Abstract:
An apparatus for an expandable condiment cup that is configured to attach to a common fast-food type food scoop or other surface to provide hands-free access to a condiment. An attachable storage device for multiple cups in the collapsed state is also disclosed. In one embodiment, the condiment cup is made of rigid sheet material and uses fold lines as hinges to change from the collapsed, storage state to its deployed, or expanded, state. In the deployed state, the cup takes on the form of an inverted pyramid forming a reservoir for a condiment. In one embodiment, the collapsed condiment cup has a substantially planar shape. The condiment cup is stored in its collapsed state in a condiment cup holder configured to hold multiple collapsed condiment cups. The condiment cup holder is removably attachable to various surfaces.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not Applicable 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0004]    This invention pertains to a condiment cup. More particularly, this invention pertains to an expandable condiment cup that is configured to attach to a common fast-food type food scoop or other surface to provide hands-free access to a condiment. This invention also pertains to an attachable storage device for holding multiple condiment cups in their collapsed state. 
         [0005]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0006]    In today&#39;s fast-paced society, fast-food restaurants and take-out counters are extremely popular and useful. Fast-food restaurants and take-out counters were created to meet the demands of a mobile society. Typically, food products are purchased from such places when there is little or no time to stop for a leisurely meal. With particular food products, such as fried foods, it is often desirable to provide a condiment for dipping or scooping. In the fast-food environment, condiments, such as ketchup, mustard, and various sauces are often desired for immediate consumption with fried foods. 
         [0007]    People often purchase these food products with the expectation to enjoy their food while engaged in another activity, such as occupying a car, walking, waiting for a bus, etc. Condiments are typically provided in small pillow packs or cups and are often difficult to use effectively without being seated at a table. The procedure for using a condiment while in fast-paced environments can be very messy. One method of combining sauce to food products is to squeeze out the condiment from the package onto a surplus food wrapper where the consumer can dip their food into the condiment. Other methods such as pouring the condiment onto the food or dipping the food into the condiment container provided by the restaurant are also commonly employed. The condiment is subject to being dropped, which may soil clothing, fingers, and other surroundings. Each of these methods of eating food with a condiment is very inconvenient, oftentimes causing the consumer to not use any sauce, thus diminishing the culinary experience of consuming the food. 
         [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,634, titled “Folding cup,” issued to Kieler on Dec. 1, 1998, discloses a folding drinking cup that is formed from a single sheet of planar plastic or paper. The folding cup has an inverted pyramid shape formed by folding a planar sheet and sealing the side edge to form a handle with the top open. 
         [0009]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,429, titled “Food container with flip-out condiment pocket,” issued to Cordle on Feb. 24, 1998, discloses a paperboard container that may be “flipped from a storage position to an operable position.” The &#39;429 patent discloses a food container and condiment pocket formed together from a single blank of paperboard stock. 
         [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,112, titled “Condiment container for attaching to other objects,” issued to Pitschka on Apr. 2, 2002, discloses a sealed condiment container that includes a hinged adhesive strip that allows the container to be attached to another object. 
         [0011]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,969, titled “Food container and sauce reservoir arrangement,” issued to Spransy on May 15, 2001, discloses different embodiments of a sauce reservoir that attach to a food container by clips or an adhesive strip. The adhesive strip, protected by a removable strip, is attached to either the food container or the sauce reservoir. Removing the removable strip exposes the adhesive, allowing the sauce reservoir to attach to the food container. 
         [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,471,119, titled “Food scoop with condiment holder,” issued to Cai on Oct. 29, 2002, discloses a collapsible, conical food scoop that includes a condiment compartment. The food scoop with condiment holder is formed from a unitary blank of material. The &#39;119 patent further discloses a “flat, collapsed configuration” for storage that may be “shifted to an open, use configuration by squeezing two portions of the container together.” In the flat state, there is “an upper edge portion  34  [that] extends peripherally beyond upper edges  37  and  39  and provides a finger grip location at which the condiment triangular panel  36  can be gripped and pulled out by a consumer.” 
         [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. D478,283, titled “Container,” issued to Shimakawa on Aug. 12, 2003, discloses a cone-shaped container formed of a single sheet in which the sides and bottom are sealed. 
         [0014]    U.S. Pat. App. No. 2007/0003171, titled “Condiment pouch for food containers,” published on Jan. 4, 2007 for Boosalis, discloses a condiment pouch that is adhesively attached to a food container. The Boosalis application discloses a condiment pouch with a fixed oval bottom portion and smooth, flexible front and back sides. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    According to one embodiment of the present invention, an expandable condiment cup for attaching to a food scoop is provided. The food scoop has an outside surface. The condiment cup is attached to the outside surface of the food scoop, in one embodiment, by double-sided tape. The condiment cup, in its deployed, or expanded, state, is an inverted, truncated, irregular pentagonal pyramid forming a reservoir for condiments. The five walls that make up the body of the condiment cup are, in one embodiment, made from a single sheet of rigid paperboard or other planar sheet material. When collapsed, the condiment cup is substantially the thickness of two sheets of the paperboard. Deployment of the cup, in one embodiment, is facilitated by a notch that is cut out of one of the two thicknesses of paperboard. The five walls of the condiment cup are developed, in one embodiment, by bending the paperboard along preformed fold lines, or hinges, to form a pyramid and then folding over the apex of the pyramid. 
         [0016]    The condiment cup is stored in its collapsed state in a condiment cup holder configured to hold multiple collapsed condiment cups. The condiment cup holder, in one embodiment, is removably attachable to a planar surface. The condiment cup holder, in one embodiment, is made removably attachable by using double-sided tape. In one embodiment, the double-sided tape has an integral non-adhesive tab extending beyond the body of the condiment cup holder to facilitate removal of the condiment cup holder from the surface to which it is attached. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]    The above-mentioned features of the invention will become more clearly understood from the following detailed description of the invention read together with the drawings in which: 
           [0018]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a condiment cup in its deployed state attached to a food scoop; 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of the condiment cup in its deployed state; 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of the condiment cup in its deployed state; 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  is an exploded diagram showing the condiment cup in its collapsed state and one embodiment of a condiment cup holder; 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  is a rear view of the condiment cup holder; 
           [0023]      FIG. 6  is a plan view of one embodiment of a unitary blank for forming a condiment cup; and 
           [0024]      FIG. 7  is a partial plan view of another embodiment of a unitary blank for forming a condiment cup. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0025]    An apparatus for an expandable condiment cup  100  and a system for storing the condiment cup  100  is disclosed. The condiment cup  100  is attachable to a planar surface and receives a condiment after it is in its expanded state. The system includes a holder  400  that is attachable to a planar surface and receives and stores a plurality of condiment cups  100  in their collapsed state. 
         [0026]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a condiment cup  100  in its deployed, or expanded, state forming a reservoir  102  for a condiment. The condiment cup  100  is attached to a food scoop  104 . The illustrated location of the condiment cup  100  allows the consumer to easily access a condiment in the reservoir  102  when dipping the food  106  served in the food scoop  104 . In various embodiments, the condiment cup  100  is attachable in other locations and to other planar surfaces. The shape of the condiment cup  100  efficiently uses the condiment. The reservoir  102  is very small at the bottom of the cup  100  and the walls of the condiment cup  100  are angled such that the condiment level rises substantially as the food, French fries in the illustration,  106  is inserted into the condiment. This configuration more completely coats the food  106  than conventional, flat-bottomed containers when using the same amount of condiment. 
         [0027]    In the illustrated embodiment, the condiment cup  100 , in its expanded state, is attached to a food scoop  104  before use. The reservoir  102  of the condiment cup  104  is then filled with a condiment, for example, ketchup. The food  106 , for example, French fries, are inserted, or dipped, into the reservoir  102 . Because of the inverted, pyramidal shape of the condiment cup  100 , the food  106  displaces the condiment in the reservoir  102  and causes the condiment level to increase in the cup  100 . The increased level covers more of the surface of the food  106  as it is dipped than would be covered if the condiment container had parallel walls. 
         [0028]      FIG. 2  illustrates a front perspective view of the condiment cup  100  in its deployed, or expanded, state. In one embodiment, the condiment cup  100  is made of paperboard material. In other embodiments, the condiment cup  100  is made of plastic, waxed paper, or other sheet-like materials impervious to condiments. In the illustrated embodiment, there is a rounded notch  204  where the two front walls  208 ,  210  meet at an edge  206 . The notch  204  facilitates deployment of the condiment cup  100  as well as providing improved access to the condiment within the cup. 
         [0029]    The walls  208 ,  210  of the condiment cup  100 , in one embodiment, have a surface suitable for printing indicia  202 -A, such as product or customer branding, slogans, logos, or other information. The pair of front walls  208 ,  210  have an area for printing indicia  202 -A. The location of the indicia  202 -A is suitable for presenting advertising information to the user of the condiment cup  100  because the indicia  202 -A is exposed to the user when the cup  100  is attached to a surface for use. 
         [0030]      FIG. 3  illustrates a rear perspective view of the condiment cup  100  in its deployed, or expanded, state. In the illustrated embodiment, the condiment cup  100  has planar sheet-like walls  208 ,  210 ,  212 ,  214 ,  216  and has the shape of an inverted, irregular pentagonal pyramid. The bottom of the condiment cup  100  is a formed transverse fold  218  where the apex, or tip,  302  of the cup  100  is folded over. The apex  302  is affixed to the back walls  212 ,  214 ,  216  by adhesive bonding. The transverse edge  218  of the folded over apex  302  of the cup  100  reduces waste of the condiment by reducing the unusable volume at the bottom of the reservoir  102 . The folded over apex  302  also removes a point from the bottom of the condiment cup  100  for the safety of those who handle the condiment cup  100  and to ensure that the reservoir  102  is sealed at its closed bottom. 
         [0031]    The back wall  214  of the condiment cup  100  provides a planar surface configured for attaching the cup  100  to another planar surface, for example, a surface of a food scoop  104 . In the illustrated embodiment, the back wall  214  has an adhesive strip  304  that extends over a portion of the length of the back wall  214 . In one embodiment, the adhesive strip  304  is a section of double-sided tape that has an outer adhesion surface that is covered by a removable film  308 . The film  308  is removed by the user when it is desirable to affix the condiment cup  100  to a surface, such as the food scoop  104  illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The seam line  306  illustrated on the back wall  214  indicates the edge of a first end panel  310  where it overlaps a back panel  214 . The back wall  214  has an outer surface to which the first end panel  310  is attached. 
         [0032]    The walls  212 ,  216  of the condiment cup  100 , in one embodiment, have a surface suitable for printing indicia  202 -B such as product or customer branding, slogans, logos, or other information. The pair of front walls  208 ,  210  have an area for printing indicia  202 -A. The location of the indicia  202 -A is suitable for presenting information to the user of the condiment cup  100  when the user is deploying the condiment cup  100  because the indicia  202 -A is exposed to the user as the cup  100  is expanded and attached to a surface for use. In one embodiment, the indicia  202 -B is a slogan, such as “Arrive Alive—Do not eat and Drive!” In other embodiments, the indicia  202 -B include trademark information, use instructions, or information on obtaining refill or additional condiment cups  100 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 4  illustrates an exploded diagram showing the condiment cup  100 ′ in its initial, collapsed state and a condiment cup holder  400 . In the illustrated embodiment, the collapsed state  100 ′ of the condiment cup  100  is the shape of a truncated circular sector having a substantially planar shape. There are two front walls  208 ,  210  divided by a fold line, or hinge,  206  to facilitate deployment of the condiment cup  100 . The rounded notch  204  of the top layer of paperboard is located along the arc at the top of the two front walls  208 ,  210 . With the condiment cup  100 ′ in its collapsed configuration (illustrated in  FIG. 4 ), the notch  204  provides access to both sides of the back wall  214  to aid in separating the back wall  214  from the pair of front walls  208 ,  210  to expand the condiment cup  100 ′ from its collapsed state, or configuration, to its expanded state, or configuration. 
         [0034]    In the illustrated embodiment, the condiment cup holder  400  has a front panel  408 , a rear panel  404 , and two side walls  410 . The bottom of the holder  400  is open to allow the bottom of the condiment cup  100 ′ to pass through and protrude below the holder  400 . The condiment cup holder  400  is configured as a truncated circular sector similar to the condiment cup  100 , such that the condiment cup  100  is held in place when inserted vertically into the condiment cup holder  400  as shown in the illustrated embodiment. In one embodiment, the condiment cup holder  400  is made with paperboard. In another embodiment, the condiment cup holder  400  is molded with plastic or made of another rigid material. In the illustrated embodiment, the front panel  408  has a centrally located cut-away window  412  extending from the arc down one-half the height of the front panel  408 . The cut-away window  412  is of such a size as to leave a portion of the front panel  408  on either side of the cut-away window  412  to secure the condiment cup  100  when installed. 
         [0035]    In the illustrated embodiment, the front side of both the front  408  and rear  404  walls have a surface, or area, suitable for printing indicia  202 -C,  202 -D, such as product or customer branding, slogans, logos or other figures. The indicia  202 -C on the front of the rear wall  404  is visible when the holder  400  is empty. The location of the indicia  202 -C is suitable for displaying a message to refill the holder  400  and identifying where to obtain replacements. The indicia  202 -D visible on the front panel  408  of the holder  400  is visible at all times. The location of the indicia  202 -D is suitable for displaying an advertising message that is readily visible whenever a user removes a condiment cup  100 ′ from the holder  400 . 
         [0036]      FIG. 5  illustrates a rear perspective view of the condiment cup holder  400 . The condiment cup holder  400  is removably attachable, in the illustrated embodiment, by a strip of adhesive tape  504  attached to the rear side of the rear panel  404 . The adhesive strip  504  has a lower portion attached to the holder  400  and having an outer adhesion surface that is covered by a removable film  502  that is removable by the user when it is desirable to affix the condiment cup holder  400  to a surface, such as the dash of an automobile. The adhesive tape  504  has an upper portion, or tab,  506  that has no adhesive on its front and rear surfaces. The upper portion  506  extends above the top of the holder  400  and provides a gripping member for pulling the holder  400  away from the surface it is attached to. 
         [0037]    The rear side of the rear panel  404  has a surface, or area, suitable for printing indicia  202 -E such as product or customer branding, slogans, logos or other figures. 
         [0038]      FIG. 6  illustrates a plan view of a unitary blank  600  of sheet material for forming the condiment cup  100 . The unitary blank  600  is sized and configured to form the condiment cup  100 , which has two sides, the inside and the outside. The side shown in  FIG. 6  is the outside. The unitary blank  600 , in the illustrated embodiment, is cut from flat sheet stock in the shape of a circular sector. Six circular sector regions  208 ,  210 ,  212 ,  214   a,    216 ,  310  are defined by fold, or hinge, lines  206 ,  606 ,  608 ,  612 ,  614 . In another embodiment, the outside circumference of the unitary blank  600  has straight-cut edges defining all three sides of each region  208 ,  210 ,  212 ,  214   a,    214   b,    216 ,  310 . 
         [0039]    The fold lines  206 ,  606 ,  608 ,  612 ,  614 , in one embodiment, are lines of weakening formed in the sheet of the blank  600 . The lines of weakening are hinges about which the regions  208 ,  210 ,  212 ,  214   a,    216 ,  310  flex. The fold lines  206 ,  606 ,  608 ,  612 ,  614  facilitate the deployment of the condiment cup  100  by creating stress concentrations that will cause bending to occur along the stress concentrations when an outside force is applied. The fold lines  206 ,  606 ,  608 ,  612 ,  614  form hinges about which adjacent walls  310 ,  216 ,  208 ,  210 ,  212 ,  214   a  pivot. That is, adjacent walls  310 ,  216 ,  208 ,  210 ,  212 ,  214   a  are hingedly connected to adjacent the adjacent wall  310 ,  216 ,  208 ,  210 ,  212 ,  214   a.  One fold line  206  joins the front walls  208 ,  210 . Another fold line  608  acts as the first hinge when the condiment cup  100  is in its collapsed state  100 ′ joining a front wall  208  to a back wall  216 . Another fold line  612  acts as the second hinge when the condiment cup  100  is in its collapsed state  100 ′ joining the other front wall  210  to a back wall  212 . Another fold line  614  joins the central back wall  214  to an adjacent back wall  212 . Another fold line  606  joins the other back wall  216  to the panel  310 . The back wall  214  includes the regions  214   a,    214   b,    310 , where two regions  214   b,    310  overlap and are secured to each other. 
         [0040]    With the condiment cup  100 ′ in its collapsed state, the fold lines  608 ,  612  are flexed such that the regions  208 ,  208  are adjacent to the regions  216 ,  212 ,  214   a.  The other fold lines  606 ,  206 ,  614  are not flexed for the collapsed configuration  100 ′. With the condiment cup  100  in its expanded state, the fold lines  606 ,  608 ,  206 ,  612 ,  614  are flexed such that the cup  100  has a shape of an inverted pentagonal pyramid. In other embodiments, the number of walls  208 ,  210 ,  212 ,  214 ,  216  varies such that the inverted pyramidal-shape has other than five sides. 
         [0041]    In the illustrated embodiment, the apex, or tip,  302  of the blank  600  is formed at the convergence of the vertices of the regions  208 ,  210 ,  212 ,  214   a,    214   b,    216 ,  310 . The transverse fold  218  is shown in the flat form in  FIG. 6 . In one embodiment, the transverse fold  218  is defined by a line of weakening formed in the unitary blank  600 . After the blank  600  is formed into the collapsed state of the condiment cup  100 ′, the portion between the transverse fold  218  and the tip  302  is folded and secured to the back wall  214 . With the tip  302  folded, the condiment cup  100  has the shape of a truncated, inverted pyramid. 
         [0042]    The rounded notch  204  is created by cutting away an area from the unitary blank  600 . In the illustrated embodiment, the condiment cup  100  is assembled in at least two steps where the two end regions  214   b,    312  are attached to each other and the apex, or tip,  302  is folded along the transverse fold  218  and attached to the back wall  214 ,  310 . In one embodiment, one surface of one end region  310  is adhered to the opposite surface of the other end region  214   b.  In various embodiments, the end region  310  is inside or outside the reservoir  102  of the condiment cup  100 . 
         [0043]      FIG. 7  illustrates a partial plan view of another embodiment of the tip  302 ′ of the unitary blank  600 ′. In one embodiment, the tip  302 ′ is formed at the convergence of the vertices of two regions  208 ,  210 . The other regions  212 ,  214   a,    214   b,    216 ,  310  are truncated at edges  702  that follow the path of the transverse fold  218  illustrated in  FIG. 6 . After the blank  600 ′ is formed into the collapsed state of the condiment cup  100 ′, the portion between the transverse fold  218 ′ and the tip  302 ′ is folded and secured to the back wall  214 . The two regions  208 ,  210  making up the tip  302 ′ are the two front walls of the condiment cup  100 ′ in the collapsed state. The tip  302 ′ is the thickness of one sheet of material, so the overall thickness where the tip  302 ′ is folded over is thinner than where the tip  302  from  FIG. 6  is folded over. 
         [0044]    The condiment cup  100  and condiment cup holder  400  includes various functions. The function of collapsing into a substantially planar configuration is implemented, in the illustrated embodiment, by fold lines  608 ,  612  defining hinges. The fold lines  206 ,  606 ,  608 ,  612 ,  614  create stress concentrations that encourage particular bending patterns. In the illustrated embodiment, the fold lines  206 ,  606 ,  608 ,  612 ,  614  are presented such that when the condiment cup  100  is collapsed into a flat, two-layer configuration, two walls  208 ,  210  form one layer and three walls  212 ,  214 ,  216  form a second layer. The two layers are folded along two of the fold lines  608 ,  612  acting as hinges. 
         [0045]    The function of providing for removing the holder  400  from a surface is implemented, in one embodiment, by a non-adhesive tab  506  extending beyond the body of the condiment cup holder  400 . The non-adhesive tab  506  provides an easily accessed member for pulling the adhesive strip  504  and attached condiment cup holder  400  from the surface to which it is attached. 
         [0046]    The function of containing a condiment is implemented, in one embodiment, by the reservoir  102  defined by the walls of the pyramid  208 ,  210 ,  212 ,  214 ,  216  and the lateral line  218  that are presented when the condiment cup  100  is deployed. 
         [0047]    The function of securing the condiment cup  100  to another surface is implemented, in one embodiment, by an adhesive strip  304  attached to the back wall  214 . The adhesive strip is covered by a removable film  308  to be removed by the user when it is desirable to affix the condiment cup  100  to a surface. 
         [0048]    The function of providing for marketing indicia  202  is implemented, in one embodiment, by various flat markable surfaces provided on the condiment cup  100  and the condiment cup holder  400 . 
         [0049]    From the foregoing description, it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that a collapsible condiment cup  100  and holder  400  for storing the condiment cup  100  has been provided. The condiment cup  100  is presented with two states, one state is the deployed, or expanded, state, which, in the illustrated embodiment, is in the form of an inverted, truncated pyramid. The other state is the initial collapsed state  100 ′. In the collapsed state  100 ′, the condiment cup  100  is stored in the condiment cup holder  400 . The condiment cup holder  400  is configured to hold multiple collapsed condiment cups  100 . 
         [0050]    According to one embodiment of the present invention, a collapsible condiment cup  100  for attaching to a food scoop  104  is provided. The food scoop  104  has an outside surface. The condiment cup  100  is removably attached to the outside surface of the food scoop, in one embodiment, by double-sided tape  304 . The condiment cup  100 , in its deployed state, is an inverted, truncated pyramid forming a reservoir  102  for condiments. The walls of the pyramid  208 ,  210 ,  212 ,  214 ,  216  that make up the body of the condiment cup  100  are, in one embodiment, made from a single sheet of rigid paperboard  600 . When the condiment cup  100 ′ is in the collapsed state, the condiment cup  100 ′ is the thickness of two sheets of the paperboard except for a small section where the sheets forming the back wall  214  overlap. Deployment of the condiment cup  100 , in one embodiment, is facilitated by a notch  204 . The five walls of the pyramid  208 ,  210 ,  212 ,  214 ,  216  defining the condiment cup  100  are developed, in one embodiment, by bending the paperboard along preformed fold lines  206 ,  606 ,  608 ,  612 ,  614  to form an irregular pentagonal pyramid and then folding over the apex of the pyramid  302 . 
         [0051]    The condiment cup  100 ′ is stored in its collapsed state in a condiment cup holder  400  configured to hold multiple collapsed condiment cups  100 ′. The condiment cup holder  400 , in one embodiment, is removably attachable to another planar surface. The condiment cup holder  400 , in one embodiment, is made removably attachable by an adhesive strip  304 . In one such embodiment, the adhesive strip  304  has an integral non-adhesive tab  506  extending beyond the body of the condiment cup holder  400  to facilitate removal of the condiment cup holder  400  from the surface to which it is attached. 
         [0052]    While the present invention has been illustrated by description of several embodiments and while the illustrative embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicant&#39;s general inventive concept.