Combination picnic tray and platter

Sept. 22, 1953 o. c. hintze 2,652,702 ' COMBINATION PICNIC TRAY AND PLATTER

Filed June 22, 1951

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Attorney

Patented Sept. 22, 1953

2,652,702

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,652,702

COMBINATION PICNIC TRAY AND PLATTER

Olga C. Hintze, Lowden, Iowa

Application June 22,1951, Serial No. 232,885

Claims.

This invention relates to a novel construction of picnic tray and platter having compartments for containing a plurality of food items together with tray portions for supporting a drinking receptacle, knife, fork, spoon and a napkin all in a convenient and sanitary manner so that no items required to conveniently eat a meal need be placed on the ground, on a table or other unsanitary supporting surface, thus providing a device which can be conveniently employed for eating a meal while the tray and platter is positioned on the lap.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combination tray and platter which may be formed from a single piece of material and which may be made sufficiently light in weight so as not to be burdensome in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combination tray and platter which is so constructed that a number of the items may be conveniently stacked in a partially nested condition for convenience in storage or transportation.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the combination tray and platter;

Figure 2 is an edge elevational view thereof looking from the bottom to the top of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3—3 of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the tray and platter.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the novel combination picnic tray and platter constituting the invention is designated generally 5 and may be formed from a blank of any suitable relatively light weight material such as certain metals or plastics. The blank or piece 6 from which the tray and platter 5 is formed is provided with a plurality of depressions which open outwardly of its upper surface 7 which may be formed by any suitable molding or stamping operation including a depression 8 at one end of the tray and platter 5 which extends transversely thereof to adjacent its side edges, forming a napkin compartment in which a folded napkin, not shown, is adapted to be disposed. One longitudinal wall of the compartment 8 is provided intermediate of its ends with a napkin retaining strip 9 which extends inwardly therefrom transversely of the compartment 8 and which is curved up(Cl. 65—15) wardly from its secured end, as best seen in Figure 3. The retaining strip 9 may be formed integral with said compartment wall or suitably secured thereto and is spaced from the bottom sur5 face of the compartment 8 to provide a space therebeneath in which a portion of a napkin is adapted to be clamped and thereby releasably held against accidental or casual removal from the compartment 8.

^1ΰ The tray and platter 5 is provided adjacent the center thereof with an upwardly opening depression or socket 10 which is preferably circular in top plan and which is adapted to snugly receive the bottom portion of a drinking receptacle, not ^iJ shown, such as a cup or glass. Surrounding the socket 10, the tray and platter 5 is provided with three food containing compartments 11,12 and 13 each of which likewise opens upwardly of the top surface 7. The compartments 12 and 13 are dis²⁰ posed in longitudinal alignment and are substantially the same size while the compartment 11 extends longitudinally of the tray and platter 5 and occupies an area thereof equal in size to the area occupied by the two compartments 12 and 13 and ²³ a partition dividing said compartments. The opposite end of the tray and platter is provided with three transversely extending longitudinally spaced depressions which are relatively narrow and of different lengths to accommodate a knife, _go fork and spoon, not shown, a compartment 14 constituting the knife compartment, a compartment 15 the fork compartment and a compartment 16 the spoon compartment.

The various compartments previously referred to are separated by transverse partitions 17, longi⁰ tudinal partitions 18 and a circular partition 19. The adjacent ends of the longitudinal partitions 18 merge with opposite portions of the circular partition 19 as does the inner end of the trans₄θ verse partition 17 which divides the compartments 12 and 13. Likewise, the remote ends of the longitudinal partitions 18 merge with the two transverse partitions 17 and said merging partition portions are widened, as seen at 20. The 45 partitions 17, 18 and 19 are hollow and open downwardly and increase in width from their upper surfaces, each of the partitions being approximately three times as wide at the bottom of the tray and platter as at the top surface 7 to 50 form outwardly diverging opposite side walls 21 which are rounded to merge into the bottom surfaces of the different compartments, as best illustrated in Figure 3.

The partitions 17, 18 and 19 are preferably re55 inforced by cross braces 22 which extend between

2,652,702 and are suitably secured to the side walls 21 thereof and which are preferably disposed adjacent the upper surfaces of said partitions so that the upper portions of the partitions of one platter and tray may nest into the open bottoms a of the partitions of another tray and platter for stacking a plurality of the platters and trays 5 in partially nested relationship. It will be readily apparent that the surrounding merging surfaces between the compartment bottoms and the 10 walls 2 ί facilitate removal of eating utensils from' the compartments 14, 15 and 16 and likewise enables the tray to be more readily washed and' maintained in a clean and sanitary condition.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent 15 that separate items of food, not shown, may be placed in the three tray compartments 11, 12 and 13 so that with a napkin disposed in the compartment 8, a drinking receptacle in the compartment 10 and a knife, fork and spoon in 20 the ·. compartments. 14, 15~and 16, respectively, the device 5 provides a very convenient combination¹ tray and platter , capable of containing, all of the foods and other utensils, and items required .to eat a meal, so that no item needs to be 25 placed on an unclean table,, or upon the ground and all.of the items, may be conveniently -carried merely by utilizing both, hands to support the tray. All of the compartments are surrounded by · a ..marginal, flange. 23 which constitutes a 30 marginal, edge : portion of the tray and platter body 6.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without department from the spirit or scope of 35 the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.