GB2455079A

GB2455079A - Crockery to which cutlery can be attached

Info

Publication number: GB2455079A
Application number: GB0723159A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Norton
Original assignee: NORTON IMAGINEERING Ltd
Current assignee: NORTON IMAGINEERING Ltd
Priority date: 2007-11-27
Filing date: 2007-11-27
Publication date: 2009-06-03
Also published as: GB0723159D0

Abstract

A crockery plate or bowl 10 is formed from sheet material so as to have a central area 12 and a surrounding rim 16. The sheet material forming the rim is cut so as to provide a portion 20 of the sheet material which can be folded out of the rim and which is arranged for releasably attaching a cutlery piece 28 to the rim. The portion may define a closed loop as shown, or there may be a pair of aligned, adjacent such loop portions to hold the same piece of cutlery 28. Another piece of cutlery 30 may be similarly held on the opposite side of the plate. Instead of loops, each item may be held between an opposed pair of flaps (38, Figures 9 and 10). The sheet material may be paperboard, cardboard or foldable plastics.

Description

*1-2455079

TITLE

Crockery to which cutlery can be attached

DESCRIPTION

This invention relates to items of crockery to which items of cutlery can be attached.

When a buffet meal is served on a plate, it would be useful if the required cutlery were to be provided releasably attached to the plate so that the partaker in the buffet does not need to think about picking- up the required cutlery and does not need to carry it separately to the place where they will eat their meal.

It is known to attach cutlery to a piece of crockery. For example, patent documents US5938066 and US4863033 describe plates having moulded pegs on the plate rims that fit corresponding recesses or holes in specially adapted spoon and fork handles. Also, patent document FR2636826 describes recesses at the side of a plate into which a knife and fork of an appropriate length can be snap-fitted lengthwise.

Disposable "paper" plates are often used for buffets, but the techniques described in US5938066, US4863033 and FR2636826 do not lend themselves to use with sheet-formed paper plates. Also, US5938066 and US4863033 require special adaptation of the knife and fork, and the length of the knife or fork is critical in the arrangement of FR2636826.

An aim of the present invention, or at least of specific embodiments of it, is to provide a technique for attaching cutlery to crockery which is suitable for use with "paper" plates and the like, which does not require special adaptation of crockery, and for which the length of the cutlery is not critical.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a crockery plate or bowl formed from sheet material so as to have a central area and a surrounding rim, the sheet material forming the rim being cut so as to provide a portion of the sheet material which can be folded out of the rim and which is arranged for releasably attaching a cutlery piece to the rim.

For example, the cut may be such that, when the portion is folded out of the rim, the portion forms a closed loop into which a cutlery piece may be inserted, for example by its handle.

-2 N07/BOI The sheet material may be cut adjacent the first-mentioned portion to provide a further such portion, so as to resist twisting of the cutlery on the rim, for example a further closed loop which is aligned with the loop formed by the first portion.

Alternatively, the cut may be such that, when the portion is folded out of the rim, the portion forms at least one flap for trapping a cutlery piece, for example by its handle, between the flap and the rim. In this case, the Cut may be such that, when the portion is folded out of the rim, the portion forms an opposed pair of such flaps.

The sheet material may be cut on the opposite side of the rim to the first-mentioned portion to provide another such portion, for example so that a knife and fork, or a spoon and forked, may be attached to the plate of bowl.

The sheet material is preferably paperboard, cardboard or foldable plastics material.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described, purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1-3 are a plan view, sectioned side view and isometric view, respectively, of a plate of a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 4 is similar to Figure 3, but with a knife and fork attached to the plate; Figures 5 & 6 are a plan view and isometric view, respectively, of a plate of a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 7 is similar to Figure 6, but with a knife and fork attached to the plate; Figures 8 & 9 are a plan view and isometric view, respectively, of a plate of a third embodiment of the invention; and Figure 10 is similar to Figure 9, but with a knife and fork attached to the plate.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, in the first embodiment of the invention, a round, disposable, "paper" plate 10 has, as is conventional, a round, flat, central region 12, an annular, upwardly-sloping region 14 surrounding the central region 12, a flat, annular rim region 16 surrounding the sloping region 14, and a down-turned lip region 18 surrounding the rim region 16. The plate 10 as thus far described may be made in a conventional manner.

-3 -H07/BOI Unlike a conventional paper plate, on opposite sides of the rim region 16, the plate 10 is formed with a pair of attachment portions 20. Each attachment portion 20 is formed by a circular hole 22 which is punched through the rim region 16 and a U-shaped or horseshoe-shaped cut 24 through the rim region 16 partly surrounding the hole 22. The U-shaped or horseshoe-shaped cut 24 faces tangentially relative to the roundness of the plate 10. Optionally, a crease line or score line 26 may be formed between the distal ends of the cut 24. Accordingly, each attachment portion 20 can be folded along the line 26 from the position shown to the left in Figures 1 and 3 in which it lies in the plane of the rim region 16 to the position shown to the right in Figures 1 and 3 in which the attachment portion 20 is folded at right-angles out of the plane of the rim region 16.

Referring to Figure 4, the attachment portions 20 are designed for use with a knife 28 and fork 30 each having a handle 32 with a cross-section that lies within the size of the circular holes 22. For example, each handle 32 may be cylindrical having a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the holes 22. Accordingly, the handles 32 of the knife 28 and fork 30 may be threaded into the holes 22 in the attachment portions 20 so that the knife 28 and fork 30 are attached to the plate 10, as shown in Figure 4. When the knife 28 and fork 30 are to be used, the handles 32 can simply be slid out of the holes 22.

Referring to Figures 5 to 7, the plate 10 of the second embodiment of the invention is similar to the plate of Figures 1 to 4 except that (I) the plate 10 is generally square and (ii) a pair of spaced-apart attachment portions 20 are provided on each of two opposite sides of the rim region 16 of the plate 10. On each side, when the two attachment portions 20 are folded out of the plane of the rim region 16, their holes 22 become aligned so that the handle 32 of the knife 28 or fork 30 can be threaded through both holes 22, as shown in Figure 7. By comparison to the plate 10 of Figures 1 to 4, with the plate 10 of Figures 5 to 7, the pairs of attachment portions 20 prevent the knife 28 or fork 30 twisting.

Referring to Figures 8 to 10, the plate 10 of the third embodiment of the invention is similar to the plate of Figures 5 to 7 except that a different form of attachment portion 20 is employed. Each attachment portion 20 in Figures 8 to 10 is formed by a seraphed I-shaped cut 34 through the rim region 16 with the main limb of the 1-shaped Cut 34 extending parallel to the side of the plate 10. Optionally, crease lines or score lines 36 may be formed parallel to the main limb of the I-shaped cut 34 between the distal ends of the seraphs. Accordingly, each attachment portion 20 has a pair of flaps 38 that can be folded along the lines 36 from the position shown to the left in Figure 9 in which flaps 38 lies in the plane of the rim region 16 to -4-NO7/BOI the position shown to the right in Figure 9 in which the flaps 38 are inclined upwardly out of the plane of the rim region 16. Therefore, as shown in Figure 10, the handles 32 of the knife 28 and fork 30 can be inserted underneath the flaps 38 and on top of the rim region 16 so that the knife 28 and fork 30 are attached to the plate 10.

It will be appreciated that many modification and developments may be made to the embodiments of the invention described above.

For example, the attachment portions 20 of the third embodiment of Figures 8 to 10 may each be formed by a single flap, rather than a pair of flaps, with the single flap having a first portion that can be folded so that it inclines upwardly from the rim portion, and a second portion that is then folded downwardly over the handle 32.

The attachment portions 20 may also be used to attach spoons by their handles to the plates 10, and the invention may also be applied to bowls.

It should be noted that the embodiments of the invention has been described above purely by way of example and that many other modifications and developments may be made thereto within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

* 5 -N07/BOI CLAIMS

1. A crockery plate or bowl formed from sheet material so as to have a central area and a surrounding rim, the sheet material forming the rim being cut so as to provide a portion of the sheet material which can be folded out of the rim and which is arranged for releasably attaching a cutlery piece to the rim.

2. A crockery plate or bowl as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cut is such that, when the portion is folded out of the rim, the portion forms a closed loop through which a cutlery piece can be passed.

3. A crockery plate or bowl as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the sheet material is cut adjacent the first-mentioned portion to provide a further such portion.

4. A crockery plate or bowl as claimed in claim 3 when dependent on claim 2, wherein the cut for the further portion is such that, when the further portion is folded out of the rim, the further portion forms a closed loop which is aligned with the loop formed by the first portion.

5. A crockery plate or bowl as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cut is such that, when the portion is folded out of the rim, the portion forms at least one flap for trapping a cutlery piece between the flap and the rim.

6. A crockery plate or bowl as claimed in claim 5, wherein the cut is such that, when the portion is folded out of the rim, the portion forms an opposed pair of such flaps.

7. A crockery plate or bowl as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sheet material is cut on the opposite side of the rim to the first-mentioned portion to provide another such portion.

8. A crockery plate or bowl as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sheet material is paperboard, cardboard or foldable plastics material.

9. A crockery plate or bowl, substantially as described with reference to the drawings.