Abstract:
A food and beverage tray having a base and a folding lid secured to the base. The base includes one or more compartments sized and configured to secure beverages, food, or food packaging. The lid has a first position in which it covers at least one of the compartments in the base and a second position in which the lid is substantially vertical and the compartment or compartments are uncovered. The lid also has a front member and a rear member connected at their upper and lower regions to define a pouch. The front and rear members may be used for advertising displays for the tray. The base also includes means for releasably securing the lid to the tray.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/606,769, filed on Sep. 2, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     This invention relates to a food and beverage tray having an upwardly extending wall that functions as a folding lid for partially covering the food and beverage tray and/or serves as an advertising display.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0005]     It is well-known that food has been sold by “fast-food” restaurants in carry-out  
         [0006]     containers consisting of a thermoformed plastic trays provided with a hinged lids. The lid covers substantially the entire container, and the container does not provide compartments for securing beverages or other non-coverable items. The lid functions solely to snap on and off the base of the tray and covers the base in its entirety.  
         [0007]     Likewise, it is well known that certain foods, such as nachos, and beverages are typically served at entertainment events or fast-food restaurants in open, non-lidded trays. The nacho trays may have an additional compartment for melted cheese, but do not provide additional compartments for beverages or salsas. Likewise, beverage trays typically hold up to four beverages and provide an open area between the beverage compartments for holding napkins, condiments, or utensils.  
         [0008]     Similarly, it is know that children who are waiting for the beginning of a movie or other event like to collect and play with games and boxes and view displays to occupy their time while waiting for the event to begin.  
         [0009]     It is desirable to provide a combination food and beverage tray having a hinged lid that covers the food compartment to secure the food during transport by the customer and still enables securement of the beverage or salsa.  
         [0010]     Further it is desirable to provide a food and beverage tray having an upwardly extending wall that may or may not be hingedly attached to the base wherein the upper wall comprises an advertising display.  
         [0011]     It is likewise desirable to provide a hinged tray that can hold sealed containers in the food and beverage tray to prevent the sealed containers from spilling if the unit is tilted or turned on its side.  
         [0012]     Similarly, it is desirable to provide a food and beverage tray that has a pouch, compartment, or other means for storing game cards, coupons, napkins, seasonings, condiments, or other materials that a user may have received when buying food or at other times or locations.  
         [0013]     Further, it is desirable to provide a food and beverage tray that is inexpensive to make, easy to store, easy to assemble, and contains interesting displays and features for those waiting for the beginning of an event.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     A first embodiment of the present invention is directed to a food and beverage tray having a folding lid secured to a base. The lid being pivotable from a first position whereby the lid covers at least a first compartment and a second position wherein the lid is substantially vertical and the at least first compartment is uncovered. The base includes one or more compartments sized and configured to secure beverages or other foodstuffs or food packaging. The base further includes means for releasably securing the lid to the tray.  
         [0015]     In a second embodiment and a third embodiment, the present invention is directed to a food and beverage tray containing a base having two or more compartments for releasably securing a food product and a beverage. The base is formed of an approximately rectangular parallelepiped box with two pairs of opposite side walls, a base wall and an upper wall. The base has an upwardly extending wall extending from one of the side walls. The upwardly extending wall comprises a front member and a rear member connected at their upper and lower regions to define a pouch. The front and rear members may also be used for advertising displays for the tray.  
         [0016]     Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one form of a food and beverage tray of the present invention which is provided with a hinged lid;  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the lidded food and beverage tray of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is a front elevational view of the lidded food and beverage tray of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0020]      FIGS. 4 and 5  are left and right side elevation views of the food and beverage tray of the present invention;  
         [0021]      FIG. 6  is a rear elevational view of the food and beverage tray of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0022]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the food and beverage tray of  FIG. 1  with a nachos tray and cheese container held in the tray;  
         [0023]      FIG. 8  is a rear elevational view of a second embodiment of the food and beverage tray;  
         [0024]      FIG. 9  is a side elevational view of the food and beverage container of  FIG. 8 .  
         [0025]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the food and beverage tray;  
         [0026]      FIG. 11  is a top plan view of the food and beverage tray of  FIG. 10 ; and  
         [0027]      FIG. 12  is a left side view of the food and beverage tray of  FIG. 10 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0028]     At times, this description will refer to food and beverages or consumable products being placed or held in certain locations. Unless otherwise noted, it should be understood that such references include containers containing non-liquid food and/or containers containing liquid beverages, either or both of which may be placed or held in certain locations, as nearly all food and beverages are separately packaged and/or contained in their own containers.  
         [0029]     Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like numerals indicate like elements throughout the several views,  FIG. 1  shows an exemplary embodiment of the food and beverage tray  10  of the present invention. The food and beverage tray  10  has a box body  12  (also referred to as base tray  12 ) having a first compartment  20  for holding consumable products (foodstuffs or beverages) and one or more second compartment  22  for holding consumable products (foodstuffs or beverages). The food and beverage tray further includes an outwardly extending wall  14 .  
         [0030]     In a first embodiment as shown in  FIGS. 1-7 , the upwardly extending wall  14  comprises a pivotable lid  16  releasably securable to the box body  12  for covering at least the first compartment  20 .  
         [0031]     In a second embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 8-9 , the outwardly extending wall  14  comprises an upwardly extending advertising display  18 .  
         [0032]     The box body  12  is preferably made of a cardboard such as corrugated fiberboard or paperboard. The thickness of the cardboard paper stock preferably is between 0.47 mm up to 0.95 mm in thickness or between 350 lb. to 700 lb stock. The box body  12  is formed of an approximately rectangular parallelepiped box with two pairs of opposite side walls  24   a  and  24   b , a base wall  26  and an upper wall  28 . These walls combine to define an interior  30 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , upper wall  28  is formed with a first large compartment  20  and two second compartments  22 . As is well known in the art, the first and second compartments  20 ,  22  are formed through cut-outs or through lines of weakness, such as perforations, formed in the upper wall  28  to enable a portion of the upper wall  28  to be removed thereby creating the respective compartments,  20  and  22 . It is to be understood that although the compartments, as shown, are designed to receive cups or containers that hold beverages and food, the compartments may be configured to hold foodstuffs, such as nachos, directly, without departing from the scope of the invention.  
         [0033]     In the first embodiment of the present invention, the upwardly extending wall  14  comprises the lid  16 , which is selectively securable to the upper wall  28  of box body  12  and comprises a wall extending upwardly from at least a portion of edge  32  of the upper wall  28 . In this exemplary embodiment, the lid  16  is hingedly attached to the edge  32 . This attachment is preferably accomplished through a line of weakness  34  at the junction of the lid  16  and the edge  32  of the upper wall  28 . The lid  16  preferably extends in height and width a sufficient span such that as the lid  16  is pivoted to a first position, the lid  16  covers at least the first compartment  20  of the upper wall  28  while leaving the second compartments  22  uncovered. And, as the lid  16  is moved to its second position, the first compartment  20  is uncovered. It is to be understood that that the lid  16  may span the entire length of the upper wall  28  of the box body  12  and cover both the first and second compartments  20 ,  22 , without departing from the scope of the invention.  
         [0034]     The upper wall  28  of the box body  12  is formed with at least one slot  36  or other receiving element (also called a female element) extending diagonally across the upper surface  28  adjacent an edge  38  of the upper surface  28  opposite the edge  32  from which the lid  16  extends. The slot  36  is formed and configured to receive a portion of an upper corner  39  or received element (also called a male element) of the lid  16  as the lid  16  is pivoted to the first, closed position. The receiving and received elements need not be a corner and a slot, but might also comprise an adhesive on either the corner  39  of the lid  16  or the upper surface  28  of the upper wall  28  of the body  12 . Snap-type, folding tabs, or Velcro elements might also be used.  
         [0035]     The lid  16  may be removable from the box body  12  at the line of weakness  34  and may include advertising, promotions, game indicia, coupons, or the like for the consumer. Further, lid  16 , as will be described in greater detail with respect to the second embodiment, may comprise two opposed planer members  40 ,  42  that are adhered at bottom edges  44 ,  51  and top edges  48 ,  50 . The planar members  40 ,  42  of the lid  16  thus define a pocket  55  therebetween for storage of napkins, seasonings, condiments, entertainment games, coupons, or other advertising or promotional items.  
         [0036]     In use, the food and beverage tray  10  of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be loaded with a container of food, such as nachos, in the first compartment  20 , a beverage in one of the second compartments  22 , and another container of food, such as melted cheese, in another second compartment  22 . The lid  16  is pivoted to the first, closed position. The lid may be releasably secured in this position by inserting at least one respective corner  39  in the respective corresponding slot  36  of the upper surface  28  of the box body  12 . The consumer may readily transport the food and beverage tray  10  without concern that the nachos will spill from the container  20 . Upon selecting a seat or reaching a desired destination, the consumer may release the lid  16  and access the food and beverages, as desired.  
         [0037]     In another use of this first embodiment that is specifically directed to nachos, the tray is loaded with a drip-in, sealed containers (not shown) such as a chip tray, a cheese container, and a salsa container. The lid  16  is configured to extend the entire span of the upper wall  28  of box body  12 . The lid  16  in the closed position contains the drop-ins and facilitates the transfer of the nachos to the seating for the consumer.  
         [0038]     In a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the compartments  22  and  20  may be the same as shown in  FIG. 1 . However, as shown in  FIGS. 8-9 , the upwardly extending wall  14  (as identified in  FIG. 1 ) comprises an advertising display  18  that extends substantially upwardly from the box body  12 . The advertising display  18  comprises a first member  40  and a second member  42 .  
         [0039]     The first member  40  extends substantially perpendicularly from the upper wall  28  of the box body  12  and preferably is integrally joined with the upper wall  28 . The first member  40  bends from the upper surface  28  at a fold line to define a lower edge  44  for the first member  40 .  
         [0040]     The second member  42  extends upwardly from the base wall  26  of the box body  12  and is preferably integrally joined thereto. The second member  42  may also extend upwardly from the side wall  24 B, if desired. The second member  42  is substantially perpendicular to the base wall  26  and bends at fold line  46  or fold line  45 . The second member  42  extends upwardly past the upper wall  28  of the box body  12  and defines the side wall  24   b  for the rear of the box body  12 . The second member  42  is preferably joined through adhesive to the first member  40  at the lower edges  44 ,  51  of the first and second members  40  and  42 , respectively. The first and second members  40 ,  42 , respectively, are also joined at an upper edge  48 ,  50  of each member.  
         [0041]     In a third embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 10-12 , the compartment  20  is similar in shape to that shown in  FIGS. 1, 2 , and  7 . Compartments  20 , however, are differently shaped,  22 A to accommodate a beverage container and  22 B to receive a box of candy or other container. The lid  16  extends the full length of the food and beverage tray  10 . The first and second members  40  and  42  are constructed in the same manner as described in connection with the second embodiment, and they are similarly adhered or joined.  
         [0042]     In the second and third embodiments, the members are preferably adhered to each other such that members  40  and  42  define a two-sided advertising display  18 . In a preferred embodiment, at least one pair of opposed side edges  52  and  53  of members  40  and  42  remain unadhered such that the first and second members  40 ,  42  define a pocket  55  therebetween. Of course, the members  40  and  42  might also be adhered at the sides so that the pocket opens near the top of the lid  16 . The pocket  55  may be used to store non-consumable products such as napkins, entertainment games, coupons, or other advertising or promotional items such as item  60 . The pocket  55  may also be used to store as consumable products such as seasonings or condiments.  
         [0043]     In use, the food tray of the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be loaded with a container of food, such as a container of popcorn or nachos, in the first compartment  20 , a beverage container in one of the second compartments  22 , and another container of food in the other of the second compartments  22 . The advertising display  18  may be used to advertise the particular product being carried in the tray, or any other product or service. The advertising display  18  extends directly in front of the consumer and presents a striking appearance. Of course, a different advertising display  18  may be placed on the other side of the lid  16 , as well, i.e. on second member  42 , which makes a presentation to the consumer when the lid  16  is closed and a presentation to others when the lid  16  is open.  
         [0044]     It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the food and beverage tray of the present invention has a number of advantages, some of which have been described above. Also, obvious modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited as necessitated by the accompanying claims.