This application is claims benefit of Serial No. 2,666,863, filed 25 May 2009 in Canada and which application is incorporated herein by reference. To the extent appropriate, a claim of priority is made to the above disclosed application.
The present invention relates to the field of mobile service stations. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mobile service station which can be used as a food stand, among other applications, as well as a method for configuring the service station.
For a long time, there has been a need to provide various service stations at different events for short to long term periods of time. Very often, buildings have to be built on site which implies costs and problems due to coordination and installation of the building materials. Typically, when such service stations must be provided in remote locations or international expositions, participation in these types of activities is typically limited to companies with significant resources. Moreover, several markets in the world that could be of interest to different small and medium-sized companies are not typically considered by these companies given the complications and costs in attempting to provide international services at a foreign site for their products and services.
On the other hand, there is presently a worldwide surplus of shipping containers accumulating in various areas of the world. These building containers can be recycled for various applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,182,424 describes a combination shipping container and showcase serving multiple functions. The container not only houses trail exhibits but is also used as a means for transporting the exhibits to various sites. The container can be shipped to port cities which do not necessarily have business centers and then moved in land by truck or rail transportation means to the appropriate display location.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,817 describes a mobile workshop. This mobile workshop has the capacity to be transported as a closed container to different work sites. Various machinery items are mounted on the side walls of the container. The side walls of the container are retractable from a vertical position, acting as container walls to a horizontal position, defining a new base for the workshop when deployed.
However, there is still presently a need for a mobile service station that is adaptable for use as a high-end food stand, wherein the side walls can act as a surface area for consumers using the service station services in vicinity of the station.
An object of the present invention is to propose a new mobile service station that satisfies at least one of the above-mentioned needs.
According to the present invention, there is provided a mobile service station, comprising:
Preferably, the structure is based on a previously used shipping container that has been recycled for the present application.
Preferably, the mobile service station is operated as a food stand.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a method of providing a mobile service station and configuring the service station, comprising the following steps:
The mobile service station according to the present invention offers several advantages:
A non-restrictive description of a preferred embodiment of the invention will now be given with reference to the appended drawings.
According to the present invention, a mobile service station is shown in
The mobile service station 10 comprises a deployable structure 12 configurable between a first closed configuration (shown for example in
Preferably, the structure is based on a previously used shipping container that has been recycled for the present application.
Preferably, the mobile service station is operated as a food stand.
Preferably, as shown in
Preferably, as shown in
According to the present invention, there is also provided a method of providing a mobile service station and configuring the service station, comprising the following steps:
The mobile service station due to its transport container aspect is easily transportable to remote sites for installation and use. Although the service station illustrated in the preferred embodiment is used as a high-end food stand, other types of services may be provided using such a mobile service station with expanded floor space and associated accessories.
Preferably, as shown in
As better shown in
Although the present invention has been explained hereinabove by way of a preferred embodiment thereof, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise embodiment and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2666863 | May 2009 | CA | national |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20110094167 A1 | Apr 2011 | US |