SERVING CONTAINER FOR HOLDING ICE CREAM CONES

Abstract

A serving container for holding ice cream cones includes a tray body and a plurality of receptacles. The tray body includes a bottom surface, side surfaces extending perpendicular to the bottom surface, and a top surface extending perpendicular to and connecting the side surfaces. The receptacles are positioned in the tray body. Each of the receptacles has an aperture positioned in the top surface of the tray body. Each of the receptacles includes a bottom wall and a substantially cylindrical side wall extending from the bottom wall. Each of the receptacles has the shape of an inverted truncated cone designed to conform to a handle portion of an ice cream cone inserted therein.

Claims

1. A serving container for holding ice cream cones comprising: a tray body, said tray body including: a bottom surface, side surfaces extending perpendicular to said bottom surface, and a top surface extending perpendicular to and connecting said side surfaces; and a plurality of receptacles disposed in said tray body, each of said receptacles having an aperture disposed in said top surface of said tray body, each of said receptacles including a bottom wall and a substantially cylindrical side wall extending from said bottom wall, each of said receptacles having the shape of an inverted truncated cone configured to conform to a handle portion of an ice cream cone inserted therein.

2. The serving container of claim 1, wherein the serving container further comprises a cover configured to be removably connected to said tray body to enclose ice cream cones positioned in said receptacles.

3. The serving container of claim 2, wherein said cover includes a top wall and side walls extending perpendicularly from said top wall, said side walls being sufficiently high to position said top wall over ice cream projecting out of the ice cream cones.

4. The serving container of claim 1, wherein each of said receptacles includes a rim portion disposed at said aperture, said rim portion includes a horizontal shoulder surface configured to engage a flat underside of a cup portion of an ice cream cone.

5. The serving container of claim 4, wherein said rim portion includes a conical surface sloping inwardly to engage a conical surface of a handle portion of an ice cream cone.

6. The serving container of claim 1, wherein said tray body is solid throughout and said receptacles are integrally formed in said tray body.

7. The serving container of claim 1, wherein: said tray body is rectangular; and the serving container further comprises a pair of handles, each of said handles being disposed at an opposing one of said side surfaces of said tray body.

8. The serving container of claim 7, wherein said handles are disposed at an upper edge of said tray body.

9. The serving container of claim 1, wherein the serving container includes 12 to 24 of said receptacles.

10. A serving container for holding ice cream cones comprising: a tray body, wherein: said tray body including: a bottom surface, side surfaces extending perpendicular to said bottom surface, and a top surface extending perpendicular to and connecting said side surfaces; said tray body is solid throughout and said receptacles are integrally formed in said tray body; said tray body is rectangular; a plurality of receptacles disposed in said tray body, each of said receptacles having an aperture disposed in said top surface of said tray body, each of said receptacles including a bottom wall and a substantially cylindrical side wall extending from said bottom wall, each of said receptacles having the shape of an inverted truncated cone configured to conform to a handle portion of an ice cream cone inserted therein, wherein: each of said receptacles includes a rim portion disposed at said aperture; said rim portion includes a horizontal shoulder surface configured to engage a flat underside of a cup portion of an ice cream cone; a pair of handles, each of said handles being disposed at an opposing one of said side surfaces of said tray body, said handles are disposed at an upper edge of said tray body; and a cover configured to be removably connected to said tray body to enclose ice cream cones positioned in said receptacles, wherein: said cover includes a top wall and side walls extending perpendicularly from said top wall; said side walls being sufficiently high to position said top wall over ice cream projecting out of the ice cream cones.

11. The serving container of claim 9, wherein the serving container includes 12 to 24 of said receptacles.

12. The serving container of claim 10, wherein said rim portion includes a conical surface sloping inwardly to engage a conical surface of a handle portion of an ice cream cone.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

[0011] The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a serving container according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a front view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the disclosure shown in FIG. 2.

[0015] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure in use.

[0017] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 6 thereof, a new serving container embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

[0019] As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 6, the serving container 10 generally comprises a tray body 12 and a plurality of receptacles 14. The tray body 12 includes a bottom surface 16, side surfaces 18 extending perpendicular to the bottom surface 16, and a top surface 20 extending perpendicular to and connecting the side surfaces 18. The receptacles 14 are positioned in the tray body 12. Each of the receptacles 14 has an aperture 22 positioned in the top surface 20 of the tray body 12. Each of the receptacles 14 includes a bottom wall 24 and a substantially cylindrical side wall 26 extending from the bottom wall 24. Each of the receptacles 14 has the shape of an inverted truncated cone designed to conform to a handle portion of an ice cream cone inserted therein.

[0020] The serving container 10 further includes a cover 28 designed to be removably connected to the tray body 12 to enclose ice cream cones positioned in the receptacles 14. The cover 28 includes a top wall 30 and side walls 32 extending perpendicularly from the top wall 30. The side walls 32 are sufficiently high to position the top wall 30 over ice cream projecting out of the ice cream cones. The cover 28 can be made of transparent material to permit viewing of the ice cream cones.

[0021] Each of the receptacles 14 includes a rim portion 34 positioned at the aperture 22. As shown in FIG. 3, the rim portion 34 includes a horizontal shoulder surface 36 designed to engage a flat underside of a cup portion of an ice cream cone. For cake cones 60 that have a handle portion 62 that is essentially cylindrical or in the shape of an inverted truncated cone, the receptacle 14 essentially conforms to the handle portion 62, and a cup portion 64 is supported on its underside by the shoulder surface 36, to thereby form a very stable holding of the cake cone 60, even when the tray body 12 is moved from one location to another with the cake cones 60 therein. For sugar cones 66 that have a handle portion 68 that is conical, the handle portion 68 can still insert relatively deeply into the receptacles 14 for a stable holding. In one possible embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the rim portion 34 includes a conical surface 38 sloping inwardly to engage the conical handle portion 68 of the sugar cone 66 to provide an even more stable holding of the sugar cone 66, as well as the cup portion of the cake cones 60.

[0022] In the exemplary embodiment, the tray body 12 is solid throughout and the receptacles 14 are integrally formed in the tray body 12, as shown in FIG. 3. The tray body 12 is rectangular. The serving container 10 further includes a pair of handles 40. Each of the handles 40 is positioned at an opposing one of the side surfaces 18 of the tray body 12. The handles 40 are positioned at an upper edge 42 of the tray body 12. Other designs and positioning of the handles 40 with respect to the tray body 12 are within the scope of the disclosure. The serving container 10 can include 12 to 24 of the receptacles 14, or possibly other numbers of the receptacles 14, though the exemplary embodiment in the figures shows 24 of the receptacles 14.

[0023] The serving container 10 can be used both for storage and for serving. The serving container 10 can be placed in a freezer or similar to keep the ice cream from melting prior to or after serving, with or without the cover 28 on the tray body 12. When serving, the tray body 12 will hold the ice cream cones upright for persons to retrieve them from the receptacles 14.

[0024] With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0025] Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word comprising is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article a does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.