Patent Publication Number: US-2013240689-A1

Title: Tray for pizzas and sandwiches that provides advertising

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional application No. 61/612,045, filed Mar. 16, 2012, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to advertising methods and apparatus and, more particularly, to a plastic molded tray for pizzas and sandwiches for advertising that holds a removable plastic, metal, cardboard, wood, magnetic material, or that can provide advertising for that company or other companies via the delivery of the product and service. 
     Pizza, fast food and other consumable products are a very competitive area that requires a considerable amount of reinforcement advertisement. Currently, the best way to advertise is to attach a flyer to the outside of the box. Current pizza or sandwich box tables have no means to deliver any type of additional advertising piece. 
     Current tables to hold a pizza or sandwiches have no advertising value. Typically, these items are simply placed with the delivery to, for example, keep the box from collapsing, but do not have any printing or other material associated with them. 
     As can be seen, there is a need for an improved method and apparatus for providing advertising with a tray for pizza or sandwiches. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect of the present invention, an advertisement delivery and crush prevention device comprises a platform; a plurality of legs supporting the platform; a non-toxic adhesive disposed on the platform; and an advertisement top piece removably attached to the platform via the non-toxic adhesive. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, a method for preventing a container top piece from contacting a food item inside a container while delivering advertising to a user comprises disposing the food item on a bottom piece of the container; placing legs of an advertisement delivery and crush prevention device into the food item, the advertisement delivery and crush prevention device having a platform supported by the legs, a non-toxic adhesive disposed on the platform and an advertisement top piece removably attached to the platform via the non-toxic adhesive; and closing the container top piece over the food item to close the container, wherein the advertisement delivery and crush prevention device holds the container piece from contacting the food item when pressure is applied to an exterior surface of the container top piece. 
     These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of an advertisement delivery and crush prevention device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom perspective view of the advertisement delivery and crush prevention device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the advertisement delivery and crush prevention device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating an exemplary use of the advertisement delivery and crush prevention device of  FIG. 1   
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4 ; and 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an advertisement delivery and crush prevention device having a square-shaped advertisement disposed thereupon. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
     Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a molded plastic table with a removable advertising piece made of plastic, cardboard, label material, magnetic material, or the like, that can be used for couponing, collecting, or as a refrigerator magnet for future advertising. The table can act as a device to support a carton top while providing for an advertising vehicle. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 4 , an advertisement delivery and crush prevention device  10  can include a platform  12  supported by a plurality of legs  14 . Typically, when the platform  12  is round in shape, as shown in the Figures, three legs  14  are disposed to extend from a bottom side of the platform  12 . 
     An advertisement top piece  16  can be attached to an upper side of the platform  12 . An advertisement region  18  is provided on one or both sides of the advertisement top piece  16  to provide advertisements, collectable pieces, custom designs, and the like. The advertisement top piece  16  can attach to the platform  12  with a non-toxic fugitive adhesive  20 . 
     A seller, such as a pizza shop for example, can place a food item, such as a pizza  22  into a food item container bottom piece  26  of a food container  30 , as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The advertisement delivery and crush prevention device  10  can be positioned on the pizza  22 . When a food item container top piece  24  is closed over the food item container bottom piece  26 , the advertisement delivery and crush prevention device  10  can prevent the food item container top piece  24  from coming into contact with the pizza  22 . Unlike conventional trays, the advertisement deliver and crush prevention device  10  of the present invention includes the advertisement top piece  16 , which can be removed from the platform  12  and saved for future use. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , a rectangular advertisement top piece  28  can be used in place of the round advertisement top piece  16  described above with reference to  FIGS. 1 through 5 . Moreover, any desired shape can be used for the advertisement top piece, including geometric shapes such as triangles, pentagons, hexagons, or the like, and non-geometric shapes. 
     For the advertisement delivery and crush prevention device  10  of  FIGS. 1 through 6 , the platform  12  can be made in various sizes, ranging from about 1 to about 4 inches in diameter, typically from about 2 to about 3 inches in diameter. 
     While the Figures show a round platform  12  supported by three legs  14 , other shapes and sizes are contemplated for the platform within the scope of the present invention. For example, the platform can be made in a square or rectangular shape, having four legs  14 . 
     The advertisement delivery and crush prevention device  10  may be made from various materials. Typically, they may be made from a plastic, disposable or recyclable material. The advertisement delivery and crush prevention device  10  may be made in various colors and may include various printing thereupon in addition to printing disposed on the advertising top piece. 
     The advertising top piece can be made in various sizes to fit the same size of, to be smaller than, or to be larger than the platform  12 . The advertising top piece may be made of card stock from 10 to 50 mils, plastic, metal, pressure sensitive label stock, a magnetic material or the like. The advertising piece may be printed on the front and/or back thereof to fit the needs of the advertiser. The advertising piece could include additional features, such as glow-in-the-dark, lights, three-dimensional printing, or the like. 
     The advertisement delivery and crush prevention device  10  may be made from processes known in the art, such as plastic injection molding, for example. The advertising top piece can also be made by various processes and may be printed through various processes such as screen printing, digital printing, flexographic pressing, or the like. 
     While the above description discussed the advertisement delivery and cruise prevention device  10  as usable in a pizza box, the advertisement delivery and crush prevention device  10  may be used in a variety of applications. For example, they may be configured to be used in/as beverage containers, fast food containers, coffee/soft drink lids, and other direct to the consumer products where couponing or advertising would be important. 
     It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.