Patent Application
20170035226
The present invention relates to household items and, more particularly, to a serving bowl with legs capable of holding a dip, condiment or the like above a serving surface.
Serving plates, bowls, platters and the like, generally referred to herein as serving bowls, are used in the home for presenting snacks to family, friends and guests. Such serving bowls are often placed out on a tabletop or counter surface next to a dip, salsa or condiment container, generally referred to herein as a dip bowl, so that users can take a snack from the serving bowl and dip it into the contents of the dip bowl. Alternatively, when two different snacks are being presented, two distinct bowls are used.
However, the use of separate serving bows and/or serving and dip bowls use up valuable tabletop or counter surface space, especially when the two distinct bowls are used during a large party. Moreover, it is not unusual for the bowls to be separated from one another, so that snacks are harder to find or requiring a user taking a snack from the serving bowl must then look for the dip bowl.
Efforts to address this problem have focused on making serving bowls with dedicated sections for different snacks or dip sections, however, these serving bowls require the use of multiple snack sections or a dip with the items being served to avoid the lack of utilization of the dedicated space. This led to the use of serving bowls with dedicated areas for a removable dip bowl, so that the dip bowl could be removed from the serving bowl. Of course, when the dip bowl is used with the serving bowl, space for the snack is reduced.
Alternative efforts included use of a serving bowl or dip bowl with a stand, so that one of the bowls could be raised above the surface of a serving bowl. However, such devices were limited to the stand either being fixed to the serving or dip bowl, so that the stand must always be used with the bowl, or removable, so that the host must keep track of the separate components when stored and not in use. Additionally, such bowls with stands and stands that are dedicated for use with a serving bowl or dip bowl generally take up significant storage space.
Therefore, a serving bowl or dip bowl which can be used both with and without readily available legs would advance the art.
In keeping, one object of the invention is to provide a serving bowl or dip bowl that can be used with or without a stand. Another object is to provide such a serving bowl or dip bowl with an integral stand, so that the stand is always available for use with the bowl. It is a further object to provide an adaptable stand, which can be used in a variety of configurations. Yet another object is to maximize storage space when said bowl is not in use.
These and other objects are addressed by the present invention, which is directed to a serving bowl comprising a container, a skirt extending downwardly below at least a portion of the container, and a plurality of legs that are rotatably connected to the skirt for rotation from a stored orientation to a stand orientation for raising the height of the bowl above a surface.
The bowl of the invention can be formed in virtually any shape, including round, oval, square, rectangular, triangular, free-form, etc. However, for the purposes of this description a round shape is shown and described, without limitation. Similarly, the skirt can be of any shape, including the same shape as the bowl or a different shape, as long as the dimensions provide space to hold the legs in their stored orientation.
In this regard, the skirt conforming to the shape of the bowl is preferably an extension of the outer edge of the bowl, so that the outer walls of the skirt are flush with the outer walls of the bowl for a sleek, unitary look. Notwithstanding, the skirt can be a shape different from the shape of the bowl, and/or can be set in from the walls of the bowl. In any event, it is preferred that the skirt be of sufficient height and size to cover the legs in their stored orientation, however, a skirt with gaps, so that the skirt portions merely cover the connection between the bowl and the legs, may be used.
In the preferred embodiment, the legs are rotationally coupled to the skirt, so that they can be rotated from the stored orientation to the stand orientation. In one such embodiment, the skirt or a component thereof includes a receiver for receiving a connector on the leg, however, it is envisioned that the leg may include the receiver and the skirt may include the connector. The connector is engaged by the receiver to hold the leg in rotational relationship to the skirt. As such, when the legs are to be used, the connector can be rotated in the receiver to move the legs from their stored orientation to their stand orientation. When the bowl is not in use, the legs may be rotated back under the skirt to minimize storage space and, preferably, be hidden from view.
The preferred connection/receiver comprises rotatable snap fit elements for engaging the connector and the receiver. This may include cooperating components such as a ball and socket, where the receiver is in the form of a socket and the connector includes a ball at the end that is captured by the socket. However, most preferred is the use of a connector with barbed ends that can expand over a shelf or ledge within the receiver to fixedly secure the legs to the skirt of the bowl. Additionally, use of a locking element when the leg is in its stand orientation is preferred, such as a cooperating detent and depression, so that the legs do not easily rotate into the stored orientation.
Preferably, the legs are further adaptable from a collapsed configuration to an extended configuration so that the height of the bowl can be adjusted. In the preferred embodiment, the legs further comprise slidable extensions that can slide from a collapsed configuration to an extended configuration either on the exterior of the legs or from within the interior of the legs. The extensions on the legs are preferably conjoined with the legs by friction fit, with one or more detents/depressions to fix the extensions in the extended configuration. More specifically, the external extensions may include a detent on its inner surface that is captured by a corresponding depression on the leg to fix the extension at a particular height, with multiple depressions being possible to permit various heights.
Although any number of legs can be used, it is preferred that there be fewer, longer legs that can hold the bowl at a sufficient height above a surface to allow items to be placed under the bowl. Generally, 3 to 4 legs are considered to be preferred for the bowl of the present invention.
The bowl and skirt are preferably made from a silicone, rubber, or plastic composition, with a hard smooth plastic such as ABS plastic being most preferred. The legs and leg extensions are preferably made from a similar material, but the preferred embodiment includes an elastomeric material at the ends of the legs, or feet, to provide a non-slip effect.
The attached drawings are intended to better illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention without limiting the invention in any manner whatsoever.
The following description of the preferred embodiment is presented to describe the present invention without limiting the scope of the appended claims in any manner whatsoever.
In the preferred embodiment shown in the attached drawings, the present invention is directed to a bowl 1 comprising a container 2, a skirt 4 extending downwardly below at least a portion of the container 2, and a plurality of legs 8 that are rotatably connected to the skirt 4 for rotation from a stored orientation (shown in
The skirt 4 of the preferred embodiment includes three receivers 6 (best seen in
The preferred connection between the legs 8 and the skirt 4 is made with a connector 12 comprising barbed ends for engaging a shelf or ledge in the receiver 6 (not shown). During assembly, the connector 12 is inserted into a reduced sized opening in the receiver 6 until the barbed ends of the connector 12 expand over a shelf or ledge into a larger opening within the receiver 6 to fixedly secure the legs 8 to the skirt 4 of the bowl 1. A locking element, such as a detent and corresponding depression or a spring, may be used to hold the leg 8 is in its stand orientation during use, so that the legs 8 do not unintentionally rotate back into their stored orientation.
The preferred extensions 10 of the legs 8 shown are on the exterior of the legs 8, and permit the height of the container 2 to be varied by sliding the extensions 10 down along the legs 8 from a collapsed configuration to an extended configuration. The extensions 10 on the legs 8 are preferably fitted on the legs 8 with a friction fit, preferably with a detent at or near the upper end of the interior surface of the extension 10 that engages depressions at the top and bottom of the leg 8 on which the extension 10 slides. When the detent engages the depression at the top of the leg 8, it holds the extension in the collapsed configuration and when the detent engages the depression at the bottom of the leg 8, it holds the extension 10 in the extended configuration.
The container 2 and skirt 4 are preferably made from a silicone, rubber, or plastic composition, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic being most preferred. The legs 8 and leg extensions 10 are preferably made from a similar material, but the preferred embodiment includes an elastomeric material attached to or co-molded at the distal ends of the legs 8, comprising feet 14 to provide a non-slip effect.
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.
