Special receptacle or package – Combined or convertible – Packaged assemblage or kit
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-19
2001-09-18
Gehman, Bryon P. (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
Combined or convertible
Packaged assemblage or kit
C220S574000, C248S311200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290063
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to food and beverage tray holders and in particularly to food and beverage tray holders which affix themself to a seat or other vertical surface.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Food and beverage trays are fairly well known in the art, particularly those holders which clamp onto a seat or car door frame. These prior art devices typically have an inverted U-Shaped bracket which provides vertical support of the tray along the upper edge of a supporting surface. These prior art devices typically rely upon a wide tray body which is directly adjacent to the vertical supporting surface in order to provide sufficient lateral support.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,628 discloses such a stadium seat tray for supporting food and beverages relative to the back of a seat. A U-shape support is provided for vertical support of the tray while the wide body of the tray provides sufficient lateral support to prevent the tray from tilting.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,128 teaches an additional drink holder wherein a clamp is provided for attachment of the tray to a chair leg or like structure. Lateral support may be provided with a second clamp which is perpendicular, both supporting clamps however requiring sufficient structure to ridgedly clamp thereto.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 317,982 teaches a food tray for use in vehicles where a first and a second inverted U-shaped clamp provide vertical support for the food tray. The wide body of the tray provides lateral support but does not provide adequate adjustability for varying thickness vertical support body members.
The prior art therefor is lacking in a food and beverage tray which has an adequately adjustable retaining bracket for retaining the tray in the vertical position while also providing means to compressively adjust the tray against the vertical supporting surface.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a food and beverage tray, which has sufficient surface for placement of multiple food and beverage items while also providing adequate means for adjusting the tray for varying thickness vertical support members. Typically, food and beverage trays are supported by vertical support members, none of which are of standard size. It is therefor an object of the present invention to provide means to adequately adjust the beverage tray for variable thickness vertical support members.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a food and beverage tray wherein the food and beverage tray has an L-shaped retaining bracket which affixes to the vertical support member.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a food and beverage tray wherein the tray has a first and a second food recess in addition to having a drink recess easily accessible to the user.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable L-shaped retaining bracket for attachment of the food and beverage tray to a vertical support member while further having means to compressively adjust the tray against the vertical support member.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a first and second compressively adjustable strut members with an adjustable L-shaped retaining bracket, all three of which having locking means sufficiently locking all three members in place to provide significant vertical and lateral support and steadiness of the food and beverage tray.
The above objectives are met by the food and beverage tray of the present invention. The food and beverage tray of the present invention has a first and second food recess with a drink recess additionally formed therein. The tray of the present invention has an L-shaped retaining bracket which slides on a first side of the vertical support member to provide vertical support of the tray while additionally providing a first and second strut which provides adjustable compressive forces against the vertical support member to adequately affix the food and beverage tray against the vertical support member. The design of the food and beverage tray of the present invention allows the tray to be securely affixed to any width vertical support member while additionally allowing the tray to be securely affixed to a vertical support member which is not necessarily planar along the supporting surface.
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Vogt Larry
Vogt Roger
Gehman Bryon P.
Middleton & Reutlinger
Salazar John F.
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