Abstract:
A collapsible, conical food scoop formed from a unitary blank of flexible material is disclosed which includes a first, food compartment and a second, condiment compartment. The condiment compartment is formed from a panel of material connected between first and second locations on the interior wall of the first compartment, and shifts between a first position overlaying the interior side wall of the food scoop when the scoop is collapsed and a second position spaced apart from the interior side wall for holding a condiment when the scoop is opened for use.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of the U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/186,212 filed on Mar. 1, 2000, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to a food scoop, and more specifically, to a food scoop with a condiment compartment. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Finger foods, such as chicken nuggets, popcorn shrimp, french fries, and onion rings are often served from small paperboard containers. These containers may be pouch-shaped, like those used for french fries in many fast-food establishments, or cup or cone-shaped. Because such containers are often used to scoop individual servings from a product batch, they are sometime referred to as “food scoops.” 
     The food products described above are often dipped into sauces or condiments, such as ketchup, mustard, or vinegar before they are eaten. Many food service establishments provide bulk containers of these condiments and small paper or plastic cups into which they can be dispensed. Alternately, the condiments may come prepackaged in a sealed container. 
     If the food product is consumed by a person while seated at a table, the condiment containers can be placed on the table. If a person wishes to walk with the container, on a boardwalk or at an amusement park, for example, or to eat the food product while driving a vehicle, the use of a condiment becomes more difficult. Both the condiment cup and food scoop must be held in one hand while the other hand grasps an item of food and dips it in the condiment. This method makes activities such as driving very difficult and possibly dangerous. It is also possible to dispense a condiment directly onto the food products in the food scoop, but this can be messy and often results in an uneven distribution of condiment. When walking or driving, therefore, persons sometimes forgo the use of sauces or condiments altogether, or have to endure the inconvenience of eating sticky, condiment-covered food products with their fingers. 
     Various attempts have been made to address this problem by providing food containers with compartments for holding condiment. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,957 to Yocum, owned by the assignee of the present invention, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,429 to Cordle show food scoops having interior pockets that can be filled with condiments. However, pockets such as these can be inadvertently squeezed, leading to condiment spills either into the food scoop or onto the user. These pockets also make containers more difficult to assemble and more costly to produce. U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,364 to Shaw and U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,631 to Berger show complex folding shelves formed separately from a food scoop and glued or otherwise attached to the food scoops for supporting a condiment receptacle. Such attachments also add to the cost of food scoops and make them more difficult to assemble. In addition, they do not securely retain a condiment receptacle when the food scoop is carried by a user or balanced in a moving vehicle. 
     It would therefore be desirable to provide a food scoop with an integrally formed condiment compartment which compartment is capable of securely retaining a condiment even when the food scoop is carried or jarred, and that can be produced at substantially the same cost as existing food scoops that lack this inventive feature. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention addresses these and other problems by providing a conical food scoop having a compartment for a condiment that extends inwardly from a side wall thereof. The food scoop and compartment are formed from a unitary blank of material. Furthermore, the food scoop can be stored in a flat, collapsed configuration and shifted to an open, use configuration by squeezing two portions of the container together. Preferably, the condiment compartment will open or deploy as the sidewalls of the food scoop are squeezed to form the scoop. 
     The food scoop and the condiment compartment are formed from a unitary blank of foldable material, such as paperboard. This allows the product to be produced using the same methods used for traditional food scoops. 
     It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a conical food scoop having a compartment for holding a condiment. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a collapsible food scoop having an integral condiment compartment. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a collapsible food scoop having a condiment compartment that shifts into an open, use position when the food scoop is erected. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a collapsible, conical food scoop having a conical condiment compartment. 
     It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a blank for forming a conical food scoop having an integral condiment compartment. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a food scoop according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the food scoop of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a plan view of a blank for forming the food scoop shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a plan view of the blank of FIG. 3 in a partially folded condition; 
     FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of a second embodiment of a food scoop according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the food scoop of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is a plan view of a blank for forming the food scoop shown in FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 8 is a plan view of the blank of FIG. 7 in a partially folded condition; and, 
     FIG. 9 is a plan view of a blank for forming a food scoop according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating several preferred embodiments of the invention only and not for the purpose of limiting same, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a food scoop designated generally by the numeral  10  having a food compartment  11  and a condiment compartment  13 . Food scoop  10  is assembled by folding and gluing a unitary blank  15  which is cut from a sheet of paperboard stock. To facilitate the description of the present invention, the food scoop will be generally described in a position in which it is normally used by a consumer, which is with the opening for the food at the top. 
     Food scoop  10  is assembled by folding the unitary blank shown in FIG. 3 which blank includes a front wall  12  having a first wall portion  16  and a second wall portion  18  attached to first wall portion  16  with a glue flap portion  32  along a vertical first fold line  14 . Food scoop  10  further includes a rear wall  20  having a third wall portion  24  and a fourth wall portion  26  divided by a vertical second fold line  22 . First wall portion  16  connects to third wall portion  24  along a third fold line  28 , and second wall portion  18  connects to fourth wall portion  26  along fourth fold line  30  to form food scoop  10  and define the food and condiment compartments. The wall portions are preferably triangular and form an inverted conical food scoop in the assembled configuration. 
     Condiment compartment  13 , which generally is a receiving area defined between a movable panel and one or more wall portion of the food scoop, extends into the interior of food compartment  11  and generally comprises a triangular panel  36  (shown in FIG. 3) connected to an upper edge  37  of third wall portion  24  along a fifth fold line  38  at one end, and connected to an upper edge  39  of fourth wall portion  26  along a sixth fold line  41  at the other end. A linear slit  40  connects fifth fold line  38  and sixth fold line  41  and allows the condiment holder to open in use as described hereinafter. Although the condiment container deploys automatically at the same time as the food scoop is erected into a use position, an upper edge portion  34  is created adjacent to linear slit  40  because the slit is not collinear with fifth fold line  38  and sixth fold line  41 . Upper edge portion  34  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. 
     Triangular panel  36  includes a first glue flap  42  connected to a central panel  44  along a seventh fold line  43  on one side, and a second glue flap  45  connected to central panel  44  along an eighth fold line  47  at an opposing side. Central panel  44  is further divided into a first sub-panel  46 , a second sub-panel  48 , a third sub-panel  50 , and a fourth sub-panel  52 . More specifically, seventh fold line  43  separates first sub-panel  46  from first glue flap  42 . A tenth fold line  56  separates first sub-panel  46  from second sub-panel  48 . An eleventh fold line  58  separates second sub-panel  48  from third sub-panel  50 . A twelfth fold line  60  separates third sub-panel  50  from fourth sub-panel  52 , and as stated hereinabove, eighth fold line  47  separates fourth sub-panel  52  from second glue flap  45 . 
     The sub-panels are triangular and the first and second sub-panels  46 ,  47  overlay the third wall portion when triangular panel  36  is folded along fold lines  38  and  41 . Similarly, third and fourth sub-panels  50  and  52  overlay fourth wall portion  26  when the triangular panel is folded. Morever, eleventh fold line  58  is a center fold line which symmetrically divides central panel  44  and, more importantly, overlays second fold line  22  when triangular panel  36  is folded over. As will be explained herein, such configuration allows the condiment compartment to deploy automatically when the food scoop is erected into a use position. 
     The assembly of food scoop  10  will now be explained with particular reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. Triangular panel  36  is folded at fifth fold line  38  and sixth fold line  41  until it overlies third and fourth wall portions  24 ,  26 , as best seen in FIG.  4 . Linear slit  40 , preferably created during the cutting of unitary blank  15  out of the paperboard stock, leaves upper edge portion  34  peripherally extending out beyond upper edges  37  and  39 . Next, adhesive material is applied to glue receiving locations  64  and then first glue flap  42  and second glue flap  45  are adhesively secured to the top surfaces of third wall portion  24  and fourth wall portion  26  respectively and left to dry. Next, first wall portion  16  is folded along third fold line  28  until it overlies third wall portion  24 . Then second wall portion  18  is folded along fourth fold line  30  until it overlies fourth wall portion  26  and where the outer edge of second wall portion  18  is aligned with first fold line  14 . Therefore, a portion of second wall portion  18  overlies glue flap portion  32 . Next, glue flap portion  32  is attached second wall portion by applying adhesive material such as glue a second glue receiving location  66 . At this point, food scoop  10  is assembled in non-deployed position used for shipping and storage. 
     To open food scoop  10  into a use position, the side edges of the food scoop, which correspond to third fold line  28  and fourth fold line  30 , are squeezed toward one another to form a cone with a top opening having a square or rhombohedral shape. As the side edges along third and fourth fold lines  28 ,  30  are squeezed, central panel  44  bows outwardly away from third and fourth wall portions  24 ,  26  to form the condiment compartment. The compartment can then be filled with a food product which will help to hold the container in an open configuration. When the first compartment is open the second compartment will also be open which allows it to easily be filled with ketchup or other condiment. It should be appreciated that since condiment compartment  13  is located within food scoop  10 , if the condiment spills, most will fall into the food compartment and onto the food product rather onto the user. Moreover, the fold lines provide a minimal contact surface area with the consumer&#39;s hand, which reduces the amount of heat transferred to a consumer&#39;s hand by hot foods such as french fries. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 5-8, a second embodiment of the invention is illustrated. In this embodiment, elements common to both the first and second embodiments are identified by like numerals. Broadly, the difference between the food scoop in the second embodiment and the food scoop in the first embodiment lies in the number of fold lines formed in central panel  44 . More specifically, a triangular panel  136  of the second embodiment includes a third glue flap  70  connected to a central panel  144  along a fourteenth fold line  72  on one side, and a fourth glue flap  74  connected to central panel  144  along a fifteenth fold line  76  at an opposing side. Central panel  144  is further divided into a fifth sub-panel  78 , a sixth sub-panel  80 , and a seventh sub-panel  82 . More specifically, fourteenth fold line  72  separates fifth sub-panel  78  from third glue flap  70 . A sixteenth fold line  84  separates fifth sub-panel  78  from sixth sub-panel  80 . A seventeenth fold line  86  separates sixth sub-panel  80  from seventh sub-panel  82 . Finally, as stated hereinabove, fifteenth fold line  76  separates seventh sub-panel  82  from fourth glue flap  74 . 
     Similar to the first embodiment, the sub-panels of this embodiment are triangular and fifth sub-panel  78  overlies third wall portion  24  and seventh sub-panel  82  overlies fourth wall portion  26  when triangular panel  36  is folded along lines  38  and  41 . As stated previously, such configuration will allow the condiment compartment to deploy automatically when the food scoop is erected into a use position. 
     The food scoop in the second embodiment is assembled as discussed above in connection with the first embodiment. However, the presence of fewer fold lines in the condiment compartment results in the formation of a compartment having a generally pentagonal top opening as seen in FIG. 6 rather than four sided condiment compartment opening of the first embodiment. 
     Referring now to FIG. 9, a blank for forming a third embodiment of the food scoop is illustrated. In this embodiment, elements common to both the first and third embodiments are identified by like numerals. Broadly, the difference between the food scoop in the third embodiment and the food scoop of the first embodiment lies in the number of fold lines formed in the central panel. More specifically, triangular panel  236  of the third embodiment includes a fifth glue flap  88  connected to a central panel  244  along an eighteenth fold line  90  on one side, and a sixth glue flap  92  connected to central panel  244  along a nineteenth folding line  94  at an opposing side. Central panel  244  is further divided into an eighth sub-panel  96  connected to a ninth sub-panel  98  along a twentieth fold line  100 . It should be noted that twentieth fold line  100  is aligned with and coincides on top of second fold line  22  when triangular panel  236  is folded to overlie third and fourth wall portions  24  and  26 . 
     The subject invention has been describes herein in terms of several preferred embodiments; however, it will be appreciated that additions and modifications to the invention will be come evident to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the foregoing description together with the attached drawings. For example, the shape of the food scoop used can be varied without departing from the scoop of this invention. It is intended that all such obvious modifications and additions be included within the scope of this application.