Mobile-dining meal holder with beverage container

Abstract

A mobile-dining meal holder including a plate and detachable beverage cup, the cup having a lip with an annular ring thereabout projecting radially to form an interfacing surface and the plate including (a) a lid portion pressing against the interfacing surface and terminating in a downward skirt having an inner taper that engages against the same taper of the beverage container, and (b) a tray portion having food-holding areas spaced about the lid portion, the cup, plate, bead and skirt being configured and arranged to engage despite food-loading and usage forces. Food-receiving depressed regions have vertically extending portions positioned and arranged transversely with respect to pivot lines on the tray portion in order to avoid excessive flexing under food and dining loads. The beverage container acts as the pillar of support for the mobile dining meal holder. This arrangement allows the mobile-dining meal holder to disengage from the bottom of the cup. In the preferred embodiment, the beverage container has a step that locates the vertical position of the mobile-dining meal holder with respect to the beverage container.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . In a mobile-dining meal holder having a beverage container and a plate detachably combined, the improvement wherein: 
 the beverage container has a cup interface portion thereabout that is below the top portion of the beverage container, where the interface portion represents a stopping position for the plate;    the plate includes (a) a substantially circular and horizontal portion that stops at a specified location along the beverage container below the opening of the beverage container, (b) a tray portion extending outwardly from the cup interface portion and having horizontally-arranged food-holding areas spaced about the lid portion, (c) a handhold position integrally placed into the plate that supports the beverage container as well as the plate where the hand hold position is relatively the same geometry as the beverage container.    
     
     
         2 . The mobile-dining meal holder of  claim 1  wherein the cup interface portion represents a taper transition on both the beverage container and the tray portion where the tray portion interfaces against a specified taper region along the beverage container.  
     
     
         3 . The mobile-dining meal holder of  claim 1  wherein the cup interface portion represents two different diameters on the beverage container thereby creating a shelf or ridge that a relatively flat portion of the tray portion is supported against.  
     
     
         4 . The mobile-dining meal holder of  claim 1  wherein the cup interface portion represents a variation of a tapered transition on both the beverage container and the tray portion and at least one straight section where the tray portion is supported against a shelf on the beverage container.  
     
     
         5 . The mobile-dining meal holder of  claim 1  wherein the tray handhold portion has gussets or ribs, in configurations that provide support for the beverage container and contents of the plate.  
     
     
         6 . The mobile-dining meal holder of  claim 1  wherein the tray portion includes at least one food-receiving depressed region formed therein.  
     
     
         7 . The mobile-dining meal holder of  claim 6  wherein the tray portion, by virtue of the at least one depressed region, has vertically-extending portions positioned and arranged such that, for each of a plurality of imaginary horizontal pivot lines across the tray portion and adjacent to the lid portion, at least one of the vertically-extending portions is transverse to each pivot line, thereby providing reinforcement against flexing about each pivot line.  
     
     
         8 . The mobile-dining meal holder of  claim 6  further including a separate removable dome over the at least one depressed region, the dome having a dome edge portion for placement on the tray portion about the at least one depressed region, the at least one depressed region having vertically-extending surfaces thereabout positioned to engage the dome edge portion to keep the dome in vertical alignment over the at least one depressed region.  
     
     
         9 . The mobile-dining meal holder of  claim 6  wherein at least one depressed region has a specified depth based upon a selected foodstuff serving to be received therein.  
     
     
         10 . The mobile-dining meal holder of  claim 9  wherein at least one depressed region has a boundary and includes at least one finger-access portion at the boundary, the finger-access portion having a depth less than the specified depth.  
     
     
         11 . The mobile-dining meal holder of  claim 10  wherein at least one depressed region has an opening there through thereby to provide flexibility for positioning foodstuffs.  
     
     
         12 . The mobile-dining meal holder of  claim 11  further including at least one rib formed in the tray portion and positioned and arranged thereon to enhance reinforcement against flexing about at least one of the imaginary pivot lines.  
     
     
         13 . The mobile-dining meal holder of  claim 1  wherein the tray portion has an outer edge and a vertically extending edge portion formed there along, thereby to provide reinforcement against flexing of the tray portion under loads imposed by food thereon.  
     
     
         14 . The mobile-dining meal holder of  claim 13  wherein the near edge is substantially straight, thereby enabling the user to hold the beverage and food nearby to facilitate drinking and eating.  
     
     
         15 . In a meal holder plate for detachable combination with a beverage container having a lip to form a mobile-dining meal holder, the improvement wherein the plate comprises: 
 (a) a substantially circular and horizontal portion that stops at a specified location along the beverage container below the opening of a beverage container, (b) a tray portion extending outwardly from the cup interface portion and having horizontally-arranged food-holding areas spaced about the lid portion, (c) a handhold position integrally placed into the plate that supports the beverage container as well as the plate where the hand hold position is relatively the same geometry as the beverage container.    
     
     
         16 . The meal holder plate of  claim 15  wherein the cup interface portion represents a taper transition on the tray portion where the tray portion interfaces against a specified taper region along the beverage container.  
     
     
         17 . The meal holder plate of  claim 15  wherein the cup interface portion represents a relatively flat portion of the tray portion that is supported against a shelf or ridge on the beverage container.  
     
     
         18 . The meal holder plate of  claim 15  wherein the cup interface portion represents a variation of a tapered transition on the tray portion and at least one straight section where the tray portion is supported against a shelf or ridge on the beverage container.  
     
     
         19 . The meal holder plate of  claim 18  wherein the tray handhold portion has gussets or ribs, in configurations that provide support for the beverage container and contents of the plate.  
     
     
         20 . The meal holder plate of  claim 18  wherein the tray handhold portion has relatively flat bottom for supporting the meal holder plate on a flat surface independent of a beverage container.