WO2009104007A1 - Plateau-repas pliable - Google Patents
Plateau-repas pliable Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2009104007A1 WO2009104007A1 PCT/GB2009/000741 GB2009000741W WO2009104007A1 WO 2009104007 A1 WO2009104007 A1 WO 2009104007A1 GB 2009000741 W GB2009000741 W GB 2009000741W WO 2009104007 A1 WO2009104007 A1 WO 2009104007A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- tray
- foldable
- meal tray
- tray according
- base
- Prior art date
Links
- 235000012054 meals Nutrition 0.000 title claims abstract description 66
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 16
- 239000000123 paper Substances 0.000 description 7
- 235000013305 food Nutrition 0.000 description 3
- 235000011888 snacks Nutrition 0.000 description 3
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000010006 flight Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000000853 adhesive Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000004026 adhesive bonding Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001070 adhesive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000003466 anti-cipated effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 235000021270 cold food Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 239000000470 constituent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000035622 drinking Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000005611 electricity Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000446 fuel Substances 0.000 description 1
- 235000021268 hot food Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 230000003278 mimic effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004806 packaging method and process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000284 resting effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 210000002105 tongue Anatomy 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
- B64D—EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT
- B64D11/00—Passenger or crew accommodation; Flight-deck installations not otherwise provided for
- B64D11/0007—Devices specially adapted for food or beverage distribution services
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
- A47G23/00—Other table equipment
- A47G23/06—Serving trays
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
- A47G23/00—Other table equipment
- A47G23/06—Serving trays
- A47G23/0608—Lap trays
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
- A47G23/00—Other table equipment
- A47G23/06—Serving trays
- A47G23/0633—Attachments to trays
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
- A47G23/00—Other table equipment
- A47G23/06—Serving trays
- A47G23/0641—Serving trays provided with a plurality of openings, e.g. for carrying glasses, bottles or the like
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a foldable meal tray, particularly, but not exclusively a foldable meal tray for use whilst meals, snacks or the like are being served to passengers on board an aircraft during an in-flight service.
- 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.
- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a template for a first embodiment of a foldable meal tray in accordance with the present invention, prior to construction;
- Fig. 2 is a plan view of the constructed foldable meal tray of Fig.1 in its flattened, stowed configuration
- Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the constructed foldable meal tray of
- Fig.1 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;
- Fig. 7 is a rear view of the foldable meal tray of Fig. 3;
- Fig.8. is a plan view of a template for a second embodiment of a foldable meal tray in accordance with the present invention, prior to construction;
- Fig.9 is a front view of the inside surface of the lid of the embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig.8;
- Fig.10 is a front view of the embodiment of the foldable meal tray of Fig. 8;
- Fig.11 is a side view of the inside surface of the support means of the embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig.8;
- Fig.12 is a side view of the embodiment of the foldable meal tray of
- Fig. 8;and Fig.13 shows an embodiment of a programmable media card connectable to a foldable meal tray in accordance with the present invention.
- 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.
- this involves cutting out the template illustrated in Fig. 1 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 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.
- a securing strip such as a piece of cardboard with corrugated portions
- 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).
- 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.
- a passenger 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 walls 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 walls 20 if required; for example, poppers, hook and loop fasteners etc.
- 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.
- 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.
- Figs. 8 to 12 show a second embodiment of the present invention.
- Fig. 8 is a plan view of the template from which the foldable meal tray is cut.
- the template 51 comprises areas which will form the base, support means and raised shelf of the foldable meal tray.
- the raised shelf 53 contains areas 59 which will form cup holders on the shelf 53 and has side walls 61 , 63 which form the support means.
- the back 55 also forms part of the support means when the tray is assembled.
- the base 57 comprises rear, side and front walls 65, 67 and 69 respectively and is provided with areas which form slots that are adapted to receive flaps situated on other parts of the structure, Fold lines 75 are positioned to assist in the assembly of the tray and tearing around the line 77 allows the centre 79 of the front area of the box to be folded flat against the surface on which base of the box is resting. Finger receiving apertures 66 allow the tray to be carried in one hand.
- the tray can be configured in 3 positions. Firstly, when the tray is being transported prior to use, it can be packed flat. It is anticipated that trays in accordance with the present invention will be used by catering companies who provide hot meals and snacks for passengers on aircraft. Often, the parts of the meal that do not require to be heated are packed onto trays prior to being loaded onto the aircraft.
- the second embodiment of the present invention can be configured as a box into which are put the pre-packed meal items before the boxes are loaded onto the aircraft.
- the raised shelf 53, back 55 and supports 61 ,63 which form the raised shelf and the supports are folded flat forming the lid of the box as shown in Fig.9.
- the remainder of the box is formed by the tray base 57, rear wall 65, side walls 67 and front wall 69.
- the lid of the box may overhang the walls of the box slightly; this assists in holding the supports 61 , 63 in a substantially flat position and stops them extending into the cavity of the box.
- the front wall 69 has a slot 73 into which a flap contained on the lid of the box (not shown) may be inserted to secure the lid in position.
- Fig.9 also shows a media card 85 which may be made of electronic paper or other suitable programmable medium upon which text and images are displayable.
- Electronic paper also called e-paper, is a display technology designed to mimic the appearance of ordinary ink on paper. Unlike a conventional flat panel display, which uses a backlight to illuminate its pixels, electronic paper reflects light like ordinary paper and is capable of holding text and images indefinitely without drawing electricity, while allowing the image to be changed later.
- the media card presents the passenger with a range of information on, for example the destination to which the aircraft is flying.
- Fig.13 shows an embodiment of a media card in more detail.
- the media card 111 is made from e-paper and comprises a display screen 113, a menu 115 and buttons 117.
- the menu 115 contains a list of possible information about the flight destination such as taxi numbers, hotel information and general tourist information and an alphanumeric code.
- the passenger can use the buttons 117 to punch in the code for the information he wants to read whereupon it will be displayed on the screen 113.
- the media card may be detachable from the meal tray and can be taken off the aircraft by the passenger.
- the media card presents a new way in which advertisers can have their products seen by potential customers.
- the media card may be capable of receiving wireless communications which can update the information provided on the media card.
- Figure 10 shows a front view of the second embodiment of the foldable meal tray in accordance with the present invention.
- This view shows the back 55 and sides 61 , 63 supporting the raised shelf 53 with cup holders 59 extending downwards from the plane of the raised shelf. Details of the configuration of supports 61 , 63 are provided in Figs. 11 and 12.
- the cup holders 59 are formed from a section of the raised shelf and a section of the back 55 of the tray which are attached at each end 62, 64. In the stowed position, the respective sections of cup holder are flush against the raised shelf 53 and back 55 but can be pushed out manually to form the cup holders 59.
- Figs.11 and 12 shows the side supports 61 and 63 in more detail.
- Support 61 is positioned on the inside of the side wall to support the raised shelf 53 and support 63 formed the outside of the support.
- Support 63 and 61 are attached by an adhesive or other suitable means at the end of the support 63 closest to the raised shelf such that the remainder of the support 61 can move relative to support 63.
- the end 103 of the support 61 remote from the raised shelf has an arcuate cut-out and is provided with a tab 107 formed from a section of the support 61 , such that the tab can be pressed through a receiving hole (not shown) in the side wall 67 of the base.
- a side view of the tray is shown in Fig. 12 wherein slots are provided for receiving tabs to further strengthen the structure.
- the tray In use, the tray is initially packed flat for transportation to a customer.
- the customer such as an aircraft catering company, assembles the trays into boxes where the raised shelf and supports 61 , 63 are folded up to form the lid of the box.
- items such as cold food, cutlery, and napkins are loaded into each box before the boxes are loaded onto an aircraft.
- the aircrew begin serving the meal. This involves taking items of hot food which have been separately loaded onto the aircraft and adding them to the tray.
- the aircrew simply open the lid of the box, and unfolding the shelf 53 with respect to the back 55 causes the supports to open outwards forming a supported raised shelf.
- Support 61 is also connected to the side of the base 67 via tab 107.
- the above embodiment of the present invention is particularly easy to assemble and can be assembled in a time that is comparable to the time that it would take to provide a passenger with a tray of food in the way in which food is currently served on aircraft.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 / other drinking vessels and which easily folds flat when required.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
- Table Equipment (AREA)
- Details Of Rigid Or Semi-Rigid Containers (AREA)
Abstract
L'invention concerne un plateau-repas pliable utilisé, par exemple, dans un avion. Le plateau-repas pliable est constitué d'un plateau de base (19) et d'une partie surélevée (12). La partie surélevée est connectée au plateau de base par des moyens de support (14) connectés de manière repliable de façon que le plateau-repas puisse adopter une configuration dépliée d'utilisation et une configuration repliée de rangement entre les repas. Le plateau-repas pliable est formé d'une seule feuille de matériau peu coûteux, par exemple du carton (10).
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB0802984A GB2457659A (en) | 2008-02-19 | 2008-02-19 | Foldable meal tray |
GB0802984.5 | 2008-02-19 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2009104007A1 true WO2009104007A1 (fr) | 2009-08-27 |
Family
ID=39271910
Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/GB2009/000741 WO2009104007A1 (fr) | 2008-02-19 | 2009-03-19 | Plateau-repas pliable |
PCT/EP2009/002462 WO2009103568A2 (fr) | 2008-02-19 | 2009-04-03 | Plateau-repas pliable |
Family Applications After (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/EP2009/002462 WO2009103568A2 (fr) | 2008-02-19 | 2009-04-03 | Plateau-repas pliable |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
GB (1) | GB2457659A (fr) |
WO (2) | WO2009104007A1 (fr) |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
AP3622A (en) | 2009-05-13 | 2016-03-02 | Gilead Sciences Inc | Antiviral compounds |
Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2466636A (en) * | 1947-11-14 | 1949-04-05 | Martha L Bruckner | Service tray |
US2679971A (en) * | 1952-03-22 | 1954-06-01 | Standard Box Co | Automatic serving tray |
US3189247A (en) * | 1964-03-17 | 1965-06-15 | Winchester Carton Corp | Paperboard serving tray |
GB2297313A (en) * | 1995-01-27 | 1996-07-31 | Boxfoldia Ltd | Packaging trays |
FR2745161A1 (fr) * | 1996-02-23 | 1997-08-29 | Delphinnove | Plateau-repas universel |
US6149011A (en) * | 1999-02-01 | 2000-11-21 | Csengeri; Paul James | Multi-level eating surface apparatus and method |
Family Cites Families (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB235293A (en) * | 1924-03-10 | 1925-06-10 | Edward Stanislaus Louis | Improvements in or relating to cake stands and like portable stands |
US1862010A (en) * | 1930-03-13 | 1932-06-07 | Ehrlich Max | Multiple tray |
US2903311A (en) * | 1956-02-08 | 1959-09-08 | Oscar C Earhart | Tray |
US2982420A (en) * | 1957-06-17 | 1961-05-02 | Ferdinand A Wannemacher | Collapsible serving tray attachment |
US4489971A (en) * | 1983-02-10 | 1984-12-25 | Martinez Sr Alfonso E | Collapsible pensile food carrier |
US6012585A (en) * | 1997-02-24 | 2000-01-11 | Parker; Janet Marie | Portable collapsible medicine container-caddie |
JP3357331B2 (ja) * | 1999-12-20 | 2002-12-16 | 日本クレセント株式会社 | トレー |
-
2008
- 2008-02-19 GB GB0802984A patent/GB2457659A/en not_active Withdrawn
-
2009
- 2009-03-19 WO PCT/GB2009/000741 patent/WO2009104007A1/fr active Application Filing
- 2009-04-03 WO PCT/EP2009/002462 patent/WO2009103568A2/fr active Application Filing
Patent Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2466636A (en) * | 1947-11-14 | 1949-04-05 | Martha L Bruckner | Service tray |
US2679971A (en) * | 1952-03-22 | 1954-06-01 | Standard Box Co | Automatic serving tray |
US3189247A (en) * | 1964-03-17 | 1965-06-15 | Winchester Carton Corp | Paperboard serving tray |
GB2297313A (en) * | 1995-01-27 | 1996-07-31 | Boxfoldia Ltd | Packaging trays |
FR2745161A1 (fr) * | 1996-02-23 | 1997-08-29 | Delphinnove | Plateau-repas universel |
US6149011A (en) * | 1999-02-01 | 2000-11-21 | Csengeri; Paul James | Multi-level eating surface apparatus and method |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2009103568A8 (fr) | 2011-03-10 |
GB2457659A (en) | 2009-08-26 |
GB0802984D0 (en) | 2008-03-26 |
WO2009103568A2 (fr) | 2009-08-27 |
WO2009103568A3 (fr) | 2009-11-05 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US9173485B2 (en) | Self-expanding, load-bearing mechanism for display units | |
US8215039B2 (en) | Advertising apparatus for airplane service cart | |
US6834762B2 (en) | Foldable beverage carrier | |
US20100276381A1 (en) | Expandable display system | |
US6068127A (en) | Container carrier, base and advertising/promotional transport | |
JP2001513378A (ja) | 乗り物座席 | |
US7748528B2 (en) | Convertible packaging | |
JP4209918B2 (ja) | 搬送装置 | |
EP1929461B1 (fr) | Dispositif d'affichage | |
US20100102183A1 (en) | Window Insert | |
US20080283690A1 (en) | Beverage Holder Adapters for Non-Cylindrical, Multi-Sided Food Containers | |
US7743971B2 (en) | Food and beverage carrier and method | |
US20070045338A1 (en) | Food dispensing and distributing apparatus including sauce holder, and method of using | |
US7243785B2 (en) | Carrier and method | |
US20160287024A1 (en) | Food and Beverage Tray | |
WO2009104007A1 (fr) | Plateau-repas pliable | |
US11046475B2 (en) | Meal packaging and presentation systems and methods | |
US20040195144A1 (en) | Food and beverage tray | |
EP3515820B1 (fr) | Chariot, unité supérieure repliable et moyen de transport de passagers | |
US20190144180A1 (en) | Stadium tray | |
US8033396B2 (en) | Method and apparatus for arranging, transporting, and/or serving food | |
US10954029B2 (en) | Flat-folding box covers and method of assembly and methods of customizing images on the box cover | |
WO2000071384A1 (fr) | Support a gobelet | |
US20070000927A1 (en) | Food container for vehicle cup holders | |
US20090254429A1 (en) | Placement device and method |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
121 | Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application |
Ref document number: 09712438 Country of ref document: EP Kind code of ref document: A1 |
|
NENP | Non-entry into the national phase |
Ref country code: DE |
|
122 | Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase |
Ref document number: 09712438 Country of ref document: EP Kind code of ref document: A1 |