SPILL-PROOF PLATE

Abstract

A plate comprising an extension member, a slip-resistant material, and two underside rims is provided. The extension member protrudes from a circumference of the plate’s body and the slip-resistant material is coupled to a bottom surface of the plate between the two underside rims. The extension member provides a location where a user can securely grip the plate when carrying or holding the plate. The slip-resistant material helps prevent the plate from sliding off a surface, such as the top of a beverage container, when the plate is being held or carried. As such, the plate is designed to help prevent food or utensils from falling off of the plate.

Claims

1. A plate comprising: a body including a top surface and a bottom surface; an inner rim and an outer rim projecting downwardly from the bottom surface; a channel formed between the inner rim and the outer rim; and a slip-resistant material secured in the channel.

2. The plate of claim 1, the plate further including an extension member protruding outwardly and away from the body of the plate, the extension member having a groove disposed thereon.

3. The plate of claim 2, wherein the groove extends inwardly and towards a center of the body.

4. The plate of claim 2, wherein the groove is configured to receive at least one utensil.

5. The plate of claim 1, wherein the slip-resistant material is composed of an open-celled foam.

6. The plate of claim 1, wherein a width of the channel is substantially constant.

7. The plate of claim 1, wherein the body of the plate is substantially circular, and wherein the inner rim and the outer rim are substantially circular.

8. A plate comprising: a body, an outer edge of the body defining a circumference of the body; an extension member extending outwardly and away from the circumference of the body; a depression within the extension member that extends towards the body; and a first slip-resistant material affixed to a bottom surface of the body.

9. The plate of claim 8, the plate further including a channel formed on the bottom surface of the body, and wherein the first slip-resistant material is positioned within the channel.

10. The plate of claim 8, the plate further including at least one rim, wherein the at least one rim defines a channel, and wherein the first slip-resistant material is coupled to the bottom surface of the plate within the channel.

11. The plate of claim 10, wherein the channel is positioned and located between a first rim of the at least one rim and a second rim of the at least one rim.

12. The plate of claim 8, wherein the depression extends towards a center of the body.

13. The plate of claim 8, wherein the depression is adapted to retain at least one utensil, and wherein a second slip-resistant material is positioned and located in the depression.

14. The plate of claim 8, wherein the extension member has a surface area, and the surface area is large enough to allow a typical user to grip the extension member with at least two fingers.

15. A plate comprising: a body having a top surface and a bottom surface; an extension member extending a first direction and away from a center of the body, the extension member including at least one groove; at least one rim positioned and located on the bottom surface of the plate, the at least one rim projecting in a second direction from the bottom surface; a channel substantially surrounded by a first rim of the at least one rim; and a first slip-resistant material positioned and located within the channel, the first slip-resistant material covering at least a portion of the bottom surface within the channel.

16. The plate of claim 15, wherein the body includes an outer circumference, and wherein the extension member extends in the first direction from the outer circumference.

17. The plate of claim 15, wherein the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular relative to one another.

18. The plate of claim 15, wherein the first rim defines an outer boundary of the channel, and a second rim of the at least one rim defines an inner boundary of the channel.

19. The plate of claim 18, wherein the first slip-resistant material covers substantially all of the bottom surface within the channel.

20. The plate of claim 15, wherein a second slip-resistant material is provided in a first groove of the at least one groove.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a slip-resistant plate constructed according to the teachings of the present invention;

[0011] FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the slip-resistant plate of FIG. 1; and

[0012] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the slip-resistant plate of FIGS. 1 and 2, the slip-resistant plate positioned on an upper surface of a drinking glass.

[0013] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, a specific embodiment thereof is shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description presented herein are not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular embodiment disclosed, but to the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. For purposes of clarity in illustrating the characteristics of the present invention, proportional relationships of the elements have not necessarily been maintained in the drawing figures.

[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates a slip-resistant plate 1 (hereinafter, the “plate 1”) that food, utensils, or other items may be placed upon. The plate 1 may be used at a table, or it may be held by a person that is standing or walking. The plate 1 may be adapted such that it may be positioned on the upper surface of a beverage container (see FIG. 3), which may allow the user to hold a beverage container and the plate 1 with one hand as the user walks or stands.

[0016] A body 5 of the plate 1 may be composed of glass, plastic, or other materials that would be appreciated by those skilled in the art. The body 5 may be substantially circular, although other shapes for the body 5 (such as an oval, a square, or a rectangle) are foreseeable. A top surface 10 of the body 5 may be substantially planar, or the top surface 10 may have sides that slope downwardly until a predetermined point on the top surface 10 to form a more bowl-like structure. If present, the sloping sides may assist the user in retaining food or other items near a center 15 of the plate 1, which in turn may help reduce the risk that food or other items will spill from the plate 1.

[0017] To assist the user in holding and balancing the plate 1, the plate 1 may include an extension member 20. The extension member 20 may be formed as a substantially planar protrusion extending outwardly from a circumference 25 of the body 5. The size of the extension member 20 is not limited, although it is preferably large enough (e.g., has a large enough surface area) such that a typical user may grip the extension member 20 with at least two fingers. As a non-limiting example, the extension member 20 may extend about one-fourth of an inch (about ¼ inch) to about eight inches (about 8 inches) outwardly from the circumference 25 of the body 5. As further non-limiting examples, the extension member 20 may extend about 0 inches to about 2 inches, or about 2 inches to about 4 inches, or about 4 inches to about 6 inches, or about 6 inches to about 8 inches outwardly from the circumference 25.

[0018] Advantageously, because the extension member 20 protrudes beyond the circumference 25, the extension member 20 may provide the user with a location to grip the plate 1 that is adjacent to where food is placed on the plate 1. In addition, since the extension member 20 may be substantially planar, the extension member 20 may allow the user to control the plate 1 with his or her thumb. In some embodiments of the invention, the extension member 20 may be contoured to the shape of a typical user’s finger shape to assist the user in gripping the plate 1 more securely. In other embodiments, the extension member 20 may have a slip-resistant surface to help prevent the plate 1 from slipping from the user’s grip.

[0019] The extension member 20 may include a depression or a groove 30 positioned thereon. As non-limiting examples, the groove 30 may extend from an edge 35 of the extension member 20 towards the center 15 of the plate 1, or the groove 30 may extend from the circumference 25 of the plate 1 and towards the center 15. The groove 30 may be formed as a cylindrical recess in the top surface 10, although the groove 30 is not limited to a particular shape. The width and the depth of the groove 30 may be adapted such that at least a portion, such as a handle portion, of at least one utensil (not illustrated) may be received therein, which in turn may help secure the at least one utensil on the plate 1. When a utensil is received within the groove 30, sides 40 may help prevent the utensil from sliding around the surface of the plate by restricting the motion of the utensil along at least one axis. In some embodiments of the invention, the groove 30 may have a slip-resistant surface that may help prevent the utensil from sliding out of the groove 30 as the plate is moved. In alternative embodiments of the invention, the extension member 20 and/or the plate 1 may have more than one groove 30 positioned thereon.

[0020] Turning to FIG. 2, the plate 1 may include a bottom surface 45 with underside rims 50 and 55. The rims 50, 55 may be provided as thin concentric rings that project outwardly from the bottom surface 45 and may be integrally formed with or coupled to the bottom surface 45. The rim 55 may be positioned within and substantially surrounded by the rim 50 such that a channel 60 is formed between the rims 50, 55. For example, the rim 50 may define an outer boundary of the channel 60 and the rim 55 may define an inner boundary of the channel 60. In addition, the rims 50, 55 may be positioned and sized such that an upper surface of a beverage container (not illustrated) may be received and contained in the channel 60. When the upper surface of a beverage container is received and contained within the channel 60, the rims 50, 55 may act as barriers to prevent the movement of the plate 1 by restricting the motion of the plate along at least one axis.

[0021] A width W of the channel 60 (as defined by the distance between the rims 50, 55) may substantially correspond to a thickness of a rim of a particular beverage container (e.g., a beer stein or champagne glass), or the width W may be sized such that the plate 1 can be used with a variety of beverage containers. As a non-limiting example, the width W may substantially correspond to a thickness of a rim of a standard champagne glass such that when the rim of the champagne glass is received in the channel 60, the rim of the champagne glass is proximate to or abuts the rims 50, 55. In addition, the width W of the channel 60 may be substantially constant, or the width W may vary.

[0022] While the rims illustrated in FIG. 2 are substantially circular, in other embodiments of the invention the shape of the rims 50, 55 may be adapted to mirror the overall shape of the plate 1 as would be appreciated by those skilled in the art. For example, if the plate 1 is substantially square-shaped, the rims 50, 55 may also be substantially square-shaped. In yet other embodiments of the invention, the plate 1 may have a single rim or more than two rims.

[0023] A slip-resistant material 65 may be affixed to the bottom surface 45 of the plate 1. The slip-resistant material 65 may be positioned within the channel 60, within the rim 50, or elsewhere on the bottom surface 45. For example, the slip-resistant material 65 may partially cover the bottom surface 45 within the channel 60, may substantially cover the entirety of the bottom surface 45 within the channel 60, or may substantially cover the bottom surface 45 contained within the rim 50. The slip-resistant material 65 may be composed of a substance with a high coefficient of friction including, but not limited to, a high-density closed-cell foam. If composed of a substance with a high coefficient of friction, the slip-resistant material 65 may generate a high static frictional force between the bottom surface 45 of the plate 1 and another surface, such as the upper surface (e.g., rim) of a beverage container. Advantageously, a high static frictional force may help prevent the plate 1 from falling off the beverage container, since the friction force will help prevent the movement of the plate 1 relative to the upper surface of the beverage container. In turn, this may also help prevent utensils or food from spilling off the plate and onto the ground.

[0024] In FIG. 3, the plate 1 is positioned upon an upper surface 70 of a representative glass 75. The glass 75 may be a wine glass, a beer glass, a stein, a cocktail glass, or another drinking vessel as would be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Here, the glass 75 is positioned such that the upper surface 70 contacts the slip-resistant material 65 affixed to the bottom surface 45 of the plate 1. Further, the upper surface 70 is received within the channel 60 and positioned between the rims 50, 55. Together, the rims 50, 55, the channel 60, and the slip-resistant material 65 may assist the user in balancing the plate 1 on the upper surface 70. As stated previously, the rims 50, 55 may restrict the movement of the upper surface 70 along at least one axis. If the plate 1 moves a predetermined distance within the channel 60, one of the rims 50 or 55 may contact a lip 80 of the glass 75, which may help prevent further movement of the plate. At the same time, the slip-resistant material 65 may help prevent the plate 1 from moving relative to the glass 75 due to the high coefficient of friction of the slip-resistant material 65. Advantageously, as compared to traditional plates, these features may help a user more easily balance the plate 1 on a glass 75.

[0025] As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present invention is not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications, applications, variations, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. Many such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the present constructions will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses in applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present inventions are deemed to be covered by the inventions which are limited only by the claims which follow.