Abstract:
A tray ( 10 ) for carrying food and beverage in a restaurant has a substantially planar tray bottom portion ( 12 ), and an upwardly extending peripheral sloping wall ( 13 ).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    This invention relates generally to trays for the food service industry, and more particularly, to a tray arrangement that is stacking compatible with preexisting tray arrangements currently used in fast food restaurants, and which provides a multi-sensory presentation of advertising material and other types of information during use. 2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0003]    Standards have been developed by which trays that are used in the food service business, particularly in fast food service establishments, are of predetermined dimensions and nest within one another so as to be stackable. Conventional trays have a substantially flat portion on which a tread pattern is formed to reduce the likelihood of slippage of food while on the tray. In some known trays, information that identifies the particular restaurant is molded on this flat portion, simultaneously with the tread pattern.  
           [0004]    The known trays are further provided with a peripheral rim that surrounds the flat portion, and a slight flange extending outward therefrom, in a direction substantially parallel to the planar bottom section. When being carried by a user, which may be restaurant personnel or a customer, the tray is handled in the region of the peripheral rim and the outwardly extending flange. In some known trays, the outwardly extending flange is extended somewhat to permit same to function as a handle, which improves the security with which the tray is handled.  
           [0005]    It is a problem with conventional tray arrangements that many restaurants will place a liner, such as a paper liner, on the bottom of the tray. Such a liner generally must be printed with advertising information and other material that identifies the restaurant as the information engraved into the bottom of the tray is not visible thereunder.  
           [0006]    The problem of the obscured engraved information has been recognized in the art. Accordingly, at least one manufacturer of trays has engraved such information on the raised peripheral rim where it is visible notwithstanding the placement of a liner on the bottom of the tray. This approach to a long-standing problem creates additional problems. In order for the engraved information, which may include material that identifies the restaurant, to be of sufficient size to be useful as mass communication, the raised peripheral rim has been extended to where it no longer conforms to established tray standards. Such a tray, therefore, is not stackable with any other conventional tray, other than similar trays.  
           [0007]    It is of singular importance that new trays, as they are purchased by the restaurant, be backwards compatible with the existing inventory of trays of the restaurant.  
           [0008]    Otherwise, disruptions in service will occur, as two sets of trays will need to be accommodated in the stacks and in the tray washers. Thus, unless a restaurant incurs the expense of changing all of its trays to the type having the information engraved on the raised annular rim, it must suffer disruption in its service resulting from an effort to accommodate plural incompatible tray standards.  
           [0009]    There is a need, therefore, for a tray arrangement that permits engravement of advertising and other information on a food service tray, so as to be visible during use with a tray liner installed therein, and which also is backward compatible, and therefore, stackable with the preexisting inventory of trays of the restaurant.  
           [0010]    It is another object of this invention to provide a tray arrangement that presents advertising and identification information in a manner that is immediately noticed by a customer without requiring the dimensions of the tray to be made non-standard.  
           [0011]    It is also an object of this invention to provide a tray arrangement that can enhance the presentation of information to visually challenged individuals.  
           [0012]    It is a further object of this invention to provide a tray arrangement that reduces the likelihood of food spillage during carriage of food and beverage by a user.  
           [0013]    It is yet another object of this invention to provide a tray arrangement that can easily be manufactured to display different items of information.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0014]    The foregoing and other objects are achieved by this invention which provides, in a specific illustrative embodiment thereof, a tray that is useful in a fast food restaurant environment, by placing advertising, identification, and other information in a region where such information is readily observed or palpated by a customer during use. More specifically, the tray of the present invention is manufactured, illustratively by injection molding, to form raised or indented molding of the information on a handle region. Prior art efforts to render the information observable during use of the tray, which often includes the use of a liner that overlies and therefore covers any printing or engravement on the bottom of the tray, has resulted in non-standard trays that cannot be stacked on existing trays. However, even in such non-standard trays, the information is not located where it readily is palpated by the customer, to effect a multi-sensory presentation of the information, or the presentation of Braille information.  
           [0015]    The present invention solves the problems of rendering the information observable during use of the tray by a customer, all within the context of standard tray dimensions. Moreover, the tray of the present invention achieves the benefits of facilitating palpation of the information, as well as reducing the likelihood of food spillage. Spillage is reduced by the use of the present invention by providing a handle, which affords a more secure grip and a lower center of gravity during carriage of the tray by a customer, as well as the non-slip grip that is enhanced by the information itself on the handle, as will be discussed in detail hereinbelow.  
           [0016]    The manufacture of the inventive tray is facilitated by the use of mold inserts that contain the molded-in information. Thus, the entire mold that is used to form the tray of the present invention need not be recreated each time the information is desired to be changed. This greatly reduces manufacturing costs. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0017]    Comprehension of the invention is facilitated by reading the following detailed description, in conjunction with the annexed drawing, in which:  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1 is a plan representation of a specific illustrative embodiment of the invention slowing the region where molded-in information is to be placed; and  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 2 is an isometric representation of a mold insert that is to be installed in a mold (not shown) to cause the molded-in information to be applied to the tray of FIG. 1. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 is plan representation of a tray  10  constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention. As shown, tray  10  has a bottom portion  12  surrounded by a peripheral sloping wall  13 . Extending outward from the upper portion of peripheral sloping wall  13  is a flange  15 . The dimensions of bottom portion  12 , peripheral sloping wall  13 , and flange  15  are such as to conform to corresponding dimensions of preexisting trays (not shown), whereby tray  10  is nestable with, and therefore, stackable upon, the prior trays. In this manner, therefore, restaurants that purchase tray  10  are not required to dispose of their existing inventory of trays entirely, as a gradual phase-out is enabled.  
         [0021]    Bottom portion  12  is provided with a molded-in pattern, which may be in the form of lines  20 , cross-hatching  21 , roughened surface  22 , or any other surface finish that would enhance frictional communication between the food-carrying containers (not shown) and beverages (not shown) thereon. Of course, such a surface finish is itself optional in the practice of the invention, and any other information may be printed on bottom portion  12  of the tray, such as advertising material or an identifying trademark used by the particular restaurant, as is customary in fast food establishments.  
         [0022]    At the ends of tray  10  flange  15  is shown to extend further outward to form handle regions  25  and  26 . Each of handle regions  25  and  26  has an upper surface on which molded-in information  27  and  28  is presented. The placement of molded-in information on the upper surfaces of handle regions  25  and  26  avoids the problem in the art of providing information on peripheral sloping wall  13 , which required the wall to be enlarged whereby the tray is made non-standard, thereby causing disruptions in the service and operation of the restaurant.  
         [0023]    Molded-in information  27  and  28  need not be identical on both handle regions, as shown in FIG. 1. Instead, each of the handle regions can be provided with different information. Moreover, such information need not be molded-in, but may be molded to raised or negative relief on the handle regions. It is an advantage of the present invention that placement of the molded-in information on the upper surfaces of handle regions  25  and  26  produces a multi-sensory presentation of the information in that such information is not only visible, but palpable as the tray is carried by the customer. Thus, the customer&#39;s attention is drawn to the information which is immediately felt by the customer. Thus, such information may contain material presented in Braille for assisting visually challenged customers.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 2 is an isometric representation of an insert  40  which is one of a pair of such inserts that would be installed in a mold (not shown) during injection molding of tray  10 . As shown in this figure, mold insert  40  is provided with a pair of mounting apertures  42  that facilitate the installation of the mold insert to the mold with the use of fasteners (not shown). In this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention, mold insert  10  has a sealing edge  44  that has a curvature that corresponds to the outer contour of handle regions  25  and  26 .  
         [0025]    Mold insert  40  has a mold surface  45  into which is made an engravement  47  in the mirror image form of the variable information that would be presented on handle regions  25  and  26 , such as molded-in information  27  or  28 . Of course, the molded-in information need not be in the form of an engravement, but may, as stated hereinabove with respect to other embodiments of the invention, be in the form of a raised relief information, whereby a desired form of relief is made in the handle regions. Persons of skill in the art would be able to configure the molded-in information to achieve a presentation on the handle regions of the tray of images, logos, trademarks, foreign language characters, raised Braille characters, and the like.  
         [0026]    In the practice of the invention, the molded-in information has a height characteristic that has been determined empirically to provide excellent ergonomic feel while maintaining a high degree of cleanliness. That is, food particles and other substances, such as grease, must not accumulate on or around the molded-in information. Additionally, the determined height characteristic must retain its advantageous tactile response and visibility characteristics after repeated usage and washing. In a practicable embodiment, the height (or depth) characteristic of the molded-in information is approximately between 0.003″ and 0.008″, and preferably between 0.005″ to 0.007″. These height/depth dimensions provide good feel, while the tray material stays clean and the information molded thereon remains visible during extended periods of restaurant service.  
         [0027]    In addition, it is desirable that the molded-in information have an edge contour that serves to preclude accumulation therealong of food particles, greases, and hand oils. Thus, the contour, which ultimately depends on the letters and/or logo that form the molded-in information, should not have a deep ridge or corner. In some embodiments of the invention, the molded-in information is textured, while maintaining the height/depth thereof within the advantageous range set forth above.  
         [0028]    Although the invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments and applications, persons skilled in the art can, in light of this teaching, generate additional embodiments without exceeding the scope or departing from the spirit of the disclosed invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the drawing and description in this disclosure are proffered to facilitate comprehension of the invention, and should not be construed to limit the scope thereof.