Abstract:
In some embodiments a cake caddy is disclosed that is placed over a cake and receives candles that would normally be place in the cake. Thus the cake caddy can prevent damage to the cake that would be caused by placing the candles in the cake. Additionally the cake caddy will prevent wax from light candles from landing on the cake and will protect the cake from bodily fluids and germs from individuals blowing out the candles. Other embodiments are otherwise disclosed herein.

Description:
PRIORITY  
       [0001]     This application claims the priority under 35 USC §119 of Provisional Application 60/617,176 entitled “Cake Caddy” filed on Oct. 8, 2004 and having P. Kevin McLemore as the inventor. Application 60/617,176 is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety but is not prior art.  
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     Baked birthday and celebratory cakes come in many shapes, sizes, flavors, and styles. Cakes may have no decorations, simple decorations, or very elaborate decorations. One thing in common with most birthday cakes is that they usually have birthday candles placed in them. While the candles are lit, a song is normally sung to the individual whose birthday it is. At the conclusion of the song, the individual normally blows the candle out. After that the cake is cut into smaller pieces and eaten.  
         [0003]     Placing birthday candles in the cake leaves holes in the cake. Thus, nicer pictures of the cake should be taken before the candles are placed in the cake. Moreover, the wax from the candles may melt onto the cake further affecting the appearance of the cake. The wax on the cake may also affect the taste of the cake. In addition, when the candles are blown out the germs of the individual may be transferred to the cake. In the case of birthday parties for children, the child may transfer saliva, mucus, and/or other bodily fluids on the cake as they attempt to blow the candles out. In fact, often at birthday parties multiple children assist in blowing the candles out and thus the germs of many children end up on the cake.  
         [0004]     After the cake is mark up by the candles, has waxed dripped on it, and has the germs of one or more individuals on it, it is normally served to the participants at the birthday party. As might be expected, eating a cake with the germs of others on it may not appeal to some individuals. Additionally, eating the cake may actually cause certain individuals to get sick.  
         [0005]     Thus, there is a need for a device that can protect a cake from the germs and/or bodily fluids of the one or more individuals blowing the candles out. The device should not obstruct the view of the cake or diminish the beauty of the cake in any manner. Moreover, there is a need for a device that can protect the cake from the dripping wax of the candles. Furthermore, there is a need for a device to protect the cake from the holes that are normally made in the cake by placing the candle(s) in the cake.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0006]     A device is provided that fits over a cake to protect the cake prior to the cake being eaten. The device includes a top surface and adjustable legs. The top surface goes over the cake and the adjustable legs can be used to adjust the height of the device. According to various different embodiments, the top surface may be made of a clear material so as not to obstruct the view of the cake; the top surface may be curved so as to provide more clearance in the center of the cake for decorations that may be contained thereon; the top surface has holes in it that can hold candles; the device may have multiple top surfaces so that it can be used for multiple different cake sizes and shapes; the top surface may be adjustable in size; the top surface may be capable of holding decorations; the device is made of a material that is easily cleanable and possibly dishwasher safe; the device may have built in light and/or music. The device may fit into a companion storage unit.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]     The features and advantages of the various embodiments will become apparent from the following detailed description in which:  
         [0008]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary cake caddy, according to one embodiment;  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  illustrates a bottom view of an exemplary cake caddy, according to one embodiment;  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of an exemplary cake caddy, according to one embodiment;  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary cake caddy placed over a cake, according to one embodiment; and  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  illustrates a top surface of an exemplary adjustable size cake caddy, according to one embodiment.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0013]      FIGS. 1-3  illustrate perspective, bottom and side views respectively of a cake caddy  100 . The cake caddy includes legs  110  and top surface  120 . The legs may include feet  130  to provide more surface area for supporting the cake caddy  100 . The legs  110  may be adjustable so that the cake caddy  100  can be used for cakes of varying height. As illustrated, the legs  110  are made up of several pieces that can be put together to make different heights. For example, each leg may be made up of three one-inch parts so that the legs can range from 1 to 3 inches. The parts may be made up of pieces of varying size so that the legs  110  can be a wider variety of heights. For example, if the three leg parts were one inch, two inches and three inches, the legs  110  could range from 1 inch to 6 inches (all three leg parts stacked consecutively). Alternatively, the legs  110  may be formed like a telescope where additional layers are maintained within a main body and can be extracted from the main body by turning the leg in a certain direction. The various embodiments are in no way intended to be limited to any particular type of legs, type of adjustable legs, or number of legs. Rather, as one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize, there are many different types of legs that would fall within the cope of the various embodiments of the cake caddy.  
         [0014]     The top surface  120  may be made from a lightweight material, such as plastic (e.g., styrene, acrylic, mylar). The top surface  120  should be rigid enough to protect the cake below. The top surface  120  may be made of a clear material so as to not obstruct the view of the cake. Alternatively, the top surface  120  may be made of a tinted or colored see-through material. The top surface  120  may be curved to provide more clearance for the cake and/or decorations that may be on the cake. The top surface  120  may include a side panel  140 . The side panel  140  may be simply for support or it may provide protection to the side of the cake.  
         [0015]     The top surface  120  may have holes  150  formed therein for holding candles. The holes  150  may protrude entirely through the top surface  120  or partially through. The holes  150  may be sized to hold one size candle (e.g., standard birthday candle) or may have varying sizes to hold different candle sizes and/or types (e.g., number candles that tend to have a larger base, sparklers that tend to have very skinny leg). With the candles placed in the holes  150  any wax dripping from the candles is captured by the top surface  120  and would not drip on the cake. As illustrated, there are many holes  150  aligned in circles of varying sizes. The various embodiments are in no way intended to be limited to the amount, size, shape, or configuration of the holes. Having multiple holes  150  allows for any number of candles to be placed on the top surface  120  in various configurations. This allows the cake caddy  100  to be used for birthday parties for any age, or for any other occasions where candles may be desired (e.g., anniversaries, retirement parties).  
         [0016]     The legs  110  may connect to the top surface  120  in any manner. The connection may be permanent or temporary. If the connection is temporary the legs  110  may slide, screw, or snap into the top surface  120 . The top surface  120  may have an orifice  160  for accepting the leg  110 . The orifice  160  may be formed in the bottom side of top surface  120 , the side wall  140 , or extend from the sidewall  140 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the orifices  160  extend from the sidewall  140 .  
         [0017]     The embodiments described with respect to  FIGS. 1-3  have illustrated the cake caddy  100  as having a round top surface. The various embodiments are in no manner intended to be limited thereby. Rather, the cake caddy could be any size or shape without departing from the scope. In fact, the cake caddy  100  may come with standard legs and multiple top surfaces that the legs  110  can be used with so that the cake caddy can support various different size and shape cakes. Standard cakes are often round, rectangular or ½ or whole sheet cakes so that the standard configuration may come with top surfaces to support at least some subset of these standard cakes.  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary cake caddy  400  covering a cake  410 . As illustrated, the cake caddy  400  covers the cake  410 . Candles  420  are placed in the cake caddy  400  so that the candles  420  don&#39;t make holes in the cake  410  and do not drip wax on the cake  410 . As should be understood, if an individual was blowing the candles  420  out the cake caddy  400  would provide protection to keep any germs or bodily fluids off the cake  410 .  
         [0019]     According to one embodiment the top surfaces  120  may be adjustable in size. The adjustment in size may entail adding leaves to the top  120  (much like a kitchen or dinning room table is extended).  FIG. 5  illustrates the top surface of an exemplary adjustable size cake caddy  500 . As illustrated, the cake caddy  500  is broken into two parts  510 ,  520  that connect together. Also included are leave(s)  530  that may be inserted between the two halves  510 ,  520  to extend the size of the cake caddy  500 . As one skilled in the art would know there are multiple means for connecting the halves  510 ,  520  and the leaves  530  that would be within the scope of the various embodiments described herein, such as sliding, screwing, or snapping. According to one embodiment, multiple leaves of varying size may be provided to offer the most options for extending the cake caddy  500 . For example, if 1, 2 and 3 inch leaves are provided that would enable the cake caddy to be extended between 1-6 inches by utilizing various combinations of leaves.  
         [0020]     According to one embodiment, the top surface is configured to support decorations in addition to candles. The top surface may have additional holes provided therein to hold the decorations or may be made of a non-slip or sticky material so that the decorations can be placed on the top surface and will not fall off.  
         [0021]     According to one embodiment, the cake caddy is provided with lighting that can be used to illuminate the cake or add to the decorations. The power for the lighting may be provided by a battery contained within the cake caddy or by a cord that is connected to the cake caddy and can be plugged into a power source. The lighting may be such that a portion of the entire top surface lights up, or it may be such that individual lights (same or different colored) light up on different portions of the caddy. The cake caddy may be configured in such a manner that a user can select what light or lights are used for each occasion.  
         [0022]     According to one embodiment, the cake caddy may have power so that devices plugged therein can operate in some fashion. For example, power may be provided to certain holes on the top surface so that devices plug therein may operate. For example, candlelights may be placed in the appropriate holes on the cake to give the appearance of lit candles. As one skilled in the art would recognize, more complex decorations utilizing the power provided by the cake caddy would be within the scope. For example, a miniature racetrack or moving figurines could be placed on the appropriate place on the cake caddy.  
         [0023]     According to one embodiment, the cake caddy may include a musical device that is capable of playing certain songs (e.g., Happy Birthday). The cake caddy can be powered by a battery located somewhere on the cake caddy or by a plug that connects to a power source.  
         [0024]     According to one embodiment, the cake caddy is made of a material that is easy to clean and dishwasher safe.  
         [0025]     The many features and advantages of the various embodiments are apparent from the detailed specification. Thus, the appended claims are intended to cover all such features and advantages of the various embodiments that fall within the true spirit and scope of the various embodiments. Furthermore, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the various embodiments to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described. Accordingly, all appropriate modifications and equivalents may be included within the scope of the various embodiments.  
         [0026]     Although the various embodiments have been illustrated by reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made which clearly fall within the scope. The embodiments intend to broadly protect within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.