Abstract:
A food and beverage tray that is particularly useful in consuming fast food or snack meals. The food and beverage tray is uniquely designed so that the entire fast-food or snack meal may be held with one hand, leaving the other hand free for eating.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not Applicable 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    The present invention relates generally to food and beverage trays. More particularly, the invention concerns a novel hand-held, fast food and beverage tray that is designed so that the entire fast-food or snack meal may be held with one hand, leaving the other hand free for eating. 
         [0006]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0007]    A number of food and beverage trays of various configurations have been suggested in the past. Typically these trays are constructed from a foldable cardboard material and are generally provided with a series of openings for receiving utensils, beverage containers and various types of food items. Exemplary of the prior art food and beverage trays is the tray disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,937 issued to Maio. The Maio tray comprises an easy set-up tray wherein in addition to the usual well defined by a tray for receiving food products, there is a top wall for receiving other products, including containers for drinks and the like. Each tray is of a one-piece construction and is provided in a substantially flat knocked-down state. When it is desired to erect or set-up the tray, side walls thereof are grasped and pulled apart with the result that the tray automatically erects and is locked in its erected or set-up position. The top wall is connected to the side walls by reversely foldable connecting walls so as to provide for a rigid structure. 
         [0008]    A somewhat similar tray is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,459 issued to Mazzotti. The Mazzotti tray exhibits a support and containment plane provided with a plurality of compartments one of which extends beneath the support and containment plane thereby constituting a manual grip for the tray while contemporaneously providing a suitable seating for the top or can. 
         [0009]    Exemplary of yet another prior art food tray, is the tray disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,401,927 issued to Sorensen. The Sorensen tray comprises a pop-up food tray for combination meals and functions as a lap or seat mounted support for the typical sandwich, drink cup and french fry container related to eating drive-in fast-food. The tray includes a multiple spring cam mechanism for accommodating a wide variety of drink cup sizes and provides a fold out wall that catches spilled food particles, a foldable condiment serving tub, a fold out cover that contains the used food containers for convenient disposal, punch out game pieces, a random number spinner wheel and a wide variety of games printed on the tray. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    Fast food and snacks are difficult to eat unless the consumer has a table or flat surface on which to set their meal. Particularly at outdoor events, such as concerts, fairs, and sporting events, the consumer has difficulty eating multiple food items and a beverage without a flat surface on which to place the meal. Similarly, condiments are difficult to use unless the consumer is sitting at a table, or placing the food items on a flat surface. 
         [0011]    By way of brief summary, one form of the food tray of the present invention that provides a novel solution of the foregoing problems, includes a bottom wall having a central portion provided with a plurality of finger receiving openings; a pair of substantially parallel side walls extending upward from the bottom wall, one of the sidewalls being provided with a generally centrally disposed finger receiving opening; a pair of substantially parallel end walls extending upward from the bottom wall; and a top wall connected to the sidewalls and to the end walls and overlying the bottom wall, the top wall having a pair of longitudinally spaced food container receiving openings; a generally centrally disposed beverage container receiving opening; and a pair of longitudinally spaced condiment container receiving openings disposed intermediate the pair of longitudinally spaced food container receiving openings. 
         [0012]    With the forgoing in mind, it is an object of the invention to provide a novel food and beverage tray that is particularly useful in consuming fast food or snack meals. More particularly, the food and beverage tray is uniquely designed so that the entire fast-food or snack meal may be held with one hand, leaving the other hand free for eating. 
         [0013]    Another object of the invention is to provide a food and beverage tray of the aforementioned character that enables the fast food customer to consume multiple food items and a drink without a flat surface on which to place the meal. 
         [0014]    Another object of the invention is to provide a food and beverage tray of the type described in the preceding paragraphs that enables the fast food customer to carry in one hand a beverage container, two food items, condiments and a napkin. 
         [0015]    Another object of the invention is to provide a food tray of the class described in the preceding paragraph in which the food and beverage tray is uniquely designed to include strategically located thumb and finger holes that are positioned on the bottom and on one side of the tray so that the weight of the beverage container is at the center of gravity of the tray. 
         [0016]    Another object of the invention is to provide a food tray which contains recessed openings of such a shape and depth as to accommodate food containers (bags) which stand upright, thus allowing the food to be removed and eaten with one free hand. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is a generally perspective, illustrative view showing one form of the food and beverage tray of the invention being held by the user. 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is a generally perspective bottom view illustrating one method of holding the beverage and food tray of the invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a generally perspective bottom view illustrating an alternate method of holding the beverage and food tray of the invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the food and beverage tray illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a view taken along lines  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a view taken along lines  6 - 6  of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0023]      FIG. 7  is an end view of the food and beverage tray illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 8  is a bottom plan view of the food and beverage tray illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0025]      FIG. 9  is a top plan view of an alternate form of the food and beverage tray of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0026]    Referring to the drawings and particularly to  FIG. 1 , one form of the food and beverage tray of the present invention is there shown and generally identified by the numeral  14 . The beverage tray here comprises a boxlike structure having interconnected top, bottom and end walls  16 ,  18  and  20  respectively and front and rear sidewalls  22   a  and  22   b  respectively. As best seen in  FIG. 4  of the drawings, top wall  16  is provided with two longitudinally spaced food container receiving openings  24  and  26 , and a centrally disposed, generally circular shaped opening  28 . As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , openings  24  and  26  are specially designed to hold paper bags, paper wrappers, or smaller tapered trays and like containers that hold food items of various sizes. Both of the food container receiving openings  24  and  26  are provided with a pair of downwardly foldable food container engaging flaps  30  in order to accommodate and hold steady food containers of different sizes. In order to accommodate beverage containers of various diameters, a plurality of radially outward extending slits  28   a  circumscribe the beverage container receiving opening  28 . 
         [0027]    As best seen in  FIG. 8  of the drawings, bottom wall  18  comprises a generally planar bottom wall having a central portion  18   a  provided with spaced apart first, second and third finger receiving openings  32 ,  34  and  36  respectively. Side walls  20   a  and  20   b  extend upward from bottom wall  18  and, for a purpose presently to be described, rear sidewall  22   b  is provided with a generally centrally disposed finger receiving opening  40  (see  FIG. 5 ). End walls  20  are substantially parallel and extend upward from bottom wall  18  in the manner shown in  FIG. 1  of the drawings. 
         [0028]    In practice, the food and beverage tray can be conveniently shipped to the user in planar form and then folded into the box shape shown in the drawings at the time of use. 
         [0029]    In the preferred form of the invention, top wall  16  further includes a pair of longitudinally spaced condiment container receiving openings  42  and  44  that are disposed intermediate the pair of longitudinally spaced food container receiving openings  24  and  26 . Openings  42  and  44  can readily accommodate condiment containers of various types such as, for example, ketchup containers, mayonnaise containers, salsa containers and the like. Additionally, top wall  16  is provided with a generally centrally disposed, generally circular shaped, scored napkin receiving opening  46 . As depicted in  FIG. 1  of the drawings, while the food tray is being carried, one corner of the napkin can be conveniently secured within the opening until the food is to be consumed. 
         [0030]    As can be seen in  FIG. 1  of the drawings, due to the depth of the openings in which the food is placed, the food items can “stand-up” rather than lay on their sides. For example, a sandwich can stand-up, rather than lay flat. Similarly, finger foods such as French fries, chicken fingers, etc. stand-up so that they are more easily eaten. 
         [0031]    The preferred method of use of the food and beverage tray of the present invention to carry fast food items is illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2  of the drawings. In accordance with this method, the user&#39;s thumb is positioned within generally elliptical shaped opening  34  provided in the bottom wall of the tray and the middle finger is inserted into circular opening  40  provided in sidewall  22   b . The index and ring fingers are then placed in engagement with the surface of sidewall  22   b  in the manner shown in  FIG. 2  to assist in stabilizing the tray while it is being carried. An alternate method of use of the food and beverage tray of the present invention is illustrated in  FIG. 3  of the drawings. In accordance with this alternate method, the user&#39;s index finger is positioned within circular opening  36  provided in the bottom wall of the tray, the middle finger is positioned within generally elliptical shaped opening  34  and the thumb is positioned within circular opening  40  provided in sidewall  22   b . The user&#39;s ring finger and little finger can then be placed in engagement with the surface of the bottom wall  18  in the manner shown in  FIG. 3  to assist in stabilizing the tray while it is being carried. 
         [0032]    By gripping the food and beverage tray of the character described in the preceding paragraphs, the fast food customer can readily carry in one hand a beverage container, two food items, condiments and a napkin. As previously mentioned, due to the strategic positioning of the thumb and finger holes of the tray on the bottom and on one side of the tray, the weight of the beverage container is uniquely disposed at the center of gravity of the tray thereby permitting the user to easily balance the tray as it is being carried. Importantly, the unique construction of the food and beverage tray as described herein enables the fast food customer to conveniently consume multiple food items and a drink without having to have a flat surface on which to place the tray. 
         [0033]    Turning now to  FIG. 9  of the drawings, an alternate form of the food and beverage tray of the invention is there shown and generally designated by the numeral  54 . This embodiment of the invention is similar in many respects to the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 through 8  and like numerals are used in  FIG. 9  to identify like elements. Beverage tray  54  here comprises a boxlike structure having a bottom wall that is identical in construction to bottom wall  18  and further comprises interconnected top and end walls  56  and  20  respectively and front and rear sidewalls  22   a  and  22   b  respectively. Top wall  56  is provided with two longitudinally spaced food container receiving openings  24  and  26  of identical construction and operation to those previously described, and a centrally disposed, generally circular shaped opening  28  that is also of identical construction and operation to that previously described. 
         [0034]    In this alternate form of the invention, top wall  56  further includes a pair of longitudinally spaced, generally rectangular shaped condiment container receiving openings  58  and  60  that are disposed intermediate the pair of longitudinally spaced food container receiving openings  24  and  26 . Openings  58  and  60  like the previously described openings  42  and  44  can readily accommodate condiment containers of various types such as, for example, ketchup containers, mayonnaise containers, salsa containers and the like that are packaged in rectangular shaped containers. Additionally, top wall  56  is provided with a generally centrally disposed, generally circular shaped, scored napkin receiving opening  46 . 
         [0035]    Accordingly, although an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that all the terms used herein are descriptive rather than limiting and that many changes, modifications, and substitutions may be made by one having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as set forth in the following claims.