Cup and Plate Combination Dish

The cup and plate combination dish is an apparatus which allows a user to carry both a beverage and a food item with only one hand, freeing the other hand to perform other actions. The apparatus comprises a cup, a plate, a handle, and a straw hole. The cup stores the beverage for consumption by the user, and the plate allows the user to store the food item on the apparatus. The plate snaps onto the cup, making the apparatus one complete item while still allowing the cup and plate to be separated. The handle extends off one side of the cup, allowing the user to carry the apparatus. The handle also serves to provide the user access to the beverage stored within the cup. The straw hole traverses through the handle and side of the cup and the user inserts a straw through the handle and into the cup.

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Description

The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 61/551,355 filed on Oct. 25, 2011.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to food and drink receptacles. More specifically, the present invention is a cup and plate combination dish which allows the user to carry food and drink simultaneously while using only one hand.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In order to contain sustenance such as food and drink for immediate consumption, many apparatuses such as plates and cups have been developed and created. The plate and the cup allow a user to respectively carry food and drink in a way that is both sanitary and facilitates consumption of the food and drink that has been contained. Social functions such as parties often serve the attendees food and drink on cups and plates. This can become a problem as most cups and plates are separate from one another, meaning that in order to carry both a cup and a plate at the same time, two hands are needed. When both hands are used to carry items, no hand remains available for the user to eat with, forcing the user to attempt to find a place to rest their cup and or plate. At a social event such as a party, there are few areas where seating and or tables are present for use by the patrons. Additionally, when the cup is set down, the user runs the risk of having the cup knocked over and the beverage expelled from the cup. It is an object of the present invention to solve the issues discussed above by providing a cup and plate combination dish which can be carried with only one hand, thus eliminating the need to set down the device to consume the food and drink contained by the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the completely assembled present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cup of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the plate of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a right side view of the cup and plate of the present invention with a section cut marked as reference for FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 is a front sectional view of the present invention as defined by the reference markings found in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a right side view of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a right side view

 DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

In reference to FIG. 1, the present invention is cup and plate combination dish which comprises a cup 1, a plate 2, a handle 3, a straw hole 4, and a drinking straw 5. The cup and plate combination dish allows the user to carry both a beverage and a food item with only one hand, thus freeing the other hand to carry out auxiliary tasks such as greeting people or consuming the food item. The present invention is ideal for situations where the user is moving around while carrying their food and drink, or where seating is limited. A party or other large social function is a perfect example of a situation that may arise where the user needs to carry their food and drink with them. In this situation, the present invention solves the problem of needing two hands to carry both food and drink. The cup 1 is attached to the bottom of the plate 2 by way of the cup snap lip 13 engaging with the plate snap lip 22. This attachment between the cup 1 and plate 2 secures the two components together while still allowing the cup 1 and plate 2 to be separated from one another if the user desires to do so. It is important that the plate 2 be separable from the cup 1 to facilitate the user depositing a beverage in the liquid retaining volume 14 of the cup 1.

The cup 1, which can be seen in FIG. 2, is the component which allows the user to contain and carry a beverage using the present invention. The cup 1 comprises a bottom surface 11, a cup wall 12, a cup snap lip 13, and a liquid retaining volume 14. The plate 2 comprises a plate surface 21, and a plate snap lip 22. The cup wall 12 is connected perpendicularly to the bottom surface 11 such that the liquid retaining volume 14 is formed by the unification of the bottom surface 11 and the cup wall 12. The liquid beverage resides within the liquid retaining volume 14 when the present invention is in use. The cup snap lip 13 is located at the top of the cup wall 12. The cup snap lip 13 is connected to the cup wall 12, encircling the perimeter at the top of the cup wall. The cup snap lip 13 provides the means by which the cup 1 is attached to the plate 2 when the present invention is in use. When the cup 1 is attached to the plate 2, the plate 2 doubles as a lid for the cup 1 and covers the large opening at the top of the cup 1. Thus the portability of the cup and plate combination dish is increased as the user may displace with minimum threat of spilling their beverage.

In reference to FIG. 3, the plate surface 21 is of sufficient size to allow the user to rest the food item on the plate surface 21. The plate surface 21 may be circular as in the preferred embodiment, or the plate surface 21 may be of any shape suitable for carrying the food item. A square shape for example functions as adequately as a circle does for the plate surface 21. Connected to the bottom of the plate 2 is the plate snap lip 22. The plate snap lip 22 is a small protrusion off the bottom of the plate surface 21; the plate snap lip 22 is shaped such that when the plate snap lip 22 is brought in contact with the cup snap lip 13, the plate 2 and the cup 1 are attached together, forming one item. FIG. 5 illustrates the engagement between the cup snap lip and the plate snap lip.

The handle 3, which can be seen in FIG. 1, allows the user to effectively hold the cup and plate combination dish with only one hand. The handle 3 also serves as a conduit into the bottom of the cup 1, providing the user with a place to insert the drinking straw 5. The drinking straw 5 allows the user to consume the beverage that is contained within the liquid retaining volume 14. The angled section 31 of the handle 3 connects to the cup wall 12 adjacent to the bottom surface 11, as indicated by the proximity of the connection to the bottom surface 11 of the cup 1. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the angled section 31 departs from the cup wall 12 at an angle, and thus the angled section 31 extends outwards and upwards away from the cup wall 12. The support section 32 of the handle 3 connects the angled section 31 to the cup wall 12 near the cup snap lip 13. Together, the angled section 31 and the support section 32 form a loop onto which the user may grasp, thus providing the user with a means to effectively hold on to and carry the present invention.

The straw hole 4 traverses down through the angled section 31 of the handle 3 as well as through the cup wall 12, opening into the liquid retaining volume 14 of the cup 1. The straw hole 4 accommodates the drinking straw 5. The drinking straw 5 is inserted down through the straw hole 4 where the drinking straw 5 enters the beverage contained within the liquid retaining volume 14 when the present invention is in use. The drinking straw 5 is a long thin walled tube. Straws are in common use throughout the food service industry, especially in fast food restaurants, and as a result, a wide range of different sizes of straw can be used in conjunction with the present invention. The drinking straw 5 allows the user to drink the liquid that is contained within the cup 1 without necessitating displacement of the plate 2 or food item on the plate 2. Thus, the user is afforded the advantage of drinking the beverage and eating the food item while holding the present invention with one hand.

In a second embodiment of the present invention, the handle 3 additionally functions as a straw to transport the beverage as opposed to the drinking straw 5 being inserted into the liquid retaining volume 14 through the handle 3. To accomplish this, the second embodiment of the present invention has an additional component comprising the handle 3. The additional component of the handle 3 is a straw protrusion 35 comprising a flexible joint 36, a first portion 37, and a second portion 38. The first portion 37 is connected to the angled section 31 of the handle 3, effectively increasing the length of the angled section 31 beyond the plate surface 21 as can be seen in FIG. 5. The flexible joint 36 is connected to the first portion 37 opposite where the first portion 37 and the angled section 31 are connected. The second portion 38 is connected to the flexible joint opposite the first portion 37. In this way, the first portion 37 and second portion 38 of the straw protrusion 35 are linked to one another by commonality of the connection to the flexible joint 36, as is shown in FIG. 7. Through the connection provided by the flexible joint 36, the second portion 38 of the straw protrusion 35 is afforded the capability to bend in a range of directions relative to the rigidly connected angled section 31 and first portion 37. The user is able to bend the second portion 38 of the straw protrusion 35 to an angle that is most suitable for efficient drinking from the present invention. The second embodiment of the present invention allows the user to easily consume the beverage contained within the liquid retaining volume 14 through the use of the straw protrusion 35 which has effectively turned the handle 3 of the present invention into an integrated straw. Having the straw integrated into the handle 3 adds the advantage to the present invention of having no loose parts which can become separated from the bulk of the present invention. In the first embodiment of the present invention, the drinking straw 5 is not physically connected to the rest of the present invention. Whereas in the second embodiment of the present invention, the drinking straw 5 is integrated into the handle 3 as the straw protrusion 35. The components necessary for consumption of the beverage by the user are thus prevented from being separated from the rest of the present invention. This increases the portability of the cup and plate combination dish as the user may now move around without the risk of losing their drinking straw 5 and becoming unable to drink their beverage until a new drinking straw 5 is obtained.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

1. A cup and plate combination dish comprises,

a cup;
a plate;
a handle;
a straw hole;
a drinking straw;
the cup comprises a bottom surface, a cup wall, a cup snap lip, and a liquid retaining volume;
the plate comprises a plate surface, and a plate snap lip;
the handle comprises an angled section, and a support section;
the cup being positioned below the plate; and
the cup being attached underneath the plate.

2. The cup and plate combination dish as claimed in claim 1 comprises,

the plate snap lip being engaged by the cup snap lip.

3. The cup and plate combination dish as claimed in claim 1 comprises,

the cup wall being connected perpendicularly to the bottom surface;
the cup wall being encircled by the cup snap lip opposite the bottom surface; and
the liquid retaining volume being delineated by the bottom surface and the cup wall.

4. The cup and plate combination dish as claimed in claim 1 comprises,

the plate snap lip being positioned concentrically below the plate surface.

5. The cup and plate combination dish as claimed in claim 1 comprises,

the angled section being connected to the cup wall adjacent to the bottom surface; and
the support section being connected between the cup wall and the angled section adjacent to the cup snap lip.

6. The cup and plate combination dish as claimed in claim 1 comprises,

the straw hole traversing through the angled section and the cup wall; and
the drinking straw traversing through the straw hole and traversing into the liquid retaining volume.

7. A cup and plate combination dish comprises,

a cup;
a plate;
a handle;
a straw hole;
the cup comprises a bottom surface, a cup wall, a cup snap lip, and a liquid retaining volume;
the plate comprises a plate surface and a plate snap lip;
the handle comprises an angled section, a support section, and a drinking straw protrusion;
the drinking straw protrusion comprises a flexible joint, a first portion, and a second portion;
the cup being positioned below the plate; and
the cup being attached underneath the plate.

8. The cup and plate combination dish as claimed in claim 7 comprises,

the cup snap lip being engaged with the plate snap lip.

9. The cup and plate combination dish as claimed in claim 7 comprises,

the cup wall being connected perpendicularly to the bottom surface; and
the cup wall being encircled by the cup snap lip opposite the bottom surface; and
the liquid retaining volume being delineated by the bottom surface and the cup wall.

10. The cup and plate combination dish as claimed in claim 7 comprises,

the plate snap lip being positioned concentrically below the plate surface.

11. The cup and plate combination dish as claimed in claim 7 comprises,

the angled section connected to the cup wall adjacent to the bottom surface;
the support section being connected between the cup wall and the angled section adjacent to the cup snap lip;
the first portion connected to the angled section adjacent to the support section;
the flexible joint connected to the first portion; and
the second portion connected to the flexible joint opposite the first portion.

12. The cup and plate combination dish as claimed in claim 7 comprises,

the straw hole traversing through the first portion, the flexible joint, the second portion, the angled section, and the cup wall.

13. A cup and plate combination dish comprises,

a cup;
a plate;
a handle;
a straw hole;
a drinking straw;
the cup comprises a bottom surface, a cup wall, a cup snap lip, and a liquid retaining volume;
the plate comprises a plate surface, and a plate snap lip;
the handle comprises an angled section, and a support section;
the cup being positioned below the plate;
the cup being attached underneath the plate;
the cup wall being encircled by the cup snap lip opposite the bottom surface;
the plate snap lip being positioned concentrically beneath the plate surface;
the cup snap lip being engaged with the plate snap lip;
the straw hole traversing through the angled section, and the cup wall; and
the drinking straw traversing through the straw hole and traversing into the liquid retaining volume.

14. The cup and plate combination dish as claimed in claim 13 comprises,

the cup wall being connected perpendicularly to the bottom surface;
the liquid retaining volume being delineated by the bottom surface and the cup wall.

15. The cup and plate combination dish as claimed in claim 13 comprises,

the angled section being connected to the cup wall adjacent to the bottom surface; and
Patent History
Publication number: 20130098923
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 2, 2012
Publication Date: Apr 25, 2013
Inventor: Alisa E. SANDOVAL (Los Angeles, CA)
Application Number: 13/565,515
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: Table Dish (e.g., Plate, Bowl, Platter, Etc.) (220/574)
International Classification: A47G 19/00 (20060101); A47G 19/22 (20060101); A47G 19/06 (20060101);