Patent ID: 8006843

Claim:
A stackable food and beverage service tray comprising: a substantially planar tray bottom having an upper floor surface and an underside surface; a sloping side wall extending upwardly and outwardly from an inner peripheral edge of said tray bottom so as to surround said tray bottom, said sloping side wall having an inner surface and an outer surface wherein said outer surface adjoins said underside surface at a peripheral bottom edge of said tray and said inner surface adjoins said upper floor surface of said tray bottom at said inner peripheral edge of said tray bottom, said sloping side wall further defining opposing first and second openings on opposite sides of said tray and wherein said openings serve as handles for gripping said tray, said sloping side wall further defining opposing first and second dams on opposite sides of said tray, said first dam being located between said first opening and said inner peripheral edge of said tray bottom, said second dam being located between said second opening and said inner peripheral edge of said tray bottom and wherein said dams serve to contain liquids spilled on said tray floor surface, said outer surface of said sloping side wall also defining first and second dam receiving sections so that when a second said tray is stacked on a first said tray said first and second dam receiving sections of said second tray receive said first and second dams of said first tray, said dams and dam receiving sections further being sized and configured so that they are prevented from substantial contact with each other when said first and second trays are stacked, said dams and dam receiving sections of stacked trays thereby defining a space between each other through which air can flow to further facilitate the drying of said stacked trays after they have been washed; a raised rib on said inner surface of said side wall adjacent said inner peripheral edge of said tray bottom; and, feet provided on said underside surface along said bottom edge of said tray, said feet of a first said tray cooperating with said raised rib of a second said tray so that when a second said tray is stacked on a first said tray said feet of said second tray contact said rib of said first tray to prevent said underside surface of said second tray from substantial contact with said upper floor surface of said first tray, said feet and rib also cooperating to prevent said outer surface of said side wall of said second tray from substantial contact with said inner surface of said side wall of said first tray when said second tray is stacked on said first tray; so that said first and second stacked trays define a space between them through which air can flow to facilitate drying of said stacked trays after they have been washed.