REUSABLE FOOD CONTAINER WITH AN INTEGRATED CUP

A reusable food container includes a base tray, an auxiliary tray stackable atop the base tray and a removable lid for the auxiliary tray. The base tray includes at least one food receptacle and an integrated cup projecting beyond the remainder of the base tray. The auxiliary tray includes at least one food receptacle, and defines a relief that, with the auxiliary tray stacked atop the base tray, accommodates the base tray's cup.

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Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/301,121, filed on Feb. 29, 2016, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to reusable food containers.

BACKGROUND

People often pack food in reusable food containers for storage or transport, or both. With the typical food container, when food is packed for transport, an accompanying drink must be separately packed and transported.

SUMMARY

Disclosed herein are embodiments of reusable food containers with integrated cups. In one aspect, a reusable food container includes a base tray, an auxiliary tray stackable atop the base tray and a removable lid for the auxiliary tray. The base tray includes at least one food receptacle and an integrated cup projecting beyond the remainder of the base tray. The auxiliary tray includes at least one food receptacle, and defines a relief that, with the auxiliary tray stacked atop the base tray, accommodates the base tray's cup. This and other aspects will be described in additional detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various features, advantages and other uses of the present embodiments will become more apparent by referring to the following detailed description and drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a reusable food container, showing, among other things, a base tray, an auxiliary tray stacked atop the base tray and a removable lid for the auxiliary tray;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the food container, showing the base tray including a food receptacle and a cup, and the auxiliary tray including a food receptacle and a relief that accommodates the base tray's cup;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the food container taken along the line 3-3 in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is another cross sectional view of the food container taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 1.

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A reusable food container 10 is shown in FIGS. 1-4. The food container 10 may be used to pack food and an accompanying drink for transport. The food container 10 includes a base tray 12, one or more auxiliary trays 14 stackable atop the base tray 12 and a removable lid 16 for the topmost auxiliary tray 14.

The base tray 12 includes a food receptacle 20 and a cup 22. Food, such as food included as part of a meal, may be packed in the food receptacle 20. An accompanying drink may be packed, separately from this food, in the cup 22.

The base tray 12 is a generally open-ended structure. The base tray 12 has, as its base, a bottom 30, on which the cup 22, upright exterior walls 32 and optional upright interior walls 34 are supported. These and other parts of the base tray 12, if any, may be made as a unitary whole, or may be made separately. Separately made parts of the base tray 12 may be removably interconnected or irremovably interconnected using adhesives or joining techniques such as ultrasonic welding, for example. The parts of the base tray 12, whether made as a unitary whole or separately, may be composed of a recyclable polymeric material suitable for injection molding, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), although the parts of the base tray 12 could be composed of additional or alternative materials.

The cup 22 has the requisite structure for holding a drink or other liquid in the space inside the cup 22, while being otherwise open to accommodate its filling. The cup 22 may, for example, have a closed bottom 40, an open distal portion 42 opposite the bottom 40 and an upright sidewall 44 with a closed cross section extending between the bottom 40 and the open distal portion 42. With its bottom 40 and sidewall 44, the cup 22 is structured to prevent commingling between a drink held in the cup 22 and food held in the food receptacle 20, as well as leakage from the base tray 12.

The bottom 40 of the cup 22, as well as the remainder of the cup 22, may be located centrally or otherwise within the footprint of the bottom 30 of the base tray 12. In these configurations, the bottom 40 of the cup 22 may be a whole or partial portion of the bottom 30 of the base tray 12 from which the sidewall 44 of the cup 22 extends. Otherwise, the bottom 40 of the cup 22 could be another part of the base tray 12 dedicated to the cup 22. With the bottom 40 of the cup 22 located centrally within the footprint of the bottom 30 of the base tray 12, the bottom 40 of the cup 22 may be a partial, central portion of the bottom 30 of the base tray 12 from which the sidewall 44 of the cup 22 extends. This leaves the remaining portion of the bottom 30 of the base tray 12 bordering the sidewall 44 of the cup 22.

The sidewall 44 of the cup 22, although shown with a substantially circular cross section, could alternatively have an oval, oblong or polygonal cross section, for example. In these or other configurations, the sidewall 44 of the cup 22 may be outwardly tapered, inwardly tapered or, as shown, generally untapered. As shown, the sidewall 44 of the cup 22 may be double layered with an internal liner 46, or otherwise multilayered to, for instance, improve the thermal insulation performance of the cup 22. Alternatively, the sidewall 44 of the cup 22 could be single layered.

At the termination of its sidewall 44, the cup 22 has a lip 50 that frames its open distal portion 42. The cup 22 may have an associated cover 52 for covering the open distal portion 42 of the cup 22. The cover 52 is shaped for placement across the open distal portion 42 of the cup 22. The cover 52 may moreover be configured for removable connection to the lip 50 of the cup 22. Either the lip 50 of the cup 22 or the cover 52, or both, may have features for making a seal between the lip 50 of the cup 22 and the cover 52. For example, either the lip 50 of the cup 22 or the cover 52, or both, may include a resilient sealing compound that affects a seal between the lip 50 of the cup 22 and the cover 52 when the cover 52 is connected to the lip 50 of the cup 22. As shown, the cover 52 may define an interior, cross slit straw opening 54 to provide a straw access to a drink held in the space inside the cup 22.

Similarly to the cup 22, the food receptacle 20 has the requisite structure for holding food in the space inside the food receptacle 20, while being otherwise open to accommodate the food's placement in the food receptacle 20. In the base tray 12, the exterior walls 32 flank the sidewall 44 of the cup 22. With this configuration, the food receptacle 20 may, for example, have a closed bottom 56, an open distal portion 60 opposite the bottom 56 and both the exterior walls 32 and the sidewall 44 of the cup 22 extending between the bottom 56 and the open distal portion 60. With its bottom 56, the exterior walls 32 and the sidewall 44 of the cup 22, the food receptacle 20 is structured to prevent commingling between food held in the food receptacle 20 and a drink held in the cup 22, as well as leakage from the base tray 12.

In the configuration where the bottom 40 of the cup 22 is a partial portion of the bottom 30 of the base tray 12 from which the sidewall 44 of the cup 22 extends, the bottom 56 of the food receptacle 20 may be the remaining portion of the bottom 30 of the base tray 12.

Collectively, the exterior walls 32 have a cross section. With the bottom 40 of the cup 22 located centrally within the footprint of the bottom 30 of the base tray 12, the exterior walls 32 may, for example, surround the sidewall 44 of the cup 22, and their cross section may accordingly be closed. The exterior walls 32, although shown with a substantially racetrack shaped cross section, could alternatively have a circular, oval, oblong or polygonal cross section, for example. In these or other configurations, the exterior walls 32 may be outwardly tapered, inwardly tapered or, as shown, generally untapered. As shown, the exterior walls 32 may be single layered. Alternatively, the exterior walls 32 could be double layered or otherwise multilayered to, for instance, improve their thermal insulation performance.

The exterior walls 32 generally terminate in a common plane oriented transverse to the base tray 12. At the termination of its exterior walls 32, the base tray 12 has a perimeter lip 62. The perimeter lip 62 of the base tray 12 frames, at least in part, the open distal portion 60 of the food receptacle 20. The shape of the perimeter lip 62 of the base tray 12 generally corresponds to the shape of the cross section of its exterior walls 32. With its exterior walls 32 having a substantially racetrack shaped cross section, for example, the perimeter lip 62 of the base tray 12 is substantially racetrack shaped.

In the base tray 12, the interior walls 34 may divide the space inside the food receptacle 20 into a number of smaller spaces. The interior walls 34 may, as shown, connect to the bottom 56 of the food receptacle 20, and between the exterior walls 32 and the sidewall 44 of the cup 22, for example. The interior walls 34 may be generally closed to prevent different food held in the respective smaller spaces from commingling. Additionally or alternatively, the interior walls 34 may structurally reinforce the base tray 12.

The cup 22 is interconnected with the remaining parts of the base tray 12. In other words, the cup 22 is integrated with the base tray 12. In profile, however, the cup 22 projects beyond the remainder of the base tray 12. Particularly, in the base tray 12, while the food receptacle 20 has one shared, lower portion 70 of the sidewall 44 of the cup 22, another unshared, upper portion 72 of the sidewall 44 of the cup 22 projects beyond the food receptacle 20, past the perimeter lip 62 of the base tray 12 that frames its open distal portion 60.

The auxiliary tray 14 provides additional space for holding food separately from the food packed in the food receptacle 20 of the base tray 12. Although the food container 10 is shown with one auxiliary tray 14 stacked atop the base tray 12, with the lid 16 being for the one auxiliary tray 14, it will be understood that that this description is applicable in principle to an otherwise similar food container 10 with additional, similar auxiliary trays 14 stacked atop the base tray 12, in which case the lid 16 would be for the topmost auxiliary tray 14.

The auxiliary tray 14 may be stacked atop the base tray 12 to cover the open distal portion 60 of its food receptacle 20. The auxiliary tray 14 includes a food receptacle 80 and defines a relief 82. Food, such as food included as part of a meal, may be packed in the food receptacle 80. With the auxiliary tray 14 stacked atop the base tray 12, the relief 82 accommodates the cup 22 of the base tray 12.

The auxiliary tray 14 is a generally open-ended structure. The auxiliary tray 14 has, as its base, a bottom 90, on which upright exterior walls 92 and optional upright interior walls 94 are supported. These and other parts of the auxiliary tray 14, if any, may be made as a unitary whole, or may be made separately. Separately made parts of the auxiliary tray 14 may be removably interconnected or irremovably interconnected using adhesives or joining techniques such as ultrasonic welding, for example. The parts of the auxiliary tray 14, whether made as a unitary whole or separately, may be composed of a recyclable polymeric material suitable for injection molding, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), although the parts of the auxiliary tray 14 could be composed of additional or alternative materials.

In the food container 10, the base tray 12 defines a seat for the auxiliary tray 14, on which the auxiliary tray 14 may be supported to stack the auxiliary tray 14 atop the base tray 12. As shown, the base tray 12 defines its seat for the auxiliary tray 14 at its perimeter lip 62. The perimeter of the bottom 90 of the auxiliary tray 14, at the junction between it and the exterior walls 92 of the auxiliary tray 14, is supported on the seat of the base tray 12. With this configuration, the shape of the perimeter of the bottom 90 of the auxiliary tray 14 generally corresponds to the shape of the perimeter lip 62 of the base tray 12 that defines its seat. With the perimeter lip 62 of the base tray 12 being substantially racetrack shaped, for example, the shape of the perimeter of the bottom 90 of the auxiliary tray 14 is substantially racetrack shaped.

With the auxiliary tray 14 stacked atop the base tray 12, the bottom 90 of the auxiliary tray 14, inside its perimeter, is shaped for placement across the open distal portion 60 of the food receptacle 20 of the base tray 12. The auxiliary tray 14 accordingly covers the open distal portion 60 of the food receptacle 20 of the base tray 12. Either the seat of the base tray 12 or the perimeter of the bottom 90 of the auxiliary tray 14, or both, may have features for making a seal between the seat of the base tray 12 and the perimeter of the bottom 90 of the auxiliary tray 14. For example, either the seat of the base tray 12 or the perimeter of the bottom 90 of the auxiliary tray 14, or both, may include a resilient sealing compound that affects a seal between the seat of the base tray 12 and the perimeter of the bottom 90 of the auxiliary tray 14 when the auxiliary tray 14 is stacked atop the base tray 12.

The relief 82 is an opening in the auxiliary tray 14 that, with the auxiliary tray 14 stacked atop the base tray 12, frees the space needed to accommodate the upper portion 72 of the sidewall 44 of the cup 22 that projects beyond the remainder of the base tray 12. This space may be the space otherwise occupied by the auxiliary tray 14 if the bottom 90 of the auxiliary tray 14, inside its perimeter, was shaped for placement across the entire base tray 12 instead of only the open distal portion 60 of its food receptacle 20.

In the configuration where the bottom 40 of the cup 22 is located centrally within the footprint of the bottom 30 of the base tray 12, for example, the relief 82 may be a hole defined centrally through the bottom 90 of the auxiliary tray 14. With the auxiliary tray 14 stacked atop the base tray 12, the upper portion 72 of the sidewall 44 of the cup 22 that projects beyond the remainder of the base tray 12 may extend through this hole. This hole may have a cross section corresponding to the cross section of the sidewall 44 of the cup 22 of the base tray 12. This hole may, for example, have a substantially circular cross section corresponding to the substantially circular cross section of the sidewall 44 of the cup 22 of the base tray 12.

The auxiliary tray 14 may have a sleeve 100 that frames its relief 82 and, with the auxiliary tray 14 stacked atop the base tray 12, collars the upper portion 72 of the sidewall 44 of the cup 22 that projects beyond the remainder of the base tray 12. In the configuration where the relief 82 is a hole defined centrally through the bottom 90 of the auxiliary tray 14, the auxiliary tray 14 may, for example, have an annular sleeve 100 that extends from the portion of the bottom 90 of the auxiliary tray 14 bordering this hole. This sleeve 100, similarly to the hole defined centrally through the bottom 90 of the auxiliary tray 14, may have a cross section corresponding to the cross section of the sidewall 44 of the cup 22 of the base tray 12. This sleeve 100 may, for example, have a substantially circular cross section corresponding to the substantially circular cross section of the sidewall 44 of the cup 22 of the base tray 12. In these or other configurations, the sleeve 100 may be outwardly tapered, inwardly tapered or, as shown, generally untapered.

The food receptacle 80 has the requisite structure for holding food in the space inside the food receptacle 80, while being otherwise open to accommodate the food's placement in the food receptacle 80. In the auxiliary tray 14, the exterior walls 92 flank the relief 82 and the sleeve 100 that frames the relief 82. With this configuration, the food receptacle 80 may, for example, have the bottom 90, an open distal portion 102 opposite the bottom 90, and both the exterior walls 92 and the sleeve 100 extending between the bottom 90 and the open distal portion 102. With the bottom 90, the exterior walls 92 and the sleeve 100, the food receptacle 80 is structured to prevent leakage from the auxiliary tray 14.

Collectively, the exterior walls 92 have a cross section. In the configuration where the relief 82 is a hole defined centrally through the bottom 90 of the auxiliary tray 14, the exterior walls 92 may, for example, surround the sleeve 100 that frames the relief 82, and their cross section may accordingly be closed. With the auxiliary tray 14 stacked atop the base tray 12, the exterior walls 92 of the auxiliary tray 14 may be generally contiguous with the exterior walls 32 of the base tray 12. The exterior walls 92, for example, may have a substantially racetrack shaped cross section corresponding to the substantially racetrack shaped cross section of the exterior walls 32 of the base tray 12. Similarly to the exterior walls 32 of the base tray 12, the exterior walls 92 may be outwardly tapered, inwardly tapered or, as shown, generally untapered. As shown, the exterior walls 92 may be single layered. Alternatively, the exterior walls 92 could be double layered or otherwise multilayered to, for instance, improve their thermal insulation performance.

The exterior walls 92 generally terminate in a common plane oriented transverse to the auxiliary tray 14. At the termination of its exterior walls 92, the auxiliary tray 14 has a perimeter lip 104. The perimeter lip 104 of the auxiliary tray 14 frames, at least in part, the open distal portion 102 of the food receptacle 80. The shape of the perimeter lip 104 of the auxiliary tray 14 generally corresponds to the shape of the cross section of its exterior walls 92. With its exterior walls 92 having a substantially racetrack shaped cross section, for example, the perimeter lip 104 of the auxiliary tray 14 is substantially racetrack shaped.

In the auxiliary tray 14, the interior walls 94 may divide the space inside the food receptacle 80 into a number of smaller spaces. The interior walls 94 may, as shown, connect to the bottom 90 of the auxiliary tray 14, and between its exterior walls 92 and its sleeve 100, for example. The interior walls 94 may be generally closed to prevent different food held in the respective smaller spaces from commingling. Additionally or alternatively, the interior walls 94 may structurally reinforce the auxiliary tray 14.

The lid 16 for the auxiliary tray 14 covers the open distal portion 102 of its food receptacle 80. In the food container 10, the auxiliary tray 14 defines a seat for the lid 16, on which the lid 16 may be supported. As shown, the auxiliary tray 14 defines its seat for the lid 16 at its perimeter lip 104, and the perimeter of the lid 16 is supported on the seat of the auxiliary tray 14. With this configuration, the shape of the perimeter of the lid 16 generally corresponds to the shape of the perimeter lip 104 of the auxiliary tray 14 that defines its seat. With the perimeter lip 104 of the auxiliary tray 14 being substantially racetrack shaped, for example, the shape of the perimeter of the lid 16 is substantially racetrack shaped.

The lid 16, inside its perimeter, is shaped for placement across the open distal portion 102 of the food receptacle 80 of the auxiliary tray 14. The lid 16 accordingly covers the open distal portion 102 of the food receptacle 80 of the auxiliary tray 14. The lid 16 may, as shown, be shaped for placement across the entire auxiliary tray 14 instead of only the open distal portion 102 of its food receptacle 80. The lid 16 may accordingly, in addition to covering the open distal portion 102 of the food receptacle 80 of the auxiliary tray 14, cover and engage the cover 52 of the cup 22 to reinforce its connection to the lip 50 of the cup 22. Either the seat of the auxiliary tray 14 or the perimeter of the lid 16, or both, may have features for making a seal between the seat of the auxiliary tray 14 and the perimeter of the lid 16. For example, either the seat of the auxiliary tray 14 or the perimeter of the lid 16, or both, may include a resilient sealing compound that affects a seal between the seat of the auxiliary tray 14 and the perimeter of the lid 16.

In the food container 10, with the auxiliary tray 14 stacked atop the base tray 12, the lid 16 is configured for removable connection to the base tray 12 to both connect itself to the base tray 12 and sandwich the auxiliary tray 14 between itself and the base tray 12. The lid 16 may, as shown, include a latch 110 including an arm 112 pivotally coupled to the lid 16, and a claw 114 supported by the arm 112 configured for removable connection to the base tray 12.

While recited characteristics and conditions of the invention have been described in connection with certain embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as is permitted under the law.

Claims

1. A reusable food container, comprising:

a base tray, the base tray including a food receptacle and an integrated cup projecting beyond the remainder of the base tray;
an auxiliary tray stackable atop the base tray, the auxiliary tray including a food receptacle, and defining a relief that, with the auxiliary tray stacked atop the base tray, accommodates the base tray's cup; and
a removable lid for the auxiliary tray.

2. The reusable food container of claim 1, wherein the cup of the base tray is centrally located within the footprint of a bottom of the base tray, and the relief of the auxiliary tray is centrally defined through a bottom of the auxiliary tray.

3. The reusable food container of claim 1, wherein, in the base tray, the food receptacle and at least a portion of the cup are made as a unitary whole.

4. The reusable food container of claim 1, wherein the base tray further includes a removable cover for the cup.

5. The reusable food container of claim 1, wherein the lid is configured for removable connection to the base tray when the auxiliary tray is stacked atop the base tray, whereby the auxiliary tray is sandwiched between the base tray and the lid.

6. A reusable food container, comprising:

a base tray, the base tray including a bottom, upright exterior walls extending from the bottom and terminating at a perimeter lip, and an upright, closed cross sectional sidewall extending from the bottom, in a flanked relationship with the exterior walls, past the perimeter lip of the exterior walls and terminating at a lip, whereby an integrated cup is defined at least in part by the sidewall, and has an open distal portion framed by the lip of the sidewall, a food receptacle is defined at least in part by a portion of the bottom bordering the sidewall and the exterior walls, and has an open distal portion framed by the perimeter lip of the exterior walls, and a seat is defined at the perimeter lip of the exterior walls.

7. The reusable food container of claim 6, wherein the sidewall extends from a central portion of the bottom, and the exterior walls are closed cross sectional and surround the sidewall.

8. The reusable food container of claim 6, wherein the cup is further defined at least in part by a partial portion of the bottom from which the sidewall extends, and the portion of the bottom bordering the sidewall and defining the food receptacle is a remaining portion of the bottom.

9. The reusable food container of claim 6, wherein the sidewall is double layered.

10. The reusable food container of claim 6, wherein the bottom, the exterior walls and at least a portion of the sidewall are made as a unitary whole.

11. The reusable food container of claim 6, wherein the base tray further includes a cover configured for removable connection to the lip of the sidewall to cover the open distal portion of the cup, and at least one of the lip of the sidewall and the cover is configured to affect a seal therebetween when the cover is connected to the lip of the sidewall.

12. The reusable food container of claim 6, further comprising:

an auxiliary tray, the auxiliary tray including a bottom corresponding to the open distal portion of the food receptacle of the base tray and upright exterior walls extending from the bottom and terminating at a perimeter lip, and defining a relief corresponding to the sidewall of the base tray, whereby a food receptacle is defined at least in part by the bottom and the exterior walls, and has an open distal portion framed by the perimeter lip of the exterior walls, the auxiliary tray is stackable atop the base tray by accommodating the sidewall of the base tray in the relief and supporting a perimeter of the bottom on the seat of the base tray to thereby cover, via the bottom, the open distal portion of the food receptacle of the base tray, and a seat is defined at the perimeter lip of the exterior walls.

13. The reusable food container of claim 12, wherein at least one of the seat of the base tray and the perimeter of the bottom of the auxiliary tray is configured to affect a seal therebetween when the auxiliary tray is stacked atop the base tray.

14. The reusable food container of claim 12, wherein, in the auxiliary tray, the relief is defined through the bottom.

15. The reusable food container of claim 14, wherein the auxiliary tray further includes a sleeve extending from the bottom in a framing relationship with the relief, whereby the sleeve collars a portion of the sidewall of the base tray when the auxiliary tray is stacked atop the base tray.

16. The reusable food container of claim 15, wherein, in the auxiliary tray, the relief is defined through a central portion of the bottom, and the exterior walls are closed cross sectional and surround the sleeve.

17. The reusable food container of claim 12, further comprising:

a removable lid, the lid corresponding to the open distal portion of the food receptacle of the auxiliary tray, whereby a perimeter of the lid is supportable on the seat of the auxiliary tray to thereby cover the open distal portion of the food receptacle of the auxiliary tray and the open distal portion of the cup of the base tray, and configured for removable connection to the base tray when the auxiliary tray is stacked atop the base tray, whereby the auxiliary tray is sandwiched between the base tray and the lid.

18. The reusable food container of claim 17, wherein at least one of the seat of the auxiliary tray and the perimeter of the lid is configured to affect a seal therebetween when the auxiliary tray is stacked atop the base tray and the lid is connected to the base tray.

19. The reusable food container of claim 17, wherein the base tray further includes a cover configured for removable connection to the lip of the sidewall to cover the open distal portion of the cup, and the lid is configured to engage the cover when the auxiliary tray is stacked atop the base tray and the lid is connected to the base tray.

20. A reusable food container, comprising:

a base tray, the base tray including a bottom, upright exterior walls extending from the bottom and terminating at a perimeter lip, and an upright, closed cross sectional sidewall extending from the bottom, in a flanked relationship with the exterior walls, past the perimeter lip of the exterior walls and terminating at a lip, wherein the bottom, the exterior walls and at least a portion of the sidewall extending past the perimeter lip of the exterior walls are made as a unitary whole, whereby an integrated cup is defined at least in part by the sidewall, and has an open distal portion framed by the lip of the sidewall, a food receptacle is defined at least in part by a portion of the bottom bordering the sidewall and the exterior walls, and has an open distal portion framed by the perimeter lip of the exterior walls, and a seat is defined at the perimeter lip of the exterior walls
an auxiliary tray, the auxiliary tray including a bottom corresponding to the open distal portion of the food receptacle of the base tray and upright exterior walls extending from the bottom and terminating at a perimeter lip, defining a relief through the bottom corresponding to the sidewall of the base tray, and including a sleeve extending from the bottom in a framing relationship with the relief, whereby a food receptacle is defined at least in part by the bottom and the exterior walls, and has an open distal portion framed by the perimeter lip of the exterior walls, the auxiliary tray is stackable atop the base tray by accommodating the sidewall of the base tray in the relief, with the sleeve collaring a portion of the sidewall of the base tray, and supporting a perimeter of the bottom on the seat of the base tray to thereby cover, via the bottom, the open distal portion of the food receptacle of the base tray, and a seat is defined at the perimeter lip of the exterior walls; and
a removable lid, the lid corresponding to the open distal portion of the food receptacle of the auxiliary tray, whereby a perimeter of the lid is supportable on the seat of the auxiliary tray to thereby cover the open distal portion of the food receptacle of the auxiliary tray and the open distal portion of the cup of the base tray, and configured for removable connection to the base tray when the auxiliary tray is stacked atop the base tray, whereby the auxiliary tray is sandwiched between the base tray and the lid.
Patent History
Publication number: 20170245610
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 28, 2017
Publication Date: Aug 31, 2017
Inventor: Sherri Lynn French (White Lake, MI)
Application Number: 15/445,094
Classifications
International Classification: A45C 11/20 (20060101); B65D 43/02 (20060101); A47G 19/22 (20060101); B65D 51/24 (20060101); B65D 21/02 (20060101); A45C 13/02 (20060101); B65D 25/04 (20060101); B65D 45/00 (20060101);