Patent ID: 6824002
Filing Date: 2004-11-30
Classification: A47G

Abstract:
A hand-held corrugated-fiberboard support fixture for supporting a beverage container and for supporting a food plate having an approximately three inch diameter central hole, said support fixture comprising:a generally flat planar plate-support platform cut from a sheet of double-face corrugated fiberboard, said platform having a lower surface and an upper surface and an inner edge defining a circular hole of predetermined size and a closed outer edge enclosing a surface area ranging between 15 to 300 square inches, said upper surface disposed to support a food plate; a radially-symmetric cylindrical assembly having a lower end and an upper end and having a corrugated cylindrical outer surface disposed to be partially surrounded and gripped by the fingers and thumb of one hand, said cylindrical assembly further including: a circular cylinder having a lower end and an upper end, said cylinder being a cylinder wall formed from an inner wrap and an over-lying narrower outer wrap of a single strip of single-face corrugated fiberboard, said cylinder wall having an outer corrugated surface with flutes running axially in the direction from lower end to upper end and an inner surface defining a central lumen of predetermined diameter, the upper end of said cylinder wall inner surface disposed to surround a lower portion of a beverage container, the lower end of said cylinder wall inner surface abruptly reduced in diameter by a folded-over ear of said inner wrap thereby forming an inner lip and ledge, said inner wrap protruding beyond said narrower outer wrap at the upper end of said cylinder wall to form a hub passing beyond a shoulder formed by the upper edge of said outer wrap, said hub disposed to fit through said circular hole in said plate-support platform and through a central hole in a supported food plate, said shoulder disposed to abut said plate-support platform lower surface; a generally flat planar round lower bulkhead disk of predetermined diameter having a lower surface and an upper surface and a circular outer edge, said circular outer edge disposed to be surrounded by said cylinder wall inner surface, said lower surface disposed to be supported by said cylinder wall ledge, said upper surface disposed to support an axial spacer; an axial spacer having a lower surface and an upper surface, disposed to be surrounded by said cylinder wall inner surface, said lower surface disposed to be supported by said lower bulkhead disk upper surface, said spacer upper surface disposed to support an upper bulkhead disk a predetermined distance above said lower bulkhead disk; a generally flat planar round upper bulkhead disk of predetermined diameter having a lower surface and an upper surface and a circular outer edge, said circular outer edge disposed to be surrounded by said cylinder wall inner surface, said lower surface disposed to be supported by said axial spacer, said upper surface disposed to axially support a beverage container; and elastic means, surrounding said cylinder wall, for squeezing said inner wrap of single-face corrugated fiberboard between said outer wrap of single-face corrugated fiberboard and said outer edges of said lower and upper bulkhead disks.