Abstract:
A carrier for food, beverages and other items and methods for carrying food, beverages and other items. The carrier is especially suitable for use at food and beverage concessions at sporting and entertainment venues and in fast-casual restaurants. The carrier is preferably made of paper and includes a carry tab which permits a customer to carry multiple carriers in one hand. The carry tab may include an aperture sized to accommodate the customer&#39;s thumb and fingers, providing for a sure and comfortable grip of the carrier. The carrier fits into a standard cup holder in the seating area at sporting and entertainment venues, or may hang from a hook provided in the seating area.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to carriers for food, beverages and other items and methods for carrying food, beverages and other items. More particularly, the present invention relates to such carriers and methods suitable for use at food and beverage concessions at sporting and entertainment venues and in fast-casual restaurants. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   A need exists for a method and apparatus for customers of concessions at sporting and entertainment venues to transport several items with ease. It would be advantageous for such a method and apparatus to be suitable for use with both foods and beverages. 
   A need also exists for a method and device that will integrate easily into an existing concessions or fast-casual restaurant environment. It would be advantageous for such a method and apparatus to enable servers to carry multiple items per trip from a food preparation station to a sales counter. 
   In addition, a need exists for a method and apparatus that will boost sales of food and beverages by making it more convenient for a customer to purchase more items and transport them back to the seating area without concern about spilling or dropping the items. 
   Further, a need exists for a carrier that will fit into existing cup holders which are provided in the seating areas of many sporting and entertainment venues. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a carrier suitable for holding food or a beverage in a cup is provided. The carrier is preferably made of paper and includes a carry tab which permits a customer to carry multiple carriers in one hand. The carry tab preferably has an aperture sized to accommodate the customer&#39;s thumb and fingers, providing for a sure and comfortable grip of the carriers. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a carrier is provided which fits into standard cup holders in seating areas at sporting and entertainment venues. Alternately, the carrier may hang from a hook provided in the seating area. 
   In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, a method of transporting a plurality of food or beverage items in one hand is provided. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary carrier of the invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a front elevation view of the carrier of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of the carrier of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4  is rear elevation view of the carrier of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 5  is an opposite side elevation view of the carrier of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a top plan view of the carrier of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 7  is a bottom plan view of the carrier of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 8  illustrates how three of the carriers of  FIG. 1  may be carried in a person&#39;s hand by inserting the thumb and fingers into the apertures in the carrying tabs of each carrier; 
       FIG. 9  illustrates how a plurality of the carriers of  FIG. 1  may be carried in each hand; 
       FIG. 10  illustrates an alternate method of how four of the carriers of  FIG. 1  may be gripped by a person&#39;s hand. 
       FIG. 11  is a view of the flat blank for making the carrier of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 12  is a perspective view showing the blank of  FIG. 10  being folded to form the bottom of carrier of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the assembled bottom of the carrier. 
       FIG. 14  is a view of the carrier of  FIG. 1  inserted into a cup holder; 
       FIG. 15  is a view of the carrier of  FIG. 1  hanging from a hook on a cup holder; 
       FIG. 16  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the carrier of the invention; 
       FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional view of the carrier of  FIG. 15  taken along line  16 A- 16 B; and 
       FIG. 18  is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   In accordance with the present invention, new and useful carriers for foods, beverages and other items and methods for carrying foods, beverages and other items are provided. 
   Concession stands at sporting and entertainment venues such as stadiums, arenas and theatres offer a variety of food and beverage products to persons attending events at the venue. Typically, a customer must wait in line and place an order at the concession stand sales counter, and after being served, must transport the items purchased back to the seating area. One of the most significant customer concerns in such environments is the difficulty in carrying multiple items from the concession stand back to their seats. Known devices such as food boats and French fry cups are well suited for single orders, but become awkward and difficult to manage when buying multiple items, especially when buying for a family or group. Trays and slings can hold multiple items, but are often unwieldy and unbalanced, resulting in drops and spills. When the customer reaches his seat, there may be a cup holder to hold a single beverage, but no place other than one&#39;s lap or the floor to place food items. 
   The invention is an innovative carrier and method for carrying several items (typically food or beverage) with ease. Using the carrier of the invention, a customer can carry as many as four or five items in one hand. This alleviates indecision experienced by customers when placing their orders, as they no longer must worry about how to carry the items back to their seats. This increases sales for the concession. Further, the durability and inherent counter-balance of the carrier reduce spilling of beverages and foods, enhancing customer satisfaction and reducing spills on the floor of the venue and resulting clean-up costs. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1-7 , and in particular to  FIG. 1 , a carrier  10  is formed with four walls  12 ,  14 ,  16  and  18 , a square top opening  20  and a square base  22 . Each of side walls  12 ,  14 ,  16  and  18  is tapered so that the base  22  of carrier  10  is somewhat smaller than top opening  20 . Carry tabs  24  extend upwardly from two of the walls  12 ,  18  at the corner of carrier  10  where walls  12  and  18  are adjacent. A tab opening  26  is provided in each carry tab  24 . Tab opening  26  may be round (circular) as shown, or may have any other shape suitable for insertion of a user&#39;s fingers and/or thumb. 
   As shown in  FIG. 8 , three (or up to five) carriers  10  may be easily gripped in one hand by inserting the fingers and thumb through tab openings  26 . Because carriers  10  are square, they fit together tightly and support one another, preventing possible imbalance and thus avoiding spills. 
   As shown in  FIG. 9 , multiple (up to five) carriers  10  may easily be carried in each hand. While useful for a customer purchasing food and beverages for a large group, this is especially advantageous for a server, who can transport up to ten items at one time from a food preparation area to a sales counter. The ability to transport more items in a single trip speeds up customer service, reduces customer time spent waiting in line, and generally enhances customer satisfaction with the overall concession experience. 
   An alternate way of gripping multiple carriers  10  is shown in  FIG. 10 . In this method, rather than inserting the fingers and thumb in tab openings  26 , the fingers simply grip carry tabs  24 . Again, because of the square shape of the carriers, they fit together snugly and make it easy to securely grip and carry them. 
   Carrier  10  is formed from a blank  40  as shown in  FIG. 11 . Blank  40  may be made of coated food grade paper, cardboard, plastic or other suitable material as is well known in the art. Blank  40  includes sides  42 ,  44 ,  46 , and  48 . Carry tabs  50 ,  52  extend from sides  46 ,  48 , respectively. In this exemplary embodiment, carry tabs  50 ,  52  are integrally formed in sides  46 ,  48 . Alternately, the carry tabs may be made separately and attached to the sides by gluing, stapling or other suitable means. Tab openings  54 ,  56  are punched or otherwise formed in carry tabs  50 ,  52 . In this embodiment, tab openings  54 ,  56  are circular, but they may be any other convenient shape that will accommodate a user&#39;s fingers and/or thumb. Bottom tabs  58 ,  60 ,  62  and  64  extend from walls  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48 , respectively. Side tab  66  extends from wall  48 . Scores  68 ,  70 ,  72  and  74  are provided between the sides  42 ,  44 ,  46 , and  48  and side tab  66 , respectively, and scores  76 ,  78 ,  80  and  82  are provided between sides  42 ,  44 ,  46  and  48  and bottom tabs  58 ,  60 ,  62  and  64 , respectively, to facilitate folding and assembly of carrier  10 , as discussed below. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 12-13 , blank  40  is assembled into carrier  10  by folding along scores  68 ,  70 ,  72  and  74  to form the generally square carrier. Side tab  66  is attached to the inside of wall  42  by glue, staples or other means. Alternately, side tab  66  and wall  42  may have a tab and slot arrangement (not shown) by which they may be interlocked, as is known in the art. Bottom tabs  58 ,  60 ,  62  and  64  are folded along scores  76 ,  78 ,  80  and  82 , respectively, and interlocked to form the bottom of carrier  10 . Alternately, the bottom of carrier  10  may be an auto-locking bottom of the type generally known in the art. 
   Carriers  10  may be fully assembled and delivered to a venue ready to use. Alternately, for convenience in shipping and reduced storage space, blanks  40  may be partially assembled and delivered flat, with assembly completed on site. In the case of a carrier having an auto-locking bottom as mentioned above, carriers may be shipped and stored flat and then readily assembled up for use by simply pressing two opposite corners of the carton together, with the bottom panel components automatically interlocking to form a secure bottom for the carrier. Assembled carriers may be nested inside one another for convenience in transportation and storage of empty carriers. 
   In a preferred embodiment, carrier  10  has a height of about 5.5 inches, a top width of about 3.5 inches, and a bottom width of about 2.25 inches. A carrier of these dimensions will hold a 16 ounce food product or beverage cup and will fit into a standard cup holder. Tab openings  26  have a diameter of ⅞ inch, which comfortably accommodates the thumb and fingers of the customer. 
   Blank  40  is preferably made of coated food grade paper of sufficient thickness so as to be sturdy enough to hold the desired food and beverage products without collapsing. Paper is relatively inexpensive and environmentally friendly as compared to other possible materials such as plastic. Paper may also be readily imprinted with branding, logos, advertising, informational or entertainment content. For applications which may require greater strength or resistance to moisture, plastic or other materials may be used instead of paper. 
   A wide range of food products may be placed in the carrier, for example, popcorn, chips, pretzels, French fries, fried vegetables, fried calamari, popcorn shrimp, etc. If desired, a paper liner  30  may be inserted into carrier  10  before adding the food, as shown in  FIGS. 9 ,  14  and  15 . A beverage container such as a cup, can or bottle may also be placed in the carrier. In addition, the carrier may be used to carry other types of merchandise which might be sold, such as souvenir items. 
   As shown in  FIG. 14 , carrier  10  may be inserted into a standard cup holder  90 . Such cup holders are typically mounted on the back of the seat  92  in front of a seated patron at a venue. In some venues, the cup holders are provided in the armrests of the patron&#39;s seat. This is a convenience for the customer who is freed from having to hold the item in his lap or place it on the floor. Further, when in the cup holder, the food item and the branding on the carrier are readily visible to other patrons in the area, providing marketing benefits and enhancing sales. The carrier may also be used with the cup holders found in many vehicles. 
   In the alternative, cup holder  90  may be provided with one or more hooks  94  as shown in  FIG. 15 . In this case, carrier  10  is suspended from hook  94  by inserting a hook  94  through one of tab openings  26 . If more than one hook is provided as shown in  FIG. 15 , more than one carrier  10  can be conveniently placed near the patron. 
     FIGS. 16 and 17  illustrate an alternate embodiment of the carrier of the invention. Carrier  100  is similar to the carrier previously described, except that it has a triangular profile instead of a square profile. Carrier  100  includes three side walls  102 ,  104 ,  106  and is provided with extending carry tabs  108  having tab openings  110 . As best seen in  FIG. 17 , which is a cross-sectional view of the carrier  100  of  FIG. 16 , sides  102 ,  104  and  106  are tapered so that base  112  is smaller then top opening  114 . Carrier  100  is dimensioned so that it fits in a standard cup holder. 
     FIG. 18  illustrates yet another embodiment of the carrier of the invention. Carrier  120  is generally cylindrical, and is tapered so that it is narrower at its bottom  122  than at its top opening  124 . This profile allows carrier  120  to be easily inserted into and removed from a cup holder. Carry tab  128  extends upwardly from the cylindrical body of carrier  120 , and at least one or preferably two tab openings  128  are provided for carrying with the fingers and thumb, and for hanging on a hook provided in the seating area. Carry tab  128  may be integrally formed with the cylindrical body of carrier  120 , or made separately and attached by gluing, stapling or other suitable means. 
   While the invention has been described with respect to certain preferred embodiments, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of numerous changes, modifications and rearrangements and such changes, modifications and rearrangements are intended to be covered by the following claims.