Patent Publication Number: US-7591391-B2

Title: Drinking vessel tray

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This utility application is related to and claims priority from provisional patent application No. 60/634,765 filed Dec. 9, 2004. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The Invention is a tray for use in serving beverages, particularly alcoholic beverages, in a tavern, nightclub or casino. The Invention has particular application for serving beverages using the Dry Ice Drinking Vessel of U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/957,983 and 10/645,019 both by Nielsen, which applications are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in full herein, application Ser. No. 10,645,019 is now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,868,694 to Nielsen, which is incorporated by reference as if set forth in full herein. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   For purposes of this application, any facility that serves alcoholic beverages by the drink is referred to as a “nightclub.” A server in a nightclub may use a tray to carry a plurality of individual servings of alcoholic beverages. For example, the server may place shot glasses on a tray, fill the shot glasses from a beverage bottle, and then carry the tray with the filled shot glasses to patrons. 
   U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/957,983 and 10/645,019 (and issued U.S. Pat. No. 6,868,694) teach a tray having lights directed through the shot glasses to illuminate the shot glasses and the beverages in the glasses. Those applications and patent also teach a Dry Ice Drinking Vessel in which dry ice may be segregated within a drinking vessel while allowing the beverage to contact the dry ice. As used in this application, the term “Dry Ice Drinking Vessel” means drinking vessels for use with dry ice as taught by U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/957,983 and 10/645,019 and by issued U.S. Pat. No. 6,868,694. The sublimation of the dry ice by heat from the beverage causes a boiling, smoking visual effect. Lighting of the drinking vessel by the tray enhances the visual effect, making the beverage more appealing to a patron of the nightclub. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The Invention is a tray for use in serving beverages. A tray body has a top side and a bottom side. The top side defines a covered reservoir for holding a beverage. A channel communicates from the reservoir through the tray top. A metered valve controls the flow of the beverage through the channel. 
   The bottom side defines a drinking vessel-receiving opening, which aligns a drinking vessel with the metered valve. The drinking vessel-receiving opening and metered valve are configured so that a server may place an empty drinking vessel under the tray within the dispensing opening and actuate the valve with the drinking vessel. The metered valve will allowed a predetermined amount of the beverage to flow from the reservoir through the reservoir aperture into the drinking vessel and to then automatically terminate the flow of the beverage. The server removes the drinking vessel from the drinking vessel-receiving opening and either places the filled drinking vessel on the tray or serves the beverage to a customer. 
   Drinking vessel receptacles appear on the periphery of the tray. Lamps, preferably light emitting diodes (LEDs), are positioned so that an upward-shining LED appears under each drinking vessel receptacle, illuminating each drinking vessel from below. Additional LEDs are positioned to illuminate the reservoir and the beverage contained within the reservoir. A switch and power supply, such as a battery, are contained within the tray and selectively power the LEDs. 
   The Invention may be used in two different manners, either alone or in combination. In the first method of use of the tray, the server will place empty drinking vessels around the periphery of the tray. The server will add a predetermined amount, such as a liter, of an alcoholic beverage to the central reservoir. The server then will add dry ice to the central reservoir and will cover the reservoir with a removable, loose-fitting lid. The dry ice will begin sublimating as it absorbs heat from the beverage in the reservoir. The sublimating dry ice will make the beverage in the reservoir appear to boil as the bubbles of carbon dioxide are released from the dry ice, creating a visual effect. The sublimated carbon dioxide gas will escape from the reservoir and flow past the lid to the ambient air. The sublimated carbon dioxide gas will form a continuously moving and changing cloud of water vapor over and around the tray, creating a second visual effect. The LED lights will illuminate the boiling beverage and the cloud of water vapor, enhancing the visual effect, particularly in a dimly lit nightclub. The visual effects render the beverage more attractive to a patron of the nightclub. 
   The tray may be configured to take advantage of either or both of these visual effects, as by selecting substantially translucent or transparent materials from which to construct all or part of the tray, thereby highlighting the boiling visual effect, or selecting opaque materials from which to construct all or part of the tray thereby obscuring the visual effect. 
   In the second method of using the Invention, the server places Dry Ice Drinking Vessels in the drinking vessel receptacles along the periphery of the tray. The Dry Ice Drinking vessels do not contain a beverage, but are charged with dry ice as taught by U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/957,983 and 10/645,019 and by U.S. Pat. No. 6,868,694. The server then places the predetermined amount of the beverage in the reservoir and covers the reservoir with the removable, loose-fitting lid. The server serves the beverage to a patron by removing one of the Dry Ice Drinking Vessels from the receptacle, placing the Dry Ice Drinking Vessel within the dispensing opening and activating the metered valve. A predetermined amount of the beverage will flow from the reservoir past the metered valve and through the reservoir aperture and into the Dry Ice Drinking Vessel. The server then removes the Dry Ice Drinking Vessel from the dispensing opening. The beverage in the Dry Ice Drinking Vessel is exposed to the dry ice segregated within the Dry Ice Drinking Vessel. The dry ice in the Dry Ice Drinking Vessel sublimates releasing carbon dioxide gas. The release of the carbon dioxide gas causes the beverage in the Dry Ice Drinking Vessel to appear to boil, resulting in a visual effect. The release of carbon dioxide gas causes a cloud of water vapor to form over and around the Dry Ice Drinking Vessel, resulting in a second visual effect. The visual effects make the beverage more attractive to a patron of the nightclub. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a top view of the Invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a bottom view of the Invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a side view of the Invention 
       FIG. 4  is cross section A-A of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 5  is a top view of the valve assembly in place in the reservoir. 
       FIG. 6  is a detail cross section B-B from  FIG. 5 . 
       FIG. 7  is a detail cross section B-B of the valve in the open position. 
       FIG. 8  is a section view of the tray in use. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT 
   As shown by  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the Invention is a tray for serving beverages in a nightclub.  FIG. 1  is a view of the top side  4  of the tray body  2 .  FIG. 2  is a view of the bottom side  6  of tray body  2 . Tray body  2  is composed of an upper portion  3  and a lower portion  5 . Upper portion  3  and lower portion  5  are joined one to the other to form tray body  2 . Upper portion  3  and lower portion  5  are separately formed of vacuum-formed plastic. Upper portion  3  and lower portion  5  are connected one to the other by any convenient means, such as by hook-and-loop fasteners. A common brand name for such hook-and-loop fasteners is Velcro™. 
   As shown by  FIG. 1 , an inner wall  8  and an outer wall  10  of upper portion  3  define a reservoir  12 . The reservoir  12  has an interior volume  13  and is configured to contain a predetermined amount, such as one liter, of a beverage  15 . 
   Upper portion  3  of tray body  2  also defines drinking vessel receptacles  14 . Drinking vessel receptacles  14  are molded into upper portion  3  and each receptacle  14  is configured to receive and to support a drinking vessel  16 . In the embodiment illustrated by  FIG. 1 , drinking vessel  16  is a Dry Ice Drinking Vessel. In the embodiment illustrated by  FIG. 1 , upper portion  3  defines nineteen drinking vessel receptacles  14 . Each drinking vessel receptacle  14  includes a drinking glass lamp  18 , preferably an LED, arranged to direct light upward from the top side  4  of tray body  2  through drinking vessel  16 , illuminating drinking vessel  16  and any beverage contained within drinking vessel  16 . 
   Upper portion  3  of tray  2  may include reservoir lamps  20 , preferably LEDs, mounted to direct light into reservoir  12 , illuminating any beverage  15  contained within reservoir  12 .  FIG. 2  shows battery box  21  molded into lower portion  5  of tray body  2 . The battery box  21  contains one or more batteries, which provide the electrical power to operate the LEDs  18 ,  20 . A switch  23  allows the server to selectively illuminate the LEDs. The electrical connections between LEDs  18 ,  20 , battery box  21  and switch  23  are conventional. 
     FIG. 3  shows a side view of the tray body  2 . Shown by  FIG. 3  is the upper portion  3  and outer wall  10  defined by upper portion  3 . Also shown by  FIG. 3  is a removable lid  22 . Removable lid  22  is adequately tight to prevent substantial beverage  15  from spilling from reservoir  12  during normal handling of the tray body  2  by the server, but is adequately loose to allow sublimated carbon dioxide gas to flow past the removable lid  22  into the ambient air when dry ice is placed within the reservoir  12 . Alternatively, removable lid  22  may be perforated to allow sublimated carbon dioxide to escape from the reservoir  12 . 
     FIG. 4  is sectional view along reference lines A-A of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 4  shows that upper portion  3  and lower portion  5  of tray body  2  are separate components that are joined together.  FIG. 4  illustrates a drinking vessel  16 , in this case a Dry Ice Drinking Vessel, in place in a drinking vessel receptacle  14 . Drinking vessel receptacle  14  holds drinking vessel  16  and prevents drinking vessel  16  from spilling during normal handling of the tray by the server. Drinking vessel receptacle  14  may include a resilient foam spacer to more securely grip drinking vessel  16 . 
   A drinking vessel aperture  24  is located in the drinking vessel receptacle  14  below drinking vessel  16 . Drinking vessel lamps  18  are configured to direct light through the drinking vessel aperture  24  into the drinking vessel  16 . Alternatively, drinking vessel receptacle  14  may be composed of a transparent or translucent material, and drinking vessel lamps  18  configured to direct light through the transparent or translucent material, eliminating the need for drinking vessel aperture  24 . 
     FIG. 4  also shows inner wall  8  and outer wall  10  defining fill opening  11  and reservoir  12  and show reservoir lamps  20  selectably illuminating the beverage in the reservoir  12 . The vacuum-formed plastic tray top side  4  may be molded of resins having any desired color. To obtain the desired visual effect, a tray upper portion  3  that is white, translucent or transparent has proved most successful. 
   The mechanism for filling of drinking vessels  16  from the reservoir  12  is illustrated by  FIGS. 1 ,  4 ,  5 ,  6  and  7 . As shown by  FIG. 4 , a reservoir aperture appears in reservoir  12  and communicates through tray top side  4 . Bottom side  6  defines a dispensing opening  28 . Within the reservoir aperture  26  is a metered valve assembly  30 , shown by  FIGS. 6 and 7  and omitted from  FIG. 4 . Metered valve assembly  30  preferably dispenses a predetermined amount of beverage when valve is depressed, as is well known in the art. 
   As shown by  FIGS. 1 ,  5 ,  6  and  7 , gasket  32  selectably seals reservoir aperture  26 . Gasket  32  is operated by valve actuator  34 .  FIG. 5  is a top view of gasket  32  and valve actuator  34 .  FIG. 6  is a partial cross section of the valve actuator  34  through the reference lines B-B of  FIG. 5 . Valve actuator  34  has a top portion  36  that selectably presses upon gasket  32 , selectably sealing reservoir aperture  26  and selectably preventing the escape of beverage from reservoir  12 . Shank portion  38  of valve actuator  34  passes through reservoir aperture  26 . Flutes  40  appear on shank portion  38  where shank portion  38  passes through reservoir aperture  26   
   A lower portion  42  of valve actuator defines a funnel  44 . Lower portion  42  of valve actuator  34  supports a first seal  46  and a second seal  48 . Valve spring  50  presses upon tray top side  4  and urges valve actuator  34  to the closed position, shown by  FIG. 6 . When the metered valve assembly  30  is in the closed position shown by  FIG. 6 , gasket  32  substantially prevents the escape of beverage through reservoir aperture  26 . 
     FIG. 7  illustrates the metered valve assembly  30  in the open position. The server places a drinking vessel  16  within the dispensing opening  28  defined by tray bottom side  6 . The server presses the drinking vessel  16  against first seal  46 , substantially sealing drinking vessel  16  from splash leakage while the drinking vessel  16  is being filled. The server continues to press drinking vessel  16  against first seal  46 , thereby depressing valve spring  50  and moving valve actuator  34  from the closed position illustrated by  FIG. 6  to the open position shown by  FIG. 7 . A predetermined amount of beverage then flows from reservoir  12  through the reservoir aperture  26  around flutes  40  defined by shank portion  38  of valve actuator  34 . Beverage flows to funnel  44  defined by lower portion  42  of valve actuator  34  and through funnel openings  52  into drinking vessel  16 , filling drinking vessel  16 . Flow of the beverage is illustrated by the heavy line on  FIG. 7 . 
   First seal  46  and second seal  48  substantially prevent beverage from escaping around dispensing opening  28  when the valve assembly  30  is in the open position. The tray body  2  may be configured so that second seal  48  engages the lower side  54  of tray top side  4  when the metered valve assembly  30  is in the open position, preventing escape of beverage. 
   When the predetermined amount of beverage has flowed into drinking vessel  16 , server removes the drinking vessel  16  from the first seal  46 . Valve spring  50  urges valve actuator  34  to the closed position shown by  FIG. 6 , preventing further flow of beverage through reservoir aperture  26 . 
   Server may grip the tray body  2  by the bottom side  6  defining the dispensing opening  28 . Optionally, dispensing opening  28  may be extended to form handle  58  for ease of operation by the server.  FIG. 7  shows handle  58  extending tray bottom wall  56 . 
   As shown by  FIG. 8 , the tray body  2  may be used to create a smoking, boiling visual effect by placing dry ice  60  within the reservoir  12 . In such event, a screen  62  may be placed across the reservoir aperture  26  to prevent entry of dry ice  60  into drinking vessel  16 . The smoking, boiling visual effect is heightened by illuminating reservoir  12  with reservoir LEDs  20 . The tray body  2  may be used with Dry Ice Drinking Vessels. Dry Ice Drinking Vessels benefit from the beverage being added to the dry ice  60  in the Dry Ice Drinking Vessel  16  at the last moment before serving to allow the boiling, smoking visual effect from the drinking vessel  16  to continue for the longest possible time. The tray body  2  of the Invention accomplishes this goal by allowing the server to add the beverage to the Dry Ice Drinking Vessel  16  immediately prior to serving the beverage to a patron. The boiling visual effect is created by bubbles  64  of carbon dioxide resulting from the sublimation of the dry ice  60  by absorption of heat from the beverage. The smoking visual effect  66  results from condensation of water vapor. 
   The use of dry ice  60  also serves to chill the beverage, both in reservoir  12  and in Dry Ice Drinking Vessel  16 . 
   In describing the above embodiments of the invention, specific terminology was selected for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.