Plate with built-in hole for cup

Abstract

A plate with a built-in cup holder, designed to be picked up, held, and set down with one hand. It has a hole that is off-center, near the edge designed to receive drinking vessels of various sizes. Surrounding the hole is a slight lip in the shape of an overturned “V,” which helps support a drinking vessel, and prevents food from pushing up against the drinking vessel. This lip is lined on its interior with bumps, ridges, or some similar raised elements, which help hold a drinking vessel in place and also prevent it from getting stuck. There are also mini-ridges along the outer surface of the cup holder lip to help prevent food from sliding into the hole, or up against a beverage vessel. Small canals are present on the flat surface of the plate which are able to help collect excess liquid from food. A person can hold the plate, with a drinking vessel, by the edge of the plate. When the plate is set down, the cup rises through the hole as the plate is set on the flat surface. The plate can be used with or without a drinking vessel. The plate can be stacked upon a duplicate plate.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation-in-part to the previous application Ser. No. 11/160,352 filed with the United States Patent Office on Jun. 21, 2005.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates to an improvement in plates, which will allow a plate and drinking vessel to be held in one hand. Although several attempts have been made to overcome the problem of having to hold a plate and drinking vessel in separate hands, most have not been very effective in terms of ease of use and functionality. This particular plate is designed to make it easier in function as well as simplistic in use. This plate overcomes some of the difficulties found in prior plate designs. The benefits that it offers would include: Easy to hold with one hand; Easy to use; Stackable for easy transport; Good provision of food and drink space; A means of collecting liquid runoff from food; Additional protection for the prevention of food slipping up against cup or down into cup hole when drinking vessel is removed; And an additional means of preventing the cup from sticking when it is placed into the cup hole.

2. Description of Prior Art

At many social functions, such as wedding receptions, galas, parties, picnics, showers, and other occasions, people are offered both food and drink, but no table or similar surface to set them upon. The result is that the person has food on a plate in one hand, and a drink in the other hand, which means the person has to find a surface on which to set one of the items down in order to enjoy his food, shake hands, or in any other way use his hands.

Various attempts have been made to create a plate capable of supporting a drinking vessel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,700 by Dumke allows for a hole in the center of a food plate, but there is nothing along the inside wall of said hole to reduce the friction caused when a drinking vessel is inserted. Also, there are no small ridges preventing food from sliding up against a cup, or small canals in the surface of the plate that help collect excess liquids. It is also more difficult to support the weight of a drinking vessel in the center of the plate than along the edge, near the bearer's hand.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,418 by Rathjen has the plate surface divided into three sections with an upside-down shaped cone into which beverages can be set. This particular design uses dividing barriers to create the three-way separations on top of the plate with an optional support base underneath. This particular design makes it more cumbersome to store and distribute at a party such occasion due to the large “upstanding truncated cone” sticking up well above the surface of the plate. The substantial three-way dividers also take up additional space on the plate creating less room for food, nor is there any device in the plate surface, such as small canals, which can help collect excess liquid. Economically, the design also lends to being much more expensive, when combined with the support base, to manufacture and ship, increasing overall cost of the plate.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,743 by Costarella allows for a hole in the center of a food plate, but also includes a groove or indention along the bottom rim of the hole. The bearer of the plate must insert his fingers into said groove. This places the entire weight of the plate on the tips of his fingers, which is uncomfortable and unstable. Also, the bearer is required to use a second hand to pick up or put down the plate, making it more difficult to use, and less efficient.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,982 by Perlis includes a complicated and elaborate “passthrough” element to allow accommodation of the holders hand, and allow them to grip the plate by holding the cup holder from underneath. When a person picks up the full size buffet design of the plate it becomes necessary for him to use two hands: one to pick it up and the other to get in the correct position to grip the cup holder, making it more difficult to lift and set down. Both of the buffet plates use an “integral” cup holder which is fixed in place and thus cannot easily and securely accommodate cups of various sizes. Also, there are no elements located inside the cup holder that might help prevent a potentially wider cup from getting stuck to the sides of the cup holder. The plates are also much taller in structure thus making it more space consuming when tossed in a typical kitchen trashcan for example. Overall, it is a heavier, and more complex design which is not nearly as light and slim.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,672 by Brundage includes a channel on the underside of the plate, designed to support the bearer's arm as he holds the cup, which could be uncomfortable. It has a large ridge in the middle of the plate which could prevent spreading food easily around the plate while eating. Also, once again, the bearer is forced to use two hands to pick-up, position or set down the plate, and when the bearer takes a drink, the hand that was holding onto the cup underneath for stability is left trying to balance the plate uneasily until the cup is returned.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,125 by Roberts has openings that can be used to hold beverages or a beverage with a stem-styled glass. This design, however, does not provide bumps or other similar device in the cup holder itself to keep cups from sticking in the hole. Additional food space is taken up by the second hole making it more difficult to get larger amounts of food on the plate. Also it is not designed to be stackable, making it more difficult to carry several together.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,011 by Xu has a hole in it designed to hold a cup as well as an additional hole for the bearer's thumb to fit through. This design offers more limited surface space for food due to the additional hole for the user's thumb. The design also makes it necessary for the bearer to use two hands to lift the plate and put it down, instead of only one requiring greater effort. It also provides no channels in the plate surface to help collect excess liquids from food.

None of these combination plates-with-cup-holders meets all of the criteria of being: easy to hold; easy to use; easily stackable; capable of holding more than one size drinking vessel; able to be picked up, held, and set down with one hand; an element that prevents a cup from sticking when placed in the cup hole; mini-ridges to prevent food from sliding into the cup and/or down the hole designed for receiving a cup; small canals to help collect additional liquids from food runoff; and capable of multiple embodiments.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an improvement in plates which allows a plate with a built-in cup holder to be picked up, held, and set down with one hand. It strives to overcome some of the shortcomings found in other plate designs which, for one reason or another, have not proven to be easily functional and practical. It is designed with the end user in mind.

The plate has a surface on which food can be placed. On the flat surface of the plate are located small canals which help collect excess liquids from food runoff, such as from cole-slaw. They inset slightly in the surface of the plate. The plate also has a hole that is designed to receive drinking vessels of various sizes, and is located off-center, near the edge, so as to give the bearer more leverage when holding the plate in one hand. The area around the hole has a slight lip, in the shape of an overturned “V,” which helps support a drinking vessel, and prevent food from pushing up against a drinking vessel. It is also designed to prevent food from slipping down the hole when a beverage vessel has been removed for drinking. On its interior, the lip lined with bumps, ridges, or some similar raised elements, which help hold a drinking vessel in place, and also prevent it from getting stuck so it can be more easily removed. On the outer surface of the cup holder lip are mini-ridges which help prevent food from sliding into the hole, or up against a beverage vessel after it has been placed in the plate hole.

When using the plate, a person can hold the plate by its edge, ideally close to where the hole is, which makes it easier to support the plate with a beverage vessel in place. When the plate is set down, the cup rises through the hole as the plate is set on the flat surface, and then falls back down when the plate is lifted. The plate can be used with or without a drinking vessel. The plate can also be stacked upon a duplicate plate.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the plate with a built-in hole for a cup showing the structure and details of this particular design.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional-view of the same plate, designed to show a detailed view as a cutaway, giving greater perspective of the structures designed to hold a cup.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In FIG. 1, the plate presents a food bearing surface (1) on which the bearer can place many different types of food, with plenty of usable space. The food bearing surface ridge (2) provides a rim around the surface of the plate to prevent food from slipping off the edge. Surrounding the hole is an overturned “V” shaped ridge (3), and it is designed to hold a beverage vessel, and prevent food from pushing up against a beverage vessel and/or slipping down the hole. Along the inside surface of the upside down “V” shaped ridge are bumps (4), (or ridges or some similar raised elements) which help which help to hold a beverage vessel in place, and prevent it from sticking when placed in the hole (5). Along the outside surface of the overturned “V” shaped ridge (3), are mini-ridges (6), to help prevent food from sliding into the hole and/or up against a beverage vessel.

In order to additionally help prevent food from slipping down the hole and/or slide up against a beverage vessel, mini-ridges (6) are on the outer surface of the overturned “V” shaped ridge (3). On the flat surface of the plate, small canals to collect liquids (7) are present to help keep food liquid (such as from cole slaw) from spreading throughout the plate and mixing with other food. They are slightly recessed in the food bearing surface (1) of the plate. When a person is using the plate and they set the plate down, the beverage vessel rises to the level of the plate, and when it is picked up again, the vessel falls back down securely in place.

In FIG. 2, a cross-sectional view is shown. The main food bearing surface (1) can be seen on which the bearer can place different types of food. It is encircled by the food bearing surface ridge (2), preventing food from slipping off the edge. A cutaway of the overturned “V” shaped ridge reveals the structure in greater detail. As discussed earlier, it helps support a drinking vessel, and also helps prevent food from pushing up against the drinking vessel. Last emphasized in FIG. 2 are the bumps (4) designed to hold a beverage vessel in place when the bearer is holding the plate, and prevent a beverage vessel from sticking.

Claims

1. A plate, capable of being held with one hand, comprising in combination:

(a) a flat food-bearing surface with small inset canals for collecting excess liquids; and

(b) an off-centered hole, close to the edge, in which a drinking vessel of various sizes can be placed.

2. Wherein hole in claim 1:

(a) has a slight lip, in the shape of an overturned “V,” around its perimeter to protect said drinking vessel from food or other items on said plate; said overturned “V” shape rises above the surface level of said plate;

(b) has bumps, bubbles, ridges, or some similar raised elements along the inside of the lip to prevent said drinking vessel from sticking;

(c) has mini-ridges on the outer surface of the overturned “V” shape to prevent food from sliding against a beverage or down into the hole.

3. Wherein plate in claim 1:

a) has a graduated lip or curvature around the perimeter to keep food or other items on the surface;

b) can be stacked on top of a duplicate of said plate;

c) can be made of various sizes and made of various materials, so long as the material is of sufficient strength to hold food and a drinking vessel.

4. Wherein plate in claim 1:

a) may include two very narrow partitions for segregating contents of said plate;

b) is designed to be light enough for the bearer to pick up, carry, and set down with one hand.

c) can be used as a normal plate without a drinking vessel in place.