ES2879124B2 - Waiter's tray with anti-pathogen carrying lid - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

WAITER'S TRAY WITH ANTI-PATHOGEN COVER

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The invention, as the title indicates, consists of a set consisting of a necessarily round waiter's tray that works in combination with a domed lid with a handle on its upper part that performs a double function as a protection barrier against pathogens and as a bearing element as it has the ability to be attached and anchored to the tray by means of a simple twist of the wrist without the need for physical contact between the user and the tray.

This invention constitutes an important novelty in the state of the art since it substantially modifies the traditional concept of a waiter's tray, both in terms of design and in terms of its operation and handling.

The combined action of the tray and the lid, as well as its simple capture and release system, provides a series of undeniable advantages, and not seen until now, in relation to the hygienic-sanitary aspects linked to the action of serving a table that result in in greater and better protection for customers and staff against the possible presence of pathogens or contaminants in the field of hospitality.

TECHNICAL SECTOR

The present invention has its field of application within the sector of accessories for the hotel industry.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In terms of industrial property, there are several proposals that analyze and attempt to solve various problems arising from the use of a traditional waiter's tray, such as stability, ease of handling or the pouring of liquids, but this party is not aware that there is an invention that responds specifically to the deficiencies in hygienic-sanitary matters that the use of a traditional waiter's tray entails.

The models consulted are the following:

Utility model ES 1223374 - Tray with clamping system

“The tray with a fastening system, arises from experience to improve current techniques, provides a cavity in the center of the tray that serves as a handle to make it considerably easier for waiters to transport it, because the weight of the tray is balanced and it also provides solutions so that liquid spills drain to the base of the tray so that they do not affect the stability of the glasses or stain customers."

Utility model ES 1200087 - Waiter tray

“Specifically, this invention has as its object a tray of the type used by waiters to serve drinks to clients of restaurant establishments, specially designed to have maximum stability and avoid spillage of the content during their transport, incorporating a fastening element that facilitates a better fastening of the tray “

Utility model ES 1061177

“Tray with a through hole for the transport and service of food and beverages in the hospitality industry”, which presents “on the surface of the tray and in an area close to any of its quadrants, a circular thickness with a through hole of a diameter determined by which the thumb passes loosely to press the thickness and the lower surface”.

The file ES 1074007 - Perforated tray.

"Basically equipped with a series of conveniently distributed perforations to accommodate as many glasses with the drink already served".

File ES1030067 -Tray holder support for hotels

“ a handle on which a hand is housed, while the forearm is supported by a support provided for this purpose. On the other hand, the tray can be attached to the support

fixed, forming a single element or portable, for which one or more suction cups or other types of fastening are available, such as magnets, anchors, etc., which securely adhere the joint between the support and the tray.’

The waiter tray is an essential element in hotels and restaurants. This part has been able to verify that there are many and varied ones on the market that differ in their forms and mode of use, but after an exhaustive search, none of the proposals analyzed resolve, or even pose, the hygienic-sanitary problem that the use of the waiter's tray when serving food and drinks at a table.

EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

The idea for the tray with an anti-pathogen carrying lid arises from an awareness motivated by the sudden appearance of the COVID-19 virus in our lives and the lessons and new needs that this fact has brought with it.

As soon as the scientific community and world health authorities become aware at the beginning of 2020 that humanity is facing an unprecedented pandemic, governments urgently and practically unanimously decree the confinement of the population and the paralysis of all those activities that could contribute to the spread of the virus. The closure of bars, restaurants and public establishments was one of the first restrictive measures adopted after highlighting the vulnerability of these activities to the virus as social distancing cannot be guaranteed and given the impossibility of adopting or implementing effective short-term hygienic-sanitary protection measures that ensure the safe development of activity in these sectors.

One of the great lessons learned during the period of confinement to which the population was subjected is that, to date, social distancing and hygiene have been the only truly effective weapons against the spread of the coronavirus. This has been verified not only in the case of COVID-19 but also with other more common and less lethal diseases such as the flu, whose incidence in the population has been substantially lower during confinement.

Faced with this new reality, many of the usual processes in the hotel industry pose problems and raise many doubts in a population that is aware of and fully informed about the transmission mechanisms of viruses and other pathogens.

One of these practices is the one that includes the transfer and service of drinks on an open tray, by a waiter without a mask or gloves, from a kitchen or a bar counter, equally unprotected from exposure to pathogens, to the table. where the customers are, crossing a room, which on many occasions is crowded with people without masks that the waiters have to skilfully dodge and at close range, to finally reach their destination and serve the drinks, one by one, using for this, one hand, while holding the tray with the other, leaning over the table and violating all the recommendations regarding hygiene and distancing.

The design of the waiter's tray with an anti-pathogen carrying lid is a proposal that enables the action of serving a table, so common and necessary in the hotel industry, to be carried out in a hygienically safe manner by avoiding the contamination of food and beverages during its transport in addition to promoting the necessary distance between the waiter and the clients when being deposited or picked up.

The operation of the invention is simple and intuitive and provides effective isolation of the food and beverages present on the tray throughout the journey from the point of preparation, which is presumed hygienically safe, to the customer's table without the waiter have to touch cups, glasses or plates and avoiding the exposure of the content to any type of biological contamination that could come from contact or from the air.

Likewise, and no less important, is the fact that the invention allows the tray to be deposited, and later removed, from the table without the waiter coming into contact with its content at any time, thanks to the load-bearing lid that has a handle on its upper part and a simple anchoring system that allows the tray to be released or captured with a slight turn of the wrist and from a superior position, which also facilitates distance from customers.

The present invention is essentially a round waiter's tray with a rim provided with slits on its outer perimeter that make it possible to capture it and that works in necessary combination with a lid that has a double function as an anti-contamination element and as a supporting system when being equipped with a handle on its upper part and some anchoring elements on its lower part that allow the capture or release of the tray by means of a slight turn of the wrist in one direction or another, as well as its transport in a safe and comfortable way.

The design of the invention is linked to a specific form of use consisting of the placement of the drinks on the tray by the staff of the establishment in charge of preparing the orders, inside a bar or in a kitchen, in an environment properly protected. The protection cover will be attached and anchored on the tray by means of a small turn, which will then be picked up by the waiter and transported to the table where the client is without the need to open it at any time.

During the journey, the waiter can choose to carry the tray in the traditional way, hold it by the handle located on the top of the lid in suspended mode, or a combination of both with the help of his other hand.

Once they arrive at the table where the client is, the waiter will proceed to deposit, with his arm extended and in a position as upright as possible, the set formed by the lid and the tray, lowering it until it rests on the table using to this the handle located at the top of the lid.

Once the tray rests on the table, the lid will descend a small additional distance until it rests on the table as well, at which time it will be free from contact with the anchoring elements of the tray and the lid can be rotated in the direction direction opposite to that of capture, which will release it completely, being able to be removed and leaving the tray uncovered with the drinks available to customers.

Once the drinks have been arranged by the customers themselves, the waiter will proceed to remove the empty tray, repeating the previous process in reverse and thus completing the operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of said description, where, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, it has been represented the next:

Figures 1 and 2.- Show the tray assembly and the anti-pathogen carrier lid from two different perspectives.

Figures 3 and 4 -Show details of the coupling, adjustment and anchoring system between the tray and the anti-pathogen carrier lid.

Figures 5 to 14.- Shows a series of illustrations that recreate the sequence of use of the tray with anti-pathogen carrying lid.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a necessarily round waiter's tray (1) that works in combination with a domed lid (2) equipped with a handle on its upper part (3) that performs a double function as a protection barrier against pathogens and as a load-bearing element. by having the capacity to attach and anchor to the tray by means of a simple twist of the wrist maneuver without the need for physical contact between the user and the tray. (Figures 5 to 14)

The tray has a perimeter rim that delimits it (4) and that facilitates the coupling of the lid, as well as some slits in its outer contour-shelf (5) that allow anchoring between both elements.

The lid (2) performs a double function as an anti-pollution element and as a supporting system as it is equipped with a handle at its upper end (3) and anchoring elements at its lower part (6) that allow the assembly to be transported as well as the capture or release of the tray, by means of a slight twist of the wrist in one direction or another, without the need for additional maneuvers. (Figures 5 to 14)

In its preferred embodiment, once the lid is attached to the tray, it will be rotated until both elements are adjusted (Figure 3), at which time the lid will drop until it rests on the support surface. which will enable its rotation through the use of the handle, thus completing the anchoring of the protection cover to the tray. (Figure 4)

This system enables the waiter to perform the service safely and comfortably without the need to touch the tray and without exposing its content, be it food or drinks, to any type of contamination at any time during the transfer of the drinks from the point of safe elaboration until the place where the client is, (Figures 5 to 14)

In its preferred embodiment, both the tray and the lid will be light, resistant, stackable and suitable for industrial washing due to the fact that it is an invention that can be applied in the field of hospitality.

Claims (1)

1.- The present invention comprises a round waiter's tray (1) that works in combination with a domed lid (2) with a handle on its upper part (3) that performs a double function as a protection barrier against pathogens and as a load-bearing element by having the ability to attach and anchor to the tray by means of a simple twist of the wrist maneuver without the need for physical contact between the user and the tray. (Figures 5 to 14) 2- The waiter's tray, according to the previous claim, must necessarily be round and will have a perimeter rim (4) in order to facilitate the coupling of the protection cover, as well as some indentations or grooves in its contour-shelf exterior(5) that enable the anchoring of both elements. 3-The protection cover, according to claims 1 and 3, will have an internal diameter slightly greater than the external diameter of the rim of the tray (4), according to claim 2, to enable its coupling and will have a handle (3) as well as anchoring elements on the outer perimeter of its base (6) that allow it to be adjusted to the indentations or slots present in the tray (5) and its subsequent anchoring to it by turning the wrist. (Figures 3 and 4)