U.S. patent application number 12/593718 was filed with the patent office on 2010-05-06 for tray.
Invention is credited to Rohan J. Macarthur-Onslow.
Application Number | 20100108560 12/593718 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39807703 |
Filed Date | 2010-05-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100108560 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Macarthur-Onslow; Rohan J. |
May 6, 2010 |
TRAY
Abstract
A tray which is adapted to be securely and stably carried by a
hand of a user, the tray comprising a support portion having an
upper surface adapted for supporting the beverages or foodstuffs; a
wall portion extending upwardly from the upper surface of the
support portion; and a raised portion connected to the wall
portion, the raised portion having upper and lower surfaces wherein
the lower surface of the raised portion is located above the upper
surface of the support portion when the tray is in an operable
position the raised and wall portions defining a recess which is
laterally accessible the raised portion being adapted to be gripped
by the hand of the user whereby the thumb of the user engages the
upper surface of the raised portion and the recess is adapted to
receive the fingers of the hand of the user so as to enable the
lower surface of the raised portion to be engaged by the fingers of
the user at the same time that the thumb of the user engages the
upper surface.
Inventors: |
Macarthur-Onslow; Rohan J.;
(Vaucluse, AU) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MADSON IP
Old Shepard Commons, Suite 230, 1466 North Highway 89
Farmington
UT
84025
US
|
Family ID: |
39807703 |
Appl. No.: |
12/593718 |
Filed: |
March 13, 2008 |
PCT Filed: |
March 13, 2008 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/AU08/00334 |
371 Date: |
September 29, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/561 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 19/065
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/561 |
International
Class: |
B65D 1/34 20060101
B65D001/34 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 29, 2007 |
AU |
2007-901684 |
Claims
1. A tray which is adapted to be securely and stably carried by a
hand of a user, the tray comprising: a support portion having an
upper surface adapted for supporting beverages or foodstuffs; a
wall portion extending upwardly from the upper surface of the
support portion; and a centrally located raised portion connected
to the wall portion, the raised portion having upper and lower
surfaces wherein the lower surface of the raised portion is located
above the upper surface of the support portion when the tray is in
an operable position, the raised and wall portions defining a
recess which is laterally accessible the raised portion being
adapted to be gripped by the hand of the user whereby the thumb of
the user engages the upper surface of the raised portion and the
recess is adapted to receive the fingers of the hand of the user so
as to enable the lower surface of the raised portion to be engaged
by the fingers of the user in supporting engagement at the same
time that the thumb of the user engages the upper surface.
2. A tray as claimed in claim 1 wherein the raised portion is
centrally located.
3. A tray as claimed in claim 1 wherein the raised portion enables
the service tray to be carried in supporting engagement at or near
the centre of mass of the tray.
4. A tray as claimed in claim 1 wherein the leading edge of the
raised portion is arcuate for engagement by a gripping face of the
user's thumb and the portion of the user's hand adjacent the
gripping face.
5. A tray as claimed in claim 1 wherein the support portion has a
peripheral retaining lip.
6. A tray as claimed in claim 5 wherein the peripheral retaining
lip is a peripheral side wall contiguous with the wall portion.
7. A tray as claimed in claim 3 wherein the support portion is
adapted to provide unobstructed access for the user to the raised
portion.
8. A tray as claimed in claim 1 wherein the support portion is
substantially U-shaped.
9. A tray as claimed in claim 1 wherein the raised portion is
arcuate.
10. A tray as claimed in claim 1 wherein the raised portion is
contoured to adapt to the natural curve of a user's open hand.
11. A tray as claimed in claim 1 further comprising at least one
dividing portion adapted to divide the support portion into a
plurality of compartments.
12. A tray as claimed in claim 11 wherein the compartments are
adapted for carriage of foodstuffs.
13. A tray as claimed in claim 11 wherein the dividing portion is
removable.
14. A tray as claimed in claim 1 wherein the service tray is formed
from a plastics material.
15. A tray as claimed in claim 1 wherein the service tray is
integrally formed from a moulded plastics material.
16. A tray as claimed in claim 1 wherein the service tray is
nestable for ease of storage of a plurality of like service
trays.
17. (canceled)
18. A tray which is adapted to be securely and stably carried by a
hand of a user, the tray comprising: a support portion having an
upper surface for supporting beverages or foodstuffs, the support
portion being substantially U-shaped; a wall portion extending
upwardly from the upper surface of the support portion; and a
centrally located raised portion connected to the wall portion, the
raised portion having upper and lower surfaces wherein the lower
surface of the raised portion is located above the upper surface of
the support portion when the tray is in an operable position such
that the raised portion is near the center of mass of a loaded
service tray, the raised and wall portions defining a recess which
is laterally accessible, the raised portion being adapted to be
gripped by the hand of the user whereby the thumb of the user
engages the upper surface of the raised portion and the recess is
adapted to receive the fingers of the hand of the user so as to
enable the lower surface of the raised portion to be engaged by the
fingers of the user in supporting engagement at the same time that
the thumb of the user engages the upper surface.
19. A tray as claimed in claim 16 wherein the support portion has a
peripheral retaining lip.
20. A tray as claimed in claim 16 wherein the peripheral retaining
lip is a peripheral side wall contiguous with the wall portion.
21. A tray as claimed in claim 16 wherein the support portion is
adapted to provide unobstructed access for the user to the raised
portion.
22. A tray as claimed in claim 16 wherein the service tray is
nestable for ease of storage of a plurality of like service trays.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to trays and in particular to
trays providing improved stability.
[0002] The invention has been developed primarily for use as a tray
which provides capability for improved weight distribution of
beverages or foodstuffs and greater stability for ease of carriage
with a single hand and will be described hereinafter with reference
to this application. However, it will be appreciated that the
invention is not limited to this particular field of use.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The are numerous examples of trays designed for carriage of
beverages and/or foodstuffs in one hand, including that of the
simple tray comprising a planar, generally circular, support
portion or surface where the beverages or foodstuffs are loaded.
The user then must lift the tray from the edges and carry the tray
as shown in FIG. 1. Alternatively, the user may is attempt to,
whilst maintaining the tray balanced, position their hand
underneath the tray at the centre of mass in the horizontal plane
to balance the load. It will be appreciated that this can be a
difficult task where the load is heavy, such as for a number of
filled beer glasses, and the user must exert significant care over
maintaining the tray balanced whilst waking.
[0004] Attempts at improvement over the simple tray include, those
described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,504,832; 3,941,286; 4,744,597;
5,119,967. 5,259,528; 5,346,070; 5,355,787; 5,421,459; 5,971,139;
6,109,580; and 7,000,799; and U.S. design Pat. No. D529,764. It is
apparent, however, that none of these provide solution to the
problem of being able to provide secure and stable manipulation of
the tray without difficulties associated with the location of the
centre of mass of the beverages and/or foodstuffs making balancing
of the load difficult. In most cases, the location where the tray
is held is significantly below the centre of mass of the load,
therefore the user must constantly be aware of the load so that the
tray does not tip. A further difficulty with these improvements is
that the user must still lift the tray whilst loaded in order to
grasp or place their hand underneath the tray at the designed
location for carriage. A solution to the need for lifting the tray
first is to provide a central handle that can be grasped from
above, however, if this handle is located below the likely centre
of mass (in the vertical plane) of the load, then again significant
care is required to lift the tray without it overbalancing whilst
the user places their hand underneath the tray for carriage. Whilst
it can be envisaged that the handle can be positioned above the
likely centre of mass of the load via a central pole, it will be
appreciated that this is undesirable as convenient storage of a
plurality of like trays becomes difficult and/or space
inefficient.
SUMMARY
[0005] Disclosed herein are arrangements of a tray which provides
capability for improved weight distribution of beverages or
foodstuffs and greater stability for ease of manipulation and
carriage with a single hand.
[0006] Further disclosed herein are arrangements of a tray which is
adapted to be securely and stably carried by a hand of a user. The
tray may comprise a support portion having an upper surface adapted
for supporting the beverages or foodstuffs. The tray may further
comprise a wall portion extending upwardly from the upper surface
of the support portion. The tray may further still comprise a
raised portion connected to the wall portion. The raised portion
may have upper and lower surfaces wherein the lower surface of the
raised portion is located above the upper surface of the support
portion when the tray is in an operable position. The raised and
wall portions may define a recess which is laterally accessible.
The raised portion may be adapted to be gripped by the hand of the
user. The thumb of the user may engage the upper surface of the
raised portion. The recess may be adapted to receive the fingers of
the hand of the user. The lower surface of the raised portion may
be engaged by the fingers of the user at the same time that the
thumb of the user engages the upper surface. The thumb of the user
may engage the upper surface of the raised portion and the recess
may be adapted to receive the fingers of the hand of the user so as
to enable the lower surface of the raised portion to be engaged by
the fingers of the user at the same time that the thumb of the user
engages the upper surface.
[0007] According to an aspect, there is provided a tray which is
adapted to be securely and stably carried by a hand of a user, the
tray comprising a support portion having an upper surface adapted
for supporting the beverages or foodstuffs; a wall portion
extending upwardly from the upper surface of the support portion;
and a raised portion connected to the wall portion, the raised
portion having upper and lower surfaces wherein the lower surface
of the raised portion is located above the upper surface of the
support portion when the tray is in an operable position the raised
and wall portions defining a recess which is laterally accessible
the raised portion being adapted to be gripped by the hand of the
user whereby the thumb of the user engages the upper surface of the
raised portion and the recess is adapted to receive the fingers of
the hand of the user so as to enable the lower surface of the
raised portion to be engaged by the fingers of the user at the same
time that the thumb of the user engages the upper surface. The
raised portion may be centrally located. The raised portion may
enable the service tray to be carried at or near the centre of mass
of the tray.
[0008] According to another aspect, there is provided a tray when
used by a user to carry at least one beverage container in one
hand. According to another aspect, there is provided two trays when
used by a user to carry at least one beverage container wherein
each one of the two trays is carried in a different hand of the
user. The beverage container may be either full of beverage, partly
full of beverage, or empty. The beverage container may be a drink
container such as for example bottle, can, glass, ceramic mug,
plastic cup or paper cup. The width and length of the support
portion in a tray in which the beverage containers are intended to
be disposed may be dimensioned so that 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,
10 or more beverage containers containing or not containing a
beverage may be located on the tray at one time. In different
arrangements the width and length of the support portion in a tray
may be dimensioned to carry up to 6 pint glasses or six schooner
glasses or six middy glasses or six drink bottles at one time.
[0009] Further disclosed herein is a tray for secure and stable
carriage of beverages or foodstuffs with one hand. The tray may
comprise a support portion having upper and lower surfaces adapted
for supporting the beverages or foodstuffs. The tray may further
comprise a raised portion adapted to receive the hand of a user
having upper and lower surface, the lower surface being higher that
the upper surface of the support portion, the raised portion being
connected to the support portion by an wall portion. The raised
portion may enable the tray to be carried at or near the centre of
mass of the tray for stable control of the movement and balance of
the tray. The tray may be a service tray for use in the service of
beverages and/or foodstuffs, for example in restaurants, hotels,
bars, pubs, sporting venues and the like.
[0010] According to another aspect, there is provided a tray for
secure and stable carriage of beverages or foodstuffs with one hand
comprising: a support portion having upper and lower surfaces
adapted for supporting the beverages or foodstuffs; a raised
portion adapted to receive the hand of a user having upper and
lower surface, the lower surface being higher that the upper
surface of the support portion, the raised portion being connected
to the support portion by an wall portion; wherein the raised
portion enables the tray to be carried at or near the centre of
mass of the tray for stable control of the movement and balance of
the tray.
[0011] The support portion may not have any peripheral retaining
lip. The support portion may have a peripheral retaining lip. The
peripheral retaining lip may be a peripheral side wall contiguous
with the wall portion. The height of the peripheral side wall may
be the same as the height of the raised portion. The height of the
peripheral side wall may be less than the height of the raised
portion. The height of the peripheral side wall may be greater than
the height of the raised portion. The height of the peripheral side
wall may be between 1% and 50% or 5% and 25% or 5% and 20% or 5%
and 15% or 5% and 10% greater than the height of the raised
portion. The height of the raised portion may be greater than 1, 2,
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15 cm from the upper
surface of the support portion. The height of the raised portion
may be about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15
cm from the upper surface of the support portion. The height of the
raised portion may be from 2 cm to 20 cm or 2 cm to 15 cm or 2 cm
to 12 cm or 2 cm to 10 cm or 2 cm to 8 cm or 3 cm to 20 cm or 3 cm
to 15 cm or 3 cm to 12 cm or 3 cm to 10 cm or 3 cm to 8 cm or 4 cm
to 20 cm or 4 cm to 15 cm or 4 cm to 12 cm or 4 cm to 10 cm or 4 cm
to 8 cm or 5 cm to 20 cm or 5 cm to 15 cm or 5 cm to 12 cm or 5 cm
to 10 cm or 5 cm to 8 cm or 6 cm to 20 cm or 6 cm to 15 cm or 6 cm
to 12 cm or 6 cm to 10 cm or 6 cm to 8 cm or 7 cm to 20 cm or 7 cm
to 15 cm or 7 cm to 12 cm or 7 cm to 10 cm or 7 cm to 8 cm or 8 cm
to 20 cm or 8 cm to 15 cm or 8 cm to 12 cm or 8 cm to 10 cm or 8 cm
to 9 cm or 9 cm to 20 cm or 9 cm to 15 cm or 9 cm to 12 cm or 9 cm
to 10 cm or 10 cm to 15 cm from the upper surface of the support
portion. The height of the raised portion may be from 3% to 90% or
5% to 80% or 5% to 70% or 5% to 60% or 5% to 50% or 5% to 49% or 5%
to 30% or 5% to 20% from the upper surface of the support portion
of the height of the beverage container that is intended to be
carried on the tray. The height of the raised portion may be from
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20,
25, 30, 35, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, or 90% from
the upper surface of the support portion of the height of the
beverage container that is intended to be carried on the tray. The
support portion comprises a support surface. The support surface is
also referred to in this specification as the upper surface of the
support portion. The support surface may be adapted to provide
unobstructed access for the user to the raised portion. The support
surface may be U shaped or substantially U shaped when viewed from
above. The support surface may be U shaped when viewed from above.
The support surface may be substantially U shaped when viewed from
above.
[0012] The raised portion may be arcuate and may be contoured to
adapt to the natural curve of a user's open hand.
[0013] The tray may further comprise at least one dividing portion
adapted to divide the support surface into a plurality of
compartments. The compartments may be adapted for carriage of
foodstuffs. The dividing portion(s) may be removable.
[0014] The tray may be formed from any suitable material. The tray
may be formed from a metallic material. The tray may be formed from
aluminium or aluminium alloy material. The tray may be formed from
a nonmetallic material. The tray may be formed of perspex. The tray
may be formed of a material that is washable in a dishwasher. The
tray may be formed from a plastics material and may be integrally
formed from a moulded plastics material. The tray may be formed
from polyethylene or polypropylene. The tray may be nestable or
stackable for ease of storage of a plurality of like trays.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] Arrangements of the tray will now be described, by way of an
example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings (where
like features are indicated by like reference numerals)
wherein:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a side partial schematic view of a prior art tray
showing the location of a user's hand during carriage of the
tray;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a top perspective schematic view of an arrangement
of the tray disclosed herein;
[0018] FIG. 3 is an underside perspective schematic view of an
arrangement of the tray disclosed herein;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a front plan schematic view of the tray of FIG.
2;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a side plan schematic view of the tray of FIG.
2;
[0021] FIG. 6 is a cutaway schematic view of the tray taken along
section A-A of FIG. 4;
[0022] FIG. 7 is a further cutaway schematic view of the tray taken
along section A-A of FIG. 4 showing the location of the user's hand
during carriage of the tray;
[0023] FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a prior art tray showing the
relation of the centre of mass of a loaded tray to the carriage
location in the vertical plane;
[0024] FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the tray of FIG. 2 showing the
relation of the centre of mass of a loaded tray to the carriage
location in the vertical plane;
[0025] FIG. 10 is top perspective and top plan views of the tray of
FIG. 2 when loaded with three beverage containers showing the
centre of mass of the loaded tray in the horizontal plane;
[0026] FIG. 11 is top perspective and top plan views of the tray of
FIG. 2 when loaded with four beverage containers showing the centre
of mass of the loaded tray in the horizontal plane;
[0027] FIG. 12 is top perspective and top plan views of the tray of
FIG. 2 when loaded with five beverage containers showing the centre
of mass of the loaded tray in the horizontal plane;
[0028] FIG. 13 is top perspective and top plan views of the tray of
FIG. 2 when loaded with six beverage containers showing the centre
of mass of the loaded tray in the horizontal plane;
[0029] FIG. 14 is a top perspective schematic view of three like
trays of FIG. 2 shown in a nested or stacked storage configuration;
and
[0030] FIG. 15 is a further arrangement of the tray.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] With reference to the figures, disclosed herein is a tray
100 adapted to be securely and stably carried by a hand of a user.
In one arrangement, the tray comprises a support portion 101 having
an upper surface 103 adapted for supporting the beverages or
foodstuffs. A wall portion 113 extends upwardly from the upper
surface 103 of the support portion 101. A raised portion 107 is
connected to the wall portion 113. The raised portion has upper and
lower surfaces (109 and 111 respectively) wherein the lower surface
111 of the raised portion 107 is located above the upper surface
103 of the support portion 101 when the tray 100 is in an operable
position. The raised and wall portions 107 and 113 defining a
recess 117 which is laterally accessible. The raised portion 107 is
adapted to be gripped by the hand of the user whereby the thumb of
the user engages the upper surface of the raised portion and the
recess 117 is adapted to receive the fingers of the hand of the
user so as to enable the lower surface 111 of the raised portion
107 to be engaged by the fingers of the user at the same time that
the thumb of the user engages the upper surface 109.
[0032] In the following description, the tray is described with
reference to a service tray, although, it is envisaged that the
tray is not limited to this usage and may be use in other s
situations and environments and for alternative applications as
would be appreciated by the skilled addressee. For example, the
tray may be used for private and/or personal use.
[0033] Referring to the drawings, particularly FIGS. 2 and 3, a
service tray 100 includes a support portion 101 having upper and
lower surfaces (103 and 105 respectively) adapted for supporting
beverages or foodstuffs. A raised portion 107 is adapted to receive
the hand (shown in FIG. 7) of a user having upper and lower
surfaces (109 and 111 respectively), wherein the lower 111 of the
raised portion 107 surface is higher that the upper support surface
103 of the support portion 101. The raised portion 107 is connected
to the support portion 101 by an wall portion 113. The raised
portion 107 enable the service tray to be carried by the user at or
near the centre of mass in both horizontal and vertical planes for
stable control of the movement and balance of the service tray.
[0034] In the arrangements shown in the figures, the support
portion 101 is adapted to provide unobstructed access for the user
to place their hand (not shown) under the raised portion 107 to
engage their hand with the lower surface 111 thereof via recessed
portion 117 and lift the service tray 100 (either laden or unladen)
without requiring any intervention from their other hand. To
facilitate this in the present arrangement, the support portion is
substantially U-shaped when viewed from above. In this arrangement,
the raised portion 109 where the user engages the tray with their
hand is located at the centre of mass of the service tray, and the
beverages and or foodstuffs may be arranged around the U-shaped
support portion in such a way as to maintain the centre of mass of
the laden tray at the location of the raised portion. A further
advantage of the U-shaped service tray is that the user's wrist and
forearm are received by the recessed portion 117 and do not
obstruct the service tray. This also allows for the user to
maintain a favourable angle between their forearm and upper arm
(for example in the range of approximately 45 to 135 degrees, or
approximately 50 to 130, 55 to 125, 60 to 120, 65 to 115, 70 to
110, 75 to 105, 80 to 100, or approximately 85 to 95 degrees)
without being obstructed by the service tray itself, whereby
greater control over the tray can be achieved.
[0035] The support portion 101 has a peripheral retaining lip 115.
The retaining lip in the figures is shown as a peripheral side wall
with a height approximately equal to the height of the wall portion
113, although it will be appreciated that further arrangements may
be envisaged where the height of the retaining lip is less or much
less than the height of the wall portion 113. As shown in the
figures, the retaining lip 115 is shown as being contiguous with
the wall portion 113. It will be appreciated that the primary use
for the service tray is in a bar or restaurant situation to improve
the ease with which staff or patrons can carry large numbers of
drinks with only one hand and without requiring their other hand to
position the tray. In this manner it is envisaged that the staff or
patron can carry two like trays laden with beverages and/or
foodstuffs without difficulty. The service tray is generally
dimensioned to accept a variety of beverage containers including,
but not limited to wine glass, low-ball and/or high-ball glasses,
midi and/or, schooner glasses, half-pint and/or pint glasses,
bottled beverages such as pre-mixed beverages or beers, wine
bottles and other suitable beverage containers. Typically the
largest container in a bar situation would be the pint glass, which
generally has dimensions of approximately 150 mm in height with a
base diameter of about 60 to 80 mm and a maximum outer diameter of
about 80 to 100 mm.
[0036] The dimensions of the service tray are such that it is able
to accommodate the typically largest sized beverage container
encountered in the service environment, therefore generally the
width of the U-shaped support surface 103 of the tray 100 would be
approximately 80 to 100 mm, although it will be appreciated that
greater or smaller widths may be envisaged depending on the user's
requirements. For example, one or more portions of the support
surface 103 may be configured to accommodate one or more wine or
spirit bottles, and the configured portions may be so configured
that the wine or spirit bottle is located and or retained in the
configured portion.
[0037] Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown a cut-away view of
the service tray 100 taken along line A-A of FIG. 4. The raised
portion 107 has an arcuate formation 119 with upper surface 109 and
lower surface 111 for engagement of the user's hand 121 during
carriage of the service tray as shown in FIG. 7.
[0038] The raised portion 107 is adapted to be gripped by the hand
121 of the user whereby the thumb 127 of the user engages the upper
surface of the raised portion and the recess 117 is adapted to
receive the fingers 123 of the hand of the user so as to enable the
lower surface 111 of the raised portion 107 to be engaged by the
fingers 123 of the user at the same time that the thumb 127 of the
user engages the upper surface 109.
[0039] It has been found that the an arcuate formation 119 on the
raised portion 107, and in particular an arcuate, contoured
formation which resembles the natural curve of the upturned open
palm of a users hand 121, that the majority of the load bearing is
shifted anatomically from the user's fingers 123 and wrist 125 to
the user's upper arm and biceps (not shown), which is a much
stronger position which affords greater control over the stability
and manoeuvrability of the service tray. As can be seen, in the
present configuration, the users fingers 123 engage the lower
surface 111 of the contoured formation 119 of the raised portion
107 to lift and support the service tray. The user's thumb 127
grasps the raised portion 107 of the service tray 100 by engaging
the upper surface 109 of the contoured formation 119 of the raised
portion 107. Arcuate formations 129 and 131, which are disposed at
leading edge portion of raised portion 107 enable the leading edge
portion of raised portion 107 to be engaged by a gripping face 128
of the user's thumb 127 and the portion of the user's hand adjacent
the gripping face 128 as depicted in FIG. 7. Formations 129 and 131
also provide for the user's comfort and additional control and
stability. They also increases the rigidity of the connecting wall
portion 113. It will be appreciated that other suitable
arrangements of the raised portion and the contoured formation may
be envisaged without detracting from the spirit of the
invention.
[0040] FIGS. 8 and 9 show the significant improvement in the weight
distribution of the presently described service tray over prior art
service trays due to the improved location of the centre of mass of
the laden tray with respect to the user's engagement location for
carriage of the tray. FIG. 8 shows a side view of a prior art
service tray in the form of a simple flat tray 150. The tray is
laden with three beverage containers 151 (eg. pint or schooner
glasses of beer or other beverage). Whilst the beverage containers
151 may be readily arranged on the tray such that the centre of
mass 153 is in the approximate centre of the tray in the horizontal
plane, it can be appreciated that the centre of mass of mass 153 of
the laden tray 150 in the vertical is at a significant height 155
(designated as distance "a" in the figure) above the tray 150. To
carry the tray 150, the user must first lift the tray 150 with both
hands from the edges 157 and to carry the tray with only one hand,
they must then manoeuvre their hand underneath to engage the tray
at the approximate centre of mass of the laden tray in the
horizontal plane (approximately at location 159). The distance that
the user must move their carrying hand underneath the tray whist
supporting it with both hands is designated "b" in FIG. 8, and is
approximately half the width/radius of the tray. However, since the
distance 155 from the engagement location 159 and the centre of
mass of the laden tray is significant, there is a large tendency
for the tray to tip or overbalance whilst the user is manoeuvring
their hand to the engagement location 159 and whilst the user is
walking with the tray 150 carried in their one hand. It will
readily be appreciated that, once the user has positioned one such
laden tray 150 for carriage with one hand, they are not able to
repeat the process with a second like laden tray 150 to be carried
in their other free hand, and in any event, even if the user
acquired assistance to place a second laden tray on their free
hand, the user would need to exercise great care in maintaining the
balance of one or both laden trays as they were carried.
Furthermore, the user would also be unable to place the tray down
on a horizontal surface without requiring the assistance of their
other hand. The maintenance of the balance of the tray is made
difficult due to the vertical distance 155 of the laden tray from
the engagement location 159, and becomes increasingly more
difficult as the tray is laden with greater numbers of items or
items of increased weight.
[0041] Turning now to FIG. 9, there is shown a section view (taken
along line A-A of FIG. 4) of the service tray 160 laden with
beverage containers 161 having a centre of mass 163. In the first
instance, and as has been previously described, the user does not
need two hands to lift the service tray, but simply engages the
tray at the engagement location 165 with a hand and lifts the tray
directly. Since the weight of the beverage containers 161 placed on
the service tray 160 may readily arranged to be evenly distributed
such that the centre of mass in the horizontal plane is
approximately coincident with the engagement location, and
therefore the distance "b" that the user needs to move their hand
after lifting the tray to be able to balance it with one hand is
reduced to zero i.e. the user is able to directly engage the tray
with a free hand at the centre of mass in the horizontal plane and
then lift the tray without the need for assistance from their other
hand. Further, since the engagement location 165 is elevated/raised
with respect to the bottom surface 167 of the service tray 160, the
vertical distance 169 between the user's engagement location 165
and the centre of mass 163 of the laden tray is significantly
reduced. This therefore significantly lowers the tendency of the
laden service tray to tip or overbalance and thus requires
significantly less effort from the user to maintain the balance of
the tray, providing a much improved stable platform for carriage of
the beverage containers whilst the user moves about. It is even
possible that, for low profile beverage containers such as low-ball
glasses, spirit glasses or cognac glasses for instance, the centre
of mass 163 can be lower that the engagement location 165,
therefore requiring no effort from the user at all to balance the
service tray, as it "hangs" from the user's hand. The only effort
required in this situation is the lifting of the weight of the
laden service tray 160 which, as has been previously described, is
conveniently distributed through the user's entire aim.
Furthermore, since the user does not require two hands to lift and
or initially stabilise the service tray on their one hand, it will
be appreciated that the user can readily lift and carry two like
laden service trays 100 with ease.
[0042] It will be appreciated that the user would readily load the
service tray in the shown configurations to locate the centre of
mass 163 at the centre of the tray 160 to be coincident with the
raised portion 107 and the engagement location 165 to balance the
weight for ease of carriage. FIGS. 10 to 13 (where like features
are indicated by like reference numerals) show perspective and top
plan views of the service tray 160 with various load configurations
and the relative centre of mass 163 of the laden service tray with
3, 4, 5, and 6 beverage containers 165 (eg. beer glasses)
respectively.
[0043] In use for the carriage of a number of beverage, the user
loads the beverages to be carried onto the support surface 101 of
the tray 100 in a configuration such that the load of the beverages
is evenly distributed and the centre of mass of the laden tray is
coincident with the raised portion 107, for example as described
with reference to FIGS. 10 to 13. The user then inserts the fingers
of their preferred hand into recess 117 of the tray 100 and engages
the palm of their hand with the lower surface 111 of raised portion
107. The user then engages the gripping face 128 of their thumb 127
with the upper surface 109 of raised portion 107 thereby to grip
the leading edge of the raised portion. The user is then able to
lift the laden tray 100 and carry the beverages stably with one
hand.
[0044] The service tray disclosed herein, may formed from a
plastics material and may be formed by moulding or injection
moulding techniques. In other arrangements, the service tray may be
formed from thermo-formed plastic, pressed metal or laminated
fibres such as wood. The service tray 100 may be nestable or
stackable for ease of storage of two or more, or a plurality, of
like service trays as shown in FIG. 14. The service trays 100 may
optionally include ridges 167 to minimise the amount by which the
nested trays wedge (i.e. stick) together due to draft angle of the
peripheral side wall. The ridges 165 may be angled with respect to
the retaining lip/side wall 115 and an angle in the range of about
6 to 10 degrees is desirable. In other arrangements, the angle of
the ridges may be approximately 7 to 10. 8 to 10, 7 to 9 6 to 9, or
approximately 7.5 to 8.5 and may be approximately 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5,
8, 8.5, 9, 95, or 10 degrees. A further advantage of the service
tray is that the user is able to load a top service tray of the
stack with beverages and easily lift the loaded tray from the stack
by inserting their hand along arrow 180 to engage the raised
portion of the top service tray and lift the tray as previously
described.
[0045] Due to the configuration of the raised portion as shown in
the figures, the service tray may be readily lifted from the stack
of like service trays in the manner previously described without
having to first use two hands to separate a tray from the remaining
trays in the stack.
[0046] Shown in FIG. 15 is a further arrangement of a service tray
170 similar to the arrangements described above but further
comprising dividing portions 171. The dividing portions are adapted
to divide the support surface into a plurality of compartments 171
which may be used for the carriage of foodstuffs. The dividing
portion 171 may in further arrangements be removable.
[0047] It will be appreciated that the
methods/apparatus/devices/systems described/illustrated above at
least substantially provide a service tray with improved stability
and handling ease.
[0048] The arrangements of the service tray described herein,
and/or shown in the drawings, are presented by way of example only
and are not limiting as to the scope of the invention. Unless
otherwise specifically stated, individual aspects and components of
the service tray may be modified, or may have been substituted
therefore known equivalents, or as yet unknown substitutes such as
may be developed in the future or such as may be found to be
acceptable substitutes in the future. The service tray may also be
modified for a variety of applications while remaining within the
scope and spirit of the claimed invention, since the range of
potential applications is great, and since it is intended that the
present service tray be adaptable to many such variations.
* * * * *