GB2457659A

GB2457659A - Foldable meal tray

Info

Publication number: GB2457659A
Application number: GB0802984A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Malcolm Mulheron
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-02-19
Filing date: 2008-02-19
Publication date: 2009-08-26
Also published as: WO2009103568A3; WO2009103568A2; WO2009103568A8; WO2009104007A1; GB0802984D0

Abstract

A foldable meal tray, for use on e.g. aircraft, comprises a base tray 19 and a raised shelf 12. The raised shelf is connected to the base tray by support means 14 which are foldably connected to each such that the meal tray may be folded between an erected configuration for use and a flattened configuration for stowage between meals. The foldable meal tray is formed from a single sheet of inexpensive material, such as cardboard. The base tray 19 and shelf 12 are integrally connected by a back panel with finger apertures for gripping of the whole tray. Struts 14 extend from the shelf for engagement of end tabs thereof 24 with slots in side walls 20 of the base tray. The shelf (and base) may have apertures 26, 28 to receive items such as cups and utensils. Aligned slots 30, 34 in the base and shelf may temporarily receive a smaller emptied tray provided by aircraft cabin crew. The base 19 may have slits (36, Figure 1) to receive a strap for securing the meal tray to a structure beneath, or other securing means such as suckers may be provided.

Description

I

Foldable Meal Tray The present invention relates to a foldable meal tray, particularly, but not exclusively a foldable meal tray for use whilst meals are being served to passengers on board an aircraft during an in-flight meal service.

It is common for airlines to offer passengers some form of meal during flights, particularly on long haul flights. Since passenger space is very limited on most aircraft, the cabin crew normally serve meals to passengers directly at their seat on individual trays. Typically, these trays are placed on fold-down tables mounted on the rear of the seat in front of the passenger. Accordingly, the trays on which the meal is served are typically very small. As the passenger consumes the meal and manoeuvres the packaging, food, drinks etc. around the tray, items are often dropped off the edge of the tray. Even if items are not dropped off the edge of tray, the act of balancing the numerous items on the small tray is undesirable for passengers.

According to the present invention, there is provided a foldable meal tray comprising:-a base tray providing a first surface for placement of meal items thereon; a raised shelf providing a second surface for placement of meal items thereon; support means provided between the raised shelf and the base tray to support the raised shelf above the base tray, the support means being foldably connected to the raised shelf and base tray such that the meal tray may be folded between an erected configuration for use and a flattened configuration for stowage between meals.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description as well as the attached drawings and claims.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Fig. us a plan view of a template for the foldable meal tray of the present invention, prior to construction; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the constructed foldable meal tray in its flattened, stowed configuration; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the constructed foldable meal tray in its erected, active configuration; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the foldable meal tray of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a side view of the foldable meal tray of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a front view of the foldable meal tray of Fig. 3; and Fig. 7 is a rear view of the foldable meal tray of Fig. 3.

The first stage in manufacturing the meal tray of the present invention is to create a blank template from a single piece of suitable material. In the present embodiment, this involves cutting out the template illustrated in Fig. I from a single sheet of cardboard 10. Cardboard is a particularly suitable material for the present invention because it is easy to work with, readily available, relatively inexpensive and is disposable. The cuts made in the cardboard create a template including a shelf 12, support struts 14, planar support 16 rear tray walls 18, base tray 19, side tray walls 20 and front tray wall 22.

The support struts 14 have semi-circular engagement tabs 24 cut into either end thereof, the purpose of which will be described subsequently.

The shelf 12 has a receiving aperture 26 which is suitably sized to receive a conical plastic cup or similar vessel, and a receiving aperture 28 which is cut to form triangular leaves which support a small drinks bottle or similar item. A slot 30 for receiving a service tray or similar item is also provided through the shelf 12. The shelf 12 effectively creates an area for the placement of meal items in addition to the area provided by the base tray 19.

The planar support 16 is provided with three finger receiving apertures 32 through the cardboard material. The size and spacing of these apertures 32 are such that a user may easily insert three of their fingers into the apertures in order to grip the whole tray. Additional finger receiving apertures (not shown) may be provided in the base tray 19 if desired.

The base tray 19 has a groove 34 which is of a corresponding shape and dimension as the slot 30 of the shelf 12.

Securing slits 36 are provided through the base tray 19 to allow a securing strip, such as a piece of cardboard with corrugated portions to pass therethrough, thereby allowing the tray to be secured to a surface, such as a fold down table of an aircraft.

The features previously described are all formed from a single piece of cardboard material. Between the shelf 12, support 16 and walls 16, 20, 22, hinges in the form of score lines in the cérdboard (indicated by dashed lines in the attached drawings), are provided to assist folding of the material as the tray is being erected by the user. In this regard, various portions of the tray may be provided with foldable joints to allow such pieces to be foldably connected to other such features of the tray.

During manufacture, the tray is cut from the cardboard sheet 10. Securing means, such as a strap of elastic or corrugated cardboard 38 is then woven under the base tray 19 and through the securing slits 36 (seen in Fig. 4). In order to reduce the size of the tray, it is now folded along hinge line 40 to arrive at the configuration illustrated in Fig. 2. This is the stowed configuration. This initial constructing stage of the tray may also involve gluing tongues of the material together in order to secure the constructed tray together which will ensure that the tray may be repeatedly folded between its erect and its stowed configuration without being damaged.

The tray may be placed in each seat pocket of the aircraft in its constructed (but not erected) configuration.

When a passenger wishes to use the tray he simply removes the tray from the seat pocket in front of him and erects it from its stowed configuration into its erect configuration (depicted in Fig. 3). In order to do this, the passenger simply folds up the shelf 12 and planar support 16 away from the base tray 19 and then slides the semi-circular engagement tabs 24 into corresponding slots provided in the side waIls 20. This secures, the shelf 12 in its raised position above the base tray 19. Additional fastening means may be provided on the strips and / or the side waIls 20 if required; for example, poppers, hook and loop fasteners etc. Once in the erect configuration depicted in Figs. 3 to 7, the user may remove items from the convenience tray given to them by the cabin crew and place them on the base tray 19 or on the shelf 12. The hinged leaves of the aperture 28 provide a snug fit around any bottle placed therein. In this configuration, once all items have been transferred from the convenience tray to the foldable tray of the invention, the convenience tray may be temporarily stored by sliding it through the slot 30 and into the groove 34 in the base tray 19. The provision of the shelf 12 provides better utilisation of the limited space available to the passenger by effectively increasing the surface area on which items may be placed.

The invention has a number of further advantages, including:- -The invention provides a viable advertising opportunity, whereby advertisements from particular companies may be printed on the tray. For example the inner surface of the tray may have advertisements from a service directory company and the outer surface may have the airlines' own branding printed thereon.

The invention is particularly advantageous in this respect since passengers are likely to pay close attention to the details of the advertisement; given that they are typically on a long haul flight, often with very little else to occupy themselves with. Indeed, as the relative costs of technology dramatically decrease, it may be possible to provide e.g. digital advertisement screens on the portions of the disposable tray; -The invention is designed to be formed from a disposable material (such as cardboard). This is very environmentally friendly, compared to e.g. plastic and is also very cheap to supply. The trays are also very cheap to replace when necessary; -The foldable nature of the tray results in there being very few constituent parts to the tray. This, along with the material choice, results in a very lightweight tray. Weight is an important factor in the airline industry since fuel costs for a given flight are directly proportional to the total aircraft payload; -The tray does not contain any substances which are not already found on board an aircraft; and therefore does not fall foul of the very strict airline regulations on what items can be carried on board.

Modifications and improvement may be made to the foregoing, without departing from the scope of the invention, for example:-Although the apparatus has been described as a tray for use on aircraft, it may also be used on other modes of transport, such as trains, boats, trucks, cars etc., where space is at a premium.

Instead of having the hinged triangular leaves, aperture 28 may be provided with a lattice effect cardboard insert which may be pushed out from the plane of the shelf 12 in a concertina fashion. This provides a preferred holding arrangement, particularly suitable for bottles I other drinking vessels and which easily folds flat when required.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A foldable meal tray corn prising:-a base tray providing a first surface for placement of meal items thereon; a raised shelf providing a second surface for placement of meal items thereon; support means provided between the raised shelf and the base tray to support the raised shelf above the base tray, the support means being foldably connected to the raised shelf and base tray such that the meal tray may be folded between an erected configuration for use and a flattened configuration for stowage between meals.
2. A foldable meal tray according to claim 1, further comprising means for securing the tray to a surface.
3. A foldable meal tray according to claim 2, wherein the securing means comprises at least one of the group consisting of a securing strap, suction means, or a portion of material having high friction properties.
4. A foldable meal tray according to any preceding claim, wherein the support means comprises a planar sheet of material extending between a rear edge of the raised shelf and a rear edge of the base tray.
5. A foldable meal tray according to claim 4, wherein the planar sheet of material comprises a gripping arrangement to facilitate easy lifting of the meal tray from a supporting surface temporarily by a user.
6. A foldable meal tray according to claim 5, wherein the gripping arrangement comprises a plurality of finger receiving apertures punched in the sheet of planar material.
7. A foldable meal tray according to claim 4, wherein the support means further comprises a pair of support pillars extending from either side of the raised shelf for engagement with a portion of the base tray.
8. A foldable meal tray according to claim 7, wherein, the support pillars are provided with semi-circular tabs at their ends, the tabs being insertable into corresponding slits provided on the base tray to secure the support pillars thereto.
9. A foldable meal tray according to any preceding claim, wherein the raised shelf is provided with apertures for receiving papers, utensils, tableware and containers therein.
10. A foldable meal tray according to any preceding claim wherein the base tray is provided with apertures for receiving papers, utensils, tableware and containers therein.
II. A foldable meal tray according to any preceding claim, wherein the features of the meal tray are all formed from a single sheet of relatively inexpensive material, and the folding of the foldable meal tray from its stowed configuration to its erected configuration is performed by folding the portions of the material.
12. A foldable meal tray according to any preceding claim, wherein the base tray is provided with foldable side walls around its perimeter.
13. A foldable meal tray according to any preceding claim, having advertising media provided on the surfaces of the material.
14. A foldable meal tray with reference to the accompanying description and Figs. I to 7.