This invention relates to disposable drink cups and more particularly to a food product cradle designed for laterally stable, nestable association with a thermoformed drink cup lid.
It is well known to use thermoformed thin gauge plastic lids in combination with paper and plastic cups to dispense drinks, such as coffee, soft drinks and cocoa. Such lids come in a number of configurations, many including tear-back, fold-back and/or lock-back tabs for drink-through utilization. A common characteristic of such lids is a topography which features circular or annular steps between multiple topographical levels. See, for example, U.S. Design Pat. No. 417,845, U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,727, U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,865 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,459.
Such lids are often thermoformed of thin gauge, extruded plastic sheet material, often in a single or continuous operation such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,942,832 issued Sep. 13, 2005. Suitable materials include polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene and others.
In a first aspect, the invention described herein comprises a cradle, tray or bowl, preferably thermoformed from thin gauge plastic material similar or identical to that used to make hot and cold drink cup lids, which bowl, tray or cradle has a bottom with multiple level topographical features which are complemental to at least some degree of the topographical features of a drink cup lid so as to be nestable with the lid in such a way as to produce lateral stability. In the preferred form, the bowl, tray or cradle is annular and has a sidewall of sufficient depth as to conveniently but securely hold a food product such as a donut. In this specification, the terms “bowl”, “cradle” and “tray” are used interchangeably and infer a particular configuration which in the preferred configuration has an upwardly and outwardly flaring peripheral sidewall to hold the product
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, the aforementioned bowl or cradle is joined in laterally stable nesting association with a drink cup lid having suitable topographical features so as to complementally receive the bowl or cradle. A food product such as a donut is placed in the cradle after the lid and cradle have been joined. In the case of a drink cup which is filled with a hot drink such as coffee, the heat which rises from the hot drink is conducted through the lid and cradle bottom to the product where it warms the product in preparation for consumption.
It will be understood that the references to donuts and other food products herein are illustrative rather than limiting and that the invention may be used with a variety of vendible products.
The description herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views and wherein:
Referring to
The lid 12 further comprises a fold-back tab 24 which cooperates with a well 26 to produce a lock-back feature so that the consumer may, after operating the tab 24, drink fluid from the cup 10 without removing the lid 12. Again, this is merely illustrative as the lid may have no drink-through feature or a simple aperture which is always open.
The lid 12 is preferably and typically made in a thermoforming operation wherein extruded sheet plastic material is fed onto a rotary drum containing dies which are perforated so that a vacuum can be pulled or drawn through the dies, thus causing the hot plastic sheet material to conform to the dies, thereby producing the desired topographical features of the lids 12. After forming, the lids are die-cut and packed in boxes for shipment to end users.
As shown in the drawings, the cradle 14 is essentially bowl-shaped and has a bottom recess 28 defining an outer circular step 30 and an intermediate circular step 32. A reverse step 34 defines a central deck 36 as best shown in
Referring to the
The lid 38 has a raised and inwardly tapered step 40 within which is located a raised fold-back, lock-back tab 50 which can be locked into a well 51. A center deck 44 is recessed within the volume created by the high step 40.
The bowl or cradle 42 has a recessed bottom with an outer annular step 46 and an inner annular step 48 defining a central deck or bottom surface 49. In the complementally joined configuration as shown in
In the embodiment of
As shown in
As indicated above, while the invention is believed to be particularly useful in combination with the marketing of pastry, such as donuts, the invention may be used in connection with marketing any of a variety of products in combination with drink cups with lids, whether containing hot, cold or room temperature materials or products. Further, while the illustrative embodiments include a cradle with a bottom concavity to receive a lid, the nesting relationship which provides lateral stability can also be achieved in an arrangement where the lid has a concave topography and the cradle plugs into it.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20110284537 A1 | Nov 2011 | US |