Warpable collar-shaped drip catching device for food holder

Abstract

The invention is directed to a drip catching device (2) for engaging around a food holder (16), like a cup or an ice cream cone, comprising a plate (4) with a central opening with a radially slitted inner edge (6) for engaging with said food holder (16); wherein the plate (4) has an outer edge (10) that is generally circular with an average diameter D and the radially slitted inner edge (6) is circular with a diameter d, where (I), so that the plate (4) forms a flat ring that warps when engaged around the food holder (16) with the radially slitted inner edge (6) under compression, so as to become funnel-shaped.

Description

WARPABLE COLLAR-SHAPED DRIP CATCHING DEVICE FOR FOOD HOLDER

[0001] The invention is directed to the field of food containers, in particular cup-shaped food containers and accessories thereof.

[0002] Prior art patent document published US 2,321,519 discloses a drip catching plate for individual portions of ice cream. The drip catching plate according to a first embodiment of that teaching is rectangular-shaped and pre-formed by being depressed so as form a pocket adapted to receive an ice cream holder, like a cone or a conical cup, through a central opening thereof. The central opening comprises an edge that is slitted at regular angular positions around the central opening. That drip catching plate is interesting in that it is efficient in catching drips of an ice cream, essentially due to the large extent of the plate and the depressed or funnel-shape of said plate. The manufacturing of such drip catching plates requires however a preforming being an expensive manufacturing step and also complexifying the storage and manipulation of the drip catching plates.

[0003] US 2020 / 0128854 A1 discloses a drip catching device, similar to the one of the above teaching, however showing a substantially more depressed shaped and being made of molded plastic material. That drip catching plate is similarly interesting in that it is efficient in catching drips of an ice cream, but is potentially expensive to manufacture and is made of plastic material being mostly not biodegradable.

[0004] The invention has for technical problem to overcome at least one drawback of the above cited prior art. More specifically, the invention has for technical problem to provide a drip catching device that is easy and cheap to manufacture and that is biodegradable.Technical solution

[0005] The invention is directed to a drip catching device for engaging around a food holder, like a cup or an ice cream cone, comprising a plate with a central opening with a radially slitted inner edge for engaging with said food holder; wherein the plate has an outer edge that forms a closed curved contour with an average diameterDand the radially slitted inner edge is circular with a diameterd, where , so that the plate forms a flat ring that warps when engaged around the food holder with the radially slitted inner edge under compression, so as to become funnel-shaped.

[0006] Advantageously, the outer edge comprises one or more sectors over which said outer edge is generally circular with a tolerance of ±15%, preferably over at least 45°, 60°, 75° or 90°. The outer edge can be generally circular with a tolerance of ±15%, preferably of ±10% over at least 270°.

[0007] According to a preferred embodiment, .

[0008] According to a preferred embodiment, the plate is made of cardboard with a thickness comprised between 0.3 and 0.6mm.

[0009] According to a preferred embodiment, the plate comprises on at least one side thereof a laminated layer of plastic material.

[0010] According to a preferred embodiment, the radially slitted inner edge forms radial slits with a lengthlgreater than or equal to and / or less than or equal to .

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment, the radially slitted inner edge forms radial slits with a lengthlgreater than or equal to 3mm and / or less than or equal to 7mm.

[0012] According to a preferred embodiment, the radially slitted inner edge forms radial slits with a number greater than or equal to 15, preferably greater than or equal to 20, said radial slits being preferably angularly evenly distributed.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment, the radial slits are distant from each other by a spacesthat is greater than or equal to and / or less than or equal to .

[0014] According to a preferred embodiment, the radial slits are distant from each other by a spacesthat is greater than or equal to 1.5mm and / or less than or equal to 4mm.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment,dis comprised between 50 and 100mm.

[0016] According to a preferred embodiment, .

[0017] According to a preferred embodiment, the funnel-shape forms an angle comprised between 160° and 140°.

[0018] According to a preferred embodiment, the plate is provided with an opening or a notch for receiving the handle of a spoon.

[0019] The invention is also directed to an assembly comprising a food holder, like a cup or an ice cream cone, and a drip catching device engaged around said food holder, wherein the drip catching device is according to the invention. The drip catching device is fully engaged so that it is warped to become funnel-shaped.

[0020] According to a preferred embodiment, the food holder comprises a conical outer surface around which the drip catching device is engaged, the conical outer surface preferably forming an angle with a longitudinal axis of said conical outer surface that is comprised between 5° and 20°, more preferably between 5° and 15°.

[0021] According to a preferred embodiment, the food holder comprises a bead at an axial end of the conical outer surface, adjacent to the drip catching device engaged around said food holder.

[0022] The invention is also directed to a device for bringing into engagement a food holder, like a cup or an ice cream cone, with a drip catching device according to the invention, comprising a support for the drip catching device, said support comprising a resting surface for the drip catching device and a hole through said resting surface; and a guiding channel for the food, configured such that the food holder, once released at an entrance of said guiding channel, is guided by gravitation towards and through the central opening of the drip catching device.

[0023] According to a preferred embodiment, the device further comprises a pusher configured for moving one drip catching device out of a stack of drip catching devices towards the resting surface and the hole for being engaged by the food holder.Advantages of the invention

[0024] The invention is particularly interesting in that the plate is flat before engagement with the food holder, meaning that no preforming manufacturing step is necessary, thereby reducing the manufacturing costs. The storage and shipping are also optimized. The flat form of the plate is also convenient for printing information thereon such as advertising and the like.Brief description of the drawings

[0025] is an elevation view and front view of a drip catching device according to a first embodiment of the invention.

[0026] is a front view of the engagement process of the drip catching device ofon a food holder such as an ice-cream cup.

[0027] is a schematic view of a consumer holding in his hand a food holder equipped with the drip catching device ofand 2.

[0028] is a schematic section view of a device for engaging a food holder, like a cup or an ice cream cone, with a drip catching device according to the invention.

[0029] is an elevation view of a drip catching device according to a second embodiment of the invention.

[0030] is a perspective view of the drip catching device ofwhen engaged with a food holder.Description of an embodiment

[0031] comprises an elevation view and a front view of a drip catching device according to a first embodiment of the invention.

[0032] The drip catching device 2 comprises a plate 4 with a central opening forming an inner edge 6 and an outer edge 10 that is generally circular. The plate 4 forms therefore between the inner edge 6 and the outer edge 10 a ring-shaped plate. The material of the ring-shaped plate is continuous circumferentially over the whole circumference thereof.

[0033] The inner edge 6 is provided with slits 8, preferably extending radially and preferably distributed angularly evenly around the whole perimeter of the inner edge 6. The slits 8 are designed for allowing the material of the plate 4 to deform by bending when the plate is engaged around and along a conical element such as a food holder, like a cup or an ice cream cone. Each slit 8 shows a lengthlthat is radially oriented when the slit is radial. The number of slits is advantageously of at least 15, preferably at least 20. The slits 8 are preferably made by cutting the material of the plate 4, advantageously without removing material whereas it is also conceivable to form them by removing material, resulting in recesses or cut-outs along the inner edge 6.

[0034] The inner edge 6 is circular whereas the outer edge 10 does not need to be circular but well generally circular over a sector of at least 90°, preferably at least 100°, 120°, 160°, 180° or 270°. It can indeed form undulations within an inner circle and an outer circle, corresponding to a tolerance of ±15%, preferably ±10%. It can also show local radial extensions as illustrated by the second embodiment in figures 5 and 6.

[0035] As this is apparent, the inner edge 6 has a diameterd, whereas the outer edge 10 has as diameterD,where . The radial width of the ring-shaped plate is . The drip catching device 2 is designed such that when being engaged along and around an outer conical surface, such as the outer surface of a cup or an ice-cream cone, the radial compression of the slitted inner edge 6 causes a warping of the plate 4 such as to become funnel-shaped. For this to occur, the inner and outer diametersdandDneed to be within certain ranges of relationship. The radial width of the ring-shaped plate being needs indeed not to exceed a certain value, depending on the general size of the plate 4. The inventor of this invention has found that the above warping works well when , preferably when , even more preferably when .. For providing sufficient drip catching surface, it is preferable that .

[0036] The above warping can, but must not necessarily, depend on other factors such as the material of the plate 4, its thicknesstand the lengthland number of the slits 8. The material of the plate 4 is preferably paper or cardboard, with a thicknesstcomprised between 0.3 and 0.6mm, more preferably comprised between 0.4 and 0.53mm. The cardboard is preferably plain i.e., is preferably not corrugated. The cardboard shows preferably a density or weight comprised between 280 and 340 g / m2, more preferably between 300 and 330 g / m2, even more preferably of about 315 g / m2. The lengthlof the slits 8 can be such that . Also, the spacesbetween each pair of directly adjacent slits 8 is preferably such that . For , and .

[0037] The plate 4 can be provided with an opening 14 or a notch 12 for receiving the handle of a spoon.

[0038] The plate 4 can be provided with a tab 15 for supporting printed information like a QR code.

[0039] As this is apparent, the ring-shaped plate 4 forms an ideal surface for supporting indicia such as commercial logos and the like.

[0040] shows two longitudinal sectional views of a food holder 16, such as a cup, with a conical outer surface 18, being engaged by the drip catching device 2 of.

[0041] In the upper view, the inner edge 6 of the plate 4 is in contact with the outer conical surface 18 and deforms progressively as the plate 4 is moved along the longitudinal axis of the food holder 16. The slits 8 () allow a local deformation by flexion of the inner edge 6 which then deforms or warps the plate upwardly as this is visible in the lower view of.

[0042] As this is apparent in the lower view of, once fully engaged with the food holder 16, the plate 4 warps to form a funnel with an angle α that can be comprised between 160° and 140°. The full engagement can be once the upper face of the plate 4 contacts or at least reaches the bead 20 at the top end of the conical surface 18 of the food holder 16.

[0043] As this is apparent, the drip catching device 2 forms a particularly adequate drip catching surface that is funnel-shaped with a relatively large opening angle, thereby providing an efficient drip catching function as well as an appropriate reading surface for supporting written information such as advertisement or the like.

[0044] The food holder 4 is for instance filled with a meltable food content 22 such as an ice cream, whose drips are nicely caught by the plate 4.

[0045] The conical outer surface 18 of the food holder 4 forms an angle with the longitudinal axis of said conical outer surface that can be comprised between 5° and 20°, more preferably between 5° and 15°.

[0046] is a schematic view of a consumer holding in his hand a food holder equipped with the drip catching device ofand 2.

[0047] illustrates the optimized inclination of the funnel-shaped plate 4 of the drip catching device 2 once properly engaged with the food holder 16 held by the consumer in one of his hands. The funnel-shaped plate 4 provides thereby a combined drip catching function and a support surface for displaying information to the consumer and also to other persons close to the consumer.

[0048] is a schematic sectional view of a device for engaging a food holder, like a cup or an ice cream cone, with a drip catching device according to the invention.

[0049] The device 24 comprises a support 26 for the drip catching device, said support comprising a resting surface 26.1 for the drip catching device 4 and a hole 26.2 through said resting surface 26.1. The device 24 further comprises a guiding channel 28 for the food holder, configured such that the food holder 16, once released at an entrance 28.1 of said guiding channel 28, is guided by gravitation towards and through the central opening of the drip catching device 2.

[0050] The food holder 16, once partially engaged through the central opening of the plate 4 of the drip catching device 2, can be grasped by a user on a lower portion of its external conical surface and drawn downwardly to achieve a full engagement with the plate 4.

[0051] As this is apparent in the lower view of, the dimension of the hole 26.2 through the resting surface 26.1 can be selected such that upon traction exerted on the food holder 16 after partial and thereafter full engagement with the plate 4 of the drip catching device 2 until warping as explained here above, the plate 4 can pass through the hole 26.2, by a slight elastic deformation. Important is to note that the progressive engagement between the food holder 16 and the plate 4, the latter will progressively warp as illustrated in the lower view ofand therefore have a reduced outer diameter at its outer edge 10, facilitating the outer edge 10 passing by the resting surface 26.1, through the hole 26.2

[0052] The above device 24 and operation thereof is particularly convenient for rapidly preparing a food holder with the drip catching device 2 in operative configuration.

[0053] As this is apparent, a stack of plates 4 of drip catching devices 2 according to the invention can be placed on the resting surface 26.1, off-set from the hole 26.2, as a reserve stock. The lower one of the stacked plates can then be moved along the resting surface 26.1 toward the hole 26.2 until alignment therewith. After that, a food holder 16 can be released from the entrance 28.1 of the guiding channel 28, towards the central opening of that plate 4, for engagement therewith.

[0054] A pusher 30 can be actuated for moving a next plate 4 of drip catching device from the stack to the resting surface 26.1 with the hole 26.2 for being engaged by a next food holder as explained here above. A retainer 32 can be provided for retaining all plates 4 of the stack except the lowest one directly contacting the support 26 of the device 24.

[0055] is an elevation view of the drip catching device according to a second embodiment of the invention. The reference numbers of the first embodiment are used for designating the same or corresponding elements of the second embodiment, while being incremented by 100. It is also referred to the description of these elements in connection with the first embodiment.

[0056] The drip catching device 102 of the second embodiment comprises a plate 104 with an outer edge 110 that is not as such circular but rather with a complex shape, for instance the shape of a heart. It is however observed that the outer edge 110 forms a closed curved contour with a diameterD(β)that varies with its inclination angleβ. The average diameterDof the outer edge 110 is the average of the diameterD(β)over a complete revolution i.e., forβranging from 0° to 360°. Such an average diameterDcan be obtained by calculating an integral of diameterD(β)forβranging from 0° to 360° and dividing that integral by 360°. As this is apparent in, the diameterD(β)extends from one location on the outer edge 110 to a diametrically opposed location on said outer edge 110, at intersections of said outer edge 110 with a straight line passing by the center of the plate 104.

[0057] shows the drip catching device 102 ofin engagement with a food holder 116, like the food holder 16 of the first embodiment. As this is apparent, the complex shaped of the outer edge 110 does not hinder the warping and formation of a funnel shape for properly catching the drips of food that extends above and beyond the food holder 116. This is because the portions of the outer edge 110 that extend beyond the outer diameterD, for instance essentially the two lobes of the heart, are located on limited sectors which, when summed, are less than 70% of a revolution of 360°.

[0058] It is to be mentioned that the above description applies similarly also to any other food holder than a cup, like ice-cream cone, with an outer conical surface.

Claims

A drip catching device (2) for engaging around a food holder (16), like a cup or an ice cream cone, comprising a plate (4) with a central opening with a radially slitted inner edge (6) for engaging with said food holder (16);characterized in thatthe plate (4) has an outer edge (10) forming a closed curved contour with an average diameterDand the radially slitted inner edge (6) is circular with a diameterd, where, so that the plate (4) forms a flat ring that warps when engaged around the food holder (16) with the radially slitted inner edge (6) under compression, so as to become funnel-shaped.The drip catching device (2) of claim 1, wherein.The drip catching device (2) of one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the plate (4) is made of cardboard with a thickness comprised between 0.3 and 0.6mm.The drip catching device (2) of claim 3, wherein the plate (4) comprises on at least one side thereof a laminated layer of plastic material.The drip catching device (2) of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the radially slitted inner edge (6) forms radial slits (8) with a lengthlgreater than or equal toand / or less than or equal to.The drip catching device (2) of one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the radially slitted inner edge forms radial slits with a lengthlgreater than or equal to 3mm and / or less than or equal to 7mm.The drip catching device (2) of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the radially slitted inner edge (6) forms radial slits with a number greater than or equal to 15, preferably greater than or equal to 20, said radial slits (8) being preferably angularly evenly distributed.The drip catching device (2) of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the radial slits (8) are distant from each other by a spacesthat is greater than or equal to 0.025•dand / or less than or equal to 0.045•d.The drip catching device (2) of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the radial slits (8) are distant from each other by a space s that is greater than or equal to 1.5mm and / or less than or equal to 4mm.The drip catching device (2) of any one of claims 1 to 9, whereindis comprised between 50 and 100mm.The drip catching device (2) of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein.The drip catching device (2) of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the funnel-shape forms an angle (α) comprised between 160° and 140°.The drip catching device (2) of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the plate (4) is provided with an opening (14) or a notch (12) for receiving the handle of a spoon.An assembly comprising a food holder (16), like a cup or an ice cream cone, and a drip catching device (2) engaged around said food holder (16), characterized in that the drip catching device (2) is according to any one of claims 1-13.The assembly according to claim 14, wherein the food holder (16) comprises a conical outer surface (18) around which the drip catching device (2) is engaged, the conical outer surface (18) preferably forming an angle with a longitudinal axis of said conical outer surface (18) that is comprised between 5° and 20°, more preferably between 5° and 15°.The assembly according to claim 14, wherein the food holder (16) comprises a bead (20) at an axial end of the conical outer surface (18), adjacent to the drip catching device (2) engaged around said food holder (16).A device (24) for bringing into engagement a food holder (16), like a cup or an ice cream cone, with a drip catching device (2) according to any of claims 1-13, comprising:a support (26) for the drip catching device (2), said support comprising a resting surface (26.1) for the drip catching device (2) and a hole (26.2) through said resting surface (26.1); anda guiding channel (28) for the food holder (16), configured such that the food holder, once released at an entrance (28.1) of said guiding channel (28), is guided by gravitation towards and through the central opening of the drip catching device (2).The device according to claim 17, further comprising a pusher (30) configured for moving one drip catching device (2) out of a stack of drip catching devices towards the resting surface (26.1) and the hole (26.2) for being engaged by the food holder.

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