US2948391A

US2948391A - Serving tray

Info

Publication number: US2948391A
Application number: US816543A
Authority: US
Inventors: Norman P Mcleod
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-05-28
Filing date: 1959-05-28
Publication date: 1960-08-09
Anticipated expiration: 1977-08-09

Description

Aug. 9, 1960 n N. P. MCLEOD '2,948,391

SERVING TRAY Filed May 28, '1959 United States Patent 4lC) SERVING TRAY Norman I. McLeod, '1114 'W. St. Andrew Place, Santa Ana, Calif.

Filed May 28, 1959, Ser. No. 816,543

`6 Claims. (Cl. 206-.81)

This invention relates to` a combined serving tray and cash receptacle device for use particularly by waiters and waitresses.

In many eating and drinking establishments the waiters or waitresses who serve food and beverages also handle and are responsible for the cash involved in payment by the patrons and also commonly make change in handling the matter of payment. In handling such transactions the Waiter or waitress must either make a separate trip to and from the patron to= a cashier or must carry a supply of change in his or her pocket, the latter expedient being very lawkward and cumbersome and conducive to making mistakes.

This cash handling and change making problem is particularly aggravating and time-.consuming in drive-in establishments where the waiter or waitress covers a considerable area and where the distance from the cashier to the patron may be very substantial. Furthermore, in handling drive-in service there is no table, counter or like surface available for temporarily resting the tray or for working upon in writing a food or beverage check or for use in making change.

The present invention provides a food or beverage serving tray with built-in means for receiving coins and bills, the former sorted as to denomination, with the coin receptacle arranged in the tray in such manner as to facilitate removing coins therefrom in making change. The device of the present invention saves a great deal of the waiters or waitress time, reduces the possibility of error and consequent financial loss to the server or the establishment, and reduces the possibility of spilling or upsetting food or beverages `due to the awkwardness of making change in the customary manner.

A typical embodiment of the device of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and is described in detail in the following specification. .However, it is to be understood that such embodiment is by way of example only and that various mechanical modifications may be effected without departing from the principles of the invention, the scope of which is limited only as defined in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a general top plan view of one form of the device of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. l showing a lid portion of the device in open position;

Fig. 3 is another fragmentary View similar to Figs. l and 2 showing the apparatus in a further opened position; and

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional View on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 but on an enlarged scale.

Like characters of reference denote like parts throughout the several figures of the drawing. The numeral designates generally a tray member which comprises the main body member of the device and which consists of the usual at bottom portion 11 and an inclined or flaring marginal wall portion 12 extending thereabout. In the lCC illustrated instance a sheet of cork or the like is shown applied to the upper surface of the bottom 11 of the tray as at 13 to provide a friction surface for preventing slipping or sliding of objects resting on the tray.

lReference will now be had to the cash receptacle portion of the device of the present invention.` The base member of the receptacle portion is designated 15 land comprises a generally rectangular block of material slotted inwardly from one of its longer edges as indicated at 16 in Fig. 3. The slots which are collectively designated 16 are of various widths to receive coins of various denominations. It will be noted that, in the preferred form of the invention illustrated herein the bottoms of the slots 16 are formed by the cork or other frictional material 13.

It will further be noted, by reference particularly', to Figs. 3 and 4, that the coin receiving slots 16 open toward and immediately adjacent to one of the slanted or inclined side walls 12 of the tray 10 to which the base block 15 is attached by cementiug or the like. Block 15 may, incidentally, be of wood or of molded plastic or any other desired material.

Referring again to the adjacency of the open ends of the slots 16 to inclined wall 12, it will be noted that coins may readily be withdrawn from the slots by applying finger pressure to the coins and drawing them forwardly or outwardly of the slots and continuously upwardly along the inclined tray wall 12 as indicated in dot and dash lines at the left-hand side of Fig. 4. f

An intermediate member designated generally byY th numeral 20 serves a dual purpose as a cover member for the coin slots of the block 15 and as a receptacle forfour,- rency. Member 26, in the form illustrated in the drawing by way of example, comprises a sheet metal base member 21 and a C-shaped biock 22 which is xed to the upper surface of sheet metal base member 21 and `forms a relatively shallow side walls around three sides thereof.

At the fourth side, in the present instance the side contiguous with the open ends of the coin slots 16, the base member 21 is anged upwardly, as at 24 in Figs. 3 and 4,- to form a fourth side war and the compartment thus dened is adapted to receive currency. A spring clip 25 may be provided to retain currency therein against accidental dislodgment. The block portion 22 of the combined cover member and receptacle 20 is hinged to the upper surface of the base member 15 as indicated at 26 in Fig. 4.

The currency compartment thus formed by the cornbined intermediate cover member and receptacle 20 is in turn provided with a cover member 27. 'I'he latter is set into a recess formed in the upper surface of the block 22 and is hinged thereto as at 29. A further spring clip 30 may be provided at the outside of the ofuter cover member 27, as for holding order slips, food and beverage checks, menus or the like.

In gaining access to the coin slots 16 the member 20 and the top cover member 27 will most conveniently be raised as a unit as indicated by the dot and dash showing designated A in Fig. 4.

I claim:

l. In a serving device, a baseplate forming a tray surface and having outwardly flaring walls about its margin, and a cash receiving device secured to said base plate adjacent to one of said flaring walls, said receiving device comprising a base block having a pluality of slots therein opening toward said one flaring wall and of a width t0 receive coins of various denominations, a relatively shallow receptacle hinged to said base block at the edge thereof opposite to said one flaring wall to serve as a cover for said coin slots and as an overlying currency receiving receptacle, and a top cover member hinged to said receptacle.

2. In a serving device, a base plate forming a tray surl face and having outwardly flaring walls about its margin, and a cash receiving device secured to said base plate adjacent t one of said flaring Walls, said receiving device comprising a base block having a plurality of slots therein opening toward said one flaring wall and of a width to receive coins of various denominations, and cover means normally overlying said coin slots and hinged to said base block at the edge thereof opposite to said one flaring wall for opening movement.

3. In a cash receptacle, a base plate, a coin receiving member comprising a block having a plurality of slots therein extending inwardly from an edge thereof and of various widths to accommodate coins of various denominations, said base plate extending marginally beyond said block at the slotted edge thereof and sloping upwardly to form means tending to retain coins in said slots but available for removal of coins by manual sliding thereof outwardly of a slot and upwardly along said sloping wall, a relatively shallow receptacle hinged to said base block at the edge thereof opposite to the sloping marginal portion of said base plate to serve as a cover for said coin slots and as an overlying currency receiving recptacle, and a top cover member hinged to said receptacle.

4. In a cash receptacle, a base plate, a coin receiving member comprising a block having a plurality of slots therein extending inwardly from an edge thereof and of various widths to accommodate coins of various denominations, said base plate extending marginally beyond said block at the slotted edge thereof and sloping upwardly to form means tending to retain coins in said slots but available for removal of coins by manual sliding thereof outwardly of a slot and upwardly along said sloping Wall, and means normally overlying said coin slots and hinged to said base block at the edge thereof opposite to the sloping marginal portion of said base plate to serve as a cover for said coin slots.

5. In a serving device a generally rectangular base plate forming a tray surface and having outwardly flaring walls about its margin, and a generally rectangular cash receiving device secured to said base plate adjacent to the flaring Walls at one of the shorter sides of said tray, said receiving device comprising a base block having a plurality of slots therein opening toward said adjacent flaring Wall and of a width to receive coins of various denominations, a relatively shallow receptacle hinged to said base block at the edge thereof opposite to said one flaring Wall to serve as a cover for said coin slots and as an overlying currency receiving receptacle, and a top cover member hinged to said receptacle.

6. In a serving device a generally rectangular base plate forming a tray surface and having outwardly flaring walls about its margin, and a generally rectangular cash receiving device secured to said base plate adjacent to the flaring wall at one of the shorter sides of said tray, said receiving device comprising a base block having a plurality of slots therein opening toward said adjacent flaring wall and of a width to receive coins of various denominations, and cover means normally overlying said coin slots and hinged to said base block at the edge thereof opposite to said one aring wall for opening movement.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,385,885 Norris July 26, 1921 2,051,131 `Crow Aug. 18, 1936 2,079,850 Gessier May 11, 1937 2,541,890 Shaperkotter ---n Feb. 18, 1951