Abstract:
An inexpensive, cost-effective ice cream cake form with interchangeable ice cream cake molds. The ice cream cake form allows the user to simply, quickly, and inexpensively create ice cream cakes of varying sizes and shapes in the home environment by simply changing the ice cream cake molds used with a tray that serves as the bottom of the ice cream cake form and a serving tray.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    This invention relates to making ice cream cakes in a home environment. Using the ice cream cake form and kit of the present invention, anyone can make a fresh, delicious ice cream cake with just a handful of inexpensive ingredients. Although primarily aimed at home use, the ice cream cake form and kit for making ice cream cake of the present invention can also be successfully used in small candy and ice cream shops for manufacturing fresh ice cream cakes of different shapes to order. 
         [0002]    Ice cream cakes are popular with children and adults alike, and are sold as summer refreshments and birthday cakes with fanciful and vanity shapes, and frequently with birthday or event-themed decorations and designs. Currently, ice cream cakes are available from specialty shops and several supermarket store chains, but these pre-made ice cream cakes are often expensive, especially the larger cakes. 
         [0003]    In addition to being expensive, these pre-made ice cream cakes do not allow the buyers any control over the contents of the ice cream cake. The buyers can select from several existing types of cakes, and buy an ice cream cake with already formed contents. Thus, the buyers at best only have control over the toppings that go on the ice cream cake. 
       DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART 
       [0004]    The current state of the art involves manufacturing ice cream cakes at factories or specialty shops. The contents, such as ice cream and other ingredients, are pre-determined by the manufacturers, in a set, limited number of varieties. 
         [0005]    What is needed is an easy-to-use, easy-to-make, and easy-to-clean reusable form for manufacturing ice cream cakes of varying shapes, sizes, and with whatever ice cream and other ingredients or content the users want. From the simple three-layer plain vanilla ice cream with a cookie layer middle, to the multi-layer gourmet chocolate ice-cream with almonds, crumbled wafers, and maraschino cherries—any number of varieties, layers, and ingredients can be implemented in cakes of different sizes and shapes using the ice cream cake form and kit of the present invention. Making the ice cream cake then becomes a fun activity for the entire family: create your dream ice cream cake or the masterpiece work of art cake. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    This invention meets the current need for such an ice cream form. A novel ice cream cake form and a kit for making ice cream cake are provided. The preferred embodiment of the ice cream cake form of the present invention is a substantially flat tray with grooves capable of accommodating at least two removable ice cream cake molds of different shapes and sizes, which allow easy creation of ice cream cakes in the home environment. 
         [0007]    The upper part of the ice cream cake form, specifically the ice cream cake mold, is preferably removably attachable to the substantially flat tray for the ease of removing the mold and serving the cake, easy cleaning, and easy selection of the cake size and shape. The preferred method of attachment of the removable molds to the tray is snapping or sliding the molds into cooperating grooves in the substantially flat tray. However, other methods of attachment may be used, such as latches and other means known in the art. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    These features, aspects and advantages of the novel ice cream cake form and a kit for making ice cream cake will become further understood with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings where 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of the ice cream cake tray and the removable separating rectangular ice cream cake mold of the present invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a top down view of the ice cream cake tray of the present invention illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a front cross sectional view of the ice cream cake tray of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a side cross sectional view of the ice cream cake tray of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a top down view of the separating removable rectangular ice cream cake mold of the present invention illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a top down view of the one-piece rigid removable rectangular ice cream cake mold of the present invention illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the separating removable rectangular ice cream cake mold of the present invention illustrated in  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the one-piece rigid removable rectangular ice cream cake mold of the present invention illustrated in  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  is a top down view of the separating removable circular ice cream cake mold of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 10  is a top down view of the one-piece rigid removable circular ice cream cake mold of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the separating removable circular ice cream cake mold of the present invention illustrated in  FIG. 9 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the one-piece rigid removable circular ice cream cake mold of the present invention illustrated in  FIG. 10 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 13  is a side view of the molding tool of the kit for making ice cream cake of the present invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 14  is a top view of the molding tool of the kit for making ice cream cake of the present invention illustrated in  FIG. 13 ; and 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       [0023]    As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the novel ice cream cake form of the present invention comprises an ice cream cake tray  10  and at least one removable ice cream mold, illustrated in  FIG. 1  as a separating rectangular mold  20 . The ice cream cake tray  10  is preferably a substantially flat plate with grooves shaped and sized to accept the removable ice cream cake molds. As further illustrated in  FIG. 1 , cooperating grooves  12  of the cake tray  10  accept the separating rectangular mold  20  illustrated in  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 7  or the rigid rectangular mold  22  illustrated in  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 8 . As further illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a cooperating groove  14  of the cake tray  10  accepts the separating circular mold  30  illustrated in  FIG. 9  and  FIG. 11  or the rigid circular mold  32  illustrated in  FIG. 10  and  FIG. 12 . 
         [0024]    With reference to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the cooperating grooves  12  and the cooperating groove  14  of the cake tray  10  may, but do not have to, intersect in the surface of the substantially flat plate of the cake tray  10 . The cooperating groove  14  for the circular molds  30  and  32  may be shaped so that it is entirely enclosed by the boundaries defined by the cooperating grooves  12  for the rectangular molds. Alternatively, the circular shape defined by the cooperating groove  14  may overlap with the rectangular or square shape defined by the cooperating grooves  12 . 
         [0025]    The ice cream cake tray  10  preferably serves a dual purpose: it allows the user of the present invention to mold the ice cream cake of a desired shape, size, and content with one of the removable ice cream cake molds, and the ice cream cake tray  10  is also used as a serving tray when it is the time to remove the molds and serve the cake. 
         [0026]    The separating rectangular mold  20  is preferably made from four separate parts as illustrated in  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 5 , and  FIG. 7 , including two opposite longitudinal parts  26  and two opposite latitudinal parts  28 . Each longitudinal part  26  is thus adjacent to both latitudinal parts  28 . However, the separating rectangular mold  20  may also be made from two or three parts as desired, such as two corner-shaped parts composed on one longitudinal and one latitudinal part each. Likewise, the separating circular mold  30  is preferably made from two parts  36  as illustrated in  FIG. 9  and  FIG. 11 , but it may be made from a greater number of parts if desired. 
         [0027]    Both the separating rectangular mold  20  and the separating circular mold  30  may employ fasteners  40 , as illustrated in  FIG. 11 , to securely hold the parts of the separating molds in place after the coupling of the separating molds with the ice cream cake tray  10  and during the making of the ice cream cake. Without the fasteners  40  to hold the separate parts of the separating molds together, the separate parts may be pushed apart when the ice cream is molded and compacted inside the mold, which is undesirable. The fasteners may be spring clips  42  as illustrated in  FIG. 11 , pins, latches, hooks, snaps or other fasteners known in the art. The separate parts of the separating molds may also be hinged to each other. 
         [0028]    Whenever the rigid rectangular mold  22  is used, it also has two longitudinal sides opposite to each other and two latitudinal sides opposite to each other. The rigid circular mold  32  has a shape of a sleeve or a short hollow tube. However, it is more difficult to remove the rigid molds from the ice cream cake tray  10  after the making of the ice cream cake, without disturbing the cake, due to the friction of the sides of the cake against the walls of the rigid molds. Therefore, whenever rigid molds are used, the inside walls of the rigid molds are preferably smooth to facilitate the removal of the mold without disturbing the ice cream cake. 
         [0029]    The preferred embodiment of the invention includes an ice cream cake tray  10  and two removable ice cream molds: a separating rectangular mold  20  and a separating circular mold  30 . Alternatively, the invention may include the ice cream cake tray  10 , a rigid rectangular mold  22  and a rigid circular mold  32 . Any number of combinations of alternative embodiments may be used, employing the ice cream cake tray  10 , a polygonal mold, and a non-polygonal mold such as a circular or oval mold. The user selects which mold to attach to the ice cream cake tray  10  depending on what size and shape ice cream cake is desired. 
         [0030]    With reference to the drawings, particularly  FIG. 1 , when the removable ice cream cake mold such as the separating rectangular mold  20  is removably attached to the ice cream cake tray  10  by securing the separating rectangular mold  20  in the cooperating grooves  12 , the ice cream cake tray  10  and the separating rectangular mold  20  form a hollow well, where the ice cream cake tray  10  is the bottom of the well and the separating rectangular mold  20  extends upwardly from the ice cream cake tray  10  and comprises the wall or the walls of the well. The connections between the ice cream cake tray  10  and the separating rectangular mold  20  do not have to be airtight, but the cooperating grooves  12  should be sufficiently well-fitted with the removable ice cream cake mold to avoid any leakage of soft ice cream through during the ice cream cake molding process. 
         [0031]    After the attachment of the separating rectangular mold  20  to the ice cream cake tray  10 , the hollow well formed by the ice cream cake tray  10  and the separating rectangular mold  20  is filled with the ice cream and any other desired ingredients or layers. The ice cream is preferably softened before molding the cake because that facilitates faster molding and compacting and ensures a more uniform consistency of the ice cream cake. The ice cream is preferably softened by leaving it outside the freezer for a suitable period of time or by placing it into a microwave oven briefly before it is loaded into the ice cream cake form and molded. Softened ice cream is easier to scoop, load into the form, and mold. Once the ice cream cake is completed, the form with the molded cake is preferably placed into the freezer to refreeze and solidify the ice cream before serving. 
         [0032]    There is no preference regarding which edge of the ice cream cake mold is inserted into the ice cream cake tray  10  as the molds are intended to be reversible, without a defined top or bottom. However, if desired, both the separating ice cream cake molds and the rigid ice cream cake molds may have a defined top and bottom so as to facilitate the proper insertion of the bottom of the molds into the respective cooperating grooves  12  or  14 . 
         [0033]    Although the most practical shape for the ice cream cakes of the present invention are circular and rectangular, a number of other polygonal molds, such as a square, a hexagon, an octagon, a triangle, non-polygonal molds such as an oval, star shapes, or fanciful molds such as a heart shape may be used for the removable ice cream cake molds without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The size and shape of the ice cream cake tray  10  and the removable ice cream cake molds may be varied to accommodate the ice cream cakes of different sizes 
         [0034]    A kit for making ice cream cakes according to the present invention comprises an ice cream cake tray  10 , which is preferably a substantially flat plate with cooperating grooves sized and shaped to accept removable ice cream molds, a round ice cream cake mold, a rectangular ice cream cake mold, and a molding tool  50  for molding and compounding the ice cream cake. Using the molding tool  50  of the present invention is more efficient and more comfortable than using a spoon to compound the ice cream into an ice cream cake. 
         [0035]    With reference to the drawings, and particularly  FIG. 13  and  FIG. 14 , the molding tool  50  has a molding part  51  with a bottom surface  52  and a top surface  53 , and a handle  54  attached to the top surface  53  of the molding part  51 . The top surface  53  may have any shape, but the bottom surface  52  is preferably substantially flat for molding and compacting the ice cream. The handle  54  is preferably an elongated handle of a circular cross section, as illustrated in  FIG. 13 , but the handle  54  could be of another shape and size, such as a C-shaped handle, for example, where the ends of the C-handle are attached to the top surface  53 . 
         [0036]    The preferred embodiment uses a molding part  51  having a “quarter circle” footprint of the bottom surface  52  as illustrated in  FIG. 14 . With reference to  FIG. 14 , the bottom surface  52  is preferably formed by two radiuses of a circle coming out of the circle&#39;s center under an approximately ninety degree angle relative to each other, each radius being an edge of the bottom surface  52 , and the portion of the circle&#39;s perimeter between the ends of the two radiuses. More particularly, the third edge of the bottom surface  52  is curved and is approximately equal to one fourth of the perimeter of the circle defined by the radius. This configuration allows for the most efficient making of the ice cream cakes, where the corner of approximately ninety degrees formed by the two radiuses is used for compacting ice cream in the corners of the square or rectangular ice cream mold  20  or  22 , and the curved portion is used for compacting the ice cream in a round ice cream cake mold  30  or  32 . Other configurations may also be used, with the angle between radiuses being less or more than ninety degrees to accommodate fanciful ice cream molds, such as star shapes, or polygons. 
         [0037]    The ice cream cake tray  10 , the removable ice cream cake molds, and the molding tool  50  are preferably made from food-grade plastic and may be injection molded or otherwise manufactured as known in the art. Other freezer-safe, suitable materials and compounds may also be used to make the ice cream cake tray  10 , the removable ice cream cake molds, and the molding tool  50 , such as stainless steel, wood, and glass. The corners and the edges of the ice cream cake tray  10  and the ice cream cake molds are preferably rounded and/or smoothed so as to avoid any cut or other injury to the user. 
         [0038]    Right before serving the ice cream cake of the present invention, the ice cream cake tray  10  with the attached removable ice cream cake mold and the ice cream cake inside is removed from the freezer. The ice cream cake mold is then gently removed from the ice cream cake tray  10 , and the ice cream cake is ready to be cut and served on the ice cream cake tray  10 . The preferred embodiment of the present invention uses the separating rectangular mold  20  and the separating circular mold  30  due to the ease with which they may be removed from the tray without disturbing the ice cream cake. 
         [0039]    The above description of the disclosed preferred embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the principles described herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention and the subject matter of the present invention, which is broadly contemplated by the Applicant. The scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments that may be or become obvious to those skilled in the art.