Container for foodstuffs
A foodstuff container to be held in a cup receptacle of the armrest of a theater seat. The container has a large generally cylindrical popcorn-holding portion affixed to a base which is shaped on the outside the same as a conventional beverage cup.
This application is a continuation-in-part of applicant's Ser. No. 10/452,325 filed Jun. 2, 2003.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to the field of apparatus for receiving foodstuffs for ready consumption, and more specifically, to an improved apparatus having a compound construction for enhanced capacity configured to be received in standard sized and shaped receptacles for receiving and supporting solid and liquid foodstuffs.
Popular culture virtually demands the convenience of food and drink holders in home, entertainment and mobile venues, to receive and support beverages within easy reach of the consumer. With respect to many entertainment venues such as movie theaters, theater owners and operators have sought both to please patrons and to increase revenue by selling various refreshments and snacks in addition to tickets. This includes drinks of various types and snacks such as popcorn. Commonly, such snacks are provided in a variety of containers, mostly large cups or boxes which are inconvenient to hold in the patron's lap. Most theater and many sports arenas have a receptacle holder, often referred to as a cup holder, in an armrest or other structure. Popcorn containers are far too large to be held in such cup holders. One method which allows larger containers to fit in standard vehicle container receptacles involves the use of an adapter. The adapter modifies the standard vehicle container receptacle to a size such that larger containers can be accommodated by the standard vehicle container receptacle. Dahlquist II et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,468, shows a holder for a cup which holder has a lower portion which fits within a cup holder and a larger upper portion which holds a beverage cup having a diameter larger than the cup holder lower portion. Chandler, U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,673, discloses a container adapter device designed so that a standard vehicle container receptacle can accommodate containers that are too large to fit in the standard vehicle container receptacle.
Some cups are designed with a base proportioned to fit the standard vehicle container receptacle having a main body portion of a size larger than the base have attempted to overcome the problems of the limited container volume and top heaviness. However, these designs do not accommodate solid food stuffs in the manner described above.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an improved food stuffs container that overcomes these prior art shortcomings. It should be noted and understood that with respect to the embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein, the materials, methods, apparatus and processes disclosed and suggested may be modified or substituted to achieve the desired protected structures without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosed and claimed invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The detailed description as set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of the presently preferred embodiments of the present invention, and is not intended to represent the only form(s) in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth functions and sequence of steps for constructing, using, displaying, packaging, or using the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is understood, however, the same or equivalent functions and structures may be accomplished by different embodiments and that they are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of this invention.
With reference now to the drawing figures,
As will be appreciated, opening 17 is configured to correspond with cup holders having a relatively standard size recess such as that commonly provided in armrests of many theater chairs so as to hold the container while the patron is not eating or optionally, drinking from the cup. Accordingly, recess 17 may be either open or closed, but according to either embodiment, is readily received within cup holder 18 in the manner previously described. It will be further appreciated that the walled tray structure 12 is fabricated of a strong, moisture-proof but lightweight material, preferably such as injection molded plastic such as ABS, at low cost so as to be disposable after usage. However, other materials, such as fiberboard, corrugated cardboard or other paper-based materials of construction may be used to provide the desired low cost, lightweight, disposable features. As previously described walls 15 may be configured with a desired height to meet the needs of a particular food service, lower for relatively flat foods such as pizza, and higher for low bulk, high volume foods such as chips and popcorn. Whatever the selected wall height, the walls are canted at cooperative angles to be nestingly stacked for maximum efficiency in storage and shipping.
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The foodstuff container 70 is preferably used for popcorn which requires a far greater interior volume than a drink container. As shown in
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the spirit and scope of the following claims.
Claims
1. A popcorn holder for use in conjunction with a cup holder recess comprising:
- a frusto-conical or cylindrical container having an open top and a diameter of at least 6 inches and a closed bottom;
- a concentric base portion attached to the closed portion of the container, said base portion having a diameter adapted to be held in the cup holder recess.
2. A solid foodstuff holder for use in conjunction with a cup holder recess in the arm of a chair comprising:
- a frusto-conical or cylindrical container of at lease 6 inches in diameter having an open top, closed side walls and a bottom which is closed except for a central opening surrounding a concentric base portion extending downwardly from said bottom, said concentric base portion having an open top and a closed bottom and having dimensions adapted to be held in said cup holder.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 16, 2007
Publication Date: Nov 15, 2007
Inventor: Pedro Ojeda (Montebello, CA)
Application Number: 11/879,237
International Classification: B65D 67/00 (20060101);