Reusable set of tray and containers

Abstract

The invention relates to a reusable set of tray and containers for a food and beverage delivery. The set includes a tray 1 and at least two recesses 6 and 7 on the tray 1 for receiving containers 2, 3, 4 with bottoms of different diameters placed on the tray 1, each recess 6, 7 having devices 8, 9 to hold the container in place. The tray 1 includes at least one recess 6 for receiving a container 2, 3 having a bottom of a first diameter, and two other recesses 7, at least partially overlapping with said recess 6, to receive containers 4 with a bottom diameter smaller than a container 2, 3 with a bottom having said first diameter.

Description

[0001] Reusable set of tray and containers

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The invention relates to a reusable set of tray and containers for a food and beverage delivery. The set comprises a tray and at least two recesses on the tray for receiving containers with bottoms of different diameters placed on the tray, each recess having devices to hold the container in place. The set is intended for use mainly in the field of fast food for delivering pre-ordered orders.

[0004] BACKGROUND ART

[0005] US patent application US2019142196A1 describes a configurable system of a tray and modular containers, comprising a tray and modular containers to be received on the tray for holding food and beverages. The modular containers include bowls, containers with sections, cups, cup holders with various sizes, dishes, and other containers. The tray enables the user to add more different food items to the tray, while keeping the food separated, to adapt the tray for various liquid food articles (e.g. soups and beverages), and to carry all containers on the tray in an easy and safe manner. The tray is divided into square-shaped sections with ribs extending from the tray, where each section comprises a circular recess for receiving a container with circular bottom. In the square-shaped section, the bottom of a container with square-shaped bottom can be placed, the interior of which may be in turn divided into several sections. Further, a container comprising crossing grooves for receiving the crossing ribs at the bottom can be placed to the crossing place of the ribs. The disadvantage of this solution is the fact that containers are held in place on the tray only by friction, and upon shaking the content of the container, it may overturn on the tray. Containers can be placed on this tray only between the special devices or in the sections, and configuration of the containers on the tray can be changed only by removing one or several containers from the tray.

[0006] US patent application US9326626B2 describes a tray comprising T-shaped grooves in its upper surface, where containers for food and beverages are fixed, while devices fitting into a T-groove for keeping the container in place are provided on the bottom of the containers. In a described embodiment, the said devices fitting into a T-groove for keeping the container in place are folded of cardboard, which is fixed onto the bottom of the container with double-sided tape. Also, plastic molded devices are fixed onto the bottoms of the containers with double-sided tape. The disadvantage of this solution is the fact that when tilting the tray, the containers fixed into the T-groove can slide along the said groove. Furthermore, the container with devices fixed on the bottom cannot be placed stably on a flat surface, but it will stand firmly in upright position only in the T-groove of the tray.

[0007] US patent application US3148636A describes a disposable folded tray made of sheet material, comprising slots and devices for keeping the food and beverage containers placed in the slots in place at the edges of the slots. Slots of the tray are intended for receiving a larger container, such as a plate, and several smaller containers, such as a beverage container and containers comprising other food articles. Slots of the tray prevent sliding of the containers received within them off the tray, but do not fix the containers to the tray. Also, it is not possible to combine containers with different sizes on the tray, such as two large containers and few smaller containers instead of one larger container and several smaller containers.

[0008] Italian utility model IT202000000782U1 describes a tray comprising devices for holding the food and / or beverage containers in place on the tray, which are provided in circle in the shape of curves, between which the bottom of the container to be held in place is placed. Containers can be placed on this tray only between the special devices, and configuration of the containers on the tray can be changed only by removing one or several containers from the tray. Also, it is not possible to combine containers with different sizes on the tray, such as two large containers and some smaller containers instead of one larger container and several smaller containers.

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] In the field of fast food, mainly disposable containers and paper bags, into which the containers with ordered food and beverages are packaged, are used for delivering the pre-ordered orders. An additional problem of delivery of an order in a paper bag is the risk of tip-over of the containers in the paper bag.

[0011] The use of reusable containers which can be sealed with a cover is increasing, in order to minimize the so-called ecological footprint. In order to prevent the risk of tip-over, the containers should be protected against tip-over during delivery. An option is temporary fixing of containers to the tray, with which the order is delivered to the customer. Thereby, the tray as well as the used containers should be reusable. In the solutions of prior art, trays are intended for fixing containers of specific number and size on the tray - replacement of smaller containers (i.e. with smaller diameter and volume) with one container with larger diameter and volume and other way round is not possible in the solutions of prior art. However, this limits combination and delivery of the content of orders, when using the same tray, and it has been necessary to use different trays for using containers of different size and number.

[0012] The present invention is intended for resolving the above-mentioned problems.

[0013] The objective of the invention is to provide a set of tray and containers, which enables to combine containers with different sizes on the tray, so that e.g. several containers with smaller diameter can be placed in the area of a larger container instead one container with larger diameter, or one container with larger diameter can be placed in the area of several containers with smaller diameter. Thereby, when combining different containers, a tray is used, which enables to fix several containers with smaller diameter or a container with larger diameter in the same area on the tray.

[0014] The invention provides a reusable set of tray and containers for a food and beverage delivery, comprising a tray and at least two recesses on the tray for receiving containers with bottoms of different diameters placed on the tray, whereby each said recess comprises devices to hold the container in place. The tray comprises at least one recess for receiving a container having a bottom of a first diameter, whereby the tray comprises at least two other recesses at least partially overlapping with said recess, to receive two other containers with a bottom diameter smaller than the first bottom diameter.

[0015] In the second embodiment of the invention, the recess for receiving the container having a bottom of the first diameter overlaps at least partially with three recesses for receiving three other containers with a bottom diameter smaller than the first diameter. Preferably the devices extend from the tray in the area of recesses for holding the container in place, and are intended to cooperate with the devices extending from the bottom of the containers.

[0016] The devices extending from the tray for holding the containers in place are anchoring elements, comprising slots for engagement with the devices on the bottom of the containers.

[0017] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] The invention is described below with references to the appended schematic figures, where:

[0019] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the set of tray and containers, where containers with larger diameter are placed in two recesses and containers with smaller diameter are placed in one recess on the tray;

[0020] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the set of tray and containers, where three containers with smaller diameter are placed in the area of one container with larger diameter instead of the larger container;

[0021] Figure 3 is a top view of the set of tray and containers of Figure 1 ;

[0022] Figure 4 is a top view of the set of tray and containers of Figure 2;

[0023] Figure 5 is a top view of the tray;

[0024] Figure 6 is a perspective view of the bottom of a container with large diameter; and

[0025] Figure 7 is a perspective view of the bottom of a container with small diameter.

[0026] DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0027] For the sake of clarity, the same details and elements in different figures have the same reference numbers.

[0028] Figures 1 , 2, 3, and 4 illustrate the set of tray 1 and containers 2, 3, and 4 of the invention for a food and beverage delivery, where in the configuration of figures 1 and 3 the containers 2 and 3 with larger diameter are placed in the recesses 6 of the tray 1 with similar configuration, and in the configuration of figures 2 and 4 three containers 4 with smaller diameter are placed in the recesses 7 overlapping with the area of recess 6.

[0029] The arrangement of recesses 6 and 7 on the tray 1 is shown in figure 5, where dashed line indicates the recesses 6 in left upper corner and right lower corner of the figure, which are partially overlapped by recesses 7, the diameter of which is smaller than the diameter of recesses 6.

[0030] Such arrangement enables to use the area of recess 6, when it does not receive the container 2 or 3 with the first bottom diameter, or so-called large bottom diameter, for receiving three containers 4 with smaller bottom diameter than the first diameter.

[0031] Recesses 6 and 7 comprise devices 8 and 9 for holding the containers in place, and the devices 8 and 9 are intended to engage with respective devices 8’ ja 9’ on the bottom of the containers 2, 3, and 4, see figures 6 and 7.

[0032] Containers 4 placed on the tray 1 may have different heights and preferably the cover of container 4 is configured so that another container 4 can be stacked on it and held in place on the cover with the devices 9’ on the bottom of container 4.

[0033] As clearly visible from figures 1 and 3, containers 2 and 3 with different diameters, the bottom diameter of which is configured to fit in recess 6, can be placed in recess 6 with larger diameter. Also, the covers of containers 2 and 3 are preferably configured so that another container 2 or 3 can be stacked on them and held in place on the cover with the devices 8’ on the bottom of container 2 or 3.

[0034] Such overlap of the recesses 6 and some recesses 7 (dashed lines in figure 5) enables to vary the containers 2, 3, and 4 placed on the tray 1 as necessary and depending on the content of the order. Further, as the containers can be stacked on each other, a second tray is not necessary for accommodating a larger order.

[0035] Also, in the areas not occupied by the overlapping recesses 6 and 7, the tray 1 has recesses 7, which are exclusively intended only for receiving a container 4 with a single type of bottom diameter.

[0036] The devices 8, 9 extending from the recesses 6, 7 on the tray 1 for holding the containers in place are configured as anchoring elements, comprising slots for engagement with the devices 8’, 9’ on the bottom of the containers - as such devices are long known in the prior art, they are not described in detail in the present invention, because their configuration is self-evident for a person skilled in the art.

[0037] In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, the bottom of the containers 2, 3, and 4 comprises a circular protrusion (see figures 6 and 7), in which the devices 8’, 9’ are arranged - such configuration enables to place the containers 2, 3, and 4 on a flat surface, without any impact of the devices 8’, 9’ on the stability of upright position.

[0038] Preferably the top surfaces of devices received in the recesses 6 and 7 on the tray 1 are level with the surface of the tray 1 without recesses.

[0039] LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0040] 1 tray

[0041] 2 container with large bottom diameter

[0042] 3 container with large bottom diameter

[0043] 4 container with small bottom diameter

[0044] 6 recess for a container with large bottom diameter

[0045] 7 recess for a container with small bottom diameter

[0046] 8 device for holding a container in place

[0047] 9 device for holding a container in place

[0048] 8’ device for holding in place on the bottom of the container

[0049] 9’ device for holding in place on the bottom of the container

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS received by the International Bureau on 18 February 2025 (18.02.2025)1. A reusable set of tray (1 ) and containers (2, 3, 4), comprising a tray (1 ), at least two recesses (6; 7) on the tray (1 ) for receiving containers (2, 3, 4) with bottoms of different diameters placed on the tray, and in each of said recesses (6; 7) the devices (8; 9) to hold the container (2, 3, 4) in place, the tray (1 ) comprises at least one recess (6) for receiving a container (2; 3) having a bottom of a first diameter, whereby the tray (1 ) comprises at least two other recesses (7) at least partially overlapping with said recess (6), to receive containers (4) with a bottom diameter smaller than the first diameter, characterized in that the covers of containers (2, 3) are configured so that another container (2, 3) is stackable on the cover and held in place on said cover with the devices (8’) to hold the container (2, 3, 4) in place on the bottom of container (2, 3).

2. The reusable set according to claim 1 , characterized in that the recess (6) for receiving a container (2; 3) having a bottom of a first diameter is at least partially overlapping with three recesses (7) for receiving a container (4; 5) with a bottom diameter smaller than the first diameter.

3. The reusable set according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the recesses (6; 7) include devices (8; 9) extending from the tray (1 ) for holding the container (2, 3, 4) in place, which are intended to cooperate with the devices (8’, 9’) on the bottom of the containers (2, 3, 4).

4. The reusable set according to any of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the devices (8, 9) extending from the recesses (6, 7) on the tray (1 ) for holding the containers in place are anchoring elements, which comprise slots for engaging with the devices (8’, 9’) on the bottom of the containers.

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