U.S. patent application number 14/011536 was filed with the patent office on 2014-11-20 for multipurpose stemware holder tray having a universal thumb grip.
This patent application is currently assigned to Franmara, Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Franmara, Inc.. Invention is credited to Christine Marie Chiorazzi, Frank P. Chiorazzi.
Application Number | 20140339116 14/011536 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51894931 |
Filed Date | 2014-11-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140339116 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chiorazzi; Frank P. ; et
al. |
November 20, 2014 |
Multipurpose Stemware Holder Tray Having A Universal Thumb Grip
Abstract
A tray or platform for carrying stemmed containers. The
invention further relates to a multipurpose stemware holder tray
for holding, stabilizing and carrying filled stemmed glasses or
stemmed containers in an upright position. The invention
furthermore relates to a multipurpose stemware holder tray that
rests on the palm and forearm of a user in a carrying position that
includes a universal thumb grip for securely retaining and
controlling stemmed containers and for avoiding spillage and other
types of accidents.
Inventors: |
Chiorazzi; Frank P.;
(Salinas, CA) ; Chiorazzi; Christine Marie;
(Salinas, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Franmara, Inc. |
Salinas |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Franmara, Inc.
Salinas
CA
|
Family ID: |
51894931 |
Appl. No.: |
14/011536 |
Filed: |
August 27, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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13898350 |
May 20, 2013 |
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14011536 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
206/426 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 23/0641 20130101;
A47G 23/0208 20130101; A47G 23/0625 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/426 |
International
Class: |
A47G 23/02 20060101
A47G023/02 |
Claims
1. A multipurpose stemware holder tray comprising: a substantially
flat base having a front and back side, a left side and a right
side, and having a top and bottom portion; the outer perimeter of
said base including a plurality of slot-accessible circular
openings for accepting and retaining stemmed containers; the base
further including an opening that forms a handle disposed
substantially at the center thereof for gripping the base with the
fingers of the user's hand for added support and stability when
carrying the multipurpose stemware holder tray for serving
purposes; the back portion of said base structure adapted to rest
on the palm of a user's hand in a stable carrying position; and the
back portion of said base structure further including a universal
thumb grip surrounding the handle for added support and stability
when carrying items on the tray for transporting or serving
purposes.
2. A multipurpose stemware holder tray according to claim 1,
wherein the front side is adapted for carrying beverages, stemmed
glassware and stemmed containers.
3. A multipurpose stemware holder tray according to claim 1,
wherein the backside includes protrusions for facilitating easy and
convenient pick up of said tray when stacked or stored on a flat
surface.
4. A multipurpose stemware holder tray according to claim 1,
wherein the slot-accessible circular openings include rubber coated
rims for securely holding and cushioning the bowl or foot of a
stemmed wine glass or stemmed container for added stability and
control when carrying said items on the tray.
5. A multipurpose stemware holder tray according to claim 1,
wherein the backside includes a wrist grip for added stability and
control when carrying items on the tray.
6. A multipurpose stemware holder tray according o claim 5, wherein
the wrist grip includes rubber like material.
7. A multipurpose stemware holder tray according to claim 1,
wherein the handle is covered by a rubber like material or the like
for added stability and control when carrying items on the
tray.
8. A multipurpose stemware holder tray according to claim 1,
wherein the outer perimeter of said base structure accommodates
stemmed glassware.
9. A multipurpose stemware holder tray according to claim 1,
wherein the universal thumb grip is constructed of a rubber like
material.
10. A multipurpose stemware holder tray according to claim ,
wherein the backside includes protrusions connected to a rubber
coating covering the entire outer rim of the tray.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED DOCUMENTS
[0001] This non-provisional application is a continuation-in-part
of U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 13/898,350, entitled
"Multipurpose Stemware Holder Tray" filed May 20, 2013. The
disclosure of the aforementioned application is included by
reference as fully set forth herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a tray or platform for
holding, controlling, stabilizing and carrying items such as
glassware. More specifically, the invention relates to a
multipurpose stemware holding tray that rests on the palm and wrist
of a user in a carrying position that includes a universal thumb
grip for retaining stemmed glassware or stemmed containers in an
upright position to reduce spillage during transportation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Serving trays have been used for centuries for carrying
beverages, food, accessories, etc., and in modern times, used in
many places including dining rooms, restaurants, bars, special
events, and the like. There presently exist various inventions
related to specialty trays developed for compartmentalizing the
tray, for carrying specific items, and trays which are adapted for
retaining glassware when the same is positioned thereon. The
problem with these serving trays is that a user has to use both
hands to carry such a tray and then set it down in order to serve
customers or serve the items placed on the tray with one hand while
having to balance the tray with their other hand. Sometimes
attempts at this particular dexterity leads to spills and/or other
accidents that can cost a business a lot of money for cleanup,
glassware breakage, cleaning customer clothing and the like.
[0004] Perhaps one of the biggest problems with carrying items on a
serving tray is the problem of limited space for a business or the
like that serve beverages such as alcoholic beverages. When there
is limited space, servers for a business or the like face the
daunting problem of trying to balance items on their tray. This
task can become even more difficult if a server bumps into a
customer or another employee because of overcrowding. It is even
more difficult for these servers to try and balance containers on
their tray of the stemmed variety that hold alcoholic beverages
such as wine. In the case of stemmed containers falling off a
serving tray containing alcoholic beverages such as red wine,
clean-up can be very messy because the wine can stain carpets, or
even worse, stain the clothing of customers. Additionally, stemmed
glassware that falls off a tray can create safety issues because
broken glass can get all over the place and can be difficult to
clean up and/or spot especially in a crowded room with dimmed
lighting. Moreover, spilled wine can cost a business or the like a
lot of money since a bottle of wine can be very expensive.
Similarly, stemmed glassware can be very expensive to replace,
especially if a business or the like uses high quality stemmed
glassware to go along with the expensive wine they are serving.
[0005] There have been suggestions in the prior art of devices by
which a user can hold a plate and a stemmed glass in one hand,
leaving the other hand free. One suggestion is shown in Streames,
UK Patent No. 1,126,304, which shows a relatively thin serving tray
quite similar to a painter's pallet having a key hole slot at one
end to hold a stemmed wine glass and at the other end a thumb hole.
The user places their thumb through the thumb hole to the upper
side of the tray and supports the bottom on the tray with the
remaining fingers of the hand. The problem with this invention is
that it allows a user to only carry one stemmed wine glass and the
thumb hole does not allow for even and stable gripping of the
serving tray.
[0006] To more evenly distribute the weight of the tray and
contents, grasping surfaces on the bottom of the tray have been
proposed. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,346,070 and 5,429,231 issued to
McSpadden disclose a cup like portion for holding a drink container
that is grasped by the user's hand to support the tray and contents
but offers no solution for holding stemmed glassware. Moreover,
holding the tray is not only tiring but also requires forearm
inclination for maintaining proper horizontal orientation to avoid
spillage. A further approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
6,264,026 issued to Bradley wherein a serrated conical handle is
provided on the bottom surface of the tray for grasping by the
user. The tray includes food areas and a single slotted glass
holder for supporting stemmed glassware. The tray is adapted to be
additionally supported by the forearm of the user. Nonetheless, the
handle must be tightly and continuously grasped to prevent wobbling
about the longitudinal or roll axis.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,144 issued to Gabriella Hagelberg
describes a serving tray with a number of recesses in the form of
bowls for components of a meal. A recess is provided for at least
one dish and one is provided for a drinking vessel. A hole extends
through Hagelberg's tray in a shape and size to form an opening for
the insertion of the thumb of a hand so that the tray can be
carried with the thumb on the upper side of the tray while the hand
is placed under the tray bottom to support the underside of the
tray. However, the thumb hole is in a corner to allow the hand to
go under the tray and is not balanced at all. Finally, it is not
left hand/right hand symmetrical.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,685 issued to Michael French sets forth
a plate-type tray with a tapered plate section and a single slotted
glass holder for supporting stemmed glassware. No provision is made
for carrying a separate plate therein nor is there a provision for
a thumb recess nor is there right hand/left hand
interchangeability.
[0009] To further overcome the above difficulties and
disadvantages, various serving trays for holding both food and
drinks with a single hand have been proposed. U.S. Pat. No.
3,401,858 issued to White discloses a service tray wherein a pair
of openings are included in a rear wall of the tray to enable a
user to hold both the tray and a beverage container. The
cantilevered weight is borne entirely by the user's wrist. A
similar tray is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,266 issued to
D'Oliveira wherein the user grips an end portion of a tray having
discrete areas for nesting a beverage glass and a food plate. The
weight is also home entirely by the user's wrist and requires
constant gripping pressure. Further, any inadvertent wrist movement
can result in instability or spillage.
[0010] To even further overcome the above difficulties and
disadvantages, U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 13/898,350,
entitled "Multipurpose Stemware Holder Tray" filed May 20, 2013,
discloses a serving tray that includes notched thumb grips located
on the backside of the tray. These thumb grips are positioned to
fit an individual's thumb in only one position and can make holding
the tray rather difficult if a user wants to reposition their thumb
with respect to how they hold the tray on the palm of their
hand.
[0011] In light of the shortcomings in the prior art, a
multipurpose stemware holder tray is desired that overcomes the
problems noted above and is adapted to conveniently hold items and
also retain a plurality of stemmed containers in a manner that is
comfortable as well as stable. Furthermore, a multipurpose stemware
holder tray is desired that includes a universal thumb grip to add
even more support and stability when a user is holding the tray for
serving purposes.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The present invention provides a multipurpose stemware
holder tray for holding stemmed glassware or stemmed containers,
food, various accessories, and the like which is stably held by one
hand of a user that increases stemware holder tray stability to
avoid spillage and other accidents. The multipurpose stemware
holder tray can be conveniently held by either hand since it is
right hand/left hand interchangeable. The multipurpose stemware
holder tray includes a base structure that is substantially flat
having a front and back side. The base structure of the tray
further includes an opening that forms a handle for gripping with
four fingers. The front side of the tray includes a surface area
that can be used to carry items such as a notepad, a pen, bottles,
food, accessories and the like. The user holds the multipurpose
stemware holder tray by positioning the back side thereof on the
palm of a user's hand in a carrying position and then the user
inserts his or her fingers through the opening of said base
structure for gripping the handle which is intended to add further
support and stability when holding the tray for serving purposes.
The bottom portion of the tray is also supported on the forearm of
the user to add even further support and stability.
[0013] The backside of the tray includes a plurality of protrusions
for preventing said tray from resting flat on a surface making it
easy and convenient to pick up when stored away. The backside of
the tray further includes a universal thumb grip to add even more
support and stability when holding the tray for serving purposes.
Additionally, the universal thumb grip allows a user to
conveniently position their thumb anywhere on this grip enabling
the user to position the tray comfortably on the palm of their hand
in various carrying positions. Moreover, the outer perimeter of the
tray includes a plurality of slot-accessible circular openings
(i.e., more than one) for accepting and holding stemmed glassware
or stemmed containers in an upright or downright position. When a
stemmed container such as a wine glass, a martini glass or a
margarita glass is inserted upright through a slot-accessible
circular opening, the bowl of the container is supported on the
tray around the circular hole of the slot as to avoid spillage or
other types of accidents such as a wine glass filling off said
tray.
[0014] The present invention also provides for a multipurpose
stemware holder tray that can be easily and efficiently
manufactured and marketed.
[0015] The present invention is a new multipurpose stemware holder
tray which consists of lightweight material that is of a strong,
durable and reliable construction.
[0016] An even further feature of the present invention is to
provide a new, low-cost multipurpose stemware holder tray.
[0017] Still yet another feature of the present invention is to
provide a new multipurpose stemware holder tray that allows a user
to have one hand free for serving purposes and avoid having to rest
the tray on another surface while serving customers.
[0018] Even still another feature of the present invention is to
provide a multipurpose stemware holder tray that provides a stable
and stationary place for stemmed containers such as wine glasses,
martini glasses or margarita glasses to be placed thereon as to
avoid spillage and other types of accidents while a user is
carrying the tray to serve customers.
[0019] Accordingly, for a better understanding of the invention,
its operating advantages and the various uses attained by the
invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings
and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred
embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the multipurpose
stemware holder tray.
[0021] FIG. 2 is a top view of the multipurpose stemware holder
tray.
[0022] FIG. 3 is a back perspective view of the multipurpose
stemware holder tray.
[0023] FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the multipurpose
stemware holder tray showing how the tray is to be held by a user's
fingers. The user's fingers depicted in the drawing are for
illustrative purposes only and form no part of the claimed
invention.
[0024] FIG. 5 is a back perspective view of the multipurpose
stemware holder tray showing how a user will place their thumb on
the universal thumb grip. The user's thumb and hand depicted in the
drawing are for illustrative purposes only and fours no part of the
claimed invention.
[0025] FIG. 6 is a back perspective view of the multipurpose
stemware holder tray showing an alternative embodiment of the
invention pertaining to the positioning of the protrusions.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0026] With reference to the drawings, there is illustrated the
preferred embodiments of the invention as shown in FIGS. 1-6, a
multipurpose stemware holder tray 10 adapted for holding food,
accessories, various items, and the like on the front side 11
thereof. Furthermore, the preferred embodiment of the invention is
used to hold a plurality of stemmed glassware and/or stemmed
containers on the outer portion of the tray 10 having a plurality
of slot-accessible circular openings 25. Of course the tray 10 can
include slot-accessible circular openings 25 on the outer portion
of said tray 10 which can hold more or less stemmed glassware
and/or stemmed containers than what is depicted in FIGS. 1-6.
[0027] As illustrated in FIGS. 1-2, the tray 10 includes a base
structure having a front portion 11 that. further includes a top
portion 15 and a bottom portion 17, and has a reference line 50
running from left 29 to right 31 of said base structure and is
evenly distanced from said top portion 15 and bottom portion
17.
[0028] As further illustrated in FIGS. 1-2, the preferred
embodiment of the invention has a top portion 15 and a bottom
portion 17 having a surface area that can be conveniently used to
carry various items such as a notepad, pens, bottles, food,
accessories and the like. The outer perimeter of the tray 10 also
includes a plurality of slot-accessible circular openings 25. Each
of the slots 25 includes a narrow passage way 27 that allows
stemmed containers such as a stemmed wine glass or the like to pass
through and rest securely on the circular base rim 26 in an upright
or down right position. If the stemmed wine glass or the like is
inserted in an upright position through a slot 25, the bottom part
of the bowl is supported on the circular base rim 26 which helps to
prevent spillage and also helps to prevent the wine glass or the
like from falling off the tray 10. If the stemmed wine glass or the
like is inserted in a downright position through slot 25, the foot
of the wine glass or the like is supported on the front base
portion 11 of the tray 10. The slots 25 could also include a rubber
coating or the like, called a rubber coated rim 28, for securely
holding and padding the bowl or foot of a stemmed container for
added stability and control. The outer perimeter of the tray 10 can
also include a rubber coating covering the entire outer portion of
the tray.
[0029] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the tray 10 includes a base
structure having a back portion 12 that further includes a top
portion 15 and a bottom portion 17, and has a reference line 50
running from left 29 to right 31 of said base structure and is
evenly distanced from said top portion 15 and bottom portion 17.
The base structure of the tray 10 further includes an opening 23
that forms a handle 21 for gripping with four fingers and is
located just directly above the reference line 50.
[0030] As further illustrated in FIG. 3, the tray 10 can be
conveniently held by a user by positioning the backside 12 thereof
on the palm of the user's hand in a carrying position, located
approximately on or just below the reference line 50 and evenly
distanced from the left side 29 and right side 31 of the tray. The
tray 10 can also be conveniently held by either hand since it is
right hand/left hand interchangeable. Once the tray is positioned
on the palm of the user's hand, the user then inserts four fingers
through the opening 23 of the base structure gripping the handle 21
with the four fingers which adds further support and stability when
holding the tray 10 for serving purposes as illustrated in FIG. 5.
The rear portion of the tray 19 can also be supported on the
forearm of the user to add even further support and stability when
carrying items on the tray 10 for serving purposes.
[0031] As further illustrated in FIG. 3, the backside 12 of the
tray 10 also includes a plurality of protrusions 33 for preventing
the tray 10 from resting flat on a surface making it easy and
convenient to pick up the tray 10 when it is being stacked or
stored away on a flat surface. Moreover, alternative embodiments of
the invention allow the protrusions 33 to be positioned in various
locations on the backside 12 of the tray 10 without deviating from
the original intent of the invention as depicted in FIG. 6.
Similarly, the protrusions 33 can be positioned to connect to a
rubber coating covering the entire outer rim of the tray 10 as
depicted in FIG. 6.
[0032] As further illustrated in FIG. 3, the backside 12 of the
tray 10 also includes a wrist grip 35 preferably made of rubber
like material but can be made of any other type of material
preferred by the manufacturer of the tray 10. The handle 21 for
gripping is covered by the same rubber like material used on the
wrist grip 35 but can also be covered by any type of material
preferred by the manufacturer of the tray 10.
[0033] As illustrated in FIG. 5, the backside 12 of the tray
includes a universal thumb grip 37 surrounding the handle 21 and
preferably made of rubber like material for increased gripping
performance and stability control when carrying items on the tray
10 for serving purposes. Similarly, the universal thumb grip 37
could also be made of any other type of material preferred by the
manufacturer of the tray 10.
[0034] The various embodiments are disclosed in sufficient detail
to enable those skilled in the art to practice and use the
invention and are exemplary of the fact that other arrangements may
be employed in practicing the invention which has been set forth
herein for purposes of exemplification. It is understood that the
invention is not limited to the embodiments or illustrated drawings
set forth herein for descriptive purposes, but is to be limited
only by the scope of the attached claim or claims, including a full
range of equivalency to which each element thereof is entitled. It
is also to be understood that the phraseology and terminology
employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not
be regarded as limiting.
* * * * *