Plate and glass assembly

A plate and glass assembly in which a single hand may be used to support both the plate and glass. According to one embodiment, a plate has a food-receiving surface and a bottom surface. A layer of non-slip material is adapted to be interposed between the bottom surface and a mouth of a beverage container when the plate is placed atop the mouth.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to food plates and beverage containers (i.e. 
glasses) and, in particular, to a plate and glass assembly that enables a 
user to hold both the plate and glass simultaneously with only one hand. 
2. Description of the Related Art 
Plates and glasses are often used to serve food and beverages. As used in 
this application, the term "plate" refers to any standard means for 
holding food, such as a typical plate or dish having a substantially flat 
surface and bottom and a rim, and also includes items such as trays, 
platters, or other devices upon which food may be placed and that are 
small enough to be held with one hand. Plates may be constructed of any 
material suitable for holding food, and have a top or food-receiving 
surface or side and a lower or bottom surface or side. As used in this 
application, the term "glass" refers to any type of beverage container, 
typically of cylindrical shape with a circular-shaped mouth, and includes 
stemmed and non-stemmed standard glasses as well as beverage cans and cups 
used to hold beverages. Glasses may be constructed of any material 
suitable for holding a beverage, such as glass, plastic, metal, or china. 
In the case of a beverage can, for example, the can typically has a 
cylindrical shape and a circular-shaped rim or mouth at the top end, as 
well as a drink opening hole just below the mouth. 
Food and beverages are consumed by humans in a variety of social settings 
or functions. For example, in parties or other social functions, food and 
drink are often served in a buffet setting in which there is little or no 
access to tables or to a suitable place to rest plates and/or glasses. 
This causes difficulties, since one hand is needed to hold the plate and 
the other hand used to eat, making it difficult to also hold the glass. 
Those foods requiring the use of utensils are particularly difficult to 
handle. This may cause food to be spilled and/or drink to be spilled. 
Additionally, in social or business functions, it is often desirable to 
engage in customary greetings involving the shaking of hands or the 
exchange of business cards. Holding a plate and a beverage container while 
trying to consume the food and also participate in the normal conduct of 
greeting and exchanging business cards is very awkward. 
One placed in this situation may decide to forego the food and simply 
drink, or alternatively to forego the drink and content oneself with the 
food. Alternatively, one may consume both the drink and the food but do so 
sequentially, i.e., finish doing one before starting the other, rather 
than doing both more or less simultaneously as would be most desirable. 
Participants in such functions or situations also typically resort to 
other practices in an effort to cope with the aforementioned problem, such 
as: 
placing food or drink onto furniture not designed for that purpose (e.g. 
pianos, mantel, fine furniture, etc.), or even onto the floor, which may 
require the user bending down and placing the glass on the floor while 
eating food from the plate; 
holding the plate and drink container with one hand, which may cause one or 
both to be dropped or food or beverage spilled; 
placing the drink container on the plate; or 
placing the plate on the drink container. 
None of these solutions has proved to be entirely satisfactory. Furniture 
can be easily ruined by the activity described above. Holding a plate and 
drink with one hand may be possible, but is usually difficult and results 
in an unstable arrangement, since a glass placed on a plate or a plate 
placed on a glass is typically unstable. Thus, resorting to these coping 
tactics can create an uncomfortable feeling for fear of losing control and 
spilling food and drink, often in a setting where such an accident can be 
quite embarrassing. 
There is thus a widely recognized need for a convenient and inexpensive 
means for addressing this problem, i.e. for simultaneously holding a plate 
and a glass while using only one hand, thereby freeing the other hand to 
carry out such tasks as manipulating a fork or shaking hands in greeting. 
These problems may be collectively referred to herein, for convenience, as 
the "buffet problem." Various techniques have been utilized in an attempt 
to address this problem. A number of these techniques involve mechanically 
securing the plate to the glass or the glass to the plate. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,820, issued Oct. 29, 1991 to Boerner, for example, 
discloses a plate the bottom surface of which is modified so as to include 
one or more members capable of extending downward from the bottom of the 
plate and fitting over or along a beverage container and which may be 
grasped with the same hand used for grasping the beverage container. 
However, the protruding members may be aesthetically unpleasing or 
otherwise undesirable, or difficult to manipulate. Setting down a plate 
having protruding members may be difficult, for example, since the plate 
may no longer have a sufficiently flat bottom surface. 
Additionally, in the prior art devices in which the glass is held securely 
to the plate, such as Boerner, there is a possibility of upsetting the 
plate if the drink container is stuck or otherwise held tightly to the 
plate. For example, with the system taught in Boerner, it can be difficult 
to switch from eating to drinking since, when removing the glass from the 
member on the bottom of the plate, the user must manipulate the fingers of 
one hand from holding onto the tabs and glass to just holding the glass 
while grasping the plate with the other hand. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,028, issued Mar. 8, 1994 to Patterson, describes a 
plate assembly having a glass holder formed on the underside thereof, 
where the plate assembly comprises a plate holder adapted to hold a 
separate disposable plate. One disadvantage of Patterson's assembly is 
that a separate plate holder is required in addition to the plate, and the 
glass holder formed thereunder may not be aesthetically appropriate in 
some settings. Additionally, the glass holder may make it difficult to set 
down the assembly when one is done using it. 
Patterson also describes various previously-proposed assemblies for 
eliminating the need to use both hands to carry a plate and a glass. One 
such assembly is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,240,020, issued Apr. 29, 1941 to 
Raiser. That assembly includes a plate having a central aperture for a cup 
and a hollow handle which extends downwardly from the cup-receiving 
receptacle. Although this device permits one to carry both the plate and 
cup with one hand, one disadvantage of this technique is that liquid can 
readily slosh over the open top of the cup and onto the food. 
Additionally, the food on the plate can easily come into contact with and 
foul the exterior of the drinking cup; and food may slosh through the 
opening in the plate and pass through the hollow handle onto an underlying 
table or lap. 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,920,804, issued Jan. 12, 1960 to Minton, discloses a 
somewhat similar assembly in which a hollow sleeve forms a receptacle for 
a glass. This sleeve is joined to a plate component by a bead which 
releasably engages a flange on the plate. U.S. Pat. No. D 211,532, issued 
Jun. 25, 1968 to Ashton, discloses a serving tray having an overall 
configuration very similar to that of Minton. U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,672, 
issued May 11, 1976 to Brundage, discloses another plate having a hole in 
which an open cup is set. In this case, the plate has a channel for 
balancing the plate on the user's forearm while he grasps the lower end of 
the cup. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,396, issued Jul. 24, 1984 to Harper, discloses a plate 
having a recess for the lower end of a glass in its upper surface. The 
user's thumb protrudes upwardly through a hole in the plate and presses 
against the base of the glass to retain it in the recess. This arrangement 
shares disadvantages with the devices disclosed in the patents cited 
above. For example, momentary relief of the thumb pressure may allow the 
glass to become dislodged; the drink can easily slosh out of the glass and 
onto the food; the food can slosh through the hole in the plate; and the 
food contained on the plate can easily get on the outside of the glass. 
U.S. Pat. No. 1,688,992, issued Oct. 23, 1928 to Smith, discloses a cup and 
saucer combination in which the saucer may either support or cover the cup 
without sliding about, through the use of protruding shoulders formed into 
the plate. U.S. Pat. No. 2,565,912, issued Aug. 28, 1951 to Davis, 
discloses a watercolor paint set in which the palette has a center portion 
that rests in the mouth of a water container, through the use of 
protruding flanges and ribs formed into the plate. These devices and 
techniques have similar disadvantages as disclosed above. For example, the 
protruding flanges or shoulders may be aesthetically unpleasing or 
otherwise undesirable. 
Another disadvantage of some of the above prior art plate-and-glass holder 
techniques is that it may be relatively expensive to mold separate 
components, such as glass holders, shoulders, flanges, ribs, and the like, 
formed into the bottom of a plate or plate holder. Additionally, glasses 
come in various types having different diameter mouths at their open, 
upper end. This can lead to the need for different glass holders of 
different sizes for different plates, diminishing the versatility or 
usefulness of these prior art approaches. Further, where molds are 
required for the glass holder portions, different molds must be employed 
for each different glass mouth size and shape, which can cause further 
expense. 
Additionally, some of these techniques involve relatively complex 
structures. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,274, issued Mar. 22, 1988 to 
Bouton, discloses a portable tray table having a cup holder included 
integrally in the tray. The cup holder can be grasped by one hand to 
support the tray. However, the tray structure is very complex and would be 
expensive to produce. Additionally, using complex structures can require 
the use of construction materials formed from rigid substances, which may 
not always be desirable, for example with disposable plates. 
Techniques in which the cup holder is in the middle of a tray robs the tray 
of some of the prime space which could have been utilized for the holding 
of food. Placing glasses on top of plates is similarly disadvantageous 
since space that could be used for food is taken up by the glass. 
Additionally, the food may come into contact with the glass, as mentioned 
above, and such arrangements may be unstable. Techniques in which plates 
have drink holders attached to the side of the plate create torque and 
make it more difficult to hold the plate with the drink at the end of a 
lever arm. 
Accordingly, previous techniques designed to address the aforementioned 
buffet problem are accompanied by various disadvantages. There is, 
therefore, a need for a convenient and inexpensive way of simultaneously 
holding both a food plate and a glass using only one hand that overcomes 
the disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. 
SUMMARY 
A plate and glass assembly in which a single hand may be used to support 
both the plate and glass. According to one embodiment, a plate has a 
food-receiving surface and a bottom surface. A layer of non-slip material 
is adapted to be interposed between the bottom surface and a mouth of a 
beverage container when the plate is placed atop the mouth.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The present invention provides a convenient, aesthetically acceptable, and 
inexpensively manufacturable means of holding a plate and glass with one 
hand. The present invention also provides an aesthetically useful 
interface between the underside of the plate and the top of the glass. In 
the present invention, a plate is set atop a glass, and the user holds the 
glass with one hand, thereby also supporting the plate. This frees up the 
user's other hand for eating food from the plate, shaking hands, and the 
like. Interposed between the mouth of the glass and the bottom surface of 
the plate is a layer of non-slip or slip-resisting material, which greatly 
increases the stability of the arrangement. 
Normally, without the interposed non-slip layer of the present invention, a 
plate (such as a standard glass buffet-style plate) placed atop a typical 
beverage container formed of glass would be prone to sliding around the 
mouth of the glass in unstable fashion, if the user holds only the glass 
with one hand. At a tilt angle of approximately 12.degree., a plate will 
slide off of the top of the glass. However, in the present invention a 
layer of suitable non-slip material is situated between the plate and 
glass so that the angle at which the plate slides from the glass is 
increased, for example to an angle of approximately 67.degree. or greater, 
in some embodiments. This results in a stable arrangement in which the 
plate is situated atop an ordinary drink container or glass, thereby 
allowing the user to hold the arrangement by grasping solely the glass 
with just one hand. 
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a cross-sectional view of a plate 
and glass assembly 100 having a layer of bonding material 102 and a layer 
of non-slip material 103, in accordance with one embodiment of the present 
invention. Assembly 100 comprises plate 101 and glass 110, where plate 101 
is set atop the mouth of glass 110. In the embodiment illustrated in 
assembly 100, non-slip layer 103 is preferably disc shaped, preferably 
having a diameter smaller than that of the flat, bottom portion of plate 
101 but larger than that of the average or typical glass mouth, such as 
the mouth of glass 110, and is affixed to the bottom of plate 101 with 
bonding material 102. Thus, when plate 101, having non-slip layer 103 on 
its bottom surface, is placed atop the mouth of glass 110, plate 101 will 
not slide around or off of the top of the glass if the glass is held by 
one hand and is maintained in a normal upright or near-upright position in 
the manner in which a glass would normally be held so as to avoid spilling 
the beverage contained therein. 
As will be appreciated, bonding material 102 is any material that provides 
a permanent or temporary bond between the bottom surface of plate 101 and 
non-slip material layer 103. Bonding material 102 is preferably a tacky 
adhesive such as a ELMER'S spray adhesive. The layer of bonding material 
102 thus provides a means for affixing the non-slip layer to the bottom of 
plate 101. In alternative embodiments, non-slip layer 103 may be attached 
to the bottom surface of plate 101 by other suitable techniques, including 
techniques using adhesives, magnetism, suction cups having a vacuum 
effect, electrostatic techniques, hook-and-loop fasteners (e.g. VELCRO.TM. 
fasteners), and the like. 
The non-slip layer 103, which may also be referred to as a slip-resisting 
or non-skid material, is a material having a slip resistance greater than 
that naturally provided by the underside of a typical plate versus the 
mouth of the glass (also referred to as a lip or rim of the glass). In one 
embodiment, non-slip layer 103 is composed of a disk of material composed 
of a non-adhesive, multipurpose shelf liner such as RUBBERMAID, INC.'S 
GRIP LINER.TM. or MANCO, INC.'S EASY LINER.TM. shelf-liners, both of which 
are a rubberized lacy material with a "waffle" or other irregular texture 
and having an approximate thickness of 1.5 mm. In alternative preferred 
embodiments, non-slip layer 103 is composed of: soft rubber having at 
least one side with a slightly roughened or waffle texture; a disk 
consisting of soft paper; a disk of soft foam rubber; a disk "sandwich" 
having a soft-resilient material such as paper covered with a thin plastic 
film, as described in further detail below with respect to sandwich-type 
non-skid disk 800 of FIG. 8; or similar materials have sufficient 
slip-resistant properties. 
In empirical testing, using a 7" diameter clear glass buffet-style plate 
and a glass having a height of 3.63" with a 3.25" diameter mouth, without 
using the non-slip layer the average tilt angle when the plate slipped 
from the glass was 13.93.degree. (the angle is the angle of the flat 
bottom surface of the plate measured from horizontal). However, using a 
non-slip layer interposed between the plate and glass, as, for example, in 
the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1., empirical testing showed a tilt of 
over 47.degree. or greater can be attained before the plate slips from the 
glass. As will be understood, this is useful since food items will often 
slide off or begin to slide off of a plate before 45.degree. is reached, 
for example roughly between 20.degree. and 40.degree. from horizontal, 
depending on the type of food item, plate shape and surface, speed of 
tilt, etc. Also, a glass even half full of liquid will begin to spill at 
45.degree.. Accordingly, the present invention, which allows the plate and 
glass to be tilted at up to 45.degree. when the combination is held by the 
glass, will provide a significant improvement in the handling of a plate 
and a glass in a buffet or other setting, while overcoming the aesthetic, 
operational, and other disadvantages of previous techniques for overcoming 
this problem. 
Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a cross-sectional view of a plate 
and glass assembly 200 having a printed or decorative layer 203, in 
accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Assembly 200 
comprises plate 201 and glass 210, and also comprises bonding material 
layer 202, printed or decorative layer 203, bonding material layer 204, 
and non-slip layer 205. In assembly 200, bonding material layer 202 is 
used to affix decorative layer 203 to the bottom of plate 201. Plate 201 
is preferably a clear or transparent plate which allows decorative layer 
203 to be seen through the bottom of plate 201 while looking down from the 
top. A second bonding layer 204 affixes the slip resisting material 205 to 
the decorative layer 203. 
As will be appreciated, decorative layer 203 can serve any number of 
aesthetically or commercially useful functions. For example, decorative 
layer 203 can include an ornamental decoration or a printed message or 
other type of design. This layer can be formed, for example, from paper 
printed with messages or designs, or cut or shaped into desirable designs. 
This allows the use of the non-slip properties of the present invention to 
incorporate the decorative layer 203, which serves the purpose of 
improving the aesthetics of the plate and/or providing a means of 
presenting a message. For example, for ornamental, decorative, or 
aesthetic purposes, decorative layer 203 may comprise lace, doily, or 
other similar items designed to enhance the appeal of plate 201. 
Alternatively, a message such as a logo, slogan, bride and groom names, 
advertisement, written message, and the like, or pictorial representation 
for special occasions (e.g., bride and groom silhouettes) can be 
incorporated into layer 203. 
Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown is a cross-sectional view of a 
plate and glass assembly 300 in which non-slip layer 302 is integrated 
into plate 301, in accordance with another embodiment of the present 
invention. Assembly 300 also comprises glass 310. As will be appreciated, 
non-slip layer 302 may be incorporated into the base of plate 301 during 
manufacturing, where plate 301 comprises a cavity sufficient to contain 
non-slip layer 302. In an alternative embodiment, a non-slip layer is 
integrated into a plate during manufacturing, without the plate having a 
cavity to contain the non-slip layer. For example, a non-slip layer may be 
affixed permanently or temporarily to the bottom of a plate that does not 
have a cavity, during manufacturing. 
Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown is a cross-sectional view of a 
plate and glass assembly 400 in which non-slip surface 402 is integral 
with plate 401, in accordance with another embodiment of the present 
invention. Assembly 400 also comprises glass 410. As will be appreciated, 
the bottom surface 402 of plate 401 is a surface having non-slip 
properties similar to those of the non-slip layers of the embodiments 
illustrated in FIGS. 1-3. In one embodiment, non-slip bottom surface 402 
is an irregular surface which serves to provide skid resistance to a glass 
upon which plate 401 is placed. For example, non-slip bottom surface 402 
consists of grit, lumps, nodules, bristles or like protrusion to create an 
irregular surface having non-slip or slip-resisting properties. 
Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a cross-sectional view of a plate 
and glass assembly 500 having a layer of bonding material 502 with 
non-slip properties, in accordance with another embodiment of the present 
invention. Rather than attaching a non-slip layer 103 to a plate 101 via a 
bonding material layer 102, as described above with respect to FIG. 1, a 
bonding type material may be used which inherently contains sufficient 
slip-resisting characteristics. In one embodiment, bonding material layer 
502 consists of PLASTI-DIP.TM. HEAVY DUTY FLEXIBLE RUBBER COATING material 
(as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,536,454), and may be applied to the 
bottom surface of plate 501 in liquid or semi-liquid form in a relatively 
smooth and uniform layer that is roughly disc shaped, and allowed to cure. 
This eliminates the need for separate bonding material and non-slip 
layers, as in some embodiments disclosed herein. 
In alternative embodiments, it will be appreciated that the non-slip layer, 
when affixed to the bottom surface of a plate, need not be in a single 
continuous piece or have a disc shape. For example, a donut-shaped ring or 
a decorative fleur-de-lis may used instead. Alternatively, small radial 
pads like spokes of a wheel may be applied to the bottom surface of the 
plate, sufficient to ensure that, when the plate is placed atop a glass 
mouth, the plate will rest on top of the glass at several points (for 
example, at least three points, roughly equally spaced around the diameter 
of the mouth of the glass) with non-slip material interposed therebetween 
at those points. In another alternative embodiment, the layer of non-slip 
material may be composed of a plurality of separate portions, such as a 
plurality of small circular disks affixed to the bottom surface of the 
plate sufficient to contact the mouth of a glass at enough locations 
around the mouth's circumference so that the non-slip advantages explained 
herein are achieved. 
Alternatively, instead of affixing the non-slip material to the bottom of 
the plate, the non-slip material may be affixed to the top or mouth of the 
glass, thereby ensuring that non-slip material will be interposed between 
the plate's bottom surface and the glass when the plate is place atop the 
glass. For example, a layer of non-slip material may line all or portions 
of the mouth or rim of the glass. 
Referring now to FIG. 6, for example, there is shown a perspective view of 
a plate and glass assembly 600 having a glass mouth clip 604 for 
interposing non-slip material portions such as portion 602 between the 
plate 601 and glass 610, in accordance with another embodiment of the 
present invention. In this embodiment, clip 604 has a clamp portion by 
which it may be slipped onto the open mouth or rim of glass 610 and thus 
fixedly attached thereto. Clip 604 comprises at least three projections 
such as projection 603, extending upward therefrom, each projection having 
a non-slip material portion such as non-slip material portion 602 affixed 
to the top thereof. In use, plate 601 rests atop glass 601 with the 
slip-resisting material providing the interface to prevent slippage. As 
will be appreciated, the plurality of non-slip material portions can be 
considered to collectively comprise a non-slip layer. 
Clip 604 is preferably designed so as to avoid or minimize conflict with 
the consumption of the beverage from glass 610. For example, clip 604 may 
not clamp onto the entire circumference of the mouth of glass 610, thereby 
leaving a clear rim portion for drinking. Additionally, by providing 
projections such as projection 603 with the slip-resistant material, the 
portions of clip 604 along its circumference between projections may be 
used for drinking. Otherwise, a continuous coating of slip-resistant 
material around the circumference of clip 604, without the use of 
projections, may make drinking of liquid from glass 610 unpleasant. In an 
alternative embodiment, a plurality of projections such as projection 603 
may be clipped independently onto the rim or mouth of glass 610 without 
the use of clip 604. 
Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown a cross-sectional view of a plate 
and glass assembly 700 having plate 701, glass 710, and a single layer of 
material 702 with bonding and non-slip properties and suitable for 
receiving printing inks of various colors, in accordance with another 
embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, material layer 702 
is commercially-available "clear static vinyl" which may be imprinted with 
an informative or decorative design. Material layer 702 may be affixed to 
the bottom surface of plate 701 through adhesive or by the use of the 
static adherence properties of clear static vinyl, as will be appreciated. 
Referring now to FIG. 8, there is shown a cross-sectional view of a 
sandwich-type non-skid disk 800 having a soft, resilient layer 803 of 
material coated on one side with bonding adhesive 802, and bonded at its 
other side with bonding material 804 to a thin plastic film layer 805. As 
will be appreciated, disk 800 may be used as a non-skid interface in 
assemblies such as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, where bonding adhesive 
802 is used to bond disk 800 to the bottom of a plate, and the combined 
effect of layer 803 and layer 805 provides non-skid properties and layer 
805 contacts the rim of a glass when the plate and disk are placed atop 
the glass. Resilient layer 803 may be formed from a layer of relatively 
soft foam, or of soft paper such as the type typically used in disposable 
drink coasters, or other sufficiently structural material, in some 
embodiments. Thin plastic film layer 805 may be formed from clear static 
vinyl, or from products such as SARAN WRAP.TM., HANDY WRAP.TM., or GLAD 
CLING WRAP.TM. wrapping material; polyethylene, or other types of plastic 
film. As will also be appreciated, non-skid disk may also, in an 
alternative embodiment, incorporate a decorative layer. 
The present invention, therefore, addreses the aforementioned buffet 
problem, while overcoming the disadvantages of other techniques designed 
to address this problem, as described above. In the present invention, for 
example, no change of finger positions on or grasp of a glass is required 
when a sip of beverage is desired. The free hand is simply used to grasp 
the plate, while the hand already holding the glass can be used for 
drinking from the glass, thereby avoiding the disadvantages with switching 
from eating to drinking in some prior art devices, as explained above. 
Also unlike prior art techniques, the aesthetics of the plate can be 
enhanced, not diminished, by using the decorative layer of the present 
invention. The decorative layer may also be usefully employed for 
commercial display of logos, advertisements, messages, and the like. 
Additionally, the non-slip aspect of the present invention may be 
incorporated onto plates or glasses at relatively low cost. 
It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials, and 
arrangements of the parts which have been described and illustrated above 
in order to explain the nature of this invention may be made by those 
skilled in the art without departing from the principle and scope of the 
invention as recited in the following claims.