Interconnectable dinner plates with integrated rim element

Abstract

Interconnectable table or dinnerware articles each include an integrated rim element for releasably interconnecting the dinnerware. The rim element is a small local extension of a rim and takes the form of a U-shaped grip or slide element with an upper and a lower radial lip length L1, L2 and a thickness T. The upper lip and lower lip form a mouth opening with a width D for sideways sliding over the rim of a central dinner plate, wherein the rim element has a circular width B. On an inner side the rim element of an outer dinnerware item has a concave shape fitting exactly into the convex shape of the rim of the supporting central dinner plate. Both the upper radial lip and the lower radial lip of the rim element have an upstanding curvature that corresponds with the curvature of the rim of the central dinner plate.

Claims

1. A dinner plate comprising: a circular central portion extending in a plane; a conical annular periphery unitary with said circular central portion and disposed at least in part away from said plane, said conical annular periphery having a uniform thickness; and a slotted attachment element integral with said conical annular periphery at an edge thereof, wherein: said slotted attachment element has a U- or J-shaped cross-section in a vertical radial plane of said circular central portion; said slotted attachment element includes an upper lip or flange and a lower lip or flange parallel to and spaced from the upper lip or flange to define a mouth opening or slot having a width; said upper lip or flange and said lower lip or flange are each a conical section extending in both a circumferential direction about said conical annular periphery and outwardly from said conical annular periphery; said width is larger than said uniform thickness; and said mouth opening or slot has an arcuate shape congruent with a section of said conical annular periphery.

2. The dinner plate defined in claim 1, wherein said upper lip or flange is smaller than said lower lip or flange, said upper lip or flange having a radial dimension or width that is approximately 80% of a radial dimension or width of said lower lip or flange.

3. The dinner plate defined in claim 1, wherein said slotted attachment element has a circumferential extension between 5% and 15% of the circumference of said annular periphery.

4. The dinner plate defined in claim 1, wherein the dinner plate is taken from the group consisting of saucers, pastry dishes, and serving trays.

5. The dinner plate defined in claim 1 wherein said mouth opening or slot of said slotted attachment element has an innermost side with a concave inner profile that is congruent with a contour of said edge of said annular periphery.

6. The dinner plate defined in claim 1 wherein said upper lip or flange and said lower lip or flange each have a curvature that parallels a curvature of said edge.

7. A dinner serving kit including at least two identical dinner plates each comprising: a circular central portion extending in a plane; a conical annular periphery unitary with said circular central portion and disposed at least in part away from said plane, said conical annular periphery having a uniform thickness; and a slotted attachment element integral with said conical annular periphery at an edge thereof, wherein: said slotted attachment element has a U- or J-shaped cross-section in a vertical radial plane of said circular central portion; said slotted attachment element includes an upper lip or flange and a lower lip or flange spaced from the upper lip or flange to define a mouth opening or slot having a width; said upper lip or flange and said lower lip or flange are each a conical section extending in both a circumferential direction about said conical annular periphery and outwardly from said annular periphery; said width is larger than said uniform thickness; said mouth opening or slot has an arcuate shape congruent with a section of said conical annular periphery so that the annular periphery of one of said plates is insertable into the mouth opening or slot of another one of said plates.

8. The dinner serving kit defined in claim 7, wherein said upper lip or flange is smaller than said lower lip or flange, said upper lip or flange having a radial dimension or width that is approximately 80% of a radial dimension or width of said lower lip or flange.

9. The dinner serving kit defined in claim 7, wherein said slotted attachment element has a circumferential extension between 5% and 15% of a circumference of said annular periphery.

10. The dinner serving kit defined in claim 7, wherein each of the dinner plates is taken from the group consisting of saucers, pastry dishes, and serving trays.

11. The dinner serving kit defined in claim 7 wherein said mouth opening or slot of said slotted attachment element has an innermost side with a concave inner profile that is congruent with a contour of said edge of said annular periphery.

12. The dinner serving kit defined in claim 7 wherein said upper lip or flange and said lower lip or flange each have a curvature that parallels a curvature of said edge.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) The embodiment of the interconnectable dinner plate according to the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing with figures, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a front view of a waiter supporting a set of temporarily interconnected dinner plates according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows an oblique projection of a set of interconnected dinner plates;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a top view over the line III-III of FIG. 2;

(5) FIG. 4 shows an oblique projection of the procedure for interconnecting two dinner plates by using the U-shaped rim element being part of the rim of said dinner plate;

(6) FIG. 5A-5C show the procedure for interconnecting two dinner plates;

(7) FIG. 6 shows an oblique view of the U-shaped rim element of one of the outer dinner plates hooked onto the rim of the central dinner plate;

(8) FIG. 7 shows a cross section over the line VII-VII of FIG. 6;

(9) FIG. 8 shows another side view of the U-shaped rim element of one of the dinner plates hooked onto the rim of the central dinner plate; and

(10) FIG. 9 shows a cross section over the line IX-IX of FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(11) The reference numbers that are used in the text and in the figures of this document refer to specific parts of the dinner plates. These reference numbers remain the same throughout this document.

(12) FIG. 1 shows a front view of a waiter 1 carrying a set of interconnectable and identical dinner plates 2, being several outer dinner plates 4, that are grouped and connected around one centrally placed dinner plate 3 to form the set of interconnected dinner plates 2.

(13) FIG. 2 shows an oblique projection of the set of the dinner plates 2. More and at a bigger scale herewith the integrated U-shaped rim elements 5 extended from the rims 6 of all dinner plates 3,4 are shown. The central dinner plate 3 is held by the waiter or waitress 1 at the black arrow. The outer dinner plates 4 are connected by sliding their U-shaped rim elements 5 over the rim 6 of the central dinner plate 3.

(14) FIG. 3 shows a top view over the line III-III of FIG. 2.

(15) FIG. 4 represents an oblique projection of the procedure for interconnecting one outer dinner plate 4 to the central dinner plate 3. The integrated U-shaped rim element 5 of the outer dinner plate 4 slides over the rim 6 of the central dinner plate.

(16) FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C represent the procedure for interconnecting the dinner plates step-by-step in magnified cross sections. The U-shaped rim element 5 has an upper lip 7 with length L1 and thickness T and a lower lip 8 with length L2, wherein L2>L1. This is done for easy positioning of the U-shaped rim element 5 of the outer dinner plate 4 relative to the rim 6 of the central dinner plate 3 and therefore easily sliding the rim of the central dinner plate 6 into the mouth opening 9 of the U-shaped rim element 5. The mouth opening 9 of the U-shaped rim element 5 of the outer dinner plate 4 has an internal width D and the rim 6 of the central dinner plate 3 has a thickness d, wherein D>d and width D is approximately 110% of thickness d.

(17) Each dinner plate 3, 4 has a circular central portion (not separately designated, see 3 and 4 in FIGS. 3 and 4) extending in a plane. The annular periphery 6 is conical and unitary with the circular central portion (at 3, 4) and disposed at least in part away from the plane of the circular central portion. As described above, the conical annular periphery has a uniform thickness d. The U- or J-shaped rim element 5 is a slotted attachment element integral with conical annular periphery or rim 6 at an outer edge (not separately designated) thereof. Slotted attachment or U- or J-shaped rim element 5 has a U- or J-shaped cross-section in a vertical radial plane of the circular central portion. As described above, slotted attachment or U- or J-shaped rim element 5 includes upper lip or flange 7 and lower lip or flange 8 that are parallel to and spaced one from the other to define mouth opening or slot 9 having width D. The upper lip or flange 7 and the lower lip or flange 8 each take the form of a conical section extending in both a circumferential direction about the conical annular periphery or rim 6 and outwardly therefrom. The width D of the mouth opening or slot 9 is larger than the uniform thickness d of the conical annular periphery 5. The mouth opening or slot 9 has an arcuate shape congruent with a section of the conical annular periphery 6.

(18) FIG. 6 shows an oblique side view of the U-shaped rim element 5 of one of the outer dinner plates 4 hooked onto the rim 6 of the central dinner plate 3 with a reference to the line VII-VII.

(19) FIG. 7 shows a cross section over the line VII-VII of FIG. 6. The inside 10 of the U-shaped rim element 5 of the outer dinner plate 4 has a concave shape Cc that fits exactly into the convex shape Cv of the rim 6 of the supporting central dinner plate 3 with the stated radius R (R=Cv).

(20) FIG. 8 shows another oblique side view of the U-shaped rim element 5 of one of the outer dinner plates 4 hooked onto the rim 6 of the central dinner plate 3 with a reference to the line IX-IX.

(21) FIG. 9 shows a cross section over the line IX-IX of FIG. 8. The upper radial lip 7 has a curvature C1 and the lower radial lip 8 has a curvature C2 that both correspond with the curvature C3 of the rim 6 of the supporting central dinner plate 3.

(22) However, it is obvious that modifications to the before described dinner plates with the inventive rim element can be made, but these shall remain within the field and scope of this invention.