Abstract:
A food product is disclosed and the product includes a body which may be a packaging containing or be formed of one or more edible elements. The body or each of said one or more edible elements having means for hanging the body on a food vessel. The body or each of the edible elements can have interconnectable pieces with one of the pieces provided with the hanging means.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     THIS INVENTION relates to an improved food product having a body configured so that it can be supported on a food vessel.  
         [0002]     This invention also relates to an improved food product for facilitating using the food product for dipping and/or gathering other food item(s) thereon.  
         [0003]     This invention further relates to a holder device for holding one or more articles.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     Food products such as sliced bread, toasts, dry biscuits, confectionery in the form of chocolate bars, jubes, and lollies, sausages and other finger foods are generally eaten while being held with fingers.  
         [0005]     When such food products are served with drinks at a function they are usually placed on plates or in bowls for people at the function to take them for consumption. The food products on the plates or in the bowls are either presented to persons personally or placed on a table for any person to take. Following taking of the food products these people will not have a free hand as they need to use one hand to hold the drink containers and the other hand to hold the food products. Many people habitually use hand gestures for emphasising purposes during conversation. Without a free hand they are hindered to some extent during conversation. As another example, when a person holds two glasses of drinks, he/she does not have a free hand. In this circumstance, it is not possible to take snack foods at the same time.  
         [0006]     Likewise, young children when holding a cup or glass of hot or cold drink with one hand and a food product with the other hand, are prone to spill the drinks as at their ages their hands are usually not sufficiently large to hold the cups or glasses steadily. Accordingly, it would be desirable for the children to hold the cups or glasses with both hands at least occasionally in order to ensure that the drinks do not spill. If the children are yet to be sufficiently steady when standing or walking, they would need a free hand to hold onto a fixed structure or a person in order to help balancing. Without a free hand and to attempt prevent falling, the children would tend to grasp onto a fixed structure or a person. This would soil the fixed structure or person as the children would inevitably keep holding the food product while using the food product holding hand for grasping. If there is no structure or person to hold on to, the children with a free hand will fall in a relatively safer manner as they would be able use their free hands to reduce the impact of falling.  
         [0007]     Some of these food products are used to gather other food items such as sauce or dips for eating together with the food products. The food products known to the applicant are generally in the form of a circular, oval or rectangular shaped disk. When using the food products to gather such food items the food products are held between the thumb and the fore finger of one hand and are pushed forwardly and downwardly into the food items to gather a certain amount of them onto the food products before lifting the food products off the foot items by turning the wrist of that hand and lifting the arm. People suffering from arthritis in the wrist joints or other wrist problems find it difficult to perform such actions. Such action also prone to cause accidental contact of the fingers with the food items.  
         [0008]     As referred to above, the abovementioned food products are generally placed in a container such as a plate, a tray or a bowl, for people to pick therefrom. The food products may be arranged in stacks or close to each other. When taking a piece of the food products it is difficult to avoid contacting another piece of the food products in the container. If the food products are a mixture of different types, people would like to choose the ones they prefer to eat. Having food products of different types therefore would multiple by many folds the chances of a person in choosing a particular type of the products to contact food products remaining on the container.  
         [0009]     If the food products are relatively small such as chocolate blocks, jubes, jelly beans, lollies, nuts, small pieces of biscuits or cakes, and the like, it is desirable that they can be placed somewhere when one wants to have a free hand while the other hand is holding a drink or food container.  
         [0010]     Dough for making a cake, biscuits or bread, and meat for making sausages such as salami and the like undergo a heating process before they are edible. The dough and the meat are usually in a lump form and are difficult to heat evenly. If the temperatures set for the heating processes are too high, the inner portion of the dough or the meat may be still raw when outer portion thereof is cooked. Conversely, the heating process will take too long. In either case, the differential of the heat received by the outer and the inner portions is large and the two portions of the dough or meat are not cooked evenly.  
         [0011]     In cafes and restaurants, toasts are made by firstly slicing a loaf of bread and then placing the slices of bread on a hot plate or in an oven. As the slices have thin edges around broad faces, they are positioned with one of the broad faces on the hot plate or on a rack in the oven. When a hot plate is used for toasting, the slices of bread need to be turned so that both faces are toasted When an oven is used for toasting, one face tends to be crispier than the opposite face.  
         [0012]     The applicant has observed that at many home and office functions, and in some self-serviced eating establishments, materials for making drinks like cups, coffee and tea, tea spoons, sugar, etc. are placed on a table. Guests wanting to have a drink must wait in turn to get to the table to take the appropriate materials therefrom for making the drink. As a consequence, a large number of the guests would be around the table waiting to get the materials to make drinks. The waiting periods can be considerable and many of the waiting guests would give tip the hope of getting a hot drink.  
       OBJECT OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]     An object of the present invention is to provide a food product which alleviates or reduces to a certain level one or more of the above disadvantages.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     In a first aspect, although it need not be the only or the broadest aspect, the invention resides in a food product adapted to hang from a food vessel having an inner wall and an external wall which terminates in a top rim. The food product preferably includes a body and a first hook. The first hook is preferably formed by an indentation at one end of the body. The hook is formed with a free end inturned toward die body to attach the product to the vessel and provide three spaced contact points. A first contact point will be between the free end and the inner wall, a second contact point is between the top rim and the indentation and a third contact point is between the body and the external walls.  
         [0015]     Preferably the third contact point is below the free end of the first contact point although it may be higher and may even be within the indentation.  
         [0016]     In one embodiment, the food product includes a second hook formed in a similar manner to the first hook but spaced therefrom. Preferably the first hook and second hook are each disposed at opposite ends of the body.  
         [0017]     The food product may be formed in the shape of a fictional or real character. It may be formed as a likeness to a plant, scenery, a work tool, building structure and a vehicle or any other suitable shape. If the food product is a real or created character, the hook or hooks may be formed by one or more appendages. The food product may include a space created in the body and adapted to receive a handle of a food vessel. The food product may be formed from any one or more of biscuit, bread, cake, sausage or chocolate or other suitable material.  
         [0018]     In one embodiment, the food product may be formed by two or more interconnectable elements. These elements may be formed in a jigsaw type pattern.  
         [0019]     The food product may comprise one or more through holes. These through holes may have a beneficial effect during manufacture.  
         [0020]     The food product may be formed as a ladder having a second hook spaced from the first hook with both hooks adapted to hang from the top rim of the food vessel. The ladder may be adapted to receive and support further hanging food elements.  
         [0021]     The invention extends to a system for storing a food product on an elongate member which extends substantially horizontally. The elongate member may be supported by two or more spaced legs with upper ends extending from the elongate member and lower ends adapted to rest on a surface such as a table. The system includes at least one food product according to the present invention arranged on the member. The elongate member may be fixed to a rail of a display unit.  
         [0022]     In some circumstances, the food product may be formed from a block of edible material wherein slicing the block of edible material, preferably transversely, provides the food product.  
         [0023]     The invention also extends to a method of forming a food product adapted to hang from a food vessel. The method comprises the step of forming a body and then forming the indentation to provide a first hook substantially as described above. The method may include the step of turning an end member about a pin to a desired configuration.  
         [0024]     In a further aspect therefore, the present invention resides in a food product including a body which contains or is formed of one or more edible elements and the body or each of said one or more edible elements having means for hanging the body on a food vessel.  
         [0025]     In this specification, the term “food vessel” wherever used is to be taken to include a drinks vessel and/or a food vessel.  
         [0026]     In another aspect therefore the present invention resides in a food product including a body having a first member with a first free end and a second member with a second free end, the first and second members being joined together or formed integrally in a manner that the first member extending divergently from the second member. The first and second members are configured so that when a person holding one of the first and second ends the other of said first and second ends or first and second members presents a distinct surface for gathering food items or for dipping in drinks in an open food vessel.  
         [0027]     The body may be a packaging for containing the one or more edible elements. The packaging can be in the form of a casing having two interconnectable packaging halves.  
         [0028]     The body may also be formed of two or more edible elements which are configured for interlocking relationship between two adjacent elements, and at least one of the element including the hanging means.  
         [0029]     The body may be a block of edible material and the one or more edible elements can be slices obtained by slicing the block. The block can be a loaf of bread, or shaped dough for making into bread, cake, or biscuit, or a cooked or uncooked sausage.  
         [0030]     The body preferably has a first member with a first free end and a second member with a second free end, the first and second members being joined together or formed integrally in a manner that the first member extending divergently or in a substantially opposite direction from the second member. The first and second members are configured so that at least one of the first and second ends forming the hanging means for hanging the body on the food vessel. Typically, the hanging means is formed with an indentation. For this aspect, it is also preferred that at least one of said first and second ends or members presents a distinct surface for gathering food items or for dipping in drinks in an open container. Advantageously, the first and second members are configured so that when the food product is hung on a wall or a handle of the food vessel, an edge of the member remote from the indentation is in contact with said wall or said handle. This configuration provides increased stability to the food product when being supported on the food vessel. The indentation(s) may be in any shape but it is preferred that it is hook-shaped.  
         [0031]     The angle of divergence between the first and second members can be any angle within the range of 30° to 170°. In one specific form the angle of divergence is 145°.  
         [0032]     The body may have a mid region and the first and second members extend divergently or in a substantially opposite direction from the mid region. Advantageously, the mid region is shaped so that a person may hold on to a part of said mid region when eating food items gathered on one of or both said first and second ends. The food items gathered on said first and second ends may be different so that a person does not need to use different food products for gathering food items.  
         [0033]     At least said one of the first and second members is advantageously shaped so that it has a relatively narrow width at its free end and the width increases progressively towards its opposite end. Typically both said first and second members are shaped so that each of them has a relatively narrow width at its free end and the width increases progressively towards its opposite end. In an example the body is shaped substantially in the form of a shallow V. In another example the body is shaped substantially in the form of a boomerang.  
         [0034]     The distinct surface of the food product according to the present invention enables and encourages people using it to gather food items to do it with a spreading action that requires no or little wrist action. Accordingly, people with wrist problems can use it to gather food items comfortably.  
         [0035]     When the food product is supported on a food vessel, the person has a free hand for gesturing during communication. It also offers the convenience of providing a free hand to stabilise the holder when travelling or using stairs etc.  
         [0036]     The food product may be in the form of a dry biscuit (savoury or sweet), or a cake, or a piece of bread, or sweets, or a chocolate bar, or a sausage.  
         [0037]     One or more of the first member and the second member can be configured so that the food product can be supported about a handle of a food or drink vessel. Preferable, the first member is configured with a single indentation along the edge, and the indentation is shaped for resting over the top part of the handle. More preferably, the second member is configured so that it can rest On the lower part of the handle.  
         [0038]     In one form, the second member is shaped so that it extends into the handle. In another form, the second member has an indentation shaped to receive the lower part of the handle.  
         [0039]     The body and/or the food element(s) of the food product may be formed in the shape of a real or created character and/or plant and/or scenery and/or work tool, and/or building structure, and/or vehicle. The body and/or the food element(s) of the food product may be formed as interconnectable pieces which when fully connected would represent a real or created character and/or plant and/or scenery and/or work tool, and/or building structure, and/or vehicle.  
         [0040]     In another further aspect therefore the present invention relates to a holding system for one or more of the food products as hereinbefore described. The system includes an elongated member arranged to extend in a horizontal direction, and the elongated member being configured to cooperate with the hanging means of the food product(s) to thereby allow hanging of the food products there about.  
         [0041]     The elongated member may have a fixing arrangement at one end thereof for fixing the elongated member to a rail of a display unit Alternately, the holding system may have vertically arranged spaced legs with upper ends thereof extending from the elongated member and lower ends thereof adapted to rest on a surface, whereby the elongated member is supported above the surface. Typically, the elongated member and the spaced legs are formed of a bent wire.  
         [0042]     In a yet further aspect therefore the present invention resides in a holder device for holding one or more articles. The holder device  100  has a body with a receptacle section for holding the article(s) and a support section configured for supporting on a part of a food or drink vessel.  
         [0043]     The article(s) may include any article(s) that need to be used with the vessel. The article(s) may be a tooth brush(es), and/or tooth paste container(s); or a spoon(s), and any of sugar, tea, coffee, or biscuits.  
         [0044]     The receptacle section may have a base with apertures for draining liquid in the receptacle section.  
         [0045]     The support section may have one or more support hooks for hanging on the a part of the vessel.  
         [0046]     The receptacle section may have one or more compartments for accommodating the article(s).  
         [0047]     The holder device may also have a leg section for positioning the device on a surface. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OR THE DRAWINGS  
       [0048]     In order that the present invention can be more readily understood and be put into practical effect reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate embodiments of the present invention and wherein:— 
         [0049]      FIG. 1  is a schematic plan view showing one application of an embodiment of the food product according to the present invention;  
         [0050]      FIG. 2  is a schematic plan view showing another application of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0051]      FIG. 3  shows the food product shown in  FIG. 1  with different food items at its ends;  
         [0052]      FIG. 4  shows a person holding the food product shown in  FIG. 3  and in the process of presenting one end of the food product for eating;  
         [0053]      FIG. 5  is a schematic plan view showing a further application of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0054]      FIG. 6  is a schematic plan view showing a second embodiment of the food product according to the present invention;  
         [0055]      FIG. 7  is a schematic plan view showing a third embodiment of the food product according to the present invention;  
         [0056]      FIG. 8  is a schematic plan view showing a fourth embodiment of the food product according to the present invention;  
         [0057]     FIGS.  9  to  11  show further embodiments of the food product according to the present invention;  
         [0058]      FIG. 12  is a schematic perspective view showing yet another embodiment of the food product according to the present invention;  
         [0059]      FIG. 13  shows an application of the food product shown in  FIG. 12 ;  
         [0060]      FIG. 14  shows an embodiment of the food product according to the present invention that can be hung on the handle or about the top edge of a drink container;  
         [0061]      FIG. 15  is a side view of the embodiment of the food product shown in  FIG. 14   
         [0062]      FIGS. 16 and 17  are respective plan and side views of yet another further embodiment of the food product according to the present invention;  
         [0063]      FIG. 18  shows an application of the embodiment of the food product shown in  FIGS. 16 and 17 ;  
         [0064]     FIGS.  19  to  21  some embodiments of novelty type food products according to the present invention;  
         [0065]     FIGS.  22  shows steps in making a food product according to the present invention;  
         [0066]      FIG. 23  shows another form of the product that can be made using the steps shown in  FIG. 22 ;  
         [0067]     FIGS.  24  shows a sliceable food product according to the present invention;  
         [0068]      FIG. 25  is a holding system for holding an embodiment of the food product according to the present invention;  
         [0069]      FIG. 26  is another holding system for holding a boxed embodiment of the food product according to the present invention;  
         [0070]      FIG. 27  shows a boxed food product according to the present invention in an open stage;  
         [0071]      FIG. 28  shows an application of the boxed embodiment of the food product according to the present invention;  
         [0072]      FIG. 29  shows an application of an embodiment of the food product having connectable food elements according to the present invention;  
         [0073]      FIG. 30  shows a plan view of an embodiment of a holder device according to the present invention; and  
         [0074]      FIG. 31  shows a plan view of another embodiment of a holder device according to the present invention;  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0075]     Referring to the Figures and initially to  FIG. 1 , there is shown an embodiment of the food product  10  according to the present invention. The food product  10  in this embodiment is in the from of a savoury biscuit and comprises a body having a first member  12  and a second member  14  formed integrally with the first member  12 . The members  12  and  14  are arranged together form a planar face  16 , a planar face  18  (see  FIG. 2 ) opposite to the face  16 , and a continuous edge  20  around the faces  16  and  18 .  
         [0076]     The members  12  and  14  diverge from each other at an angle of about 145° and have a width that increases progressively from their respective free ends towards the middle of the body. As such the body is a substantially boomerang shaped disk.  
         [0077]     In use, a person holds the free end of either member  12  or member  14  for gathering food items such as a sauce or a savoury dip onto a part of the face  16  or  18  remote from the member  12  or  14  being held.  FIG. 1  illustrates the member  12  of the biscuit  10  being held between the thumb and fore finger of the person&#39;s right hand and a long part of the edge  20  of the member  14  is just about to be spread across a savoury dip  50  in a dish  52  for gathering an amount of the dip  50  onto the surface  16 . As can be seen in  FIG. 1  said long part of the edge  20  is substantially horizontal and the spreading action requires no or little wrist action. As such, people suffering from wrist problem such as arthritis can use the biscuit  10  for gathering the dip  50  without pain. As the member  12  is divergent and remote to the member  14 , and the spreading action is across the dip  50 , there is little risk that the person&#39;s hand will come in contact with the dip  50 . In addition, as the long part of the edge  20  is substantial in length, there is no need to insert too much of the body into the dip  50  in order to gather sufficient dip  50  onto the biscuit  10  for consumption.  
         [0078]      FIG. 2  shows the biscuit  10  being used to gather the dip  50  with the part of the edge  20  at the free end of the member  14 . Again the gathering action is by spreading the free end part of the edge  20  across the dip  50 . There is no or little need to use the turn wrist for this spreading action. There is also little risk of the hand contacting the dip  50  while gathering the dip  50  onto the face  18 , in this case.  
         [0079]     The biscuit  10  has a mid portion  26  as shown in  FIG. 3  for a person to hold onto when it is desired to gather food items  50  on both free ends. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the person holds the biscuit  10  at a part of the mid portion  26  while presenting the food item  50  on any one of the free ends for eating. This allows the person to use the same biscuit  1   0  to gather different food items  50  without the risk of mixing the different food items  50 . It also saves the person who has just tasted a food item  50  and desires to taste a different food item  50  from having to go back to take another biscuit  10  to gather the different food item  50 .  
         [0080]     In  FIG. 5 , the biscuit  10  is shown being dipped in a drink  53  within a mug  54 . In this application, the hand is at a certain distance from the top of the drink  53 . Accordingly, there is little risk of contacting the drink  53 . This helps to avoid scalding to children or the elderly if the drink  53  is hot.  
         [0081]     Turning to  FIG. 6 , the biscuit  10  in this embodiment has hanging means which in this embodiment are formed by two opposed indentations  22  along the edge  20 .The indentations  22  in this embodiment is substantially hook shaped but they can be any shape as long as one of them can be supported over the top rim of the mug  54  (or any food or drink vessel). The indentations  22  are shaped so that when one the indentations is supported on the top rim of the mug  54  a part of the edge  20  comes into contact with the external surface of the wail of the mug  54 , thereby the biscuit  10  is substantially steadily supported in that position. Therefore there is no need to serve biscuits on a plate or bowl. At the same time the person can hold the mug  54  with the biscuit  10  supported thereon with one hand, while the other hand is free to gesture while communicating.  
         [0082]     In  FIG. 7 , the indentations  22  and the free ends of the first and second members  12  and  14  of the biscuit  10  are configured so that when one the indentations is supported on the top rim of the mug  54  the tip  28  of the adjacent free end also contacts the inner surface of the wall of the mug  54 . The configuration provides an even more stable support for the biscuit  10  as the biscuit  10  has three contact points with the mug  54 .  
         [0083]     The embodiment of the food product  10  shown in  FIG. 8  is a biscuit which has a first member  12  and a second member  14  formed with a substantially straight central portion  13 . The members  12  and  14  are bent towards the central portion  13  so that the regions between the respective members  12  and  14 , and the portion  13 , form hanging means for hanging onto a food container such as the mug  54  shown in  FIG. 8 .  
         [0084]     In FIGS.  9  to  11 , the biscuit  10  has its first member  12  and its second member  14 , configured so that it can be supported on about the handle  56  (shown in cross-section). As can be seen the first member  12  is substantially similar to the first member  12  described in the preceding embodiments. In this regard, the first member  12  of each of the biscuits  10  shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10  is configured with a single indentation  22  along the edge  20 .The indentations  22  in this embodiment is substantially hook shaped but can be any shape as long it can be supported over the top part of the handle  56  of the mug  54  (or any food or drink vessel). The second member  14  of the biscuit  10  in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , however, does not have an indentation, and is configured so that it can rest on the lower part of the handle  56 .  
         [0085]     In  FIG. 10 , the second member  14  is shaped so that it extends into the handle.  
         [0086]     In  FIG. 11 , the second member  12  also has an indentation  22  shaped to receive the lower part of the handle  54 .  
         [0087]     The embodiment of the food product  10  shown in  FIG. 12  is a variation of the one shown in  FIG. 8  as it also has a substantially straight portion  13  formed between a first end member  12  and a second end member  14 . Each of the end members  12  and  14  is formed with a slightly curved recess or indentation  22  and a through hole  23 . The through holes  23  reduces the thickness of the members  12  and  14  and allow hot air to flow through to thereby providing substantially even temperature to all parts of the product  10  during a baking process. This ensures that all parts are cooked in about the same time.  FIG. 13  shows the product  10  of  FIG. 12  being supported about the rim of s mug  54 . As can be seen, a substantial surface of the central portion  13  is in contact with the mug  54 . This adds to support stability.  
         [0088]      FIGS. 14 and 15  show a substantially V-shaped food product  10  according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the first and second end members  12  and  14  are relatively long and extend in a substantially parallel direction from the central portion  13 . The central portion  13  is bent to form a recess  22  for hanging about the rim of a mug  54 . The space between the members  12  and  14  can receive the handle of the mug  54  for supporting the food product  10  as shown in  FIG. 14 .  
         [0089]      FIGS. 16 and 17  shows a variation of the embodiment of the food product shown in  FIG. 8 . In this variation, the end members  12  and  14  are relatively narrower. An application of the food product  10  shown in  FIGS. 16 and 17  is shown in  FIG. 18 .  
         [0090]     In  FIG. 19 , the food product  10  is formed in the shape of a bear, with the bear body constituting the central portion  13  and a bent arm as an end member  12  and a bent leg as the end member  14 . In the application as shown, the arm  12  is hung about the rim of a mug  54 .  
         [0091]     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 20 , the food product  70  is in the form of two animals, a bear and a koala hanging on a ladder and the ladder has bent upper ends as the hanging means for hanging the product  10  as shown.  
         [0092]      FIG. 21  illustrates the manners of supporting animal shaped food products  10  about the mug  54 . As can be seen, the bent arm  12  and the bent leg  14  of the animal shaped food products  10  are placed over the rim of the mug  54  for hanging about the mug  54 .  
         [0093]     In  FIG. 22 , the top drawing shows a flat dough for a biscuit  10 . At this stage, the end members  12  and  14  are flat and in the same plan as the middle portion. To bend the end members  12  and  14 , pins (not shown) of a suitable size are placed inwardly of the respective ends of the dough  10  and the end members  12  and  14  are turned about the pins to form the shaped as shown in the middle drawing of  FIG. 22 . The bottom drawing in this Figure is a plan view of the dough  10  following bending of the end members  12  and  14 .  
         [0094]      FIG. 23  shows a variation of the food product  10  with one bent end member  12  instead of two as shown in  FIG. 22 .  
         [0095]      FIG. 24  shows an embodiment of the food product  10  in the form of a loaf of bread. The bread  10  has a central portion  13  and bent end members  12  and  14  as shown. The loaf of bread  10  can be can be cut into slices for hanging on a holding system  60  as shown in  FIG. 25 . The system  60  has a horizontal wire member  62  and two legs  64  and  66 . Lower ends of the legs  64  and  66  form respective feet  68  and  70  for supporting the system  60  on a surface. All parts of the system  60  are formed with a single wire.  
         [0096]     It should be noted that a bread dough for the loaf of bread  10  shown in  FIG. 24  can be hung in an oven when being baked. As only a small surface area of the dough is in contact with a wire support, more surface area of the dough is in contact with the hot air during baking. The indentations  22  and the shape of the dough allows a substantially even baking temperature to all parts of the dough and thereby the bread  10  is relatively evenly cooked.  
         [0097]      FIG. 26  shows a number of food products  10  being hung about a bar  62  of a display system  60 .  FIG. 27  shows one of the food products  10  shown in  FIG. 26 . This product  10  has a casing with a first end member  12  and a second end member  14  between which is a central portion  13 . Indentations  22  are provided between the end members  12  and  14  and the central portion  13  as shown. For hanging the product  10 , one of the indentations  22  is placed over the bar  62  as shown in  FIG. 26 . The casing has a base with a compartment for containing food elements of the food product  10  and a cover for closing the base.  
         [0098]      FIG. 28  shows a food product of  FIG. 27  being hung about a mug  54 .  
         [0099]      FIG. 29  shows an embodiment of the food product  10  which is made up of a number of interconnectable food elements. One or more of the food elements have a bent end member so that the food product can be hung about a drink container.  
         [0100]     Referring now to  FIG. 30 , there is shown a holder device  100  for holding one or more articles  110  such as tooth brushes, and tooth paste containers; spoons, sugar, tea, coffee, or biscuits. The holder device  100  has a body  102  with a receptacle section  104  for holding the article(s) and a support section  106  configured for supporting on a part of a food or drink vessel such as a drink mug  54 . The receptacle section  104  has a base with apertures  108  so that liquid in the receptacle  104  section can drain therefrom.  
         [0101]     The support section  106  shown in  FIG. 30  has a single support hook for hanging on the top rim of the mug  54  In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 10 , two such support hooks are provided.  
         [0102]     The receptacle section  104  shown in  FIG. 31  has two compartments, one for article(s)  110  in the form of spoon(s), and the other is for sugar, tea bags and coffee in bags. In this embodiment, the device  100  also has a leg section  112  so that the device  100  can stand on a surface.  
         [0103]     Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example of the present invention many variations and modifications thereto will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the broad ambit and scope of the invention as herein set forth.