Patent ID: 6986308
Filing Date: 2006-01-17
Classification: A47G

Abstract:
1. A food service and dining tray for use in providing appetite stimulus to the person receiving food on it, particularly bedridden, weakened, and impaired people, through visual and physical enhancement of the food and its presentation, said food service and dining tray comprising, a smooth and substantially planar upper tray surface configured for promoting secure adhesion of high-friction-material; opposing end panels upwardly depending from said upper tray surface, with each said end panel having sturdy handle means adapted for controlled transport of said upper tray surface in a substantially horizontally-extending orientation when it supports food items and tableware so as to maintain food items and tableware in their originally established positions relative to said upper tray surface subsequent to transport; two opposing perimeter rims upwardly depending from said upper tray surface, with each of said rims having a first end contiguous with one of said opposing end panels and a second end contiguous with the other of said opposing end panels, said perimeter rims having a height dimension less than that of said opposing end panels; a substantially planar high-friction mat having a maximum surface area no larger than that of said upper tray surface, said mat being capable of maintaining tableware items in their originally established positions during dining and transport, said mat also being sufficiently flexible for rolling into a compact storage configuration; and a yielding bottom portion substantially filled with inert, non-toxic, non-allergenic, and lightweight soft fill material configured and positioned so that said yielding bottom portion is able to conform to the configuration of the surfaces and laps upon which it is placed, and also comfortably support the combined weight of said upper tray surface, said opposing end panels, said perimeter rims, and said high-friction mat, as well as any supported tableware, when said food service and dining tray is placed upon the lap of the person dining from it.