Dipping cup for foods and sauces

Abstract

A stackable, multi compartmented food service container capable of simultaneously holding food items especially snack foods as well as sauces and other condiments.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT CONCERNING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention generally relates to a stackable, multi compartmented food service container capable of holding food items especially snack foods as well as sauces and other condiments.

2. Description of Prior Art

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved means for service of food items as well as one or more servings of sauces or condiments in a single container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts the preferred embodiment of the invention in side and top views.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Snack foods such as French fries, onion rings, cheese curds, are enormously popular concession choices at movies, concerts, sporting events and other venues. These food items are commonly accompanied by sauces such as ketchup or mustard which are dipped or smeared thereon. Unfortunately, current service containers for presentation of the snack food do not satisfactorily address the storage of the dispensed condiments and their application to the snack food in one unified container.

Snack foods are often dispensed in open ended paper boxes of varying designs or open ended barrels. These containers must be held with one or both hands. They either lack means to improve the user's grip on them or have a minimal rim on their open end which appears to be an artifact of the container's manufacturing process rather than a deliberate design feature to assist the user in gripping the container. The condiments either come packaged in sealed plastic packets or must be dispensed into a separate miniature cup. This bi modal approach requires dexterity to manage the two separate and often different sized and shaped containers, is prone to losing food products both snack and dipping solutions due to jostling in crowds. Distribution of sauces and their application is also less than ideal. The sauce is either expressed from the sealed packet or packets directly onto the snack item or the snack container must be somehow balanced and controlled while one of the user's hands hold the cup containing the sauce and the other hand dips the snack item into the sauce.

Snack food trays of current design may enhance the user's ability to grip control the container itself, but do not have compartments which are properly sized for the dispensing, transport and consumption of snack items such as those described above as well as others familiar to those of ordinary skill in the field of snack foods. The containers are too shallow to adequately contain sufficient quantities of the snack product on one hand and not proportioned to either handle appropriate quantities of the concomitant dipping products or facilitate the dipping process prior to consumption.

The present invention addresses each of the shortcomings outlined above in a single easy to manage and use container.

The preferred embodiment of the invention consists of two cups physically formed as an integrated unit. One of the cups is of physically greater volume, (hereinafter the Food Cup) allowing for the placement of food items such as French fries, onion rings, cheese curds, shrimp, chips of various types, and other food items within the larger volume cup for service. The cup with the smaller physical volume (hereinafter, “sauce cup”) provides a means for service of sauces, relishes, jellies or other condiments for dipping the food items before eating. The relative sizes of each type of cup can be varied according to standard portion sizes or sized according to the needs of individual food service providers. For example the sauce cup or cups can be sized to a standard volume of sauce, controlling portion sizes. The preferred embodiment is fabricated in such a manner that the containers can be stacked for storage and shipping. The container can be fabricated from any number of types of paper, plastic, metal or combinations thereof, including laminates or any other material known to those of ordinary skill in the manufacture of food service containers. The preferred embodiment has a lip around its open apex to facilitate gripping the container while the user is carrying the container and during dipping and consumption of the food items.

To use the larger cup is filled with the food item of choice by the food server. The consumer can fill the smaller cup with the condiment(s) of their choice from pump equipped bulk containers.

The preferred embodiment allows the user to receive and transport his or her food item of choice from a point of distribution or sale along with their choice of one or more sauces or condiments and consume the combination without having to hold on to or balance separate condiment dispensing cups. The eliminates the messiness of opening and using prepackaged condiments such as ketchup or mustard and allows the user to dip the food item into the condiment rather than being forced to spread the condiment onto the food item. Multiple dipping cups allow the user to choose a variety of sauces.

The relative number of dipping and food item cups may also be varied. An embodiment comprising multiple smaller volume dipping cups allows additional sauces to be used for dipping. An embodiment comprising larger multiple larger cups allows for additional food items to be served.

The invention will improve the rate and efficiency of food service at venues like movie theatres, sporting events and concerts, minimize loss of food due to jostling or juggling of snack and sauce containers, control portion sizes and allow the consumer multiple options for dipping sauces for snack items.

Claims

1. A food container comprising two cups; said first cup being physically attached to the second cup such that the open end of the first cup and the open end of the second cup are oriented in the same or parallel planes.

2. A food container comprising two cups of differing sizes, said first cup being physically attached to the second cup such that the open end of the first cup and the open end of the second cup are oriented in the same or parallel planes.

3. A food container comprising cups of differing sizes, such that the open end of the first cup and the open end of the second cup are oriented in the same or parallel planes, said cups formed as one integral container, said container having a lip as part of its open end.

4. A food container comprising two cups; said first cup being physically attached to the second cup such that the open end of the first cup and the open end of the second cup, are physically joined or attached together at or near their respective open rims, said container having a lip as part of its open end, said container being formed to allow stacking.

5. A food container comprising cups of differing sizes, such that the open end of the first cup and the open end of the second cup are oriented in the same or parallel planes, said cups formed as one integral container, said container having a lip as part of its open end, said container being formed to allow stacking.