Portable Food and Beverage Carrier

Abstract

The invention provides a portable carrier that contains deployable and retractable compartments to place foods and beverages inside. The portable carrier is made with a minimum amount of printable material and glue and requires at most two folds to create the invention, yet allows the ability to print graphics and media for advertising and marketing purposes. Beverage containers are secured with a compartment comprising a beverage compartment base, a beverage compartment wall, and beverage compartment arms. Adjusting flaps are used to help accommodate larger, wider beverages. Food items such as boxes and trays are secured with a compartment comprising a food compartment base, carrier walls, and food compartment supports and arms. A person can deploy and retract these compartments with their hands and fingers. The carrier contains a handle to carry the beverages and foods with one hand.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION[Document 1] U.S. Pat. No. 10,045,645 (Issue Date Aug. 14, 2018)

[0002] [Document 2] U.S. Pat. No. 7,850,004 (Issue Date Dec. 14, 2010)

[0003] [Document 3] U.S. Pat. No. 8,245,894 (Issue Date Aug. 21, 2012)

[0004] The Prior Art Document 1 teaches a portable cup holder that may be folded rapidly and easily, without any gluing, to carry cups. The portable cup holder carries the cups using cup openings located at the bottom and top portions of the cup holder, and the portable cup holder forms a handle for the user to hold onto.

[0005] The Prior Art Document 2 teaches a disposable food and beverage container comprising a lower carrier tray and upper carrier tray that mate with each other.

[0006] The Prior Art Document 3 teaches a cup holder for a shopping cart that can be deployed and retracted, and it involves a top ring, base, and struts to hold the cup.

[0007] The present invention relates to the field of disposable carriers for food and beverage containers, commonly used in restaurants, stadiums, concession stands, and other venues where food and beverages are served to customers.

[0008] The food service industry is rapidly growing, driving an increasing demand for more convenient and efficient solutions for securing and transporting food and beverages. Among these, cup carriers with handles have become highly popular due to their ease of use. However, such carriers have notable flaws, particularly related to production complexity and cost. Unlike conventional molded pulp carriers, which are made from recycled materials, paper cup carriers with handles often require die-cutting, folding, and gluing, significantly increasing production complexity and expense. A common feature of these carriers is the “auto bottom,” a pre-glued design that folds into place upon opening. While assembly is convenient for consumers, the auto-bottom design is known to be one of the most challenging and costly features to manufacture, as it requires precise shaping and specialized machinery.

[0009] The portable cup holder described in Document 1 attempts to address these issues by eliminating gluing and folding, using less material than conventional paper cup carriers. However, it sacrifices the stabilization of beverages. If placed on a flat surface, the carrier loses functionality, putting the beverages at risk of spilling if the handle is released.

[0010] In contrast, the food and beverage carrier described in Document 2 provides stability for beverages when placed on a flat surface due to the presence of a base and beverage openings, and it provides a tray especially made to place food. However, this design requires significantly more paper material than traditional carriers, leading to higher production costs.

[0011] The primary objective of the present invention is to overcome the challenges of production complexity and cost by providing a firm and stable yet inexpensive carrier for food and beverages, using minimal printable material and requiring at most two folds for assembly. In addition, the carrier provides large spaces for media and graphics to be printed on for advertising and marketing purposes.SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0012] Embodiments disclosed herein provide a portable food and beverage carrier that addresses the need for reduced paper material usage and simpler production. The carrier requires minimal glue and only two simple folds for assembly. It consists of two carrier walls, which are glued together, and embedded within these walls are handle members along with retracted food and beverage compartments.

[0013] The beverage compartment features a base and a wall, with a tab between them for user deployment. Once opened, the compartment is supported by the beverage compartment base and two pairs of arms located at the top and bottom of the beverage compartment wall. Adjustable flaps allow the compartment to accommodate beverages of various sizes, making it adaptable for different container diameters.

[0014] The food compartment is formed by the carrier walls and a food compartment base, which is folded in half during production. The user can deploy the food compartment by manually unfolding the base, which, once opened, is supported by another set of upper and lower arms attached to the carrier walls.

[0015] When both compartments are deployed, the carrier can securely hold beverages and food trays or boxes. The handles allow for easy one-handed transport, while the arms, walls, and bases ensure stability during transit.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 is a planar view of an embodiment of the present invention before gluing and folding.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 with one side folded upwards.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 with both sides folded upwards and glued together.

[0019] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 with the beverage compartments in a partially and fully deployed state.

[0020] FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views of the fully assembled embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0021] FIG. 7 is a planar view of another embodiment of the present invention before gluing and folding.

[0022] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7 with one side folded upwards.

[0023] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7 with both sides folded upwards and glued together.

[0024] FIGS. 10, 11, and 12 are perspective views of the fully assembled embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7.

[0025] FIGS. 13, 14, 15, and 16 are exemplar views showing other embodiments of the invention.

[0026] FIG. 17 shows the planar view of two more embodiments closely related to the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF INVENTION

[0027] The present invention will now be described in terms of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

[0028] FIG. 1 depicts a planar view of one embodiment of the present invention before gluing and folding. This embodiment contains two beverage compartments and exhibits bilateral symmetry, with the carrier base 1 positioned between the left and right sides. Both sides contain a carrier wall 3, an embedded carrier handle 9, and an embedded beverage compartment. Each beverage compartment consists of a beverage compartment base and wall 4, 5, lower beverage compartment arms 6, upper beverage compartment arms 7, a pull tab 4a, and adjustment flaps 8. Additionally, four pairs of notches 10 are present along the edges to optimize die-cutting efficiency.

[0029] To produce the carrier, glue is applied to one of the carrier walls 3. The glue is applied to the carrier wall glue regions 3c, 3d as spots and strips. The left and right sides are folded upward along the carrier wall folding portions 2 and the beverage compartment folding portions 2a. These folding portions are designed for easy folding, facilitated by scoring or alternating cuts and creases. FIG. 2 demonstrates one side of the carrier being folded upwards, and the opposite side is folded in the same manner. When both sides are fully folded, they meet along the carrier base 1 and the glue on the carrier wall 3 permanently joins with the opposing carrier wall 3. Importantly, no glue is applied to the beverage compartments, allowing for later deployment.

[0030] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the embodiment with both sides folded and glued. This state represents the final form after production, in which the user receives the carrier.

[0031] To deploy the beverage compartments, the user pulls the pull tab 4a, assisted by an almond-shaped finger hole 4b, as shown in FIG. 1, and a pull tab score 4d for better grip. As the tab is pulled, medial upper and lower beverage compartment scores 7a, 6a, along with the beverage compartment folding portion 2a, bend outward, behaving as hinges. This action rotates the upper and lower beverage compartment arms 7, 6, and the beverage compartment base 4 until they align parallel to the ground. Simultaneously, the lateral upper and lower beverage compartment scores 7b, 6b and the beverage compartment base-wall score 4c also act as hinges and bend in the opposite direction, allowing the beverage compartment wall 5 and adjusting flaps 8 to remain vertically aligned with the carrier wall 3. FIG. 4 illustrates the beverage compartments in both partially and fully deployed states. The same process is repeated for the other beverage compartment.

[0032] FIG. 5 depicts both beverage compartments fully deployed, ready to receive beverages or even food that fit within the compartments. FIG. 6 shows beverages placed inside the compartments. For containers with larger diameters, the adjustment flaps 8 embedded in the beverage compartment wall 5 bend outward, with the help of the adjustment flap scores 8a. Once the beverages or food are secured, the carrier can be easily transported using the handle 9.

[0033] FIG. 7 shows a planar view of another embodiment, which also includes beverage compartments but adds a larger food compartment. The food compartment consists of a food compartment base 14, upper and lower food compartment arms 12, 13, vertical food compartment supports 11, and carrier walls 3. The carrier walls feature handle folding portions 3b, which create handle panels 3a housing the handles 9. This embodiment requires only two pairs of notches 10 on the left and right sides.

[0034] Production involves applying glue to only the vertical food compartment support glue regions 11a. The left and right sides are folded upward along the vertical food compartment support folding portions 2c and the food compartment folding portions 2b. Similar to the previous embodiment, these folding portions are designed for easy folding, facilitated by scoring or alternating cuts and creases. FIG. 8 shows the folding process, where both sides meet along the carrier base 1, permanently combining the vertical food compartment supports 11 into two stronger, rigid supports. No additional gluing is applied, allowing for easy deployment of the beverage and food compartments.

[0035] FIG. 9 shows the embodiment after folding and gluing. The user can deploy the food compartment by pulling the handles 9 outward, which causes the carrier walls 3 to open and the food compartment base 14 to expand, supported by the upper and lower food compartment arms 12, 13 that are attached to the vertical food compartment support 11. These arms move easily due to the medial and lateral food compartment scores 12a, 12b, 13a, 13b, acting as hinges. The food compartment base 14 is opened up easily with the assistance of the carrier wall folding portion 2 and the food compartment folding portion 2b. The process for deploying the beverage compartments is identical to that in the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1-6.

[0036] FIG. 10 shows both food and beverage compartments fully deployed, ready to hold beverages and food. FIGS. 11 and 12 depict beverages and food boxes placed inside their respective compartments. Once secured, the carrier can be transported by the handles 9.

[0037] FIGS. 13 and 14 show another embodiment with four beverage compartments, two on each side. This embodiment mirrors the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-6 but increases the beverage-holding capacity.

[0038] FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate yet another embodiment with four beverage compartments and an elongated food compartment. This version is similar to the design in FIGS. 7 through 14 but features two additional beverage compartments and a larger food compartment, effectively doubling the food storage capacity.

[0039] FIG. 17 shows the planar view of two more embodiments closely related to the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7. In both embodiments, the carrier base 1 is eliminated completely, resulting in the invention to require only one fold instead of two folds, as demonstrated in the previous drawings. The purpose of this modification is to allow the invention to be produced from thinner printable paper material such as folding carton paperboard with a thickness between 0.016 and 0.024 inches. The embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7 involve two folds to allow the invention to be produced from thicker printable paper material such as corrugated paperboard.

Claims

1. A portable food and beverage carrier, comprising:a carrier base;a pair of carrier walls attached to said carrier base;at least one beverage compartment embedded in each of said carrier walls, each beverage compartment comprising:a beverage compartment base,a beverage compartment wall,a pair of upper and lower beverage compartment arms,a pull tab for deploying the beverage compartment, anda pair of adjusting flaps attached to said beverage wall;a pair of handles formed integrally with said carrier walls, wherein the beverage compartment is deployable from a retracted position to a deployed position by actuating the pull tab.

2. The portable food and beverage carrier, comprising:a food compartment, said food compartment comprising:a carrier basea food compartment base attached to said carrier base,vertical food compartment supports connected to said carrier base,a pair of upper and lower food compartment arms connected to said vertical food compartment supports,a pair of carrier walls attached to said food compartment basewherein said food compartment is deployable from a retracted position to a deployed position.

3. The portable food and beverage carrier of claim 1, wherein said adjusting flaps are configured to bend outward to accommodate beverage containers of varying diameters.

4. The portable food and beverage carrier of claim 1, wherein said beverage compartment arms are configured to rotate outward when the beverage compartment is deployed, providing lateral support to a beverage container.

5. The portable food and beverage carrier of claim 1, further comprising a pair of upper and lower beverage compartment scores, said scores connecting said beverage compartment arms to said carrier walls and beverage compartment walls to facilitate deployment.

6. The portable food and beverage carrier of claim 2, wherein said food compartment is configured to accommodate food trays or boxes and is secured by the upper and lower food compartment arms when deployed.

7. The portable food and beverage carrier of claim 2, wherein said vertical food compartment supports are bonded to one another with glue, providing structural support to the food compartment.

8. The portable food and beverage carrier of claim 1, wherein said handles are integrally formed with said carrier walls to minimize material usage.

9. The portable food and beverage carrier of claim 1, wherein the carrier walls are secured to each other by glue applied along one of the carrier walls to form a rigid structure.

10. The portable food and beverage carrier of claim 1, further comprising die-cut notches at predetermined positions to enhance production efficiency during the die-cutting process.

11. The portable food and beverage carrier of claim 1, wherein said pull tab further comprises a scored portion to assist in the ease of pulling and deploying the beverage compartment.

12. The portable food and beverage carrier of claim 1, wherein said carrier base comprises bilateral symmetry to allow for uniform deployment of the beverage and food compartments on both sides of the carrier.

13. The portable food and beverage carrier of claim 2, wherein said food compartment base is foldable along two scored lines to facilitate deployment of the food compartment.

14. The portable food and beverage carrier of claim 2, wherein said food compartment arms are hinged to said vertical food compartment supports to allow rotational deployment of the arms for food placement.

15. The portable food and beverage carrier of claim 1, wherein the carrier base is omitted, allowing the carrier to be folded once during production when a thinner material is used.

16. The portable food and beverage carrier of claim 2, wherein the carrier base is omitted, allowing the carrier to be folded once during production when a thinner material is used.

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