Abstract:
A carrier for food products such as muffins and cupcakes includes a pan and a cover. The pan including multiple pan wells that project from an upper surface thereof. At least some of the pan wells each includes an opening in respective bottom surfaces thereof. The cover includes multiple cover wells or supports projecting from a surface thereof, each corresponding to one of the pan wells. At least some of the cover wells each includes a support extending from a bottom surface thereof. The cover secures to and substantially covers the pan in a first configuration. The pan nests on the cover in a second configuration such that the supports project through a respective one of the openings.

Description:
The present invention relates to an accessory to display and transport food products, and more particularly, an accessory to display and transport baked goods such as muffins or cupcakes. 
     Conventionally, baked goods such as cupcakes or muffins (hereinafter, “food product”) are baked in a pan having wells or pockets to hold the individual food product. The pan can be metallic or made of a more flexible material such as silicone. However, such pans are not convenient for display and removal of the food product. The top of the food product, for example, a “muffin top,” often adheres to the pan surrounding the perimeter of an individual well, and it often becomes necessary to scrape the food product off of the pan in order to remove it. Frosting disposed on the food product may also become marred when attempting to remove the food product with fingers in a conventional pan. Thus, the conventional pan design often results in inconvenience and delay in displaying and removing food product from a pan. 
     Additionally, conventional cupcake/muffin pans are sometimes difficult to transport with the food product therein or do not provide a convenient manner in which to store the product. It is often desirable to store food products such as cupcakes and muffins in an airtight container in order to maintain their freshness. Thus, the process may involve placing the entire pan into an even larger container or removing each individual food product and placing it into a separate carrier that may or may not be specially designed for cupcakes/muffins. This problem is especially pronounced with regard to decorated food products, such as cupcakes, which may have taken hours to delicately decorate. 
     Accordingly, the present invention attempts to remedy the problems in the conventional art. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one embodiment, the present invention includes a food carrier comprising a pan and a cover. The pan includes a plurality of pan wells projecting from an upper surface thereof that each includes an opening in respective bottom surfaces thereof. The cover includes a plurality of cover wells projecting from a surface thereof that each includes a raised support, which may be in the form of a platform, extending from a bottom surface thereof. The cover secures to and substantially covers the pan in a first configuration. Additionally, the pan nests on the cover in a second configuration such that the raised supports or platforms project through a respective one of the openings. 
     In another embodiment, the present invention a pan includes a food carrier comprising a pan and a cover. The pan includes a plurality of pan wells projecting from an upper surface thereof that each includes an opening in respective bottom surfaces thereof. The cover includes a plurality of raised supports or platforms extending upward from a top surface of the cover. The cover secures to and substantially covers the pan in a first configuration. Additionally, the pan nests on the cover in a second configuration such that the raised supports or platforms project through a respective one of the openings. 
     Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a food product carrier set in a transport configuration according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the food product carrier set of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the food product carrier set of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the food product carrier set of  FIG. 1  in a display configuration. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the pan and cover taken along line  5 - 5  in  FIG. 4 . For clarity, the food product  50  is not shown in cross-section. 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the pan and cover taken along line  7 - 7  in  FIG. 6 . For clarity, the food product  50  is not shown in cross-section. 
         FIGS. 8   a - 8   d  are perspective views of alternative embodiments of the pan of  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the above-described drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. 
       FIGS. 1-5  show an embodiment of the food product carrier set  1 , which may function as a cupcake carrier set, a muffin carrier set, or similar food product carrier set. Although the terms “cupcake carrier set” or “muffin carrier set” are used herein, the food product carrier set  1  can be used to display and transport a variety of other food products  50 , including, but not limited to, brownies. The cupcake carrier set  1  includes a pan  10  and a cover  20 . The cupcake carrier set  1  may be used in a transport or storage configuration, suitable to transport cupcakes, and a display configuration suitable to display or decorate cupcakes. 
     The pan  10  may be formed of a metallic material, such as tin or aluminum, or another material suitable to hold food products  50  being baked in an oven (not shown). The pan  10  shown in  FIGS. 1-4  has a generally rectangular shape, but may have any other shape known in the art, such as square or circular. The pan  10  may be formed of a non-stick material or coated with any non-stick material known in the art. The pan  10  includes a generally planar top surface  11  from which a plurality of generally circular wells  12  project downwardly. The perimeter of the pan  10  is surrounded by a downwardly extending lip  15  that secures to the cover  20  (further described below). 
     As best viewed in  FIGS. 3 ,  5 , and  7 , each well  12  includes a side wall  13  extending downwardly and inwardly at an angle with the larger, top end being open. The side wall  13  blends into a bottom end that is bounded by a generally circular bottom rim  14  defining an opening  16 . A removable disc  17  may be optionally placed on the bottom rim  14  to cover the opening  16  and provide a bottom surface to support the food product  50  placed in the well  12 . A total of twelve wells  12  are shown in  FIGS. 1-4  disposed in a plurality of rows and columns. The number of wells  12 , rows, and columns is not limited. 
     As best viewed in  FIG. 3 , the cover  20  has a shape generally corresponding to the shape of the pan  10  and includes a generally planar top surface  21  from which a plurality of generally circular wells  22  protrude downwardly. The cover  20  may be made out of a thin-gauge resilient plastic and is preferably transparent or partially-transparent to view the food products  50  placed within the set  1  during transport. Alternatively, the cover  20  may be formed wholly or partially of metal. The lower perimeter of the cover  20  is surrounded by a downwardly extending rib  25  having spaced apart notches  29  that secure to the lip  15  of the pan  10  via a mechanical connection such as a snap fit. The cover  20  may include additional locking mechanisms (latches  28  in  FIGS. 1-4 ) to further secure the cover  20  to the pan  10 . To facilitate easier transport of the set  1 , the cover  20  may also include a fold-down handle  29 , which preferably nests within the top surface  21  for storage, as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     As best viewed in  FIGS. 2 and 5 , each well  22  includes a side wall  23  extending downwardly and inwardly at an angle with a larger, open top end. The side wall  23  blends into a closed bottom end. Extending upwards from the bottom end is a support  24 , which may take the form of a platform, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 5 . The bottom end of the well  22  includes a ring  26  surrounding the support  24  and sized so as to receive the rim  14  when the cupcake set is in the display configuration of  FIG. 4 . The size and diameter of the top of the well  22  within the top surface  21  of the cover  20  is approximately equal to the size and diameter of the top of the well  12  within the top surface  11  of the pan  10 . 
     As can be seen in  FIGS. 4-5 , the wells  22  are sized and shaped so that wells  12  can rest within wells  22 . The depth of the wells  22  and the overall height of the cover  20  are selected to ensure that a food product  50  placed within the well  12  will not contact the well  22  there-above when the cover  20  is attached to the pan  10  in the transport configuration. A total of twelve wells  22  are shown in  FIGS. 1-4  disposed in a plurality of rows and columns, each well  22  corresponding to one of the wells  12 . 
     With continued reference to  FIGS. 4-5 , the supports  24  have a generally frustoconical shape with a substantially flat top surface  27  that is sized to fit through the bottom opening  16  in pan walls  12  and configured to support a food product  50  placed thereon. The top surface  27  of the support  24  preferably has a height less than that of top surface  21  of the cover  20  so that the side wall  23  of the well  22  can help maintain the food product  50  in the well  22 . 
     Food products  50  such as cupcakes or muffins may be baked in the pan  10  as follows. A liner  30 , typically made of thin paper, is placed in respective wells  12  so that the bottom of the liner  30  rests upon and is supported by the bottom rim  14  according to a total number of food products  50  to be baked. Each liner  30  placed in a well  12  is then filled with raw batter of the food product  50  to be baked in an oven. Each liner  30  thus forms a self-contained baking compartment to bake an individual food product, such as a muffin or cupcake. 
     After baking is complete, the pan  10  is removed from the oven and the baked food products  50  are allowed to cool. As shown in  FIG. 4 , after the food products  50  have cooled, the pan  10  is nested on top of the lid  20  in the display configuration, so that the wells  12  in the cooking pan  10  align with the cover wells  22  and supports  24  of the lid  20  protrude through the bottom of the wells  12 . Thereby, the food products  50  are supported in their liners  30  on the supports  24  in a raised position above the bottom of each well  12  so that the food products  50  may then be easily served or decorated. 
     To transport the food products  50  in the transport configuration, the pan  10  is removed from the top of the cover  20 , and the cover  20  is placed on top of the pan  10 , as in  FIG. 1 . The rib  25  and optionally the latches  28  of the cover  20  are then secured to the lip  15 . The cupcake carrier set  1  may then be lifted by the handle  29  and transported. The cover thereby provides a substantially airtight container for the food products  50 , allowing the food products  50  to remain fresh. 
       FIGS. 6-7  show an alternative embodiment of the food product carrier set  100 . The set  100  includes a pan  10  identical to the pan  10  of the set  1  and a cover  120 . Similar to the cover  20 , the cover  120  is sized to fit around and secure to the pan  10 , and includes a handle  140  to facilitate easy transport of the set  100 . The cover  120  may also be made of the same or similar materials as the cover  20  and may include the same locking mechanisms to secure to the pan  10 . However, as best viewed in  FIG. 6 , the cover  120  includes supports  124  protruding upwardly from a top surface  121  of the cover  120 . With reference to  FIG. 7 , in one embodiment, the supports  124  have a generally frustoconical shape with a substantially flat top surface  127  that is sized to fit through the bottom opening  16  in pan walls  12  and configured to support a food product  50  placed thereon. 
       FIGS. 8   a - 8   d  show additional alternative embodiments of the supports.  FIG. 8   a  shows a plurality of supports  224  generally in the shape of tabs spaced apart from each other and forming a generally circular shape.  FIG. 8   b  shows a plurality of supports  324  in the form of posts.  FIG. 8   c  shows a support  424  having a hollow furstoconical shape with an open upper side.  FIG. 8   d  shows a support  524  having an X-shape. Each of the alternative supports  224 ,  324 ,  424 ,  524  are sized to fit through the bottom opening  16  in pan walls  12  and are configured to support a food product  50  placed thereon. The cover  20 ,  120  may include identical supports  24 ,  124 ,  224 ,  324 ,  424 ,  524 , or may include various combinations of the supports  24 ,  124 ,  224 ,  324 ,  424 ,  524 . 
     After baking is complete using the food product carrier set  100 , the pan  10  is removed from the oven and the baked food products  50  are allowed to cool. After the food products  50  have cooled, the pan  10  is nested on top of the lid  120  in the display configuration, so that the supports  124 ,  224 ,  324 ,  424 ,  524  of the lid  120  protrude through the bottom of the wells  12 . Thereby, the food products  50  are supported in their liners  30  on the supports  124 ,  224 ,  324 ,  424 ,  524  in a raised position above the bottom of each well  12  so that the food products  50  may then be easily served or decorated. 
     Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that various modifications, substitutions, and rearrangements of layers and materials, as well as other uses of the invention can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of one or more independent aspects of the invention as described.