Abstract:
An organizer for take-out menus comprises a plastic folder of a size conveniently held in one hand and stored in a kitchen drawer or like area. The folder is made of multiple layers that provide pockets for permanent insert cards that stiffen the folder and, optionally, provide decorative and/or informational data, and pockets for receiving take-out menus of various sizes and configurations in a manner that displays such menus for quick identification, retrieval, reference and return.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention relates to devices for storing, organizing and presenting food take-out menus and a method of use of the same. 
   PRIOR ART 
   Various factors in the lifestyles of people have lead to a decrease in traditional home-cooked meals and an increase in the popularity of commercially prepared food such as “take-out” meals. Take-out meals, typically, are purchased at local restaurants, fast-food stores, food supermarkets, specialty food shops, and similar establishments. Such establishments publish take-out menus for their patrons that reflect food selection, price, availability, store hours, and like information with the expectation that such menus will be retained by the patron at his or her residence for future reference. Such take-out menus come in a variety of shapes and sizes but, most commonly, are printed on paper sheets or leaflets. 
   There exists a need on the part of consumers or patrons of take-out food establishments for a way of organizing, storing and retrieving take-out menus in a manner that is inexpensive, convenient and versatile. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention provides a take-out menu organizer in the form of handy folder. The folder is capable of storing and displaying take-out menus for quick retrieval, reference and, ultimately, return. The disclosed construction of the organizer is economical to produce and distribute. From a user&#39;s standpoint, the organizer is convenient to hold in one hand and is sized to fit in most common storage areas found in a residence, such as in a kitchen drawer. 
   The disclosed organizer holds numerous take-out menus at least in partial view. A selected menu is easily identified and retrieved from the folder with minimum effort and time. Moreover, the organizer readily accommodates menus of different size and construction. 
   In its preferred form, the organizer comprises flexible plastic sheets in the form of a two-leaf folder that, when closed, is essentially flat. Preferably, the leafs are mirror images of each other and are joined at an intermediate flexible fold line. Each leaf includes three layers arranged to form two pockets. One of the pockets has substantially the full size of the leaf and, ideally, receives a decorative stiffening sheet. The other pocket is adapted to receive and store take-out menus. 
   More specifically, the menu organizer folder can be fabricated from vinyl sheets heat welded at certain edges to form the closed sides of the pockets. The stiffening sheets can be inserted into the large pockets to thereby increase the rigidity of the vinyl material. The vinyl sheets are preferably clear so that the stiffening sheets can include printed indicia such as a decorative design or informative text. The pockets for receiving the menus are preferably formed of clear vinyl so as to reveal as much as possible of the menus contained in them so as to enable them to be seen and identified at a quick glance. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a take-out menu organizer constructed in accordance with the invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a leaf of the organizer taken in the plane  2 — 2  indicated in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a leaf of the organizer taken in the plane  3 — 3  indicated in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4  is an elevational view showing the organizer in an open position with an insert or stiffening sheet being assembled into a full pocket in one of the leafs; 
       FIG. 5  is an elevational view of the organizer in an open position similar to  FIG. 4 , but with numerous take-out menus stored in the pockets of both leafs; 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of a fold area joining the two leafs of the organizer at a plane indicated by the numerals  6 — 6  in  FIG. 5 , such plane being above the take-out menu storage pockets; and 
       FIG. 7  is a view similar to  FIG. 6  taken at a lower plane indicated by the numerals  7 — 7  in  FIG. 5  and passing through the take-out menu storage pockets. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring now to the figures, a take-out menu organizer  10  in accordance with the invention is provided in the form of a folder with two substantially flat leafs  11 ,  12 . The leafs  11 ,  12  are joined by a fold line  13  and that are mirror images of one another and are symmetrical about the fold line. Each leaf,  11 ,  12 , is rectangular and, as illustrated, has a height greater than its width. By way of example, the leafs can be about 10″ tall and 7″ wide. These dimensions can be varied somewhat but preferably not more than ±1″ or 2″ so that the organizer is large enough to receive typical take-out menus without having to fold the menus multiple times and not so large as to be difficult to hold in one hand. 
   Each leaf  11 ,  12  comprises three rectangular layers or sheets: an outer layer  16 , an intermediate or middle layer  17 , and an inner layer  18 . The outer layers  16 , i.e. the layers directly visible when the folder organizer  10  is closed (the organizer is nearly closed in  FIG. 1 ), can be made of a single or one-piece sheet folded at the fold line  13 . 
   The intermediate layer  17  has a width slightly less than the width of the outer layer measured to the fold line  13  and a height equal to that of the outer layer  16 . The inner layer  18  has a width equal to the width of the intermediate layer  17  and has a height about equal to one-half the height of the intermediate and outer layers  17 ,  16 . Outer edges  21 ,  22  and  23  of the intermediate layer  17  are coincident with and are welded or otherwise permanently secured to corresponding edges  26 ,  27  and  28  of the outer sheet. An inner edge  29  of the intermediate sheet  17  is spaced slightly from the fold line  13 . Similarly, side edges  31 ,  32  and a lower edge  33  of the inner sheet  18  are registered or coincident with the side and lower edges  22 ,  29  and  23  of the intermediate sheet  17  (as well as a lower part of the side edge  27  and the lower edge  28  of the outer sheet  16 ). An upper edge of the inner layer or sheet  18  is designated by the numeral  34 . The registered edges  31 - 33  of the inner sheet  18  are welded or otherwise permanently secured to the underlying edges  22 ,  23  and  29  of the intermediate layer  17 . Note that the vertical inner edge  32  of the inner sheet  18  is secured onto the vertical inner edge  29  of the intermediate sheet  17  while this edge of the intermediate sheet remains free of the outer sheet  16 . Similarly, the upper edge  34  of the inner sheet  18  remains free of the intermediate layer  17 . From the foregoing description, it will be understood that the intermediate layer  17  and outer layer  16  forms a large pocket therebetween with the entrance to the pocket existing at the free edge  29  of the intermediate sheet  17  (on each leaf  11 ). Similarly, the inner sheet  18  and intermediate sheet  17  form a pocket therebetween with the entrance to this pocket existing at the upper edge  34  of the inner layer or sheet  18 . For reasons that will be apparent from the discussion below, the layers  16 – 18  of the folder organizer  10  are advantageously made of suitable flexible clear vinyl of a thickness, for example, of about 0.012″. 
   Insert sheets  36 ,  37  are disposed in the large pockets on each leaf  11 ,  12  between the intermediate layer  17  and outer layer  16 . In  FIG. 4 , the insert sheet  36  is shown being inserted into the pocket on the leaf  11  at the left. Each of the insert sheets can be formed of paper-based cardstock and can have a thickness of, for example, 0.010″. The sheets  36 ,  37  can have decorative or informational indicia or text printed on one or both of their faces. The sheets  36 ,  37  are about the same size as the pockets. 
     FIG. 5  illustrates the use of the organizer  10 . Take-out menus  41  are inserted in the pockets formed by the inner sheets  18  and intermediate sheets  17 . The take-out menus  41 , typically, vary in size, paper weight (thickness), number of pages, color and so forth. It will be appreciated, that the pockets, designated  42 , accommodate most normal formats of such take-out menus. Oversized take-out menus  41  can be folded to fit in the pockets  42 . The take-out menus  41  can be fanned to display at least portions of each of them so that they can be selected and retrieved with minimal effort. It will be understood that the disclosed organizer is conveniently held in one hand due to its size, configuration, and simple folder-like construction. At the same time while the organizer is held open with one hand, the take-out menus  41  while still in the pockets  42  can be picked through or otherwise examined to quickly identify a menu of interest and to retrieve the same from the pocket for more detailed inspection. The organizer  10 , due to its disclosed general size and folder configuration is easily stored in a kitchen drawer or other available storage area such as a cabinet where it will readily fit in an unobtrusive manner. 
   It should be evident that this disclosure is by way of example and that various changes may be made by adding, modifying or eliminating details without departing from the fair scope of the teaching contained in this disclosure. The invention is therefore not limited to particular details of this disclosure except to the extent that the following claims are necessarily so limited.