Abstract:
Trays for food are disclosed. A tray includes a plurality of receptacles, or compartments, for different courses of a meal (e.g., the entrée, a vegetable, a fruit, a starch, a dessert, a drink, etc.). Compartments for relatively unhealthful items may be configured to make the portion sizes of those items appear to be larger than they are, while compartments for healthful items may be configured to make the portion sizes of those items appear to be smaller than they are. The tray may also be configured to ensure that healthful items are positioned closest to an individual who is eating from the tray. Methods for presenting food to an individual are also disclosed.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    This disclosure relates generally to trays for food and, more specifically, to trays that include a plurality of receptacles, or compartments, for different courses of a meal (e.g., the entrée, a vegetable, a fruit, a starch, a dessert, a drink, etc.). Even more specifically, this disclosure relates to food trays that are configured to enable the development of better eating habits and to encourage individuals to consume greater amounts of foods that are nutritious and/or healthy than foods that are less nutritious and/or unhealthy. 
       BACKGROUND OF RELATED ART 
       [0002]    Over 30 million children eat a government-subsidized lunch every day in the United States alone. Some children complain about portion sizes, but still waste food. Other children complain about the task and/or quality of the food and skip lunch altogether. Roughly half of these lunches are served off or reusable trays and half are served off of disposable Styrofoam trays or paper trays. 
         [0003]    The food that school cafeterias serve to school children often is heavily skewed towards too many starchy and sweet dishes, and not enough vegetables or fruits. Moreover, soft drinks, which substantially add calories to a child&#39;s diet while not providing much nutrition, are often consumed in favor of healthier beverages, like milk. 
         [0004]    Childhood obesity has doubled since the early 1980&#39;s, and some have attributed this problem, in part, to the content of school lunches. About 75% of school aged children eat lunch provided by the cafeteria at their school. A typical school lunch accounts for a third of a student&#39;s daily caloric intake. Lunches provided by school cafeterias are estimated to add substantially more calories to a student&#39;s diet than lunches brought to school from home (e.g., bagged lunches, etc.). Over time, the accumulation of unhealthy eating choices, including those offered by typical school cafeteria lunches, could easily contribute to weight gain and obesity in children. 
         [0005]    Although school lunch programs have substantial control over many aspects of their operations, including lunch content, choice mechanism, portion size, eating environment, price, payment, and extent of parental control, school lunch programs have primarily focused concerns on content of lunches, rather than focusing on factors that may help children develop healthier eating habits. 
         [0006]    Although the focus of the foregoing description is on school children, similar problems arise in any cafeteria setting for consumers of any age, including adults. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    A tray according to this disclosure is configured to present food in a manner that helps individuals eat healthily. The configuration of the tray may provide a food server with guidance on appropriate presentation of various courses of a meal, as well as the portions, or serving sizes, that are to be provided to the individual who will consume the food. Additionally, the tray may present the food in a manner that makes healthier courses more enticing to the individual who consumes the food, and in a way that balances the individuals&#39; expectations on portion sizes (e.g., larger portions of tasty foods, smaller portions of less tasty, but healthier foods, etc.), with portion sizes that actually correspond to a healthy diet. 
         [0008]    In one aspect, this disclosure relates to the tray itself, which may also be referred to herein as a “food tray” and as a “food tray apparatus.” A tray according to this disclosure may be configured to present healthy courses of a meal (e.g., a vegetable, a fruit, etc.) at locations that are closest to an individual as he or she consumes the meal, while presenting less healthy courses (e.g., a dessert, a starch, etc.) at locations that are further away from the individual. In this regard, the tray may include compartments, or receptacles, for healthy courses adjacent to its front edge (e.g., at the side or sides of a compartment for an entrée, etc.), while compartments for less healthy courses are located towards the back edge of the tray. 
         [0009]    In some embodiments, a tray may include one or more features that will encourage an individual to orient the tray in such a way that healthier courses are positioned closest to the individual. As an example, a tray may include a long, relatively deep compartment for napkins, utensils (or “eating ware”) or the like adjacent to its rear edge. If such a compartment were positioned closest to an individual, it could impede the individual&#39;s access to other, food containing compartments of the tray. As such, the long, deep compartment may encourage an individual to orient the front and rear edges of the tray in their intended orientations (i.e., respectively, toward and away from the individual). 
         [0010]    Other characteristics of the tray may also draw an individual&#39;s attention to compartments that hold healthier courses of a meal. Some non-limiting examples of such characteristics include the color of the tray, the use of images or other indicia at selected locations on the tray (e.g., adjacent to the openings of compartments that are intended to hold healthy courses, etc.) and other characteristics. 
         [0011]    The compartments of a tray may have volumes that correspond to appropriate portion sizes for their respective courses of a meal. For example, compartments that are intended to hold healthy courses may have relatively large volumes, while compartments that are intended to hold less healthy courses may have relatively small volumes. The area of an opening of each compartment may correspond to an individual&#39;s expectations regarding portion sizes. In some embodiments, the area of the opening may suggest that the compartment has a larger volume that the compartment actually has. A compartment with a relatively small volume but an opening that is suggestive of a larger volume may be intended to hold an entrée or another course (e.g., a dessert, a starch, etc.) that may have a pleasing taste, but that might not be very healthy. Conversely, the area of an opening of a compartment of a tray may suggest to the individual that the compartment has a relatively small volume, while the actual volume of the compartment is larger than its opening would suggest. Such a compartment may be useful for holding a course that may not be particularly desirable to an individual (e.g., not flavorful, etc.), but would be healthy for the individual to consume. The shape of the opening of each compartment may provide an individual with similar cues as to compartment size (e.g., a compartment with a round opening may appear to have a small volume even though it does not, a compartment with a rectangular opening may appear to have a large volume even though it does not, etc.). 
         [0012]    A tray according to this disclosure may include a compartment that is configured to hold a drink, but not other items of food. Such a compartment may include a base that will support a container for a drink, as well as a hole that may prevent the compartment from holding other items of food. In a specific embodiment, such a compartment may have a shape (e.g., rectangular, square, etc.) and dimensions that are suitable for receiving a single serving carton of milk, with a hole large enough to prevent the compartment from holding a can of an unhealthy beverage (e.g., a soft drink, an energy drink, etc.). 
         [0013]    A tray according to this disclosure may be stackable with identical trays. In some embodiments, a shape and dimensions of the tray may enable it to be densely arranged with like trays in a dishwasher. 
         [0014]    In another aspect, methods for presenting food to individuals who will consume the food are disclosed. In such a method, the food may be presented in a manner that position healthy courses (e.g., a vegetable, a fruit, etc.) at one or more locations closest to and, thus, readily accessible by an individual who will consume the food. Less healthy courses (e.g., desserts, starches, etc.) may be presented to the individual at locations that are further away from the individual and, thus, less accessible to the individual. 
         [0015]    Food that is desirable to the individual (e.g., flavorful food, etc.), but may not be particularly healthy, may be presented in a manner that provides the appearance of a large portion size, but with an actual volume that corresponds to a more appropriate (i.e., smaller) portion size. Food that might be less desirable to the individual, but is healthy for the individual, may be presented in a manner that provides the appearance of a small portion size, but with an actual volume that corresponds to a more appropriate (i.e., larger) portion size. 
         [0016]    Healthy courses of a meal may also be presented in a manner that improves their desirability, as perceived by an individual. As an example, a healthy course of vegetables may be presented on a tray (or a surrounding portion of a tray) that is yellow, gold or red in color, which may improve the perceived vibrancy of the color(s) of the vegetables. 
         [0017]    Other aspects, as well as features and advantages of various aspects, of the disclosed subject matter will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art through consideration of the ensuing description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]    In the drawings: 
           [0019]      FIG. 1  is a top view of an embodiment of a tray for food according to this disclosure; 
           [0020]      FIG. 2  is a front side, or edge, view of the embodiment of tray shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the tray shown in  FIG. 1 , from a location behind a rear edge of the tray; and 
           [0022]      FIG. 4  is a diagram showing the features, perceptions and results of an embodiment of a tray according to this disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0023]    A survey shows that school children want to eat food that is fun or “cool,” and like to eat bigger portions of food that tastes good than food that is healthy for them. At the same time, it is important to find a way for consumers to reduce portions of high calorie foods that are starchy and sweet, while increasing serving sizes for vegetables and fruit. With the foregoing in mind, this disclosure relates to tray that makes starchy entrées and sweet desserts look large and satisfying (at the same time being smaller than they appear) and vegetables and fruit appear to be smaller than they really are, while keeping the vegetable hot and the fruit cold. 
         [0024]    Using principles of behavioral science, the tray of this disclosure was designed with several objectives. First, the tray displays the main entrée, which is usually starchy and typically has the most calories of all of the courses of a meal, so that it appears to be larger than it is. In addition, the tray is designed to make desserts appear to be less important but larger than they are, which may further reduce the serving size of a dessert, as well as the total calories of the meal. The tray may achieve these objectives by including one or more compartments that occupy a relatively large area of the tray while having a relatively shallow depths and, in some embodiments, shallowly beveled edges to reduce the overall volume and capacity of such compartments. 
         [0025]    Additionally, a compartment for a dessert or a starchy food may have a configuration that is similar to, but smaller than, the configuration of the compartment for the entrée so the dessert or starch appears to be substantially larger than it actually is. In some embodiments, a compartment for a dessert or a starch may be placed towards the back of the tray so that the dessert appears to be less important than the other foods, or courses of a meal. 
         [0026]    Furthermore, a tray may have a configuration, or design, that tends to make servings of vegetables and fruit appear to be smaller than they actually are, thus encouraging individuals to take more vegetables and fruit on the tray. The compartment(s) for vegetables and/or fruit may be deeper than the entrée and/or dessert compartments, enabling larger servings of vegetables and fruit. In some embodiments, the tray may be configured to receive a full cup of vegetables or fruit without the requirement of a separate bowl or cup. 
         [0027]    The positioning of each compartment for vegetables and/or fruit may encourage an individual to consume these healthy types of food. For example, vegetable and/or fruit compartments may be positioned near the front edge of the tray, adjacent to the compartment for the entrée. This design may make the vegetables and/or fruit appear to be as central and important to a meal as the entrée. In some embodiments, a tray may include two compartments for vegetables and/or fruit, which may flank the compartment for an entrée. Such an arrangement may prevent an individual from having to choose between fruits and vegetables. 
         [0028]    A tray according to this disclosure may have a color and/or include one or more icons that may be indicative of the intended contents of one or more corresponding compartments of the tray (e.g., vegetables and/or fruits, etc.) and/or that may encourage an individual to consume healthier courses of a meal, such as vegetables and/or fruits. Such an icon may be positioned within an container (on its bottom or one or more sides) and/or on a surface of the tray, adjacent to an opening of the container. In specific embodiments, a tray may be yellow, gold or red in color. Such colors are known to complement the appearance of many vegetables and fruits. In addition, such bright colors may enhance the appearance of the food and make it appear to be more fun. Translucence of the tray may also be used to enhance this effect. In some embodiments, various types of icons may be displayed in and around the vegetable and fruit compartments to encourage eating these foods. In a specific embodiment, one or more icons may provide a depiction of vegetables and/or fruits or a reminder that an individual should eat his or her vegetables and/or fruits. 
         [0029]    The tray may also include a compartment with a shape that encourages an individual to consume a healthy beverage; for example, the tray may include a compartment that will receive a single serving carton of milk, but not other beverage containers. The compartment for a beverage may be shaped as a rectangle or a square so as to accommodate the rectangular or square shape of the base of a milk carton. In contrast, round cans or bottles of other beverages, such as soft drink cans, energy drink cans and the like, would fit awkwardly in such a compartment. In some embodiments a compartment for a beverage may include an opening through which a can or bottle with a round base could fall. 
         [0030]    A tray according to this disclosure may be designed in a manner that reduces energy costs associated with cleaning a plurality of the trays. 
         [0031]    Furthermore, most standard reusable food trays fit singly in a slot in an automatic dishwasher. The food tray of the current invention are reshaped to be longer and thinner than conventional trays so that two trays can be vertically stacked side by side and washed in one slot of the dishwasher instead of two slots. This new design saves in energy costs in cleaning the trays. 
         [0032]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , an embodiment of a tray  10  according to this disclosure is shown in an overhead view. The tray  10  has a front edge  20  and a rear edge  22 . The tray  10  is shown having several compartments  12 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50 ,  60 ,  80 , etc., for food (e.g., various courses of a meal, etc.). The tray  10  may, in a very specific embodiment, be rectangular in shape and have dimensions of 9 inches by 14 ¾ inches. 
         [0033]    A first compartment  12  of the tray may comprise a compartment for a main entrée (not shown). The first compartment  12  may be substantially rectangular in shape (e.g. rectangular with rounded edges, a roughly rectangular shape with curvilinear sides, etc.) with a longer dimension running perpendicular to the front edge  20  and the rear edge  22  (i.e., in a vertical direction) and a shorter dimension running parallel to the front edge  20  and the rear edge  22  (i.e., in a horizontal direction), thus leaving more room for a second compartment  30  and a third compartment  40  (e.g., compartments for vegetables and fruit, etc.) adjacent to, or near, the front edge  20  of the tray  10 . 
         [0034]    The sides  14 ,  15 ,  16  and  17  of the first compartment  12  may be shallowly beveled, as shown, to cut down on the size of the entrée while maintaining its large appearance. The first compartment  12  is shown as being positioned near the front edge  20  of the tray  10 . In a very specific embodiment, the first compartment  12  may have an opening with a width of 4 ¼ inches that extends 6 inches from front to back. The beveled sides  14 - 17  may impart a base of the first compartment  12  with a bottom  18  that has a width of 2 11/16 inches and that extends 4 29/64 inches from front to back. 
         [0035]    On the left side of the tray  10 , near the front edge  20  and adjacent to the left side of the first compartment  12 , is a second compartment  30  that may be used for containing a side dish, such as a fruit or another healthy side dish. As illustrated, an opening of the second compartment  30  may be circular in shape, and the second compartment  30  may have a cylindrical shape or a frustoconical shape. In a very specific embodiment, an opening at the top  32  of the second compartment  30  may have a diameter of 3 ½ inches, while a bottom  34  of the second compartment may have a diameter of 3 inches. 
         [0036]    Another, third compartment  40  may be positioned adjacent to the front edge  20  of the tray  10  on the right side of the first compartment  12 . The third compartment  40  may also be configured to receive a side dish (e.g., a healthy side dish, etc.). The third compartment  40  may be slightly larger and deeper than the second compartment  30  and, in some embodiments, may be configured to receive a full cup of vegetables. A depth of the third compartment  40  may help maintain a hot temperature of cooked vegetables. In a very specific embodiment, the third compartment  40  may have a diameter of 4 ½ inches at its top  42 , narrowing down slightly to 4 inches at its bottom  44 . 
         [0037]    A smaller, fourth compartment  50  may be positioned in a less significant position on the tray  10 , behind the second compartment  30 . The fourth compartment  50  may be configured to receive a less healthy food, such as a starchy food or a dessert. The fourth compartment  50  may include side walls  52 ,  53 ,  54  and  55  that are shallowly beveled in such a way that an opening at a top  56  of the fourth compartment  50  imparts the fourth compartment  50  with the appearance of having a larger volume than it actually does. In a very specific embodiment, the dimensions at the top  56  of the second compartment may be 2 inches by 3 ½ inches, whereas the corresponding dimensions at the bottom  58  of the  0  fourth compartment  50  may be 1 inch by 2 ½ inches. The fourth compartment  50  may have a depth that is as shallow as or shallower than the depth of the first compartment  12  so that the contents of the fourth compartment  50  appear to have a larger portion size than they actually have. 
         [0038]    At a location adjacent to the rear edge  22  and, optionally, at a rear corner, the tray  10 , may include a fifth compartment  60  that may be configured to accommodate a beverage. The fifth compartment  60  may be rectangular in shape and, in some embodiments, may be designed to receive the base of a small milk carton (not shown). In a very specific embodiment, a top  66  of the fifth compartment  60  may have dimensions of 2 ¾ inches by 2 ¾ inches. The sides  62 ,  63 ,  64  and  65  of the fifth compartment  60  may be beveled to slightly narrow down the bottom  68  of the sixth compartment  60  to dimensions of 3 inches by 3 inches. In some embodiments, the fifth compartment  60  may include a cut-out portion, or an opening  70 . The opening  70  may be configured (e.g., as a circle, as illustrated by  FIG. 1 ) to discourage the placement of food or cans or bottles with circular bases in the fifth compartment  60 . 
         [0039]    Running along the rear edge  22  of the tray  10  is a sixth compartment  80 , which may be elongated. The sixth compartment  80  may be configured to receive a napkin and/or utensils. The sixth compartment  80  may have beveled sides  82 ,  83 ,  84  and  85 . In a very specific embodiment, the beveled sides  82 - 85  of the sixth compartment  80  may narrow the sixth compartment down from dimensions of 1 ¾ inches by 9 ¾ inches at its top  86  to dimensions of 1 inch by 9 ¼ inches at its bottom  88 . 
         [0040]    Looking now at  FIG. 2 , a profile view of the tray  10  is shown from the front edge  20  of the tray  10 . As shown, the second compartment  30  and the third compartment  40  may have depths that are considerably greater than the depths of the first compartment  12 , the fourth compartment  50  and, optionally, the sixth compartment  80 . In a very specific embodiment of the tray  10 , the second compartment  30  and the third compartment  40  may have depths of 1 ½ inches. In contrast, the depths of the first compartment  12  and the fourth compartment  50  of such an embodiment may only be ½ inch or less. 
         [0041]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a perspective view from the rear edge  22  of the tray  10  is shown. The dimensions of the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  are maintained in the view provided by  FIG. 3 . Viewing the tray  10  form this backward orientation, the placement of the sixth compartment  80  tends to block access to the first compartment  12  (which may be intended for an entrée), as well as the second compartment  20  (which may be intended for fruit) and the third compartment  30  (which may be intended for a vegetable), causing the individual to turn the tray  10  around to the more desired position with the front edge  20  closest to the individual, as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0042]    Referring now to  FIG. 4 , a diagram  100  is shown that highlights the advantages of various embodiments of a tray  10  ( FIGS. 1-3 ) according to this disclosure. On the left side  110  of the diagram  100  are displayed the main features of the tray  10 . In the center  120  of the diagram  100  are three arrows that indicate the perceptions that an individual, such a school child, might have as a result of the features of the tray  10  shown on the left side  110  of the diagram  100 . On the right side  130  of the diagram  100  are four blocks that give the results that may come from the perceptions identified in the center  110  of the diagram  100 . 
         [0043]    Reviewing  FIG. 4  in more detail, one feature  111  on the left side  110  of the diagram  100  shows that the smaller, shallower beveled first and fourth compartments  12  and  50  ( FIG. 1 ) of the tray  10  ( FIG. 1 ) are intended for an entrée and a dessert, respectively. The resulting perception  121  in the center  120  of the diagram  100  is that these compartments hold greater quantities of the entrée and the dessert than they actually hold. 
         [0044]    Another feature  112  is that there are reminder cues for fruits and vegetables by placing the containers for fruits and vegetables in containers near the front of the tray  10  (e.g., the second container  20  and the third container  30  shown in  FIG. 1 ) and possibly using icons to highlight these foods. The perception  122  at the center  120  of the diagram  100  indicates that it is normal and correct to place the compartments for fruits and vegetables in positions that are equally prominent with the compartment (e.g., the first container  12  shown in  FIG. 1 ) that holds the entrée. The feature  113  that a milk container fits best in the beverage container (e.g., the fifth container shown in  FIG. 1 ) gives a similar impression  122  that milk is the typical or correct choice for a beverage. 
         [0045]    The feature  114  that the vegetable compartment is deeper and contains more vegetables and is more likely to keep them warm gives a perception  123  of better quality of the food. The feature  115  of coloring a tray in yellow, gold or red to stimulate the appetite may also give a perception  123  of better quality of food. 
         [0046]    Looking at the results column at the right side  130  of the diagram  100 , the three perceptions  121 ,  122  and  123  may achieve a result  131  that individual feels full and satisfied. In addition, these perceptions may result  132  in an individual consuming more and wasting less of a meal. Another possible result  133  is that the food tastes good and was a good deal for the individual. Another possible result  134  is that the individual is likely to select and consume more fruits and vegetables than he or she would have if the food was provided to the individual on a conventional tray. 
         [0047]    A further result not shown in  FIG. 4  is that a thinner tray  10  ( FIG. 1 ) may enable two trays to fit in one slot in a dish washer, thus enabling more trays to be cleaned at the same time, thereby saving on energy costs associated with cleaning the trays  10 . 
         [0048]    Although the foregoing description contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limiting the scopes of the inventions recited by any of the appended claims, but merely as providing information pertinent to some specific embodiments that may fall within the scopes of the appended claims. Features from different embodiments may be employed in combination. In addition, other embodiments may also lie within the scopes of the appended claims. All additions to, deletions from and modifications of the disclosed subject matter that fall within the scopes of the claims are to be embraced by the claims.