GB2418344A

GB2418344A - Collapsible cake stand

Info

Publication number: GB2418344A
Application number: GB0421015A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Thomas Ewart Dickinson
Original assignee: Dibro Ltd
Current assignee: Dibro Ltd
Priority date: 2004-09-22
Filing date: 2004-09-22
Publication date: 2006-03-29
Anticipated expiration: 2024-09-22
Also published as: GB2418344B; GB0421015D0

Abstract

The present invention relates to a collapsable cake stand comprising at least two substantially flat elongate support members, 12,14, each support member having an upper edge and a lower edge along its longitudinal axis, the support members capable of being connected to one another such that the support members form a free-standing support structure wherein at least part 20 of the lower edge of the support member is capable of resting on a flat surface and the upper edge 19 is capable of holding a cake base 10. The present invention also provides for a kit of parts for producing such a collapsable cake stand. The two support members 12,14, may interlock by means of notches 16,18, or they may be connected by a hinge. The upper edges of the members may be recessed at lips 22 to snugly receive the cake base 10.

Description

241 8344

DESCRIPTION

CONFECTIONARY STAND

The present invention relates to a collapsable cake stand which can be inexpensively manufactured and used to display cakes and the like.

In the field of confectionery, cakes are often sold on decorative bases which are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also provide a base upon which the cake can be cut into several pieces. While such bases perform their function, the cake often appears to be flush with the surface on which it has been placed and can therefore sometimes lose the sense of occasion for which the cake has been bought. It is also more hydenic to place the cake on a stand so that it does not become contaminated with surrounding food/surfaces etc. Commonly, wedding cakes and the like often have grand stands upon which they are placed and frequently have multiple tiers of cake. Whilst the stands designed for wedding cakes and the like do indeed enhance the sense of occasion and lift the cake from the table, it will be preferable if an inexpensive cake stand could be provided for use for use with existing cake bases as an additional feature of the cake and also provide a stand which will present the cake to the consumer.

GB 653,229 discloses an improved support unit for use in cake stands, display stands and the like comprising a plurality of radially arranged plates which are secured at the ends by end pieces which act as bases and platforms for supporting the article to be supported. Such a cake stand requires multiple pieces in order to construct the stand and indeed the central portion of the stand remains largely unsupported by any structure and this may be undesirable for particularly heavy cakes.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a collapsable cake stand which can be inexpensively manufactured and have as fewer parts as possible. It would also be preferable if such a stand were easily constructed by the consumer of the cake and indeed may be flat-packed in a cake box in readiness for assembly.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a collapsable cake stand comprising at least two substantially flat elongate support members, each support member having an upper edge and a lower edge along its longitudinal axis, the support members capable of being connected to one an other such that the support members form a free standing support structure, wherein at least part of the lower edge of the support member is capable of resting on a flat surface and the upper edge is capable of holding a cake base.

Therefore the present invention provides for a collapsable cake stand which is easily assembled and comprises few parts. The stand may be placed on a number of surfaces such as tables.

The support members may be releasably and/or operably connected to one another. The support members may be connected to one another by a number of means which will be apparent to one skilled in the art. Preferably, the support members are connected to one another by means of one or more notches disposed in either edge. A notch may be disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the member and it will be apparent that a notch in a first structural member may receive at least part of the second structural member in order that connection may take place.

Commonly' a notch will be as wide as the depth of the structural member so as to accommodate the other structural member snugly. Indeed, it is preferred that a notch is disposed in the upper surface of a first member, the notch being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and extending from the upper edge to a central point in the structural member and this notch correspondingly engages a similar notch disposed in the lower edge of a second structural member. The support members may be connected to one another at right angles, but it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that a number of different configurations may be accommodated in accordance with the present invention and the extract configuration will determine at which angle the support members are connected to one another. Alternatively, a number of support members may be centrally attached to a hinge and the members placed in a radial format when assembled so as to receive the base of a cake.

The structural members of the collapsable cake stand may provide for feet portions to be disposed along at least part of the lower edge of the support members.

Such feet portions may be integrally manufactured onto the support members, but alternatively may simply be raised areas of the lower edge in order that part of the structure of the cake stand is lifted off the surface on which the stand is placed. The upper edges of the support members may provide a recess cut within the edge for receiving the cake base and such a recess may be of substantially similar length as to the width or diameter of the cake base. Therefore, the stand not only receives the cake base so that the base is secured to the structure, but also the base acts as a structural element which assists in conferring rigidity to the overall cake stand.

Preferably, the recess disposed in the upper edge of the structural members is of such a dimension so as to snugly receive the cake base. It would be apparent to one skilled in the art, that a number of configurations regarding the base being held or connected to the structural members may also be employed in accordance with the present invention. For example protrusions may be provided along the upper edge of the structural members which positively engage apertures disposed on the underside of the base, and such an arrangement would also produce a similar structural effect as the base being snugly received within a recess along the upper edge of the members.

The cake stand may be produced *om a number of materials, and such materials will generally be selected from those currently known to be safe when used in contact with food. Preferably the stand is manufactured from a plastics, wood or metal material. More preferably, the stand is manufactured from a plastics material that is vacuum coated with a metal or alloy. The cake base may also be made from a number of materials but will commonly be a cardboard based material again vacuum coated with a metal or alloy material. When the stand is in a collapsed position, it may be held in wrapper in a cake box, and therefore the stand may be hygienically stored alongside a cake in a box prior to the cake being consumed. The stand may also have advertising logos disposed along at least part of a structural member, although wording such as "happy birthday" may also be provided on the structural members for novelty purposes. The cake base may be of any number of shapes, but will preferably be either substantially circular, square or rectangular in shape.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a kit of parts for producing a collapsable cake stand comprising at least two substantially flat elongate support members with at least one notch disposed on the upper or lower edge of a member for positively engaging another member, so as to form a free standing support structure.

Preferably the kit of parts additionally comprises a cake base which may rest or be received on or in the upper edge of the member. The kit of parts may additionally comprise a wrapper (such as a polythene wrapper) for holding the stand prior to the stand being used.

The present invention will now be described, by example only, with reference to and as illustrated in the following Figures.

Figure I shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the collapsable cake stand in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 shows a side view of a structural member used to produce the collapsable cake stand as illustrated in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of a collapsable cake stand in accordance with the present invention; and Figure 4 shows a side view of a support member used in producing a collapsable cake stand as shown in Figure 3.

Referring to Figure 1 and 2, there is provided a collapsable cake stand for supporting a cake base 10 which sits upon two structural members 12, 14 that are connected together by means of notches 16, 18. The upper edge 19 is recessed so as to snugly accommodate the base 10 and thereby acting as an additional structural element to add rigidity to the two connected support members 12, 14. Feet 20 are provided at the distal ends of the support members 12, 14 so as to raise the stand away from the surface upon which it has been placed. A notch 18 is provided in a t first structural member 14 and extends from the lower edge to the middle of the member in a perpendicular fashion from the longitudinal axis. A corresponding notch 16 is provided in the second structural member 12 and both notches are of similar dimensions so as to accommodate one another so as to produce a cross structure, when they are connected together.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, there is provided a similar collapsable cake stand as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 (identical features identified by the same reference numerals), however the base is square as opposed to circular and in order to accommodate the square base, there is provided three structural members 30, 32, 34. Two structural members 30, 32 have notches disposed towards the center of the members in a similar fashion to that illustrated in Figure 2 are provided along with an additional structural member 34 which has two upwardly facing notches 36, for being received in downwardly notches of structural members 30, 32.

In use, the collapsable stand will be in a dismantled format either in a cake box or available independently of the cake itself. The consumer would then be directed (by means of instructions) to assemble the cake stand by releasably engaging the notches 18, 16 (and 36 were appropriate) in order to produce a free-standing structure upon which a base 10, 10' may be placed. The dimensions of the base 10, 10' will determine the lengths of the upper surface of the structural members 12, 14, 30,32,34 and a lip 22,22' may be provided such that the base 10, 10' may be snugly received on top of the stand. The feet of the structural members 20, 20' allow for the stand to be raised from the surface upon which it has been placed and also provides a pleasing aesthetic appearance.

The structural members can be made from a number of materials, such as a plastics material vacuum coated with a metal or alloy. Other materials can also be used, however due to the close proximity of the stand with a food stuff, such a materials would have to be approved for use with or near to food. The base can also be produced from a number of materials that will commonly be produced from a cardboard based material coated with another material such as a metal or alloy f lm applied by means of a vacuum. I he stand can be placed within a wrapper such that it can be hygienically stored alongside a cake or similar confectionery product until required. After use, the stand can be either disposed of or re-used as appropriate.

Claims

1. A collapsable cake stand comprising at least two substantially flat elongate support members, each support member having an upper edge and a lower edge along its longitudinal axis, the support members capable of being connected to one another such that the support members form a freestanding support structure wherein at least part of the lower edge of the support member is capable of resting on a flat surface and the upper edge is capable of holding a cake base.

2. A collapsable cake stand as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support members are releasably connected to one another.

3. A collapsable cake stand as claimed in either claim I or claim 2, wherein the support members are operably connected to one another.

4. A collapsable cake stand as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the support members are connected by means of one or more notches disposed in either edge.

5. A collapsable cake stand as claimed in claim 4, wherein the notch is disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the support member.

6. A collapsable cake stand as claimed in either claim 4 or claim 5, wherein a notch in a first structural member may receive at least part of a second structural member.

7. A collapsable cake stand as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the support members are connected to one another at right angles.

8. A collapsable cake stand as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the support members are connected by means of a hinge.

9. A collapsable cake stand as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least part of the lower edge of the support members comprise feet portions.

10. A collapsable cake stand as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the upper edges of the support members provide a recess within the edge for receiving the cake base.

11. A collapsable cake stand as claimed in claim 10, wherein the recess is of a substantially similar length as to the width or diameter of the cake base.

12. A collapsable cake stand as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the stand is manufactured from a plastics, wood or metal material.

] 3. A collapsable cake stand as claimed in any of claims I to 11, wherein the stand is a plastics material vacuum coated with a metal or alloy.

14. A collapsable cake stand as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the stand is held within a wrapper in a cake box.

15. A collapsable cake stand as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the stand has an advertising logo disposed along at least part of the structural member.

16. A collapsable cake stand as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the base is of a substantially circular, square or rectangular shape.

17. A kit of parts for producing a collapsable cake stand comprising at least two substantially flat elongate support members with at least one notch disposed on the upper or lower edge of the member for positively engaging another member, together so as to form a free-standing support structure

18. A kit of parts as claimed in claim 17, wherein the kit additionally comprises a cake base.

19. A kit of parts as claimed in either claim 17 or 18, wherein the kit additionally comprises a wrapper for containing the support members.

20. A collapsable cake stand as claimed in any of claims 1 to 16 as hereinabove described with reference to and as is illustrated in the accompanying Figures.