from 1 min to 60 minutes turned on interspersed with 1 min to 60 minutes turned off. Typically pulsing may take place at a 50-50 ratio with a typical on time being 10 minutes and the off time being 10 minutes.

In practice, zone A nearest to the front of the cabinet will be on most of the time, and zones Band C will be on less frequently although that arrangement may differ depending upon the nature of the display cabinet 10.

If the whole of the display cabinet 10 is being used to keep food hot (in other words zones A, B, C are being operated) then any fall in temperature sensed by the thermocouple 27 will result in all three zones A, B, C switching on again to warm up

the entire three zones. Obviously when the required temperature is reached the zones A, B, C then switch off and so on.

If only one of the zones A, B, C is being used, for example zone A to heat chickens, any falling temperature sensed by the thermocouple 27 will then cause only the heating element 22 to operate and warm up that zone of the deck 14 again to the desired temperature.

As Fig. 1 shows the infrared heaters 36 are located above Zone B and tends to heat Zone B more than Zones A and C. The halogen lamps 35 are located above Zone C and tend to heat Zone C more than Zones A and B. Due to the greater heating of Zones B and C by respectively the infrared heater 36 and the halogen lamps 35, the heating elements 24,26 corresponding to those Zones B and C need be heated to a lesser extent than Zone A. In some cases (for example when heating carvery food) it may be necessary to heat only the heating element 22 corresponding to Zone A and rely on the infrared heating arrangement 36 and the halogen lamps 35 to heat Zones B and C respectively. When using Bain Marie bowls it is necessary to heat all the Zones A, B, C with the heating elements 22,24 and 26.

An advantage of the present invention is that only those areas requiring heating are actually heated, therefore providing a saving both in energy and on running costs. The pulsing on and off the infrared heating arrangement 36 is operated solely by the software of the control unit 28 based on previous experimental results. As mentioned above, a typical on and off pulsing may take place at a 50-50 ratio with a typical on time being 10 minutes and the off time being 10 minutes.

The control unit 28 lends itself to remote monitoring whereby the operator is able to link into the software of the control unit 28 from its factory and monitor the display cabinet 10 continuously or update settings remotely.

By using the remote setting, if for example a fault develops then the system can set up an alarm indication and then the operator is able to log into that particular system and either send an engineer out to fix it or fix it remotely where possible.

When setting up a system a remote handset is plugged into the software of the control unit 28.

An alarm is also desirable to provide an audible and/or visible signal where, say, a selected temperature falls below the desired level. In a typical example, the alarm will not go off until a period of time has elapsed. In that way, when the system is originally switched on and the temperature has not risen to a level above that which the alarm is arranged to operate, the alarm will not sound prematurely.

In the event of the tray 32 being used for carvery food, it is likely that the heating elements 22,24,26 will be switched off and all of the heat for the carvery would be derived from the infrared heater arrangement 36. Additional heaters (not shown) could be provided if necessary.

Referring now to Figs. 15 to 20 there is shown a frame, generally designated 100, for use in a ready-to-eat hot food display cabinet. The frame comprises an end member 102, a front member 104 and two side members 106. The members 102,104,106 are, in the embodiment shown, folded from blanks of brushed stainless steel before being joined by spot welding. The members 102,104,106 are sized such that the frame 100 formed thereby is adapted to support bowl-like food receptacles 107 such as those commonly referred to as gastronorms. In use, lateral edges 107a of the receptacles 107 rest on respective upper surfaces 108 of the side members 106 such that the main body 107b thereof is suspended on the frame 100.

The side members 106 are further formed so as to define channels 110. The channels 110 enable the frame 100 to be slidably located within a display cabinet. To in use assist the sliding of the frame 100 the end member 102 is provided with a folded handle 112. Projecting tangs 114 of the end member 102 provide a location for the side members 106 to be welded there to and further serve to enhance the structural rigidity of the completed frame 100.

The channels 110 of the side members 106 are adapted to co-operate with guides provided on a display cabinet primarily of the kind shown in Fig 1 and indicated at 10 in Fig 25. Figs. 21 to 24 show an embodiment of such a guide generally designated 116. As can be seen the guide 116 is generally"T"shaped and comprises a stem 118 having laterally extending lips 120. The base 122 of the stem 118 is provided with two threaded apertures 124 which enable the guide 116 to be secured to a wall 117 of the display cabinet 10 by the use of appropriately screw threaded fasteners 119.

In use the display cabinet is provided with two guides 116 in a rear portion thereof, which guides 116 are spaced so as to correspond to the spacing of the channels 110 of

the frame 100. It will be noted that the folded longitudinal edges 126,128 defining the channel 110 of each side member 106 are not of equal length, with the result that the lower edge 128 terminates before the end member 102. This configuration enables the lips 120 of the guides 116 to be readily introduced into the channels 110, Fig 25 showing the way in which the lips 120 of one of the guides 116 locate in a corresponding channel 110 of the frame 100.

The guides 116 and channels 110 co-operate slidably so as to enable the frame 100 to be slid out from the rear of the cabinet on the guides, for example to enable the gastronorms supported thereon to be replaced and/or replenished. The rearward movement of the frame 100 relative to the display cabinet is limited by folded stops 130 of the side members which serve to close the channels 100 at the front member 104.

When the frame 100 is slid out from the rear of the display cabinet, the channels 100 and guides 116 co-operate to support the frame 100 in a cantilevered manner, the stops 130 limiting the extent of rearward movement of the tray by contact with the guides 116.