U.S. patent application number 09/600041 was filed with the patent office on 2003-05-01 for food service tray.
Invention is credited to Ridgeway, John Mark, Wood, James Robert.
Application Number | 20030080014 09/600041 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 24402130 |
Filed Date | 2003-05-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030080014 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ridgeway, John Mark ; et
al. |
May 1, 2003 |
Food service tray
Abstract
A tray (10) for carrying food and beverage in a restaurant has a
substantially planar tray bottom portion (12), and an upwardly
extending peripheral sloping wall (13).
Inventors: |
Ridgeway, John Mark;
(Longwood, FL) ; Wood, James Robert; (Longwood,
FL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Raphael A Monsanto
Rohm & Monsanto
660 Woodward Avenue
Detroit
MI
48226
US
|
Family ID: |
24402130 |
Appl. No.: |
09/600041 |
Filed: |
July 10, 2000 |
PCT Filed: |
July 22, 1999 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US99/16611 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/459.5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 23/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/459.5 |
International
Class: |
B65D 085/00; B65D
025/10; B65D 053/00; B65D 081/24 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A tray for carrying food and beverage in a restaurant, the tray
comprising: a substantially planar tray bottom portion; an upwardly
extending peripheral sloping wall arranged to surround said
substantially planar tray bottom portion; an outwardly extending
flange arranged to surround said upwardly extending peripheral
sloping wall; first and second handle portions coupled to said
outwardly extending flange, said first and second handle portions
being disposed in distal opposition with respect to each other and
arranged to have respective ones of first and second upper surfaces
that extend outward beyond the predetermined outward extent of said
outwardly extending flange; and first and second items of molded-in
information disposed on said first and second upper surfaces of
said first and second handle portions.
2. The tray of claim 1, wherein said first and second handle
portions are integrally formed with said outwardly extending
flange.
3. The tray of claim 1, wherein said first and second items of
molded-in information are each molded into said first and second
upper surfaces of said first and second handle portions so as to
have a depth characteristic of approximately between 0.003" and
0.008".
4. The tray of claim 3, wherein said first and second items of
molded-in information are each molded into said first and second
upper surfaces of said first and second handle portions so as to
have a depth characteristic of approximately between 0.005" to
0.007".
5. The tray of claim 1, wherein said first and second items of
molded-in information are each molded onto said first and second
upper surfaces of said first and second handle portions so as to
have a height characteristic of approximately between 0.003" and
0.008".
6. The tray of claim 5, wherein said first and second items of
molded-in information are each molded into said first and second
upper surfaces of said first and second handle portions so as to
have a height characteristic of approximately between 0.005" to
0.007".
7. The tray of claim 1, wherein said first and second items of
molded-in information are each provided with a textured surface
finish having a height characteristic of approximately between
0.005" to 0.007".
8. A tray for carrying food and beverage in a restaurant, the tray
comprising: a substantially planar tray bottom portion; an upwardly
extending peripheral sloping wall arranged to surround said
substantially planar tray bottom portion and being integrally
formed therewith; an outwardly extending flange arranged to
surround said upwardly extending peripheral sloping wall and being
integrally formed therewith; first and second handle portions
coupled to said outwardly extending flange, said first and second
handle portions being arranged to have respective ones of first and
second upper surfaces that extend outward beyond the predetermined
outward extent of said outwardly extending flange, in opposite
directions; and first and second items of molded-in information
disposed on said first and second upper surfaces of said first and
second handle portions, said first and second items of molded-in
information having a height/depth characteristic of approximately
between 0.005" to 0.007".
9. The tray of claim 8, wherein said first and second items of
molded-in information comprise advertising information.
10. The tray of claim 9, wherein said first and second items of
molded-in information comprise textured logo information.
11. The tray of claim 8, wherein said first and second items of
molded-in information comprise textured advertising information.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates generally to trays for the food
service industry, and more particularly, to a tray arrangement that
is stacking compatible with preexisting tray arrangements currently
used in fast food restaurants, and which provides a multi-sensory
presentation of advertising material and other types of information
during use. 2. Description of the Related Art
[0003] Standards have been developed by which trays that are used
in the food service business, particularly in fast food service
establishments, are of predetermined dimensions and nest within one
another so as to be stackable. Conventional trays have a
substantially flat portion on which a tread pattern is formed to
reduce the likelihood of slippage of food while on the tray. In
some known trays, information that identifies the particular
restaurant is molded on this flat portion, simultaneously with the
tread pattern.
[0004] The known trays are further provided with a peripheral rim
that surrounds the flat portion, and a slight flange extending
outward therefrom, in a direction substantially parallel to the
planar bottom section. When being carried by a user, which may be
restaurant personnel or a customer, the tray is handled in the
region of the peripheral rim and the outwardly extending flange. In
some known trays, the outwardly extending flange is extended
somewhat to permit same to function as a handle, which improves the
security with which the tray is handled.
[0005] It is a problem with conventional tray arrangements that
many restaurants will place a liner, such as a paper liner, on the
bottom of the tray. Such a liner generally must be printed with
advertising information and other material that identifies the
restaurant as the information engraved into the bottom of the tray
is not visible thereunder.
[0006] The problem of the obscured engraved information has been
recognized in the art. Accordingly, at least one manufacturer of
trays has engraved such information on the raised peripheral rim
where it is visible notwithstanding the placement of a liner on the
bottom of the tray. This approach to a long-standing problem
creates additional problems. In order for the engraved information,
which may include material that identifies the restaurant, to be of
sufficient size to be useful as mass communication, the raised
peripheral rim has been extended to where it no longer conforms to
established tray standards. Such a tray, therefore, is not
stackable with any other conventional tray, other than similar
trays.
[0007] It is of singular importance that new trays, as they are
purchased by the restaurant, be backwards compatible with the
existing inventory of trays of the restaurant.
[0008] Otherwise, disruptions in service will occur, as two sets of
trays will need to be accommodated in the stacks and in the tray
washers. Thus, unless a restaurant incurs the expense of changing
all of its trays to the type having the information engraved on the
raised annular rim, it must suffer disruption in its service
resulting from an effort to accommodate plural incompatible tray
standards.
[0009] There is a need, therefore, for a tray arrangement that
permits engravement of advertising and other information on a food
service tray, so as to be visible during use with a tray liner
installed therein, and which also is backward compatible, and
therefore, stackable with the preexisting inventory of trays of the
restaurant.
[0010] It is another object of this invention to provide a tray
arrangement that presents advertising and identification
information in a manner that is immediately noticed by a customer
without requiring the dimensions of the tray to be made
non-standard.
[0011] It is also an object of this invention to provide a tray
arrangement that can enhance the presentation of information to
visually challenged individuals.
[0012] It is a further object of this invention to provide a tray
arrangement that reduces the likelihood of food spillage during
carriage of food and beverage by a user.
[0013] It is yet another object of this invention to provide a tray
arrangement that can easily be manufactured to display different
items of information.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] The foregoing and other objects are achieved by this
invention which provides, in a specific illustrative embodiment
thereof, a tray that is useful in a fast food restaurant
environment, by placing advertising, identification, and other
information in a region where such information is readily observed
or palpated by a customer during use. More specifically, the tray
of the present invention is manufactured, illustratively by
injection molding, to form raised or indented molding of the
information on a handle region. Prior art efforts to render the
information observable during use of the tray, which often includes
the use of a liner that overlies and therefore covers any printing
or engravement on the bottom of the tray, has resulted in
non-standard trays that cannot be stacked on existing trays.
However, even in such non-standard trays, the information is not
located where it readily is palpated by the customer, to effect a
multi-sensory presentation of the information, or the presentation
of Braille information.
[0015] The present invention solves the problems of rendering the
information observable during use of the tray by a customer, all
within the context of standard tray dimensions. Moreover, the tray
of the present invention achieves the benefits of facilitating
palpation of the information, as well as reducing the likelihood of
food spillage. Spillage is reduced by the use of the present
invention by providing a handle, which affords a more secure grip
and a lower center of gravity during carriage of the tray by a
customer, as well as the non-slip grip that is enhanced by the
information itself on the handle, as will be discussed in detail
hereinbelow.
[0016] The manufacture of the inventive tray is facilitated by the
use of mold inserts that contain the molded-in information. Thus,
the entire mold that is used to form the tray of the present
invention need not be recreated each time the information is
desired to be changed. This greatly reduces manufacturing
costs.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0017] Comprehension of the invention is facilitated by reading the
following detailed description, in conjunction with the annexed
drawing, in which:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a plan representation of a specific illustrative
embodiment of the invention slowing the region where molded-in
information is to be placed; and
[0019] FIG. 2 is an isometric representation of a mold insert that
is to be installed in a mold (not shown) to cause the molded-in
information to be applied to the tray of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] FIG. 1 is plan representation of a tray 10 constructed in
accordance with the principles of the invention. As shown, tray 10
has a bottom portion 12 surrounded by a peripheral sloping wall 13.
Extending outward from the upper portion of peripheral sloping wall
13 is a flange 15. The dimensions of bottom portion 12, peripheral
sloping wall 13, and flange 15 are such as to conform to
corresponding dimensions of preexisting trays (not shown), whereby
tray 10 is nestable with, and therefore, stackable upon, the prior
trays. In this manner, therefore, restaurants that purchase tray 10
are not required to dispose of their existing inventory of trays
entirely, as a gradual phase-out is enabled.
[0021] Bottom portion 12 is provided with a molded-in pattern,
which may be in the form of lines 20, cross-hatching 21, roughened
surface 22, or any other surface finish that would enhance
frictional communication between the food-carrying containers (not
shown) and beverages (not shown) thereon. Of course, such a surface
finish is itself optional in the practice of the invention, and any
other information may be printed on bottom portion 12 of the tray,
such as advertising material or an identifying trademark used by
the particular restaurant, as is customary in fast food
establishments.
[0022] At the ends of tray 10 flange 15 is shown to extend further
outward to form handle regions 25 and 26. Each of handle regions 25
and 26 has an upper surface on which molded-in information 27 and
28 is presented. The placement of molded-in information on the
upper surfaces of handle regions 25 and 26 avoids the problem in
the art of providing information on peripheral sloping wall 13,
which required the wall to be enlarged whereby the tray is made
non-standard, thereby causing disruptions in the service and
operation of the restaurant.
[0023] Molded-in information 27 and 28 need not be identical on
both handle regions, as shown in FIG. 1. Instead, each of the
handle regions can be provided with different information.
Moreover, such information need not be molded-in, but may be molded
to raised or negative relief on the handle regions. It is an
advantage of the present invention that placement of the molded-in
information on the upper surfaces of handle regions 25 and 26
produces a multi-sensory presentation of the information in that
such information is not only visible, but palpable as the tray is
carried by the customer. Thus, the customer's attention is drawn to
the information which is immediately felt by the customer. Thus,
such information may contain material presented in Braille for
assisting visually challenged customers.
[0024] FIG. 2 is an isometric representation of an insert 40 which
is one of a pair of such inserts that would be installed in a mold
(not shown) during injection molding of tray 10. As shown in this
figure, mold insert 40 is provided with a pair of mounting
apertures 42 that facilitate the installation of the mold insert to
the mold with the use of fasteners (not shown). In this specific
illustrative embodiment of the invention, mold insert 10 has a
sealing edge 44 that has a curvature that corresponds to the outer
contour of handle regions 25 and 26.
[0025] Mold insert 40 has a mold surface 45 into which is made an
engravement 47 in the mirror image form of the variable information
that would be presented on handle regions 25 and 26, such as
molded-in information 27 or 28. Of course, the molded-in
information need not be in the form of an engravement, but may, as
stated hereinabove with respect to other embodiments of the
invention, be in the form of a raised relief information, whereby a
desired form of relief is made in the handle regions. Persons of
skill in the art would be able to configure the molded-in
information to achieve a presentation on the handle regions of the
tray of images, logos, trademarks, foreign language characters,
raised Braille characters, and the like.
[0026] In the practice of the invention, the molded-in information
has a height characteristic that has been determined empirically to
provide excellent ergonomic feel while maintaining a high degree of
cleanliness. That is, food particles and other substances, such as
grease, must not accumulate on or around the molded-in information.
Additionally, the determined height characteristic must retain its
advantageous tactile response and visibility characteristics after
repeated usage and washing. In a practicable embodiment, the height
(or depth) characteristic of the molded-in information is
approximately between 0.003" and 0.008", and preferably between
0.005" to 0.007". These height/depth dimensions provide good feel,
while the tray material stays clean and the information molded
thereon remains visible during extended periods of restaurant
service.
[0027] In addition, it is desirable that the molded-in information
have an edge contour that serves to preclude accumulation
therealong of food particles, greases, and hand oils. Thus, the
contour, which ultimately depends on the letters and/or logo that
form the molded-in information, should not have a deep ridge or
corner. In some embodiments of the invention, the molded-in
information is textured, while maintaining the height/depth thereof
within the advantageous range set forth above.
[0028] Although the invention has been described in terms of
specific embodiments and applications, persons skilled in the art
can, in light of this teaching, generate additional embodiments
without exceeding the scope or departing from the spirit of the
disclosed invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the
drawing and description in this disclosure are proffered to
facilitate comprehension of the invention, and should not be
construed to limit the scope thereof.
* * * * *