Abstract:
A condiment container having a receptacle, a clip, a pivot to vary the angle between the receptacle and the clip and a stop member to fix the angle between the receptacle and the clip in a user determinable position. The condiment container can be clipped to a food container having virtually any shape and/or configuration while maintaining the receptacle in a vertical orientation.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to food serving items and, more particularly, to a container for holding condiments in which to dip foods that can be attached to a container for holding the food. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Certain foods lend themselves to be dipped into condiments or sauces to add flavor. For example, it is common for people to dip French fries into ketchup, potato chips into sour cream dip or tortilla chips into salsa. For the purposes of this application, the term “condiment” will be used to refer to any condiment used for dipping, including but not limited to ketchup, mustard, dips, sauces, salsa, etc., and “food” will be used to refer to any food item that may be dipped into a condiment, including but not limited to French fries, chips, chicken nuggets, etc. 
         [0003]    Usually, the food items are placed in a first container, such as a dish or a bowl, and the condiment is provided in a second container, such as a smaller bowl, that is placed near the food container. As an alternative to the separate containers, special multi-sectioned service pieces have been made that combine a first container for the food item to be dipped and a second container for the condiment incorporated into a single service piece. However, such a service piece includes the food and condiment containers that either cannot be separated or where the condiment container takes up space within the food container. 
         [0004]    Others have attempted to address the issue, such as with the use of a condiment container attachment device as described in U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2011/0272546. However, such devices have significant drawbacks including that they are limited to attachment to a specific sized and shaped food container and are limited to receiving specific sized and shaped condiment containers. 
         [0005]    In keeping, a container for holding a condiment that can be attached to a variety of containers for holding food items would advance the art. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention is directed to a condiment container comprising a receptacle, a clip, a pivot to vary the angle between the receptacle and the clip and a stop member to fix the angle between the receptacle and the clip. When the condiment container is clipped to a food container, the receptacle can be positioned and fixed to a proper, substantially vertical orientation regardless of the shape and/or configuration of the container for the food item. This keeps the condiment readily accessible for dipping the food items. 
         [0007]    The pivot preferably comprises a first pivot element and a second pivot element. The first pivot element, generally associated with the receptacle, can be coupled or linked to any part of the receptacle. For example, the first pivot element can be coupled to an adjacent the edge of the receptacle, located on an extension from the bottom of the receptacle, or any place in between. Similarly, a second pivot element, generally associated with the clip, can be coupled or linked to any part of the clip or an extension thereof, as long as it can cooperate with the pivot element associated with the receptacle. In any event, the pivot elements interact intermediate the receptacle and the clip to allow the angle between the receptacle and clip to be determined by the user. 
         [0008]    The stop member can also take any suitable form as long as it limits movement of the receptacle in relation to the clip during use. This could include, but is not limited to, a stop member that acts on one or more of the pivot elements or a stop member that acts on one or more of the receptacle and/or clip to fix the angle between the receptacle and clip. For example, the stop member can take the form of a detent that engages a space between adjacent teeth or cogs (hereinafter “teeth”) on a wheel or portion thereof associated with a pivot element having a plurality of teeth thereon. This configuration allows the pivot members to stop in any of a plurality of positions corresponding to the spaces between adjacent teeth of the plurality of teeth or cogs about the wheel. In another example, the stop member does not act on the pivot elements themselves, and instead uses a lock mechanism to frictionally engage the receptacle and/or the clip in one of a plurality of positions. 
         [0009]    Of course, other suitable interactive stop members that permit the movement and fixing of the receptacle relative to the clip may be used so long as the angle of the receptacle can be repositioned and fixed in relation to the clip. In this regard, the positions in which the receptacle may be fixed in relation to the clip preferably allow the receptacle to be positioned substantially vertical, so that the receptacle is at a substantially right angle to the surface on which the food container is placed, maximizing the amount of condiment the receptacle can hold and providing an favorable aesthetic appearance. 
         [0010]    Additionally, the condiment container can comprise more than one receptacle on the same or different pivot elements so that more than one condiment can be presented on one food container. Notwithstanding, the receptacle can be made in any suitable size and shape, and from any suitable material, depending on the intended use. 
         [0011]    The clip of the condiment container can be any type clip that securely engages the container, and preferably the edge of a container, with a collar, spring or other structure that is designed to keep the clip arms in a closed configuration on the container. Most preferably, the clip arms have pads, preferably formed of an elastomeric material such as rubber, silicone or other non-slip material, on the portion of the clip arms that engage the container to create a more secure engagement with the container. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The attached drawings are intended to better illustrate the preferred embodiments of the present invention without limiting the invention in any manner whatsoever. 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a condiment container according to the teachings of the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the condiment container of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a condiment container according to the teachings of the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the condiment container of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view through the middle of the condiment container of  FIG. 3 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0018]    The following description of the preferred embodiments is presented to describe the present invention without limiting the scope of the appended claims in any manner whatsoever. 
         [0019]    As shown in the Figures, and particularly  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the present invention is directed to a condiment container  2 ,  2 ′ comprising a receptacle  4 ,  4 ′, a clip  6 ,  6 ′, a pivot  8 ,  8 ′ to vary the angle between the receptacle  4 ,  4 ′ and the clip  6 ,  6 ′ and a stop member  10 ,  10 ′ to fix the angle between the receptacle  4 ,  4 ′ and the clip  6 ,  6 ′. 
         [0020]    The pivot  8 ,  8 ′ of the preferred embodiments shown comprises cooperating pivot elements  12 ,  12 ′ and  14 ,  14 ′ which interact to adjust the angle of the receptacle  4 ,  4 ′ relative to the clip  6 ,  6 ′ as determined by the user. For the present description, the first pivot element  12 ,  12 ′ will be associated with the receptacle  4 ,  4  and the second pivot element  14 ,  14 ′ will be associated with the clip  6 ,  6 ′. 
         [0021]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the first pivot element  12  can be in the form of a wheel or portion of a wheel, since the entire wheel is not necessary, placed on an extension below the receptacle  4 , the wheel or portion thereof having a number of teeth, cogs or extensions about a circular portion (all referred to as “teeth” a “toothed wheel”) and an axle about which the wheel rotates. Alternatively, the first pivot element  12 ′ can be in the form of a cylindrical extension from the side of one or both sides of the receptacle  4 ′ which serves as an axle on which the second pivot element  14 ′ rotates, as shown in  FIGS. 3-5 . 
         [0022]    The first pivot element  12 ,  12 ′ acts in cooperation with the second pivot element  14 ,  14 ′, described as associated with the clip  6 ,  6 ′. The second pivot element  14  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  comprises one or more receivers for receiving the axle of the toothed wheel located on extensions from one of the arms of the clip  6 . In the preferred embodiment shown, the axle extending from each side of the toothed wheel comprising the first pivot element  12  is seated within opposed receivers on opposed extensions from one of the arms of the clip  6 . 
         [0023]    In the alternative embodiment of  FIGS. 3-5 , the second pivot element  14 ′ comprises circular apertures for receiving the cylindrical extensions on the receptacle  4 ′. The circular apertures are sized to fit the cylindrical extensions to provide a smooth rotation of the receptacle  4 ′ on the pivot  8 ′. 
         [0024]    In the preferred embodiment of the condiment container  2 ′ of  FIGS. 3-5 , the cylindrical extensions have a mushroom end to hold the circular apertures onto the cylindrical extensions. In the most preferred embodiment, the cylindrical apertures include a step with a larger circumference on the side opposite the receptacle  4 ′ for receiving the mushroom end of the cylindrical extension, so that the terminal surface of the mushroom end of the cylindrical extension forming the first pivot member  12 ′ can be formed flush with the outer surface of the extension on which the circular opening of the second pivot member  14 ′ is located. 
         [0025]    Of course, the mechanical components of the first pivot element  12 ,  12 ′ and second pivot element  14 ,  14 ′ can be inverted in any suitable combination. For example, the pivot element comprising a toothed wheel with an axle in the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 2  can be associated with the clip  6  and the receivers for the axle can be associated with the receptacle  4 ,  4 ′. Another example is where the axle is associated with the second pivot element  14  and is inserted into a hole in the wheel, or is a separate element all together, to join the pivot elements. 
         [0026]    The stop member  10 ,  10 ′ may be any mechanism that fixes the relationship of the receptacle  4 ,  4 ′ to the clip  6 ,  6 ′ at a user determined angle. In the preferred embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the stop member  10  is a deformable detent which engages the space between adjacent teeth of the toothed wheel forming the first pivot element  12 , to stop rotation of the toothed wheel when the detent is fixed between adjacent teeth. The detent deforms by any known means, including on a leaf spring assembly as shown, by means of a flexible detent, or any other suitable means that permits the rotation of the toothed wheel from the space between one set of adjacent teeth to the next when sufficient force is used to rotate the wheel. 
         [0027]    In the preferred embodiment shown in  FIGS. 3-5 , the stop member  10 ′ comprises a contact face that can be extended from a release position to a locked position. In the locked position, the contact face of the stop member  10 ′ is advanced into frictional engagement with a portion of the receptacle  4 ′ to prohibit variation of the angle between the receptacle  4 ′ and the clip  6 ′. In the preferred embodiment shown, the contact face of the stop member  10 ′ operates in connection with a cammed lock  16  that can be activated to advance the contact face of the stop member  10 ′ from its release position to its locked position against the receptacle  4 ′. 
         [0028]    More specifically, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the cammed lock  16  is rotated by an activator extension into the locked position shown, with the cam  18  of the cammed lock  16  forcing the contact face of the stop member  10 ′ into frictional engagement of the receptacle  4 ′. When the cammed lock  16  is rotated, the cam  18  moves away from the stop member  10 ′ to allow the contact face to retreat to its release position (not shown), sufficiently away from the receptacle  4 ′ to permit movement of the receptacle  4 ′ in relation to the clip  6 ′. 
         [0029]    Although the stop member  10 ′ is shown to engage a semi-circular bottom of the receptacle  4 ′, it is understood that the stop member  10 ′ can be located to engage a flat side of the receptacle  4 ′, or another suitable part of the receptacle  4 ′. Similarly, if the first pivot element  12 ′ is associated with the clip  6 ′ instead of the receptacle  4 ′, the stop member  10 ′ may be configured to engage the clip  6 ′ instead of the receptacle  4 ′. 
         [0030]    The clip  6 ,  6 ′ of the condiment container  2 ,  2 ′ can be any known clip that permits the attachment and release of the condiment container  2 ,  2 ′ to and from a food container. In the preferred embodiments shown, the clip  6 ,  6 ′ comprises two arms  20  separated by a fulcrum, a pad  22  at the first end of each clip arm  20  and a spring  24  located between the clip arms  20  at or near the fulcrum to force the pads  22  of the clip arms  20  toward each other. Of course, any other known clips can be used, as a matter of design choice. 
         [0031]    The pads  22  of the clip  6 ,  6 ′ can be integrally formed as part of the clip arms  20 , however, it is preferred that the pads  22  be formed of an elastomeric material that is attached to the first ends of the clip arms  20 . The pads  22  can be co-molded onto the ends of the clip arms  20  or attached by any known means, including but not limited to adhesives or interlocking parts, and are preferably made of a silicone or rubber material. The material is chosen based on its tactile characteristics, to provide improved grip to the food container on which the condiment container  2  is placed. Most preferably the pads  22  include a ribbed structure to further improve the grip on the food container. 
         [0032]    Variations, modifications and alterations to the above detailed description will be apparent to those skilled in the art. All such variations, modifications and/or alternatives are intended to fall within the scope of the present invention, limited only by the appended claims. All cited patents and publications are hereby incorporated by reference.