AU2325601A - Ice cream holder - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Ice Cream Holder The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The following invention relates to a holder for ice creams or ice blocks. More particularly, though not exclusively, the invention relates to an ice cream holder for children, typically between the ages of about 2 and 7.

Small children often find it difficult to grip the small wooden or plastics stick protruding from the bottom of an ice cream or ice block and often lose their grip resulting in the ice cream or ice block being dropped to the ground and wasted.

15 Another problem is that associated with the dripping of melting material from the ice cream or ice block which often ends up on the children's hands clothes and other S-places causing mess. This problem is exacerbated in indoor situations where carpet and furnishing can be soiled.

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20 OBJECT OF THE INVENTION oooo It is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate at least one of the above disadvantages and/or more generally to provide an ice cream holder.

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DEFINITIONS

As used herein, "ice cream" is intended to encompass ice creams, ice blocks and all manner of edible items that might melt or otherwise drip. Such items generally have a small holding stick protruding from one end thereof. The term is therefore intended to encompass chocolate coated ice creams, biscuit crumb coated ice creams, flavoured ice blocks and the like.

Also, as used herein, the term "stick" is intended to encompass the wooden or plastics paddle around a portion of which an ice cream is formed so as to leave the remaining portion projecting from the ice cream and intended to be grasped during consumption of the ice cream.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION There is disclosed herein a holder for an ice cream having a stick, the holder comprising: a handle having a drip-receiving cavity therein, a drip catchment member attached to or formed integrally with the handle and 20 including a catchment surface for receiving drips from the ice cream, a support means for receiving the stick so as to support the ice cream above Ssaid catchment surface, and a passage enabling any drips caught by said catchment surface to migrate into said cavity.

Preferably said drip catchment member is funnel-shaped.

Preferably said cavity is substantially cylindrical in form.

30 Preferably said support means includes a recess into which the stick is receivable.

Preferably said support means includes a pair of opposed slots into which respective opposed edges of the stick are receivable.

Preferably two pairs of opposed slots are provided, one pair comprising slots separated by a space for large sticks and the other pair separated by a smaller space for smaller sticks.

Preferably the support means and passage are formed as a common opening, with the slots spaced around the common opening.

Preferably the common opening leads to a drain that extends into the cavity such that upon inversion of the holder, any drips within the cavity do not exit through the opening.

Preferably the handle has a plug associated therewith.

The plug might form a base for the holder.

The base might extend radially beyond the handle for stability.

Preferably the holder is formed of moulded plastics material.

o Preferably the handle and the drip catchment member are formed as an integral component.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS So0 A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by way of example •.with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: 30 Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of an ice cream holder; Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional elevational view of the ice cream holder of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic inverted plan view of the holder of Figures 1 and 2 with its plug removed; and Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional elevational view of an alternative plug.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the accompanying drawings, there is schematically depicted an ice cream holder The holder is typically formed of moulded plastics material and includes a handle 14 which has a hollow internal cavity 21. Extending upwardly from the handle 14 is a catchment member or funnel 13.

At a transition zone 22 between the funnel 13 and the handle 14, there depends an ice cream stick support tube 15 having an aperture 19 into which the stick 12 is received so as to support the ice cream 11 above the funnel 13.

The aperture 19 provides a passage through which drips can migrate into cavity 21.

The tube 15 has extending therefrom a drain 16 through which the drips pass. Within the tube 15, there are provided two pairs of opposed slots 20' and 20". A small or S 20 standard sized stick 12 is shown having its edges received within the opposed slots o. 20" leaving spaces at either side of the stick 12 through which drips can migrate.

*o As an alternative to slots 20", ice creams having larger sticks can be inserted at a 900 i orientation so that the edges of the stick engage with slots 20', still providing spaces at either side through which drips can migrate through the tube 15 and drain 16.

The drain 16 extends sufficiently into the cavity 21 such that upon inversion of the 9*99 cavity, liquid retained therein can migrate along the internal walls of the cavity 21 to the position indicated at 24.

A plug 18 is snap-engaged, screwed, or otherwise sealed to the bottom of handle 14.

This plug can be replaced by an alternative plug as shown in Figure 4 having an annular extension 23 somewhat like that of a wine glass so as to enable the holder to be supported upon a surface in a stable manner.

In use, a child's parent can unwrap the ice cream and grasp the stick just below the ice cream 11 and insert the base of the stick into the aperture 19 such that the edges of the stick engage with slots 20' or 20". The apparatus can then be handed to the child who can grasp the handle 14 and consume the ice cream without making a mess.

The plug 18 can be removed from the handle 14 to enable internal cleaning.

Alternatively, the handle 14 might be attached to the funnel at zone 22, and be separable to assist in internal cleaning.

It should be appreciated that modifications and alterations obvious to those skilled in the art are not to be considered as beyond the scope of the present invention. For example, rather than being circular in plan as shown in Figure 2, the apparatus might be rectangular or oval shaped for example.

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Claims (10)

1. 2. The holder of claim 1 wherein the drip catchment member is funnel-shaped.
2. 3. The holder of claim 1 wherein said cavity is substantially cylindrical in form.
3. 4. The holder of claim 1 wherein said support means includes a recess into which the stick is receivable.
4. 5. The holder of claim 1 wherein said support means includes a pair of opposed 20 slots into which respective opposed edges of the stick are receivable. *o -The holder of claim 5 wherein two pairs of opposed slots are provided, one pair comprising slots separated by a space for large sticks and the other pair separated by a smaller space for smaller sticks. ooo.
5. 7. The holder of claim 5 wherein the support means and passage are formed as a common opening, with the slots spaced around the common opening.
6. 8. The holder of claim 7 wherein the common opening leads to a drain that .i 30 extends into the cavity such that upon inversion of the holder, any drips within the cavity do not exit through the opening. 7
7. 9. The holder of claim 1 wherein the handle has a plug associated therewith. The holder of claim 9 wherein the plug forms a base for the holder.
8. 11. The holder of claim 10 wherein the base extends radially beyond the handle for stability.
9. 12. The holder of claim 1 wherein the holder is formed of moulded plastics material.
10. 13. The holder of claim 1 wherein the handle and the drip catchment member are formed as an integral component. DATED this 2 7 th day of February 2001 RODNEY NEIL SCHMARR Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: HALFORD CO *e