Supports – Brackets – Article holding means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-27
2001-03-20
King, Antia M. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Brackets
Article holding means
C248S094000, C248S694000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06202970
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a dripping object holder which is used to hold dripping objects and prevent drippings from falling on the user or on another inappropriate place. The dripping object may be an edible food product such as a frozen confection, a pickle or a peach and may also be an object which the holder user is painting. The holder has opposing receptacles to catch drippings, each receptacle equipped with an appropriate dripping object support to accommodate a variety of dripping objects.
2. Related Prior Art
Holders for dripping objects, mainly frozen confection holders, are well known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,646 describes an ice cream receptacle that collects ice cream drippings that a user may drink. U.S. Pat. No. 3,459,296 describes a container for frozen food confections having a hollow, tubular handle that moves the confection upward as the confection is consumed. U.S. Pat. No. 2,980,039 describes a holder that includes a mold to make a frozen confection and a support for the frozen confection including a drip tray. U.S. Pat. No. 2,803,550 describes a cup having a bottom wall with an opening that receives a handle from a frozen confection. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 2,162,224 describes a cone shaped receptacle that supports and elevates an ice cream cone None of the prior art holders described provide a holder designed to support and contain drippings from edible and inedible objects.
A primary object of the present invention is to furnish a user with an easily held, versatile holder that collects drips from more than one type of dripping object.
Another object of the invention is provide a holder with interchangeable object supporting structures that can expand the holder functions.
A further object of the invention is to provide a stable dripping object holder that can easily be held and then set down on a flat surface without additional support.
Finally, still another object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive and durable means for controlling messy drippings from a variety of objects such as frozen confections, juicy foods including but not limited to pickles and peaches and from paint filled brushes and freshly painted objects.
Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent as the description of the invention proceeds.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The dripping object holder of the present invention comprises oppositely disposed cone shaped receptacles joined at the cone receptacles' apexes by a hollow stem. Each cone shaped receptacle can have a cylindrical rod shaped object support structure, the cylindrical rod having a proximal end inserted within the cone receptacle apex hollow stem and projecting within the cone shaped receptacle from the cone apex outward, central to and lower than the cone rim circumference and having a pointed distal end portion. A dripping object, such as a pickle, can be impaled on the pointed cylindrical rod supporting structure and held securely while a user consumes the edible dripping object in a clean comfortable manner. The pointed cylindrical rod supporting structures can also be used to telescopically receive accessory supporting structures with distal ends designed to support a variety of dripping objects. For example, an accessory supporting structure can have a clip distal end used to support an object to be painted. The accessory object support structures can be telescopically affixed to the cylindrical rod in order to change the cylindrical rod distal end portion to accommodate a variety of dripping objects.
In another embodiment, a rod shaped insert with distal walls terminating at a circular plate, the walls defining a centrally located longitudinal slot deep enough to support and guide a handle such as those found on frozen confection bars, can be inserted into the cone shaped receptacle hollow stem. The present invention dripping object holder can have a variety of cone shaped receptacle support structure combinations such as cylindrical rod support structures in both cone shaped receptacles or one receptacle having a cylindrical rod structure while the other receptacle has a longitudinal slot support structure or both receptacles having longitudinal slot support structures.
For the pointed cylindrical rod object support structure, accessory object support structures can be telescopically affixed to the cylindrical rod in order to change the cylindrical rod distal end portion to accommodate a variety of dripping objects.
A handle, positioned and affixed to the oppositely disposed cone shaped receptacles, provides stable holding means. After using the holder, the user can place the dripping object holder on a supporting surface such as a table just as one would place a cup on a table. Then the holder can be reused. Most of the aforementioned dripping object holders cannot rest independently on a flat surface but have to constantly be held by a user. In addition, as an object drips into the cone receptacle, if the drippings are drinkable and desirable, the user can hold the object holder by the handle and drink the drippings as one would drink from a cup. In one embodiment, the cone shaped receptacles have lips with notches for placement of tubular members such as straws so that a user can consume drippings through the tubular member.
A user of the dripping object holder can secure a variety of objects such as pickles, fruits and frozen confections to the support structure, hold the dripping object holder by the handle and consume an object avoiding a mess from uncontrolled drippings. When an object is to be painted, a user can secure the object to a support structure, set the dripping object holder on a flat surface and hold the handle to stabilize the holder while the user paints the object.
The features already described can be further understood by reference to the following drawings.
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Greenberg Barbara R.
King Antia M.
Morrison Naschica S
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