GB2429145A - A food tray container - Google Patents

Abstract

A food tray container includes a cover 1 attached to a base 3 via latches 4 to form a container, inside the container is a shelved stand 8, the container is suspended from a handle 2 on the cover 1. The shelved stand 8 may be detachable attached to the base 3 via lugs or latches to prevent movement of the stand during transit or when the cover is removed. The shelved stand may have a larger cross-section at the base than at the top with detachable shelves 9 that may be positioned at varying heights on supporting ledges in order to accommodate food vessels 10 of varying dimensions.

Description

I

Food tray container This invention relates to a safer, more hygienic and more efficient way of carrying food, particularly prepared meals, than a conventional food tray.

Food, and the dishes or vessels in which it is served, is often carried on flat trays with a raised lip or edge. Although almost universal, such trays have a number of major disadvantages in terms of both safety and mechanical efficiency. The full weight of the tray is supported mainly by the hands and forearms rather than the length of the arms and shoulders with the tray held in front of the body blocking the tine of sight between eyes and footfall. If the person carrying the tray misses their footing and stumbles or trips there is a significant risk of broken dishes and spilt food and liquids.

This spillage may be hot enough to cause harm or to create further potential hazards until it is cleaned up, often a time-consuming and unpleasant process. If, as is common, the tray has no lid or cover, the food conveyed can be contaminated by airborne pollution such as dust, tobacco smoke, or aerosols of viruses or other pathogens. The number of dishes carried is usually restricted by their size and shape relative to the horizontal area of the tray. If vessels containing food are stacked on a flat tray using lids or covers between each item, food may be compressed or crushed by the weight of the vessel above it or by the cover itself and the stack may be unstable unless the dishes are positioned in descending order of size.

To overcome these difficulties, the present invention proposes a container that serves as a food tray suspended from a handle at the top when carried so that it is usually moved when at the side rather than in front of the body.

The container comprises a deep lid or cover that is attached by latches to a shallow tray or base and contains a stand that has detachable shelves enabling one or more food dishes or other vessels of varying dimensions to be carried in a vertical stack at easily variable heights above the base.

Using this system, vessels containing food can be transported more safely and more efficiently than on a conventional tray. The carrying position at the side rather than in front of the body allows unimpeded vision between eyes and footfall so that obstacles or spills can be seen and avoided, particularly when ascending or descending steep stairs, which often separate a kitchen from the serving area.

The use of an enclosed container can protect food against contamination from dust, (tobacco) smoke, and aerosols of airborne infections such as flu or colds particularly if the container is hermetically sealed when in transit.

This could also be useful to help prevent infections spreading in hospitals.

In the event of an accident, any spillage or breakage would be contained within the device, making it much easier to clean up at a sink or washing facility and reducing the potential hazards from the spillage and any potential liability on the part of the manager or owner of the premises.

Carrying a load with the arms in a vertical, or near vertical position, with arm muscles at full extension at the side is more mechanically efficient than having the arm muscles partially retracted to carry a conventional tray in front of the body.

Suspending the container from a handle held in one hand means that the other hand can be left free, even when carrying several full dishes or plates so that a door can be opened safely, when for example statuterequired fire doors are between kitchen and serving area. If the unit is sealed, it can be set down anywhere without risk to hygiene if the hand carrying it is needed to open a door.

The vertical stacking system of food vessels on a stand allows the use of enclosed space inside the container to be used efficiently because individual shelves are detachable and can be set to different heights depending on the shape and height of the dishes of food required for different but simultaneous food servings. More food dishes can then be carried more safely than on a conventional food tray with an equivalent horizontal cross- section without requiring an individual lid or cover between each vessel on the stack and without the risk of the food contained by a vessel being crushed or compressed by the vessel above it. Making the stacking unit or stand detachable from the base and the shelves detachable from the stand would also make them easier to wash and store. Making the stand attachable to the base would prevent it being accidentally moved relative to the base when in use.

Preferably making the components of the unit out of polycarbonate or other high-impact plastics with a surface glaze provides a high strength to weight ratio and makes them easy to wash.

Preferably making both the cover and stacking unit with a smaller crosssection at the top relative to the base would make them easier to store by stacking multiple units on top of each other.

Preferably making the shelves of identical size would make them interchangeable within the stand and cheaper to manufacture.

An example of the invention will now be described by referring to the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 shows a food tray comprising a cover or lid with a handle on the top surface and two latches in an open (up) position able to be attached to a base to create a container which can enclose a vertical stacking unit with shelves that support food vessels according to the invention. Dishes on the stacking unit would normally contain food but are shown empty here for greater clarity.

In figure 1 a cover or lid 1 is capable of being attached to a shallow tray or base 3 by means of latches 4 in order to create a container for carrying food vessels or dishes that can be carried whilst suspended from the handle 2.

The latches can pivot in order to compress or release a projecting lip 5 on the container against a projecting Lip 6 on the rim of the base. This attachment could seal the unit to prevent the contents being contaminated by dust or other airborne pollution, with the possible addition of a separate, compressible sealing strip held in place and secured by a recessed channel or lugs between any surfaces where the cover meets the base.

The base of the container can support a detachable shelving unit 8 or stand with two open faces and two opposing faces that incorporate a series of horizontal ledges 9 capable of bearing a variable number of detachable shelves 10 in variable positions in order to carry food vessels 11 of different dimensions in different configurations in a vertical stack.

The stand is not attached to the cover and is detachable from the base of the container to facilitate storage and cleaning but may be attachable to the base when in use using lugs and or moulded channels and or ledges and or latches in order to prevent accidental movement relative to the base.

By making the cross-section of the top of both the stacking unit and the cover smaller than the cross-section of its base, multiple units of each can be stacked on top of each other to reduce the need for storage space.

To simplify the assembly of different configurations of shelves at variable heights above the base and to reduce manufacturing costs, the shelves could be identical in size, if their length is equal to or greater than the length of the base of the stand and their width is proportionately smaLler than the length of the supporting ledges on the stacking unit. This could make them mutually interchangeable and easily positioned at different heights from the base to accommodate variable configurations of food vessels of variable dimensions by being inserted either through the open faces of the stand or between the Ledges on either side of the stand. Making the shelves detachable from the stacking unit also renders them easy to clean manually or in a dishwasher Making all components of polycarbonate or other high-impact plastics with a surface glaze, would maximise the strength to weight ratio compared to other materials and would enable the components to be easily washable by hand or machine.

The handle on the top of the container can consist of a strap which passes through two slots in the surface of the top of the lid and is held in place by a wedge at each end which is larger than the aperture through which the strap passes. This could be relatively cheap to manufacture but the presence of the slots may admit air, which would compromise the hermetic seating of the unit.

An alternative design, which may be more expensive to manufacture but would improve the hermetic sealing of the unit, could consist of a handle which is held by two pivots in a recessed bay moulded into the top surface of the Lid. This handle would tie horizontally when the unit is at rest, to facilitate stacking of the covers in storage, but able to pivot when the container is carried. The effect of gravity on the relation between the pivoting handle and the rest of the device would tend to keep the container close to a horizontal position, minimising the possibility of food, particularly liquids, stopping or spilling over the rims of the dishes, cups, glasses or other vessels which contain them.

A series of upturned bowls or concave domes, which are open at the base and of varying heights and preferably have flattened tops to conserve space, can optionally be provided to be placed over any food dish which is smaller than the bowl or dome to help maintain the temperature of individual dishes and to prevent the smell of heavily aromatic foods, such as curries, potentiaLly affecting the flavour of other foods being carried at the same time.

Claims (6)

1. Claims 1) A device for transporting or conveying food in vessels of

   varying dimensions in a vertical stack on a shelved stand inside a container which is suspended from a handle when carried and comprises a cover or lid latched to a base.
2. 2) A shelved stacking stand according to claim 1 with shelves that are detachable and can be positioned at varying heights on supporting Lips or ledges in order to carry vessels of varying dimensions in variable combinations and in variable relative positions.
3. 3) A shelved stacking unit and a cover according to preceding claims with Larger cross-sections at the base than the top in order to permit stacking of multiple covers on top of each other and multiple stacking units on top of each other in order to reduce the space required for storage of both components.
4. 4) A shelved stacking stand according to preceding claims with identical shelves whose length is equal to or greater than the Length of the base of the stand and smaller in width than the supporting Ledges of the stand in order to enable any shelf to be positioned on any two supporting ledges which are at the same height above the base of the stand.
5. 5) A shelved stacking stand according to preceding claims which can be attached to the base of the container using Lugs or latches to prevent movement of the stand relative to the container in transit and to prevent movement of the stand when the cover of the container is removed from the base.
6. 6) A shelved stacking stand according to preceding claims which is detachable from the base of the container to facilitate cleaning and storage.