U.S. patent application number 09/931573 was filed with the patent office on 2002-03-07 for tray.
Invention is credited to Bieri, Peter.
Application Number | 20020027366 09/931573 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 3739509 |
Filed Date | 2002-03-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020027366 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bieri, Peter |
March 7, 2002 |
Tray
Abstract
There is provided a drinks serving tray adapted for being
carried by hand to facilitate the serving of drinks therefrom and
comprising a tray with an upperside and an opposite underside,
wherein the tray incorporates a plurality of differently sized
receptacles that are defined in the upperside of the tray for
receiving correspondingly sized beverage container, one said
beverage container to each said receptacle respectively.
Inventors: |
Bieri, Peter; (Sans Souci,
AU) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ROTHWELL, FIGG, ERNST & MANBECK, P.C.
555 13TH STREET, N.W.
SUITE 701, EAST TOWER
WASHINGTON
DC
20004
US
|
Family ID: |
3739509 |
Appl. No.: |
09/931573 |
Filed: |
August 17, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
294/159 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 23/0641
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
294/159 |
International
Class: |
A47G 023/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 18, 2000 |
AU |
53508/00 |
Claims
1. A drinks serving tray adapted for being carried by hand to
facilitate the serving of drinks therefrom and comprising a tray
with an upperside and an opposite underside, wherein the tray
incorporates a plurality of differently sized receptacles having a
different width dimension to one another that are defined in the
upperside of the tray for receiving correspondingly sized beverage
containers, one said beverage container to each said receptacle,
respectively; where each respective said receptacle is adapted for
holding its corresponding said beverage container at a different
depth in the tray compared to each other of the receptacles.
2. A drinks serving tray according to claim 1 further comprising a
display skirt adapted for displaying advertising and extending at
least part way around an outer periphery of the tray.
3. A drinks serving tray according to claim 1 further comprising an
upstanding rim extending at least part way around an outer
periphery of the tray.
4. A drinks serving tray according to claim 2 further comprising an
upstanding rim extending at least part way around the outer
periphery of the tray and wherein the display skirt depends from
the rim.
5. A drinks serving tray according to claim 4 wherein the display
skin is flared outwardly from an upper end region of the rim.
6. A drinks serving tray according to claim 2 or 4 wherein the
skirt incorporates an extended region providing an enlarged display
area and which extends downwardly to a greater extent than the
remainder of the skirt.
7. A drinks serving tray according to claim 2 wherein the skirt
extends part way around the outer periphery of the tray and the
tray is provided with at least one further display skirt, wherein
the or each further display skirt extends around a different region
of the outer periphery of the tray, respectively.
8. A drinks serving tray according to claim 1 further comprising a
trough for collecting spilled beverage and being defined in the
upperside of the tray, and wherein the trough extends at least part
way around an outer peripheral region of the tray.
9. A drinks serving tray according to claim 1 or 2 wherein at least
some of the receptacles consist of cups defined in the upperside of
the tray and which protrude downwardly from the underside of the
tray.
10. A drinks serving tray according to claim 1 or 2 wherein at
least one of the receptacles is a cup, wherein the cup is defined
in a central region of an upperside of the tray and which protrudes
downwardly from the underside of the tray for being gripped to
facilitate carrying of the tray.
11. A drinks serving tray according to claim 9 or 10 wherein each
of the cups have a tapered profile.
12. A drinks serving tray adapted for being carried by hand to
facilitate service of drinks therefrom and comprising a tray with
an upperside and an opposite underside, wherein the tray has a
plurality of receptacles that are defined in an upperside of the
tray for receiving beverage containers, one said container to each
said receptacle respectively, and a display skirt adapted for
displaying advertising and extending around at least part way of an
outer periphery of the tray.
13. A drinks serving tray according to claim 12 further comprising
an upstanding rim extending at least part way around an outer
periphery of the tray.
14. A drinks serving tray according to claim 12 further comprising
an upstanding rim extending at least part way around the outer
periphery of the tray and wherein the display skirt depends from
the rim.
15. A drinks serving tray according to claim 14 wherein the display
skirt is flared outwardly from an upper end region of the rim.
16. A drinks serving tray according to claim 12 wherein the skirt
incorporates an extended region providing an enlarged display area
and which extends downwardly to a greater extent than the remainder
of the skirt.
17. A drinks serving tray according to claim 12 wherein the skirt
extends part way around the outer periphery of the tray and the
tray is provided with at least one further display skirt, wherein
the or each further display skirt extends around a different region
of the outer periphery of the tray, respectively.
18. A drinks serving tray according to claim 12 or 13 further
comprising a trough for collecting spilled beverage and being
defined in the upperside of the tray, and wherein the trough
extends at least part way around an outer peripheral region of the
tray.
19. A drinks serving tray according to claim 12 or 13 wherein at
least some of the receptacles consist of cups defined in the
upperside of the tray and which protrude downwardly from the
underside of the tray.
20. A drink serving tray according to claim 19 wherein each of the
cups have a tapered profile.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a deserving tray suitable
for carrying drinks ordered from a hotel or restaurant bar or the
like to patrons situated distant from the bar at a table or
elsewhere. While the tray finds particular application in
commercial settings, the tray is also useful for carrying and
serving drinks in domestic applications.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The use of drinks serving trays in hotels, public houses and
other licensed premises is known in the art. The trays commonly
comprise a light-weight tray with a flat constant depth body on
which glasses and bottles are placed for being carried in the tray
and which is generally made of a metal alloy. However, the drinks
tend to readily slide around the tray while the tray is being
carried and great care must be taken by the carrier to avoid
spillage or the glasses or bottles being knocked over. This may be
alleviated somewhat by placing a doily or serviette in the tray
prior to loading the tray with the drinks. However, the risk of
spillage or drinks falling over remains. The risk is increased when
the tray is overloaded.
[0003] It is also normal for glasses and bottles of different sizes
to be carried on a serving tray and generally, it is necessary for
the taller glasses and/or bottles to be served or collected from
the tray before the smaller ones can be grasped and removed from
the tray. It is not always possible or practical for the larger
glasses or bottles to be removed from the tray first and it can be
difficult to grasp smaller glasses from the tray while the larger
glasses and/or bottles remain. This can also lead to spillage and
accidental knocking of drinks over.
[0004] In addition, the taller the glass or bottle carried an the
tray, the greater the distance the centre of gravity of the glass
or bottle is from the base of the tray and hence, the taller the
glass or bottle, the less stable it is on the tray when being
carried and the greater the risk of it tipping over.
[0005] Another disadvantage of known such drinks serving trays is
that it is necessary when the tray is fully loaded to carry the
tray with both hands in order to maintain stability of the tray.
When doing this it is difficult to raise the tray higher than about
chest level which may not be sufficient to avoid accident
disruption of the tray when negotiating passage through a
crowd.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] It is an aim of the present invention to ameliorate one or
more problems of the prior art or to at least provide a useful
alternative to known drinks serving trays.
[0007] In one aspect of the present invention there is provided a
drinks serving tray adapted for being carried by hand to facilitate
the serving of drinks therefrom and comprising a tray with an
upperside and an opposite underside, wherein the tray incorporates
a plurality of differently sized receptacles having a different
width dimension to one another that are defined in the upperside of
the tray for receiving correspondingly sized beverage containers,
one said beverage container to each said receptacle,
respectively;
[0008] wherein each respective said receptacle is adapted for
holding its corresponding said beverage container at a different
depth in the tray compared to each other of the receptacles.
[0009] Preferably, the drinks serving tray will further comprise a
display skirt for displaying advertising and extending around at
least part way of an outer periphery of the tray. Typically, the
display skirt will have an outer face for displaying the
advertising. The advertising may be printed onto the outer face of
the display skirt during or post manufacture of the tray. In other
embodiments, the advertising may take the form of transfers, decals
or stickers affixed to the outer face of the skirt. Alternatively,
the display skirt may carry a holder adapted for receiving and
holding the advertising.
[0010] The drinks serving tray may further comprise an upwardly
projecting rim extending at least part way around the outer
periphery of the tray for inhibiting spillage of spilt beverage
from the tray. Preferably, the display skirt will depend from the
rim.
[0011] It will be understood that drinks serving trays having more
than one display skirt and/or upwardly projecting rim such as for
instance located at opposite extremities of the tray and each of
which extend only part way around the outer periphery of the tray
are expressly included within the scope of the invention.
Accordingly, reference to a display skirt or an upwardly projecting
rim is to be taken in the broadest sense and more particularly,
that the tray may have one or more such display skirts am/or
upwardly projecting rims.
[0012] In addition, the tray may comprise one or more handles for
facilitating carrying of the tray. Preferably, a pair of handles
will be provided, one handle being arranged at an opposite
peripheral side region of the tray to the other, respectively.
[0013] The receptacles for receiving the beverage containers may
simply comprise holes defined in the tray for receiving
appropriately tapered beverage containers, the width dimension of
each hole determining the depth the corresponding beverage
container is able to sit in the tray when received therein.
[0014] Preferably, the receptacles will comprise cups for receiving
the beverage containers. Most preferably, each cup will have a
tapered profile that decreases in a direction from the open end of
the cup to the base region of the cup. While being profiled, both
tapered and non-tapered beverage containers may be placed in the
cups, the depth of the cups determining the depth in the tray in
which the beverage containers sit. However, it will be appreciated
that the width of different ones of the cups may differ depending
on the beverage container intended to be inserted in each cup. That
is, ones of the cups may be provided for particular beverage
containers and other of the cups provided for different beverage
containers.
[0015] The beverage containers may be for instance, glasses or
bottles containing alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages.
[0016] Generally, the tray will be made of a light-weight material
such as a suitable plastics material like high density polyethylene
(HDPE), although trays made of glass or metals commonly used in the
manufacture of such trays are also included.
[0017] The provision of the receptacles in the tray for reception
of the beverage containers provides a number of advantages. In
particular, by being received within the receptacles, the beverage
containers are inhibited from free movement about the tray thereby
reducing the possibility of spillage. In addition, the risk of a
beverage container being tipped on its side with the result in
spillage may be eliminated or substantially reduced by the
reception of the beverage containers in the receptacles.
[0018] It is also a significant advantage that by providing
receptacles for seating larger beverage containers at a greater
depth in the tray compared to shorter beverage containers, greater
stability is provided and moreover, the smaller beverage containers
may be more easily gasped from amongst the larger ones and lifted
from the tray during serving or collection from the tray.
[0019] In trays wherein the receptacles are in the form of cups,
each cup may double as handle allowing the tray to be gripped from
underneath while serving or to facilitate raising of the tray above
the carrier's head when moving through a crowd. Typically, a cup
will be located centrally in the tray to facilitate this and
enhance stability of the tray when gripped in this manner.
[0020] In another aspect of tie present invention there is provided
a drinks serving tray adapted for being carried by hand to
facilitate service of drinks therefrom and comprising a tray with
an upperside and an opposite underside, wherein the tray has a
plurality of receptacles that are defined in the upperside of the
tray for receiving beverage containers, one said container to each
said receptacle respectively, and a display skirt adapted for
displaying advertising and extending around at least part way of an
outer periphery of the tray.
[0021] The features and advantages of the drinks serving tray of
the present invention will become further apparent from the
following detailed description of the preferred embodiments
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a drinks serving tray
embodied by the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 2 is a plan view of another drinks serving tray
embodied by the present invention;
[0024] FIG. 3 is a front view of the drinks serving tray of FIG. 2;
and
[0025] FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) illustrate profiles of the outer
peripheral region of two further drinks serving trays embodied by
the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE
INVENTION
[0026] The drinks serving tray 2 shown in FIG. 1 comprises a base 4
with a generally planar upper face 6 in which is defined a number
of openings 8 comprising the open ends of receptacles in the form
of depending cups 10 for receiving beverage containers such as
glasses and bottles. The lower ends 12 of the cups are closed.
[0027] If desired, a drain may be defined in the floor of the lower
end of each cup for allowing any spilt beverage to drain from the
tray and to assist drying following washing of the trays. The drain
may consist of an aperture defined in the floor of the cup.
[0028] As can be seen, the tray incorporates two different sizes of
cups which differ in diameter and depth, the larger sized cups
having a greater diameter and depth than the smaller ones.
Accordingly, the larger sized cups are able to receive large beer
glasses, bottles and the stems of wine glasses. In contrast, the
smaller cups are suitable for receiving "shot" glasses of the type
typically used to serve nips of spirits and liqueurs. In either
case, the depth of the cups is such that the beverage containers
for which they are provided extend from the cups when received
therein to enable them to be grasped and removed from the tray upon
being served or collected therefrom.
[0029] The diameters of the respective cups are dimensioned to
allow ready placement and lifting of the glasses and the like from
the cups but to restrict any significant transverse movement across
the tray and thereby minimise the potential for spillage or for the
glasses or bottles to be tilted relative to the upper face 6 of the
base 4 to any significant degree. Generally, the diameters of the
cups will be dimensioned to allow a few millitmetres space between
the relevant beverage container for which they are provided and the
side wall 14 of the corresponding cup.
[0030] Since the glasses and bottles sit in the cups 10 while the
tray is being carried, sliding across the tray is inhibited and the
risk of spillage due to the tray being knocked is reduced.
Moreover, as the cups depend from the tray, they are able to be
gripped and used as handles for carrying the tray 2. Specifically,
the centrally located cup 10(a) is suitable for being gripped
single-handedly allowing the tray to be raised above the carrier's
head when negotiating passage through a crowd.
[0031] Advantageously, the central cup 10(a) may also be used for
holding coins and bank notes received as tips for service or
alternatively, for providing change to customers.
[0032] Dedicated handles 16 are also provided, one handle being
arranged at opposite ends of the tray respectively. The handles
extend laterally from skirt 18 which extends around the outer
periphery 20 of the tray and depends from the apex 22 of upstanding
rim 24. The rim 24 acts to retain any spilt beverage on the
tray.
[0033] The skirt 18 is flared outwardly and is provided with an out
face 26 suitable for displaying advertising. The advertising may be
printed directly onto the outer face during or after manufacture of
the tray. Alternatively, transfers, decals and stickers may be
affixed to the outer face 26 of the skirt 18. In yet another
embodiment, the skirt may carry a holder in the form of a
transparent sleeve in which cards or other inserts displaying
advertising are able to be inserted and retained on the skirt.
[0034] The sleeve may be glued around its peripheral edges onto the
outer face 26 of the skirt 18, or be slipped under a bracket
provided on the skin. The bracket will generally be of the type
that borders three sides of the sleeve when received therein such
that the sleeve is retained against the outer face of the skirt.
This also allows the sleeve to be withdrawn from the open side of
the bracket and the advertising insert to be replaced with another
as required prior to relocating a sleeve under the bracket. If
desired, the insert can he located under the bracket without being
inserted into a sleeve. In this instance, the bracket will
preferably incorporate a transparent window formed from a suitable
transparent plastics material that cover the insert when received
in the bracket thereby avoiding the need for the use of a
transparent sleeve to protect the insert.
[0035] By being flared outwardly such that the outer face 26 lies
at an angle with respect to the upper face 6 of the base 4 of the
tray, viewing of the advertising is enhanced when the tray is
placed on a table or other support surface.
[0036] In the embodiment shown, the skirt is provided with an
extended region 28 located substantially equidistant between
handles 16 for displaying enlarged trademarks and logos. In
practice, the tray 2 will be carried with the extended region 28 of
the skirt 18 facing forward. While this region of the skirt is
particularly suitable for displaying advertising, such advertising
may also be displayed on the remainder of the skirt.
[0037] As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cups 10 have a tapered
profile. The taper substantially corresponds to the taper of the
glasses for which they are provided. This also allows a number of
the trays to be stacked together such that the cups of adjacent
trays are nested one in the other.
[0038] It is not necessary that upstanding rim 24 be provided and
indeed, embodiments of the tray of the present invention are
encompassed wherein the skirt depends directly from the base 6 of
the tray as shown in the partial cross-section in FIG. 4(a). In
other embodiments, the tray 2 may be provided with a trough 30
defined around the outer periphery 20 of the tray for collecting
spilled beverage.
[0039] Although the present invention has been described herein
before with reference to a number of embodiments, the skilled
addressee will understand that numerous variations and
modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the
invention.
* * * * *