US20160302597A1 - Tableware device for efficient consumption of cookies and milk - Google Patents

Tableware device for efficient consumption of cookies and milk Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US20160302597A1
US20160302597A1 US15/103,825 US201415103825A US2016302597A1 US 20160302597 A1 US20160302597 A1 US 20160302597A1 US 201415103825 A US201415103825 A US 201415103825A US 2016302597 A1 US2016302597 A1 US 2016302597A1
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
floor
fluid
food item
level
soaking
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US15/103,825
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Arnold Wesley Cross
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to US15/103,825 priority Critical patent/US20160302597A1/en
Publication of US20160302597A1 publication Critical patent/US20160302597A1/en
Priority to US29/799,413 priority patent/USD1016570S1/en
Priority to US29/799,403 priority patent/USD1018211S1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
    • A47G19/00—Table service
    • A47G19/02—Plates, dishes or the like
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D21/00—Nestable, stackable or joinable containers; Containers of variable capacity
    • B65D21/02—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together
    • B65D21/0209—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together stackable or joined together one-upon-the-other in the upright or upside-down position
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D25/00—Details of other kinds or types of rigid or semi-rigid containers
    • B65D25/20—External fittings
    • B65D25/24—External fittings for spacing bases of containers from supporting surfaces, e.g. legs
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
    • A47G2400/00—Details not otherwise provided for in A47G19/00-A47G23/16
    • A47G2400/06—Articles adapted for a particular kind of foodstuff
    • A47G2400/062—Articles adapted for a particular kind of foodstuff for cereals or other foods where liquid and non-liquid elements should be kept separate until eaten

Definitions

  • the present invention is directed to an article of tableware for personal consumption of food items soaked in fluid.
  • This specification concerns a device for soaking multiples of a food item of specific size in a fluid for immediate human consumption.
  • the qualifier, “of specific size” means the food item is normally consumed one at a time and is produced with consistency in its dimensions.
  • the terms “cookie” and “milk” are used throughout this specification as proxies for the food item of specific size and the fluid. Wherever “cookie” or “milk” appears, it should be understood to mean “food item of specific size” or “fluid”, respectively.
  • the specific size may differ from one embodiment to another and is referenced as the “intended cookie size”.
  • the vessel traditionally used to eat cookies soaked in milk is the cup. Milk is held in the cup, and the cookie is introduced to the milk.
  • One common method is for the user to hold the cookie while dipping it in the milk.
  • Another method which provides more thorough soaking of the cookie, is for the user to place the cookie in the milk and scoop it out with a spoon once it has absorbed the requisite amount of milk.
  • Each thoroughly soaked cookie is then eaten, and the next cookie is placed into the cup. This method requires the user to wait for each cookie to be thoroughly soaked and removed from the cup before the next cookie is introduced. If the user introduces a second cookie while a first cookie is still soaking, then the user is faced with the challenge of removing the first cookie from beneath the second cookie.
  • a bowl Another type of vessel that can be used to eat cookies and milk is a bowl. It allows cookies to be simultaneously soaked, but it has other disadvantages.
  • a bowl requires a larger quantity of milk to achieve an adequate milk depth. While the cookies may be conveniently removed from the bowl, doing it in sequence requires tracking the location of each cookie in the bowl. As the milk depth becomes low, the user must lift one side of the bowl in an awkward and generally not very effective effort to give full milk exposure to the cookies.
  • Prior inventions relating to the immediate consumption of food items soaked in fluid can be divided into three categories: utensils which hold cookies as they are dipped in milk, bowls with separation features, and bowls with consolidation features.
  • Bowls with separation features are directed toward eating granular food items in fluid, “granular” meaning that it is normally scooped into the mouth in multiples. Their stated objective is to keep the food item dry until the user is ready to mix it with the fluid, not to control the soaking process. They all have varying degrees of the disadvantages described above for bowls.
  • Bowls with consolidation features are directed toward controlling small quantities of granular food items, such as peas or corn. They are not effective in overcoming the disadvantages of bowls with respect to soaking of cookies in milk.
  • My device and its method of use have advantages which overcome the difficulties in the prior art.
  • the user is able to soak multiple cookies simultaneously without losing track of the sequence that they were introduced to the milk.
  • the user is able to conveniently remove the soaked cookies in sequence.
  • the amount of milk used is similar to the amount that would be used in a cup for the same purpose, but the time it takes to consume a satisfying quantity of thoroughly soaked cookies is drastically reduced.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a basic embodiment.
  • FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 .
  • FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment with several optional features.
  • FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 3 .
  • accommodation refers to a condition in which lateral movement of a single food item is restricted, and longitudinal movement is limited by the number of food items accommodated without the food items overlapping. This definition applies when the food items are oriented with their smallest dimension vertical. Accommodation may include allowance for variability of the food item size and clearance for insertion of a utensil, such as a spoon, around the food item.
  • FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 One embodiment of my device, shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , is a vessel having a scooping end 10 and an entry end 20 and having a length to width ratio of at least two to one, with the width sized to accommodate the intended cookie size.
  • the scooping end 10 has a level floor 14 which is essentially level over a longitudinal distance commensurate with the intended cookie size.
  • the scooping end 10 is partially bounded by a wall 30 which at that end resembles a circumferential half of the wall of a coffee cup, shortened in height by about a third. Where that part of the wall 30 opens toward the level floor 14 , the laterally opposed sides of the wall 30 continue longitudinally to the entry end 20 of the vessel.
  • the upper edge of the wall 30 is its rim 32 .
  • the sloped floor 24 is sloped, aligning with the level floor 14 toward the scooping end 10 and aligning with the rim 32 at the entry end 20 .
  • the level floor 14 , the sloped floor 24 and the wall 30 are merged to form a vessel body 50 which is capable of holding a fluid.
  • a support structure 26 is affixed to the underside of the vessel body 50 for support at the entry end 20 .
  • the device may be constructed of any material suitable for tableware, including combinations of materials. Suitable materials include fired clay, glass, plastic, wood, metals, paper, and composites. One method of manufacturing in clay is as follows.
  • Slip casting, ram pressing and pressure casting are other well understood methods that can be employed for manufacturing in clay. Manufacturing in other materials can be accomplished with methods that are well known in their respective arts.
  • the “desired quantity” of milk or fluid refers to the amount of fluid that is expected to be consumed by a user during one consumption session. For a given intended cookie size, a person in the culinary arts would generally recognize a reasonable range for the desired quantity of fluid.
  • a user employs my device for the purpose of eating food items of specific size soaked in a fluid.
  • the user sits at a table with the device placed upon the table in front of the user. Initially the device is filled with a desired quantity of milk.
  • the user may insert the first cookie into the milk from either end, but it should be guided to the scooping end 10 while it is floating on the milk. If the cookie is not buoyant in the milk, then the sloped floor 24 will guide it toward the scooping end 10 , and the user may help it along with a utensil.
  • the user inserts the second cookie into the milk at the entry end 20 . If the device is sufficiently long with respect to the size of the cookies, the user may optionally introduce the third cookie or more at the entry end 20 before extracting the first cookie.
  • the user When the first cookie has soaked in the milk to the user's satisfaction, the user extracts it at the scooping end 10 with a spoon or other appropriate utensil and eats it. The user then guides the second cookie to the scooping end 10 and inserts the next cookie at the entry end 20 . The process of extracting from the scooping end 10 and inserting at the entry end 20 is successively repeated, which provides a time efficient method to consume a fulfilling number of cookies. Once the milk is reduced to a level where it will no longer accommodate multiple cookies, the user may either soak the final few cookies one at a time at the scooping end 10 or simply drink the remainder of the milk.
  • FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 An embodiment which incorporates a few of many possible optional features is shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 .
  • This embodiment includes the features described above for FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , which are identified by the same reference numerals. Their descriptions remain the same, except as noted here.
  • the wall 30 is drafted at a slight angle, which can facilitate manufacture by slip casting or ram pressing and can provide clearance for a spoon to be inserted under a cookie.
  • Two protrusions 34 are built into the wall 30 to provide additional clearance for a spoon and a place for the user to rest the spoon when not in use.
  • the sloped floor 24 does not rise all the way to the rim 32 .
  • a ridge 22 is formed into the entry end 20 to enable mating of the devices when one is stacked upon another.
  • the ridge 22 contacts the support structure 26 of the stacked device to prevent sliding.
  • the draft of the wall 30 allows mating of the two devices at the entry end 10 , thereby completing a means for stacking

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Food-Manufacturing Devices (AREA)
  • Table Equipment (AREA)
  • Table Devices Or Equipment (AREA)
US15/103,825 2014-01-03 2014-12-23 Tableware device for efficient consumption of cookies and milk Abandoned US20160302597A1 (en)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US15/103,825 US20160302597A1 (en) 2014-01-03 2014-12-23 Tableware device for efficient consumption of cookies and milk
US29/799,413 USD1016570S1 (en) 2014-12-23 2021-07-14 Food bowl
US29/799,403 USD1018211S1 (en) 2014-12-23 2021-07-14 Food bowl

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US201461923618P 2014-01-03 2014-01-03
US15/103,825 US20160302597A1 (en) 2014-01-03 2014-12-23 Tableware device for efficient consumption of cookies and milk
PCT/US2014/072243 WO2015103051A1 (en) 2014-01-03 2014-12-23 Tableware device for efficient consumption of cookies and milk

Related Parent Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2014/072243 A-371-Of-International WO2015103051A1 (en) 2014-01-03 2014-12-23 Tableware device for efficient consumption of cookies and milk

Related Child Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US29/799,413 Continuation-In-Part USD1016570S1 (en) 2014-12-23 2021-07-14 Food bowl
US29/799,403 Continuation-In-Part USD1018211S1 (en) 2014-12-23 2021-07-14 Food bowl

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20160302597A1 true US20160302597A1 (en) 2016-10-20

Family

ID=53493926

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US15/103,825 Abandoned US20160302597A1 (en) 2014-01-03 2014-12-23 Tableware device for efficient consumption of cookies and milk

Country Status (6)

Country Link
US (1) US20160302597A1 (pt)
EP (1) EP3089628B1 (pt)
BR (1) BR112016015527B1 (pt)
MX (1) MX2016008443A (pt)
PL (1) PL3089628T3 (pt)
WO (1) WO2015103051A1 (pt)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20150305533A1 (en) * 2014-04-27 2015-10-29 Sha Design Llc. Tableware for Specialized Persons
USD781585S1 (en) * 2015-08-05 2017-03-21 Discovery Inc. Bin
USD798167S1 (en) * 2016-08-05 2017-09-26 Ronald Bennett Five-partition container for eggs and comestibles
USD849557S1 (en) * 2017-09-27 2019-05-28 D6 Inc. Container
USD871921S1 (en) * 2017-09-27 2020-01-07 D6 Inc. Container

Citations (23)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1520402A (en) * 1923-03-01 1924-12-23 J C Fee Dish
US2659917A (en) * 1950-04-13 1953-11-24 Drum Corp Paint tray
US2838781A (en) * 1954-03-29 1958-06-17 Sherwin Williams Co Multiple color paint tray
US2922176A (en) * 1958-06-04 1960-01-26 Bernhardt Henry Paint tray and liner therefor
US3157902A (en) * 1963-01-04 1964-11-24 Thomas L Hardwick Disposable paint tray liner
US4023702A (en) * 1976-06-14 1977-05-17 Mcknight Virgil L Paint tray handle and roller support
US4102468A (en) * 1976-12-16 1978-07-25 Robert Ivan Goldman Stackable paint tray
US5241835A (en) * 1992-12-30 1993-09-07 David Ascone Milk and cereal container
GB2265816A (en) * 1992-03-16 1993-10-13 Kenneth Samuel Oliver Cox A cereal bowl
US5328051A (en) * 1992-09-17 1994-07-12 Potter Wayne R Food serving device
US5676275A (en) * 1995-04-03 1997-10-14 Khattar; Jack A. Milk and cereal bowl
USD409448S (en) * 1997-09-10 1999-05-11 Gerber Products Company Infant feeding dish
US6042858A (en) * 1998-08-06 2000-03-28 Kairys; Liutauras Disposable container
US20060225959A1 (en) * 2005-04-06 2006-10-12 Pohl Norman R Paint tray
US20070169303A1 (en) * 2006-01-24 2007-07-26 Hart Gregory R Paint tray attachment for roller brush
US20070199942A1 (en) * 2006-02-24 2007-08-30 Thom Jason M Non-stick paint tray
US20080127443A1 (en) * 2006-12-04 2008-06-05 Normand Blanchard Paint tray
US20090265875A1 (en) * 2007-08-20 2009-10-29 Eric Clamp Laminated pulp disposable paint tray
US20110284119A1 (en) * 2010-05-18 2011-11-24 Andrews Edward A Cereal bowl with elevated trough
US20120312823A1 (en) * 2009-12-23 2012-12-13 Nestec S.A. Packages for consumable products and methods of using same
US9320374B2 (en) * 2013-09-23 2016-04-26 Jeff Phipps Main body
USD767952S1 (en) * 2014-04-25 2016-10-04 Ilie Ioncescu Cereal bowl
USD775435S1 (en) * 2013-04-29 2016-12-27 Valco Companies, Inc. Feeder

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2207417A (en) 1938-04-18 1940-07-09 Israel A Smith Cereal bowl
GB1206541A (en) * 1968-06-24 1970-09-23 Melaware Ltd Improvements in plates
US20090285941A1 (en) * 2008-05-13 2009-11-19 Percival Po Reyes Combination package of liquid and solid foodstuff
WO2011078889A1 (en) * 2009-12-23 2011-06-30 Nestec S.A. Packages for consumable products and methods of using same

Patent Citations (24)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1520402A (en) * 1923-03-01 1924-12-23 J C Fee Dish
US2659917A (en) * 1950-04-13 1953-11-24 Drum Corp Paint tray
US2838781A (en) * 1954-03-29 1958-06-17 Sherwin Williams Co Multiple color paint tray
US2922176A (en) * 1958-06-04 1960-01-26 Bernhardt Henry Paint tray and liner therefor
US3157902A (en) * 1963-01-04 1964-11-24 Thomas L Hardwick Disposable paint tray liner
US4023702A (en) * 1976-06-14 1977-05-17 Mcknight Virgil L Paint tray handle and roller support
US4102468A (en) * 1976-12-16 1978-07-25 Robert Ivan Goldman Stackable paint tray
GB2265816A (en) * 1992-03-16 1993-10-13 Kenneth Samuel Oliver Cox A cereal bowl
US5328051A (en) * 1992-09-17 1994-07-12 Potter Wayne R Food serving device
US5241835A (en) * 1992-12-30 1993-09-07 David Ascone Milk and cereal container
US5676275A (en) * 1995-04-03 1997-10-14 Khattar; Jack A. Milk and cereal bowl
USD409448S (en) * 1997-09-10 1999-05-11 Gerber Products Company Infant feeding dish
US6042858A (en) * 1998-08-06 2000-03-28 Kairys; Liutauras Disposable container
US20060225959A1 (en) * 2005-04-06 2006-10-12 Pohl Norman R Paint tray
US20070169303A1 (en) * 2006-01-24 2007-07-26 Hart Gregory R Paint tray attachment for roller brush
US20070199942A1 (en) * 2006-02-24 2007-08-30 Thom Jason M Non-stick paint tray
US20080127443A1 (en) * 2006-12-04 2008-06-05 Normand Blanchard Paint tray
US20090265875A1 (en) * 2007-08-20 2009-10-29 Eric Clamp Laminated pulp disposable paint tray
US20120312823A1 (en) * 2009-12-23 2012-12-13 Nestec S.A. Packages for consumable products and methods of using same
US20110284119A1 (en) * 2010-05-18 2011-11-24 Andrews Edward A Cereal bowl with elevated trough
US20130091808A1 (en) * 2010-05-18 2013-04-18 Edward A. Andrews Free-Standing, Stackable Cereal Bowl with Elevated Trough and Method of Use
USD775435S1 (en) * 2013-04-29 2016-12-27 Valco Companies, Inc. Feeder
US9320374B2 (en) * 2013-09-23 2016-04-26 Jeff Phipps Main body
USD767952S1 (en) * 2014-04-25 2016-10-04 Ilie Ioncescu Cereal bowl

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20150305533A1 (en) * 2014-04-27 2015-10-29 Sha Design Llc. Tableware for Specialized Persons
US20200093304A1 (en) * 2014-04-27 2020-03-26 Yenchih Yao Tableware for Specialized Persons
USD781585S1 (en) * 2015-08-05 2017-03-21 Discovery Inc. Bin
USD798167S1 (en) * 2016-08-05 2017-09-26 Ronald Bennett Five-partition container for eggs and comestibles
USD849557S1 (en) * 2017-09-27 2019-05-28 D6 Inc. Container
USD871921S1 (en) * 2017-09-27 2020-01-07 D6 Inc. Container

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP3089628A1 (en) 2016-11-09
WO2015103051A1 (en) 2015-07-09
PL3089628T3 (pl) 2022-02-14
BR112016015527B1 (pt) 2022-05-03
EP3089628A4 (en) 2017-09-06
BR112016015527A2 (pt) 2017-08-08
EP3089628B1 (en) 2021-10-06
MX2016008443A (es) 2016-11-29

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US20160302597A1 (en) Tableware device for efficient consumption of cookies and milk
US2859515A (en) Disposable feeding implement
US20110068111A1 (en) Plate with features that cooperatively interact with utensils
CN207928159U (zh) 吸管的结构
US7938285B2 (en) Wood chip soaker
KR101152940B1 (ko) 안전 식판
CA2856526A1 (en) Post on eating utensil
US20050098933A1 (en) Chopping board
GB2449687A (en) Chef's chopping tray
US9936675B2 (en) Method of promoting efficient water drinking by animals
US2258058A (en) Ladle
JP3827702B2 (ja) 猫用食器
JP7082259B1 (ja) 竹製食器及び竹製食器の作成方法
JP3232216U (ja) 竹製食器及び竹製食器の作成方法
CN202365514U (zh) 避油汤勺
US9345348B2 (en) Serving apparatus with flange and pour channel
CN202801086U (zh) 一种高脚杯托盘
CN204762693U (zh) 一种功能化动物饲养装置
JP3031655U (ja) カレー皿
CN211494827U (zh) 一种冷饮用注塑杯
WO2015178395A1 (ja) 食器
CN211748546U (zh) 一种新型的儿童吸管用碗
JP2023158735A (ja) 木製食器
DE20316627U1 (de) Getränkebehälter mit integrierten Becher- oder Tassenservice
KR200341139Y1 (ko) 음식물 선별기능을 구비한 주방용 국자

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
STCV Information on status: appeal procedure

Free format text: ON APPEAL -- AWAITING DECISION BY THE BOARD OF APPEALS

STCV Information on status: appeal procedure

Free format text: BOARD OF APPEALS DECISION RENDERED

STPP Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general

Free format text: NON FINAL ACTION MAILED

STPP Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general

Free format text: RESPONSE TO NON-FINAL OFFICE ACTION ENTERED AND FORWARDED TO EXAMINER

STPP Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general

Free format text: FINAL REJECTION MAILED

STCB Information on status: application discontinuation

Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION