Plates with a chamber for holding replaceable decorative inserts
A plate with a bottom chamber for holding a decorative insert. The plate is made of a clear material such as acrylic, has a downwardly projecting rim on the bottom side and a cap that fits around and over the rim from the bottom. The bottom surface of the plate, the rim and the cap form a chamber in which a decorative element such as a sheet of paper or plastic, photograph, a craft item, or other items may be inserted. The decorative element can be easily replaced by removing the cap.
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This invention relates to eating utensils, and in particular, it relates to a plate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAn object of the present invention is to provide a plate that functions as an eating utensil and can be easily decorated with different decorative elements.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the descriptions that follow and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims thereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention provides a plate that includes a plate body having a downwardly projecting rim on a bottom side, and a cap that fits around and over the rim from the bottom side, wherein the rim, the cap and a bottom surface of the plate form a closed chamber.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
As illustrated in
The decorative element 6 can be easily inserted and replaced by removing the cap. The plates can be washed normally after the cap and the decorative element are removed. The plates according to embodiments of the present invention are useful as eating utensils for parties, family gatherings, other occasions, or everyday meals, and can be used by restaurants that serve younger customers.
Note that the decorative elements 6 are not a part of the plate. The plates may be sold commercially with or without the decorative elements, and the decorative elements can be sold either with the plates or separately as replacements.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modification and variations can be made in the plate of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations that come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A plate comprising:
- a plate body having a downwardly projecting rim on a bottom side; and
- a cap that fits around and over the rim from the bottom side, wherein the rim, the cap and a bottom surface of the plate form a closed chamber.
2. The plate of claim 1, wherein the plate body is make of a clear, hard plastic material.
3. The plate of claim 1, wherein the cap is made of a flexible plastic material.
4. The plate of claim 1, wherein the plate body, the rim and the cap have a circular shape.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 4, 2006
Publication Date: Jul 5, 2007
Applicants: ,
Inventor: Joseph Casale (Cary, NC)
Application Number: 11/324,891
International Classification: A47G 19/00 (20060101);