Steam table pan

Claim 2

A reusable, long-lived, multi-sided, sanitary open top, metal steam table pan comprising, a generally rectangular planar bottom panel, four sidewalls extending upwardly from said bottom panel and defining a top opening which is generally rectangular in plan view, but which has rounded corners, said sidewalls each merging in each adjacent sidewall in a curved corner, and a top flange formed with said sidewalls and extending outwardly from the upper edges of said sidewalls, the intersection of said flange and said upper edges being curved, each corner of the flange defining a flange corner segment, said flange and said sidewalls at each corner defining a reinforcing and denesting gusset to rigidify the flange corner segment and to facilitate denesting of nested pans, said gusset comprising a first component in the flange corner segment and merging with a second component in said curved corner of said sidewalls, said components being of similar size and shape and intersecting at an angle of from about 90 degrees to about 135 degrees and each component being longer than it is wide, said first component being greater in length than one-half the length of a line bisecting said flange corner segment, said gussets being relatively wide throughout substantially their entire lengths.

Claim 3

The pan in accordance with claim 1 wherein each of said gussets divides said flange corner segment into two parts of substantially the same size.

Claim 4

The pan in accordance with claim 2 wherein the interior edge of said flange corner segment has a double radius in top plan view.

Claim 5

The pan in accordance with claim 2 wherein said second component is of substantially the same length as said first component.

Claim 6

The pan in accordance with claim 1 wherein said gusset defines a concave groove relative to the top of the pan.

Claim 7

The pan in accordance with claim 5 wherein said groove is generally rounded and gradually increases in depth from the outer edge of said flange corner segment to the interior edge of said flange corner segment and decreases in depth from the intersection of the first and second components to the end of said second component nearest the bottom of said pan.

Claim 8

The pan in accordance with claim 1 wherein said flange is generally flat and lies in a plane that is substantially parallel to the plane defined by said bottom panel.

Claim 9

The pan in accordance with claim 7 wherein said top flange includes a first outwardly extending portion defining a plane that is substantially parallel to the plane defined by said bottom panel terminating in a downwardly extending skirt which in turn terminates in an outwardly extending portion defining in a plane that is substantially parallel to the plane defined by said bottom panel, said portion extending outwardly a first distance and said second outwardly extending portion extending a distance that is substantially less than said first distance.

Claim 10

A multi-sided open top, metal pan comprising a generally rectangular planar bottom panel, four sidewalls extending upwardly from said bottom panel and defining a top opening which is generally rectangular in plan view, but which has rounded corners, said sidewalls each merging in each adjacent sidewall in a curved corner, and a top flange formed with said sidewalls and extending outwardly from the upper edges of said sidewalls, the intersection of said flange and said upper edges being curved, said top flange including a generally flat, first outwardly extending portion defining a plane that is substantially parallel to the plane defined by said bottom panel terminating in a downwardly extending skirt which in turn terminates in an outwardly extending portion defining in a plane that is substantially parallel to the plane defined by said bottom panel, said first portion extending outwardly a first distance and said second outwardly extending portion extending a distance that is substantially less than said first distance, each corner of the flange defining a flange corner segment, said flange and said sidewalls at each corner defining a reinforcing gusset to rigidify the flange corner segment, an interior edge of said flange corner segment having a double radius in top plan view, said gusset comprising a first component in the flange corner segment that divides said flange corner segment into two parts of substantially the same size and merging with a second component in said curved corner of said sidewalls, said components intersecting at an angle of from about 90 degrees to about 135 degrees and each component being longer than it is wide, said first component of said gusset being greater than half the length of a line bisecting said flange corner segment and said second component being of substantially the same length as said first component, said gusset defining a generally rounded, concave groove relative to the top of said pan, said groove gradually increasing in depth from the outer edge of said flange corner segment to the interior edge of said flange corner segment and decreasing in depth from the intersection of the first and second components to the end of said second component nearest the bottom of said pan.

Claim 11

A multi-sided open top, metal pan comprising a generally rectangular planar bottom panel, four sidewalls extending upwardly from said bottom panel and defining a top opening which is generally rectangular in plan view, but which has rounded corners, said sidewalls each merging in each adjacent sidewall in a curved corner, and a top flange formed with said sidewalls and extending outwardly from the upper edges of said sidewalls, the intersection of said flange and said upper edges being curved, said top flange including a generally flat, first outwardly extending portion defining a plane that is substantially parallel to the plane defined by said bottom panel terminating in a downwardly extending skirt which in turn terminates in an outwardly extending portion defining in a plane that is substantially parallel to the plane defined by said bottom panel, said first portion extending outwardly a first distance and said second outwardly extending portion extending a distance that is substantially less than said first distance, each corner of the flange defining a flange corner segment, said flange and said sidewalls at each corner defining a reinforcing gusset to rigidify the flange corner segment, an interior edge of said flange corner segment having a double radius in top plan view, said gusset comprising a first component in the flange corner segment that divides said flange corner segment into two parts of substantially the same size and merging with a second component in said curved corner of said sidewalls, said components intersecting at an angle of from about 90 degrees to about 135 degrees and each component being longer than it is wide, said first component of said gusset being greater than half the length of a line bisecting said flange corner segment and said second component being of substantially the same length as said first component, said gusset defining a generally rounded, concave groove relative to the top of said pan, said groove gradually increasing in depth from the outer edge of said flange corner segment to the interior edge of said flange corner segment and decreasing in depth from the intersection of the first and second components to the end of said second component nearest the bottom of said pan.